2019 Philadelphia Fusion season

2019   Philadelphia Fusion season
Head coach	Go Se-hwi Elliot Hayes
General manager	Yann Luu
Owner	Comcast Spectacor
Division	Atlantic
Results
Record	15–13 (.536)
Place	Atlantic: 4th League: 10th
Stage 1 Playoffs	Semifinals
Stage 2 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Stage 3 Playoffs	Did not qualify
Season Playoffs	Did not qualify
Total Earnings	$50,000
←  2018 Philadelphia Fusion 2020  →

The 2019 Philadelphia Fusion season was the second season of the Philadelphia Fusion's existence in the Overwatch League and their first under co-head coaches Go Se-hwi and Elliot Hayes. They entered the season looking to bounce back after their 2018 Grand Finals loss to the London Spitfire.

The Fusion had a solid Stage 1 performance, finishing the stage with a 5–2 record and making it to the Stage 1 Playoffs, but they lost in the semifinals to the San Francisco Shock. After posting 3–4 and 4–3 records for Stage 2 and Stage 3, respectively, Philadelphia failed to qualify any other stage playoffs. A 3–1 victory over the Seoul Dynasty in their final regular season match gave the Fusion a 15–13 season record and qualified them for the Play-In Tournament. Philadelphia fell 2–4 to the Shanghai Dragons in the first round of the tournament, ending their hope of qualifying for the season playoffs.

Preceding offseason

Player re-signings and free agency

From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the 2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Fusion elected to release Georgii "ShaDowBurn" Gushcha, Park "DayFly" Jeong-hwan, and Joseph "Joemeister" Gramano. ^[1]

All non-expansion teams could not enter the free agency period until October 8, 2018; they were able to sign members from their respective academy team and make trades until then. On September 25, Fusion promoted support player Elijah "Elk" Gallagher from Fusion University on a two-way contract. ^[2] On October 17, Fusion transferred Choi "Hotba" Hong-jun to the new expansion team Guangzhou Charge. ^[3]

Head coach change

In January, the Fusion announced that head coach Yann Luu would be acting as the organization's Director of Overwatch Operations. In his replacement, assistant coaches Elliot Hayes and Se-Hwi Go were promoted to co-head coaches. ^[4]

Regular season

Philadelphia opened their season on February 14 against the London Spitfire – a rematch of the 2018 Overwatch League Grand Finals. Philadelphia went on to win the match by a score of 3–1. ^[5] The team finished with a 5–2 Stage 1 record and a Stage 1 Playoff berth. ^[6] At the end of Stage 1, the Fusion was tied with the Toronto Defiant for the third seed of the playoffs. By rule, the teams would have to compete in an offline match to determine seeding; however, both teams agreed on a coin-flip, instead. Philadelphia received the fourth seed and would take on the Atlanta Reign in the quarterfinals. ^[7] The Fusion's quarterfinal match took place on March 22 against the Atlanta Reign; the Fusion won the match, 3–1, advancing them to the Stage 1 semifinals. ^[8] In the semifinals, Philadelphia was swept, 0–4, by the San Francisco Shock. ^[9]

In Stage 2, on April 19, the Fusion defeated the Houston Outlaws, 4–0, marking their first 4–0 sweep of the 2019 season. ^[10] The team finished the stage with a 3–4 record and did not qualify for the Stage 2 Playoffs.

In the last week of Stage 3, the Fusion headed to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta to play at the "Atlanta Reign Homestand Weekend"; Philadelphia's final match of the stage was against the Shanghai Dragons. With both teams holding a 4–2 record in Stage 3, the winner of the match would qualify for the final spot in the Stage 3 Playoffs. The Fusion were unable to pull out the win, however, and fell in the match by a score of 1–3. ^[11]

Prior to the start of Stage 4, which would include the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the League, the Fusion traded main tank Joona "Fragi" Laine to the Guangzhou Charge in exchange for DPS Finley "Kyb" Adisi. ^[12] Philadelphia finished the regular season in 10th place in the season standings with a 15–13 record and qualified for the Play-In Tournament. ^[13]

