How Falcons pulled off a major coup with zonic and Lars Robl signings Jo\u00e3o Ferreira\/Gamers8Saudi esports organization Team Falcons has secured the services of Vitality\u2019s Counter-Strike coach, Danny \u2018zonic\u2019 S\u00f8rensen, and Head of Performance, Lars Robl. In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, the pair, as well as Grant Rousseau, Falcons\u2019 Global Director of Esports, discussed how the move came to be and shared their goals for the project. When Grant Rousseau got confirmation that he landed zonic, he did the same thing he had done shortly after Guild Esports\u2019 Rocket League team won a regional tournament in 2021, when he was working there as Director of Esports. He called his parents to tell them the news. \u201cI think it is probably on par, if not slightly higher,\u201d he tells Dexerto. \u201cFor me, it feels bigger because it\u2019s the start of a much bigger project.\u201d In many ways, getting someone with zonic\u2019s stature and pedigree feels more impactful than the sometimes ephemeral rush of winning a trophy. After an exceptional career as a player, zonic established a new standard for esports coaches as he guided Astralis to an unprecedented four CS:GO Major victories, along with an Intel Grand Slam title and countless other trophies. He went on to add a fifth Major crown to his r\u00e9sum\u00e9 with Team Vitality, continuing to burnish his credentials as the greatest esports coach of all time. zonic is joining Team Falcons as their new Counter-Strike head coach from November 1, a move that is sure to send shockwaves through the esports world because of the sheer surprise factor involved. After all, he is joining a team that is ranked 55th in the world and has never been to a Major or won a LAN trophy. It\u2019s such an unlikely scenario that Rousseau didn\u2019t think at first that it was achievable when he began talks with the agent of Lars Robl, Team Vitality\u2019s CS:GO Performance Manager, with a job offer. But once he learned of zonic\u2019s availability as he was entering the final months of his Vitality contract, Rousseau decided to try to keep the pair together. A couple of weeks later, he was, as he put it to his parents, signing the \u201cPep Guardiola of CS\u201d. Leaving Vitality behind zonic and Lars have worked together since 2018 and won almost all there is to win in CS:GO, forming a strong duo that complements each other. They left Astralis at the same time and joined Vitality together, and while they don\u2019t consider themselves a package deal, they were keen to extend that partnership for 2024 and beyond. As the summer season progressed and he entered the final six months of his contract, zonic opened discussions with Vitality about a new deal. With talks dragging on, he asked his agent to begin exploring other options. By that point, Lars was already in negotiations with Team Falcons about taking over as Director of Performance, a role that the Saudi organization was eager to fill. In the end, zonic had three destinations to choose from: Vitality, Falcons, and an undisclosed organization. \u201cThe reason was mid- and long-term,\u201d zonic explained in a conversation with Dexerto. \u201cI think that Falcons\u2019 project is really attractive. \u201cIf we look at the short term, I\u2019m part of the best team in the world right now, one that is most likely going to be the favorite for the next Major. But there were some things with Falcons\u2019 project that, future-wise, make so much sense.\u201d The other reason he is making such an eyebrow-raising career move is of a more personal nature. \u201cWhy not try and challenge myself yet again by going to a team that will start from a lower competitive rank and try to build them up into one of the best in the world? \u201cMy ultimate goal is to try to win a Major in all three games, 1.6 as a player, then CS:GO and CS2 as a coach.\u201d As for Lars, he was tempted by the prospect of working from a clean slate and developing a performance culture that he believes will give Falcons\u2019 esports teams \u201can edge\u201d, instead of operating within another\u2019s system. \u201cIt\u2019s like a bare field,\u201d Lars explained. \u201cWe have been given the opportunity to make our system work. We have the ability to decide how to shape it ourselves. And that\u2019s interesting. \u201cFalcons have a long-term project, they also understand that. They have a really solid and professional organization. They hired Danny. They hired me. \u2018That\u2019s the project. Make it work.\u2019 \u201cI really have the space to do that. I have never had that before because it has always been done in an existing system. That\u2019s a huge possibility.