Madison, WI - For the 12th time in organizational history, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds will be traveling to the 'Capital City of Ultimate' in Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Madison Radicals at Breese Stevens Field. The first 11 attempts to claim victory have fallen short, but there is a belief and an expectation that this time will be different. That question will be answered on Saturday, May 17th at 7:00PM EST.
The team will link up with the official transportation partner of the Thunderbirds, Anderson Coach & Travel, on Friday, May 16th from Madison Ave, PA to Madison, Wisconsin, staying in a hotel in western Indiana, before finishing the trip Saturday morning/afternoon to keep everyone fresh for the match-up. After the game, the team will head immediately back for Pittsburgh in what has historically been a "long, losing, bus ride home".
The first ever game for the Thunderbirds at Breese Stevens Field was May 2nd, 2015 - a 24-18 defeat despite 9 assists from Pittsburgh's Tyler DeGirolamo and a combined 10 goals scored between David Vatz and Ethan 'Birdman' Beardsley. The Thunderbirds defense finished 1/20 in break opportunities, highlighting just how difficult of a venue it was to crack the Madison offense in their own building.
The two teams would meet in the divisional championship game 3 years in a row, (2015-2017) with all 3 games occurring at Breese Stevens Field due to the Radicals securing the #1 overall seed during the regular season.
In 2015, the T-Birds lost by 3, in 2016 they lost by 4, and in 2017 they lost by 5. It seemed like their opportunity to claim victory would slip further and further away after each unsuccessful attempt.
Pittsburgh Thunderbirds @ Madison Radicals (Organization History)
| Game Date | Pittsburgh | Madison | Goal Differential | Game Type |
| Sat, May 2, 2015 | 18 | 24 | -6 | Regular Season |
| Sat, July 25, 2015 | 21 | 24 | -3 | Championship Game |
| Sat, June 4, 2016 | 16 | 23 | -7 | Regular Season |
| Sat, July 23, 2016 | 16 | 20 | -4 | Championship Game |
| Sat, May 20, 2017 | 25 | 31 | -6 | Regular Season |
| Sat, Aug 12, 2017 | 22 | 27 | -5 | Championship Game |
| Sat, Apr 28, 2018 | 29 | 13 | -16 | Regular Season |
| Sat, Apr 20, 2019 | 26 | 17 | -9 | Regular Season |
| Sat, May 7, 2022 | 16 | 18 | -2 | Regular Season |
| Sat, June 4, 2023 | 17 | 22 | -5 | Regular Season |
| Sat, July 6, 2024 | 20 | 21 | -1 | Regular Season |
However, based on prior match-ups, the Thunderbirds have never been closer to capturing that elusive victory. On July 6th, 2024 in Madison, Jojah McMonigal and Marcel Oliart combined for 9 goals and Jon Mast and Will Hoffenkamp combined for 105 completions. All 4 players are active again for this weekend's contest.
The intrigue in the follies for the Thunderbirds against the Radicals is more to do with the site in where they are playing and less about the team they are playing. Several victories over the years in Pittsburgh have occurred for the Thunderbirds, most notably on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 when Max Sheppard caught a pass from Mast as time expired to win their home opener. The Thunderbirds also grabbed victories in Pittsburgh over the Radicals in 2015 and 2019.
"Breese Stevens Field routinely gets one-thousand plus fans at every game and they let you know you're the road team," says General Manager Andrew Gardner. "You're placed on the same sideline as the fans and they are loud. It's a fun atmosphere, but it's also can obviously be an intimidating one."
One tangible home field advantage the crowd at Breese is famous for is their 'fake-countdown'. Thousands of fans begin a count-down from 10 when there are still 30-seconds left on a Thunderbirds offensive drive.
"It's generated at least a half-dozen turns in our history before we got better at ignoring it," laments Gardner.
Last year, this change was perfectly proven when Pittsburgh's Aiden Landis floated a perfect forehand nearly 50-yards into the end-zone with 0:07 seconds left to Reppermund who let the clock bleed down to 0:00 before scoring the goal. The crowd had tried to let the Thunderbirds know the clock expired well before that.
Heading into this weekend's contest, there is a confidence that this year is different - because it is. New players for both sides will be making their Breese Stevens Field debuts. One of which includes Thunderbirds captain and 4th year veteran Charlie Vukovic.
"For some reason or another I've always had to miss the Madison game at Breese Stevens, but not this year," wrote Vukovic. "The trip to Madison feels like a right of passage playing in the UFA Central Division. I've heard all the stories about the atmosphere and the rowdy fans but I've been told it's just something you have to experience to truly understand it."
The ghosts of Thunderbirds past might be a storyline, but it's one that won't dictate future thoughts. "I have all the confidence in the world that our team can get the win this Saturday," said Vukovic.
Pittsburgh fans can watch the game live on WatchUFA.tv.
Up Next: The Pittsburgh Thunderbirds host the defending UFA Champion Minnesota Wind Chill in Pittsburgh on Saturday, May 24th at 6:00PM.
