KCP Chronicles: Pioneers Win First Open in SSA to Start New Season

KCP Chronicles: Pioneers Win First Open in SSA to Start New Season

Written by Trey Donovan

As we approach 2026, the Pioneers have begun the new season by winning the first Sub-Saharan African (SSA) Open. The team consisting of LuiisP, 2Die4, and Sweaty dominated early and were resilient late in the Open to secure first place. In what was a busy weekend for the Pioneers, it was a good first step for the Rocket League team’s season.

The start of the Open saw the Pioneers dominate in the group stage as they played Nkandla Style and Unity. Against Nkandla Style, they began with a 5-0 victory as LuiisP and Sweaty scored two goals each to set the tone of the series. Game two saw the Pioneers score five once again as LuiisP got a hat trick with Sweaty assisting on three of the five goals. In the final game of the series, it became the Sweaty show as he scored all four of the Pioneers' goals to end their first series of the open.

Series two came against Unity, and it was more of the same for the Pioneers. Game one was similar to game three against Nkandla Style, except it was 2Die4’s time to shine. He scored four of the Pioneers' five goals and made two saves in the process enroute to a 5-1 win. The second game of the set was a little more competitive as Unity put two goals on the board, but the playmaking of LuiisP helped the Pioneers score four as he assisted on three of them. The finale saw LuiisP score two goals to finish up the group portion of the Open.

That wrapped up day one and the Pioneers drew a matchup against CosmiCo Esports in the upper bracket. So far in the Open, the offense of the Pioneers has shown out, averaging 4.33 goals per game, but as the tournament goes on, they will face the best SSA has to offer. The start of the series against CosmiCo was more of the same as the Pioneers dominated, generating ten shots to go with Sweaty securing a hat trick to take game one 3-0.

As this series went on CosmiCo began to warm up and give the Pioneers some tough games. LuiisP scored two goals in game two, but CosmiCo was more competitive, scoring a goal and making the Pioneers work for their shots. Game three saw both teams duke it out in a 3-2 Pioneers win as 2Die4 scored twice and CosmiCo put together a valiant defensive effort. The final game of the series concluded in overtime as the Pioneers were tested but as the first minute hit in OT, they scored the final goal of the series.

Sweaty was the catalyst in the series as he scored six goals, had three assists, and led the Pioneers with six saves. This set up a semifinal match against Looking for Org and it was a competitive one. Game one saw the Pioneers start slowly and never fully capitalize on their nine shots as LFO won 2-1. Then in games two through four the Pioneers scored a combined 13 goals and got eight plus shots in each of those games.

With a 3-1 lead needing one more to move to the grand finals, LFO answered back, scoring four goals on seven shots, making it a close series again. In game six, the Pioneers handled business with a shutout and a goal from each player to secure their spot in the grand finals against Five Fears. This set up a very close final as both teams dominated on their road to the grand finals.

Game one set the tone that it would be a close final, as it went into overtime, as neither team could score in regulation. The first game ended on a gunz goal as Five Fears took game one. Five Fears had 11 saves in game one and that translated to the second game as they held the Pioneers to a single goal from LuiisP to take a 2-0 lead. With the series starting to look out of reach for the Pioneers they put together a complete game to secure a game three win. They saved all four of Five Fears shots and got a balanced attack as all three Pioneers scored for a 3-0 win.

Then game four swung back into Five Fears' favor as their defense held the Pioneers to one goal despite the eight shots. Snowwy scored two goals, and it could’ve been the dagger, but then game five commenced. Two goals from LuiisP and another from 2Die4 were enough to stave off elimination and start giving the Pioneers momentum.

Game six fully flipped the momentum in the Pioneers' favor as they played arguably their best match of the Open. They defended all four shots Five Fears presented and scored four of their own goals as 2Die4 led the way with two. LuiisP continued to do it all as well with a goal, two assists, and three saves to send it to game seven.

Game seven returned to the tone game one set long ago, a close back-and-forth affair where one mistake could mean a loss for either team. Both teams' play styles collided in a key matchup that saw the Pioneers get nine shots and Five Fears get seven saves. With that, LuiisP was the hero of game seven for the Pioneers, scoring both goals to seal the first Open 2-0 in game seven.

This start to the season gives the Pioneers 15 RLCS points as they look to qualify for the Boston Major in February 2026. As per Blast.tv new rating system, the Pioneers have two of the top three players in the SSA in LuiisP and 2Die4 with ratings of 7.83 and 7.78. Sweaty is fourth in rating at 7.62. The Pioneers are currently the top seed in SSA and look to continue that trend with the next Open on January 10 through the 18. Congratulations to the squad of LuiisP, Sweaty, and 2Die4 on the win. #KCPWin