The North American roster made their current status as the no. 1 team on the planet count at the Cathedral of Counter-Strike with a convincing win at the LANXESS Arena.
Victory at ESL One Cologne also meant that Team Liquid completed one of the toughest challenges in esports, the $1,000,000 Intel® Grand Slam. Despite facing one of the most stacked fields of the season, they prevailed to make history and lay the groundwork for a new era of NA supremacy in the scene.
Their closest challengers were the rising French squad Team Vitality, who have made quite a splash in the scene this year climbing up the rankings with solid results. They overcame the lower bracket to face none other than Danish juggernauts Astralis in the semi-finals, downing the former dominators of world CS to seal a place in the Grand Final.
Team Liquid made their way to Championship Sunday by beating defending Cologne champions Natus Vincere in the group stage and the playoffs. Their whole run was so solid that they only lost a single map before facing Vitality for the trophy.
The Grand Final seemed like it could go to five maps in the beggining, with both teams winning the first two, but Liquid eventually hit their stride and left no doubts capturing Overpass and Inferno. There is no doubt that the NA roster are currently the best team in the world and their sights are now set on building a lasting legacy throughout the rest of the season and beyond.
American fans can look forward to seeing the top team in their region live at IEM Chicago on July 20-21 and ESL One New York on September 28-29.
Road to the Grand Final:
Group A
Group B
Playoffs
Check out the @betwayesports top 3 plays from Saturday & Sunday of #ESLOne Cologne! pic.twitter.com/KPvZlEh1LO
— ESL Counter-Strike (@ESLCS) July 8, 2019
