Year 2 - 2010 in Review

The Gunners second year was disappointing as the team struggled through the season, and failed to make the playoffs or qualify for the Majors Cup competition. Finishing the season 7-8-5 with 26 points, it was still enough to finish fifth in the table but still left the fans and organization disappointed.

While there were some disappointments in the league competition the team did manage to sweep the minor competitions, winning both derbies and taking the end of the year Patroon Challenge. It's that sweep that like saved Manager Kevin Connor's job, though he's expected to be on a short leash in 2011.

In a season of turmoil, there were some constants. Captain Juan Pablo Angel brought stability to the lineup and showed the much needed veteran leadership. Superstar Fredy Montero once again lead the team in scoring with 10 goals and 9 assists, good enough to once again earn Team MVP honors. Newcomer Alvaro Saborio completed the trifecta, giving Capital District a third scoring option.

The goal for 2011 is to forget the past, rearm, and get ready to challenge in the new season.

Unlike last year, when they waited until the very end, the Gunners are expected to announce their two Designated Players following the results of the second stage of the MLS' Re-Entry Draft.

Gunners take Patroon Challenge

Returning to the United States this morning, Capital District returned victors having won the Patroon Challenge with a 3-2 victory over Ajax. The Gunners went in to Amsterdam and finally found a bit of offense behind goals from Captain Juan Pablo Angel, Milton Rodriguez, and Maicon Santos.

"I'm extremely proud of these guys," Manager Kevin Conner said, addressing the media for perhaps the last time as the Gunners skipper. "After the way our season ended, the guys could've bagged this tournament. But we went over there, fought, and won."

In the tournament's other game, Feynoord and Excelsior battled to a 0-0 draw and both teams claiming third place.

With 2010 now in the books, the franchise will now head in to the off-season with major questions but things not looking as bleak as they did before.

Patroon Challenge Game 2 Lineup

Saborio sets up showdown in Amsterdam

Alvaro Saborio played hero this week, netting himself a brace and single-handedly securing the Gunners the win in their Round 1 matchup with Excelsior. The win gives the Gunners a shot at winning the two week tournament, but must travel to Amsterdam and defeat Ajax. Ajax defeated rival Feynoord 3 to 2, in a testy match that saw 7 yellows. This time a tie will not do as Ajax currently holds the tiebreaker in points, 3 to 2.

Some quick team notes :

- It's being reported the Brian McBride as played his final game as he's expected to be deactivated prior to Ajax match.

- Milton Rodriguez and Maicon Santos are both healthy and back with the team. Both players scored this week, but neither had their points count as Rodriguez was on the bench and Santos deactivated.

- Rumors are that regardless of the outcome of the Patroon Challenge, a new manager will guide the Gunners in 2011.

Patroon Challenge Game 1 Lineup

Draw set for Patroon Challenge

With representatives from all four clubs present, the draw was made for upcoming Patroon Challenge tournament in the Netherlands.

Capital District will start things off against Excelsior in the first round, with Ajax hosting Feynoord in the other match. For the second round, Capital District will battle Ajax in Amsterdam and the two Rotterdam clubs will go one on one with Feynoord facing Excelsior.

Arsenal too much for Gunners to overcome

The Arsenal attack was just too much for Capital District to overcome this weekend, as the Gunners lost 7-3 this week. The Gunners once again showed inconsistency and struggled to put points on the board. That wasn't a problem for Arsenal as it seemed the flood gates opened for the Premier League club.

For Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny, Marouane Chamakh, Song, and Carlos Vela scored a goal a piece. That was paired with Cesc Fàbregas's two assists and Andrei Arshavin pitching in a third. Included in the mix were two yellow cards drawn by Emmanuel Eboue and Kieran Gibbs.

Unfortunately Capital District couldn't capitalize on the double yellow. Stefan Frie started the game off with a clean sheat but just missed in his second game to capture a second one. The only offensive stats came from the team's Red Bull duo, with Juan Pablo Angel and Rafael Marquez getting an assist a piece. New acquisition David Beckham pitched in by nabbing a yellow card in the waning minutes of the matchup.

