"We're here to win, and we're trying our best to do that every game." LOUD fRoD

After the win over KRÜ Esports by 2-1, we had the opportunity to speak with the head coach of LOUD VALORANT, Danny "fRoD" Montaner, about their performance in the league so far and their goals for the future. Congratulations were in order, as LOUD is currently at the top of the VCT 2023 - Americas League and has secured a spot in the playoffs. However, we were curious to know if being classified for the playoffs puts less pressure on the team and if they feel more free to play and make mistakes. fRoD made it clear that their goal is to make it to Tokyo and Champions, and they are aiming to win every game, check it out:

THESPIKE: First of all, congratulations on your victory today. It was an amazing game, and you guys are currently at the top of the league. Being classified for the playoffs puts less pressure on the team. Do you guys feel more free to play and make mistakes, or do you still want to try hard every game to qualify in first place?

fRoD: Our goal is to make it to Tokyo and Champions, and the easiest route is to be in the top four and win just one game. So, we have set a goal to be in the top four of this league to give ourselves an upper bracket semi-final game for qualifying. Our goal is to win every game we play, regardless of whether it has full meaning or not. We are competitors, and we treat every team with the same utmost respect. We spend a lot of time practicing, studying our opponents, and making sure we put forth a good game.

THESPIKE: You guys had a great start in both Pearl and Split, and of course, it was the best side to make points. But when the half ended, you guys had a little trouble finishing the game. What went wrong in these two specific games?

fRoD: For starters, we lost both pistol rounds in the second half, so that didn't help our initial push to try and end the map soon. We forgot a couple of things on defense, made a few mistakes, and the other team was very good. They have a unique style of play where a lot of their guys are grouped up together and attacking bomb sites, not really splitting or anything like that. Ultimately, I think we were just missing some of our shots, and we weren't playing with the right discipline. We'll definitely go back and discuss and review, and hopefully, we'll be ready for our next opponent with a lot more discipline and clean play.

THESPIKE: You guys had a lot of three-map games, which shows a lot of tenacity, and that's amazing. But something that's not that common is you guys losing your own map. What do you think went wrong for LOUD in those games?

fRoD: Nothing went wrong, our attacks were very strong, maybe except for a Ascent. We messed up in a couple of rounds, but our defense was great on that map. I just think that the other team was playing well, and we were doing nothing out of character. Our communication was fine, maybe some of the guys weren't fragging that well in the first game, so that didn't help us. But ultimately, I give more credit to the other team because I felt like our guys were in it, and we had proper adaptations and communication. Sometimes the other team is hitting some shots and playing very well, and it just makes it tough to win games. Regardless of 2/1, we're still undefeated in the league, and to us, that's more important.

THESPIKE: Is it time to hide some strategies for the playoffs, or does every game count, and you guys are going with everything you have?

fRoD: We're going with everything we have every game. There's no point in hiding strats or anything like that. We want to win, we want to show out for our fans, and we want to bring W's home to our team, fans, and family. We're not in the department of saving stuff for a rainy day. We're here to win, and we're trying our best to do that every game.