Sportsbook: 2016 Pro Ultimate Games - MLU

Betting lines - point spreads - for professional ultimate games are for entertainment purposes only. Please enjoy responsibly! View the full MLU 2016 schedule.

Favored team shown as ( - #).

Week 13, MLU Championship: July 16 in Philadelphia, PA
Portland Stags vs Philadelphia Spinners (-2)


Week 12, Playoffs: June 25-26
Saturday
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-4)

Sunday
Boston Whitecaps @ Philadelphia Spinners (-1.5)

Week 11: June 18
Vancouver Nighthawks (-1.5) @ San Francisco Dogfish
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-4)
New York Rumble @ Boston Whitecaps (-5)
Philadelphia Spinners (-3) @ Washington D.C. Current


Week 10: June 11-12
Saturday
Washington D.C. Current @ Boston Whitecaps (-6.5)
San Francisco Dogfish @ Seattle Rainmakers (-9)

Sunday
Washington D.C. Current @ Philadelphia Spinners (-5.5)

San Francisco Dogfish @ Portland Stags (-12.5)

Week 9: June 4-5
Saturday
Seattle Rainmakers (-6) @ San Francisco Dogfish
Vancouver Nighthawks @ Portland Stags (-8)
Boston Whitecaps (-2) @ Philadelphia Spinners

Sunday
Boston Whitecaps (-6.5) @ New York Rumble

Week 8: May 28 
Washington DC Current @ Philadelphia Spinners (-3.5)
Seattle Rainmakers (-7.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks

Week 7: May 21 - 22
Saturday
Portland Stags (-1.5) @ Boston Whitecaps
New York Rumble @ Washington D.C. Current (-2)
San Francisco Dogfish (-4.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks

Sunday
San Francisco Dogfish @ Seattle Rainmakers (-6.5)

Week 6: May 14
New York Rumble @ San Francisco Dogfish (-5)
Philadelphia Spinners @ Boston Whitecaps (-1.5)

Week 5: May 7
Portland Stags (-6.5) @ San Francisco Dogfish
Philadelphia Spinners (-7) @ New York Rumble
Seattle Rainmakers (-8.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks

Week 4: April 30 - May 1
Saturday
Portland Stags (-10.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks
Washington DC Current @ Boston Whitecaps (-6.5)

Sunday
Vancouver Nighthawks @ Seattle Rainmakers (-9)
Washington DC Current @ New York Rumble (-1.5)

Week 3: April 23-24
Saturday
San Francisco Dogfish @ Portland Stags (-3.5)
Vancouver NightHawks @ Seattle Rainmakers (-3)
New York Rumble @ DC Current (-2.5)

Sunday
New York Rumble @ Philadelphia Spinners (-8.5)

Week 2: April 16-17
Saturday
Boston Whitecaps (-10) @ New York Rumble
Portland Stags (-7.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks
Philadelphia Spinners (-3) @ DC Current

Sunday
Portland Stags @ Seattle Rainmakers (-1.5)


Week 1: April 9 - 10
Saturday
Philadelphia Spinners (-3.5) @ New York Rumble
Vancouver Nighthawks @ San Francisco Dogfish (-5)
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-2.5)
Boston Whitecaps (-4) @ DC Current

Sunday
Boston Whitecaps @ Philadelphia Spinners (-2)

Sportsbook: 2015 Pro Ultimate Games - MLU

Betting lines - point spreads - for professional ultimate games are for entertainment purposes only. Please enjoy responsibly! View the full MLU 2015 schedule.

Favored team shown as ( - #).

Week 14 MLU Championship
Saturday August 8 in Chester, PA
Seattle Rainmakers vs Boston Whitecaps (-4.5)

Week 13 Playoffs
Saturday July 18
Philadelphia Spinners @ Boston Whitecaps (-2.5)

Week 12 Playoffs
Saturday July 11
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-3.5)

Week 11
Saturday, June 27
Washington DC Current (-3) @ New York Rumble
Philadelphia Spinners @ Boston Whitecaps (-1.5)
Portland Stags (-3.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks

Sunday, June 28
Vancouver Nighthawks @ Seattle Rainmakers (-6)

Week 10
Saturday, June 20
Washington DC Current @ Philadelphia Spinners (-1.5)
New York Rumble @ Boston Whitecaps (-5)
San Francisco Dogfish @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-2)

Sunday, June 21
San Francisco Dogfish @ Seattle Rainmakers (-4.5)

Week 9
Saturday, June 13
Boston Whitecaps @ Washington DC Current (-1.5)

Sunday, June 14
Vancouver Nighthawks @ San Francisco Dogfish (-4.5)
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-2.5)
Philadelphia Spinners (-5.5) @ New York Rumble

Week 8
Saturday, June 6
San Francisco Dogfish @ Portland Stags (-4)
New York Rumble @ Boston Whitecaps (-4.5)
Washington DC Current @ Philadelphia Spinners (-2)
Seattle Rainmakers (-4) @ Vancouver Nighthawks

Week 7
Saturday, May 30
New York Rumble @ Philadelphia Spinners (-3.5)

Sunday, May 31
Portland Stags (-3) @ Seattle Rainmakers

Week 6
Saturday, May 23
Philadelphia Spinners (-2) @ Washington DC Current
Seattle Rainmakers @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-3)

Sunday, May 24
Boston Whitecaps (-5.5) @ New York Rumble
Portland Stags (-5) @ San Francisco Dogfish

Week 5
Saturday, May 16
Vancouver Nighthawks @ Portland Stags (-4.5)
New York Rumble @ Washington DC Current (-2.5)
Philadelphia Spinners @ Boston Whitecaps (-5.5)

Sunday, May 17
Seattle Rainmakers @ San Francisco Dogfish (-2)

Week 4

Saturday, May 9
Washington DC Current (-1.5) @ Boston Whitecaps

Sunday, May 10
Washington DC Current (-4.5) @ New York Rumble
San Francisco Dogfish @ Portland Stags (-5.5)

Week 3

Saturday, May 2
New York Rumble @ Philadelphia Spinners (-4.5)

Sunday, May 3
Portland Stags (-3) @ Vancouver Nighthawks
San Francisco Dogfish (-3.5) @ Seattle Rainmakers

Week 2

Saturday, April 25
New York Rumble @ Boston Whitecaps (-3.5)
Philadelphia Spinners @ Washington DC Current (-1.5)
Vancouver Nighthawks (-2) @ Seattle Rainmakers

Sunday, April 26
Portland Stags (-4) @ San Francisco Dogfish


Week 1

Saturday, April 18
Seattle Rainmakers @ Portland Stags (-4)
Boston Whitecaps @ Philadelphia Spinners (-2)

Sunday, April 19
Vancouver Nighthawks @ San Francisco Dogfish (-3)
Boston Whitecaps @ Washington DC Current (-4)

MLU Snapshots (2015)

A regular look at the numbers and trends in Major League Ultimate.

Week 14 (August 8)
MLU Championship
Boston Whitecaps beat Seattle Rainmakers 31-17 to win the 2014 MLU Championship in Chester, Pennsylvania.

With their 2 wins in the postseason, Boston Whitecaps extend their consecutive winning streak to 7 games. Only 1 other team (Portland) won more than 6 games in the MLU this season.

-14 = largest point differential in a Seattle 2015 loss. (A 15-goal regular season defeat vs Vancouver in June 2014 was Rainmakers largest loss.)

(2-0) = Boston's 2015 record in all games when they score 30+ points

(9-3) Boston Whitecaps 2015 record, including playoffs

(2-3) = Boston's 2015 record in games when they allowed at least 17 goals

Eastern Conference teams are undefeated (3-0) in the MLU Championship game

31 = ties for the most goals scored ever by Boston Whitecaps. via
(The only other time Boston scored over 30 goals was a win on June 6, 2015.)

