Photo by Alan Bloodgood
MAY 14, 2025
By Kyle Turnbaugh
Fresh off a win on the road against Carolina, the DC Breeze (2-1) will return to DC to defend Carlini Field against division rival Boston Glory (2-0). Both teams are currently on a two-game win streak, with Boston taking their first two games against Montreal. Boston will come into the matchup against DC on Sunday having played New York two days prior on Friday in a game where sparks are sure to fly.
For the Breeze, the key to the matchup is how they will deal with Glory’s stars. Last season's MVP Jeff Babbitt has picked up exactly where he left off, logging eight goals and five blocks in his two dominant performances against the Royal. While Boston’s marquee signing Tobe Decraenae showed no mercy for his former squad in Montreal and threw seven assists, as well as scoring six goals in Boston’s first two games. A surrounding cast of Orion Cable, Tannor Johnson-Go, and Simon Carapella, among others, fills out a Boston roster that has Championship Weekend ambitions. However, Glory faces a good test in week three with consecutive matchups against the Empire and the Breeze, who will most likely be a more difficult test for Boston than the Royal.
The Breeze will look to their D-line, who are much improved over the last two games to counter Glory’s downfield threats. AJ Merriman will likely deal with the tough task of minimizing the damage Babbitt can cause, while Alexandre Fall and Miles Grovic can hopefully deal with Boston’s other threats. The return of Jasper Tom, who missed the Breeze’s trip to Carolina will certainly be helpful for DC’s handler defense. Thomas Edmonds, who has been a massive contributor on both offense and defense and led the Breeze in points played for the two games he has appeared in will also be returning and looking to have a big impact.
On the offensive side, the Breeze will look to continue to build on the positive result in Carolina. Disc security and efficiency have been the hallmarks of DC’s offense for the last two weeks after a questionable week one display where the offense looked rushed, and drops gifted Philadelphia breaks. The returns of valuable veteran cutters like Christian Boxley and Tyler Monroe has no doubt helped with that, and the consistency of their continuation throws has allowed DC handlers to put a lot of trust in their cutters, improving the offense's flow and effectiveness. DC’s cutters like Cole Jurek, Boxley and Monroe will need to be on top of their game, if they are going to come out on top against Boston’s D-line that notched 25 blocks and caused 46 turnovers across their two games against Montreal.
In terms of absences, DC is nearly at full strength. Multiple Breeze players are currently listed as "dressed" for the game, including David Bloodgood and Rhys Bergeron, who missed the opener against Philly, and Graham Turner is listed as "out" after starting the first two games but missing the contest against the Flyers in North Carolina. Additional players who will be out are Christian Johnson and Aidan Downey, both of whom are yet to make their Breeze debut. Significant absences for the Glory include Calvin Stoughton and Ryan Dinger, two O-line handles who the Glory will have to replace for their trip to Washington.
This game is a great chance for a hot DC team to prove that they once again belong at the summit of the East Division, while simultaneously handing a division rival their first loss of the season. Catch the DC Breeze as they defend Carlini Field from the visiting Boston Glory on Sunday, May 18. First pull goes up at 4:00 PM EDT. Tickets are available at thedcbreeze.com.
