Week 3 Power Rankings

It was redemption weekend in the Eastern Conference of the MLU this weekend as both the Spinners and Whitecaps were able to get wins against the teams that they lost to last weekend. Meanwhile the West continues to be unpredictable as the lone 1-9 team from last year beat the defending Conference Champions.

1. Boston Whitecaps: 2-1

Last Week: 2  Change: +1


Defeated DC Current 17-12

Redemption? Yes, unexpected? No. The defending champions proved again that they are still the best team in the league after their win at home over the DC Current. The team took complete control of the game in second half thanks to Jon Hirschberger and Brandon Malecek giving the Whitecaps a 7-0 record at home in their existence as a franchise. This week the team travels to New York for the first time this season, looking to start another winning streak.



2. DC Current: 2-1

Last Week: 1  Change: -1

Lost to Boston Whitecaps 12-17

Despite coming out with an early 2-0 lead over the Whitecaps, the DC Current appeared to still be riding the high from giving a franchise their first loss ever.  The offense seemed to be out of sync with a lot of throw aways and simply bad throws. Encouraging for DC though is that their D-line looked good when they were on against one of the cleanest offenses in the MLU.  The Current look to rebound next week as they host the Spinners.



3. Portland Stags: 2-0

Last Week: 6  Change: +3


Defeated San Francisco Dogfish 18-16 OT

Portland continues to impress with yet another victory of a Western Conference foe. What makes this win even more impressive is that they did it without their best player, Timmy Perston.  This game was won from the entire team with impressive outings from a majority of players including Chris Hancock. Another impressive feat is that San Fran had eight players come back after missing last weekend's roadtrip, but Portland was still able to comeback and get their franchise's first road win.



4. Seattle Rainmakers: 2-1

Last Week: 7 Change: +3


Defeated Vancouver Nighthawks 20-15

In the first annual "Border Bid" as both teams are now claiming their rivalry, Seattle held strong. The key for the Rainmakers to defeated the preseason conference favorites, was through their defense. Danny Trytiak and Donnie Clark had huge performances on the D-line after earning continuous breaks over and over again.


5. New York Rumble: 1-2

Last Week: 3  Change: -2


Lost to Philadelphia Spinners 12-13 2OT

In a much lower scoring affair, the Rumble vs. Spinners game went once again to double overtime. This time the victors were on the other side of the field in the Philadelphia Spinners. Everything was playing out to have a result similar to last week with the Rumble receiving the pull and working down the field until Johnathan Cox dropped the would-be winning goal. This was a main theme for the entire game of both team just having sloppy play. Hopefully next week the wind won't as be as huge of a factor as they challenge the Whitecaps at home.


6. Philadelphia Spinners: 1-2

Last Week: 8  Change: +2


Defeated NY Rumble 13-12 2OT

If the Spinners continue to play like they have this season, their fans are not going to have any fingernails left after a while. Another double overtime game, different result for the Spinners this weekend, giving the only winless team in the MLU their first win of the season.  Matt Esser continues to be a huge presence on the field with multiple D's and scores for the Spinners. Next week they have another opportunity to prove themselves as they head to DC for a game with the Current.

7. Vancouver Nighthawks: 1-2

Last Week: 4  Change: -3


Lost to Seattle Rainmakers 15-20

The Nighthawks last week looked like preseason favorites that everyone thought they were, this week they fell back to earth.  Unable to convert on opportunities upwind, the Nighthawks trailed a majority of the game against the Rainmakers.  Being the first team to play every team in their conference, the Nighthawks have been under-preforming this year to say the least. Their lone win came against the defending Western Conference Champs, Dogfish, and losses against two teams expected to continue to struggle this season (I know it doesn't make sense but welcome to the Western Conference).

8. San Francisco Dogfish: 1-3

Last Week: 5  Change: -3


Lost to Portland Stags 21-20 OT

Lets face it, this is not the team that we saw in the MLU Championship this season.  Last year after going up by 2-3 points the 2013 Dogfish would have shut the door on the Stags and cruised to victory. However the 2014 Dogfish allowed Portland to stay in striking range until eventually they came back and gave the Dogfish their 3rd straight loss, their longest losing streak in franchise history.



Going to be another rematch weekend in the Eastern Conference this week as the Spinners travel to DC and the Whitecaps to New York.  I expect similar results to what we all saw in Week 1 with the only difference being in the location.  In the Western Conference, the Dogfish will have another back-to-back roadtrip weekend traveling to Portland for their first match of the season, and then to Seattle on Sunday for their final matchup of the season. Vancouver will have their bye this weekend as they hope to rebound in Week 5.

Don't agree? Tell me what I missed in the comments section and who you think 

should be at the top.