The next MLP event is in St. Petersburg, beginning Wednesday. As usual, 11 teams will be in action, divided into two groups. Four of the top five teams are playing, with St. Louis being the only top team not in St. Pete. It will be a battle to make it to Super Sunday, so let’s go over each group, and predict the winners.

 

 

Group A consists of five teams, LA, Brooklyn, Chicago, Utah, and Florida.  LA and Brooklyn previously were in the same group at MLP St. Louis, with LA prevailing. Can Brooklyn turn it around in St. Pete?

 

LA and Brooklyn are the class of this group and will fight it out for first. LA defeated Brooklyn 3-1 in their head to head match in St. Louis. But, Brooklyn was missing Riley Newman, due to injury (he will play at St. Pete). Chris Haworth filled in well, but Newman will elevate Brooklyn’s play. LA and Brooklyn play each other on Saturday, the last day of group play, in a match which will very likely decide the winner of the group. Expect four very good doubles matches. Brooklyn has a slight edge in women’s doubles, with LA having a slight advantage in the mixed match with Ben Johns and Jade Kawamoto. The other two matches are coin flips. Look for this one to go to a Dreambreaker.

 

Chicago and Utah should fight for third place. Neither team is likely to get wins against LA or Brooklyn. Chicago plays Utah in the last matchup on Thursday. That is a must-see match. It is very even. Chicago has Mari Humberg, Jamie Wei, Hunter Johnson, and Zane Navratil. They also just picked up AJ Koller on waivers, and it will be interesting to see how he is used. Koller, when motivated, is a slightly better doubles player than Johnson or Navratil, but will they play him? Utah has Connor Garnett, Tama Shimabukuro, Etta Tuionetoa, and Allyce Jones. This is a very even match. Utah has the edge at men’s doubles, while the other doubles matches are pretty even. Chicago likely has a Dreambreaker edge. Look for either a 3-1 Utah win or a Chicago win in a Dreambreaker.

 

Florida will struggle all week in St. Petersburg. They are likely to go 0-4.  But, they have surprised a few teams, and their players are motivated, so it will be interesting to see if Florida can sneak in an upset.

 

 

Group B has six teams, St. Louis, Columbus, Texas, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Miami.  Miami was originally in Group A, but was switched with Utah just recently, much to Miami’s detriment, as Group B is considerably stronger than Group A.

 

St. Louis vs. Columbus is obviously the big match in Group B. St. Louis is riding high, coming off their first place finish at MLP St. Louis. Columbus will sport a new roster, having added Tyra Black in a recent trade. Black has been battling an illness, but is expected to play in St. Pete. Columbus and St. Louis play late on Saturday in group play, and Black should be close to 100% for that big matchup. And what a match it will be! Anna Bright and Kate Fahey vs. Tyra Black and Parris Todd to start it off. Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio vs. Andrei Daescu and CJ Klinger. Then two great mixed matches. This will be one of the best matches we will see all year. A Dreambreaker is a strong possibility.

 

Texas, Orlando, and Palm Beach will battle for the third through fifth spots. These three teams have talent, but it is mostly on the men’s side. When they play St. Louis and Columbus, they will be at a significant disadvantage on the women’s side. Perhaps if they catch Columbus without Tyra Black, they can pull an upset. Orlando has the best chance, as they play Columbus on Wednesday, the most likely day Tyra Black might be out.

 

The three matches played between Texas, Orlando, and Palm Beach will all be fun ones. The three teams are pretty even and are expected to finish sixth, seventh, and eighth during the regular season, in some order. One of them will finish St. Pete with fifth place points, while one of them will only earn one standings point, so the three matches they play against each other will be significant to determining their regular season finish.

 

Texas seems to have some momentum, so I look for Texas to finish third in the group. Orlando vs. Palm Beach is a really close matchup. Federico Staksrud is the best player on either team, so I look for Staksrud to do just enough to help Orlando to the win vs. Palm Beach.

 

Miami will struggle mightily at MLP St. Pete. Going 0-5 is highly likely. Miami is stuck in the toughest group of 2026.

 

 

The Sunday matchups are going to be great, no matter who plays who. LA, Brooklyn, St. Louis, and Columbus are very likely to be the final four, and any matchup involving those four is great pickleball to see. I have St. Louis over LA and Columbus over Brooklyn, but both should be close matches that can go either way. These four teams, along with New Jersey, are going to battle for playoff positioning all season long. Finishing in the top three is the priority, as the fourth and fifth place teams have to play each other in the playoff quarterfinals. Finishing top three guarantees an easier quarterfinal matchup.

 

 

The trade deadline is June 30. Columbus fired the first shot, acquiring Tyra Black for Danni-Elle Townsend. Black was the only top 10 woman not already on one of the top five teams, so she was a natural trade target. The trade action now will be on the men’s side. Look for JW Johnson, Federico Staksrud, and Dylan Frazier to all be discussed. They are all excellent players, but are on teams that are not championship contenders. Johnson to New Jersey for Noe Khlif and cash makes all the sense in the world, although rumor has it that Dallas may not want to see New Jersey benefit. That, of course, is like biting off your nose to spite your face, so let’s presume Dallas will come to its senses before June 30. That would leave LA as the main trade player. LA is the only team with a male player who is not a top 15 player in Max Freeman. Trading him for Staksrud or Frazier (and cash) is an obvious play. If these trades happen, it will really scramble the top of the heap, as New Jersey, Columbus, and LA would all get better through trades, while St. Louis and Brooklyn stand still. Could Brooklyn enter the picture unexpectedly and offer Riley Newman for Staksrud? It would improve Brooklyn slightly, but most of all it would stop LA from getting Staksrud.

 

In any event, the teams are talking now, and expect the talk to heat up as the deadline approaches.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim for updates.