MLP Dallas Event Preview

The second to last Major League Pickleball (MLP) regular season event is taking place at Pickler Universe, in Dallas, Texas.

Playoff positioning and qualification is on the line at the Advil Targeted Relief MLP Dallas event.

This event takes place just four days after MLP St. Louis concluded. The Dallas Flash and the St. Louis Shock, the top two teams in the standings, both played in MLP St. Louis and will be playing in MLP Dallas.

The Challenger Level teams finally have a break - they played four weeks straight (along with Brooklyn and Columbus) and have a week break before finishing their regular season next week in Salt Lake City.

There are nine Premier Level teams participating in the event, with each of those teams playing six matches. There are going to be 27 total matches.

Top Three Storylines

New Faces on New Teams

There were a flurry of trades made at the (ever-changing) trade deadline. The two biggest trades in the last week involved Ben Johns and Noe Khlif.

Ben Johns was traded to the LA Mad Drops from the Carolina Hogs, to replace Quang Duong, in a three team trade. Duong is no longer eligible to play in MLP (or PPA) due to his contract being terminated by the UPA.

Johns joins a Mad Drops team that is eager to win it all. There won’t be much time to get used to each other, as the Mad Drops play six matches in Dallas, and then their regular season is over.

Noe Khlif was traded from Miami to the New Jersey 5s for Craig Johnson and cash. With Khlif’s presence, the 5s are now easily the best 1-6 roster in MLP. Khlif will take over the starting role from captain, Zane Navratil.

Khlif brings a ton of steadiness and doesn’t miss much. He is very good in men’s, getting better in mixed, and is one of the best cat and mouse singles players in the world. The 5s have 10 matches to play between Dallas and Salt Lake City, which is 40% of their season. They are happy to have the extra reps to be truly ready for the playoffs.

Teams will Clinch Playoff Berths and Teams will be Eliminated

Six teams have already clinched playoff spots:

• St. Louis Shock
• Dallas Flash
• New Jersey 5s
• Brooklyn Pickleball Team
• Columbus Sliders
• LA Mad Drops

The Texas Ranchers will very likely clinch a playoff berth in MLP Dallas. As long as they earn eight points in their six matches (35 points total), they will clinch a playoff spot. The Ranchers will most likely be the only team to clinch a playoff spot in Dallas. The three remaining spots will be clinched in the last event of the season, MLP Salt Lake City.

As for eliminated teams, no team has been eliminated from the playoffs, yet. That will likely change in Dallas.

The Miami Pickleball Club currently has 19 points, and that is 10th best.

Because of this, the following four teams will be eliminated if they drop the corresponding amount of points:

• New York Hustlers - Eliminated if they drop 8 points
• SoCal Hard Eights - Eliminated if they drop 12 points
• Phoenix Flames - Eliminated if they drop 13 points
• Carolina Hogs - Eliminated if they drop 17 points (only earning 1 point)

The Dallas Flash are Hosting 

The Flash are coming off their first two losses in over 230 days and are now hosting the MLP Dallas event, four days later.

Hurricane Tyra Black looked to have injured her left ankle in the Dreambreaker against Columbus on Saturday, and her health is currently unknown.

Can the Flash overcome the issues and get back to their winning ways? 

How to Watch MLP Dallas

All times are Central time zone

Additionally, regional networks are showing the following matches:

Sat, July 26

• DAL vs. PHX (Noon CT) on KDFI More 27 in Dallas-Ft. Worth
• LA vs. NJ (4:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. CT) on FOX 5 New York

Sun, July 27 - all matches on MSG Networks:

• NY vs. DAL (12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT)
• TEX vs. NJ (1:45 p.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. CT)
• LA vs. DAL (3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT) & KDFI More 27 in Dallas-Ft. Worth
• STL vs. NJ (5:15 p.m. ET / 4:15 p.m. CT)

Weather Outlook

Pickler Universe is indoors, so weather should not play a part this weekend.

