The Allgäu Comets and quarterback Justin Sottilare along with this receivers are on a roll. After a disappointing opening loss to the  Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, the Comets “Flying Circus” is, well, flying.

The Comets defeated the Stuttgart Scorpions 56-14 with Sottilare & Co. putting on a throwing and catching clinic.

Sottilare, who set records the week before by attempting 84 passes in Allgäu’s win over the Ingolstadt Dukes, was throwing passes with surgical precision against Stuttgart, and in just over a half of football completed 29 of 32 passes (91%) for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. His backup, Calvin Stitt took over in the third quarter and threw for 61 yards and another touchdown.

Comets WR Spencer Cutlan catching one of his 2 TDs

The Comets receivers definitely had a fund day. The two Belgian receivers, Martin Emos (10 catches, 200 yards) and Féli Manokai (4 catches, 94 yds) had what might be called “breakout games” as each caught two touchdown passes. Jordan Paul caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while Jonatan Gihl caught seven for 85 and a touchdown. Spencer Cutlan hauled in two touchdown passes as well.  And , according to head coach Stan Bedwell, apart from two errant snaps, the Comets offensive line played superb football.

Interestingly, the Scorpions outrushed Allgäu by a wide margin, 123 yards to -32.  Fabian Weigel and David Kovakevic scored touchdowns for Stuttgart.

These two teams meet again in two weeks in Stuttgart. While Allgäu is idle this week, the Scorpions have another tough game as they face the unbeaten Frankfurt Universe on May 26.

The post Allgäu Comets QB completes 91% of passes as Flying Circus on full display, WRs have field day appeared first on American Football International.

As the Swedish season heads into the home stretch the duel of the two top quarterbacks in the league continues as it did in 2017 as Philip Juhlin of the Carlstad Crusaders and Anders Hermodsson from the Stockholm Mean Machines are again one and two. However, Stockholm players still lead the rushing and receiving stats.

Passing

Carlstad Crusaders QB Philip Juhlin continues to lead the Swedish American Football league in passing yardage, as he did in 2017, with 1,314  yards and 15 TDs.  Anders Hermodsson of the Stockholm Mean Machines is 2nd with his 1,057  yards. John Rock of the Uppsala 86ers has climbed up one spot to 3rd with 768 yards while Örebro Black Knights quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III has slipped back to 4th with 723 yards and 6 TDs. RB/QB Gerard Johnson of the Goteborg Marvels in 5th with 407 yards.

Receiving

Despite being held without a catch in last week’s game against Carlstad, Stockholm Mean Machines WR Matthew Retzlaff remains the leading receiver in Sweden with his 518 yards and 6 TDs. Retzlaff has had a couple of outstanding games including 246 yards against Uppsala. Behind him in 2nd with 428 yards is Robin Juhlin of the Carlstad Crusaders followed by teammate and  last year’s top WR, Jacob Dahrewith 394 yards and 6 TDs.  Johannes Lindeus from the Örebro Black Knights has slid down to 4th with his 336 yards while his teammate Tomas Jacobssen is now 5th with 327 yards.

Rushing

  Stockholm Mean Machines RB Emil Knutsson is having an excellent year and continues to lead all rushers in Sweden with 499 yards in 5 games. Johnny Grandin of the  Örebro Black Knights is still 2nd with 417 yards. Carlstad Crusaders RB Victor Toresson is 3rd with 275 yards while his QB Philip Juhlin is 4th with 221 and 5 TDs. Marvels Alpha Jalloh is 5th with 196 yards and 2 TDs.

The post Stats leaders in Sweden unchanged but races are tightening up appeared first on American Football International.

The Örebro Black Knights (3-2) won their third straight game in convincing fashion last week, beating the 1-4 Uppsala 86ers 36-6 and climbed into sole possession of second place in the Swedish Superserien.

Relying on a powerful ground game and an opportunistic  defense which scored two touchdowns, Örebro jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the second quarter and never were threatened after that.

Quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III was efficient completing 15 of 20 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns with receiver Tomas Jacobsen catching both. Jacbosen hauled in eight passes for 91 yards. Running back Johnny Grandin led all rushers with 78 yards on 11 carries. Johan Stål scored a touchdown on a 60 yard pick six while linebacker Eric Murphy recovered a fumble for a touchdown.

Örebro  RB Johnny Grandin Photo: Jonas Domfors

Uppsala quarterback John Rock threw for 122 yards and a touchdown but was picked off three times by the ballhawking Black Knights secondary, once for a touchdown. Isac Vikman caught the lone touchdown pass. Gustav Bowall replaced Rock in the  third quarter and completed five of 12 passes for 84 yards. New Canadian running back Dylan Minshull barely had time to unpack his bags but rushed for 64 yards on 15 carries.

The Black Knights opened up a 15-0 lead on touchdowns by Jacobsen but Uppsala finally responded with Vikman scoring from one yard out with no time left in the first half.

Örebro  DB Johan Stål picking off a pass Photo: Jonas Domfors

The wheels fell off for the 86ers in the third quarter as first Stal picked off a Rock pass and raced 60 yards for a touchdown to increase the lead to 22-6. Then Murphy forced a fumble and rumbled in from the Uppsala 25 yard line  to increase the lead to 28-6. Johannes Lindeus added the two point conversion to make it 30-6.

Örebro added an insurance touchdown with just under three minutes to go as linebacker Filip Jönsson plowed into the end zone from the two yard line.

With the win, Örebro moves past ths Stockholm Mean Machines into second place with three games left. The Black Knights face the league-leading Carlstad Crusaders Friday night.

The post Sweden: Örebro Black Knights back in driver’s seat after big win over Uppsala appeared first on American Football International.

In a much anticipated matchup, the 3-2 Örebro Black Knights head to Karlstad, Sweden to face the league-leading Carlstad Crusaders (5-0) in Sweden’s Superserien.

This is the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Crusaders were forced to come from behind three times in the opening game of the season against Örebro and finally won the game thanks to  their special teams. British kick returner Natal Melero returned the kickoff on Orebro’s final go-ahead touchdown 90 yards to restore the Carlstad lead late in the third. Then the punt cover unit blocked a Black Knights punt in the fourth quarter giving Carlstad the ball on the Örebro seven yard line. A field goal was all that was needed to seal the win.

Carlstad DB Julius Rucker returning an interception 90 yards for a TD against Tamworth Photo: Mike Ashton

Carlstad quarterback Philip Juhlin completed 28 of 40 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 51. Wide receiver Robin Juhlin had four catches for 106 yards including a 58 yard touchdown reception. Jacob Dahre hauled in nine passes for 69 yards and a touchdown while Marcus Johnson caught four passes for 44 yards. Viktor Toresson and Christian Forsman each had a rushing touchdown and Melero a kickoff return touchdown.

Although he was forced out of the game with a toe injury in the third quarter, Örebro quarterback Raleigh Yeldell, was dangerous while he was in the game. He threw for 170 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another 70 and three touchdowns.

Without Yeldell, the Black Knights lost their next game as well to Uppsala. His return from his injury has revived the team and they have won three straight and are back in second place.

Black Knights RB Johnny Grandin is a key to the offense Photo: Jonas Domfors

Juhlin continues to lead the Swedish American Football league in passing yardage, as he did in 2017, with 1,314  yards and 15 TDs. Yeldell III is 4th with 723 yards and 6 TDs.  The second leading receiver in the league with 428 yards is Robin Juhlin of the Crusaders followed by teammate and  last year’s top WR, Jacob Dahre with 394 yards and 6 TDs. Örebro’s Johannes Lindeus is 4th with his 336 yards while teammate Tomas Jacobssen is 5th with 327 yards. Black Knights running back Johnny Grandin is now the second leading rusher in Sweden with 417 yards, averaging a league-best 6.7 yards a carry. Carlstad’s Victor Toresson trails in third with 275 yards but is averaging 6.4 yards a carry. Right behind him in fourth is his quarterback. Juhlin has rushed for 221 yards and five touchdowns.

Defensive back Julius Rucker is a key factor for Carlstad. Against the Tamworth Phoenix he returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown. In Carlstad’s last game against the Stockholm Mean Machines, he held the league’s leading receiver. Matt Retzlaff to no catches.

For Örebro, Grandin has proven to be a weapon. He did not start the season as the starting running back but after a huge game against the Goteborg Marvels when he rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns, he has become a factor for opposing defenses.

While Örebro ‘s defense is second behind Carlstad  in points allowed, 24.8 as compared to 20.2, the Black Knights have by far the best defense against the run giving up only 79.8 yards a game. Carlstad allows 126.8.

If Örebro can survive the first half and stay close they have a chance. On the other hand, the Crusaders will be bound and determined not to let Yeldell be a factor which he was in the first game.

Watch the game live here.

Kickoff is 7:00 pm (1p EST) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.

Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here.  The broadcast is “semi geo-restricted”. A Swedish credit/bank card is necessary. Click on the button that says “Standard Sport”. Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You can choose two weeks for free “Prova 2 veckor gratis” or you can choose to watch a single  game. The game costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 while a subscription is 199 kronor per month.

The post LIVESTREAM PPV: Friday Night Football from Sweden – Örebro Black Knights @Carlstad Crusaders, May 25, 7p (1p EST) appeared first on American Football International.

The Stockholm Mean Machines (2-3) head across Sweden to Gothenburg to face the 1-3 Göteborg Marvels in a must win game for both teams in the Swedish Superserien.

