February 11, 2025
By Adam Ruffner
The 2024 season was one of the more unpredictable rides in league history, and with the way the 2025 schedule is looking, this year will be even wilder. A new divisional alignment and an endless movement of stars in free agency is brewing up a lot of hotly anticipated games. I've assembled a list of the 10 games I'm most excited about heading into the new year, but honestly, I had to whittle the final total down from a couple dozen.
13 weeks. 144 games. Let's get this regular season going!
Games are listed in chronological order.
Week 1 - Salt Lake at Atlanta, April 25
The first week of the season kicks off with one of the most tantalizing first-ever matchups imaginable. Both Salt Lake and Atlanta have shown championship level play over the last three seasons, and both have come up heartwrenchingly shy of their title aspirations deep in the postseason; both teams lost at home in 2024 in their respective divisional championships.
Despite their similar fates at the end of last year, the two teams have taken opposite approaches this offseason. The Hustle have been aggressive in free agency by signing goal scoring phenoms Cameron Brock and Alec Wilson Holliday to their roster, adding even more firepower to the league’s best offense from last season. Meanwhile, Salt Lake has yet to make a player signing announcement for their 2025 roster, and are instead building out wholesale from their internal tryout process.
“Everyone will just try out the same, and I think that will help build a culture of competition,” said Salt Lake Head Coach Bryce Merrill. The Shred have notched double digit wins during each of the past three regular seasons, and have made it to the West Division Championship Game in each succeeding playoff run.
And with both franchises facing two of the toughest schedules in the league this season, it will be vital for them to start their campaign with a win. This game will feature two of the top offenses, and could turn into a shootout quickly with defense often at a disadvantage towards the beginning of the calendar.
Week 3 - DC at Carolina, May 10
Normally a hotly contested interdivisional rivalry, last year’s Breeze-Flyers meeting saw DC dominate at home by a 12-goal margin of victory. And though it looked like a fateful rematch was slated for the 2024 title game, with both squads qualifying for Championship Weekend last August and favored in their respective semifinals matchups. But only Carolina was able to persevere in their game, with DC falling to Minnesota and a mighty wind.
Both teams enter 2025 as contenders once again, albeit with the Flyers dealing with a significant amount of roster turnover. There’s certainly some concern to be had any time a team loses multiple All-UFA selections, but Carolina has been here before; in 2019 the team was dealing with the departures of Jack Williams, Jonathan Nethercutt, and Jonathan “Goose” Helton and still won 10 games during the regular season thanks to a generational crop of rookie talent. There’s still a formidable Flyers core in their prime coming off a championship game appearance, and they always seem to find starting level talent through their farm system.
The Breeze defense absolutely blitzed the Flyers in 2024, and had the best single-game defensive performance of all 155 games played in the UFA last year. Not only did DC hold a top six scoring team to just 13 goals, but the Breeze converted on a whopping 14 of 15 break chances and continually overwhelmed their opposition in transition. DC loves to attack underneath routes and make reset passes complicated, which short circuited the Flyers deep passing game. The Breeze still lead the all-time series 5-3, so you know Carolina has revenge on the mind.
Week 6 - Atlanta at Minnesota, May 30
Friday Night Frisbee
Even if you set aside the beef of Justin Burnett switching from Hustle purple to Wind Chill frosty blue this offseason, this Atlanta-Minnesota tilt has a myriad of storylines and points of intrigue. How can the Wind Chill defense contain Brett Hulsmeyer in the open field? Will the Hustle be effective in limiting Minnesota’s explosive plays? Which team’s strength will prevail: the Hustle huck attack, or the Wind Chill deep defense? Are one of these two teams winning the title in 2025?
It will be months before we get an answer to that final question, but this game will be a huge check-in for each team as they head into the back half of their respective schedules. These were arguably the two top teams in interdivisional play in 2024, and their first-ever meeting figures to have monumental effects on the Central and South division playoff pictures, as well as seeding at Championship Weekend.
Austin Taylor has the second most huck completions all-time and is arguably the best active deep thrower in the league right now. Minnesota’s coverages and help defense can confound even the best passing attacks. May the best team win.
Week 6 - Atlanta at Chicago, May 31
And then the following night, Atlanta has to do it all over again against a revitalized Chicago team looking to topple every opponent in its path. The Union went 11-1 the last time they had this level of talent in 2022, but the league has only improved since Janas, Goff, and company last led the boys in blue.
This game has as high of stakes as any in the interdivisional slate, with Chicago looking to prove itself against the best from the South, while Atlanta could potentially be fighting to avoid an 0-2 weekend on the road. The slim margins for error will be especially pronounced inside the red zone, where the league-best Atlanta offense will have to convert against the league-best Chicago defense and its reloaded lineup of defenders.
And if you like height matchups, this might be the premium game of the season. Both lineups feature multiple behemoths, and the game deciding play could come down to which team’s bigs can win end of quarter battles.
Week 8 - DC at New York, June 14
For my money, this is still the best perennial rivalry in the league. And with both teams squaring off the week prior in DC, this mid June rematch could be the clash that determines which franchise gets an all important home field playoff game in the East Division.
