TNL Season X Preview

After a period of over two months, Season 9 has ended and the landmark 10th season of TNL just kicked off. Here's a look back at last postseason and what’s on the horizon for this upcoming campaign.

S9 PLAYOFF RECAP

PLAY-IN ROUND ONE

(8) Miami Blaze def. (7) Alaska Aces, 2-0

(9) Tampa Bay Thunder def. (10) Baltimore Bandits, 2-1

PLAY-IN ROUND TWO

(9) Tampa Bay Thunder def. (7) Alaska Aces, 2-1

QUARTERFINALS
(1) Sacramento Shadows def. (9) Tampa Bay Thunder, 4-1

(4) Boston Hustle def. (5) Pittsburgh Iron, 4-2

(2) Oakland Invaders def. (8) Miami Blaze, 4-2

(3) Portland Riptide def. (6) London Glory, 4-0

SEMIFINALS
(1) Sacramento Shadows def. (4) Boston Hustle, 4-1

(2) Oakland Invaders def. (3) Portland Riptide, 4-3

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
(1) Sacramento Shadows def. (2) Oakland Invaders, 4-0

CHAMPIONS: Sacramento Shadows

SACRAMENTO AIMS FOR THIRD STRAIGHT FINALS BID

For the past two seasons, Sacramento has arguably been the best team from start to finish. If not for a lackluster Stage 3 in Season 8's winner-take-all Game 7, the Shadows could be back-to-back champions right now. As it stands, they come into Season X as the league's defending title holder.

The good news for Sacramento is that they retain all of their championship talent from last season, including Season 9's Finals MVP Noah Meunier. Coupled with Iliann Cherif and Sam Folsom, it could very well be the Shadows who lift the championship at the end of this season.

Though Sacramento dropped its season opener to Oakland, 89-50, the Invaders put up the highest score. The Shadows remain among the highest-ceiling teams in the league, and one loss — even a lopsided one — doesn’t erase their proven formula. With championship chemistry intact and a trio as battle-tested as Meunier, Cherif, and Folsom Sacramento is built for the long haul.

OAKLAND EYES REVENGE AFTER CHAMPIONSHIP HEARTBREAK

For a team that was swept in the championship final, Oakland sure hasn't played like it. Their performance across this season's first two weeks has them sitting in first, following a revenge win against Sacramento and a dismantling of a new-look San Antonio. The Invaders have averaged 90 points through three rounds. While that's obviously a low sample size, Oakland looks like they did in last season's semifinals against Portland: a team clawing back, fighting to prove itself after tribulation.

If Jackson Erdos — currently the league's top dog through three games — can keep up this torrid pace, and Vance Walker can once again be a dependable No. 2, this team could have the tools to finally put it all together and walk home with the championship.

ACROSS THE POND, LONDON PLOTS ANOTHER PLAYOFF RUN

Last season wasn't just the first time that London made the postseason. It was the first time that the franchise — which was the Chicago Cyclones until Season 6 — compiled a winning record, in general. Though the Glory were soundly dispatched by Portland in a four-game sweep, just making the playoffs is an accomplishment. However, London cannot rest on its laurels. To start this season, it hasn't, currently sitting 12th in the standings after a 2-1 start.

A successful season for the Glory largely hinges on two things: finding a successful No. 2 to pair alongside Ryosuke Miyaoka and fleshing out the roster on the first two stages. Through three rounds, it looks like London's found the first answer; Isaiah Thomas is at No. 2 in the MVP rankings through a trio of games. The next step? Proving this isn't just a hot start — but a new standard.

TOKYO FOCUSED ON EXTENDING WINNING WAYS

Like London, Tokyo broke through for the first time ever, compiling 19 wins and coming up just six points shy of making the Wildcard Clash. In Round 31, the Kaiju came up short by five points. In the end, the Kaiju's efforts simply weren't enough. Despite a historic 19-win season, the Kaiju’s bid fell just short, extending the franchise’s wait for a postseason debut.

