The Madrid Bravos have been one of the biggest surprises of the ELF season so far, as the expansion franchise currently sits at 3-0 - and on top of an absolutely stacked Western Conference.

The Bravos signature win of the season came two weeks ago as they travelled to northwestern Germany to take on the defending champion Rhein Fire. The upset sent shock waves through the league as many thought the Rhein Fire would dominate the expansion team in front of their home crowd. Even with the early success Madrid's Mario Flores knows that the season is a marathon, not a sprint.

"We are building a lot of chemistry"

"It’s early to call it success, we’ve won three games and there’s a lot of work to do, but we are definitely on the right path. We are building a lot of chemistry and the coaches are giving us the right tools to put in the work. I feel like we have the right pieces and all we gotta do is believe it, expect it, and make it happen." 

The Bravos offense has been one of the most exciting in the league, even as they were forced to move from quarterback Chris Helbig to Steven Duncan because of injuries. Whether it was import players such as Willie Patterson or Dwayne Obi, or homegrown talents such as Mario Flores or Raul Cernuda players have answered the call time after time. The Bravos have been averaging an impressive 460 yards and 33 points a game as they haven't missed a beat, even with the unexpected change behind center.

Switch from Helbig to Duncan worked out immediately

"We have a really solid system and the work that coach Scherer and coach Warner are doing, with the rest of the staff, is great. They are putting everybody where they can make better plays and teaching the way they want things to be done. After how good Chris Helbig was playing, it was pretty hard to replace him. But we got lucky to find a quarterback like Steven Duncan, a really talented passer with a great football IQ who could learn the system and deliver after just a couple of practices. Not to mention of course, all the work the whole offense is putting in as a unit to keep making plays."

This week, in one of the most highly anticipated matchups of Week 6, the Rhein Fire will travel to the Spanish capital for a rematch. For Madrid, where there has been a strong history of American football, the moment of hosting the defending champions in Europe's top league will be something special, Flores, a native of the city, predicts:

"Playing in Madrid in front of our people and our fans is always exciting, especially when we play the best teams in Europe. But for us, it’s just another game, we have to play it and win it just like the other 12 games of the regular season. I’m sure it will be a great game to watch for all the fans in Europe."

"I think that we already have all we need to win the game"

On the field, the Rhein Fire are coming off of two physical and narrow victories. First against the Paris Musketeers, and then a comeback victory in Berlin on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Bravos enjoyed an early bye week. The game should be another competitive matchup between two great teams. Flores knows that Madrid has all they need to sweep the defending champions and prove themselves once again. 
 

"I think that we already have all we need to win the game, all we have to do is execute. We have to put together a great week on the practice field and go to the game ready to play four quarters. We have play makers on both sides of the ball, if we do our job we will win the game."