Austin, Texas is the next host for MLP beginning on Friday.

Five Premier teams are in action, including the two home teams, the Dallas Flash and the Texas Ranchers. Also in action are the Orlando Squeeze, the New Jersey 5s, and the Miami Pickleball Club.

 

This event is a pure round robin, with each team playing every other team once.

 

 

Of the five teams in Austin, three of them (Dallas, New Jersey, and Texas) were preseason favorites to not only make the playoffs, but to challenge for the top seed. Orlando was considered a middle of the pack team, but the Squeeze has jumped off to a solid start to the 2025 season. Orlando is 9-2, and has the most team points with 25. In points per game, Orlando is third at 2.27. Miami is the potential outlier. Miami was not considered a likely playoff team at the start of the season, but they are a surprising 6-5 at this point of the season. They are eighth in points per game.

 

 

 

MLP Austin will take place over four days. Each day offers a lot of action, but there are several matches that are must-see pickleball. On day one (May 23) the only Premier match is Orlando v. Texas. But, this will be a great test for Orlando. Texas is a very solid team. If Orlando can knock off Texas, that would show Orlando is for real and give them momentum for the event. A loss to Texas and it could be a long four days for Orlando.  On day two, the highlight is the Battle of Texas, between defending champs Dallas and the Texas Ranchers. Everyone will be out to defeat the champs, and day two gives Texas the opportunity to make a statement that they are gunning for the top spot. On day three, the top match of MLP Austin headlines the day, with New Jersey facing Dallas. New Jersey will be out to avenge their 2024 playoff loss to Dallas. The New Jersey v. Dallas match will be one of the best matches all year.  Finally, on day four, Texas will take on New Jersey.

 

 

 

Can Miami survive? Miami has exceeded expectations early in 2025. But, they have been aided by a fairly easy schedule. Noe Khlif and a healthy Jay Devilliers have played solidly. Milan Rane and Mya Bui have held their own, but will be tested in Austin by facing top 10 women every match. Miami will struggle in Austin, but can they scrape out some points to keep in the playoff hunt?

 

Can Orlando thrive? Orlando has received top level play from Federico Staksrud and Dylan Frazier. Neither has enjoyed much prior MLP success, but both appear to be enjoying MLP 2025 and that enthusiasm has upped their game. Lacy Schneemann has been decent, while Samantha Parker has exceeded expectations. But, like the Miami women, the Orlando women will receive a stern test in Austin, as Texas, Dallas and New Jersey all have top level women.

 

 

Will one of New Jersey, Texas, or Dallas dominate? This is the big question for Austin. Will there be split results, where these top three teams just beat each other up and the points get split? Or can one team sweep and get a huge leg up in the standings? The maximum points any team can get in Austin is 12. But if the teams all trade wins and losses, no team may get more than 8 or 9, which would be a big benefit to St. Louis. St. Louis is not in action in Austin, but they will move up in the points per game standings if none of the teams in Austin can sweep.

 

 

As we have seen over the course of MLP, any team can beat any other team in any one match. With each doubles match only being one game to 11, a team can get to a Dreambreaker with one solid doubles win and then some luck in one of the other three matches. All five teams will send out good men’s doubles teams, so getting to a Dreambreaker will often come down to whether the weaker team can win a mixed doubles match. While the best teams in Austin are clearly Dallas, Texas, and New Jersey, if it comes down to a Dreambreaker, Orlando and Miami can send out four capable singles players and anything can happen.

 

Putting the caveats aside, I think Miami is in for a long weekend of pickleball. I expect Miami to get swept, with their best chance for a win (or even a point) being their match with Orlando. I like New Jersey to emerge with the most wins and points in Austin, but only with 10. I also have Dallas scoring 10. This is a 2.50 point per game pace, which will benefit St. Louis, which is sitting at 2.88 per game. I have Texas grabbing seven points, and Orlando fading in the standings, with three points gained in Austin.

 

 

When two good teams play each other, the difference between winning and losing can be very slim. A couple of points scored the other way can turn a 3-1 match win into a 1-3 match loss. Winning a match 3-1 is always important, but if a team can do it in Austin, they receive a double benefit by not only grabbing three standings points, but also by denying any standings points to their opponent.

Watch Pickleballtv starting Friday at 3:00pm EST to see all the action.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim for updates all weekend.