The beginning of 2025 has been a real challenge for the Brazilian organization FURIA. A team that not long ago was among the elite of global CS has found itself in deep crisis: poor tournament performances, a lack of consistent play, and a decline in individual form have pushed management to make drastic decisions. In an effort to return to winning ways, FURIA is breaking its own traditions and betting on a new, international lineup.
FURIA’s Performance
At the start of 2025, FURIA is showing extremely poor results. All tournaments the team has participated in since the beginning of the year have ended in disappointment — they failed to deliver solid performances and consistently found themselves among the bottom teams. The lack of success forced management to consider major roster changes.
Replacing chelo and skullz
In April, FURIA announced the benching of Marcelo “chelo” Cespedes and Felipe “skullz” Medeiros. They were replaced by Danil “molodoy” Golubenko from Kazakhstan and Mareks “YEKINDAR” Gaļinskis from Latvia.
Molodoy, who joined the team on April 11, took over the AWPer role, allowing Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo to focus on in-game leadership. His stats are impressive: rating 1.23, ADR 83.5, KAST 73.1, and Impact 1.27 — all significantly higher than chelo’s (rating 0.96, ADR 68.4, KAST 69.5, Impact 1.04).
On April 22, FURIA announced YEKINDAR as a stand-in until the end of the 2025 season. His aggressive playstyle and international experience could be key in improving the team’s results. Compared to skullz — rating 0.97, ADR 68.8, KAST 73.3, Impact 0.89 — YEKINDAR brings stronger numbers: rating 1.13, ADR 84.1, KAST 71.8, and Impact 1.31.
Community Reaction
Professional players and officials have mostly refrained from commenting on FURIA’s recent roster moves. However, fans are actively discussing the changes on social media. Under the post about YEKINDAR joining the team, users expressed doubt about whether these moves will actually help the team recover.
Some believe that abandoning an all-Brazilian lineup might harm team chemistry, while others are hopeful that taking an international approach could help FURIA regain its former glory.
“You have to learn to say, ‘Now it’s time to reset and hope that in the next game, we play better and go after the win.'” – Epic Posts Daily
“entrega newba” – dekas ?
“The Brazilian guy can’t even read properly, and FURIA brings in some dude from Kazakhstan and another from some place called Latvia. I don’t even know where that is.” – Teco Show
Does FURIA Still Have a Chance?
The signings of molodoy and YEKINDAR mark a strategic shift for FURIA toward an international roster. This allows the team to incorporate new tactics, experience, and playstyles that could prove crucial on the global stage. While moving away from a traditional Brazilian lineup is risky, it also opens up opportunities for growth and stronger performance.
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If the new players can integrate well and showcase their skills, FURIA still has a real chance to return to the top tier of the CS2 world.
