NEW YORK CITY – As head coach Kody Lostroh and the New York Mavericks traipsed off the dirt at Madison Square Garden, they were met with raucous cheers from a group of rowdy fans above them, pumping their fists and leaning down for impossible high-fives.

Mauricio Moreira, who closed out the night with a qualified ride, swung the tail end of his bull rope repeatedly up towards the fans, slapping the hands he couldn’t reach.

The Mavericks had just defeated the Florida Freedom in the first-ever rivalry game in the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, 173.25-80.

The METC is the latest addition to the Unleash The Beast schedule, bringing a taste of Teams into the individual season we all know and love. All but two regular-season UTB events in 2025 will feature a PBR Teams rivalry game baked into Round 1. For those 15 weekends, the final 12 outs of the opening round will be a 6-on-6 game, with all outs counting both towards the UTB event and the game results.

The Mavericks took on the Freedom to cap off Round 1 of the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off At the Garden, presented by Ariat, which was won by two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme with an 89.75-point score on Roc Wit It.

But the highlight of the night was the Teams action.

“I love being in New York here,” Lostroh said. “The New York fans are just the best, and so the more times we can get in front of them – our guys thrive off of it, and it’s a really cool atmosphere when you’ve got the best fans in the world behind you.”

While one of the purposes of the METC is to bring the Team Series into new markets and in front of new fans, the Mavericks just ended up having another home event. And Lostroh wasn’t kidding when he said his riders thrive in New York. At their inaugural homestand this past summer, the Mavericks were 2-0. With their METC win, they remain perfect on New York dirt.

It’s an even more impressive feat when you consider that the Mavericks’ regular-season record in 2024 was 11-17.

“The home-field advantage is a real thing,” Lostroh said. “The energy is better, the fans are always behind you, and I’d ride here every week if I could. The struggles, they’re going to come and go, and everybody’s going to have them. So any time we can get a little bit of an advantage, we’ll take it.”

It’s the first time teams have been involved during the Unleash The Beast season, and it’s the earliest the riders have had to don their team colors. Despite the change to their normal schedule, the Mavericks slid right back into midseason form in the locker room.

“The vibe was great,” Lostroh said. “We hadn’t been together as a team for a little while now, but the guys hadn’t missed a beat. They’re really good friends, and they put their lives on the line together every week. That brings a closer bond than a lot of people understand, so they can jump right in where they left off.”

The format was also slightly different than it is during the regular Teams season, with each team fielding six riders instead of the usual five. If a team is short on UTB-qualified riders, it absorbs non-rostered riders to fill them out. Due to Leonardo Castro’s injury and withdrawal from the event, the Mavericks suited up Wyatt Rogers, who’s not actually on the squad.

It’s a new wrinkle for the teams and their coaches, but it’s one that gives more riders the opportunity to compete and wasn’t an issue for Lostroh.

“Fortunately, I’ve known Wyatt for a long time, so it’s not too big of a change,” he said. “He just put on a different pair of equipment and went out and tried to do his job. It didn’t go his way tonight, but from a coach’s perspective, being able to work with guys I already know is not that big of a deal.”

The game was business as usual, and the Mavericks thrilled the crowd with a winning performance. Mason Taylor got things going for the concrete cowboys with 88.5 points on Tulsa Time. While Alex Cerqueira scored 80 points on Blue Suede Shoes for the Freedom, Moreira toughed out 84.75 points on Mahan to conclude the night’s action.

“I saw the grit out of them, and that’s something that we always try to drive home, is that grit,” Lostroh said. “That’s what really determines a lot of the greats from the okays in this sport, is just who’s got that little bit of extra grit. And when you see guys putting it out, obviously some wrecks come with it, because when you’re trying that hard, that’s what happens. So that stuck out to me, and I’m glad to see it. It’s better to have that grit and have a few wrecks than have a weak heart.”

Before Leme climbed the Can-Am Cage to celebrate his round-winning effort, the Mavericks received a WWE-style championship belt to commemorate their first METC win. General manager Chris Pantani shined it up in the locker room, and Lostroh hung it on the steel caging for everyone to admire.

The belt is the Mavericks’ to keep until the next time they play the Freedom, which is in late February – conveniently, on the Freedom’s home turf in Jacksonville.

“Honestly, the prize is always the goal, but the process is what we focus on. So now we’ll have to figure out what to do with the prize,” Lostroh said with a grin. “It’s a really cool belt, though, and I didn’t even realize they were giving that to us. We’ll do something cool.”

The Mavericks have a month and a half before they compete together again, but the METC continues next weekend at the Tractor Supply Co. PBR Chicago on Jan. 10 when the Carolina Cowboys take on the Nashville Stampede.

For now, the riders go back to their individual competition for Round 2 on Saturday (8 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV and the PBR’s YouTube and X accounts).

But Lostroh is a big fan of mixing in team competition.

“I think it’s a really good way to promote the Team Series, and also the team atmosphere with the bull riders,” he said. “They really compete a lot better. Just having your brothers behind you and having a little more on the line, I think, brings a lot out of them. So to be able to incorporate that into the UTB, I think, is a win-win for the sport and the fans and the bull riders.”

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media