Another season in ProLeague Polska has come to an end; in the first division, it was a close call – The Bulls were just a few points short of triumphing in the 33rd season of ProLeague Polska. What matters, however, is that they managed to finish in 2nd place, which secures them a place in the Champions League. We wrote more about The Bulls Team’s participation in ProLeague Polska in this article.
We interviewed the manager of the EA Sports FC section, princula – about who he thinks will win the current VPG Polska season, and what their goals are for the upcoming Champions League season.
Hi, to start with, please introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi there, I’m Dawid – 30 years old, a huge fan of FPS games and all team sports. I’m the manager of The Bulls Team – someone who doesn’t play but looks at the bigger picture objectively, so I simply make way for the better players when it comes to my ‘own’ spot in the team on the pitch. What do I do? There’s quite a lot, because practically everything — from analysing match replays, organising training and practice sessions, rescheduling matches if necessary, to finalising the line-up on time for a given day, against a specific opponent, including the formation. However, with the help of such wonderful people around me, we’re really good at sharing these responsibilities, and the lads take a lot of the pressure off me in certain areas.
How did The Bulls Team come about?
Competition, excitement, teamwork — these are the three wonderful factors that sparked the desire to ‘take on’ virtual clubs in 11-a-side matches. Ever since I was little, I’ve spent time playing games of this type; I’ve never focused on ‘single-player’ games or modes. I began my journey into competitive gaming with GTA San Andreas multiplayer, as well as MTA and the ‘bomb da base’ mode, leading a team and competing in 5v5 matches; later, it all moved on to the well-known title ‘Counter-Strike’, or ‘Valorant’, initially leading a team as an In-Game Leader with limited success, until eventually, as I got older, I gave it all up and moved into coaching in those divisions. Having played FIFA as a hobby across virtually every instalment, it was with the latest FIFA 22/23 that I discovered the Virtual Clubs mode; I pursued this and created my first project, the Onyx Lions on PC. As a brand-new project, we got off to a flying start in the league, finishing our first season just off the podium; had the reports been written properly, we would have secured third place — I wanted to continue this adventure in EA FC 24 as well, and that’s exactly what happened, but under the name The Bulls Team – a name under which, under my leadership, the team has competed in various divisions over the years. Although I got off to a rather late start with squad building and the project in EA FC 24, we did a brilliant job; in the first season we could have been promoted to League 1, but that didn’t happen, but as a new project, we finished the season among the leaders; after making the right signings and carrying out the necessary analysis, the following season saw us finish as runners-up in the Second Division, and in VPG’s third season, as a newly promoted side, we were once again a top-four team — this time in the top flight. So, for a new project that’s still chasing after those old hands, I think we’re doing pretty well, and things are set to get even better.
A few weeks ago you played a match against FC Basel eSports; do you approach such matches like any other as the owner, or are the emotions a bit different, given that it’s the esports section of a renowned Swiss club?
You know what, we don’t really pay much attention to who we’re playing against, whether it’s a highly decorated team on the scene or a new project we’re competing against for points — we have to play against everyone, and we want to win whilst having a good time together in a brilliant atmosphere.
Is it you who sets the goals for the whole EA FC division, or is it the captain?
Of course it’s me, but I try to surround myself with and work alongside people who share my goals, people who believe in my philosophy of leading the team and are willing to devote their time to it, and over the years I’ve managed to prove that when I set my mind to something, success follows; and as I mentioned earlier — with the help of others, and with our shared goals, anything is achievable. Goals for this season at VPG? Just like every other season — a podium finish. We’re probably not quite at the stage yet where we can realistically think about the top spot, although next season — or in the sixth season — that goal might become a reality. I’ve recently added an offensive unit to a defence that’s ready for the top flight, but I can see two missing pieces in the whole jigsaw; once I’ve put them together, I think we’ll be able to set our sights even higher. It took me two seasons to get to grips with the defensive block — now the third and fourth seasons are based on the attacking formation, so that’s exactly what I mean. Next season, or the one after that, we could realistically close the gap on the old hands who’ve been on the scene longer with their projects.
In the ProLeague Polska, you were just one point short of becoming champions of the 33rd season of the top flight — that must leave you feeling a bit unsatisfied, mustn’t it?
There’ll always be a sense of unfulfilled potential; to be honest, I didn’t think we’d manage to finish the league so high up. I treated the first matches, as well as the early weeks of the ProLeague, as a testing ground, putting the pieces together ahead of the upcoming VPG season, which is why for most of the season we were somewhere around the middle of the table; nevertheless, in the return fixtures, victories over such high-calibre teams as Cunning Foxes (2–0) and Illegal (2–1) which brought us much closer to the top. Tying up loose ends and winning practically everything, without losing a single match, propelled us onto the podium, ultimately allowing us to finish the season so high up. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done, but above all, I’m most proud of the lads for managing to turn the tide of more than one match, as well as fighting right to the end – with great results, because watching them in this league was a pure pleasure.
If you had to pick a team to win this season’s VPG Polska (1st Division), which team would it be?
It’s very hard to single out one specific team; generally speaking, a lot will depend on us and on the teams in 5th to 8th place, because these are the teams that can spring a surprise and, on their day, even snatch three points. The return fixtures are currently underway. GSK eSport are steamrolling their way through, crushing their rivals, however, in the history of League 1, they’ve never beaten us, which could cost them points; if the teams in 2nd and 3rd place don’t drop points and beat us, they could leapfrog them. And let’s not forget that Cunning Foxes are also in the race for top spot; they’ve strengthened their squad nicely this season with some interesting signings, and our matches are a real rollercoaster. Sometimes one team wins, sometimes the other, or we end the match in a draw. I wouldn’t be surprised if Illegal Esports won the title yet again — so far we’ve drawn with them twice, but they’re a team like the German national side or Bayern Munich: you can play well, but at the end of the day, Illegal win the league, somehow scraping together those points and celebrating the final result. This season, despite everything, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for GSK eSport; I reckon they deserve the League 1 title more than anyone else. In any case, we haven’t had our final say either.
Shall we have a bit of fun predicting the results? Who do you think will be promoted from the second division at the end of the season, and who will be relegated from the first division?
Those teams, as well as their captains, will probably hate me for this, but I’ll be honest and objective — I reckon the bottom of the table will shift a bit during the return fixtures, and MF Killers will lose the final relegation battle, dropping down alongside HYPNO, who are banned from the competition, whilst Angry Panthers and The Separatists will face off in the play-offs for the first division; Sepki will win that battle, and the Panthers will be relegated. That’s why I reckon YNG SKiLLZ will bounce back, as will Angry Wolves, though those two teams will suffer heavy defeats, which will see them relegated to the second division. If I had to pick teams from the Second Division to be promoted, I’d say The Separatists after the play-offs, Loco Villanos, as well as Dark Ritual, who have made significant progress recently and look set to be quite an interesting project.
Within the ProLeague structure, you’ll be representing Poland in the Champions League for another season — how does that feel, and what are your goals?
The final – will we make it this time? I think so. If I manage to sort out the two missing pieces by then, I’m quite optimistic. The experience we’ve gained during the VPG Elite tournament, as well as the previous edition of the ProLeague Champions League, has shown us how we should play against European teams and what sort of players we’re up against.
Are you planning any transfer moves at the moment?
Of course, there are still positions in the team where we can raise the bar higher, or where players are simply burning out, becoming less committed, or experiencing a dip in form, so reinforcements are inevitable.
Thank you for your time. Would you like to add anything else?
My regards to the dedicated readers who’ve read the whole thing, as well as the entire SuperionGG editorial team – it’s great that there are people like you who enjoy what they do, and to the whole team too. I’m incredibly proud of the lads with every passing season; it’s a pleasure to dedicate time to them, work alongside them and spend time with them. Despite the friction and squabbles, we also hope that there will be people on the scene who appreciate the work we do on the virtual pitches, and who will appreciate the direction in which a project like The Bulls Team has always been heading, because it’s easy to criticise something; things change significantly when someone has to devote a bit more time and persevere in running something — with successes, big or small. Cheers.
Thank you once again for your time, and we encourage you to follow The Bulls Team on social media, where you’ll be able to read about their activities in VPG Polska and the upcoming ProLeague Champions League competitions.
For now, we can reveal that, following the conclusion of the next ProLeague Polska season, we’ll be conducting two more interviews. The next one will be published towards the end of this month or at the start of the next.
The Bulls Team (Facebook)
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