Columbus and New Jersey headlined as MLP’s best team-format test starts

Columbus opens as MLP’s best team-format test

Columbus is set up to expose everything that makes Major League Pickleball different from a standard pro draw. The second regular-season stop of 2026 runs Thursday, May 28 through Sunday, May 31 at Pickle & Chill in Columbus, Ohio, with 11 teams split into two pools, group play over the first three days, and same-seed cross-group matches on Sunday deciding standings points. That structure makes this more than a weekend stopover: it is a live test of chemistry, lineup planning, and the ability to keep winning when the format keeps changing around you.

MLP’s 2026 calendar gives this stop even more weight. The league has nine regular-season team-market events, 23 group-play matches for each team across the year, a mid-season tournament scheduled for July 8-12 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an expanded three-weekend playoff structure. Columbus also carries its own storyline, with the Columbus Sliders returning to defend home court after winning the 2025 Premier Level Championship. Add in Pickle & Chill’s coed team format and Minor League Pickleball activations, and the event feels like a full-community showcase, not just a Premier division weekend.

The Columbus-New Jersey rematch is the clearest pressure point

If you want one matchup that captures the tone of the stop, it is Columbus against New Jersey. The analysis points out that Columbus beat New Jersey in Dallas and also won that group, which gives this rematch a little edge before a ball is even struck. New Jersey comes in looking for payback, but the Sliders have the cleaner recent proof of concept, and that matters in a format where one bad day can spill into the next.

The Dallas benchmark also sharpens the stakes. The Los Angeles Mad Drops beat Columbus 3-1 in the Dallas final and took home 25 standings points, which is a reminder that even a strong group-stage run can end with another team peaking at the right moment. For Columbus, that creates a simple challenge: protect the home-court narrative and show that the title run was not a one-off. For New Jersey, it is about proving that the first meeting was not the ceiling.

Team chemistry is the first lesson retreat players can steal

The biggest Columbus question is not just who is on the roster, but how the pieces fit. Parris Todd returns after serving a $50,000 fine and a suspension for two UPA events tied to unauthorized pickleball events in Japan in December 2025, and her presence immediately changes the Sliders’ ceiling. The analysis leans heavily on whether Todd can click with Danni-Elle Townsend, who impressed in her Dallas debut, and whether their preferred court sides actually support each other instead of fighting for the same space.

That is the kind of detail retreat players know well. In round-robins and clinics, teams often lose not because both players are weak, but because they are poorly matched. Todd is better on the right side, while Townsend is much stronger on the left side, so the pairing only works if each player’s movement, coverage, and shot selection reinforce the other. At the rec level, that translates into a practical rule: build pairs around comfort and clarity first, then add shot-making second.

• Know which side each partner naturally owns.
• Keep the stronger transition player where they can control the middle.
• Use practice games to confirm fit, not just talent.

Lineup construction is deciding who survives the pools

Pool A makes the lineup question even more interesting because not every team is built the same way. The analysis treats Atlanta as a team that may need to pick off weaker opponents like California, Chicago, and Miami to stay alive, which is a reminder that not every win in group play has the same value. Some teams are built to grind through doubles; others are built to steal a DreamBreaker and survive on singles firepower.

California and Chicago sit on opposite ends of that profile. California’s youth and enthusiasm can be assets, but the analysis suggests the roster may still need time to develop into something more reliable. Chicago is described as dangerous enough in a DreamBreaker to worry anyone, but not polished enough in doubles to be considered a safe bet against the top teams. That split is a useful lens for retreat players too, because the best pairings are often the ones that match the format instead of trying to force a favorite style into every game.

The takeaway is simple: in team pickleball, you are not just choosing your best players, you are choosing your best order. A clinic partner who can hang in doubles but fade in singles may still be the right call if the bracket is going to punish weak starts. The smartest groups treat lineup construction like strategy, not guesswork.

Momentum management is what makes Columbus feel like a true test

Columbus also puts a spotlight on how momentum moves through the MLP weekend. Teams in each pool play every opponent in their group during Days 1-3, then switch into same-seed cross-group matches on Sunday to lock in standings points. The #5 and #6 seeds do not play on Day 4, which means the teams hovering in the middle of the table have a very different kind of pressure than the leaders. Every match matters, but so does knowing when to conserve energy and when to press.

That is where New Jersey’s Dallas problems become relevant again. The analysis says Will Howells and Noe Khlif need to improve after a rough showing there if New Jersey wants to push past Columbus. In retreat play, that is exactly the sort of adjustment that separates a good weekend from a frustrating one: you cannot carry a cold start forever, and you cannot waste emotional energy on a bad first set. The teams that reset fastest are usually the ones still standing late.

Columbus should feel familiar to any player who has lived through a retreat round-robin. The format rewards clean partnerships, punishes shaky lineups, and gives no bonus points for style if the execution is messy. That is why the Sliders-New Jersey rematch matters so much: it is not just a rivalry game, it is a preview of how MLP’s newest pressure points will hit every player who steps into a team format this season.