[WCT5-USA] Semi Finals - ENVY GNF vs Hollywood Freerunners

[@WorldChaseTag]

One thing to note about this match: We put this out on ESPN ‘as live’ meaning that it was recorded like it was live but the actual broadcast was delayed by about 2 hours. This gave us the opportunity to do some basic edits to the program, if necessary (this is how we managed to edit out all the buzzer problems that plagued Quarter Final 1). However, it did mean that we had to fit all 7 matches into a 2 hour window, including intro, ad breaks, interviews, trophy presentation etc. If all the matches ended up being very close (i.e. 16 chases and Sudden Death), then there was a good chance we would run out of time and be forced to edit out one of the earlier matches (which would have been very unfair for the teams involved)*. Mike Brosnan (the producer, who wrote the show script), realised that if we shifted things around a bit and put ad breaks in the middle of both semi-finals, we would would save quite a few minutes to the overall program (minimising the chance of running over and having to edit out a match). Unfortunately, this meant that whoever was Evading on Chase 9 (in this case - Miguel from Hollywood Freerunners) would have a longer rest period than normal (I think it ended up being around 1-2 minutes). Not sure if this affected the final outcome of the match but thought it was worth mentioning. * This is also the reason we changed the rest period between chases from 30 seconds to 25 seconds. We found that it made the matches much more snappy and intense so we actually decided to keep this change moving forward (even if we weren’t going live).

[@mark030531]

I love the transparency every single time, WCT! I live in SEA and don't really watch much TV anymore so I wouldn't know about any of these time concerns on ESPN. From a non-athlete's perspective, I don't think the extra break mid-match made a significant impact, but even then, thank you for telling us about it!

[@prayashadhia]

Agreed... Love the transparency and getting to know some of the intricacies & challenges of launching a new sport, broadcasting it, etc

[@WorldChaseTag]

@@mark030531 ​ @prayashadhia Cheers guys - will try to include details like this in the future!!

[@lil_robbie]

can someone please teach the commentator the difference between vaults and strides?

[@michaelaksen8675]

incorporate a timeout for each team into the match so that you can place an ad break during that

[@riuphane]

Kyle and Davis have such an amazing competitive dynamic, so fun to watch.

[@WorldChaseTag]

They do indeed, we'll have to put out a Davis v Kyle compilation at some point!!

[@jeanserrano2336]

It’s called a Rivalry

[@riuphane]

@@jeanserrano2336 I disagree, because it's much more constructive and has a lot to do with the difference in their skill sets and style. I wouldn't pit them as rivals, even if that's technically what they are by definition. It's a good term to describe it simply in one word, but it has the wrong connotation for what I am trying to express. Personally I feel that the connotation doesn't match much at all, but I'm aware that my opinion may be very unpopular in that...

[@lucafusillo5987]

The Bird and Magic of WCT

[@tomm1413]

@@WorldChaseTag great idea! These two have had some amazing chases!

[@koulmemaybe]

this is the first time there's been an evasion in a Kyle-Davis pairing, and that made the difference! I always look forward to these videos man

[@WorldChaseTag]

That's very true - I hadn't realised that!! Hopefully we'll get to see these two going head-to-head again at the WCT5 Finals!

[@JB_46]

True Davis brainlagged on whether to vault or catch and ended up doing both things half ass

[@Jajek333]

Soderman is fuckng scary, all the semi-final teams are absolute monsters. I think GNF are overall a better team, they were so close that it makes you feel bad (not to take anything away from HF, can't wait for the final). Their squad improved immensely in comparison to 2020, Luty and Sean are both such great additions.

[@tyreeneshane.]

Breaks my heart to see my boys go out like that 😭 This is a tight one, can't wait to see GNF in the world tourn !!

[@eek0h]

same. vasconcellos fanboy here

[@Prvosienko]

@@Nick-gh5bi Boring? Kyle is a treat to look at.

[@Nick-gh5bi]

@@Prvosienko guess I'm just 🧂 my boys didn't win but yeah I agree Kyle is hardcore. I deleted that comment I posted I was just salty

[@lucasblender]

When is world championship happening?

[@ajks104]

@@Nick-gh5bi do you wan't me to spoil you every WCT Recent Event?

[@alexbenjaminrosenthal3989]

Favorite match of the tournament so far. Lots of fantastic chases, and Kyle finally evaded Davis! It's great to see how much both of these teams have improved. I want to see them both take on the Europeans.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Glad you liked it Alex!! Yeah, really looking forward to seeing the teams compete against the rest of the world!!!

