February 4, 2025
By Adam Ruffner
The league unveiled their 2025 "Friday Night Frisbee" free showcase series earlier today, and the schedule is packed with rivalries, rematches, and tantalizing first-time matchups. Here are two questions for all 13 games.
Week 1 - April 25 - New York Empire at Vegas Bighorns
Question 1. Who are the Bighorns?
The league’s newest team might have the toughest debut opponent in UFA history with their Week 1 showdown against the three-time league champion Empire. And with relatively nothing known beyond the head coach selection and their first two player signings, the Bighorns will have a lot to prove.
Joel Clutton was an All Defense selection in 2022 for the expansion Shred, and has proven to be one of the best one-on-one defenders in coverage in the league, particularly in the deep space. The seven-year pro veteran was a game-changer in big moments in his last stint with Salt Lake, and will need to be once again in Vegas.
Question 2. Is New York’s championship window still open?
After two straight championships and a league-record 31 straight wins, the Empire got bounced out of the playoffs in the first round in 2024. New York can still be formidable on defense, and Jack Williams and Ben Jagt are well within their primes as two of the most decorated players in league history.
But over the last 12 or so months, New York has descended from their dynastic peak, and the league has caught up everywhere else. The Empire were second in the league in takeaways in 2023, and fell all the way to third worst in 2024. Are the Empire the same squad that throttled Minnesota and Salt Lake by nine and 11 goal margins last season, respectively? Or are they the one that lost their final two games to divisional rivals from DC and Boston while accumulating only 12 blocks combined?
Week 2 - May 2 - Madison Radicals at Houston Havoc
Question 1. Will the Havoc be competitive in Year 3?
In their first two seasons as a franchise, Houston’s only wins came against the now defunct Dallas Legion. With the Havoc registering just one performance with fewer than 20 turnovers during their first 24 games, discipline and limiting self inflicted mistakes could make a marked difference in this team’s results. Madison has historically punished opponents for turnovers, so Houston will have to be at their best with the disc.
One of the biggest and most reliable targets in the league, Ben Lewis will once again be a centerpiece of the offense. He finished fourth in the league in receiving yards last season, and was one of just five players to average over 300 per game in 2024. He’s collected 25 or more goals in each of his past four seasons as a pro, and is one of just 13 players in UFA history to have at least 170 goals and 90 blocks in his career.
Question 2. Can the Radicals offense get consistent on the road?
The Madison offense showed some improvements last season, but still struggled to manufacture easy drives. They converted just 49 percent of their offensive possessions over their six road games in 2024, and all four of Madison’s 20-plus turnover performances came on the road.
The Radicals liked to push the tempo, and finished as a top 10 team in both huck completions per game and huck completion rate. But when their deep shots weren’t connecting, Madison could struggle to find easy scores. Kai Marcus was the sole thrower in 2024 to pass for more than 2,042 yards, which points to the lack of power throwers.
Week 3 - May 9 - Seattle Cascades at Oakland Spiders
Question 1. Can Seattle’s defense play like a top five unit again?
The Cascades came just four goals shy last season of their second championship appearance in franchise history. The offense certainly had a lot of firepower, but it was the revamped Seattle defense that really transformed this team from a four-win road bump in 2023 to 11 wins and a spot in the semifinals in 2024.
The Cascades finished second in break rate and breaks per game thanks to a consistently ferocious coverage unit that delivered takeaways in bunches. Seattle averaged the third most blocks per game, and had 10 games with double digit block totals as a team. It certainly helps to have the Defensive Player Of The Year Lukas Ambrose on the team, but the D-line as a whole played excellent.
Question 2. Can the Spiders be elite in a category besides highlights?
Oakland has been one of the youngest, most exciting teams over the past two seasons. Evan Magsig earned an All-UFA nod in 2024 and has become one of the best high volume throwers in the league, Raekwon Adkins averaged the second most receiving yards per game and put up over 400 in a playoff game, and seven different Spiders finished with 30 or more scores, which is more players than New York, DC, and Atlanta.
But despite a roster brimming with talent, Oakland finished outside the top 10 in the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and they committed the second most turnovers per game of any of the 12 teams to reach the playoffs last year. The Spiders were the only team to win in Seattle in 2024, and will need a similar resolve at home.
Week 4 - May 16 - New York Empire at Boston Glory
Question 1. Can Babbitt and Boston stay on top of the rivalry?
The last time these two teams met, Jeff Babbitt unceremoniously ended the season of his former team in the playoffs with a hulking goal just moments before the buzzer in regulation. It was Boston’s second win in three matchups with New York, and the first time in franchise history that the Glory took the season series from the Empire.
