April 26, 2023
By Daniel Cohen
“Player Chatter” is a new series consisting entirely of player quotes, thoughts, and feelings from around the league. All current AUDL players were sent a handful of prompts earlier this week designed to be as open-ended as possible, with a focus on Week 1. Additionally, players were asked to vote in a single-question, multiple choice survey.
Week 1 Survey Results
Survey Question: Who's winning the Week 1 Game of the Week, the DC Breeze or Carolina Flyers?
DC Breeze: 76.3 percent of votes
Carolina Flyers: 23.7 percent of votes
Players and Matchups to Watch
“Joe White. See if he has learned to throw a flick without traveling.” Tannon Hedges, Atlanta Hustle
“Is Joe White playing in Week 1 vs. DC? His role for [Carolina] is going to be interesting to follow, I expect a discount version of what Eric Taylor does for them. He could give the game to DC.” Anonymous AUDL player
“Let’s see what Joe [White] can do.” Didzis Malderis, Chicago Union
“Matt Tucker will be fun to watch in his Carolina debut.” Madison Radicals player
“Thomas Edmonds. Several Breeze additions from the offseason have had some experience in the DC system [in club], so seeing how he's integrated will be fun to watch. If they integrate him quickly, watch out.” Colorado Summit player
“Paul Owens vs. Jack Williams *popcorn emoji*.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“Travis Carpenter vs. whoever guards him. Carpenter coming off a year long injury break could set the tone for Indy’s season as a potential favorite for the division, or a lackluster performance could start them down the opposite path.” Madison Radicals player
“Travis Carpenter. I cannot wait to see his return! Plus it is a cross division game with Atlanta! This is going to be a good one!” Josh Wilson, Madison Radicals
“Xavier Payne, Cameron Brock, and Fletcher Hare have dominated this preseason in their prep work. Opponents are about to be in pain trying to guard these guys.” Travis Carpenter, Indianapolis AlleyCats
“Jake ‘Specs’ Fella vs. Austin Taylor. Our best tall defender with good length, against their most dangerous handler.” Indianapolis AlleyCats player
“Alex ‘AT’ Thomas has elite footwork and athleticism. I expect him to have an impactful return to the AUDL.” Pittsburgh Thunderbirds player
“Me.” Didzis Malderis, Chicago Union
“Matt Bennett vs. Matt Armour.” Dallas Legion player
“I think Martin Cruz could be a player to watch this week, I’ve played club against him a couple times and I think he could make some noise.” Austin Sol player
“Watch out for Jackson Potts, this is his breakout year.” Elliott Moore, Austin Sol
“Jake Sames. That man never turns it over. Enthralling ultimate.” Shane Worthington, Austin Sol
"Cam Albin. He’s a huge D-line player and excited to see him ball in the big time." Mick Walter, Austin Sol
“Brandon Li is going to be a defensive menace and is going to make a big impact for Seattle in their double header this weekend against Salt Lake and Oakland.” Seattle Cascades player
“Garrett Martin returning to Salt Lake as an opponent.” San Diego Growlers player
“Curious to see how [Elijah] Jaime fares in the West with the Shred offense compared to playing ball in the South.” Austin Sol player
"Keep your eyes on Liam Haberfield. That Kiwi can play." JP Burns, Atlanta Hustle
Thoughts on the Game of the Week: DC vs. Carolina
“These guys are playing again? Thanks @steve_hall.” Elliott Moore, Austin Sol
“One of the most fun matchups to watch.” Josh Wilson, Madison Radicals
“DC will stomp Carolina in the first half, but Carolina will claw back and make it a game. In the end, give me DC by four.” Austin Sol player
“I am banking on that being a dogfight down to the wire, but I am taking DC for the win.” Indianapolis AlleyCats player
“I think Carolina struggles early in this game, but pulls it out after a string of breaks after halftime.” Colin Smith, Dallas Legion
“Carolina wins. Too many new big pieces for DC and too little time to catch up to the chemistry Carolina has. Plus, no one on DC can guard Alex Davis [...] DC loses by four.” Tannon Hedges, Atlanta Hustle
“Hope Carolina loses.” Shane Worthington, Austin Sol
“Hoping for a DC dub!” Austin Sol player
"Carolina by a million." Mick Walter, Austin Sol
"DC is going to define themselves as a title contender with a dominant win." JP Burns, Atlanta Hustle
“Will be interesting to see my former teammate Thomas Edmonds in his new colors. Think him vs. the Carolina defenders will be fun.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“No [Matt] Gouchoe-Hanas? Who is going to be the other half of Sol [Yanuck]’s backfield?” Atlanta Hustle player
