WEEK 20: Playoff Clubs Are Set, Majors Still Unsettled

GATEWAY UNITED 6 ALLIANCE FC 5 - The game of the week did not disappoint. The Saints jumped out to a quick lead when Landon Donovan scored 3 points on his own with 2 goals and a assist. The Lions would fight back with DeRosario's brace and a Ching brace. However the real storyline would go to Andy Najar who's assist would be taken away in the 70th minute with a red card. That ejection would prove to be huge as the clubs traded off more scores before the Saints would finish 1 higher. The red card was the difference in this classic as Gateway United clinched a spot in the BSL playoffs for the 2nd time in club history and also gave the Saints the 2011 Barium Cup. SECOND CITY 3 PN RANGERS 0 - The Stars are heading to the BSL playoffs doing what was expected by defeating the Rangers. Congratulations to the first year club. GOLD COAST 2 ALAMO CITY 1 - The Suns narrowly missed the BSL playoffs in 2010, but thanks to Geoff Cameron's game winner, will be heading to this years playoffs. The club still has a mathematical chance at the Honors Trophy, but will need the CD Gunners to stumble to close out the regular season. UNION SC 3 HILLCREST UNITED 0 - The Blues got a brace from Collin Clark and a goal from Mastroeni to keep hope alive in the pursuit of making the 2011 Majors Cup tournament. PENNSYLVANIA 2 BURUD TOWN 1 - The Stoners win may have kept the club alive for some MC action, but it killed Burud Town's playoff aspirations. The Stags will not be returning to the BSL playoffs and will have to hope for a good showing in the clubs finale next week to see where it will finish in MC qualifiers. The Stags bye week is in Week 22.

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 20

ALLIANCE vs GATEWAY UTD - The 2nd leg of the Barium Cup comes at a pivatal moment in the season when both clubs are in real need of points. The Lions need points to stay in the top 4 for Majors Cup. The Saints need points to stay in the top 4 of the BSL. BURUD TOWN vs PENNSYLVANIA - Neither club can afford to lose this game. The Stags are in 3rd place in the Majors Cup qualifiers and 5th place in the BSL standings. Its also important to note that the club has only 2 regular season games left. The Stoners need maximum points to close out the club's schedule. GOLD COAST vs ALAMO CITY - The Suns can clinch a playoff spot with a win this weekend but needs wins to close out the season to have any shot to defend its Majors Cup trophy. UNION SC vs HILLCREST UTD - This match up couldn't have come at a better time. The Blues are playing their best ball of the season and still have a shot to sneak into a Majors Cup slot. SECOND CITY vs PN RANGERS - The Stars are in the running to have a long post season in their inaugural campaign and have an easy game on tap this weekend to help.

WEEK 19: Gunners Clinch Playoff and Majors Spot

CAPITAL DISTRICT 4 GATEWAY UNITED 1 - The Gunners may have just sealed the deal on winning the 2011 Honors Trophy. It's not official yet, but it is real close. In the mean time the club will have to settle with clinching a playoff spot and a Majors Cup spot. That is right if you look at the Majors Cup Group standings the Gunners are currently in Group A at the moment along with the Galaxy (who are #1 in the MLS candidates) and Toronto (#4 for MLS candidates as of 7/23) The win over the Saints started off with Richards score being taken away with a red card. But with the game tied 1-1, new addition Jeferson broke it open and Saborio added some insurance for the Gunners. SECOND CITY 3 ALLIANCE 2 - The Stars moved up into 3rd place in the BSL standings after handing the Lions a 2nd straight loss. Koevermans had the game winning goal. The results almost ends the Lions chance at the playoffs and the club is barely handing on to its Majors Cup 4th place position. Second City meanwhile is 1 win or 1 Burud Town loss away from clinching a playoff spot. UNION SC 3 PENNSYLVANIA 1 - The Stoners also suffered a devasting loss which will make it difficult to reach the playoffs. While not officially eliminated, the Stoners might have to focus on Majors Cup qualifiers for the remainder of the season. The Blues are playing the role of spoiler very well and are making the club win-loss record respectable again. GOLD COAST 6 HILLCREST UNITED 0 - The Suns took care of business and mowed down the Rainbows. The BSL playoffs seem almost certain needing only 1 more point to clinch, but are on the outside in 5th place currently in Majors Cup qualifiers. BURUD TOWN 6 PN RANGERS 0 - The Stags are the thorn in the top 4's side right now. The club is the last real bonified challenger to change the league's current top 4. Burud Town has very little room for error and almost certainly needs to win its last 2 games of the season.

