Well, what a week we had. Round 1 saw two expansion teams steal wins, a rematch of last year’s championship, and plenty of surprises. Of course, those surprises sent us to 3-3 picking games on the young season. Some of those games featured mistakes you’d expect to see cleaned up in a few weeks. I don’t expect the same level of adaptation from us.
Nevertheless, here’s this week’s picks.
Free Jacks v Warriors
Our Round 1 Team of the Week stays in Vegas to take on Utah. Coming into the year, I expected it to take a few weeks to see an expansion win. Watching the Free Jacks manhandle RUNY was shocking to say the least. I’m not one to allow any single game to change my mind. But watching the Warriors fall in Atlanta’s debut gives me two matches’ worth of reasons to make this pick.
Winner: Free Jacks
Gilgronis v RUNY
Everyone gets talking about Austin like they’re an expansion team. That’s starting to look more like an insult to the newcomers than the Gilgronis. RUNY has had injuries and visa issues complicate things, but I still believe we’ll watch them play into June. Both of these teams are coming off tough openers. I only have faith in one to bounce back.
Winner: RUNY
Saber Cats v Arrows
This is the toughest game to call. Both picked up wins. While the Arrows had the better performance, the Saber Cats deserve credit for beating a non-Austin team. While I think these are two playoff teams, Toronto looks cleaner at this early point in the year.
Winner: Arrows
Sea Wolves @ Old Glory
You have to feel for Old Glory. They lost their debut, unlike their 2020 classmates. Show some respect for these guys. They’re doing exactly what a first-year franchise should do: learning who they are and how to play together. I’m looking forward to seeing The Beast make his debut, but the Sea Wolves know they need to take care of business on the road.
Winner: Sea Wolves
Raptors v Legion
The Raptors are better than they looked last week. However, the loss to Houston never really felt to be in question. The Saber Cats’ scrum made Colorado look like a college team. San Diego is the class of the West. This one will be over early.
Winner: Legion
Rugby ATL @ Gold
Give Rugby ATL some credit. They put up a strong performance against the Warriors. I still doubt they’ll be able to make a big impact this season. Expect them to steal some wins, but don’t expect it to happen against the class of the East. Cam Dolan and the Gold will show Atlanta what an MLR team should aspire to be. Hopefully, this match will be the first of a long rivalry.
Winner: Gold
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