Rocket League: Interview with The Peeps coach, Moopy

The Peeps pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Rocket League Esports history, knocking off G2 to win the DreamHack Montreal Pro Circuit. They were led by their coach, Julian “Moopy” Amador as their balanced attack of strong defense and scoring allowed them to beat Mousesports, the dangerous Team Vitality and eventually the highly popular G2.

Image courtesy of DreamHack Montreal

After a tough loss in the first game against Vitality, The Peeps featuring Gyro, Mist and Retals became a team that was possessed. Their defense played a big role in their charge, with tons of key saves and cleared balls throughout the Semi-Finals and the Grand Finals.

The Grand Finals between The Peeps and G2 was the first time that two North American teams faced off for the title in a major international event. The underdog Peeps came out firing, winning three of the first four games as it seemed like they would cruise down history lane with ease.

However, G2 managed to get it to a Game 6, where The Peeps had a great chance to finish it off but would end up losing to get forced into a Game 7. From there, the organization that only has a Rocket League team would take down the Esports titan of G2 4-0 to claim fourth and final major of the DreamHack Pro Circuit for the year.

The @PeepsRLCS can’t believe it! #DHProCircuit
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— DreamHack Rocket League (@DreamHackRL) September 9, 2019

We had a chance to chat with Amador about how he got into Rocket League, and about competing in the DreamHack Montreal experience.

Colin Mieczkowski: How did you get into playing/following Rocket League?

Julian Amador: My best friend had played the game for free on PS4 and told me it was fun. At the time I was forming a team for CS:GO and had no competitive mindset going into it. I bought it to play with him and that was it.

CM: What were your thoughts when you found out RL was starting an Esports league a few years back?

JA: I was actually extremely clueless in the early days and had no idea Rocket League even had a competitive scene until the end of Season 2. Season 3 is when I started paying attention.

CM: How impressed are you with the rapid growth of the league?

JA: It’s definitely impressive for an indie game with the size of employees at Psyonix. The game is extremely appealing to new viewers as it’s easy to watch and understand. Props to Psyonix for making Rocket League grow as big as it is today. I only see it going up.

CM: When you became a coach, how did that initially feel to be in that role?

JA: I broke my foot in January and didn’t have much to do with my time. Coaching is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. I always had potential in the game but the drive for me to go pro didn’t last long. I went ahead and reached out to the team during their last [Rocket League Rival Series] season as I saw some issues. and they let me on board. It felt great knowing that I could help my favorite team achieve their dream of becoming Professional Rocket League players, and here we are.

CM: As a follow-up, what is the life of a Rocket League coach like?

JA: I spend every week with my favorite professional team doing my best to make them become legends. The life of a Rocket League Coach is great if you ask me. I love my job.

CM: DreamHack Montreal. Going into it, what was going through your mind and what did you tell your players going in?

JA: DreamHack Montreal was my first ever LAN experience with The Peeps. I was happy knowing I would get to be on stage with them, it’s something that gave me comfort going into it. I told them to just play their game, our initial goal was to make Day 2. We were happy with that.

CM:  Being an underdog, what was the moment when you realized you guys could win the whole thing?

JA: Day 1, I don’t think we were feeling ourselves just yet. We didn’t boot camp at all, so our scrims and matches that day were all the preparation we had. Day 2 versus TSM is when things started to really click. I could tell that we were all extremely determined to make Day 3, and as soon as we beat TSM I knew it was definitely possible.

CM: During the Grand Final, it seemed like there were as many Peeps fans as there were G2 fans. What was it like seeing such a huge support group for you guys, when going up against an esports juggernaut in G2?

JA: As the casters said that day, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a majority of the crowd NOT cheer for G2. It was the first NA final, so I think that played a part in it. We were also the underdogs that did the impossible and made it to the finals, so in the end, it makes sense that we had that much support on our back. Who wouldn’t want to see us take it all the way?

CM: You guys had the Game 6 in the palm of your hands. What were you feeling, realizing that you had to go to a pressuring Game 7 to decide the champ when you were so close in Game 6?

JA: We had a lot of mistakes in Game 6. It was easy for me to recognize them and get them back in it. We had enough emotional roller coasters throughout the weekend (thanks to game 5s) but I knew what to say to them to help close it out. Especially after knowing we gave up Game 1 and won three games straight afterward, I knew that nothing mattered. I knew we could win Game 7, and we did it convincingly.

CM: What was the experience like when that clock was ticking down in Game 7 knowing that you were just moments away from history?

JA: It was unreal. Even when we were 2 goals up with a minute left we knew it wasn’t over. We played our hearts out the entire way. It only really sank in when we had 3 goals with 51 seconds. I still to this day can’t believe we walked away as DreamHack Champions. It’s a dream come true.

CM: Finally, as a coach of a DreamHack Pro Circuit champion Rocket League team, what tips do you have for us mortals out there? 

JA: Keep on grinding and never give up.

Scroll down a bit on DreamHackRL’s Twitter to find brilliant highlights of The Peeps against G2 and other highly successful and popular Rocket League Teams.

The Peeps’ full matches can be watched on DreamHack Rocket League’s YouTube channel. The Day 3 Grand Finals match between The Peeps and G2 can be watched here:

Written by Colin Mieczkowski

Follow his Twitter @GhostPandaColin for updates regarding esports, golf, and other sports!