[@Michael_Deti]

What an amazing rematch :D And we got the reversal start for Davis and Kyle. ;) I didn't expect HF to win it. I was pretty certain we would get to see GNF vs APEX ETH in the final. Great work by all competitors!

[@WorldChaseTag]

Cheers Michael - glad you enjoyed it!!!

[@yirgadamtew]

Don’t know if it’s just me but this game was the best when it comes to viewing experience for me. Excitement was so high from start to finish

[@WorldChaseTag]

Cheers Yirga!! Yeah, was definitely a very entertaining matchup!!

[@rjhaney2614]

I love the ebbs and flows in this one. You've got long 15+ second chases right next to short 5- second ones and there are so many of each. I love it. Not to mention that there are a lot of long chases that don't end in evasions. Really keeps the tension up. Great match!

[@LetsChat]

Woot, fellow ace, let's go.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, that's true, a nice variety of chases in this one!!

[@miss_rosie25]

2:17 that right there was great thinking by Kyle, he knew if he went that he would’ve been caught like last time.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, that was a nice change of direction!!

[@zachparade2791]

Although Kyle might not be on the best team from the US, I think he is pretty clearly the MVP of this tournament so far. 👍👍

[@WorldChaseTag]

Could well be!!

[@nt.hunter]

He was in the last tournament by a country mile. And so far, things seem to be the same.

[@lucafusillo5987]

I can confidently say that right now he is the best in the world!

[@Opsity]

@@lucafusillo5987 I don't see how you can say that when he hasn't faced any of the european teams yet lol. As far as USA athletes, easily top 5, maybe top 3. Michael and Rob from Apex ETH have consitently got multiple evasions and were both able to tag Kyle in the final

[@lucafusillo5987]

@@Opsity he is without any doubt the best usa athlete. I believe in the whole world. We have not seen him on a world championship yet, but I still can pretty confidently say that I have never seen such a dominant tag athlete. We have seen GNF on the world stage and they did “pretty good”. We have seen Soderman against GNF so you can kinda tell. It’s not like US and EU are completely different styles we have never seen against one another so you cannot compare. Obviously this is still just what I think, not a fact. We’ll see how he does

[@giacomo5626]

Daily petition for oderman, Bowles, Vasconcelo, + other stars vs Apex :) This match was insane, Soderman's first evasion is definitely one of the best I've seen

[@WorldChaseTag]

That would be great to see!!

[@lucafusillo5987]

@@WorldChaseTag If you could somehow one day organise an all star match like in the nba, that would be INSANE.

[@lucafusillo5987]

Kyle Soderman is literally a one man army. Not to take anything away from the rest of Hollywood Freerunners but he is CARRYING. I think his durability is the most underrated part of his game, it feels like he could win a match by himself without ever getting tired. It is difficult enough to stop him once at the beginning of the match where he usually gets at least one evasion. GNF (Vasconcellos) succeeded in tagging him at the start but he has so much stamina, it is incredible. He simply got in the next chance he got, got his tag and his evasion, got tagged and then checked in for the THIRD time later in the match and got another evasion, ON DAVIS. He literally gets 2-3 evasion per match. A shame to see GNF get knocked out, especially since they were so close to getting a second point in multiple occasions. Very excited to see last years rematch. I got APEX Etherium winning again, let's see if HF can surprise me.

[@XafiroX]

Amazing performance from his part. Looking forward to see him next match

[@elsway]

It was sad to see GNF lose. But HF deserves it.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, was a shame to see them knocked out but they've qualified for WCT5 so we'll be seeing them again soon!!

[@Meireles-ct4fy]

Kyle is in a competetion of is own. GOAT

[@hilariusubaldiasarinarindr9255]

One of the best match, Both teams played so well, We could see how much other HF member beside kyle improve! Can't wait to see the final!

[@kevind3974]

5:46 you can definitely tell that this is a room full of parkour and gymnasts. Instantly reached out to stop a bail.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Haha - very true!!

[@YourAverageNiche]

Oh boi, what a match. These two really deliver high octan sport. Every athlete, no exception, showed great improvement over last edition. I really had a feeling Kyle would evade in their second encounter. Davis was an inch close to tag but stambled upon the bar. I think Davis thought that he had him but mili-seconds later realized his effort was an inch insufficient, and I can see his disappointment later on. Amazing match. My favorite of this tournament so far.