The two teams met in the opening game of the season with Stockholm coming out on top 30-22. In that one, Mean Machines quarterback Anders Hermodsson completed 13 of 22 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 41 and a touchdown. Running back Emil Knutsson had 23 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown while receivers Michael Retzlaff and  Damien Scannella each caught a touchdown pass. Retzlaff had seven catches for 105 yards while Scannella recorded three receptions for 48.

Jonathan Andersson from the Marvels threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns with his main target, Oscar Wahlberg, hauling in six passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Edvin Almeida Taborda caught two passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. 

Hermodsson is second in passing yardage  in Sweden after five games with  1,057  yards. The Marvels running back Gerard Johnson is actually the fifth leading passer so far having replaced Jonathan Anderson in many games. He has thrown for 407 yards.

Although Retzlaff leads the league with 518 yards, he was held without a catch last week against Carlstad and should the Marvels employ the same tactic this week with single coverage from defensive back Alpha Jalloh he might have difficulty again. Nevertheless, Knutsson is the top rusher in Sweden so this game may well be decided on the line of scrimmage. Jalloh has also  proven dangerous as a running back for Göteborg with Johnson behind center.

The winner of this game will definitely have a leg up in the battle for the final playoff spot.

Watch the game live here. Stockholm Mean Machines @Goteborg Marvels, May 26, 3p (9a EST)

The feed will go live 30 minutes before kickoff.

The post LIVESTREAM: Sweden – Stockholm Mean Machines @Göteborg Marvels, May 26, 3p (9a EST) appeared first on American Football International.

With two games left in the regular season in the Superserien in Sweden, a new receiving leader has emerged with Carlstad Crusaders wide receiver Robin Juhlin taking over top spot.

The Carlstad Crusaders have five players in the Top 5 in the three categories, passing, receiving and rushing. The Örebro Black Knights have four and the Stockholm Mean Machines three. The Göteborg Marvels are represented by two players and the Uppsala 86ers one.

Passing

Carlstad Crusaders QB Philip Juhlin  threw for 396 yards in the Crusaders 64-25 win over the Black Knights and extended his lead in passing yardage with 1,710 yards and 21 TDs.  Anders Hermodsson of the Stockholm Mean Machines is 2nd with his 1,201  yards. Örebro Black Knights quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III has moved up one spot to 3rd with 978 yards while John Rock of the Uppsala 86ers, whose team was idle, has dropped one spot to 4th  with 768 yards.  RB/QB Gerard Johnson of the Göteborg Marvels in 5th with 623 yards.

Receiving

Robin Juhlin of the Carlstad Crusaders is the new receiving yards leader in Sweden after catching 14 passes for 197 yards and 3 TDs against the  Örebro Black Knights. He now has 625 yards receiving in 5 games. For the first time this year, Stockholm Mean Machines WR Matthew Retzlaff has been bumped from the top spot but is not far behind Juhlin with 603 yards. Last year’s top wide receiver, Jacob Dahre of the Crusaders is 3rd with 464 while Black Knights WR Tomas Jacobssen is now 4th with 394 yards.yards surpassing his teammate Johannes Lindeus who slides down to 5th with his 379 yards.

Rushing

Stockholm Mean Machines RB Emil Knutsson rushed for 144 yards in the Mean Machines 45-27 win over the Göteborg Marvels and now has 640 yards to remain the top rusher in the Swedish Superserien. Johnny Grandin of the  Örebro Black Knights is still 2nd with 500 yards while Carlstad Crusaders RB Victor Toresson is 3rd with 310 yards. Crusader’s QB Philip Juhlin is 4th with 246 and a league-best 7 TDs. Marvels Gerard Johnson is now 5th with 215 yards and 5 TDs.

The post New receiving leader in Sweden as regular season nearing end appeared first on American Football International.

The Stockholm Mean Machines broke open a tight football game scoring 33 second half points to pull away and defeat the Göteborg Marvels 45-27 in Sweden’s Superserien.

Running back Emil Knutsson, the league’s leading rusher, paced the Mean Machines with 141 yards on the ground, scoring two touchdowns. Anders Hermodsson threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns, two to wide receiver Matt Retzlaff who caught five passes for 85 yards. Damien Scanella caught a touchdown pass and for Stockholm. Defensive lineman Malcolm Engstrom added a 14 yard pick six.

For the Marvels, Gerard Johnson, again doubling as backup quarterback and running back, threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions. Starter Jonathan Anderson completed 9 of 12 passes for 61 yards but threw a pick six. Johnson also rushed for one touchdown. Alpha Jalloh had four receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns while Oscar Wahlberg caught a touchdown pass.

Stockholm WR Damien Scanella hauls in a TD pass Photo: SOG Digital Design

Stockholm took a 6-0 first quarter lead on a Hermodsson to Retzlaff 12 yard touchdown pass extending it to 12-0 on Engstrom’s 14 yard interception return for a touchdown. A bad punt by Stockholm late in the first quarter gave the Marvels great field position on the Mean Machines 26 yard line. Johnson scored five plays later to narrow the lead to 12-7 at the half.

The third quarter was all Stockholm as they scored three times on touchdowns by Knutsson, Retzlaff and Scanella as Goteborg’s offense seemed to vanish. A Johnson to Jalloh 74 yard touchdown was the only bright light from the Marvels to close out the quarter. But Retzlaff returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Marvels 14 yard line and Hermodsson took the ball in himself to up the lead to 38-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Goteborg’s offense came alive again as Jalloh found a seam again and scored on a 70 touchdown pass from Johnson.

Stockholm responded on the very next series with Knutsson capping a 46 yard drive with a 16 yard touchdown giving the Mean Machines a 45-21 lead with just over nine minutes left. The Marvels struck again as now the defenses seemed to vanish. Johnson drove his team down to the 32 yard line and then connected with Wahlberg to close the gap again, 45-27.

The two teams had combined for a total of 27 points in the space of under five minutes.

That, however, seemed to end the fourth quarter offensive onslaught. Neither team could find the end zone again despite good field position.

With the win, Stockholm edged closer to the playoffs. The Marvels now at 1-4 need to win at least two of their last three, or have Uppsala lose their last three to reach the playoffs.

The post Sweden: Stockholm Mean Machines upend Göteborg Marvels, edge closer to playoff berth appeared first on American Football International.

The last two weeks of exciting football in Europe have produced a few more shifts as AFI presents the fifth edition of the 2018 Top 20.

AFI is proud to have the input of some of the best coaches in Europe. Our  panel has grown to nine and will continue to grow. We’ve aggregated the choices of these top European coaches and executives and present them along with our own choices.

The AFI Coaches Poll is conducted bi-weekly throughout the European regular season using a panel of coaches from European clubs. The panel is chosen by election, country by country plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football International their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 20 with a first-place vote worth 20 points, second place 19 and so on down to one point for 20th.

This week’s panel includes eight coaches from seven nations, many of whom lead teams in our poll and special football ambassador, Johannes Woudenberg:

• Stan Bedwell – HC Allgäu Comets (Germany)
• Dan Levy – HC Prague Black Panthers (Czech Republic)
• Dave Likins – DC Braunschweig New Yorker Lions (Germany)
• Nick Johansen – HC Wroclaw Panthers (Poland)
• Geoff Buffum – HC Calanda Broncos (Switzerland)
• Shuan Fatah – HC Swarco Raiders (Austria)
• Malik Jackson – HC Vukovi Belgrade (Serbia)
• Juha Hakala- HC Helsinki Roosters (Finland)
• Johannes Woudenberg – Ambassador at large (Holland)

With all the countries in Europe now in action, there are a lot of games to monitor and our panel does their utmost to keep up.

We continually work to improve and always welcome your comments and insight.

If you are interested in being a part of the AFI Coaches Poll in 2018 please email contact@americanfootballinternational.com.

Now, for the rankings!

1. Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (5-0 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll #1)

The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns  continue to assert their dominance and justify their number one ranking in Europe. After whipping the Munich Cowboys in the opening game of the season the Unicorns have  trounced the Allgäu Comets, Stuttgart Scorpions, Kirchdorf Wildcats and Ingolstad Dukes. They are averaging 45.2 points a game while giving up 9.4. As one rival coach put it after watching a game. “This is the best team I have seen this year. Period.” The Unicorns started the year in top spot after last year’s German championship win over the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions in German Bowl XXXIX. They finished the season undefeated with a 17-0 record. Until they are unseated, the Haller fans will continue to claim #1.

Next up: Frankfurt Universe, June 3.

Unicorns WR Nathaniel Robitaille Photo: MANFRED LÖFFLER

At #2, the defending Eurobowl champion Braunschweig New Yorker Lions continue to march through the German Football League North earning four lopsided victories beating both the Hamburg Huskies twice and the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and Hildesheim Invaders. The Lions opened the season with a tight 10-6 win over the La Courneuve Flash from France in the Big6. They followed that up with a 60-0 trouncing of the Amsterdam Crusaders to qualify for the Eurobowl final.  The perennial challengers for both the number one spot in Europe and the German title were undone in the 2017 German championship game losing to the #1 ranked by a last second blocked field goal. 

Next up: Frankfurt Universe, June 9 (Eurobowl final).

3. Helsinki Roosters (2-0 SAJL;1-0 Int.) – Finland (Last poll #3)

The Roosters continue to display their dominance in Finland and justify their lofty ranking. They overwhelmed the Porvoo Butchers last weekend. They opened their season in Finland with a one-sided victory over their Maple Bowl opponents, the Wasa Royals, beating them 48-7. They had surprised everyone by beating the Dacia Vienna Vikings in Vienna four weeks ago, 41-37.  The shocker of a win under new/old head coach Juha Hakala put Finnish football back on the map. Last season, they defeated Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders to win the Northern European Football League (NEFL) title. AFI expects the Roosters to dominate 2018 in Finland’s SAJL and possibly beyond.

