Atlanta Tornados v Philadelphia Lightning (Jan. 30)

Projected Lineups: 

ATL: Miguel Rodriguez, Nick Matthew, Omar Mosaad

PHI: Marwan ElShorbagy, Mohamed Abouelghar, Curtis Malik

 

The themes for this match? Experience and pedigree. Just look at the ages of the players across both lineups. Rodriguez (40), Matthew (45), and Mosaad (37) will be the oldest regular season NSL lineup in league history. How this Atlanta squad holds up physically will be a question heading into the match. Coach Celia Pashley will have to use her substitutions wisely, but she’ll have wonderful complementary skillsets to choose from for whatever Philly throws their way. The NSL regular season debuts of Nick Matthew and Omar Mosaad promise to be electric. 

The relatively youthful Philadelphia squad are looking to start fast this season after winning the championship in 2025. They’ll arguably have their strongest lineup for this match, so they’ll feel good about their chances headed into the weekend. What stands out about this Philly team is their consistency and accuracy. In a format that incentivizes bolder, attacking play, the Lightning turned that on its head with their roster construction. If they start off strong again this year, I wonder if that will re-shape the way we think about the NSL format, which everyone is still learning about and adjusting to. I think Philly flexes their championship muscles and controls this match.

 

PREDICTION: Philadelphia 3-1 Atlanta

 

DC Inferno v New York Queens (Jan. 31)

Projected Lineups:

DC: Jasmine Hutton, Rowan El Araby, Rachel Arnold

NY: Fayrouz Abouelkheir, Tensi Murphy (questionable), Nour Heikal, Madeleine Hyland (alternate)

 

This match marks the debut of the New York Queens, who will get to play their first ever NSL match in front of their home crowd. New York is headlined by the first overall pick Fayrouz Abouelkheir. Heading into the draft, every mock had either Tinne Gillis or Siva Subramaniam going first overall. But, the Queens had their eyes set on Fayrouz all along. At just 19 years-of-age, the Queens are betting on Fayrouz to develop into the best player in the league and be the face of their franchise for many years to come. Alongside the attacking prowess of Murphy and Heikal, Fayrouz and the Queens are looking to arrive on the NSL scene as a force to be reckoned with come playoff time. 

 

This DC squad won’t be an easy first matchup for the Queens, however. Coming off a finals appearance, DC adds NSL champion Rowan El Araby to their roster. This group hasn’t played together yet, but their styles should mesh well. Similar to the Lightning on the men’s side, these three players will wear you out with their consistent hitting, but have some attacking firepower when needed. I see this match being close, with high quality squash from both teams. 

 

PREDICTION: DC 2-2 New York (Winner in Overtime Shootout)

In addition to the NSL Draft on Saturday, an exhibition match took place. Players from the Lake Erie Beacons men’s and women’s teams combined forces to take on a team of NSL All-Stars.

The first period of the match came down to the wire, with the Beacons eventually edging out the All-Stars 28-27. The tie breaking rally between Veer Chotrani and Yannick Wilhelmi exemplified the exciting play that the NSL produces.

 

The second period was just as hotly contested. But, the Beacons put another point on the board thanks to the incredible play of Hollie Naughton defending the Beacons’ lead against Timmy Brownell.

 

Facing a 2-0 match deficit, the All-Stars needed a win in the third period to force a shootout. In the final two minutes of the period, it looked like the Beacons had the match locked up. But, Timmy Brownell put on an attacking masterclass and gave the Beacons a scare at the end. Ultimately, the Beacons held up, and won the match 4-0.

The Draft Day exhibition proved to be a great setup for the Draft and the NSL season as a whole. For the full stream, click here.

We have a trade to announce between the Newport Dragons and Louisville Colts. Here are the details of the trade: 

Dragons get: 

Matias Knudsen

 

Colts get: 

2nd Round Pick (5th overall)

 

Teams are already making big moves ahead of tomorrow’s draft. The Dragons get an NSL mainstay in Knudsen, whose attacking flair has proven essential to his team’s gameplan in the NSL format. The Dragons are showing that they mean business, and they’ll look to add a top player in tomorrow’s draft to pair alongside Knudsen and company.

 

In return, the Colts pick up a 2nd round pick in this year’s draft, which is the 5th overall pick. The Colts could be in range for some exciting players with this pick, including Baptiste Massotti, Nick Matthew, Timmy Brownell, and a host of others. This pick could help Louisville form a deadly duo with Leonel Cardenas. 

 

Who do you think won the trade? Is there more roster movement to come? How does this trade impact tomorrow’s draft? These pertinent questions are what make the NSL season great. Stay tuned for more updates so you don’t miss any roster movement.

