April 24, 2025
By Alex Rubin
The lights shine brightest in Las Vegas, and this weekend’s spotlight will be on the UFA’s newest team making their debut against the one of the most successful franchises in league history.
This clash is a game of mismatches. The New York Empire have several All-UFA players on the roster led by two-time MVP Ben Jagt (2024 Third Team All-UFA), Jack Williams (2024 First Team All-UFA), Antoine Davis (2024 Second Team All-Defense), and recent Team USA selection Marques Brownlee. New York has not lost an opening day game since 2018 and boasts a 7-3 record in their first game of the season across their last decade of play. The Empire also bring an unblemished 5-0 record against West Division teams into their road trip (though they’ll need to get through a tough Oakland Spiders team on Thursday night first).
As an expansion team, the Bighorns have none of that history, and none of the established star power. While the Empire have a starting line of All-Star caliber players, the Bighorns roster is dotted with several strong UFA veterans and a lot of unproven players at the professional level. While Joel Clutton provides a solid matchup with Ben Jagt and Stephen Poulos can capably lead an offense (in his last full season, he threw 59 assists over 12 games for the Nashville Nightshade in 2018), the Bighorns will need their full roster, including 13 debutants, to quickly acclimate to the professional environment if they’re going to make this a competitive game.
Bighorns Head Coach Matt Bode played for five UFA teams (including the Empire) in his six seasons as a player in the league and Assistant Coach Dan Silverstein brings five years of experience coaching the Oakland Spiders. As a player, Bode worked hard to gain any advantage he could, and I’m sure he’ll do the same as a coach. Silverstein is known for his innovative defensive tactics and his deep understanding of the UFA ruleset; together, they’ll surely craft a game plan that can at least slow down the New York attack.
While largely expected to win, the Empire do have some cracks in their strong foundation. New York will be integrating free agent signings Max Sheppard and Everest Shapiro into their offensive sets and testing out rookies like Drew Schnaudigel in defensive roles. While they pale in comparison to the full roster of Bighorns playing their first game together, New York has played the past few seasons with the benefit of a lot of roster continuity; adding so many important pieces might hint at an early-season adjustment period.
One more factor on Las Vegas’s side: expansion teams have largely performed well since the post-COVID return to play. Boston, Oregon, Salt Lake, and Colorado all won their opening games in their debut seasons. While each of those teams had more proven talent than the Bighorns currently roster, there is something to be said for the sense of surprise an expansion team can bring to the game planning process and the element of excitement for a team making its debut in front of a new fanbase. What Las Vegas lacks in historic Frisbee success, it makes up for in entertainment value, and the Bighorns will be motivated to put on a show that matches the recent sports boom in the city.
