By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
In a moment of vulnerability, head coach Harold “Tictac” Reyes fought back tears as he reflected on the journey of Team Liquid Philippines, the defending champions who were unceremoniously dethroned by Aurora on Wednesday evening.
The weight of disappointment hung heavily in the air as Tictac opened up about the struggles his team faced throughout MPL Philippines Season 14.
“Actually, sobrang dami naming challenges this season. Hindi pa nga nag-uumpisa yung season may challenges na kami. So, unti-unti naso-solusyonan namin diba parang first two weeks ng regular season losing kami pero nakabawi kami noong later part. So yun nga unti-unti naming nasosolusyonan ‘yon,” Tictac said in an exclusive interview with Tiebreaker Times.
Reflecting on their match against Aurora, the decorated shotcaller acknowledged that a lack of discipline during the best-of-five series allowed their opponents to dictate the game.
“Siguro may mga times na kinukulang kami ng disiplina. Basta mayroong game na may kulang kaming disiplina. Lalo na sa Game 5, supposedly may mga clashes na hindi kami pupunta sa ganoong scenario kase lugi pa kami sa position. Kumbaga napipilitan kaming mag-clash,” said the 44-year-old coach.
Despite the loss, Tictac expressed confidence in his team’s potential for a strong playoff run and a return to the grand finals, envisioning a chance to represent the Philippines in the M6 World Championships.
However, they ultimately fell short.
“Eto talaga, itong match na ito ay tiwala ako sa team na makakapasok kami hanggang Finals. Sadyang mas maganda lang yung laro ng kalaban namin,” he continued.
Following their second early exit in the playoffs, Tictac revealed that the team plans to engage in deep discussions after a two-week break, aiming to return stronger for the next season.
“Siguro ngayon pahinga muna kami mga two weeks tapos mag-uusap kami kung ano yung mga naging problema namin this season from regular to playoffs,” he concluded.
“So from that, siguro makakabuo kami ng mga gagawin naming hakbang to the next season.”
