Minnesota United announce ‘LAMPS’, Ehsan Zakeri, was crowned the eMLS League Series Two champion, presented by Coca-Cola, on Sunday, January 30, in a dominant 6-1 win over ‘xVerde’ from Austin FC, earning the $8,000 prize. LAMPS currently sits second on the table for the eMLS Cup.

“It feels amazing to win this tournament,” said MNUFC eMLS Representative Ehsan Zakeri. “A couple weeks ago, I fell short. I don’t think I performed like I know I can but I proved today that I could have done better, and I did. From what I’ve done already this year, I know I can beat anyone. I took this tournament one game at time and managed to win one game at a time. Heading into the eMLS Cup in Austin, I’m the champ, the one in the best form so if there is anyone to be scared of, it would have to be me.”

‘LAMPS’ went into the two-day tournament with a 7-3-2 record, securing the seventh seed in the Quarterfinals. He advanced to the Finals by beating League Series One champion ‘GoalMachine’ (Toronto FC) in the Quarterfinals and with a dominating 7-3 win over Atlanta United’s ‘PauloNeto999’ in the Semifinals. ‘LAMPS’ was knocked out in the Quarterfinals of the League Series One by ‘PauloNeto999’ after being the only player to go undefeated in the Qualifiers. 

Zakeri was signed as Minnesota United’s eMLS representative in December of 2021. He started competing in FIFA 20 and has since competed at the top of the North American region, winning major tournaments in FIFA 21 and FIFA 22. The 18-year old is currently based out of Syosset, New York and is a sophomore at Stony Brooke University. 

Next on the calendar is eMLS Cup presented by Coca-Cola on March 13, with the top 12 eMLS players competing to be crowned the 2022 season champion. eMLS Cup is scheduled as an official event of SXSW 2022 in Austin, Texas and sends its top three finishers to the EA SPORTS Global Series Playoffs on the Road to the FIFAe World Cup. The winner earns a $35,000 prize pool.

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