Boston could push even deeper into the postseason after tasting their first playoff victory in 2024. In total, Babbitt accumulated 12 goals, three blocks, 646 receiving yards, and, most importantly, zero turnovers in his three meetings against the Empire last season. The two-time reigning MVP will once again be the focal point of the Glory offense in 2025.
Question 2. Will New York rediscover the deep game?
Since the departure of former MVP and deep ball guru Ryan Osgar, the Empire have been experiencing a power outage with their huck game. New York completed the fourth fewest hucks per game of any team last season, and they especially struggled against Boston. Over three games against their rivals, the Empire connected on just eight huck passes combined.
Elliott Chartock and Charles Weinberg were tasked as the primary deep passers in 2024 and could fulfill those roles once again this season. Chartock has the 12th most huck completions since the stat was created in 2021, and could be in for a career year if the Empire offense stabilizes its rotations.
Week 5 - May 23 - Seattle Cascades at Salt Lake Shred
Question 1. Are the Shred still the best team in the West?
Multiple injuries to starters on both lines and a shockingly good Seattle team derailed the Shred’s dreams of hosting Championship Weekend at home in 2024. But high expectations and a salty finish have fogged up the framing for one of the league’s best teams. Salt Lake is the only franchise in the association to register 10 or more wins in each of the past three regular seasons, and they were one goal away from their second straight Championship Weekend bid.
The Salt Lake offense has been one of the steadiest groups since its inception, and the defense is elite at generating turnovers. The Shred will face another tough slate of interdivisional games in 2025, but if they can take care of their divisional foes, they might find themselves hosting the West Division title game for a third consecutive season.
Question 2. Is Lukas Ambrose the biggest x-factor in the league?
The league leader in blocks finished with 12 more takeaways than anyone else in the league last season, and even the numbers don’t do Lukas Ambrose and his disruptiveness any justice. Ambrose is the league’s best defensive weapon in coverage and on the counterattack, and he has been particularly exceptional against the Shred over the past two seasons, accounting for a whopping nine blocks in just four starts.
Ambrose likely has the best combination of timing, anticipation, and acceleration in the league, and these skills make him a walking—well, sprinting—stick of dynamite against the machine-like Shred offense. Salt Lake often likes to take their first available option, and Ambrose can close nearly any gap without being detected.
Week 6 - May 30 - Atlanta Hustle at Minnesota Wind Chill
Question 1. Which wins out: offensive efficiency (Atlanta) or defensive toughness (Minnesota)?
Atlanta featured the most efficient and balanced offense in the league last season, while Minnesota’s defense barnstormed its way to a title by averaging nearly 10 breaks per game in the playoffs. This might be the most interesting stylistic clash in the entire “Friday Night Frisbee” schedule.
Brett Hulsmeyer has been Atlanta’s queen piece on the chessboard for the past two seasons. His combination of size, speed, and touch has made him a production machine and largely unguardable in single coverage, setting up the rest of the Hustle O-line to win favorable matchups across the line. Minnesota gameplans as well as any team in slowing down the opposition’s top targets, and the Hustle have the depth to make adjustments. Buckle up for a seesaw affair.
Question 2. Can Minnesota’s new additions be big in a potential championship preview?
The Wind Chill were already loaded on the defensive side of the disc, and then they added Justin Burnett and James Pollard, two of the most explosive playmakers in space. Minnesota currently occupies the throne, and their two star acquisitions signal to the rest of the league that they have no intention of relinquishing their spot anytime soon.
The Hustle offense can easily switch between possession based drives and taking shots downfield with big throws. Taking away Atlanta’s explosive plays has been the blueprint for disabling their attack, which means that Burnett and Pollard will play vital roles in big moments.
Week 7 - June 6 - New York Empire at DC Breeze
Question 1. How many more Ben Jagt takeover games does he have left in his career?
The Empire legend got off to a rocky start in 2024 and registered at least one throwaway in each of his first five starts. By the end of the season, though, Ben Jagt racked up six straight starts without a turnover, and earned his sixth straight All UFA selection.
Jagt remains one of the smartest and toughest matchups in one-on-one situations, even if he has descended ever so slightly from his peak dominance; Jagt has averaged 264 receiving yards per game in his career, and yet he reached or surpassed that mark just four times in 2024. He has streamlined his game and made himself as efficient as ever, but can Jagt still go supernova? The Empire might need another 2023 East Division title game level performance—687 receiving yards, eight goals—out of the 6’6” skyballer to surpass DC this coming season.
