PHOTO BY SHAWN LANZILLO
BY SHAGGY SHRAGIS
The Clash for the Commonwealth Cup came up Phoenix once again, as the Hotbirds pulled away from the Thunderbirds in Pittsburgh to win 25-16. This is the largest victory for the Phoenix this season, and it has to feel good coming off back to back blowouts at the hands of divisional opponents. Philadelphia has now won the Commonwealth Cup three straight times, improving to 5-1 all time against their in-state rivals. The Phoenix are 4-1 against cities lying west of Philadelphia, and are 0-3 against population centers to the east.
One storyline from this game was the continued development of Phoenix rookies and young returners. Even without the Grossbergs and Max Tran, three rookies who have had an outsized impact on the 2025 season, several fledgling Firebirds engraved their names on the Commonwealth Cup. Jack Wisner finished with two assists, a goal and a block, but could have had several more stats, as he knocked two discs away which fell into the hands of a different Pittsburgh receiver. Ethan Sarles and Ethan Pigeon — the Ethans — who have played sparingly so far this season, stepped up when presented with bigger roles. Sarles had an assist and the first two goals of his UFA career, while Pigeon contributed three goals on the D-line. Wisner and the Ethans were part of relentless pressure applied to the Thunderbird offense, but also displayed startling poise as part of the most efficient break attack for the Phoenix season. The defense finished 12 of 14 on break chances, just one fewer score than the offense had on 21 attempts, and one fewer than the Pittsburgh offense had on 27 chances. If the Philadelphia offense held onto 86% of all opportunities, Philly would be the best team in the league.
Watching this game, it felt like the Pittsburgh offense struggled more than the Philly defense cracked a code, but there was a play that is worth considering. Midway through the third quarter, the Thunderbirds reset the disc to the middle of the field, then swung it to the far side, creating a situation where the thrower had outside leverage, and a conceivable unmarked throw down the break sideline. This is the kind of play that has eviscerated the defense in previous games. Justin Keller, who was the primary defender, took a wide angle to the mark, checking down field and adjusting his route to take away the next available cut. If Philly is going to continue this defensive gameplan, then more post throw adjustments, similar to Keller’s, will need to be made, rather than chasing after players whose momentum carries them into dangerous throwing territories.
Perhaps an easier adjustment would be improvement on pulls. With Ethan Holmgren, Philadelphia’s primary puller, absent from this game, Paul Owens and Ethan Sarles carried the load. Philadelphia had 14 break opportunities, with 13 of those coming from a pull that landed in bounds. Of the 13 other Pittsburgh offensive possessions, six featured pulls which landed out of bounds. In a game with virtually no wind, that is a lapse in concentration that should be easily correctable.
Offensively, Philly had an eighth different lineup, with Casey Thorton making his season debut, and Calvin Trisolini — three goals on 25 for 25 passing — returning to active duty after a six game absence. This is good news for a Phoenix offense that looked decent after a disastrous road trip the previous weekend. Most of the eight turnovers from the offense were on execution errors, such as Mott’s two huck turnovers where Brandon Pastor and Michael Maroon were wide open, but left the disc in the air long enough for the Pittsburgh defenders to get underneath. There were also timing issues, such as Casey Thorton’s missed end zone put to Michael Maroon, or Scott Heyman throwing the disc too far for Trisolini, that can probably be ironed out with increased opportunities from the same players. Michael Maroon — who made number 2 on Sportscenter top 10 with his layout goal — and Casey Thorton, who stepped into the Sam Grossberg role and was second on the team in completions with just a single turn, are a part of those fledgling Firebirds on the offensive side of the disc. While Thorton and Maroon both have experience on the pro field, their ascension to primary cogs for Philly is an important facet of the team moving forward.
Much like how veteran consistency underlined young playmaking on defense, a sprinkling of old man gamesmanship can go a long way for the offense as well. Matt Hanna — physically a young buck but spiritually ancient — displayed incredible poise by wasting 30 valuable seconds in the fourth quarter. With Philadelphia up big, every second ticked off the clock was one moment closer to victory, a fact of which Hanna is all too aware. After a pair of unnecessary fouls by Pittsburgh, Matt Hanna approached the offending Thunderbird and started arguing with him, forcing the referees to get involved. None of this behavior stopped the clock, nor did it result in a foul. As a consequence, Hanna effectively wasted six to seven completions worth of time, valuable time that Pittsburgh could have used to get back into the game.
This game win was desperately important for the Phoenix playoff chances, as Philadelphia now heads into a bye week sitting in second place in a competitive East Division. All their attention should be turned toward their upcoming rematch, returning home to Neumann University on June 28, with Montreal, a team who is 3-1 at home and 0-4 on the road. A win would likely remove Montreal from playoff contention and put Philadelphia in a reasonable position, only needing to win at least one game against New York, Boston, and DC. Two wins in their remaining four games would likely secure the Phoenix’s route to the playoffs, particularly if those wins come against New York and DC, while three wins would secure a playoff game. Philly will need to maintain their defensive execution shown against Pittsburgh in order to have a shot at those games. However, if the Phoenix can continue to notch 12 breaks a game, then Championship Weekend is well within reach. Get your tickets when the Phoenix return June 28 to see if they can continue their rise this season.
