GAME PREVIEW  |  WEEK 3  |  MAY 10, 2026  |  2:00 PM ET  |  F.N.B. STADIUM

Year 11: David Berg Era Begins Against A Dangerous Montréal Royal

By Matty Frances   |   WatchUFA.com / Pittsburgh Thunderbirds

It has been eleven seasons since the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds first took the field, and yet Sunday afternoon at F.N.B. Stadium brings something entirely new. For the first time in franchise history, the Thunderbirds will host the Montréal Royal — a first-ever meeting between two clubs that have spent a decade competing in separate divisions without ever sharing a sideline. Add a new head coach, a retooled roster loaded with young talent, and a Royal squad that enters on a short but telling road losing streak, and there is plenty to unpack before the 2:00 p.m. first pull in Station Square.

After finishing 3-9 in 2025 and fifth in the Central Division, the Thunderbirds and Max Barowski mutually parted ways and promoted David Berg — who served as his assistant last season — to head coach. It's a hire with deep Pittsburgh roots. Berg is a Pittsburgh native, a University of Pittsburgh alum, and continues to coach Pittsburgh Temper on the club circuit as well as the University of Pittsburgh in college. He previously competed professionally for the DC Breeze in 2015, posting 27 assists, 15 goals, and five blocks in 12 games. He knows what it takes to win at this level, and more importantly, he knows what this city expects.

His message coming in has been straightforward.

That's the baseline — and it's a meaningful one after a 2025 season in which Pittsburgh was outscored by more than five goals per game. Berg inherits a club that lost its most important offensive player in the offseason when all-time completions leader Jonathan Mast signed with Indianapolis after a decade in Pittsburgh. Marcel Oliart, who led the team with 30 goals in 2025, has transitioned to the coaching staff after tearing his ACL and cartilage last season. The departures are real, and Berg isn't pretending otherwise.

The shift in identity is intentional. Last season, Pittsburgh was built around Mast's patient, high-completion handler game. Berg is pivoting.

Will Hoffenkamp is the man the offense runs through now. The primary handler and team leader in completions per game, Hoffenkamp will be tasked with running Berg's more aggressive system — taking more shots, attacking the open side, and trusting his cutters to create separation in space. It's a different ask than the methodical pace Mast set, but Hoffenkamp has shown the arm and the IQ to operate at a high level.

Clint McSherry is back for yet another stint in Pittsburgh, bringing veteran handler experience that the young roster badly needs. A former throwing yards leader for the club, McSherry gives Berg a stabilizing presence in the backfield who can manage tempo and create off the reset. His return quietly might be the most underrated addition the Thunderbirds made this offseason.

Beyond the veterans, Sunday will be an early test for a crop of young players Berg has been enthusiastic about all offseason. John “Jojah” McMonigal — who led the team in goals in 2025 despite the surrounding struggles — is the primary downfield finisher and the player most likely to be the Thunderbirds' leading scorer again this year.

Noah Celuch is the kind of versatile athlete Berg's system thrives on. A multiyear contributor who can play handler or cutter depending on what the defense gives him, Celuch is the embodiment of what Berg means when he says no one is locked into one role. Logan Call and Reid Duncan are younger players looking to carve out significant roles in 2026 — Duncan, a product of Pine-Richland and the University of Pittsburgh, made the jump to professional ultimate with enormous buzz in the Pittsburgh ultimate community and could be one of the more exciting storylines of the entire home slate. Jude Schmiesing rounds out the group of players identified as key to Pittsburgh's developmental ceiling — a hybrid cutter who leads the Franciscan University nationals bound ultimate teams attack and whose athleticism and field sense have drawn notice from observers covering the team this spring. 

Aiden Landis, a D-line standout who posted three blocks and three assists in an early-season breakout appearance last year, is another name to watch if the Pittsburgh defense generates the early breaks it needs to keep F.N.B. loud in the afternoon sun.

When asked about the significance of Sunday's opener, Berg was transparent:

The Royal arrive at F.N.B. Stadium in a difficult position. Boston handed Montréal a 22-15 defeat to open the season, and DC followed that up with a 20-18 win over the Royal just one day later — a back-to-back road trip to open the year that has left the visitors searching for their first win of 2026. Sunday is game three in eight days on the road. The legs are tired and the scoreboard doesn't lie.

But don't be fooled by the record. The Royal returned every key player from 2025, and with the addition of Malik Auger-Semmar after two years away from pro frisbee, the offensive ceiling in Montréal is as high as it's been in years.

Quentin Bonnaud is the centerpiece and X-factor who will be inactive during this game due to a broken bone in his forearm he suffered in Week 1. He finished sixth in the league last year in plus/minus (+64), second in goals (53), and fifth in receiving yards (3,645), consistently performing as one of the top downfield playmakers in the East.

Christophe Tremblay-Joncas, Montréal's 2025 assists leader, is the playmaking engine that makes Bonnaud's numbers possible. He's a handler-cutter hybrid who generates easy looks for others while also functioning as a block threat on defense. Kevin Quinlan, one of the league's longer-tenured handlers, provides the experience and floor Montréal needs to stay competitive even when the game gets uncomfortable.

Auger-Semmar is most potent as a continuation option, and slotted alongside Bonnaud and Tremblay-Joncas, the trio could develop into the most underrated playmaking combination in the league. He starred for Team Canada at last summer's World Games during his two years away from pro frisbee and is expected to come back even better. French additions Simon Ruelle and Enzo Forget give Montréal international depth that few teams in the league can match.

The cautionary note for the Royal is their road record and a historical fragility with turnovers. Montréal finished 0-7 last season in games with 20 or more turnovers. A Pittsburgh defense that generates break opportunities early could expose exactly that weakness in front of what promises to be a rowdy F.N.B. crowd.

The script for a Pittsburgh win is simple: get stops early, generate breaks, and let the home crowd fuel a fast start that puts Montréal in a disadvantageous position before their offense finds its rhythm on an unfamiliar field.

The script for a Montréal win is equally clear: execute on offense at the level their talent suggests they should, involve someone other than Bonnaud early, integrate Auger-Semmar into a flowing offensive system, and don't let the home crowd turn a close game into a blowout.

What makes this game genuinely compelling is that neither team has faced the other before, there's no film to lean on from past matchups, and both rosters are in the early stages of figuring out their 2026 identities. This is the game that sets the tone for the T-Birds' entire home season. Pittsburgh carries the quirkiest schedule in the entire UFA this year — five interdivisional games and four doubleheader weekends — and this is the first chance for F.N.B. Stadium to prove it's still one of the best home atmospheres in professional ultimate.

Berg put it simply: “We need to prove to ourselves that we can play the way we want to play.”

Sunday is a good place to start.