MOUZ has made a sudden roster change after its CS:GO team was eliminated in the group stage of ESL Pro League season 15. The international team will bring on Jon “JDC” de Castro, a rifler from MOUZ NXT, and move Nathan “NBK-” Schmitt to the inactive lineup.
The move will see MOUZ play with JDC instead of NBK- in the upcoming PGL Antwerp Major Europe RMR in April and, if they book a spot, the PGL Antwerp Major in May.
“After a disappointing EPL, all focus is on the RMR now,” MOUZ’s head coach Dennis “sycrone” Nielsen said. “We decided that JDC’s attitude, positivity, and communications will be vital for the team going forward. We know it’s tough for Nathan, but we strongly believe in the positive impact of Jon’s promotion.”
JDC is the third person from MOUZ NXT to be promoted to the main squad in less than three months. The international team brought on Hungarian AWPer Ádám “torzsi” Torzsás for Frederik “acoR” Gyldstrand and made sycrone the head coach to fill the vacant spot left by Torbjørn “mithR” Nyborg’s departure.
JDC played a big role in MOUZ NXT’s three WePlay Academy League titles between 2021 and 2022 and has experience against tier-one teams. The German-Portuguese rifler stood in for MOUZ’s first team at IEM Katowice when Aurimas “Bymas” Pipiras couldn’t play due to testing positive for COVID-19.
NBK-, on the other hand, came out of his short CS:GO retirement to play for MOUZ in 2022. The two-time CS:GO Major champion has not commented on his benching and what he’ll do moving forward.