Jeff Graham (Whitecaps) is the only two-time MLU Championship MVP. via

# of goals scored by runner-up in MLU Championship
2015: 17 goals
2014: 17 goals
2013: 15 goals

The MLU Championship on August 8 was Major League Ultimate's 3rd inter-conference game ever.

This is Boston Whitecaps' 2nd "tidal" in 3 years.

Week 13 Postseason (July 18)
Boston Whitecaps are now (2-0) at home in the Eastern Conference Final.

Records in the Eastern Conference Final (2013-15)
(2-1) = Boston Whitecaps
(1-1) = Washington DC Current
(0-1) = Philadelphia Spinners

Boston is the only MLU team to win 2 conference titles. [via]

Home teams are now (3-0) all-time in the Eastern Conference Final.

21.4 = average # of goals scored in 2015 regular season by Boston Whitecaps
21 = goals scored in Eastern Conference Final by Boston vs Philadelphia

17.0 = average # of goals allowed in 2015 regular season, Boston Whitecaps
16 = goals allowed by Boston in Eastern Conference Final vs Philadelphia

22.3 = Boston's average # of goals scored in 2015 regular season versus Philadelphia Spinners. (1 win, 2 losses)
21 = goals scored in Eastern Conference Final by Boston vs Philadelphia

15.6 = Philadelphia's average # of goals scored in the last 3 games of the 2015 regular season versus Philadelphia Spinners. (1 win, 2 losses)
16 = Philadelphia's total goals scored in Eastern Conference Final vs Boston

This the second MLU Championship berth for Boston Whitecaps.

Week 12 Postseason (July 11)
The 17-16 score in the Western Conference Final was the 3rd consecutive WCF decided by 1 goal. [14-13 in 2014, 18-17 in 2013]

Records in the Western Conference Final (2013-15)
(1-0) = San Francisco Dogfish
(1-0) = Vancouver Nighthawks
(1-1) = Seattle Rainmakers
(0-2) = Portland Stags

Road teams are now (2-1) all-time in the Western Conference Final.

This the first MLU Championship berth for Seattle Rainmakers.

Portland had a 7-game winning streak at home before Saturday's 16-17 loss. This was the Stag's first home loss since May 17, 2014 (vs Seattle).

16 = the lowest home game goal total Portland scored this season.

Portland Stag's (9-1, 0-1) only other loss this season was also by 1-goal; 17-18 loss to San Francisco.

Peter Woodside (Portland) end zone block D made SportsCenter's Top 10 at #5. On the play Woodside broke his right wrist and later broke his left elbow. [via]


Week 11 (June 27-28)
Portland Stags claim the best MLU 2015 regular season record with a (9-1) record.

Portland Stags become the first and only MLU team to win back-to-back regular season titles - accomplished in 2014 & again in 2015 for the Western Conference.

Boston repeat as winners of the Eastern Conference regular season title - accomplished in 2013 & again in 2015.

0.625 = home team winning percentage in the 2015 regular season. Home teams won 25 out of 40 games.

5 games = consecutive wins by Boston Whitecaps.

In the Spinners' 13-goal loss, Philadelphia scored their lowest game total of the season (13 goals).

13 goals = margin of victory by Boston Whitecaps in week 10, vs Rumble
13 goals = margin of victory by Boston Whitecaps in week 11, vs Spinners

4 games = consecutive wins by Portland Stags.

Seattle's mascot has been officially named "Dewey".

Despite winning 1 more game in 2015 than 2013 (when DC made the playoffs), the DC Current (5-5) did not reach the postseason.

(1-7) = combined record of MLU teams in back-to-back games. (Boston, DC, San Francisco, Vancouver*) *Vancouver's back-to-back was scheduled as a home-away, and won on the road.

Is there an MLU Championship runner-up curse?
San Francisco Dogfish lost in 2013 Finals, then finished last in the West in 2014. Vancouver Nighthawks lost in 2014 Finals, and also finished last in 2015.

In MLU history, 7 out of 8 MLU teams have ever advanced to the post-season. With Philadelphia making the MLU playoffs for the first time this year leaves New York Rumble as the only MLU team never to advance to the MLU playoffs.

Joe Anderson (New York Rumble) was honored during halftime of his last game before "Smash" moves to Colorado.

Week 10 (June 20-21)
Boston secured their 3rd consecutive MLU playoff appearance.

DC Current (4-5) will not make the playoffs for the first-time in their history.

With DC's loss, MLU will not have a repeat champion in 2015.

10 minutes: 55 seconds = duration of DC Current's scoreless drought in their 14-17 loss to Spinners. [via]  (Each MLU quarter = 10 minutes)

Spinners' 6 wins in 2015 is their highest # of victories in any MLU season.

(0-6) = combined record of MLU teams in back-to-back games. (Boston, DC, San Francisco)

+7.25 = New York's average goal differential in 4 losses versus Boston.

New York Rumble become the only team to lose 6 road games in an MLU 10-game regular season.

New York has lost 13 consecutive away games (2013 - present). The Rumbles' last road win was June 1, 2013.

San Francisco (3-7) = the first MLU team to complete their 2015 schedule. The Dogfish finish with 1 more win than in 2014.

MLU playoff teams have been decided; Portland Stags vs Seattle Rainmakers, Philadelphia Spinners vs Boston Whitecaps.

New York Rumble = only MLU Eastern Conference team not to make the playoffs (2013-2015).

MLU West playoffs: Seattle Rainmakers (#2) @ Portland Stags (#1)

2015 MLU Championship is scheduled for August 8 at PPL Park (Chester, PA).


Week 9 (June 13-14)
New York Rumble Record when scoring:
20 or more goals= (1-1)
<20 = (1-5)

Since 2013, the Boston @ DC series is tied (3-3).

Final Scores (2013-2015) of Boston Whitecaps AT DC Current:
20-19, Boston
23-19, Boston
17-18, DC
17-18, DC
18-19, DC
18-17, Boston

+1.5 goals = average margin of victory by San Francisco in their 2 wins over Vancouver.

With Portland's 20-18 win, the Stags extend their winning streak over Seattle to 5 games. (2014-2015)

Seattle Rainmakers Record when scoring:
20 or more goals = (4-1)
<20 = (0-3)

15 = # of possessions of 20 or more throws in the 2015 season. [via]

How many ultimate throws can you name in 6 seconds??


Week 8 (June 6)
No Sunday games were scheduled for this MLU weekend. All 4 scheduled games were played on Saturday.

Boston Whitecaps won 31-24 over New York Rumble. 55 goals = record for highest combined score in a MLU game.

31 goals = highest # of goals ever in a game for Boston Whitecaps in their 31-24 win over NY.

24 = Rumble's scored goals in game vs Boston, which is 2 more goals than their combined goal total in NY's previous 2 games.

26 goals = combined score from May 30th game between NY vs Boston.
24 goals = # of goals scored by NY Rumble in June 6th game vs Boston.

First Quarter Scoring by Rumble vs Whitecaps (combined):
Week 6: 1 goal
Week 8: 17 goals

New York Rumble scored over 20 goals for the first time in their last 9 games.

Box scores via MLU Fantasy app

Seattle Rainkmakers won 28-27 over Vancouver Nighthawks. 55 goals = ties record for highest combined score in a MLU game. The record was set only a few hours prior on the east coast by Boston & New York.

28 goals = highest # of goals scored ever by Seattle Rainmakers in their 28-27 win over Vancouver.

4-game losing streak for Vancouver Nighthawks.

