MLP San Clemente Playoff Shakeup: Life Time Fitness in San Clemente, California, hosted back-to-back Professional Pickleball Association and Major League Pickleball events with near-perfect weather. The MLP matches were crucial for playoff positions, especially with Los Angeles, Columbus, and Brooklyn fighting closely in the standings. The weekend included surprise wins, upsets, and injury challenges for several teams.
Brooklyn rises to the challenge
The Brooklyn Pickleball Team faced major problems when Riley Newman was injured, and Dekel Bar and Pat Smith fell ill. The team had to use two substitute players, AJ Koller and Rafa Hewett. No one expected this pairing. The Brooklyn men’s doubles only won one out of four matches. However, Rachel Rohrabacher and Jackie Kawamoto played strongly, winning all four of their women’s doubles games. Brooklyn’s mixed teams also performed well, going 6-2. This success led Brooklyn to a 3-1 record over the weekend and earned them 10 team points, moving them up to fourth place in the standings. If Riley Newman and Dekel Bar return healthy, Brooklyn will be hard to beat because they have four solid doubles teams.
Los Angeles shows strengths and weaknesses
Los Angeles Mad Drops had been the hottest team recently, but San Clemente presented difficulties. Catherine Parenteau and Jade Kawamoto, who had been carrying the team, lost twice, including a surprising 11-3 defeat to Phoenix’s Jessie Irvine and Alex Walker. When Parenteau and Kawamoto lose, Los Angeles struggles, as their other doubles teams are weaker compared to top squads. Los Angeles did manage to win an important match against Columbus in a DreamBreaker, which is a tiebreaker game. They won women’s doubles and secured one mixed doubles win before using their DreamBreaker skills to edge Columbus 21-19. Even with that victory, their lack of depth hurt their overall points per game. Now in sixth place, Los Angeles has tough matches left against Dallas, St. Louis, and New Jersey. It will be difficult for them to keep a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Columbus shows their full strength squad is pretty good
Columbus Sliders had not played many matches this season, and few featured all four of their main players—Andrei Daescu, CJ Klinger, Parris Todd, and Lea Jansen—healthy together. In San Clemente, they finally had a complete squad. Columbus ended the event with a 3-1 record and 10 team points, moving up to fifth place. The Columbus men swept all their matches. However, Parris Todd and Lea Jansen struggled as they kept switching positions. They could not decide whether Todd should stay on the right, where she plays best. If Columbus stays healthy, they are likely to finish fourth or fifth and could face Brooklyn in the playoffs.
Utah takes a fall
Utah Black Diamonds’ problems began when Tyler Loong suffered a bad accident, needing stitches in his leg and a cast on his non-playing hand. This injury affected his performance, and the team struggled. Utah lost a match they could have won against SoCal and earned only four team points over five matches. The team remains in ninth place but must watch out because Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta are close behind in the rankings.
The weekend at San Clemente showed how quickly things can change in Major League Pickleball. Health issues, surprise lineups, and single match losses shifted the standings for several teams. With only a few matches left, every game will decide who gets better playoff positions and which teams will have to fight their way through early rounds.
News in Brief: MLP San Clemente Playoff Shakeup
Life Time Fitness in San Clemente hosted MLP matches that reshaped playoff standings. Brooklyn overcame injuries to move into fourth place. Los Angeles fell to sixth after key losses. Columbus impressed with a healthy roster, while Utah struggled due to Tyler Loong’s injury. Playoff spots remain up for grabs.
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