Jump to content

2020 Philadelphia Fusion season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2020 Philadelphia Fusion season
North America Region champions
Head coachKim "KDG" Dong-gun
OwnerComcast Spectacor
Arena(s)The Met Philadelphia
ConferenceAtlantic
DivisionSouth
RegionNorth America
Results
Record19–2 (.905)
Place
May MeleeSemifinals
Summer ShowdownFinals
Countdown CupFinals
Season PlayoffsGF Lower Round 1
Total Earnings$430,000

The 2020 Philadelphia Fusion season was the third season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League and their first under head coach Kim "KDG" Dong-gun. The Fusion planned to host three homestand weekends in the 2020 season, with the first two taking place at The Met in Philadelphia and the third at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.[1] While their first homestand weekend took place, all following homestand events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On August 16, in their final regular season game, the Fusion clinched the top seed in the North America region for the season playoffs with a win over the San Francisco Shock.[2] In the first round of the North America bracket, Philadelphia swept the Los Angeles Gladiators, 3–0.[3] The following day, the Fusion swept the Los Angeles Valiant, 3–0, sending them to the North America upper bracket finals.[4] In the upper finals match, which took place on September 12, Philadelphia were handed their first loss of the postseason, falling to San Francisco by a score of 1–3.[5] The loss sent the Fusion to the North America lower bracket finals, where they swept the Washington Justice, 3–0, sending them to the Grand Finals bracket.[6]

The Fusion's first match in the Grand Finals bracket was on October 8, where they were swept, 0–3, by the Shanghai Dragons.[7] The following day, they were swept, 0–3, by the Seoul Dynasty, ending their postseason run.[8]

Preceding offseason

[edit]

Organizational changes

[edit]

In September 2019, Director of Overwatch Operations Yann "Kirby" Luu, who was also the head coach of the team in 2018, left the team.[9] Less than a month later, both co-head coaches Se-hwi "NamedHwi" Go and Elliot "Hayes" Hayes announced their departures from the team.[10] The team found their replacement on October 25 with the hiring of former Seoul Dynasty head coach Kim "KDG" Dong-gun. Additionally, the team promoted Roston Yoo from team manager to assistant general manager the same day.[11]

Roster changes

[edit]
Free agents
Role Player Contract
status
Date signed 2020 team
Handle Name
Damage Carpe Jae-Hyeok Lee Free agent October 23 Philadelphia Fusion[12]
Damage Snillo Simon Ekström Free agent October 30 Philadelphia Fusion[13]
Legend
  Re-signed/Retained by the Fusion.
  Departed from the Fusion.

The Fusion enter the new season with two free agents, four players which they have the option to retain for another year, and three players under contract.[14] The OWL's deadline to exercise a team option is November 11, after which any players not retained will become a free agent. Free agency officially began on October 7.[15]

Acquisitions

[edit]

The Fusion's first acquisitions of the offseason were announced on October 30. The team traded tank Shin "BERNAR" Se-won and support Kim "Fuze" Tae-hoon from Fusion University to the London Spitfire in exchange for tank Kim "Fury" Jun-ho, signed former Toronto Defiant DPS Lee "Ivy" Seung-hun, acquired support Daniel "FunnyAstro" Hathaway from the Atlanta Reign, and promoted support Kim "Alarm" Kyeong-bo from Fusion University. Additionally, the team announced that DPS Josue "Eqo" Corona as part of their roster, although he had been let go from the team earlier in the month.[13] On November 25, the team announced that they had acquired DPS Jeong "Heesu" Hee-su from RunAway, although he would not turn 18, and thus ineligible to play, until late March.[16]

On November 26, the acquisition of DPS Philip "ChipSa" Graham, a popular streamer, was announced.[17] This signing proved to be controversial, as several figures in the professional Overwatch community criticized the signing. Namely, Envy Gaming content creator Justin "Jayne" Conroy noted his lack of professional experience and accused the Fusion of nepotism, as ChipSa's brother Chris "ChrisTFer" Graham works as an assistant coach for the team.[18]

Departures

[edit]

The Fusion's first free agent to depart from the team was support Alberto "neptuNo" González, who had been with the team since its inception in 2017, as the team announced that they had parted ways with him on October 21.[19] The following day, the team elected not to exercise their option to retain DPS Josue "Eqo" Corona, who was also an inaugural season team member.[20] Support Elijah "Elk" Gallagher and DPS Finley "Kyb" Adisi, the final two players that were under team options, were released a day later.[21] Although he was announced as a part of the Fusion's roster in October, DPS Simon "Snillo" Ekström was released from the team on December 19.[22]

Final roster

[edit]
2020 Philadelphia Fusion roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage 18 Carpe Lee Jae-hyeok South Korea
Damage 2 Ivy Lee Seung-hyun South Korea
Damage 15 EQO Corona, Josue Israel
Damage 1 ChipSa Graham, Philip United Kingdom
Damage 10 Heesu Jeong Hee-su South Korea
Tank 9 SADO Kim Su-min South Korea
Tank 21 Poko Gouzerch, Gael France
Tank 19 Fury Kim Jun-ho South Korea
Support 33 FunnyAstro Hathaway, Daniel United Kingdom
Support 42 Boombox Charles, Isaac United Kingdom
Support 17 Alarm Kim Kyung-bo South Korea
Head coach
  • Kim "KDG" Dong-gun

Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: December 19, 2019.

