FC Barcelona dives further into esports with Rocket League team

European football team FC Barcelona has announced the formation of a professional Rocket League squad.

The club intends to compete in the Rocket League Championship Series and will debut in the European division of the RLCS on April 7.

Though only announced on April 4, the team has already been practicing together under a different name. Savage, as the team was previously called, has been competing since 2016 and has already shown itself to be both a capable and successful team.

The team recently competed in a European championship called the Renegade Cup in February, winning first place in the competition.  With such talented players, Barcelona fans can expect a strong performance as the team move forward under new management.

Once Barcalona acquired team Savage, the roster was reduced to four players. Two British players, David “Deevo” Willam and Daniel “Bluey” Brian, remain a part of the team under FC Barcelona. Both completed in the recent championship and led the team to victory. Bluey will act as team captain, calling shots during games.

The remaining two members, Spaniard Adrián “Bymateos” Mateos and French player Yanis “Alpha54” Champenois, did not get to play in the final match the Renegade Cup, though were still members of Savage. Bymateos will take the position of substitute while Alpha54 will start.

The four players will be coached from the United Kingdom by Robert “Roken” Kendall, who has stated that he is “deeply honoured” to be leading the team.

This is the club’s second foray into the world of esports, as Barcelona already has a Pro Evolution Soccer team.  That PES team currently competes in the eFootball.Pro league, devised by KONAMI and Barcelona’s own professional football player Gerard Piqué.