Los Angeles Gladiators

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Los Angeles Gladiators
Los Angeles, California
Colors     
OwnerStan Kroenke
Josh Kroenke
Head coachSam "face" Merewether
General managerBrenda "bsuh" Suh
Affiliation(s)Gladiators Legion
Parent groupKroenke Sports & Entertainment
WebsiteOfficial website
Uniforms

The Los Angeles Gladiators were an American professional

Los Angeles, California. The Gladiators competed in the Overwatch League (OWL) as a member of the league's West region. Founded in 2017, the Los Angeles Gladiators were one of twelve founding members of the OWL and one of two professional Overwatch teams based in Los Angeles (the other, the Los Angeles Valiant). The team was owned by Stan Kroenke and Josh Kroenke of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, who also owned Gladiators Legion, an academy team for Los Angeles that competed in Overwatch Contenders
.

The Gladiators made a season playoffs appearance in every season from 2018 to 2022. They claimed their first midseason tournament title in 2021, after winning the 2021 Countdown Cup. In 2022, they won two more midseason tournament titles, the regional Kickoff Clash and global Midseason Madness.

Franchise history

Team creation: Joining the Overwatch League

On August 10, 2017,

Phoenix1 (later renamed to Sentinels after the partnership) to help manage the operations of the team.[3] During the same announcement, they unveiled their initial seven-player inaugural season roster, consisting of a mix of nationalities, as well as their head coach David "Dpei" Pei.[4]

Competitive history: 2018–2023

Los Angeles' first OWL regular season match was on January 10, 2018, and resulted in a 4–0 sweep over the

Baek "Fissure" Chan-hyung from the London Spitfire in February and Kang "Void" Jun-woo from Contenders team KongDoo Panthera in March.[6][7] Los Angeles reached the playoffs in Stage 3, where they lost to the Boston Uprising, 0–3, in the first round.[8] The team thrived in the final stage of the season. Behind MVP runner up Fissure, the Gladiators finished Stage 4 with a league-best 9–1 record.[9][10] The team unexpectedly chose the second-seeded Valiant as their first opponents in the Stage 4 playoffs;[11] the Valiant subsequently defeated the Gladiators by a score of 3–2.[12] With a 25–15 regular season record, the Gladiators claimed the fourth seed in the season playoffs. In their first playoff series, the Gladiators faced the Spitfire. The team elected to bench Fissure in favor of Luis "iRemiix" Galarza Figueroa throughout the best-of-three series; although the organization stated that the reason for the change was because Fissure's playstyle was not "right" for the current state of the game,[9] journalist Rod "Slasher" Breslau reported that Fissure was "unhappy with the players on the team not trying hard enough ... and stopped communicating in scrims."[13] In the series, Los Angeles won the first match, 3–0. However, they lost in the following two matches, despite leading 2–0 to start both of them, ending their playoff run.[14]

In the offseason preceding the

damage player Jang "Decay" Gui-un to play alongside existing damage players Lane "Surefour" Roberts and João Pedro "Hydration" Goes Telles.[16][17] Outside of a six-game winning streak in Stage 2,[18] the team found middling results throughout the season, finishing with a 17–11 overall record and the fifth seed in the season playoffs.[19] The Gladiators' first playoff match in the double-elimination tournament was against the Hangzhou Spark on September 5; they defeated the Spark, 4–3, marking the team's first ever playoff series win, including stage playoffs, in franchise history.[20][21] The win advanced the team to the first round in the upper bracket, but they lost to the Vancouver Titans, 2–4, sending them to the lower bracket.[22] Los Angeles' season came to an end after the following match, when they were swept 0–4 by the San Francisco Shock.[23]

Gladiator players holding the 2022 Kickoff Clash trophy

In the preceding offseason of the 2020 season, controversy arose among Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) and their partnered management organization

Los Angeles Guerrillas.[25]

The Gladiators parted ways with all but two of their players from the 2019 season, retaining only main support Benjamin "BigGoose" Isohanni and flex support Jonas "Shaz" Suovaara; among the many acquisitions of the offseason were veterans tank

Philadelphia Fusion, sending them to the lower bracket.[29] They lost to the Florida Mayhem in the first round of the lower bracket, which eliminated them from the playoffs.[30]

In the 2021 offseason, the Gladiators made several roster changes, including the departure of BigGoose and Shaz, who had been with the team since their inauguration,

Philadelphia Fusion in the first round of the double-elimination tournament,[38] consecutive losses to the Atlanta Reign and the Shanghai Dragons ended their playoff run.[39][40]

