The Premier Lacrosse League's 2021 season schedule is finally here! To celebrate the league going back on tour, we decided to highlight every tour stop with a song to listen to, while spotlighting the best matchups during the 11-week PLL season. Check out each tour stop then take a listen to our playlist on Spotify to get you ready for the season.
June 4-6: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, MA) - "Shipping Up to Boston"
Matchup to Watch: Cannons LC vs Redwoods LC (June 4, 7pm ET)
We're shipping up to Boston!
Okay, so technically Foxborough, but you get the point. The home of the very first PLL game will play host to opening weekend once again, and will feature a homecoming of sorts for Cannons LC. And no Boston homecoming is complete without some Dropkick Murphys.
Fans of the artist formerly known as the Boston Cannons will get a chance to watch Sean Quirk's new-look Cannons compete both on Friday and Sunday. While the Cannons will play two games at Gillette, their matchup with the Redwoods is the most interesting and will kick off the start of the 2021 PLL season. In addition to being the Cannons' first game in the PLL, it will also mark Chris Hogan's return to the stadium he called home for three seasons during his time with the New England Patriots.
June 11-13: Fifth Third Bank Stadium (Kennesaw, GA) - "Welcome to Atlanta"
Matchup to Watch: Chaos LC vs Archers LC (June 13, 2:45pm ET)
This tour is going to be crunk.
The PLL is headed back to Hotlanta for the second week of its 2021 tour and the weekend will feature quite a few fiery matchups. The weekend will see Redwoods attackman Rob Pannell face his former team in the Atlas and a battle between the defending PLL champion Whipsnakes and MLL champion Cannons. However, the most intriguing matchup will be between Archers attackman Connor Fields and his former squad, Chaos LC. Overall, Week 2 is sure to be "Ludacris."
June 25-27: Homewood Field (Baltimore, MD) - "Seven Nation Army"
Matchup to Watch: Whipsnakes LC vs Atlas LC (June 25, 8pm ET)
Go back home.
The PLL is returning to Homewood, and there's no better song to get you ready for one of lacrosse's most historic sites than the king of stadium anthems, "Seven Nation Army." Originally, adopted as a crowd pump up song by European soccer stadiums in the early 2000's, the song has become a staple at sport events, particularly Baltimore Ravens home games. It's a the perfect song to get what is sure to be a loud crowd going, even if at limited capacity.
As for matchups, it has to be the Terp Snakes against the Bull Jays! While the 2021 Atlas team will feature a couple less former Blue Jays this time around, you can bet that the Maryland-Hopkins rivalry will still be alive and well when the Whipsnakes take on the Atlas at Homewood Field.
July 2-4: James M. Shuart Stadium (Hempstead, NY) - "Strong Island"
Matchup to Watch: Archers LC vs Chrome LC (July 2, 7pm ET)
We'll keep trooping in a place called Strong Island.
Week 4 will mark the first time that the PLL will journey to Long Island, which is sure to please the plethora of Long Island players in the PLL. Even more exciting is that it means Shuart Stadium will still host a pro lacrosse event in 2021. The Hofstra University stadium was home to the New York Lizards for the majority of their history.
The matchup we have our eyes on is the Archers and Chrome, whose rosters feature a ton of Long Island talent such as Tom Schreiber, Will Manny, Justin Guterding and Connor Farrell just to name a few. This matchup, along with four other matchups, is a Long Island lacrosse fans dream.
July 7-11: TCO Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) - "Minnesota"
Matchup to Watch: Redwoods LC vs Whipsnakes LC (July 10, 6pm ET)
It may be during the middle of the summer, but this tour stop is going to be COLD!
While it won't be literally cold in Minnesota (hopefully), this tour stop is one of our most anticipated. The games will take place at TCO Stadium, which serves as the Minnesota Vikings practice facility. So while we chose Lil Yachty's "Minnesota" as this stop's song, we definitely recommend some Skol chanting to get everyone ready as well.
