Barrage returning to Philadelphia after 12-year absence
The Barrage were a force during their five years in Philadelphia, which included three MLL Championships.
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The Philadelphia Barrage are returning to Major League Lacrosse, commissioner Alexander Brown announced Monday.
The Barrage played in Philly from 2004-08, and won three MLL Championships and had four playoff appearances in five seasons.
Mark Burdett will serve as president and former MLL player Spencer Ford will serve as head coach. Ford won MLL’s Most Improved Player award in 2007, and served as general manager of the Chesapeake Bayhawks from 2010-2016, which included three championships. He became the general manager of the Atlanta Blaze in 2017.
“We are thrilled to be bringing the Barrage back to Philadelphia,” Burdett said in a press release. “The history of success for this franchise paired with the development of the market over the last decade makes this a perfect match.”
The roster will be made up of players from the Blaze. Atlanta decided to cease team operations before the 2020 season.
It will be a promising roster that will feature 2019 Rookie of the Year Alex Woodall and Defensive Player of the Year Liam Byrnes.
“Fans will see the best talent lacrosse has to offer in the men wearing Barrage blue and orange,” Ford said in a press release.
The Barrage, who plan to announce their partnered home location at a later date, will open the season June 6 in Philadelphia.