New York Excelsior
Short name | NYXL |
---|---|
Founded | July 12, 2017 |
League | Overwatch League |
Region | West |
Team history | New York Excelsior (2017–present) |
Based in | New York City, U.S. |
Colors | |
Owner | Jeff Wilpon |
Head coach | Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk |
Affiliation(s) | NYXL Academy |
Main sponsor | Astro Gaming |
Website | Official website |
Uniforms | |
The New York Excelsior (often stylized as NYXL) is an American professional
Hyun-sang "Pavane" Yu was appointed the team's first head coach and led New York to two conference titles, all seven midseason tournament playoff appearances, midseason tournament titles, and a two-season playoff berths in his time from 2018 to 2019. NYXL missed the season playoffs for the first time in franchise history in the 2021 season.
Franchise history
Beginnings
On July 12, 2017, Overwatch developer Activision Blizzard officially announced that Jeff Wilpon, co-founder and partner of Sterling.VC, purchased the New York-based Overwatch League franchise for an estimated $20 million.[1] With the purchase, the franchise became the first professional esports team to represent New York City.[2] "We sort of skirted around it in the periphery, looked at a couple of teams, made a couple of investments in some companies that do work within esports but never had the real opportunity to buy a team like this," Wilpon said in an interview. "Knowing how committed Activision Blizzard is in this space, it made sense to come in. With people like the Krafts involved, it just gave a good feeling to this."[3]
On October 30, the franchise revealed they would be called the New York Excelsior, as well as unveiling their team branding and inaugural season roster. The roster would entail the acquisitions of the complete LuxuryWatch Blue team, LuxuryWatch Red's Hong "Ark" Yeon-jun and coaches Yu "Pavane" Hyun-sang and Kim "WizardHyeong" Hyeong-seok, and Meta Athena's Kim "Libero" Hae-seong.[4][5]
JJonak era: 2018–2021
The Excelsior first OWL regular season match was on January 11, 2018, and resulted in a 3–1 win over the
New York began their
In the offseason preceding the
Heading into the 2021 season, the Excelsior released their entire roster, aside from JJonak, and signed a team consisting of mostly rookies from Korean Overwatch Contenders teams.[30] Additionally, New York promoted Lee "WhyNot" Ju-hyeop to head coach.[31] New York stayed in South Korea, competing in the league's Eastern region, formerly known as the Asia region.[32] The team had their worst season in franchise history, finishing in sixth place in the East region with a 7–9 regular season record and missing out on the season playoffs.[33]
2022–present
For the 2022 season, the Excelsior returned to New York to compete in the league's Western division.[34] New York dropped almost all of their entire roster ahead of the 2022 season, including their starting support player for the previous four seasons JJonak.[35][36] NYXL signed several veterans players, one rookie player, and signed former RunAway coach Kim "KuKi" Dae-kuk in the offseason.[34][37]
Team identity
The franchise's name is based on the New York state motto, Excelsior, which means 'ever upward' in Latin. The motto was selected for embodying the team's commitment to "reaching the top and never letting up". It and its abbreviation XL, also represent the endless ambition of ever-growing New York City at its most powerful.[38][5]
Unique as the only flag-based logo in the Overwatch League, the logo symbolizes the coming together of people, cultures, and ideas. The lines and shapes featured on the flag are also representative of New York specific things, such as the subway systems, skylines, and grid of the city.[38]
Sponsors
New York Excelsior currently has two partnerships.[39] In November 2018, New York Excelsior partnered with Raynor Gaming as its official gaming chair partner.[40] In February 2019, New York Excelsior partnered with telecommunications brand T-Mobile as a new sponsor.[41]
Personnel
Current roster
New York Excelsior roster | ||||||
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Players | Coaches | |||||
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Legend:
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Latest roster transaction: October 16, 2023. |
Head coaches
Handle | Name | Seasons | Record | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pavane | Yu Hyun-sang | 2018–2019 | 56–12 (.824) | [42][43] | |
imt | Jeong Yong-cheol | 2020 | 13–8 (.619) | [25][31] | |
WhyNot | Lee Juh-yeop | 2021 | 7–9 (.438) | [31][37] | |
KuKi | Kim Dae-kuk | 2022 | 1–11 (.083) | Released after 12 games in 2022. | [37] [44] |
Changgoon | Park Chang-geun | 2023 | 7–9 (.438) | Co-head coaches | [45] |
Amir | Amir Ahmed |
Awards and records
Seasons overview
Season | P | W | L | W% | Finish | Playoffs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | 40 | 34 | 6 | .850 | 1st, Atlantic | Lost in Fusion )
|
2019 | 28 | 22 | 6 | .786 | 1st, Atlantic | Lost in Lower Round 4, 0–4 (Shock) |
2020 | 21 | 13 | 8 | .619 | 4th, Asia | Lost in Asia Lower Final, 0–3 (Dynasty) |
2021 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | 6th, East | Did not qualify |
2022 | 24 | 4 | 20 | .167 | 12th, West | Did not qualify |
2023 | 16 | 7 | 9 | .438 | 9th, West | Did not qualify |
Individual accomplishments
Season MVP
- JJonak (Bang Seong-hyun) – 2018
Role Stars selections
- Mano (Kim Dong-gyu) – 2019
All-Star Game selections
- Ark (Hong Yeon-jun) – 2018
- Libero (Kim Hae-seong) – 2018
- Saebyeolbe (Park Jong-ryeol) – 2018
- JJonak (Bang Seong-hyun) – 2018, 2019, 2020
- Mano (Kim Dong-gyu) – 2018, 2019, 2020
- Meko (Kim Tae-hong) – 2018, 2019
- Pine (Kim Do-hyeon) – 2018, 2019
- Anamo (Jung Tae-Sung) – 2019
- Nenne (Jeong Yeon-Gwan) – 2019
- Haksal (Kim Hyo-jung) – 2020
All-Star Game head coaches
- Pavane (Yu Hyun-sang) – 2018, 2019
Academy team
On February 20, 2018, the Excelsior formally announced their academy team would go under the name
References
