Reporter Han Bing reported that the Qatar World Cup Argentina wrote an epic dream fulfillment, closely following the World Cup football boom, and the 2022 cross-Chinese New Year's Eve grand football e-sports event - Pro Evolution Soccer 2022 Team League Finals, allowing ordinary fans and players to have the opportunity to personally play "on the same stage with the world". After a year of online competition, 6 top player teams took to the stage of the Hangzhou Asian Games E-sports Stadium and used the national team to compete in the annual finals. This "mini-World Cup" of live football is as exciting and intense as the real World Cup, and the tiebreaker UT Esports also fought 3-3 with the opponent, and finally won with a thrilling penalty shootout, almost replicating Argentina's championship victory.
Defeating "Galaxy Battleship" Zhejiang FC in the semifinals, and defeating "Miracle Dark Horse" TJC E-sports in the final to win the championship, UT Esports finally stood out and successfully realized its dream. After years of sticking to the dream, the team has undergone several player changes, from an over-the-top manager to a newly grown teammate, UT Esports has realized the dream of spanning two generations of live football esports players.
Behind the success of UT Esports Team is the dedication and hard work of the team members while working hard for their careers and taking care of their families. Following last year's finals, Soccer newspaper continued to focus on live esports, communicating with UT esports manager Soaring Winter Snow to reveal the little-known journey of the champion team and their love and persistence for live esports fans.
Congratulations to UT Esports for winning the Pro Evolution Soccer Team League 2022 Overall Championship. This annual finals is different from previous years, and the format of the players using the national team as the team is closely related to the Qatar World Cup, which has the feeling of a live football version of the "mini-World Cup". Must be special, right?
Soaring Winter Snow: It does feel very different from before, because switching to the national team requires re-familiarizing yourself with the new team formation, player skills and selection personnel. Of course, this is a huge challenge for all participating teams. From the perspective of live esports development, the format change can bring better out-of-circle and popularity, and can also help live football esports get more attention.
This finals along the way, are there any impressive situations?
UT Esports participated in this final, and the opponents were very strong. Including the group stage opponent LND team, the semi-final Zhejiang FC, and the final TJC Esports are all champions for 4 seasons, and each match is a championship battle. TJC Esports was not long established, but the team players are first-class, the score is very glue, and the final tiebreaker is won by penalty shootouts, which can be said to be a tough battle.
What was your special impression of winning the finals?
UT Ultimate Team is named after the famous quote of the king Pele: Football is the ultimate in team sport, which means that football is the ultimate form of team sports. We wanted to build our ultimate team in Pro Evolution Soccer, hence the name UT Esports. It is a pity that on the first day of the finals, the king of the ball Pele unfortunately passed away. We trailed by two goals in the final game of the final, but the team gritted their teeth and played the limit to equalize and win on penalties. I think maybe it's Pele who is helping us achieve our dreams.
Live e-sports events are in an amateur state in China, and the players still have to fight for their careers and take care of their families, and then squeeze out limited time for training and competition, do you feel hard?
Players have different professions and take care of their families, and team training and matches are supported by their belief in Pro Evolution football. For the time being, players don't get much material return from the competition, and compared to professional esports players who dedicate themselves to training and matching, we have to invest no less time and energy, and the difficulty can be imagined. Players, including me, were under a lot of real pressure, and they also considered whether to give up, but in the end they gritted their teeth and persevered.
Are there any details in this process of perseverance that particularly touched you?
I am the oldest in the team, I have entered the year of confusion last year, and there are younger post-00s teammates, almost two generations. At the end of 2021, I made a wish to reach the live esports national finals by the age of 40. My teammates gave their all and worked together to help me realize my dream last year, and I was very touched. The captain musketeer, a software engineer and a new father, is still a good example for us to find time to train and coordinate personnel, lay out tactics, and maintain a high win rate while ensuring that work and family are taken care of. The youngest powder powder and small slag are all post-00s. The year before last we rubbed shoulders with trophies, but last year we brought in the slag to complete the championship puzzle. He was also the league scorer, and in season 5 we were all out of blood and won all the way.
As a top team in the live esports industry, how do you think more young people should participate?
NetEase has made a lot of creative attempts in this regard, and Pro Evolution Soccer needs to attract players who are really passionate about the game and really love it. Give them more attractive "rewards". Not only bonuses or commercial sponsorships, but more importantly, let young players experience the thrill and sense of achievement brought by the game. It is necessary for game developers to increase playability and eliminate competitive unfairness caused by hardware differences to the greatest extent. I believe that with the advent of the national esports trend, live esports will usher in its own blowout period.
