Team Liquid has found itself at the center of harsh criticism following another painful failure. The team, which only a few years ago was competing for titles and winning prestigious tournaments, is now going through perhaps the darkest period in its history. The BLAST Open London 2025 open qualifiers marked yet another low point – Liquid lost in the quarterfinals to Virtus.pro’s academy roster, VP.Prodigy, who currently sit only 83rd in the HLTV rankings.
Kassad: “The organization has lost its compass in CS”
The first to break the silence and openly speak out about Liquid’s state was former coach and analyst Aleksandar kassad Trifunovic. The Serbian didn’t just comment — he broke down the team’s problems point by point in a series of tweets that quickly spread across the community.
A big chunk of Liquid’s problems are outside the server. This organization has lost the compass when it comes to CS, kassad wrote.
His words echoed the growing frustration of fans: a team that was once a symbol of North American Counter-Strike is now losing even to academy rosters, looking directionless and without a clear game plan.
Harsh criticism of Ultimate: “0% progress”
Kassad singled out the performance of Liquid’s young rifler, Ultimate, who joined the lineup in 2024 and was seen as an investment for the future. But according to the analyst, nothing has changed in a year:
Since joining Liquid, Ultimate has improved 0%. He’s got raw talent, a high ceiling, and a solid AK/M4, but 0 in-game discipline, 0 supportive flair, and an obsession with repeeking. Has anyone worked with him at all?
The statement sparked heated debate on social media. Some fans agreed that Ultimate hasn’t lived up to expectations, while others argued the blame lies with the coaching staff for failing to give him proper structure.
Transfer apathy and puzzling decisions
Another major point of kassad’s criticism was Liquid’s transfer strategy. According to him, the club had the money and the time to strengthen the roster mid-season — but simply didn’t:
Liquid had plenty of options to fix their lineup but opted out, even with money on the table. Sunpayus wouldn’t say ‘no’. Krimbo wouldn’t say ‘no’. Simple wouldn’t say ‘no’. Fl4mous wouldn’t say ‘no’. Need more names? That’s just players.
Instead of making bold signings, Liquid stuck with their old, unstable roster, and the consequences are now obvious — no results, internal crisis, and growing disappointment among fans.
Context: the VP.Prodigy loss — the season’s rock bottom
Kassad’s reaction didn’t come out of nowhere. Liquid suffered an embarrassing defeat to VP.Prodigy (13–7 Dust2, 2–13 Mirage, 14–16 Nuke) in the decisive match of the BLAST Open London 2025 qualifiers. The Russian academy squad, ranked just 83rd in the HLTV world rankings, won the Bo3 series, knocking Liquid out of yet another event.
Despite an outstanding performance from NAF (55 kills, 1.31 rating), the team looked out of ideas, and the other stars — Twistzz, NertZ, and siuhy — couldn’t drag the match over the line.
What’s next for Liquid?
Liquid is enduring arguably the worst year in its history. After crashing out of BLAST.tv Austin Major (15–16th place) and failing at IEM Cologne (13–16th), the team couldn’t even make it through the open qualifier for BLAST Open London. Kassad summed up the situation in one biting line:
From a respected, title-winning organization with an army of fans, Liquid has turned into a team that loses to academy rosters.
Without a clear strategy, a stable lineup, and a leader capable of pulling the team together, Liquid risks losing not just its top-10 ranking but its competitive relevance entirely. If things don’t change soon, the legendary club might permanently lose its status as the flagship of North American Counter-Strike.
