LOUD release coach bzkA after Valorant Champions victory
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesBoth LOUD and their head coach Matheus ‘bzkA’ Tarasconi have announced his release on September 30, almost two weeks after the team won Valorant Champions.
bzkA joined the team on February 3, 2022 to coach the Brazilian super squad. During his tenure as a coach, the squad won Valorant Champions 2022, placed second at Masters Reykjavík, and went undefeated domestically.
Before LOUD, bzkA coached Team Vikings, which had multiple players that he would later coach on LOUD, at Valorant Champions 2021. He was also a Counter-Strike coach before jumping into Valorant.
In a Twitlonger about the situation, bzkA praised the organization for his time with it and the team for their success in 2022.
“I would also like to thank LOUD, my family and my friends for all the support during this year and especially the fans, you are amazing, thank you very much for all the love, you may have no idea how important you are to our success,” bzkA said.
bzkA was not LOUD’s first choice in coach at the start of 2022 as Rodrigo ‘Onur’ Dalmagro, the former coach of KRÜ Esports, was slated to join the squad. That deal fell through as Onur was deported from Brazil due to failing to meet health requirements to enter the country at the time.
LOUD in the Valorant international leagues
Lance Skundrich/Riot GamesThe release of bzkA comes just a week after LOUD, and 29 other esports organizations, were told they were invited to the international Valorant leagues by Riot Games.
LOUD will compete in the Americas league and needs to fill bzkA’s head coaching spot before the October deadline to fulfill the roster requirements for the 2023 season. Per Riot rules, teams must have a general manager and a head coach along with six eligible players for the 2023 season.
The season will kick off with a tournament in São Paulo, Brazil in February with LOUD as the defending Champions.