Philadelphia Union esports competitor ThiagoCapo12 put the rest of the league on notice that he was hungry for more than just being in eMLS his rookie season and wrapped up his debut year qualifying for the eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and TikTok.
Just like he had done in the two League Series events, Thiago succeeded in the pressure cooker of knockout play with a dominant display on the controller to win the Last Chance Qualifier against 15 competitors where only one would advance to the main event at Austin City Limits. The victory saw him face off against club rival KingCJ0 of D.C. United where the two put up a tight battle but ultimately Thiago's comeback run ended via a 2-1 scoreline.
Despite the season-ending loss, Thiago's rookie campaign proved the University of Delaware sophomore he was one of the top players in North America. In his first competition, the Union esports star kept his cool and went unbeaten in the Group Stage to advance to the eMLS League Series One knockouts where he proved to be the toughest match of the night for eventual champion, PauloNeto of Atlanta United.
A few weeks later in League Series Two the 20-year-old again showed his resilience to advance to the knockouts on eMLS League Series Two overcoming a tough start to the event with a dominant run in the Group Stage to earn his spot in the bracket once more. There he'd have his first battle against D.C. United's eMLS veteran who would grab an extra time victory.
