This weekend the Regional Finals in Germany take place and so the reigning ESL Pro Series champion mousesports is trying to gain their ticket to the EU Qualifier Finals. We had the chance to talk to Chris 'chrisJ' De Jong about their new team, their goal and his way to be considered one of the top AWP players in Europe. How does he look into his new teams future? ESL: Hello Chris. Thank you for taking the time for this interview. You are going into the Regional Finals as the German champion. Do you feel comfortable going into the tournament as the big favorite with your new roster?



Chris 'chrisJ' De Jong: Thank you too for giving me this interview. We are going into the Regional Finals really confident. We have a huge amount of talent in the team right now and we practice against the best teams in the world. Recently it also became clear that one of our main rivals (Note: EYES ON U) has been removed from the Regional Finals for cheating. This makes the road to the European Qualifier Finals a bit easier but we still need to focus as there are more German teams that can seriously compete.





ESL: cadiaN and cLy have been with you for less than a month now. How much are you preparing for the biggest tournament in 2014?



chrisJ: We are preparing A LOT. Personally I have never been in a Counter-Strike team that has practiced this much. We have had a few weeks now where all five of the team are online six days a week. And sometimes even the whole week. Also we have had a bootcamp recently so I feel if we manage it to EMS One Katowice, we will be really prepared.





ESL: EMS One hasn't been the greatest stage to play on for your teams in 2013. How do you plan to change this in 2014?



chrisJ: Hmm, I hope I have already changed this. We haven't performed in any official tournaments yet with this team but I can already say this team has a lot more raw skill and talent than any of my old teams. Add to the fact that we now have someone with proper IGL-capabilities and I feel there is nothing left to change. We just have to train and give our best.





ESL: In 2013 your name was on everyone's lips. First it was about the problems with your connection and how you were "cheating" this way. Later it was about your skills with the AWP or even the scout. How did you feel throughout this process?



chrisJ: To be honest, I was really surprised people "escalated" so much about my internet connection. I think a lot of people underestimated a bit how annoying it was to play like that on my end. But I understand playing like that was unfair as well as ESL's reaction. Yet I wanted to attend these online cups so bad I tried to disregard my irritations from the lag and just focusing on my performance as much as possible.



I don't feel too much about the Scout-highlights, in the end it's not really something you can consistently do against the top teams. But it was fun to watch I guess.





ESL: mousesports is a big name in CS, so you have a lot of expectations to meet. How does this affect you? Does the pressure help or hinder you?



chrisJ: Right now I think playing under the mousesports banner is a motivation for everyone on the team. We still have a lot to prove to life up to the name but the organization has been great to us and has a lot of confidence in the team so the pressure to perform is there but in a good way.





ESL: Katowice will be the biggest eSports event in Europe 2014. How pumped are you to play in front of the massive crowd in Poland?



chrisJ: I really haven't been thinking about actually attending the event at all yet, my team and me are just focused on qualifying right now and we are really pumped up for that.







ESL: As the back to back German champion you know the teams you are going to play pretty good. Which would you consider to be your toughest opponent?



chrisJ: I would consider the EYES ON U to be our biggest contender, but since they have been removed from the qualifier due to dukiii's cheating barrage, I think the other teams that can show a really good performance are /10/, ALTERNATE and Wild Fire. The match against WF will especially be interesting because it will also match us up against our former teammate Crisby.





ESL: At Dreamhack your team got stopped in the BYOC Final. This time you got a possible backup plan with the EU Qualifiers. Would this be an option in case you don't come out on top in Germany?



chrisJ: Of course, we will not give up that easy. Indeed we hope on qualifying through the German Qualifier, but we also realize the German scene is a lot stronger than most people think and thus getting eliminated by a German team doesn't necessarily mean we won't have a solid chance in the EU Qualifier Finals.





ESL: What are your and your teams plans for 2014? Any special things you are aiming for?



chrisJ: The only thing on our mind right now is qualifying for EMS One Katowice, the rest we will see and decide on later.





ESL: In HLTVs MVP ranking you didn't made it into the Top 20. Is this something you want to reach?



chrisJ: It's not something that I specifically want to reach, of course being in the Top 20 next year would be a positive thing but in the end I rather see my team perform well than my own individual success.



