Team SoloMid announced their second signing from the world of Smash today, with Smash 4 titan Gonzalo  ‘ZeRo’ Barrios joining the group.  He comes in alongside William ‘Leffen’ Hjelte, the Melee star who was the first Smash player to join TSM, and leaves the organisation with arguably the strongest cross-platform team in the present scene, if not of all time, as well as putting an end to months of speculation over the future of the Chilean.

ZeRo is currently undefeated in over 40 tournaments, and while Leffen narrowly missed out on making finals at Evo 2015 he is arguably the best player in the world over five games right now, so TSM have definitely signalled their intent in the last few months. As mentioned, there was much speculation as to where ZeRo would eventually sign with all number of suitors being mentioned, and ESH can shed some light on why it took so much time for him to settle on a team.

‘I’m really, really happy to join TSM. I’ve been a long time fan of the team for many years. I remember watching their streams and reading their champion guides on the website before the LCS was even a thing. So I couldn’t be any happier for this opportunity. TSM was the team I wanted to play for the most, and I’m really excited to have accomplished that. Can’t wait to make TSM proud with what I know how to do best: SMASH! TSM TSM TSM!’ – Gonzalo ‘ZeRo’ Barrios

As a professional player and citizen of Chile, ZeRo could only sign for a team that had over a certain level of income per year, and for a minimum level of wage, below which his visa to stay in the United States would no longer be valid. This meant early negotiations with teams like Team Coast, Misfits and Cognitive were stymied, but has left ZeRo far better off in the long term as he is with possibly the richest team in Smash, if not eSports, now.

Having just taken the Evo title and recently made official a burgeoning relationship with a young American girl, ZeRo is clearly delighted to be staying in the States, and this new-found stability and status should only reinforce his confidence. Having looking pretty-much unbeatable for several months now, he is the one true god of Smash 4 and has also taken the chance to build a profile through YouTube content. TSM have done well to sign such a dominant, talented and professional player, and this move should see both parties benefit in the long term.