MLP 2025 kicks off in Orlando on Thursday. All 16 of the Premier teams will be competing, headlined by the Dallas Flash, 2024 champions. The season will stretch over the summer, culminating in the MLP playoffs in November.

Let’s examine the most important things to watch out for, as MLP progresses along its seven-month season.

 

 

Unlike prior seasons, MLP 2025 is characterized by teams being pretty well set in the power rankings. In the bottom tier are SoCal, New York and Miami. These teams appear to have no shot at being competitive. The next tier up includes Phoenix, Carolina, and Utah. They can win some games but do not appear to be playoff threats. The third tier is made up on Orlando, Atlanta and Chicago. These teams have an outside shot at the top eight, but are no threat to win it all. The fourth tier is LA, Texas, Columbus and Brooklyn (formerly DC). All should make the playoffs, but need to improve to be championship contenders. And the top tier goes to Dallas, New Jersey and St. Louis. It will be an upset if one of those three teams does not win it all.

 

But the big question is whether any of the teams can surprise, and either do much better than their tier would indicate, or be much worse. We will have to check back in November and see how the tiers hold up.

 

 

When ranking the teams in April, everyone is healthy. That will not be the case as the season progresses. Injuries will occur. Texas was slowed in 2024 by an injury to Christian Alshon. We always hope for 100% health, but with only four starters per team, one injury can dramatically affect how a team does.

 

 

Of the top three teams, both Dallas and St. Louis bring back the same lineup. The four starters on those teams know what it is like to play with each other. New Jersey is a top three team, but their lineup from 2024 includes a switch from Mari Humberg to Meghan Dizon. While Dizon is a veteran of the PPA Tour, she now has the unique pressure that comes from a team sport. Not only is Dizon the new kid on the NJ block, but she has to play with Anna Leigh Waters. If you think playing with the #1 player is easy, just ask Gabe Tardio how he felt playing PPA events with Ben Johns. Tardio admitted to being very nervous starting out, and it makes all the sense in the world. All the pressure is on Dizon. Waters almost never lost in 2024, so any dropoff in performance will be tied to Dizon. Dizon is in almost a no win position; if they win, it is because of Waters, but if they lose, it is because of Dizon. How Dizon plays in MLP 2025 is probably the biggest story of the year.

 

 

Another big story is how much effort will be put forth by Ben and Collin Johns for Carolina. It was clear from watching MLP 2024 that Ben and Collin did not give 100%. Indeed, Collin's complaints about MLP are well documented. On the PPA Tour, Ben appears to have been energized by his new partnership with Tardio. Will something energize Ben in MLP 2025? Unfortunately, the Carolina GM did little to nothing to improve the team. If Carolina had added some young and energetic talent, maybe Johns would put in more effort. Right now, Carolina does not appear to even be a playoff contender, which sounds crazy for a Ben Johns team. But, any team with Ben Johns cannot be counted out, so we will all have to watch closely to see if there is any enthusiasm in Carolina this year.

 

 

Every year in MLP, several players step up their game big time. We all know and expect the top players to play well. But, MLP is won by teams with lower draft picks who play better than expected.

 

For 2025, the biggest unexpected contributions came from Augie Ge and Will Howells, both fourth round draft picks. Ge played solidly all year and helped Dallas to win it all. Howells played like a first round draft choice and helped New Jersey dominate in the regular season.

 

Who will step up big time in 2025? I like St. Louis to win it all, as I expect Kate Fahey to step up. While most people did not know Fahey at the time she was drafted, the fact is that she played about as well as draft experts expected. With a year under her belt on the PPA Tour, Fahey has shown she is a top 5 singles player, but her doubles game still lags. Despite all the publicity that has come from her singles success, the fact is Fahey is only ranked #25 in women’s doubles. If she performs at that level in MLP 2025, St. Louis cannot win it all, as other teams have much better depth top to bottom. For St. Louis to win, Fahey needs to play like a top 10-15 player, at least. I think she can do it, and that is why I am picking St. Louis. But if St. Louis does not win, the cause will likely be Fahey, as the other three St. Louis starters are top 5 talents.

 

MLP 2025 will be an exciting and memorable season. I know I will be watching every match. Make sure you attend an MLP in your area and see all the action on Pickleballtv.

 

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