Next up: Tampere Saints, June 2.

Adam Connette Photo Jarmo Vehkomäki

The Swarco Raiders have played outstanding football since our last poll crushing the Dacia Vienna Vikings and then beating Central College (NCAA Div. III) and the Modling Rangers. With the win over their arch rivals in Austria, the Raiders look to regain the top spot in the Austrian Football League. Swarco had demolished the Wroclaw Panthers from Poland, previously Europe’s #6 team and have looked impressive midway through the Austrian season.

Next up:Ljubljana Silverhawks, June 2.

Photo: Markus Stieg

5. Frankfurt Universe (4-0 GFL1 2-0 Big6) – Germany (Last poll #5)

The Frankfurt Universe remain in our Top 5 after blanking the Stuttgart Scorpions 42-0 last week and downing Ingolstadt 40-26 the week before.  They had started the GFL regular season by blanking the Munich Cowboys and overwhelming the Marburg Mercenaries 63-7. . Then they whipped France’s La Courneuve Flash 48-6 in the Big6 thus qualifying for the Eurobowl final for the second year in a row.  With all the coaches and players signed and on-field success so far, it seems that Frankfurt is weathering the financial storm that had engulfed them.

Next up: Braunschweig New Yorker Lions, June 2 (Eurobowl final)

Photo: Frank Baumert

6. Milano Seamen (9-0 IFL; 2-0 EFL) – Italy (Last poll #7)

Italy’s defending champion Milano Seamen are on a mission to prove the strength of football in Italy and they continue to impress our panel. Last week they crushed the Milano Rhinos 49-12 and they remain unbeaten in Italy. Two weeks ago, Milano unleashed on the top team in France, the Thonon Black Panthers in EFL play, whipping them 49-3. The Seamen defeated the only other unbeaten team in Italy last week, the Parma Panthers in decisive fashion.  They also defeated the Badalona Dracs in EFL play. They move up another spot to the #6 position.

Next up: UTA Pesaro, June 3.

Milano QB Luke Zahradka Photo: Dario Fumagalli

The Carlstad Crusaders continue their dominance in the Swedish Superserien with two one-sided wins since our last poll. They beat the Örebro Black Knights and Stockholm Mean Machines with relative ease. Three weeks ago the Crusaders comfortably handled British champions, the Tamworth Phoenix in NEFL action. The Crusaders remain undefeated in Sweden and inn Europe. Last month, Carlstad manhandled the Norwegian champion Oslo Vikings.

Next up: Uppsala 86ers, June 2.

Photo: Mike Ashton

8. Dresden Monarchs (4-0 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll #9)

The Dresden Monarchs have marched out to a 4-0 record in the German Football League after manhandling the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and Hamburg Huskies since our last poll. They opened their 2018 season by earning back-to-back wins over the previously undefeated Potsdam Royals 4. A perennial contender for the playoffs in Germany,the Monarchs finished 2017 as the #10 team in Europe after losing two of their last two games including the quarterfinal game to the Frankfurt Universe. 

Dresden WR Mitchell Paige looking for daylight

Next up: Berlin Rebels, June 2.

9. AFC Dacia Vienna Vikings (6-2 AFL1; 0-1 Int.) – Austria (Last poll #6)

The Vikings lost another game in the Austrian Football League last week 24-21 to the Ljubljana Silverhawks and are still playing without injured starting quarterback Garrett Safron. Three weeks ago they were crushed by their arch rivals in Austria, the Swarco Raiders. Although they defeated the Modling Rangers 25-20 the week prior, Vienna was shocked by Finland’s Helsinki Roosters four weeks ago at home in Charity Bowl XX., losing 41-37. Our coaches panel has dropped them another three spots to ninth. Prior to that the Vikings had jumped out to a 5-0 record in the Austrian Football League including a 35-28 win over the Swarco Raiders. In 2017, the Vikings enjoyed a resurgent year and finished back on top of the Austrian league, winning the Austrian title with a decisive victory over the Swarco Raiders. 

Vienna WR Maruice Wappl Photo: Peter Kramberger.

Next up: Bratislava Monarchs, June 3.

The Panthers are holding their own at the #10 spot after thumping arch rivals, the Gdynia Seahawks 35-7. They had rebounded in the CEFL  earlier in May by downing the Prague Black Panthers 39-22.  Although that game was for pride alone, it helped atone for the lopsided 63-21 loss to Austria’s Swarco Raiders the week before. The result of that loss was the biggest drop in rankings thus far four weeks ago. Nevertheless the Panthers have now won six straight games in Poland’s LFA including two decisive wins over the Gdynia Swahawks. They won the 2017 Polish championship in dominant fashion. They surprised the Raiders in Central European Football League last year, forcing the Raiders to come from behind to win the game. The Panthers were undefeated in Poland and soundly beat Denmark’s Triangle Razorbacks in CEFL action.

Next up: Bialystok Lowlanders, June 2.

Denmark’s Copenhagen Towers have climbed another three spots since our last ranking after overwhelming wins in the Danish American Football league. They started their rise in the rankings in April after whipping the Tamworth Phoenix 50-7  in NEFL play and winning two straight in Denmark. The Towers also traveled to Oslo, Norway in the Northern European Football League a month ago and defeated the Oslo Vikings  21-10. In 2017, the Towers won the Danish crown by dominating  the Sollerod Gold Diggers in Mermaid Bowl XXIX. 

Next up: Triangle Razorbacks, June 3.

Copenhagen Towers down Gold Diggers 70-46

12. Cologne Crocodiles (2-0-1 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll, #13)

The Crocodiles remain unbeaten in the German Football League after winning their two opening games beating the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 32-14 and Potsdam Royals 42-41.and then tying the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 22-22. They also trounced Holland’s Amsterdam Crusaders in an exhibition game. The Crocodiles finished just our of the playoffs in 2017 and look much improved this year.

Cologne RB Shayeen Edwards Photo: Marc Seefeldt

13. Berlin Rebels (4-0 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll, #11)

The Berlin Rebels have won three of their first four games in the GFL season but their loss to the Potsdam Royals two weeks ago seems to have knocked them down a couple of spots according to our coaches. Nevertheless, under head coach Kim Kuchi the Rebels look poised to reach the playoffs again in 2018. In 2017, they lost in the German quarterfinals to eventual champions the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns but pushed the Unicorns to overtime. The club has signed a number of international stars including Lauri Vanio (Finland), Mamadou Sy (France), and Chris Smith (Netherlands) and will complete with the top GFL North clubs.

Next up: Dresden Monarchs, June 2.

The Dracs have climbed one spot thanks to a convincing 48-0 semifinal win in the Spanish playoffs over Madrid’s Osos Rivas.They have previous won  their quarterfinal game in Spain 78-12 against the Gijon Mariners. They are 1-1 in EFL play after they recorded a stunning 37-20 victory over France’s leading team, the Thonon Black Panthers in EFL action a month ago.

Next up: Murcia Cobras, Spanish championship game, June 2.

15. Potsdam Royals (1-3 GFL1; 2-0 EFL) – Germany (Last poll, #20)

The Royals have made the biggest climb in the rankings, moving up from #20 to 15 this week following their thrilling 33-31 European Football League win over Switzerland’s Calanda Broncos.  They had knocked off the Berlin Rebels the week before. This  obviously had an impact on our coaches panel.  They opened their season with a 56-0 blowout win over the Hildesheim Invaders but then fell twice to the Dresden Monarchs 45-34.   Potsdam is playing in the German Football League for the first time in its history this season.

Next up: Milano Seamen (Italy) EFL championship, June 9.

Frederik Myrup Nielsen scores winning TD vs Calanda Croncos Photo: Sergio Brunetti.j

16. Calanda Broncos (7-0 SAFV; 1-1 EFL) – Switzerland (Last poll, #12)

The Calanda Broncos lost the lead three times in their EFL game against the Potsdam Royals last week and fell 33-31 in a thriller. That clearly impacted the panel who have dropped them four spots. Still, the Broncos are unbeaten in Switzerland with a 7-0 record. In April, they crushed Belgium’s Brussels Tigers 39-0 in European Football League play. They won the Swiss league in 2017 after recording a lopsided win in the championship game over the Basel Gladiators.

Next up: Luzern Lions, June 3.

Calanda RB -Steffen Haenelt scored TD vs. Potsdam Photo: Sergio Brunetti

Turkey’s defending champion, the Koc Rams have climbed three spots in the last two weeks after finishing the Turkish season undefeated (a loss to the Yeditepe Eagles was erased when the Eagles were disqualified from the TFL) The Rams won both their CEFL games, overwhelming the Moscow Patriots 63-21 and outlasting Serbian champions, the Kragujevac Wild Boars  in CEFL action, beating them 47-41 in a shootout. They have now moved on to the CEFL final against the Swarco Raiders.

Next up: Bogazici Sultans, Turkish semifinals, June 2.

PHOTO: FIRSTANDGOAL.RU

18. Prague Black Panthers (6-0 CAAF; 0-2 CEFL) – Czech Republic (Last poll #18)

The Prague Black Panthers hold onto their #18 spot after winning two straight in the Czech League since our last poll. They had dropped a 39-22 decision to Poland’s Wroclaw Panthers, in the CEFL prior to that. The Black Panthers blanked the Pardubice Stallions 50-0 in the Czech league the week before. They have won six straight in league play with an overwhelming 259-22 points difference. Prague dropped a 44-21 decision to Austria’s Swarco Raiders last month in CEFL play.

