9z Team carry South America's only shot at MSC
On April 30th of this year, storied Argentinian organization 9z Team signed the South American roster Pisco Sour. 9Z is likely unfamiliar to competitive Overwatch fans, but this team’s history spans multiple titles and years of competition. By far the most successful and popular roster is their Counter-Strike team, who just won the XSE Pro League 2026 in Guangzhou, and consistently finished 5-8th in S-Tier events. Their VALORANT roster is also a mainstay in the Latin America South region, having won Challengers multiple times. 9Z is now expanding their expertise to Overwatch by not only dominating the South American FACEIT League, but also making their mark on the 2026 Midseason Championship at the Esports World Cup in Paris.
The 9z Team announced their roster for their first foray into Overwatch Esports on Twitter. “We take the leap to a new scene, we present to you our new Overwatch team, which is going to be competing for the spot at the OWCS 2026 Midseason Championship of the #EWC2026”
The core of this 9z Team has an interesting story, playing on multiple teams throughout 2026 and getting bought out twice in FACEIT Season 8 alone. This team's story started the year as the DhillPatos, the South American branch of the DhillDucks organization. This roster was full of Latin American talent, all players with experience on their local World Cup rosters, forming an all-star lineup. The main core of this team was three players: Bertus "B3rt" Arend, a Chilean hitscan who carried Chile to first place in the Americas conference cup. Tiziano "tizi" Marinelli, an Argentine off-tank who won Season 6 with Factor X and helped propel Argentina from elimination to a spot in the American Online Qualifiers. Finally, Ismael "Wed" Montero, a Costa Rican flex support whose superb healing rates kept this team alive and thriving. In Season 7, they went 10-0 in the regular season and continued their dominance during the playoffs to win the league. Entering FACEIT Season 8, it was announced that the top spot would qualify for the 2026 Midseason Championship at the Esports World Cup, which put a lot of attention towards South America. B3rt, tizi, and Wed became the core talent that was built around to form a real contender. Pisco Sour, the temporary name of the roster while they were searching for an organization, grabbed four players in addition to the aforementioned core. To round out the support line, Chilean Pablo "LCŠ" Savastano came in as main support. He had experience playing with B3rt on Team Chile, and with the rest of the lineup on Factor X in 2025. A bigger splash came with the acquisition of Isaiah "Hydron" Rodriguez, former Florida Mayhem, Toronto Defiant, and Team USA Hitscan. His Brazilian heritage allowed him to not count as an import player, leaving both import slots open. Hydron has played Collegiate with Fisher College since 2025, but has stayed out of OWCS since leaving M80 back in early 2024. This team marks his first LAN since BlizzCon 2023, where he finished 5th-8th for Team USA.
For imports, the two players 9Z added are placed as “flex players,” meaning they can play any role. Firstly, Jonathan "Lightt" Chao came in from OWCS Pacific after The Gatos Guapos were bought by SHENGSHI Esports. Lightt has played every position for TGG, and currently plays Tracer to pair with Hydron’s hitscan. Keep an eye out for him swapping into the tank role for some interesting Doomfist gameplay, if the meta allows. Their final import was the most shocking: the addition of Jonathan "CLEAR" Foraker, the new American tank. His absence from Stage 1 was notable, especially after winning OWCS Pacific Stage 3. His D.Va and Zarya gameplay rolled over opponents in South America, and his shotcalling and leadership made him a standout player on this team.
This team was built for making the 2026 Midseason Championship at the Esports World Cup. They obliterated their competition, not dropping a single map all regular season, and rolling through the playoffs just as swiftly. They only dropped one map, in the grand finals, losing Numbani 5-4. They may be South America’s only hope, but they are by far the best representation they’ve ever had at an international LAN.
9z Team opens their tournament against the reigning EMEA champions, Virtus.pro. Odds are grim that 9Z can keep this game close, but stranger things have happened. South America has never won a map at the Esports World Cup, and with this being their only real international representation in OWCS, what waves this roster can make will bode well for the region as a whole. Hopefully 9Z can show the world what they are really made of and translate their dominant gameplay from FACEIT to the international stage. Regardless, be sure to tune in to the Midseason Championship as the games kick off at 12:00 PM CEST on Wednesday, July 29th (7:00 PM KST, 11:00 AM UTC, 6:00 AM EST).