BY: Alex “Shaggy” Shragis
PHOTO BY: Don Mennig
The Philadelphia Phoenix travel to Massachusetts this Sunday to take on Boston Glory, the first of three meetings between the Hotbirds and the defending champions. Boston sits atop the East Division at 3-0, coming off a tight overtime victory in Canada against Montreal Royal. Philly meanwhile is 0-2 and at the bottom of the East.
With three former MVPs — Jeff Babbitt, Rowan McDonnell and Tobe Decraene — on Glory, Boston is one of the most talented rosters in the UFA. While they currently have perennial All-UFA selection Thomas Edmonds, former Defensive Player of the Year Tannor Johnson-Go, and the hero of their most recent Montreal game Peter Boerth all listed as out, this will be the first appearance of the season for Orion Cable, the Boston big man whose last appearance was in the 2025 championship game, where he had 6 goals.
Cable’s return is especially concerning for the Phoenix, who are allowing the most hucks and the most completed hucks per game of any team in the league, nearly 11 per game. Boston Glory currently has the second most efficient offense in the league behind the New York Empire, scoring on 67.74% of all possessions. At a 72.41% opponent completed huck rate, hucks against the Phoenix are currently a more efficient offense than a typical Boston possession. With an already high huck completion rate, despite just eight attempts per game, the Glory offense is a very fast moving force, meeting an incredibly moveable object in the Philly huck defense.
Montreal, who just took the defending champs to overtime, did so by forcing Boston to look deep, and by aggressively going deep every possession. While Montreal’s throws may not have all counted as hucks, travelling 40 or more yards down the pitch, it certainly felt like they were during the game, as Royal often threw the disc from one side of the field to the other, which only travelled 38 yards vertically but perhaps 70 yards through the air. Montreal is uniquely equipped to toss those sorts of looks, with a host of veteran throwers who have spent years losing their conscience and happily throwing the disc into double coverage. Royal also have the receivers who are used to making those sorts of plays, with Tremblay-Joncas and Auger-Semmar filling in during the absence of their all-world cutter Quentin Bonnaud.
Montreal also trusted in the combination of home field advantage and team defense to make plays on those hucks from Boston, and nearly came up with enough to come away with the victory. This is almost certainly not an option for the Hotbirds. Boston’s deep attack has been too potent for Philly to risk a similar strategy to the one employed by the Royal. The Philadelphia defense has struggled mightily, and is averaging the second fewest opponent turnovers and the fewest blocks per game of any team in the league. Giving Glory quick possessions, particularly with the return of their most dangerous deep threat in Cable, is a recipe for disaster. One bright spot for a Phoenix defense is the debut of rookie Warner Brockman. The 6-foot-2 Dickinson grad could provide a shot in the arm to a currently floundering Philly D.
Furthermore, unlike Montreal who has an established offense rotation, the Phoenix are still trying to figure out their offense. Ethan Holmgren, who has quarterbacked the previous two games for the Hotbirds, is listed as out, leaving Campy, Damiano, Thornton and Sarles as the active players who have taken handler reps for the Phoenix this season. The Hotbird offense has looked competent at times, and is headed in a positive direction, but untimely drops and costly unforced throwaways have put them too often on the back foot. The Hotbirds will have Chase Rawlins and Scott Heyman, but are missing another important glue piece for the offense in Colin White, removing still more connective tissues for an already struggling O-line. While it is not the prettiest option, limiting touches for a mistake prone unit and launching the disc towards the end zone, much like Montreal did, might be a viable strategy on Sunday in Boston.
Philadelphia needs a strong performance up and down the roster if they hope to avoid their fourth 0-3 start in five years. Boston looks every bit the championship contender we would expect from a team who won it all just a season ago, while Philly has been hampered by offensive inconsistencies and a host of growing pains for a relatively inexperienced defense. While it is a tall task, Philly sports teams are no stranger to long odds and underdog upsets. The city Rocky calls home just pulled off an impressive comeback against the Boston Celtics. If the Philadelphia 76ers can win a game 7 in Massachusetts, then the Philadelphia Phoenix can certainly go on the road and topple the juggernaut Boston Glory. Watch it all live this Sunday at 2 p.m. on WatchUFA.tv.
