By Ryan Baker
The New Look Radicals: 2025 Season Preview
It seems as if the Madison Radicals are flying under the radar during the build-up to the 2025 season. For a team that made its divisional championship, there hasn’t been a ton of buzz and the team starts ranked 14th in the league power rankings.
This was a team that was streaky in 2024. It would be those five or six-minute runs that Madison would let up and not be able to dig themselves out of. Don’t forget, this was a squad that had the highest break percentage in the league, along with the most blocks, and scored the fifth-most goals.
It was the consistency that derailed this young squad, hosting a bottom-third hold conversion rate in the league. The Radicals are looking to make a statement that they can do it on both sides of the disc.
“Being able to turn things around when we struggle, is the next step in this team's psychological evolution,” said new head coach Jake Spiro.
The new look
The team made some big moves including a coaching change that involved a swap in responsibilities between Jake Spiro and Tim DeByl. Spiro is now the head coach, meanwhile, DeByl assumes the role of D-line coach along with his General Manager title.
“Jake's been doing a great job as head coach. It feels really natural,” said DeByl.
The switch has been seamless on all accounts.
“The coaching transition has been a smooth one. It's obvious that Spiro and Tim have been intentional in this transition,” said seven-year veteran Kelsen Alexander.
“It has been a good transition. There is a new energy with Spiro taking the lead and Tim transitioning over to D-line coach. They have similar styles but are different enough that it has brought a new focus to details that could have been glossed over. I think it will have many benefits throughout the season,” said Wilson.
Not only was the coaching change made, but the roster looks a bit different going into 2025. The normal names of the Radical core are no longer there. Names such as Brian Hart, Victor Luo, Andrew Meshnick, Avery Johnson, Pat Shriwise, and Kevin Pettit-Scantling will not be seen on the back of a Radical jersey this season.
On the flip side, the team brought in players such as Kainoa Chun-Moy, Eric Sjostrom, Ian McCosky, Noah Pollack, Max Junga, and Cade White, among others. More details on the roster changes can be found here!
“Our defense has leveled up this year with thanks to Noa, Cade, and Ian. It’s been awesome to watch those guys fit in and start balling out. Our offense has a little bit of a different look this year. Losing guys like Brian, Pat, and Avery is tough, but we can’t let that hold us back from reaching our full potential. I don’t want to give too much away, but we have some new guys who have been dominating at practice. I can't wait for our Texas trip to show the world just how good this offense can be,” said 2024 Second Team All-Rookie Gabe Vordick.
The atmosphere around the team has changed with the new additions and coaching moves. However, something the Radicals are going to have to deal with is playing without their veteran D-line anchor Sterling Knoche. Knoche has a knee injury that will put him out until late June, or early July, according to Spiro.
“Losing Sterling is huge for us. He’s an amazing defender, generates a lot of blocks, and is great once we have the disc. While I’m ready for the challenge, no single person can replace what he brings, it’s going to take all of D-line to step up and fill that gap,” said 2024 Most Improved Player Runner-Up Mitchell McCarthy.
The Radicals have gone without Knoche 15 times over the last four years, so it’s nothing new, but taking a hit like before the season is never easy. When Knoche does come back, he is only going to bolster a team that should be carrying a lot of momentum through their young core at that point in the season.
The potential is here
The potential is undeniable for the Radicals, but the question all year will be if the young guys can take their games to the next level.
What I mean by undeniable, is that Madison has a slew of young talent that showed major flashes last year. Anthony Gutowsky was second in the league in goals and took home Second-Team All-UFA honors in just his second year. Pieran Robert and Vordick combined for an 89 +/- in their rookie years, earning Robert First-Team All-Rookie recognition.
“I'm hopeful that Gumby [Anthony Gutowsky] gets more comfortable opening up different parts of his game and being a little bit more flexible,” said Spiro.
Furthermore, Mitchell McCarthy, in just his third season, played a pivotal role in their playoff run that gave him Second-Team All-Defensive honors.
“I expect to be even better this year. I am playing with a ton of confidence and feel in great shape. I was fully healthy going into the offseason so I was able to do more conditioning and less rehab. And D-line has been looking good, we are looking to carry the momentum from the playoffs into the full season this year,” said McCarthy.
That doesn’t even account for guys like Luke Marks, Jack Nelson, Jake Carrico, Joe Leibforth, and Max Sample, who all had a 20 or better +/- in 2024. All of the players mentioned are returning and hungrier than ever.
