July 8, 2025
By Evan Lepler
With just two weeks and 24 games left in the 2025 regular season, we’re down to one remaining undefeated team. But it was a mighty eventful weekend for many of the league’s premier contenders.
The action began on Friday afternoon in Chicago, with a highly-anticipated Central Division showdown. It was also the first time since 2015 that two American teams were competing on the Fourth of July.
Anyone know how to say ‘fireworks’ in Belgian?
Union rookie Daan De Marrée—who grew up in Leuven, Belgium—erupted for 15 goals, five assists, and six blocks in two Chicago victories in Week 11, securing the top seed in the Central. The 24-year-old UFA rookie was completely unstoppable, separating himself from the rest of his talented teammates in scintillating, spectacular fashion.
After dominating Minnesota and sneaking past Pittsburgh, the Chicago Union are now 10-0 for the first time in franchise history. They’ve got two regular season games left, but the top seed in the Central knows it will host the division championship game next month.
Elsewhere, the Salt Lake Shred also went 2-0 this past weekend, delivering their own distinct message by stomping the Summit. Unlike Chicago, the 9-1 Shred have not officially clinched the number one seed in their division yet, but they’re currently riding a nine-game winning streak into their final games of the season. They’ve got a rematch with Colorado and an interdivisional tussle with Minnesota, both of which will be at Zions Bank Stadium and featured on "Friday Night Frisbee."
Meanwhile, the Boston Glory are unbeaten no more after their one-goal loss to DC on Sunday afternoon, with Breeze stars Rowan McDonnell and Thomas Edmonds combining for a thrilling go-ahead score with just nine seconds left. We’ll see these same two teams squaring off again in DC this Saturday, with the Breeze looking to reinforce the message that the East won’t necessarily be a cakewalk for the Glory.
At the top of the South Division, the Austin Sol improved to 24-0 against Texas teams since the start of the 2022 season with another convincing win over Houston on Saturday night. I’m still not sure I’d include Austin among the league’s elite with teams like Chicago, Salt Lake, and Boston, but I do believe the Sol will earn the right to host the South Division final, meaning they would be just one home victory away from the franchise’s second trip to Championship Weekend in the last three seasons.
Presently, we’re just 45 days away from semifinal Friday in Madison. Mathematically, 14 of the league’s 24 teams are still alive to potentially take the field at Breese Stevens on August 22.
The Full Field Layout
The most gripping game of the weekend unfolded all by itself in the Sunday spotlight, as the DC handed Boston its first loss of the season. By any measure, it was a gigantic victory for the Breeze, sending a message that last year’s East Division champ is capable of winning anywhere. And from the Glory’s perspective, time will tell whether the slim setback carried ominous undertones or was simply a mere forgettable footnote.
“Honestly, I thought we controlled both the first and second quarters,” said Glory Captain Brendan McCann. “Our O-line was humming, and our D-line left a few chances on the table.”
Indeed, while it felt like Boston was the superior squad for much of the first half, missed opportunities let the Breeze creep back within one at the break. After trailing 7-4, DC was down just 9-8 at the half.
The second half was a roller-coaster, with DC dominating the third to build a 15-11 advantage, but the Glory responded with their own 5-1 rally, tying the game at 16-all with less than a minute remaining.
While the Breeze had only attempted three hucks all game, they were prepared to shoot for the game-winner. When McDonnell caught a quick swing just across midfield with 14 seconds remaining, he noticed Edmonds streaking deep with a couple steps on his defender.
“Nobody is going to outrun Thomas Edmonds in a fourth quarter, so I just needed to keep it low,” said McDonnell. “Just had to scan for Jeff Babbitt, but luckily he was right in front of me. It also helped that I missed that exact same throw in the first quarter. It’s impossible to miss the same throw twice.”
The nine-year UFA veteran coolly floated a low forehand toward the open space in the back corner of the end zone, and Edmonds launched horizontally for the exhilarating layout score, lifting the Breeze to the dramatic 17-16 victory. Boston’s last-second prayer was batted down shy of the end zone, securing DC’s huge road win.
“I was not surprised that he threw it,” said Edmonds, reflecting on the final play that made the Breeze 4-for-4 on hucks for the day. “Based on the flight path and the wind, I was confident the disc would be catchable. What I was unsure about was if I would have to lay out or not. In the end, because of the height, I gave it a little safety bid to make absolutely sure it was coming home with us.”
