AFTER SECURING a convincing 2-0 victory over the fan favorite Omega Esports, Nexplay EVOS can finally calm down.
Prior to their sweep, Nexplay was on a losing slump, suffering from painful defeats against the likes of Bren Esports and Onic Philippines. The matchup against the latter saw Nexplay overwhelmed by late game errors leading to the Hedgehogs' Game 3 win.
Given their performances in Week 2, the team became a victim of toxic comments from the community, adding pressure to the rookie-led squad consisting of members from Minana Esports.
With so much pressure placed on the players, Coach Joshua Alfaro asked fans to harass the coaching staff instead of the players.
"I would like to say na yung sa mga bata na sa mga supporters and syempre sa mga nagba-bash sa kanila, mas ok siguro na kami na lang mga coaches yung i-bash most of the time," said the Nexplay head coach during the post-match press conference.
"Kase dahil rookie sila, baguhan sila, nandun na yung pressure sa kanila and mas kaya namin i-take as the management yung pressure ng social media. So sana kapag may magba-bash sa players namin, kami na lang siguro, kaya namin i-take yun and I’m very happy with the performances from my players," he reflected.
An emotional breakdown for BruskoDR
And the pressure was evident especially against Onic Philippines, where Nexplay could've won that series, only for things to start crashing down the moment BruskoDR committed an error that changed the scope of Game 3.
Given his blunder, Brusko couldn't hold his emotions and experienced a breakdown after Game 3. Coach Isonn, who serves as a contrasting and calming presence compared to Coach Joshua's blunt and strict behavior, tried his best to motivate Brusko.
"That time kase, sobrang na-down siya doon sa naging error niya (BruskoDR) noong Game 3 noong tatapusin na sana yun. Siguro dalang-dala ng pressure then hanggang sa nabaliktad yung game," revealed Coach Isonn.
"Sobrang nalugmok siya e. Siguro hinayaan lang namin muna siya na ilabas yung pagka-down sa nangyari na iyon. After nun, saka namin siya i-console para mawala yung pressure sa mga susunod na laban," said Nexplay's assistant coach.
Given their rookie status, the emotions could be overwhelming for the up-and-coming squad, and there are other factors that the team needs to address to conquer the veterans of the scene.
The long road ahead
From communication issues, the added pressure, the inexperience, etc., it's a long road ahead for Nexplay in Season 11 and it's up to the coaching staff to address these problems.
"Last week kase hindi namin masabi pero alam namin sa sarili namin na marami pang kulang, in terms of communications, sa pressure, nandito ako (Coach Joshua) para magalit sa kanila most of the time kapag ang pangit ng performances nila, nandito naman yung assistant coach (Isonn) namin na nagba-balance ng pressure sa amin everyday."
But with their win over Omega Esports, this could be the start of Nexplay's growth.
"Very happy kase lumalabas unti-unti, every week, nakikita natin yung full potential ng mga bata and sana dire-diretso lang kami, matanggal lang yung pressure sa mga bata and of course happy kami sa performance namin today," reflected Coach Joshua.