Monday, March 28, 2011

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 3

UNION SC vs GOLD COAST: The Match of the Week is the battle out West that pins one of the best rivalies in the BSL. The Suns will be missing Omar Bravo in this one as well as Kyle Beckerman while Union SC appears to have more flexibility with its club roster. GATEWAY UTD vs HILLCREST UTD: Two clubs going in completely opposite directions to start the season. The Saints (2-0) are in first, while the Rainbows (0-2) are sitting at the bottom. The first objective for Hillcrest will be to score and get that goose egg off the clubs back. SECOND CITY vs BURUD TOWN: The Stars break is over and we will see if opening day was a fluke or if this club is the real deal. The Stags meanwhile have been solid scoring 4 points in each game so far. CD GUNNERS vs PN RANGERS: Freddy Montero has yet to find the back of the net and Javier Morales will not be able to rescue the club this week with RSL busy with Champions League play. Meanwhile the Rangers need someone besides Frei to score. ALAMO CITY vs PENNSYLVANIA: Henry is expected to return to action and that should be some welcomed news since Hassli will have to sit out due to his red card suspension. The Stoners are flying high after erupting for 5 points in week 2. Should be a competitive match.

POWER RANKINGS: March

Leading the first power rankings of 2011 is Gateway United. The Saints defeated the 2010 BSL Cup champions and then defeated the 2010 Majors Cup champions to begin the season. In second in the rankings is Burud Town. The Stags currently lead the league in total points scored with 8. Third in the ranks is Second City. The Stars may have played only one game so far, but it was an impressive debut. On the other side of the rankings, Hillcrest United is sitting last at number 11 because of the clubs obvious offensive struggles to start the season.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

WEEK 2: Several Clubs Bounce Back After Slow Openers

BURUD TOWN 4 ALAMO CITY 1: The Stags are now 4 for 4 against the Battle. In this latest match up, Burud Town opened the scoring when Steve Zakuani chipped in a goal on Friday. However, it was the red card by Hassli that changed the completion of this game. Coming in off the bench for the Stags was Paulo Araujo Jr, who scored a goal and assist. Alamo City in return could only muster a late Juan Pablo Angel goal. The club was able to bring in a substitute of their own after Burud Town recieved a 2nd yellow card in the game, but Paladini was unable to score as well. CD GUNNERS 5 HILLCREST UTD 0: Unlike last week, the Gunners took advantage of their scoring chances. Well, two players did at least. Javier Morales and Marco Pappa collected all 5 scores for Capital District on route to the clubs first win of 2011. On the flip side, the Rainbows were shutout again. Its the first time in BSL history that a club has failed to score in back to back games. On a side note though, Hillcrest United has had scorers, but they have been sitting on the bench. Last week Rodgers goal was unused. This week both reserve players scored goals for the club. UNION SC 3 ALLIANCE 2: The Blues 2010 MVP came to the rescue in week 2 of the season as Chris Wondolowski's 2 goals were the difference in this game. Dwayne DeRosario got the scoring started with an assist. Alliance equalized off a Joseph goal. After Wondo's two scores built a 3-1 lead, the Lions inched a little closer thanks to Matt Pickens clean sheet. Both clubs had subs enter the game but they were a non factor in the score sheet. PENNSYLVANIA 5 PN RANGERS 1: The Stoners found their offense. A whole whirlwind of players joined the celebration as 4 starting position player made contributions. Mondragon for the second game in a row produced a clean sheet as well. The only sour note in an otherwise impressive first win for Pennsylvania is that Puerari's goal was left on the bench. The Rangers suffered a similiar fate as the Stoners last week, with only the goal keeper, Frei, able to score for the club. The rest of the starting line up produced nothing. GATEWAY UTD 3 GOLD COAST 1: The Saints improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to Jon Busch. With the score tied 1-1 and almost all players in the game accounted for, Busch produced a clean sheet with 5 saves to change the score line for Gateway United. For the Suns, it was a struggle all weekend. Omar Bravo was ejected, forcing the club to play a man down. Matt Reis was minutes away from clean sheet, before a PK was called. The man who scored that PK was Charlie Davies for the Saints making what could have been a 2-0 lead a 1-1 tie instead. The Saints were allowed to bring in Quaranta off the bench, but it had no affect on the game.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 2

