The next to last MLP regular season event is this week in the Windy City. The Chicago Slice are the host team, with 11 total teams beginning play on Thursday. Playoff positions will be on the line.

 

 

Group A includes Brooklyn, Texas, California, Miami, and Phoenix. Phoenix has been eliminated from playoff contention, and Miami is out of it, for all practical purposes. But, standings points are crucial for Brooklyn, Texas, and California.

 

Brooklyn sits in fifth place with 48 points. But, they will be in action both in Chicago and Orlando to end the regular season. Thus, Brooklyn controls their own destiny. They could finish as high as third in the regular season or they could fall as far as eighth, should they perform poorly in these two events. Brooklyn has Riley Newman, Christian Alshon, Rachel Rohrabacher, and Jackie Kawamoto. Newman and Rohrabacher should be 100%, coming off earlier injuries. Brooklyn is very solid in all four doubles pairs, and they will be the favorite to win Group A.

 

Texas enters in eighth place. They realistically will finish anywhere from sixth to eighth. There is not too much difference between finishing sixth or eighth, so Texas does not have much to play for at MLP Chicago. It will be interesting to see how motivated the team is with so little to play for.

 

California, conversely, comes to MLP Chicago with a lot riding on how they do. They are in a four way tie for 14th place, but because they are in action in both Chicago and Orlando, they control their own destiny. Realistically, they need about 15 standings points from these last two events to make the playoffs. They earned eight in San Diego with a sixth place finish. They will look to build on that momentum, looking to finish no worse than third in their pool, which would guarantee them at least another eight points. Newly acquired Dylan Frazier should be in action in Chicago, and he will certainly boost this team. Their starting four will be Frazier, Pablo Tellez, Zoey Weil, and Sahra Dennehy. That is a playoff-worthy foursome. California must defeat Miami and Phoenix to keep playoff hopes alive; a win over Texas (or Brooklyn) would ensure a playoff spot.

 

Miami is in 18th place and is just playing out the string. They have done an amazing job of identifying new talent, but they sold off all that new talent for cash. Miami is the most profitable team in MLP, but now will pay the price by starting a bad team.

 

Phoenix is a continuing disaster, sitting in a tie for last place. Like Miami, all they can do at MLP Chicago is to play spoiler.

 

 

Group B has Dallas, Atlanta, SoCal, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Utah. This will be a very competitive pool, as it lacks any of the top five teams.

 

Dallas comes off a first place finish at MLP San Diego. They played great, with everyone on the team contributing. They have momentum and confidence. JW Johnson is playing as well as anyone right now. Danni-Elle Townsend has injected great energy and she has outplayed Tyra Black, for who she was traded. Augie Ge, Brooke Buckner, and Alix Truong have all made solid contributions. Johnson and Ge were on the 2024 championship team and they know what it takes to win it all. Dallas should win this group.

 

Atlanta comes in also riding high from a good performance at MLP San Diego. Atlanta finished third in San Diego and grabbed 15 standings points. They sit in 10th place and just need to finish fourth or better in their pool this week to clinch a playoff spot. Atlanta does need to be careful this week; they have the talent to beat anyone in their pool, but are inconsistent enough to lose to anyone as well. A fifth place finish is probably enough to make the playoffs, but a sixth place finish would be a disaster.

 

SoCal also had a good event in San Diego, finishing fourth. That gave them enough points to clinch a playoff spot. But they will want to move up. SoCal has settled on a lineup of Armaan Bhatia, Will MacKinnon, Meghan Dizon, and Cailyn Campbell. Bhatia has the look of a team leader. MacKinnon and Campbell bring youth and upside. Dizon is a solid veteran.

 

Las Vegas occupies the 12th spot in the standings, the last playoff spot. They do play both in Chicago and Orlando, so they are another team that controls their own destiny. Their pool in Orlando is an easier one, so Las Vegas can probably get away with a poor performance in Chicago and still make the playoffs.

 

Chicago comes in to their hometown event as a desperate team. They are tied with California for the 14th spot, and like California, they are in action in both of the last two events. Their pool in Orlando is not an easy one, so the hometown fans will need to pump Chicago up. Chicago likely needs to finish at least fourth, if not third in this pool to have a solid shot at the playoffs.

 

Utah is in 13th place, just one spot out of the playoffs. But MLP Chicago is their last event. They finished with a disappointing single standings point at MLP San Diego. After the event, they traded away their best player in Connor Garnett, likely recognizing they faced a difficult path to make the playoffs. Realistically, Utah would need to finish first or second in their pool to gain enough points to make the playoffs. Not impossible, but do not bet the house on it.

 

 

A Brooklyn vs. Dallas final is likely. They are the two best teams, but as we saw last week in San Diego, upsets do happen. I like Brooklyn to win it all, but it is far from a sure thing. Of the teams clawing and scratching for a playoff spot, I like California’s chances. Their trade for Dylan Frazier was a wise one, and along with the acquisition of Zoey Weil, they have a very solid lineup. It is not a championship lineup, but it is a playoff-worthy one. California will battle Texas for second in their pool. SoCal and Atlanta should fight for the second spot in their pool. I do not think Chicago will have a good week, and I see them missing the playoffs.

 

All the matches will be on Pickleballtv.

 

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