Selangor Red Giants’ coach Michael Angelo “Arcadia” Bocado looked back on his hard-fought journey in Esports and expressed gratitude after winning the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup (MSC) championship title.
It was a tough road for Selangor Red Giants’ coach Michael Angelo “Arcadia” Bocado leading up to his team’s championship run.
The brilliant Filipino import coach was the mastermind behind the Selangor Red Giants’ historic international title win at the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup (MSC) last Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
[ALSO READ: Malaysia's Selangor Red Giants outlast Falcons AP.Bren to win MSC 2024]
Selangor ‘s breakthrough win for Malaysia was built from an impressive 100-day win streak.
For Coach Arcadia, it all started from his humble beginnings as a part of the Bren Esports’ Arena of Valor roster back in 2017.
The start of his illustrious career in Esports was when he steered the ship for Sunsparks to the MPL Philippines Season 5 championship title.
“It was through coaching Sunsparks that gave me my first taste of an MPL Championship. A taste that I would never forget and continuously seek. Being part of their journey from Sunsparks to Aura and to Echo, we shared so much tears and laughter, and triumphs and defeats together,” Coach Arcadia wrote as he recalled the teams that he treated like a family.
As Coach Arcadia moved on to a new chapter in his life, he did not forget the people who stood by his side and extended his sincere love and support.
“I was happy to see my former players in Echo win M4. As a coach, you will always have an eternal bond with your players. Seeing their success, even if I'm no longer their coach, still makes me feel proud of them,” Coach Arcadia on celebrating the M4 Championship of his former team, ECHO Philippines.
“After 5 years in the Philippine Esports scene, I realized it was time for me to leave my comfort zone and explore new horizons.
After putting together Echo Philippines’ championship lineup that eventually won the M4 Championship, Arcadia was offered a coaching job with RRQ Hoshi in Indonesia. While it was a good opportunity to pass, it was this move that Coach Arcadia experienced firsthand the emotional toll of being separated from his loved ones.
“As a child of an OFW, I really respect OFW resilience and the sacrifices they make for their loved ones back home. Growing up, I remember crying every time my father would leave the country to return to work. As I grew older, I fully understood why they had to make these sacrifices and how hard it is to do so.”
Aside from emotional, his grind to greatness also took a toll on his physical condition as he suffered from a chronic kidney medical condition and was also experiencing financial difficulties to boot that forced him to decide if he should carry on or let go of his dreams.
“[Season 11] was the worst season of my career and my season was cut short due to some complicated situations. After my stint with RRQ, I found myself at a crossroads. I was really considering if I should quit Esports and find a more financially stable job,” Coach Arcadia on his worries about his instability of income in Esports.
While Coach Arcadia was on the verge of departing from the Esports industry, the Selangor Red Giants of Malaysia presented a coaching job offer just in time.
“It was around the time that I was about to accept a corporate job offer when SRG contacted me for the position of head coach. After a month of communication with SRG, they were able to convince me to continue my esports career with them,” Coach Arcadia revealed.
Despite hesitations and self-doubts, Coach Arcadia accepted the offer, not knowing it will change the trajectory of his life.
The Selangor Red Giants won the MPL Malaysia Season 13 and were hailed as the MSC champions.
And while Coach Arcadia can be attributed to this achievement, he did not keep the glory for himself.
“As long as you trust your teammates and really work hard together as a team in achieving your goals, the sky's the limit,” Coach Arcadia on recognizing his teammates unwavering hard work.
In the heartwarming post, Coach Arcadia expressed his deepest gratitude to everyone who supported him in every step of the way in his Esports journey.
“I just want to genuinely say thank you to everyone who has supported me from the very beginning up until now. I appreciate you all so much from the bottom of my heart,” he wrote in an Instagram post.