July 6, 2023
By Sam Weiger
Chicago Union at Pittsburgh Thunderbirds
Friday, July 7 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
It’s rare in sports to see two teams competing for the final playoff spot in a division play a doubleheader against each other, with each team hosting one game. With the season coming to an end in just a few weeks, the Chicago/Pittsburgh doubleheader is sure to be a barnburner.
T-birds playmaker Max Sheppard has recorded at least four total scores in nine consecutive games, and he will likely extend that streak on Friday. Sheppard is second in the league in scores per game and is averaging an eye-popping 10.67 scores over his last three games. However, two of his last three games were against winless Detroit. Up to this point, the T-bird’s entire 2023 schedule hasn’t been that challenging. They’ve only faced two teams with winning records all year.
The 5-3 Union are a more battle-tested team, and they have a history of finishing seasons strong. Chicago’s strong finish last season was propelled by their defense, and that could be the case again this season. The Union have conceded just 17.78 goals per game this year, and 2022 All-Rookie selection Asher Lantz is a major contributor to that. Lantz has tallied a block in every game he’s played this season.
Pittsburgh hasn’t defeated a team with a good defense all year. The T-birds are fortunate that the Union offense will be without Paul Arters and Ross Barker. Playing without two important playmakers is never easy.
One Big Number:
1 - Pittsburgh’s four wins this season have come against the Mechanix and Radicals, who have combined for just one win in 2023.
5 - The Union have closed out their last two regular seasons with five-game winning streaks.
Boston Glory at Philadelphia Phoenix
Friday, July 7 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
This game between Philly and Boston feels like a postseason play-in game because they have identical records and similar remaining schedules. The winner will take a major step towards clinching the third seed in the East Division, while the loser will be in a very difficult position to make up ground.
Philly’s 0-4 start to the season wasn’t encouraging, and it seemed nearly impossible for them to climb back into the playoff picture. Somehow, they have managed to do just that. Rookie Calvin Trisolini has become a reliable passer, which has led to an increase in Philly’s goals per game. Some may argue that Philly’s recent success is a fluke due to their relatively easy schedule, but they did manage to defeat an elite Carolina team and two other playoff contenders during their winning streak.
If anything was a fluke, it was Boston’s remarkable defensive stats at the start of the season. They had three double-digit block games and a whopping 44 blocks in the first three games, but they have failed to get double-digit blocks since. Against Philly’s rejuvenated offense, they could use some big blocks from players like Chris Bartoli, Rocco Linehan, and Phillip Joyce. Joyce has recorded four blocks in his last two games and had a couple against the Phoenix earlier this season.
As Boston tries to contain Philly’s O-line, it will be important to keep an eye on how well they defend hucks. The Phoenix throw the second-most hucks per game in the league, and the Glory allow opponents to complete almost 63 percent of their hucks. With the trends and numbers stacked against Boston, this won’t be an easy game for them.
One Big Number:
21.4 - The Phoenix are averaging 21.4 goals per game during their winning streak. They averaged only 14.75 goals per game during their first four games of the season.
7.67 - The Glory are averaging just 7.67 blocks per game in their last six games.
Boston Glory at DC Breeze | Game of the Week
Saturday, July 8 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Both teams have a lot to play for in this game. DC is working towards securing home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, while Boston is fighting for their first playoff appearance in franchise history.
DC will be without Benjamin Oort and AJ Merriman against the Glory. Oort leads the Breeze in plus/minus, and Merriman has the team’s most blocks. Last week against the Empire, Rowan McDonnell helped fill the offensive void and had his best game in over a month. It will be worth watching to see if his resurgence continues.
The Glory will also be playing without a couple of important players: Orion Cable, who leads the team in scores per game this season, and Brendan McCann, who has the most completions of any D-liner. Although these two players were not needed against Toronto last week, their absence will hurt Boston’s chances against the Breeze. Cable is Boston’s tallest scorer and is very difficult to defend in the red zone. McCann is capable of getting blocks in big games, and had four blocks in two games against DC last year.
Even at full strength, Boston would be considered an underdog against a fresh Breeze team on the road after facing Philly the night before.
One Big Number:
424 - Ray Tetreault set a single-game career high last week in Toronto with 424 receiving yards to go along with nine total scores.
3 - This season, the Breeze have only lost to teams in the top three of the AUDL’s Week 10 Power Rankings.
Pittsburgh Thunderbirds at Chicago Union
Saturday, July 8 - 7:30 PM/ET - Watch link
If Chicago can win the first game of the doubleheader with the T-birds, they will clinch a playoff spot with a win in the second game. Even if Pittsburgh wins Friday, they will still need to win this game to enter the playoff picture. These two teams will have plenty to chat about as they travel to Chicago together on the bus!
The T-birds have had a history of struggling on the road, with a record of 3-13 over the past three seasons. The Union have won three of their home games this season, including their biggest win of the year against the Wind Chill. Chicago’s home crowd should be eager to make their presence felt on Saturday.
One Big Number:
7.8 - Max Sheppard leads the AUDL in scores per game this season with almost eight per game.
16 - In three matchups against Pittsburgh last season, Andrew Sjogren scored 16 goals and accumulated 1106 receiving yards
Indianapolis AlleyCats at Minnesota Wind Chill
Sunday, July 9 - 6:00 PM/ET - Watch link
This game could be a preview of the Central Division championship. Minnesota is looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss, but they will have to face one of the hottest teams in the AUDL.
With their seven-game winning streak, Indy has already surpassed their 2022 win total. Keegan North, who has been throwing with much more accuracy over his last three games, is a player to watch. He’s averaging 328.66 throwing yards per game during that stretch, and he put up eight scores in their closely contested loss to the Wind Chill in Week 2. The ‘Cats had a season-low five blocks in that game, but they are capable of getting more stops this week.
Indy’s leading blockers, William Wettengel and Nick Hutton, have each had several multi-block games in the last couple of months. However, they only combined for one block against Minnesota in Week 2. Their blocking ability could make a big difference in this game, especially if they can deny one or two of Josh Klane’s deep shots.
Abe Coffin had a rough outing in Minnesota’s 10-goal loss to Colorado last week, finishing with six throwaways, a drop, and a completion percentage of 79.41 percent. The 2022 AUDL All-Star MVP has yet to have a big game this season, and Minnesota fans would love to see one with the playoffs right around the corner.
Minnesota will play on the road against the Radicals on Friday, so they may be a bit tired coming into this game. They will also be without offensive playmakers Quinn Snider and Michael Jordan. However, the Wind Chill have been a formidable opponent at Sea Foam Stadium in the last two years. In the last two games between these teams at Sea Foam, Minnesota won a close game and defeated Indy by a large margin. It is unlikely that Minnesota will get a blowout victory this time around.
One Big Number:
8 - The Wind Chill have won eight of their last nine home games.
29 - With a combined 29 blocks by Wettengel and Hutton in just nine games, they are on track to have the most blocks of any AlleyCats duo since 2018.
