This article is part of our Soccer series.
In what is considered arguably the toughest region in competitive FIFA, it seemed only fitting for one of the many well-known players -- like Harry "Hashtag Harry" Hesketh or Spencer "Unilad Gorilla" Ealing -- to walk away from Madrid, Spain with the European Regional Season 2 championship in hand.
Offensive assault by Prinsipe
While Prinsipe may have made his first live competition debut Saturday, the 21-year-old was hardly an unknown player, having finished with the top ranking in the online FUT Champions Weekend League back in January. Still, dominant online performances haven't always translated to the big stage of the FUT Championship Series, so it was an encouraging sign to see Prinsipe advance through a strong group to partake in the championship bracket.
From there though, few could have predicted the absolute blitzkrieg Prinsipe would put on his fellow competitors. Relying on an aggressive defense and utterly relentless counter push, the Italian would score a combined 10 goals in his first two championship bracket matches -- in the other five upper bracket matches through the first two rounds, his peers would score just 27 total.
Prinsipe's frenetic pace slowed down considerably in the PS4 semifinals, winning a close battle against fellow group member Johann "Maniika" Simon, 1-0. But Prinsipe turned up the pressure once again in the finals, defeating another offensive stalwart, Tim "TheStrxngeR" Katnawatos, 3-1 to claim the PS4 title.
Matched up against Xbox division winner, Gorilla, in the grand finals, it seemed as if Prinsipe's Cinderella run would come to an end. Regarded as one of the best competitive FIFA players in the world, Gorilla's equally dominant run through his bracket certainly put him as the odds-on favorite to win the Season 2 Regional Championship.
But much like he did against his fellow PS4 competitors, Prinsipe's ping-pong-like offensive approach rattled Gorilla, first tying the vaunted Xbox player on his home console 2-2 before winning the series outright with a 4-2 win on PS4 in the final game.
Given Prinsipe's excellent performance Saturday, he certainly won't be considered a dark horse heading into the FUT Championship Series Finals in Berlin, Germany beginning May 20, the culmination of months of competitive play.
Greatness goes to Gorilla
Prinsipe's miraculous run shouldn't take away from Gorilla's accomplishments Saturday, as the world-renowned FIFA player certainly held up his end of the bargain, winning the Xbox division to becoming one of the the final competitors to qualify for the FUT Championships Series Finals.
Gorilla's run was all the more impressive considering he had to battle from the beginning stages of the lower bracket to climb into the grand finals.
After a strong performance during the group stages, Gorilla immediately fell into the lower bracket following an opening round penalty kick loss to Niklas "NRaseck" Raseck. Undeterred, Gorilla went on to win the next three lower bracket matches, each by just a single goal, setting up a rematch against NRaseck in the lower bracket finals. Gorilla got his revenge, claiming a 3-0 victory before completing the improbable run, reverse sweeping Lucas "PSG Daxee" Cuilerier in the Xbox finals.
While the end result may not have been to Gorilla's liking, a daunting lower bracket run can often act as catalyst for future events. The well-traveled Brit didn't need any more build up heading into Berlin, but his performance Saturday should certainly put his other 31 competitors on notice.