GATEWAY UTD vs GOLD COAST
The Match of the Week features two opening day winners. Gateway United found fortune from #8 starter Juninho last week, but got nothing from Designated Players Donovan and Mwanga. Gold Coast got results in reverse as the clubs high profile players delivered while the rest of the roster was silent. The Saints lead in the all time head to head series. Who will go 2-0 to start the season?
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CD GUNNERS vs HILLCREST UTD
Both clubs are coming off an early loss. Its hardly time to panic, but both clubs should be looking for improvement. The Rainbows entire starting lineup and goal keeper were shut down and were the only BSL club in week one to fail to score a single point. The Gunners squad actually had their opportunities and just were unable to finish giving this club less reason for concern.
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BURUD TOWN vs ALAMO CITY
The Stags own the Battle/Monarchs. In their last meeting Burud Town overcame a 5-3 deficit to comeback and win 7-5 in a crucial match that clinched the playoffs for the club on the last day of the regular season of 2010. Ofcourse this is 2011 and Alamo City is 1-0 while the Stags are 0-1 after a tough 5-4 loss. Predictions are this could be the highest scoring game of the week.
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PENNSYLVANIA vs PN RANGERS
The Rangers will make their debut this week after having the bye in week one. The Stoners are coming off week one having only Mondragon's clean sheet to feel good about.
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UNION SC vs ALLIANCE FC
The Blues lost opening day last year, so ownership is not worried at all about starting 0-1. The upstart Lions on the other hand have bragging right for week one scoring more than anyone else on route to a win. Alliance is currently the first place club having a tiebreaker of best APG. (Average Points per Game) This should be a great game.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

WEEK 1: Alliance Takes the First Week's Highest Score

BOXSCORES
GATEWAY UTD 3 UNION SC 2
The Saints continued their dominance over the Blues. After taking an early 1-0 lead off a rocket from Juninho, Union SC fought back. First, club captain DeRosario chipped in his first goal of the season and fellow DP Conor Casey added an assist to take a slim 2-1 lead. Then Charlie Davies took over and nailed a PK to tie the score and then followed it with the game winner. Union SC was forced to play a man down when Brek Shea was red carded. Both Santino Quaranta and Jack Jewsbury were subbed into the game for the Saints, but neither would throw in any scores. 10 men to 7, the result is what matters and Gateway United got the 3 points.
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SECOND CITY 4 CAPITAL DISTRICT 2
The Stars made an impressive debut getting scores from 4 different starters. The club even had a fifth score on the bench, but was unable to get him into the game. Chiumiento had a heck of a match and was getting a whole mess of touches. Meanwhile, the Gunners got 0 points from Freddy Montero who played 180 minutes this week. Saborio was blanked as well. Marco Pappa hit the post. It was that kind of game for the Gunners. The one omen was club Keeper Sean Johnson had an assist.
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ALLIANCE 5 BURUD TOWN 4
The most explosive match of the week. The Lions roared out early in this match getting 4 points from two players (Santos and Harris). But, the Stags would fight back and claw equal with 4 scores of their own including a goal and assist from Designated Player Omar Cummings. Then in the 3rd minute of Sunday's final tally, Shalrie Joseph scored the game winner to give Alliance the clubs first win in the BSL. Burud Town put up a good fight and almost completed a huge comeback. The club came close in so many ways including coming up 1 save short for another score. This was a real nail bitter.
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GOLD COAST 4 PENNSYLVANIA 1
The game began slow as neither club had many threats early. The first score was from the Stoners, as their keeper recorded a clean sheet to give Pennsylvania a 1-0 lead. Then as the later tally's arrived, the Suns began to show their new weapons. Cooper drove home the equalizer on a very late goal. Then Omar Bravo displayed his professionalism with 2 beautiful goals. Matt Reis closed the scoring out recording 5 saves. Ballouchy was subbed into the match for the Stoners, but feel victim to the same results as the rest of the clubs position players.
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ALAMO CITY 4 HILLCREST UNITED 0
The Battle were able to build a comfortable 4-0 lead and hold it all the way through to victory thanks to 2 players. Kei Kamara's 2 assists and Nick Rimando's clean sheet and 8 saves were the score line in this game. The Rainbows did get one score from Rodgers, but he was placed way down as the third sub off the bench. It wouldn't matter since Alamo City had no cards in this game. The Battle also wasted some scores as Hassli's 2 goals were left on the bench.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 1

