Dallas Fuel has released star DPS player Kim “Rascal” Dong-jun and coach Kyle Souder from the Overwatch League team.
The organization, owned by Team Envy, announced the roster changes early Monday morning. Dallas assistant coach Emanuel Uzoni will operate as the interim head coach until a new one is appointed, and Dallas said the organization is currently in negotiations with replacement coaches. Former Meta Athena head coach Kang Min-Gyu has been signed as an assistant coach, and he’ll join Dallas in Los Angeles once his visa is approved.
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With the Overwatch League player signing window closed, Dallas will not be able to replace its missing DPS player. Rascal signed with Dallas in late February as a transfer from London Spitfire.
Dallas owner Mike Rufail said Rascal’s “commitment” did not meet the organization’s expectation. “His unwillingness to communicate with the team while playing in recent matches became a large distraction,” Rufail added.
During Rascal’s time with London Spitfire, the team communicated in Korean. The DPS player’s move to Dallas had the player largely communicating in English with Dallas’ international team.
Souder’s release comes after a season full of struggles for the Overwatch League team, many of which Souder was blamed for by fans. “While we recognize many of the challenges Kyle faced with the Dallas Fuel were beyond his control, there comes a time when change is necessary for the team to move forward and we felt that time is now,” Rufail said.
Souder joined Team Envy in March 2016 and coached the team through Overwatch Contenders, OGN Overwatch Apex, and into the Overwatch League. As Team Envy, the Overwatch team saw a lot of success. Transitioning to the Overwatch League brought struggles for the organization, which has seen multiple controversies since the start of the season, including Félix “xQc” Lengyel’s release from the team following multiple punishments, Son “OGE” Min-seok’s suspension, and Timo “Taimou” Kettunen’s fine.
Dallas will face San Francisco Shock on April 18 at 8pm CT.
