North, the Danish esports team, has made a roster change following their disappointing finish at the ELEAGUE Major: Boston. They have called up AWPer Daniel Mertz from their academy roster to replace René “cajunb” Borg on the main roster. This move was announced by the team on Facebook.
Cajunb had been a part of North’s active lineup for over a year, joining the team on Jan. 3, 2017, after the former Team Dignitas players signed with North. Now, only Mathias “MSL” Lauridsen and Kristian “k0nfig” Wienecke remain from the original active roster.
Despite some impressive performances in 2017, North struggled with inconsistency and couldn’t establish themselves as one of the top teams in the world. They had notable achievements such as winning DreamHack Open Montreal and reaching the grand finals of ESL Pro League Season Five Finals and DreamHack Masters Malmö. However, they also had disappointing placements at ESL One Cologne, EPICENTER, and ESL Pro League Season Six Finals.
After their underwhelming performance at the ELEAGUE Major: Boston, where they finished in the top 16 after losing all three matches, North decided it was time for a change. Jonas Svendsen, North’s director of esports, believes this change was necessary for the team to achieve their championship aspirations.
“We know René as a consistent performer, a great teammate, and a true professional, but we ultimately felt that we needed to make this decision,” said Svendsen, thanking cajunb for his hard work and dedication.
Replacing cajunb on the main roster is Daniel Mertz, who has been a part of the North Academy since April 2017. The 19-year-old Dane has participated in numerous events with the academy team, with his biggest tournament being last month’s DreamHack Open Winter, where he competed against top teams and players in the world.
Mertz will now have the opportunity to face even tougher competition on North’s main roster. His first challenge will be the IEM Katowice Closed Qualifier, which starts on Feb. 3. This will be a true test for the young AWPer.
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