The Bleu-blanc-noir joins the eMLS initiative
MONTREAL – The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that it has come to terms with EA Sports FIFA 18 eSports player Lyes Ould-Ramoul, better known by his online pseudonym LyesMTL. The 21-year-old Montrealer originally from Algeria will represent the Bleu-blanc-noir at PAX East, where the eMLS Cup will be held April 5-8, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the Global Series Playoffs and the chance to compete in the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup. LyesMTL will be live tonight on Twitch, at 7:30pm.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” said LyesMTL. “I truly wasn’t expecting this when I first started, and I’m happy to see the club trusts me. I’ll do everything to represent the colours of the Impact and take advantage of this great opportunity.”
“eSports are in full growth and represent a great opportunity for the Impact to reach a young public that is very enthusiastic about soccer, but on a different and innovative platform,” said executive vice-president of strategic development and communications, Richard Legendre. “Lyes is a young Montrealer who will be an excellent Impact representative.”
A worthy representative for the Montreal Impact
LyesMTL, a young finance student at HEC Montréal, who was born in Algeria but arrived in Montreal when he was still a child, already has an impressive track record: he finished fourth during the 2015 FIFA eWorld Cup and ranked first in FUT Champions in North America for January 2018 on PlayStation 4. He also qualified for the regional final in 2017.
eSports in full expansion
MLS is one of a select set of progressive leagues to develop dedicated eSports programs, joining France’s Ligue 1, Germany’s Bundesliga, Australia’s A-League, and Holland’s Eredivisie. The Impact is joining the MLS initiative, which will consist of 19 teams from the league, including rivals Toronto FC and the New York Red Bulls, not to mention our compatriots from the West Coast, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, among others.
A global and popular game
The FIFA franchise, developed by EA SPORTS in their Vancouver studios, has existed since 1993. Today, over 5 billion games are played each year, with over 700 million of those taking place in North America. The eSports industry, on its end, is growing at a record-breaking speed, posting an annual revenue increase of 43%.
Playing for the eMLS Cup in PAX East
All of the MLS clubs’ eSports players will meet in Boston for the PAX East convention, from April 5-8. The stakes are high: other than North-American supremacy, the two finalists will earn a spot in the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Ultimate Club Global Series Playoffs, an event that qualifies for entrance into the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup in August.
