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By Matthew Martz - Official Brigade Staff Writer

Everton FC bound Anton Peterlin and the Ventura County Fusion will be in town to face off against the Brigade on May 30 at 7:30 p.m. at BCHS Stadium in Bakersfield.

Peterlin, a defensive midfielder, has been offered a contract and is planning on signing with Everton in July when the English Premier League heads to the US to begin their preseason training. In the interim, Peterlin has decided to complete a farewell tour with the Fusion.

Both clubs will be looking for a victory in this Saturday’s rematch as the two clubs played to a 2-2 draw earlier this season in Ventura. The Fusion out shot the Brigade 27-9 but only managed to sneak two by Brigade keeper Victor Chinchilla (3.25 GAA) who made eight saves in the match.

The Fusion (2-1-2) are coming off their second win of the season beating the Ogden Outlaws last week at Ogden, 3-1. The team is led by former Chivas USA striker Anthony Hamilton (3 G, 1 A, 7 PTS), Artur Aghasyan (2 G, 4 PTS) and Hagop Chirishian (1 G, 2 A, 4 PTS), and are currently in third place, seven points behind the 5-0 Hollywood Hitmen in the Premiere Development League Southwest Division.

Fusion head coach Graham Smith, who played in 251 matches in the UEFA’s Football League, is in his third season with the team.

Bakersfield (0-4-1) will be looking to get back on track in the scoring column, as the team remains scoreless in their last 270 minutes of play, with opponents having outscored Bakersfield 15-4.

The Brigade are coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss to the LA Legends on May 23 giving up the game-winner at the 82-minute mark of the match. The loss would also set a record for the longest regular season winless streak in the clubs five-year history, at five.

“We are very disappointed in our current standing. We as a whole have not done our job to get results,” said Brigade head coach Francisco Gomez, “Players are staying positive with each other and have seen improvements week in and week out.”

“ We will continue to posses the ball and look to create scoring opportunity's from our wingers as we did in our last match, but this time we need to put our scoring opportunity's away. We know that the Fusion are weakest in the back, so we will looking to create more one-on-one situations in the channels and expose them”, stated Gomez.

Brigade keeper and CSUB alumni, Steve Trojanowski who made five quality saves in his first appearance of the season last week, is slated to start this weekends match in goal.

“We will have four new faces to our 18 man roster and three of those are very attacking minded players that will help the team on the attack”, said Gomez, “This weekend will be the first time the team will be at full strength and the team knows that.”

The Brigade will conclude their three game home stand against the Orange County Blue Star on June 6 at BCHS. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.

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By Matthew Martz - Official Brigade Staff Writer

The Bakersfield Brigade (0-4-1) were shutout for the third straight time, 2-0 on two late goals, extending the clubs winless streak to five, in Saturday’s match against the Los Angeles Legends at BCHS Stadium in Bakersfield.

The Brigade have never won a match against Los Angeles and the Legends would extend that by also helping Bakersfield set a record for the longest regular season winless streak in the clubs five-year history, at five.

The Brigade out-shot Los Angeles 13-8 but could not find a way to tuck it behind Legends keeper Chris O’Hearn who made seven saves in the match earning him his first clean sheet of the season.

Bakersfield did have a pair of good scoring opportunities in the first half, the first coming at the 14-minute mark, as midfielder Efrain Burgos would send one in from just inside the area beating O’Hearn only to deflect off the crossbar. A second opportunity would see the tic-tac passing of Jason Santos and Jamie Scope combine for a shot from Scope that would sail over the cross bar off the fingertips of O’Hearn.

The second half of play looked favorable for Bakersfield, as they would again produce several scoring chances playing much of the half on the Legends side of the pitch.

Again Burgos would bounce one off the cross bar on a free kick just 22–yards out at the 50-min mark and Jamie Scope had his second scoring opportunity of the match stolen as he was robbed by O’Hearn on a redirected header resulting from corner kick, one of just eight Bakersfield would receive in the match.

The Legends would finally break the deadlock, taking a 1-0 advantage as Jose Mercado chipped a pass to Maxwell Griffin who slipped behind the Brigade defenders scoring just inside of the far post past a horizontal Steve Trojanowski, at the 82-minute mark.

The Legends would add one more in the final minute going on to win the match 2-0, as Cito Sorianto would find an unmarked Ernesto Mariscal who would find the back of the net.

Brigade keeper and CSUB alumni, Steve Trojanowski made five quality saves in his first appearance of the season.

Both clubs combined for a total of 22 fouls resulting in three cautions.

The Brigade remain scoreless in their last 270 minutes of play with opponents having outscored Bakersfield 15-4.

The win moves Los Angeles into fifth place in the PDL Southwest Division as Bakersfield remains in last place in the standings.

The Brigade will continue their three game home stand against the Ventura County Fusion on May 30 at BCHS. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.
 

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By Matthew Martz-Brigade Staff Writer

The Bakersfield Brigade (0-3-1) will be looking for their first victory of the season when they host the LA Legends on May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at BCHS Stadium in Bakersfield.

