Fiddle called up to U.S. eNational Team for international tourney

CINCINNATI – FC Cincinnati eMLS player Gordon Thornsberry, known in the gaming world as Fiddle, has earned his first U.S. eNational Team (USeNT) call-up and will represent the United States in the inaugural U.S. Soccer eSeries 1, a four-team eFootball tournament featuring Brazil, Mexico, Spain and the USA, this week. Fiddle is the third USeNT player selected to represent the country since the team first competed a year ago in the FIFA eNations Cup 2019.

The tournament will be streamed from June 3-6 on U.S. Soccer’s new Twitch account (@ussoccerofficial), as well as the ESPN app.

Each nation competing in the U.S. Soccer eSeries 1 Tournament will be comprised of a Men’s National Team, Women’s National Team and eNational Team player. USMNT goalkeeper Sean Johnson and USWNT midfielder Allie Long will represent the USA alongside Fiddle. 

Fiddle is a Cincinnati-area product, growing up and currently living in Hamilton, Ohio. 

“Being called up to the national team is something all FIFA players work towards,” Fiddle said. “Representing my country will be something I will remember for years to come. I’m excited for the opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting results for the team!”

“We’re thrilled for Fiddle,” FCC president Jeff Berding said. “He’s had a fantastic eMLS season with wins at the League Series One and League Series Two events, and was poised to have a great eMLS Cup run before it was unfortunately postponed. Like a player on the field, it’s an honor to be called up to the national team, and we’re incredibly proud of Fiddle’s accomplishments and his opportunity to represent the United States. Our fans have embraced Fiddle and have supported his gaming exploits like they do our players on the field, and we know they’ll continue to be there cheering him on this week in this international tournament.”

The U.S. Soccer eSeries 1 Tournament will consist of round-robin play, with the top two finishers facing each other the eSeries 1 Final. The representatives from each nation will take on their counterparts in a three-legged match with aggregate scoring. The eNT and MNT players will play as the Men’s National Teams of their respective nations and the WNT players will play as the Women’s National Teams. All participants will compete in “85 Overall” mode on PlayStation 4.

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Fiddle joined FC Cincinnati as the club’s eMLS player in November 2018 after a spell with Paris-St. Germain. He won back-to-back eMLS events earlier this year, defeating the New York Red Bulls’ George Adamou in the final of eMLS League Series One, and Atlanta United’s Paulo Neto in the final of eMLS League Series Two.

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