(2-0) = DC Current record in overtime games; 1 OT + 1 2OT

Portland Stags (7-1) are (4-0) at home.

Nick Purifico (Philadelphia Spinners) was ejected from the Spinners vs Current game. [via]  Nick was banded in last week's game vs Rumble. [Watch the infraction AND keep watching for Chris Mazur (NY) - not the ref - banding Purifico (PHL)]

Week 7 (May 30-31)
Clay Dewey-Valentine (Rainmakers) scored a Callahan.

15 = goal difference in the recent loss by New York (1-5)

0 = # of break goals by NY Rumble in their 10-25 loss to Philadelphia. [via]

Philadelphia Spinners scored more goals by halftime (12) than Rumble scored in 4 quarters (10).

4 games winning streaks:
Spinners over Rumble (2014 - 2015)
Stags over Seattle Rainmakers  (2014 - 2015)

Spinners Wins in MLU
3 wins in 2013
4 wins in 2014
5 wins already in 2015

Before Spinners 15-goal win, Philadelphia's average goal difference in wins = 2.25.

In 26 MLU games, Philadelphia Spinners have scored 25 or more goals twice.

It's official! Portland's jerseys are orange.

2 = # of games on the MLU schedule -- the fewest of any weekend in MLU 2015.

Week 6 (May 23-24)
Delrico 'Rico' Johnson (Current) scored the first Callahan of the 2015 MLU season.

3-game Winning Streaks
Philadelphia Spinners (4-1)
Seattle Rainmakers (3-2)

Combined Current Record of 2014's MLU Playoff teams
WEST: (6-5) [Stags (5-1) + Nighthawks (1-4)
EAST: (6-6) [Current (3-3) + Whitecaps (3-3)]

Road teams went (3-1) over the weekend; (2-0) in the East.

Portland lost to San Francisco is their first L of the season, but still have the best record in the MLU at (5-1).

With San Francisco's 18-17 win over Portland stops a 6-game losing streak versus the Stags. The Dogfish last beat the Stags on June 22, 2013.

In the 10 meetings between Seattle vs Vancouver (2013-2015), the Rainmakers lead the series 6-4.

Seattle teased forecasted a likely chance of mascot for Sunday's game. Is that a caped raindrop?

MLU Live was scheduled to broadcast Boston @ New York game on Sunday, but flexed to Saturday's Philadelphia @ DC game.

Current's 18-19 loss at home was their first loss at the D.C. stadium they refer to "The Dojo" (their home field since 2014). DC's home record, since 2014, is now (10-1).

Before Philly's 19-18 win against D.C. on Saturday 5/23, the last time Philadelphia Spinners beat DC Current at home was on June 22, 2013; the score: 19-18.

Spinners (4-1) have equalled their win total in all of the 2014 season.

Spinners are the only team averaging 7+ throws per possession. [via]

14.8 = average # of goals/game by New York Rumble (1-4)

Boston's 14-12 victory at New York Rumble was Whitecaps (3-3) 1st road win of 2015 season.

1 = # of goals scored in the 1st quarter of the Boston vs New York game. (It was windy.) [via]

Whitecaps up 1-0 against @nyrumble at the end of the first quarter... We can't really believe it either.

— The Boston Whitecaps (@BostonWhitecaps) May 24, 2015

Week 5 (May 16-17)
Philadelphia's 22-21 win at Boston was the first road win by an MLU East team.

(0-2) = Boston Whitecaps' record in 2OT games this season

With Boston's recent loss at home, their all-time home record is (12-2), 0.857

The last time Boston lost by 1 goal to Philadelphia (5/18/2014), the Whitecaps won their next game by +17 goals, versus New York.

Seattle has scored exactly 20 goals in 3 consecutive games

4 games = San Francisco Dogfish (1-4) losing streak

5 games = winning streak by Portland Stags (5-0)

With DC's 21-17 win over NY Rumble, the Current extend their home winning streak to 10 games.

(2-11) = New York Rumble's road record (2013-2015)

Evan Boucher (Dogfish team MVP 2013) was released by San Francisco.

Week 4 (May 9-10)
(0-4) = combined record of MLU East teams during back-to-back games

New York Rumble's 16-13 win over DC Current was NY's first win since May 3, 2014.

0 = # of turnovers by New York's O-line in the first half of the game vs DC. [via]

2 = # of losses by DC Current; 1 more loss than entire 2014 season when they went (11-1)

11 games = DC's loss ended the 2nd longest winning streak in the MLU; longest win streak = Boston Whitecaps (13 games) [via]

Peter Prial (DC) finally lost an MLU game! In 24 MLU games played (12 games with Boston Whitecaps in 2013 + 12 games DC Current in 2014-15) Peter Prial was (24-0) until Saturday's loss to Boston.

(0-7) = combined record of MLU Eastern Conference teams on the road.

Philadelphia Spinners and New York Rumble have never won more than 2 games in a row (2013-2015) [via]

Portland Stags (4-0) are the only undefeated MLU team [via]

6 games = Portland Stags winning streak over San Francisco Dogfish. (2014-2015)

MLU refs (in black) blended in with the black DC Current jerseys.

via MLU Live

Week 3 (May 2-3)
Seattle's 20-17 victory over San Francisco Dogfish on May 3, 2015, was the Rainmakers' first home win since May 4, 2014.

(2-1) = combined record of home teams over the weekend.

At Nighthawk home games, the Vancouver Ultimate League (VUL) presents a 'Most Valuable Spirited Player Award' to a player on each team. [via]

In only 4 of 22 games (2013-2015), New York Rumble have scored 20 or more goals. Their record over 2+ seasons is (5-17).

8 games = NY Rumble's consecutive losing streak (2014-2015)

Chris Mazur (NYR) and Trey Katzenbach (PHS) both played in Saturday's MLU night game, and then went to Virginia Beach to help their respective beach ultimate teams to a gold medal on Sunday at U.S. Nationals; AND THE WARHAWKS (Mazur), Swamp Rats (Katzenbach).

Week 2 (April 25-26)
The Seattle vs Vancouver game was the 2nd annual "Border Bid" game. Vancouver won 22-20 and took home the wooden disc trophy. [via UltiPhotos]

With Vancouver's win, the Nighthawks extend their winning streak over Seattle to 4 games. (2014-2015)

6:27 = duration of an early point in the 2nd quarter of Portland Stags @ San Francisco Dogfish. [via]  (That 1 point took up nearly 65% of the 10-minute 2nd quarter)

With Portland's win, the Stags extend their winning streak over San Francisco to 5 games. (2014-2015)

With DC's win 18-15, the Current extend their winning streak over Philadelphia Spinners to 5 games. (2014-2015)

New York Rumble's home opener was relocated 200+ miles away to Boston's home stadium in Medford, Massachusetts.

With Boston's 20-13 win, the Whitecaps add to their (11-1) record vs New York Rumble. (2013-2015) 3 wins in a row for Boston.

Week 1 (April 18-19)

Peter Woodside scored the the first goal of the 2015 MLU season; assist by Topher Davis (Portland Stags).

Cody Bjorklund (Stags) played with a cast on his non-throwing hand. He caught 16 passes, 1 for a goal & threw 4 scores. [via UltiPhotos]

A mascot is in the works for NY Rumble. Expected release date is in 2016. [h/t SEA v POR broadcast]

Christian Foster (Boston Whitecaps) was ejected from banded in Saturday's game versus Philadelphia.

(4-0) = combined record of home teams over the weekend.

Sunday's Boston Whitecaps vs DC Current game went into 2OT (sudden death).

