FURIA has announced the acquisition of Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo as their new in-game leader for the upcoming fall season of Counter-Strike.
Speculations about this signing had been circulating for over a month, and now the organization has successfully secured FalleN‘s services just before their participation in IEM Cologne 2023.
On Sunday, FalleN officially ended his 17-month tenure with Imperial. He initially joined the team in February 2022 as part of the “Last Dance” project, alongside Lincoln “fnx” Lau and Fernando “fer” Alvarenga. With FalleN leading the team, Imperial managed to qualify for the PGL Antwerp and IEM Rio Majors in 2022.
As a two-time Major winner, FalleN brings his experience and skills to his new team. During his time with Imperial, he maintained an average rating of 1.09. FalleN will be taking over the AWP role from FURIA‘s previous AWP player, Rafael “saffee” Costa. Additionally, both saffee and academy player André “drop” Abreu departed from FURIA at the end of July, as they transferred to MIBR.
FalleN is recognized as one of the greatest CS players of all time and has a successful career spanning over a decade. His journey is marked by numerous achievements and important titles, including two Major victories in 2016, the game’s premier global competition, and his well-known role in leadership and the development of high-performance players and teams.
FURIA
FalleN’s arrival represents a moment of unity for Brazilian esports. This union brings together the best that Brazil has produced from two different generations. Two sides that were once opposed, separated by a rivalry that has been created for years, are now together in a movement that unites generations and the Brazilian CS community.
André Akkari, Co-Founder and Co-CEO
After leaving Imperial on Monday, Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes joined FURIA to fill the final spot on the team’s roster. This news comes following reports by GamerArena on Sunday, which indicated that chelo was in discussions for a potential move to FURIA.
The newly-formed FURIA roster is set to make its debut at IEM Cologne 2023. The team will participate in the Play-In stage, which is scheduled to take place from July 26 to July 28. FURIA will face tough competition from teams like Liquid, Ninjas in Pyjamas, and fnatic as they compete for one of the eight spots in the tournament’s group stage.
Here is the current roster of FURIA:
- Andrei “arT” Piovezan
- Yuri “yuurih” Santos
- Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato
- Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo
- Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes
- Nicholas “guerri” Nogueira (coach)
