Photo by Shawn Lanzillo – UltiPhotos.com
JULY 10, 2025
By Kyle Turnbaugh
The DC Breeze (6-4) will play host to the Boston Glory (8-1) for the third showdown of the season between the two East Division rivals. The season series between the two sides is tied at one game apiece, with both teams winning on the road on their opponent's home turf. This penultimate game of the regular season also holds serious playoff implications, as the Breeze can book their playoff spot with a win, and the Glory can secure top spot in the East and a first-round bye with a win.
The Breeze have been rolling as of late, with a dominant home victory against Montreal and an upset victory over Boston on the road. DC’s improved form has mostly been on the back of taking steps forward on defense, thanks to a couple defensive players returning from injury and an increase in pressure, as we get closer and closer to the playoffs. The return of Charlie McCutcheon and Moussa Dia, as well as the addition of rookies Micah Wagner and Ben Greenberg has allowed for more rotation and intensity on defense, as well as a couple more options when looking to break. While the block numbers may not quite be there for the Breeze, their downfield pressure forces a lot of throwaways, as we saw on the road in Boston. Also, the Breeze D-line has been very efficient recently, meaning that although they may generate fewer break chances than other teams, they are cashing in on the chances that they do create.
The Breeze are in an interesting defensive personnel position for this matchup, as they will be without Wagner, who has been a mainstay for the last four games. Miles Grovic, who plays a similar game to Wagner, is questionable to play after returning from International duty with Team USA. Regardless of availability, the Breeze will continue to rely on captain AJ Merriman, who often plays the thankless role of guarding the opponent's best player, as well as Jasper Tom, who has been playing incredibly well recently, beating attackers to the disc for blocks and guiding the D-line down the field for break chances from the handler position.
On the offensive side, the Breeze gameplan has been effective in recent weeks. Turnovers have been limited, and the disc is spread out to a variety of receivers. In the last game, 12 different players scored for the Breeze, and DC only suffered 15 turnovers, despite difficult windy conditions. Although DC has been sharing the disc, veterans on the O-line have stepped up big time to get the offense playoff ready. Rowan McDonnell and Thomas Edmonds have each logged 14 scores over their last three games, while rookie Coby Loveranes has scored ten goals over his first four UFA games, displaying his prowess as a deep cutter. The formula for success against Boston last week was matching their patience, but also DC’s ability to win the disc back in the event of a turn proved crucial, as there were multiple points where possession went back and forth. DC’s offense will need to once again take advantage of the open space underneath and use every possession to the fullest in what will almost certainly be a low-scoring affair based on the two previous matchups between the two sides.
For Boston, they will likely be out for revenge after DC put their East Division title in jeopardy. While, in all likelihood, the Glory will secure their first-round bye, as all they need is one more win with three more games to play, they have not looked this vulnerable all season. Despite the loss, Boston is still undoubtedly one of the best teams in the league, and they are still adding onto their roster in week 11 with veteran Gustav Haflin and former Salt Lake Shred defender Oscar Graff set to make their season debuts for the Glory in DC. Boston is without a few names, mostly the same set of players from last week, including Simon Carapella, Tyler Chan, and Wyatt Kellman, but Topher Davis does return to the lineup after missing last week. Even with a few key players returning to the lineup, Glory will be coming to DC after having played in Philadelphia on Friday night against a plucky Phoenix team that will find themselves in a precarious situation, if they drop a game to Glory, as Philly also must travel to New York on Sunday afternoon to take on a similarly-desperate Empire team that has been playing well recently.
The Breeze are looking to book their ticket to the playoffs, while the Glory are one win away from their their first regular season East Division title. With the season series tied between DC and Boston, there's a lot riding on this matchup. Catch the DC Breeze on Saturday, July 12 at Carlini Field in Washington, DC. First pull goes up at 7:00 PM ET. Tickets available at thedcbreeze.com and streaming live at watchUFA.tv.
