2025 MLQ Championships: The Play-In Preview
It’s all been leading up to this, folks.
This weekend, the Quadball community flocks to Buffalo, New York for the 2025 MLQ Championships. We’ll finally get to see who the true imposters are, and who are the true heroes. And at the end of it all, one team will bring home the Benepe Cup.
But before we get to that, we’ve got two empty spots in the Championship Bracket, and a whole bunch of teams that want them.
The Washington Admirals, the Detroit Innovators, the Houston Legends, the Charlotte Aviators and the Cleveland Riff will all battle it out Saturday morning in hopes of earning one of two open spots in the race for the Benepe Cup. The play-in bracket is notoriously brutal, with one game to play to decide who advances, and who falls behind. Every stop, every goal, every assist, every recovery counts.
So let’s see what FastBreak News’ writers think is going to happen in the Saturday-morning gauntlet, shall we?
The Detroit Innovators
By: David Banas Jr.
Rolling into MLQ Championships, the Detroit Innovators sport a 6-6 record, second best in franchise history after last year’s performance under former Head Coach Kaegan Maddelein. The Innovators are in a decidedly different position than last year, having lost several important contributors (e.g. Leo Fried, Ryder Fried, Kaegan Maddelein, Ethan Wanous, etc). The Innovators’ goal this MLQ Champs is straightforward: win a postseason game. This feat hasn’t happened since the 2018 season when the Dave Wier-coached team snuck out a win in Game Two of their quarterfinal series against a shorthanded New York Titans. A stretch goal for Detroit would be to make it into the bid games, where they can be proud to play for a bid to the quarterfinals after a season of ups and downs — externally and internally.
Despite being the second-closest franchise attending MLQ Champs, the Innovators will not be bringing a full roster, with only 19 players and no injury reserve. The uninjured players not attending are Brice Tweddle, Gwen Pratt, Julien Theuerkauf, and Neil Peterson, all of whom played key minutes against Cleveland and in the other three Detroit series. Theuerkauf was an assist machine with eight against Cleveland, and Pratt was a top-five finisher in the series with six. Both proved to be much-needed in Game Three of the series, with Theuerkauf being an offensive sparkplug and Pratt illustrating their hallmark defense when the Innovators’ offense sputtered out for lengthy periods.
Prediction
Detroit’s play-in performance will be as follows. The team will suffer a decisive loss against the Washington Admirals to open their 2025 MLQ Champs experience. Head Coach John Gaffigan is no stranger to the Motor City side as he donned the purple and grey of the Cleveland Riff from 2015 until his move to Washington in 2023. While this matchup might have been closer if the Innovators fielded a full roster, getting a win against a Washington side that beat the second-place-in-the-East Boston Forge is a tough ask. Indeed, Washington became the first franchise to win a series while also being outscored in aggregate across a three-game series.
While an opening loss is tough to swallow, there is a comforting balm in sight: Cleveland. The Riff will almost certainly lose their first-round matchup to the Charlotte Aviators, providing an excellent bounce-back opportunity for Detroit. While Game Three of their series was close — indeed, Cleveland led at some points — this situation was more the result of Detroit playing depth (and Pete Brechting finally beating). After this Champs derby win, Detroit will face either Charlotte or Houston, most likely Houston, as the Legends’ young beating corps — and shallow roster — won’t be able to match the veteran cadre in black from Charlotte. Detroit should be able to cruise through this matchup with relative ease and, perhaps most importantly, play some depth to save their starters for the battle over the last bid. This bid game will be the Innovators vs. the loser of Charlotte vs. Washington, which will likely be Charlotte. The question (and determining factor) looms: which team will be in better condition by the time they get there? For Charlotte, it will only be their third game, but for the Innovators, it will be their fourth, all in a six-hour window, depending on delays. Whatever coaching staff is better able to manage their lines’ playtime without sacrificing performance will win the last bid to the quarterfinals.
The Washington Admirals
By: Ashton Butler
After a significant win against the Boston Forge to hoist themselves to third place in the East, the Washington Admirals look to right their wrongs of last season and make it back into the Championship bracket at the 2025 MLQ Championships. Prior to 2024, the Admirals had not missed the quarterfinals since 2018. However, Washington is the only team in the play-in bracket to have taken even a game from a second seeded team, let alone a series like the one they took from Boston. Washington’s path to the Championship bracket is very straightforward, but is full of tests along the way.
Washington has the chance to exit the play-in bracket with a shortened day of games, and it starts with a matchup with the Detroit Innovators. Detroit brings a roster with a heavy heart after a tough break a season ago, when their season ended after just two games when they were paired with the eventual champions in the quarterfinals. With USNT and USNTDA talent as beater partners and young promising players across the board, Washington will face potentially their toughest task as their first game. If they win, Washington gets to follow up with whoever makes it out of the Houston Legends, the Charlotte Aviators or the Cleveland Riff. Washington is two wins away from making it into the championship bracket with time to rest, but they’ll have a much bigger mountain to climb if they cannot get the job done early on Saturday.
