Fast Takes With Fast Break: Cleveland Riff vs Chicago Prowl

Feline the Rhythm

Authors: Ashton Butler & Anonymous

It is still the early days of the 2025 Major League Quadball season, and already the North Division is heating up. In Week Two, last season’s darkhorse Detroit Innovators were held winless against perennial contenders Minneapolis Monarchs. However, the division’s biggest surprise has to be the Cleveland Riff’s shocking sweep of the Toronto Raiders on opening weekend. This weekend, Cleveland will play host to the Chicago Prowl, who are looking to kickoff their North Division title defense with a bang.

Matchup History

The history between the Riff and the Prowl has been a lopsided one. Last season, the two teams faced-off for the first time since the North Division was split into two conferences back in 2022. Chicago dominated in that series, sporting an average +240 points per game in what was one of the most one-sided matchups of the year. It was more of the same in 2021, when the Prowl (the Indianapolis Intensity at the time) outshined the Riff with an average +135 points per game. Since the conception of MLQ, Cleveland has only beaten Chicago twice, the most recent of which was in 2016. Can this season’s early cinderella story continue jamming on, or will the big cats bare their fangs?

Series Roster

The Cleveland Riff are coming off their first series sweep in team history, and their beater core played a massive role in those wins. Highlighting the beaters returning to action are Adam Thompson and Rae Barnes. Thompson is coming off an eye-catching performance in Week One. The chaser-converted-beater was an unexpected feature in the Cleveland rotation, and the 53 drives he played are a clear indicator he has found a new home in the lineup. Barnes is coming off a prominent outing of their own, as they had the most average dodgeballs possessed of any beater in the Toronto series. The two were both +5 in +/-, and contributed to nearly half of the team’s drives on the weekend. Another surprising contributor was rookie Martin Meinert, who played 30 drives and started alongside Thompson. They touted a +4 in +/-, an impressive feat for the sophomore Boston University representative. However, noticeably missing from the lineup is veteran beater Austin Howe. Having gone down with an injury in Game Three of the series against the Raiders, Howe will look to recover for Cleveland’s next matchup against the Minneapolis Monarchs July 5. Look for new additions to the starting 21, David Profusek and Rachel Yates, to step in and fill the gap.

Cleveland’s Quadball players had their highest scoring series in franchise history against the Raiders, and it started with MLQ’s Player of the Week Joseph Lombardi. He scored 15 goals, and tacked on an additional six assists and seven stops during the Toronto series, in what was a career-high series for him. Peter Brechting also returns to the lineup, after contributing 12 goals and a team-leading 11 stops against Toronto. Combined, the two shared nearly 60% of the Riff’s goals against the Raiders. Despite this high percentage, Cleveland’s Quadball success leaned on full team effort, with nine of the twelve chasers/keepers scoring or assisting in the series. This included the standout play of rookies Vivian Cox, Delaney Lindberg and Jackson Neofes. Of the three, Cox will be the only player not returning to the lineup following an injury in Game One of the Raiders series. Rookie Devon Smith and Will Kozak will look to make an immediate impact as they fill her place on the roster.

For Chicago, their team looks very similar to 2024 with many of the heroes of last season looking to spoil Cleveland’s attempt to qualify for championships for the first time since 2021. This will be Chicago’s first series of 2025, and they hope to get back to reality and start with a 3-0 series, unlike a season ago when they dropped a game to the Innovators opening weekend. Last year, the rockstar for Chicago in this matchup was Matthew Troy as he led the team in scoring with 11 goals. Troy has a high motor and is a strong tackler on Chicago’s team, and his physicality will be needed when dealing with powerful drives from Cleveland’s Lombardi and Brechting. Chicago’s offense has worked extremely well in extending the defense of the opponent to its limits and picking out the holes where they appear. This Cleveland team had some difficulty with stopping Toronto when they were forced to defend the backside of the pitch, and that is where Chicago excels. Chicago’s playmaking from key ball handlers such as Nathan Digmann, Justin Cole or head coach Kennedy Murphy. Despite creating a major impact through coaching, Murphy has proven to excel on the pitch for Chicago as one of the biggest threats in the sport in all aspects of the game. Few players have the unique ability to score, pass and play elite perimeter defense like she can, but Chicago somehow ended up with a roster that has multiple. Digmann led the team in every category, and he has done so in each of the last three seasons. He can shoot from anywhere on the pitch, and he will be a real problem for Cleveland as he was last year with nine goals and five assists. Despite the star power from the chaser game, this series will be a real opportunity for Chicago to show off the newer additions and youth on the team to give them valuable minutes for development. A player to look out for will be Marcos Sandoval from the Illini Ridgebacks. Sandoval’s playstyle was put on display over the course of USQ. He is a physical force, an impressive finisher around hoops and a great player to get the ball to in a no-dodgeball situation, and he’s not afraid to make a big hit either. 

While the chaser depth may be a lot for Cleveland to handle, Chicago’s beaters have just as strong of a case. Chicago’s beating core starts with their U.S. National Team beater Matt Brown who returns after a summer off in 2024. Brown is one of the league’s best beaters in all aspects of the game. Brown is a menace defensively that seemingly does not miss, and he allows for the chasers to play aggressively knowing that because he has their back. However, Cleveland’s biggest nightmare returns for Chicago as Tad Walters returns after cooking in their series in 2024. Walters had an astonishing +23 difference in the game in just 27 drives, and was not scored on a single time throughout the series. Cleveland’s key to the game will be to slow down these beaters which is much easier said than done as even once you get past the veterans on this beating core, young players such as Leah Osbourne from Purdue rise to the occasion. Osbourne is a fierce beater who’s not afraid to make a play when called on. Her willingness to be aggressive with or without the ball as well as her intelligence to pick out the right play for her chasers on offense will be a great addition to this already loaded Chicago team. 

