The 2nd annual preseason tournament took off this past weekend in the freezing but exciting Federation Square. This tournament showed how deeply the Russian people follow their countrymen. Every game with a Russian playing in it had a marked increase in fan turnout. Overall, it was a big success and fans braved the cold to watch their favorite team throw-down.
This tournament may be hinting at what is upcoming this year. EVERY game in the North-Midwest was won by the underdog in the first round. This means the Empire, Reapers and Scarlet Ember, all teams expected to be up there in the ranks, lost to lowly divisional opponents. These surprises weren't just relegated to one conference, the Pharoahs surprised everyone when they took down the #1 Gold in the first round. Lyons and Rob look like a good fit for this team on the mend. These upsets show the line between good teams and bad teams has been significantly blurred compared to last season, should make for exciting games.
The Diamonds seem to have this tournament thing nailed. They won their second straight preseason tournament against the Interceptors of all teams. Sean was playing very well, everyone else was being solid in supporting roles, even the hot rookie Miller. The Interceptors weren't looking bad going into the final game, but everyone could see their glaring flaw: Travis single-handedly won every game for them, they have no support. In a league where the Silverbacks couldn't win with 2 stars and no support, I think the Interceptors will find much difficulty even in the weaker conference that they are in. Even with the title under their belts, everyone including the Diamonds is saying the same refrain: its just preseason. I don't think the title got to their heads last year, and I think it'll get to their heads less this year. They have a rough and tough division so they gotta stay focused.
All in all, it was a good vacanza to Russia and a team-building experience for many teams that made a lot of moves over the offseason, a chance to get to see how the team works before official play. This tournament just creates that much more excitement for opening day!
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