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UNION SC vs GATEWAY UTD
The only match-up in week one that features two senior BSL clubs facing off against each other. The Saints have an agressive ownership group hell bent on winning. Don't be fooled by the recent press coming out of the camp that the club has been humbled. An opening day win could light fireworks and smack talk all over again. The Blues need to win these type of games to have any chance of repeating as BSL Champions. Union SC is 1-1 on opening day all-time. Gateway is also 1-1 on opening day all-time.
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PENNSYLVANIA vs GOLD COAST
The Suns revamped a Majors Cup Championship squad from top to bottom. This will be the first opportunity to see if it was a good decision. They will face the expansion Stoners filled with Philly Union players and guys with Philly afflilation. Gold Coast is 1-0 all-time on opening day.
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BURUD TOWN vs ALLIANCE FC
The Stags had a good draft and will look to improve on a Semi-Final playoff appearance. However, 2010 was a very streaky season. Wins and losses came in bunches. Because of that the owner made big moves in the trade and transfer market last year to help to create success. What is up the sleeves for this club this year. Alliance FC has been active and knowledgeable and has stated aspirations to win right away. Should be a good first game. Burud Town is 0-0-1 on opening day all-time.
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CAPITAL DISTRICT vs SECOND CITY
The Gunners have the youngest roster in the league. Will all that youth require time to mature? The owner knows how to win and has a Honors Trophy to prove he knows how to judge talent, so the benefit of the doubt goes to him for now. Second City had a good draft for an expansion club and could pose a lot of problems for all their opponents all season long. Expect this game to go the distant. Capital District is 1-1 on opening day all-time.
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ALAMO CITY vs HILLCREST UTD
This could be the first blow out of the season. The Battle are poised for a return to the playoffs with the highest payroll in the BSL and the owner has built a reputation of knowing how to succeed in this league. The name may be different, but that Mongomery County Championship is the same club. Meanwhile Hillcrest United had a questionable draft. The league wishes success to all its clubs and a fun experience, but the Rainbows could have their work cut out for them. Is there an upset in the future? Alamo City is 1-1 all-time on opening day.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Ready to Begin

A total of 139 players were chosen to conclude the 2011 BSL draft. Add in the 10 Designated Players selected before the draft and 5 Pre-Draft Selections and you have a grand total of 154 players. No small task, but necessary in order to prepare for a new season of soccer. Starting tomorrow club owners can start acquring free agents if they so desire. Opening Kick is only 1 week away.

Monday, March 7, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Filling in the Final Spots

At this stage of the draft BSL clubs are working on filling what could be the initial reserves of their teams. Ofcourse, today's reserves can become tomorrow's hidden gems and make it all the way to the starting lineup. Either way we are coming to the close of the draft with some clubs hitting roster capacity.
It is quite possible that some of these drafted players may never get a chance to hit the box score. Free Agency begins right after the full completion of the draft and club owners may find the need to further tweak their line-ups even before game one begins.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Change Can Be Good

This round featured several BSL clubs investing in players that have changed what uniform they will be wearing in the MLS. Gateway United picked up Jack Jewsbury who was named the Captain of the Portand Timbers. Josh Wolff was drafted by Second City who now plays for DC United. Pennsylvania kept to form by picking up Ballouchy who now is with the RedBulls.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Good Players Still Being Added

It's not often that an MLS Designated Player can get drafted in the 9th round. But, Alamo City was able to snatch up Hassli after it was announced that he coming here. There were other very promising picks to be seen in this late round. The CD Gunners signing of Castillo could have real promise. Burud Town picked up Perlaza who is fresh off a preseason goal in the Cascadia Summit. Union SC used this round to pick up the goal keeper Jimmy Nielsen who gathered quit a few points last season.

2011 DRAFT: Rosters Taking Shape

At this point in the draft every BSL club should have at least enough players to fill a starting line up with the exception of a goal keeper and some clubs even have them. This means we are getting down to filling the subs and reserves up. At first glance an owner might think he knows just how to size up his competition by now. That could not be further from the truth. The fact is a BSL clubs substitutes have a great deal of value. Injuries and National team duty will happen. It's a fact. Also not every MLS team plays every week. Therefore your Sub's will be used with almost a guarantee. Add to the fact that your opponent might go card crazy and have your clubs sub's come in during gameday. The point if you haven't figured it out by now is that the next part of the draft's rounds are just as important.