Team by Team Analysis

Teams in standings order, in terms of points per match

St. Louis Shock

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 57 points, 3 PPM, 1st in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: Phoenix, NY, LA, Carolina, SoCal, NJ

Projected Starters: Anna Bright, Kate Fahey, Hayden Patriquin, Gabe Tardio

Bench: Judit Castillo and Erik Lange

The Shock are coming off a massive weekend in MLP St. Louis. They hosted one of the best events of the year, took over first place in the standings, and are riding a high.

Can they take that momentum they gained and keep it going in enemy territory in Dallas?

St. Louis has an interesting schedule in Dallas. They have four very winnable matches against Phoenix, NY, Carolina, and SoCal. The tough tests will be LA and New Jersey. One of my favorite matchups all weekend will be Gabe and H against Hunter and Ben.

Predicted Points: The Shock does well, earning 14 points out of a possible 18.

Dallas Flash

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 55 points, 2.89 PPM, 2nd in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: SoCal, Carolina, Phoenix, Texas, NY, LA

Projected Starters: Jorja Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black, JW Johnson, Augie Ge

Bench: Samantha Parker and Roscoe Bellamy

The Flash didn’t fair nearly as well as the past in MLP St. Louis. Tyra injured her left ankle, and the team lost two matches. The first two in over 230 days.

Dallas also has four matches against inferior teams - SoCal, Carolina, Phoenix, and New York. They should earn three points from each of those. The matches against Texas and LA will prove to be the toughest.

Of note, if Tyra has to miss any time, the Flash picking up Parker at the trade deadline means that they won’t drop too many points, even with a sub.

Predicted Points: The Flash earn 15 points from the available 18 in Dallas. 

New Jersey 5s

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 15 matches played, 38 points, 2.53 PPM, 3rd in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: SoCal, Phoenix, NY, LA, Texas, St. Louis

Projected Starters: Anna Leigh Waters, Meghan Dizon, Will Howells, Noe Khlif

Bench: Mari Humberg and Zane Navratil

The 5s get the benefit of easing into their MLP Dallas event with three easy matchups - SoCal, Phoenix, and NY. Their last three, though, will really test the newly updated 5s.

Noe Khlif is going to get some time to gel with Dizon and Howells, but then gets thrown into the fire with real expectations in their last three. LA, Texas, and St. Louis could all beat the 5s. 

Predicted Points: The 5s earn 14 out of a possible 18 points in Dallas.

LA Mad Drops

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 37 points, 1.95 PPM, 6th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: NY, St. Louis, Texas, Carolina, NJ, Dallas

Projected Starters: Ben Johns, Catherine Parenteau, Jade Kawamoto, Hunter Johnson

Bench: Mehvish Safdar and Wes Burrows

The Mad Drops are completely revamped with Ben Johns joining the squad. The ownership group paid an arm and a leg for arguably the best player in the world.

What is not arguable is Ben Johns’ effort level has not been even close to 100% throughout the 2025 (and 2024) MLP season. Is he able to bring the full effort for the Mad Drops?

The biggest issue will be men’s doubles. Can Hunter and Ben mesh well enough to win even 60% of their matches in big moments? If so, I don’t know how this team loses much. The Mad Drops have the toughest schedule in Dallas, playing four of the top 7 teams in terms of standings.

Predicted Points: The Mad Drops earn 14 points from the possible 18.

Texas Ranchers

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 14 matches played, 27 points, 1.93 PPM, 7th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: Carolina, LA, Phoenix, Dallas, SoCal, NJ

Projected Starters: Christian Alshon, Tina Pisnik, Eric Oncins, Kaitlyn Christian

Bench: Felicity Di Laura and Wyatt Stone

The Ranchers have a very unique schedule. They start on Friday and play two matches each day. Each day, the first match is an easy one, with the second match being much more difficult. 

Texas will want to gain 3 points from Carolina, Phoenix, and SoCal. The real test will come against LA, Dallas, and New Jersey.

