2018 LFL US season
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| 2018 LFL United States | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 14 April 2018 – 11 August 2018 |
| Eastern Champions champions | Chicago Bliss |
| Western Champions champions | Austin Acoustic |
| Legends Cup | |
| Date | 8 September 2018 |
| Venue | H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas |
| Champions | Chicago Bliss |
The 2018 LFL US Season is the ninth season of the Legends Football League (LFL) in the United States. It began on 14 April 2018, and ended on 11 August.[1]
The Chicago Bliss beat the Austin Acoustic 28–20 in the Legends Cup to win their fourth title, finishing with a perfect 6–0 season.
In November 2017, it was announced that the Nashville Knights would join the LFL, and begin its inaugural season in the league for the 2018 season, with former Seattle Mist tight end Danika Brace named as the Knights’ head coach.[2][3][4][5] The Pittsburgh Rebellion did not compete in the 2018 season while they conducted a search for a new home venue. They were expected to rejoin the LFL in 2019 but did not.
Nashville's recruitment also resulted in a rule change concerning free agency. Nashville recruited seven of the starters from defending champion Seattle, essentially transplanting the Mist's lineup to a new team nearly intact. This move prompted the league to institute a rule only allowing five free agents per team. As a result of this rule change, Nashville was forced to turn away two of their free agency recruits who returned to Seattle. Nashville courted further controversy when Seattle's former coach, who had retired in the off-season, reappeared as the offensive coordinator of the Knights.
The LFL partnered with Planet Sport to broadcast LFL games in eastern Europe. The partnership allows Planet Sport to broadcast LFL games and ancillary programming from July 2018 through August 2021.[6]
In January 2018, the LFL announced individual and/or group ownership of existing and future franchises beginning with the 2018 season, continuing to build out the LFL US league, while also developing planned strategies for the revivals of LFL Canada and LFL Australia, as well as to start a new European league in the future.[7]
The 2018 season also saw a major uniform change. The players' uniforms now featured leggings instead of shorts. While the league, players, and many fans saw this as a good change there was a vocal segment of the fan base, as well as a group of players, that objected to the leggings. As a result of the outcry, the LFL changed to shorts, consisting of the same patterns as the pants and 2-3 inches longer than the original bikini brief, for the remainder of the season.
Teams
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Schedule
Playoffs
| Date | Visitor | Home | Venue | City | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference Championships | |||||
| Saturday, August 25 | Los Angeles Temptation | Austin Acoustic | Toyota Park | Bridgeview, Illinois | Austin 32 Los Angeles 30 |
| Saturday, August 25 | Chicago Bliss | Nashville Knights | Toyota Park | Bridgeview, Illinois | Chicago 18 Nashville 6 |
| Legends Cup | |||||
| Saturday, September 8 | Austin Acoustic | Chicago Bliss | H-E-B Center | Cedar Park, Texas | Chicago 28 Austin 20 |
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Team | W | L | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD's | Home Record | Home Pct | Road Record | Road Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Nashville Knights | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 268 | 70 | 198 | 42 | 2-0 | 1.000 | 2-0 | 1.000 | - |
| y-Chicago Bliss | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 187 | 58 | 129 | 29 | 2-0 | 1.000 | 2-0 | 1.000 | |
| Atlanta Steam | 2 | 2 | .500 | 132 | 127 | 5 | 19 | 1-1 | .500 | 1-1 | .500 | 2 |
| Omaha Heart | 2 | 2 | .500 | 33 | 183 | -150 | 6 | 1-1 | .500 | 1-1 | .500 | |
Western Conference
| Team | W | L | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD's | Home Record | Home Pct | Road Record | Road Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x-Austin Acoustic | 2 | 2 | .500 | 86 | 108 | -22 | 14 | 1-1 | .500 | 1-1 | .500 | - |
| y-Los Angeles Temptation | 1 | 3 | .250 | 82 | 85 | -3 | 13 | 0-2 | .000 | 1-1 | .500 | 1 |
| Seattle Mist | 1 | 3 | .250 | 125 | 153 | -28 | 19 | 0-2 | .000 | 1-1 | .500 | |
| Denver Dream | 0 | 4 | .000 | 54 | 171 | -117 | 9 | 0-2 | .000 | 0-2 | .000 | 2 |
x - clinched conference title
y - clinched playoff berth