October 13, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Atlanta United FC News Release
ATLANTA – Atlanta United today announced its 2023 eSports team. The club re-signed top Brazilian eSports athlete Paulo Neto and has added fellow Brazilian standout Gabriel Freitas, known professionally as “Young.”
Neto, 19, has racked up multiple accolades since becoming the club’s first-ever esports athlete in December 2019, most recently making it to the FIFAe World Cup 2022 Quarterfinals in July. Neto’s run in the competition places him among the top eight FIFAe athletes in the world. He was also crowned the top player in MLS when he won the 2022 eMLS Cup back in March, marking both his and the club’s first esports championship. Neto entered eMLS cup as the fifth seed after finishing second in the eMLS League Series 1 and top four in the eMLS League Series 2 in January, both precursors to the eMLS Cup tournament.
Young, 19, is a Rio de Janeiro native and has been an eSports athlete since 2019. Playing for Brazilian outfit SPQR, Young had a 2022 to remember. His first success of the year came in March, finishing fourth in the CONMEBOL eLibertadores 2022. From there, he begun the process of qualifying for FIFAe World Cup 2022 through the Global Series Qualifiers. After making it through the first round, Young took first place in the Latin American South Qualifier. Young successfully qualified for FIFAe World Cup 2022 through the Global Series Playoffs and made it as far as the competition’s Round of 16, falling to eventual World Cup winner, Umut.
“Paulo took our esports team to new heights in 2022 and solidified our reputation as one of the top FIFAe teams in the world,” Atlanta United Vice President of Business Operations Georgia O’Donoghue said. “We’re excited to add another talented piece in Gabriel and we can’t wait to see what this duo can accomplish on both the world stage and in domestic competitions in 2023.”
Paulo and his Atlanta United 2022 FIFAe teammate Vini Leiva won the Masters Cup in March. Both reached the semifinals of the FIFA Global Series Team of the Season Cup (TOTS Cup) in London as a team in May.
Neto and Young’s partnership begins in the FIFA Global Series EA SPORTS Cup, a duos competition starting October 17.
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