WNXL World Cup 2025 - Back to Back
We started our layout weekend on November 8th. I began practicing on the snake side, but soon enough I found myself playing the opposite side as well. That switch gave me a complete vision of the field and helped me understand the flow from both perspectives.
We practiced at Legacy and got solid reps against strong D2 teams like Rejects. Those practices mattered more than we knew.
On Monday the 10th, we went to the field to run bounces, situational drills, and communication exercises. It was freezing the entire week. Real Florida “winter.”
On the 11th, we drove from Lakeland to Kissimmee. On the way, we ran over a tire that had fallen off a truck. After pulling ourselves together, we realized the truck that had just left the shoulder was the one that lost it. We tried chasing it down but couldn’t find it. Classic Cup week chaos.
When we arrived, we walked the field, noticed a few holes and some shots that were slightly different from layout weekend, marked everything down, and headed out. Wednesday we did it again, another field walk, locking in details. That same day we did a photoshoot for JT that came out super clean. Later, we moved into the house for Cup and spent the night cleaning pods and singing like always.
Thursday – Fast Start
We left the house at 6 a.m. The sun wasn’t even up when we got to the venue.
We only had one game that day, against Ohana. Don’t let the score fool you, the match was harder than it looks on paper. We won 5–0, but every point required discipline and control.
At the same time, I had a side quest. I was playing D2 with my guys from Medellin, their first time competing in D2. In my first game, I twisted my ankle. Not ideal. By the second D2 match, I stayed off the field as much as possible and focused on coaching.
That night, we went home, watched film on the teams we’d play Friday, and I did everything I could to take care of my ankle.
Friday – Lessons
We had one early game, 5:30 a.m. at the field to get ready.
Northern Lights.
The game gave us an important lesson, especially about maintaining control of the snake side. That detail would matter later. We won 3–2, but it wasn’t even close to perfect.
We stayed at the field to watch our next opponents, and our biggest rivals in the event.
Saturday – Pressure Rising
Finally, two games.
First up: Inmortal Angels. We applied the corrections from Friday, especially controlling the snake early. It worked. Clean execution. 5–0.
Next: Vibe.
We were not ready for how slow they played. Long, grinding points. We were tied 1–1 and went into overtime, five minutes to score, or it would go to 1v1s.
Off the break, we lost the snake. Seconds later, we lost the dorito side. It turned into a 2v4. Brooklyn and I held them off for nearly three minutes, burning the clock and playing smart positions.
60 seconds left.
40 seconds left.
Vibe launched a player. Brooklyn shot her but got clipped in the exchange. 1v3.
I tried to fill to the corner to catch someone off guard, but I got shot cross-field. They closed the point. 1–2.
That loss meant we would play Femmes in the semifinals, and most likely see Vibe again in the finals.
Back at the house, after the team meeting, Ant, Jenn, and I stayed up building a plan for Femmes. They had a clear pattern: aggression up the center. The answer? Meet aggression with aggression, and trap it.
Plays set.
Sunday – All or Nothing
Semifinals vs Femmes.
This game wasn’t just for a finals spot, it would also secure the series ranking.
First point: we lost our snake off the break, but Femmes picked up a minor penalty. 4v3. We set a trap up the center. Brooklyn moved, got the kill. Nana launched and picked up another body. First point to us.
Second point: quick. We shot their snake early, they got another minor, and we capitalized. They toweled.
Third point: we punched up the center, set another trap. Snake eliminated. I shot their center player. Perfect execution. 3–0.
Fourth point: we got a minor off the break and dropped it quickly. 3–1.
Fifth point: tight. We lost Tata early, but Nana answered back, pushed into their side of the field, and picked up two more kills. 4–1.
Final point: three minutes left. We ran our hold play and let the clock burn.
4–1 final.
Ticket to the finals. Series secured. Still not satisfied.
Finals – One Second
As expected, Vibe won their semifinal.
We were ready.
From the start, we attacked. Brooklyn with a kill off the break. We set the center trap and followed with four clean eliminations. Perfect first point.
Second point: Chica subbed in for me and picked up a big kill. Execution and communication were flawless. 2–0.
Third point: miscommunication. We accidentally had three players stuck in the home. Even though we were up 4v2 at one point, we made mistakes, and Vibe capitalized. 2–1.
Minutes left.
We adjusted our hold play, but I hesitated too long moving out and got stuck on the snake side can. The play became harder than it needed to be.
Seconds felt like hours.
Vibe was coming hard.
I was already walking off, thinking we might not have closed it. I looked at the clock.
3…
2…
1…
I didn’t want to turn around.
Then I heard Nana screaming.
We won.
Later, when we watched the film, we realized they only needed one more second to tie the game.
Two years in a row.
Two World Cup finals.
Two wins decided by one second.
We celebrated. Sang. Hugged like crazy.
Brooklyn was named Finals MVP.
Nana took Overall MVP, and won both D2 and WNXL back-to-back. Unreal.
As we walked off the field, someone asked:
“You guys in for 2026?”
Of course we are.
And we’ll be better than ever.
Huge thank you to our sponsors for making the 2025 season possible. None of this happens without you.
Back-to-back World Cup champions.
