Team Liquid Holds Tryouts for Counter-Strike Team
Last night, rumors spread on social media about Team Liquid conducting tryouts for player and staff positions on their Counter-Strike team. However, the organization has not made any official decisions yet, according to Team Liquid’s statement to the Daily Dot.
During a 10-man exhibition match streamed on Twitch, several North American professional players, including Will “RUSH” Wierzba from eLevate, Tarik “tarik” Celik and James “hazed” Cobb from Counter Logic Gaming, and former iBUYPOWER player Sam “DaZeD” Marine, discussed a match against Team Liquid. Wierzba mentioned that Spencer “Hiko” Martin, a former Nihilum player, played in the match instead of Team Liquid’s Kyle “flowsicK” Mendez.
Wierzba said on the stream, “I played a nice Liquid in their honeymoon phase with Hiko. He dropped 37 kills.”
The news quickly spread on Reddit and HLTV’s forums, with many users assuming that Martin had already joined Team Liquid.
Co-owner Steve “Liquid112” Arhancet confirmed that the team is actively holding tryouts for players, coaches, and managers, including Martin as a candidate. However, nothing is official yet, and Mendez is still part of the team’s roster.
Arhancet said, “Our CS:GO team has not met the performance expectations we set-out to accomplish earlier this year. It’s up to us to determine what changes, if any, are necessary. While we evaluate individual player performance, we’ll also be revamping our coaching, analyst, and practice methodology. Once any of our initiatives are finalized, we will inform our fans. But for now, we appreciate your patience and support as we work towards noticeable results.”
The team recently failed to qualify for the ESL Cologne 2015 tournament after losing 0-2 to Counter Logic Gaming. Over the past six months, Team Liquid has shown mediocre results, finishing seventh/eighth at the FACEIT 2015 Stage 2 Finals and fifth-eighth at the Electronic Sports World Cup on July 11.
Image via Tom Smith/Behance