What's On Tap: May 6, 2023

As we head into May and more teams start to stir out of their slumber, we have three matches on the docket here featuring some old school rivalries.  Each of the teams here were founded at the end of the 1990s, and continue to write the legendary battles between them.  Our friends in Canada also have a tournament happening in Ottawa as we prepare to welcome our friends from La Belle Province down to Florida for Nationals in October.

St Louis Blues (0-0) vs Kansas City Power (0-2)
1pm CDT - Lydia Buder County Park, Fenton, MO

Call it the Show Me Show Down, or the Battle for I-70; either way you slice it, the Blues and the Power renew pleasantries once again. St. Louis has won both official matchups since the two teams returned to play after the COVID pause, and the defending D4 co-champions will try to start off their campaign with a win.  KC, meanwhile, will try to bounce back from losses at home two weeks ago to both Oklahoma and Des Moines.

Chicago Swans (0-0) vs Cincinnati Dockers (0-0)
2:30pm CDT - Waveland Softball Field, Chicago, IL

Longtime MAAFL foes, the Swans welcome in the Dockers in what is the season opener for both sides.  The Swans combined with Nashville last season at regionals and nationals and put together robust performances in both tournaments.  After coming percentage points short of the D3 Final, they’re looking for an early home win.  But don’t count out Cincinnati, who defeated Indianapolis by four points in a metro last weekend.

Arizona Hawks (0-0) vs San Diego Lions (1-0)
6:45pm MST - Eagles Soccer Park, Mesa, AZ

The Surf and Sand Cup has been a mostly one-sided ledger; since the Hawks came back into the fold in 2017, the Lions have won eight in a row over their feathered neighbors.  That said, San Diego takes this fixture seriously, as does the homesteading Hawks.  San Diego won in Los Angeles last weekend, while Arizona is on the hunt for their second National title in three years, and their third straight grand final.

AFL CANADA matches for USAFL points:
Pony Plater
Mens: Quebec Saints (split squad), Ottawa Swans, Halifax Dockers
Womens: Quebec Saints v Ottawa Swans
First Game: 11am EDT - Manotick Polo Ground, Monotick, ON

North of the border, the Quebec Saints head to suburban Ottawa for the annual Pony Platter tournament.  The Saints will split into two squads to face traveling Halifax and home team Ottawa in a four-team round robin tournament.  Meanwhile the Saints, who last appeared in full at the 2019 Nationals, will face their eastern rivals in a tune-up ahead of next week’s AFL Canada Nationals in Hamilton, Ontario.