After MSC Triumph, Coach Arcadia Pens Emotional Letter to Himself

MSC 2024 was the biggest win Michael Angelo Bocado, aka Coach Arcadia, has been looking for. It was a huge vindication for the Filipino esports coach, who led Malaysia’s Selangor Red Giants to the championship, despite the odds stacked against them: they had no star players, and few people believed in them, even in the two Filipino imports on their roster. 

After dominating the world champions Falcons AP BREN in a tense best-of-seven series, SRG closed the series 4-3 and erased doubts they are just a lucky team from an easy server. 

Taking to social media, Coach Arcadia penned an emotional letter detailing his tumultuous journey as an MLBB player and coach. 

Read his letter below. 

Life taught me to never give up.

I started out my professional Esports career as a pro player for Bren Esports in 2017 for a different game. My childhood dream of becoming a pro player came true. But it was through coaching Sunsparks that gave me my first taste of an MPL Championship. A taste that I would never forget and continuously seek. Being part of their journey from Sunsparks to Aura and to Echo, we shared so much tears and laughter, and triumphs and defeats together. They were my home. But after 5 years in the Philippine Esports scene, I realized it was time for me to leave my comfort zone and explore new horizons. 

Shortly after putting together ECHO’s Season 10 lineup, I was offered a coaching position at RRQ. I was hesitant to accept their offer at first. As a child of an OFW, I really respect OFW resilience and the sacrifices they make for their loved ones back home. Growing up, I remember crying every time my father would leave the country to return to work. As I grew older, I fully understood why they had to make these sacrifices and how hard it is to do so.

But RRQ offered such a great opportunity for growth that I could not say no to. So with a hopeful heart, I set my worries aside and flew to Indonesia. S10 was a good run but M4 left me with a bittersweet feeling. I wanted our team to win so badly and get RRQ its first international title but we fell short. On one hand I was happy to see my former players in Echo win M4. As a coach, you will always have an eternal bond with your players. Seeing their success, even if I’m no longer their coach, still makes me feel proud of them.

On the other hand, losing to a team whose players I recruited and put together was devastating. It made me question myself. Did I make the right decisions in my life? Should I have never left the Philippines? Would I also be an M4 champion if I didn’t leave? Was I the weakest link? All these negative thoughts ran through my head. Coincidentally, M4 finals happened on my birthday. I spent my birthday alone, locked in my room, mourning our team’s loss.

S12 was the worst season of my career and my season was cut short due to some complicated situations. After my stint with RRQ, I found myself at a crossroads. I was really considering if I should quit Esports and find a more financially stable job. It’s not like I’m getting any younger and as I age my responsibilities only get bigger. As a person who’s battling a chronic kidney medical condition (which was actually one of the lowest points in my life when I was diagnosed in 2014, but I guess that’s a story for another time), the instability of income in Esports is something I often worry about.

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Before getting into Esports, I had a career in IT. So I decided maybe its time to return to my first career. It was around the time that I was about to accept a corporate job offer when SRG contacted me for the position of head coach. And just like with my first overseas coaching job, I had so many hesitations. My previous experience left me doubting myself and my skills as a coach. But after a month of communication with SRG, they were able to convince me to continue my esports career with them.

My first season with SRG was a period to test the waters within a very limited time frame. It wasn’t perfect, but we learned so much about the things we can improve on. Going into my second season with SRG, this is where we had a major overhaul of the team that left us with only one member from the original main 5 lineup. With the new recruits for this season, we received a lot of backlash and doubt. There were a lot of questions of why so and so players were chosen. But this team really worked their hearts off to prove themselves. And the rest, they say, is history.

As a coach with realistic thinking, I knew we were strong and I had complete trust in my team, but I did not expect us to achieve everything in one season. Winning MPL, becoming an MSC x Esports World Cup champion, and maintaining a hundred plus day win streak was unbelievable. I thought it would take at least 2 seasons for us to reach our prime. But I guess as long as you trust your teammates and really work hard together as a team in achieving your goals, the sky’s the limit.

Now, I realize that I probably would not have made it this far if I didn’t experience these challenges and doubts. Overcoming them is what’s made me into the person I am today.

With this, I just want to genuinely say thank you to everyone who has supported me from the very beginning up until now. I appreciate you all so much from the bottom of my heart.

Life will always present us with obstacles, but if you put in the work and never give up on your dreams, the universe will always find a way for everything to fall into place.