ELF: Leipzig Kings take on Stuttgart Surge in a battle to avoid bottom-of-the-barrel season

| American Football | 08/28/2022

The Leipzig Kings take on the Stuttgart Surge in a battle to avoid bottom-of-the-barrel season as the European League of Football winds down.

The Kings will travel to Stuttgart today as both teams look to get a win and end the season on a high.

If this were any other league in Europe the Surge and Kings may well be facing relegation after two woefully disappointing seasons. But as the ELF only has one tier, both will be grateful that the only thing facing them is a long offseason.

The Surge’s season has been bumpy to put it lightly. After going through two quarterbacks and seeing their head coach fired along with witnessing a roster flip, the team has been left with shaky foundations. But don’t let their record fool you, there have been close games.

During week 6 in their encounter with the Frankfurt Galaxy, the Surge’s newly acquired quarterback, Dante Vandeven, put on a show and took the reigning champions to overtime before eventually losing.

This wasn’t the only occasion where the outcome of Stuttgart’s games was decided by less than seven points either. In weeks 2 and 5 they also took the game down to the wire, all while going through an organizational meltdown.

There have however been monumental defeats too. Just last week, the Dragons went to town on the Surge, scoring a shocking 56 points in the first half alone.

The Surge were with the ELF when they first sprouted from NFL Europe’s ashes last year. They have since won just two games. This is the record neither the shareholders nor the league wants for one of its members.

The Kings have fared marginally better this year due to the stability that head coach Fred Armstrong has provided, but still, their season has been anything but stellar.

However, as with the Surge, their record is not a reflection of the quality of the team. Again, like Stuttgart, there have been a number of close games. Half of their eight losses have been decided by two scores or less.

Not only does this indicate a team whose record could have just as easily been above .500 this season; it also tells the story of a team that doesn’t quit, regardless of the postseason.

Despite both teams’ records, this will likely be an evenly matched game and offer fans a spectacle as both the Surge and the Kings battle to retain some pride in the penultimate week of the ELF.

Daniel Mackenzie is a Press Association graduate who works in journalism and communications in the third sector. Daniel began playing football for the London Warriors and Team Great Britain and has since played across Europe.