max after advancing to the IEM Cologne Major playoffs: “For me, today is one of the best days of my life.”
Daria Ushakova
9z Team captain Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez, in an interview at the IEM Cologne Major 2026, talked about how he started playing Counter-Strike, assessed the team’s previous matches at the tournament, shared his thoughts on the team’s progress, and revealed his expectations for the event’s playoffs.
On getting into the game
For me, today is one of the best days of my life. Counter-Strike is my life; I started playing when I was a kid. My brother introduced me to Counter-Strike, and here I am 20 years later, playing and making it to the playoffs.
On the team’s progress
In my opinion, my team is progressing very quickly. We had some issues over the course of the year, but we talked a lot, discussed things, and learned quickly, and that’s one of the most important things in a team. The guys often listen to me, and that has given me confidence. At the same time, I’m the kind of captain who listens to my teammates.
On the past matches
The victory over Team Vitality was also a dream come true. Then we lost to Team Spirit; it was a close match. Victory was almost within our grasp, but we couldn’t finish the job. And yesterday we couldn’t play good CS because we were tired and, maybe, a little upset. Yesterday we talked about needing to pull ourselves together, and today we did just that.
On expectations for the playoffs
We expect to show the best CS we can. When we play with the mindset we have right now, we’re capable of beating anyone. But when we’re having an off day, we can lose to anyone.
- Read also: luchov on the match against Team Spirit at IEM Cologne Major 2026: “It was amazing for us”
Earlier today, 9z Team swept The MongolZ and advanced to the IEM Cologne Major 2026 playoffs. On the first map, Inferno, Maximiliano “max” Gonzalez’s team pulled ahead (13-8), and they closed out Overpass with the same score. As a result, the Mongolian team was eliminated from the tournament.
Photo — Stephanie Lindgren, BLAST.
Daria Ushakova
