New York City’s Call of Duty League team kicked off their roster announcements by revealing they have signed Thomas “ZooMaa” Paparatto.
ZooMaa is the first player signed to New York (Image by Own McCormick via MLG)
ZooMa is a former member of the popular gaming organization—FaZe Clan—an iconic team in the professional Call of Duty scene. Unfortunately, FaZe Clan decided to not form a team for the upcoming location-based Call of Duty League. This left fans wondering where the players would end up in the new league. ZooMaa officially becomes the second FaZe Clan alumni to secure a roster spot for the upcoming season after Matthew “Skrapz” Marshall joins his twin brother Bradley “wuskin” Marshall in London.
ZooMaa’s professional career dates back to 2013 when he played with Bati before joining Fierce Gaming. His career truly took off when he was signed with Denial Esports in May of 2014 marking him as an upcoming player to watch in the Call of Duty world. He had a brief run with Team Envy at the beginning of 2015 and finally found a long-term home with FaZe Gaming in April of 2015 where he remained until he signed with New York. He also filled in briefly as a substitute for Optic Gaming at the beginning of this year.
ZooMa and FaZe Gaming found decent success in the professional Call of Duty scene with a top three finish at the CWL Pro League Playoffs and various top ten finishes. The 24-year old Support SMG player was named the MVP for the 2018 CWL Pro League Stage 1, making him a key piece of FaZe Gaming’s roster.
ZooMaa is a native of New York and his excitement about being able to play for him home state showed during the announcement. The New York Call of Duty team is part of the Andbox brand that also features the Overwatch League powerhouse—New York Excelsior. ZooMaa will play for John ‘Revan’ Boble, the recently announced head coach for New York as they continue to put together the pieces of their roster going forward.
