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Brazilian esports organization FURIA officially confirmed the signing of Counter-Strike players Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo and Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes on Monday.
The news comes just a day after the players parted ways with Imperial, ending their 17-month and 11-month stints with the organization. Henrique “HEN1” Teles from MIBR and Fluxo’s João “felps” Vasconcellos are expected to replace the players on Imperial’s lineup.
FalleN has been linked to FURIA for over a month, long before he officially departed Imperial’s lineup. After weeks of unconfirmed reports, the player is now a part of FURIA and will represent the team in the upcoming fall season.
In a welcome statement, FURIA described FalleN as “one of the greatest CS players of all time” with a successful career in CS:GO that has lasted over 10 years.
“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,” the post continues.
FalleN joined Imperial in February 2022 as part of the famed “Last Dance” project. The team also included Fernando “fer” Alvarenga and Lincoln “fnx” Lau. After several impressive plays, FalleN leaves Imperial with a 1.09 rating.
The player notably helped the Brazillian lineup qualify for the Intel Extreme Masters Rio Majors and the Professional Gamers League Antwerp 2022.
André Akkari, FURIA’s co-founder and co-CEO, also said, “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.”
FalleN is set to replace FURIA’s former sniper Rafael “saffee” Costa, who left the Brazilian lineup in late June in favor of MIBR. chelo, whose signing was announced hours after FalleN’s, is set to replace André “drop” Abreu, who also moved to MIBR.
chelo was signed to Imperial in August 2022 and has been a crucial part of the team’s major achievements. He helped the squad reach a second-place finish in the Electronic Sports League Challenger Melbourne and qualify for the IEM Rio Major.
chelo also helped Imperial reach 3rd-4th placing in the BLAST Spring Final. The player leaves Imperial with a 1.09 average rating on LAN (1.16 impact).
FURIA currently includes FalleN, chelo, Andrei “arT” Piovezan, Kaike “KSCERATO” Cerato, Yuri “yuurih” Santos, and Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo.
FalleN and chelo were signed ahead of FURIA’s IEM Cologne 2023 campaign and are expected to make their debut with the team during the event.
The CS:GO tournament’s play-in stage will kick off on July 26 to July 28. FURIA will face off against Ninjas in Pyjamas, Fnatic, and Team Liquid to secure one of the eight spots in the group stage.
