Following a disappointing year for Team Falcons, the Saudi-backed squad has secured superstar s1mple on loan, according to a report by HLTV. The Ukranian will replace Alvaro “SunPayus” Garcia in the AWP role.
S1mple needs no introduction, as he is widely regarded as the best Counter-Strike player of all time. The 26-year-old had an upsetting end to Global Offensive and announced he would take an extended break from professional play.
Once the sequel was released, s1mple expressed dissatisfaction with the game, complaining about how unpolished it was. Since then, the ex-NAVI player has been traveling the world and attempting to develop his educational course. However, he also conveyed the desire to return to the scene soon.
This situation won’t be the first time s1mple interacted with the Team Falcons organization. He was loaned to the team earlier this year for the BLAST Premier Spring Showdown 2024, where his CS2 debut ended in disaster. Team Falcons were eliminated by Metizport after losing their first match, though s1mple was filling the rifler role during this short stint.
Despite signing the most expensive roster in the scene, Team Falcons have yet to achieve any results in the 2024 season, often met with heartbreak and disheart. The international roster failed to qualify for the Copenhagen Major and only had a singular top-four run at a tier-one event at IEM Katowice 2024.
Just yesterday, FaZe Clan sent Team Falcons packing from the BLAST Premier Fall Final, preventing the Danish team from playing in front of the Copenhagen crowd. With the string of failures unwinding, it was clear the roster had to make changes eventually.
SunPayus will be getting the short end of the stick to make space for s1mple on the team, as both players are responsible for wielding the Big Green. Community members and analysts were outraged as the Spanish player was performing up to standards, which was often not the reason for the team’s losses.
This roster move suggests that s1mple will play with Team Falcons for the upcoming Shanghai Major, as HLTV’s report mentions that he was added as a substitute for the team before the roster lock took place. It will be exciting to see the best player in the game return to Counter-Strike’s biggest stage.
Though it may be difficult to cheer for Team Falcons in 2024 with its abysmal results this season, fans of the team have a lot to look forward to in 2025 if s1mple is signed permanently. The best rifler of 2023, NiKo, is also reportedly joining Team Falcons after the Shanghai Major, so the squad is due for a firepower upgrade if things go according to plan.