"We were beaten soundly be a superior opponent," Manager Kevin Conner said after the matchup. "It's hard matching up with one of the premier powers of Europe. We had our chances to make it a game, but we couldn't finish."

With this latest loss, rumors are getting louder that there will be change in command for the team next year.

This morning the Gunners departed London for Amsterdam and to begin preparation for the Patroon Challenge tournament that will be held over the next two weeks. The draw is schedule for Monday.

Arsenal Friendly Lineup

Gunners blanked in finale

Using a makeshift roster, the 2010 Bigtime Soccer League regular season as closed with a whimper for the Capital District Gunners. With three players called for international duty and two more players out with injuries, the Gunners were forced to sign two new players to try and field a competitive Starting IX for this must win game. Unfortunately it didn't work out as Gold Coast won the match 2-0 with a Kyle Beckerman assist and a Kevin Hartman clean sheet. The only thing the Gunners could muster up was a yellow card from last week's hero Fredy Montero.

While the roster issues were not under his control, many are not happy with this season's performance and believe a change is needed to right to the ship. Rumors from inside the team are saying that only a spectacular off-season trip in Europe is expected to save Manager Kevin Conner's job.

With the 2010 BSL season behind them, the team is focused on starting its post season plans. Tomorrow the team is expected to depart for London and a friendly with Arsenal F.C., followed by a two week tour in the Netherlands for the Patroon Challenge versus Excelsior, Feyenoord Rotterdam, and Ajax Amsterdam.

What will 2011 bring for the Gunners?

Beckham and Gunners reach deal

During intermission of the Gunners game versus Gold Coast, the team announced the signing of David Beckham.

At 9:30 Saturday evening the league signed off on the signing, and Beckham is expected to join the team sometime in the coming week. While it is an excellent signing, the timing is curious though as it looks to be too late as the team appears to have missed out on going to either the playoffs or the Majors Cup.

"We put the paperwork in with the league right after our matchup with Gold Coast began with the intention and belief that we were going to continue our season in one or both of the BSL's postseason actions," General Manager Michael Miller explained. "Unfortunately, it's not going to work out as we had hoped."

When asked what the plans are now for both Beckham and the team, "We're going to keep him as we're currently planning a post season trip to Europe to finish out our season. In addition, we've just secured a player who could very well be one of our D.P.s (Designated Players) for next year."

To make room for David on the official roster, Pablo Mastroeni will not be resigned after his one match contract runs out Monday.

Game 20 Lineup

Gunners sign Pablo Mastroeni

The final piece is in place for the Gunners lineup for tomorrow's matchup with Gold Coast. Capital District as just announced the signing of Pablo Mastroeni, whom will be immediately pressed in to service for tomorrow's must win game.

With Alvaro Saborio, Emilio Renteria, and Rafael Marquez out on international duty, and Maicon Santos and Milton Rodriguez questionable due to injury, the team was left scrambling to put together a full unit for the regular season finale. But with Teal Bunbury and Mastroeni the team is expected to compete for both post-season spots.

McBride announces retirement at end of the season.

On the eve of the final regular season match, Brian McBride as announced that he plans to hang it up at the end of the season and retire. "McBride, 38, is widely considered one of the greatest forwards the United States has ever produced, having found success domestically, in Europe and on the international scene."

While Brian hasn't done much for the Gunners this season, 3 goals and 1 assist in BSL action, there is no denying what the player as accomplished in his storied career.

While the postseason chances are slim, the Gunners are still hoping that Brian's final match is still a month or two away.

Fredy! Fredy! Fredy!

If Fredy Montero hadn't already been locked up his back to back team MVPs before last night, he certainty did it with this performance.

