Ex-Chaos member open to CS return

Following the announcement of his release from VALORANT squad Shopify Rebellion, former Chaos and eUnited player Anthony "vanity" Malaspina announced that he would be exploring offers in both VALORANT and Counter-Strike, opening up the possibility for his return to the CS after departing in late 2020.

vanity is most well-known in Counter-Strike for his time on the Chaos roster, alongside players such as Jonathan "Jonji" Carey and Edgar "MarKE" Maldonado. Amidst the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing slew of online events brought with it, Chaos thrived, securing a number of top finishes in domestic events throughout 2020, including first-place finishes in ESEA Premier Season 34, IEM Beijing 2020 North America, and DreamHack Masters Winter 2020 North America. vanity was a key piece for his team's success, as both the in-game leader and AWPer, averaging a 1.08 rating during his tenure with the team.

Despite the domestic success of the roster, the pandemic brought on significant financial hardships for the Chaos squad, with the organization ultimately opting to part ways with their team in December 2020. Following Chaos' departure from the scene, vanity announced that he had received offers in both Counter-Strike as well as VALORANT, but that he ultimately decided to pursue the latter game full-time.

Aside from the fact that vanity's return is currently only in the realm of possibility, it is also worth noting that he also clarified in his announcement that he would be willing to relocate to play. As such, there is potential that vanity could return to Counter-Strike, but maybe for a European squad instead of somewhere closer to home. Regardless, ECL squads who may be hoping to field vanity may want to do so before the start of Season 46, with the next season of the top domestic league kicking off on July 11th.