Next up: Pilsen Patriots, June 3.

Prague Black Panthers down Brno Alligators 50-0 Photo: Libor Vočadlo Photography

The Marburg Mercenaries hold onto the #19 spot after eking out a 33-30 win over the Munich Cowboys. They had suffered a big slide in the rankings dropping six spots from #13 after being crushed by the Frankfurt Universe 63-7 three weeks ago. Marburg had opened their season by  whipping the Kirchdorf Wildcats 33-7 in German Football League play. Marburg reached the German quarterfinals where they lost to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes. Marburg finished the year in the German Football League South with an 8-7 record marking the biggest improvement of any team in the league. For 2017, the Mercenaries signed Austria’s top domestic quarterback, Alexander Thury and dangerous receiver Peter Jinkens.

Next up: Kirchdorf Wildcats, June 2.

Marburg Mercenaries with Andrecus Lindley & Phil Lanieri

20. Allgäu Comets (2-1 GFL) (Last poll, unranked)

The Allgäu Comets have entered the list at #20 after two spectacular victories featuring an aerial attack dubbed the Flying Circus. With quarterback Justine Sottilare leading the GFL in passing yardage with 1,323 yards after only three games, the Comets have sparked a great deal of attention. Allgau lost their opener badly to the Unicorns but bounced back with two 50+ point games in beating the Ingolstadt Dukes and Stuttgart Scorpions.

Next up: Stuttgart Scorpions, June 2

Honorable Mention: Kragujevac Wild Boars, Serbia; Parma Panthers, Italy; Murcia Cobras, Spain; Thonon Black Panthers, France; Gdynia Seahawks, Poland.

The post AFI’s Europe Top 20: 2018 Coaches Poll – May 31 appeared first on American Football International.

The 3-3 Örebro Black Knights will play host to the Göteborg Marvels (1-4) at Kumla IP in Örebro Friday June 1 in the Swedish Superserien.

Both teams are coming off of disappointing losses. Orebro were manhandled by the Carlstad Crusaders last week 64-25 while the Marvels were beaten 45-27 by the Stockholm Mean Machines.

The last time these two teams met a month ago, the Black Knights came from behind in the third quarter to defeat Goteborg 31-27. In that game, Örebro running back Johnny Grandin rushed for 249 yards and three touchdowns.

Orebro sits second in the Swedish Superserien standings with two games left in the regular season and a win would secure home field advantage in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Marvels are in a battle with the Uppsala 86ers for the fourth and final playoff berth. Göteborg  has three games remaining and needs to win two of the three to be certain.

Örebro RB Johnny Grandin Photo: Jonas Domfors

The Black Knights offense leads the league in rushing averaging 164.2 yards a game while defensively Orebro is the best against the run allowing 84.2. This is a problem for Göteborg who have the worst defense against the run giving up 185 yards a game.

Örebro quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III missed a couple of games early in the season with a foot injury but has still thrown for an average of 196 yards a game. The Marvels quarterback situation is still in flux with starter Jonathan Anderson often being replaced by running back Gerard Johnson during games. As a result, Johnson is the fifth leading rusher in Sweden and the fifth leading passer.

Grandin is now the second leading rusher in Sweden with 500 yards, averaging a league-best 6.7 yards a carry.

Marvels Alpha Jalloh battling for yards Photo: Moses Sh

The wildcard factor in this game is Marvels defensive back/kick returner/receiver Alpha Jalloh. In the first game, he had a 90 yard kickoff return touchdown and gained 160 all purpose yards. But he also had seven tackles, one fumble recovery and an interception.

Örebro wide receiver Tomas Jacobsen  has caught 30 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Black Knights. Teammate Johannes Lindeus has 379 yards receiving on only 16 receptions. Oscar Wahlberg has hauled in 21 passes for 311 yards for the Marvels with Edvin Almeida Taborda right behind with 284 yards receiving. The third leading receiver for Goteborg is Jalloh with 236 yards on 12 catches.

Watch the game live here.

Kickoff is 6:00 pm (1p EST) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.

Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here.  The broadcast is “semi geo-restricted”. A Swedish credit/bank card is necessary. Click on the button that says “Standard Sport”. Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You can choose two weeks for free “Prova 2 veckor gratis” or you can choose to watch a single  game. The game costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 while a subscription is 199 kronor per month.

The post LIVESTREAM: Friday Night Football in Sweden – Göteborg Marvels @Örebro Black Knights, June 1 6p (12p EST) appeared first on American Football International.

The 2018 IFAF World Junior Championships are set to kick off at Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on July 14.

This is the fifth time the World U19 tournament has been held since 2009, its inaugural year. The United States has won it twice and Canada twice including in 2016. Japan has won the bronze medal two times as has Mexico.

The six team tournament, organized by International Federation of American Football, will get underway with three games on the opening day of the compeition. The six participating countries include the defending champions, Team Canada as well as silver medalists, Team USA, bronze medal winners, Team Mexico, Japan, Sweden and Australia.

The 2016 gold medalists, Team Canada will open their tournament against Sweden. Canada won the 2016 World Championships that were held in Harbin, China, beating Team USA in the final, 24-6.

The United States will open the tournament by facing Australia. Mexico, who defeated Japan 24-7 to win the bronze in 2016, will ironically play Japan as their opening day opponent.

Day 2 of the tournament will see Australia play Sweden and then Canada face the loser of the Mexico-Japan game. The United States will take on the winner of that game.

The medal round games take place on July 22.

Canada’s National Junior Team Head Coach Steve Sumarah traveled to Mexico City and was in awe of the atmosphere just weeks before the start of the tournament:

“Being in Mexico City was an incredible experience,” he reflected. The energy and excitement that the people of Mexico City have for this tournament is second to none. The energy and history that you felt when you walked into Olympic Stadium, knowing that there is going to be 20,000 people there to watch, it just led to the fact that once again the growth of football in the world is amazing. Other countries like Australia, Sweden and Japan being there just made this a real understanding of how big this tournament is going to be.”

From his personal experience, Sumarah was overwhelmed with all the positives that the host city demonstrated to him and the other visitors.

“From my standpoint, I was more than impressed with the facilities, with the practice facility, with the hotels and just the way people treated us. This will be a second to none experience. We’re looking forward to July 9th for sure.”

2018 IFAF World Junior Championship Schedule:

July 14th: Game Day 1

US vs Australia @ 12pm

Canada vs Sweden @ 4pm

Mexico vs Japan @ 8pm

July 18th: Game Day 2

Australia vs Sweden @ 11am

Canada vs Loser of (Mexico vs Japan) @ 2pm

USA vs Winner of (Mexico vs Japan) @ 5pm

July 22nd: Final Game Day 3

The post 2018 IFAF World Junior Championship schedule released appeared first on American Football International.

The 7-0 Carlstad Crusaders, Europe #6, exploded for four second quarter touchdowns and then cruised to a 52-20 victory over the Uppsala 86ers in their second last game of the Swedish Superserien regular season.

Carlstad quarterback Philip Juhlin competed 15 of 23 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns in another efficient performance while also rushing for three touchdowns. Wide receiver Robin Juhlin (no relation) caught eight of those passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns as the 86ers secondary could not contain him. Running back Victor Toresson hauled in a 47 yard pass for a touchdown and Christian Forsman caught three for 20 yards and a touchdown adding a second on the ground.

86ers quarterback John Rock threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns with Isac Vikman and Mattias Gauthier catching one each. Gauthier also scored a rushing touchdown.

The Uppsala defense managed to hold their own in the first quarter keeping Carlstad to one touchdown and stopping them on the three yard line once.

Carlstad QB Philip Juhlin handing off to RB Hugo Jalberg Photo: Moses Sh

Carlstad’s deadly second quarter was the key. The Crusaders have scored 21 second quarter touchdowns in seven games this year and this game was no exception. For the fourth time in 2018, they scored four touchdowns in the second quarter.

Juhlin rushed for two, Forsman for one and Toresson hauled in a 47 yard touchdown pass with almost no time left in the half to give Carlstad a 33-7 lead. The 86ers had scored on Rock to Vikman 19 yard pass late in the quarter.

Juhlin connected with Juhlin to open the second half to increase the lead to 39-7.

Rock got the Uppsala offense moving again, leading them on a 13 play, 80 yard drive which ate up seven minutes to reduce the lead to 39-13. But a botched kickoff by Uppsala handed Carlstad the ball on the 86ers 20 yard line and Juhlin made no mistake finding the “other” Juhlin to add to the lead, 45-13.

Rock engineered a 72 yard drive first finding Jamal Hussein for a 53 yard gain and then throwing a 10 yard touchdown pass to Gauthier to narrow the gap to 45-20.

Juhlin wasn’t done yet though, marching Carlstad on a nine-play, 73 yard, four minute drive finishing it with a 13 yard touchdown pass to Forsman to finalize the score, 52-20.

With the win, Carlstad remains unbeaten in 2018 having won all seven games in the Swedish Superserien and both international NEFL games. The loss drops Uppsala to 1-5 with two games left.  To make the playoffs, they need to beat the Göteborg Marvels this week by more than one point and then either defeat the Stockholm Mean Machines in the last game or hope that Carlstad defeats the Marvels in their final regular season game.

