Despite high expectations, Team Liquid disappointed North American Fans in their opening game of the Mid-Season Invitational. Falling short against Top Esports with a 0-3 score, Liquid's defeat added to the LCS' already dismal record against teams from the LPL and LCK over the past two years.
Since the start of 2022, North American teams have participated in five international tournaments: three editions of MSI and two World Championships. In these five events, they have managed only two wins out of 43 matches against Chinese and Korean opponents. Liquid's recent loss to Top Esports further emphasized the struggle, highlighting a widening gap between Eastern and Western teams in the League of Legends competitive scene.
The two victories for NA teams came at MSI 2023 and MSI 2022. Golden Guardians secured one win against Bilibili Gaming in the Group A Qualification Match in 2023, while Evil Geniuses managed to snatch a game from T1 during the Rumble Stage in 2022. However, these wins had little impact on the overall standings, as both teams faltered in later stages of the tournaments.
Before Liquid's match against Top Esports on May 7, many experts and Fans believed that the NA side could emerge victorious, given the Chinese representatives' lackluster performance in the tournament. However, the outcome proved otherwise, underscoring the ongoing struggle for North American teams on the international stage.
In defense of NA , Europe's performance hasn't been much better. European teams have only managed to win individual games against LPL and LCK teams in the past two years, with Fnatic being the most recent to do so in the play-ins of MSI 2024. While teams like G2 Esports , MAD Lions, and Rogue have secured individual victories, they have failed to clinch a single series against their Asian rivals during this period.
