USA Ultimate

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area in California, Fury has a long track record of excellence, snagging the U.S. club national title for seven years running. The squad returns three members of the current United States’ World Games team in Anna Nazarov, Cree Howard and Alex Snyder and has added some young talent to the roster. So far on the season, Fury is 5-1 with a 15-11 loss to rival Riot in the finals of Eugene Summer Solstice in late June.

Another U.S. powerhouse, Riot of Seattle, Wash., is already on a role this year. The girls won the Eugene Summer Solstice on June 22 and 23, beating long-time rival Fury in the finals 15-11 and starting the season 6-0. Though the squad returns most of its players, Riot added a few skilled athletes – such as Molly McKeon and U23 U.S. National Team players Sabrina "Kodi" Fong and Shira Stern – as well as head coach Ben Wiggins, who can’t make it to the U.S. Open. But Riot has lost some talent, as well. Stud handler Caitlin Cordell retired last year, and handlers Alyssa Weatherford, Rohre Titcomb and Sarah "CO" Davis all tore their ACLs in the off-season; only Titcomb is back up and playing again. Other players to watch are Sarah "Surge" Griffith, a member of the U.S. World Games team, and handler Shannon O’Malley. Other than defending their 2012 U.S. Open Championship and honing their fundamentals, Riot also plans get to know each other and build chemistry this week. "Our team rented a house to stay at during the tournament, so we will get lots of team bonding time away from the fields as well," captain Gwen Ambler said. "We’re looking forward to living, breathing, dreaming ultimate together for four days straight."

MUD makes the hike from Edogawa-Ku, Tokyo, and enters the U.S. Open ranked third overall. Though the squad has added a few new players, the core remains the same and has developed from last season. The team’s primary standout is Asami Ishitsu, whose snags and dynamic plays not only motivate her teammates but also keep the fans captivated. MUD, of course, is gunning for an upset and a first-place finish, but captain Miki Takahashi said this early tournament remains more about developing as a group. "To make progress as a team for World Ultimate Club Championships next year," she said of her goals for U.S. Open. "All teams are rivals for us, and we are all excited to play against them."

Scandal of Washington, D.C., returns for the U.S. Open’s second year ranked fourth but with eyes for the gold. After finishing second at the inaugural tournament in 2012, the team has the highest return rate of the past few years, including stars Octavia "Opi" Payne, Alicia White and Sandy Jorgensen—all on the U.S. team for the World Ultimate Club Championships in 2014—as well as Jenny Fey. New to the roster are Kath Ratcliff of Molly Brown, Christie Lawry, Kristin Franke and World Games coach Alex Ghesquiere. Missing from the roster this year are Charlie Mercer and Katie Klein Shepley, but the remaining athletes have grown in skill and experience, running on the momentum from their third-place tie at the National Championships last year. "We’re still pretty focused on developing our own program," Payne said. "We will be looking forward to the international competition for sure since we won’t have a chance to meet those teams again later in the season. [We want to] test our offensive and defensive strategies against some of the best teams in the world."

Coming hot off a third-place tie at Nationals in 2012, Showdown of Austin, Texas, returns all but four players from last year and looks for another strong showing this season. Former Doublewide players David Melancon and Tal Taversky take on the head coaching positions for 2013, leading stars such as duo Katey Forth and Cara Crouch, who keep the disc moving on offense. Handler Holly Greunke anchors the team, and deep cutter Sarah Levinn owns the end zone. On defense, Sarah Blyth, Enessa Janes, Bex Forth, Diana Charrier and Tina Woodings make the plays for their team. "Our major goal for the U.S. Open is to keep the momentum going from Nationals," Forth said. "Try and get into our groove early in the season to build a foundation for the rest of the season."

Home team Phoenix of Raleigh faces something of a rebuilding year, returning a strong core of players working to develop a host of new, young talent from area college teams. Brian Dobyns, one of the game’s best tacticians, stepped into the coaching positions for this season with his mind set on maximizing his players’ potential and honing team chemistry. Team captains Lindsey Hack, Sharon Tucker and Michelle Ng will lead the young talent with help from veterans Kate Morrison, Frannie Goodrich and Katy Harris. "As a program, we are always striving to evolve in a positive direction," Hack said. "Our focus is on developing all of the players on our roster and putting each player in the best position possible to succeed. We will be working hard together, enjoying the opportunity to play together and building the strongest team possible."

Coming to the U.S. Open from Colombia, Revolution boasts an extremely young team with an average age of 21 and two 13-year-old girls who round out the roster. But their age can be deceiving. Revolution has been developing since many of the girls played on the Colombian juniors team that won the World Junior Ultimate Championships in 2010 and 2012. Chief among the team leaders is handler Aleja Torres, who used to play with Riot. Yina Cartagena, Elizabeth Mosquera and Laura Ospina – who will represent Colombia at the World Ultimate Club Championships in the summer of 2014 – also number among the team’s playmakers, as do the 13-year-old twins Valeria and Manuela. "This is another huge stage for all the girls in their personal process," Coach Mauricio Moore said. "We have played Fury and Riot with an incredible friendship. More than rivals, there are friends we are going to play with. [We want to] grow up as a team, live each moment like the most important, bring the highest spirit of the game and high level to this huge event, and give the best face of our country to the world."

Nova has started its debut season with a bang. After going 4-2 in the elite division of the Boston Invite June 22-23, the team from Montreal turned right around to win Jazz Montreal June 29-30. Though only in its first year, Nova still plans to make a splash at the U.S. Open, with help from a core of strong players. Jessie Grignon Tomas and Audrey St.-Arnaud are go-to playmakers on defense, not afraid to hit the ground and always running. On offense, cutter Marie-Eve Robert and handler Jessica Circé keep the disc moving and always manage to find the end zone. "We are looking forward to tough competition in preparation for the Canadian Ultimate Championship," captain Isabelle Lemay said. "We’ll be the French-speaking team on the field. We’re easy to identify."