EMS One Katowice: The next steps With the last two Regional Finals taking place this weekend the EU qualifier is drawing closer. Next week we will see all the remaining teams trying to redeem themselves a slot in the EU Qualifier Finals. Stay tuned for our coverage!



: Hello Chris. Thank you for taking the time for this interview. You are going into the Regional Finals as the German champion. Do you feel comfortable going into the tournament as the big favorite with your new roster?Chris '' De Jong: Thank you too for giving me this interview. We are going into the Regional Finals really confident. We have a huge amount of talent in the team right now and we practice against the best teams in the world. Recently it also became clear that one of our main rivals (Note: EYES ON U) has been removed from the Regional Finals for cheating. This makes the road to the European Qualifier Finals a bit easier but we still need to focus as there are more German teams that can seriously compete.: cadiaN and cLy have been with you for less than a month now. How much are you preparing for the biggest tournament in 2014?: We are preparing A LOT. Personally I have never been in a Counter-Strike team that has practiced this much. We have had a few weeks now where all five of the team are online six days a week. And sometimes even the whole week. Also we have had a bootcamp recently so I feel if we manage it to EMS One Katowice, we will be really prepared.: EMS One hasn't been the greatest stage to play on for your teams in 2013. How do you plan to change this in 2014?: Hmm, I hope I have already changed this. We haven't performed in any official tournaments yet with this team but I can already say this team has a lot more raw skill and talent than any of my old teams. Add to the fact that we now have someone with proper IGL-capabilities and I feel there is nothing left to change. We just have to train and give our best.: In 2013 your name was on everyone's lips. First it was about the problems with your connection and how you were "cheating" this way. Later it was about your skills with the AWP or even the scout. How did you feel throughout this process?: To be honest, I was really surprised people "escalated" so much about my internet connection. I think a lot of people underestimated a bit how annoying it was to play like that on my end. But I understand playing like that was unfair as well as ESL's reaction. Yet I wanted to attend these online cups so bad I tried to disregard my irritations from the lag and just focusing on my performance as much as possible.I don't feel too much about the Scout-highlights, in the end it's not really something you can consistently do against the top teams. But it was fun to watch I guess.: mousesports is a big name in CS, so you have a lot of expectations to meet. How does this affect you? Does the pressure help or hinder you?: Right now I think playing under the mousesports banner is a motivation for everyone on the team. We still have a lot to prove to life up to the name but the organization has been great to us and has a lot of confidence in the team so the pressure to perform is there but in a good way.: Katowice will be the biggest eSports event in Europe 2014. How pumped are you to play in front of the massive crowd in Poland?: I really haven't been thinking about actually attending the event at all yet, my team and me are just focused on qualifying right now and we are really pumped up for that.: As the back to back German champion you know the teams you are going to play pretty good. Which would you consider to be your toughest opponent?: I would consider the EYES ON U to be our biggest contender, but since they have been removed from the qualifier due to dukiii's cheating barrage, I think the other teams that can show a really good performance are /10/, ALTERNATE and Wild Fire. The match against WF will especially be interesting because it will also match us up against our former teammate Crisby.: At Dreamhack your team got stopped in the BYOC Final. This time you got a possible backup plan with the EU Qualifiers. Would this be an option in case you don't come out on top in Germany?: Of course, we will not give up that easy. Indeed we hope on qualifying through the German Qualifier, but we also realize the German scene is a lot stronger than most people think and thus getting eliminated by a German team doesn't necessarily mean we won't have a solid chance in the EU Qualifier Finals.: What are your and your teams plans for 2014? Any special things you are aiming for?: The only thing on our mind right now is qualifying for EMS One Katowice, the rest we will see and decide on later.: In HLTVs MVP ranking you didn't made it into the Top 20. Is this something you want to reach?: It's not something that I specifically want to reach, of course being in the Top 20 next year would be a positive thing but in the end I rather see my team perform well than my own individual success.With the last two Regional Finals taking place this weekend the EU qualifier is drawing closer. Next week we will see all the remaining teams trying to redeem themselves a slot in the EU Qualifier Finals. Stay tuned for our coverage! Soodi , Friday, 14/02/14 10:57