What comes to mind when you imagine a mighty Overwatch League team house?
Stalwart and sprawling? Stupendously awesome?
The Philadelphia Fusion team house is all that but something more: welcoming. My colleague Adam and I are at the Fusion house to conduct some interviews and get to know the team. Last season, the Fusion made it all the way to the Overwatch League Grand Finals and expectations are high again this season for the diverse and talented squad to perform well.
The Philadelphia Fusion facing the London Spitfire in the OWL Grand Finals.
(Credit: Blizzard Entertainment)
The Fusion team manager and our point of contact, Roston Yoo, welcomes us in. The house is quite tidy for housing all nine players and their support staff at various times. Shoes are piled on the shoe racks, or thereabouts, and we’re offered house slippers. Immediately upon entry, you’re hit with a sense of grandeur. The PHL Fusion are owned by Comcast Spectacor, and their investment can be felt throughout the house. The staircases are adorned with floor to banister Fusion posters. The game rooms are covered in massive flags and Fusion swag, hanging above the array of computers. Gael "Poko" Gouzerch is already at his desk, streaming for his French fans.
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At times, the luxuries of the house can complicate things. Roston shows us to the second gaming room centered around an enormous chandelier. He elaborates that they’ve already raised several other chandeliers throughout the house but this one was just too heavy. He’s placed a strategic table underneath it to ward away players’ vulnerable noggins.
The troublesome chandelier can be seen looming on the left.
(Credit: Evie Feng)
Amongst the esports paraphernalia, there’s an intriguing feeling of homeyness in the air. I beeline to the kitchen. For the PHL Fusion, their success isn’t just derived from endless hours of grinding and scrimmaging. Though players do practice four hours each day, equal emphasis is put on getting the most of their offline time.
For Chef Heidi Marsh, the Fusion’s personal chef, that means crafting a well-rounded menu full of protein and complex carbs. It’s brain food to fuel the boys through hours of mentally demanding play. In the kitchen, Chef Heidi is putting the finishing touches on three massive trays of Cubano sandwiches and there’s a pot of Spanish chorizo soup bubbling on the stove as we walk in. She tells me she slow roasted the pork last night in her own oven. It’s a veritable explosion of scents and flavors — sour, spicy, amazing.
With the PHL Fusion, Chef Heidi takes care to serve simple yet wholesome foods that would be palatable to all the players. The team boasts members from nine different countries and their tastes similarly run the gamut. Pasta and sandwiches are some of her most requested meals. It’s a back-and-forth conversation between the players and staff to make sure everyone’s satisfied with the week’s offerings.
Classic favorite @Fusion chicken parmesan with a cornflake twist!!!#overwatch #healthyfood pic.twitter.com/I6juDYk4Lq
Chef Heidi never goes too spicy or extreme and because of the trust she’s built, players are willing to try new foods. Before moving into the house last year, Elijah Hudson "Elk" Gallagher had never eaten fish before. The chef takes a couple days off each week so there’s also wiggle room for players to indulge themselves. No one named names, but a certain someone enjoys ketchup on their pizza.
As we chat, players filter in and out of the kitchen, swiping sandwiches and ladling soup. As a Contenders caster, I don’t have as much face to face time with players and it’s always a great experience to finally shake hands. Joona "Fragi" Laine, one of the Fusion’s main tank players, is every bit the boisterous gentleman he appears. He loads up on three sandwiches as Josue "Eqo" Corona takes his meal to the end of the bar counter. A toad adorned in a Philly t-shirt reminds the residents of the sink rules.
A friendly reminder to keep the house clean.
(Credit: Evie Feng)
Heidi encourages us to grab food and Roston accommodates my embarrassingly painful need for caffeine. There are no coffee pods to be found but he offers a Korean hazelnut instant coffee, which is delicious. Elk meanders into the kitchen and ever studious, asks if he needs to put on any branded gear for the interview. It’s up to the players, so he dons his “Carpe Take My Water” shirt. As the sandwiches slowly disappear, Alberto "neptuNo" González searches for some ice in the freezer. There’s only one massive block, fused together. We’re puzzling over how to break it into pieces when Heidi enters with her meat hammer and smashes it into submission.
Adam and I move to the living room for player interviews. We choose a couch in the spacious room bathed in sunlight from the French windows. They open onto the pool and yard, where you can almost feel the spirit of Josh "Sideshow" Wilkinson still lingering after his overnight stay in the Fusion treehouse.
Good-natured ribbing and the sounds of the kitchen drift over and already this mansion feels like it houses a family, not just a team. The PHL Fusion struggled last season with inconsistency and emotional play, born from lack of synergy. With the support of their organization and staff, they seem ready and poised to overcome last season’s difficulties as a newly cohesive team.
This is Part 1 of the ongoing series A Day with the Philadelphia Fusion.