MLP New York City 2025 – Final Weekend Preview

The final weekend of the MLP season has arrived. The playoffs happen quickly, and it is kind of sad that it all happens so fast. It feels somewhat similar to the NFL season where you play all these regular season games and the playoffs dwindle down rapidly to the point where you only have a few teams to talk about. The narratives and storylines become more focused, and the stakes get much, much bigger. 

Also, move over American Cornhole League and PBR Bull Riding because the 12pm EST, Saturday timeslot on the main CBS network will feature either game 3 of the Ben vs. ALW matchup or game 1 of the Premier finals. A Ben Johns vs. Anna Leigh Waters matchup would be a dream come true for showcasing pickleball on a bigger stage, but it should be a good thing either way that MLP gets a mainstream TV appearance. 

We couldn’t figure out how to make this any more interesting than a preview, but we really don’t need gimmicks when it’s MLP in NYC to finish it all. 

Premier Semi-Final #1 – St. Louis Shock (#1 seed) vs. Columbus Sliders (#5 Seed)

The Skinny: “They picked us!” This is what the Columbus Sliders will be using as motivation for a second weekend in a row as the Shock, not shockingly, chose to avoid the very motivated Ben Johns and a scary Dreambreaker team in the LA Mad Drops. Best be sure that the Shock are not taking the Sliders lightly, especially coming off an epic all Dreambreaker 3-game series against the Dallas Flash. Columbus should have all the confidence in the world and a nothing to lose mentality, which could be a scary combination for St. Louis. 

The one thing we had discussed as a factor going against St. Louis in making our post-season picks is whether St. Louis is going to want it too badly.  We have two teams that should be on opposite sides of the spectrum with the Shock as the consensus favorites and the Sliders as the consensus underdogs. No one wants a Championship more than the Shock, their ownership and Anna Bright (although the 5’s may want it just as badly). It’s never easy being the odds-on favorite, and it will be fascinating to see if there is any indication that their players are holding their paddles a little bit tighter than they typically do. 

Key Matchup:  The Sliders #2 mixed team of Lea Jansen/CJ Klinger could be the surprise difference maker, but the key matchup for these teams has to be the men. Andrei Daescu/CJ Klinger played their best ball of the season against the Dallas Flash and it will put a lot more pressure on the Shock if the Daescu/Klinger can beat Patriquin/Tardio. The mixed matchups favor St. Louis and that makes it crucial for the Sliders men to play a lot better than the last time they faced the Shock men. 

Prediction: St. Louis Shock in 3. The Sliders will need both their gender teams to step up and they are more than capable of doing it, but more things have to go right for the Sliders than they do for the Shock to win 2 matches. The Sliders now being the underdog in a Dreambreaker makes the upset that much more difficult. 

Premier Semi-Final #2: New Jersey 5’s (#3 seed) vs. LA Mad Drops (#4 Seed) 

The Skinny: Ben Johns vs. Anna Leigh Waters in the MLP semi-finals. What more do you need to know? This should be the most anticipated MLP matchup we have had to date, and the hope from a fan perspective is that the higher seeded 5’s decide to put ALW against Ben Johns in mixed. Anna Leigh got the best of Ben in Dallas, but we expect that Ben will be more ready for the smoke that ALW is going to bring. Going best on best in mixed gives the 5’s the best chance at a regulation win, so their reaction to the mixed matchups will tell us a lot about what they are hoping to get out of the doubles matchups. Do they want to secure a Dreambreaker or go for the gusto in regulation?  

Gary Vaynerchuk and his cult-like following brings 5’s fans wherever they play, and this should be magnified with the 5’s playing in New York. We know that the 5’s have a way of getting under the skin of their opponents – see: Patriquin, Hayden; Alshon, Christian. 

Key Matchup: Our sense is that this series will come down to women’s doubles. The 5’s need the women’s matchup to go their way because of how heavily Ben and Hunter will be favored in men’s, and the fact that their #2 mixed team is the weakest link of their team. If the Mad Drops can win women’s, they will be close to guaranteeing at least a Dreambreaker and will put them in the driver’s seat to win in regulation. 

Meghan Dizon has stepped up in recent events, but there’s a reason that her name is consistently brought up by other pros as a question mark. We will have to see whether she can maintain her high level of play and be the missing piece that the 5’s hoped she would be. Dizon can prove the doubters wrong if she can keep the pressure from getting to her in NYC. 

Prediction: LA in Mad Drops in 3. Similarly to the other semi-final matchup, more has to go right for the 5’s than it does for the Mad Drops to win. Talent reigns supreme and we are choosing the more talented team top to bottom. 

Premier Winner Prediction

We are going with the Shock to win it all. They are the deepest team top to bottom, and they have more on-court experience with one another than any other team in the semi-finals. That’s the kind of thing that could make the difference at the most important moments of this weekend.

Challenger Final: Las Vegas Night Owls (#1 seed) vs. Nashville Chefs (#2 Seed) 

The Skinny: The Night Owls and Chefs have been the two best teams in Challenger all season. Genie Erokhina replaced Michelle Esquivel at the end of the season and filled in admirably in that spot during their playoff match against California. Las Vegas was a big favorite to win Challenger heading into the season but their path to the #1 seed has not been quite as clean as everyone has expected. They have flipped their mixed pairings around and, despite being the most talented team in Challenger, have played their fair share of Dreambreakers.  

Key Matchup: In their 6 matchups against one another this year, the Chefs and Night Owls have played 4 Dreambreakers. Las Vegas is 3-1 in those Dreambreakers.  It seems like there is a pretty decent chance the Challenger winner comes down to the singles prowess of these two teams. Genie Erokhina is a little bit of a downgrade for the Chefs compared to Michelle Esquivel and that puts Nashville even more behind the eight ball.  

Prediction: Las Vegas in 2. We’ll have to see if any of these matches go to a Dreambreaker at all but, beyond Las Vegas’s overall talent edge, the Dreambreaker should insulate them from suffering through another set of round robins in Challenger in 2026. 

Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments or email us at nmlpickleball@gmail.com! You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @nmlpickleball