Question 2. Will DC’s defense continue to be hyper efficient in converting breaks?
For the first time in several seasons, DC conquered the season series and swept their fiercest rivals from New York in 2024. The offense played with tempo and attacked readily, but it was the Breeze defense and their stellar break conversion rate that made the difference in their two wins against the Empire. DC converted 13-of-16 (81 percent!) break opportunities against a New York offense that finished the season second in O-line efficiency.
Neither DC’s coverage nor their ensuing counterattack relies on any one defender, but their depth and aggressiveness in transition make the Breeze overwhelming even with scarce opportunities. New York wasn’t just giving the disc away—the Empire committed just 26 turnovers across two games—and yet DC was still able to cash in break scores continually.
Week 8 - June 13 - Minnesota Wind Chill at Madison Radicals
Question 1. Can Minnesota make it four wins in a row in Madison since 2022?
From the team’s inception in 2013 up through Week 6 of 2019, the Wind Chill had never won a game at Breese Stevens Field. Matter of fact: prior to May 11 of that year, it had been six seasons and 46 games since the Radicals had last lost to a divisional opponent in Madison. But an all-time block and a one-goal squeaker seemingly broke Madison’s magic at home for several years.
Since that first win at Breese, the Wind Chill have laid claim to their new domain and are 6-2 at Madison, including four straight wins and multiple post-game dances from Head Coach Ben Feldman. If the Wind Chill are to remain competitive with the Union atop the Central Division standings, they will need to keep their winning trend in Madison.
Question 2. What will Madison’s throwing backfield look like this year?
The team’s number two passer from last season Victor Luo has defected to divisional rival Chicago for the 2025 season, leaving the up-and-down Radicals offensive attack in the lurch. Luo’s speed without the disc and high workload made him an ideal connecting piece for Madison in the mid game, and a great complement for Kai Marcus and his deep passing repertoire.
Ted Schewe, Brian Hart, Pat Shriwise, and Joshua Wilson all took turns in similar facilitator roles, with Schewe showing the most promise as a dual threat thrower/receiver option coming out of the stack. Madison’s offense is still searching for and developing throwers, and will continue to tinker with rotations to find the right fits.
Week 9 - June 20 - Toronto Rush at New York Empire
Question 1. Are the Rush ready to return to playoff competition?
The once undisputed rulers of the East Division for half a decade, it’s been six years since Toronto last qualified for the playoffs. The Rush have won just 13 total games over that stretch, and lacked a discernible vision for a future rebuild. But Toronto saw its own deficits and has been as active as any team this offseason, signing top European imports and returning team legends for a rejuvenated 2025 roster that intends to challenge at the top of the league’s toughest division.
The offense will feature a variety of high flying receivers, but the focus for Toronto’s reconstruction should be on defense, where they’ve ranked in the bottom third of the league over the past four seasons. The Empire have blown out the Rush in each of their last four meetings, with New York averaging a ridiculous 27 goals per game in those matchups. Toronto owned this rivalry for several seasons, and can flip the recent results by finally shutting down the New York attack.
Question 2. Which new or developing Empire player will have the biggest impact in 2025?
The Empire are still searching for solutions to the MVP-sized holes left by the departures of Osgar and Babbitt following the team’s 2023 championship. But there are some interesting player projects on the horizon.
Oliver Chartock is coming off a career year in which he was New York’s fourth leading scorer, Liam Haberfield might find a more productive role in his second season with the squad, and recent free agent signings Everest Shapiro, Oliver Fay, and Dmitry Suvorov all bring identifiable skills at the pro level. Shapiro and Fay spark some intrigue for their size and playoff experience, two qualities that mesh well with an Empire lineup that features Jagt, the aforementioned Chartock, Antoine Davis, Marques Brownlee, and other playmakers with height.
Week 10 - June 27 - Austin Sol at Atlanta Hustle
1. Is Austin still a playoff team in the South Division?
The Sol have made three straight trips to the playoffs, peaking with a semifinals appearance in 2023. But with some noticeable absences in their 2025 signings to date, no Dallas to beat up on, and new divisional opponents, can Austin’s postseason streak survive a tougher schedule?
This team has been here before. Austin powered to nine regular season wins three years ago while facing one of the toughest schedules in the association, and got within two goals of a semifinals berth. Newcomers Myles Armstrong and former all-star Connor DeLuna played well for a poor Dallas team last year, and now have the opportunity to make significant impacts for the Sol.
