London Spitfire vs Houston Outlaws

Yet another incredibly exciting match-up that is, unfortunately, steeped in question marks and lingering doubt. There's really no other way to say it: anything can happen once these two teams step foot on stage to compete; to make things even more complicated, both of them seem to be feisty, capable gatekeepers with a penchant for the theatrical.

Their highs are impressive but their lows are a bit more frequent. Still, they've been "holding on" for the better part of the regular season and have attained a very respectable number of wins thus far -- against the toughest of opposition, no less. We're not, however, any more certain of their powers than we were back at the start of 2022. They're proven their worth, that much is obvious, but just how good are they really? How much potential do they have and could they, hypothetically, challenge the "big dogs?" That's what we're all dying to find out and, by the looks of it, we'll get our answers sooner rather than later.

The Outlaws, in particular, have generated a fair bit of hype thanks to their 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Gladiators. Beating LAG is always a tremendous challenge, and the fact that they were focused and cohesive enough to pull it off speaks volumes -- regardless if it's an indication of Houston's might or a "one-off" kind of thing.

The Spitfire, on the other hand, have lost a bit of their steam. They're still a very dangerous team with a tendency to overperform when you least expect it, but they *do* seem to have slowed down ever so slightly. They still have a shot at winning, but it's nowhere near as big a shot as it would've been just a few weeks ago.

In any case, we'll side with the Outlaws on this one and hope for the best. They have a slightly higher skill ceiling as a unit and if they play their cards right they should, by all means, be able to come out on top. It's not going to be easy, though.