Los Angeles Gladiators part ways with Shaz and BigGoose

The support duo has been a part of the Gladiators franchise since day one.

Photo by Carlton Beener via Blizzard Entertainment

Though the Los Angeles Gladiators appear to be cleaning house today, few fans saw this roster change coming. Stalwart support duo Benjamin “BigGoose” Isohanni and Jonas “Shaz” Suovaara has been released from the team’s roster, the Overwatch League team announced today.

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The Finnish support players were the longest-lasting members of a constantly changing Los Angeles Gladiators roster. Both joined the Overwatch League in late 2017 and remained a part of the Gladiators organization until today. Main support BigGoose and flex support Shaz both played for Team Gigantti before their addition to the Overwatch League.

Shaz and BigGoose developed a reputation as some of the more consistent support players in the league. They may not have had the flashiest plays, but they always kept the more adventurous DPS players and outlandish tanks alive in teamfights. BigGoose especially developed a following among Gladiators fans, who would exclaim that “the Goose is loose” when he made a big play.

Shaz said on Twitter that he’ll take some time to think about what he’ll do next but thanked the Gladiators for their support over the years. BigGoose revealed that he’ll be retiring from Overwatch as a player and will need some time to decide his next moves.

These releases are the latest on a chaotic day for the Los Angeles Gladiators. In a single day, the team has released DPS Jason “Jaru” White and off-tank Aaron “Bischu” Kim, as well as the Finnish support duo.

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Liz Richardson
Liz is a freelance writer and editor from Chicago. Her favorite thing is the Overwatch League; her second favorite thing is pretending iced coffee is a meal. She specializes in educational content, patch notes that (actually) make sense, and aggressively supporting Tier 2 Overwatch. When she's not writing, Liz is expressing hot takes on Twitter and making bad life choices at Target.