LA Thieves “look sloppy” | CDL Reverse Sweep Review Show

With Call of Duty League’s Stage 5 now past the halfway point before the final Major, join our Reverse Sweep crew of Ian ‘Enable’ Wyatt, Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker & Katie Bedford as they recap all the biggest results.

Week 2 of Stage 5 has come and gone as the Minnesota Home Series is now in the books. For some teams, it was another disappointing week with lackluster results. But for others, it was finally a chance to reach new heights.

OpTic Chicago secured a massive series win over Atlanta FaZe. LA Thieves struggled against Paris underdogs. All the while, Florida Mutineers continue to stake their claim ahead of Champs.

To break down all the biggest wins and losses from the week, join our Reverse Sweep crew as they dive into the juiciest storylines. 

Florida Mutineers upset over Dallas Empire

Currently tied at the top of Group B, the Mutineers advanced to a 3-0 record in Stage 5 with a huge win over Dallas Empire. While it was a solid performance, is this victory enough to place them among the league’s very best teams?

“In that series, the games were very close,” Enable said, not quite ready to jump the gun on Florida’s potential. “Empire just looked a little shaky.”

“Honestly, they’re a really good team with a lot of talent,” Pacman added. “These guys can always beat anyone but that does not mean I up their stock. While Florida is a good team, I don’t see this as a huge upswing for them.”

With a showdown against Toronto Ultra just days away, questions will finally be answered as Group B locks in its first seed for the Major.

Are the LA Thieves in another slump?

Despite a fairly close series against Atlanta FaZe, it was another unfortunate week for the LA Thieves. Paris Legion came out swinging and took them down with a 3-1 map count.

Ultimately, “Paris should be a free win” at this point in the year, Enable stressed. For LA Thieves to go out and lose, it shows they’re still making “the same mistakes. They’re not as consistent as they need to be right now.”

“This is such a bad loss for their confidence,” Pacman agreed. Another “embarrassing loss” could do more damage in the long run. Certainly the last thing they need going into Champs. 

New York Subliners now “consistently lackluster”

With Clayster now off the starting lineup for the final week of Stage 5, things aren’t looking all too hot for NYSL moving forward. But will the squad be able to rebound in time?

“They’re just in a slump right now,” as Enable called it. But it couldn’t have happened at a “worse time” with Champs fast approaching. “It could get scary if they don’t fix it soon.”

A little more optimistic, Pacman is confident they can “bounce back.” The biggest factor is ensuring Clay returns with the “right mentality.”

OpTic Chicago finally coming into form?

No win this week was bigger than OpTic’s triumph in Game 5 over FaZe. The Green Wall finally overcame the hurdle and closed out a nail-biting Round 11 against the league’s top squad.

“This win is massive,” Pacman stressed. Beyond the scoreline itself, OpTic’s confidence should now be through the roof. “Now you know you can beat the best team in the game. They’re looking really good.”

• Read More: Crimsix slams ‘snowflakes’ during CDL leadership talks

On the same page, Enable agreed that this was a huge win “for OpTic’s confidence. Having that mentality that you can beat a team is all you need sometimes. I wish it was a little more dominant but they looked phenomenal.” 

Best moments of the Minnesota Home Series

As for the biggest highlights of Week 2, Enable couldn’t pick anything other than OpTic’s Game 5 against FaZe. Specifically, it was “Envoy making plays” that really stood out. “[He] basically had control the whole game and clutched up the whole series.”

Meanwhile, Pacman wanted to highlight last year’s MVP instead. “Shotzzy singlehandedly broke ROKKR’s setups” in their series. As a result, “he’s probably the single most difficult kill in the game.”

MVPs of the Minnesota Home Series

For this week’s MVP award, Pacman put some respect on Afro’s name after another solid outing for the Royal Ravens. “This kid’s been putting on,” he said. “If anyone deserves a spot in the future, it’s him. He’s surprising me with how talented he is, he’s a beast.”

“I have to go with Skyz from Mutineers,” Enable chimed in. “As a whole in Stage 5, he has the highest KD with a whopping 1.4. He’s helping lead this team to a potential number one spot in their group.”

Last but not least, Katie threw Envoy’s name into the hat due to “the pivotal plays” that secured OpTic’s win over FaZe.

Least valuable players of the Minnesota Home Series

On the opposite side, SlasheR stood out to Pacman as the LVP this week. “That was the worst performance I’ve seen in a while from a top player. He really s*** the bed. He has to play better.”

• Read more: CDL pros unhappy with controversial format for $2.5m CDL Champs event

From one disappointing loss to another, Enable highlighted New York as his overall LVP. “They look really bad,” he said. In order to turn things around, he’s banking on Clayster returning and stepping up to “be that leader.”