April 24, 2013 by Charlie Eisenhood in Analysis, Rankings with 4 comments
Major League Ultimate has finally moved from theory into practice. The league kicked off its first slate of games this past weekend with two games on each coast.
The preseason Ultiworld power rankings held up; every higher-ranked team came away with the W. But who looked the most impressive? Check out the Week 2 Power Rankings right here, and see below for analysis.
1. San Francisco Dogfish — The Dogfish didn’t come away with a big win over Portland like many expected, but this was their first full game on the wide MLU field. Their first test will come on the road this week in Vancouver for the Nighthawks home opener.
2. Seattle Rainmakers — A 14-12 win at home over rival Vancouver bumps Seattle up to #2 this week. Although the score appears close, Seattle had built such a sizable lead that they were able to simply run out the clock on the Nighthawks.
3. Boston Whitecaps — Boston came away with the 19-16 win, but didn’t make it look easy at home against the Rumble. Can they beat New York on the road?
4. Vancouver Nighthawks — With a 6-0 run to end the game against Seattle, the Nighthawks have something to build on heading into their home opener this week against the Dogfish.
5. Philadelphia Spinners — Philly headed into a hostile environment in Washington DC this week and emerged with a W. That’s a big first win for the Spinners as they continue their road trip in New York this week.
6. New York Rumble — The Rumble are the big movers this week, up two spots on the back of a strong road performance against the East’s top-ranked team, the Whitecaps. They’ll be looking for some home cooking against the Spinners as they look to notch their first win.
7. Portland Stags — Despite missing some key college players this week, the Stags stayed with the Dogfish all game. That could be a sign of good things to come from the Portland squad.
8. DC Current — A home loss to Philly has got to sting; the Current was the only home team to lose this week. They stay in DC to face Boston this week.
