Final Record and Result: 4-6, lost to Archers in Semifinals
Draft Picks: 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5
Notable Free Agents:
CJ Costabile, LSM
Zach Geddes, SSDM
Mark Glicini, SSDM
Jules Heningburg, A/M
Kyle Jackson, A/M
Austin Kaut, G
Ryan McNulty, LSM
Jarrod Neumann, D
Sergio Perkovic, M
James Reilly, F/O
Pat Resch, SSDM
SEASON RECAP:
Carolina opened the season with a 16-11 win, and it looked like they’d be a force to contend with all year. But dropping three straight in the month of June took their record under .500, and they couldn’t string back to back wins together the rest of the way to get back over the mark. They made the playoffs and absolutely smothered the Cannons in the quarters, living up to the Playoff Chaos reputation they’ve earned. But in the semifinals, they were bounced in ugly fashion by the Archers, with a last minute goal by Zach Geddes being the only score on the day as they were nearly shut out by the defending champs.
The Chaos were a team that underwent a seismic shift on offense coming into the year. Dhane Smith, Chris Cloutier, Chase Fraser, and Ryan Smith are all gone. Brian Minicus got an expanded role, Jules Heningburg and Sergio Perkovic joined in free agency, and the Chaos drafted Ross Scott and Shane Knobloch. The pivot was clear. Move away from indoor style pairs and box first players, and instead build an offense on speed, individual matchup winners, and maintaining spacing for dodgers. That’s a major change. The offense was inconsistent as a result. They managed just 10 scores per game, the lowest total in the league. They hit just five twos, the lowest total in the league. They were in middle of the pack in terms of team shooting percentage, but they struggled to create enough shots to run up impressive scores most weeks. Any team making whole sale changes to offensive philosophy like the Chaos did should be expected to struggle the following year. Things change fast in the PLL, but this is the sort of shift that really hasn’t been attempted before.
The defense, however, was more than good enough to carry the load. They allowed a league best 11 scores per game. They didn’t cause a lot of turnovers, they didn’t crush the ground ball stats, but they were outstanding in individual matchups, and pushing offenses to places where they’d take shots that All World goalie Blaze Riorden ate up. Riorden once again had the leagues best save percentage, and if not for missing two games with injury, he’d probably be near the top of the list in saves again as well. While the Chaos close defense was spectacular all year, the defensive midfield reached new heights. Troy Reh has a legitimate gripe with being left of the LSM of the Year nominees. Zach Geddes broke through and is an SSDM of the Year finalist, showcasing not just ability in coverage but the ability to go from D to O as well as any shorty in the PLL. Ian MacKay and Pat Resch again turned in excellent seasons.
If you have a defense like that, you can beat anyone. It’s why it was surprising to see so many people pick against the Chaos in the quarterfinals. Blaze Riorden was in goal, and even without Jack Rowlett, they had a defense built to handle anyone. On the offensive end, with stars like Josh Byrne, there was always the possibility that this week they put it together.
Chaos were a team that might not have been expected to win every week, but nobody should ever have been surprised when they did.
OFFSEASON PLAN:
I doubt Andy Towers would tell you his plan to shift his offense to being built on speed and quickness is something that would be executed in a single offseason. This offseason, Chaos need to stay committed to that plan if they truly believe it’s the way to go. Against the Archers in the quarters, the Chaos couldn’t easily draw slides despite having so much dodging ability. Without being able to attack an unsettled defense, the speed grinded to a halt. If they want to lean hard into speed and explosiveness being the cornerstone on offense, the free agent market has some talent to help them. Nakeie Montgomery could be a reasonable target, as could Logan McGovern, or even Romar Dennis to stretch teams to the two point arc.
The defense is intact. Rowlett is signed long term, Will Bowen is still on his rookie deal, Jack Posey looked very good this year as a rookie. Chaos can prioritize new deals for Neumann, Resch, and Geddes. The defensive midfield may need some reinforcements though. CJ Costabile will be in his 14th season next summer. Resch is 33, MacKay is 30, Glicini is 31. This draft class will have some elite SSDM talent in it like Ben Ramsey and Casey Wilson. The Chaos have Dylan Hess waiting to join them after a year of college football, but grabbing another of the hyper talented shorties next draft could give them a young and well built SSDM group.
The Carolina locker room is one of the more close knit groups in the PLL. Sticking with any PLL team isn’t easy, but anyone who sticks with the Chaos is someone that staff and locker room trusts to be fully bought in. The team has what you might call a “no assholes” policy. Compromise the group for yourself, you’re out. Because of how well bonded and much loyalty means, it’s reasonable to expect that the players who have been with this team for a few years all sign back and stick around for another run.
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