TNL Season Nine Preview

After a season of trials, tribulations, heartbreak and jubilation, we've arrived at the end of Season Eight and the beginning of Season Nine. Here's a recap of what went down last playoffs and a preview of what could happen this season.

S8 PLAYOFF RECAP

PLAY-IN ROUND ONE

(8) Boston Hustle def. (7) Alaska Aces, 2-1

(9) Toronto Titans def. (10) Austin Strike, 2-0

PLAY-IN ROUND TWO

(9) Toronto Titans def. (7) Alaska Aces, 2-1

QUARTERFINALS
(9) Toronto Titans def. (1) Tampa Bay Thunder, 4-3

(4) Sacramento Shadows def. (5) Portland Riptide, 4-3

(2) Pittsburgh Iron def. (8) Boston Hustle, 4-3

(3) Oakland Invaders def. (6) DC Defenders, 4-0

SEMIFINALS
(4) Sacramento Shadows def. (9) Toronto Titans, 4-2

(2) Pittsburgh Iron def. (3) Oakland Invaders, 4-3

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
(2) Pittsburgh Iron def. (4) Sacramento Shadows, 4-3

CHAMPIONS: Pittsburgh Iron

PITTSBURGH RETURNS AND RELOADS

Let's get this out of the way first: no TNL team has ever won back-to-back championships. With that being said, this Iron unit could be the first to hoist the trophy two straight seasons. Thanks to the effort of Finals MVP Kane Kosugi '01, Pittsburgh walked out with the championship.

But it wasn't easy. The Iron were the first championship-winning team to be forced to a rubber game in all three series and were on the ropes against Sacramento, being down 3-2. But Pittsburgh rallied to capture the championship.

This season, Pittsburgh returns with almost entirely the same crew: the two-time MVP Kaden Lebsack returns to anchor the squad, while Kosugi '01 is the secondary option. The main move Pittsburgh made over the offseason was acquiring Max Feinberg. He'll be a useful addition to a Pittsburgh team primed to make it back into the playoffs.

SACRAMENTO LOOKS TO REPEAT MAGICAL SEASON 8

For the first time in three seasons, the TNL Finals went to a winner-take-all seventh game. Interestingly, the last time it happened (Season Five), Pittsburgh was the team on the losing end. This time, the Iron stifled Sacramento en route to the championship. Though the season ended in heartbreak for the Shadows, it was their best season in franchise history. Sacramento not only made the playoffs for the first time in five seasons, but also made it to the finals for their first time ever.

Surprisingly, it's bringing back its entire time. It's not a surprise that the Shadows would try to retain a team that made it to the finals — it's a surprise they were able to. Keeping both Iliann Cherif and Sam Folsom was a slam dunk for Sacramento, although Folsom underperformed during the playoffs. It'll be interesting to see how this season progresses for the Shadows.

ALASKA LOOKING FOR NEW FACES TO SHINE — AND HOPEFULLY, A BETTER ENDING

Considering that I said this team was "one of the best top-to-bottom teams" in the league, it was disappointing to see the Aces not make it into the playoffs.

Following that elimination, Alaska has retooled around Oliver Luttman while adding Tom Alberti from Toronto into the mix. Some other key pieces that have joined the team are Isa Yoshinori and RJ Roman. All in all, the Aces should be a lock for the top 12 — but as we've seen in past seasons, nothing is guaranteed in TNL.

TIME'S RUNNING OUT FOR OAKLAND

Oakland wasn't able to cash in yet again, coming up one game short of the finals in a seventh-game loss to Pittsburgh. And it's fair to ask the question: how much time do the Invaders have left? They're now going into the season without last season's No. 18 Sean McColl — who departed for Oklahoma City on a two-season, $50 million deal — and don't have a definitive replacement lined up for him. Walker and Erdos should be able to handle most of his Stage Three reps, but that'll sacrifice depth on Stage Two and create a cascading effect. The Invaders here are essentially trying to shore up their weaknesses with one less marquee player.

While Oakland should still be a playoff contender, it's fair to anticipate a step back for it this season. The Invaders are losing someone who averaged over 15 points a game and not gaining all of that back. Expect around No. 7 to No. 10 this season rather than the regular season championship.

HOUSTON ABOUT TO ENDURE ROUGH SEASON

For the first time, Houston missed the playoffs. And in the offseason, any glimmer of hope it had was dashed when its three best players were all removed. Now without Joseph Meissner, Jordan Jovtchev and Adolis Garcia, the Ignition won't repeat their 20-win season from last time around — they may not even crack double-digit wins.

Last season's No. 55, Kevin Rodriguez, is the highest returning player for Houston, and he'll be asked to carry the team. It's unlikely that he can and the Ignition will likely be watching the playoff picture from the cellar in Season Nine.

TORONTO LOOKS TO BUILD UPON FIRST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE

Toronto was the most surprising team of the postseason. It not only defeated Austin in the first round of the play-in, but then proceeded to defeat No. 7 Alaska in the second round.

As if that wasn't enough, the Titans then came back from a 3-1 deficit to take down No. 1 Tampa Bay and advanced to the semifinals. While Toronto wouldn't get any further, falling to Sacramento, it was a dramatic step forward for a team who'd never made it to the playoffs before, much less the semifinals.

The Titans took a massive swing in the offseason, dealing away Nacssa Garemore and Brett Strong to acquire No. 20 Geoff Britten. It should give Toronto the tools to contend more on Stage Three, where it finished 19th in points per game last season. The Titans should be a contender to make the playoffs again.

OTHER TEAMS TO LOOK FOR

Since fomolom took over Tampa Bay in Season Six, the Thunder been contending more and more each season. Though they may take a step back, still expect them to be a playoff team. Portland's also back in the mix and should contend with the return of Jean Tezenas, as well as trading to reacquire Rene Casselly. Dallas and London are also two interesting teams who could play spoiler in the playoff picture, thanks to the firepower of last season's No. 11 Kai Beckstrand (Dallas) and No. 12 Ryosuke Miyaoka (London).

THOMAS' POWER RANKINGS

1) Pittsburgh Iron
2) Sacramento Shadows
3) Tampa Bay Thunder
4) Portland Riptide
5) Alaska Aces
6) Toronto Titans
7) Oakland Invaders
8) DC Defenders
9) Atlanta Falconhawks
10) Boston Hustle
11) Dallas Wranglers
12) Austin Strike
13) Denver Dynamite
14) London Glory
15) Charlotte Sting
16) Baltimore Bandits
17) Indianapolis Horsepower
18) Minnesota Blizzard
19) Los Angeles Eclipse
20) Miami Blaze
21) Cleveland Crowns
22) Oklahoma City Lightning
23) Tokyo Kaiju
24) New York Nightmares
25) Philadelphia Freedom
26) Las Vegas Jackpot
27) New Jersey Generals
28) Houston Ignition
29) San Antonio Shurikens
30) Chicago Cyclones
31) Detroit Chargers
32) Seattle Surge

UP NEXT!

Season Nine kicks off on March 24 at ANW 4.