Dallas Fuel struggle in 3-0 loss to Guangzhou, drop first two matches of exhibition tournament

The Dallas Fuel have lost their first two matches of 2021. Preseason or not, that’s a start that was bound to disappoint considering the lofty expectations the new roster had entering the fourth Overwatch League season.

But to fully grasp why the Fuel aren’t panicking after a 3-0 loss to the Guangzhou Charge on Sunday morning -- after getting swept by the Shanghai Dragons the day before -- requires a look back at the start of 2020 for the Paris Eternal.

The Fuel have four players and two coaches that were on that team, which finished the season at 15-6. That was good enough for the fifth-best record in OWL. Head coach Yun “RUSH” Hee-won and assistant coach Go “Aid” Jaeyoon were there, along with Jung “Xzi” Ki-hyo, Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-han, Choi “Hanbin” Han-been and Jun “Fielder” Kwon.

The Eternal lost five of their first 10 matches, including losses to the Toronto Defiant (8-14) and Houston Outlaws (6-15). Paris lost three straight from April 11 to May 3, and the players took it hard, similarly to how they’ve reacted to two preseason losses with the Fuel.

“We can lose in the tournament and we can also lose in the next cup, too. But as long as you have something to take away this is a good experience,” Aid told The Dallas Morning News through an interpreter.

“Although the players have been apologizing for their performance, I just believe we have to step our game up and work even harder. The same goes for our staff.”

That was the message back in 2020, and it was shared again by Aid on Sunday.

What happened last year? The Eternal finished their regular season matches by going 8-1, and even picked up a Summer Showdown tournament win, taking down the San Francisco Shock (25-3) and Philadelphia Fusion (24-2).

That’s not to say the Fuel should rip off an impressive win streak immediately and enter the upcoming regular season in April with a fury. But it does mean the Fuel coaching staff and players have experienced this before.

Aid, and RUSH, for that matter, didn’t think the mistakes were severe. The Fuel’s head coach preached about improving the basics on Saturday, and Aid felt the same way.

“You wouldn’t expect a tank main to understand what a DPS or a support is trying to do. That’s what we are trying to make them understand,” Aid said. “Although feedback is important, players learning and being able to talk to each other is just as important.”

Dallas was disjointed in losing to Guangzhou. Xzi wasn’t playing at the same level he did against Shanghai and the Fuel looked like a team that started practicing in January.

The current meta demands quick response, as heroes like Wrecking Ball, Tracer, Sombra and Echo dictate the compositions.

Dallas was working around that while figuring out how it wanted to play. This is a team that played together at the start of their individual careers with Element Mystic. But even that was two years ago.

“I believe that there were high expectations because everyone came from their original team,” Aid said. “They reunited after going from different teams, but when a person stays in a new spot for a year or two, they get used to that place. It might not reflect how they were together as a team previously. We are trying our best to fix that, step by step.”

The Fuel playing like this by mid-season would be cause for some concern. But even then, two losses to top-level opponents wouldn’t be world-ending. Dallas shouldn’t even see Shanghai, Guangzhou or its next opponent on Jan. 30. the Seoul Dynasty, as much during the regular season as a team that will compete in the East Region.

Losing right now, as ugly or hard to stomach as it may be for players and Fuel followers so anxious to see a shiny, new team, is even tactical. There’s no better time to struggle than now, when the matches hold no stakes.

Fuel players spent the moments after losing to the Charge apologizing, Aid said. Some even took to Twitter.

Aid and the coaching staff kept them grounded.

“All I can say for now is, I know it can be disappointing for those people who have high expectations for us,” Aid said, “but I can promise you that we will find our place and you will be able to see ... that we are a team that has good synergy in the future.”

Seoul won’t be any easier of a matchup than Shanghai or Guangzhou. But again, that could be a good thing for Dallas.

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