FIVE STRIPE FINAL SPECIAL: Paulo Neto -- ATLUTD's Fifa eSports star

SUBSCRIBE TO FIVE STRIPE FINAL ON PATREON HERE

Dirty South Soccer had a chance to sit down with Atlanta United’s eSports athlete Paulo Neto. In this interview, we will dive into Paulo’s background, what it’s like to compete in a big tournament and how he prepares, and how the growth of gaming and eSports has changed his life.

While globetrotting around the world playing Fifa against the best players in the world is undoubtedly an amazing life experience, it hasn’t come without hard work and the necessary results for Paulo.

After starting competition in local tournaments in his native Brazil, Neto rose up the ranks and began to compete in bigger and more competitive tournaments until 2019 when he competed in a global tournament in Atlanta and signed with Atlanta United in December of that year.

After the turbulence caused by Covid shortly after Neto’s signing, he has found his form in 2022 in a big way. The eMLS tournament is broken up into three parts (think of it like Liga MX’s Apertura, Clausura and Liguilla [playoffs]) where Neto finished as runner up in eMLS League Series 1, a semifinalist in eMLS League Series 2, and then won eMLS Cup.

Paulo and Vini Leiva, Atlanta United’s other eSports athlete, both competed in the Global Series Playoff in London last week, a competition between the best players in the world where competitors can earn a berth to the FIFAe 2022 World Cup. Paulo finished in the top 32 gamers in the world.

That World Cup event takes place next week, and you can follow all of his action on Atlanta United’s Twitch, as well as an ongoing behind-the-scenes exclusive documentary from Atlanta United on their YouTube channel.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices