Pro Xball Coverage
There was no shortage of subtext and drama in Pro XBall at World Cup this year. With decades-old, international rivalries and fresh inter-squad feuds, there was truly too much to contain in one piece if we tried. Though we can touch on a few hot spots, a summary will have to suffice.
Coming in, PaintballFit was riding high off of last season’ s storybook ending. A pair of first place finishes in Tampa and Atlantic City to open their season gave them a strong start. But with Red Legion nipping at their heels, they stumbled a bit, a disappointing seventh place finish in their homeland of Texas cost them the lead, and it was the Russians who held the first place seed at World Cup, ahead of Fit by a mere four points.
Close behind them in the third place spot was Edmonton Impact, a team with a lot to prove at World Cup. Amidst midseason controversy, Impact had seen the departure of star players Marcello Margott and Alex Goldman who both left to join a hungry Tampa Bay Damage, igniting a feud that would play out over the course of the weekend.
The brackets were expanded for the World Cup to include the top three teams in the European league in champions Breakout Spa, Lucky 15s Staffordshire, and Joy Division, and the Latin American League champions, Papaletto.
Play started out relatively slow with a lackluster set featuring the rookie Leverage versus Brazil’ s Papeletto Team, and a sluggish New York Xtreme versus NRG Elite, both of whom were fighting against relegation.
Photo By John Amodea
Photo By John Amodea www. paintball. media
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