Jordan Neuman and his squad spent 2023 turning around one of the weakest teams in the ELF, transforming them into contenders in less than a year.

They rose so quickly to the top that the Surge found themselves in the 2023 ELF Championship Game last September. Only one year before they were the league's lone winless team at 0-12. 

However, the Cinderella story ended there as the Surge were defeated handedly by the powerhouse that was the 2023 Rhein Fire, as Jim Tomsula's stacked squad cruised past the Surge to put the cherry on top of their perfect season. 

A Championship rematch

Now more than 340 days later these two teams will meet again, as the Surge hope to slay the Dragon that is the Rhein Fire. This time they'll be at home, in perhaps the most anticipated ELF Semifinal ever. Receiver Yannick Mayr, a Surge member of the past two seasons, spoke on the upcoming matchup:

“This is going to make it very special. It will be a highly competitive game between Stuttgart and Rhein Fire. That's what everybody wants to see and that is the games we want to be in.”

Unlike the Championship last year, the Surge will have the home field advantage after winning their conference with an impressive 11-1 record. For veteran defender Mitch Fettig this rematch has been a long time coming as many expected to see these two teams back in the 2024 ELF Championship. 

“We’re excited, it’s a much anticipated game and nice to be able to play at home in the playoffs in front of our fans! A lot of work has gone into getting to this point and earning a home game for the Semifinals. We’re eager to get back on the field after the bye week and continue pursuing the goal we made in the Offseason.”

Get Your Tickets to the Championship Game

A year of building a Championship team?

After falling short of the title last year the Surge made several large steps forward in the Offseason recruiting several experienced homegrown players, proven European talent, and bringing back the core of the 2023 team along with new impact players in former CFL starter Raheem Wilson and others.

All Offseason long Stuttgart has been preparing and building their team to take the next step from contender to champions. The long process has put them on a collision course with Rhein Fire.

Their progress will be put to the test this weekend as the Rhein Fire visit Stuttgart for what should be a fantastic football game, with a ticket to the 2024 ELF Championship on the line. Yannick Mayr commented on the nearly one year process of preparing for a rematch with the Rhein Fire:

“I think I don’t need to say a lot after the bittersweet loss last Championship Game. The whole mindset of going into this Offseason was to get back to this game again and to do better. I think everybody in this team worked hard for that and is ready to go on Sunday. We have to go completely prepared into this game.”

Watch the Semi-Finals on ELF Gamepass