Ahead of the 2020 eMLS season, Alan Ortega or better known as FIFA streamer CaliSCG, has signed a contract extension with the San Jose Earthquakes for his third season at the club. We had a chance to talk to CaliSCG on what he's looking forward to in the upcoming season.
SJEarthquakes.com: What have you learned in your first two years competing with us?
CaliSCG: "The main thing that I’ve learned is keeping your head level. The first year was a little nerve wracking, going into a competition and representing a big club like the Earthquakes. The second year it got easier and this year it’s going to be way better just because I’ve had the experience. It’s all about being stress-free and not letting the pressure get to you."
SJE: How is FIFA 20 different from the others?
CaliSCG: "The main quirk to FIFA 20 is being patient. A lot of people play drop-back, a mechanic within the game. Players will park the bus so there are about nine defenders inside the box when people play this way so you have to patient in this version of FIFA, definitely. All I have to do is adapt and learn from it."
SJE: How are you going to build your squad for the 2020 eMLS season?
CaliSCG: "What I’ve learned in the last two years of competition is that you need a team that’s well balanced. You’re going to come against some very high-rated players so one thing you need is balance. You can’t give up too much talent in different positions otherwise you’ll get exposed. If you have defenders who are rated 60 [out of 100] overall and you have Ronaldo, Messi and Mbappé coming at you, you’re going to be in trouble."
SJE: At the end of the year, who have you looked forward to playing the most?
CaliSCG: "I don’t have a rival but I do have a couple people I really look forward to playing. The main person I look forward to playing is Kid M3mito from the Houston Dynamo. There is no bad blood between us at all; he’s just one of my closest friends from my hometown so it’s always fun playing him. When I’m playing other people it’s super tense but when I’m playing him it’s really relaxed. We’re just going to play and have fun."
SJE: Is there any eMLS player you knew from YouTube or streaming channels before competing?
CaliSCG: "The eMLS player that I already knew about when I started competing was Mike LaBelle. He’s been in the FIFA scene for so long. I remember watching Mike’s FIFA tutorial videos just trying to get better at FIFA and now it’s crazy that I get to play against him so it’s pretty sick to think about. In a way, he helped me get to the stage that I’m at right now. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten better."
