SXP
This team has made a big splash in its short time together. In that same amount of time they have had multiple roster shuffles, but despite that they have managed to get far into each Online qualifier before breaking down. The core three of this team are three of the most high profile Source players out there. While some of their status stems from their attitudes, they are definitely not all bark, and any team that takes them lightly is apt to be bitten. Remix is one of the smartest in-game leaders out there, and if he can keep his cool this team has a chance to go all the way. Likewise Foerster and Shaffer are two of the strongest awpers in the game (both can rifle as well), but the challenge will be staying on an even keel throughout.

To round out the lineup, Phatts and mantik have been brought in. There was a time when mantik was a name to be feared. Since EverLAN he has made few appearances in the competitive scene, but with past teams like Hyper!, CB7 and Skull, you know he is a force. Phatts may not be considered on the level of the other players on the team, but I assure you he is a good fit. With the ego this team has, they are constantly teetering on the edge of destruction. Phatts solidifies their hold on reality by being a role player that does what he needs to do to help the team, even when that includes being verbally abused. When asked about what this LAN means to them Shaffer had this to say: "I think being some what of a new team to the competitive scene, it ranks up there as the most important tournament I have competed in for source. I think that we have a lot to prove about our chemistry we will have on lan, not to mention that we can put all of our skill/teamwork to good use against some of the games top teams."

This team is one of my picks to do very well especially if they can keep from getting down on each other. For those of you spectating the LAN, do not miss out on this team's matches, as far as entertainment factor goes (both in game and out) SXP will not disappoint.

SXP Roster:
Lloyd "LDL" Shaffer
Jarrod "SDJ" Shaw
Mikey "Phatts" Spitaleri
Joe "Foerster" Foerster"
Bryce "Mantik" Turney


Jax Money Crew
JMC's lineup consists purely of big name 1.6 players. We have yet to really see how well this team has been able to transfer over to Source as they did not attend buy.com, so this LAN could really give us a glimpse into the squad's future. The additions of aZn and Dominator should prove helpful as this team strives to qualify for CGS. I asked z1d about their switch from 1.6 and the major hurdles they will need to overcome to do well at this tournament. "I'm not certain about some people, but both dominator and myself have competed on lan with source, dominator being with 3d, and myself being with a remix pug that went to ryu lan last year. I feel very confident with our lineup, and our players are even more confident on lan. Major hurdles?... none other than being able to adjust to teams style of playing fairly quick due to only 9 rounds per half."

From what I have seen of this team they are very hit or miss. They are sometimes completely dominant, but other times it seems that they are lost in Source. They were knocked out of the Online qualifiers by Body Count in the second round. While BC is by no means a push over, they are also not a team that is often listed among the top competitors. Many of their struggles likely have to do with the format rather than the game it self. Most strong 1.6 teams were used to being able to push and prod the opponents because of slower game play and longer round time.

Like z1d said they are going to need to learn how to adjust more quickly and find weakness faster than they did in the 15 round format. JMC has the ability to beat any of the teams attending the tournament, and I have no doubt that their LAN experience will shine through, but the true test is whether or not they can remain consistent throughout.

Jax Money Crew Roster:
Corey "Kam" Hanes
Derek "exodus" Heidinger
Kevin "aZn" Wang
Josh "Dominator" Sievers
David "z1d" Chin


EG
EG had a decent CEVO-P season, and an ok run at buy.com, and the only teams that they lost to in the Online qualifiers did fairly well for themselves. EG has yet to prove that they can beat the top teams however, and though they have the skill, it seems that like JMC they may be struggling with the format a little. Stevenson and Grt have been putting this team on their shoulders for the most part, but little by little we are seeing the other players catch up. Thus far EG is one of those teams that isn't good at a map until the strat it, play it, strat it again, and play it a crapload. The problem is that until recently they have not been extremely active. After mediocre finishes in every Source event they have participated in they are looking to change the trend at The Bridge. Stevenson commented on what the team has changed since buy.com. "We've tried to play more in general, increase our awareness of the cgs rules, and tune the strats we had/have to better suit the rules and to create new strats that are adaptations to our old ones."

