Can you believe that it’s already Week 7 of Major League Lacrosse? I know, the NCAAs are just ending now, and if you haven’t been paying attention, you’re now SHOCKED to learn that the MLL season will already be half over by the end of this weekend. It always catches me off guard.
What didn’t catch me off guard were last week’s games. I nailed ALL FOUR of my picks for the first time all season, and I upped my overall picking record to 13 correct and 8 incorrect, so far on the year. Of course now the D1 players start to join in to the MLL fray at a rapid pace, so the season is once again unpredictable. Just when you think you know what’s going to happen, something major changes. That’s MLL for you, making my job near impossible. I will gladly trade certain picks for it though. I like change, and I don’t fear it!
You know what’s next, before we get to the Week 7 MLL Predictions…
Top 10 Plays – Week 6
2015 MLL Predictions – Week 7
Boston @ Charlotte – Saturday, May 23rd, 7pm – Last week I predicted the Cannons would win, and that their two-way middies would figure it out. To be fair, I was half right… the Cannons did win. But instead of pressing the two-way strategy, Boston put their midfielders in more primary roles on offense and on defense, and it worked for them. If they stick with that plan and play unselfish lacrosse, they can beat Charlotte on the road.
Florida @ Ohio – Sunday, May 24th, 630pm – Both of these teams are hungry for wins, and both sit near the bottom of the league standings. We will see new players step in for both squads and that makes it even harder, in a predictably tight contest, to predict a winner. I’ll take Ohio in a close one as I think they play slightly better team ball, and with new faces stepping in, the structure and experience together will help.
Chesapeake @ Denver – Sunday, May 24th, 9pm (ET) – This is the marquee game of the weekend, as both teams sit at 3-2, and are tied for second place behind 6-0 New York. I like the Bayhawks to win this one and bounce back from a tough one goal loss to the Lizards, but Denver can definitely pull off the win at home. It’s home for Denver? Ok, I’m switching my pick. I’ll take Denver by 2.
Attendance Notes
Franchise – 2015 Attendance Average (+/- change from last week)
Denver – 5,925 (same)
New York – 4,705 (+176)
Chesapeake – 4,689 (same)
Boston – 4,566 (+363)
Ohio – 2,610 (+337)
Charlotte – 2,091 (same)
Florida – 1,792 (+92)
Rochester – 1,122 (same)
The fact that the top 4 teams are averaging over 4500 fans per game is pretty solid. With college, high school, and youth still happening, these numbers are good. Rochester is definitely a concern, but hopefully things pick up as the Summer really rolls around for people in Upstate New York. Charlotte and Ohio also need to plug in to their communities better and get those numbers up.
Florida is my REAL concern. High School lacrosse in Florida is done, and has been done since May 2nd. So where are the fans? The Launch need to get people out to games NOW, before it gets too hot to entice new fans to come. Once the real heat happens, only true fans will come out. With Lyle and Miles in town, hopefully the draw develops quickly. If not, it can’t be too long until this team is playing its home games in Atlanta.