The Breeze not only swept the season series in 2024, they got their most impressive win over the Empire in several seasons in their last meeting. In that July 20 matchup, DC put on a throwing clinic with seven different players completing 20 or more passes, which provided an uptempo attack that cruised past New York’s coverages; DC committed a season-low seven turnovers. And it wasn’t just an impressive performance, but a vital confidence booster that fueled the Breeze to their first Championship Weekend berth in franchise history.
This rivalry has produced each of the last seven division champions, with the Breeze only recently disrupting the Empire’s run of six straight. Whoever can come out on top in Week 8—or simply avoid the pitfall of back-to-back losses—will likely have the inside track heading towards the playoffs.
June 20 - Toronto at New York (Week 9)
Friday Night Frisbee
After two straight weeks against their fiercest foes, New York must host their former tormentors from Toronto and a completely refueled Rush roster. From the time these two teams came into the league together in 2013 through the 2018 East Division title game, the Rush won every matchup against the Empire. Then New York flipped the script, won the division, began their dynasty, and have completely dominated the Rush ever since.
Two-time MVP Ben Jagt has been as big as anyone in reversing New York’s historic trend, and at 32, still has a lot of good plays left in his legendary career. Has Toronto found a solution amongst their returners and international imports to slow down the Empire offense? Or will New York continue to romp?
And which team can handle the churn of their midseason schedule better? I mentioned New York’s challenges against DC, but Toronto will be coming off of just five days rest after battling Boston during a Sunday on June 15. The East will be a gauntlet all summer long.
July 4 - Chicago at Minnesota (Week 11)
Friday Night Frisbee
Given the talent, time of year—a July 4 barbecue backdrop? Heck yes—and the teams involved in this feud atop the Central Division standings, this might be the most highly anticipated game going into the 2025 regular season. Minnesota is coming off of a championship, and Chicago is building a roster to specifically unseat them from their throne. The Union thwarted the Wind Chill in back-to-back divisional title games in 2021 and 2022, and have held a bit of a psychological edge when the two teams have met in recent years. The fireworks are already loaded, and this game just might set them off.
Chicago put up 25 goals and got the W in their last meeting in Minnesota, with the Union’s size prevailing numerous times in single coverage and the team connecting on a tidy 8-of-11 from deep. The Union are historically meager with their huck attempts, but they will pull the trigger when they have favorable matchups, particularly with a healthy Brandon Van Deusen now chucking it on O-line and a new stable of receiving targets.
Following their title, Minnesota will be tasked with managing the championship-sized target on their backs all season long, and this rivalry will be of key importance for the Wind Chill to keep their mojo. And for the Union, this could spark the beginning of a deep postseason run.
July 18 - Minnesota at Salt Lake (Week 13)
Friday Night Frisbee
Revenge is a dish best served shredded, and Minnesota might not have a bigger date circled on their team calendars than a rematch with their semifinals foes from 2023. The Shred performed a kind of Mortal Kombat finisher in the only previous meeting between these two franchises—an all-time classic that went to OT—and now the Wind Chill have a chance to repay the favor in Salt Lake.
Minnesota’s defense controlled the tempo and slowed the game down for much of their first battle. But the Shred offense was rugged and determined if lacking in efficiency, and slugged their way to an admirable 65 percent hold rate in the semis against a tough defensive front. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough to advance to the championship game and instantly create an interdivisional rivalry.
The Wind Chill have found their own path towards redemption and a trophy since. But make no mistake: Minnesota still feels like the Shred game was one that got away from them, and they want nothing more than to balance the scales.
Week 13 - Seattle at Colorado, July 18
Last year’s Week 10 thriller in Seattle helped the Cascades clinch their first playoff berth in seven years, while simultaneously knocking Colorado out of postseason contention for the first time in franchise history. The entire second half played out like a welterweight boxing fight, with both teams standing in the center of the ring to exchange punches and counters, ultimately resulting in a Spencer Lofink huck connecting with a bidding Tommy Li for the go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation. It might have been the peak highlight in a Seattle season that was jet propelled by momentum-shifting plays.
And yet Colorado is another one of the handful of playoff-level teams that seemingly got better since the end of last season, especially with the addition of Tobias Brooks. And with the Cascades still searching for their first win in the Rockies, the Summit will feel confident at home against the reigning division champs.
Both teams love explosive plays and giving the green light for deep throws, which could lead to one of the highest scoring games in the final weekend of the regular season. Bonus: these are two of the most talkative lineups in the association, and there’s absolutely a world where we get some Lukas Ambrose and Alex Atkins dialoguing.
Week 13 - Boston at New York, July 19
Hard to believe it hasn’t even been a full 365 days since Boston inherited Jeff Babbitt from the Empire last April. Since then, Glory won a franchise record number of games in 2024, ended New York’s six-year home winning streak, and then eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs, canceling the Empire’s six-season Championship Weekend qualifying run in the process. It was a total upheaval for the Empire, and an introduction to Boston being a true contender in the UFA.
Babbitt was the obvious gamechanger at the center of Boston’s newfound success, but Glory’s depth really shined throughout the 2024 season, particularly on defense. Vets Brendan McCann and Gustav Haflin anchored the unit, but a number of rookies made important contributions. And in the back half of last year, Peter Boerth emerged as a lockdown player in coverage, with the chops to be one of the best weapons on the counterattack.
With all of that said, it still took an MVP and a last second finish at home to conquer the Empire in the playoffs. There’s more competition at the top of the division than ever before, which could make this a do-or-die final game of the regular season for either team.
