Fnatic has signed Francisco “kst” Fragoso, Iulian “regali” Harjău, and David “prosus” Hesse to its new academy CS:GO lineup, the organization announced today. Fnatic Rising will be completed by the former substitute of the org’s first team, Peppe “Peppzor” Borak, and former analyst Kevin “Kevve” Bohlin, who will be the in-game leader.
This announcement comes just hours ahead of Fnatic Rising’s debut in WePlay Academy League season one, an exclusive $100,000 circuit for youth teams. “Fnatic Rising will serve as a dynamic academy roster, rotating between players and young talent throughout the seasons of the WePlay League,” the organization wrote on Twitter. “Through this, we aim to provide each player opportunities to grow their skills and find their place in CS:GO esports.”
The teams competing in WePlay Academy League season one must have at least four players between the ages of 16 and 20 to participate in the tournament, which is a way to force teams to field inexperienced players. While Kevve will use his experience as an analyst to guide the team, regali will be the one taking on the AWP duties after he impressed in lower-tier tournaments with his former team, GameAgents. Kst, prosus, and Peppzor will be the team’s riflers.
Andreas Samuelsson, who had been working as Fnatic’s head coach since September 2019, has transitioned to the role of team director and will oversee the main roster and academy squad. “Our goal is to operate under one unified structure across the main roster and this new academy team,” Samuelsson said. “this will allow us to ensure there is a key transfer of knowledge and experience between the two.”
Fnatic Rising will debut against mouz NXT in WePlay Academy League season one later today at 2pm CT.
