05/27/2010 8:41 AM - With the 2009-10 Major Indoor Soccer League in offseason mode, some of the Baltimore Blast players have taken to the outdoor soccer fields and are playing in the USSF D-2 Pro League.  Check back throughout the summer as we track the progress of Baltimore's own Crystal Palace which features Pat Healey, Lucio Gonzaga and Adrian Bumbut as well as Scott Buete and the FC Tampa Bay Rowdies and Jonathan Greenfield and Max Ferdinand of the Rochester Rhinos.  Defender Ryan Pierce also played this summer, for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Pro Second Division.

In the 2010 season, Crystal Palace, Rochester and Tampa Bay will compete against each other in the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) 2nd Division.  The USSF 2nd Division will feature two conferences (NASL and USL) of six teams. The clubs also competed in the U.S. Open cup, a 100-year old, single-elimination competition open to professional and amateur teams, which began in mid June.  Every year, the later rounds of the U.S. Open Cup feature USL teams playing against Major League Soccer teams.

As of August 30:
Healey, Gonzaga, Bumbut and their Crystal Palace Baltimore teammates are 6-13-6 and rank sixth in the NASL conference.  Gonzaga scored his first goal of the season in Crystal Palace's 3-3 tie with Miami on June 9 and Healey has two assists on the season.  Bumbut made his Crystal Palace debut on August 29 in Portland.

The Rochester Rhinos are 14-6-6 in Greenfield's and Ferdinand's first season on the team.  After recovering from surgery at the end of the Blast season, Greenfield played his first game with the Rhinos on April 17 when Rochester lost, 1-0, to Portland.  Greenfield has since played in 24 games and has recorded one assist.  Ferdinand, the 2010 MISL Rookie of the Year, has seen action in eight games and has one goal and one assist.  The Rhinos have never missed the playoffs and have advanced to the championship game six times (1996, 1998–2001 and 2006) and won three league championships (1998, 2000, 2001). They also won the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, becoming the only non-Major League Soccer team to win the cup since the MLS began play in 1996.  The Rhinos are currently in first place in the USL conference.

The FC Tampa Bay Rowdies are 6-9-10 and rank sixth in the USL conference.  Buete has played in six games so far this season.

Blast fans can watch Healey, Gonzaga and Bumbut all season long all over the Baltimore area and can look at the complete 2010 Crystal Palace schedule for more information on the team and tickets.  Greenfield and Ferdinand were in Baltimore with the Rhinos to play Crystal Palace on July 14 (0-0 tie) and again on Wednesday, August 18 (L, 2-0). 

Pierce played in 11 games for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds who finished in third place and with a 7-5-8 regular season record.  The Riverhounds advanced to the USL-2 Semifinals but lost, 2-0, to the Richmond Kickers.  The Charleston Battery won the Championship with a 2-1 victory over the Kickers.

For more information:
Crystal Palace Baltimore
Rochester Rhinos
FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
Pittsburgh Riverhounds

2010 U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup:
First Round, June 15:
Richmond Kickers 1 - Crystal Palace Baltimore 0
Rochester Rhinos 2 - Dayton Dutch Lions 0
Tampa Bay Rowdies 3 - Legends FC 0
Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2 - Detroit United SC 0

Second Round, June 22:
Rochester Rhinos 3 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0
Miami FC 2 - Tampa Bay Rowdies 1

Third Round, June 29:
Columbus Crew 2 - Rochester Rhinos 1