In a recent interview with BLAST.tv, Team Liquid’s long-standing member Keith “NAF” Markovic spoke candidly about both the team’s struggles and his personal form ahead of the BLAST.tv Austin Major, which begins early next month.
Liquid’s performances throughout 2025 have consistently disappointed. Despite bringing in promising Israeli rifler NertZ four months ago and Polish in-game leader siuhy one month ago, Liquid hasn’t managed to secure significant tournament placements. Notably, they exited early from key events such as IEM Dallas (9th to 12th place), IEM Melbourne (5th to 6th), and suffered a particularly poor showing at PGL Bucharest, finishing 15th to 16th.
NAF, who has been a central figure in Team Liquid since 2018, openly acknowledged his recent struggles, reflected clearly in a below-average 0.89 rating across the past three months:
– Obviously, it’s no surprise that my individual form has been terrible to say the least. There’s nothing but disappointment in my opinion.
Major could decide future of Liquid’s roster
Discussing the challenges of integrating the new players into the team’s current system, NAF highlighted the struggle to find personal and team-wide cohesion:
– Coming into this team, ever since we added NertZ, I’ve been having a hard time finding my space within the team. We kinda have five players who all want to do their best to perform, but finding the space for some of us can be more difficult.
With Liquid entering the BLAST.tv Austin Major directly at Stage 3 due to their leading position in the Americas VRS ranking, the pressure is on to deliver strong performances. NAF indicated clearly that the team’s showing in Austin could shape the roster’s future:
– After the Major we have the player break, and decisions will be made within Liquid if they want to continue going with this lineup or if they want to find something else. I’m hoping to redeem myself in Austin.
Team Liquid now faces a pivotal moment at the Austin Major, aiming to turn around their challenging year in front of a supportive North American crowd.