Standings

[edit]
Pos Con Team Pld W BW L PCT MW ML MT MD Qualification
1 ATL Philadelphia Fusion 21 19 5 2 0.905 59 19 0 +40 Advance to playoffs
2 PAC San Francisco Shock 21 18 7 3 0.857 56 17 2 +39
3 ATL Paris Eternal 21 15 4 6 0.714 50 31 0 +19
4 ATL Florida Mayhem 21 14 3 7 0.667 48 30 0 +18
5 PAC Los Angeles Valiant 21 11 1 10 0.524 41 41 0 0
6 PAC Los Angeles Gladiators 21 11 0 10 0.524 43 39 5 +4 Advance to play-ins
7 ATL Atlanta Reign 21 10 0 11 0.476 43 35 0 +8
8 PAC Dallas Fuel 21 9 0 12 0.429 35 44 0 −9
9 ATL Toronto Defiant 21 7 1 14 0.333 32 48 0 −16
10 ATL Houston Outlaws 21 6 0 15 0.286 32 50 3 −18
11 PAC Vancouver Titans 21 6 0 15 0.286 23 48 0 −25
12 ATL Washington Justice 21 4 0 17 0.190 21 54 1 −33
13 ATL Boston Uprising 21 2 0 19 0.095 14 61 4 −47
Source: The Overwatch League
Rules for classification: 1) Wins plus bonus wins 2) winning percentage (excluding bonus wins); 3) map differential; 4) head-to-head record; 5) head-to-head map differential


Game log

[edit]

Regular season

[edit]
2020 game log (Regular season record: 19–2)
February–April: 9–1
1 February 15 Washington Justice 1 3 Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia, PA
6:00 pm EST     The Met Philadelphia
Hosted by Philadelphia Fusion
1 Nepal 2
2 Havana 1
2 King's Row 3
1 Temple of Anubis 3
2 February 16 Florida Mayhem 0 3 Philadelphia Fusion Philadelphia, PA
6:00 pm EST     The Met Philadelphia
Hosted by Philadelphia Fusion
1 Busan 2
0 Horizon Lunar Colony 2
3 Havana 2
3 Eichenwalde 4
3 February 22 New York Excelsior 1 3 Philadelphia Fusion Washington, DC
3:00 pm EST     The Anthem
Hosted by Washington Justice
1 Busan 2
0 Horizon Lunar Colony 2
3 Havana 2
3 Eichenwalde 4
4 February 23 Toronto Defiant 2 3 Philadelphia Fusion Washington, DC
5:00 pm EST     The Anthem
Hosted by Washington Justice
0 Oasis 2
1 Temple of Anubis 2
2 Dorado 1
6 King's Row 5
0 Nepal 2
5 March 01 Boston Uprising 0 3 Philadelphia Fusion Houston, TX
1:00 pm EST     Revention Music Center
Hosted by Houston Outlaws
0 Lijiang Tower 2
1 King's Row 2
1 Hanamura 2
6 March 08 Paris Eternal 3 2 Philadelphia Fusion Washington, DC
3:00 pm EDT     The Anthem
Hosted by Washington Justice
2 Ilios 0
3 Junkertown 2
0 Blizzard World 1
1 Hanamura 2
2 Oasis 1
7 April 05 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Washington Justice Online
10:00 pm UTC    
8 April 11 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Paris Eternal Online
8:00 pm UTC    
9 April 12 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Atlanta Reign Online
10:00 pm UTC    
10 April 25 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Atlanta Reign Online
8:00 pm UTC    

May Melee qualifiers: 3–0
11 May 03 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Paris Eternal Online
7:00 pm UTC    
12 May 10 Philadelphia Fusion 3 1 Dallas Fuel Online
7:00 pm UTC    
13 May 17 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Vancouver Titans Online
9:00 pm UTC    

Summer Showdown qualifiers: 2–1
14 June 14 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Houston Outlaws Online
7:00 pm UTC    
15 June 21 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Boston Uprising Online
7:00 pm UTC    
16 June 28 Philadelphia Fusion 0 3 San Francisco Shock Online
11:00 pm UTC    