Postseason

Finishing in tenth place in the regular season standings, the Dragons qualified for the Play-In Tournament for the chance to qualify for the season playoffs. The team took on the eleventh-seeded Shanghai Dragons in the first round on August 30. The Dragon jumped out to an early 2–0 lead after winning on Busan and King's Row, but after the match break, Philadelphia forced a tie on Temple of Anubis and won on Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Shanghai recovered and took a win on Lijiang Tower, but the Fusion struck back with a win on King's Row. The Fusion selected Dorado for what would be the final map of the series; both teams completed the map on their respective attacks, but the Dragons managed to grab the map win in overtime rounds. The 2–4 loss eliminated the Fusion from playoff contention. ^[14]

Final roster

2019 Philadelphia Fusion roster
Players	Coaches
Role No. Handle Name Nationality Damage   3 snillo (TW)  Ekström, Simon   Sweden  Damage   15 Eqo  Corona, Josue   Israel  Damage   18 Carpe   Lee Jae-hyeok  South Korea  Damage   1 Kyb  Adisi, Finley   United Kingdom  Tank   9 SADO  Kim Su-min  South Korea  Tank   21 Poko  Gouzerch, Gael   France  Support   8 neptuNo  González, Alberto   Spain  Support   17 Elk (TW,I)  Gallagher, Elijah   United States  Support   42 Boombox  Charles, Isaac   United Kingdom	Head coach Go Se-hwi Elliot Hayes
Legend: (I) Inactive (S) Suspended (2W) Two-way player Substitute Injury / Illness	Latest roster transaction: July 17, 2019.

Transactions

Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2019 regular season:

• On July 17, Fusion traded Joona "Fragi" Laine to Guangzhou Charge in exchange for Finley "Kyb" Adisi. ^[12]

Standings

Record by stage

Stage	Pld	W	L	Pct	MW	ML	MT	MD	Pos
1	7	5	2	.714	17	12	1	+5	3
2	7	3	4	.429	12	15	1	-3	11
3	7	4	3	.571	13	16	1	-3	11
4 [lower-alpha 1]	7	3	4	.429	15	17	0	-2	12
Overall	28	15	13	.536	57	60	3	-3	10
Qualified for playoffs •  Qualified for play-in tournament

1. No stage playoffs were held for Stage 4.

League

2019 Overwatch League standings v t e
#	Team	Division	W	L	PCT	P	MR	MD
Division leaders
1	Vancouver Titans	PAC	25	3	.893	28	89–28–0	+61
2	New York Excelsior	ATL	22	6	.786	28	78–38–3	+40
Wild cards
3	San Francisco Shock	PAC	23	5	.821	28	92–26–0	+66
4	Hangzhou Spark	PAC	18	10	.643	28	64–52–4	+12
5	Los Angeles Gladiators	PAC	17	11	.607	28	67–48–3	+19
6	Atlanta Reign	ATL	16	12	.571	28	69–50–1	+19
Play-in tournament
7	London Spitfire	ATL	16	12	.571	28	58–52–6	+6
8	Seoul Dynasty	PAC	15	13	.536	28	64–50–3	+14
9	Guangzhou Charge	PAC	15	13	.536	28	61–57–1	+4
10	Philadelphia Fusion	ATL	15	13	.536	28	57–60–3	-3
11	Shanghai Dragons	PAC	13	15	.464	28	51–61–3	-10
12	Chengdu Hunters	PAC	13	15	.464	28	55–66–1	-11
Did not qualify for playoffs
13	Los Angeles Valiant	PAC	12	16	.429	28	56–61–4	-5
14	Paris Eternal	ATL	11	17	.393	28	46–67–3	-21
15	Dallas Fuel	PAC	10	18	.357	28	43–70–3	-27
16	Houston Outlaws	ATL	9	19	.321	28	47–69–3	-22
17	Toronto Defiant	ATL	8	20	.286	28	39–72–4	-33
17	Washington Justice	ATL	8	20	.286	28	39–72–6	-33
19	Boston Uprising	ATL	8	20	.286	28	41–78–2	-37
20	Florida Mayhem	ATL	6	22	.214	28	36–75–5	-39
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 1]
The first tiebreaker for teams of the same record is map differential.

