One of eMLS's own took home major silverware on Friday, as New York City FC's NYC_Chris swept aside all comers to claim the inaugural eChampions League title in Madrid.
The NYCFC man toppled Bulgarian gamer DrNightWatch, 7-4, over two legs in the final to not only win the title, but a $100,000 prize and a whopping 850 FIFA Global Series points that could potentially put him among the top 5 PS4 players in the world when new rankings are released Tuesday.
After reaching the quarterfinals thanks to his performances in the opening stages of the tournament on April 26-27, NYC_Chris faced off against the No. 15 Xbox player in the world, Vitality Rafsou, and edged him out by a 5-4 scoreline.
He then played out an even higher-scoring thriller against No. 17-ranked PS4 player North Marcuzo in the semifinals, overcoming a last-minute equalizer to earn an 8-6 win after extra time.
In winning the final, NYC_Chris also avenged his eMLS counterpart, FC Dallas' AlanAvi, who was the league's other representative in the eCL quarterfinals. AlanAvi put up a strong fight in his quarterfinal matchup with DrNightWatch, but ultimately fell to a heartbreaking goal in the last minute of extra time.
By reaching the quarters, though, the world's No. 57-ranked PS4 player still claimed a $15,000 prize and 150 FIFA Global Series Points that could be crucial in keeping him in the Top 60 of the rankings, thus ensuring qualification for the Global Series Playoffs in July.
The eChampions League is one of the major tournaments in the competitive FIFA season and one of the last. As noted above, the Top 60 ranked players on each platform will qualify for July's Global Series Playoffs. That tournament will be the final chance for gamers to earn Global Series Points, which will determine qualification for the competitive FIFA season's crowning event: the eWorld Cup. Be sure to stay tuned to MLSsoccer.com for more updates on how eMLSers are faring on the world stage!
