May 3, 2025
By Thomas Johnson

The UFA season is off and running, and the Los Angeles Aviators are ready to dive in as they start their season against the San Diego Growlers this weekend.

With a new head coach this season in Jake Baumer, the Aviators look to build off their 2024 3-9 season. Los Angeles is also excited to return with multiple high-level players from last year’s squad.

The Aviators bring back both their blocks leader in Mitchell Steiner and goals leaders in James Franklin. Steiner, who tied a career high with his 15 blocks in 2024, is one of Los Angeles’ longest-tenured players, joining the team with Michael Kiyoi back in 2015. Franklin, on active duty in the United States Air Force, is entering his third pro year and second with the Aviators.

“It's not lost on me how rare this opportunity is to play at this level,” Franklin said. “I'm excited to see this group coalesce as the weeks go on.”

At 6-foot-6, Franklin is Los Angeles’ tallest player and spent his first pro season with Tampa Bay in 2019, but returned to pro ranks last season with the Aviators and will look to add onto his 32-goal, 11-assist season in 2024.

Along with those returners, the Aviators brought in a lot of new faces to replace a few of their heavy hitters who moved away during the offseason. One of those players is Dan Eppstein, who does not have UFA experience but has spent time at the top of the frisbee world. Since taking his Colorado College squad to Division I nationals, Eppstein has won two European Championships with GRUT while living in Amsterdam for the past nine years. Now a “33-year-old rookie,” the former European Defensive Player of the Year runner-up is taking his talents to the Aviators’ O-line.

LA gets its first opportunity to show off its new-look team on U. S. soil when it takes on the San Diego Growlers at Mission Bay High School this Saturday. While this is the Aviators’ first UFA game of the season, they recently had the opportunity to compete in the Torneo Eterna Primavera in Colombia. Playing against multiple elite teams allowed them to build up some chemistry and shake off the rust before the start of the UFA season. The Aviators now turn their attention to the Growlers, who finished 4-8 last year. Two of those games came against the Aviators to continue the rich history of the I-5 series.  In 2024, the Aviators and Growlers split the I-5 rivalry one and one, with the Aviators winning a 25-24 thriller in the second matchup of the season.

Baumer and company will look to carry on that success against a team who brought in some big players this offseason. Khalif El-Salaam resigned with the Growlers after a two-year stint with Seattle where he helped the Cascades make it to championship weekend, putting up six goals and six assists in three playoff games in 2024.

Given the two squad’s proximity, there is often turnover between the teams. Tomas Fong, Daniel Brunker, Isamu Kawaguchi, and Kobi McCracken who all suited up for Los Angeles in 2024 will be debuting on the Growlers in 2025. Brunker, currently in his final year at USC’s pharmacy school — is looking to reunite with his old Aviators teammates and play once more with USC senior Dox Raskin, a first-year Aviator after practicing with the squad last season. Brunker and Raskin were teammates for USC Lockdown in 2023.

Fong and McCraken, on the other hand, went to UC Irvine and will play close to campus yet again for Sunday’s matchup, with the Aviators hosting the second leg at Great Park Championship Stadium. Los Angeles’ Isaiah Hernandez and Spencer Sih also played for Nightlife, adding on to the vast number of ties in this matchup.

Even longtime Aviators Sean McDougall and Zac Schakner who have a combined 15 years with the Aviators each had stints with the Growlers. Schakner, the oldest player in the UFA, and McDougall each have the experience to help mold some of the younger players on the roster, which features five players who are 22 years old or younger.

With a solid mix of experience and youth, the Aviators start the season with two of their four games against the Growlers. Los Angeles travels to San Diego for Saturday’s matchup at 6:30 p.m. before hosting the Growlers on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fans can watch the May 3rd game on https://www.watchufa.tv/ and catch the action in person Sunday, May 4th by purchasing their tickets here https://laaviators.com/tix/