How Two Brothers Got An Esports Foundation In Dubai To Sign Their Team
In 2016, a brotherhood duo formed their own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) team named Jalapeno. Swedish twins Fredrik “FREDDyFROG” Gustafsson and Joakim “Relaxa” Gustafsson even started their careers together. They mostly play at a B-Tier and have played with a handful of different teams. FREDDyFROG and Relaxa have almost identical playing histories, since they always get signed together. Six teams later, and five years of experience under their belts, both brothers moved onto a massive business deal. A team known as Galaxy Racer took notes from Jalapeno’s performance and sent out an offer to its founders. Paul Roy created the middle eastern esports foundation in 2019 hoping to put his home town on the map. With the help of Japaleno’s roster, they were able to do just that.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
FREDDyFROG and Relaxa played for various independent teams from 2015 to 2016. Their debut year was lacklustre, to say the least, but most importantly they gained experience; they even managed to place first at QPAD King of Nordic Week #10 for their first official recorded earnings. Before joining a proper organisation, their original teams included Rebel Esports, Duttdutt, and A LA MIX. In 2017, FREDDyFROG and Relaxa joined Passion and spent a few months with the team. They placed first at multiple King of Nordic events before joining Red Reserve, a sub-team under FaZe Clan.
After multiple upsets from their Call of Duty team, Red Reserve merged with a Swedish organisation called Orbit Esports. The team had peak earnings after signing FREDDyFROG and Relaxa. They eventually placed second at the GeForce Cup in 2017 after losing to space soldiers. Red Reserve fought hard and made their way to the DreamHack Open in Valencia, they lost to NiP in the finals but went home with twenty thousand dollars. FREDDyFROG and Relaxa traded spot at the top and performed like true pro players. Before leaving Red Reserve, the two brothers placed first at the CSGOFAST Cup and came out on top in the DaddySkins Western League.
TIME TO FOCUS ON JALAPENO
While all of this was happening, FREDDyFROG and Relxa managed to play with Jalapeno in their free time. They won twelve King of Nordic weekly events in a row and earned an extra ten grand for the team. In 2018, Jalapeno had moved onto play with a new org known as Reflex Esports Club. After filling in for one event, the team made another move but this time it was with Chaos. Now known as the Chaos Esports Club, FREDDyFROG and Relaxa played for three months before once again forming Jalapeno. They earned roughly twenty grand with the team before going back to their previous roots.
From 2018 to 2019, Jalapeno started to decline at an absurd rate. They had low earnings, less wins, and just couldn’t find their competitive footing. Their best placement was at Fusion.bet Masters 2, Jalapeno finished in second beating out Sprout and Winstrike Team earning a total of three thousand dollars. That event alone was the team’s shining start before joining their latest acquisition. FREDDyFROG and Relaxa were given another chance to help an up and coming team turn a profit in their first year of playing.
Click to enlargeTHE BUSINESS DEAL
On June 28, 2020, Galaxy Racer Esports acquired Jalapeno’s roster for their CS:GO lineup. To help organise the players, Galaxy Racer signed Christian “Chrille” Lindberg, a Swedish coach who had recently received a ten-month ban from all ESIC member events. Chrille helped Epsilon eSports become a six-figure company and plans to do the same for Galaxy Racer. Their first event with the latest roster was the ESEA Season 33 Premier Division Finals. Galaxy Racer had a great season performance but fell short in the finals losing 0-2 against AGO. Like most teams after a loss, they simply moved onto their next event.
At Eden Arena Malta Vibes-Week 7, the team finished in fourth place after losing in the semifinals. Due to a lack of wins at a B-Tier level, Galaxy Racer entered in the QIWI Teamplay Season 5 series. They went 3-0 before getting swept in the grand finals. While second place was a good finish for the team, a first-place title with some extra cash would’ve been nice. The following events have been complete disasters with multiple last-place finishes. At the moment, Galaxy Racer can’t even hang on for B-Tier wins, either way, it’s still a start, and the team is brand new. The fact that FREDDyFROG and Relaxa were able to grow their team from nothing is awe-inspiring. They’ve done a lot to help out their teammates and create a sustainable future in esports.
It’s not every day that a brand new organisation is willing to acquire a team of small players. Galaxy Racer shows a lot of potential for their 2021 season if they stay determined to win. With that being said, the Swedish roster looks like a promising lineup and should be sticking around for the next couple of years.
Images via Galaxy Racer Esports
