The 2021 American Ultimate Disc League season was the league's ninth, after the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to ongoing travel restrictions, the three Canadian teams were temporarily moved into their own division and only played each other in a separate competition known as the "Canada Cup". The Raleigh Flyers won their first league championship, defeating the prior season's champion New York Empire. New York's Ben Jagt won the league MVP award for the second consecutive season.
Most league games were streamed on the league's platform, AUDL.tv. The championship game was broadcast on FS1.
Offseason The Boston Glory were announced as an expansion franchise following the 2019 season, making 2021 their debut season. The Midwest division was renamed the Central, and the South and East divisions were combined to form the Atlantic.
Regular season Week 1 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway6/4Indianapolis AlleyCats3021Detroit Mechanix6/4Philadelphia Phoenix2116Tampa Bay Cannons6/4Madison Radicals1820Minnesota Wind Chill6/4New York Empire1918DC Breeze6/5Atlanta Hustle1918Raleigh Flyers6/5Chicago Union2012Indianapolis AlleyCats6/5DC Breeze2410Tampa Bay Cannons6/5Detroit Mechanix1034Madison Radicals6/5Los Angeles Aviators1619San Diego Growlers6/5Pittsburgh Thunderbirds2129Boston Glory6/5Seattle Cascades2421San Jose Spiders
Week 2 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway6/11Boston Glory1921Atlanta Hustle6/12Austin Sol2423Dallas Roughnecks6/12Indianapolis AlleyCats2816Detroit Mechanix6/12San Jose Spiders2019Seattle Cascades6/12Tampa Bay Cannons1815Pittsburgh Thunderbirds6/12Chicago Union2318Minnesota Wind Chill6/12Raleigh Flyers2425DC Breeze6/13San Diego Growlers1820Los Angeles Aviators
Week 3 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway6/18Dallas Roughnecks2012Los Angeles Aviators6/18DC Breeze3220Boston Glory6/18Minnesota Wind Chill2519Madison Radicals6/18San Jose Spiders1623San Diego Growlers6/18Pittsburgh Thunderbirds1924New York Empire6/19Austin Sol2220Los Angeles Aviators6/19Philadelphia Phoenix2718Pittsburgh Thunderbirds6/19Tampa Bay Cannons1324Atlanta Hustle6/19Detroit Mechanix1330Chicago Union6/19Raleigh Flyers2724Boston Glory6/20Madison Radicals2420Indianapolis AlleyCats6/20Seattle Cascades1618San Diego Growlers
Week 4 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway6/25Seattle Cascades2824Austin Sol6/25Boston Glory2417Tampa Bay Cannons6/25Raleigh Flyers2311Philadelphia Phoenix6/25Los Angeles Aviators1621Dallas Roughnecks6/26Indianapolis AlleyCats2028Chicago Union6/26Atlanta Hustle2417Philadelphia Phoenix6/26New York Empire2418Tampa Bay Cannons6/26San Diego Growlers2120Dallas Roughnecks6/26San Jose Spiders2823Austin Sol6/26Minnesota Wind Chill2917Detroit Mechanix6/27Madison Radicals2918Detroit Mechanix
Week 5 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway7/2Austin Sol2316Seattle Cascades7/2Chicago Union1815Madison Radicals7/2DC Breeze2017New York Empire7/3Dallas Roughnecks2416Seattle Cascades7/3Indianapolis AlleyCats2226Madison Radicals7/3Tampa Bay Cannons1529Raleigh Flyers7/3Pittsburgh Thunderbirds2320Philadelphia Phoenix
Week 6 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway7/9Dallas Roughnecks1617Austin Sol7/9New York Empire2720Philadelphia Phoenix7/10Dallas Roughnecks2120Austin Sol7/10Atlanta Hustle1419DC Breeze7/10Boston Glory2223Philadelphia Phoenix7/10Indianapolis AlleyCats1825Minnesota Wind Chill7/10Madison Radicals1916Chicago Union7/10Raleigh Flyers3119Tampa Bay Cannons7/11Chicago Union1820Minnesota Wind Chill
