San Francisco Shock throttle Fuel 3-0, leaving questions about Dallas’ quest for elite OWL status - The Dallas Morning News

alemonarki.blogspot.com

Defeating the San Francisco Shock on Saturday would’ve been the biggest upset in Dallas Fuel history.

The Shock (19-2), dominant as ever, didn’t let that happen. The match was a 3-0 sweep in their favor, but the result could still be used as an answer for Fuel fans asking: what has to happen for Dallas (7-10) to improve?

The squads are in polar opposite situations. The Fuel have dealt with distance, both in physical location and internally with team synergy. They’ve lost more than they’ve won in more ways than just the team’s record. The time they have left to implement changes may be insufficient.

Meanwhile, the Shock are working towards defending their 2019 Overwatch League Championship after a series of successful roster moves, seamless team synergy and a coaching staff that’s consistently catapulted them past the competition.

Whether it’s next week, in the playoffs or next year, the Fuel have a long way to go to come close to a prolific team like the Shock. It would take a culture shift, a collection of like-minded players and coaches as well as significant moves in the offseason.

Kim “Yong” Yong-jin had his first crack as the Fuel’s interim head coach this week after the Fuel parted ways with former head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins along with assistant coach Louis “Tikatee” Lebel-Wong and superstar damage player Jang “Decay” Gui-un.

ggs @SFShock
I'm sorry to disappoint fans today.
I won't be frustrated and will focus on the next game.

— Fuel_Yong (@FuelYong) August 8, 2020

Just because the two are so difficult right now doesn’t mean the Fuel can’t journey for the excellence the Shock created for themselves.

“I think any team would strive to be like the Shock,” Fuel support player William “Crimzo” Hernandez said. “They are a guaranteed top three team, potentially the best in the world. A lot of people want to be like them and it’s about finding that consistency that will get to that level.”

The Fuel were eliminated by the Shock in the quarterfinal round of the Countdown Cup, ending their first week under Kim. The Fuel’s interim head coach wasn’t satisfied with his own performance through the week. The least the team could’ve done was take a map of the Shock, Kim told The Dallas Morning News via interpreter in a phone interview.

But they didn’t, so Kim took the fall. His style is far different from Atkins. Just about every Fuel member The News has spoken to since the roster move has said the same.

Hernandez was no different, though he put Kim’s week into perspective.

“Yong is extremely direct and doesn’t care about anybody’s feelings. He is a very strict coach and it’s what we need right now, but the problem is, Aero was a very positive coach that didn’t really ever say anything negative or was direct about things,” Hernandez said. “The style is completely different, but I do think the style Yong gives is what our team needs to turn around.

“I’m just worried that there might not be enough time to turn it around.”

The Fuel’s time is limited to four more regular season matches and a playoff run that will begin Sept. 3. If the Fuel don’t perform well in their finals matches and take an early bow in the postseason, their season could be finished in a little over a month.

Crimzo was right. There’s not much time left for Yong to make 2020 work. So how can the Fuel become a strong team in 2021? What can they learn from a team like the Shock?

San Francisco star support player Grant “Moth” Espe had some thoughts.He mentioned some offseason moves as well as building a clear since of direction for whatever players the Fuel field in the future. Espe brought up the successes of the Shock’s past offseasons.

“Offseasons have been really important for us. If you look between our first and second seasons we picked up (Park “Viol2t” Min-ki) and (Kim “Rascal” Dong-jun),” Espe told The News in a phone interview. “Those were two pieces that were incredibly important in the GOATS meta. In this past offseason we picked up (Lee “ANS” Seonchang) and snipers have been pretty dominant all year, so that was a big pick up as well.”

The Shock don’t run a consistent lineup of six players like the Fuel. They have specialists, each being implemented and developed into stars in those roles. Espe only played one map on Saturday, but he did his job and propelled the team to a win.

Espe credited that style to their head coach, Park “Crusty” Dae-hee. Even Hernandez admitted that Park Crusty is the best Overwatch coach in the world.

The Fuel’s current head coach saw the value in the Shocks’ coaching strategy, too.

“I know their staffs have really clear color and a proactive way of leading the team,” Kim said via interpreter. “I feel like having those people in a team is a necessity. I also value the trust between team members and how close they are in order to build synergy.”

Synergy. That’s another aspect the Fuel will have to inevitably solve whether they retain pieces of this team or completely restart.

Hernandez said the season has taken a toll on the Fuel. A global pandemic didn’t help -- players are physically separated as well as Hernandez and Stefan “Onigod” Fiskerstrand being in different countries -- but Hernandez claimed trust was lost within the team and the Fuel can’t do much about it right now other than shoot for a strong finish to the season to give their fans something to look forward to.

The Shock aren’t worried about any of these items at the moment. Espe said San Francisco is confident in its understanding of the game in its current state and his team doesn’t lose its work ethic.

The Fuel could use some of that energy, and it's something they will try to emulate. How long that takes is the real conundrum.

“We need to admit that we are going through a tough time right now,” Kim said via interpreter. “As much as we are going through a tough time, I feel like it’s just as important to work even harder so we can go through this hardship together.”

The Dallas Fuel might not be playing for a championship in September, but they could be fighting for their soul.

Find more Fuel stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

"fuel" - Google News
August 09, 2020 at 06:24AM
https://ift.tt/3a8MB2a

San Francisco Shock throttle Fuel 3-0, leaving questions about Dallas’ quest for elite OWL status - The Dallas Morning News
"fuel" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WjmVcZ


Bagikan Berita Ini