July 3, 2025
By Sam Weiger
Games are listed in chronological order.
Minnesota Wind Chill at Chicago Union | Friday Night Frisbee (Free on YouTube)
Friday, July 4 - 5:00 PM/ET - Watch link
This game is incredibly significant for two reasons.
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Should Chicago defeat the Wind Chill, they will almost certainly secure the top seed in the Central Division.
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A win puts the Union in a prime position for their first undefeated regular season in franchise history.
To take first place in the Central, the Wind Chill must defeat the Union by six goals. They will also be seeking revenge for their Week 4 thrashing by Chicago, so expect Minnesota to play aggressively on America's birthday.
But can Minnesota’s offense truly make a mark? This season, the Wind Chill have only managed to score 14 goals per game against elite teams, including a mere 11 against Chicago in Week 4.
The Wind Chill's lower scoring against top teams stems from their inability to convert breaks. Despite their historical strength in converting break chances, they only converted five per game against Chicago and Atlanta.
For Minnesota's O-line, loose play outside the red zone has been an issue this season. Though their red zone conversion leads the league, their overall completion rate (91.86 percent, seventh worst) and huck rate (56.47 percent, eighth worst) are worrisome.
The Wind Chill O-line typically favors a very consistent style, so I don't expect major adjustments. Thus, to earn more red zone opportunities, Minnesota will want to maximize stops, especially deep in enemy territory.
They average 13.57 blocks per game, but posted only nine per game versus Atlanta and Chicago. If anyone can elevate them toward that 13 mark, it's Justin Burnett, "Mr. Primetime." He’s averaging 2.5 blocks per game in Friday Night Frisbee games this year.
The only team averaging more blocks per game than Minnesota is Chicago (13.88), setting up a defensive mismatch for the Wind Chill. The Wind Chill love to win by playing superior defense, but that's a tall order against defensive stalwarts like Jake Rubin-Miller, William Wettengel, and Nate Astrom.
Chicago's defensive stats are intimidating: they haven't allowed more than 18 goals in a game, force a league-high 30.5 turnovers per game, concede the fewest completed hucks (4.5 per game), and allow the fewest opponent holds (10.5 per game).
If the Union win on Friday, they would then just need to beat the T-birds, Rads, and Mechanix to finish 12-0, becoming the first Union team to finish a regular season undefeated. They would also become the first Central Division team to achieve this feat since the 2016 Madison Radicals.
But perhaps the most compelling aspect of this game is that, with the exception of Xavier Payne, nearly all key players are active. With both teams playing at almost full strength, no significant weather issues (fingers crossed), and no fatigue from a back-to-back schedule, it truly feels like there are no excuses for either side.
One Big Number:
32 - Against top teams (Chicago, Atlanta), Minnesota's break rate is 32 percent; against others, it's 53.2 percent.
13.13 - Chicago's league-best 13.13 goals against per game has them on pace for a franchise record-low in goals allowed.
Salt Lake Shred at Colorado Summit | Game of the Week
Friday, July 4 - 9:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Salt Lake's recent sweep of the Spiders has all but guaranteed that the West's top spot will go to either the Shred or the Summit, intensifying an already fierce UFA rivalry.
The close scores from their recent history—three of the last four decided by a single goal—underscore this rivalry's intensity. But the Shred are looking almost as dominant as they did in their incredible 2023 season, making me question if the Summit have enough to match them.
I firmly believe Tobias Brooks and Zeke Thoreson's presence will be the biggest factor in answering that question. In Week 6, they elevated the Summit to a level that I believe can truly contend with the Shred, so having them back this week is massive.
Their presence will surely take the load off of Quinn Finer, who has been carrying Colorado’s O-line recently. With these two major offensive talents back, the O-line is expected to be far more cohesive and explosive, which should help mitigate Colorado's recent issues with rising stall counts.
Colorado's often-underappreciated D-line also deserves our attention.
They are playing exceptionally well, allowing the fourth-fewest goals per game in the league (17.25) and boasting the third-highest break percentage (38.95).
Keep a close eye on Noah Coolman and Hunter May; their contributions have been significant, particularly on defense, and the Summit can't afford to let Salt Lake's deadly offense take control of the game.
No matter who’s on the field for Colorado, they must be prepared to counter Salt Lake's effective transition play. Salt Lake's dominance over the Spiders last week, converting stolen discs into rapid scores during key moments, could present a huge problem for the Summit if it's a recurring theme.
My attention will therefore be fixed on Salt Lake's D-line offense, particularly Jace Duennebeil. His surprising and extensive involvement in their D-line transition scoring last week, playing more defensive points (12) than in any previous game of his four-year UFA career, makes me eager to see how Bryce Merrill utilizes him in this upcoming matchup.
One Big Number:
26 - Among duos who have played eight or fewer games this season, Coolman and May lead the league with 26 combined blocks.
6.5 - The Shred are the least-blocked team in the UFA, averaging 6.5 blocks against per game.
DC Breeze at Boston Glory
Sunday, July 6 - 1:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Of these two teams, the Breeze have considerably more riding on this week's game against Boston, as they are locked in a fierce four-way battle for a playoff spot in the East Division.
But the numbers suggest that DC will have their work cut out for them.
The Glory, one of only two undefeated teams in the UFA (alongside Chicago), have been particularly dominant at home. They’ve won their games at Hormel Stadium by an average of 6.6 goals per game, compared to a margin of just 2.33 on the road.
This is also Boston's final regular-season home game, but a victory over the Breeze would guarantee them a home playoff game.
Their chances of winning are significantly higher with Jeff Babbitt back, especially since DC's O-line is expected to be without key players Cole Jurek and Christian Boxley. Their absence is a major blow to the Breeze's receiving corps, as Jurek and Boxley lead the team in receiving yards per game.
Jurek's impact, however, extends far beyond just receiving yards; he also leads the team in goals, plus/minus, and hockey assists. The only other game he missed this season was DC's 14-11 loss to Boston in Week 4.
Assuming favorable weather (unlike in Week 4), my primary focus will be on the matchup between DC's D-line and Boston's O-line. DC's defensive unit has been quietly excellent, showing improvement since the addition of college standout Micah Wagner. He has recorded two multi-block games in his last three outings.
But DC’s defense has one major flaw: they're currently in the league’s bottom five for forced turnovers. Even though they just forced an impressive 25 turns against the Royal, turnovers will be harder to come by against Boston.
One Big Number:
15 - Excluding overtime periods, the Breeze have given up just 15 goals per game over their last three.
13.8 - The Glory have only turned the disc over 13.8 times per game at home this season.
