Experience was the difference for Giuseppe 'xGUASTELLAx' Guastella, as the American’s steady play earned him the FIFA Ultimate Team Americas Season 2 regional title in Whistler, a ski resort north of Vancouver, on Saturday. He was also one of six gamers to secure their spots at next month’s FIFA 17 Ultimate Team Championship Final in Berlin.

'xGUASTELLAx' survived a few close calls before claiming the Xbox One division title with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Niall 'JoGa Cesc' Archbold. In the PlayStation 4 division, Christopher 'NYC_Chris' Holly created history by becoming the first FUT Champions player to reach a Grand Final from the Lower Round bracket after defeating Mexico’s Reinhard 'rein10' Krause over two matches in the division final.

The Grand Final As with Friday’s Rest of World Season 2 Grand Final, a passionate audience took in Saturday’s finale, with 'xGUASTELLAx' making decisive use of the first leg on his preferred Xbox One console to defeat 'NYC_Chris' 3-1. The Los Angeles native then used a possession-oriented strategy on PlayStation 4 to limit his opponent to a 1-0 win in the second leg for a well-earned 3-2 aggregate success that he joyfully celebrated with the supportive crowd following the trophy presentation.

Heading to Berlin Xbox One 'xGUASTELLAx' was one of three gamers to secure their places in next month’s FIFA 17 Ultimate Team Championship from the Americas region. The veteran gamer and Mexico’s Jose 'Carbajal' Garcia secured their spots in Berlin with quarter-final victories, but it proved more dramatic for 'xGUASTELLAx', who needed penalties to defeat Andrew 'Peru' Argumedo after a 2-2 extra-time draw. Luck was not with 'Peru', as 'JoGa Cesc' defeated him 4-2 in the Lower Rounds to earn the division’s third and final ticket to Germany.

PlayStation 4 Though he had challenges in making Saturday’s Grand Final, 'NYC_Chris' had fewer issues in ensuring his place in Berlin after a quarter-final win over Trent 'tcd00' Dreyer. He was joined by 'rein10', who easily cruised past John 'JKO1707' Oliveira 5-1 in his quarter-final match to book his place. For Gunbir 'manbir2472' Gill, his path to Berlin' proved a little trickier after a Round of 16 loss to 'rein10'. Three one-goal victories in the Lower Rounds, including a decisive 2-1 win over Daniel 'Altair_CFI' Rodriguez Moyano, gave him the third spot for Germany from the division.

The stat 5 - the number of appearances that 'xGUASTELLAx' has made at the FIFA Interactive World Cup.

Upcoming regional finals Season 2 Europe (6 May)

What they said “I feel relieved and now it’s time to celebrate. I played solid, I only lost one game the whole tournament and that was in group play. Honestly, I played the best FIFA in a while. When I go into these tournaments, I expect to be the champion.” A triumphant Giuseppe 'xGUASTELLAx' Guastella following his win in the FUT Champions Americas Season 2 regional final