The MLL continues to change the look of the league, as the Philadelphia Barrage are "coming back for the outdoor lacrosse league's 2020 season" after a 12-year absence, according to John George of the PHILADELPHIA BUSINESS JOURNAL. MLL CRO Mark Burdett will serve as team president, and the club "will be announcing its stadium partner shortly." The MLL will operate as a six-team league this year, with the Barrage joining the Boston Cannons, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, N.Y. Lizards and newly-relocated Connecticut Hammerheads (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/17). The Barrage's roster "will be made up of players" from the Atlanta Blaze, which will "cease team operations" prior to this season (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/18). In Atlanta, Eric Jackson noted the Blaze had "struggled to find stability" in the area. Despite a "solid turnout" during their inaugural '16 season, the Blaze have "ranked toward the bottom of the league in attendance." The MLL's move not to return to Atlanta comes "one week after a similar move by the league to disband the Dallas Rattlers, who are being replaced" by the Hammerheads (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/17).
