April 28, 2026
By Evan Lepler

While only 10 teams took the field this past weekend, there were certainly a bevy of Championship Weekend contenders on display. 

The reigning champs looked even better, reinforced defensively by a Belgian big brother. (Little brother MVP was also unreal.)

Oakland absolutely smashed its overmatched opponent, erupting for 34 goals in an impressive Sunday showing.

Carolina finished its weekend with two wins, including a statement road result at San Diego, avenging last year’s double-overtime loss. 

And last but not least, both Atlanta and Austin looked like potential UFA semifinalists in their Saturday night thriller, a game that featured elite playmaking, intense physicality, and its fair share of controversy, too. 

That’s already five possible Championship Weekend participants, and we haven’t even seen Minnesota, New York, or Salt Lake yet. Furthermore, it’d be foolish to completely count out San Diego or DC just because of a Week 1 loss. The Growlers and Breeze both have the tools to be in the mix, though their 2026 debuts also unveiled some concerns that’ll need to be contemplated in the days and weeks ahead.

Overall, it’s truly a delight to have frisbee back, with a cornucopia of storylines and subplots at our fingertips. With 10 more games on tap this coming weekend, the fun has just begun. 

The Full Field Layout

The best game of the weekend was Atlanta and Austin’s wild double OT tussle, just another riveting chapter of the Hustle and Sol’s perverse and often baffling rivalry. 

But the premier performance of the weekend, with all due respect to Kyle Henke, Austin Taylor, and everyone on the Spiders’ suffocating D-line, came courtesy of the 2025 MVP. His big brother’s debut was breathtaking too. 

Lander and Tobe Decraene, Boston’s Belgian brothers who were born about 17 months apart, were both absolutely phenomenal in Boston’s 21-16 victory over DC. Together, they combined for nine assists, five goals, five blocks, and almost 900 total yards, eye-popping numbers that still barely capture their extraordinary impact on the Glory’s winning ways. 

Tobe, who’s still just 22—turning 23 this June—went 58-for-59 passing and appeared in complete control, slicing and dicing the DC defense with diabolical hammers and seemingly unstoppable athleticism. But we already knew that Tobe was the real deal, while Lander’s exceptional emergence was the revelation of the weekend for American frisbee fans who haven’t been as locked in on the rising European ultimate scene. 

“I felt confident heading into the first game,” said Lander, who turned 24 this past January. “I’ve played a lot of high-level games throughout my career, and at the end of the day, the UFA is still just ultimate, even with the rule tweaks. Tobe convinced me to fly over in early April for a practice weekend, which really helped me adjust to the bigger field and find my rhythm with the team faster. Nevertheless, I still caught myself stalling a few times while marking. Whoops. I knew I’d be good for a couple blocks, that’s what I’m here for. Five in my debut is a solid start, though to be fair, a couple were handed to me.” 

In fact, five blocks in Lander’s UFA debut were the most for any rookie in his first game this decade. Back in 2016, Detroit’s Nathan Champoux had eight blocks in his first UFA game, though that particular game was arguably the ugliest game in the history of the league, featuring 141 total turnovers. Saturday’s DC-Boston battle featured only 23 turns, with the Breeze responsible for 15, a third of which were blocked by Tobe’s big brother. 

“I knew he was gonna do great,” said Tobe postgame. “[But] I didn’t think he was gonna do that great in his first game. It just shows how good of a player he is as well. I’m very proud of him. I’m very happy we got to do this together. I’m sure my parents will be at home watching and very excited.” 

Last August, when Tobe set the Championship Weekend record with 16 assists in two games, Lander was the one who was tuned in from afar. Now, he’s quickly proving that he belongs too. 

“Watching Tobe and the guys win the championship from home was a huge moment for my family,” said Lander. “He was insane in the playoffs, and I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s already achieved here. My debut was a convincing win for the team, but it’s just the beginning. I’m still figuring out how to be most valuable to this roster, and since my brother is keeping a close eye on my training, you can be sure I’m grinding…The Glory team and staff have been incredibly welcoming, and I know I’ll learn a lot here. I’m super hungry for a championship of my own, and I hope that energy rubs off on the rest of the guys so we can go back-to-back.”

*****

The rivalry between the Atlanta Hustle and the Austin Sol is positively preposterous. 

They’ve played 18 times over the past decade, with exactly half of those games being won by a single score. Another was settled by two in overtime. 

When you factor in the stakes, the southern heat, and all the inexplicable weirdness that seems to unfold when these teams get together, it feels reasonable to state that the Hustle and Sol’s rivalry is among the most intense in the entire league. 

“They don’t like us; we don’t like them,” said Hustle Coach Tuba Benson-Jaja before the game, via Atlanta’s team Instagram.

