The inaugural USCL Champions return in 2010 with another very powerful roster that will doubtlessly have them looking towards winning the coveted league title that they captured in 2005 but have not come especially close to retaking in the past four seasons.

     Baltimore will once again be lead by the undisputed star of their last two seasons, GM Sergey Erenburg, a 2008 All Star and a near 2009 one as well.  While the Kingfishers are likely reasonably confident of how he may perform on the top board, the middle boards, the places which have really held the Kingfishers back from being close to the top in recent seasons is where they will really have to step up their performance.  The addition of another more recent UMBC recruit, IM Sasha Kaplan, may likely be a step in that direction as if he can combine with their top veterans playing well, Baltimore unquestionably has it in them to beat any team in the League.

     Like most teams, another key to the Kingfishers' success may lie in whether their underrated players can come through for them in the clutch.  Most notably in this regard for Baltimore is IM Ray Kaufman, a player who has definitely struggled in past years.  But with his current rating being more than a hundred points more than his league rating, he can without a doubt be a very valuable asset to the Kingfishers if he can manage to play to his full potential, especially given the number of strong lineups they have with him on Board Three.  Another potential trump lies in NM Ian Schoch, another player who has had sizable rating gains in recent times and who may hold down the bottom board in many matches.  If these players can translate their recent success to the League, 2010 may be the year when the very first USCL Champions finally manage to hoist the crown once again.