DRAFT: Some teams are remaining loyal while others build

Its this time in the draft that opposing teams can start to see trends from their opposition. For example Union S.C. has yet to re-sign a single player from its 2009 line-up. The Blues ownership promised a complete overhaul during the offseason and is sticking to it. Meanwhile the Saints have been busy gobbling up its old guard. The team's first three players are all returning players. Montgomery County is bringing back Nate Jaqua to its roster and one has to wonder if all this loyalty will pay off in 2010. The Gunners already have 2 returning players but decided to tap into some new meat and go with an old veteran in Brian McBride. He did very little in 2009, but that was an injury plagued season. The Cure might have been the winner of round 2 with the addition of Javier Morales, but only time will tell if this is true. Having 2 RSL players is an interesting move, but an impressive duo. With still another 10 position players to fill their roster, St. Louis has plenty of time to add other players from other MLS teams. The rest of the league continues to build their rosters. Which team will surprise in round 3?

DRAFT: Plenty of reasons to feel excited so far

The first round of the 2010 BSL Draft is complete. Union S.C. grabbed 2 of the first 3 players with its selections of DeRosario and Casey. In between Gateway United showed loyalty and resigned Jeff Cunningham for another season. The champion Monarchs decided they wanted the 2008 MLS MVP- G. Barros-Schelotto. As for the new teams, well St. Louis grabbed the attention of the league by picking Robbie Findley. The New York Greeks decided to build a squad around Josh Wolff. The most secretative team in the league, Burud Town, made a fine choice with Brad Davis. Closing out the round was the Gold Coast selecting Brian Ching.

You can read about how each team feels about their selections on their team web sites. Every team has one except Burud Town as of this posting. Round 2 begins now.

DRAFT: 2010 Designated Player selections come to a close

The 2010 BSL Designated Players have all been announced. Gateway United wasted no time to declare Landon Donovan as the clubs DP. The Saints knew who they were going to keep and didn't shy away from it. Club ownership said it best "How do you turn down the reigning MLS MVP"

A few days ago, Montgomery County chose Omar Cummings to return from its Championship line-up. A wise choice if you consider that without Cummings in the line-up last year, the Monarchs would not have made the playoffs. His consistency in 2009 is also worthy of high marks.

Keeping the league in suspense the longest was Capital District. While its been known for some time that the Gunners obtained a 2nd DP, no word or even hint had come out as to the whom the team would pick until the announcement of Juan-Pablo Angel and Fredy Montero. In 2009 Angel struggled below his numbers. It didn't seem to affect the Gunners to badly as the standings showed, but with RedBull Arena opening and Angel able to play under different coaching, it could be a rebound season for Juan-Pablo. Fredy Montero is young, but proved his scoring punch last season and a duplication of that could mean bad news for the rest of the BSL teams.

OFFSEASON: Energy heats up as the draft gets closer

With the 2010 BSL Draft inching closer and closer to starting, the leagues energy level has increased with it. The offseason is coming to an end and finally we can get back to playing. In the past few weeks 4 more teams have introduced web sites. Now 6 0f 8 teams have one!

The draft order is in place, and 2 of the 4 available Designated Players have been decided now that Montgomery County has announced Omar Cummings as its teams return player. The C.D. Gunners owner is keeping quiet with his 2 available picks.

Spirits appear to be high for several teams looking for a championship season. Gateway United seems hot for some hardware, while Union S.C. is desperate just to qualify for anything, as is St. Louis, who enters the league with 15 years of experience from other leagues. Will the Cure find success in the BSL? New York may be new, but has set its sights on "the treble" and wants to win all three seasons championships. Gold Coast F.C. isn't intimidated with picking last in the draft and has even embraced the California derby creating the California Cup between Union S.C. and itself. The pressure will be on the Monarchs, as several teams are circling the champions on their schedule. The Gunners are also a wanted team. Can anybody beat their team record of 47 points in a season?

Second season is released with new derby's on tap

The 2010 BSL schedule will once again feature a 20 game regular season to be followed by the playoff semi-final game and the BSL Cup Final. The Majors Cup will close out the year with the same format as well.

Opening day will feature the BSL champions beginning their quest to repeat when Montgomery County goes up against Union S.C. The California derby will take center stage in game 2 when Union S.C. plays Gold Coast F.C. Game 3 of the season will be the first rematch of the BSL Cup Final as the C.D. Gunners will seek revengence over Montgomery County. The first Missouri derby between Gateway United and St.Louis Cure will be in game 4. That and more storylines are ahead.

ATTACHMENTS

Gold Coast F.C. Announcement

Welcome to the league Gold Coast F.C.
The team is operated by Alek.
Thank you all for participating and good luck in the upcoming season.

Returning teams "Designated Player" pick deadline is March 1st.

Burud Town S.C. Announcement

The third new team for the 2010 BSL season is Burud Town S.C. operated by Walter. One spot remains to once again have 8 participants.

If any of the new operators wish to give idea's or color choices on their photoshop team kit please advise Montgomery County (David) on your preferences or leave a comment on this blog.