Week 7 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway7/16Philadelphia Phoenix1520Atlanta Hustle7/16Seattle Cascades2218Dallas Roughnecks7/17San Jose Spiders2023Dallas Roughnecks7/17DC Breeze1317Atlanta Hustle7/17Los Angeles Aviators2021Austin Sol7/17Madison Radicals1716Indianapolis AlleyCats7/17Minnesota Wind Chill2512Detroit Mechanix7/17Pittsburgh Thunderbirds1627Raleigh Flyers7/18Chicago Union2418Indianapolis AlleyCats7/18San Diego Growlers2120Austin Sol
Week 8 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway7/23Dallas Roughnecks1915San Diego Growlers7/23Seattle Cascades1621Los Angeles Aviators7/24Atlanta Hustle2221New York Empire7/24Austin Sol1721San Diego Growlers7/24San Jose Spiders1820Los Angeles Aviators7/24Tampa Bay Cannons2326Boston Glory7/24Detroit Mechanix1318Indianapolis AlleyCats7/24Minnesota Wind Chill1620Chicago Union7/24Ottawa Outlaws2724Toronto Rush7/25Montreal Royal1926Ottawa Outlaws
Week 9 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway7/30Madison Radicals1823Chicago Union7/30Raleigh Flyers2017Pittsburgh Thunderbirds7/31Atlanta Hustle2722Pittsburgh Thunderbirds7/31Austin Sol2515San Jose Spiders7/31Tampa Bay Cannons1825New York Empire7/31DC Breeze2212Philadelphia Phoenix7/31Detroit Mechanix1523Madison Radicals7/31Minnesota Wind Chill1716Indianapolis AlleyCats7/31San Diego Growlers2120Seattle Cascades8/1Dallas Roughnecks1514San Jose Spiders8/1Los Angeles Aviators2015Seattle Cascades
Week 10 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway8/6Philadelphia Phoenix1320DC Breeze8/6Boston Glory1819Raleigh Flyers8/7Atlanta Hustle2021Tampa Bay Cannons8/7Austin Sol2223Dallas Roughnecks8/7New York Empire2423Raleigh Flyers8/7Chicago Union2016Detroit Mechanix8/7Montreal Royal1816Toronto Rush8/7San Diego Growlers2417Los Angeles Aviators8/7Seattle Cascades1523San Jose Spiders8/8Pittsburgh Thunderbirds1625DC Breeze8/8Ottawa Outlaws1822Montreal Royal
Week 11 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway8/12Montreal Royal1816Ottawa Outlaws8/13Boston Glory2620Pittsburgh Thunderbirds8/13Philadelphia Phoenix1920New York Empire8/13San Jose Spiders2016Seattle Cascades8/14New York Empire2016Pittsburgh Thunderbirds8/14Detroit Mechanix1524Minnesota Wind Chill8/14Los Angeles Aviators1721San Diego Growlers8/14Raleigh Flyers2018Atlanta Hustle8/14Toronto Rush1920Montreal Royal8/15Indianapolis AlleyCats1923Minnesota Wind Chill8/15Toronto Rush2321Ottawa Outlaws
Week 12 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway8/20New York Empire2521Boston Glory8/20San Diego Growlers2421San Jose Spiders8/21Philadelphia Phoenix1922Boston Glory8/21DC Breeze2221Raleigh Flyers8/21Detroit Mechanix1929Chicago Union8/21Los Angeles Aviators2120San Jose Spiders8/21Pittsburgh Thunderbirds2526Atlanta Hustle8/21Montreal Royal2523Toronto Rush8/22Minnesota Wind Chill1915Madison Radicals8/22Ottawa Outlaws2524Montreal Royal
Week 13 DateHomeGoalsGoalsAway8/28Toronto Rush2213Ottawa Outlaws8/28San Diego Growlers2218Dallas Roughnecks8/29Chicago Union2119Minnesota Wind Chill8/29Tampa Bay Cannons1628DC Breeze8/29Toronto Rush1825Montreal Royal8/29Boston Glory1718New York Empire
Standings
The Atlantic division, having several more teams, was given four playoff berths; the other two American divisions were given two berths each. This provided for a standard eight-team knockout bracket where the first round would feature divisional opponents.
