Gawfs and vorce enlist Mech for the EWC LCQ

Rafael "Mech" Franco looks set to travel across the Atlantic to compete on LAN at the Rocket League Esports World Cup Last Chance Qualifier having signed up for the event with Ollie "Gawfs" Taylor and Joshua "vorce" McGrath on start.gg. The 15-year-old represented M80 throughout RLCS 2026, recently earning a top-four finish in the North American LCQ with the organization. The American prospect will be competing at the first international LAN of his early career, having built an already impressive portfolio as one of the region’s most prominent up-and-comers.

Mech joins up with English duo Gawfs and vorce, who recently competed together alongside William "motion" O'Connor under Inner Sircle and Toad in the Hole during Split 2. The pair have been regulars at the lower end of the RLCS in recent years, but together achieved the highest RLCS placement of their careers this season, with a top-six finish in Open 4. Gawfs, who joined Team BSK with Raimon "Rxii" Falgueras Torrent and Jovinson "rysfox." Frankinioulle for the European LCQ, came close to knocking out eventual finalists Volare in a seven-game series to earn a 7th-8th place finish in the event.

Mech has been widely proclaimed as one of North America’s next big players. The youngster made his RLCS debut in 2025 and has quickly grown into a promising professional. The highlight of 2025 was a top-four finish in the North American LCQ, alongside Daniel "aris" S and Andrew "Andy" Nolan. The trio notably beat finalists The Boys (Aqua, Evoh, hockser) in the group stage before taking two games off eventual winners of the event Shopify Rebellion (Retals, Wahvey, 2Piece) in the semifinals. These results dramatically increased Mech’s stock in the scene, landing him a place with his first esports organization M80 alongside aris and Nolan "dvo" Tighe.

A 13th-16th place finish in Open #1 was ultimately a disappointment, leading the organization to reassess at the turn of the year. They chose to build around Mech, adding fellow prospect Trevor "life" L. and experienced veteran Joseph "noly" Kidd to the new roster. Results improved quickly with the team earning three playoff appearances across the season, including two impressive top-six finishes over organizations like Spacestation Gaming and Gen.G Mobil1 Racing. While this form tailed off towards the end of RLCS 2026, the addition of Owen "PNDH" Young over noly for the North America LCQ brought a new lease of life to the team. Mech earned another top-four finish in an LCQ, losing to FUT Esports 1-4 in the semifinals.

The 15-year-old continues to build considerable experience in the lower reaches of the RLCS and the EWC LCQ will just be another step in that journey. It's the first international LAN the prospect will ever attend, presenting an opportunity to get used to the surroundings. Linking up with vorce and Gawfs, the trio are unlikely to truly contend for the single EWC slot available to the qualifier but could be a danger to some of the top organizations. The trio will be joined by Mech’s coach Nicholas "Nick" Marrone whose experience on LAN should prove valuable. Mech joins a whole host of other North American professionals making the journey to Paris for the EWC LCQ, with teams like Dignitas, Gen.G, and FUT Esports all expected to challenge for the final spot at the EWC Main Event.