In the offseason preceding the 2022 season the Gladiators parted ways with head coach Dpei, as well as several players, including Moth and Birdring. The team brought on Sam "face" Merewether, who was a former assistant coach to Dpei, as their new head coach.[41] Additionally, they signed support Daniel "FunnyAstro" Hathaway and damage duo Lee "ANS" Seon-chan and Patiphan "Patiphan" Chaiwong.[42] The Gladiators won the Western region Kickoff Clash, the first tournament of the season, after they defeated the Dallas Fuel in the finals by a score of 4–0.[43] On July 23, the team won the season's first global tournament, the Midseason Madness, after defeating the San Francisco Shock in the finals, 4–2.[44]

Team identity

On November 2, 2017, the Los Angeles Gladiators brand was officially unveiled.[3] The name and logo, a roaring lion head in a battle-hardened shield, were selected in spirit of the original superstars of sports and entertainment (as well as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum), the gladiators of ancient Rome, whose ferocity and "willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice captured the hearts of millions of people of all backgrounds for centuries". Continuing with the gladiator theme, the team colors were announced as purple and white, inspired from the royal colors of the Roman emperors that the gladiators fought for. In addition, the written logo was revealed with a contrasting color used intentionally for the connected letters L and A in "Gladiators", to highlight the Los Angeles location of the team.[45]

As an addition to their branding, the Gladiators began using the slogan "shields up" on social media, possibly a reference to the frequent use of shields by the ancient Roman gladiators as a means of defense. As a result, fans of the team have often chanted "Shields up" during the team's matches. When asked what the slogan meant to him in an interview, head coach David "Dpei" Pei stated, "It's kind of like defending your team, like being there for your team … I think that's what kind of epitomizes the Gladiators' saying 'shields up.'"[46]

Zayde Wølf's song "Gladiator" was used by the team during their last entrance of the 2018 playoffs. The song became popular with the team's fans, and since then it has been used by the team for almost every single one of their entrances at the arena.

Personnel

Current roster

Los Angeles Gladiators roster
Players Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality
Damage
 18 kevster Persson, Kevin Sweden
Damage
 23 Kai Collins, Kai United Kingdom
Damage
 27 Yaki Kim Jun-ki South Korea
Tank
 11 Marve1 Hwang Min-seo South Korea
Support
 33 FunnyAstro Hathaway, Daniel United Kingdom
Support
 77 Lastro Mun Jung-won South Korea
Support
 16 Babel Park Sang-jun South Korea
Support
 1 cal Mazzucco, Matteo Canada
Head coach
  • Sam "face" Merewether
Assistant coach(es)
  • Max "Unter" Unterwurzacher
  • Cho "SMASH" Bee-won
Legend:
  • (I) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (2W) Two-way player
  • Substitute player Substitute
  • Injured Injury / Illness
  

Latest roster transaction: July 24, 2023.

Head coaches

Handle Name Seasons Record Notes Ref.
Dpei David Pei 2018–2021 64–41 (.610) [4][47]
face Sam Merewether 2022–present 24–16 (.600) [41]

Awards and records

Seasons overview

Season P W L W% Finish Playoffs
2018 40 25 15 .625 2nd, Pacific Lost in Quarterfinals, 0–2 (Spitfire)
2019 28 17 11 .607 4th, Pacific Lost in Lower Round 2, 0–4 (Shock)
2020 21 11 10 .524 5th, North America Lost in NA Lower Round 1, 0–3 (Mayhem)
2021 16 11 5 .688 2nd, West Lost in Lower Round 2, 2–3 (Reign)
2022 24 18 6 .750 3rd, West Lost in Lower Round 2, 1–3 (Shock)
2023 16 6 10 .375 11th, West Did not qualify

Individual accomplishments

Role Star selections

  • kevster (Kevin Persson) – 2021
  • SPACE (Indy Halpern)
     – 2021
  • Shu (Kim Jin-seo) – 2021

All-Star Game selections

Academy team

Main article: Gladiators Legion

On February 15, 2018, the Gladiators formally announced their academy team would go under the name "Gladiators Legion" for Overwatch Contenders North America, as well as revealing their 6-player Season One roster led by head coach Gannon "RaptorZ" Nelson.[48][49] In December 2019, Gladiators Legion disbanded, after two years of competing in Overwatch Contenders.[50]

Notes

  1. ^ Fissure was selected to the 2018 All-Star Game whilst a member of the Gladiators, but was transferred to the Seoul Dynasty in the offseason period prior to the All-Star Game and, thus, would represent the Dynasty while participating in the event.

