From the start of the season, coaches Pete Medd and Jim Cherneski had only the highest hopes for their team. Simply because it was an expansion club in a tough, 10-team United Soccer League Second Division didn't stop those two from expecting a championship.

"We want to compete for a league title," Medd said. "That was a goal this year, even as a first-year team. ? It'd be a shame if we didn't make the playoffs."

However, after the team's first four games - in which it was outscored, 10-1 - a championship never seemed more distant. Crystal Palace didn't look like it could compete with the rest of the USL Second Division. With a successful indoor soccer team in Baltimore and Major League Soccer's D.C. United an hour away, the feeling around the newsroom was that Crystal Palace barely stood a chance of surviving through the season - let alone completing its 10-year contract.

But then something happened: Crystal Palace started winning.

Not only did the victories start coming for Crystal Palace; the defense became impenetrable. Led by goalkeeper Brian Rowland, Crystal Palace allowed 11 goals in its final 16 games. The defense solidified the team, transforming the first-year franchise from a potential joke into a force no one wanted to face.

Crystal Palace made its mark on the league, stringing together a seven-game unbeaten streak to move from 0-4, and at the bottom of the league, to sixth place with a 3-4-4 mark.

Though the offense was still a work in progress, Crystal Palace was able to spin the mistakes made by its opposition into victories.

"We had a spurt of concentration loss, and they punished us," Bermuda Hogges coach Kyle Lightbourne said after a 2-1 loss on June 16.

Although the defense had resuscitated the team during May and June, it wasn't until forward Gary Brooks donned the uniform that Crystal Palace began to show signs of life. Brooks signed with the club in the middle of the summer and joined Sergio Flores, Harold Urquijo and Matthew Mbuta to create a lethal attack.

With Brooks on board, Crystal Palace became an all-around menace around the league. Brooks scored seven goals in nine games, and Crystal Palace finished the season on a 6-2-1 tear, scoring 17 times in the final seven contests.

Unfortunately for the rookies of the USL, they came together a bit too late and missed the postseason by one win.

"We're pleased with the direction the team has taken," Cherneski said. "We're pretty pleased with the performance and the turnaround."

They took solace in a 9-6-5 record, but Cherneski, Medd and Crystal Palace's players left their first season with a bitter taste in their mouths.

They wanted a more consistent season. They wanted to clinch a postseason berth. They wanted a championship. They settled for much less.

But Crystal Palace can rest comfortably this offseason because the groundwork for success has been set. And we'll be waiting to see what happens in 2008.

Mike Peters, Baltimore Examiner Newspaper Staff Writer