The post Sweden: Carlstad Crusaders stay unbeaten, march past Uppsala 86ers appeared first on American Football International.

The end of the regular season is closing in in Sweden and the stats leaders in the Swedish Superserien have solidified their positions.

The Carlstad Crusaders have five players in the Top 5 in the three categories, passing, receiving and rushing. The Örebro Black Knights have four and the Stockholm Mean Machines three. The Göteborg Marvels are represented by two players and the Uppsala 86ers one.

Passing

Carlstad Crusaders QB Philip Juhlin  threw for 261 yards and 4 TDs in the Crusaders 52-20 win over the Uppsala 86ers and extended his lead in passing yardage with 1,971 yards and 25 TDs. Anders Hermodsson of the Stockholm Mean Machines is 2nd with his 1,201  yards. Örebro Black Knights quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III holds on to 3rd with 1,116 yards while John Rock of the Uppsala 86ers, remains in 4th, now with 973 yards.  RB/QB Gerard Johnson of the Göteborg Marvels in 5th with 918 yards after throwing for 295 yards anf 4 TDs in last week’s big win over the Black Knights..

Receiving

Robin Juhlin of the Carlstad Crusaders has padded his lead as the receiving yards leader in Sweden after catching 8 passes for 124 yards and 2 TDs against the Uppsala 86ers. He now has 749 yards receiving in 6 games. Stockholm Mean Machines WR Matthew Retzlaff  is 2nd with 603 yards while last year’s top wide receiver, Jacob Dahre of the Crusaders is 3rd with 464 despite missing the last game with an injury. Black Knights WR Johannes Lindeus has moved past teammate Tomas Jacobssen and is now 4th with 418 yards.yards while Jacobssen drops to 5th with 415.

Rushing

Although his team had a bye, Stockholm Mean Machines RB Emil Knutsson stays in the rushing lead with his 640 yards. Johnny Grandin of the Örebro Black Knights is still 2nd with 612 yards while Carlstad Crusaders RB Victor Toresson is 3rd with 355 yards. Marvels Gerard Johnson is now 4th with 314 yards and 7 TDs. Crusader’s QB Philip Juhlin is 5th with 297 and a league-best 10 TDs.

The post Stats leaders in Sweden solidify positions as playoffs approach appeared first on American Football International.

The 3-4 Örebro Black Knights head to Stockholm, Sweden Friday night in their last regular season game in to face the 3-3 Stockholm Mean Machines in a crucial game for both teams in the Swedish Superserien.

After suffering their second straight defeat last week, this time at the hands of the Goteborg Marvels, Örebro is in desperate need of a win to secure second going into the playoffs. Stockholm, with a game in hand, needs to beat the Black Knights by four points or more and win their final game next week against Uppsala.

In the first game between these two teams, Örebro overcame a 20-6 halftime deficit, scoring three straight third quarter touchdowns to beat the Mean Machines 29-26.

Orebro’s Eric Murphy scoring PHOTO: JONAS DOMFORS

These are the second and third best offensive teams in Sweden and the third and fourth in terms of defense. Stockholm has scored an average of 31 points a game while allowing 32. The Black Knights have averaged 27.4 points a game in offense but given up 32.6.

Örebro is the top rushing team in the league averaging 182. 4 yards a game while the Mean Machines have the second best defense against the run, so this will be a physical game.

Interestingly, these are the two best ball hawking secondaries as both teams have recorded nine interceptions.

Stockholm RB Emil Knutsson leads league in rushing Photo: SOG DIGITAL DESIGN

Anders Hermodsson of the  Mean Machines is 2nd in the league in passing yardage with his 1,201  yards. Örebro quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III holds on to 3rd with 1,116 yards. Stockholm Mean Machines WR Matthew Retzlaff  is 2nd overall with 603 yards . Black Knights WR Johannes Lindeus is 4th with 418 yards and teammate Tomas Jacobssen is 5th with 415. Mean Machines RB Emil Knutsson leads all rushers in Sweden with 640 yards. Johnny Grandin of the Black Knights is 2nd with 612 yards.

This will be a game with playoff implications.

Kickoff is 7:00 pm (1p EST) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.

Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here.  The broadcast is “semi geo-restricted”. A Swedish credit/bank card is necessary. Click on the button that says “Standard Sport”. Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You can choose two weeks for free “Prova 2 veckor gratis” or you can choose to watch a single  game. The game costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 while a subscription is 199 kronor per month.

The post LIVESTREAM: Friday Night Football in Sweden – Örebro Black Knights @Stockholm Mean Machines, June 8, 7p (1p EST) appeared first on American Football International.

The undefeated Carlstad Crusaders will play host to the unbeaten Copenhagen Towers June 9 at Tingvalla IP Field in Karlstad, Sweden for supremacy in the Northern European Football League (NEFL).

The Crusaders defeated Norway’s Oslo Vikings 56-17 and the Tamworth Phoenix from England 34-14 while Copenhagen downed Oslo 21-10 and Tamworth 50-7.

The last time these two teams met was a year ago when Carlstad earned a 25-8 win in the opening game of the NEFL. In fact, Carlstad has beaten the Towers three times since 2014.

Both teams have gone undefeated in their respective leagues. In the Swedish Superserien, Carlstad has marched out to a 7-0 record with the best offense and best defense in the league. The Towers have a record of 4-0 in the Danish American Football league averaging 50 points a game. Defensively, they have allowed 107 points in four games.

Carlstad quarterback Philip Juhlin is the top passer in Sweden again this season and has thrown for 1,971 yards and 25 TDs. His leading receiver, Robin Juhlin (no relation) also leads the league with 749 yards and 10 touchdowns in six games. Interestingly, Copenhagen has brought in a new quarterback, Randy Schroeder, (Ave Maria University). Schroeder arrived in mid May and has played in two games, leading Copenhagen to a 70-46 win over the Sollerod Gold Diggers and a 47-39 victory over the Triangle Razorbacks. In other words, he has the offense rolling.

Towers running back Dayton Winn will be a tall order for the Carlstad defense. He scored five touchdowns against the Phoenix.

According to the Jens Rørbye, who writes for the Towers, they really want to win this game against Carlstad. All their preparations over the past three weeks have been with the Crusaders in mind.

“One of the reasons for signing Schroeder was to win these international games. The ease of our win over Tamworth was a surprise but today we know that we are facing one of the top teams in Europe. The offense has really been amped up. Our defense is solid, with a lot of talent. The key is their discipline. And they will have to be disciplined against the Crusaders.”

Watch the game live here. Copenhagen Towers @Carlstad Crusaders, June 9, 1p (7a EST)

The post LIVESTREAM: NEFL – Copenhagen Towers (Denmark) @Carlstad Crusaders (Sweden) June 9, 1p (7a EST) appeared first on American Football International.

Norway’s Oslo Vikings make the long trek from Oslo to Tamworth, England June 9 to take on the Tamworth Phoenix in final game of the Northern European Football League (NEFL).

Oslo has dropped both games in the NEFL so far, losing to Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders 56-17 and the Copenhagen Towers from Denmark, 21-10. Meanwhile, the Phoenix were trounced by the Towers, 50-7 and beaten by Carlstad in Tamworth, 34-14.

The Vikings lead the Norwegian league with a 4-1 record, the only blemish coming in the second game of the season against the Asane Seahawks. They had beaten the Seahawks 52-7 the week before and inexplicably lost to them 31-28. Since then, they have overwhelmed the other teams in Norway. Oslo quarterback Robert Mehmet Sezer has improved this year and along with running back Vegard Tysse can give Tamworth problems.

The Tamworth Phoenix, defending British champions, have posted a 3-0 record in the British Premiership North division outscoring their first three opponents 178-26. So, the losses against European teams have served as a wake up call.

Tamworth head coach Jason Scott:

“We learned a lot from both of those games and hopefully that learning curve will carry over into this game. Losing is learning. We played better in the second game against Carlstad. In this game, we will try to play our game and try not to beat ourselves.”

Scott says they have scouted Oslo and what he has seen is size:

“The Scandinavians know how to grow their players big. Oslo has a huge offensive line and a big running back. We will have to find a way to stop him and also establish our own running game. We can’t give them short fields either. Special teams has to play better. Carlstad executed well on special teams and that hurt us.”

Watch the game live here. Oslo Vikings (Norway) @Tamworth Phoenix (England), June 9, 3p (4p CEST, 10a EST)

The post LIVESTREAM: NEFL – Oslo Vikings (Norway) @Tamworth Phoenix (England), June 9, 3p (4p CEST, 10a EST) appeared first on American Football International.

The 4-4 Örebro Black Knights secured second place and home field advantage in the Swedish playoffs by coming from behind late and beating the 3-4 Stockholm Mean Machines 40-35 Friday night in Stockholm.

Behind 222 yards rushing and two touchdowns by new running back Gennadiy “Gena” Adams and a last second touchdown by Hjalmar Gertsson, the Black Knights won their biggest game of the season.

With two wins over the third place Mean Machines this year, Örebro will finish second ahead of Stockholm and have the home date in the Swedish semifinals.

In addition to Adams performance, Örebro quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 56 yards and another two touchdowns. Gertsson caught three passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Stockholm quarterback Anders Hermodsson completed 19 of 36 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 29 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Matt Retzlaff caught six passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns while the league’s leading running back Emil Knutsson rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Örebro opened the scoring on the first drive as Yeldell scored on a four yard run.

Hermodsson answered early in the second quarter with a touchdown run of his own, carrying the ball in from 14 yards out to give Stockholm a 7-6 lead.

