April 21, 2026
By Charles Hoppes
The UFA returns this Friday, and right out of the gate we are treated to a divisional championship, rivalry rematch from a year ago. Going into the 2025 East Division final, it seemed as though the DC Breeze had all the momentum in the world. They had won three of their last four regular-season games, and then dismantled the rival New York Empire in a 23-12 blowout in the first round of the playoffs, a game where they set team records for both highest completion percentage and fewest turnovers in a game, unquestionably one of the best performances in franchise history. Better still, two of those wins down the stretch had come against a Boston Glory team that seemed to be fading after a wave of injuries, turning their 8-0 start into a 9-3 finish. Even though the Glory were the one seed in the division and at home, it was more than reasonable to think that DC would make it back to Championship Weekend for a second straight season.
A few hours later, Boston walked out of Hormel Stadium without a limp after stilling the Breeze with 17-9 win, the first step on an oppressive playoff run that saw the Glory hoisting the trophy for the first time. They had kept DC under 10 points scored in a full game for the first time in Breeze history, and set a team record themselves for the fewest turnovers in a full game.
As we look ahead to the 2026 season, meaningful things have changed for each team, beyond which side Thomas Edmonds and Rowan McDonnell will suit up for. To move forward, let’s look back at how their last meeting will cast a significant shadow over the season opener.
With the Breeze on offense
The book has been out on the DC Breeze offense for years: force them out of their vaunted small-ball tactic and get them to huck. That is certainly easier said than done. The members of DC offense have long been experts at testing the commitment of a defense, then countering aggressively once the opponent manages to stem the tide. And the 2025 team was particularly focused on moving quickly in small spaces–they completed 4.5 hucks per game, the fewest by any team since hucks were first tracked as a statistic in 2021.
But the Glory were extremely effective at turning the Breeze O-line into something we did not recognize. The Breeze only attempted 215 passes, the fewest in a game since their inaugural 2014 season. And they went 5 for 11 on hucks. Boston pushed out aggressively on all downfield players, particularly from closer to the disc. On handlers, they often sagged into lanes, turning most of the passes thrown into harmless swings after each previous DC thrower was stuck staring downfield into closed windows for the duration of the stall count. It was jarring to see DC so stagnant, but the aggression and athleticism of the Boston defenders both stalled any movement and invited shots into spaces that they could go get blocks.
It’s hard to imagine the Breeze offense looking very similar in style to the small-ball we’ve come to expect from them in the post-pandemic era. Departing are technical masters Edmonds, McDonnell, and Tyler Monroe. Stepping in to lead the team is longtime Breeze assistant Xavier Maxstadt, who knows a thing or two about stretching the field with his throws. Sean Mott arrives from Philadelphia, and joins Jacques Nissen and Aidan Downey as elite bombers to target Cole Jurek and Christian Boxley. It’s safe to assume they will throw and complete more hucks in 2026 than they have in many years. It’s less clear whether the shift in tactics and personnel will favor them against a rangy Boston defense.
When Boston is on offense
As I wrote about, the Boston offense simplified itself down to a steamroller for the championship run, flattening opposing defenses with their size and athleticism. And for Boston, there were few better match-ups for them than the Breeze.
“The deep game was underdeveloped, and [we weren’t throwing a lot of hucks],” Maxstadt said earlier this off-season. “On the flip side of that, we also were not good with deep defense, and with our division being the way that it is, we need to be really good.”
Indeed, the DC defensive line is stocked with elite defenders, but many of whom excel in smaller spaces. Against Boston in the playoffs, they were only able to force 5 turnovers from the Glory offense, breaking them only one time, and watched the Glory complete five of their six huck attempts.
This is going to be a taller order for the Breeze, and the rest of the league. The physical and towering Glory O-line creates match-up issues at all levels of the field, and taking the disc from them will require creativity in the strategy DC deploys, in addition to needing to win a few really challenging aerial battles.
The look of the East Division feels as different as it ever has in recent history, and our first look at how much has changed–and how much has stayed the same–will come on Saturday night.
ABOUT CHARLIE HOPPES
Charlie Hoppes has coached ultimate for 20 years, including several stints in the UFA. He was co-head coach of the New York Empire–helping to lead them to undefeated championship seasons in 2022 and 2023–and is currently a coaching consultant for the Indianapolis Alleycats. Hoppes provides individualized coaching services to players, coaches, and teams at all levels through Charlie Hoppes Ultimate Coaching & Consulting (CHUCC). Learn more at charliehoppes.com
