Players to Watch: Week One
MLQ’s 10th season starts this weekend with three exciting series. We start in Cleveland, where the Toronto Raiders are taking on the Cleveland Riff at 4 pm ET. The series could very well determine who gets to go to Buffalo and who does not come August. At 6 pm ET, we head over to New York, where the New York Titans are hosting the Washington Admirals in the two teams’ usual opening season matchup. Finally, we head to Houston, where the Houston Legends host the Series of the Week against the Kansas City Stampede at 7 pm CT. It’s only fitting that the series that put a cap on the 2024 season will open the 2025 season in the South. With all the action happening this weekend, here are six athletes to watch.
Cleveland Riff: Adam Thompson (#57)
In their sophomore season on the Riff, look for Adam Thompson to make a splash in the North Division. Thompson flew under the radar as one of the best defensive chasers in the league in 2024. They were one of seven players with 20 or more stops, leading the Riff chasers defensively. Thompson also finished with the most assists on the team and as the franchise’s second leading scorer. After a strong rookie season, they are on a path to turn into a star in the North. It all starts at home where Cleveland has a great opportunity to beat Toronto. In what will be a much closer series this weekend than last summer, Thompson will give the Riff a major edge as they take on the Raiders.
Toronto Raiders: Christos Kaldis (#32)
Christos Kaldis emerged as one of the top seekers in the league last season, finishing the summer with four catches (tied for fourth in 2024). Kaldis showed all summer that he can pull a flag if he gets merely a couple seconds with a runner. Against Cleveland last summer, he not only pulled twice, but was the third leading scorer in the series. When Toronto hosted the Riff last June, the Raiders ran away with the series, with the closest game being a 95-point gap. On Saturday, expect a much closer series. The Raiders shouldn’t expect two triple digit wins, and flag catches will play a much more crucial role in either team winning. The league knows Kaldis can execute. If he can get looks at the flag runner, the 35 points from a catch might give Toronto the win.
Washington Admirals: Chantal Siodlarz (#30)
After being two goals away from winning a USQ championship in April, the UVA program is bringing over a ton of talent to the Washington Admirals this summer. One of the staples of their USQ run was chaser Chantal Siodlarz, who is making her MLQ debut this weekend against the Titans. Siodlarz enters the summer on the short list of players to win Rookie of the Year. She proved throughout the fall that she can create opportunities for her teammates and find goal opportunities against strong defenses. Now Siodlarz will have the chance to take her talents to the next level against the reigning champions in New York. Look for Siodlarz to contribute in big ways for the Admirals this weekend in her first minutes at the MLQ level.
New York Titans: Colin Gaines (#15)
All of the rostered Titans beaters have worn the red, gold, and black before except one: Colin Gaines. After taking a summer off, Gaines hasn’t been on the MLQ stage since 2023, when he played for New York’s rival, the Chicago Prowl. Since then, he has been at the top of the college game playing for Columbia College and RPI during the USQ season. After playing two series in a Prowl uniform, Gaines has the opportunity once again to play on one of quadball’s biggest stages against the Admirals. It will be interesting to see how this Titans veteran beater corp will integrate Gaines into a rotation of beaters that all have familiarity with each other.
Kansas City Stampede: Purvi Mujumdar (#5)
After a 2024 season absence, Purvi Mujumdar returns to MLQ in what might be the biggest series of the year for the Stampede. Mujumdar last played for the Austin Outlaws in 2023, where she went on to win an MLQ Championship. Now, Mujumdar returns as the only person between both rosters that has been to the top of the league. Last time Mujumdar played the Legends, she recorded three stops and ran away with dodgeball control, maintaining a 1.81 average across the series. Given the losses to the Kansas City’s beater corp and Mujumdar’s success against the Legends in the past, look for her to have a huge impact in the outcome of this vital series.
Houston Legends: Andrew Acosta (#1)
There may not be a Legend who is itching to play the Stampede more than keeper Andrew Acosta. After a broken collarbone prevented him from playing against Kansas City last season, Acosta finished the summer one goal and two assists short of hitting a triple double in his rookie year. In what was a back and forth affair, he was absent for the series that ended Houston’s season. Now, Acosta has his engines ready for takeoff as he enters his sophomore season with an opportunity to make a statement against the one team in the South who hasn’t seen him yet. Look for Acosta to have a breakout year as he steps into a leading role on the Legends this Saturday.
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