| 2019 MLL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Lacrosse |
| Sport | Field lacrosse |
| Duration | May 31 – October 6, 2019 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Season [] | Lyle Thompson |
| [scorer] | Lyle Thompson |
| Steinfeld Cup | |
| Champions | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
| Runners-up | Denver Outlaws |
| Finals [] | Steele Stanwick |
The 2019 Major League Lacrosse season was the 19th season of Major League Lacrosse. The regular season began on Friday, May 31 and ended on Sunday, September 22. It was the first time the league would ever begin its season after Memorial Day, allowing all players selected in the collegiate draft to play a full season. 2019 also marks the first time each team would play 16 games. The league has played a 14-game schedule since 2012. Additionally, the league returned to a Championship Weekend format instead of a two-week postseason for the first time since 2013. Championship Weekend was hosted in Denver with two semifinal games on Friday, October 4 and the 19th Steinfeld Cup was hosted at Dick's Sporting Goods Park October 6 on ESPN2. [1]
For the third time in five years, the Denver Outlaws enter the season as defending Steinfeld Cup champions. They defeated the Dallas Rattlers 16–12 in the 2018 championship game in Charleston, South Carolina.
On April 1, the league announced that the Charlotte Hounds, Florida Launch, and Ohio Machine would not be participating in the 2019 season, with Charlotte set to return in 2021 and Florida and Ohio folding. [2] An updated league schedule was released April 3. [3] The league competed with only six teams, the fewest since 2011.
Along with the league's schedule release on November 29, 2018, MLL announced it will continue its partnership with ESPN and Lax Sports Network for the 2019 season. ESPN+ will broadcast a Game of the Week. The All Star Game in Annapolis will be broadcast on ESPN2 while the 2019 Steinfeld Cup will be broadcast on ESPNEWS. [23]
On May 30, the league announced that 12 games and a weekly studio show would be broadcast on Stadium. [24]
On June 14, the league announced a partnership expansion with ESPN, as ESPN Player will broadcast 18 games on an international streaming platform. [25]
| Atlanta Blaze | Boston Cannons | Chesapeake Bayhawks |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Silverbacks Park | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium |
| Capacity: 5,000 | Capacity: 5,000 | Capacity: 34,000 |
| Dallas Rattlers | Denver Outlaws | New York Lizards |
|---|---|---|
| The Ford Center at The Star | Empower Field at Mile High | James M. Shuart Stadium |
| Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 76,125 | Capacity: 11,929 |
| 2019 Major League Lacrosse Standings | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | PCT | GB | GF | 2ptGF | GA | 2ptGA | |||||||||||
| Chesapeake Bayhawks | 10 | 6 | .625 | - | 211 | 3 | 186 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Denver Outlaws | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 206 | 15 | 205 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Boston Cannons | 9 | 7 | .563 | 1 | 217 | 8 | 211 | 5 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Blaze | 8 | 8 | .500 | 2 | 227 | 2 | 228 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Dallas Rattlers | 7 | 9 | .438 | 3 | 192 | 7 | 202 | 7 | ||||||||||
| New York Lizards | 5 | 11 | .313 | 5 | 195 | 2 | 216 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Playoff Seed |
For the first time since 2011, the league's average attendance per game would see an increase. Half of the six teams would see a boost in attendance, although the Denver Outlaws would record their worst attendance in team history. The Chesapeake Bayhawks would become the first attendance champion not named the Denver Outlaws since the Boston Cannons in 2012, and would draw 16,124 for their last regular season game on September 21. The Boston Cannons saw a 9% growth and announced two sellouts at their new home in Quincy, Massachusetts. The Atlanta Blaze, despite having to change stadiums midseason, would see a slight growth in attendance for the first time in their young history.
