Gunners take Euro Friendly in blistering fashion.

With a week off before their BSL Cup Semifinal match against Cumberland, Capital District welcomed Bayer Leverkusen for the club's annual Euro Friendly match. Trying to erase the bitter end of the regular season, the Gunners came out strong and easily dispatched the Bundesliga club with 9-3 victory.

Cristian Maidana was easily the man of the match with an incredible trio of assists that put the match out of reach. David Villa and Kwadwo Poku put on their own displays with each getting assist and a goal. Stefan Frei looks to be back to being the rock in the net with a clean sheet. Lastly, what's hopefully the sign of things to come, Captain Álvaro Saborío opened the match with a goal.

"Having the bye is a double edged sword. It's great to get a break and rest up, but it can be difficult to keep your edge. It's why we scheduled the (Euro) friendly now and at home. While we always want to win, it's a low pressure situation to keep our guys moving," Manager Kevin Connor said after the match. "We went up against a strong side and we took it to them. Now we just need to keep it going. There's only 1 goal now and that's to be champions."

Friendly vs Bayer Leverkusen (Euro Friendly)

Euro Friendly opponet set.

With the European season coming to a close, Capital District's opponent for its Euro Friendly as been finalized. The Euro Friendly was a three year agreement that pitted the Gunners against an opponent from one of Europe's Top 3 leagues, on a rotation basis and determined by equal finish in the previous season. Capital District is currently undefeated in the series, defeating La Liga's Valencia in 2013 and the Premier League's Manchester United last year.

This year's Euro Friendly opponent will be the Bundesliga. Since Capital District finished fourth last year, the Gunners will play Bayer Leverkusen in Leverkusen, Germany. With one more week to go in the German top flight, Bayer Leverkusen are locked in to finish 4th in the Bundesliga table. The match's date is still to be determined, dependent on Capital District's post-season schedule.

Capital District sweep postseason tour.

Capital District finished their postseason friendly tour with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United. With the win, the Gunners have swept the four matches of the tour. While the wins finishes the season on a high note for the club, it comes at a cost. In the final match against Manchester United, Diego Valeri suffered a torn ACL. The clear front runner for Team MVP this year, Valeri's recovery isn't clear but it's hoped he'll be ready for next season.

Someone who knows a little something about injuries, Álvaro Saborío concluded his year with a goal. Nick Rimando secured what proved to be the winning point with a clean sheet. Manchester United tried to make a late comeback, but was only able to split the lead.

"After the ups and downs we've had this year, it was nice to be able to finish the year strong and take all four matches against strong opponets," Manager Kevin Connor said after the match. "We're going to take some time away, but we've already been making plans for next season."

Friendly @ Manchester United (Euro Friendly)

Gunners finish Euro sweep

In the team's final friendly before the Majors Cup begins, Capital District defeated Valencia 4-2. Diego Valeri was once again the Man of the Match with a goal and assist, Fabián Castillo notched another assist, and Nick Rimando continued his stellar play with another saves point.

"There's a couple of questions on some players, but we're hoping for everyone to be healthy and ready to go by the end of the week," Manager Kevin Connor told reporters before the team left to return stateside. "I like the Euro friendlies because they help us stay in form during these layoffs, and it also gives an opportunity to get a gauge on some players who've haven't seen regular time or some trailist we might have our eye on. These games might just be for pride, but pride is a great motivator."

With their European trip over, the Gunners return home to square off against the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer in their opening match of group play in the Majors Cup.

Friendly @ Valencia

Capital District takes Gooner Derby

For the second straight year, Capital District as won the annual Gooner Derby with a 4-2 victory over Arsenal. Lead by an assist brace from Diego Valeri, Fabian Castillo recorded his own assist for the go ahead point and Nick Rimando added the insurance with a saves point for 5 saves. The derby is no split two all with Arsenal having won the first two and Capital District taking the last two.

"After an entire season of coming up just short, it's nice to finally win something," Manager Kevin Connor told reporters afterwards. "Officially, it might just be a friendly, but in reality it's a lot more important. We've been on a real tear to end the season, and we hope to keep it going when we get back to the states for the Majors Cup."

The Gunners next match will be another friendly against Valencia CF of Spain's La Liga. This will be the beginning of an annual friendly match with one of Europe's Top 3 leagues. The European league will rotate each year among the four, and the opponent will be choosen matching Capital District's final table position of the previous year. After Valencia, Capital District returns home to prepare for their opening match of this year's Majors Cup against the San Jose Earthquakes of the MLS.