Game log

Regular season

2019 game log (Regular season record: 15–13)
Stage 1 (5–2) 1 February 14 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 London Spitfire Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Ilios 1 3 Hollywood 2 4 Volskaya Industries 5 1 Rialto 0 2 February 17 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Atlanta Reign Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 1 Nepal 2 2 King's Row 1 4 Volskaya Industries 5 2 Dorado 1 2 Ilios 1 3 February 21 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 2 Florida Mayhem Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 0 Nepal 2 4 Numbani 3 4 Temple of Anubis 4 0 Route 66 1 4 February 23 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Dallas Fuel Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 0 Busan 2 1 Numbani 3 4 Horizon Lunar Colony 3 2 Dorado 3 5 February 28 Washington Justice 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Ilios 1 1 Hollywood 2 3 Temple of Anubis 4 1 Route 66 3 6 March 07 Los Angeles Valiant 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 0 Nepal 2 2 Numbani 3 2 Temple of Anubis 1 3 Route 66 0 1 Busan 2 7 March 17 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 Paris Eternal Burbank, CA     Recap Blizzard Arena 1 Busan 2 3 King's Row 2 1 Horizon Lunar Colony 0 3 Rialto 0
Stage 1 Playoffs Quarterfinals March 22 Atlanta Reign 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 6:00 pm PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Ilios 1 1 King's Row 2 3 Volskaya Industries 4 1 Route 66 2 Semifinals March 23 San Francisco Shock 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 3:00 pm PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Ilios 0 3 Hollywood 0 4 Horizon Lunar Colony 2 3 Rialto 0
Stage 2 (3–4) 8 April 04 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 4 New York Excelsior Burbank, CA 4:00 pm PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 0 Lijang Tower 2 1 Paris 2 2 Eichenwalde 3 1 Rialto 3 9 April 06 Florida Mayhem 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 12:00 noon PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Oasis 0 2 Temple of Anubis 3 3 King's Row 4 4 Junkertown 5 10 April 11 Toronto Defiant 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 8:30 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Busan 2 4 Paris 3 2 Blizzard World 3 2 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 3 11 April 13 London Spitfire 2 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 12:00 noon PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Lijiang Tower 1 2 Hanamura 2 3 Blizzard World 4 3 Rialto 2 12 April 18 New York Excelsior 3 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 4:00 pm PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Busan 0 3 Temple of Anubis 2 2 Blizzard World 3 1 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0 13 April 19 Philadelphia Fusion 4 – 0 Houston Outlaws Burbank, CA 5:30 pm PST     Recap Blizzard Arena 2 Busan 1 3 Temple of Anubis 2 2 Eichenwalde 0 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0 14 May 02 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 4 San Francisco Shock Burbank, CA 7:00 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 1 Oasis 2 1 Hanamura 2 1 King's Row 3 0 Junkertown 3
Stage 3 (4–3) 15 June 08 Hangzhou Spark 4 – 0 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 12:00 noon PST     Details Blizzard Arena 2 Oasis 0 2 Paris 1 3 Eichenwalde 0 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 2 16 June 14 Los Angeles Gladiators 3 – 1 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 9:15 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 2 Oasis 0 6 Volskaya Industries 5 2 Eichenwalde 1 1 Dorado 2 17 June 16 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 1 Boston Uprising Burbank, CA 3:30 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Ilios 2 4 Paris 4 1 Hollywood 0 1 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 0 18 June 22 Atlanta Reign 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 1:45 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 2 Nepal 1 1 Horizon Lunar Colony 2 0 Numbani 2 2 Havana 1 0 Ilios 2 19 June 29 Boston Uprising 2 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 1:45 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Nepal 2 2 Horizon Lunar Colony 1 0 Numbani 1 2 Havana 1 1 Ilios 2 20 July 06 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 1 Washington Justice Atlanta, GA 10:15 am PST     Details Cobb Energy Center 1 Ilios 2 3 Horizon Lunar Colony 2 3 Hollywood 1 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 2 21 July 07 Philadelphia Fusion 1 – 3 Shanghai Dragons Atlanta, GA 9:00 am PST     Details Cobb Energy Center 1 Ilios 2 3 Volskaya Industries 4 4 Hollywood 3 0 Dorado 2
Stage 4 (3–4) 22 July 25 Guangzhou Charge 3 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 7:10 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Busan 2 2 Volskaya Industries 1 4 King's Row 3 3 Junkertown 4 2 Ilios 0 23 July 26 Philadelphia Fusion 2 – 3 Chengdu Hunters Burbank, CA 9:15 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Busan 2 3 Hanamura 2 2 Blizzard World 3 2 Junkertown 1 1 Ilios 2 24 August 02 Houston Outlaws 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 5:45 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 0 Ilios 2 2 Temple of Anubis 1 1 Hollywood 2 3 Havana 6 25 August 04 Philadelphia Fusion 3 – 2 Toronto Defiant Burbank, CA 1:45 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 2 Lijiang Tower 0 0 Volskaya Industries 1 0 King's Row 1 3 Havana 2 2 Busan 0 26 August 08 Paris Eternal 3 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 5:45 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 1 Ilios 2 1 Temple of Anubis 2 2 Hollywood 1 3 Route 66 2 2 Lijiang Towe 1 27 August 11 Philadelphia Fusion 0 – 4 Vancouver Titans Burbank, CA 12:00 noon PST     Details Blizzard Arena 1 Busan 2 2 Hanamura 3 1 Blizzard World 3 0 Route 66 3 28 August 17 Seoul Dynasty 1 – 3 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 3:30 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 1 Lijiang Tower 2 1 Volskaya Industries 0 2 Blizzard World 3 1 Havana 2