Every season's first-meeting games between Boston vs DC have been decided by 1-goal. (2013-2015)

1-Goal Margins in DC Current vs Boston Whitecaps Games
BOS 20-19 DC; April 27 (first meeting 2013 season)
DC 18-17 BOS; April 19, (first meeting 2014 season)
DC 18-17 BOS; June 28, 2014 (last meeting 2014 season)
DC 19-18 BOS; April, 19, 2015 (first meeting 2015 season)

Attendees to the Vancouver at San Francisco game were provided a headset for listening to the play-by-play. [via]

(0-2) = record of Boston Whitecaps after week 1. First time in franchise history with a record under .500. [via Dusty Rhodes]

10 games = DC Current's winning streak (2014-2015 seasons)

8 games = DC Current's home game winning streak (2013-2015 seasons). DC's last home loss was June 1, 2013, against Boston.

5 games = Seattle Rainmakers losing streak (2014-2015 seasons)

[Chart] Average # of Throws on Scores. [via Luke Ryan]

My AUDL Experience

After my league game, I drove up from Washington, DC to Philadelphia to watch the professional Ultimate league's inaugural night game. This night game under the bright lights featured Philadelphia Spinners hosting the visiting Buffalo Hunters at Franklin Field (on UPenn's campus) on Saturday, April 14. There were 3 other scheduled games - Connecticut at Rhode Island; Indy at Columbus; Detroit at Kentucky on this inaugural AUDL day.

Game time stated 8:05pm. Nearing 8pm, the queue swelled giving security more than they could (seem to) handle. Attendees sat on the bleacher style seating positioned behind the benches which were on the same sideline. After a few announcements about delaying the start so as to allow those in line to enter, the game finally started 30 minutes late (8:36pm) - just like a rec league game, except a curfew replaces the time cap. The game ended at 10:50pm.

Players for the home team were announced, and after the National Anthem was sung, one of the Spinners players addressed the crowd and asked the Hunters to join him in a cheer of "Ultimate!" before the game start. The two teams huddled at mid-field, and the audience couldn't hear the rest due to an audio fail. Assume the cheer went something like this: 1-2-3 - Ultimate!

The feel-good moment was felt by the entire burgeoning crowd (announced as 1,600). The first pull of the game was off and began an ULTypIcal find-your-legs first point. Buffalo scored first which set off the crowd with boos. Hearing boo-ing at Ultimate toward a bad call, maybe; toward another team; not very "Ultimate."

Some other observations:

Field size: Endzones are too large - maybe 5-10 yards too big. As a spectator, it was disconcerting to see someone score at the 5 yards away from the painted end zone. For defenders, 20 yards is a large area to cover, let alone to know its location by a sideline cone.

Offense: Too many 50-50 throws. Granted, when the offense worked the disc up, it was sorta boring to watch. When the offense tried to huck it deep, it seemed kinda unnecessary. I couldn't tell whether the huck-and-hope was due to the 7-second stall count, or just out of habit. Soon, teams will realize the 'value' of possession over the 'need' to score.

Penalty: If/when a penalty is called, the ref stops play and the disc advances.  The advantage of advancement is curious since the handler with the disc moves 5 yards closer to the endzone while the rest of the offense stays put, which may put the offense out of sync. The advantage of a new stall count is more apparent.

Self-rule: There was a moment in the second half when a Spinners player bobbled the disc out of bounds near the Spinners sideline, and the ref made the hand signal of "in". The crowd grumbled in disagreement with the non-call, while the Integrity Rule didn't play out; from neither coach, nor player. Instead the player re-established a pivot foot and threw a score on his subsequent toss.

Defense: The defense was more athletically impressive than the offense. Knockdowns seemed to get a bigger rise out of the crowd than any other play.

Cheerleaders: They were distracting in a 'what-are-they-doing?' way. I understand the rationale for them as a promotional tool for team awareness and for rah-rahs. But, if they weren't there, I would not have necessarily missed them.

Venue: The stadium was outrageously huge for an Ultimate game. Granted, the 1000+ crowd was impressive, but humbled by the 52,000 capacity stadium. Oh, the concessions were ill-equipped for the crowd where a very good looking stack appeared for most of the game. 

Teams: The Philadelphia roster outnumbered Buffalo, which benefited the Spinners. The Spinners showed more cohesion with an offensive strategy, and better second half adjustments; not to mention a vocal home crowd.

In the end, after watching 48 minutes of a professional Ultimate game, what I wanted to do the most was: Play More Ultimate. As for the AUDL, time will tell its impact on Ultimate -- is it competing at a higher level, or having competition on a bigger stage? There were definitely some SportsCenter top plays from this game, though I think there are impressive highlights from every Ultimate game. I probably won't drive 141 miles again to see another 2012 game so my next AUDL game will be when the league expands to Washington, DC in 2013.

Highlights of the game, which Spinners won 26-14:

MLU Snapshots 2014

A regular look at the numbers and trends in Major League Ultimate.

MLU Finals (July 19, 2014)
Washington DC Current beat Vancouver Nighthawks 23-17 to win the 2014 MLU Championship in Chester, Pennsylvania

9 games = winning streak by DC Current

-6 = largest point differential in a Vancouver 2014 loss

Vancouver's 2nd half point total = DC's 1st half point total; 13.

(11-1) DC Current 2014 record, including playoffs

(7-1) = DC's 2014 record in games when they allow 17 points

(9-0) = DC's 2014 record in games when they score 20+ points

22.2 = average scores in DC's 2014 wins, excluding Finals

Eastern Conference teams are undefeated (2-0) in the MLU Finals

Peter Prial has won back-to-back MLU championships; in 2014 with DC Current and in 2013 with Boston Whitecaps.

The MLU Championship on July 19 was Major League Ultimate's second-ever inter-conference game

Playoffs (June 28, 2014)

DC completed its first-wins-versus-Boston "Trifecta"

Current (9-1; 1-0) are now (4-0) in games decided by 2 scores or less.

DC Current won the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals by the same exact score as Week 2, when they beat Boston 18 to 17.

Portland Stags matched their lowest scoring total of 2014 in their 13-14 playoff loss to Vancouver.

Vancouver did not allow a goal in the first quarter of WCF - the first ever shutout/scoreless quarter in the playoffs. [via]

+1 = point differential in the Western Conference Finals in 2013 AND in 2014.

Winning Streaks:
8 games by DC Current
5 games by Vancouver Nighthawks

The MLU 2014 Championship Game is set for Saturday, July 19:
2014 WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Vancouver Nighthawks
vs
2014 EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Washington DC Current

Week 11 (June 21, 2014)
Jim Foster (Boston) scored a Callahan in the Whitecaps' 21-16 win over New York.

The final Western Conference standings were completely reversed from last year.; 2014: 1st) Stags 2nd) Nighthawks 3rd) Rainmakers 4th) Dogfish. 2013: 1st) San Francisco 2nd) Seattle 3rd) Vancouver 4th) Portland.

-58 = goal differential by New York Rumble (2-8); the worst differential in MLU history (2013-14).

4 = # of teams that scored at least 200 goals in 2014 (DC, BOS, PHL, VAN). In 2013, only 2 teams achieved this milestone -- BOS, SF.

3 = # of Eastern Conference teams with at least 200 goals scored in 2014.

7 games = DC Current's winning streak.

6 games = NY Rumble's losing streak.

4 games = Seattle Rainmakers' losing streak.

(27-13) (.675) = record/winning % of home teams in MLU 2014 regular season.

+72 = increase in goals scored by MLU teams, compared to 2013 (East = +45; West = +27)

Week 10 (June 14-15, 2014)
+3 = largest margin of victory in 2014 for Philadelphia in the Spinner's 21-18 win over Boston.

