FaZe Clan content creator Jakob "Teeqo" Swarden understood why Raheem Sterling couldn't attend his party. The Manchester City winger was too busy scoring against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League. But still, Teeqo missed the professional footballer whom, two years ago, he beat 1-on-1.
"It would have been fun to play against him here. I would have loved that," Teeqo said. "Of course, they have their actual season to play. But this is awesome. I'm having so much fun playing tonight."
Teeqo was one of several FaZe Clan members competing in a futsal tournament on Tuesday at Evolve Soccer LA. The competition was part of a larger event celebrating the esports organization's recent partnership with defending English Premier League champions Manchester City. Outside the net-enclosed hard court, invited friends and family partook of spicy chicken fingers, gallons of FaZeberry-flavored G-Fuel and an open bar that featured "FaZe City," a vodka, liqueur, cranberry juice, lemonade and orange zest concoction.
Along one wall was a row of PlayStations preloaded with FIFA 20. At one console, FaZe Clan talent manager Troy Carter Jr. struggled to beat crafty Everton FC using local favorite LAFC. He was excited by the collaboration between FaZe and MCFC and saw similarities between their cultures that could only tighten the fit.
"We're both at the forefront of our industries. There's a lot of synergy there," Carter Jr. said. "Both very fraternal, really based on brotherhood. That's one of the biggest elements of FaZe that I've enjoyed, the familial element to it all. Family is big. It's not just a selling point. It's a lifestyle with FaZe."
FaZe and City connected during City's tour of the United States in 2017, meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles one afternoon to shoot a pair of YouTube videos. One of those videos features City stars John Stones, Kevin De Bruyne and Sterling going up against FaZe stars Teeqo, Thomas "Temperrr" Oliveira and Lucas "Blaze" Mosing in a series of friendly 1-on-1 soccer challenges, which FaZe won, thanks to Teeqo. The two teams kept in touch over the years, growing closer through the friendship of British FIFA players Tassal "Tass" Rushan and Shaun "Shellz" Springette. Eventually, one discussion led to another, and what was unofficial became official.
"It was fate," FaZe Clan general manager Brooke Grant said. "When the conversation started, thinking about a soccer team teaming up with a gaming org seemed a little ... interesting to begin with, but I think the connection with the way our industry now fits into sport, it was bound to happen at some point. ... I think we had one thing in mind at the iteration of this journey, but as our teams have spent time together, it's evolving daily. There's a lot of really exciting things to come."
It's easy to appreciate the clout FaZe gains in the partnership, but for Manchester City, the union with FaZe is an excellent way to connect with a digital audience they're only beginning to understand. Retired right back Micah Richards grew up with gaming (Mario Kart was his favorite) and witnessed its ubiquity during downtime on the road. He knows what City stands to gain by exploring the gaming scene and participating in these kinds of events.
"For City, the more fans they can conquer -- not just in England but across the world -- is great," Richards said. "I think this gives an opportunity for people to know Manchester City not just for football but to be known for exciting things outside of football. It brings people together and gets Man City known on the world stage."
City have already committed to building a shared esports training facility to house their FIFA players. FaZe will get a closer look at what their new partners have in mind when they travel to Manchester on Sunday to watch City take on Wolverhampton at Etihad Stadium. As the MCFC players walk out of the tunnel, they will be wearing crisp, sky-blue jackets emblazoned with both City and FaZe logos. For Teeqo, it'll be the realization of a dream to take his FaZe family to a football game; these days, he can't even drag them to see Swedish countryman Zlatan Ibrahimović play for the nearby L.A. Galaxy.
And City will likely fare better against Wolves than Teeqo's FaZe Clan futsal team did against opponents The Hosts. Despite having retired pro Cobi Jones on his side, FaZe Clan fell 5-3 in a sometimes-contentious final as Offset's "Clout" blared from the speakers. The Hosts had their own ringers: Former Canadian international Lauren Sesselmann and retired LA Galaxy champion Bryan Jordan were more than enough to secure the championship.
All things considered, although FaZe Clan didn't win the tournament, they certainly won the night.
"I think it's awesome," Teeqo said of the partnership with City. "We are not just gamers now. We're part of the sports system. You could even say, to a certain point, the celebrity system, the real celebrities. We're just on the internet, but I think we're doing a good job merging that, and Man City is a great way of doing it."