After five seasons, ECHO’s veteran head coach is finally leaving the team.
Head coach Michael “Arcadia” Bocado is parting ways with ECHO, the organization announced on its Facebook page yesterday.
The organization paid tribute to its head coach in a lengthy message and video. “No matter how sad, we believe that parting ways will help us grow better. So thank you, Coach Arcadia, for being one of the greatest coaches we’ve ever come across,” it wrote.
The 30-year-old boasts several significant achievements to his name, having initially coached the Sunsparks roster that later rebranded to AURA PH in Season 6 and ECHO in Season 8.
His greatest accomplishment was leading the former Sunsparks squad to back-to-back MPL PH titles in Season 5. He then remained as head coach when the team was acquired by Indonesia-based esports organization AURA PH in May 2021.
However, the team wasn’t able to replicate its success from the previous seasons, placing 5th to 8th in Season 6 and third in Season 7. The team then rebranded to ECHO in July 2021, following the league’s announcement of its new franchise model.
Since then, the organization has moved aggressively to bolster its ranks, signing M2 World Championship MVP Karl “KarlTzy” Nepomuceno, Nexplay EVOS’ Tristian “Yawi” Cabrera, and TNC’s Frediemar “3MarTzy” Serafico ahead of MPL PH Season 9.
Unfortunately, the new superstar additions failed to translate into a deep playoffs run, despite flashes of brilliance in the early stages of the tournament. The team was eventually swept by Smart Omega 3-0, eliminating them from MPL PH Season 9.
Their coach’s departure comes just after Ashley “Killuash” Cruz and Christian “Rafflesia” Fajura were released by the squad last month. There are still no announcements on where Arcadia will go next, even with MPL PH Season 10 on the horizon.
That said, the coach teased his next destination in a Facebook sign-off, leaving a tantalizing blank behind his name.
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