[@ajks104]

The Trilogy! 🔥🔥🔥 Going Nowhere Fast v Hollywood Freerunners - kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIvcg3-sfc2tbM0 (1st Match) Going Nowherr Fast v Hollywood Freerunners - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ2nimageMiZrJo (2nd Match)

[@RawBlog00]

Davis coming in hot. Loved that baseball swing made it into the edit 🤣

[@VenniVenomous]

Whew! I didn’t know if HFR were gonna pull that one off! That was a nail bitter! 😬

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yup - was a close one!!

[@DeathTheKid4]

Yeah as I feared GNF lost again but it was so close. Can't wait to see them in WCT5 tho. And I hope HF can beat Apex. Kyle deserves a win and also can't wait to see him too against European Teams.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yes indeed, can't wait to see them against the European teams!!

[@Guyster5]

Kyle vs Jarrod definitely one of the best matches out there!

[@l.k.9666]

Dale finally came through! Knew he could do it. Also that sliiiiide at 6:01 was smooth AF.

[@sethwilliams5352]

Dale has really improved, and it’s cool to see. That vault out of the mountain is something that is going to be a problem once he gets a little more speed out of it.

[@yannispiette6372]

@@sethwilliams5352 If I'm not mistaken he also didn't get to put his leg on the top of this jump as Kyle does. It may be why he didn't get fully to the next platform

[@sethwilliams5352]

@@yannispiette6372 oh yeah, good call. So his explosiveness is definitely not the issue haha.

[@l.k.9666]

@@sethwilliams5352 I want to see Dale and Naji from Ollo compete against each other. Really like the routes Naji runs and Dale is getting better

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, was a nice chase! You can just about see it in the video but Dale wears shin / knee pads which probably adds a bit of speed to his slides!!

[@chiraggera3160]

What a fantastic match! Soderman is class 🔥 The semis have been so thrilling to watch, can't wait for the finale! 😄✌

[@WorldChaseTag]

Cheers Chirag!!

[@ppatranka]

7:46 I just love how Jarrod spotted Kyles hand🦅👀

[@prisma7760]

One of the best balanced matches! They really made each other struggle

[@crashline]

Man. First match up and I am 100% in. My two favs Davis and Kyle.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Glad to hear it Crashline!!

[@etkinsercelik5262]

Apex vs HF are goingt to look like Cavaliers vs Warriors on their prime.

[@veedjohnson]

Damn I wasn’t expecting this drop till Friday! I’m early af 😂🔥

[@TheUnsubScribe]

@0:09 Felt Davis “hitting that homer” off of Kyle’s turned back and knew he would score a point before he followed up to do exactly that. What a game!!! 👏👏👏

[@nt.hunter]

HF need to start getting good, cuz they are carried by Kyle so far. They could've won the last WCT if they had someone in the team even half as good as Kyle. Also, I have noticed that lately there is a tendency to tag while heading for the outside of the quad. Using that momentum is advantageous and the athlete knows full well that he will end up outside and loose if he misses his shot. While seemingly balanced, if the rules were to state that the chaser must stay within the quad for 1 or 2 more seconds after the tag, they'd play it more tactically and less kamikaze style.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, that's an interesting point that. We've given it a bit of thought in the past but have always decided to keep it as it is. Like you say, it definitely creates some do or die, kamikaze moments!!

[@nt.hunter]

@@WorldChaseTag I'm just imagining if there was the endless pit of doom out of bounds, how everyone's play, haha. Some would probably resort to tick tack toe in the middle of the quad 🤣🤣🤣

[@Minnesoderman]

@@nt.hunter I'd still send it into the endless pit of doom... 🤣

[@qwertyTRiG]

@@Minnesoderman You know, if any other athlete had said that I might doubt it, but from you, it's quite believable.

[@nt.hunter]

@@Minnesoderman 😲😲😲 omega nice. I will pay to see that though I'd like for you to send it and not fall. Maybe push the other dude out? 😂😂

[@seanplays16]

The GOATerman delivers again!

[@nick1752]

THIS MATCH WAS THE MOST INTENSE SO FAR. I swear I jumped out of my chair several times! Holy... Also laughed my ass of from metaphor at 6:40. Good game!!! Props to GNF. Everyone was so good. Davis and Jarrod are extremely trained athlets. Kyle is a pure talent.

[@elelaluz4921]

this is turning out to be the best sport ever. what a match!

