The Las Vegas Legends have cemented a little place in history for themselves this past week after becoming the 2020 VPG eNPSL Championship winners. The Legends defeated the Central Florida Panthers SC on Tuesday, beating them 3-0 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second to secure a 5-1 aggregate victory and with it the tournament trophy.
The eNPSL was swiftly arranged after the Covid-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 NPSL season, which meant that instead of playing over a LAN, the teams would compete against each other online instead.
eNPSL League Structure
The league partnered with Virtual Pro Gaming (VPG) and saw a league of 16 teams competing, each comprising of squads of 22 players. 11 gamers play on each team, each controlling a single player during the entire game.
The 16 teams played each other twice, home and away, to complete a 30-game regular season, with the top eight teams progressing into the 2020 VPG eNPLS Playoffs.
The Legends made it into the playoffs after finishing in seventh players while it appeared it would be the FC Buffalo eSports team would be the one to beat after they lost just two of their 30 games in the season.
Playoffs & Final
However, in the Playoffs, Las Vegas Legends found their feet, defeating the second seed Muskegon Risers team 4-0 in their Quarterfinal clash, before despatching FC Baltimore Christos in the semifinals. In the final, they met Central Florida, who had surprisingly beaten FC Buffalo to claim a final spot where they romped to a 5-1 victory over two legs.
Owner of the Legends team, Meir Cohen commented;
“The Las Vegas Legends organization takes price in every event that we participate in. When the 2020 NPSL season was cancelled, we decided to participate in the eNPSL season with the same legends mentality: passion, hard work and unity.”
“This week was scheduled to be an NPSL Championship gane. The Las Vegas Legends set their goal to participate in it and in some way we did it. The Las Vegas Legends are 2020 Champions.”
The manager of the team, Jr. Baldivias was equally proud of his team’s success, adding;
“I’m proud to be part of this process and to win the first ever eNPSL championship. I want to thank the players who committed. We are happy that we were able to put our city and FIFA Pro Clubs on the map.”
In defeat, the General Manager of the team Nahuel “Nahztalgic” Zabala commented:
“It’s been an exciting season. Watching the world of football and world of gaming become one, especially at this time when the world is going through such a crisis has been a truly unique and unforgettable experience.”
“From promotion the team, trying out players, and streaming our official games, you can definitely see the growth and potential that this league has to offer.”
“I can’t wait to see what the future holds and I’m grateful that the NPSL received the opportunity to make its mark in the esports scene. Forza Panthers!”
Featured Image Credits: National Premier Soccer Lague
