MLP comes to the Big Apple this week for the first time. It will be the Hertz New York City event, with six of the twelve Premier level teams in action. The top theee teams in the standings, St. Louis, Dallas, and Texas, are not in action, so this week provides a chance for other teams to make a move up the standings. For some, it is a chance to potentially lock down a playoff spot; for others, it is perhaps a last chance to get in position to grasp that last playoff spot.

 

 

There will be a total of 15 matches, played over four days. Here are some highlights to watch for:

 

1. Thursday starts out with a fun match of New York v Carolina. That means the always entertaining Jack Sock for New York and Collin Johns and Ben Johns fired up to play for Carolina on the other side. New York sits in a surprising fourth spot in total points. Carolina is in ninth place, well out of the playoff picture at this point in the season. This opening match will set the tone for the event. If New York wins, a playoff appearance is highly likely; if Carolina loses, their season is pretty much over. In other words, this is a must win for Carolina.

 

2. Second up on Thursday is Carolina returning to play DC. DC sits in fifth place in total points, but they have been a different team since picking up Vivian Glozman. DC has an outside shot at getting one of the two playoff byes. Beating Carolina is a must for DC to keep that playoff bye dream alive.

 

 

3. Friday opens with Utah against Columbus. This is a battle between the two teams at the bottom of the standings. But, although they are at the bottom together, they have actually been very different teams since executing a trade with each other. Connor Garnett went from Columbus to Utah, and breathed new life in what had been a winless franchise. Since getting Garnett, Utah has been a very tough out, battling to the end of every match. Columbus, who received Jay Devilliers in the trade, has just not played with much energy. Riley Newman has not been the dominant player Columbus needs, and Meghan Dizon has been a very disappointing second round pick. Utah will want to escape the basement and at this point, we have not seen enough energy from Columbus to stop that from happening.

 

4. DC and New York tangle on Friday, in what could well be a must win for either or both teams, depending on what happens on Thursday. DC would appear to have the better team, but New York’s women (Lea Jansen and Jackie Kawamoto) have carried them all year. Can they do it again?

 

 

5. On Saturday, the highlight match should be Carolina against New Jersey. New Jersey is in sixth place in total points, the last playoff spot. But, they play five matches in New York, and a perfect event would net them enough points to challenge for a playoff bye. New Jersey has been carried by Anna Leigh Waters, who sits #1 in the individual player standings, with a record of 16-2. New Jersey will need better play from Zane Navratil. Navratil is usually a leader in MLP, but this year sits in 52d place individually, at a disappointing 3-15 record. New Jersey will have to face Ben Johns in this one. It will be Carolina’s fourth match of the event. Depending on what Carolina does in the earlier three, Carolina may either be clawing back into contention for a playoff spot, or be eliminated for all practical purposes.

 

6. New Jersey ends Saturday play against New York. This will be a fun match, as it features two teams both carried by their women, with underperforming men. Which team’s men can step up and win this match?

 

 

7. Sunday has the last four matches of the New York event. Columbus will play twice, in the role of spoiler. Columbus is out of the running for a playoff spot, but they play DC and New Jersey on Sunday. Both DC and New Jersey will want three points from those matches, to secure their playoff spot. Can Columbus sneak up on them and steal a point or two?

 

8. Watch to see if New Jersey or DC can net at least 12 points from their five matches. If either (or both) can get 12 or more, they will be in the mix to fight for one of the two playoff byes down the stretch. It will be very difficult to win the MLP championship without a bye, so the total points grabbed by DC and New Jersey will be key. Carolina likely needs 13-15 points from their five matches in order to have a change to make the playoffs. That is a near impossible task, but can Ben Johns put this team on his back and get them back in contention?

 

 

Tune in beginning Thursday to catch all the action.

 

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