The New York Excelsior (NYXL) today became the first esports team representing New York City and one of the twelve founding teams in Activision Blizzard’s newly formed Overwatch League. And a name familiar to Mets fans, Jeff Wilpon, has a key role.
The team also announced the roster today and issued a video highlighting the new entity, via Sterling.VC, a division of Sterling Equities.
NYXL will feature a roster that includes eight players from the APEX circuit in their inaugural season and will be managed by coaches Hyun Sang “Pavane” Yu and Hyeongseok “WizardHyeong” Kim, assistant coach Andrew Kim, and Director of Player Personnel, Scott Tester.
The following is New York Excelsior’s roster for the 2018 season of the Overwatch League:
- Joong “Janus” Hwa – Tank
- Dong-gyu “Mano” Kim – Tan
- Kim “Mek0” Tae Hong – Off-Tank
- Kim “Pine” Do Hyeon – Flex
- Park “Saebyeolbe” Jong Yeol – DPS
- Hong “ArK” Yeon Joon – Support
- Bang “JJoNak” Sung-Hyeon – Support
- Kim “Libero” Hye Sung – DPS
“It is an amazing opportunity to have NYXL be part of a brand new professional league and representing the city of New York,” said Wilpon, COO of the Mets and the executive vice-president of Sterling Equities. “We’ve put together a strong team and look forward to competing at the highest level.”
“I’m incredibly excited to join NYXL as a coach with the chance to manage the team as it competes with and against the best players in the world in the Overwatch League,” said Pavane, coach for NYXL. “New York is a great sports city and we will give our all when representing the city and our fans when play officially begins.”
The Overwatch League begins preseason play on December 6, with a series of exhibition matches featuring all 12 teams. The regular season will begin on January 10 and run into June, with playoffs and finals in July 2018.