MLP San Diego featured near perfect pickleball weather, big crowds, and an event winning effort by 2024 champions, the Dallas Flash. Dallas upset favored LA in pool play, and then went on to defeat favored Columbus in the event final. Major kudos to the entire Dallas team. Let’s now separate fact from fiction, as we have only two events to go and playoff positions are on the line.

 

 

Dallas had a great event in San Diego. Danni-Elle Townsend has fit in perfectly and indeed is outplaying Tyra Black, who was traded for her. Brooke Buckner was an unsung hero, winning (with JW Johnson) her mixed doubles matches against both LA and Columbus, and going 4-1 in the event. Johnson was the MVP of the team and of the event. Augie Ge and Alix Truong solidly contributed. It was a total team effort.

 

Dallas was an underdog against both LA and Columbus and defeated them both. While top teams St. Louis and New Jersey were not in San Diego, all Dallas or any other team can do is to play the schedule as it is. Dallas played the teams they faced in San Diego and went undefeated. Congrats to Dallas.

 

But does it mean Dallas can win it all, as they did in 2024? Recency bias would lead us to say yes, but while San Diego was great for Dallas, I still do not see them as championship material at this point. Winning one match off LA and one match off Columbus was a tough task, and Dallas did it. But, to win the championship, Dallas likely has to win two matches of three against three of the top five teams, with at least one of those wins coming against St. Louis or New Jersey. Is it possible? Yes. Likely? No. Dallas has one more event, MLP Chicago, and will have a relatively easy pool. They could win MLP Chicago. Momentum matters. Enthusiasm matters. Dallas could well be a team that no one wants to play in the playoffs, like Columbus last year. But I still need to see a little more before I think Dallas can join the top five as a strong championship contender.

 

 

 

LA started the season with an event win at MLP Dallas. But since then, LA has steadily faded. MLP San Diego exposed problems galore. The women’s doubles team of Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto was semi-unbeatable in 2025, but this year they are basically a 50-50 team. The #2 mixed team of Max Freeman/Parenteau has been very beatable. Even Ben Johns has been vulnerable, as he is in danger of not finishing as even in the top ten of all MLP players. Indeed, against Dallas, Johns won a grand total of four points in his two games. Four! If he had won either of his doubles matches, LA would have defeated Dallas.

 

Freeman is the #32 ranked men’s doubles player. Being #32 in the world is a sign you are a great player. But, that is not the issue. He is playing consistently against top 10 and top 20 players. At #32, Freeman is far and away the lowest ranked player on any of the top teams. Trading him when the opportunity arose appeared to be a no brainer.

 

 

LA did make a trade at the deadline, but not a trade that appears to be a major difference maker. It is reported that they are trading Gabe Joseph and money for Connor Garnett. Garnett will apparently play mixed doubles with Parenteau, with Freeman still playing men’s doubles with Johns.

 

LA had an opportunity to trade for Dylan Frazier. Indeed, they could have obtained Frazier for less money than they spent to acquire Garnett, and Frazier is eligible to be retained in 2027, while Garnett is not. Garnett is a very good player. He is ranked #13 in men’s doubles, with Frazier ranked #10. More importantly, Frazier is a great right side player, while Garnett is best on the left. Pairing Frazier with Johns would have given LA arguably the best men’s doubles team in MLP; at worst, it would be #2 behind Hayden Patriquin/Gabe Tardio. And, Frazier is no slouch at mixed doubles. Indeed, nothing prevented LA from trading Freeman for Frazier and still trading Joseph for Garnett, if they wanted Garnett for mixed doubles. Finally, Garnett certainly is good enough to play right side in men’s doubles; if LA ends up doing that, the trade would make more sense.

 

I asked around the league about a Frazier to LA trade. The comments by players and GMs were similar to my own thoughts, that LA failing to trade for Frazier made little to no sense. The one thing we all suggested was that perhaps Johns vetoed the trade, due to some unknown grudge against Frazier. This is denied by those involved, but GMs I spoke to still wonder if there is more to this story than we know. In any event, LA is in disarray. They have to hope Garnett will snap them out of their funk. Garnett is a high energy player, who never gives less than 100%. He is a positive addition. Still, Frazier looks like the big fish who got away.

 

 

 

The MLP season has two events to go. Las Vegas is in the 12th and last playoff spot, but will play in both of the last two events. Orlando is 12th in points per event, but does have a three point lead on Las Vegas and an eight point lead on 13th place Utah. Las Vegas would appear to be a favorite to make the top 12, but their pools at MLP Chicago and MLP Orlando are not easy. In either event, Las Vegas could net very few points. Indeed, Orlando and Las Vegas are in the same pool at MLP Orlando and those two teams could easily be facing each other in pool play, with a playoff spot on the line.

 

Two teams currently off the pace but with a chance to move up are California and Chicago, currently tied together for 14th place. They are seven points behind 12th place Las Vegas, but like Las Vegas, California and Chicago are in action in both of the last two MLPs. California and Chicago are in different pools at MLP Chicago. But both pools are ones where either team can potentially make some noise. Either team could finish second or third in their pool, which could net them 8 to 15 standings points. That is enough to close the gap with Las Vegas. Both California and Chicago finish the year in the same pool at MLP Orlando. It is a tough pool, and they will face each other in pool play, in a match which could determine which team makes the playoffs.

 

 

I like California’s new lineup. Dylan Frazier, Pablo Tellez, Sahra Dennehy, and Zoey Weil is a playoff-caliber lineup. Will it be enough to make it at this late date? I think so, but it will be close.

 

At the top of the playoff heap, St. Louis and New Jersey are fighting over the #1 seed. That will be determined at MLP Orlando, likely in the last match of the regular season. Columbus, LA, and Brooklyn are jockeying for the third through fifth seeds. Finishing third is a big advantage, as the opponent in the playoff quarterfinals will be weaker. Those spots are also going to be in flux until MLP Orlando.

 

MLP Chicago is next up, beginning Thursday. All matches will be on Pickleballtv.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim for updates and breaking news.