With teams announcing their keeper picks, we now have a clear understanding of the NSL draft order. There are lots of intriguing storylines to follow on both the Men’s and Women’s side, and it should make for an entertaining draft night. 

In anticipation of the draft, we at the NSL league office thought it would be fun to do a mock draft exercise. For both the Men’s and Women’s divisions, NSL analyst, Michael Neff, tried to predict what teams would do with each draft pick. 

Let us repeat: THESE ARE NOT THE RESULTS OF THE DRAFT. This is simply a fun predicative exercise to get fans thinking about different scenarios as the draft approaches. We have a lot to cover, so let’s get right into it, starting with the Women’s division. 

Women’s Division Mock Draft

Round 1

Pick 1 – New York Queens: Sivasangari Subramaniam, WR: 6

The Women’s Division draft mostly centers around the two expansion teams: The New York Queens and Seattle Freeze. The Queens start building their roster with the highest-rated newcomer to the NSL in Subramaniam.

 

Pick 2 – Seattle Freeze: Tinne Gillis, WR: 9

The Freeze follow up by selecting the other top ten player on the board, Tinne Gillis. Gillis would be an excellent building block for Seattle.

 

Round 2

Pick 3 – Philadelphia Freedom: Nada Abbas, WR: 13

The Freedom lean into their attacking identity with Abbas, who along with superstars Olivia Weaver and Melissa Alves would create a force to be reckoned with in Philly. 

 

Pick 4 – Seattle Freeze: Torrie Malik, WR: 41

Schedules matter in the NSL Draft, and teams have to consider which players would be available for matches. I have Seattle going with Malik to add a steady presence to complement Tinne Gillis who would also be available for a west coast schedule. I wouldn’t be shocked if Seattle made some trade calls surrounding this pick when the draft rolls around. 

 

Pick 5 – New York Queens: Farida Mohamed, WR: 15

Queens secure a hometown player who also happens to have championship pedigree. This would be an ideal start for the Queens. 

 

Round 3

Pick 6 – New York Queens: Fayrouz Aboelkheir, WR: 8

With back-to-back picks, the Queens take the highest ranked player available and form a dangerous big three. 

 

Pick 7 – Seattle Freeze: Amina Elrihany, WR: 45

Once again, don’t be surprised if a trade occurs with this pick. For the purposes of this mock, Seattle adds some attacking prowess and flair to their roster. 

 

Pick 8 – DC Inferno: Tensi Murphy, WR 23

Inferno use their third rounder to add a layer of deception to complement their team core’s fiery attacking style. 

 

Round 4

Pick 9 – Seattle Freeze: Nour Heikal, WR: 44

With their fourth rounder, the Freeze take the highest ranked player available and gamble on her availability. 

 

Pick 10 – New York Queens: Hannah Craig, WR: 66

The Queens snag another hometown talent, continuing to build a nucleus of players with New York pride. 

 

Round 5

Pick 11 – New York Queens: Rowan Elaraby, WR: 19

Best ranking available for the Queens, adding a player with limited availability and some health questions, but undeniable talent. 

 

Pick 12 – Seattle Freeze: Mariam Metwally, WR: 35

The way this mock has gone, Seattle needs to gamble on talent. Best ranking available pick for Seattle in the 5th. 

 

Pick 13 – Lake Erie Beacons: Olivia Clyne, WR: HWR 11

Lake Erie brings in recent PSA retiree Olivia Clyne to Cleveland for some veteran savvy and accurate hitting.

 

Pick 14 – SoNo Sharks: Saskia Beinhard, WR: 74

SoNo, who already feel strongly about their core, adds a consistent, reliable presence to their roster who would be quality depth.

 

Round 6

Pick 15 – Philadelphia Freedom: Nardine Garas, WR: 43

Pick 16 – DC Inferno: Yasshimita Jadish Kumar, WR: 78

Pick 17 – SoNo Sharks: Lisa Aitken, WR: 63

Pick 18 – Lake Erie Beacons: Laila Sedky, WR: 86

Pick 19 – Seattle Freeze: Noa Romero, WR: 87

Pick 20 – New York Queens: Asia Harris, WR: 88

Men’s Division Mock Draft

Round 1

Pick 1 – Chicago Grizzlies: Karim Gawad, WR: 5

Grizzlies begin their roster overhaul with blue-chip player Karim Abdel Gawad, the highest ranked player available.

 

Pick 2 – Nashville Crushers: Mohamed El Shorbagy, WR: 10

Crushers wanted their first round pick, presumably to go big game hunting. They pick up Mohamed Elshorbagy, who brings heaps of pedigree and NSL experience to the table.

