Allu returns to ENCE as head coach amid roster overhaul

Aleksi “allu” Jalli has been named head coach of ENCE following the departure of coach George “Whitey” White. The club announced the appointment as it benches multiple first-team players and continues to evaluate a roster promoted from its academy in April.

Jalli returns to ENCE after more than five years with the organisation across three spells between 2013 and 2022, and after international stints with FaZe and OpTic. His most recent run with ENCE included two tournament wins and a trip to a Major grand final. He played his last competitive match in April, when his team CSDIILIT lost to ENCE in the Elisa Open Finland Season 12 grand final.

ENSE confirmed the current active roster features Aleksi “millert” Lehtopuu, Teemu “teme” Korva, Niki “Cliqq” Kinnunen, Henri “HENU” Ylilehto and Giorgi “Schwarz” Gakhokidze with Jalli serving as coach. The organisation said Paavo “podi” Heiskanen, Ryan “Neityu” Aubry and Szymon “kRaSnaL” Mrozek have been benched, while Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev has been loaned to Passion UA. ENCE is currently ranked 143rd in the world.

The roster promoted from the academy in April remains under assessment, and Jalli will take part in that evaluation process as coach. The organisation has not announced a final first-team lineup.

Jalli commented on his return. In a statement he wrote: “Returning to ENCE feels right. This is where some of my best memories in Counter-Strike were made, and being back in this environment means a lot to me. I won’t pretend I have all the answers as a coach. This is a new challenge for me, and I’m stepping into it knowing there’s a lot to learn. But I’m genuinely excited about that. I have spent years at the highest level of this game. I want to bring that experience and knowledge to this team and the next generation of ENCE players.”