Photo by Paul Rutherford – UltiPhotos.com
MAY 28, 2026
By Will Stuntz
The DC Breeze (3-2) are heading up to Canada this weekend for their only back-to-back weekend of 2026. On Friday, they’ll take on the Toronto Rush (3-1) for the first and only time this year, and less than 24 hours later, the Breeze will have a rematch with the Montreal Royal (1-5), who they squeaked by in week two by a score of 20-18 for DC’s first victory of the season. Both of these East Division battles will have major playoff implications, as the Breeze will step over the halfway mark of the season this weekend, and going 2-0 on the road trip will be crucial to ensuring their nine-year playoff streak – the longest active streak in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) – extends to a decade.
Toronto Rush on Friday, May 29
First Pull: 7:00 p.m. ET
The Toronto Rush have had a great start to the season after finishing last in the East Division in 2025. The Rush sit one spot above the Breeze in the East Division in third place, but a DC victory on Friday night will push DC back into the playoff position.
The Rush have faced only one team in 2026 with any legitimate title-contending chance: the New York Empire (3-1). The Empire and Rush duked it out in week one in a contest that wasn't really ever close, and the Rush were crushed by nine goals.
DC has battled New York twice already this year, splitting the series 1-1, beating the Empire by one on their home turf then last week, New York traveled to DC and beat the Breeze by four in the nation's capital.
Other than New York, Toronto crushed the rebuilding and still-winless Philadelphia Phoenix (0-3) and has chalked up two victories over the struggling Royal.
Toronto looks to be at full strength for the bout, and all of their heavy hitters like Gagan Chatha, Martin Gallant, and their rising star rookie Max Pettenuzzo will all be active and ready to fight to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Breeze have one gaping hole in their lineup all weekend: Christian Boxley. Boxley has been a major player on the Breeze O-line, and he’s one of the reasons that DC is the sixth-best team in the red zone this year. Boxley has thrown 14 assists, caught nine goals, and blocked three passes this season. Charlie McCutcheon and Lev Blumenfeld will also be absent on Friday.
Fortunately for the Breeze, the USA Ultimate D-I College National Championships have concluded, and Gabe Dowd, Miles Grovic, and Isaac Lee will all be active this weekend. These DC young guns have been huge for the squad on both sides of the disc. Grovic has been making plays on both lines, but he’s truly emerging as one of the top young offensive young stars in the UFA, and he’s averaging more than five scores per game. Dowd has also been a hot goal scorer, as he’s almost inevitable in the red zone and has already put up nine goals and an assist in just two games this year. With the absence of Boxley, Grovic and Dowd will likely take even bigger responsibilities on the O-line.
The Rush have not been strangers to red zone success this year, either, as they rank third in the UFA in red zone conversion percentage. This isn’t the only similar stat category for the two teams, as DC and Toronto rank fifth and seventh in huck completions, respectively. Still, DC is much more efficient with their deep shots, converting over 65% of their attempts compared to Toronto’s 50%.
Toronto has forced 20+ turnovers from all the teams they have beaten, which was crucial to their victories. However, in their sole loss to New York, they could only force eight, and it will likely be more difficult for Toronto to match that level of defensive success against an offense of the Breeze’s caliber.
Montreal Royal on Saturday, May 30
First Pull: 6:00 p.m. ET
Despite high hopes entering the season with the return of the Team Canada star Malik Auger-Semmar, as well as having one of the best player retention rates heading into 2026, the season has not gone as hoped, and they sit at 1-5 and in fifth place in the East Division.
But they aren’t as bad as their record would lead you to believe, as they’ve lost by an average of 3.4 points in their five blunders, three of those being within two scores. They’ve also given the undefeated Boston Glory – the reigning UFA champions – the closest run for their money as anyone all season, losing by just two.
The Royal also look to be as healthy as they’ve been for the majority of the season with their only absence being Quentin Bonnaud, who injured his wrist in the only game he has suited up in so far.
Montreal came down to DC in week two and proved to be a major challenge for the Breeze, but a late surge from the DC squad helped them pull out a victory. That game saw an outstanding performance from the MVP-hopeful AJ Merriman, who racked up three assists, four goals, two blocks, and 518 yards. It was also Dowd’s coming-out party as he pranced into the end zone four times in his pro debut. Grovic was unavailable in that game, and his return, along with Dowd’s return and Merriman being active should help counteract Boxley’s absence in this game, as well as in Toronto.
McCutcheon’s performance in the previous matchup was also major for the Breeze, as he swatted three discs away in the end zone over Auger-Semmar, who has a very noticeable height advantage over McCutcheon. McCutcheon will be absent in this bout, and the Breeze will look to a slew of young defenders to step up. However, Tanner Gesell also posted three blocks in the last matchup and will be active once again in Quebec.
The week two duel was a high-turnover outing for both teams, but the conditions may have been a contributor to that. The Breeze have given up their fair share of turnovers this season, but Montreal has really kept that week two trend going all season, as they’ve given up the fourth-most turnovers in the UFA with 107.
Catch all the action this weekend as the Breeze look to best their Canadian rivals and rise to 5-2 at watchUFA.tv.