| Team | Total | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake | 57,165 | 7,145 | 71% |
| Denver | 46,497 | 5,812 | -25% |
| New York | 36,424 | 4,553 | -3% |
| Dallas | 33,485 | 4,185 | -12% |
| Boston | 32,696 | 4,087 | 9% |
| Atlanta | 13,916 | 1,739 | 4% |
| League | 220,183 | 4,587 | 25% |
The league hosted its collegiate draft on Saturday, March 9 in Charlotte at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. This was announced on January 23. [26] Faceoff specialist Alex Woodall from Towson was drafted first overall by the Machine. The Chesapeake Bayhawks drafted one of the biggest names in college lacrosse, Pat Spencer with the seventh pick. [27]
With the league contracting to six teams almost a month after the collegiate draft, questions were raised about what would happen to the players selected in the draft by Charlotte, Florida, and Ohio. On April 26, the league's remaining six teams held a dispersal draft for those collegiate athletes selected by the three suspended teams and any other eligible NCAA seniors. Top pick Alex Woodall (selected by Ohio) was picked up by the Blaze. [28]
The league held a dispersal draft on April 24 to accommodate for the rosters of the three teams who suspended operations earlier in the month. [29] Notable player movement included Ben Williams (faceoff/defense) going to Atlanta, midfielder Nick Mariano signing with the Chesapeake Bayhawks, veteran midfielder Kevin Crowley and goalie Austin Kaut signing with the New York Lizards, and Dallas native attackman Bryce Wasserman going home to the Rattlers.
The 2019 All Star Game took place on Saturday, July 27 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, home to the Chesapeake Bayhawks. It was broadcast on ESPN2. The 19th edition of the game the players were voted into the contest by MLL fans and then drafted into teams called Fire and Ice. Team captains were Rob Pannell with B.J. O'Hara as the coach (Fire) and Lyle Thompson with Bill Warder as the coach (Ice). Team Ice won by a sudden victory overtime goal by 21-year-old rookie Brendan Sunday 16–15. Even though Team Fire was defeated, Dylan Molloy of Fire earned the MVP honors with a check for $10,000 from sponsor New Balance. Molloy had 5 goals, 1 assist and 6 points.
For the first time since 2013, the playoffs will have a Final Four format, with two semifinal games on Friday, October 4 and the championship game on Sunday, October 6. Four teams will make the postseason bracket. On July 15, Denver was announced as the host city. Peter Barton Stadium will host the two semifinal games and Dick's Sporting Goods Park will host the 19th Steinfeld Cup.
| Semifinals October 4 Peter Barton Stadium | Championship October 6 Dick's Sporting Goods Park | ||||||||
| 1 | Chesapeake(OT) | 14 | |||||||
| 4 | Atlanta | 13 | |||||||
| 1 | Chesapeake | 10 | |||||||
| 2 | Denver | 9 | |||||||
| 2 | Denver | 17 | |||||||
| 3 | Boston | 15 | |||||||
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff for the championship trophy, the Steinfeld Trophy, named after founder Jake Steinfeld. League attendance peaked at 6,417 in 2011 and the 2019 average was 4,587.
The Chesapeake Bayhawks were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Annapolis, Maryland since 2010. They played in the greater Baltimore metro area beginning with the MLL's inaugural 2001 season, as the Baltimore Bayhawks from 2001–2006 and as the Washington Bayhawks from 2007–2009.
The New York Lizards, originally the Long Island Lizards, were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) team based in Hempstead, New York, located on Long Island. They are original members of the MLL. They lost the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to the Baltimore Bayhawks, 16–13.
The Dallas Rattlers were a professional men's field lacrosse team as a member of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) based in Frisco, Texas starting in 2018. The franchise was a charter member of the MLL, operating as the Rochester Rattlers in Rochester, New York, from 2001 to 2008 and 2011 to 2017.
The Cannons Lacrosse Club are a professional men's field lacrosse team in the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL). Formerly based in Boston, Massachusetts, they played in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as the Boston Cannons from their inaugural 2001 season to 2020. The team's home field was Veterans Memorial Stadium in nearby Quincy. In the MLL, the team won two Steinfeld Cup championship games in 2011 and 2020, the latter being the MLL's final championship. The Cannons joined the PLL in 2020 following the MLL–PLL merger and were rebranded as the Cannons Lacrosse Club.
John Christopher Grant Jr. is a Hall of Fame professional lacrosse player who has played in Major League Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League, and the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Grant Jr. was named men's lacrosse Offensive Coordinator at Johns Hopkins in 2020.
The Denver Outlaws were a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They began playing in the MLL in 2006 as an expansion team.
The Ohio Machine were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Obetz, Ohio. They first played in the 2012 MLL season and continued through the 2018 season.