The Canadian Cup, being contested between three teams, had a first round game between the bottom two teams and a divisional championship where the first-place team played the winner of the first round game.
Atlantic TeamQualificationDC Breeze 10 2 0.833 +69PlayoffsNew York Empire 10 2 0.833 +33PlayoffsAtlanta Hustle 9 3 0.750 +29PlayoffsRaleigh Flyers 8 4 0.667 +54PlayoffsBoston Glory 5 7 0.417 +3Philadelphia Phoenix 3 9 0.250 -40Tampa Bay Cannons 2 10 0.167 -87Pittsburgh Thunderbirds 1 11 0.083 -61
West TeamQualificationSan Diego Growlers 10 2 0.833 +27PlayoffsDallas Roughnecks 8 4 0.667 +24PlayoffsAustin Sol 6 6 0.500 +6Los Angeles Aviators 5 7 0.417 -15San Jose Spiders 4 8 0.333 -12
Central TeamQualificationChicago Union 10 2 0.833 +65PlayoffsMinnesota Wind Chill 10 2 0.833 +51PlayoffsMadison Radicals 7 5 0.583 +35Seattle Cascades 3 9 0.250 -30Indianapolis AlleyCats 3 9 0.250 -17Detroit Mechanix 0 12 0.000 -134
Canadian TeamQualificationMontreal Royal 6 2 0.750 +10First round byeOttawa Outlaws 3 4 0.429 -6PlayoffsToronto Rush 2 5 0.286 -4Playoffs
Postseason
Canada Cup
AUDL
Season Awards Most Valuable Player: Ben Jagt (NY) Defensive Player of the Year: AJ Merriman (ATL) Rookie of the Year: Anders Juengst (CAR) Most Improved Player: AJ Merriman (ATL) Coach of the Year: Mike DeNardis (RAL)
Individual Leaders Assists: 77, Ryan Osgar (NY) Goals: 63, Ben Jagt (NY) Blocks: 23, four players tied Scores: 118, Ben Jagt (NY) Receiving Yards: 5375, Ben Jagt (NY) Throwing Yards: 5260, Sol Yanuck (RAL) Total Yards: 7363, Ryan Osgar (NY) Completions: 723, Sol Yanuck (RAL) Points Played: 395, Ben Jagt (NY)
All-AUDL Teams First Team Travis Dunn (SD) Ben Jagt (NY) Pawel Janas (CHI) AJ Merriman (DC) Ryan Osgar (NY) Austin Taylor (ATL) Jack Williams (NY)
Second Team Jeff Babbitt (NY) Allan Laviolette (CAR) Jonny Malks (DC) Greg Martin (PHL) Steven Milardovich (SD) Ben Sadok (BOS) Max Sheppard (PIT)
All-Rookie Teams First Team Paul Arters (CHI) Tanner Halkyard (BOS) Anders Juengst (CAR) Jordan Kerr (OAK) Andrew Roy (MIN) Ben Sadok (BOS) Evan Swiatek (ATX)
Second Team Matt Gouchoe-Hanas (CAR) John Lithio (NY) Elijah Long (CAR) Garrett Martin (SEA) Gus Norrbom (DC) John Stubbs (ATL) Vinay Valsaraj (ATX)
All-UFA Defense Team Jeff Babbitt (NY) Dylan DeClerck (MIN) Brett Hulsmeyer (ATL) AJ Merriman (ATL) Steven Milardovich (SD) Drew Swanson (CHI) Mick Walter (ATX)
References