Tough Waters
Despite the tough opponents in their horizon, the Admirals will be without assistant coach Adrian Koretsky on the pitch. Koretsky is an absolute super star, racking up elite stats all season, especially in their duel against Boston. Washington will not only miss one key beater, but three without both Robert Rice and Diana Howard as well. Both Rice and Howard are within the top five in every beater statistic, and their veteran presence will be dearly missed.
Land Ho!
Despite missing out on key pieces, the youth and ability to play in sync will bring this team together. With high level coaching from Head Coach John Gaffigan and major minutes played by the UVA bunch, this team is destined to put up a major fight. There has not been a series where the top three scorers of Nathan Jun, Riley Starrs and Bryan Mulcahy have all played together. With the options to score with versatility from these three and suffocating defense from Zan Siddiqui, Chantal Siodlarz and Shane McConaghie, Washington is ready to embark on their 2025 MLQ Champs journey and right the path of this new era of Admirals.
Writer’s Prediction: Washington will beat Detroit
The Charlotte Aviators
By: Brandon Borges
Flight Path to the Quarterfinals
The Charlotte Aviators enter MLQ Championships as the East’s fourth seed, but their 5-7 record includes one result that should give them confidence: a 2-1 win over the Washington Admirals, widely seen as the strongest team in the play-in bracket.
Their last outing was a stumble, a lopsided 0-3 sweep to the New York Titans. With a more complete roster, Charlotte has a chance to reset and make noise in the gauntlet. Their road is demanding, as they will need three wins to reach the Championship bracket. First comes the ascending Cleveland Riff. Win that, and they face a fresh Houston. Survive again, and they will meet the winner of Washington vs Detroit. Any loss drops them to the elimination bracket, where one more defeat ends their run. The question is simple: can Charlotte fight through three high-pressure games and claim a quarterfinal spot?
Turbulence Ahead
Charlotte’s biggest question mark remains their offensive identity. While beaters Kody LaBauve and Celine Richard can tilt a game with control and timely beats, the half-court chaser sets often rely on individual heroics rather than a structured system. That can work in bursts, but to get through defenses like Detroit’s or Washington’s, Charlotte will need more of the quick cuts and crisp passes that fueled their win over the Admirals.
On defense this team can create chaos, stringing together stops and fast break goals. That style demands relentless energy, and Charlotte will be tested by the three-win path they face. Inconsistency is the danger; just as they can rattle off a scoring run, they can just as easily allow opponents to pile on unanswered points. To reach the quarterfinals, they will need sustained intensity for longer stretches than their play-in peers.
Wings of Strength
What Charlotte does have is one of the deepest and most balanced rosters in the play-in round. LaBauve and Richard are arguably the top beater pair in the field, with a chemistry honed over seasons. Chaser Caleb Brooks has emerged as a strong rotational piece, complementing a corps that includes the poised finishing of Zachary Thompson, the physical presence of Lee Hodge, the scoring touch of Melissa Ross and Braxton Hale’s growth as a fast break passer and defensive rebounder.
The beater depth is bolstered by Josh Peck and Hannah Reese, who have developed into a dependable high-IQ pairing that can flip control in key moments. And then there is Ryan Davis, Charlotte’s go-to scorer, defensive stopper and one of the most dangerous seekers in the bracket. Their ability to impact every phase of the game makes them the Aviators’ true X-factor.
Charlotte’s growth over the season has been steady and tangible. If they can harness the balanced play, beater control and high-end talent that powered their best moments, they will not just survive the play-ins, they could put a scare in their quarterfinals opponent.
The Cleveland Riff
Don’t Stop Believin’
The long wait is over; the Cleveland Riff have made it to the MLQ Championships for the first time since 2021. While a 3-9 season (including a series forfeit to the Minneapolis Monarchs) might sound like a small achievement, Cleveland has made huge improvements compared to years past. Coaching tactics have improved, the roster has been injected with young players and the team is increasingly motivated to succeed. However, succeeding at Champs will be no small feat.
Coming off a rough series defeat to the Detroit Innovators, Cleveland enters Champs as the fourth seed in the North and are placed into the Play-in Bracket. The path to a Benepe Cup victory will always be an uphill battle for a fourth seed, with the Riff needing to win 3-4 games to make it into the Championship Bracket. They will first face off against the well-balanced Charlotte Aviators. If they win that game, they would go on to fight a depleted Houston Legends squad. With another victory, they would take on the sturdy Washington Admirals or rematch their North Division rival, Detroit Innovators. Even a single win would be a defining achievement for the Cleveland program, as it would be their first at MLQ Championships since the 2015 inaugural season.
