After a short regular season and playoffs, the Swedish Superserein is ready to name it’s 2021 champion. This year the powerhouse Stockholm Mean Machines will match up against the Örebro Black Knights in what should be highly competitive exciting championship game. Örebro will have the advantage of hosting the championship in Behrn Arena.
These two teams met on June 19th where Örebro beat Stockholm in an exciting 33-20 game, defeating the seemingly invincible Mean Machines for the first time since 2018.
Head coach Sam Eisenstadt and the Örebro Black Knights have a chance to make history today and bring the club its first championship in Sweden’s top league. The Black Knights rise to the top has been in large part due to the excellent culture Eisenstadt has built within this team. Between the white lines, quarterback Trevor Vasey has played well in his three games in Sweden. The 6’7 240 lb Assumption College (NAIA) product has been able to use his long strides to avoid defenders and his rocket arm to find receivers Johannes Lindeus and Filip Wetterberg downfield.
Örebro’s defense will be tasked with preparing for two different offenses as the Mean Machines looked very different last week without their starting quarterback. Expect for defensive lineman Ali Chakkour and Sebastian Nilsson to be chasing down the whoever is under center. Behind the defensive line, veterans Eric Murphey and Rikard Carlsson should be able to help contain Stockholm’s talented core of running backs and receivers. Örebro head coach Eisenstadt commented on the team’s mindset heading into the big game:
“It is a great feeling to be in the championship game. The team has a good balance of younger guys who are hungry to prove themselves Mixed in with veteran players that are helping us keep the focus and motivation each practice we have.”
Stockholm was able to get the win last week against Carlstad despite missing their starting quarterback Brett Hunchak. Veteran receiver Matthew Retzlaff took over under center and ran a gimmicky wildcat offense. The run-based offense was able to bully the Crusaders on the way to 231 rushing yardsand a slim 16-14 victory. Hunchak’s status for today’s game remains in doubt. Running backs Adam Westin and Timmy Goransson will get plenty of carries again this week if Hunchak’s injury persists. However, if the Canadian quarterback can play, expect Retzlaff to move back to receiver where him and Austrian Dario Dobrolevski give Stockholm two sure-handed weapons. Head coach Fredrik Pilbäck commented on the uncertainty around his injured quarterback:
“It’s still a struggle, but that’s part of football. Either you embrace the challenges or you drown,” Pilbäck said. “If not a quarterback, its going to be an o-lineman, or a flat tire on the bus, or someone getting sick, a coach or a mom or dad. You never know what it is going to be, the struggle is a matter of how do you handle the challenges? That’s the thing. How are you able to make the team and the coaches focused on the task rather than the problems?”
Stockholm will need a big game from their secondary as they face a Black Knights passing attack that scorched them less than a month ago. Defensive backs Omar Fall and Deniel John need to take advantage of any inaccurate passes as this project to be another close game. Pass rushers Nikolaus Knoblauch, Vidar Gjermstad, and Alexander Kress aim to take down the Black Knights massive quarterback and get the Mean Machines another championship.
Last year, Sweden’s championship game produced one of the best games we’d seen all year. This time around, fans of the Superserien are expecting more of the same as the Black Knights and Mean Machines played a thrilling game against each other back in June. Stockholm is eager to get back to the throne of Swedish football after straight two straight championships in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile the Cinderella story Black Knights look to snatch the crown for the first time in team history.
Watch the game live here. Swedish Championship: Stockholm Mean Machines@ Orebro Black Knights, July 10, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 09:00 am ET)
Orebro Black Knights roster (click to enlarge)
Stockholm Mean Machines roster (click to enlarge)
