eUnited Heads To The Golden State For CWL Anaheim Open

By: Zachary Lange

Ahead of one of most recognizable and historic events in competitive Call of Duty, the CWL Anaheim Open, eUnited finished the first half of Stage 2 in the CWL Pro League at MLG Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Close finishes, dominance against OpTic

Playing in Division B, eUnited currently sits in 4th place with a 4-3 record. On the surface, the record may seem only slightly above average. However, all three losses came down to a Round 11 during the final Game 5 Search and Destroy.

Of those three final round losses, two came down to a one vs. one situation.

Optimistically, it shows the team can compete with anybody in their division. But some would say the ability to close out a series is important, and the team missed the mark on several occasions over the past two weeks.

In the final Round 11 loss against compLexity Gaming, many thought that the frustrating situation of losing in close fashion multiple would catch up to the squad emotionally. In previous months, the team’s close losses quickly snowballed into blowouts, leaving eUnited eliminated from tournaments such as the CWL New Orleans Open, where a Round 11 winners bracket defeat to Team Kaliber was followed up by a 0-3 defeat by Red Reserve in the losers bracket. A similar result happened during CWL Dallas, where another Round 11 defeat by the hands of Team Kaliber would lead into a 1-3 loss to FaZe Clan.

How would the team respond against a powerhouse in OpTic Gaming after losing another heartbreaker just hours before?

eUnited pushed the pace and claimed the series in four games. In the Game 4 Hardpoint, eUnited led by as much as 150 points on the back of a dominant performance by Alec “Arcitys” Sanderson, who led the team with 42 kills.

The victory was just what the doctor ordered. Now with playoffs in sight again for Stage 2 of the pro league, eUnited can shift their attention to playing their second LAN tournament as a full team of four. 

CWL Anaheim preview

Last year, eUnited finished top-12 at Anaheim despite having a substitute player on the roster. Now in the second full year of involvement in competitive Call of Duty, the team will look to raise the bar and claim part of the $200,000 prize pool for the event and hopefully a trophy along with it.

Due to their current position in the Stage 2 standings, eUnited was drafted into Pool A of the CWL Anaheim Open alongside Red Reserve, FaZe Clan, Tainted Minds and an open bracket team to be determined.

eUnited recently closed out Week 2 of the CWL Pro League with a 3-1 victory over Tainted Minds, but the last time eUnited faced Red Reserve or FaZe on LAN it resulted in a defeat. Both of these defeats, however, were before the addition of submachine gun player Tyler “FeLo” Johnson.

Live on-site coverage of the 2018 CWL Anaheim Open can be viewed on all of eUnited’s social media platforms. Tickets for the event are selling fast, so be sure to purchase in advance here to be included in all of the action live from the Anaheim Convention Center.