[@TurtleDude05]

What great match. So many close moments. Really back and forth.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Cheers Turtle, glad you liked it!!

[@TurtleDude05]

@@WorldChaseTag Of course. This is the most highly contested pairing in all of WCT USA. Even though HF has the overall record. These two teams are so well balanced against each other, it's unreal. So hard to call. Now on to that epic finals rematch.

[@rap2935]

WELP ITS GONNA BE A GRANDFINALS REMATCH

[@talakim1430]

So sad to see GNF lose. But congrats to HF can't wait to see the match between them and Apex ETH

[@kiriappeee]

So many moves that felt inventive in this matchup. Great semifinal!

[@G0H1LK4M]

Absolutely clutch tag by Omar at the end. Great stuff.

[@budwhite9781]

THIS WAS INTENSE!!!! Shout out to the announcers for keeping the energy at a crescendo!!

[@sakekasi]

As an angeleno, glad to se HF win, but i was kinda rooting for gnf this time. Both teams got loads better since last year though, especially dale and julius! Also davis is a badass (and kyle goes without saying)

[@carterlouters6989]

Where was this

[@manug6373]

Looks like HWF is getting that rematch for the crown! 🔥

[@WorldChaseTag]

It does indeed!!

[@theonlymegumegu]

holey MOLEY! you can NOT ask for a better prelude to a finals than that! the movement was so intense from every runner that hit the quad! I'm pretty sure I held my breath for every chase that lasted more than 5 seconds >< I almost feel like I don't need action movie stunts anymore when I can watch WCT XD

[@geordonnrobinson606]

Can we just talk about how cool Dales slide is at 6:00 . Mans doing the COD slide but in real life 😂

[@deepbhadja5730]

Damn that first tag, I was like wtf, Kyle getting tagged in his first attempt. Both Davis and Kyle are scary af.

[@tomm1413]

Damn what a close match! Great stuff from both teams! The final will be epic! No doubt!

[@Datflyincat]

This is the wildest thing ever. Good stuff.

[@Girafa2323]

What happened to the camera ?

[@WorldChaseTag]

It's a long story but will try to put out a community post at some point to explain.

[@et4493]

APE, HWF, GNF are clearly in a league of their own

[@Mekurukit0]

The Kyle and Davis runs are like battle between gods man

[@pretzelkch8322]

Davis kinda reminds me of Greg Ball, the way he moves and uses the quad, super-efficient yet effective

[@sherlock4791]

no team can even come close to Apex ETH theyre just too well rounded and OP every one of their member is a good/best chaser and all of them also can get you an evasion or two

[@ppatranka]

Best match of WCH 5 (USA) so far

[@YeYeCollective]

@world chase tag Are you guys working on a doc that explains how you guys got to where you are now? That would be fun to watch i'm sure.

[@MMPK]

Check this mic doc kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJzVpIObgqeWnc0

[@squaresphere]

What a ridiculous match, this was extremely high level with two very athletic teams!

[@shaktimaan5917]

HWF has 5 members but other teams have 6... anyone know why?

[@YukataShi13]

A final before the final ! Great match

[@tech1238]

Great match! 😀 Congrats guys

[@WorldChaseTag]

Cheers Tech!!

[@asandiswashange8987]

When is the final?

[@WorldChaseTag]

Friday!!

[@jjprempeh2508]

Kyle Soderman is an absolute weapon. Speed + stamina + Reach + Parkour ability + Awareness + IQ. He is the full package. Knight of Flight USA 2020. Any team that has him gets carried into the finals of the tournament I swear

[@irrespetuosotolerante9470]

mmm..... minute 8:26 i don't think so. He didn't touch him. TAG gonorrea

[@17mg92]

It's getting me more and more tense

[@WorldChaseTag]

It is indeed!!

[@samueltsang2609]

Is there a third place playoff for this one?

[@tomcruickshank7725]

Next up, Kyle soderman vs apex eth The issue that Hollywood has against eth is it has 4 people with the speed, skill to keep soderman on his toes, he will be to tired to keep it up for the whole match

[@onyxgaming5215]

@3:33 Does anyone else see Matt Damon in Wes Press? Or is it just me?

[@mamateva]

Is this WCT 5 or WCT USA?

[@djstoplichtofficial]

Holy shit it actually happened, we're getting the rematch🥳🥳 Let's go HWF💪

[@jaredlewis6688]

Congrats 🎉🎊🍾🎈 Cheers

[@WorldChaseTag]

Thanks Jared - hope you're good!

