Players to Watch: Week One
The MLQ season kicks off tomorrow at 4:30 pm CT with our Series of the Week, Chicago Prowl vs. Detroit Innovators. Later in the evening, the New York Titans host the Washington Admirals in an opening day mainstay. In the South, the reigning Benepe Cup Champions, the Austin Outlaws, head down to Huntsville, Texas to take on the League City Legends. In a sea of over 100 athletes, here are six players to watch.
Chicago Prowl
The importance of chaser Liam Zach to the Chicago Prowl often flies under the radar, but Zach is their team’s best defender, and their presence is frequently the difference between the Prowl pulling away in a blowout or trading goals in a nailbiter. Of course, Zach has struggled with yellow card accumulation at times, which has limited their minutes in big moments. For Chicago to contain the Detroit Innovators duo of Leo Fried and Julien Theuerkauf, Zach needs to stay out of the penalty box while bringing their trademark aggressiveness at point defense.
Detroit Innovators
Neil Peterson enters the season as one of the hottest seekers in the country right now, after a string of runner catches for the University of Michigan in the college division at US Quadball Cup 2024. The clear underdogs against the Chicago Prowl, the Detroit Innovators will likely need a runner catch to spring an upset. They have gotten clutch performances before from seeker Luc Marklin, including a runner catch against Chicago in a tight game one last year, but look for Peterson to strengthen the rotation.
Austin Outlaws
After a strong 2023 campaign in which she filled the shoes of former US National Team chaser Erin McBride en route to a Benepe Cup title, chaser Jenna Adams-Tracy will be expected to take another step in 2024. Adams-Tracy is a sure-handed target receiver who runs the fastbreak and expands the field for her teammates on offense. She has the size and length to make a consistent impact on defense, giving the Outlaws the opportunity to throw multiple variations of hoop defense at their opponents. Her contributions will be key to making League City uncomfortable and getting Austin off to a strong start.
League City Legends
Chris Dorsey has long been underrated as a facilitator for the League City Legends. The Legends have two of the top scorers in the league in keeper Hayden Boyes and chaser Great Usiaphre, but it will be up to Dorsey to take some of the ballhandling burden off of them and put them in the position to succeed against the talented and sophisticated Outlaws defense. Dorsey did not play against Austin last season and he has a chance to change the calculus and make the series more competitive this year.
Washington Admirals
Adrian Koretsky broke into the Washington Admirals beating rotation last season and stands to continue their rise through the ranks by taking the reins of the beating corps in 2024 as an assistant coach and a key performer. With the departures of Katryna Hicks, Bernie Berges, and Melissa Smith, Koretsky will need to use their speed, stamina, and field awareness to give the athletic Admirals chasers the ability to play the uptempo style they have grown accustomed to playing.
New York Titans
The debut of chaser Josh Johnson in a New York Titans jersey will have to wait! The Titans will be short-handed in the chaser game this weekend without Johnson, the leading scorer at the MLQ Championship last season, and chaser Molly Potter, who is one of the safest bets in the league to step into a larger role this season. Along with the departures of key pieces like Janko Gvozdenovic and Leo Fried, it could be unusually difficult for New York to score against Washington this weekend. Watch out for chaser Mike Li, who tallied an impressive 22 goals and 18 assists last season, to pick up the slack and continue his upward trajectory as a featured playmaker.
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