“I don’t think many of our players are at their peak yet. We look across the board at our ten players from last year, and they are our top plus-minus guys. Every single one of them is back, they're all young, and they all are just going to get better,” said DeByl.
You take those young guys and combine them with the pivotal veterans that are returning in Kelsen Alexander and Joshua Wilson, who combined for 41 assists in 2024, the upward trajectory of this team is undeniable.
“It's been awesome watching the young talent grow. They are the future (if not, the now) of the team, and we will be in good hands. I expect them to take larger roles and excel at them,” said Wilson.
Look for Alexander to be pushed into a Shriwise-type role on offense. Spiro noted that Alexander has been a big factor in the revamp of their offense.
Alexander and Kai Marcus will prove to be a deadly combo in the handler space this year. Especially, if Marcus can get his turnover rate down. Marcus was deadly at times for Madison in 2024 with 35 assists and more than 3400 throwing yards in just eight games.
“I think what is easy to forget is that 2024 was basically his first full season playing at either the high club or semi-professional level. He’s been working on finding other parts of his game. He's working on his breakmarks and moving the disc. He's been looking a lot better in practice,” said Spiro.
DeByl also noted that high impact guys like Kai DeLorenzo and Sam Stark were hurt last year and look amazing thus far.
“We want to build off what we did last year and make the playoffs. We can make a run at the championship. Our team is better than it was last year. I think we had a ton of guys who stepped up, who were young last year, who are just going to be so much better this year,” said DeByl.
You can have all the talent and upside, but there is still a daunting path for Madison ahead of them to make it to Championship Weekend.
The schedule
The schedule is a tough one, especially with the Central Division becoming a huge threat in the UFA. Madison is going to have to face the reigning champions and match up against the revamped Chicago Union twice each.
However, the season begins with a never-before-seen doubleheader matchup for the Radicals. They travel to Texas for a game with the Houston Havoc on May 2, then follow it the next day with a date in the Austin Sol.
Madison has never traveled down to Texas and had to play in this kind of heat. It might prove to be difficult for them to adjust, especially with two games in two days. Not to mention, both teams made notable additions to their squad.
“Mental preparation going in is knowing that you're going to have to play tired and it's going to be hot, and as long as you're ready for those challenges: They're not insurmountable by any means,” said Spiro.
“Everyone has been putting in the work this offseason. We're obviously in better shape as a team, so we'll be ready for whatever Texas throws at us. It'll be hot. It might be windy. We'll play back-to-back games. We just have to be ready to work. It's hot for those guys who live in Texas too. It's not like they're immune to the heat,” said Alexander.
The Rads will get a week off to prepare for their home opener and two-game home stand against the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds on May 17, and then the Indianapolis AlleyCats on May 30. These are teams that are going to have the underdog status all year due to their losses but are not rollover teams. Madison needs to stay focused during these matchups to improve throughout the season.
From there, Madison travels to Chicago on June 8 for their first matchup of the year with the Union. A team that has gotten a ton of hype this year with their additions of Luo, Nate Goff, and Pawel Janas, just to name a few.
“We have always matched up well against Chicago. No matter who had the more talented roster, the games are usually close. I expect the same this year. If they think they are going to come in and roll over us, they will be disappointed,” said Wilson.
Hosting the reigning champions, the Minnesota Wind Chill will be their matchup five days later for a Friday night matchup on June 13. Minnesota has had the Radicals’ number the last few years, winning their last six matchups.
“We are trying out different defensive schemes and have some new talent joining the team which will help but we have to play better on both sides of the disc. We have been grinding in the offseason to level up and I know everyone is hungry to play them again and show what we can do,” said McCarthy.
For the back half of the season, Madison opens up with back-to-back games against the Detroit Mechanix on June 14 and 27. The playing doesn’t stop there. Just a day after they wrap up with Detroit at home, they travel to Indy for a game on June 28.
We’ve reached crunch time. The last three games of the year include a home game against the AlleyCats on July 5, traveling to Sea Foam Stadium to play the Wind Chill on July 12, and then concluding the season with hosting the Union on July 20.
If all goes well, those last two games could have division titles and playoff hopes on the line.
The talent is there. The path is known, and the path is difficult. But for Madison to be a legit contender, they need to prove they can play with the best of them consistently. That will be tested in 2025.
“I love it. If we're going to be able to make championship weekend this year, we're going to have to do it by beating high-quality teams. Packing the schedule with more competition only helps us,” said Spiro.
