THE GRILL IS FIRED UP IN NEWPORT BEACH: MLP'S BEST TEAMS, READY
Eight teams, one fire. The MLP Playoffs turn up the heat in Newport Beach.
The grill is already lit. After a Round 1 that knocked four teams out of the running in Dallas, the year's eight best squads are getting ready for the next cookout — the Quarterfinals in Newport Beach, California, August 14-16.
The Ones Who Earned A Spot Right By The Fire
While eight teams were sweating it out in Dallas fighting to survive, four already had their seats secured next to the grill, waiting it out: New Jersey 5s, St. Louis Shock, Los Angeles Mad Drops, and Columbus Sliders. They're the season's four top seeds — the reward for not slipping up a single weekend all year.
The Ones Who Earned Their Spot Through Pure Sweat
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On the other side, four teams arrive straight from the heat of Dallas, still feeling the burn in their legs:
Texas Ranchers — survived the tightest matchup of the weekend, grinding out two matches in DreamBreaker against Atlanta. Nobody arrives more battle-tested for the fire than they do.
Brooklyn Pickleball Team — favorites from the jump, but not without a scare against SoCal. Christian Alshon arrives as the sharpest player of the entire round, closing at 77.2% points won.
Palm Beach Royals — handled business against Chicago Slice, though the series will be remembered more for the tense bench confrontation than the scoreline.
Dallas Flash — hosts, riding a winning streak that's now stretched across several weekends. Their first match had it all, but the second was a pure display of dominance.
How The Grill Gets Set
In Newport Beach, the No. 1 seed picks first from the No. 5-8 seeds, followed by the No. 2 seed, and so on down the line. In other words: the teams that got to rest have the power to choose exactly who they want sharing the grill with them — and trust us, nobody's picking the easy option.
Every series is best-of-three. The four winners advance straight to the semifinals, played in the final stretch of the road to New York.
What Comes After The Fire
This season's champion gets crowned in Central Park, New York City, August 28-30 — the perfect close to a season that's leveled up at every single stop.
Newport Beach already has the grill fired up. Now it's just a matter of who can take the heat.
Eight teams, one fire. The MLP Playoffs turn up the heat in Newport Beach.
The grill is already lit. After a Round 1 that knocked four teams out of the running in Dallas, the year's eight best squads are getting ready for the next cookout — the Quarterfinals in Newport Beach, California, August 14-16.
The Ones Who Earned A Spot Right By The Fire
While eight teams were sweating it out in Dallas fighting to survive, four already had their seats secured next to the grill, waiting it out: New Jersey 5s, St. Louis Shock, Los Angeles Mad Drops, and Columbus Sliders. They're the season's four top seeds — the reward for not slipping up a single weekend all year.
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The Ones Who Earned Their Spot Through Pure Sweat
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
On the other side, four teams arrive straight from the heat of Dallas, still feeling the burn in their legs:
Texas Ranchers — survived the tightest matchup of the weekend, grinding out two matches in DreamBreaker against Atlanta. Nobody arrives more battle-tested for the fire than they do.
Brooklyn Pickleball Team — favorites from the jump, but not without a scare against SoCal. Christian Alshon arrives as the sharpest player of the entire round, closing at 77.2% points won.
Palm Beach Royals — handled business against Chicago Slice, though the series will be remembered more for the tense bench confrontation than the scoreline.
Dallas Flash — hosts, riding a winning streak that's now stretched across several weekends. Their first match had it all, but the second was a pure display of dominance.
How The Grill Gets Set
In Newport Beach, the No. 1 seed picks first from the No. 5-8 seeds, followed by the No. 2 seed, and so on down the line. In other words: the teams that got to rest have the power to choose exactly who they want sharing the grill with them — and trust us, nobody's picking the easy option.
Every series is best-of-three. The four winners advance straight to the semifinals, played in the final stretch of the road to New York.
What Comes After The Fire
This season's champion gets crowned in Central Park, New York City, August 28-30 — the perfect close to a season that's leveled up at every single stop.
Newport Beach already has the grill fired up. Now it's just a matter of who can take the heat.