Bakersfield has not won a match against Los Angeles in the clubs five-year history. The last time the two clubs met was on May 10, 2008 at Bakersfield in a match that ended in a scoreless draw.

The Legends (1-2-0) are coming off their first win of the season shutting out the BYU Cougars last week at home, 2-0. They are led by Skyler Thuresson (2 G, 4 PTS), and Manual Bautista (1 G, 1 A, 3PTS) and are currently sitting in seventh place, just two points above the last place Brigade in the Premiere Development League Southwest Division.

Legends head coach Phil Wolf enters his first season at the helm of the LA Legends. Wolf has played five seasons of professional soccer and led the Azusa Pacific Men’s Team to its first-ever National Championship, in 2007.

The Brigade remain scoreless in their last 180 minutes of play with opponents having outscored Bakersfield 13-4 and out shot them 64-39. Leading scorer Carlos Aguilar (1 G, 1 A, 3PTS) has not scored a goal in the last 107 minutes of play. Adan Arteaga (1 G, 1A, 2PTS), Kyle Holland (1 G, 2PTS), and Jamie Scope (1 G, 2 PTS) have also been held without a point in their last two matches.

The squad should be well rested for Saturday’s contest since having had a six-day break since their last match on May 16 when the Hollywood United Hitmen, 4-0, shut them out.

The Brigade continue their three game home stand against the Ventura County Fusion on May 30 at BCHS. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.

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The Bakersfield Brigade (0-3-1) were shutout for the second straight match by the Hollywood United Hitmen, 4-0, extending their losing streak to three Saturday at Stadium by the Sea in Santa Monica.

The Hitmen (3-0-0) out-shot the Brigade 13-3 but could not find a way to tuck it behind Brigade keeper Victor Chinchilla (3.250 GAA) for the entire first half of the match. Chinchilla had six saves in the contest while Hollywood keeper Jose Miranda kept his second clean sheet in as many games, extending Hollywood’s shutout run to three games.

Hollywood United’s Jaime Chavez would finally break the deadlock scoring straight from the second half kickoff as he slotted it past Brigade keeper Chinchilla from the near post to give Hollywood a 1-0 lead.

The Hitmen would increase the margin five minutes later as Carlos Morales would send a cross into the Bakersfield area to an unmarked Israel Sesay at the far post who drove it in making it a 2-0 advantage.

Sesay, who is currently on-loan to the Hitmen from the MLS’ Los Angeles Galaxy, would score his second goal of the match just 10 minutes later on deep corner powering in a header making it 3-0 to Hollywood.

Hollywood capped off the scoring at the 69-minute mark with an unassisted goal from Jaime Chavez who managed to bust through the Brigade back-line uncontested nodding the ball past Brigade keeper Chinchilla for his third goal in as many games.

Both clubs combined for a total of 20 fouls resulting in four cautions.

The Brigades best opportunity came in the first half when striker Kyle Holland would find a gap in the Hitmen’s defensive line leaving him alone with Hollywood keeper Jose Miranda who dashed 25 yards
off his goal line blocking Holland’s scoring attempt.

The win moves the Hitmen to the top of the PDL Southwest Division standings and drops the Brigade to last place.

The Brigade will have six days off before returning to action at home against the Los Angeles Legends May 23 at the BCHS Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.

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By Matthew Martz -Offical Brigade Staff Writer

Bakersfield Brigade (0-2-1) are still looking for their first win of the 2009 season as they face of against the Hollywood United Hitmen on May 16 at 7p.m. at Stadium by the Sea in Santa Monica.

The Hollywood United Hitmen, the replacement for the now defunct San Fernando Valley Quakes who won the Southwest Division title in 2008, were purchased in the off-season by a partnership of Hollywood United football club and W-League champion, Pali Blues. The internationally known amateur team often fields celebrity players like actors Anthony LaPaglia and Gilles Marini alongside former professionals like Vinnie Jones and Frank Lebouef. The Hitmen’s roster doesn’t have any of Hollywood United’s big names, but does have nine players from United’s rival, the L.A. Blues

The Hitmen (2-0-0) are currently in first place atop the Premiere Development League Southwest Division and are coming off their second win of the season shutting out the Ventura County Fusion last week at Ventura. They are led by Armondo Ochoa (2 G, 4 PTS), Ricardo Mendoza-Romero (1 G, 1 A, 3PTS).

The last time these two clubs met was on July 19, 2008 in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw as Brigade MF Leonardo Munoz scored the equalizer with an unassisted goal at the 83-minute mark. The teams also played to a 1-1 draw in a previous match in 2008.

The Brigade are currently in eighth place, with losses in their last two appearances. Opponents have outscored Bakersfield 9-5 and out shot them 51-24 this season.

The squad should be well rested for Saturday’s contest since having had a five-day break since their last match on May 10.
The Brigade are led by Carlos Aguilar (1 G, 1 A, 3PTS) who was held without a point in his last outing, Adan Arteaga (1 G, 1A, 2PTS), Kyle Holland (1 G, 2PTS) who has been held scoreless in his last two appearances, and Jamie Scope (1 G, 2 PTS) who had a goal called back in a match against the So Cal Seahorses.

