Chelo as rifler and fnx as coach — Imperial are ready for IEM Rio

Lincoln “fnx” Lau will take on the position of coach for the forthcoming IEM Rio Regional Major Ranking (RMR), Imperial Esports announced via a Twitter post. In an allegedly $200,000 USD buyout deal with MIBR, the Brazilian organization has officially acquired Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes to take fnx’s place in the starting lineup.

Imperial Esports has announced significant changes to its CS:GO squad following a string of lackluster performances in the first half of 2022. The Brazilian organization has named veteran CS:GO player Lincoln ‘fnx’ Lau as the coach of its CS:GO team led by IGL Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo for the forthcoming IEM Rio qualifiers.

The 32-year-old will be replacing former Imperial coach Luis “peacemaker” Tadeu, who departed the squad on August 13. Fnx will not only serve as the coach but also as the organization’s streamer and content producer.

In January 2022, fnx made a comeback to competitive play after a period of inactivity, joining forces with Fernando “fer” Alvarenga and Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo, with whom he had previously won two CS:GO Majors. The Brazilian trio created history in CS:GO after winning consecutive Majors in 2016, the first while playing for SK Gaming and the second while playing for Luminosity Gaming.

Imperial announce the signing of chelo 

To fill the void left by the two-time major champion in the starting lineup, Imperial Gaming has acquired the young and talented rifler Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes from the popular Brazilian esports organization MIBR. The two organizations have reportedly agreed on a $200,000 buyout for the 24-year-old.

Given his skillset and the years of experience backing that skillset, the 24-year-old Chelo would probably play the position of entry fragger for the Brazilian team. He has prior experience playing for a number of illustrious teams, including paiN Gaming, Luminosity Gaming, INTZ, BOOM Esports, and MIBR. With an average rating of 1.16 in 2022, the rifler was MIBR’s second-best player.

Imperial Esports CS:GO roster:

• Gabriel “⁠FalleN⁠” Toledo (IGL)
• Fernando “⁠fer⁠” Alvarenga (Entry Fragger)
• Marcelo ‘chelo’ Cespede- (Entry Fragger)
• Ricardo “⁠boltz⁠” Prass (Entry Fragger)
• Vinicius “⁠VINI⁠” Figueiredo (Support)
• Lincoln “⁠fnx⁠” Lau (Coach)

New season and a new beginning

Following a respectable showing in PGL Major Antwerp 2022: American RMR, where Imperial finished 9th-11th, the Brazilian squad found it challenging to maintain momentum. As a result of their consistently poor performances, the squad was eliminated early from nearly all CS:GO tournaments in the past three months, including IEM Dallas, Pinnacle Cup Championship, Roobet Cup, and IEM Cologne.

However, the organization saw the urgent need for an upgrade and changed its lineup in time for the upcoming CS:GO season. The next ESL Challenger Melbourne 2022, which is set to take place from September 2–4, will mark the debut of the new roster.

Header: Joao Ferreira/PGL