After his triumphant coaching ventures in the Overwatch Contenders North America and Pacific, Chris ‘Spazzo’ Infante has landed himself a new role at the Toronto Defiant. The prolific 26-year-old Talon has been enlisted by the Canon-sponsored Canadian Overwatch team as its Assistant Coach, strategy and scouting.
Spazzo will work alongside current Toronto Defiant strategic coach Dennis ‘Barrio’ Matz in scouting and identifying team players. The duo could tap on players’ potential to help the team make its way up to the top of the Overwatch League. Toronto Defiant confirmed Spazzo’s appointment as an assistant coach earlier this week, but the team did not elaborate on the scouting duties that Infante would perform.
In a preliminary analysis, however, it is foreseeable that Infante would facilitate Head Coach David ‘Lilbow’ Moschetto and co-Assistant Coach Alban ‘Albless’ de la Grange in expediting game analysis, players’ SWOT evaluations, and strategy planning. It is also likely that Spazzo will scout top-tier players and tailor their skills to meet the goals of his new team.
Toronto Defiant had announced about Spazzo’s selection in an enthusiastic tweet, which has since been deleted. The sudden removal of the tweet predictably gave rise to speculations about potential contentions that may have prompted the team to revoke Spazzo’s recruitment. The matter has since been clarified in a Reddit thread where user 102849 pointed out that Toronto Defiant dropped the tweet because it had made a significant error in announcing Spazzo’s position on the team.
The team had reportedly announced Spazzo as its Assistant Coach, Strategy and Spacing instead of Assistant Coach, Strategy and Scouting. Therefore, only to return with a revised announcement, Toronto Defiant took down the tweet. A reinforced proclamation has been made on Instagram.
Spazzo’s roster of trophies encompasses four domestic titles, and he has led Contenders teams to victory on various occasions. His first team, Laser Kittenz, secured 3-4th place during the Overwatch Contenders 2017 Season Zero and Season One in Europe. Later, when Infante transitioned to the Fusion University - Philadelphia Fusion’s Academy lineup - the team bagged all major titles in two consecutive seasons of Overwatch Contenders.
Spazzo’s success with Fusion University subsequently won him the Head Coach position at Talon Esports, a Hong Kong-based esports organisation. Under Spazzo’s instruction, Talon competed in Overwatch Contenders Pacific 2019, where a first-place finish earned them a whopping $40,000 USD.
Spazzo’s recruitment continues a row of good decisions the Toronto Defiant had started with the signings of Numlocked and Kruise. The team’s recent appointments contribute mindfully to its rebuild as they add more depth to their performance capabilities. If the Toronto Defiant turns out to become a prime contender across all metas next year after these upgrades, it won’t be surprising.
Source: Toronto Defiant, Reddit