After the layout, Edmonds quickly bounced to his feet and passionately spiked the disc as his teammates stormed the field.
“There was a lot of emotion built into that spike,” he said. “Big win for us, feeling healthy enough to come back after getting hit [a few minutes earlier], and a fun play.”
Edmonds finished the game with seven scores and no turns to lead DC, while McDonnell’s third dime of the day ended Boston’s perfect season.
“That was a really difficult throw,” said McCann, appreciating McDonnell’s climactic toss. “[Inside-out] flick into a 20 mile per hour wind. I don’t think anybody had completed a huck that wasn’t a complete jump ball that direction all game.”
Even after a loss, Boston still has a three-game lead over the Breeze with three games left, needing just one win to secure the top seed in the East Division playoffs.
“Nobody feels like we played well during that game, and we still gave ourselves a chance,” said McCann. “We have a resilient mindset. I think a loss reminds us that we aren’t invincible and that there is room to push harder, give more, commit even harder.”
The race for the East’s last two playoff spots remains intense and uncertain with the 6-4 Breeze, the 5-4 Phoenix, and the 5-5 Empire all in control of their own destiny in the next two weeks. All three teams could still potentially host in the opening round, and DC remains mathematically alive to take the top seed if the Breeze won their last two while the Glory lost their final three.
Here are the five remaining games that will ultimately dictate who makes it to the East’s postseason:
- Friday, July 11: Boston at Philadelphia
- Saturday, July 12: Boston at DC
- Sunday, July 13: Philadelphia at New York
- Saturday, July 19: DC at Philadelphia
- Saturday, July 19: Boston at New York
*****
The Independence Day showdown in Chicago pretty quickly evolved into a one-sided affair, with the Union breaking the Wind Chill three times in a row to open the game. Chicago came out hot and never seriously faltered, winning all four quarters by multiple goals en route to the convincing 25-15 victory.
“They really wanted to get us back after the last matchup, and we wanted another chance to prove that the Central runs through Chicago,” said Union cutter Ben Preiss.
From the outset, it just felt like Chicago had Minnesota’s number, with the right mix of athleticism, strategy, and instincts that consistently flummoxed the Wind Chill offense.
“We understand where on the field they like to attack,” explained Union Co-Coach Charlie Furse. “We understand what their initiation looks like. [Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator] Eric Delgado has been unbelievable for us all year long preparing our guys in practice, breaking it down into chunks, and we’ve started to really put those chunks together and be a complete team on defense. He gets all the credit for preparing our team and calling the game plan, line after line.”
The Union went 13-for-18 on break chances, while the Wind Chill D-line went just 3-for-11 on their corresponding opportunities.
“It was a poor performance indeed,” said Minnesota Captain Bryan Vohnoutka. “I think our O-line lacked the dynamic movement and spacing to be successful [...] We had a tough time chaining cutter-to-cutter continuations and taking advantage of full-field swings. That stagnated our offense and led to multiple run-through and peel-off blocks.”
Friday’s rout dropped the defending champs to 6-2, but the Wind Chill also understand that they can still earn another shot at the Union in August. A year ago in July, Minnesota suffered back-to-back home losses by a combined 14 goals before turning things around and stunning the ultimate world at Championship Weekend. They also know they have a lot to learn and adjust if something like that is going to happen again.
“Footage of failure has been valuable for us in the past,” said Minnesota Coach Ben Feldman. “We are happy we have a slate of competitive games ahead of us to help us improve leading into the playoffs. Adjustments will be made, and we will continue to adapt and improve. All of the focus shifts to this Saturday, where we look to stamp home-field advantage in round one.”
As for Chicago, after outscoring Minnesota by 41-26 in two regular season meetings, one might think they are feeling unbeatable and destined for Championship Weekend. But Furse immediately looked to recalibrate expectations and emphasize their reality.
“We earned the right to play them again [in Chicago] with the score 0-0,” said Furse. "Nothing more than that.”
Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line”, the story of Salt Lake’s road rout in Colorado, more on De Marrée's astonishing weekend, and all the rest of the Week 11 drama across the UFA.
