The Year 2014 for CS:GO: European Dominance and North American Shuffle
As the year 2014 comes to an end, it is clear that European teams have been dominating the professional CS:GO scene. Unfortunately, no North American team made it past the Quarterfinals in Dreamhack Winter 2014.
The North American Teams
Before entering 2015, the North American professional scene saw some surprising roster changes.
Cloud9- +Shahzam -Hiko
Current Roster: n0thing, seangares, Semphis, shroud, Shahzam
Cloud9 had a weak performance in the fourth major, being knocked out in the group stages. With Shahzam joining the team, the question is whether they can compete with the stronger European and North American teams. Hopefully, seangares can focus on leading and strat-calling while shroud continues to be a strong player for the team.
iBuyPower- -nitr0 +DaZeD +Hiko [stand-in]
Current Roster: Skadoodle, swag, DaZeD, AZK, Hiko
After a poor performance in Dreamhack Winter 2014, DaZeD rejoins iBUYPOWER. With roster changes happening in both Cloud9 and iBUYPOWER, we can only hope for a better future for these North American teams.
torqued- +m0E +steel +tck +dboorN +montE
Current Roster: m0E, steel, tck, dboorN, montE
Torqued is one of the more ‘mysterious’ teams in the North American scene. Can steel lead them to victory against the top teams?
mouseSpaz- -Lucky +TaRiK +ptr +hazed +FNS +reltuC
Current Roster: TaRiK, ptr, hazed, FNS, reltuC
mouseSpaz is one of the more ‘hopeful’ teams in North America. They have performed well in recent qualifiers and cups. Can they maintain their strength and perform well against European teams?
Denial- -Shahzam -anger +nitr0 +adreN
Current Roster: nitr0, adreN, daps, NAF-FLY, FugLy
Denial has the potential to perform well against European teams. With adreN’s leadership and experience, along with the individual skill in the roster, they can make their mark in the professional scene.
The Beginning of 2015
As we enter 2015, CS:GO continues to gain popularity. With Valve’s support for tournaments, we can expect larger prize pools and more skilled teams from around the world.
With the North American roster changes, we may see more North American teams competing with the top European teams in the near future.