July 24, 2025
By Sam Weiger
Games are listed in chronological order.
New York Empire at DC Breeze
Saturday, July 26 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The East Division feels more up for grabs than ever, particularly after what we’ve seen the past few weeks.
While the Glory were once favored after their 9-0 start, they've since lost three straight: twice to the Breeze and once to the Empire. This sets the scene for an epic rivalry clash between two undeniable title contenders.
New York is currently the East's hottest team with four consecutive wins, including narrow victories against DC and Boston. Their offense has been the driving force, with John Randolph's shift to the O-line proving to be a season-saving move. Since his shift, he's been putting up career-high numbers in scoring and yardage, and no team has been able to contain him.
Randolph's emergence has been bolstered by Jack Williams, who's looking much more like his old self during this winning run. My focus will be on these two, as they’ve been the key catalysts for New York's scoring.
New York's offensive resurgence and DC's defensive resurgence both began in the first half of June. Since then, DC has been stingy. Notably, they're the only team to hold the Empire under 20 goals during this period, achieving that feat in back-to-back weeks.
So I wouldn't be surprised if the clash between New York's O-line and DC's D-line is the most crucial matchup in the game.
DC's defensive fouls were incredibly costly in their last game against New York. If the Empire's D-line maintains its current high level of play, conceding free yards to them could once again prove to be a huge difference-maker this weekend.
Fortunately for DC, they'll have the significant advantage of playing at home. New York has been dominant at home this season with a 5-0 record, but they've struggled on the road, going 2-5.
One Big Number:
17 - Since the start of June, the Empire have averaged 22.25 goals per game against all teams besides DC. In their games against DC (both in June), they averaged just 17.
16 - Since the start of June, the Breeze have allowed just 16 goals per game (excluding their inconsequential season finale).
Madison Radicals at Minnesota Wind Chill
Saturday, July 26 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The Wind Chill might not have strong momentum heading into the playoffs, but they landed a favorable matchup right out of the gate. Minnesota has dominated the Radicals, winning their last eight meetings. While their four-game blowout streak against Madison ended in Week 12, the Rads still struggled with late-game errors and losing huck battles.
But there were bright spots for Madison, like Eric Sjostrom's performance. Sjostrom, whose quick decision-making and well-executed bending throws were instrumental in preventing yet another crushing defeat at the hands of Minnesota.
While Sjostrom will be my main focus on Saturday, I'll also be keeping an eye on Kainoa Chun-Moy, another high-impact Radicals O-liner who stepped up against Minnesota in Week 12. Chun-Moy is quietly having a career-best year, showcasing impressive cutting and athleticism.
Despite these strong individual performances, the Radicals scored just 13 goals in their last game against the Wind Chill, largely because they failed to generate their usual number of blocks. But Minnesota deserves credit; they learned from their Week 8 mistakes against Madison. They drastically reduced huck attempts and showed greater disc control, evident in their higher-than-average completion rate and increased number of throws.
Will Minnesota once again execute a cautious, possession-oriented offensive approach? It could allow their D-line to dictate the game.
No matter what strategy they use, I’m watching Wind Chill D-liner Blake Krapfl closely. He’s enjoying a breakout season and delivered game-changing plays against Madison in Week 12.
One Big Number:
306 - The Wind Chill completed 306 throws in Week 12 against the Rads, a notable increase over their season average of 225.18.
9.5 - Madison has averaged just 9.5 blocks per game against the Wind Chill this season, considerably lower than their overall season average of 12.55 blocks per game.
San Diego Growlers at Austin Sol
Saturday, July 26 - 8:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Will the Growlers bring an unexpected surge of energy against Austin, considering their circumstances?
San Diego just staved off a relentless Flyers team vying for the third seed. Not only that, but they've also secured their first playoff berth since 2022, making them this year's only playoff team absent from the past two postseasons. Couple these achievements with their desire to avenge their Week 7 loss to the Sol, and you have a Growlers team hungry to seize the moment.
The return of two significant players, Max Gibson and Casey Shugarman, who missed that early June contest, could drastically alter the outcome. These two 6'5" defenders will provide much-needed size to San Diego's D-line, especially crucial against Austin's tall O-liners.
But the season-ending injury to Jackson Potts (6'3"), a prominent tall O-liner who had a monster game against the Growlers in Week 7, creates a significant void for the Sol. With Potts out, San Diego can choose between Gibson and Shugarman to guard Austin's other 6'3" offensive star, Kyle Henke. The duel between Gibson, Shugarman, and Henke—one of the UFA's premier receivers—will be my primary focus among all matchups.
If they can limit Henke, the Sol offense might become one-dimensional, unless his brother Mark Henke steps up and surpasses expectations like he did in Weeks 10-12.
One Big Number:
10 - Gibson and Shugarman lead the Growlers in blocks, each with 10.
8.25 - Since Week 10, the week before Potts’ season-ending injury, Mark Henke has averaged 8.25 scores per game.
Colorado Summit at Oakland Spiders
Saturday, July 26 - 9:00 PM/ET - Watch link
For a first-round playoff game overflowing with offensive excitement, the West Division is your best bet. It features two of the top four teams in goals per game, plus the league's leader in hucks per game (Colorado).
The importance of these high-stakes hucks was clear in their last meeting, where Colorado launched 19 attempts, connecting on 14.
So keep an eye on Tobias Brooks right out of the gate. The gunslinger completed four of those hucks and threw for nearly 800 yards against Oakland in Week 6, having the largest impact of any player on the field in that game. He was the outright QB1 in his first three games of the season but took a noticeable step back in completions in his last two, so I’m curious to see how heavy his workload is on Saturday.
The Summit O-line, led by Brooks, easily dissected the Spiders' defense in Week 6, even without Nanda Min-Fink playing a single O-point. Although Min-Fink's recent usage suggests he'll primarily play offense (just one D-point in his last six games), I'll be watching to see how Colorado deploys him and how big of a role he plays if he remains on the O-line. He's fresh off one of his biggest games of the season, a performance that echoes the significant impact he made the last time he played primarily O-line against Oakland.
I’m excited to see Colorado’s O-line trade punches with a tougher Spiders' offense, with Jason Vallee and Raekwon Adkins active this time.
The Summit will also have to face one of Oakland’s most menacing defenders, Robin Vickers Batzdorf, for the first time this season.
One Big Number:
6 - Six key statistics confirm that Colorado’s Week 6 game against the Spiders was their most efficient offensive performance this season against a playoff team: most goals scored, highest completion percentage, huck percentage, hold percentage, O-line conversion percentage, and fewest turnovers.
1 - Oakland lost just one of seven home games this season, a one-goal overtime defeat to 11-1 Salt Lake.
