Kenny ‘kennyS’ Schrub, the French AWPer, has signed with Saudi Arabia-based organization Team Falcons to complete their CS: GO streak for 2023, ending their nearly six-year association with G2 Esports. He also expressed his joy at being able to play CS: GO competitively again after 18 months on the sidelines.
He has been sidelined for 18 months after being benched by G2 in March 2021. The decision to join Falcons came after a drop in results and a string of uninspiring tournaments by Kenny, who has struggled with mental health issues for years. He was out of commission for a while, with a substantial buyout clause and his stock was at an all-time low. He used his time away from the game to recover mentally and consider his options. Later, he got involved in content creation, grew his YouTube channel, and gave Valorant a shot. In the end, he decided to return to CS: GO.
He also stated that he joined the Falcons because he was interested in playing alongside the French talent again; two years into his G2 career, he saw the team go international, which yielded mixed results, despite significant additions of various players. But perhaps the most important factor in his decision to join the Falcons was his reunion with former longtime teammate Nathan ‘NBK-‘ Schmitt. They played together in some of the most successful French CS: GO teams and won the DreamHack Open Cluj-Napoca Major in 2015 with EnVyUs.
The timing of his return to competition is intentional, as, in the spring of 2023, France will host its first-ever CS: GO Major in Paris, and kennyS is aiming to play in the tournament. Despite being on the sidelines for so long, he’s determined to catch up to his peers and is adamant he can still play at a high level. As of now, the Falcons consist of the following members:
- Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt
- Kévin “misutaaa” Rabier
- Kenny “kennyS” Schrub
- Ali “hAdji” Haïnouss
- Jordan “Python” Munck-Foehrle
- Steeve “Ozstrik3r” Flavigni
- Jayson “Kyojin” Nguyen Van (benched)
- Bryan “Maka” Canda (benched)