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 19

CAPITAL DISTRICT vs GATEWAY UTD - The game of the week features a couple of BSL originals with plenty of history against one another. In this match, the Saints must win in order to challenge for the Honors Trophy. A victory for the Gunners and the club might have another trophy to brag about and at the very least clinch a playoff spot. SECOND CITY vs ALLIANCE FC - The Stars are holding onto 4th place at the moment and this could be the biggest game in the clubs history. The Lions need to win this weekend. A loss would be killer. This match has the potential to be a 6 point swing in the standings. PENNSYLVANIA vs UNION SC - The Stoners have been awesome in the crunch and will need to pick up 3 points to stay in the race. There is little room for error. BURUD TOWN vs PN RANGERS - The Stags are in 5th place should be scoreboard watching the Second City/Alliance game while looking for 3 points against the Rangers. GOLD COAST vs HILLCREST UTD - The Suns should win this match and hope that the Saints win this week also in order to have a shot at the Honors Trophy.

WEEK 18: Time is Running Out for Some Clubs

CAPITAL DISTRICT 5 ALLIANCE FC 1- The Gunners made it look easy against a confident Lions club and took another step closer to the Honors Trophy. Meanwhile the loss may cost Alliance a shot at the playoffs as the race to the top 4 will require some assistance from other clubs faltering. The Gunners are 1 point away from clinching a playoff spot. BURUD TOWN 2 GOLD COAST 0 - The Stags finally got a win against the Suns and it came at a great time. The win keeps the Stags in playoff contention. The Suns are now 6 points behind for first place in the BSL. GATEWAY UNITED 5 ALAMO CITY 0 - The Saints got their 9th win of the season after thrashing the Battle 5-0. Will Hesmer had an impressive showing with a clean sheet and 5 saves. UNION SC 3 PN RANGERS 0 - The Blues still might have a chance to sneak into the Majors Cup having picked up another 3 points, but will need to deliver against more quality opponents to really make some noise. SECOND CITY 3 HILLCREST UNITED 0 - The Stars inched another step closer to securing a playoff spot in their inaugural season.

BIDDING WAR: Jeferson Rodigues (SKC)

Clubs involved (4): CD Gunners, Second City, Alamo City, Gateway United - Bids for Jeferson will conclude at 6pm (Pacific time) on Tuesday 7/19. Good luck.

BIDDING WAR: Mustapha Jarju (VAN)

Clubs Involved (8): Alamo City, Gateway United, Gold Coast, Burud Town, Pennsylvania, Second City, Union SC, Alliance FC - Practically every owner in the BSL is seeing value in the latest addition to the Whitecaps. This bidding war should be interesting. The bidding ends at 6pm (Pacific Time) Friday the 15th to allow time to place him on his new BSL roster for week 18. Any bids not placed on this post in time will not count. Good luck.

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 18

The game of the week could be the biggest match in the short history of Alliance FC. A win could propell the club into serious contention for the playoffs with only a few regular season games left. A loss to the Gunners could put the Lions in too deep a hole to catch up. Meanwhile the Gunners are trying to hang onto first place in both the BSL standings and Majors Cup qualifying. Gateway United needs to find a way to take down its nemesis Alamo City to stay in the Honor's trophy race. The Saints have a league low 2 losses on the season, but 5 draws. The Battle really need a win to keep the season alive. Gold Coast will try and remain perfect against Burud Town as the club sits 3 points behind first place. Second City will be the clear favorite this week to grab the clubs 10th win on the season playing Hillcrest United, and Union SC rounds out the schedule playing the Rangers. Pennsylvania has the week off.

BIDDING WAR: Frank Rost (NYRB)

Clubs Involved (2): Alamo City, Burud Town - The RedBulls have a new keeper. The deadline on this bidding war is 6pm Pacific Time on Friday 7/15. The winning club will have the option to add Rost to the line-up in time for Week 18 which starts Saturday the 16th. Good luck.

