The 2023 regular season is in the books. But don’t worry, the European League of Football has one of the most exciting matchups of all season coming up tomorrow. The Stuttgart Surge will take on the Vienna Vikings on the road in the first of two Semi-Finals. For me, this game has the potential to be the most entertaining game since the 2022 Championship Game in Klagenfurt.

For beginners, the Surge have a shot at completing a full turnaround of their franchise over the course of only one season. After winning no games at all in 2022 (0-12), the German franchise was able to put the right coaches, staff, and players in place to be 10-2 after the 2023 regular season. With their win over the Wrocław Panthers last week, the Surge now have the chance to go from having a winless season to be in the Championship Game in just one year.

One of the toughest games

For the Vikings, this Semi-Final will be one of the toughest games they have faced throughout the 2023 season. Throughout the regular season, the Vikings have never faced the unbeaten Rhein Fire, the 10-2 Frankfurt Galaxy nor the 10-2 Stuttgart Surge. All of these three teams are at the top of the European League of Football. So, are the Vikings really the team they showed to be against lesser competition?

The Coaches` Battle

An interesting storyline that adds to the already loaded matchup is that of the two head coaches leading their teams into this semi-final. Vienna Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay leads the Vikings since 2007 and even spent time with the team as the defensive coordinator from 2003 until he got promoted. During his tenure with the team, now Stuttgart Surge head coach Jordan Neuman served as the offensive coordinator under Calaycay for three season. So, who knows the other coach better? The master or the apprentice?

“Vienna is where I learned to be a professional coach,” Jordan Neuman commented in an interview with the Vikings. “Chris [Calaycay] is not only my mentor, but to this day he is one of my best friends. I have learned a lot from Chris over the years, but most importantly it’s been a great friendship for the last 12 years that I am very thankful for.”

Exchanging ideas, spreading knowledge

Vienna head coach Calaycay remembers the time he first met Jordan Neuman at the Vikings. “Jordan [Neuman] and I have known each other since 2010, and at the time for his interview in Vienna he showed up in a suit. But needless to say, I have never seen him in a suit since. We had a great three years here in Vienna together, developing the Vikings program. He has gone on to be a record-setting coach, founded a Football Academy in Schwäbisch Hall similar to the Vienna Viking Football Academy, and now we are both in the European League of Football. Through the years we have exchanged ideas, spoken at each other’s clinics, and have remained close.”

It will be interesting to see how these two are battling each other tomorrow at 3:15 pm CEST for a spot in the 2023 ELF Championship Game! As Calaycay commented via his team media, he is very much looking forward to earning his team’s spot in the Championship Game. “We are looking forward to having [Jordan Neuman] back in Vienna as two great teams will take the field to earn that birth to the ELF Championship Game.”