OpTic Texas issues continue, iLLeY to compete from Canada due to visa trouble

OpTic Texas player iLLeY’s visa has been denied, according to a teammate, meaning he will be forced to play far, far away from his teammates for their upcoming online Call of Duty League matches.

OpTic star Shotzzy said on his stream that iLLeY’s visa had been denied, prohibiting him from re-entering the U.S. While Shotzzy seemed confident iLLeY would be able to resolve these issues before the second CDL Major in Boston in early February, Shotzzy said iLLeY will have to play their online qualifying matches from Toronto.

“[iLLeY] got denied and now he has to redo all that stuff but apparently he should be good before the Major,” Shotzzy said. “So yeah, he’ll be playing from Toronto.”

ILLeY’s visa issues are just the latest problem OpTic have faced early on in the CDL season. At the first Major of the season, OpTic disappointingly finished top 12, which prompted a roster change. The team failed to secure either of its top two targets, however, leading the team to bench Dashy and acquire Huke, who won a CDL world title in 2020 alongside Shotzzy and iLLeY.

OpTic will be facing multiple disadvantages this weekend with iLLeY being in Toronto, Huke still getting used to the team, and Scump switching roles for a third time this season. The team’s first matchup will be against the Boston Breach, who quickly swept the London Royal Ravens yesterday and seem to be strong after the break.

On paper, it should be a game that OpTic are favored to win. But it doesn’t get better from there. OpTic are also set to play the Seattle Surge, who placed second at the last Major, the Toronto Ultra, who placed fourth, and the Vegas Legion, who are upsetting teams left and right.

While the online qualifiers may be a gauntlet for the team, there is still hope when the Major rolls around. If iLLeY can return to the team, then there may be enough time to put on a good performance in Boston. A lot is riding on this Major performance since OpTic failed to make it out of the group stage, thus losing out on valuable early-season CDL Points.