Cologne without a majority NA roster for first time
As pieces are finally starting to click in the off-season roster shuffle, the consequences of some moves are already being made readily apparent. One such consequence is the lack of a North American team to root for at IEM Cologne, as Liquid's shift towards a European core, in conjunction with Complexity missing out on an invite, sees the marquee German event lack a majority North American squad for the first time.
Invites for IEM Cologne were finalized just ahead of the chaotic roster shuffle following the conclusion of the BLAST Premier Spring Final in Washington D.C., on June 12th. North America received two invite slots for the Play-In, with Liquid and FURIA laying claim to the regional spots. Additional spots for teams like Complexity were also available through ESL World Ranking placements, but Johnny "JT" Theodosiou and his men narrowly missed out on qualifying for the event after middling results in the latter half of the season.
With these invitations, Liquid was slated to be the only North American squad in attendance at the all-important event. However, the organization's decision to move to a primarily European lineup, with the signings of Aleks "Rainwaker" Petrov and Robert "Patsi" Isyanov in the place of Nick "nitr0" Canella and Jonathan "EliGE" Jablonowski, has put a dent in NA fan's hopes for Cologne.
While the situation is grim for fans of the region, North America is not completely deprived of representation at the event. Liquid still retain the services of Josh "oSee" Ohm and Keith "NAF" Markovic, meaning that the American and Canadian duo will at least fight for NA in the Play-In. Should they not qualify for the main stage, fans can still root for Russel "Twistzz" Van Dulken in the top sixteen of the event, as FaZe cleared the Play-In berth following their victory at ESL Pro League Season 17.
IEM Cologne is set to kick off with the Play-In in just over a month, on July 25th. Fans hoping for more North American representation can also look forward to the BLAST Premier Fall Groups, featuring a revitalized Complexity lineup and an appearance from the recently-promoted EG Black lineup, scheduled to begin on July 13th.
