It has been a very hot summer across the USA, so it is welcome news that next up for MLP is San Diego. Beginning Thursday, the Barnes Tennis Center will host MLP San Diego, featuring 11 teams separated into two groups. Top teams LA and Columbus look headed for a finals showdown.

 

Let’s go over both pools and see which teams might spoil the party.

 

 

Group A has five teams, LA, Dallas, Utah, Atlanta, and Bay Area. Can anyone score an upset against LA?

 

LA is the clear class of this pool. LA averages over 20 standings points per event; next best is Dallas at 7.3. LA has finished either first or second in their three prior group events, and it is hard to see that streak being broken in San Diego. Top teams St. Louis and Columbus exposed weaknesses in LA, but none of the other top five teams are in Group A, so LA should have little trouble marking the gold final.

 

Dallas is the clear #2 team in the group. Dallas sits eighth in the standings. They are exactly who we thought they were at the beginning of the season; a solid playoff team with no chance to win it all. Dallas has just never recovered from the loss of Jorja Johnson. Give Dallas credit for one thing, they keep fighting. They will lose to a top team in the playoffs, but they will fight and they are capable of an upset. Dallas plays LA in the last match on Saturday, and that match is highly likely to determine who plays for gold. LA will be favored, but Dallas has a puncher’s chance to score the upset.

 

Utah is the third best team in Group A. They sit in 12th place in the standings, the last slot to qualify for the playoffs. Utah needs a good showing in San Diego to keep possession of a playoff spot. Utah plays both Dallas and Atlanta on Saturday, and those two matches will determine Utah’s fate. They cannot afford to go 0-2 in those matches. And of course, Utah’s match against Bay Area is a must win. Watch to see how young phenom Tama Shimabukuro plays in San Diego. He has not played as well this MLP season as he did in 2026 PPA events. He does not look comfortable playing right side in men’s doubles, and he has been inconsistent in all his matches. Utah needs Shimabukuro to play to his potential this week.

 

 

Atlanta sits in 15th place, on the outside looking in for the playoffs. But the good news is they are only three points behind Utah. Finishing third in Group A guarantees a team at least eight standings points. If Atlanta wants to make a playoff push, getting those eight points is key. If Atlanta finishes behind Utah in Group A in San Diego, the math makes it very difficult for them to make the playoffs. Atlanta will trot out their new lineup featuring Mari Humberg. She fits better alongside Jessie Irvine than she did in Chicago with Jamie Wei. Atlanta has the veteran talent to do well in this group, if motivated. This is their chance. They could even finish second in the group, which would vault them clearly into a playoff spot.

 

Bay Area is the weakest team in Group A. They have a revamped roster, which gives them hope of a turnaround. They now have Genie Erokhina, Kiora Kunimoto, Ella Yeh, Blaine Hovenier, Len Yang, and James Delgado. Last time out, in the Mid-Season Tournament, Bay Area seemed unsure about what were their best doubles lineups and played all six of their players. Erokhina and Kunimoto are their best women and neither should be benched. Hovenier is their best male player, but I can see mixing and matching Yang and Delgado. We will see what lineup they post in San Diego. The likelihood is they will go 0-4, but if Bay Area can score an upset, it will really dampen the playoff chances of the team they beat.

 

 

Group B consists of Columbus, Orlando, California, SoCal, Florida, and Phoenix. Can anyone get in the way of Columbus making the final?

 

Columbus is the clear class of Group A. If they do not go 5-0, it would be a huge upset. Indeed, there is a very good chance Columbus will not drop a single game in pool play. Columbus finished third at the Mid-Season Tournament, with a win over LA in the bronze match. Columbus is in fourth place in the overall standings, just barely ahead of Brooklyn, and behind third place LA. Columbus has only a small chance to catch LA for third. Columbus would have to win MLP San Diego and LA would need to finish third in San Diego and fourth (or worse) at MLP Orlando, the last event of the season. It is possible, but very unlikely. The more important thing for Columbus is to get a lock on fourth place to stay ahead of Brooklyn. Columbus and Brooklyn are very likely to play each other in the playoff semifinals, and Columbus will want to finish fourth to have home field advantage against Brooklyn. If Columbus can win MLP San Diego, Brooklyn would need a first and a second place finish in their last two events to catch Columbus. 

