Swole Patrol invited to Flashpoint; Cooper- disputes union with FPX

Flashpoint 1 announced Thursday that Swole Patrol claimed the last spot in the second phase of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament. According to tournament organizers, Swole Patrol agreed to join FunPlus Phoenix for the remainder of the season. The Swole Patrol players had been searching for new representation since being released by eUnited on March 8.

However, Swole Patrol player Austin "Cooper-" Abadir rejected the claim from Flashpoint that his side was teaming up with FunPlus Phoenix. "By the way just saw an HLTV post that we signed with @FPX_Esports, we haven't signed with anyone," Cooper- wrote on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. He added: "By the way its nothin with FPX im sure, just a mix-up somewhere"

Should Swole Patrol officially join Flashpoint 1, it would join MIBR in having simultaneous entries in two CS:GO competitions. Both teams are also in the ESL Pro League Season 11's North American division. Flashpoint and the ESL Pro League are being contested online only due to the coronavirus pandemic.

China-based FPX was forced to forfeit their final match in the first phase of the $1 million Flashpoint 1 after their proposed takeover of the Heroic's Denmark-based roster fell apart. The first phase of the tournament, which began at FACEIT Studio in Los Angeles, was moved to an online format due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The newly rebranded FPX side debuted March 15 in Flashpoint 1, losing 2-1 to Cloud9 with a roster tentatively acquired from Heroic. However, Denmark-based Astralis subsequently announced the addition of Patrick "es3tag" Hansen from Heroic, effective after his current contract expires on June 30. The move halted reported negotiations between FunPlus Phoenix and Heroic, with Heroic CEO Erik Askered saying in a statement that Astralis "acted in bad faith."

The exit of es3tag left FPX without enough players to field a team, leading to a forfeit loss to Orgless in the Group C first-phase losers bracket. Orgless went on to reach the Group C first-phase final, falling 2-1 to Cloud9. By taking over FPX's spot, Swole Patrol will have a hard time advancing in Flashpoint 1. Teams are competing in two group-stage phases, with points awarded for results in both phases: 75 points for first place, 50 points for second place, 30 points for third place and 15 points for fourth place.

The top eight teams in total points will reach the double-elimination playoffs, and FPX had just 15 points after the forfeit led to a fourth-place result in phase 1. --Field Level Media

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