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Atlanta United eSports Favored to Win eMLS Tournament Special

Josh Ricker

by Josh Ricker in eSports

Updated Mar 16, 2021 · 8:19 AM PDT

Swansea vs Middlesborough
The ball is seen during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford Stadium, Manchester, England, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
  • Starting this Sunday, the MLS is hosting an eMLS FIFA 20 tournament on FS1 and Fox Deportes between MLS players and their eSports counterparts
  • The league will host two matches every Sunday, with the final taking place on May 17th
  • Currently, Atlanta United eSports has the slight edge to win outright with odds of +550. Read our preview of the event below

With the sports world on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, MLS has decided to use eSports as a platform to get fans engaged again. This Sunday they will be kicking off an eSports FIFA tournament between current MLS players and their eSports counterparts.

The league will host two games every Sunday at 7:00 pm EST for four entire weeks. Fans will get to see the likes of Chicharito and Nani on the sticks, playing as their current team. It is set up as a pro-am of sorts, with a player set up with an eSports athlete of that respective team going up against two other opponents. The league will be using some of the profits to make donations to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada after every edition of the tournament.

eMLS Tournament Odds

Team Odds
Atlanta United eSports +550
FC Cincinnati eSports +600
New York City eSports +600
Houston Dynamo eSports +800
LA Galaxy eSports +1000
New York Red Bulls eSports +1000
Sporting KC eSports +1000
Vancouver Whitecaps eSports +1000
DC United eSports +1200
Los Angeles FC eSports +1200
Toronto FC eSports +1400
Chicago Fire eSports +2000
Orlando City eSports +2000
FC Dallas eSports +2500
Minnesota United eSports +3300
New England Revolution eSports +4000

Odds taken Apr. 17

Atlanta to Win On and Off the Pitch?

Currently, Atlanta United are the slight favorites to win with Franco Escobar and Paulo Neto as their duo. This past December, Neto was ranked as the fourth-best FIFA 20 player on PS4 and has proved his worth in the eMLS, claiming the second spot in the table with 57 points, just six behind Fiddle of Cincinnati.

Fiddle will be teaming up with Kendall Watson of FC Cincinnati, which makes the pair a close second at odds of +600. Despite being a professional footballer, Watson is no stranger to FIFA, as he actually claimed he used it to prepare for Costa Rica’s run in the World Cup in 2018.

YouTube video

What Other Teams Could Make a Deep Run?

Moving almost perfectly down the eMLS standings comes NYCFC favorite Sean Johnson paired with eSports athlete Didychrislito who has 56 points in the campaign. The thirty-year-old goalie seemed to be quite familiar with the game, appearing in a promotion for the Chicago Fire and the video game all the way back in 2013. We will see if he can stay up to speed with the new game and timed finishing.

2024 MLS Cup Odds Tracker
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The 2019 eMLS runner-up, Godfather, alongside legend Javier Hernandez is a team many footy fans will want to tune into. They have a tough match in the first round, having to play in “El Trafico” against eMLS rival RemiMartinn and Adama Diomande. Either one of these sides could go a long way in the tournament if they make it out of the first match.

Playing FIFA with a teammate can be much more difficult than going about it alone, which could spell trouble for even the best eSports athletes. Ultimately, it will come down to which MLS talent can translate his skills to the console, because the eSports players are so close in talent which is evident when checking out the league table.

Something else to consider when making your bet is the age of MLS players competing. The older players might have been FIFA fans back in the day, but the game has drastically changed. This might be something to consider when placing a bet on a team.

 

Best Bet

The best bet, in my opinion, is FC Cincinnati at +600 odds. While Paulo Neto is exuberantly talented, he cannot do it all on his own, and it is unclear if Franco Escobar is a regular FIFA player. However, Cincinnati has Fiddle who has had so much success in the eMLS, paired with Kendall Watson, who we know has some familiarity with the recent versions of the game.  Overall, this tournament will probably end up being very close, almost too close to call, but I still expect Fiddle and FC Cincinnati to put in a good showing.

My Pick: FC Cincinnati (+600)

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