Mike LaBelle

Michael LaBelle (born September 21, 1989), is a web-based entertainer, video producer, and a professional FIFA player for New York Red Bulls, previously known by the pseudonyms michs09 and Dirty Mike. He is known mostly for providing tips via nontraditional methods through YouTube^[1] and Twitch outlets.^[2]

Mike LaBelle
Current team
Team	New York Red Bulls
Games	FIFA series
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Dirty Mike
Born	Michael LaBelle (1989-09-21) September 21, 1989 (age 33) Houston, Texas
Nationality	American
Career information
Playing career	2006–present
Team history
2019–present	New York Red Bulls
Honors WCG National Orlando, Florida FIFA 07 Los Angeles, California FIFA 08 Manhattan, New York FIFA 09 Durham, North Carolina FIFA 13

Playing career

LaBelle began his professional esports career in 2006 after qualifying for the World Final of the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC). LaBelle has won seven national titles in FIFA, and represented the United States at the FIWC,^[3] ESWC (Electronic Sports World Cup^[4]), WCG (World Cyber Games),^[5] VG World Finals (Virgin Gaming),^[6] IeSF World Championship (International Esports Federation), WSVG (World Series of Video Games),^[7] Hyundai Global Championship, WCG Pan American Championship^[8] and as an ESL (Electronic Sports League) Major Series Player.^[9]

In 2018, LaBelle signed with the New York Red Bulls as an esports competitor.^[10]

Entertainer

Since May 2016, LaBelle's channel has grown to over 283,000 subscribers and received over 37 million total views. He has been featured in the Houston Chronicle^[11] and Houston Press.^[12] He has also been featured on TV shows WCG Ultimate Gamer ^[13] (Season 2) and Great Day Houston^[14] with Deborah Duncan on KHOU.

LaBelle had his celebration motion captured and featured in FIFA 14 (Le Cirque LaBelle).^[15]

He has also worked as a gaming analyst and host for KICKTV ^[16] and Copa90.^[17]

As of May 2016, LaBelle is sponsored by SteelSeries,^[18] G2A, and EGSPN.

Accomplishments

FIFA 15

• ESWC Grand Final (Paris, France) - 9th-16th place
• World Series of Video Games World Final (Maldives) - 5th-8th place
• World Series of Video Games National Qualifier - 1st place

FIFA 14

• KICK.TV Best Goal Competition - 1st place
• KICK.TV World Cup Invitational - 5th-8th place

FIFA 13

• Virgin Gaming Challenge Series World Final (Las Vegas, Nevada) - 32/256

FIFA 12

• Gamestop Virgin Gaming $50,000 Final Bracket - 3rd/4th (Xbox 360)
• Gamestop Virgin Gaming $50,000 Final Bracket - 5th-8th place (PS3)
• Virgin Gaming Challenge Series World Final (Manhattan, New York) - 64/256
• WCG Pan American Championship (Santiago, Chile) - 5th-8th place

FIFA 11

• IeSF World Championship (Andong, Korea) - 5th-8th place
• WCG Pan American Championship (São Paulo, Brazil) - 4th place

FIFA 10

• Hyundai Global FIFA Championship (Busan, Korea) - 9th -16th place
• IeSF Challenge World Championship (Daegu, Korea) - Group

FIFA 09

• ESL Major Series Player
• FIWC National Final (Manhattan, New York) - 2nd place
• Gillette Tournament of Champions Finals - 4th place
• WCG Grand Final (Chengdu, China) - Group
• WCG National Final (Manhattan, New York) - 2nd place ^[19]
• WCG National Final Qualifier (West Region) - 1st place
• WCG US Open Invitational (Manhattan, New York) - 3rd place

FIFA 08

• CGS Taxi player for Chicago Chimera (Championship Gaming Series)
• FIWC Grand Final (Berlin, Germany) - 9th-16th place
• FIWC North American Regional (Los Angeles, California) - 1st place ^[20]
• WCG Grand Final (Cologne, Germany) - Group

FIFA 07

• FIWC Grand Finalist (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - 9th-16th place

Personal life

LaBelle was born on September 21, 1989, in Houston, Texas.^[21] As a child, he played games such as Duck Hunt and Mario Kart.^[10]

References

1. "Dirty Mike - The Ultimate FIFA Guide". YouTube. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
2. "DirtyMike". Twitch. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
3. "FIFA, EA and PlayStation Confirm Player Line-up for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2008 Final (NASDAQ:EA)". investor.ea.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
4. East, Tom. "The big kick off! FIFA 15 stars psyched for ESWC". www.redbull.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
5. "FIFA 09 | Football Gamer Network". www.footballgamer.net. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
6. "Virgin Gaming | vVv michs09 Qualifies for Challenge Series World Final". Sweetpatch TV. 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
7. "Watch DIRTY VLOGS THE MALDIVES!! WORLD SERIES OF VIDEO GAMES!!". Vnbeat.com - Best clip. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
8. "WCG 2011 Pan-America - HLTV.org". HLTV.org. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
9. GmbH, Turtle Entertainment. "vVv michs09 - Player - North America - Blade & Soul | ESL Play". play.eslgaming.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
10. Michelson, Megan (January 15, 2018). "FIFA Star Michael LaBelle Signs With MLS Club New York Red Bulls". Red Bull. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
11. "Video gamer scores in thumb soccer". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
12. Rouner, Jef (2015-06-16). "Getting Paid To Play: Thanks to Live-Streaming, Video Games are a Massive Spectator Sport". Houston Press. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
13. . new.syfy.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
14. TEGNA. "Pro Gamer Scores Big With Online Fanbase". KHOU. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
15. FIFA.com (2013-05-27). . FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
16. KICKTV Gaming (2014-02-06), FIFA 14 | KICKTV INVITATIONAL | GROUP A PREVIEW, retrieved 2016-05-09
17. Copa90 (2014-12-11), Top 10 Fifa YouTubers - with Mike (part 2), retrieved 2016-05-09
18. "Stream Team | SteelSeries". steelseries.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
19. FIFA.com (2009-04-04). . FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
20. "FIFA, EA and PlayStation Confirm Player Line-up for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2008 Final. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
21. "Mike LaBelle: Esports". Red Bull. Retrieved May 11, 2021.