Team Liquid has confirmed that head coach Viktor "flashie" Tamás Bea will be absent from the opening stages of Logitech G Play Connect due to his sister's wedding. Stepping into the coaching position will be data analyst Jay "DeMars DeRover" Li.
This marks the second roster adjustment for Liquid ahead of the Polish LAN tournament. The organization previously announced that Mario "malbsMd" Samayoa would miss the event for personal reasons, with Serbian player Vladan "VLDN" Radević joining as a stand-in.
DeMars DeRover brings prior coaching experience to the role, having served as Liquid's interim head coach between March and July of this year. He took over after the team parted ways with Torbjørn "mithR" Nyborg. His previous coaching stint yielded inconsistent results, including an early elimination from the BLAST.tv Austin Major where Liquid finished in 15th-16th place following a winless run in the third stage.
The current Liquid roster bears little resemblance to the lineup DeMars DeRover previously coached, with Keith "NAF" Markovic being the only player remaining from that era. Should the team advance past the group stage, flashie is expected to rejoin his squad for the playoff phase beginning September 19th.
Liquid's opening match at Logitech G Play Connect is scheduled against INFINITE, with the action starting at 5:00 AM tomorrow.