The featured pick during these rounds is Gateway United's pick of Alan Gordon at #79. This could be a great selection since Gordon (attitude and all) is happy in Chivas land and played well for them in their last matches of 2010. He might surprise a lot of people if he has found his nitch over in the other locker room of Home Depot Center.

Round 9 is currently in progress as the weekend has hit. During Saturday and Sunday the 2 hour time limit will not apply, so the progress will slow down. More than likely the draft will have to continue into Monday and the time limit will resume as normal on Monday 7am pacific time.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Finding Middle Round Success

What seperates a good BSL club from a great BSL club? What is the difference between a BSL club that is a playoff contender and a club that battles for the Honors Trophy and is a season long favorite to win the BSL Cup and Majors Cup? The answer is team depth. Having a good group of scorers on the top of your lineup will get you wins. But, having a good group at the bottom of the starting lineup will squeek out close victories in matches that a clubs high profile players may perhaps struggle.

Every BSL owner will have a different opinion on which group of players best fit this need. Only time will tell who's middle round draft picks will prove to be the best choices. Lets take a look at some of the players drafted in Round 5 for example. Dane Richards (CD Gunners) at #47 could be a steal with the talent he will be playing with. Marco Perovic (Gold Coast) has moments where he looks great. Can he put it all together in 2011? Espindola (Burud Town) could be a real steal at #49 because he is more than capable of scoring goals in stretch runs. Padilla (Union SC) was once regarded as the guy who would get Chivas USA into the playoffs. If he ever lives up to those expectations he would be a huge pick up at #50.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Goal Keepers Getting Grabbed

Rounds 3 and 4 were completed in day 2 of the draft process. It looks like the new "Saves " rule is playing a new value in the goal keeper. Several BSL clubs drafted a keeper in these two rounds which is sooner than in years past. More interesting is these picks are not just by expansion clubs, but some senior clubs as well. Alamo City picked up Nick Rimando at #23, while the CD Gunners picked up Donovan Ricketts at #25. Second City drafted Bouna Coundoul at #31.

By far the most interesting picks so far in the draft have to go to Hillcrest United. The owner has picked up 2 goal keepers in the first 4 rounds. None of these picks are League picks. The owner must have a strategy and has even been advised by the Commissioners office that these are questionable choices.

Not all expansion owners are finding it hard to make a name for themselves. Pennsylvania picked up Convey at #30 and Alliance FC picked up Joseph at #40. Both very fine choices.

Finally, the last of the offseason draft trades are complete. Starting with round 5, all BSL clubs will have one pick each to be made.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

2011 DRAFT: Two Rounds and 22 Picks Later

The first two rounds of the 2011 BSL draft were completed after day 1 of the process. Alamo City named Juan Pablo Angel the first overall pick. This really should not be much of a surprise since Angel was held as a Designated Player in 2010 by Capital District and is still considered one of the biggest offensive threats leading into 2011. Gateway United continues the clubs tradition of aggressive moves in drafts. No one can ever accuse the Saints of being afraid to take chances. Charlie Davies could be a great contributor if he can stay healthy and find his form. The question is will he? Javier Morales was a beast for the late St. Louis Cure owner and the Gunners did not forget that when the club drafted him third. The Club that owned the first round was Gold Coast FC. With three picks, the Suns drafted Kenny Cooper, David Beckham, and Omar Bravo. Not a bad trio! Cooper returns to the States. Will his scoring touch return too? Beckham may not score goals, but he does get assist and he will have Donovan and JPA to pass the ball too. Bravo has the talent but can he adjust to the physical play he'll see in the MLS? The BSL champions may have surprised a few rivals with the selection of Brek Shea in the first round. The Blues ownership group feels extremely confident Shea will be a difference maker on gameday. The biggest surprise of the first round has to be Hillcreest United's pick of defender Barnes. Some defenders have produced in the BSL and make a difference. But, a first round pick, that is up for debate. The second round saw the Pennsylvania Stoners draft local with Carlos Ruiz. The clubs second Philly player. While Burud Town finally got Justin Braun after a few attempts at trying to trade for him in the offseason.