Major League Soccer crowned its first eMLS Cup winner on Sunday, with 21-year-old Guillermo Trevino claiming the grand prize. The gamer known as Kid M3Mito went undefeated in 21 matches of FIFA 18, a masterful display of finger manipulation.
But what the heck does any of this mean and why should anyone care? Let’s break it down.
We did it!! Just won the eMLS Cup UNDEFEATED!!! Thank you to everyone who believed in me and supported me throughout this journey. Special shoutout to @aa9skillz for helping me get into this position and always believing in me. Also shoutout to @PhilB94_ for all the practice(1/2) pic.twitter.com/Dk8jtuO811
— Memo (@KidM3mito) April 8, 2018
What Actually Happened?
The eMLS Cup was held from April 5-8 at PAX East in Boston, with 19 MLS clubs sending a representative to play the FIFA 18 video game. The first two days involved league play with playoffs on Saturday and Sunday.
Kid M3Mito, who represented the Houston Dynamo, dominated the Western Conference in the preliminary round (read more about the prelims and the format here). He then won the tournament with a 6-4 aggregate win over LyesMTL of the Montreal Impact in the final.
Was The Competition Entertaining To Watch?
If you like watching others play video games, then yes. Kid M3Mito, the winner, scored an impressive 94 goals during the tournament, nearly 4.5 per match.
In the first leg of the final, LyesMTL went ahead 2-1 after an early 1-0 deficit, but Kid M3Mito scored a late equalizer for a 2-2 draw. He then won the second leg 4-2, scoring three goals in the second half to secure the 6-4 aggregate victory. Check out the stream of the final day’s action below.
What Did The eMLS Cup Winner Actually Win?
Trevino, who’s barely old enough to (legally) drink, received a $10,000 prize for his performance. He also gets supreme bragging rights as the first ever eMLS Cup winner. Plus, he’s not done representing Houston and MLS …
What’s Next For Kid M3Mito?
For reaching the final, both Kid M3Mito and LyesMTL, whose name is Lyes Ould-Ramoul, qualified for the EA Sports FIFA 18 Global Series Playoffs. These are the playoffs that can earn players entry into the FIFA eWorld Cup (formerly the FIFA Interactive World Cup), to be held around August (exact time and date have yet to be determined). Last year, Gorilla took home $200,000 when he won the 2017 FIWC.
Why Does Any Of This Matter?
Honestly, this might not mean a damn thing to many football fans who prefer to watch real athletes play on real pitches. But for a burgeoning, billion-dollar industry centered around eSports, it’s becoming a big deal. While FIFA has a ways to go to catch other eSports titles like Dota 2, League of Legends or even new games like Fortnite, it has the support structure through existing teams and FIFA to grow immensely over the coming years. With Major League Soccer’s first foray into eSports, the eMLS Cup will only get bigger.
Houston native Guillermo Trevino, AKA Kid M3Mito, is the first ever eMLS Cup winner. Screenshot via Twitch.tv
That said, while it’s fun for Houston and Montreal fans to celebrate some sort of soccer success, it’s not going to make or break any team’s season. But hey, maybe it will inspire the next great youth U.S. athlete to play soccer instead of American football, because we all know FIFA is far superior to Madden.
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