1.5 points = average margin of victory for Philadelphia Spinners (4-5).

The back-to-back losses (weeks 9, 10) for Boston Whitecaps are their first consecutive losing streak in franchise history.

6 games = DC Current's winning streak.

5 games = NY Rumble's losing streak.

3 games = Seattle Rainmakers' losing streak.

(1-5) = overall record of MLU teams who played back-to-back games; SF (0-4), POR (1-1).

Vancouver Nighthawks clinched a 2014 playoff spot.

Whitecaps are the only MLU team with a losing record (4-5) and a positive Goal Differential (+25).

Week 9 (June 7-8, 2014)
Portland Stags (6-1) clinched a 2014 playoff spot in the West.

Away teams went (3-1) this weekend.

Boston lost at home for the first time in their history. The Whitecaps were (10-0) before their 16-22 loss to DC.

In the 3 games between NY & Philadelphia, total points:
New York Rumble = 58 points scored
Philadelphia Spinners = 59 points scored

Because...EACH of the 3 NY vs. Philadelphia games this season were decided by ONE point. (23-24, NYR; 12-13, PHL; 23-22, PHL)

In 3 of the 4 games, the losing team scored their lowest total of the season:
12 points = Seattle's lowest scoring total in 2014 in the Rainmakers' 12-27 loss vs Vancouver.
12 points = San Francisco's lowest scoring total in 2014 in the Dogfish's 12-17 loss to Portland.
16 points = Boston's lowest scoring total in 2014 in the Whitecaps' 21-16 loss to DC.

-15 = largest point differential by Seattle in their loss.

Week 8 (May 31, 2014)
Vancouver Nighthawks won 29-25 in Double OT* over Seattle. * = double OT should have been played as sudden death, but was played as another 5-minute OT. So, Vancouver will be the only team to have won a sudden death OT by more than 1 point.

53 = most combined points in an MLU game, Vancouver 29 – 24 Seattle, in 2OT on May 31.

Vancouver (3-4; Home: 2-1, Away: 1-3) won their first away game.

Seattle (4-3; Home: 3-1, Away: 1-2) lost their first home game.

29 = points by Vancouver in May 31st game AND May 10th game, both vs Seattle.

SF Dogfish (2-6) went winless in away games, going 0-5 on the road in 2014. San Francisco will be/is the only Western Conference team to not win a road game in 2014. (In the Eastern Conference, neither the Rumble nor Spinners have yet to win a 2014 road game.)

DC (6-1) is the first MLU team to clinch a 2014 playoff spot; this will be Current's second consecutive appearance in MLU's post-season.

New York's scoring average: 20 pts @ home; 11.75 pts @ away. The Rumble have not scored more than 18 points in the past five games, during which they have gone 1-4.

Week 7 (May 24, 2014)
Only two games on the schedule.

+17 = margin of victory in Boston's 23-6 win over New York Rumble.  (+18 is the record.)

-16 = New York Rumble's goal difference in 2013 (10 games).

6 = points by New York in their loss to Boston. The Rumble did not score a goal in the entire 10 minutes of the 4th quarter. [MLU]

6 = lowest point total by an MLU team, New York Rumble 6-23 loss vs. Boston.

Morgan Hibbert (Vancouver Nighthawks) was ejected from the San Francisco game.

29 = point total by Vancouver in their win on May 10.
28 points = combined point total by Nighthawks in their last 2 losses (L 12-13; L 16-19)

15 games remain in the 2014 regular season.

Week 6 (May 17-18, 2014)
Home teams are (19-4) [0.826] overall in 2014.  Only 3 teams have won on the road -- DC (5-1), Seattle (4-2), Portland (3-1). These team are the only MLU teams with a winning record.

+22 = DC's point differential over NY. +23 = DC's pt diff over other Eastern Conference teams. [MLU]

Portland Stags (3-1) lost for the first-time this season.

In Boston's 3 losses, the Whitecaps have lost each by 1 point.
In Philadelphia's 2 wins, the Spinners have won both by 1 point.

25 = total points scored in Vancouver 12 - 13 San Francisco OT game.
25 = points by Seattle in their 25-23 win over Portland.
25 = points by Boston in their 25-26 loss to Philadelphia.

Week 5 (May 10, 2014)

After Week 5, DC Current matches their win total (4) from all of last season.

Homes teams were 3-0 in week 5, bringing home teams records to 17-2 (0.894) overall in 2014.

Boston Whitecaps wore their white alternate kits for the first time in 2014 for their home game vs Philadelphia, who have yet to wear their whites in 2014.

29 goals = highest offensive total by Vancouver Nighthawks in 2014, versus Seattle.

52 = highest combined score total in 2014, during Vancouver's 29-23 win over Seattle; averaging 1 goal/~47 seconds.

No Sunday games were /scheduled played for the first time this season.

Week 4 (May 3-4, 2014)
Michael Panna (Philadelphia Spinners) recorded the first Callahan ("Pannahan"?) this week.

4-0 = record of home teams during week 4.

25 = highest point total ever by DC Current (2013-2014) in their 25-23 win over Spinners.

0-2 = Boston's road record in 2014. The Whitecaps were 5-0 in 2013.

3 = win streak by Portland Stags (3-0); the only undefeated team in the MLU.

0-4 = San Francisco's record during their 2 weekends of back-to-back games.

With 6 more weeks left in the season, San Francisco Dogfish have played 60% of their scheduled games.

24 = # of games remaining in the MLU 2014 regular season, after week 4.

14-2  (0.875) = record/winning percentage of home teams (16 games). Only DC (on 4/12) and Portland (on 4/26) have won on the road...only Philadelphia (vs. Current) and San Fran (vs. Stags) have lost at home.

Week 3 (April 26-27, 2014)
Portland Stags (2-0) are the only undefeated team in the MLU.

Portland's 18-16 win over San Francisco was the Stags first-ever road win, and the first loss at home for the Dogfish.

60 = # of turnovers in the Rumble vs Spinners 2OT game. [MLU]

3 out of 5 (60%) games (2013-2014) between Rumble and Spinners have extended into double overtime. [John Phillips]

8-0 = home record (2013-2014, including playoffs) of Boston Whitecaps

Saturday's game was the first meeting of the season between Vancouver Nighthawks at Seattle Rainmakers, billed as "Border Bid Cup," and was played at a "neutral site" in the state of Washington.

Week 2 (April 19-20, 2014)
Home teams went 4-0 this week.

Boston Whitecaps lost for the first-time ever; their overall MLU record is 13-1.

In 14 games, Washington, DC Current is the only MLU team to have ever beaten Boston.

364 days = length of Boston's win streak, from April 20, 2013 until April 19, 2014.

2 games were tied at the end of regulation -- San Francisco Dogfish @ Seattle Rainmakers (1 OT) and Philadelphia Spinners @ New York Rumble (2 OT). The Spinners vs Rumble game was the first 2014 game to go in double overtime.

-11 = largest deficit ever by Dogfish in their 15 to 26 loss to the Nighthawks.

The Dogfish are the only team in the MLU to have multiple back-to-back games in the 2014 season. San Fran went 0-2 in this weekend's back-to back games. Their next "doubleheader" is 5/3 (vs. Portland) and 5/4 (vs. Seattle). Portland play their b2b games on June 14-15.

After 2 weeks, Philadelphia Spinners are the only win-less team in the MLU.

All Western Conference teams have 1 win.

Alan Kolick (DC Current) completed all 56 of his passes in Saturday's win, continuing his streak of 100% accuracy thru 2 games.

Portland Stags (1-0; Western) and DC Current (2-0; Eastern) are the only unbeaten teams in the MLU.