 

Pick 3 – Newport Dragons: Youssef Soliman, WR: 11

The Dragons created some hubbub by releasing Mohamed El Shorbagy in the offseason. I can only speculate on why, but one possibility is that they have their eye on Youssef Soliman, an incredible player in the prime of his career. This could be a slam dunk pick and a great long term move for the Dragons.

 

Round 2

Pick 4 – Atlanta Tornados: Kareem el Torkey, WR: 21

El Torkey could be the ice to Miguel Rodriguez’s fire on this roster. I could see the strategic possibilities with this duo exciting the Tornados organization.

 

Pick 5 – New York Knights: Baptiste Masotti, WR: 18

Knights add a power player who would pair well with Eain Yow Ng’s steady play. 

 

Pick 6 – Nashville Crushers: Nick Matthew, WR: HWR 1

Perhaps the biggest storyline for the 2026 NSL Draft is where Nick Matthew will be selected. He’s several years removed from his time in the PSA, but Matthew has generated buzz from his performances in the NSL Legends Matches, where he looked like the best player on the court every time he was on. I could see a team taking a big swing on him early in the draft.

 

Pick 7 – Greenwich Panthers: Mazen Hesham, WR: 63

Let’s get crazy. Greenwich has drafted well in the past, having turned a 4th round pick into top 20 player Dimitri Steinmann. There are “safer” picks on the board, but I see Greenwich swinging for the fences. Mazen Hesham has faced injury problems and is still working his way back to full health. But, his audacious attacking style could be weaponized to great effect in the NSL format, especially during power plays. 

 

Pick 8 – Chicago Grizzlies: Timmy Brownell, WR: 27

I can’t let NSL co-founder Timmy Brownell fall any more than this. No one on the board has more knowledge about the NSL format than Timmy, and his reliability will appeal to the Grizzlies.

 

Round 3

Pick 9 – Chicago Grizzlies: Mohamed ElSherbini, WR: 38

Grizzlies add some shotmaking and attacking prowess with El Sherbini. If their first three picks played out in this way, I think they’d be pretty happy.

 

Pick 10 – Louisville Colts: Sebastian Bonmalais, WR: 28

Colts add speed and NSL championship pedigree to their roster with Bonmalais, who would complement Louisville’s existing roster nicely. 

 

Pick 11 – Atlanta Tornados: Noor Zaman, WR: 30

The Tornados build on their strength by adding shotmaking talent Noor Zaman. Who better for the 21 year old to learn from than Miguel Rodriguez? Love this potential pairing. 

 

Round 4

Pick 12 – Philadelphia Lightning: Nick Wall, WR: 47

The Lightning could look for some attacking firepower with their draft pick to complement their championship-caliber roster. Nick Wall provides just that.

 

Pick 13 – Atlanta Tornados: Auguste Dussourd, WR: 33

Best ranking available play for the Tornados. Dussourd could factor in for the Tornados in the event of a playoff run. 

 

Pick 14 – New York Knights: Sanjay Jeeva, WR: 62

Jeeva adds another attacking threat to the Knights roster.

 

Pick 15 – Louisville Colts: Greg Marche, WR: 20

Best ranking available pick for the Colts, who add an experienced player that gives them another top player. Would be great value in the 4th round.

 

Round 5

Pick 16 – Chicago Grizzlies: Omar Mosaad, WR: HWR 3

It’s tough to figure out where Mosaad might land, but I could see the Grizzlies liking his pedigree and experience in Round 5.

 

Pick 17 – Louisville Colts: Simon Herbert, WR: 60

Herbert is a reliable NSL veteran who would provide quality depth for the Colts.

 

Pick 18 – Nashville Crushers: Veer Chotrani, WR: 52

Crushers bet on Chotrani’s attacking style and NSL pedigree.

 

Pick 19 – New York Knights: Shahjahan Khan, WR: 65

Knights add reliable depth with an NSL vet.

 

Pick 20 – Lake Erie Beacons: Ivan Perez, WR: 66

With their first pick of the draft, the Beacons keep it simple and take the best player available with wide availability. 

 

Round 6

Pick 21 – Philadelphia Lightning: Nicolas Mueller, WR: 31

Pick 22 – Lake Erie Beacons: Sam Osborne-Wylde, WR: 64

Pick 23 – Newport Dragons: Asim Khan, WR: 77

Pick 24 – Atlanta Tornados: Yassin Elshafei, WR: 78

Pick 25 – New York Knights: Curtis Malik, WR: 22

Pick 26 – Nashville Crushers: Ben Smith, WR: 98

Pick 27 – Louisville Colts: Ibrahim Elkabbani, WR: 110

Pick 28 – Greenwich Panthers: Joseph White, WR: 89

Pick 29 – Chicago Grizzlies: Elijah Thomas, WR: 97