Aurora Gaming’s mental struggles and 9z Team’s stance toward Team Vitality—highlights from the ESL podcast
Enjin “MAJ3R” Kupeli, Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez, and Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač appeared on a podcast on the ESL Counter-Strike YouTube channel. Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights in our article.
MAJ3R on mental health issues, the challenges of playoff events, and the match against Team Spirit
The Aurora Gaming captain revealed that the team now has a new female coach who specializes in mental health. According to him, this kind of support is essential because the issues related to the mental aspect lie not with the opponent, but with the Turkish squad’s players themselves.
MAJ3R also stated that, in terms of individual skill, Aurora Gaming does not perform as well in the playoffs as it does in the group stages of tournaments. Sometimes communication breaks down during matches. According to Kupeli, this is the team’s main problem at the moment.
Enjin praised Team Spirit for their performance in Stage 3 of the IEM Cologne Major 2026 and noted that he gave it his all in the match against the “Dragons,” putting up off-the-charts stats.
max on his career and 9z Team’s progress, working with his coach, and the victory over Team Vitality
9z Team rifler Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez shared that he became an esports player in 2018. In his opinion, it’s difficult to progress in the South American region because there are fewer opportunities to face Tier 1 teams and participate in major tournaments. The player stated that he is currently satisfied with his career at 9z Team.
Gonzalez also noted that the team’s communication seems a bit unusual, as the players speak to each other in Spanish, but when coach Bruno “BIT” Lima calls a tactical timeout, everyone immediately switches to Portuguese.
Maximiliano added that 9z Team first faced Team Vitality at the BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026, but lost decisively that time. After that loss, the team was eager to redeem themselves, so their victory over the “Bees” at the IEM Cologne Major 2026 was very important.
huNter- on NertZ, HeavyGod, his progress as captain, and G2 Esports’ main problem
G2 Esports captain Nemanja “huNter-” Kovač praised his teammates Guy “NertZ” Iluz and Nikita “HeavyGod” Martynchenko. According to him, the former has an excellent understanding of the game and puts in a lot of effort on defense, while the latter is the best support player on the pro scene.
huNter- stated that he is constantly growing as a captain and enjoys it. At the same time, he regretted not having taken on the IGL role sooner.
Nemanja added that G2 Esports’ main problem is that the players themselves overcomplicate things. They feel that their opponents are too smart and will see through their prepared tactics. Nevertheless, the team is currently on the right track, huNter- emphasized.
Read also:
- MAJ3R: “Counter-Strike has become much more competitive these days” (first part of the podcast).
- max on 9z Team: “I didn’t expect this much success, since our roster started 2026 with zero VRS points” (second part of the podcast).
- huNter- on HeavyGod: “Right now, he’s definitely the best support player on the pro scene” (third part of the podcast).
The IEM Cologne Major 2026 concluded with a victory for Team Falcons. In the grand final, Finn “karrigan” Andersen’s team defeated FURIA 3–0 in a best-of-five series: 13–8 on Mirage, 13–8 on Anubis, and 13–8 on Inferno. As a result, the “Falcons” earned $500,000 in prize money.