===================

Week 1 (April 12, 2014)
Danny Clark (Boston Whitecaps) recorded the first score of the MLU 2014 season.

Donnie Clark (no relation to Danny) recorded the first score for Seattle Rainmakers on the West coast.

The home teams won 3 out of 4 games this week.

Boston Whitecaps' win streak is now at 13 games; undefeated record (11-0) in the regular season.

21.9 = Boston Whitecaps average score in the 2013 regular season. Showing their consistency, they found the endzone 22 times in their win on Saturday.

In their victory over Seattle, San Francisco Dogfish scored 18 goals -- their exact goal average against Seattle in regular season 2013 games.

1 = # of wins Portland Stags have in 2014, matching their win total in 2013, (1-9). Stags beat Nighthawks 23-21.

3 = # of times Vancouver Nighthawks scored 20 or more goals AND LOST, since 2013. This oddity* has happened to only three other teams, once per team.

*In 40 regular season games in 2013, only 5 times did a MLU team score 20 or more points AND LOSE. (Nighthawks: Week 8 in 2013; 21 pts. Week 10 in 2013; 20 pts.  Stags: Week 3 in 2013; 21 pts.  Rumble: Week 10 in 2013; 20 pts. Dogfish: Week 10 in 2013; 22 pts.)

Sportsbook: Pro Ultimate Games

Betting lines - (spreads) & total points over/under - for professional ultimate are for entertainment purposes only. Add a comment to post your picks. View the full schedules for each league at: AUDL . MLU.

AUDL games. MLU games.

Week 16
AUDL Post-Season: Championship Weekend [Toronto, ON]
July 26
New York Empire (+4.5) vs Toronto Rush (-4.5); 42
Madison Radicals (+3) vs San Jose Spiders (-3); 39

July 27
San Jose Spiders (+2) vs Toronto Rush (-2); 44

Week 15
AUDL Post-Season: Playoffs

July 18
San Francisco FlameThrowers (+2.5) @ San Jose Spiders (-2.5); 39

July 19
Chicago Wildfire (+3) @ New York Empire (-3); 45
DC Breeze (+2) @ Toronto Rush (-2); 36
Indianapolis AlleyCats (+5) @ Madison Radicals (-5); 38

MLU Post-Season: Championship Game [Chester, PA]
Vancouver Nighthawks (+2) vs Washington DC Current (-2); 37

Week 14

July 12
Toronto Rush (-7) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+7); 40
DC Breeze (-2) @ New York Empire (+2); 44
Vancouver Riptide (-4) @ Seattle Raptors (+4); 46
San Jose Spiders (+2.5) @ San Francisco FlameThrowers (-2.5); 43

July 13
Indianapolis AlleyCats (-4.5) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (+4.5); 50

===================

Week 13

July 4
Indianapolis AlleyCats (-11) @ Detroit Mechanix (+11); 45

July 5
Montreal Royal (+9) @ Toronto Rush (-9); 46
Rochester Dragons (+2) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (-2); 35
New York Empire (-1.5) @ DC Breeze (+1.5); 49
Detroit Mechanix (+8) @ Cincinnati Revolution (-8); 44

July 6
DC Breeze (-7) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+7); 41 

==============

Week 12

June 27
Cincinnati Revolution (+6) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (-6); 45
Detroit Mechanix (+7) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (-7); 38

June 28
Vancouver Riptide (+5.5) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (-5.5); 48
Cincinnati Revolution (+9) @ Chicago Wildfire (-9); 45
Detroit Mechanix (+12) @ Madison Radicals (-12); 44
Toronto Rush (-11) @ Rochester Dragons (+11); 47
DC Breeze (-3) @ Montreal Royal (+3); 42
Salt Lake Lions (+13) @ San Jose Spiders (-13); 50 

MLU Post-Season: Playoffs
Boston Whitecaps (+3) @ Washington DC Current (-3); 39
Vancouver Nighthawks (+2.5) @ Portland Stags (-2.5); 37

June 29
DC Breeze (+2.5) @ New York Empire (-2.5); 44
Seattle Raptors (+4.5) @ Vancouver Riptide (-4.5); 39

==============

Week 11

June 20
Chicago Wildfire (+2) @ Madison Radicals (-2); 37

June 21
Philadelphia Phoenix (+5.5) @ Montreal Royal (-5.5); 38 
New York Empire (+3.5) @ Toronto Rush (-3.5); 44
Chicago Wildfire (-5) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (+5); 43
Cincinnati Revolution (+6) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (-6); 48
San Jose Spiders (+2) @ Vancouver Riptide (-2); 55   [yep]
San Francisco Flamethrowers (-10) @ Salt Lake Lions (+10); 49

Vancouver Nighthawks (-4.5) @ San Francisco Dogfish (+4.5); 37 
Boston Whitecaps (-2) @ New York Rumble (+2); 36
Seattle Rainmakers (+6) @ Portland Stags (-6); 43
Washington DC Current (-3) @ Philadelphia Spinners (+3); 40

June 22
Philadelphia Phoenix (+10) @ Toronto Rush (-10); 46
New York Empire (-9) @ Rochester Dragons (+9); 43
San Francisco Flamethrowers (-12) @ Salt Lake Lions (+12); 48
San Jose Spiders (-2) @ Seattle Raptors (+2); 47

=====================

Week 10

June 14
Seattle Raptors (+6) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (-6); 49
Toronto Rush (-7) @ Montreal Royal (+7); 42
Philadelphia Phoenix (+4.5) @ Rochester Dragons (-4.5); 37
New York Empire (-2) @ DC Breeze (+2); 46
Minnesota Wind Chill (+5) @ Madison Radicals (-5); 42

New York Rumble (+5.5) @ Washington DC Current (-5.5); 45
Portland Stags (-2.5) @ Seattle Rainmakers (+2.5); 39

June 15
Philadelphia Phoenix (+9) @ Montreal Royal (-9); 48
Seattle Raptors (+8) @ San Jose Spiders (-8); 45

Boston Whitecaps (+2) @ Philadelphia Spinners (-2); 44
Portland Stags (+3) @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-3); 46

===============================

WEEK 9

June 7
Salt Lake Lions (+11) @ Vancouver Riptide (-11); 48
Detroit Mechanix (+10) @ Chicago Wildfire (-10); 45
Cincinnati Revolution (+7) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (-7); 39
Madison Radicals (+2) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (-2); 47
Montreal Royal (+4) @ New York Empire (-4); 45
San Francisco Flamethrowers (+2) @ San Jose Spiders (-2); 40

Portland Stags (-4.5) @ San Francisco Dogfish (+4.5); 38
Washington DC Current (+2) @ Boston Whitecaps (-2);  45
Seattle Rainmakers (+5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-5); 50

June 8
Cincinnati Revolution (+9) @ Madison Radicals (-9); 47
Rochester Dragons (+11) @ Toronto Rush (-11); 43
Salt Lake City Lions (+10) @ Seattle Raptors (-10); 46
Montreal Royal (+6.5) @ DC Breeze (-6.5); 47

Philadelphia Spinners (-3.5) @ New York Rumble (+3.5); 37

====================================

WEEK 8

May 31
Chicago Wildfire (-6) @ Detroit Mechanix (+6); 45 
Indianapolis AlleyCats (+2) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (-2); 40
Madison Radicals (-4) @ Cincinnati Revolution (+4); 41
Montreal Royal (+8) @ Toronto Rush (-8); 48
Seattle Raptors (-5) @ Salt Lake Lions (+5); 46
Vancouver Riptide (+4)@ San Jose Spiders (-4); 51

San Francisco Dogfish (+4) @ Portland Stags (-4); 43
Philadelphia Spinners (+3) @ Washington DC Current (-3); 46
Vancouver Nighthawks (+3) @ Seattle Rainmakers (-3); 44

