NRG Esports returns to Counter-Strike after 4 years with new NA roster

NRG Esports has returned to professional Counter-Strike after a four-year hiatus with a new North American roster.

On November 4, it was reported by HLTV that NRG was exploring a potential return to CS after a four-year absence from the scene. However, at the time of the report, no player contracts had been signed yet. 

But now on November 28, NRG has officially returned to CS2 with a new NA roster featuring a couple of former NRG players returning to the organization. 

In a skit announcement video featuring NRG co-owner Sapnap and CEO Andy Miller, a roster containing a mix of former Team Liquid, Evil Geniuses, and Complexity players was announced. 

NRG returns to NA Counter-Strike after 4-year hiatus

It sees Damian ‘daps’ Steele and Vincent ‘Brehze’ Cayonte making a return to NRG after they sold their CSGO roster to Evil Geniuses in 2019. 

Joining them is Team Liquid’s former AWPer Joshua ‘oSee’ Ohm, former Complexity player Justin ‘FaNg’ Coakley, and Jadan ‘HexT’ Postma. 

Most of the players on NRG were dropped by their former teams during the recent off-season, as each player’s former teams sought to rebuild their rosters for the next Major cycle. With the exception of HexT, who announced leaving EG hours before NRG’s announcement.

NRG enters the NA CS scene as the region sees major orgs drifting away. Team Liquid made a shock move from NA to EU, and one of NA’s two remaining major orgs, Evil Geniuses, is reportedly planning to exit esports entirely. 

NRG fielded a CSGO roster from 2016 to 2019, with their last two years being particularly successful. Fielding an all-star NA team with legendary names such as Tarik ‘tarik’ Celik and Ethan ‘Ethan’ Arnold once playing for them. 

Under NRG, the roster made a fourth-place finish in the 2019 StarLadder Berlin Major, and later with EG won the 2019 ESL One: New York and the StarSeries i-League Season 8. 

With NRG’s entry into the NA CS scene, there are now three major orgs fielding NA rosters.