Coming off the inaugural 2018 eMLS year, the Portland Timbers are set to begin 2019 anew with the re-signing of eMLS competitor Edgar “xthiagosilva_o “ Guerrero.
But before 2019 begins, Guerrero will be busy in Atlanta.
With the Timbers set to kick off against Atlanta United FC in the 2018 MLS Cup on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (5pm PT, FOX), Guerrero will be taking part in a special eMLS x Coca-Cola event against AUFC’s newly signed competitor Hugo “ratedhugo” Hernandez Friday evening.
Esports fans, club supporters, Chad Johnson and Waka Flocka will all be on hand to see the two competitors face each other in a best-of-three format utilizing the current EA SPORTS FIFA 19 rosters for each team.
Guerrero, a Timbers fan living in McMinnville, Ore., first joined Portland in 2018 and took part in the first-ever 2018 eMLS Cup tournament at PAX East in Boston. He advanced from the group play stage, qualifying for the Western Conference Playoffs of the tournament while going 4-0-0 against Cascadia rival competitors from Seattle Sounders FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Also in 2018, he peaked at No. 15 in North America for FIFA Ultimate Team rankings. An accomplished 11v11 Pro Clubs player as well, Guerrero has previously captained an esports team for Mexico’s Club América and, while there, won four first-division titles, two Copa Pro titles, two SuperCopa Pro titles as well as a Mexican Cup championship title and two Continental Cup titles playing FIFA.
eMLS is set to expand in 2019 with the league and EA SPORTS featuring 22 teams, including newcomers Atlanta, D.C. United and FC Cincinnati as well as all 19 originals. Each will vie for the 2019 eMLS Cup presented by PlayStation, to be played on PlayStation 4 as the official console.
The calendar is highlighted by the inaugural eMLS League Series presented by PlayStation, comprised of two events: eMLS League Series One, hosted in conjunction with the LA Galaxy in January, and eMLS League Series Two, hosted by FC Dallas in February. Each will include participation from all eMLS professional FIFA players, with prizes awarded for performance in each series. Additionally, performance across the two eMLS League Series events will determine seeding for the 2019 eMLS Cup presented by PlayStation.
