Following sudden news that FaZe Clan CS:GO coach Robert “RobbaN” Dahlström would step down from his role, the hunt began for a replacement just weeks out from one of the biggest tournaments on the Counter-Strike calendar. We weren’t kept waiting for long, though, with Filip “NEO” Kubski answering the call almost immediately.
NEO will reportedly return to an active role in CS:GO as the coach for FaZe at IEM Cologne, according to a July 14 report from Dust2.us. FaZe will play without a coach for the remainder of the BLAST Premier Fall Groups in Copenhagen, Denmark, with NEO to join the squad following the event in preparation for the $1 million USD German tournament.
The 36-year-old was last spotted with HONORIS in September 2022, where he has spent the majority of the last three years competing. Before that, he bounced between rosters after his departure from Virtus Pro—including a short stint for FaZe in 2019.
But it’s his five years with the legendary Polish VP roster he is most known for, which included 13 Major appearances and over 1,300 maps played. Alongside the likes of pashaBiceps, TaZ, byali, and Snax, NEO set the tone for the very generation of players competing today—and now alongside karrigan, he will helm FaZe for the foreseeable future.
Should the move be confirmed, it isn’t clear at this stage whether NEO will remain with the squad beyond IEM Cologne, but Dust2.us sources believe plans are in place to work with the Polish veteran for longer.
Related: Only three teams in the top 20 won’t be present at ‘stacked’ IEM Cologne 2023
RobbaN shocked the Counter-Strike world with his decision to step away from FaZe Clan on July 13 immediately following the end of the mid-year player break. RobbaN coached FaZe for the better part of seven years, with his resume including eight Major appearances, 11 LAN titles, and an Intel Grand Slam.
NEO will link up with FaZe after BLAST Premier, with IEM Cologne to begin on July 26.
