Foundation League may be the lowest league in MLE, but make no mistake, the passion, heart, and will to win is still there. Eight teams remain after a tumultuous season whittled the field in half, and every team finds themselves alive with a chance to take home the title. Which player will step up, which upset will inevitably occur, and who will take home the glory? Let’s talk about the teams and matchups to help answer this question.
Blue Conference – Saturday, Dec. 5th
#1 JETS vs. #4 HAWKS @ 5pm on MLESPORTSGG2
The Forge Division winning Jets come into this game the favorite, but the Hawks are no slouches, going over .500 this season. Unfortunately for them, they run into a 37-13 Jets team who haven’t lost a series since week one. The key for both teams will be dealing with late-season roster changes, something that is a common occurrence in the Foundation League.
The Hawks come in a balanced team, with not stats that really jump out at you, but they do have one thing the Jets do not: a 10 salary player. Actually, they have two. GAMBro and ItGogurts will both look to set the pace for this talented squad. ItsGogurts is 2nd in the league with saves, having a very impressive 58 on the season. GAMBro is newer to the league and will be the biggest mystery. If he pops off, the Hawks have a real chance to seal an upset.
That will be very tough to do though, as the Jets defense is one of the best in the league. They only gave up 115 goals, second-best in FL. Meerkat! and KaptainKillazz also are tied for 3rd in the league in OMVPR. This defense is very solid and will look to hold the Hawks at bay. In addition, these two players have chemistry as they have been on the team all season long, this will no doubt be an advantage, but will it be enough to overpower the 10 salaries they’ll have to play against? Tune in tonight to find out!
#2 Knights VS. #3 HIVE @ 6m on MLESPORTSGG
This might be the best matchup of the first round, as both these teams have exceeded expectations for this season. The Hive won the Sky Division, but their reward is facing a Knights team who actually had a better record than them, coming in at 34-16. The Hive have dealt with adversity all season, dealing with lots of rank outs and roster changes as the season went on, but they still found a way to gather win after win, and come into this series with a boatload of confidence. They hold the 3rd highest number of goals scored this season, and the 4th lowest team OMVPR. Woah will be the player to look out for. He only played in two series but scored an impressive 2.3 goals per game in his limited action.
Unfortunately for him, he will have to go up against the best defense in the league in the Knights, who gave up only 110 goals this season, the least in the league. During the FL draft, I made a comment on stream about how I believed SovietShark was the best 8.5 salary (now a 9.5) in the league. Not only was I right, but he exceeded even my wildest expectations with his amazing stats. His 78 goals this season were the most in the Blue Conference, and he has one of the most dangerous dribble/flick combos the league has ever seen. Combined with Hawkeye, who scored 33 goals and made 27 saves in 4 series played, and you may have the most dangerous lineup in the league. If they play this lineup, the Hive better watch out. It should be a great battle between two teams who have everything to play for, so be sure to fire up Twitch and watch!
Orange Conference
#1 Rhinos VS. #4 SPECTRE @ 5pm on MLESPORTSGG2
The Rhinos may be the number one seed, but a late-season rank out to team leader Bukkets may be what decides this game. His 78 goals will be missed, but the Rhinos still have a very good duo without him. The Spectre on the other hand have a (not so) secret weapon that led them to the playoffs, but I’ll get into that more in a minute.
The Rhinos deservingly got the number one seed, posting the best record in FL with a remarkable 38-12 mark, and winning 8 of their 10 series. Also as I mentioned, the team still has two players who can pop off at any moment. BeanMachine is a 10 salary who will look to come in and make his mark. His 63 goals (T6th) and 32 assists (4th) are both in the top 10 for the league. In addition, CrazyCow did one better, with 33 assists, 3rd in the league. He is no slouch either, putting up 50 goals of his own. The chemistry this team has is unbelievable, and should not be underestimated going into this series.
On the other side, Idjo led the league in assists with 45 and will be a great second man for this side. In addition, the Spectre boasts arguably the biggest steal of the draft, and the best player in FL this season. Lavar Ball made his mark by scoring an unbelievable 105 goals this season, by far the most in the league (2nd place was 25 goals behind him). He controls the game as well because his constant offensive pressure limits the pressure of the other team, demonstrated by his 3.44 OMVPR, which is 10th in the league. Lavar Ball is someone other teams should be scared of, and he’ll look to punish the Rhinos Sunday afternoon, but will he? Watch to find out!
#2 Outlaws VS. #3 DEMOLITION @ 6m on MLESPORTSGG
The Outlaws were just behind the Rhinos in the standings, and for good reason. This team plays really well together and has had very little roster turnover all season, leading to increased chemistry and good teamwork. The Demolition will look to make their own mark though, with a very good top lineup and are a team the Outlaws can not underestimate.
For the Demo, Sobe has 54 goals this season, which leads his team. UhhSpicy was a midseason pickup who has made a great influence though, as his MVPR (9th) and OMVPR (7th) both rank in the top 10. In only 20 games played, this new Demo star has shown he is capable of a lot. As a lineup, this team has the chemistry to really make an impact.
For the Outlaws, a fantastic all-around lineup has led them to the promised land. Manic is the lone 10 salary and has great all-around stats, including having 34 assists, 2nd best in the league. Flipps may also be a player to look out for though, as his 5.42 MVPR was 4th in the league. One thing for sure is team captain Jacobjtl has done a great job putting this roster together and deserves a lot of credit. This should be a dogfight, with two great teams put up against each other, who will win? You’ll have to tune in to find out.
You can watch all these matches and matches from each league at MLESPORTSGG and MLESPORTSGG2. Support your favorite teams and MLE by watching the stream. And good luck to all the playoff teams.