Countdown Cup qualifiers: 4–0
17 July 26 Philadelphia Fusion 3 2 Los Angeles Gladiators Online
1:00 am UTC    
18 July 26 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Toronto Defiant Online
9:00 pm UTC    
19 July 31 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Dallas Fuel Online
7:00 pm UTC    
20 August 02 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Los Angeles Valiant Online
11:00 pm UTC    

August: 1–0
21 August 16 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 San Francisco Shock Online
1:00 am UTC    

2020 season schedule

Midseason tournaments

[edit]
2020 midseason tournaments game log
May Melee: 1–1
Quarterfinals May 23 Philadelphia Fusion 3 1 Los Angeles Gladiators Online
11:00 pm UTC    
Semifinals May 24 Philadelphia Fusion 1 3 Florida Mayhem Online
9:00 pm UTC    

Summer Showdown: 2–1
Quarterfinals July 05 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Houston Outlaws Online
1:00 am UTC    
Semifinals July 05 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Toronto Defiant Online
8:00 pm UTC    
Finals July 06 Philadelphia Fusion 3 4 Paris Eternal Online
12:00 midnight UTC    

Countdown Cup: 2–1
Quarterfinals August 08 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Online
9:00 pm UTC    
Semifinals August 09 Philadelphia Fusion 3 1 Paris Eternal Online
7:00 pm UTC    
Finals August 09 Philadelphia Fusion 2 4 San Francisco Shock Online
9:00 pm UTC    

Bonus wins awarded: 5

Postseason

[edit]
2020 playoff game log
North America Bracket: 3–1
Upper Round 1 September 05 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Los Angeles Gladiators Online
7:00 pm UTC    
Upper Round 2 September 06 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Los Angeles Valiant Online
11:00 pm UTC    
Upper Finals September 12 Philadelphia Fusion 1 3 San Francisco Shock Online
7:00 pm UTC    
Lower Finals September 13 Philadelphia Fusion 3 0 Washington Justice Online
7:00 pm UTC    

Grand Finals Bracket: 0–2
Upper Round 1 October 8 Philadelphia Fusion 0 3 Shanghai Dragons Online
1:00 pm UTC    
Lower Round 1 October 9 Philadelphia Fusion 0 3 Seoul Dynasty Online
11:00 am UTC    

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Chan, Eric (August 27, 2019). "The Fusion are bringing the Overwatch League home in 2020 with 3 homestand weekend events". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Field Level Media (August 16, 2020). "Fusion get revenge, top seed with win over Shock". Reuters. Retrieved November 24, 2020.[dead link]
  3. ^ Field Level Media. "Trio of 5-map thrillers highlight wild day at OWL playoffs". Reuters. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 6, 2020). "Paris Eternal, Los Angeles Gladiators eliminated from Overwatch League playoffs". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  5. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 12, 2020). "Shanghai Dragons, San Francisco Shock lock in Overwatch League Grand Finals spots". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2020). "Seoul Dynasty, Philadelphia Fusion round out Overwatch League Grand Finals bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  7. ^ Alford, Aaron (October 8, 2020). "Shock, Dragons Advance to OWL Winners Bracket Finals". Hotspawn. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  8. ^ Czar, Michael (October 9, 2020). "Philadelphia Fusion eliminated from Grand Finals weekend". Daily Esports. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Richardson, Liz (September 23, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons, Philadelphia Fusion drop staff". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  10. ^ Shepard, Kate (October 7, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion: Potential Moves for 2020 [Part II]". The Game Haus. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  11. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 25, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion hire new head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  12. ^ Esguerra, Tyler (October 23, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion re-sign Carpe to 3-year contract extension". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Fusion, Fuel, Defiant and more make Overwatch League roster moves". ESPN. Reuters. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  14. ^ Morello, Matt (July 30, 2019). "2020 Team Needs and Player Contract Status". Overwatch League. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  15. ^ Richardson, Liz (October 4, 2019). "Overwatch League reveals player contract status for entire league". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  16. ^ Peres, Pedro (November 25, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion sign Heesu". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Richardson, Liz (November 26, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion sign ChipSa". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  18. ^ Gwilliam, Michael (November 26, 2019). "Jayne says Fusion "spat in pros' faces" by signing Overwatch streamer". Dexerto.com. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  19. ^ Shepard, Kate (October 21, 2019). "The Philadelphia Fusion Release Neptuno". The Game Haus. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  20. ^ Samples, Rachel (October 22, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion part ways with Eqo ahead of 2020 Overwatch League season". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  21. ^ Samples, Rachel (October 23, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion release Elk and KYB". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  22. ^ Richardson, Liz (December 19, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion part ways with Snillo". Dot Esports. Retrieved December 20, 2019.