Knights v Tornados Match Recap: Atlanta Keeps Their Season Alive

 

WHAT. A. MATCH. 

 

Knights v Tornados had everything. Precise shotmaking, ridiculous movement, tactical adjustments; you name it, we saw it on Saturday. 

 

To close my match preview last week, I wrote the following: 

 

“There’s no question that New York has the talent advantage in this matchup. Even better for them, that talent has experience in the NSL format. […] With the crowd behind them, I could see New York delivering the first shut out victory of the 2026 season.”

 

Oops. That couldn’t have been more wrong. The Tornados came to play, and they stunned the New York Knights in front of their home crowd. Let’s talk about it.

Atlanta’s Brilliant Power Play Timing

 

For me, the star of the show in Atlanta’s victory never even stepped on court. Atlanta’s coach for this match Lucas Piller’s tactics in this match displayed an amazing understanding of the NSL format and his personnel. In addition, his adjustments from the first period to the next two completely flipped the match on its head. 

 

In the first period, Atlanta’s Mohamed Sharaf got off to a flying start against Eain Yow Ng. With fresh legs, he showed attacking confidence that rivaled the NSL’s best players despite not having the best ranking on paper (if that sounds crazy, it shouldn’t. I’ll prove it in a moment). As fatigue set in, Sharaf’s hitting became less clinical, and Ng got the Knights back into the first period. But, one thing was clear: the Tornados had found their attacking specialist for the rest of the match. 

 

The timing worked out such that the Tornados had to call their power play with four minutes left in the first period (the last moment you’re allowed to call it). Miguel Rodriguez was on court, and he only managed to score two points during the power play thanks to the defensive efforts of Mohamed ElShorbagy. New York went on to win the first period 20-15. 

 

Based on all this information, Coach Piller made two changes to his power play strategy: 

1. Always use Mohamed Sharaf
2. Never call a power play against Mohamed ElShorbagy. 

 

One last important point: it didn’t matter when in the period Atlanta found a favorable matchup. If Piller saw the matchup he wanted, he called the power play. 

 

Enter the second period, where Sharaf once again started on court, this time against Rory Stewart. After a minute or so of Sharaf settling into the match, he shot Coach Piller an affirming look, and the power play was called. Historically, teams tend to wait for some squash to be played and get a feel for how the period is going before calling a power play. Not this time. Atlanta found the matchup they wanted, and called the power play. Time didn’t even come into consideration. 

 

Atlanta didn’t look back. New York played well for much of the match, but Atlanta controlled the proceedings thanks to the tactical mind of Lucas Piller. 

Mohamed Sharaf and Ivan Perez

 

Atlanta appears to have hit home runs in the late rounds of the draft with these two players. Sharaf had all three power play opportunities in the second and third periods of this match. The results? A whopping 5.67 points scored per power play. For context, Mohamed Abouleghar scored 6.25 points per power play in his MVP performance vs Atlanta. As the World #70, Sharaf played at a near-MVP level during six total minutes of power plays. Atlanta has to feel great about that use of a fifth round pick.

 

Ivan Perez had a great game too. 23 points in 26 minutes doesn’t initially jump off the page. But, he proved himself to be a potential Miguel Rodriguez successor down the road with his stamina, movement, and defensive work. Perez defended two powerplays in this match and allowed just five total points. Players newer to the NSL sometimes have an adjustment period getting used to the different style of play and lack the situational awareness to be at their best. Perez didn’t skip a beat. That’s a credit to Coach Piller once again, as well as the guidance of Rodriguez and Sharaf as NSL vets. 

 

Incredibly, Miguel Rodriguez was a bit of an afterthought in this one. He only played 20 minutes compared to Perez’s 26 and Sharaf’s 24. Because his teammates played so well, Rodriguez’s job was simply to elongate rallies at the end of periods by getting to every shot and playing good defense. 

 

Everyone had a part to play in this fantastic team win for Atlanta. It goes to show what can happen when players have confidence, play within their strengths, and are coached well. That’s what the NSL is all about.