Overwatch League team the Dallas Fuel has released its head coach, Kyle "KyKy" Souder," and DPS player Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim, the team announced today.
"We will always appreciate Kyle’s commitment to this organization," said team owner Mike Rufail in a statement. "He is a true competitor who coached our team through a great run and a Contenders championship; unfortunately, we have not replicated that championship level of success in the Overwatch League this season."
The Fuel has had a rough go of its time during Overwatch League's inaugural season. The team's fan-favorite roster was expected to perform well—we ranked it third in our preseason power rankings—but has underperformed throughout the first season in the wake of controversies like Félix "xQc" Lengyel's suspension and dismissal, as well as xQc's replacement Minseok "OGE" Son being suspended as well. The team currently sits in 10th place in the overall standings with a record of 6-18.
"While we recognize many of the challenges Kyle faced with the Dallas Fuel were beyond his control, there comes a time when change is necessary for the team to move forward and we felt that time is now," Rufail said.
Had a good run with the boys, but excited to start somewhere fresh. I will take this time to entertain all offers and positions and put 110% into whatever I choose next. Thanks to everyone who has showed support through these months; hopefully what we started in stage 3 blossoms. https://t.co/fgdK8QgCkmApril 16, 2018
The Fuel said that negotiations are ongoing with numerous candidates to fill the head coach position, and the team expects to announce a new head coach within the next week. Assistant coach Emanuel "Peak" Uzoni will serve as interim head coach, effective immediately. In addition the Fuel announced the signing of Kang "Vol'Jin" Min-Gyu to the coaching staff. Min-Gyu comes from Korean esports organization Meta Gaming, and is expected to assume assistant coaching duties when he joins the team in Los Angeles.
Dong-jun “Rascal” Kim was acquired by the Fuel in a transfer from the stage one champion London Spitfire. A Korean DPS player, Kim played with the Fuel throughout stage two and appeared in two matches so far in stage three.
"We had hoped that Rascal could add flexibility to our DPS lineup on the team this season. Unfortunately, his commitment to the team did not meet our expectations and his unwillingness to communicate with the team while playing in recent matches became a large distraction," Rufail said.
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