Western United’s teenage E-League debutant on beating esports great Gomes

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Western United fans, you have another young hero to follow. And he’s an Xbox star from our E-League team. 

On matchday one of the E-League last Saturday at ESL Studios in Sydney, it was Western United who grabbed the headlines via N8_Dylan. 

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Campbell, or N8_Dylan as he’s more commonly known, was awarded Xbox player of the day for his performance on Saturday – an impressive achievement for the youngest player in the competition.

But beating one of esports’ greats was the headline from a sensational Saturday of E-League action.

“It was a really good experience for me,” Campbell told wufc.com.au

“I went overseas last year to complete internationally but the E-League was a totally different experience because there was a live audience.

“Heading into the tournament I knew I had the ability to perform really well because I’m ranked second in Australia on Xbox.”

Campbell was the stand-out player, recording four wins from five games on his E-League debut.

The youngster was successful in rounds 1, 2 and 5 against Western Sydney Wanderers, Wellington Phoenix and the Central Coast Mariners respectively.

But beating Melbourne City’s Marcus Gomes in round 4 was undeniably Campbell’s highlight of the day.

A  win against one of the world’s best gave the youngster a confidence boost heading into matchday two.

“He’s been one of the world’s best players of the past few years so that was a really big win for me.”

Gomes is a huge name and was the first marquee professional gamer signed to the E-League.

“I beat him 2-0 in the fifth round. That gave me the confidence that I could beat anyone in this tournament and that age isn’t a factor.”

Campbell

Despite such an impressive performance, Campbell insists that his best is yet to come.

“I would have liked for it to be five wins. I didn’t play my best but the results still came.

“You could probably expect even better from me [on matchday two].

“I wasn’t too happy with how I played overall, but the results I was happy with.

“I’ve got a few tough matches on matchday two. I’m playing Sydney FC, Brisbane, Perth. All the players on Xbox for those teams are top-tier players.

“But I’ve already beaten Marcus so I don’t see why I can’t beat any of them and win all my games.”

Campbell’s teammate Omer Cenk (N8_Cenk) recorded two wins on Saturday to go with Campbell’s four.

It has Western United sixth on the E-League table with six rounds to go.

Matchday two will be played as ESL Studios in Sydney on Saturday, March 7, before the finals kick off at Fortress Melbourne on Saturday, 9 May.