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Overwatch League franchise, Los Angeles Gladiators, announced more roster changes to their roster on Thursday, October 21.
As revealed by the team, they’re parting ways with their coach David “dpei” Pei and adding a new support player in Daniel “FunnyAstro” Hathaway.
Coach dpei Leaves Los Angeles Gladiators
Los Angeles Gladiators have announced the departure of Overwatch esports head coach dpei. The decision follows Gladiators’ solid run through the 2021 OWL season, having placed fourth.
Given Gladiators’ relative success in the 2021 season, their final placement likely hasn’t influenced the departure of dpei. So it’s anyone’s guess why he has decided to leave the organization.
The American coach has not commented on the reasoning behind his departure, which provides the fans with more questions than answers. In his Twitter post, dpei has only stated that he is leaving the Gladiators with a heavy heart.
“With a heavy heart, I’m leaving the Gladiators,” said dpei.
“I grew a lot as a person here in my four years, and I’m proud to have worked with all the players and coaches, past and present. All I can say is I tried my absolute best and I gave all of myself to the team each and every year.”
Dpei’s departure marks the end of his four-year-long stint with the organization. Dpei has joined Los Angeles Gladiators in November 2017 as a coach and has remained in the role since.
In October 2019, dpei also took over the role as a manager of the Gladiators, helping the team achieve plenty of success.
Although Gladiators never won the OWL title, the team has done relatively well. The Gladiators most notably won the Overwatch League 2021 – Countdown Cup and placed top-six in 2018, 2019, and 2021 seasons.
Their worst placement came in 2020 when Gladiators finished the North American playoffs in seventh-eighth.
Dpei has not commented on what the future holds in store for him. However, he has noted that he will take a break from Overwatch and take time off to sort things out.
Gladiators Add FunnyAstro
While announcing the departure of their head coach, the Los Angeles Gladiators also unveiled a new signing in FunnyAstro. The 21-year-old British Overwatch esports pro has joined the Gladiators as support.
The Los Angeles outfit acquired FunnyAstro from Philadelphia Fusion, where he has spent the last two years. Prior to his stint with the Fusion, FunnyAstro has spent time with Fusion’s Academy team, Atlanta Reign, Atlanta Reign’s academy team, and British Hurricane.
Having entered the professional Overwatch scene in 2018, FunnyAstro joins the Gladiators as an experienced and accomplished player. Even though he has never won the OWL title, FunnyAstro has achieved plenty throughout his career.
Most notably, FunnyAstro has helped Fusion finish fourth in the 2020 OWL season and placed top-six in the 2019 OWL season with Reign.
Adding to that, FunnyAstro claimed silver in OWL Summer Showdown and Countdown Cup in 2020. The Brith has also played a crucial role in Fusion’s successful run through the 2021 OWL Play-Ins, helping the team qualify for the playoffs.
Los Angeles Gladiators’ Offseason Is Far From Over
With the addition of FunnyAstro, Los Angeles Gladiators have filled up their support lineup. However, they still have a fair bit of recruiting to do.
The Gladiators now field only four players in their active lineup. That includes tank Indy “SPACE” Halpern, DPS Kevin “kevster” Persson, and supports “Jinseo “Shu” Kim, Kim “skewed” Min-seok, and FunnyAstro.
With only one DPS and one tank player, the Gladiators now must add more players to those positions. While the Los Angeles OWL esports team have yet to comment on who they want to sign, they should have plenty of options.
The OWL 2021 offseason has been fairly wild, with several teams making roster changes. That, in turn, resulted in a very stacked free agency, with more than enough players searching for a new home.