Players to Watch For

Coming off what potentially was the Cleveland Riff’s first ever Player of the Week performance, all eyes will be on Lombardi. He was absolutely dominant against the Toronto Raiders. His 15 goals and seven stops on the weekend placed him second in the league for scoring and fifth in stops. Those 15 goals are a significant improvement on his total of 17 last season. Lombardi’s effectiveness from range was outstanding, only missing a single shot from beyond the keeper zone. When Toronto shifted to a three-player hoop defense, Lombardi adapted by driving and dicing through the Raiders. In what projects to be a more difficult matchup against the Prowl, Lombardi will need to adapt in order to find any success against a well-tuned defense.

The second Riff player to watch for is rising star Thompson. Thompson was a massive reason for Cleveland’s success against the Raiders. While their 1.47 average dodgeballs was nothing to sniff at, their 53 drives played and +5 in +/-  speaks volumes as to their impact on the team. Thompson particularly had great success creating no dodgeball opportunities. Over the entire 2024 season, the Cleveland Riff only created 12 no-dodgeball situations. Of those 12 attempts, Cleveland had the lowest scoring success rate in the league at 42%. With the help of Thompson, the Riff have completely flipped the script in their fastbreak game. In only one series, Cleveland had 11 no-dodgeball opportunities. Of those 11, they scored 64% of them — placing them well above the middle of the pack in this statistic. With the absence of Austin Howe, Thompson will be leaned on even more than in the Week One series. Their success will be vital in the Riff’s chances to steal a win from the Prowl.

On the flip side, Chicago’s biggest obligation will be to cut down the strengths of Cleveland’s win and exploit their weaknesses, one of which is the flag runner game. Cleveland was able to effectively ignore the flag runner in their series against the Raiders, and with the help of Rose Mourninghan, were able to fend off the Toronto’s seekers in two of their three games. However, this Chicago team comes loaded with seeker depth. Chicago was able to catch nine flag runners in 2024 and all three times against Cleveland. Matt Melton caught in two of the games last season, and Brown will be looking to provide the security to make it three this year. Cleveland will not be able to simply ignore the seekers on Chicago as they will catch if given time and 35 points could go a long way. Chicago’s beating core is really going to set them apart in this series from both their experience in playing in high stakes games but also their physicality. The Prowl does not lose their dodgeballs too often, but when they do, all of their beating core is willing to make contact in order to get control back. Look for aggressive beating from Sol Alexander (Melby) and Walters this weekend. A new player for Chicago looking to take their first steps into MLQ this weekend will be Sohum Sharma of Illini. Sharma is a trackstar as he has blazing speed and a quick step to attack. Sharma stepped into a starting role for Illini at USQ Nationals and excelled in doing so. He adds to the aggressive and smart beater archetype that Chicago likes to recruit, and he will be a player to get big minutes, especially if Chicago can take a lead.

Depth is the name of the game for Chicago’s chasers this weekend to help determine where their depth lies heading deeper into the season, and how they will formulate their lines to find success. Justin Cole gets added to a stacked group full of tall chasers who can play on all four spots defensively. Cole, a former member of the USNT, is a very strong player who can do a bit of everything and will be a big problem for the opponent defensively around hoops. Another major veteran of the sport joining this team is Mae Overholt who really shined with Boom Train this USQ season. Overholt is a taller chaser with the skill set of someone who is smaller. She has a great knack of scoring and finishing in unique ways with a quick first step and deceptive vision to find openings to shoot or pass, and she will be a great addition to this already pass-heavy offense. 

Series Decider

The battle between these North Division foes will ultimately be decided by how quick the Prowl can shake off their rust and if the Riff attack early and often. It is no secret that Chicago has been one of the most efficient offensive and defensive teams in MLQ over the past few years. This efficiency was highlighted by their performance last season, where they led the league in scoring rate (62.6%) and stop rate (80.7%). The Prowl’s dominance in these categories directly correlated with their league-leading shooting rate (78.4%) and third best dodgeballs controlled rate (61.8%). In comparison, the Cleveland Riff were the second least efficient team in both scoring rate (19.2%) and stop rate (37.0%). This also matched with their second worst shooting rate (41.5%) and dodgeballs controlled rate (31.1%) . Statistically, Chicago should defeat Cleveland in this year’s series. However, both teams have had noticeable roster turnover. The new additions to the Riff squad already bore fruit with their Week One series sweep of the Raiders. On the other hand, Chicago has cycled in-and-out 12 depth players in both the Quadball game and beater game. With their season just kicking off, how quick those players can learn the playbook and mesh with Chicago’s core base of players can impact the direction of this series. For Cleveland to pull off the upset, they will need to be aggressive early. By applying high-pressure defense and forcing fastbreak opportunities, they can look to take advantage of returning players who are regaining their feet, and new additions who are still learning Chicago’s style of play.

Concluding Statement

Comparing the teams on paper, it would be unexpected if the series didn’t go the way of the Prowl. Chicago boasts a far more talented and experienced roster when compared to Cleveland, featuring several current and past USNT members. The core of the Prowl has remained mostly unchanged for many seasons now, and the distinctive methodical strategy they apply works wonders with their team’s deepened chemistry. The Riff are clearly a much improved team than the one we saw in 2024, but for them to find success against the Chicago juggernaut, they will need to force the issue early in hopes to overwhelm a Prowl squad who is only beginning to find their flow in the 2025 MLQ season. At the end of the day, expect the Prowl to come away with a series sweep against the Riff.

Series Prediction

Chicago 3 - 0 Cleveland