Photo by Burt Granofksy – UltiPhotos.com
AUGUST 7, 2025
By Kyle Turnbaugh
After a weekend off for the US Open Championship of the USAU club circuit, the UFA returns to the spotlight, as playoff ultimate continues with the Divisional Championship round. The DC Breeze (8-5) will travel north after crushing the New York Empire in the first round of the playoffs to face the top seed Boston Glory (9-3). DC hasn't played in two weeks, and Boston hasn't played a game that's impacted anything more than their record since they clinched the top seed on July 11 against the Philadelphia Phoenix. Granted, many players on both teams were active for their club teams over the weekend, with many Breeze players representing runners-up Truck Stop and many Boston players representing New England DiG, who claimed third place. We did see a matchup between DiG and Truck Stop, which ended in a 15-14 universe point win for DiG, which might serve as a prelude to the UFA action set for this weekend. So, despite some time off, it's not as if the players haven't been staying sharp and preparing with this game in mind.
The Breeze dominated UFA headlines and conversations with their incredible rout of New York in the first round of the playoffs and will look to carry that momentum into Boston. Much of the credit for last week's performance rightfully went to DC’s defense, who put on an impeccable showing and have slowly improved as the season has gone on. The Breeze held the Empire to just 12 goals, the fewest they have allowed all season (and one of their lowest totals in franchise history) and went on to score 13 breaks off New York’s turnovers, the second highest mark of the season, only behind the midseason victory over the Montreal Royal where the defense posted 14 breaks. Jasper Tom has been crucial for the Breeze on defense, he's frequently targeted due to his height, but his positioning and athleticism allow him to get up and get blocks that unaware passers assume he wouldn't reach. Tom has 11 blocks, putting him second on the team for blocks, but is currently questionable with a concussion after a collision with Toronto Rush’s Arvids Karklins during the US Open Championship. If Tom were to be unavailable for the trip to Boston, DC would likely look to Ben Greenberg or David Bloodgood to step up as D-line handlers. Also crucial to the success of DC’s D-line have been AJ Merriman and Moussa Dia. Against New York, when the D-line had the disc in their possession, Merriman and Tom controlled the tempo and kept heads level, as they led the line down the field. For many teams, D-lines tend to get antsy when they have the disc in their hands and take risky shots down the field, but DC’s defense follows a similar strategy to the O-line, and having Merriman and Tom as efficient and smart passers, allowing them to matriculate the disc down the field.
DC’s defense will face an all-new challenge this weekend, though: a full-strength Boston. Jeff Babbitt and Simon Carapella return after missing out on the last game against DC, and the ever-present Tobe Decraene can cause trouble for any defense with his ability to stretch the field and make miraculous catches. Decraene is usually paired downfield with the huge frame of Orion Cable, who matches Decraene’s finesse with physicality. Facilitating the offense for the Glory is Benjamin Sadok, who has enjoyed success against the Breeze this season with 10 assists and two goals over the three games he has played against DC. Sadok already has no shortage of targets downfield, but if Boston chooses to get Babbitt more involved on the offensive side of the disc, it could be a matchup nightmare for the DC defense. Calvin Stoughton has also had a productive season for the Glory since making the switch from Colorado. The speedster profits from how much attention threats like Decraene and Cable get but is a very capable player himself, averaging nearly a goal and 2.5 assists per game. Last week, we saw Christian Boxley cross over and play defense for the matchup against John Randolph. With how effective that was, it will be interesting to see if we see a similar approach with Boxley this weekend against Decraene or Carapella. Glory have been an imposing and efficient offensive unit all season, ranking near the top of almost every offensive statistic. The only question is whether the incredible amount of rest they have had has made them fresh or rusty.
Although some were concerned about DC’s offensive unit going into the playoffs after an underwhelming performance against the Phoenix, Rowan McDonnell and the O-line shut down any concerns with a lights-out seven-turnover performance against the Empire. The Breeze have maintained their signature style, throwing the fewest hucks in the league by 12 and have the second-highest completion percentage in the league, despite throwing 300 more completions than the next-highest team. While the Boston O-line may sound star-studded, the DC offense has its share of weapons, as well. McDonnell, Boxley, Tyler Monroe and Aidan Downey have led the cutting corps in recent weeks, and with Cole Jurek returning, it could be a really difficult task for Tannor Johnson-Go and the Boston defense. In the handling department, Andrew Roy has quietly had an elite season as the motor of the offense. Roy’s stats aren't flashy, but his poise and craftiness make him a top-tier handler. Roy’s backfield partner Jacques Nissen has had some minor turnover struggles by his standards, but, for the first time this season, he didn't have a single turnover, as he completed 100% of his passes and threw an assist. But you can't discuss DC’s offense without mentioning Thomas Edmonds. The Canadian hybrid has been excellent this season, and he delivered the dagger with a layout grab for the game-winning goal against Glory in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the Breeze will be without Edmonds, as he will be in China representing Team Canada for the World Games. The Breeze will hope that Jurek’s return, as well as Gus Norrbom’s second game back will make up for Edmonds’s lost production.
The two preseason favorites from the East Division meet in the East Division Championship, as the Breeze look to repeat and make consecutive Championship Weekends, and Glory seek their first East Division Championship. The stakes couldn't be higher for the Breeze, as McDonnell has hinted that this could be his last UFA season, and the 2018 MVP is yet to bring a Championship ring to DC. The Breeze are leading the season series against the Glory 2-1 and won the singular road trip to Hormel Stadium. With the current momentum behind DC, the Breeze have to feel like they have a chance against anyone and have a great chance to make the UFA Championship game for the first time in franchise history.
Catch the DC Breeze as they take on the Boston Glory for the East Division title on Saturday, August 9 at Hormel Stadium in Medford, Mass. First pull goes up at 5:00 PM ET. Streaming live on watchUFA.tv.
