In a battle of underdogs, Ehsan “Lamps” Zakeri of Minnesota United defeated John “xVerde” Garcia of Austin FC 6-1 to claim the eMLS League Series 2 title on Sunday.
Lamps and xVerde were the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively, in the weekend’s eight-person bracket. They advanced that far by upsetting higher-seeded opponents.
In Saturday’s quarterfinals, Lamps beat second-seeded Nawid “GoalMachine” Noorzai of Toronto FC 4-3, and earlier in the day Sunday, he ran off with a 7-3 semifinal win over Atlanta United’s Paulo Roberto “PauloNeto999” Xavier de Brito Neto.
GoalMachine and PauloNeto999 were the finalists in eMLS League Series 1, with GoalMachine earning that title — making Lamps’ run over the weekend all the more impressive.
The competition is off until March 12, the day of the Last Chance Qualifier, one day before the eMLS Cup. Players are competing for shares of a $70,000 prize pool over the course of the season.
–Field Level Media