“Playoff game in Week 1? Don’t mind if I do *popcorn emoji*. It’s gonna be a close one, but I think DC takes it by two or three goals.” Alec Wilson Holliday, Dallas Legion
“I hope both teams lose.” Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
“DC should win this no problem. Joe White playing with Carolina is nothing but a liability to the team and the pockets of Denardis.” Eugene L'Heureux, Salt Lake Shred
“This is a game between two of the best three teams in the league. I think DC runs their system efficiently and completes at least 95 percent of their passes en route to a comfortable win.” Pittsburgh Thunderbirds player
“DC by four.” Dallas Legion player
“DC by four.” Seattle Cascades player
“These are likely two of the best three teams in the league, so a great way to kick off the games of the week. I’m looking forward to watching the film from this game!” Anonymous AUDL player
“DC will roll in this matchup. Another year of internal development and with a system built on small, quick movement will allow for the DC offense to score quickly and force Carolina to score in bunches to keep pace.” Colorado Summit player
Week 1 Predictions
“Bold prediction: Havoc blow out Sol.” Colin Smith, Dallas Legion
“Austin beats Houston by 15.” Anonymous AUDL player
“Austin smashes Houston.” Dallas Legion player
“I think we're gonna win.” Shane Worthington, Austin Sol
“Cascades upset Shred first game of the season!” Austin Sol player
“Hustle over Alleycats. Indy is different when they play outdoors.” CJ Colicchio, Philadelphia Phoenix
“Atlanta wins by five-plus goals.” Pittsburgh Thunderbirds player
“I’m hoping Indy can take down Atlanta, but I’m not 100 percent sure it’ll happen *shrugging emoji*.” Alec Wilson Holliday, Dallas Legion
“Indy vs. Atlanta will be the surprise game of the week. Both teams should view this as a statement game, Atlanta trying to show they belong at the top of the South and Indy showing the central they've taken the step forward from also-ran to division winner.” Colorado Summit player
"Philly loses a close game to NY because they lose every end of quarter buzzer beater." JP Burns, Atlanta Hustle
“People will have fun.” Pawel Janas, Los Angeles Aviators
“Eli Jaime has four-plus goals in his Salt Lake Shred debut.” Atlanta Hustle player
“Madison's D-line has the best conversion rate of the week.” Josh Wilson, Madison Radicals
“Salt Lake over Seattle, Oakland over Seattle, DC over Carolina, Madison over Pittsburgh, New York over Philadelphia, Indianapolis over Atlanta, Austin over Houston.” Madison Radicals player
“Seattle beats Oakland, DC beats Carolina, Madison beats Pittsburgh, New York beats Philadelphia.” San Diego Growlers player
“Seattle, DC, Madison, New York, Atlanta, Austin.” Didzis Malderis, Chicago Union
Water Cooler
“I’ll take the over on 10.5 pulls getting thrown out the back of the end zone.” Colin Smith, Dallas Legion
“Cameron Brock’s recent piece on his longevity should be read by every player, but specifically college players.” Tannon Hedges, Atlanta Hustle
“‘Seattle sux’ - Garrett Martin, circa 2022.” Anonymous AUDL player
“Excited to see what Houston can bring to the table against a tough matchup like Austin.” Alec Wilson Holliday, Dallas Legion
“Keep an eye out for Sam Kilgore over the next 5 years!” Atlanta Hustle player
“Austin goes undefeated in the regular season, loses to Carolina in the playoffs.” Dallas Legion player
“Evan Magsig is the wave.” Max Williams, Oakland Spiders
“Hypothetically, I would pay so much money to see a [Mischa] Freystaetter vs. [Matt] Rehder matchup.” Seattle Cascades player
“I can not be covered.” Max Gibson, San Diego Growlers
“I can confirm, Corbin [Atack] has been roasted upline by a lot of high schoolers.” Seattle Cascades player
“Thinking a lot about how I’m going to celebrate my first point in AUDL.” Didzis Malderis, Chicago Union
“Sean Mott might be the best lefty in the world.” Anonymous AUDL player
“Sol will beat Hustle easily.” Elliott Moore, Austin Sol
“West Division is over hyped and the Growlers are going to stay a playoff team this year.” Max Gibson, San Diego Growlers
“If nothing else, we're going to have the most fun this season.” Seattle Cascades player
“How did my bank account get so low? $500 goes away really quick. $8.50/hr is brutal. Rent is about the same as in Seattle. The only thing cheaper is the gas.” Shane Worthington, Austin Sol
“Not enough players are writing in to this thing!” Austin Sol player
"Ruffner needs to cut his hair." JP Burns, Atlanta Hustle
"Sol got the best stats man in the league." Mick Walter, Austin Sol
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