LAFC’s Adama Diomande and Martin ”RemiMartinn” Oregel down Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez,
Francisco Calvo, and the rest of the eMLS competition in Week One on FS1 and FOX Deportes
TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS:
- Gordon “Fiddle” Thornsberry scores two goals in five minutes to force third leg
- Francisco Calvo scores golden goal to send Chicago Fire to Week One Final
- Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez Interview
- Adama Diomande scores against Francisco Calvo with himself
NEW YORK (Sunday, April 19, 2020) – As part of MLS Unites, a league-wide platform designed to educate communities, entertain fans and elevate heroic efforts taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Soccer and FOX Sports debuted eMLS Tournament Special presented by Coca-Cola® and PlayStation® tonight on FS1 and FOX Deportes.
The five-episode series hosted by FOX Sports’ Stu Holden, Rachel Bonnetta and Rodolfo Landeros, with color commentary from Mike LaBelle teams up MLS and eMLS players from the same MLS clubs in single-elimination EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 tournaments.
The Week One Tournament featured the Chicago Fire against FC Cincinnati before the digital version of ‘El Tráfico’ between the LA Galaxy and LAFC.
The opening match showcased two Costa Rican National Team defenders on opposite ends of the digital pitch as Chicago Fire’s Francisco Calvo faced off against FC Cincinnati’s Kendall Waston in the first leg. Waston earned a penalty kick four minutes into the match, but his shot was saved by Fire goalkeeper, Kenneth Kronholm.
Eventually Waston was able to break through, opening the scoring with Yuya Kubo. Francisco Calvo quickly leveled the scoring using teammate C.J Sapong to bang it off the post and into the back of the net heading into the halftime intermission. Then, Calvo took control in the second half with a brace from Robert Beric before handing off the second leg to his eMLS counterpart with a 3-1 lead.
If anyone could force overtime from down two goals, it is FC Cincinnati’s eMLS competitor, Gordon “Fiddle” Thornsberry. Fiddle is currently ranked 30th in the world on PS4 in the EA SPORTS™ FIFA 20 Global Series, and that is exactly what he did against Chicago Fire eMLS competitor Enrique ‘BITW7’ Espinoza.
Fiddle scored his first goal with FC Cincinnati Midfielder Kekuta Manneh in the 84th minute before using Yuya Kubo to force the golden goal third leg with a stoppage time finish that leveled the aggregate score at 3-3.
The MLS players returned to the digital pitch for the third leg, and it was Calvo’s teammate Beric once again who scored to send Chicago Fire to the Week One Final against the winner of LAFC and LA Galaxy.
LA Galaxy’s Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez faced off against Adama Diomande in the first leg of the second matchup of the evening and Diomande scored the loan goal of the match with himself in the 52nd minute. It was all Chicharito in the final fifteen minutes, but he could not level the score.
Galaxy’s Giuseppe “GODFATHER” Guastella and LAFC’s Martin “RemiMartinn” Oregel kicked off the second leg and, just 10 minutes in, the GODFATHER scored with Cristian Pavon to bring the score to 1-1 on aggregate.
Not rattled, RemiMartinn quickly leveled the second leg score (1-1), taking the lead back on aggregate (2-1) using a cross from the virtual Diomande and a precisely placed finish by Carlos Vela. RemiMartinn scored his second goal with Latif Blessing on a through ball and a smooth finish. RemiMartinn sent LAFC to the Week One Final with a second Vela finish making it 4-1 on aggregate.
In Leg One of the Week One Final, Chicago Fire’s Calvo and LAFC’s Diomande faced off in a matchup that saw Diomande dominate the score sheet. Diomande opened the scoring, driving Blessing down the flank and crossing into the box for an easy finish by Vela.
In the 58th minute, Calvo received a penalty kick and had Beric step up to the spot. His shot was saved by Diomande and LAFC goalkeeper, Kenneth Vermeer.
Diomande then used Eduard Atuesta to double the lead in the 63rd minute and finished Calvo off with back-to-back goals with himself in the 75th and 89th minute giving RemiMartin a 4-0 lead heading into the second leg.
Chicago’s BITW7 got one back in the first half of leg two, but RemiMartin was able to close it out with a Diego Rossi finish before sealing the victory with a finish from none other than the virtual Diomande.
LAFC has won Week One of eMLS Tournament Special presented by Coca-Cola® and PlayStation®. They will return during the fifth and final episode on May 17th to face off against the Week 2, Week 3, and Week 4 champions. As a result of LAFC winning, a donation will be made by MLS WORKS and FOX Sports to Feeding America on behalf of LAFC, with MLS WORKS also contributing to Food Banks Canada in LAFC’s name.
