According to sources, Matthew "
Satthew" Ackermann is set to join his
NRG teammates Daniel
"Daniel" Piecenski and Massimo
"Atomic" Franceschi as part of their
expected move to
Shopify Rebellion, where they will link up with Jason
"Firstkiller" Corral. The American coach, who retired as an RLCS professional in 2020, has a long-standing relationship with the duo having been head coach during their time on G2 Esports and later on NRG.
Jos
"ViolentPanda" van Meurs, who was head coach of the Shopify Rebellion project during RLCS 2026, is expected to make way for Satthew and depart the organization. The remaining member of the legendary NRG squad, Landon
"BeastMode" Konerman,
looks set to join Gen.G Mobil1 Racing alongside Nicholas "
Chronic" Iwanski and Cohen "
Tawk" Hawco. Shopify Rebellion is one of 20 organizations invited to the
RLCS Club Championship, sources told Sheep Esports.
A legacy coach
Satthew has become one of the Rocket League’s signature coaches. After a respectable career as a professional where he was one of the rare players to get promoted twice from the Rival Series, Satthew reached new heights as an RLCS coach. He joined G2 Esports in 2021, propelling the organization to Major win and a second-place finish at the RLCS 2021-22 World Championship in his first season. Since then, he has built a strong resume as one of North America’s finest coaches, peaking with a win at the RLCS 2025 World Championship in NRG colours alongside Daniel, Atomic and BeastMode. Across his five years as an RLCS coach, Satthew built a strong connection with Atomic, a player he has won the majority of his titles with.
The offseason threatened to break up this relationship. It became clear that after the conclusion of RLCS 2026, the NRG trio would bring an end to their three years together. Ultimately, after winning the 2025 World Championship, the team had struggled to maintain their form internationally during the next season, with their highest LAN placement being a top-four at the RLCS 2026 Boston Major. Despite rallying as a squad for the World Championship, NRG ended the season with a top-six, which was disappointment for a team that had become one of North America’s most historic lineups.
Sources told Sheep Esports that following the end of RLCS 2026, Daniel and Atomic desired a move to Shopify Rebellion, prioritising forming a new team with Firstkiller,
who they had planned to compete with at the Esports Nations Cup
before its postponement. While there has been no official confirmation, sources remain confident the move is all but completed with Satthew now set to round out the squad as head coach. Satthew is expected to join only the third organization of his career and will maintain the four-year connection he has had with Atomic.
The 27-year-old will replace ViolentPanda, who has been with Shopify Rebellion since September 2025, helping the organization win two Regional Open titles and a second-place finish at the Kick-Off Weekend during RLCS 2026. Looking set to miss out on the move entirely, BeastMode is expected to depart NRG to link up on a fresh squad with Chronic and Tawk. It will be the first time the 21-year-old has competed on a team without Daniel since April 2023.
