The captain of the 9z lineup, Maximiliano "max" Gonzalez, reflected on his team's performance at the Dallas championship. In an interview with Dust2.us, the Uruguayan esports athlete shared that emotional control was one of the factors contributing to 9z's success at the tournament.
"We play a lot at LAN tournaments. We became stronger, and in this championship, we managed our emotions very well. It helps a lot. <...>
Yes, we have a psychologist, his name is Agustin, and he helps the team a lot. We are a young team, so it's difficult for us to control our emotions, and he assists us with that."
Max also assessed the prospects of his team. The player stated that 9z could break into the top 10 strongest teams in the world if they had more opportunities to showcase themselves.
"I think we need more opportunities. Next year, there will be qualifications at all tournaments, so we need more chances to show the world that we can defeat any team. <...> Before this tournament, we discussed everything and made some changes, and now we have a very good attitude, which helped us a lot.
I believe we can enter the top ten teams in the world. That's our goal."
9z shared 3-4th place with Team Spirit at IEM Dallas 2024 and received $20,000 in prize money. In the group stage of the championship, the team did not lose a single series.