The Charlotte Hounds were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) field lacrosse franchise that began play in the 2012 MLL season and ceased operations after the 2018 season. The team played their home games at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
Steven Brooks is a professional lacrosse player that retired from the Atlas LC (PLL) of Premier Lacrosse League in 2019. Brooks was the 6th overall draft pick in the 2008 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft by the Chicago Machine. He played high school lacrosse for Libertyville High School in Libertyville, Illinois. He also attended a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy. Brooks played college lacrosse at Syracuse University. In January 2020, Brooks was named assistant coach of the Atlas LC (PLL) in the professional lacrosse league PLL. He is the first ever PLL player turned coach in the league's history.
The Florida Launch were a professional men's field lacrosse team based in Boca Raton, Florida. They joined Major League Lacrosse (MLL) as an expansion team for the 2014 season until 2019. The team played its home games at Florida Atlantic University Stadium. The team was owned by Jim Davis, founder and chairman of New Balance, an early investor in the MLL.
The 2015 Major League Lacrosse season was the 16th season of FIL-sanctioned lacrosse in the United States and Canada, the 16th with a national first-division league, and the 15th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season featured 8 total clubs. The regular season was held from April 12 through July 25, with the semifinals on August 1 and the championship game on August 8 in Kennesaw, Georgia. The defending Steinfeld Cup champions are the Denver Outlaws, while the Rochester Rattlers finished as the runner-up.
The Atlanta Blaze were a professional men's field lacrosse team in Major League Lacrosse (MLL). The Blaze became the ninth team in MLL as an expansion team for the 2016 season and played its home games at Atlanta Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
The 2016 Major League Lacrosse season was the 16th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season featured 9 teams after the addition of the Atlanta Blaze via expansion. It was the first season since 2008 that the league fielded more than eight teams. The defending champion New York Lizards are coming off their third Steinfeld Cup victory in franchise history and first since 2003 after defeating the Rochester Rattlers 15–12 August 8, 2015 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. On August 20, the Denver Outlaws won their second Steinfeld Cup trophy in three years, coming back to defeat the Ohio Machine, 19–18.
The 2017 Major League Lacrosse season was the 17th season of Major League Lacrosse. Featuring the same nine teams as 2016, the season began on April 22. All four games played on opening weekend were won by the road team and decided by one goal, two in overtime. The season culminated in the championship game on August 19 in Frisco, Texas at The Ford Center at The Star. In a rematch of the 2016 championship game, the Ohio Machine defeated the Denver Outlaws 17–12, capturing their first Steinfeld Cup in franchise history.
The 2018 Major League Lacrosse season is the 18th season of Major League Lacrosse. The season began on Saturday, April 21 with three games. For the third straight year, the league consists of nine teams playing 14 games each. However, the league announced on November 16, 2017 that the Rochester Rattlers, one of the league's four remaining charter franchises, would relocate to Frisco, Texas and become the Dallas Rattlers. The reigning champions for the first time are the Ohio Machine, who would take a hard fall and finish 3-11 in 2018. The season culminated on Saturday, August 18 with the Denver Outlaws hoisting their third Steinfeld Trophy in Charleston, South Carolina at MUSC Health Stadium after defeating the Rattlers, 16-12.
The 2018 Atlanta Blaze season was the third season for the Atlanta Blaze of Major League Lacrosse. The Blaze created a lot of noise in the preceding offseason period. On September 12, 2017, the Blaze signed former Lizard Tommy Palasek. Later in the month, the Blaze also signed Matt Gibson from the Lizards and acquired Eddy Glazener from the Denver Outlaws for Christian Burgdorf.
The 2019 Dallas Rattlers season was the seventeenth season for the Rattlers franchise of Major League Lacrosse, and second season playing in Frisco, Texas since relocating from Rochester, New York.
The 2019 Denver Outlaws season was the fourteenth season for the Outlaws franchise of Major League Lacrosse. It was also the first season under head coach Tony Seaman, who previously served as general manager before B.J. O'Hara took the head coaching job for the New York Lizards. The Denver Outlaws had a very strong team, having 7 players go to the All Star game.
The 2020 Major League Lacrosse season was the 20th season of Major League Lacrosse. Each of the six teams were slated to play a ten-game regular season starting on May 30, until the COVID-19 pandemic suspended the season. On July 2, the league announced teams would play a five-game regular season over the course of a quarantined week in Annapolis, Maryland at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the home of the Chesapeake Bayhawks. The regular season was scheduled to begin play on Saturday, July 18 with a four-team postseason the next weekend on July 25–26.
