New York Knights v Atlanta Tornados Match Preview
We have an incredible match in store this weekend, with the Atlanta Tornados travelling to the Big Apple to take on the New York Knights. The Knights’ season debut has been long-awaited, as I’m not sure any team handled the offseason better than New York did. Let’s talk about it.
New York’s Roster Building Masterclass
Here’s a look at New York’s roster from a disappointing 2025 season:
| New York Knights |
| Eain Yow Ng |
| Simon Herbert |
| Rory Stewart |
| Dillon Huang |
| Samuel Scherl |
In the offseason, they only kept two players, Eain Yow Ng and Rory Stewart. Dropping Herbert, Huang, and Scherl freed up the Knights’ second, fourth, and fifth round 2026 draft picks. The Knights saw the influx of talent entering the NSL and positioned themselves well to take advantage. They used their second round pick on top 20 player Baptiste Masotti, immediately upgrading the roster on paper. But, the real wizardry came with their fourth round pick. The Knights drafted Mohamed ElSherbini, who on his own was a good value pick in the fourth round. Not long after the draft, the Knights executed a blockbuster trade for none other than Mohamed ElShorbagy. Who did they give up? ElSherbini.
If you’re keeping track, that means the Knights essentially used their fourth round pick they got from dropping Dillon Huang to acquire Mohamed ElShorbagy. Not bad. Here’s New York’s full roster headed into this weekend’s match:
Three top twenty players and some formidable depth with Stewart, White, and Khan. That’s how you rebuild a roster.
Match Preview
Projected Lineups:
NY: Eain Yow Ng, Mohamed ElShorbagy, Rory Stewart
ATL: Miguel Rodriguez, Mohamed Sharaf, Ivan Perez
New York will receive immediate benefits from the Mohamed ElShorbagy trade, who makes his Knights debut alongside last year’s carryovers Eain Yow Ng and Rory Stewart. This is an intimidating lineup that’s both talented and experienced in the NSL format. All three players are consistent and crafty. I wouldn’t characterize them as having the traditional attacking play of the NSL to the same extent as other teams, including this Atlanta lineup. But, they avoid mistakes (an aspect of NSL squash we don’t talk about as much that drives winning play just as much as shotmaking just ask the defending champion Philadelphia Lightning).
Atlanta makes two changes to their lineup from their last match. Miguel Rodriguez stays in the lineup, and he’ll make life difficult for New York with his consistent motor and movement that defies his age. The Tornados’ depth will be tested in this one, as they’ll have to play to players who are *shudders* under 30! Sharaf’s attacking play impressed Atlanta enough to keep him on their roster despite his PSA ranking being a touch low. At 24 years old, he’s got some upside to him as well. Ivan Perez will also make his NSL debut. I like the pairing of him with Rodriguez. Perez also has a motor that never stops running, and Rodriguez can help Perez learn how to use that skill to his advantage in the NSL format.
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. We saw last weekend how that talent and experience combination propelled the DC Inferno over the Philadelphia Freedom. Atlanta will have their work cut out for them to prevent the same thing from happening. With the crowd behind them, I could see New York delivering the first shut out victory of the 2026 season.
PREDICTION: New York 4-0 Atlanta
