It appears the Paris Legion aren’t onboard with this year’s rookie trend in the Call of Duty League after all. On April 13, Paris announced that it has released Luis “Fire” Rivera from both the starting roster and team itself.
After a lackluster performance in Stage 2, a roster move by Paris was expected. The Legion bowed out of the Stage 2 Major without winning a map, losing 3-0 to the LA Thieves. In this match specifically, Fire was noticeably the worst player on the map. The rookie finished with a 0.54 KD (kills/deaths) ratio, only managing 13 kills in the Hardpoint.
While the rest of the Call of Duty League might be hopping aboard the rookie train, this move proves that Paris is attempting to hop off it.
Fire released from Paris Legion
Throughout Stage 2, Fire was about as inconsistent as a player can be. On some maps, he finished with the highest KD of anyone on the Legion roster, including their last match before the Major. He posted a 1.19 KD against Florida, good for best in the series.
There are more bad finishes than good, however. Far too often, Fire would become a liability for Paris, holding back the sometimes stellar play of his teammates. This, in conjunction with the Legion reportedly wanting to go in another direction, led to his release.
Today, we part ways with @Fire40
We thank Luis for being an exemplary teammate and a fierce competitor with an unmatched hunger to learn and win.
Good luck in the future!#EnGarde #CDL2021 pic.twitter.com/PB3LU5T3NA
— Vegas Legion (@LasVegasLegion) April 13, 2021
According to sources at Breaking Point, the Legion are looking to head in the direction of a veteran player. That player is reportedly Donny “Temp” Laroda. Although he most recently played for the LA Thieves in a substitute capacity, Temp was on the Thieves’ starting roster to start the year.
Breaking Point’s sources indicate that Temp is no longer under contract with LA, giving him the freedom to sign with Paris. It’s likely Paris won’t wait too long to make the announcement themselves, however, as Stage 3 of the Call of Duty League begins on April 22.