June 1
Montreal Royal (+2) @ Rochester Dragons  (-2); 42
New York Empire (-6) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+6); 48
Vancouver Riptide (+6) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (-6); 49

====================================

WEEK 7

May 23
Madison Radicals (-2) @ Chicago Wildfire (+2); 42

May 24
Chicago Wildfire (-3) @ Madison Radicals (+3); 40
DC Breeze (+3.5) @ Toronto Rush (-3.5); 50
Montreal Royal (-4.5) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+4.5); 47
Minnesota Wind Chill (+4) @ Cincinnati Revolution (-4); 46

New York Rumble (+3) @ Boston Whitecaps (-3); 44
Portland Stags (+2) @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-2); 41

May 25
DC Breeze (-6) @ Rochester Dragons (+6); 38
Minnesota Wind Chill (-5) @ Detroit Mechanix (+5); 
Montreal Royal (+4) @ New York Empire (-4);
Vancouver Riptide (-5.5) @ Seattle Raptors (+5.5); 49

====================================

WEEK 6

May 16
Indianapolis AlleyCats (-2) @ Cincinnati Revolution (+2); 42

May 17
San Jose Spiders (-3) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (+3); 44
Chicago Wildfire (+3.5) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (-3.5); 47
New York Empire (-5.5) @ Rochester Dragons (+5.5); 49
Detroit Mechanix (+7) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (-7); 41  
Salt Lake Lions (+12) @ Vancouver Riptide (-12); 44

Vancouver Nighthawks (+2) @ San Francisco Dogfish (-2); 36
Seattle Rainmakers (+3.5) @ Portland Stags (-3.5); 40
Washington DC Current (-3) @ New York Rumble (+3); 37

May 18
Philadelphia Phoenix (+9) @ DC Breeze (-9); 50
Salt Lake Lions (+8) @ Seattle Raptors (-8); 46
Rochester Dragons (+5) @ Montreal Royal (-5); 39

Boston Whitecaps (-4) @ Philadelphia Spinners (+4); 38

====================================

WEEK 5

MAY 9
Minnesota Wind Chill (+2.5) @ Madison Radicals (-2.5); 41
Indianapolis AlleyCats (+4) @ Chicago Wildfire (-4); 39

MAY 10
Cincinnati Revolution (-8) @ Detroit Mechanix (+8); 45
Philadelphia Phoenix (+7.5) @ New York Empire (-7.5); 46
Toronto Rush (-9) @ Rochester Dragons (+9); 38
Minnesota Wind Chill (+2) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (-2); 43
San Jose Spiders (-5) @ Vancouver Riptide (+5); 44 
San Francisco Flamethrowers (-10) @ Salt Lake Lions (+10); 48

New York Rumble (+2) @ Washington DC Current (-2); 42 
Philadelphia Spinners (+4.5) @ Boston Whitecaps (-4.5); 33
Seattle Rainmakers (-2.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks (+2.5); 38  

MAY 11
San Jose Spiders (-3) @ Seattle Raptors (+3); 44

====================================

WEEK 4

MAY 2
Detroit Mechanix (+9) @ Cincinnati Revolution (-9); 39

MAY 3
Detroit Mechanix (+13) @ Chicago Wildfire (-13); 46
Indianapolis AlleyCats (+3) @ Madison Radicals (-3); 41 
Rochester Dragons (+7) @ Toronto Rush (-7); 45 
New York Empire (-2) @ Montreal Royal (+2); 37
DC Breeze (-6.5) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+6.5); 48 
Seattle Raptors (+11) @ San Jose Spiders (-11); 50

San Francisco Dogfish (+3) @ Portland Stags (-3); 36
Boston Whitecaps (-5) @ New York Rumble (+5); 32

MAY 4
Indianapolis AlleyCats (+5) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (-5); 38 
Philadelphia Phoenix (+7) @ DC Breeze (-7); 47 
Seattle Raptors (+5) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (-5); 46

San Francisco Dogfish (+5.5) @ Seattle Rainmakers (-5.5); 29
Philadelphia Spinners (+3) @ Washington DC Current (-3); 36

====================

WEEK 3

APRIL 25
Madison Radicals (-4) @ Minnesota Wind Chill (+4); 44

APRIL 26
Portland Stags (-2) @ San Francisco Dogfish (+2); 45
DC Current (+3) @ Boston Whitecaps (-3); 40
New York Rumble (-3.5) @ Philadelphia Spinners (+3.5); 39
Vancouver Nighthawks (-2.5) @ Seattle Rainmakers (+2.5); 44

Cincinnati Revolution (+5.5) @ Chicago Wildfire (-5.5); 46
Indianapolis AlleyCats (-7) @ Detroit Mechanix (+7); 47
Rochester Dragons (+5) @ New York Empire (-5); 45
San Francisco Flamethrowers (-10) @ Seattle Raptors (+10); 48
San Jose Spiders (-16) @ Salt Lake City Lions (+16); 50

APRIL 27
Rochester Dragons (+8) @ DC Breeze (-8); 45
San Francisco Flamethrowers (-4) @ Vancouver Riptide (+4); 38

=========================

WEEK 2

APRIL 18
Chicago Wildfire (-8) @ Cincinnati Revolution (+8); 47

APRIL 19
Madison Radicals (-8) @ Detroit Mechanix (+8); 48
Chicago Wildfire (-5) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (+5); 45
Toronto Rush (+1.5) @ Montreal Royal (-1.5); 31
Seattle Raptors (+7) @ Vancouver Riptide (-7); 45
Salt Lake City Lions (+12) @ San Francisco Flamethrowers (-12); 47
Rochester Dragons (-4) @ Philadelphia Phoenix (+4); 42

Boston Whitecaps (-3.5) @ DC Current (+3.5); 39 
San Francisco Dogfish (+2) @ Seattle Rainmakers (-2); 32.5
Philadelphia Spinners (+3) @ New York Rumble (-3); 36

APRIL 20
Salt Lake Lions (+13) @ San Jose Spiders (-13); 49.5

San Francisco Dogfish (+4.5) @ Vancouver Nighthawks (-4.5); 41

=======================
WEEK 1

APRIL 12

DC Current (-2) @ Philadelphia Spinners (+2); 38
NY Rumble (+2.5) @ Boston Whitecaps (-2.5); 42
Seattle Rainmakers (-3) @ SF Dogfish (+3); 34
Vancouver Nighthawks (-4) @ Portland Stags (+4); 44

Toronto Rush (-4) @ DC Breeze (+4); 50
Minnesota Wind Chill (-5) @ Detroit Mechanix (+5); 48
Madison Radicals (-5.5) @ Cincinnati Revolution (+5.5); 46
Vancouver Riptide (-6) @ Salt Lake Lions (+6); 49
San Francisco Flamethrowers (+3) @ San Jose Spiders (-3); 41

APRIL 13

Toronto Rush (-3) @ New York Empire (+3); 45
Minnesota Wind Chill (+4) @ Chicago Wildfire (-4); 44
Madison Radicals (-3) @ Indianapolis AlleyCats (+3); 49
Vancouver Riptide (-7) @ Salt Lake Lions (+7); 43

##

Post-game Flare Up During Spinners vs Current Game

Here's the end of tonight's (Sunday, May 26) Philadelphia Spinners vs. DC Current game where Purifico (PHS #2), after walking away from Keegan's (DCC #3) push, had to be restrained by his teammates...