- ^ "Overwatch: Bigger than the Premier League?". BBC News. BBC. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (February 5, 2019). "Overwatch League esports team New York Excelsior scores T-Mobile as a sponsor". Venture Beat. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ Song, Kelly (July 16, 2017). "With the rise of a new esports league, the next Tom Brady could be more couch potato than chiseled athlete". CNBC. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Pantorno, Joe (October 30, 2017). "ESports: New York Excelsior revealed as new Overwatch League team". Metro. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Carpenter, Nicole (October 30, 2017). "Overwatch League franchise New York Excelsior has the most hype announcement yet". Dot Esports. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Carpenter, Nicole (January 11, 2018). "New York Excelsior, London Spitfire, Philadelphia Fusion impressed fans at Overwatch League day two". Dot Esports. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Luongo, Cody (February 9, 2018). "ESI Gambling Report: Overwatch League Stage 1 Playoffs". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Waltzer, Noah (11 February 2018). "London Spitfire beats Houston, New York to win Overwatch League Stage 1 playoffs". ESPN. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Alonzo, Damian (March 26, 2018). "The New York Excelsior won Overwatch League stage two in a stunning reverse-sweep". PC Gamer.
- ^ "New York Excelsior reverse-sweeps Philadelphia Fusion to win Stage 2". ESPN. March 25, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ "New York Excelsior earns back-to-back stage titles". ESPN. May 6, 2018.
- ^ "Los Angeles Valiant beats New York Excelsior in Stage 4 final". ESPN. June 17, 2018.
- ^ Webb, Kevin (December 29, 2018). "Overwatch League – Everything you need to know about season 2". Business Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Kutlik, Christiaan (July 25, 2018). "Fusion upsets NYXL to join Spitfire in Overwatch League finals". ESPN.
- ^ Mejia, Ozzie (July 11, 2018). "New York Excelsior's JJoNak Named First Overwatch League Regular Season MVP". Shacknews. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- ^ August, Charlotte (March 9, 2019). "Overwatch League Stage 1 Week 4 Day 2 Recap". ESTNN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Rand, Emily (March 22, 2019). "Seoul Dynasty put it all together against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ Long, Bradley (May 11, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Vancouver Titans vs New York Excelsior". The Game Haus. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ Rand, Emily (July 12, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons exorcise ghosts of Season 1 against NYXL". ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ "Excelsior wrap up Atlantic; Gladiators knock off Hunters". Gwinett Prep Sports. Field Level Media. August 3, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
- ^ "Reign upset Shock to advance in Overwatch League playoffs". ESPN. Reuters. September 7, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ "Vancouver, New York reach OWL winners final". ESPN. Reuters. September 8, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Richardson, Liz (September 13, 2019). "Vancouver Titans defeat NYXL, advance to Overwatch League Grand Finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ Hoskins, Ryan (September 15, 2019). "San Francisco Shock Are Headed to the OWL Finals". Hotspawn. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Peres, Pedro (November 19, 2019). "New York Excelsior promote IMT to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Amenabar, Teddy (February 8, 2020). "As Overwatch League opens 2020 season, New York Excelsior shows home team advantage is real". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Howard, Brandon (April 21, 2020). "NYXL, Seoul Dynasty Make Debuts In Overwatch League's Asia Region". The Gamer. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Michael, Cale (December 23, 2020). "NYXL completes 2021 coaching staff, promotes WhyNot to head coach". Dot Esports. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
- ^ Spector, Jon (January 4, 2021). "Overwatch League Community Update: 2021 Season Structure". Overwatch League. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- Dot Esports. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "Former OWL MVP JJoNak leaving NYXL". Reuters. October 8, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c Downey, Joseph (January 19, 2022). "OWL: New York Excelsior Announce 2022 Coaching Staff". ESTNN. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ a b Goslin, Austen (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior revealed as newest Overwatch League team". Heroes Never Die. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ "Partners". New York Excelsior. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Fitch, Adam (November 16, 2018). "New York Excelsior finds gaming chair partner in Raynor Gaming". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Edmonds, Nathan (February 6, 2019). "New York Excelsior announce T-Mobile as new sponsor". Esports Insider. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- ^ Milani, Jerry (October 30, 2017). "New York Excelsior Added To eSports Overwatch League". NY Sports Day. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Field Level Media (October 21, 2019). "Pavane parts with NYXL, joins Spitfire as assistant". Gwinett Prep Sports. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ New York Excelsior [@NYExcelsior] (July 27, 2022). "As of today, we have parted with Head Coach Kuki" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ New York Excelsior [@NYExcelsior] (April 26, 2023). "We are excited to announce our incredible coaching staff for the 2023 OWL Season" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Xu, Wilson (February 21, 2018). "NYXL announce Contenders Team, XL2". Cybersport. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Tahan, Chelsey (February 20, 2018). "NYXL introduces "XL2 Academy," their Contenders team". Overwatch Wire. Retrieved July 10, 2018.