A League in the Making: How Preseason Shaped the 2026 LPFA
- Guilherme De Jesus
- 15 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Preseason football is rarely about answers. It is about clues.
Across Portugal, the LPFA’s preseason games offered something far more valuable than results: a glimpse into how teams are thinking, building, and positioning themselves for a season that promises little margin for error. With a limited preseason schedule and every snap used as an evaluation tool, preparation may decide championships long before kickoff weekend.
From controlled defensive battles to flashes of offensive ambition, this preseason painted the picture of a league that is more balanced, more intentional, and more self-aware than ever. What emerged was not a hierarchy set in stone, but a league revealing its intentions.
Consistency as a Weapon: Braga Warriors Set the Tone
If preseason football is about minimizing chaos, the Braga Warriors executed the brief almost perfectly.
Two wins, including a shutout against the Renegades, told a story of continuity and control. The Warriors did not look like a team experimenting wildly; they looked like a group refining details. That is no coincidence. Retaining a strong core while selectively integrating rookies has allowed Braga to raise practice intensity without sacrificing identity.
Defensively, they appeared composed and disciplined, particularly in the trenches, an area many teams continue to struggle with in Portuguese football. Offensively, there was no need to show everything. The message was clear: this is a roster built to last, not peak early.
Braga leave the preseason exactly where contenders want to be: respected, steady, and quietly confident.
Cascais Crusaders: Quietly Ruthless, Relentlessly Prepared
No team made a louder statement with fewer words than the Cascais Crusaders.
A low-scoring win over the reigning champions followed by a controlled victory against the Bulldogs highlighted a team that knows exactly who it is. The Crusaders did not chase points; they dictated tempo. Their defense, in particular, looked game-ready, comfortable forcing opponents to earn every yard.
There is a maturity to Cascais’ football that stands out. Years of internal development — from flag to tackle, are now paying dividends. The preseason confirmed what many suspected: the Crusaders are not rebuilding; they are refining. And that makes them dangerous.
Champions in Control: Lisboa Devils Expand the Process
The Lisboa Devils approached the preseason less as a stage for dominance and more as a laboratory for calibration and experimentation.
A narrow loss to Cascais and a high-scoring win against the Navigators showed a team comfortable operating outside its comfort zone. One of the clearest variables was under center. Without Bernardo Solipa on the field, the Devils inevitably looked different, particularly in terms of offensive rhythm and command. That absence was noticeable, but not alarming.
Instead, preseason became a testing ground. New quarterbacks were given meaningful reps, and while the offense did not always operate with its usual sharpness, there were flashes that suggest viable alternatives may be developing for the future. Timing was inconsistent at times, but the structure remained intact, a sign of a system that does not collapse when personnel changes.
Depth, familiarity, and institutional knowledge continue to define the reigning champions. The Devils know who they are, but they also know when to explore what they could become. Preseason was not about proving supremacy; it was about expanding options.
They may not have looked invincible, but champions rarely need to.
Lisboa Navigators: Relearning the Game, Rebuilding Identity
The Lisboa Navigators delivered two very different performances across preseason, yet both told the same underlying story.
A comfortable win against the Bulldogs contrasted sharply with a loss to the Devils, but the common thread was production: 27 points scored in both outings. That alone signals offensive potential.
The focus, however, goes deeper. Navigators spent the offseason returning to fundamentals, teaching concepts, language, and situational football. Quarterback development sits at the center of that process, and while inconsistency remains, so does upside.
This is not a finished product. But it is a team that understands its flaws and is actively working through them, a dangerous combination once momentum begins to build.
Salgueiros Renegades: A Conscious Year of Transition
For the Salgueiros Renegades, preseason was never about the scoreboard.
Significant changes to the coaching staff, coupled with a new quarterback situation and a large intake of rookies, framed this period as a developmental phase. A narrow win against the Mutts and a heavy loss to the Warriors highlighted a team still searching for offensive rhythm, but defensively competitive and tactically intentional.
The Renegades used preseason as it should be used: testing systems, educating players, and building foundations rather than chasing immediate validation.
Maia Mutts: Competitive, Not Yet Complete
Despite leaving the preseason without a win, the Maia Mutts showed they remain a difficult matchup.
Two narrow defeats pointed to a team that competes snap-to-snap but struggles to convert key moments into points. Physicality and aggression are still part of their identity, but the most decisive factor has little to do with scheme or intent.
Roster depth (or the lack of it) remains the Mutts’ biggest challenge. A limited number of available players inevitably affects rotation, endurance, and execution late in games, particularly on offense. When fatigue sets in, margins disappear. If Maia can stabilize numbers and manage workload more effectively, the competitiveness shown in preseason could finally translate into results once the season begins.
Bulldogs: Turning the Build Into Belief
The Bulldogs have been in a building phase for several seasons now, and this preseason felt less like another reset and more like a moment of transition.
Facing teams further along their development curve once again exposed limitations, particularly on offense, but it also highlighted a growing level of resilience, especially on the defensive side of the ball. These games were not about immediate readiness; they were about reference points, understanding pace, physicality, and execution at the level the LPFA now demands.
What changes this year is context. The foundation has been laid over time, and there is a sense that this season could be about cementing that work rather than starting over. Development is rarely linear, but the Bulldogs now appear closer to turning long-term construction into competitive identity.
A Season Ready to Be Earned
Preseason did not hand us clear answers, and that may be its greatest success. What it offered instead was intent. Some teams refined, others rebuilt, and a few tested the limits of what they already know. Across the league, there was a shared understanding that progress is no longer accidental; it is planned, deliberate, and increasingly demanding.
Low-scoring games and controlled tempos suggested that defenses are ahead of offenses, a familiar pattern in amateur football, but one that could define the early weeks of the season. In a campaign where margins will be thin and opportunities scarce, preparation will not guarantee success, but the lack of it will almost certainly punish ambition.
This article would not have been possible without the openness and insight of the teams who contributed through preseason interviews. Their willingness to reflect, explain, and engage goes beyond results and plays a vital role in the continued growth of American football in Portugal.
The clues are on the table. What comes next is no longer theory, it is football.
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