:Background:

Before this end-of-the-game tussle, the Philly sideline visibly complained about calls (& non-calls) throughout the game. Spinner players & coaches were seen kicking cones while on the sideline. Philadelphia's Head Coach Billy Maroon eventually earned an orange arm band in middle of the 4th quarter after a turf-level catch by a Spinner was ruled incomplete by the MLU referee. ("only active players may earn a band" [per the MLU Rulebook])

Spinners Head Coach Maroon wearing an orange band.

:End of the Game:
DC Current was up 4 points at closing seconds of the 4th quarter. DC had possession of the disc as they wound down the clock, moving the disc near the endzone and called an "unusual timeout".

After the timeout,  DC had a turnover at the cone. Philadelphia then threw the disc to the middle of the field as time ran out. Nick Purifico (PHS) reacted upset after Sean Keegan (DCC) appeared to have pushed him [NOTE: not captured on video]. Purifico then complained to a ref and reacted demonstratively.

After the teams shook hands, Purifico again reacted demonstratively toward the refs to the point where Spinners players and the Spinners GM stepped in to restrain him. He eventually walked off the field to the sidelines. As you can see from the video, many players sought out the referees to talk to them after the game.

DC Current tweeted there was some orange band awarded to both Keegan & Purifico.

Nic Darling (MLU Vice-President) & Ian McClellan (MLU Director of Competition) were both in attendance. Will any further action be taken against coaches &/or any players by this pro Ultimate league?

Philadelphia Spinners - MLU 2016 Champions

The Philadelphia Spinners won the MLU Championship on Saturday, July 16, by the score of 14-11 (7-6 halftime) over the Portland Stags. The Stags' 11 goals matches their lowest scoring output which happened during their very first MLU game - also a 11-14 loss versus San Francisco on April 23, 2013.

The Spinners finish their championship MLU season with an (11-1) overall record. This is Philly's first Major League Ultimate championship in their 4-year MLU existence.

This is Philly's second pro ultimate league title since Philadelphia Spinners won the AUDL championship back in 2012.

Championship tweets from the Spinners in 2016 & in 2012

Enjoy their 'Road to the Championship' video:

AUDL 2012 Championship

After two playoff games, the inaugural AUDL Championship is scheduled for Saturday. Who do you favor to win?

Saturday, August 11

Indianapolis AlleyCats vs. Philadelphia Spinners

Silverdome (Detroit, Michigan)

Favorite: Spinners by 5.5 points. Game Over/Under: 53 total points

Game attendance: Over/Under 850 (Capacity = 82,000)

Analysis: In their only head-to-head meeting, Spinners beat the AlleyCats (19-16) in Indy during week 14. AlleyCats have played twice in Detroit; winning one in week 7, and losing another in week 10 - a Sunday game after a Saturday away game. The Spinners never played in Detroit during the 2012 regular season, but are accustom to playing on a large stadium field as their home field is UPenn's 52,000-seat stadium.

Not going to Detroit? View the game online.
 


++++++++++++++++++++++++
RESULTS

Philadelphia Spinners won by 7 points (29-22) over Indianapolis Alley Cats (51 total points)
Attendance: "500" spectators

MLU vs Club Roster: Philadelphia

With Major League Ultimate's season being scheduled before the Club Ultimate season, it makes sense that teams would draw from Club-level players. Nearly two-thirds of the Spinners' roster are Southpaw players, with the remainder as former Southpaw teammates, as well as from AMP, Termite's Revenge and Philly Gavel.

Philadelphia Spinners' 2013 roster was compared to Southpaw's roster. Out of the 23-person MLU roster, 15 (65%) are Southpaw players. Also, the Spinners have 13 players returning from their 2012 roster - the most of any(!) MLU team. Thanks to Ryan Thompson who assisted with identifying Philly players.

Southpaw club players on the 2013 Spinners Roster

Related Rosters: DC. Seattle. Boston. San Fran. Vancouver.

Evaluation of Major League Ultimate 2014 Jerseys

The MLU darks ("primary") and lights ("alternate") on PUMA apparel are newly designed for 2014. A home jersey breakdown has already been done. Now, Eli - as part of a pro Ultimate jersey review - critiques each team's jersey in the MLU:

(Listed in alphabetical order)

Boston Whitecaps

Primary: Powder blue jersey with wave/B logo in the center of the chest. Numbers on the left breast and sleeve are dark with white stroke and are nicely legible. I've written about the logo design elsewhere, but I'll say again that the whitecap looks more like a feather than a wave.
Alternate: Clean whites with "BOSTON" above the collarbone near the top seam. Dark blue numbers with a bright blue stroke outline on the center of the chest and on the sleeve. Shield logo on the left breast is too small to make out any details. Knocked out white type would be better, and inverting the black and white of the wave would also make it more legible.

New York Rumble

Primary: "NYR" logo with brass knuckles coming out of the Y to make it look like a bouquet of flowers is centered on the chest. The logo is gold with a white stroke around it. If not for the stroke the logo would be completely eaten up by the contrast against the green shirt.
Alternate: The word "RUMBLE" in a soft-cornered san serif runs all the way across the chest in black on the white jersey. The awkward "NYR" badge is relegated to the sleeve and this jersey is the better for it. Gold numbers with a green stroke on the left breast are nicely sized and colored.


Philadelphia Spinners

Primary: Royal blue jersey with a white sash, the full Spinners logo/crest on the left chest. The player number is placed so that half of the number is on the white and the other half descends below, into the blue field. Simple and balanced, but if you weren't familiar with the teams it would take quite a while to figure out which team this is.
Alternate: The Spinners chose the Puma design with a sash of color running across the chest; the Puma logo and the player number are on either side of this sash, with the Spinners' spinning vortex "S" graphic in the center. The gradients in this graphic render it muddy from anywhere but very close range.

Portland Stags

Primary: Portland also chose the jersey style with the contrasting sash across the chest. The "Stags" logotype is placed in the middle of this sash, with a small part of the logo breaking the sash and crossing over into the green field. This feels sloppy and forced.
Alternate: Small Stag logo and logotype on the left-side of chest is still legible because of the effective design of the mark. Large sponsor logo beneath has the entire jersey feeling like there is no point of emphasis - all the elements have the same visual weight so there is no movement or contrast in the design.

San Francisco Dogfish

Primary: Same placement of player number and Puma logo, with large "Dogfish" logotype across the chest. The slab letter and two outlining strokes make this a bit hard to read.
Alternate: Large Dogfish logo (without type) in the center of the jersey with Puma logo and player number up high on left and right. Font choice for the numbers is definitely the boldest choice of any team.


Seattle Rainmakers

Primary: More balanced than the alt jersey. The icon logo is used and holds up well at a smaller size.
Alternate: "Rainmakers" is a long word to stretch across the chest of this jersey - they do it and keep it legible. The position of the player number and Puma logo do not correspond and make the whole thing feel lopsided and off-kilter. It also seems a little off that the numbers are filled but the letters are knocked out to white.

Vancouver Nighthawks

Primary: The hand-drawn "NightHawks" logotype is just too dainty to look good across the chest of this jersey. At least the italic numbers match the slant of the type.
Alternate: Angry bird logo is centered in a black field with a black interior. The lines are dynamic and full of energy but are too small to be viewed well from a distance.

Washington DC Current

Primary: The oddly anthropomorphic DC crest is very legible at the size it is placed on the left chest. Silver ink for the numbers is a nice touch. Just above the numbers, the 3 stars and 2 bars (a nod to DC's flag) is fitting.
Alternate: Gray/silver type on an all-white jersey, with a sponsor graphic at the same scale as the team name leaves this jersey looking like a shirt you'd get for signing up for a corporate challenge fun run.

##

Purchase MLU replica jerseys at the MLU Online Store.

[IMAGES SOURCE: Major League Ultimate]