While the Empire Cup was all but secured, it was the win the Gunners were hunting for. Down 2 to 1 late in the game, Montero netted the equalizer and the eventual game winner. With the win the Gunners claimed the inaugural Empire Cup and the season derby sweep, but also keep their season barely alive. It also may have also saved Manager Kevin Conner's job as the team as continued to struggle down the home stretch.

Not to be overshadowed by Montero's brace, Stefan Frei secured his seventh clean sheet of the season proving to be the team's top in season acquisition of this season. Having been picked up near the World Cup break for a suspended Zach Thornton, Stefan took the starting gig and never looked back.

Manager Conner was asked what the mindset for next week's finale was. "Win and let the pieces fall where they may."

Even if the Gunners overcome the Suns in the regular season's final matchup, the Gunners would need outside help to achieve the Majors Cup and playoffs. If that wasn't difficult enough, the team will be without Alvaro Saborio, Rafael Marquez, and Emilio Renteria who are all out on International Duty. To fill their place, the Gunners have picked up Teal Bunbury and released Eduardo Coudet.

Week 19 Lineup

Another Tie

In what is turning in to a frustrating end of season for the Gunners, the team finished their match with rival Union S.C. deadlocked at two all. On the small bright side, the match saw Rafael Marquez scored his first MLS goal and first BSL points.

With Marquez, Juan Pablo Angel also netted a goal on a penalty kick. But the Red Bull duo was the only ones to score any points for the Gunners. Union tied it up with goals from Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Wondolowski.

Manager Kevin Conner vowed to keep fighting as the Gunners are still in the hunt for both the playoffs and Majors Cup, though their destiny may no longer be in their hands. At the post game conference, Conner did make one prediction. "We will complete the derby sweep and beat the Greeks."

Week 18 Lineup

Gunners misfire against Cure

The Gunners continue their slide down the table with a miserable showing versus the Cure. The 2010 Honors Trophy winners had no trouble dispatching the 2009 winners, earning the season sweep of the series between the two.

In an unusual showing, not only did Capital District struggle to find any points, but also tallied two yellows from Milton Rodriguez and Captain Juan Pablo Angel. If it hadn't been for Milton's assist, the Gunners would've been shutout.

What felt like a repeat of the season opener, Javier Morales came back to haunt his old team and net two goals. Edson Buddle, another former Gunner, netted a goal as well. A goal and assist from Fabian Espindola, averaging out to a point over two games, and an assist from Break Shea totaled to 4-1 victory for St. Louis.

When asked if it was any comfort still being in the hunt for the playoffs and Majors Cup, Manager Kevin Conner simply answered no before walking out.

Game 17 Lineup

Saints finally beat Gunners

At a time when every point is crucial, Gateway United was able to get the monkey off their backs and secure their first league win over Capital District. In turn, the Gunners continue to struggle down the stretch run and seem stuck in fourth place on the table.

With braces from Steven Lenhart and Jeff Cunningham and a clean sheet from Matt Reis, the Saints were able to battle out a 5-4 victory. The win vaulted Gateway United to fourth in the race for Majors Cup qualification. Meanwhile the Gunners answered back with enough points, unfortunately the needed point to tie was stuck on the bench. Maicon Santos assist wasn't counted with Fredy Montero's double, Emilio Renteria's assist, and Giancarlo Maldonado first BSL goal.

At the post-game press conference, Manager Kevin Conner was asked about Santos' assist. "We put out there what we felt was the best lineup for our team this week. Hindsight is always 20/20."

When asked about the Omar Bravo situation, "We made the best decision we could with the information at hand. Had we known then what we know now, we probably would have made a different decision."

Things wrapped up with an inquiry about Santos' injury and availability for next week. "We'll be reevaluated shortly. Right now we believe it's a mild knee sprain, and we hope to have him back quickly."

Going in to the final four weeks it seems the Gunners have more questions than answers. Unfortunately the schedule doesn't get any easier for them with matches against 2010 Honors Trophy winners St. Louis Cure, rival Union S.C., Game 3 of the Empire Cup with New York Greeks, and the finale with Gold Coast.