TSM Founding (2009) by Andy Dinh and Dan Dinh
Founded by brothers in 2009, TSM is a premier esports organization.
TSM (initialism derived from the previous name Team SoloMid) is a professional esports organization based in the United States. It was co-founded in September 2009 by the brothers Andy "Reginald" Dinh and Dan Dinh.
Quick Facts
- Role of dan dinh
- Co-Founder
- Player (Support)
- Later Manager
Lore & Background
Before entering esports, the origin of Team SoloMid (TSM) traces back to September 2009, when Andy "Reginald" Dinh and his brother Dan Dinh created a blog, which became SoloMid.net, during their college years providing written guides for the game League of Legends. The Dinh brothers were both part of a League of Legends clan called All or Nothing during the game's beta testing, which later rebranded to SoloMid. A small group of players that represented the SoloMid.net community would become the original TSM team: Reginald, TheOddOne, Chaox, Locodoco, and Xpecial. Team SoloMid was officially created in January 2011.
Reader's Guide
TSM was co-founded in September 2009 by Andy "Reginald" Dinh and his brother Dan Dinh. The organization was officially created in January 2011.
From a College Blog to a Franchise
The story of Team SoloMid begins not in a stadium or a tournament hall, but in a college dorm room. In September 2009, brothers Andy "Reginald" Dinh and Dan Dinh, then students, launched a blog called SoloMid.net to publish written strategy guides for the then-new game League of Legends. Both brothers had been active members of a player clan called All or Nothing during the game's closed beta, and that community eventually rebranded itself as SoloMid. A handful of players connected to the SoloMid.net community—SaintVicious, Chaox, TheOddOne, Locodoco, and Reginald himself—formed the nucleus of what would become a professional roster. Team SoloMid was formally established in January 2011, just as Riot Games prepared to launch the inaugural season of the League Championship Series. By that point, SaintVicious and Locodoco had departed, and TheRainMan and Xpecial stepped in to fill their roles. Jack Etienne also joined that same year as the team's general manager, laying the administrative groundwork that would allow the organization to grow far beyond its blog origins.
Building a Competitive Dynasty
TSM's League of Legends roster became a defining force in North American esports, capturing seven titles across the sixteen splits of the LCS that existed during the organization's competitive run. The team's early momentum carried into 2015, when they claimed the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship, a landmark international victory. That same year marked a pivotal diversification push: TSM signed the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive roster previously known as Team Dignitas and brought in Super Smash Bros. player Leffen. The CS:GO division quickly proved itself on the international circuit, collecting multiple tournament wins. Yet the organization made the difficult call to dissolve the CS:GO team by the close of 2015, a decision that underscored the financial realities of sustaining multiple competitive rosters. In 2014, TSM had already ventured into Hearthstone by signing players MaSSan, Trump, and Kripparrian, signaling an early commitment to the card-game scene. These moves collectively established a pattern: TSM would enter a title, compete at the highest level, and make pragmatic decisions about where to invest long-term.
Scaling into a Multi-Title Powerhouse
After Reginald stepped away from active play in 2013 to manage TSM's business operations full-time, the organization entered a period of aggressive expansion. In 2016, TSM acquired the Vainglory team Alliance, briefly fielded an Overwatch roster before dropping it amid cheating allegations tied to some players' CS:GO activity, and co-founded the Professional Esports Association alongside six other North American organizations. A PUBG division followed in 2017, and by May 2019 the team had absorbed the Rainbow Six: Siege roster of Excelerate Gaming along with streamer Jason "Beaulo" Doty. By July 2020, TSM was competing across ten different titles, maintaining dual rosters in Fortnite, Apex Legends, and PUBG—one roster focused on tournament competition, the other oriented toward collaborative content creation in a shared gaming house. The organization also entered Valorant in May 2020 and signed chess Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in August of that year. By December 2020, TSM's valuation had reached $410 million, with estimated annual revenue of $45 million.
Turbulence, Accountability, and Endurance
TSM's trajectory was not without serious setbacks. In late 2021, multiple employees and players publicly accused Reginald of workplace bullying and verbal abuse, with similar complaints reportedly surfacing as early as 2011. Both TSM and Riot Games opened separate investigations. Riot concluded that Dinh had engaged in a pattern of disparaging and bullying behavior, resulting in a $75,000 fine against TSM and a mandate for Dinh to complete sensitivity and executive training. TSM's own internal review found that the CEO had committed "no unlawful conduct." The organization also faced a major financial blow when its ten-year, $210 million naming-rights partnership with cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed after FTX declared bankruptcy in November 2022, prompting TSM to drop the branding. Despite these challenges, TSM continued to evolve, entering the Dota 2 scene in early 2022 by acquiring Team Undying's roster, and in May 2024 was selected for the Esports World Cup Foundation's Club Support Program, which offers six-figure stipends and ongoing funding tied to fan engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was TSM's original purpose when it started?
TSM began as a website and forum where League of Legends players could gather and discuss the game. It gradually transitioned from a community hub into a structured competitive roster with actual player roles.
What specific roles did Andy and Dan Dinh hold in early TSM?
Andy Dinh served as the team's mid laner, captain, and overall leader, while Dan Dinh filled the support role and also handled early management duties. Together they formed the core of the first major North American roster.
What game was TSM originally built around?
League of Legends was the title that gave TSM its identity from day one in 2009. The brothers recruited other early North American talents to build a competitive squad centered on Andy's mid lane play.
Why does TSM's 2009 founding matter in esports history?
It established one of the longest-running and most recognized organizations in competitive gaming, rooted in a scrappy, player-first philosophy. That early emphasis on aggression, skill, and community engagement became the template for TSM's decades-long presence in North American esports.
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