Doolsta continues to make waves on eMLS circuit

Another tournament, another trophy for Cormac Dooley, aka Doolsta, the Union’s esports athlete who has now won both eMLS League Series competitions and will enter the eMLS Cup as the top overall seed.

The 18-year-old who is a senior at West Chester East High School completed the sweep of the two league events in a tournament hosted by FC Dallas on Sunday after winning the previous league competition hosted by LA Galaxy in January.

It’s been quite a journey for Dooley since he signed an eSports contract with the Union after winning the Union eSports Open last March. He was the first eSports athlete to sign with the club, but has since been joined by Jeffrey Acevedo (JisForJeff), who was signed in late 2018 after winning a college competition hosted by the club.

Going from relative unknown to pro eSports athlete, Doolsta has surprised people along the way, defeating some of the best eSports players in the country, including last year’s undefeated eMLS Cup Champion Kid Me3mito of the Houston Dynamo in series one and RCTID_Thiago of Portland Timbers in Sunday’s final for series two.

With eSports gaining momentum worldwide and more and more of these competitions popping up, it’s not surprising that the Union and MLS has found a way to get in on the action. Viewers can easily access streamers who are broadcasting on Twitch, Mixer and other social media channels to connect fans not only to the pro eSports athletes but also the MLS teams they represent. The rise of eSports was chronicled in a FOX Sports Documentary that featured Dooley called “Esports: Athletes Rising.”

Even though eSports has its fans inside of the Philadelphia Union’s base and MLS, it also has its fair share of critics.

Still whether you like it or not, Dooley, who grew up in the Republic of Ireland before moving to West Chester a couple years ago, is bringing plenty of attention to the boys in blue. Beginning March 30, he has a chance to bring home an eMLS Cup.