As for matchups, the coldest rivalry of all has been the Whips vs Woods for the past two seasons. These teams generally do not like each other and motivation is sure to be at an all time high heading into the PLL All-Star break.
July 18: All-Star Game — PayPal Park (San Jose, CA) - "All Star"
Hey now, you're an all star!
San Jose in July is sure to be a gorgeous setting for the PLL All-Star Game and skills competition. San Jose is continually named as a favorite venue by many of our guests on the Pro Lacrosse Talk podcast and the PayPal Park facility is state of the art. It also provides the perfect setting for the PLL to attract Northern California lacrosse fans, as well as other fans up and down the west coast.
July 30-Aug. 1: Weidner Field (Colorado Springs, CO) - "Rocky Mountain High"
Matchup to Watch: Waterdogs LC vs Whipsnakes LC (July 31, 10pm ET)
Yeah, we're in the Rockies.
No PLL tour would be complete without a journey out west to Colorado. However, the PLL will pass through Colorado Springs this time around and play at Weidner Field, home to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC of the ULS. And just like no PLL tour would be complete without Colorado, no Colorado stop would be complete without a little John Denver.
As for matchups, Denver University fans will get to see Eric Law and Trevor Baptiste twice with the Atlas during the weekend, but we're excited about the defending champs taking on last year's expansion club, which features another former Pio in Wes Berg.
Aug. 13-15: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium (Albany, NY) - "Who Let the Dogs Out"
Matchup to Watch: Archers LC vs Chaos LC (August 13, 8:30pm ET)
The party is going to be pumpin'!
The Great Dane faithful came out in a big way two years ago when the PLL came to town, and this summer is sure to be no exception. UAlbany fans will be treated to two games featuring the pseudo-home team Chaos LC during the last weekend of the regular season.
Given the plethora of Great Danes on Chaos LC and Connor Fields' presence on Archers, that Friday night battle is our matchup to watch. Yet, a close second is the Cannons' matchup with Chrome the following day that will feature UAlbany's top scorer in team history (and NCAA Division I history) Lyle Thompson.
Aug. 20-21: Quarterfinals — Rio Tinto Stadium (Salt Lake City, UT) - "Salt Lake City"
We never get tired of Salt Lake.
The Beach Boys were right in saying that you can never grow tired of Salt Lake City, Utah. Last year's PLL Championship Series in Utah was absolutely stunning to watch given the beautiful Utah backdrop, and the league's stop at Rio Tinto Stadium should be no exception. The competition will also be fierce with the playoffs kicking off. It's safe to say we're in for some more magic in Utah this summer.
Sept. 10: Semifinals — Subaru Park (Philadelphia, PA) - "Dreams and Nightmares"
Hold on wait a minute. Y'all thought we were finished?
Don't let the two-week layoff fool you. We'll still get two action-packed weekends of pro lacrosse in September. And a PLL tour wouldn't be complete without a stop in the "City of Brother Love." Philadelphia served as the 2019 PLL Championship, and Subaru Park (formerly Talen Energy Stadium) is sure to be rocking at its allowable capacity once again when the semifinals get underway. And the only way to prepare is to listen to Philly's own Meek Mill.
Sept. 19: Championship — Audi Field (Washington, D.C.) - "Welcome to DC"
Let me break it down.
The 2021 PLL season will culminate with a championship game in the District of Champions. Fans will be treated to a spectacle at the state-of-the-art Audi Field in the nation's capital and fans are sure to be. And we can only hope for an Ovechkin-like celebration to ensue after.
While another Meek Mill song "Championships" or Drake's "Trophies" would have also been great tunes to prepare you for the PLL title game, as a DC native, I just have to say "Welcome to DC."
Check out the full 2021 PLL schedule and then listen to all the songs from the 2021 PLL Tour Stop Playlist, as well as Pro Lacrosse Talk's hundreds of podcast episodes on Spotify.