Adams capped a 74 yard, 10 play drive on the very next Örebro series with a three yard plunge and Lind scored the two-point conversion to make it 14-7.

Photo: Stefan Akander

Knutsson tied it up with two minutes left in the half and then Retzlaff hauled in a 55 yard scoring pass from Hermodsson with almost no time left in the half to give the mean Machines a 21-14 lead at the break.

Stockholm came out in the second half and increased the lead to 27-14 with another Retzlaff touchdown, this time on an eight yard pass reception with four minutes left in the third quarter.

Adams, now feeling comfortable, went on a rampage rushing for 147 yards in the last 16 minutes of the game. First, he scampered 39 yards to close the gap to 27-21. Then early in the fourth quarter he rushed three times for 52 yards in setting up Yeldell for the equalizing touchdown.

With the score tied 27-27, Yeldell connected with Gertsson on a 61 yard touchdown strike with four minutes left in the game to give the Black Knights the lead again, 34-27.

Hermodsson wasn’t finished. Taking the ball over with four minutes left, he marched the Mean Machines on a nine-play, 79 yard drive which ended with a Scanella touchdown on a Retzlaff end zone fumble. With just over 50 seconds left in the game, Retzlaff caught the two-point conversion pass to give Stockholm a 35-34 lead.

Taking the ball over with 54 seconds remaining, Örebro went to work. Two Adams runs totaling 47 yards placed the ball on the Stockholm 25 yard line. Two plays later Yeldell hit Gertsson again, this time from 15 yards out with 12 seconds left in the game  giving the Black Knights a 40-35 lead they would not relinquish.

Hermodsson’s last second pass attempt to Retzlaff went incomplete and for the second time this season, Örebro came out come-from-behind winners over the Mean Machines.

With the victory, the Black Knights finish second overall in the Swedish Superserien and now prepare for the semifinals.

Stockholm has one game remaining against the Uppsala 86ers. A win secures third place but a loss by more than 20 points would drop them to fourth and a semifinal date against the Carlstad Crusaders. 

The post Sweden: Örebro Black Knights rally to beat Stcokholm Mean Machines on last second TD appeared first on American Football International.

The Copenhagen Towers from Denmark stunned the Carlstad Crusaders in Karlstad, Sweden, edging them 44-43 in the Northern European Football League title game.

Copenhagen’s new quarterback Randy Schroeder threw for 286 yards and four touchdowns in an outstanding performance, throwing the final, game-winning touchdown pass to Jakob Green with just 24 seconds left in the game. Running back Dayton Winn was unstoppable at times, scoring three touchdowns. He rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for 27 yards and another touchdown. Green caught six passes for 116 yards and that touchdown while Lasse Tor Hansen caught three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. Aske Troen Klixbüll caught two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown while running back 

Philip Juhlin put on another great show for the Carlstad Crusaders, rallying his team back from a 30-16 halftime deficit, engineering four second half touchdowns. He threw for 394 yards and one touchdown and ran another one in himself. Running back Christian Forsman rushed for 42 yards and two touchdowns while Victor Toresson, Julius Rucker and Natal Melero all scored rushing touchdowns, with Melero escaping for a 59 yarder.

Copenhagen RB Dayton Winn hauling in a TD pass Photo: Tommy Anderson

Entering the game as the favorites, Carlstad were surprised when the Towers took a 10-0 lead early one as Klixbüll kicked a field goal and then caught a 23 yard touchdown pass adding the point after for good measure.

When Juhlin was finally able to get the Crusaders offense into gear, it stalled on the Copenhagen 10 yard line and Carlstad had to settle for a field goal.

The Towers increased the lead t 16-3 on a Winn touchdown early in the second quarter but on the next series, Melero found a seam and raced 59 yards to edge closer, 16-10. Copenhagen replied two series later with Schroeder finding Winn from 16 yards out to make it 23-10.

Juhlin then mounted a 10 play, 80 yard drive, and Forsman finished it off punching the ball in from the one to close the gap again, 23-16.

But on this day, the Towers offense was clicking as Schroeder took only four plays to restore the two touchdown lead, hitting Hansen with a 15 yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left in the half.

In the second half, the Carlstad defense tightened up while the offense scored twice, with the second and tying touchdown coming on the first play of the fourth quarter.

With the momentum clearly having swung in Carlstad’s favor, Schroeder took charge, marching his team from the own 41 and handing off to Winn for a three yard touchdown to go back out in front, 37-30.

This time, Juhlin responded, engineering another long drive finishing it off by running in himself from four yards out and tying the game at 37-37.

Then, on the ensuing kickoff return, Carlstad linebacker Christian Kuylenstjerna forced a fumble at Copenhagen’s 24 yard line and the Crusaders recovered the ball. Juhlin wasted no time, connecting with Rucker for the go ahead touchdown. the Crusaders now led 43-37 with jsut over three minutes left in the game.

On this day, Schroeder and the Towers offense were magnificent at the right time. Taking up three minutes they moved from their own 36 yard line down to the Crusaders seven. Schroeder hit Green for the touchdown and the defense did the rest.

This is the second year in a row, that Carlstad has lost the NEFL title game at home  late in the game. Last year, they were beaten by Finland’s Helsinki Roosters in overtime 21-15.

The post Denmark’s Copenhagen Towers upset Carlstad Crusaders in thriller, win NEFL title appeared first on American Football International.

The last two weeks have seen plenty of action and upsets in Europe with and unprecedented number of position changes as AFI presents the sixth edition of the AFI Europe Top 20.Coaches Poll. With their thrilling international wins, Germany’s Potsdam Royals and Denmark’s Copenhagen Towers have made dramatic climbs in our rankings.

AFI is proud to have the input of some of the best coaches in Europe on our  11 man panel which continues to grow. We’ve aggregated the choices of these top European coaches and executives and present them along with our own choices.

The AFI Coaches Poll is conducted bi-weekly throughout the European regular season using a panel of coaches from European clubs. The panel is chosen by election, country by country plus independents, from a pool of coaches who have indicated to the American Football International their willingness to participate. Each coach submits a Top 20 with a first-place vote worth 20 points, second place 19 and so on down to one point for 20th.

This week’s panel includes eight coaches from seven nations, many of whom lead teams in our poll and special football ambassador, Johannes Woudenberg:

• Stan Bedwell – HC Allgäu Comets (Germany)
• Dan Levy – HC Prague Black Panthers (Czech Republic)
• Dave Likins – DC Braunschweig New Yorker Lions (Germany)
• Nick Johansen – HC Wroclaw Panthers (Poland)
• Geoff Buffum – HC Calanda Broncos (Switzerland)
• Shuan Fatah – HC Swarco Raiders (Austria)
• Malik Jackson – HC Vukovi Belgrade (Serbia)
• Juha Hakala- HC Helsinki Roosters (Finland)
• Johannes Woudenberg – Ambassador at large (Holland)

With all the countries in Europe now in action, there are a lot of games to monitor and our panel does their utmost to keep up.

We continually work to improve and always welcome your comments and insight.

If you are interested in being a part of the AFI Coaches Poll in 2018 please email contact@americanfootballinternational.com.

Now, for the rankings!

1. Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns (6-0 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll #1)

The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns  continue to assert their dominance and justify their number one ranking in Europe. The Unicorns turned back the Frankfurt Universe 17-7 two weeks ago, their main challengers in the GFL South. They had opened the season with lopsided wins over the Munich Cowboys, Allgäu Comets, Stuttgart Scorpions, Kirchdorf Wildcats and Ingolstad Dukes. They are averaging 40.5 points a game while giving up 9.  The Unicorns started the year in top spot after last year’s German championship win over the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions in German Bowl XXXIX. They finished the season undefeated with a 17-0 record. Until they are unseated, the Haller fans will continue to claim #1.

Next up: Munich Cowboys, June 16.

Unicorns WR Nathaniel Robitaille Photo: MANFRED LÖFFLER

2. New Yorker Lions (7-0 GFL1; 3-0 Big6) – Germany (Last poll #2)

At #2, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions won their fourth straight and sixth overall Eurobowl title, beating the #5 Frankfurt Universe 20-19. The Lions continue to march through the German Football League North earning four lopsided victories beating both the Hamburg Huskies twice and the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and Hildesheim Invaders. The Lions opened the season with a tight 10-6 win over the La Courneuve Flash from France in the Big6. They followed that up with a 60-0 trouncing of the Amsterdam Crusaders to qualify for the Eurobowl final.  The perennial challengers for both the number one spot in Europe and the German title were undone in the 2017 German championship game losing to the #1 ranked by a last second blocked field goal. 

Next up: Berlin Rebels, June 17.

New Yorker Lions QB Jadrian Clark Photo: Sidelineview

3. Helsinki Roosters (3-0 SAJL;1-0 Int.) – Finland (Last poll #3)

The Roosters sit alone atop the Maple League standings after defeating the second place Kuopio Steelers 55-26. They overwhelmed the Porvoo Butchers thee weeks ago. They opened their season in Finland with a one-sided victory over their Maple Bowl opponents, the Wasa Royals, beating them 48-7. They had surprised everyone by beating the Dacia Vienna Vikings in Vienna four weeks ago, 41-37.  The shocker of a win under new/old head coach Juha Hakala put Finnish football back on the map. Last season, they defeated Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders to win the Northern European Football League (NEFL) title. AFI expects the Roosters to dominate 2018 in Finland’s SAJL and possibly beyond.

Next up: Seinäjoki Crocodiles, June 18.

