Impact Extends Contract of Its eSports Player Lyesmtl
November 9, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Club de Foot Montreal News Release
MONTREAL - The Montreal Impact announced on Friday that Lyes Ould-Ramoul, better known as LyesMTL, signed a contract extension for the FIFA 19 season which extends until November of 2019.
The Bleu-blanc-noir's eSports player had a successful first campaign in Montreal's colours, reaching the final of the first ever eMLS Cup and participating in the EA Sports Global Series Playoffs, the last qualifying phase before the FIFA eWorld Cup. In the FIFA 19 edition, LyesMTL has already achieved the status of FUT Champions Verified, allowing him to attempt to qualify for numerous tournaments in person, and is ranked in the first division of the new Division Rivals format.
"I'm very happy to continue this adventure with the Montreal Impact," said LyesMTL. "I'm determined to continue progressing, while being more successful in the game's new version. My objective this season is to participate in the FIFA eWorld Cup and win the most tournaments possible."
"We're satisfied with our first steps in the world of eSports through LyesMTL, in terms of his sporting performance and the repercussions on the stadium and our supporters," said Richard Legendre, executive vice-president of the Montreal Impact. "We now want to bring this platform to the next level, to continue reaching a young, soccer-loving audience and to support LyesMTL in his quest for success in FIFA 19."
A promising first season in Bleu-blanc-noir
LyesMTL, a Master's student in business intelligence at HEC Montreal, born in Algeria and raised in Montreal as a child, already has an impressive track record: he finished fourth in the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2015, and was ranked first in FUT Champions in America in January 2018 in FIFA 18.
A popular and global game
The FIFA video game franchise, developed by EA Sports in their Vancouver studios, exists since 1993. Today, over five billion games are played in the video game each year, including over 700 million in North America. The global eSports industry, on its end, is growing at a record pace, posting an annual 43% revenue increase. Content related to LyesMTL is also popular with Bleu-blanc-noir supporters: every video featuring the Impact's eSports player is among the most watched on the club's YouTube channel.
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