Bandits Extend Their Lead as SFL USA Returns with Major Shakeups

Street Fighter League USA returned after a couple of weeks away, and the players came back refreshed and ready to fight.

Before the break, Bandits were sitting comfortably at the top of the table with 190 points, and the 2023 champions wasted no time picking up right where they left off. They won both their matches on return, adding another 60 points to finish Day 5 with 250 points, creating a lead that looks almost impossible to chase down.

The squad of MenaRD, Caba, Booce and Chris Tartarian looks unstoppable. With Mena holding the anchor slot, only NL has been able to hand the two time Capcom Cup champion a loss this season.

The table before the break was as follows:

• Bandits – 190 points

• FlyQuest – 160 points

• 2Game Esports – 150 points

• Shopify Rebellion – 140 points

• Team Falcons – 110 points

• KuaiShou Gaming – 90 points

• Red Rooster – 80 points

But the restart brought chaos. Shopify Rebellion picked up a win against Team Falcons, then fell to KuaiShou Gaming, yet still walked away with 40 points, climbing up to second place. The real story however, was KSG’s surge. After struggling throughout the first half, especially team captain Xiao Hai who admitted he wasn’t confident earlier in the season, the break seemed to reset everything.

Xiao Hai came back swinging, defeating Shopify Rebellion and then leading his squad to a dominant 40–0 victory over 2Game Esports, including a statement win over teenage prodigy Blaz. With those results, KSG gained 70 points, jumping from sixth to fourth and into a playoff position.

Xiao Hai’s dream of taking an all-Chinese roster to the top of SFL US is still very much alive, and if their form holds, they are on pace to reach playoffs by the end of the regular season.

The action continues today with five more matches, including a potential runback between MenaRD and NL when Bandits face Team Falcons. While Bandits won the team battle last time, Mena’s loss to NL shook things up across the league. The ripple effect was clear when FlyQuest’s Punk, after dropping his first game with Cammy, switched to Akuma to challenge Mena’s Blanka. NL had used the same counter pick, and it paid off.

SFL US runs until December 7, when a champion and the representative for the SFL World Championship will be decided.