Philadelphia Union esports competitor ThiagoCapo12 had to go the distance to make it to the live stream on Sunday afternoon at eMLS League Series Two presented by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar but came up just moments away from glory and advancing to second round.
After picking up 16 points in the 12 matches of the qualifier contests to land in Group D, Thiago needed to finish in the top two spots to advance to Sunday's winner take all bracket finale. He did just that with a pair of wins plus a draw to earn his spot to battle D.C. United's eMLS veteran and title contender, KingCJ0.
The contest was tight from the opening whistle and both sides wouldn't make a mistake during regulation to send the winner take all contest to extra time. Just before the first break, ThiagoCapo12 broke through with a beauty of a finish in the 104' minute to put the favorite on the edge of being eliminated. After a lengthy pause to adjust tactics and the halftime whistle, D.C. United responded with a momentum swinging equalizer in the 115' that would send the contest to penalty kicks where Thiago's run would come to an end.
Despite the loss, ThiagoCapo12 is one of eight competitors to have made it to the final bracket in the first two eMLS events of the season. He'll need to make another run next month as he'll head to Austin on March 11 to compete at eMLS Cup's Last Chance Qualifier that will be held at SXSW. The tournament will determine the final “Cinderella” participant spot for the eMLS Cup on March 12.