Striking the Wrong Chords
Cleveland’s series-sweeping loss to Detroit made one thing blatantly clear; their offensive is sorely lacking. The team appeared pigeonholed into one or two formations, and when those didn’t work out, the offensive became desperate. To find success, Cleveland will need to diversify the offense by spreading the quadball around, creating more off ball movement and better adapting to the opponent's defenses.
On defense, Cleveland has to play bigger and smarter. The reality is that the Riff have the lowest dodgeball control rate in the league. They cannot rely on beaters to clean up the opponent’s offense on every play. Instead, the quadball defense must create turnovers by anticipating steals and being more physical around the hoops. One bright spot on their defense has been Peter Brechting. As the team’s leader in stops, he will need to continue shining on defense for Cleveland to find success at Champs.
Keeping Calm and Rocking On
While dodgeball control has been hard to come by, Cleveland’s beaters have had surprising success with two dodgeballs this season, boasting an elite 72% stop rate. Headlined by Rae Barnes and Austin Howe, their beaters helped provide a distinct advantage in their series-sweep of the Toronto Raiders. Former chaser Adam Thompson and rookie Martin Meinert have been key contributors as change-of-pace beaters, and will give Cleveland a chance in the Play-in Bracket.
On the other side of the ball, enough can’t be said about the scoring success of Joseph Lombardi. His career-high season has been aided by assistant coach Fiona Gaffney, and rookie linemates Delaney Lindberg and Jackson Neofes. This line must continue to produce for the Riff to earn their first Champs win in nearly a decade.
Prediction
The reality is that the path to the Championship Bracket is a treacherous one, and it starts with a difficult opponent in the Charlotte Aviators. Charlotte is as well-balanced as they come; a dominant beating presence with a fast, physical quadball core. This style of team has given Cleveland problems, and would likely do so again. After a loss to the Aviators, the Riff would face the loser of the Washington Admirals versus the Detroit Innovators, which is expected to be the Innovators. Cleveland couldn’t solve the Detroit defense in their matchup only a week ago, so it would be hard to imagine the result changing in this rematch. A loss to the Innovators would end the Riff’s hopes for a victory at Champs.
The Houston Legends
By: Brandon Borges
Mission: Make the Leap
For the first time since 2021, the Houston Legends are back at MLQ Championships. This return has been years in the making and is a culmination of not just hard work, but smart work. Head coach Brandon Kubena knows the league inside and out, and he’s walking into the play-in bracket with a clear-eyed view of what it will take to survive.
As the default third seed in the South, Houston’s path is straightforward but steep: beat the winner of Cleveland Riff vs Charlotte Aviators, then take down either the Washington Admirals or Detroit Innovators to punch a ticket to the Championship bracket. Two wins and they’re in, and for a program that’s been clawing toward simply appearing at MLQ Championships for the past few years, that would be the statement of statements.
The Uphill Battle
The Legends won’t have their full arsenal. Three of their top five goal scorers, Andrew Acosta, Juan Acevedo and Billy Nellums, are out, stripping away much of the team’s speed, finishing touch and fast-break punch. Promising rookies Spencer Quintana and David Wright are also absent, along with veteran beaters Gabi Lopez and Carlos Elarba.
That shortage in the beater rotation is dangerous. Houston’s hammer plays, already risky without elite dodgeball support, become harder to execute, and a failed set could quickly turn into an opponent’s fast break. Defensively, Houston has had trouble against crisp-passing teams all season, often allowing second-chance looks that wear down the zone. Combine that with the fact they’re the only play-in team without a non-default win this year, and the mental hill is as steep as the physical one.
The Case for Chaos
Still, the Legends have weapons that can flip a game. Rookie Sean Allen has been a revelation: a physical driver who finishes through contact and sets the tone defensively. Mallory Hughes has evolved into a two-way anchor, blending smart cuts, confident drives and lockdown defense at the hoops.
At beater, Caleigh Duvall has quietly turned in a productive season, facilitating hammer plays on offense and racking up stops on defense. Midseason, Kubena shifted veteran chaser Sam Reagan to beater, and his poise and timing immediately brought stability to the unit; similar types of in-game adjustments could prove pivotal at Champs.
And then there’s the intangible: this team is fearless. They’ve fought through roster turnover, close games and a brutal South schedule to get here. That energy, the urgency of finally being back at Champs, makes Houston a dangerous draw in a one-and-done bracket. If they land the first punch, they just might keep swinging until they break through.
Schedule
Cleveland v. Charlotte, 8:30 AM @ Pitch One
Washington v. Detroit, 8:30 AM @ Pitch Two
Houston vs. Winner A (Cleveland, Charlotte), 9:45 AM @ Pitch One
