Team USA plans to make the opposition see stars

For months, Team USA's roster was a source of massive contention within the Overwatch scene. While many campaigned to lead the land of the free as members of the committee—each promising to put the US's best foot forward—a final selection of KyKy, Jason Kaplan, and Ster came forward to assemble the team that would represent one of the proudest nations in the world.

The team has high hopes riding on its shoulders. Of course, they will compete first in the Santa Monica group stage, which is a home event. Should they qualify for BlizzCon, they will certainly be the fan favorites as well, as the event will occur in Anaheim. The pressure is on for Team USA as they face a frightening Flash Wolves roster on Team Taiwan and a synergistic Brasil Gaming House on Team Brazil. Furthermore, they'll have to match up against a stacked Team UK and an Israeli roster that is rumored to be incredibly talented.

However, Team USA is no slouch when it comes to talent. Both DPS players on the team showcase extremes in terms of skill—sinatraa's raw mechanics and flashy plays are constantly on display, while JAKE's more versatile and cerebral playstyle is also clear to see. Both can work together to play nearly any duo within the metagame: Genji and Tracer, Soldier: 76 and Tracer, and even double hitscan, should the opportunity arise.

Also representing Team USA is the duo from FaZe Clan who first found their footing on team ohno: FCTFCTN and Rawkus. Both made their names in the later parts of 2016 and established themselves as some of the best at their roles in North America. Their constant top LAN performances only solidified this reputation, and with Reinhardt perhaps poking his head back into the metagame as evidenced by South Korea's showings, FCTFCTN in particular is primed to perform. Rawkus's strength on Ana and Zenyatta are integral factors that go into supporting the team and should help immensely should the Americans choose to forgo the Reinhardt and instead run standard dive.

The last two members of Team USA are some of the oldest chiseled veterans in the young Overwatch scene. Adam came to the fore during the closed beta, establishing himself as perhaps the best support in North America as googleme would become Cloud9. Many testify that he is the clear best Mercy in the world—a confidence-inspiring statement for fans of the stars and stripes—which will be crucial in supporting any Pharah dalliances from JAKE. Meanwhile, his Lucio remains quite good, and he will likely be able to transition into the shotcalling role he's so used to due to his time on Cloud9. coolmatt69 fills out the final slot as one of the first Overwatch players in the world, and he looks to bring his veteran experience to the flex role as he controls the flow of the game on his now-trademarked D.Va. He also has the ability to flex onto Soldier: 76 should USA decide to pull out the triple DPS composition, though this remains unlikely judging by the current metagame.

Team USA will certainly have a tough road ahead of them, but every member is full of confidence. With a top professional coach in KyKy helping out, the team considers anything but a trip to BlizzCon to be a failure of massive proportions. While they face intense competition, the freedom fighters won't back down.

The players representing the stars and stripes of Team USA are as follows: