FaZe Clan Needs to Decide on a Permanent Fifth Player

It is somewhat difficult to remember a time when FaZe Clan had a permanent five-player Counter-Strike squad.

As just about anyone that follows the competitive CS:GO scene knows, FaZe has been without the services of Olof 'olofmeister Kjabjer for the past few months because of personal reasons. It was never made clear what led to olofmeister's departure (as it is none of our business), but he has not been seen since the announcement in April.

There was a slight glimmer of hope as olofmeister announced his return to competitive play, but shortly canceled those plans afterward.

As an organization, FaZe Clan has been generous to olofmeister in allowing him to get this break and not lose his spot. But there comes a time where the organization has to come to terms with the player and make a decision whether to keep him or not. This time is coming up for olofmeister and might very well be already upon us.

FaZe Clan has under-performed compared to the team's capabilities with olofmeister. Although FaZe is still considered among the top teams in the world, there is a huge gap between FaZe and Astralis, the undisputed No. 1 team right now.

At ECS Season 5 Finals over the weekend, fans saw exactly how difficult it is for FaZe to win without a solid fifth member. Jorgen "cromen" Robertsen seemed to do well but was still unable to unlock the talented players on the FaZe lineup and gain much traction. Losing in a somewhat convincing fashion to NRG and Astralis is not acceptable. They should at least be close matches, which was not the case this weekend.

It is essential that FaZe acquires a permanent fifth player who can fill a support role for the team. A team having a solid support role is tied to success and will enable everyone on the team. Whether it is olofmeister or not, it is huge for the team and must be done.

There are also multiple players within the scene that could try and fill the role. Nathan "NBK" Schmitt is a prime candidate with experience and a player who could make FaZe much better. Oscar "mixwell" Canellas also has experience with that role and can succeed at it.

The time has come. It has been more than two months without olofmeister, and it might be time to give him an ultimatum. Olofmeister is loved by the CS:GO community, and it surely a difficult time for him, whatever is going on. But if he has no timetable for when he might be able to return, he should be removed.

The fork in the road has come for this team, and a decision must be made. In order for FaZe to challenge to become the best in the world, the team must finally make a decision about olofmeister's future with FaZe Clan.