Toronto Defiant Parts Ways With Lilbow, Foreshadows Major Changes
The Overwatch League team Toronto Defiant have parted ways with their interim head coach David "Lilbow" Moschetto as the organisation announced on their Twitter last night. Lilbow had stepped in as a head coach after the departure of Félix "Féfé" Münch in the mid-season.
Despite several pickups in both the staff and the player side throughout the season, the Defiant had finished 15th out of 20 in the third season of the Overwatch League (OWL) after they had built their team nearly from scratch after their first year in OWL. Counting on mostly Western talent, the Defiant had fallen short in the playoffs, losing to the Los Angeles Gladiators 3-2.
Co-founder of OverActive Media (who own the Toronto Defiant), Adam Adamou had stated that the team would reevaluate and make "some difficult decisions soon" with Lilbow likely being the first part of this process.
Further departures especially on the player side are expected soon. The perceived crown jewel of the roster Lane "Surefour" Roberts had only played less than half the time for the Defiant, missing the playoffs entirely, while Liam "Mangachu" Campbell had moved to a player-coaching role half-way through the season after not being fielded the entire season.
The only remaining coaches on the team are Chris "Gl1tch" Infante and Dennis "Barroi" Matz and additional signings will likely be needed for the new season. With the Overwatch League player signing season opening up in October, the Defiant look start the off-season cycle early and nominate a new head coach to take charge of their movements in the transfer market. Depending in the team's strategy going forward, we could see a large number of players leave the team in the off-season.
Despite an underwhelming season result, the Defiant are said to have been at least financially successful, ranking among the top teams in revenue.
Stay up to date with all the latest esports and gaming news by checking out our social channels here: Twitter | Facebook
Image via Blizzard Entertainment