There was much anticipation coming into this week hoping to see a huge upset. The matchups were favorable to all of the underdogs but alas the favorites came away victorious. We are exactly halfway (20 games) into the season and there has only been one 'upset' this year with the New York Rumble defeating the Washington D.C. Current in Week 3 21-19. The Portland Stags are well on their way to claiming the regular season conference title, but for some reason no one is entirely sold on the Philadelphia Spinners yet, who continue to win.
#1 Portland Stags: 6-0
Last Week: #1 Change: +0
One week the Stags have really good offense, the other they have really good defense. This week the league saw the Stags offense play incredible defense. The San Francisco Dogfish, who last year beat the Stags in the middle of the season, were able to slow down the offensive line for Portland with a DTE of 52%. The Stags however always managed to get the disc back and prevent the Dogfish from scoring with an 84% OSE with the multitude of turnovers. Of the team's 16 holds, 13 of had Cody Bjorklund (1 goal, 6 assists, 1 block), Raphael Hayes (3 goals, 4 assists, 1 block), and Timmy Perston (5 goals, 6/6 throws) scoring or assisting on the point. Now they get a full week to prepare for the cross-country road trip to play the Boston Whitecaps.
#2 Philadelphia Spinners: 5-0
Last Week: #2 Change: +0
Only halfway through the season but the Philadelphia Spinners have already swept the Rumble. In three games the Spinners held a +35 point differential, which could end up having a huge factor on how the rest of the east shakes out. In Philadelphia's other two games it only has a +5 advantage, while the Rumble only have a -9 in their three other games. This time the Spinners dominated without Nick Hirannet but with an incredible performance by Billy Sickles (4 goals, 4 assists, 20/20 throws). Also worth noting the performance of David Brandolph (1 goal, 4 assists, 33/35 throws) who filled into Hirannet's role in addition to Sickles.
#3 Boston Whitecaps: 3-1
Last Week: #3 Change: +0
A week off hopefully gave the Whitecaps a chance to heal. Last week Misha Sidorsky, Nick Thompson, and Sam Kittross-Schnell missed the Current game due to injuries. Add that to a long list of uninjured inactive players including, Misha Herscu, Jack Hatchett, and Piers MacNaughton who will be coming back later in the season. Some will be as early as this week to take on the undefeated Spinners.
#4 Seattle Rainmakers: 3-2
Last Week: #4 Change: +0
An incredible return for one of the league's best in Khalif El-Salaam. In only two games played he is tied for the fourth most assists in the league (13) and 14th in G+A (17). If El-Salaam kept up these numbers in a full season there would be no doubt who would be the West MVP. His command led to the Rainmakers third straight victory over the Vancouver Nighthawks, their only three wins of the season. The team's numbers are hard to gauge with their past weeks being against the lowest scoring offense and worst defense in the league. The team heads into a bye week upcoming but they have to figure out how to beat Portland and San Francisco.
#5 San Francisco Dogfish: 1-2
Last Week: #5 Change: +0
Its seems the Dogfish's bye week benefited the Stags more than it did the home team. Many expected San Francisco to be the team that would upset the undefeated Stags, but this time Portland was prepared. Right out of the gates, the Dogfish failed to hold on offense for two points and found themselves down two breaks. For the rest of the game San Francisco could not pull it back together and the Stags got another win. The team was able to generate break opportunities with nine blocks and 21 turnovers for Portland, but struggled to convert. Once Portland got it back they punched it into the endzone. In the end San Francisco only had three total breaks.
#6 Washington D.C. Current: 1-4
Last Week: #6 Change: +0
A week off with all of the players back in the action after the college season has come to a close. D.C. not only got last week but this upcoming week off to prepare for what would be the most impressive playoff run in MLU history. This week though they have to watch Boston and Philadelphia face off in a game that they do not want to see either team win.
#7 New York Rumble: 1-5
Last Week: #7 Change: +0
The Rumble only had three blocks in yet another blowout victory at the hands of the Spinners. Philadelphia completely took New York out of this matchup with a commanding offense and defense that did not allow the Rumble to gain any momentum. Granted, it is difficult to get blocks when the D-line is not out on the field. The only time New York got momentum was during a three goal run in the final quarter, but the final point took over three minutes to play out and resulted in a quick Spinners goal after. But now the team will focus on an MLU first, a cross-divisional game against the Dogfish. It will also be the first time ever an east coast team goes west.
#8 Vancouver Nighthawks: 0-6
Last Week: #8 Change: +0
Vancouver probably had the best chance at an upset this weekend. Thirty seconds into the fourth quarter and down by two, the Nighthawks were inches away from getting a break to start the period and pull within one. Unfortunately for them, Seattle got the disc back and would score, then follow it up with three straight breaks. In the entire game, Vancouver only had one break. But still if you take away the final quarter this was the most complete game Vancouver played all season long. This upcoming week the Nighthawks will get their first bye of the season, which will be much needed for a young team.
Final Thoughts
One would think that with two undefeated teams and three teams having one win or less at this point in the season that most of the playoff field would be set in stone. Technically only the Stags have clinched due to their head-to-head record but no team is out of the running in terms of playoffs and same will be said at the end of this upcoming week, no matter who wins. There are only two games on deck this week, the first being the first cross-divisional game in MLU history as New York travels to San Francisco. There will also be an eastern conference showdown between the Spinners and the Whitecaps as they battle for the conference's top seed.
**Editor's Note: A previous version of this post had stated that no team has clinched a playoff spot. This has been updated with the Stags claiming a berth**
**Editor's Note: A previous version of this post had stated that no team has clinched a playoff spot. This has been updated with the Stags claiming a berth**