Photo by Paul Rutherford – UltiPhotos.com
APRIL 23, 2026
By Will Stuntz
The DC Breeze kick off their 2026 campaign this Saturday with a bout in Boston against the reigning champions Boston Glory. This match marks the first of two clashes between the two teams in 2026 with a rematch coming in June in DC.
Both teams are returning much of their 2025 firepower and have made significant additions. Most notably, Boston has brought in two of DC’s impact players.
Boston made one of the biggest signings of the offseason just days before the start of the season: 2018 Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) MVP and nine-year DC Breeze veteran Rowan McDonnell has joined Glory. The Breeze hold the longest active playoff qualification streak in the UFA, dating back to McDonnell's rookie year in 2016. In his nine seasons with the Breeze, McDonnell amassed a combined 338 assists, 235 goals, and 84 blocks between the regular season and postseason.
McDonnell will be one of three Glory players this year who have earned the league MVP title in their career, including the reigning MVP Tobe Decraene, and 2023 and 2024 MVP Jeff Babbitt, who joined Glory in 2024 after a dramatic departure from the New York Empire.
Glory also signed Thomas Edmonds earlier this offseason, who had been with DC for the past three seasons. In his time with the Breeze, Edmonds averaged 13.3 assists and 19.6 goals each year, and in 2023 and 2024, he completed more than 97% of his passes.
One major piece is missing for Glory this time around: the 2025 UFA Defensive Player of the Year Tanner Johnson-Go is not currently listed on the team's roster. Johnson-Go’s departure from the league following a breakout defensive season will be a hurdle for Boston, and the Breeze will hope that new addition Sean Mott, a determined Christian Boxley, and a collection of offensive veterans like Andrew Roy and Jacques Nissen will be able to challenge Glory’s defensive line.
DC will be without five players this Saturday, including hybrids Cole Jurek and Aidan Downey, cutter Micah Wagner, and handlers Gus Norrbom and Jasper Tom.
Boston will be without Ray Tetreault, Franky Hernandez and Jason Tapper. Simon Carrapella and Peter Boerth may also miss the game, as they are both currently listed as questionable.
This game will prove as a measuring stick for a Breeze team that has seen more turnover than they're accustomed to and will be relying on some younger players to find their role in what many consider a new era for the Breeze. We may see some defensive stars like AJ Merriman and Miles Grovic cross over and play more offense, and all eyes will be on first-year head coach Xavier Maxstadt, who will be tasked with calling the shots on the sideline and making in-game adjustments to ultimately pull out a victory.
On the flipside, while Glory retained most of their 2025 core, they've also added many new pieces, and it remains to be seen how all those pieces may fit together.
These Breeze and Glory teams have never existed before, but it's still worth looking back on how the two squads fared against each other in 2025.
Boston and DC faced each other three times throughout the 2025 regular season, starting in week two when Glory defeated the Breeze 14-11 at Carlini Field in a chaotic windy game, in which Glory led by as many as six goals. Decraene led the way in this matchup with 453 total yards, two assists and a goal. Johnson-Go led Glory in points and blocks with two assists, two goals and three blocks.
In week eight, the teams squared off again in Boston when the Breeze surged in the third quarter and ultimately came out with a one-score victory over the soon-to-be champions. Decraene put up another 400-yard performance this game with 333 receiving yards and 67 passing. He also found the frisbee in the endzone five times and completed 95% of his throws. Benjamin Sadok led the team's passing attack with 273 throwing yards and five assists. The Breeze found a way to counter with impressive performances from McDonnell and Edmonds.
After Glory had locked up a playoff spot and were closing in on a regular season East Division title, Boston headed down to the national's capital for a second time. Considering the game lacked certain playoff implications, Glory opted to rest some starters. Some will argue this is the reason DC cruised to a four-goal victory and led by as many as five in the fourth quarter to win the regular season series 2-1.
The Breeze and Glory’s paths crossed for a fourth time in the East Division championship, following a Breeze blowout victory over the Empire in the first round of the playoffs. The 17-9 loss at Hormel Stadium was a gargantuan disappointment for the Breeze, after beating Glory twice during the regular season and overcoming the Empire in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. The Breeze’s nine goals are the lowest the franchise has put up in a full game ever. Leading Boston was Decraene yet again, who tallied four assists, two goals and 370 total yards, with Babbitt leading in goals with four.
Watch the DC Breeze begin their 2026 campaign at Hormel Stadium against Boston for the first of two contests with the reigning champs this Saturday, April 25th, at watchUFA.tv. First pull flies at 7:00 p.m ET.