Helsinki Roosters QB Brandon Connette Photo: Riku Flink

4. Swarco Raiders (7-1 AFL1; 3-0 CEFL; 1-0 Int.) – Austria (Last poll #4)

The Swarco Raiders have been on a roll in the past two weeks. They captured their 2nd straight CEFL Bowl title beating the Koc Rams from Turkey. The week before they defeated the Ljubljana Silverhawks in Austria. In fact, all year they have played outstanding football crushing the Dacia Vienna Vikings and then beating Central College (NCAA Div. III) and the Modling Rangers. The Raiders now occupy top spot in the Austrian Football League. Swarco had demolished the Wroclaw Panthers from Poland, previously Europe’s #6 team and have looked impressive midway through the Austrian season.

Next up: Danube Dragons, June 16.

Swarco RB Sandro Platzgummer scoring one of his 4 TDs Photo: Goran Milosavljevic Fotografie

5. Frankfurt Universe (4-1 GFL1 2-1 Big6) – Germany (Last poll #5)

The Frankfurt Universe remain in our Top 5 despite losing two games in  row after our last poll. They lost the Eurobowl final to the New Yorker Lions by the slimmest of margins, 20-19. The week before, without their starting quarterback they lost 17-7 to the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns. after blanking the Stuttgart Scorpions 42-0 three weeks ago and downing Ingolstadt 40-26 the week before that.  They had started the GFL regular season by blanking the Munich Cowboys and overwhelming the Marburg Mercenaries 63-7. . Then they whipped France’s La Courneuve Flash 48-6 in the Big6 thus qualifying for the Eurobowl final for the second year in a row.  With all the coaches and players signed and on-field success so far, it seems that Frankfurt is weathering the financial storm that had engulfed them.

Next up: Ingolstadt Dukes, June 16.

Universe RB Joe Bergeron Photo: Karlheinz Herbert

6. AFC Dacia Vienna Vikings (7-2 AFL1; 0-1 Int.) – Austria (Last poll #9)

The Vikings have begun their climb back up in our rankings after overwhelming the Bratislava Monarchs 64-7 despite still missing starting QB Garrett Safron. They had fallen to #9  in our last poll after losing in the Austrian Football League 24-21 to the Ljubljana Silverhawks. Last month, they were crushed by their arch rivals in Austria, the Swarco Raiders. Although they defeated the Modling Rangers 25-20 the week prior, Vienna was shocked by Finland’s Helsinki Roosters in early May at home in Charity Bowl XX., losing 41-37.  Prior to that the Vikings had jumped out to a 5-0 record in the Austrian Football League including a 35-28 win over the Swarco Raiders. In 2017, the Vikings enjoyed a resurgent year and finished back on top of the Austrian league, winning the Austrian title with a decisive victory over the Swarco Raiders. 

Next up: Graz Giants, June 17.

Vikings WR Maurice Wappl Photo: PeterKramberger

7. Copenhagen Towers (5-0 DAFF; 3-0 NEFL) – Denmark (Last poll #11)

Denmark’s Copenhagen Towers have had the fastest climb up our rankings and moved up another four spots to our #7 position after defeating Sweden’s Carlstad Crusaders in a thriller 44-43 to win the Norther European Football League title. They had already climbed three spots in our last ranking after overwhelming wins in the Danish American Football league. They started their rise in the rankings in April after whipping the Tamworth Phoenix 50-7  in NEFL play and winning two straight in Denmark. The Towers also traveled to Oslo, Norway in the Northern European Football League a month ago and defeated the Oslo Vikings  21-10. In 2017, the Towers won the Danish crown by dominating  the Sollerod Gold Diggers in Mermaid Bowl XXIX. 

Next up: Aarhus Tigers, June 16.

Copenhagen Towers celebrating NEFL title win over Carlstad Crusaders Photo: Tommy Andersson

8. Wroclaw Panthers (7-0 LFA; 1-1 CEFL)) – Poland (Last poll #10)

The Panthers have moved up two spots to #8 after rolling over the Bialystok Lowlanders 62-7.  The week before, they had thumped arch rivals, the Gdynia Seahawks 35-7. They had rebounded in the CEFL  earlier in May by downing the Prague Black Panthers 39-22.  Although that game was for pride alone, it helped atone for the lopsided 63-21 loss to Austria’s Swarco Raiders the week before. The result of that loss was the biggest drop in rankings thus far four weeks ago. Nevertheless the Panthers have now won six straight games in Poland’s LFA including two decisive wins over the Gdynia Swahawks. They won the 2017 Polish championship in dominant fashion. They surprised the Raiders in Central European Football League last year, forcing the Raiders to come from behind to win the game. The Panthers were undefeated in Poland and soundly beat Denmark’s Triangle Razorbacks in CEFL action.

Next up: Tychy Falcons, June 17.

9. Dresden Monarchs (5-1 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll #8)

The Dresden Monarchs have dropped a spot after losing two weeks ago 30-7 to the Berlin Rebels. They rebounded last week to blank the lowly Hildesheim Invaders 35-0. The had marched out to a 4-0 record in the German Football League after manhandling the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes and Hamburg Huskies earning back-to-back wins over the previously undefeated Potsdam Royals. A perennial contender for the playoffs in Germany,the Monarchs finished 2017 as the #10 team in Europe after losing two of their last two games including the quarterfinal game to the Frankfurt Universe. 

Next up: Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, June 16.

10. Carlstad Crusaders (7-0 SAFF; 2-1 NEFL) – Sweden (Last poll #7)

The Carlstad Crusaders have fallen three spots according to our coaches panel after being shocked at home 44-43 by Denmark’s Copenhagen Towers in the NEFL title game. Nevertheless, the Crusaders continue their dominance in the Swedish Superserien with another lopsided win, this time over the Uppsala 86ers, since our last poll. They had beated the Örebro Black Knights and Stockholm Mean Machines with relative ease. Five weeks ago the Crusaders comfortably handled British champions, the Tamworth Phoenix in NEFL action. The Crusaders remain undefeated in Sweden. Last month, Carlstad manhandled the Norwegian champion Oslo Vikings.

Next up: Göteborg Marvels, June 16.

Photo: Moses Sh

11. Potsdam Royals (2-3 GFL1; 3-0 EFL) – Germany (Last poll, #15)

The Royals have made another huge climb up the rankings, moving up from #15-11 this week following their thrilling 43-42 European Football League win over Italy’s Milano Seamen.  Three weeks ago, they defeated Switzerland’s Calanda Broncos 33-31.  They had knocked off the Berlin Rebels ealier in May. This  obviously had an impact on our coaches panel.  They opened their season with a 56-0 blowout win over the Hildesheim Invaders but then fell twice to the Dresden Monarchs 45-34.   Potsdam is playing in the German Football League for the first time in its history this season.

Next up: Hamburg Huskies, June 16.

Potsdam RB Tyvis Smtih Photo: Dario Fumagalli

12. Cologne Crocodiles (4-0-1 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll, #12)

The Crocodiles remain unbeaten in the German Football League although they struggled somewhat in beating the winless Hamburg Huskies last week 43-28. They maintain their #12 spot. They had won their two opening games beating the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 32-14 and Potsdam Royals 42-41.and then tied the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 22-22. They also trounced Holland’s Amsterdam Crusaders in an exhibition game. The Crocodiles finished just our of the playoffs in 2017 and look much improved this year.

Next up: Hildesheim Invaders, June 16

13. Milano Seamen (9-0 IFL; 2-1 EFL) – Italy (Last poll #6)

Italy’s defending champion Milano Seamen suffered a heart-breaking loss to Germany’s Potsdam Royals in the EFL final following a fourth quarter collapse and with all the other shuffling in the Top 20, the coaches panel has moved them down to #13.  Nevertheless, they enter the playoffs in Italy in two weeks unbeaten. They finished the regular season in Italy with two crushing wins over the UTA Pesaro (50-0) and the Milano Rhinos 49-12. Last month, Milano unleashed on the top team in France, the Thonon Black Panthers in EFL play, whipping them 49-3. The Seamen defeated the only other unbeaten team in Italy last week, the Parma Panthers in decisive fashion.  They also defeated the Badalona Dracs in EFL play.

Next up: Italian semifinals, June 23/24.

Milano WR Xavier Mitchell scored 4 TDs vs Potsdam Royals Photo: Dario Fumagalli

14. Calanda Broncos (9-0 SAFV; 1-1 EFL) – Switzerland (Last poll, #16)

The Calanda Broncos won two games in Switzerland since their EFL game against the Potsdam Royals which they lost 33-31 in a thriller. They have moved up two spots in the opinion of our panel. With those wins, the Broncos are unbeaten in Switzerland with a 9-0 record and a points difference of 388-97. In April, they crushed Belgium’s Brussels Tigers 39-0 in European Football League play. They won the Swiss league in 2017 after recording a lopsided win in the championship game over the Basel Gladiators.

Next up: Winterthur Warriors, June 16.

Photo: Sergio Brunetti

15. Badalona Dracs (8-0 LNFA; 1-1 EFL) – Spain (Last poll, #14)

The Dracs have fallen one spot after barely winning the Spanish championship, the Spanish Bowl.  It was the first game all year they had been pushed by a Spanish team and they had to overcome a 19 point second half deficit to win.They had had an easier time in the playoffs with a convincing 48-0 semifinal win in the Spanish playoffs over Madrid’s Osos Rivas.They have previous won  their quarterfinal game in Spain 78-12 against the Gijon Mariners. They are 1-1 in EFL play after they recorded a stunning 37-20 victory over France’s leading team, the Thonon Black Panthers in EFL action a month ago.

