2016 LFL US season
The 2016 LFL US season was the seventh season of the Legends Football League in the United States. The season featured eight teams from across the US in two four team conference. During the regular season each team played each other team in their conference once, and a single cross conference game.[1] The top two teams from each conference then played a single elimination game to qualify for the Legends Cup final in Scottsdale, Arizona.[2]
| 2016 LFL United States | |
|---|---|
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern Champions | Chicago Bliss |
| Western Champions | Seattle Mist |
| Legends Cup | |
| Site | Scottsdale, AZ |
| Champions | Chicago Bliss |
Developments
The Las Vegas Sin did not participate in the 2016 LFL season, citing an inability to find a suitable home venue.[3] Three teams joined the LFL, the Austin Acoustic, Dallas Desire, and New England Liberty. The Acoustic and Liberty were newcomers to the LFL while the Desire had played in Lingerie Bowls II and III and in the league between 2009 and 2012.
Schedule
Playoffs
| Date[1] | Visitor | Home | Venue | City | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, August 20 | Atlanta Steam | Chicago Bliss | ShoWare Center | Kent, Washington | Chicago 30 Atlanta 25 |
| Saturday, August 20 | Dallas Desire | Seattle Mist | ShoWare Center | Kent, Washington | Seattle 44 Dallas 6 |
| Saturday, August 27 | Chicago Bliss | Seattle Mist | WestWorld | Scottsdale, Arizona | Chicago 31 Seattle 26 |
Standings
Eastern Conference
| Team | Wins | Loss | Ties | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD's | Home Record | Home Pct | Road Record | Road Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bliss | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.833 | 264 | 129 | 135 | 39 | 2-0 | 1.000 | 3-1 | 0.750 |
| Atlanta Steam | 1 | 3 | 1 a | 0.250 | 160 | 102 | 58 | 24 | 1-1 | .500 | 0-2 | 0.000 |
| Omaha Heart | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 38 | 236 | -198 | 6 | 1-1 | 0.500 | 0-2 | 0.000 |
| New England Liberty | 0 | 3 | 1 a | 0.000 | 34 | 138 | -104 | 5 | 0-1 | 0.000 | 0-2 | 0.000 |
Western Conference
| Team | Wins | Loss | Ties | Pct | PF | PA | Net Pts | TD's | Home Record | Home Pct | Road Record | Road Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Mist | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0.667 | 194 | 111 | 83 | 29 | 3-0 | 1.000 | 1-2 | 0.333 |
| Dallas Desire | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | 197 | 116 | 81 | 30 | 2-0 | 1.000 | 1-2 | 0.333 |
| Los Angeles Temptation | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0.750 | 127 | 110 | 17 | 19 | 1-1 | 0.500 | 2-0 | 1.000 |
| Austin Acoustic | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 88 | 160 | -72 | 13 | 1-1 | 0.500 | 0-2 | 0.000 |
Playoffs
The Conference Championship games were held on Saturday, August 20 at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington. The hometown Seattle Mist won the Western Conference title, defeating the expansion Dallas Desire 44-6 in a rematch of an earlier game at Dallas in which the Desire prevailed. The Eastern Conference title game featured the Chicago Bliss versus the Atlanta Steam. Atlanta took a commanding 25-8 lead into the half but Chicago rallied, shutting out Atlanta in the second half to earn their fourth straight appearance in the Legends Cup with a 30-25 victory.
The 2016 Legends Cup was held on Saturday, August 27 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, Arizona between the defending champion Seattle Mist and the previous two-time champion Chicago Bliss, a rematch of an early season game which was won by the Mist. Seattle scored on the opening drive to take a 6-0 lead. Chicago tied the game but the Mist scored again to close the opening quarter and then once more to go up 18-6. As they did in the playoffs against Atlanta, Chicago rallied, closing the gap and taking the lead 19-18 just before the half. Chicago scored again near the end of the third period to extend their lead to 25-18. Seattle opened the fourth quarter with a score to retake the lead 26-25 but Chicago responded with a touchdown of their own. Chicago's defense then stopped Seattle and claimed the victory 31-26 to win their third Legends Cup championship in four years. Chicago quarterback Jacinda Barclay captured her first LFL championship in the United States, her second overall having won the title in the 2013-2014 inaugural season of LFL Australia.
| Conference Championships Saturday, August 20 | Legends Cup Saturday, August 27 | ||||||||
| E1 | Chicago | 30 | |||||||
| E2 | Atlanta | 25 | |||||||
| Chicago | 31 | ||||||||
| Seattle | 26 | ||||||||
| W1 | Dallas | 6 | |||||||
| W2 | Seattle | 44 | |||||||
Notes
References
- "2016 Schedule" (PDF). LFL.
- Cusimano, Lauren (2016-08-25). "Legends Cup 2016: Women's Football League Finals Hit Scottsdale on August 27". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- "AMERICA'S FASTEST-EMERGING SPORT, NAMES DALLAS, TEXAS FOR 2016 EXPANSION - LFL360". www.lfl360.com. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- "On The Road With Jonas // Week 2". LFL360.com. April 14, 2016.
- "NEW ENGLAND LIBERTY: OFF-SEASON NEEDS AND QUESTIONS - LFL360". www.lfl360.com. Retrieved 2017-03-06.