References

  1. ^ Webster, Andrew (August 10, 2017). "Blizzard's Overwatch League continues to expand with new teams in London and LA". The Verge. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  2. ^ Wolf, Jacob (August 10, 2017). "Cloud9 buys London, Kroenkes grab L.A. Overwatch League spots". ESPN. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Khan, Imad (November 2, 2017). "With the Gladiators announced for the Overwatch League, all twelve teams are now set". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Goslin, Austen (November 2, 2017). "Los Angeles Gladiators coach talks about what makes a great player and the team's official roster". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (January 15, 2018). "Dynasty survives Fuel, Valiant tops Shock, Gladiators squashes Dragons as OWL regular season begins". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  6. ^ Wolf, Jacob (February 13, 2018). "Sources: LA Gladiators to acquire Fissure". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  7. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Waltzer, Noah (May 7, 2018). "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Erzberger, Tyler (July 17, 2018). "Overwatch League sendoffs: Until next year, Boston and L.A." ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "Playoff Preview: Los Angeles Gladiators". Overwatch League. July 4, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  11. ^ Baker, Harry (June 16, 2018). "The Gladiators have picked the Valiant as their Stage Playoff opponent". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  12. ^ Donigan, Wyatt (June 18, 2018). "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  13. ^ Marshall, Cass (July 19, 2018). "Another Overwatch esports controversy is playing out over social media". Heroes Never Die. Polygon. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Baker, Harry (July 14, 2018). "London reverse sweep two back-to-back series against Gladiators, head to semifinals". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
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  16. ^ "2019 Team Preview: Los Angeles Gladiators". Overwatch League. January 18, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Czar, Michael (February 4, 2019). "Overwatch League Season 2 Team Preview – Los Angeles Gladiators". Upcomer. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  18. ^ Rand, Emily; Erzberger, Tyler (April 23, 2019). "Overwatch League power rankings through Stage 2, Week 3". ESPN. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
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    . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  20. ^ "Gladiators, Titans win on Day 1 of Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. September 6, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  21. ^ Cuevo, Chris (September 5, 2019). "LA Gladiators' rOar Has a Message for the Vancouver Titans". InvenGlobal. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  22. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  23. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  24. ^ Wolf, Jacob (August 2, 2019). "Sentinels CEO sues Kroenke Sports & Entertainment over Echo Fox purchase". ESPN. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  25. ^ Wolf, Jacob (September 17, 2019). "Kroenke Sports & Entertainment parts with Sentinels, to build own esports front office". ESPN. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
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  28. Dot Esports
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  29. ^ Miller, Chris (September 5, 2020). "Overwatch League – Los Angeles Gladiators Face The Philadelphia Fusion Surprisingly Quick". Happy Gamer. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  30. ^ Field Level Media (September 6, 2020). "Fusion, Shock hold form at OWL NA playoffs". Reuters. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  31. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  32. ^ Garst, Aron (April 21, 2021). "Grant "Moth" Espe believes in a championship win with Los Angeles Gladiators". Upcomer. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  33. Dot Esports
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  34. ^ Richardson, Liz (March 1, 2021). "What we learned from the Overwatch League SteelSeries Invitational". Dot Esports. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  35. ^ Garst, Aron (September 14, 2021). "After a season of growth, the Gladiators are reaching their potential". Upcomer. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  36. ^
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  38. ^ "Overwatch League playoffs recap: Day 1". Upcomer. September 22, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  39. ^ "Overwatch League 2021 playoffs recap: Day 3". Upcomer. September 24, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  40. ^ "Overwatch League 2021 playoffs recap: Day 2". Upcomer. September 23, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  41. ^
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  42. ^ "Patiphan leaves Valorant to join OWL's Gladiators". Reuters. December 15, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  43. ^ Collins, Sean (June 5, 2022). "Los Angeles Gladiators stomp Dallas Fuel in Kickoff Clash championship". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  44. Dot Esports
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  45. ^ Vejnovic, Tatjana (November 2, 2017). "Blizzard Announces Final Team for Overwatch League". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  46. ^ Akshon Esports Overwatch (February 19, 2018), Overwatch League Team Signs RunAway Player - The Meaning Behind Shields Up | Akshon Recap, retrieved November 6, 2018
  47. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  48. ^ Tahan, Chelsey (February 15, 2018). "LA Gladiators reveal their Contenders team: the Gladiators Legion". Overwatch Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  49. ^ "Meet the Gladiators Legion". Los Angeles Gladiators. February 15, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018 – via Overwatch League.
  50. Dot Esports
    . Retrieved March 21, 2022.
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