Next up: Season complete.

16. Berlin Rebels (4-2 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll, #13)

The Berlin Rebels have fallen another three spots after they disappointing home loss to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes. They have lost two of their last four games. Nevertheless, under head coach Kim Kuchi the Rebels look like they will  reach the playoffs again in 2018. In 2017, they lost in the German quarterfinals to eventual champions the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns but pushed the Unicorns to overtime. The club has signed a number of international stars including Lauri Vanio (Finland), Mamadou Sy (France), and Chris Smith (Netherlands) and will complete with the top GFL North clubs.

Next up: Braunschweig New Yorker Lions

Photo: Christian Gosslar.

17. Koc Rams (8-0 TFL; 2-1 CEFL) – Turkey (Last poll, #17)

Turkey’s defending champion, the Koc Rams lost in the CEFL Bowl final to Austria’s Swarco Raiders but have maintained their #17 ranking.They won their semifinal game in Turkey after finishing the Turkish regular season undefeated (a loss to the Yeditepe Eagles was erased when the Eagles were disqualified from the TFL) The Rams won both their CEFL games, overwhelming the Moscow Patriots 63-21 and outlasting Serbian champions, the Kragujevac Wild Boars  in CEFL action, beating them 47-41 in a shootout..

Next up: Turkish final, July 1.

18. Prague Black Panthers (8-0 CAAF; 0-2 CEFL) – Czech Republic (Last poll #18)

The Prague Black Panthers remain in the #18 position after another two one-sided victories in the Czech League since our last poll. They have an amazing 361-35 points differential in eight games. They had dropped a 39-22 decision to Poland’s Wroclaw Panthers, in the CEFL prior to that. The Black Panthers blanked the Pardubice Stallions 50-0 in the Czech league the week before. Prague dropped a 44-21 decision to Austria’s Swarco Raiders last month in CEFL play.

Next up: Pardubice Stallions, June 17.

19. Marburg Mercenaries (3-2 GFL1) – Germany (Last poll, #19)

The Marburg Mercenaries hold onto the #19 spot after splitting their last two GFL games. Marburg surprised the league by stopping the high flying Allgau Comets 28-14 last week but had lost to the Kirchdorf Wildcats the week before. They had suffered a big slide in the rankings dropping six spots from #13 after being crushed by the Frankfurt Universe 63-7 last month. Marburg had opened their season by  whipping the Kirchdorf Wildcats 33-7 in German Football League play. Marburg reached the German quarterfinals where they lost to the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes. Marburg finished the year in the German Football League South with an 8-7 record marking the biggest improvement of any team in the league. For 2017, the Mercenaries signed Austria’s top domestic quarterback, Alexander Thury and dangerous receiver Peter Jinkens.

Next up: Stuttgart Scorpions, June 16.

MARBURG QB/RB SILAS NACITA

20. Kragujevac Wild Boars (6-0 SAAF; 1-1 CEFL) – Serbia

The Kragujevac Wild Boars have returned to our Top 20 after winning all six of their regular season games in the tough Serbian league. Last week they overwhelmed the Kikinda Mammoths 55-0. They were defeated by Turkey’s Koc Rams in CEFL play after first beating the Moscow Patriots 34-20.In 2017, they finished the Serbian season in style winning the championship game over the Novi Sad Dukes to defend their title. They also held their own against the Swarco Raiders in losing the Central European title game.

Next up: Bor Golden Bears, June 17.

Photo: Igor Lazarevic

Honorable Mention: Parma Panthers, Italy; Murcia Cobras, Spain; Allgau Comets, Germany; Thonon Black Panthers, France; Graz Giants, Austria; SBB Vukovi Belgrade, Serbia; Gdynia Seahawks, Poland.

The post AFI’s Europe Top 20: 2018 Coaches Poll – June 14 appeared first on American Football International.

With the final weekend of play in Sweden coming up, the stats leaders have seen another change as Matt Retzlaff of the Stockholm Mean Machines has retaken the receiving lead. With that, the Mean Machines lead in two of the three categories as Stockholm RB Emil Knutsson maintains his rushing lead.

The Carlstad Crusaders have five players in the Top 5 in the three categories, passing, receiving and rushing. The Stockholm Mean Machines and Göteborg Marvels have three each while the Örebro Black Knights and Uppsala 86ers have two apiece.

Passing

Despite the fact that the Carlstad Crusaders were idle from play in the Swedish Superserien, QB Philip Juhlin still leads the league in passing yardage with 1,971 yards and 25 TDs. Anders Hermodsson of the Stockholm Mean Machines is 2nd with his 1,484  yards while John Rock of the Uppsala 86ers has climbed up into 3rd with 1,255 yards. Örebro Black Knights quarterback Raleigh Yeldell III has slid down into 4th with 1,235 yards while RB/QB Gerard Johnson of the Göteborg Marvels in 5th with 1,100 yards and 12 TDs.

Receiving

Stockholm Mean Machines WR Matthew Retzlaff is back as the leading receiver in Sweden with 764 yards after catching 6 passes for 161 yards and 2 TDs last week against the Black Knights. Robin Juhlin of the Carlstad Crusaders has slipped down into 2nd while his team was idle in the Swedish Superserien. He has 749 yards and 10 TDs. Last year’s top wide receiver, Jacob Dahre of the Crusaders is 3rd with 464 while Göteborg Marvels Edvin Almeida Taborda  has jumped up into 4th with 429 yards. Isac Wikman of the Uppsala 86ers is now the 5th leading receiver in Sweden with 428 yards..

Rushing

 Stockholm Mean Machines RB Emil Knutsson stays in the rushing lead with his 689 yards but he is closely followed by Johnny Grandin of the Örebro Black Knights who now has 652 yards.  Marvels Gerard Johnson is now 3rd with 370 yards and 7 TDs while Carlstad Crusaders RB Victor Toresson is 4th with 355 yards. Crusader’s QB Philip Juhlin is 5th with 297 and a league-best 10 TDs.

Graphics: Igor Lazarevic

The post New receiving leader in Sweden as final weekend of play looms appeared first on American Football International.

The 3-4 Stockholm Mean Machines and 2-5 Uppsala 86ers square off Friday night at Osterangen’s IP field in Uppsala in the final regular season game of the year for both teams to decide the third and fourth places in the Swedish Superserien.

The winner will face the Orebro Black Knights in the Swedish semifinals while the loser will travel to Karlstad to play the unbeaten Carlstad Crusaders.

The first time these two teams met two months ago, Stockholm came away with an easy 37-17 win. In that game, Stockholm quarterback Anders Hermodsson threw for 33 yards and three touchdowns with Matt Retzlaff having a breakout game catching 15 passes for 246 yards and all three of those touchdown passes.

Since then, Uppsala has added Canadian running back Dylan Minshull and in three games he has rushed for 209 yards, giving quarterback John Rock some breathing room. In fact since arriving Minshull has been doing more than just running the ball. Starting at defensive end as well he has led the team in tackles in two straight games, recording 10 against the Carlstad Crusaders and seven in the last game against the Goteborg Marvels.

Minshull, who only arrived in Sweden six weeks ago from Canada, is enjoying it:

“This has been great and the football is very good. The team has welcomed me. I have been able to help with the running game and I love playing defense too. I had not started on defense since 2014 so I am having a blast. This is a big game for us tonight and I am looking forward to it.”

Rock is the third leading passer in the league with his 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns. His key receivers are Isac Vikman and Mattias Gauthier. The 86ers offensive line will have to step up to step up with the offense averaging only 14.9 yards a game although there has been some improvement in the last two games. Defensively, Uppsala is allowing 29.3 points a game, second best in Sweden behind the Carlstad.

Stockholm quarterback Anders Hermodsson is a factor unto himself. The second leading passer in the league with 1,484 yards and 15 touchdowns, can also run the ball. At 6’5″, 250 lb, Hermodsson is tough to bring down and has scored 10 rushing touchdowns while rushing for 205 yards. Running back Emil Knutsson has led the Swedish Superserien in rushing the entire year and has 689 yards in seven games to go along with five touchdowns. Retzlaff is now the league leader in receiving yardage with 44 receptions for 764 yards.

No doubt the Uppsala secondary is still smarting from the display Retzlaff put on in their last encounter and will not allow that to happen again. Martin Cham, Jamal Hussein,  Nils-Fredrik Lindberg, Fabian Söderberg and Stefan Galewski will likely be better prepared for him in this game.

The Mean Machines defense has had a tough year and are league-worst in points allowed (33.1/game) and yards allowed (391.9).

Still, with the leading rusher and receiver in the league and the second leading passer, Stockholm have to be considered the favorites in this one.

This will be like a playoff game for both teams.

Kickoff is 7:00 pm (1p EST) and the game is being broadcast live on CMore in Sweden (PPV) and shown in a tape delay at 10:20 pm on TV4.

Watch the game live (Pay per View) by clicking here.  The broadcast is “semi geo-restricted”. A Swedish credit/bank card is necessary. Click on the button that says “Standard Sport”. Then fill in your email address, name and password and click Skapa konto, Open account. Add your credit card number. You can choose two weeks for free “Prova 2 veckor gratis” or you can choose to watch a single  game. The game costs 99 Swedish kronor, or about $11 while a subscription is 199 kronor per month.

The post LIVESTREAM: Friday Night Football in Sweden – Stockholm Mean Machines @Uppsala 86ers, June 15, 7p (1p EST) appeared first on American Football International.