Kyle Devitte, Chris Rosenthall

Tuesday October 15th, 2019

Through the 2019 pro seasons, Inside Lacrosse's Kyle Devitte and Chris Rosenthall have published the Team of the Week. Looking back at the entirety of the year, here's the 2019 "Team of the Season." Attack

Randy Staats, Atlanta Blaze (17G, 33A)For probably the first time since his days at Onondaga, Staats got to carry the ball in an amount somewhat commensurate with his quarterbacking ability. The result? 50 points (including 33 assists) in 11 games. Next year, if he plays the remaining third of his season, he just might make a run at the single-season record that Atlanta GM Spencer Ford has held for 12 years.

Lyle Thompson, Chesapeake Bayhawks (46, 27)Getting some distance between the NLL and MLL schedules worked out well for Thompson, who, in his first complete field season, became Offensive Player of the Year, Most Valuable Player, All-Star Game co-captain (where he dished out the game-winning assist) and MLL champion, all for the first time. We’ll leave it to you to debate and decide who won the summer, but if Thompson’s not in the Top Two, you’re probably doing it wrong.

Tommy Palasek, Atlanta Blaze (28, 35)You were probably expecting Rob Pannell to be in this slot. And, honestly, why wouldn’t you? He’s an incredible player. However, the final attack spot falls to Tommy Palasek. He’s one of the most versatile offensive players in the entire league, works hard off ball to get open, sets picks, gets hockey assists, doesn’t overcarry and even runs out of the box to play midfield if he has to. It’s his versatility and statistics that earned him a spot on the team of the week five different times this season.

Midfield

Bryan Cole, Atlanta Blaze (39, 14) It’s hard to overstate the impact that Bryan Cole had on Major League Lacrosse in 2019. In a league desperate for superstars, Cole rose up and filled the void admirably. Another member of what will go down as one of the most dangerous offenses in league history, Cole was not just the engine that powered the supercar that was the Atlanta Blaze; he was also the oil, the steering wheel, and the gas pedal. No player in either league made the team of the week more than Cole this season. He is the No. 1 midfielder on planet earth.

Zach Currier, Denver Outlaws (18G, 17A, 47GB)Few, if any, impact the offense, defense and all things in between quite like Zach Currier, who motors throughout the entire game like you’re playing NHL with fatigue turned off. His play against the Cannons in which he caused a turnover on one end, then finished behind the back on the other, was the very embodiment of all things Currier, and we never even have time to even get into his diving ability, where he’s some kind of x-axis Zion around the crease. The Outlaws may have fallen one goal short in the instantly infamous 2019 championship, but take a moment to acknowledge some of the other titles he added to his name in the past year and change: 2018 MLL Champion. 2019 NLL Champion. 2019 MSL Champion. 2019 WILC Gold Medalist. EssenceFest Celebrity Dominoes champion and you’re not 100% positive that that’s a lie, and those are just the team-wide accolades. After completing just his third pro season, there’s surely plenty more to come.

Christian Mazzone, Atlanta Blaze (33G, 9A, 40GB)You may have heard this once or twice before, but you definitely haven’t heard it enough: Last season, two midfielders finished the year with at least 20 points and 20 ground balls. This season, one went 40 & 40, and that midfielder was Christian Mazzone. And by the way, those two from last year? Matt Abbott and Zach Currier, two guys well on their way to all sorts of Halls of Fame when the time comes. In this dojo we recognize and reward hustle and goals. Rutgers stand up.

SSDM

TJ Comizio, Atlanta Blaze (6G, 8A, 44GB, 9CT)Wow, this list has a lot of Blaze members on it. But the thing is, they all earned their spots. Comizio was the first rookie to sign with an MLL team this summer and was one of, if not the, most surprising rookie at his criminally undervalued position ever. Zach Goodrich fans would, of course, beg to differ but they would be mistaken because Comizio did his thing from start to finish and his finish was scoring the game-tying goal in the semifinal against the Bayhawks that sent the game to overtime. Another smart, effective transition player out of ‘Nova, another Blaze player on the list.

Face-off

Max Adler, Denver Outlaws (58.3%, 107GB)It was a strange year for face-off specialists in Major League Lacrosse. The exodus left many teams scrambling to find new talismans at the X. While other organizations scrambled, the Denver Outlaws kicked up their heels and sunk into their satellite chair that they bought in college but can’t bring themselves to throw out. Adler, at times, was the most dominant draw man in the league. At other times he was just “really good” which is why he’s the pick for the FO man here after being selected four times this season.

LSM

Liam Byrnes, Atlanta Blaze (64GB, 30CT)Is Byrnes an LSM or a defenseman? He made the list as both, but he was primarily deployed as a roamer betwixt the half line more often than not, so for that he gets the nod. Byrnes made the TOTW twice as much as any other candidate, but that was still only a few notches above CJ Costabile and Ryland Rees. Byrnes won the defensive player of the year award at the end of the season and also led the league in caused turnovers, so he is well deserving of this spot.

Defense

Jesse Bernhardt, Chesapeake Bayhawks (31GB, 19CT)Talk about slept on defenders. Just kidding, everyone sleeps on defenders like they’re high thread count sheets (satin sheets are actually uncomfortable, ask any rich person). However, we did not take a snooze on this particular Bayhawk. Bernhardt was used in a similar manner to his predecessor Mike Evans in that he was a walking monkey wrench thrown in the gears of any offense that deigned to score on the Navy-clad doom squad from Chesapeake. No other defenseman made the TOTW as much as Bernhardt, despite his statistics hovering just above average. If you watch the games, you already know — Bernhardt was a problem for every team that he took the field against.

Ben Randall, New York Lizards (32GB, 19CT)Last year Ben Randall led the entire league in caused turnovers. This year he found himself on a new look/decimated Lizards defense as the only constant. He still performed better than he had any right to and helped that defense transform from a group of n00bs into a cadre of campers. As the only FPS no-scoper, Randall often found himself on the more arduous end of the assignment sheet, but still garnered the respect of his colleagues, coaches and fans.

Finn Sullivan, Denver Outlaws (27GB, 8CT)This spot could very well be a tie between three other defenseman, but Sullivan gets the nod because he was the most consistent. He is a pole who has a very particular set of skills, skills that he has acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people that play attack. If you let him shut you out that will be the end of it. But if you dodge on him he will look for your stick, check it into oblivion and laugh as you run to the bench.

Goalie

Nick Marrocco, Boston Cannons (50.3%, 12.74GAA, 73 clean saves)There were many atrocities committed in the summer of the great parting of players, but perhaps the most egregious of them was the exclusion of Nick Marrocco on the goalie of the year list. No other goalie in the MLL even came close to Marrocco’s shocking six selections on the team of the week this summer. We all want our goalies to be flashy and accept that they are fallible, but if that’s the case, how did the entire league cold shoulder Marrocco after he made Boston into a playoff contender with a NEW defense in front of him? Shameful ignorance is no excuse. Marrocco was the best goalie in the MLL this summer and no one could even spell his last name correctly.