LA Thieves remain winless after adding Cuyler “Huke” Garland to their roster in place of Thomas “TJHaLy” Haly.
The LA Thieves started in the winners bracket for the first time since Stage 1 when both Austin “SlasheR” Liddicoat and Donovan “Temp” Laroda were still on the roster. During Stage 1 they were swept by the LA Guerrillas to start the tournament off with an upset. Now, in Stage 3, LA Thieves were upset again in the winner’s bracket by the Florida Mutineers.
Florida has looked inconsistent during Stage 3 groups, which saw them go 3-2 and place second overall. That earned them a spot against the LA Thieves in the winners bracket — which they were predicted to lose. However, Florida surprised everyone with their performance over the LA Thieves. Travis “Neptune” McCloud was the saving grace for Florida Mutineers, leading them to victory with great individual plays. Outside of losing a close Control, Flordia was able to pull things back and win 3-1 over the LA Thieves. On the Thieves’ side, the team continues to look off-balance after removing TJHaly from the starting roster.
“We could have definitely played better overall,” said Neptune when speaking with Call of Duty League analyst Lottie Van-Praag after the match. “In the first game, I just ended up going rouge at the end. I played my life in the back of p2 for rotation and I knew after we won that match we would be golden.”
LA Thieves continue to struggle after adding Huke
Huke was the highest valued free agent on the market after he was removed from Dallas Empire’s starting roster. The opportunity to obtain Huke was something that LA Thieves could not pass up. However, the addition of Huke came at a cost. They had to remove one of their longstanding players TJHaly, who has been amply named ‘Iceman’ for his clutch ability. Despite his ability to clutch in certain situations, TJHaly’s play had fallen off in Stage 3.
No mercy. @Mutineers on top in a scrappy 3-1 series against @LAThieves. #F3arTheDeep move ahead to play @Subliners for a spot in the Winners Final. #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/GAO5Itl04A
— Call of Duty League (@CODLeague) May 14, 2021
Since joining the roster, Huke has had to face the New York Subliners and Florida Mutineers, both teams that could have been defeated by the Thieves. Despite this, LA Thieves have looked like a shell of their former selves. After back-to-back losses, the LA Thieves will now have to go on an elimination bracket run to get a chance at their first Major title.