The Brigade will return home to take on the LA Legends on May 23 at BCHS. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.
 

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By Matthew Martz -Offical Brigade Staff Writer

The Bakersfield Brigade (0-2-1) extended their losing streak to two in Sunday’s loss to the Orange County Blue Star (2-0) at Concordia University Stadium in Irvine.

Blue Star forward David Ponce would score what would become the match winning goal 29 minutes into the first half, his first of the year, unassisted.

The Brigade out-shot Orange County 15-9 but could not find the back of the net to tuck it behind Blue Star keeper Kristopher Minton who had 10 saves in the contest. It would be Minton’s second shutout in as many games this season.

Both clubs would combine for a total of 28 fouls resulting in three cautions and one ejection that included Blue Star midfielder Jonathan Fahey being asked by referee Alfredo Munoz to leave the pitch at the 70-minute mark resulting from a foul.

The Brigade’s top scorer Carlos Aguilar (1G, 1A, and 3PTS) was held without a point and just one shot on goal in 45 minutes of play while goalkeeper Victor Chinchilla (3.0 GAA) kept Bakersfield in the hunt for the equalizer with four saves.

Bakersfield midfielder Matthew O’Sullivan, and forward Derrek Horn both had 3 shots-on-goal.

The win moves the Blue Star into second place and drops the Brigade to eighth place in the Premiere Development League Southwest Division.
The Brigade will have five days off before returning to action against the first place Hollywood United Hitmen on May 16 at the Stadium by the Sea in Santa Monica. Kick off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.

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By Matthew Martz -Offical Brigade Staff Writer

The So. Cal Seahorses were not shy about handing the Brigade their first loss of the season in their home opener on Saturday at BCHS Stadium in Bakersfield.

The Seahorses (1-1) took an early lead scoring just three minutes into the first half on a long outlet pass to Ryan Shaw who slipped behind the defense and tucked it inside the far post – his first of two in the match. Just under five minutes later the Seahorses would extend their lead as Chris Leiva broke into the attacking end and beat Brigade keeper Victor Chinchilla for a 2-0 advantage.

Mid-way through the half the Brigade appeared to have cut the deficit to one but referee Modesto Guillen would reverse the call on an apparent foul prior to the goal being scored.

The Seahorses would add two more to take a commanding 4-0 lead before the Brigade’s Adam Artega would loft a free kick just inside the far post over Seahorses keeper Daniel Benton’s out-stretched arms getting the Brigade on the board.

The second half looked promising as the Brigade’s Jamie Scope – whose goal was nullified earlier in the match scored at the 48-minute-mark on a cross that was redirected off a defending Seahorse player and ended up behind the keeper, narrowing the margin; 4-2.

The Seahorses would add two more including a last minute goal as Matthew Hoarth went streaking down the touchline beating the Brigade defense to score the final goal of the match; 6-2.

The Brigade’s (0-1-1) offense was supplied by Adam Artega (1 G, 1 S, 1 F) and Jamie Scope (1 G, 1 S).

The Brigade’s top scorer Carlos Aguilar (1G, 1A, and 3PTS) did not appear in Saturday's match and Kyle Holland was held to just one shot.

The Brigade will begin a two game road trip starting today against the OC Blue Star and then against the first place Hollywood United Hitmen on May 16 before heading home to take on the LA Legends on May 23 at BCHS. Kick off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For more information, including ticket information contact the Brigade Corporate office at 410 KICK (4625) or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.
 

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By Matthew Martz -Offical Brigade Staff Writer

The Bakersfield Brigade will host the So. Cal Seahorses in their 2009 home opener on Saturday May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at BCHS Stadium in Bakersfield.

The Brigade started the 2009 season on the road with a 2-2 draw against the Ventura Fusion on May 1 and is currently tied for fourth in the Premier Development League’s Southwest Division.

The So. Cal Seahorses are coming off a loss in their first match of the season against long time rivals OC Blue Star, 1-0 on May 2 at Irvine. This Saturday’s game will be the last of a two-game road trip for the Seahorses before heading home to take on the Ogden Outlaws.

The Brigade is led by top scorer Carlos Aguilar (1G, 1A, and 3PTS), along with Kyle Holland (1G, 2PTS) and Leonardo Munoz (1A, 1PT). Goaltender Victor Chinchilla has 8 saves and a GAA of 2.00. Bakersfield has a total of six returning players from last season’s squad including Esteban Arias, Stephen Cunningham, John Gore, Leonardo Munoz, Matthew O’Sullivan and Kenneth Taylor.

Francisco Gomez will return for his third season as head coach of the Brigade. Gomez spent six years with the MLS’ Kansas City Wizards from 1999-2004 and a year with Chivas USA in 2005 before coming to play in Bakersfield in 2006.

Former CSUB Goalkeeper Michael Jordan will also join the Brigade this season.

For more information, including tickets and sponsorship information please contact Brigade General Manager Juan Moran at 661-695-5128, or by visiting www.bakersfieldbrigade.com.