IFL week 2: Clash of the Titans – Parma Panthers square off against Milano Seamen

| American Football | 03/12/2022

Week 2 will kick off this weekend in the Italian Football League and will see arguably the most anticipated game of the year, as the Parma Panthers travel to face the Milano Seamen in a championship game rematch.

The IFL now sports a nine-team league with the addition of the Modena Vipers and Verona Mastini from the second league. Both Parma and the Seamen played last week, but with markedly differing results.

Parma, the reigning champions who went undefeated in 2021, have lost quarterback Reilly Hennessey and linebacker Asantay Brown, but have remained mostly intact otherwise. The Seamen on the other hand have lost star receivers Jordan Bouah and Stefano Di Tunisi.

But the change of personnel for both teams did not impact their performance as expected in week 1. Parma faced off against Firenze Guefli who managed to consistently get down the field with their carousel offense, exposing the Panthers defense drive after drive. Both teams went back and forth with each other until the last snap, ending with a close 24-21 win for Parma.

Despite Milano’s personnel losses, they handled business in their first matchup of the season presenting the Lazio Ducks with a 38 – 0 stomping. The additions of GFL leading wideout Markell Castle and British-Italian running back Bismark Yeboah helped the offense look even better than last year with quarterback Luke Zaradkha still at the helm.

The Panthers diversity and ability to utilize players in different positions in 2021 is what allowed them to go undefeated. They have seemingly lost some of that this year and it is exactly what the Seamen have gained with a roster not as loaded with stars. With a new head coach in Stefan Pokorny and a host of new players, the Seamen appear rejuvenated.

This week’s matchup between the two Italian powerhouses in Milano will surely be interesting. Milano will be itching for payback after they were served up three painful defeats to the Panthers last year and denied another Italian Championship.

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.