LIVE STREAM: German Football League Kickoff – Samsung Frankfurt Universe v. Stuttgart Scorpions (7p CEST, 1p EDT)

AFI | American Football | 04/22/2017

The Stuttgart Scorpions open their 2017 German Football League season with the biggest test of the season perhaps as they play host to 2016 German quarterfinalists, the Frankfurt Universe.

The Scorpions dropped both games against Frankfurt in 2016, 49-43 and 48-14.

Stuttgart finished the season with a 7-7 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. Frankfurt enjoyed an outstanding debut year in the GFL finishing with a 12-2 regular season record and reaching the German quarterfinals where they were eliminated by the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes.

The Scorpions have added two US imports, Ronnie Hicks (Defensive back, Grenoble Centaures) and Christian Holmes (linebacker, Tamworth Phoenix), as well as German linebacker Sebastian Blase (New Yorker Lions) and defensive back Eiko Döhnel (New Yorkers Lions). On offense, Stuttgart has signed quarterbacks Conner Sullivan (USC) and Christoph Münster of Holzgerlingen, as well as offensive lineman Ciro Jordanov (Hildesheim Invaders) and running back Patrick Podolski.

The Universe signed one of the top three running backs in Germany last year, Silas Nacita (Marburg Mercenaries) as well as Holland’s leading running back Sean Richard. Wide receivers David Giron and George Robinson have returned while Nikolai Henn has joined the team from the Rhein-Neckar Bandits.

The defense is led by Austrian linebacker Dustin Illetschko with former Denver Bronco John Tidwell in the secondary.