Major League Pickleball Salt Lake City: Match schedule and what to watch for
Last Edited
Jul 30 2025
Category
News
Major League Pickleball is heading to one of the sport's original hot spots this week -- Salt Lake City, Utah -- for the final event of the regular season.
The event is hosted by the Utah Black Diamonds and there are playoff implications on the line for every team in the field. Some are just trying to secure their spot in the postseason, while others are trying to improve their seeding, which is extremely important in Major League Pickleball because the higher seeds get to choose their opponents in the playoffs.
Premier Level teams participating this week
Atlanta Bouncers, Chicago Slice, Miami Pickleball Club, New Jersey 5s, Orlando Squeeze, Texas Ranchers, Utah Black Diamonds
Challenger Level teams participating this week
Bay Area Breakers, California Black Bears, D.C. Pickleball Team, Florida Smash, Las Vegas Night Owls, Nashville Chefs
There are four Premier Level teams who are still battling for the final two playoff spots. They are:
Utah Black Diamonds (8-12, 23 points, 1.15 PPM)
Miami Pickleball Club (7-13, 19 points, 0.95 PPM)
Chicago Slice (5-15, 18 points, 0.90 PPM)
Atlanta Bouncers (4-16, 14 points, 0.70 PPM)
This is the first week we'll see Utah with their new starting lineup since they traded for Etta Tuionetoa as part of the trade that sent Ben Johns to the LA Mad Drops.
Barring a total collapse from the home team, the Black Diamonds should secure the No. 9 seed with room to spare.
There is a world in which other three teams -- Miami, Chicago and Atlanta -- all finish in a tie for the 10th and final playoff spot, but Atlanta would have to have a pretty good week and the others would have to perform pretty poorly.
The most likely scenario is it comes down to Miami or Chicago for the final spot, and those two teams play each other Thursday afternoon in what could end up being the deciding match.
Major League Pickleball Premier Level standings (as of July 30)
Major League Pickleball Challenger Level standings (as of July 30)
Major League Pickleball Salt Lake City match schedule
All matches available on Pickleballtv and the Pickleballtv App, as well as the matches that are available on MSG Networks and FanDuel.
Major League Pickleball Salt Lake City marquee matchups
Thursday: Miami Pickleball Club vs. Chicago Slice -- As we mentioned at the top, this could be the match that decides which one of these teams gets the 10th and final playoff spot. Miami traded away two of their starters -- Noe Khlif and Milan Rane -- at the trade deadline and we haven't seen them since, so it's unclear who will be in the starting lineup for them. On paper, Chicago should win this match, but the Slice have had a hard time closing out matches this season against both good teams and bad teams. Of their 22 matches in 2025, 10 have gone to a Dreambreaker, and they are just 3-7 in those matches. But they have shown that they can be competitive against the top teams, as they forced Dreambreakers against both St. Louis and Dallas at MLP St. Louis earlier this month -- but lost both.
Friday: Texas Ranchers vs. Orlando Squeeze -- The Ranchers are 7-5 since trading away Etta Tuionetoa in June to the Carolina Hogs (who then traded her to Utah) with a fourth-place finish at the Mid-Season Tournament. But last week at MLP Dallas, they went 3-3 with their wins coming against Carolina, Phoenix and SoCal (all teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention). They lost in regulation to Los Angeles, Dallas and New Jersey, raising questions about whether they can still be competitive against the top teams with their new starting lineup. They traded for Kaitlyn Christian presumably because they thought they needed help in Dreambreaker scenarios, but that doesn't do them much good if they can't get to a Dreambreaker. Orlando will also be debuting a new lineup this week, as it's the first event for the Squeeze since they added Milan Rane in place of Samantha Parker. This will be a good matchup to see who is trending in the right direction heading into the playoffs.
Sunday: Utah Black Diamonds vs. Orlando Squeeze -- Both teams will have had a few matches with their new starting lineups prior to this meeting, and I think the teams are pretty even on paper, so I expect this to be one of the more competitive matches of the weekend. It could also be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup, as Orlando is currently in the No. 8 spot and Utah is at No. 9.
Sunday: Orlando Squeeze vs. New Jersey 5s -- This match likely won't matter for New Jersey, as they only need 3 points on the week to pass Brooklyn for the No. 3 seed. But I look at this weekend as more of a momentum builder for the 5s. If they can run the table, they will be a very confident No. 3 seed heading into the playoffs. For Orlando, this is a chance to prove that they are legit contenders with a win over one of the top 3-4 teams in the league.
Join Pickleball’s Greatest Community
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter to be the most well-informed pickleball fan on the court, featuring news, giveaways, and much more!
Gear Picks
Rep The Kitchen with our new exclusive merch!
