OpTic Gaming reportedly bench Dashy ahead of CDL New York

OpTic Gaming LA is reportedly set to shake up its Call of Duty League roster once again, with reports suggesting Brandon ‘Dashy’ Otell could be moved to the bench for the rest of the year as two new faces join the team.

Currently sitting in eighth place with just three Home Series events left in the regular season, it has been an unquestionable tumultuous year for OpTic Gaming. Through multiple role swaps, roster shuffles, and even the departure of head coach Jonathan ‘Pacman’ Tucker, the team has struggled to improve.

Their most recent performance ended soon after it began on June 19. The online Paris Home Series event resulted in a last-place finish with just a single map win to their name. While players have been quick to blame Modern Warfare’s servers, more roster changes appear to be on the horizon.

In what could be a last-ditch effort to salvage the season, OGLA is reportedly picking up two Challengers players from North American organization UYU. Though this drastic move would inevitably force two starting members to the bench.

Zack ‘Drazah’ Jordan and Darien ‘Hollow’ Chverchko are the two names that OpTic has its sights on, according to CDL Intel. The UYU players have achieved multiple top-three finishes throughout the year’s Challenger Cups and open events.

Hollow has appeared on a wide array of North American teams since 2013, though Drazah is a relative newcomer. Having only begun his competitive journey in 2018.

While the move has yet to be confirmed, fans immediately began to speculate who the newcomers might replace. With roster lock just hours away, however, it appears Dashy will be one of two OpTic members relegated to the bench.

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Following on from an explosive 2019 run in Black Ops 4, Dashy has since been vocal about his displeasure with Modern Warfare. Evidently unhappy with the state of the game and how the OGLA squad panned out, things got off to a rocky start.

It was even rumored that he would be forced to the bench back in April, though this time he’s not putting a stop to speculation.

Shortly after the roster move was first reported, Martin ‘Chino’ Chino took to Twitter and seemingly confirmed he was also benched in the process.

“Never appreciated, always a second option,” he said. “Just hate that I put my all into this and it’s somehow my fault others don’t.”

Originally signed as a substitute, Chino transitioned to the starting lineup in May as Jordan ‘JKap’ Kaplan was benched. While he helped the team achieve its best results with back to back top-four finishes in Week 7 and Week 8, his time on the starting lineup could be at an end.

Until these moves are made official, do take the reports with a grain of salt. With the end of year Championship tournament now an online event, any of OpTic’s members could have been rotated in response.

There’s a chance that a number of CDL teams adjust their rosters in light of the July 5 announcement. Keep your eyes peeled in the leadup to the next event. OGLA next competes in the London Home Series starting July 17.