What kind of advice has your General Manager been giving you going into the finals? Has he been keeping an eye on any of the other teams?

Of course, he watches all of our practice games now that we're out in LA and constantly gives us tips on the key aspects which all team games revolve around, like our communication for example. I’m sure he’s been keeping an eye on all of the other franchises and will give each player a few tips against their opponent.


Have you had chance to play against any US teams yet? How does their play style differ from your own? Is the skill gap really as great as some Americans would have us believe?

At the moment the only American team we've played against is Core, and their playstyle seems to be similar to most of the European teams that I've played against, the only difference that I've noticed is how they sometimes have a lot more AWPers on the defensive half compared to the teams we're used to playing. As for the skill gap I don't think there is a void in class between Americans and the rest of the world franchises, most of the teams on their day can beat one another.


You are scheduled to play the Rio Sinistro in the first round. Do you know anything about the team, or had chance to practice with them? What are your thoughts on the fixture?

Personally, I know how good their team was in 1.6, they attended all of the major events and have amassed a wealth of experience during that time. Many of our players have played against them at ESWC's, CPL's and bootcamps around the world, so obviously we all have respect for what the other's have achieved. Right now however we're not practicing against them as we don't want to give away any of our strategies that would benefit them come the real franchise match. I think we have a really good chance of winning against Rio, in practice we've been playing extremely well and I’m confident that our franchise is going to perform on the big stage when it matters.


How do you expect the Birmingham Salvo to do in the World Finals?

I'm feeling quietly confident that we're going to win our first franchise match against Rio and thoroughly enjoying every moment. I expect us to push every team we play to the limit and honestly believe we can make it to the semi-finals if we play our game. If we reach that far anything can happen and we'll be going all out to win.


In your opinion, which teams have a good chance of taking the title?

The key contenders for me are going to be the Mint, Core, Berlin and the Chimera because there teams have such depth in all of their games, if one player underperforms they can rely upon their teammates to get them back into the franchise match.


If you win the entire tournament, what will you do with your share of the money?

I would definitely buy myself a car and either use the rest to help pay for University or invest into property.


Thanks for the interview and good luck in the finals!