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The Overwatch League offseason is a time for reconstruction and the Houston Outlaws are starting early.
The Outlaws released head coach Kim “TaiRong” Tae-yeong and assistant coach Kim “Hyunwoo” Hyun-woo today after a lackluster performance in season two.
Both coaches have been with the Houston Outlaws since the team was created in November 2017. Before the Overwatch League, both coaches worked for South Korean professional Overwatch team Afreeca Freecs. Head coach Tairong was also a support player for Team South Korea in the first Overwatch World Cup in 2016.
The Houston Outlaws struggled in multiple ways during the second season of the Overwatch League. They were one of the few teams to go 0-7 during a stage, failing to win a single match in stage two. Despite the loss, they managed to finish 16th in the league standings after meta changes benefited their roster.
An additional struggle for the team was the financial standing of their ownership company, OpTic Gaming. General manager Matt “Flame” Rodriguez confirmed the team was operating under a “negative budget” the entirety of season two. Immortals Gaming Club, which also owns the Los Angeles Valiant, acquired OpTic before stage four. The Houston Outlaws are still looking for a buyer despite reports that a real estate investor picked them up for $40 million.
After being released, head coach Tairong said that “it was an honor to be with [the] team and fans” on Twitter. Assistant coach Adam “MESR” De La Torre and Matt “Clockwork” Dias, a former player and assistant coach, still remain with the team.
