There are no long vacations for the MSC champs, as there are still more tournaments to be done.
MPL PH S16 is in full swing, and Team Liquid’s coach Ar Sy and his boys are already heads down in their work. There wasn’t already much time for coach Rodel “Ar Sy” Cruz and team to rest, so they chose to stay focused on the task at hand.
“Two weeks lang yung naging preparation namin sa MPL,” said Team Liquid’s coach Ar Sy. “Naghingi kami ng 7-10 days para maka-pahinga kami at masama namin yung families namin, gawin yung gusto naming gawin. After nun, wala kaming victory party, mas-pinili namin mag-practice.”
That may sound harsh, but that’s the reality any championship-winning team faces. Technically speaking, tournaments last longer for them, thus making the time between tournaments much shorter. But coach Ar Sy is confident in the resilience of his team, as that’s what made them MSC champions.
“Lagi ko tinuturo sa mga players ko is pagtungtong natin sa tournament, iiwanan natin yung lahat ng achievements natin. Pagdating natin sa MPL PH S16, kalimutan natin na MSC champs tayo, S15 champions tayo. Bagong tournament to – walang achievements, back to zero.”
Targets on Their Backs
A consequence of becoming the 2025 MSC champions, outside of the shorter rest time, is the fact that every team in the world is gunning for them. This was especially true for ONIC Philippines as they were able to get their revenge against them with a 2-0 sweep in the first week of MPL PH S16.
Some would say that ONIC had an advantage over Team Liquid as they had more time to prepare. Team Liquid, however, had a more pragmatic outlook on their match.
“Expected na namin yan kasi kalaban namin si ONIC,” said Team Liquid’s coach Ar Sy. “Ang gagawin na lang namin ay gagamitin yung knowledge sa resulta ng laban. Syempre, nalungkot parin kami kasi natalo kami pero naganahin din kami kasi madami kaming natutunan.”
Obviously, Team Liquid has no plans of letting the other teams walk all over them. They’ve already shown great recovery after sweeping TNC Pro Team in similar fashion. The season’s still young, and we’re sure to see Team Liquid back to their dominating ways.
“As long as buo pa rin kami, kailangan pa rin namin ibigay yung 100% namin sa practice and tournaments.”
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.