After moving to Lake Stevens at the fall of 2019, Velazquez didn’t have much time in college before doors were shuttered from the spring. Velazquez said he made friends in the video FIFA Mobile Coins game club that he has not yet met in person. Still, the students hype each other up during every contest.

Velazquez said he’s been playing with the Madden franchise because athletes like Vince Young and Brett Favre graced the game’s cover at the late aughts. Well beyond half of the lifetime.

He said that his older brother — more than five years his senior — hasn’t beaten him on the digital gridiron because 2014. “He’ll normally get mad, but it’s all great,” Velazquez said. A football fanatic, Velazquez said he has dreams of being a commentator or trainer in the future. He acknowledges the video game isn’t quite like the real thing, but he believes it helps with his understanding of the sport.

In coming months, Velazquez expects to match up with the Cheap FUT Coinss winner from the collegiate level, in addition to the winner of the high school competition contested over the Playstation. “I wish to get better, I’m not happy,” he explained. “It might be a learning experience when I lose, but if I win that is even better.”