Tomorrow, Michael "Michs09" LaBelle kicks off his bid for World Cyber Games gold at 1:30PM CET, or 6:30AM EST. He opens play in Group D where he has high hopes to qualify against the top players Austria, Korea, Guatemala, and Vietname can throw at him.
The opening match against Austria's Raphael "Rafty" Koller will prove the toughest and could decide who wins the group. "In group stage you can't have a bad game; one loss and you may be out," said LaBelle, before his trip to Germany, noting his philosophy: take one game at at time.
In addition to Koller, LaBelle must play well against Korea's second ranked finisher, GwanHyeong "Unlimited" Kim. Kim represents the CGS' Korean team, the Seoul Jinwha, showing he's taking plenty of big game experience into one of the bigger events of his life.
The Vietnamese and Guatemalan competitors may be a bit more obscure, but you can never count on a devoted player in a game like FIFA '08. Even so, LaBelle is confident he will emerge from his group.
Check back tomorrow for match results during Michs09's quest for WCG gold!
Group Stage
Raphael "Rafty" Koller
Trung Hieu "3H-l2vn" To
GwanHyeong "Unlimited" Kim
Oscar Eduardo "guayogol" Morataya
