July 25, 2025
By Ian Toner

Maybe you’ve watched every game of your favorite team’s regular season. Maybe you’re learning about pro ultimate for the first time or just starting to lock in to the 2025 UFA season. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, welcome to the most exciting time of the year in the Association.

12 teams have qualified for the 2025 UFA playoffs, including eight chasing a first championship, after one of the most chaotic and competitive regular seasons in Association history. The regular season division champions–Chicago (Central), Salt Lake (West), Atlanta (South) and Boston (East)--all secured byes into their respective division title games, leaving the two- and three-seeds from each division to battle it out this weekend, with dreams of final four Championship Weekend magic in Madison dancing in their heads.

Another chapter in the association’s best rivalry–with seasons on the line

Think of the all-time great rivalries in American pro sports. Yankees-Red Sox. Lakers-Celtics. Steelers-Cowboys. Avalanche-Red Wings.

The New York Empire-DC Breeze rivalry is the UFA’s equivalent.

The franchises have represented the East Division–widely regarded as the most competitive in the Association, and 2025 only bolstered that case–at every Championship Weekend since 2018, with the Empire winning three championships (more than any other franchise in UFA history). New York holds a 20-14 lead head-to-head all-time with a 3-1 lead in playoff games. Their 34 faceoffs have produced multiple instant classics, including the 2022 East Division Championship Game, where two-time MVP Ben Jagt roofed a pile of defenders at the buzzer on his 30th birthday to send the Empire back to Madison en route to their second Association title.

But New York went winless against DC in 2024 and split the regular season series this year, needing overtime heroics at home to take down the Breeze. The Empire have been forced to forge new chemistry and a new identity in the years following the departure of two-time MVP Jeff Babbitt and defensive wizard Ben Katz (during the 2023-24 offseason). The Breeze have faced challenges of their own in the wake of legendary coach Darryl Stanley’s retirement after 2023, with new coach Lauren Boyle guiding the franchise to its first Championship Weekend appearance in 2024.

“We’ll attack DC the way we always do, which is to try to take away their short breaks directly in front of the disc,” New York Empire standout John Randolph told Evan Lepler earlier this week. “Force them to huck. Force their weaker throwers into high-pressure scenarios. Put in extra legwork on O to get into the right spaces early. Don’t throw into their poaches.”

Familiarity abounds between these two franchises, which of course, along with respect, breeds contempt. The table is set for another scintillating showdown between these titans of the East.

Witness a future Hall of Famer and his mastery of the disc (in what could be his final professional game)

One could argue that no one knows the Empire-Breeze rivalry better than 2018 MVP Rowan McDonnell, a face of the UFA and the Breeze since bursting into the Association in 2016. The future Hall of Famer has made his mark on and off the pitch, with creative throwing, relentless cutting and a social media presence (and coaching business) that makes everyone–from the novice to the pro–smarter about the game. Scroll through the DC Breeze record books, and you’ll quickly notice that Rowan holds regular season career and playoff career records for assists, goals, blocks, completions and points played.

So here we stand, nearing the end of the 2025 season, with Rowan having turned 36 last month and potentially nearing the end of his career. According to Lepler, McDonnell has alluded to the possibility of 2025 being his final professional season.

Rowan’s scoring stats have spiked relative to 2023 and 2024, and it’s clear that he’s as hungry as ever to do whatever’s needed to bring a first UFA title back to DC. As Lepler and his podcast co-host Adam Ruffner mentioned, he doesn’t need a title or championship game appearance to “cement” his legacy. But a strong performance against New York on Saturday would certainly A) help his team’s chances of returning to Championship Weekend and B) write a stronger chapter in his history of playoff performances.

We all want to keep witnessing Rowan’s creativity and talent for years to come. But sooner or later, Father Time comes for everyone, so watch his greatness on display while you still can…because there’s a nonzero chance that Saturday could be his final appearance on a UFA playing field.

Can the reigning champs get it together on offense in time to become a real repeat threat?

The only franchises to repeat in UFA history include the Oakland (formerly San Jose) Spiders (2014, 2015) and New York Empire (2022, 2023). But Minnesota hasn’t been shy about eyeing a repeat. In the early stages of the 2024-25 offseason, owner and coach Ben Feldman put the league on notice by acquiring former Atlanta star Justin Burnett and former Philadelphia phenom James Pollard. 

So far, Minnesota’s defense has lived up to championship billing, boasting the second-best break rate and second-fewest scores against per game in the UFA. But with elimination play around the corner, questions about the Wind Chill offense abound with time running out to answer them.

While the group has poured it on against Central cellar dwellers, it has left much to be desired against the likes of Madison, Chicago and Salt Lake (and arguably Atlanta)--that is, playoff-caliber competition with championship aspirations. The group is averaging 2.4 fewer scores per game than 2024, and its offensive line conversion rate has slipped from 10th in 2024 to 14th this season.

Across both 2025 regular season victories over Madison, Minnesota’s offense held at roughly its season average rate. That, combined with its stellar defense, could certainly cut it en route to a third win against the Radicals this year on Saturday night. But it won’t suffice against the likes of the undefeated Chicago Union, who Minnesota would face in the Central Division Championship Game following a win on Saturday (and has lost to twice this year). The Wind Chill need a stellar offensive performance this weekend to boost internal confidence and send a real message to the Union.

The offensive line talent is there, with 2024 Championship Weekend MVP Will Brandt at the helm and other young standouts like Gordon Larson in the mix. But the consistency needs to materialize quickly to keep the Wind Chill repeat campaign credible.

Budding rivalries with chances to settle regular season scores

Forgive me for not diving into the Oakland-Colorado or Austin-San Diego matchups until this point in the column, but don’t misinterpret that delay. The Spiders-Summit rivalry has intensified significantly since 2023, and San Diego is desperate for revenge against its new South Division foes in Austin after surrendering a late lead on home turf in June.

To put it simply: there’s no love lost between Colorado and Oakland. Oakland’s identity in years past has involved physical, frustrating defense, and the Summit have been visibly and expressly frustrated by that type of defending over the years. While Oakland upset Colorado in the regular season in 2023 and 2024, Colorado ended Oakland’s unbeaten streak at 2025’s start with an emphatic comeback victory in the teams’ lone 2025 matchup.

An influx of All Rookie Team candidates, with the likes of Leo Gordon and Adam Rees, has made the Spider attack more formidable than it’s been in years. Will Colorado be able to replicate the defensive pressure it applied in the second half of its May 30 victory in a city where it hasn’t won since 2022?

During Austin’s visit to San Diego in June, the Growlers’ win probability peaked above 96% in the second quarter, according to ShownSpace.com. Despite trailing, Austin stayed within striking distance and took the lead for good in the final moments of the fourth quarter, leaving an aftertaste of regret and frustration in the Growlers’ mouths.

Since then, Austin has sustained multiple key injuries and divisional losses while San Diego has had to white knuckle its way to a playoff berth, dropping multiple matchups against the aforementioned Spiders. While they may communicate confidence to the media, there’s no doubt both groups are hungry to regroup and galvanize around a signature playoff victory.

Round 1 of the 2025 UFA Playoffs starts this Saturday, July 26!