[@Kommentatoz]

Awesome Match! I excited for the finals, but I think HF won't win by just using Soderman. Dont get me wrong, all members of HF are good, but Kyle is the only one that is extremely good. Everyone on Team Apex on the other hand is an extremely good chaser/evader. I dont think Kyle can make the difference on his own.

[@zeeman001]

Great match all around. Really like both these teams and hate to see either go.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, neither team deserved to lose TBH.

[@deadersurvival4716]

Alright, I've asked about rules before, let's do it again. On chase 10, the Evader ran out of bounds. I know in earlier matches, that the casters have said that the Evader going out of bounds is a point for the Chaser; but what about the inverse? If the Chaser goes out, would the Evader get a point?

[@bearschneider9183]

Yes. Whoever goes out loses that matchup, chaser goes out evader scores, evader goes out and it's like they got tagged

[@deadersurvival4716]

@@bearschneider9183 Makes sense.

[@luthfiimama5199]

GNF is amazing but HFR is super ! Kyle is still hard to beat. However, i love Jarod Luty and Sean in GNF. Hope they still in this team for the next competition

[@prayashadhia]

Amazing match!! 🔥

[@tangomango2353]

Let's goooo Hollywood freerunners is the best!

[@zhaya4658]

Great mobility + comfortable navigation through barriers + controlled acceleration from both teams

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yes indeed - some of the best in the world, for sure!!

[@hasanalqatari7581]

Someone tell me what value Omar brings to the team?

[@ZEDSGT]

6:56 HERE WE GO!

[@NaturallyTivona]

That was a really good match 👍🏾👍🏾

[@zahodiChe]

Kyle's sport IQ is just so high!

[@jjprempeh2508]

Kyle duking Jarrod on the ridge 2:13 shows Kyle's insane ability to adapt on the fly. He learnt that Davis tagged him with the exact same move Jarrod was gonna do and out witted him, using Jarrods momentum against him . An absolute monster

[@sunshinesun7157]

These both teams don't even stand a chance with Apex. Going to be a simple Final.

[@WorldChaseTag]

Let's see!!

[@wanderlustwarrior]

Chase 11 was a really good route through! Darn shame he didn't get the evasion!

[@l.k.9666]

Yes! I thought he ran a GREAT route up to that point, but he got caught

[@WorldChaseTag]

Yeah, was a shame Dale didn't get the Evasion there!!

[@pearhat640]

this is the best sport ever after football and cricket

[@TrickBrawlStars2001]

Kyle as always delivering his best, he deserves to be where he is, he is the best

[@ProvencaLeGaulois]

Apex vs HF in the finals

[@heidtxtreme1648]

While I still think GNF is the best American team there is, HF has definitely outplayed them two games now. These two teams, along with Apex and APK Grey, could all do really well Internationally. Although we know GNF is the best American team both Nationally and Internationally.

[@bearschneider9183]

How many times do they have to Get Near First to prove they're not the best? 😂

[@tanmaybhayani]

Solderman freerunners less go 🔥🔥

[@nicknovakk]

YES BABY! HF!!!

[@kingfish6817]

What a nail biting finish

[@10pm63]

3:35 almost a false start? Seems like he's out before the buzz.

[@rojalrijal6529]

Soderman will be the GOAT in this game.

[@hazelsegnitz3254]

So good !!!! 🤗

[@fabiobarreiro]

These guys are real PROs

[@SchimShady12]

Electric match. No messing around

[@Chris_Prime]

Is this like "Cops and Robbers"?

[@sam0tan]

Slippery Soderman 😍

[@leeperry7068]

Crazy high skill match, chock full of amazing slo-mo worthy moments, holy crap! I dig Soderman (who doesn't?!), but on the other hand I'm not that big of a fan of teams putting the same person in the mix over and over like that, feels like it's taking away from the team nature of the sport a bit.

[@АленаПопова-ы6б]

Sean - Paul Walker Kyle - Ryan Gosling Miguel - Taylor Lautner

[@MegaChort]

Is it me or are these ESPN matches more grainy and artifacty than previous? Possibly even overexposed with the highlights. It seems like since the ESPN thing has happened the video quality has tanked. Hopefully this can be improved! Love the content, sad to see it degrade.

[@MMPK]

Wait till you see the WCT5 UK footage! By far the best looking footage of any tournament!! 🙌 🎉

[@OceanMuerto]

@@MMPK when can we expect WCT5 to be uploaded?