With eight wins and seven losses, the Philadelphia Fusion isn’t performing at the same level one might expect from a team that was in Overwatch League’s Grand Finals last season. Even with such amazing players as the blood-thirsty support player, Alberto "neptuNo" González and DPS-talent Josue “EQO” Corona, it seems that the Fusion just haven’t quite gotten a foothold in the current season. Coming off of a loss against the Hangzhou Spark, we sat down with Neptuno chat about how Philly may finally be able to mantle their current hurdle.

“I think we are going with more playtime now,” said González on Philadelphia’s strategy for Stage Three of the Overwatch League. “We’re focusing on improving as a team and playing together. I think we’re working hard and we’re improving a lot. We can see it in the scrims.”

Word around the competitive Overwatch scene supports this claim, with many saying that Philadelphia’s scrims have been very impressive. Neptuno was quick to acknowledge this as well, addressing the disparagement between the Fusion teams encounter during scrims and the one that takes the stage in the Burbank arena.

“We need to see the game the same way we see it in scrims,” he continued. “We need to replicate, somehow—have the same feeling. It feels like we’re afraid, it feels different. [We have to] deal with the pressure in a way that doesn’t affect our gameplay.”

We don’t feel that the Fusion suffers from what may be classically described as “stage fright.” This is a team that performed in front of approximately 11,000 live fans at the Barclays Center and 10.8 million viewers globally. Having performed on the biggest and most broadcasted stage, it doesn’t compute that they would be affected simply by being in front of the Blizzard Arena crowd.

(Photo Credit: Robert Paul for Blizzard Entertainment)

“I feel like this year, I feel, myself, I’m the one being uncomfortable,” admitted Neptuno. "I wouldn’t say ‘choking,’ just like not comfortable like in scrims. Last year I used to be the one trying to like talk random things to help people relax. That’s what I like to do when I’m comfortable, just throw out random things. Maybe that’s what we need, more memes.”



And perhaps a bit of levity is what the Fusion need to get back on their feet in the Overwatch League. The pressure to perform after being in the finals last year must be astronomical, and being able to meet expectations is probably weighing heavily on the team. Unfortunately, without proper relaxation and time, it can be hard to address an issue such as this one.

"NeptuNo... you know that's going to be in the Open Mic."



Turn your sound UP! We've got the funniest moments from Stage 2 in a brand-new Open Mic!

?: https://t.co/4ZoujAjlUf pic.twitter.com/e4EQ0yRLKA — Philadelphia Fusion (@Fusion) May 13, 2019

“When I used to be in Spain I’d still do my things, going to university, or playing football, doing exercise, every day,” said Neptuno about how he used to decompress. “I dunno, there was always time for everything. But right now there’s not much time I have left, so I use it to relax or to stream.”

So maybe what the Fusion needs is a little time. I would prescribe a little bit of the beautiful game to lower the pressure that the team is feeling in their Overwatch League games. Hopefully, that will allow us to see some of that rumored scrim performance to break through into the Fusion’s on-stage performance.