This season, Tokyo has won each of its first three games. However, those three games were both against teams not expected to contend for the postseason. The Kaiju's first big test will come against Portland in Round 4 and it should provide a solid barometer of how exactly this season will go for Tokyo. So far, things look very solid for the Kaiju. Then again, the same could've been said about last season's squad, which started 7-2.

DENVER ASPIRES TO RETURN TO OLD CHAMPIONSHIP FORM

Denver's captain, TheSaltKing, has long wished to forget last season. It was one he deemed a "lost cause" and one which ended with just 13 wins, the lowest since the league expanded to a 31-game schedule (which will be 35 this season, with four new expansion teams) and the lowest winning percentage in TheSaltKing's tenure. However, optimism is high for TheSaltKing and the Dynamite. Phil Folsom returns after briefly being dealt to Seattle last season and the team has a new No. 2: Oliver Luttman, who was poached from Alaska during the offseason free agency period.

If Denver can make the postseason, it'll be TheSaltKing's third time making it to the dance. And now in his ninth season, he knows the clock is ticking. A third playoff berth would cement his legacy in Denver — and it might be the only way to shake off the ghosts of last season.

TORONTO REBOOTS, SETS SIGHT ON SECOND PLAYOFF BID

Though Toronto failed to make the postseason last year, the campaign was by no means a failure. The Titans were in the playoff hunt until the final round, where they lost in a closely-fought battle with London. Going into this season, expectations are high for Toronto. And so far, the Titans have delivered, sitting ninth in the standings with a 2-1 record.

Currently, Toronto ranks eighth in points per game. The one loss it did take this season? A 100-93 loss to the Season Six champions, the Portland Riptide. If the Titans can keep this stretch of success going, there's no reason why they can't be in the 12-team postseason field.

OTHER TEAMS TO LOOK FOR

Two seasons removed from a championship, Pittsburgh returns without Kane Kosugi '01, who finds himself on Alaska. The Iron couldn't defeat Boston in last season's quarterfinal, but hitherto, they've been good this season. After a rocky 57-42 Opening Week loss to the Houston Ignition, Pittsburgh appears to have gotten back on track, tallying 82 and 104 points in its next two games en route to a seventh-place standing.

Miami's path is far more rocky, however. The team elected to move on from both Jay Lewis and Isaiah Thomas and the results up to this point haven't been great, with the Blaze ranking at No. 26 in the standings. While Miami captain Rysins726's managerial resume has been stellar up to this point, this campaign could be his toughest yet.

Detroit is an interesting spoiler that hasn't been a figure of attention in recent seasons. Since their Wildcard Clash appearance in Season Six, it’s been a tough stretch for the Chargers. In the three seasons since, Detroit has failed to post a winning record, managing just six and eight wins in the last two campaigns, respectively. However, this season looks different. Led by former All-TNL member Joseph Meissner, with Joe Moravsky and Sato Jun rounding out a solid core, the Chargers are a team to keep an eye on this season, even though they started 0-3.

THOMAS' POWER RANKINGS

1) Sacramento Shadows
2) Oakland Invaders
3) Pittsburgh Iron
4) Portland Riptide
5) Toronto Titans
6) Houston Ignition
7) Austin Strike
8) Tampa Bay Thunder
9) Boston Hustle

10) London Glory

11) San Francisco Sentinels
12) Alaska Aces
13) Tokyo Kaiju
14) Detroit Chargers

15) Miami Blaze
16) DC Defenders
17) Denver Dynamite
18) Charlotte Sting
19) San Antonio Shurikens
20) Cleveland Crowns
21) Philadelphia Freedom
22) Los Angeles Eclipse
23) Dallas Wranglers
24) Seattle Surge
25) Milwaukee Reapers
26) Brooklyn Blitz
27) New Jersey Generals
28) Phoenix Inferno
29) Oklahoma City Lightning
30) Baltimore Bandits
31) Indianapolis Horsepower
32) New York Nightmares
33) Las Vegas Jackpot
34) Chicago Cyclones
35) Minnesota Blizzard
36) Atlanta Falconhawks

UP NEXT!

Season X continues with Round 4 on June 11 at ANW 11.