BY: SHAGGY SHRAGIS

As we enter another wonderful UFA season, one question permeates the mind of every Philadelphian: “Do the Phoenix presented by Summerseat Crush have what it takes?” After making the playoffs in 2022 for just the second time in franchise history, Philly went backwards each of the two following seasons, going 6-6 and missing the playoffs in ‘23, and going just 5-7 in 2024. It seemed as if the fires stoked in Philly by their playoff appearance were burning out.

Entering 2025, the Phoenix have entirely overhauled the team. Roger Chu’s and Tom Glass’ 17-19 record as coaches is the best in team history. Both are gone, replaced by the coaching council of Billy Maroon, David Brandolph, Andrew Haviland and Adam Callahan. Max Trifillis, Dmitry Suvorov and James Pollard — who led the team in plus minus in 2024 — are gone. Jordan Rhyne and Alex Thorne, first and third from completions last season, are also gone. This is the most turnover that the Phoenix franchise has undergone since 2018.

Fans should not be too worried, as plenty of veteran faces will still star in the Hotbird lineup. Sean Mott, Greg Martin and Eric Nardelli, the three longest tenured Phoenix players, all project to be key pieces for Philly in 2025, although Nardelli will likely return to the defensive line, a natural home for the all time block leader in Philadelphia history. Other familiar names dotted the preseason statline with Brandon Pastor, Calvin Trisolini, Nate Little and plenty more looking to be key contributors in 2025.

It is a season that will start tough for the Phoenix, whose first game is against the DC Breeze April 26. Philadelphia has lost 13 straight games to the Breeze — tying on April 28, 2018 — and have not beaten the Breeze since 2013. The last time Philadelphia defeated DC was also the last full season played by David Brandolph, the current coach for Philadelphia. Yet while the wins and losses have been lopsided, the scores have seemed anything but: Philly has lost 5 games to the Breeze in the last three seasons by just one or two points. Most recently the Phoenix fell in double overtime to the DC Breeze to start last season in a game where they led 20-17 during the fourth quarter before giving up three straight breaks.

Fourth quarter woes have been a bit of a bugaboo for Philadelphia. Last season, despite winning five games, Philadelphia scored fewer points than their opponent in nine of twelve fourth quarters. Against DC specifically, the Phoenix were outscored 11-5 in the fourth quarters of both their games. Over the last three seasons, Philadelphia has lost the fourth quarter battle against the Breeze to the tune of 46-28, and that does not count all four overtimes. Being outscored by 18 is not a good strategy for winning games.

Philly does not need to beat DC to make the playoffs, but they do need to prove to fans, and more importantly to themselves, this iteration of the Hotbirds can generate heat. The playoff path can take losses to the Breeze as long as those losses do not undermine the players trust in their ability to perform as a team. To make the playoffs, Philly has to continue its winning streak against Montreal, Toronto, and Pittsburgh, and either sweep or split the season series against both Boston and New York. Winning just one game against each of New York and Boston would just about guarantee a Phoenix playoff appearance, and I have both of those teams a notch below DC in my preseason evaluation, regardless of what Adam Ruffner has in his Preseason Power Rankings.

Even without a win, a lot of very specific questions are going to be answered from this first game. Can Sean Mott return to his All UFA form after an injury plagued 2024? Will a full season of Scott Heyman replace the production vacated by Pollard and Suvorov’s free agency excursions? Can Calvin Trisolini shoulder the sizable handling load left behind by Rhyne and Thorne’s retirement? Do the young Hotbird Guns have what it takes to revitalize the team? And most importantly: can Philadelphia turn around their performance and start winning fourth quarters? Tune in to WatchUFA.tv this Saturday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. to catch the Philadelphia Phoenix take on DC Breeze.