Fast Takes with Fast Break: New Orleans v San Antonio
Authors: Ashton Butler & Noah Schwartz
PC: MLQ
As we approach the end of the regular season, the San Antonio Soldados look to defend their home turf in their final duel before MLQ Championships. The Soldados will be hosting the New Orleans Curse in a matchup that should favor them as the Soldados have never lost a game against the Curse in San Antonio. However, this matchup got significantly closer last season. Whenthe Soldados traveled to New Orleans in their second matchup of the season, the Curse were able to win their first ever game against the Soldados in a 2-1 series in favor of San Antonio. This matchup means a lot for both of these teams as different results could put either of these teams in a more favorable position, while losses could lead to a drop in seeding.
The scenarios for this weekend and what it would mean for each team:
San Antonio 3-0:
SA: San Antonio would clinch the 1st seed in the South for the first time in their history
NOLA: Would remain as the 3rd seed unless LC wins 2+ games vs KC then NOLA would fall to the 4th seed
San Antonio 2-1:
SA: San Antonio would stay put as the 2nd seed in the South
NOLA: Would remain as the 3rd seed unless LC wins 3 games vs KC then NOLA would fall to the 4th seed
New Orleans 2-1
SA: Would remain as the 2nd seed
NOLA: Would remain as the 3rd seed
New Orleans 3-0
SA: Would fall to the 3rd seed
NOLA: Would rise to the 2nd seed
Rosters:
Soldados returns with a 21-person roster who look to claim their South Division title. The Soldados are bringing a lot of their depth and veterans for this series while missing out on a few key players. Soldados fans should be delighted to find out that key players Jess Markle and Luke Langlinais will be returning to the pitch in this series. Both players have only been able to roster for one series each, but they made a major difference in winning the series that they were a part of. With Markle returning, we will finally get to see this beating core at its peak with their top three lines of beaters all rostered together for the first time this season. Meanwhile, Langlinais gives them their leader in goals per game back. The biggest loss for their roster will be Riley Moehlmann. Moehlmann is a big piece in their chaser game as he is a great hoop defender who has a shifty first step and is a great passer on the offensive side.
New Orleans on the other hand will be down to a roster of just 18, but this team is no stranger to winning tough games with a shortened roster. The biggest loss for this weekend will be chaser Ebli De La Rosa. De La Rosa has put on a show as a first-year member of the Curse. Without De La Rosa, the Curse loses out on their 3rd leading scorer on the year as well as a physical defender. The other key chaser who will be absent for the Curse will be Nicholas Mueller. Mueller has really come into his own this season, and he is a major threat to score around the hoops and block shots. Regardless of who they are missing, New Orleans is a really deep team that knows how to manage their lines effectively. Keeping up with the high level of substitutes that San Antonio has (especially in the beater game) will be important.
Keys to victory:
San Antonio:
Score on the fast break
San Antonio will want to create havoc with their athleticism. As a team with a ton of speed and willingness to run on the break, the Soldados will need to rely on their capabilities to outrun the Curse and capitalize on the mistakes made by the Curse in their half court offense.
Don’t Shoot!
San Antonio is a team that shoots the ball at a high clip, and they can do so at a high rate. However, this Curse team is the exact counter to a heavy shooting team as they provide major shot-blocking threats with players such as PJ Mitchell and Carson Running. The Soldados will need to adjust their play to displace these shot blockers through drives and cuts to get higher percentage looks on the hoops.
New Orleans
Slow the game
The San Antonio Soldados are a fast-paced team and create momentum through chaos. The Curse will need to slow the game down, especially on offense in order to limit San Antonio’s ability to pick the ball up and sprint. This Curse team is great with passing the ball around and waiting for the right opportunities on offense to score, and they need to continue to do this as each possession will matter this weekend.
Control the Flag
Carson Running currently leads the league in flag runner catches. Out of all of the Soldados matches this season, 6 out of 9 have been within the difference of a flag pull. The Curse need to dominate the flag runner game with their beaters and allow Running the time to catch. Without this, the very capable seekers in Kristopher De La Fuente and Trevor Smith could make them pay.
Prediction: 2-1 San Antonio (FBN Prediction)
