Reed “Chicago” Wilen is on quite the journey. The American Rocket League player made a name for himself as part of Applesauce, a team that was acquired by Dignitas in January. They qualified for the RLRS and seemed all set on entering the RLCS, but finished on 4th place. Afterwards, their organization signed World Champions Kaydop, Turbopolsa and ViolentPanda who continued to play under the Dignitas banner, and (as we all know) even won another World Championship in London.

Now, Chicago has found a new organization. Last week, Evil Geniuses announced that they’d move Robert “Chrome” Gomez to their inactive roster, and that Chicago would be the new player for Evil Geniuses. We reached out to Chicago for his first interview as an EG player. Here’s what he says about his transfer, his time in Dignitas and his new teammates, Klassux and CorruptedG.

Hey Chicago, congratulations on becoming the latest addition to the Evil Geniuses roster. Tell me how you and the organization got in touch with each other, and how both parties came to realize that this would be a good fit.

After LAN, Fireworks, Evil Geniuses manager and coach, came to me and asked me what my plans were during this offseason. I told him I was 100% looking to sign towards an RLCS team and Evil Geniuses was one of the top choices. Once they asked me, I felt like it would be the perfect fit and that the playstyles of me, CorruptedG and Klassux would mesh together really well. After talking, we knew that we definitely wanted to work with each other and so we pursued it.

“I wasn’t angry”

You joining EG comes after a tough couple of weeks, I assume. Originally, you were signed to Team Dignitas up until they signed the former GFE roster. Can you give us some sort of insight what these weeks felt like and how you got to know of their decision to go with another roster?

Well, ever since the RLRS season ended I was keeping in touch with Dignitas and letting them know that I would like to be transferred to an RLCS team if I had the chance. So, as they said they were gonna do whatever’s best for me. They were also doing what was best for them, which means signing the best team in the world. So, when they picked up their new team, the negotiations were being worked out with several teams, so I wasn’t that angry knowing they were helping me reach the next big step of my career.

Super excited to finally get my shot at RLCS! Can’t wait to work with @EvilGeniuses and the boys and show what we can do. Let’s gooooo!!! — Reed (@Chicago_RL) June 22, 2018

When it was announced that you guys wouldn’t play for Dignitas any longer, the organization mentioned that they’ll take care of you guys and help you finding new orgs. Was this the case with Evil Geniuses or did Dignitas play no major role in your transfer to EG?

Dignitas and more specifically ODEE, our manager at the time, was amazing because he let me tell him what my plans were. After listening to my plans, he said he’s going to do everything possible to help me transfer to a RLCS team. After that, EG and Dignitas spoke to each other and worked out a buyout so I could be transferred.

“It’s going to be a long road”

Your new teammates are Klassux and CorruptedG. How well do you know these guys and how are your first training sessions going?

I have known both of these guys for a while because of Rank S. I am comfortable playing with them, and I know what they are like outside the game. So I don’t think personality issues will be a thing this time around. In terms of first training sessions, everything is going really well. I also know that this team in particular will be a team that gets better with time – kind of like G2 or NRG. I know its going to be a long road but I have never been more excited to compete.

A big welcome to @Chicago_RL to our Rocket League lineup! He joins @CorruptedGabe and @Klassux in a new trio for the next RLCS season. — Evil Geniuses (@EvilGeniuses) June 22, 2018

From your point of view: What are Klassux’ and CorruptedG’s biggest strengths?

Both players have great amount of strengths that make them great players. More specifically, Klassux is a player who does all the dirty work and he does it very well. He demos, challenges, and moves around the field really well so it opens space up for the other 2 players. This gives the other 2 players great freedom in what they want to do and maybe lead to a goal via a solo play or passing play. On the other hand, CorruptedG is a player of great consistency. You can always count on him to be on point with his mechanics and rotation which is very vital to a team so you can stay consistent. You build up team chemistry because you know exactly what he is going to do. Both players also have their flashy moments where they hit a flashy goal that helps pump up the team when needed.

“One of my biggest strengths is making solo plays”

What do you add to the EG roster that might have been missing so far?

I add a sense of offensive power that can really help EG break into the top of NA Rocket League. I feel like one of my biggest strengths is making solo plays which can really help generate offense. This is something all the three top NA teams have, a scorer. As well as three fitting play styles we can work together and help improve passing when it might have been lacking before.

You gained a lot of experience in the RLRS, but the next season will be your first attempt to conquer the RLCS as well. What kind of competition do you expect and how confident are you that you can keep up?

Yes, it is my first season of RLCS, but I have been playing against all the RLCS players for a while now and know what to expect. I have also scrimmed all of the RLCS teams so I know how they play and what their tendencies are. RLCS will be a wild ride, but I am confident that I can help EG in the road to LAN and become a dominant team in NA along with the other powerhouses like NRG, C9, and G2.