Team Queso’s Rocket League team, featuring two UK players, finished runners-up at the RLCS Winter Major on the weekend after some impressive performances.
They finished second in Group A before making a thrilling run in the lower bracket to go right through to the grand final.
Queso beat the likes of NRG, Evil Geniuses, Furia, Faze Clan and Spacestation in the playoffs to meet G2 in the final match of the major.
There, they took the first set 4-3, before G2 took the second 4-2, giving them the win due to their upper-bracket advantage. G2’s North American roster also had the home/crowd advantage, with the LAN taking place in Los Angeles.
Queso expressed their emotions after the loss, with UK player Joyo saying ‘sorry’ on Twitter for the defeat, with many in the community telling him they played well and that he didn’t need to apologise.
Queso’s other UK player Rise added: “I’m super proud of our performance regardless [of finishing second]. Obviously it stings to go out this close, but our run was insane. GGs and congrats G2 Esports.”
UK substitute player, Noah, said this was just the beginning for Queso.
“To play like that through lowers with the crowd against them is something to be proud of,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
French player Vatira also expressed his emotions on Twitter.
Rise actually set a new goals record during the major, adding to Queso’s achievements
Navi player Virtuoso tweeted about one loss in the groups stage making things harder for Queso, which sparked a debate around the format.
Other teams with UK talent at the RLCS 2022 Winter Major included Endpoint and Dignitas, who were knocked out earlier on in the playoffs stage.
Queso can hold their heads high. They have finished first and second at various recent RLCS Regional Events over the past year, demonstrating their consistency.
The fact that their team is so young (Vatira is 15, Joyo 16 and Rise 17) means the future for these young star players is very bright indeed, and we look forward to seeing what they do in the future.
Keep your heads up, boys, you’ve done yourselves proud.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
