After a year of success, AP.Bren now has the tough job of keeping that momentum up.
The first match of MPL S13 was an AP.Bren win, much to the relief of coach Francis “Ducky” Glindro. That may sound strange coming from the coach of the current world champions, but he knows just how important these first few matches can be.
“I’ve been telling my team for a very long time that the opening match almost always dictates how your regular season run will be,” said coach Ducky. Mentality has always been something he’s worked on so having a good start is such a boon for the team. “I’m quite happy actually to have won our opening match kasi, if we look at it historically, sobrang baba ng percentage of winning namin in terms of opening matches. So I do hope that it translates to the remainder of the season.”
Starting Off on the Right Foot
One could say, however, that AP.Bren already has one of the best starts of the year. The team are coming in as the Games of the Future champions, the first international tournament of the year, and you can’t ask for a better start than that. “It is definitely a good omen for the things to come in MPL season 13,” says Ducky. “What I’m really thankful about is the experiences that we’ve had since last year. I think that really laid out the foundation of where we are at the moment and I’m really happy that [the team] remains focused and composed.”
Of course, remaining focused and composed is the challenge every streaking team faces. If AP.Bren and coach Ducky want to keep getting those wins, they need to make sure the team doesn’t get complacent. “It’s a constant reminder that we can’t let that happen to us,” says Ducky matter-of-factly. “I’m constantly reminding them that we can’t be complacent just because we won a few tournaments. And honestly, money really is something that’s keeping these boys focused.” He’s referring to the Mid Season Cup and its million dollar grand prize taking place later this year. “A million dollars is a million dollars,” said the coach with a smile.
Banner photo by MOONTON Games.
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