Playoffs

2019 playoff game log
Play-In Tournament (0–1) Quarterfinals August 30 Shanghai Dragons 4 – 2 Philadelphia Fusion Burbank, CA 9:00 pm PST     Details Blizzard Arena 2 Busan 1 5 King's Row 4 3 Temple of Anubis 3 3 Watchpoint: Gibraltar 4 2 Lijiang Tower 1 1 King's Row 3 5 Dorado 4

Awards

On May 1, Lee "Carpe" Jae-hyeok was named as a starter for the 2019 Overwatch League All-Star Game. ^[15] A week later Gael "Poko" Gouzerch was named as a reserve for the All-Star Game. ^[16]

References

1. Hangen, Christopher (September 14, 2019). "ESPN Stats & Info: OWL signing window analysis". ESPN. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
2. Torres, Xander (September 25, 2018). "Philadelphia Fusion Add Elk". VPE Esports. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
3. Rodriguez, Veronika (October 17, 2018). "Philadelphia Fusion Trades HOTBA to Guangzhou Overwatch League Team". DBLTAP. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
4. Shepard, Kate (January 15, 2019). "Overwatch: Fusion Staff's New Roles". The Game Haus. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
5. Richardson, Liz (February 24, 2019). "Philadelphia Fusion take down London Spitfire in Overwatch League grand finals rematch". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
6. Linscott, Gillian (March 19, 2019). "Overwatch League Week 5 Recap: The Expected and Unexpected". Hotspawn. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
7. Richardson, Liz (March 19, 2019). "SF Shock defeat Seoul Dynasty, Toronto Defiant win coin toss to finalize Overwatch League playoff bracket". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
8. Fossett, Wyatt (March 22, 2019). "All Shock, No Surprises in Day 2 of the OWL Stage 1 Playoffs". Twin Galaxies. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
9. Richardson, Liz (March 23, 2019). "Vancouver Titans and San Francisco Shock advance to Overwatch League stage one finals". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
10. Czar, Michael (April 20, 2019). "Overwatch League Recap: Philadelphia Fusion sweep Houston Outlaws". Daily Esports. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
11. Geracie, Nick (July 7, 2019). "Shanghai Dragons qualifies for Overwatch League Stage 3 Playoffs". Inven Global. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
12. "Guangzhou Charge officially add Bischu, Fragi". ESPN. Reuters. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
13. Howard, Brandon (August 30, 2019). "Overwatch League 2019 Play-Ins Preview". TheGamer. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
14. "Charge, Dragons advance in OWL play-in tourney". ESPN. Reuters. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
15. Richardson, Liz (May 1, 2019). "Here are the starting lineups for the Overwatch League All-Star Game". Dot Esports. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
16. Chillerón, Lucas (May 8, 2019). "OWL All-Star event lineup finally complete with reserve players announced". Daily Esports. Retrieved June 12, 2019.