What's On Tap: Mother's Day Round

It's Mother's Day weekend, and on Sunday we'll all celebrate our mums.  But before that, the first of two big weekends before the Memorial Day break will unfold.  Three regional events that should make for a fantastic day out in Richmond, Hamilton, and Los Angeles.

Here's a look at what's on tap:

AFL Canada Cup (women’s)
Saturday/Sunday from 9am EDT – Mohawk Sports Park, Hamilton, ON

For the second year running, our friends to the North will be running a women-focused national tournament.  And, just like last year in B.C., the USAFL will have representatives involved.  Players from the New York Magpies, Seattle Grizzlies, and D.C. Eagles will join the Etobicoke Kangaroos as one of five teams playing a round-robin tournament over two days.  Last weekend, the Quebec Saints lost to the Ottawa Swans at the Pony Platter in Ottawa; they’ll join forces with them in Hamilton this weekend to try and triumph for the second straight year.

More information on the AFL Canada Cup can be found here, and matches will be streamed on the AFL Canada YouTube Channel from 11:15am EDT on Sunday.

Mid-Atlantic Cup (men’s & women’s)
First Game 10am EDT – Glover Park, Glen Allen, VA
Men: DC Eagles (0-0), Baltimore Dockers (1-0), Columbus Cats (0-1), Virginia Lions (0-0), North Carolina/Philadelphia
Women: DC Eagles (0-0) vs East Coast Combo

What is quickly becoming a big date on the USAFL calendar, the Mid-Atlantic Cup returns for the fourth season.  The men’s competition features a two-game preliminary round between the five sides, followed by a Grand Final.  The Baltimore Dockers, with their opening day victory over Philly behind them, will try to repeat as MAC champs after a 3-0 record in 2022.  DC makes its 2023 debut, as does North Carolina, and Columbus will try to bounce back after dropping a good match to Nashville on the road in April.

But for the home team from Virginia, this is projected to be their largest turnout, and after slow growth of numbers since their founding in 2019, Darren Green’s side will look not just to be competitive, but to run the table and surprise some of the best competition in the league.  Players from Cincinnati, Grovetown, New York, and Atlanta round out the squads.

On the women’s side, the DC Eagles begin their ‘23 season in a two-game series against women from Columbus, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virginia, and North Carolina.  The Eagles have won the first two editions of the women’s game at the MAC.

SoCal Cup Leg 1 (men’s)
Los Angeles (0-1) vs Orange County (0-0) vs San Diego (2-0)
First Game 10am PDT – Field of Dreams, San Pedro, CA

One of a handful of regional leagues that have endured through the seasons, the SoCal Cup features sets of round robin matches between the three Southern California based clubs, with each team hosting once.  The L.A. Dragons host the first set of matches, as both they and the Giants try to wrench the Cup away from defending champion San Diego.  The Lions have already defeated the Dragons at Field of Dreams this season, but the beginning of Cup play means a clean slate for the triumvirate.

Photo: Scott Williams Photography