After every major Overwatch League tournament, teams normally make minor changes to improve their team. But some teams are taking a more heavy-handed approach to ensure success for the rest of season five.
The Toronto Defiant announced today it would be parting ways with head coach Kim “KDG” Dong-gun, who has been with the organization for nearly two years.
This weekend, the Defiant entered the Kickoff Clash tournament with a healthy 4-2 record in qualifiers. Once they faced the rest of the bracket, however, they were taken out with a 0-3 loss to the Dallas Fuel and a 3-1 loss to the Houston Outlaws.
KDG was appointed head coach at the end of the 2020 season, coming over from the Philadelphia Fusion. He was part of the team’s major rebuild in 2021, which included bringing over players from the Fusion, like main tank Kim “SADO” Su-min. With dismal results in 2021, the team rebuilt again for 2022, adding big-name talent like former San Francisco Shock support Lee “Twilight” Ju-seok.
According to a tweet from Adam Adamou—co-founder of Overactive Media, the Defiant’s ownership group—assistant coach Sim “Mobydik” Seung-bo will be stepping up as interim head coach.
While most social media posts about KDG’s departure were grateful and congratulatory, his departure wasn’t without controversy. Former player Andreas “Logix” Berghmans responded to the Toronto Defiant’s announcement with “thank fuck took you long enough,” indicating he was likely unhappy with his time under KDG’s coaching.
