Team Liquid is in trouble. Their start at the BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025 was very disappointing. They lost their first two matches, including one to Lynn Vision, a team from China. Losing to The MongolZ isn’t terrible, but losing to Lynn Vision is a serious problem – especially for a team ranked in the top 10 in the world. Even if it was a best-of-one, a team like Liquid should not be losing those matches.

Recently, Liquid gave Kamil "siuhy" Szkaradek a full contract. He was first brought in on loan from MOUZ until the end of the Major, but now they’ve signed him permanently. This shows that the organization wants to build around him. But that alone is not enough. Not every player in the lineup is performing well or feeling comfortable in their roles. On top of that, because of new Valve rules, Liquid must make some roster changes if they want to keep their American region slot.

Poor results

Let’s talk about the team’s recent performances. In 2025, Liquid made the playoffs at just two events: ESL Pro League Season 21 and IEM Melbourne. Since siuhy joined, they’ve played four tournaments. At PGL Bucharest, they finished dead last. In Melbourne, they reached the playoffs but didn’t look great. Then came IEM Dallas, where they placed second to last. And now, at the Austin Major, their first day was a disaster. Their next match is against MOUZ – one of the best teams this season, and siuhy’s former team. Liquid is not favored to win. A 0-3 exit seems very likely.

NAF and role problems

Keith "NAF" Markovic is not happy with his current role. He’s playing differently than he’s used to and is having his worst statistical year ever: rating 5.7 in the last six months. The team is asking him to play more differently, not as one of the best lurkers, and change his usual playstyle. Watching him play, it’s clear he’s not in his element. Even analyst and former coach Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović pointed it out during the Major: 

Watching Liquid games yesterday, you could clearly see how uncomfortable he is on the server. It’s such a shame they don’t use him the right way. He is still so good.

Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunović

Meanwhile, Guy "NertZ" Iluz is also not fully comfortable. With siuhy’s arrival, NertZ is finally getting a bit more of a baity role, but he’s still being pushed into aggressive positions.

Roland "ultimate" Tomkowiak, the team’s AWPer, has taken on much of the aggression, but his performance has been very poor – rating 6.0 in the last six months. He looks unready for this level of play. It’s been nearly a year, and there’s been no real improvement. It’s time for Liquid to find a new AWPer who can truly deliver.

Coaching issues

Another problem is coaching. Right now, the team doesn’t have a real coach. Their current stand-in is Jay "DeMars DeRover" Li, a young data analyst. He has no experience as a coach and doesn’t seem fully comfortable in the role. From the outside, he doesn’t appear to be helping much during games. The team looks flat. This is a temporary fix, and they will likely hire a proper coach during the summer.

Regional slot rules and roster limits

There’s also a big issue with regional rules. To keep their American slot, Liquid needs to follow Valve’s new region-based rules. If they have two players from one region, two from another, and one from a third region, their main region is decided by priority: Europe > America > Asia.

If Liquid wants to stay in America, they need at least three players from the Americas or two Americans and two Asians. They cannot add another European without risking their American status. This makes replacing ultimate tricky – they can’t just bring in any European sniper. They’ll need to find an American or Asian AWPer.

So who stays?

Here’s the likely outcome:

• siuhy stays. He just signed a new contract.
• Twistzz stays. He’s Canadian and still solid.
• NertZ stays. He’s their second-best player and probably the main star.
• NAF is under question. He’s not playing well, but he’s Canadian, which helps the team keep its American slot.
• ultimate is likely out. His performance has been weak, and he doesn’t fit the team’s needs anymore.

Team Liquid’s 0-2 start at BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025, with losses to Lynn Vision and The MongolZ, signals deep issues. Poor 2025 results, NAF’s career-low form, ultimate’s failure, a weak interim coach, and Valve’s new rules demand roster changes this summer. This is their chance to rebuild the team, bring in a new coach, and fix their lineup to keep competing at the top and stay in the Americas. If they don’t act now, they risk falling even further behind.