2009 Year in Review

The very first year of the BSL was both an experiment and an experience. The goal was simple, establish a guideline of rules, obtain enough teams, and complete a full season with a modest degree of success. Season one accomplished all of this and more. Exceeding all expectations, the league and its founding teams made this quite an exciting season.

2009 should be remembered for quite a few interesting storylines. Some could call this the year of the C.D. Gunners. While the team did not win the BSL Cup, future operators will be hard pressed to amass 15 wins and 47 points and finish the year off with an APG over 4 points. Also an 11 game unbeaten streak is quite impressive. Ofcourse, the envy of season one has to be Montgomery County. The team nicknamed the Monarchs, also had an 11 game unbeaten streak before being crowned the BSL's first league champion.

2009 will also be remembered for its second half warriors. If ever someone feels their season is done they will have to look no farther than the feats accomplished by Gateway United and D.C. Forever. Gateway United, nicknamed the Saints, lost only 1 match the entire second half of the season after sitting in 6th place. The clubs outstanding stretch run qualified them for the playoffs and the Majors Cup where they made it all the way to be a finalist. D.C. Forever, nicknamed the Bandits, overcame a slow start to come within 1 point of making the playoffs and used its strong second half to qualify for the Majors Cup as well.

Not all teams have happy tales to share for 2009. Union S.C., nicknamed the Blues, was the last team to lose a game going 4-0-3 to start the season and held a playoff position for 3/4's of the season. But, the teams year long weak offense eventually caught up with them, costing the club to miss all post season play.

The Majors Cup tournament provided hope to several clubs who were not on top of the standings. One such team to benefit from the fresh opportunity was the Garden State Kickers. While the club never did get it going in the standings, it did manage to grab 12 points in its last 10 games, enough to qualify for the Majors Cup and edge out the BSL Champions.