WEEK 17: Race for Honor's Trophy is Heating Up

GOLD COAST 6 UNION SC 2 - The 2nd leg of the California Cup rivalry offered little drama as the Suns dominated from the get-go building a commanding lead and never looking back. The victory brings home the Cup to Northern California for the first time and is Gold Coast FC's 2nd trophy in the Clubs history. The win also keeps the Suns in striking distance of the Honors Trophy with only 4 games left on the season. Meanwhile Union SC's miserable season continues as the clubs last chance at some hardware has been erased. There will be no repeat of the BSL Cup, No entry to the 2011 Majors Cup, and no California Cup. SECOND CITY 6 BURUD TOWN 4 - A epic fight between two contending clubs ended with the Stars picking up a huge 3 points. In a game full of scores, Jon Busch's 5 saves and clean sheet was the difference. PENNSYLVANIA 3 ALAMO CITY 2 - Another week, another huge win for the Stoners. The never say die club from PA, continues to find late scorers to edge out opponents. This time Perlaza's goal on Sunday was the game winner. The Stoners could be the dark horse to make the BSL playoffs even though the club has not been in the top 4 in many weeks. GATEWAY UTD 6 HILLCREST UTD 0 - The battle of United's was easy to predict before the match even started and the Saints served up an impressive win to keep the club in the race for the Honors Trophy. CAPITAL DISTRICT 5 PACIFIC NORTHWEST 0 - With an entire league chasing, the Gunners took apart the easy Rangers to stay in first place in the BSL Standings and reclaimed first place in the Majors Cup table.

MATCH PREVIEW: Week 17

UNION SC vs GOLD COAST - The 2nd leg of the California Cup is also the game of the week. The Suns took the first leg 5-4 and are currently in 2nd place in the BSL standings. SECOND CITY vs BURUD TOWN - Both clubs are on the outside looking in for a playoff spot so a win in this game will be huge. ALAMO CITY vs PENNSYLVANIA - The Stoners are coming off a huge win. Both clubs are in need of a win to stay close to the top 4. CD GUNNERS vs PN RANGERS - The Gunners get a chance to maintain first place with only 5 regular season games remaining for the club. GATEWAY UTD vs HILLCREST UTD - The Saints return from a bye week hoping to avoid a major upset.

WEEK 16: Alliance Unbeaten Streak at 9 Games

ALLIANCE 5 ALAMO CITY 4 - Its official, the Lions are good. After another win this week, the club is 7-0-2 after a 1-5-0 start to the season, and has now moved up to its highest position ever. Alliance currently owns third place in the BSL standings and first place in the Majors Cup qualifiers. In the Lions first ever game of the week, the club wasted no time building up a 4 -0 lead before the Battle began to cut into the scoreline. However Pickens clean sheet nailed down another win for the Chancellor. PENNSYLVANIA 4 CAPITAL DISTRICT 2 - A lineup failure couldn't slow down the Stoners this week as the club dismantled the first place Gunners. This is perhaps the biggest win in the Partnership's history defeating a top seeded club and keeping the clubs playoff hopes alive. UNION SC 2 SECOND CITY 1 - Finally the Blues were able to pick up a victory. Its been a long time and thankfully a lineup failure from the Stars made it all possible. Joseph's late goal broke the 1-1 deadlock. GOLD COAST 2 PN RANGERS 0 - The Suns earned the clubs 9th win on the season and picked up ground on the first place Gunners after defeating the Rangers. BURUD TOWN 4 HILLCREST UNITED 0 - The Stags got 2 points from Kevin Hartman to easily defeat the Rainbows and keep pace in the playoff race while also maintaining a Majors Cup top 4 position.

BIDDING WAR: Koevermans (TFC)

Clubs involved (5): Alamo City, Burud Town, Second City, CD Gunners, Alliance FC - The bidding war on this TFC addition will also conclude on Monday at 5pm (Pacific time). Leave your bids for this player on the comments of this post.

BIDDING WAR: Frings (TOR)

Clubs Involved (5): Gold Coast, Second City, Gateway United, CD Gunners, Burud Town - The new TFC Midfielder bidding war will conclude Monday at 5pm (Pacific time). Place all bids in the comments of this post.