ARLINGTON, TX – June 9, 2026 – One year after an improbable championship run, the DC Defenders are back on the doorstep of history. Following a dramatic semifinal victory, the defending champions return home to Audi Field just one win away from becoming back-to-back UFL champions.
The year began with something the Defenders were unfamiliar with: expectation.
The year prior, head coach Shannon Harris was appointed just a week before the season began. The mindset was simple as the Defenders had nothing to lose. DC entered the postseason as the fourth seed and ran the table in June, capturing the 2025 UFL Championship. Their identity was simple. They played with nothing to lose and took what was theirs every week.
In 2026, the story was different. With the entire coaching staff returning and more than 20 players back from the championship roster, including 2025 UFL Championship MVP Jordan Ta’amu, the expectation was clear: compete for another title.
Anything less would be considered a failure.
Harris was quick to embrace the challenge. Rather than shy away from the pressure, the Defenders welcomed it. Based on the results, he wasn't bluffing.
From Week One, DC looked every bit like a defending champion. The Defenders opened the season 5-1 and quickly established themselves as one of the league's top teams before suffering back-to-back losses to Louisville in Weeks Six and Seven. But Week Seven brought an even bigger challenge when Ta’amu went down with a season-ending injury.
When a team loses its starting quarterback, everything changes.
At the time of his injury, Ta’amu was arguably the frontrunner for UFL MVP and remains a finalist despite playing just 60 percent of the season. Suddenly, Harris and offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss needed a new answer at quarterback as the season entered its final stretch and on a cold streak.
The Defenders first turned to Spencer Sanders. After Sanders struggled in a Week Nine loss to Orlando, DC gave Jason Bean an opportunity in the regular-season finale. Although the Defenders fell to Orlando again, Bean showed enough promise to earn the postseason start.
Bean's path to this moment was unique. Following Week Four, DC acquired Bean from Louisville in exchange for backup quarterback Mike Dilello. At the time, the move drew little attention in DC, while Louisville doubled down on Chandler Rogers as its quarterback moving forward. Four weeks later, Bean's number was called in the biggest game of the season.
The Defenders entered the playoffs on a four-game losing streak and faced the Orlando Storm for the third consecutive week in the UFL Semifinals.
Most believed DC's season was nearing its end. Instead, history repeated itself.
Just as they had a year earlier, the Defenders entered the postseason as the fourth seed facing the top team. And once again, they found a way to pull off the upset.
The game was played in Daytona Beach rather than Orlando's Inter&Co Stadium, which was previously occupied, but Storm fans still created a playoff atmosphere inside Daytona Beach Stadium.
Facing a season on the brink, Bean and the DC defense delivered.
The Defenders stormed out to an early lead with two first-quarter touchdowns. Their rushing attack, which had powered the offense throughout the season, accounted for both scores. Deon Jackson opened the scoring before Abram Smith added a touchdown of his own.
DC never surrendered the lead. The defense limited Orlando's explosive offense and prevented the momentum swings that had haunted the Defenders during their regular-season meetings with the Storm. Derick Roberson led the way with a fourth-down sack, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup.
Then came the defining moment. With the lead shrinking late in the fourth quarter, Harris sent out Matt McCrane for a 61-yard field goal attempt.
It wasn't just a pressure kick, it was the biggest kick of the game. McCrane delivered.
The four-point field goal, his third of the season and a new UFL career-long, pushed DC back to a two-possession advantage and helped seal a 28-22 victory. After losing twice to Orlando in the regular season, the third meeting proved to be the charm.
Just like that, the Defenders were headed back to the championship game.
Expectation. A season-ending injury to their starting quarterback. A four-game losing streak entering the postseason. None of it mattered.
Weeks ago, Audi Field was announced as the host site for the United Bowl. Now, the Defenders have the opportunity to play for a championship in front of their home crowd.
Standing in their way is the Louisville Kings. And fittingly, Bean will have the chance to become a champion against the very team that traded him away midway through the season.
Twelve months ago, the Defenders shocked the league as a fourth seed and captured their first championship. Now, with another fourth-seeded postseason run, a backup quarterback under center, and a title game waiting in their own stadium, the Defenders are one win away from doing it all over again.
Kickoff for the United Bowl is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., and will be broadcast on ABC.