DC and New York have had 14 one-goal games, but that’s out of 37 total meetings. Seattle and Oakland have had 12 one-goal games, but they’ve played 34 times. Truly, no other rivalry in the UFA has seen a smorgasbord of nail-biters—with half of their 18 contests decided by the slimmest of margins—like Atlanta and Austin.

And this past Saturday’s opening weekend showcase was a stunner in so many ways. 

Early, it felt like the Hustle might cruise. Star handler Austin Taylor tossed four assists in the first quarter, and Atlanta’s D-line thrashed for three straight breaks early in the second, establishing a 10-7 lead. But the Sol responded quickly, earning a pair of breaks and scoring with one second left in the half to create a 13-13 stalemate at intermission. 

Turns out Kyle Henke’s connection with Evan Swiatek that tied the score right before the halftime buzzer would be a preview of things to come. 

“In retrospect, I’m surprised by the lack of nerves in all the end of quarter and late-game moments,” said Henke. “I guess it helps when five or six of us on that line all had a similar experience in Atlanta a couple years ago.”

The Sol actually led by two early in the fourth, but Atlanta rallied to re-take the lead with less than two minutes left. Once again, Austin calmly converted with the clock winding down, as Matt Armour found Reese Bowman with 12 seconds left to tie the game at 23, taking the two teams into overtime. 

The bonus period started miserably for the Sol, as Atlanta coolly delivered a 22-throw hold, then quickly punished Austin for Saaketh Palchuru’s dropped pull, which led to a one-throw break and a 25-23 Hustle lead. 

Yet the Sol counterpunched again, buoyed by a huge bidding block from Hayden Stone, to tie the game at 25-all with 1:23 left. Atlanta held to go up 26-25 with 35 seconds remaining, but then Henke hit Swiatek at the buzzer, boldly blading a forehand into the end zone to force one more sudden death golden point. 

Of course, it must be mentioned that Swiatek was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul midway through the fourth, when his bad bid drilled Atlanta’s Lukas McClamrock in the back of the knee. McClamrock was out the rest of the game, while Swiatek remained on the field, poised for more heroics. 

Thankfully, McClamrock revealed on Monday that he thinks he’ll be ok. 

“Fortunately, it seems I avoided anything major getting injured and am back to walking mostly normal,” said McClamrock. “Definitely was scary when it happened, but ACL and knee are all intact and only really dealing with lingering ankle issues. Going to have to get checked again in a few days, but looks like it’ll just be some minor PT before I’m back out there.”

Swiatek, to his credit, regretted the play immediately and expressed considerable remorse to Ultiworld’s Alex Rubin.

“I felt absolutely awful about it the rest of the game, and still do,” Swiatek told Rubin. “I have the utmost respect for [McClamrock’s] game, enjoy playing against him, and the last thing I want to do is jeopardize someone’s health and wellbeing by chasing a piece of plastic.” 

The league announced today, after a decision by the UFA Disciplinary Committee, that Swiatek will be given a one-game suspension.

In double OT, the Sol started on offense, and the wind, which had been a minor factor throughout the evening, suddenly made its presence felt.

“What you don’t see on the livestream was that the wind picked up considerably like 10 seconds before the final pull,” said Henke. “Duncan [Fitzgerald] and I looked at each other on the line and shared a nervous chuckle.” 

Throughout the preseason, the Sol have had many conversations about not making midrange same-third deep cuts since they are especially tempting to throw but have rarely worked out smoothly. But Henke disobeyed the team rule, compelling Fitzgerald to loft a floaty forehand into a crowd. 

“I wish I would’ve at least tried to go vertical, but I froze when I saw Atlanta sandwich me in,” said Henke. “Luckily, Evan bailed us out.” 

Indeed, Swiatek cleaned up the trash, racing past everyone to clap-catch the game-winner in the back of the end zone, sending the Sol into a celebratory frenzy.

“As soon as Evan caught it, you just saw hands go up everywhere—on the field, our sideline, and in the stands,” said Henke. “The energy was electric, exactly what I was hoping for coming back to The Pitch after a year-long hiatus. It’s easily one of the best environments in the league.” 

The Sol finished the night with seven breaks to the Hustle’s eight and 15 turnovers to Atlanta’s 13, but Austin’s clutch play late in quarters, along with the overtimes, was enough to propel them to a thrilling home win.

“I’m proud of our effort and tenacity,” said Sol Co-Head Coach Casey Hogg. “We played just well enough to eke out a win against a Hustle team playing on the road on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s great to win the home opener against such a great opponent. We know it will be a different game when we see them in Atlanta, and we have more to do to be ready for that.” 

Coming up later today in “Seven On The Line”, Carolina’s superb two-win weekend, San Diego’s missed opportunity, Oakland’s dominant debut, and everything else that unfolded on Opening Weekend in the UFA.