Alshon seems to have some sort of mental block playing against Ben Johns - we will see if that carries over to MLP.

The Ranchers need to earn at least 8 points in order to clinch a playoff spot, but that is the lowest of their expectations. They will be looking to gain as many points as possible, trying to earn a first round bye, and a top 6 seed.

Predicted Points: The Ranchers earn 12 of the possible 18 points from MLP Dallas, earning a playoff berth.

Carolina Hogs

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 17 points, 0.89 PPM, 12th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: SoCal, Texas, Dallas, LA, St. Louis, Phoenix

Projected Starters: Liz Truluck, Ava Ignatowich, Brandon French, Ivan Jakovljevic

Bench: Danna Funaro and Craig Johnson

To be honest, I have no idea who the Hogs will travel, let alone start. This was a full teardown of the team, and the players that are left are not Premier Level caliber.

The Hogs are going to find a tough time beating any team in MLP Dallas, no matter the lineup. In my opinion, Liz Truluck is the best of the bunch, but she isn't going to be able to move the needle in six matches against top level competition. The best chance at points for the Hogs is their first matchup against SoCal. 

Predicted Points: The Hogs don’t earn a single point in MLP Dallas, and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

Phoenix Flames

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 13 points, 0.68 PPM, 14th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: St. Louis, NJ, Dallas, Texas, Carolina, NY

Projected Starters: Tyson McGuffin, Jack Sock, Jessie Irvine, Alex Walker

Bench: Genie Bouchard and Pesa Teoni

The Flames are another team where I have no idea who will travel and/or play. Both Bouchard and Sock missed the Mid-Season tournament to play some tennis (poorly). The last time Bouchard and Jessie Irvine were at the same tournament, they had a disagreement and Irgine left for the day.

With the season pretty much over with, I don’t see the Flames putting up much of a fight. They will go through the motions and look like they are having fun for the most part, but the level of intensity will not be there.

The biggest question mark is this - will the Phoenix Flames remain the only team in the 2025 Major League Pickleball season without a regulation win?

I think they earn two regulation wins against Carolina and New York, just barely staving off playoff elimination until MLP Salt Lake City.

Predicted Points: The Flames earn six points in MLP Dallas.

SoCal Hard Eights

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 12 points, 0.63 PPM, 15th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: Carolina, Dallas, NJ, NY, St. Louis, Texas

Projected Starters: Blaine Hovenier, Ryan Fu, Jalina Ingram, Cailyn Campbell

Bench: Irina Tereschenko and John Lucian Goins

The Hard 8s are one of the funnest teams to watch, despite their record. Blaine Hovenier should earn some sort of energy award and is in the running for one of the most improved players in MLP. Ingram and Campbell are electric to watch, and Fu has become a real force. 

SoCal is going to need to earn points from matches with Carolina and New York. I don’t think they have a chance at earning points from any of their other four.

Predicted Points: The Hard 8s earn 5 points from MLP Dallas and are officially eliminated from playoff contention.

New York Hustlers

Points Per Match (PPM) & Standings: 19 matches played, 8 points, 0.42 PPM, 16th in PPM

# Matches: 6

Opponents: LA, St. Louis, SoCal, NJ, Dallas, Phoenix

Projected Starters: Zane Ford, Helena Jansen, Domi Schaefer, Stephen Madonia

Bench: Luana Stanciu and Donald Young

The Hustlers have a very tough schedule, playing four of the top teams, in LA, St. Louis, New Jersey, and Dallas. They are not going to earn any points from those matches.

Donald Young was injured in MLP New York and didn’t attend the Mid-Season Tournament. We will see if he is healed enough for the last event of the season for the Hustlers.

Zane Ford also has a problem staying healthy through a full event. In case he can’t go, John Cincola is listed as an on-site alternate.

Predicted Points: The Hustlers earn one point from MLP Dallas and are officially eliminated from the playoffs.