【UT Team Players Q&A】
Soccer: What kind of chance did you dream of esports?
UT_ Canghai: I wanted to become an esports player at the top of the ladder competition, and later joined the UT team to strengthen my belief in chasing my dreams.
UT_ Musketeers: Esports dreams have been around since the beginning of the Dota tournament.
UT_ Xi Xi I: Because I love football and love the feeling of standing on the podium!
UT_ Fan 11: I like football, I am brought into the live world by my golfers, and I like the atmosphere of esports.
UT_ Xiaoscum: Recommended by high school classmates, later brought into the team, has a sense of team.
Soccer: What motivates you to stick to your reality dream? What impressed you the most?
UT_ Canghai: The most inspirational thing is to meet like-minded friends through live situations, teammates who fight side by side, share happiness and hardships, and learn to never give up regardless of obedience or adversity.
UT_ Musketeer: The reality is feelings, and the same people struggle together, which is the motivation for perseverance. This victory is very inspiring, from the previous consecutive relegation to winning the championship depends on everyone's efforts.
UT_ Truman: The team finals are unforgettable for me, thank you UT, thank you to all my teammates for their excellent performance and take me to the crown.
UT_ Xiaoscum: Persistence is because I like it, and there is a hard-won brotherhood.
Soccer: How is the national team's main finals this time different from the past?
UT_ the sea: A new game experience that tests adaptability to unfamiliar teams, tactics and people. The feeling of being combined with the World Cup has never been greater.
UT_ Musketeers: The number of teams available is increased, there are more variables in the selection process, and the viewing of the finals is greatly improved.
UT_ Fan 11: Fully integrated into the World Cup culture, the game is more exciting and exciting, attracting many players.
UT_ Xiaoscum: There are higher requirements for the adaptability of the players and continue the atmosphere of the World Cup.
Soccer: Did you watch the World Cup? Which national team do you support?
UT_ Canghai: I followed the World Cup all the time, and the Argentine team I supported won the championship.
UT_ Musketeers: I'm an Arsenal and England fan, and it's a pity that England met France too early, but the future is promising.
UT_ Truman: I support Germany and France, but unfortunately they did not win the title.
UT_: I'm happy that Argentina I supported won all the way.
UT_ Fan 11: My home team didn't win the title. I support Brazil and like Neymar.
Soccer: What impressed you the most about the World Cup? Does it help with the esports finals?
UT_ Canghai: The deepest impression is Argentina, with a tenacious will to overcome the hurdles, everyone can contribute to the team and ideals. In the finals we just took the Argentine script and finally equalized on penalties.
UT_ West I: Argentina vs Netherlands and France, the ups and downs, just like the live finals.
UT_ Fan 11: The most impressive thing was the World Cup final, where I experienced the tension and excitement with my family, which was almost the same as the live final.
UT_ Xiaoscum: After Portugal went out, Ronaldo covered his face and cried and left the game, warning me never to underestimate the enemy.
Soccer: As a top e-sports expert in China, how do you view the trend of e-sports for all?
UT_ Musketeers: Relying on the iteration of the Internet and mobile devices, the excitement of competition and the viewing of video games make esports for all have great potential.
UT_ Truman: The e-sports industry will become more and more standardized in the future, and everyone's enthusiasm for participation will become higher and higher.
UT_ Xixi i: The trend of esports for all will take time to develop, and I hope that live esports will get better and better.
UT_ Fan 11: E-sports is a new trend for young people, and they will also be the mainstay of society in the future.
UT_ Xiaoscum: Esports for all is the trend, but everyone needs to do their own planning.
【UT Esports Team】
Ultimate Team is inspired by the famous saying of Ball King Pele: Football is the ultimate in team sport, which means football is the ultimate form of team sport. UT Pro Evolution Soccer Mobile Game Association was founded in March 2020 and established the UT Esports Team in May 2021.
Team honors >
Pro Evolution Super League S1 season 5th, S2 season 5th, 2021 final 5th, S3 season 3rd place, S4 season third place, S5 season champion, S6 season third place, 2022 final champion
UT Esports Team member >
Manager: Soaring Dongxue, Dalian, Liaoning, 40 years old
Manager: Big fish, Anshun, Guizhou, 28 years old
Captain: UT_ Musketeer, Shanghai, 31 years old
Player: UT_ Canghai, Anshan, Liaoning, 23 years old
Contestant: UT_ Truman, Shanghai, 35 years old
Contestant: UT_ Fan 11, Maoming, Guangdong, 19 years old
Player: UT_ Xiaozhao, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 21 years old
Player: UT_ Xixi I, Binzhou, Shandong, 26 years old