Swisher on M80’s CS:2 goals: “We want to compete in every Major.”
M80 captain Michael “Swisher” Schmid spoke in an interview at BLAST Open Porto 2026 about the recurring challenges faced by the North American team and outlined the team’s main goal.
On the challenges facing the North American team
Last year, I spent maybe just one month at home. We spent a lot of time traveling to and competing in tournaments, flying back and forth between the U.S. and Europe. This year, we’ve already had 52 flights, and it’s only August so far.
On the period following the 2026 Esports World Cup
After the tournament, we flew home, spent probably about five nights there, and then returned to Europe.
On the reasons for the constant flying
The thing is, staying in Europe all the time is too expensive. The second reason is the Schengen Area. Americans are allowed to stay there for no more than 90 days within any 180-day period, so we have to take that into account if we want to play in tournaments.
On M80’s goals
We want to compete in every Major and consistently participate in other tournaments. Our first major LAN event was BLAST Open London 2025, which was a turning point for almost all of us.
Earlier, M80 kicked off their run at the BLAST Open Porto 2026 with a 2-1 map victory over Natus Vincere. Alexi “Aleksib” Virolainen’s team confidently took Anubis (13–4), but then lost on Mirage (6–13) and Inferno (6–13). As a result, M80 advanced to the upper bracket semifinals, while “Born to Win” will continue their fight in the lower bracket.
Photo by Luc Bouchon, ESL.
