Counter-Strike 2
SAW sign cej0t and AZUWU
SAW has oficially announced the benching of Ricardo "roman" Oliveira and José "Shr" Gil, ending an era for the Portuguese team as they shift to an international roster with the additions of former Endpoint duo Jan "cej0t" Dyl and Oscar "AZUWU" Bell.
The change also puts an end to one of the longest standing partnerships in Counter-Strike as roman and Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes had played together for over five years under the SAW banner — both were part of the organization's founding squad —, and even longer going back to when they played together in Giants as far back as September 2018.
roman made history for Portugal, helping SAW become the first Portuguese team to reach a Major after trying for years and falling short at three RMRs before making the Copenhagen Major, while Shr was brought on as a developing player, although major role changes didn't help and the team finally decided to go a different direction after just two months.
"Sadly, a cycle ends at SAW today," SAW's General Manager Bruno “Marinhas” Marinheiro said. "From now on, we leave our national lineup behind as we become international, while keeping our national core. This decision was not taken lightly, thinking about the team's mid and long-term future while getting access to a deeper talent pool.
"We had opened this process in the coaching department and now it's time to do it with the players. It's one of the saddest days for SAW (and for me, personally), because roman was on the team since day one and was always one of the most important players for the team and the club. He is one of the most important people in my life and it's very sad to see him go.
"Regarding Shr, we know he has a lot of potential, but, sadly, we decided to go another way with the international players. These youngsters, cej0t and AZUWU, will bring new energy and different things to the team and we think that this change will give us new guarantees for the future."
After a last hurrah at PGL Cluj-Napoca, where SAW made the playoffs despite knowing that changes were coming, AZUWU and cej0t are now joining the team.
The duo come as free agents after Endpoint announced it is taking a step back from Counter-Strike due to "the landscape of CS changing dramatically" after Valve introduced the VRS invite system along with a lack of funding in the UK's esports scene.
The newcomers have a limited track record and their experience is mostly in second or third tier online tournaments at a time in which Endpoint had fallen off after peaking in and around the top 30 with players like Guy "NertZ" Iluz and Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko in 2023.
AZUWU still posted a 1.10 rating during his time in Endpoint, while 18-year-old cej0t averaged a 1.03 in his ten months with the team, a small dip from his 1.06 during his time in Sprout.
SAW are now:
Portugal - Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes
Portugal - João "story" Vieira
Portugal - André "Ag1l" Gil
United Kingdom - Oscar "AZUWU" Bell
Poland - Jan "cej0t" Dyl
Sweden - Maikil "Golden" Selim (coach)
Portugal - Ricardo "roman" Oliveira (benched)
Portugal - José "Shr" Gil (benched)
The change also puts an end to one of the longest standing partnerships in Counter-Strike as roman and Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes had played together for over five years under the SAW banner — both were part of the organization's founding squad —, and even longer going back to when they played together in Giants as far back as September 2018.
roman made history for Portugal, helping SAW become the first Portuguese team to reach a Major after trying for years and falling short at three RMRs before making the Copenhagen Major, while Shr was brought on as a developing player, although major role changes didn't help and the team finally decided to go a different direction after just two months.
"Sadly, a cycle ends at SAW today," SAW's General Manager Bruno “Marinhas” Marinheiro said. "From now on, we leave our national lineup behind as we become international, while keeping our national core. This decision was not taken lightly, thinking about the team's mid and long-term future while getting access to a deeper talent pool.
"We had opened this process in the coaching department and now it's time to do it with the players. It's one of the saddest days for SAW (and for me, personally), because roman was on the team since day one and was always one of the most important players for the team and the club. He is one of the most important people in my life and it's very sad to see him go.
"Regarding Shr, we know he has a lot of potential, but, sadly, we decided to go another way with the international players. These youngsters, cej0t and AZUWU, will bring new energy and different things to the team and we think that this change will give us new guarantees for the future."
After a last hurrah at PGL Cluj-Napoca, where SAW made the playoffs despite knowing that changes were coming, AZUWU and cej0t are now joining the team.
The duo come as free agents after Endpoint announced it is taking a step back from Counter-Strike due to "the landscape of CS changing dramatically" after Valve introduced the VRS invite system along with a lack of funding in the UK's esports scene.
The newcomers have a limited track record and their experience is mostly in second or third tier online tournaments at a time in which Endpoint had fallen off after peaking in and around the top 30 with players like Guy "NertZ" Iluz and Nikita "HeavyGod" Martynenko in 2023.
AZUWU still posted a 1.10 rating during his time in Endpoint, while 18-year-old cej0t averaged a 1.03 in his ten months with the team, a small dip from his 1.06 during his time in Sprout.
SAW are now:
Portugal - Christopher "MUTiRiS" Fernandes
Portugal - João "story" Vieira
Portugal - André "Ag1l" Gil
United Kingdom - Oscar "AZUWU" Bell
Poland - Jan "cej0t" Dyl
Sweden - Maikil "Golden" Selim (coach)
Portugal - Ricardo "roman" Oliveira (benched)
Portugal - José "Shr" Gil (benched)
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