The win over Atlanta United’s Paulo Neto allows both the chance to compete in EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs
Major League Soccer (MLS) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) concluded the 2023 eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar and TikTok tonight with St. Louis CITY SC’s Niklas “NR7” Raseck lifting the trophy at the Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater as part of this year’s SXSW. NR7 edged out defending champion Atlanta United’s Paulo “Paulo Neto” Roberto Xavier de Brito Neto in a two-leg aggregate (4-4, 5-2), taking home $20,000 – the highest payout of this year’s record $100,000 prize pool.
While this marks the end of the eMLS 2023 competitive season, NR7 and Paulo Neto will continue their journey with automatic bids into the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Playoffs, and Minnesota United FC’s Ehsan “Lamps” Zakeri and CF Montreal’s Alix “LOUX11” Largerie will compete in the EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Global Series Play-ins as the third and fourth place finishers in the eMLS Cup.
“I had to put in a lot of practice and prep time given my performance in LS1 and LS2. I knew I could do better and had to just maintain focus in order to bring the trophy home for St. Louis,” said NR7. “Paulo is an excellent player and I had to work hard to put myself in a position to win.”
“I am sad for not winning the trophy again, but I am happy for getting the global play-off spot,” said Paulo Neto. “I am going to continue working hard everyday, be better everyday, and get healthy mentally.”
NR7’s win on the virtual pitch follows the success of St. Louis CITY SC’s first team, which last night defeated the Portland Timbers 2-1 to win their third-straight MLS match. With this win, St. Louis CITY SC joins Seattle Sounders as the only other expansion club to win each of their first three MLS games.
The University of Missouri—St. Louis is the presenting partner of St. Louis CITY SC’s esports program.
More from eMLS Cup
Players representing 26 MLS clubs entered this year’s season with one goal in mind - winning the fabled eMLS Cup. However, Atlanta United’s Paulo Neto made it exceptionally difficult over the course of the season, with convincing wins in both League Series 1 against Minnesota United’s Lamps and in an exciting rematch against him in League Series 2. After the League Series events, the top 11 Clubs earned their spot in the eMLS Cup. Philadelphia Union’s Thiago “ThiagoCapo” Vazquez won the eMLS Last Chance Qualifier yesterday at the Q2 Stadium - home of Austin FC - defeating Portland Timbers’ Bruno “CPTBRUNO” Granato Albino in two-leg aggregate (6-2, 3-2) to lock in the 12th Club for the eMLS Cup.
More than 1,500 fans were in attendance to cheer on their favorite players and enjoy the festivities, including limited edition eMLS giveaways, FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) card creation areas, play areas to enjoy EA SPORTS™ FIFA on PlayStation 5, and more. Austin FC also hosted the “Austin FC Post-Party presented by Netspend” whereUrban Heat performed.
The 2023 eMLS Cup partners worked together to provide a premier esports experience to MLS fans, including Coca-Cola® Zero Sugar, TikTok, PlayStation®, DoorDash, JLab, and Avant®.
Press images of the eMLS Cup can be found online here.
About eMLS:
eMLS is the esports and gaming property of Major League Soccer. Built around the EA SPORTS™ FIFA franchise, its goal is to utilize gaming to reach global audiences, raise the profile of MLS, and grow its next generation of fans. eMLS has grown from 19 MLS clubs in 2018 to 26 clubs participating in this 2023 season. For more information, visit www.mlssoccer.com/eMLS.
“PlayStation” and “PS5” are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
About Major League Soccer:
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer -- celebrating its 28th season in 2023 -- features 29 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, including 2023 expansion team St. Louis CITY SC. Starting in 2023, the Apple TV app is the exclusive destination to watch every single live MLS match. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.
About Electronic Arts:
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.
In fiscal year 2022, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, Madden NFL, Need for Speed™, Titanfall™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and F1® . More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.
EA, EA SPORTS, Ultimate Team, Battlefield, Apex Legends, The Sims, Need for Speed, Titanfall, and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. FIFA and FIFA's Official Licensed Product Logo are copyrights and/or trademarks of FIFA. All rights reserved. John Madden, NFL, and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.