 

Orlando has the second best roster in Group B, but may have some injury issues. Their starters are Federico Staksrud, Jack Sock, Milan Rane, and Lacy Schneemann. But both Sock and Schneemann missed the Mid-Season Tournament and Orlando consequently had a poor showing. Orlando is in 11th place in the standings, with only four standings points between them and 13th place. Orlando really needs to finish no worse than third in their pool, or their playoff chances will take a big hit. Watch their roster in their first match in San Diego to see who is healthy and playing.

 

California is a team looking to finish strong and make the playoffs. They just made a big splash, trading for Dylan Frazier. Frazier is a top 10 talent who can really elevate this team. They also traded for Zoey Weil, who was stuck on a very bad Florida team. They now can start Frazier, Pablo Tellez, Weil, and Sahra Dennehy. That is a playoff quality team. Their problem is they are nine points out of a playoff spot; the good news is they have two more events after MLP San Diego. With three events in which to earn points, California will have the chance to get the points needed to make a jump. The pools they are in for MLP Chicago and MLP Orlando are not easy, so the big opportunity is this week in San Diego. If California could get second place in the pool, that would guarantee them 12 standings points and give them a good chance to make the playoffs. The California vs. Orlando match will therefore be crucial for both teams. That match is Friday morning and should be a good one.

 

 

SoCal is in 10th place in the standings, currently a playoff team, but without their spot being assured. SoCal has Armaan Bhatia, Will MacKinnon, Meghan Dizon, and Cailyn Campbell. Bhatia is a player I have touted for awhile and he continues to improve. MacKinnon’s picture is in the dictionary under “inconsistent.” Dizon is a solid veteran, and Campbell is a young riser. This team should make the playoffs without too much trouble. A second or third place finish in this pool should net them enough points to ensure a playoff spot. But, a stumble in San Diego could leave them on the bubble. Their matches against Orlando and California are crucial to their chances. SoCal plays California in the first match on Saturday and that could be a must win for both teams.

 

Florida is in 14th place, only one point behind 12th place Utah. But Florida traded away their best player in Zoey Weil, so you have to wonder about the strategy. Their roster is now Connor Mogle, Chris Crouch, Cason Campbell, Martina Frantova, Paula Rives, and Mya Bui. Mogle has elevated their men’s side. He is 5-3 in men’s doubles since joining the team (their men were 0-11 before he joined). But losing Weil looks to me like a bad move, and I expect the other teams to now pick on the Florida women. Can they hold up and score some upsets? Or will Florida lose to everyone but Phoenix?

 

Phoenix is currently in last place, with only one standings point. They are basically eliminated already from playoff contention. Their current roster, after some more moves, is Jonathan Truong, Michael Loyd, Cam Chaffin, Daria Walczak, Alexa Schull, and Albie Huang. Phoenix is unlikely to get any wins in their pool, except maybe against Florida.

 

 

The LA vs. Columbus final looks all but inevitable. Columbus took advantage of Max Freeman in the bronze final at the Mid-Season Tournament, with Freeman being the only player on the court not ranked in the top 10 in the world (he’s #32). You have to like Columbus in a repeat matchup.

 

Dallas should be good enough to finish second in their pool. I like what California has done, so I will pick them in an upset to get second in their pool, before falling to Dallas in the bronze match.

 

SoCal should get third, and then defeat Atlanta for fifth.

 

Other than LA and Columbus, the other teams are relatively evenly matched. There should be a lot of close games and DreamBreakers, always exciting to watch. Catch it all on Pickleballtv.

 

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