LAG have announced the appointment of Turkish coach Kadir "ElPrincipe" Sivri, who takes over from Alex "Takumi" Henning. Henning will revert to his previous role as assistant coach. ElPrincipe, 27, joins LAG following a two-year stint as head coach of Eternal Fire's academy team, where he played a key role in developing notable Turkish players such as Eternal Fire's Ali "Wicadia" Haydar Yalçın, Sangal's Samet "jottAAA" Köklü, and Emrecan "EMSTAR" Çalışkan.
This move marks a shift towards a European coaching style for LAG, replacing Taylor "ioRascal" Hays, who held the position from April to August 2024. ElPrincipe’s experience in the European subtop scene is expected to align well with LAG’s strategic direction, particularly as he will collaborate with Turkish IGL Deniz "Experative" Mutlum.
ElPrincipe joins LAG at a crucial time as the team prepares for both the Perfect World Shanghai Major Americas RMR NA Closed Qualifier and the IEM Rio 2024 NA Closed Qualifier. As underdogs aiming to qualify for their first international LAN event, LAG will be relying on ElPrincipe’s expertise.
The current LAG roster is as follows:
- Bodgan "ogwizard" Savula
- Deniz "Experative" Mutlum
- Nick "nicx" Lee (United States)
- Wyatt "Weeza" Sahrmann (United States)
- Raymon "rayxts" Mando (Canada)
- Kadir "ElPrincipe" Sivri (Coach)
- Alex "Takumi" Henning (Assistant Coach)