I believe all it will take is a strong event to get this team motivated and give them the spark they need to really push the top teams out there. Hopefully this event provides them with that jump start. Look for EG to be extremely proficient at certain maps, and if they play the right teams on those maps the Canadian fans could be in for a treat. Stevenson told me that the team is very confident coming into this event, and on Saturday we will get to see what they can do.

EG Roster:
Garett "Grt" Bambrough
Pasha "Lari" Lari
Griffin "shaGuar" Benger
Matt "Stevenson" Stevenson
Corey "tr1p" Dodd


zEx
zEx placed third in the National and second in the Eastern online qualifier for CGS. Their new lineup, which includes the two former EFG players deppy and sunman, seems to be working wonders for them. When deppy's strong source experience (dabears and sunman have a bit of their own as well) is added to the 1.6 LAN intelligence of this squad I think the fans will definitely get everything they want. In sunman's own words "since our pickup of Deppy I feel the team has finally found the right chemistry it has been looking for. Everyone has switched over to source very well and it couldn't of been a better time for things to fall in to place with the CGS approaching so rapidly".

In my opinion one of the biggest catalysts for this team's success is the fact that they all get along. They are willing to work together to improve their overall play instead of having five separate agendas every time they play. This team switches well between passive and aggressive play. Look for them to push on their CT sides when they have the spawns for it to try to throw off the other team. When the opponents are getting ready for them to play aggressive they will convert seamlessly into a passive set up and force the attackers to commit to a site before they give up any frags. Look for this team's communication on LAN to be constant. They will keep each other informed of every little thing that is happening around them. I don't expect this team to be suprised by anything the other squads have to throw at them. They are well prepared and have been scrimming constantly, which means that they have run through every scenario and will be ready for it. zEx is my pick to take it all.

zEx Roster:
Chris "Deppy" DePaul
Erik "da_bears" Stromberg
Justin "Sunman" Summy
Charles "cbz" Pyo
Aran "i0nZ" Curbelo

*Update* United5 will be competing in The Bridge competition. It had been previously reported that they would not be in attendance due to qualifying in one of the Online competitions.

United 5
After winning one of the online qualifiers this team is definitely one of the biggest threats at the tournament. They had to outperform many of the teams attending The Bridge in order to win their previous event. U5's new lineup is definitely what they have been hoping for with all of their roster shifts since switching over to source. It seems like the addition of keen to their roster added an element of unpredictability to their game plan. Keen plays very aggressively and very different every round, his quick rifle play catches opponents off guard while foogs is always in a high impact position with his awp. After a slow start in Source this team has really come out of no where to be one of the top contenders for the combine.

When talking about their strongest competition this weekend foogs had this to say; "zex for sure, then close behind jmc and pandemic." I went on to ask him what their motivation was during this tournament and how they were preparing for it and the combine. "We're looking at it as an extension of the combine, hoping to grab the attention of the GM's and showcase our team as a whole. Also its just our 3rd source tournament as a team so its good exp and we're all in socal so attending the tournament wasnt going out of our way. We've had the same practice schedule for the past 3-4 months, often playing up to 7 or 8 hours per session, 5 times a week, and I think we are ready for any team we face (qualified teams included)"

U5 has really been on the ball recently and has a definite advantage over most of the competition due to their preparation, coordination, and overall momentum. This tournament is not a must win for them, which I think will actually help them. There is no pressure, all they have to do is go out, have fun, and frag hard. Watch for this team to get really far in the tournament, the finals is a strong possibility.

Roster:
Bobby "keen" Aihama
Jimmy "foogs" Koller
Ben "ben" Hui
Albert "hahn" Hahn
Cyrus "org" Habibi