2. Who will emerge as the Hustle’s WR1?
Hulsmeyer has led the Hustle in receiving yards in each of the past two seasons. Jeremy Langdon was the team’s leading goal scorer last season and selected to an All UFA team. They added the UFA all-time goals leader Cameron Brock and 2024 league goals leader Alec Wilson Holliday to the roster last month. Hayden Austin-Knab remains one of the brightest developing stars in the league, and Karl “Endzone” can still go off for 300 yards in any given week.
Just who the heck are opposing defenses going to key off in this offense? There’s an all-star rosters worth of receiving talent in Atlanta’s offensive rotations, and that’s without even mentioning the mobility and efficacy of veteran throwers Austin Taylor and Christian Olsen. The Hustle will present a nightmare scenario of choices all season long for opposing defenses to identify and contain.
Week 11 - July 4 - Minnesota Wind Chill at Chicago Union
1. Can Chicago’s historic offseason signing spree give them another divisional title?
The Central Division has been the province of the Wind Chill over the past two seasons. But now with the return of Pawel Janas to Chicago and a horde of star signings, the Union are organizing for a title run.
Chicago won their third and final meeting of last season against Minnesota by a five-goal margin at Sea Foam Stadium, and tied the season high for goals scored against the vaunted Wind Chill defense with 25. A healthy Brandon Van Deusen paired with fellow healthy chuckers Dex Dremann, Xavier Payne, and Jack Shanahan—not to mention Paul Arters, who might be the purest thrower on the team—will give Chicago the best deep passing attack in the league.
2. Can Will Brandt have another big game in the Windy City?
Last year’s Championship Weekend MVP was instrumental in the Wind Chill’s critical Week 10 road win in Chicago. Will Brandt completed 43 passes and threw for over 300 yards without committing a turnover, and repeatedly sliced through tough Union defensive coverages with laser-guided accuracy from every angle.
Chicago will be markedly better this season, which means Brandt will become all the more pivotal at the center of Minnesota’s offense.
Week 12 - July 11 - Colorado Summit at Salt Lake Shred
1. Was last season a fluke for the Summit?
There’s no doubt about this team’s talent across offense and defense, yet Colorado went just 2-6 against teams with winning records last season. With a tough schedule and injuries, the offense struggled all year to settle on an identity, and the defense could not get stops at critical junctures in close games.
But there figures to be more lineup stability in 2025. And adding Tobias Brooks to an offense that already features Alex Atkins, Noah Coolman, and Quinn Finer gives the Summit as good of a playmaking quartet as any team in the league. Don’t be surprised to see Colorado in the top three teams for scoring this season.
2. Will a fully healthy Jordan Kerr make the Shred offense a top three offense again?
You wouldn’t really know it from just looking at the stats—borderline All UFA season, missed just one game—but the injury to Jordan Kerr and his non-throwing hand in 2024 made as significant an impact as any development on any team last season. And while Salt Lake’s offense has been an elite unit since entering the league in 2022, their excellent chemistry and team successes have masked some depth issues that came to the forefront with a hampered Kerr.
Arguably no player has been as singularly important at punching the disc into the endzone for any given team over the last three seasons than Kerr. He has 189 career assists with the Shred, which is nearly 100 more than the next closest teammate Sean Connole. When fully operational, Kerr can command the game in the open field and red zone, and transforms virtually every member of the O-line into a receiving target at will when he has the disc.
Week 13 - July 18 - Minnesota Wind Chill at Salt Lake Shred
1. Will Minnesota get revenge on the road?
A primary motivating force for Minnesota’s championship last season was their heartbreaking overtime loss at home to the Shred in the 2023 league semifinals. Now the Wind Chill have the opportunity to storm into Salt Lake’s confines and run the show, much like they did this past August in the same venue at Championship Weekend.
The Wind Chill were 3-0 against interdivisional competition last year, but were 0-2 in 2023. Their success (or failure) in similar scenarios in 2025 will likely determine whether they secure home field advantage for a third straight postseason.
2. Who will be the next young Shred player to make the leap?
Kerr transformed from a promising rookie in 2021 with Oakland into a full fledged franchise star with Salt Lake in 2022. Will Selfridge has shown multiple glimpses of his high ceiling. Jace Duennebeil won the league's "Most Improved" award in 2023. Ben Field had some jaw-dropping moments amid his high-and-low rookie campaign in 2024. Is there another young player in the Utah scene—odds are a Yorgason—that can step into a bigger role this season?
Oscar Brown and Grayson Rettburg flashed potential as rookies, and both have the speed to cover space on either side of the disc.