May 27, 2026
By Evan Lepler
The days immediately after Memorial Day Weekend always mark a new beginning in the UFA, as the schedule picks up and some of the nation’s top college stars shift their full frisbee focus toward earning a trip to Championship Weekend. The first month of the season has established the baseline foundation of all four divisional races, but most teams will have some form of roster reinforcements in the coming weeks, a dynamic that adds intrigue and uncertainty to the road ahead.
Looking forward, there are eight weekends remaining in the 2026 regular season, and Championship Weekend is exactly three months away, with the semifinals on Thursday, August 27, and the title game on Friday, August 28. Between now and then, we can expect plenty of intensity, emotion, and late-game drama, as the contenders collide to create the next chapters of ultimate history.
In lieu of the typical deep diving Tuesday Toss, today will be an abbreviated look at some of the stories and developments that made me say ‘Wow’ over the course of the five-game Week 5. And with the 13-game Week 6 slate starting on Friday, the stage is set for a fascinating and consequential few days of frisbee this weekend.
Wow #1 | The Toronto Rush
By going to Montreal and winning pretty convincingly, the Rush have officially elevated their ceiling. Since losing their season opener in New York, Toronto has won three straight heading into this Friday’s home game against DC, a contest that could very well decide who joins the Glory and Empire in the East Division playoffs. It’s the only regular season meeting between the Rush and the Breeze, so this result looms even larger.
Now, the Rush’s three wins have come against two teams that have a combined one win, so it feels premature to call them a home favorite against the 3-2 Breeze, who’ve been to the playoffs nine straight seasons. But the stars do seem to be aligning for Toronto. While DC has tough interdivisional challenges against South contenders Carolina and Atlanta, the Rush have Pittsburgh, Oregon, Seattle, and Indianapolis on their upcoming interdivisional calendar. No wins are guaranteed, but presently those four Rush opponents are a combined 2-10 through the first five weeks.
Wow #2 | The Montreal Royal
Perhaps no team in the league has had a more heartbreaking first month than the Royal, who sit at 1-5 in the East after another tough loss against Toronto on Saturday afternoon. Montreal has been competitive in every game, but crucial execution errors have flipped multiple potential marquee wins into painful, season-defining close losses. There’s no doubt that injuries—especially to standout cutter Quentin Bonnaud—have hindered the Royal’s chemistry and cohesiveness, but the reality is that every team deals with different forms of adversity. Malik Auger-Semmar leads the league in total scores and several other Montreal contributors have had some shining moments too, but as a team, the Royal have had 18 red-zone turnovers in their five losses, which have come by a grand total of 17 goals.
Wow #3 | Rivalry Revenge Across The League
Carolina and New York both avenged their recent one-goal losses with super solid wins against their biggest rivals in Week 5. The Flyers held the Hustle to the franchise’s fewest goals in Atlanta’s 141-game history, while the Empire won in DC for the first time in regulation since April 30, 2022.
In the South showdown, Carolina and Atlanta both were missing key contributors, but my lasting takeaway was that the Flyers “B-Squad” might be the best in the league. Their depth was consistently fast, disruptive, decisive, and clutch, while the Hustle’s lineup lacked the punch that helped them win the double-OT classic in Week 4.
And in our nation’s capital, New York’s 11 turnovers were the fewest of any team in the league this past weekend, leading to a statement four-goal win at a venue where the Empire have recently struggled. DC beat New York by the combined score of 46-27 in the Breeze’s two home games against the Empire in 2025, but it was a very different story on Saturday night.
While the Flyers and Hustle have two more regular season matchups on the docket—this Saturday in Atlanta and June 26 at Carolina—the Breeze-Empire series is done for 2026, unless the organizations ultimately cross paths in the playoffs, something that’s happened in three of the past four seasons.
The Week 6 Shift
Starting on Friday night with four games on the schedule and continuing throughout the weekend, UFA teams will benefit from the conclusion of the college season, as several of the sport’s brightest young talents will either be returning or making their 2026 debuts this weekend.
In the previously mentioned DC-Toronto, which carries such massive ramifications for the third playoff spot in the East, the Breeze will be getting Miles Grovic and Isaac Lee back after their journey leading the University of Maryland at College Nationals this past weekend. And for Toronto, the Rush will see Justin Podnar make his UFA debut on Friday night, a significant addition that will provide additional size, speed, and swagger for the home team at Varsity Stadium.
"Friday Night Frisbee" will feature a duel of desperate teams in Indy, as the Union and AlleyCats both sit at 0-2 and are currently tied for both third place and last place in the Central. Indy’s initial roster release suggests that Elliot Hawkins, one of the top stars for the University of Colorado club that reached the semifinals this past weekend, will make his 2026 debut for the ‘Cats this week. The 20-year-old Hawkins played four games for Indy in 2024 and suited up for Colorado four times in 2025. Regarded as one of the sport’s elite young athletes, his return to Indianapolis is absolutely encouraging news for the AlleyCats.
And speaking of the University of Colorado, Tobias Brooks, who’s Hawkins’ teammate on Mamabird, is also expected to be in the Carolina Flyers’ lineup this Saturday at Atlanta. It’ll be the 21-year-old’s first appearance with the Flyers since the 2024 championship game, when Brooks—then still just a teenager—led Carolina with 487 total yards in their narrow one-goal loss to Minnesota.
Elsewhere, there will be an interesting dynamic in Philly this Saturday, as the Commonwealth Cup pits two current University of Pittsburgh stars against each other. Ezra Beidler-Shenk, who led Pitt in assists this past weekend at College Nationals, will make his UFA debut for the Phoenix, while Reid Duncan, Pitt’s top goal-scorer at Nationals, will play just his second game of the season for the Thunderbirds.
In Minnesota, the Wind Chill are expecting a couple of young Carleton standouts to make their season debuts on Sunday in Madison. Thomas Shope rejoins the Chill for his third season with the franchise, while the electric young 19-year-old Nate De Morgan, who suited up in six games for the Salt Lake Shred in 2025, joins Minnesota for the first time in Sunday’s battle of unbeatens at Breeze Stevens Field.
Nine Days Away from Rivalry Weekend
Lastly, the Week 7 schedule, commencing with five games on Friday, June 5, is arguably the most compelling slate of the entire season. On Friday alone, we’ve got New York at Boston on "Friday Night Frisbee", along with Carolina at DC, Madison at Chicago, Colorado at Salt Lake, and Austin at San Diego. And that’s just on Friday!
The New York-Boston matchup is particularly enticing because the Empire are expecting Daan De Marrée to make his debut in this huge game against the Glory, meaning that it will be the first time that the duo of young Belgian stars, De Marrée and Boston’s Tobe Decraene, go head-to-head against one another in the UFA.
If you missed it, I chronicled the dual rise of De Marree and Decraene last fall, and while both players insist they are friendly, they also acknowledge they are definitely rivals too. With the 25-year-old De Marrée on New York, the 22-year-old Decraene in Boston, and both teams stacked with tons of complementary talent, the framework for a gripping competition is already taking shape.
Championship Weekend is exactly three months away, and the league’s marquee event won’t be big enough for both Belgian superstars. Of course, with Atkins, Williams, and Jagt on the Empire and Babbitt, McDonnell, and Cable on the Glory, it’s not just about Daan vs. Tobe. But the De Marrée vs. Decraene piece will be a huge part of the spectacle.
It should be epic.
