May 29, 2026
By Alex Rubin
One of the Chicago Union or Indianapolis AlleyCats will earn their first win of the season as the two 0-2 teams face off this weekend in Indianapolis for the latest edition of "Friday Night Frisbee".
Don’t let their so-far winless records fool you; both of these teams are talented and sure to put on a show. The AlleyCats roster some of the best young talent in the league. In Kai Creed they have a UFA All Rookie candidate who uses his athleticism to generate blocks and can be electric on the counterattack. William Wettengel, Elliot Hawkins, Jake Felton, and Jack Galle are other young players who already contribute in starting roles and are only likely to get better as they develop as players and learn to play together.
This Indy team is still building chemistry. Turning over eight of their top plus/minus leaders through two games compared to last year’s roster, plus bringing on UFA stars like James Pollard, Jonathan Mast, Keegan North, the recently signed Sofiène Bontemps (still waiting to make 2026 debut), Hawkins and Felton, gives the AlleyCats a completely new look. As they learn to play to each others strengths and develop strategies around their best skills, the team as a whole will surely improve as well.
On Chicago’s sideline, the team is also integrating a lot of new players. Turning over ten of their top twenty players in 2025 plus/minus, the Union are more reliant then ever on the star play of Pawel Janas. The UFA all time assist leader can still run a backfield with the best of them, while the playmaking of Jack Shanahan, the steadiness of Jeff Weis, and the defensive chops of Charlie Vukovic help out downfield.
Through the beginning portion of the season, the Minnesota Wind Chill and Madison Radicals have positioned themselves well to earn playoff spots, leaving just one for Indy or Chicago – two teams with proud playoff histories. Which team earns that spot might come down to which team learns to play together faster.
Chicago so far has also only played against Minnesota, which may be skewing their statistics. Against one of the best defenses in the league, the Union are averaging the second fewest scores per game (only better than the Vegas Bighorns), have the worst huck percent (40 perent) in the league, have the worst hold percentage in the league (also 40 percent), and have generated the fewest blocks in the league (13).
Against a stellar and tall defensive team with the likes of Pollard, Creed, Nate Little, and Seth Gudeman patrolling the deep space, the Union will need to lean into Janas’s handler motion to generate easier scores. Their other area for improvement will be on the defensive side. Against an Indy team still putting all of their pieces together, the Union will want to be alert for potential miscommunications or block opportunities and capitalize from there.
For the AlleyCats, the big story will be the integration of hybrid Elliot Hawkins. With steady backfield players in Felton, Mast, Carter Hawkins, and Xavier Payne alongside deep threats and finishers like Cameron Brock and Wettengel, building a connecting layer of players who can both get open downfield and throw at a star level will help the offense run smoothly. Defenses typically have success generating turnovers when they can disconnect the handler layer from the downfield cutters. Hawkins is exactly the kind of player who fills a connecting role (alongside Wettengel who currently leads the team in assists) and can use his diverse skillset to problem-solve for the Indianapolis offense if/when they run into any defensive roadblocks this week.
You can watch the game live on the UFA’s YouTube on Friday night at 7:00 PM/ET.
