TEAM Falcons finally snapped their seven-game losing streak in MPL Philippines Season 16 at the expense of coach Kristoffer “Bon Chan” Ricaplaza and his boys at Twisted Minds, but the three-time MPL champion coach and former M-Series winner doesn’t feel bad about it all.
Instead, he’s over the moon for the squad as he knows exactly what it’s like to be on the wrong end of a long slump.
“I’m happy for them. Kung tutuusin, ilang beses na rin kami na sa ganoong sitwasyon. Alam ko ‘yung feeling na makuha mo ‘yung panalong inaasam para makakuha kayo ng momentum coming to the next match,” Bon Chan said after Team Falcons’ 2-1 reverse sweep of Twisted Minds last Saturday in Week 5 of the MPL Philippines Season 16.
Last season, Twisted Minds also stumbled early, losing five straight matches from Week 1 to Week 3. They barely made it to the playoffs with a 3-11 record.
For Bon Chan, who has weathered countless ups and downs in his long career, Season 9 was perhaps the most heartbreaking when Blacklist International faltered without the “VeeWise” duo Johnmar “OhMyV33nus” Villaluna and Danerie “Wise” Del Rosario—and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Mutual respect
On the other side, Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo was grateful to coach Bon Chan for empathizing with their regular-season struggles.
“Sobrang grateful kami sa mga nakakaintindi ng sitwasyon namin. Same kami ng pinagdaanan nung nasa Blacklist o Twisted Minds siya ,” Owgwen responded.
Meanwhile, Team Falcons’ Angelo “Pheww” Aracangel emphasized that with the regular season past its halfway mark, every win is now crucial in their fight to turn things around before it’s too late.
“Para sa amin sobrang importante ng bawat panalo na makukuha namin kasi top 8 kami. Hindi na pwede na tangkihin lang namin ‘yung mga talo, kailangan talaga namin gumawa ng paraan para manalo ulit,” Pheww explained.
Things have looked brighter for Twisted Minds this season, with newly reinforced rookies already showing great potential—but as Bon Chan pointed out, nothing else matters when it all comes down to a do-or-die moment.
“Regardless kung gaano kami kalaki ‘yung lamang, dominating, kung paano namin nasimulan ‘yung game, it doesn't matter kung sa huli din pala kami maka-comeback,” Bon Chan reflected on Team Falcons’ comeback in Game 3 that sealed the reverse sweep.
Team Falcons will attempt to continue their momentum after securing their elusive second win next week against TNC Pro Team. Will the Falcons finally soar higher, or will they once again encounter turbulence in their flight to redemption?
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