\u201d zonic is well aware of the magnitude of the task at hand. He is going to be working with a roster where most of the firepower comes from largely unproven talents, mixed with veteran players, which is quite the change from coaching the likes of Nicolai \u2018device\u2019 Reedtz, Peter \u2018dupreeh\u2019 Rasmussen, and Mathieu \u2018ZywOo\u2019 Herbaut in their prime. There\u2019s also the added factor that Falcons are not partnered with either ESL or BLAST, which means that invites to tournaments in 2024 will be based on results. (In 2025, partner leagues will be scrapped, as determined by Valve.) Perhaps the biggest challenges ahead will be tempering his own expectations and changing his approach to the job, at least in the short run. These last eight years, he has been consumed by a desire and a responsibility to win. He acknowledged that when that didn\u2019t happen \u2014 Astralis in 2020 and 2021, Vitality in 2022 \u2014 it simply was \u201cnot fun.\u201d Can he keep that insatiable appetite for victories in check? \u201cI think it would be foolish to go in and say, \u2018We can qualify for the Major, and Falcons\u2019 ambition is to win the Major in Copenhagen,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI think that would be stupid and not very responsible. \u201cBut that was also the case for Vitality when I joined. I also said the first year would be rough, and that was despite me having a super team under me.\u201d zonic insisted that everyone on the team will have \u201ca fair chance\u201d to prove their worth and that he will not be going into this project looking to tear the team apart. \u201cI need to evaluate all the players, have talks with them, see how they play, how they function,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to see that with an outsider\u2019s perspective.\u201d But if he deems that changes are necessary, he will have the authority to put his stamp on the team and the resources to speed up their timeline of building a title contender. \u201cFalcons mean business when it comes to establishing this as the number-one team in the world, and that is also part of the excitement and the challenge that I have,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not joining an existing project with the best players out there. I\u2019m joining a team where my only task is to become the best in the world. How I do it is up to me and Lars.\u201d zonic and Lars will not finish out the season as the French organization is already preparing for the future of the team. It remains unclear who will be guiding the players at IEM Sydney, the first tier-one event to feature Counter-Strike 2, though an option is that assistant coach Mathieu \u2018MaT\u2019 Leber takes charge of the squad. The French coach stood behind the players at the recent Gamers8 event, which zonic couldn\u2019t attend due to personal reasons. Questioned about the team\u2019s future, neither zonic nor Lars showed concern about the impact that their departures might have on the players. \u201cI\u2019m not too worried about Vitality,\u201d zonic said, adding that MaT can be \u201ca guardian of the tools\u201d that contributed to the team\u2019s success over the last two years. \u201cThey have got to believe that they have what it takes to get through the situation,\u201d Lars added. \u201cAnd they have the tools to do that.\u201d In Malta, where the team was playing in ESL Pro League 18, emotions were high when the players learned that this would be their final tournament with the pair. \u201cI would say it was very beautiful,\u201d zonic said. \u201cThis is probably the best group of five players I have ever worked with, and I think that really showed when the news was brought up. I couldn\u2019t be more proud of how they handled it and what we went through during those couple of days.\u201d The revelation of the news was followed by a long group session called \u2018empty the backpack\u2019, a space devoid of criticism and judgment where everyone is encouraged to be honest with each other and express their feelings. \u201cThere were tears running down,\u201d Lars said. \u201cIt just shows how much the individuals in the team mean to each other. It was hard, but as Danny said, it was beautiful and emotional.\u201d zonic said that he respects Vitality\u2019s decision to move on from him and Lars for the final leg of the tournament season. \u201cThe easy solution would have been to continue until the end of the year and try to win as much as possible,\u201d he argued. At the same time, he can\u2019t help but feel \u201csad and heartbroken\u201d to miss, for the third straight year, the BLAST Fall Final at the Royal Arena (he didn\u2019t travel with Astralis\u2019 squad for the final tournaments of 2021 after informing the organization he would not be signing a new contract, and Vitality couldn\u2019t qualify for last year\u2019s event). The iconic arena in Denmark\u2019s capital, which has become part of Counter-Strike folklore in recent years, will also host PGL Major Copenhagen \u2014 the first Major for both CS2 and Denmark. The qualifiers for the Major will begin on January 8, only two months after zonic steps into the role. With little time to get to know the squad and prepare for the event, he conceded that the tournament might come too soon for the team. \u201cIt will definitely be tough, working with such a tight deadline and having to qualify for the Major,\u201d he said. \u201cThe good part is that it\u2019s a new game. \u201cI had to weigh things up, and for me, [Falcons] was just too good of an opportunity for me to be thinking about the next four months only. I needed to think more long-term. And yes, it will definitely hurt if I don\u2019t qualify for the Major. But I will do everything I can to make sure that Falcons is at the Copenhagen Major.\u201d Dealing with criticism According to zonic, one of the things about Falcons that has surprised him the most is \u201chow professional\u201d the organization is, which is seen in its openness to do things the way he believes to be the right one \u2014 by giving the coach free rein to work and build the team according to his vision. Only last year, Falcons made headlines by signing CS:GO star Kenny \u2018kennyS\u2019 Schrub with hopes of qualifying for the BLAST.tv Paris Major. The team fell short of the goal, and the iconic AWPer moved into a content creator role within the organization shortly afterward. This, however, is a much more ambitious move by Falcons, the brainchild of Mossad \u2018Msdossary\u2019 Aldossary. The Saudi Arabian FIFA star, the winner of the 2018 FIFA eWorld Cup, co-founded the organization in 2017 with the goal, according to Rousseau, of creating \u201can esports world for gamers in MENA.\u201d \u201cA lot of the work is around Msdossary\u2019s idea to create this very popular brand across Europe and MENA that has winning at its center,\u201d Rousseau explained. \u201cThere is a very, very large content creation aspect to Falcons, with major Middle Eastern content creators under the Falcons brand. A little bit similar to what FaZe used to be, let\u2019s say. That\u2019s something that\u2019s never seen, I think, because obviously, it\u2019s in Arabic; it\u2019s Arabic-focused.\u201d Since Rousseau joined the organization, in August 2022, one of his main tasks has been providing Falcons\u2019 teams with the tools to become regulars on the international stage. In 2023, the Rocket League team repeated the top-eight finish from last year\u2019s World Championship and placed top four at Gamers8. The Rainbow Six squad also reached the semi-finals at Gamers8 and played at its first-ever Major, in Copenhagen. And Falcons Vega, the organization\u2019s women\u2019s Valorant team, is through to the playoffs of Game Changers Stage III EMEA. All three squads have players from Saudi Arabia. But getting these teams to the next level required hiring an expert who could help the players keep their minds clear and focused on performing. \u201cCS will be Lars\u2019 priority, but actually it\u2019s about him being able to bring this performance philosophy across Falcons as a whole,\u201d Rousseau explained. \u201cSometimes, the MENA teams are incredible in that region, and to bring them to an international level requires a real step up in terms of behavior, effort, approach to work, approach to practice, teamwork\u2026 All of those different aspects. \u201cThat is something that isn\u2019t necessarily fully implemented because of the age of status of the region. But it\u2019s something that we feel we are advancing very quickly. And Lars is coming in to really help with that. CS will represent the best example of what he is going to put in place, and the idea is to copy-paste the system across all of our teams to help them develop and grow.\u201d Rousseau noted that zonic\u2019s hiring is part of a three-year plan to deliver a Counter-Strike Major title, but he is conscious of the transformative impact that the arrival of such a high-profile figure will have from a public-perception standpoint. Already in the scene, there are rumors about Falcons giving the Danish coach a blank cheque to assemble the team of his dreams, with Vitality\u2019s duo of Emil \u2018Magisk\u2019 Reif and dupreeh linked with the project, according to French content creator Sebastien \u2018KRL\u2019 Perez. But amid all the hype, there is genuine concern about the growing influence of Saudi Arabia in global esports. Over the last 18 months, the kingdom has positioned itself as a major player in the esports industry, acquiring tournament organizers, hosting multi-million dollar events, and sponsoring articles in endemic publications. Getting the best talent, many feared, was just a matter of time. Rousseau believes that what Falcons are doing is \u201cno different\u201d from what other organizations have done over the years in search of competitive success. \u201cWe have belief in the project here and in our ability to build a CS dynasty, similar to Astralis\u2019 back in the day,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not because of pure resources; that is because of the right staff, the right talent, the right behavior, the right mindset to come together and create that. And that\u2019s what drew zonic and Lars. They have come here because they believe in a long-term, sustainable project, one that is not about overspending or being stupid.\u201d For their part, Lars and zonic rejected the notion that this move was purely motivated by money. \u201cIt was not the money that drove me to this,\u201d Lars noted. \u201cIt was the role, the responsibility, and the freedom I got in the role to create something that I really believe in.\u201d \u201cOf course, Falcons\u2019 offer is really good, but so were the offers from Vitality and the other organization,\u201d zonic added. \u201cBut for me, it has to be worth it. \u201cI need to fulfill my personal goal, which is to try and challenge myself. I understand the concerns, and it\u2019s an easy narrative to make.\u201d The Danish coach went on to add that he probably would have made more money in the short run if he had decided to stay with Vitality, \u201cgiven the status of the team\u201d and the events ahead. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m crossing any lines I shouldn\u2019t, but the sticker sales from the Paris Major, I don\u2019t think they were ever as big,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd now we are coming into the first Major in CS2. \u201cShort-term-wise, I think I would have made more money [in Vitality], if you don\u2019t take just the salary into consideration. Yes, I expect to make more money in Falcons, but that comes with a risk. It demands that we become the best team in the world, but that is where the challenge comes from.\u201d The main point of criticism, however, will be their indirect association with a country that has a long record of human rights abuses. Saudi Arabia wants to become a global hub for gaming and esports by the end of the decade as part of its \u2018Vision 2030\u2019 program, which many believe is merely another attempt to polish its public image. Lars said that he experienced firsthand how big and impactful esports has become in the Middle East while attending Gamers8 in August. For him, having the opportunity to contribute to the development of the region and improve the lives of the people there was \u201ca driving factor\u201d in his decision. \u201cI learned from my former career in the Special Forces, with a lot of missions to Afghanistan and other places, that you try to focus on where you can make a difference and try to make it better for the people around you,\u201d he said. \u201cSaudi Arabia is really putting a focus on esports because it means a lot to a lot of people down there. That\u2019s where, I think, Danny and I can contribute.\u201d zonic also reinforced the idea that he and Lars can be a force for good in the region. \u201cI think there is a positive change going on in Saudi Arabia,\u201d he argued. \u201cWith the number of gamers that the region has, being able to contribute to this positive change by bringing, let\u2019s say, a Major trophy to Saudi Arabia is something that also drives me. \u201cI don\u2019t think many people know this, but my father was born and raised in Egypt, so I understand the cultural angle. Having family in Egypt, if I can contribute to Saudi Arabia\u2019s goals, which are definitely to open up more, then I\u2019m proud to be able to help in that department as well. \u201cI\u2019m not going to sit here and say there are no issues. But what I teach my kids is that if they are trying to be better, I will encourage them and help them do that. I think that bringing a Major title would be a small but good contribution to where they\u2019re heading.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How Falcons pulled off a major coup with zonic and Lars Robl signings Jo\u00e3o Ferreira\/Gamers8Saudi esports organization Team Falcons has secured the services of Vitality\u2019s Counter-Strike coach, Danny \u2018zonic\u2019 S\u00f8rensen, and Head of Performance, Lars Robl. In an exclusive interview with Dexerto, the pair, as well as Grant Rousseau, Falcons\u2019 Global Director of Esports, discussed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38427"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38427\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}