Di Bradini Cup 21 (Rosters/RP/Scores)

by **Bears Armed** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:23 am

"So, we've done our best... and now hwhether we go onwards to the next round depends on how well certain other teams play in their games. Urrgah! I hate this bit of the schedule, hrreally hate it!"

"Ur'rmm... I've been too busy to do the sums meself: How bad could it get?"

"That's simple enough to work out. We could actually end up going from top of the group, hwhere we are now, to third place and getting eliminated: That's how bad it could get."

"Hwhat? Urrgah!"

"Ayyuh. If the Kryties beat Thatius then the Kryties would end up ahead of us; and if the Alphabets beat the Elves then the Alphabets would do that too: So if both of those results happen, which seems possible going by those sides' form here so far, we'd be out."

"Let me see that table.
"Ur'rmm...
"Oh.
"And if the Elves beat the Alphabets instead, that puts them equal to us on points... hwhich would mean?"

"I've just checked the tournament rules: Head-to-head results trump overall goal-difference, so we'd still be above the Elves in the table anyhows and so we'd still be in the top two regardless of how the Kryties fare, so that would be hokay."

"Ah. Hrright...
"Hwell, we'll soon know."

by **Taeshan** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:27 am

"We need to talk to coach. We are committing to many penalties, we lost half of our squad already to reds and double yellows. One of these days we may have our whole squad eligible again, but its just annoying."

"Yeah and the only reason we lost to Mapletish was because we had 5 non regulars starting, and thus they weren''t in any shape to play the whole game and as such with only three subs we were unable to close it out."

"If we are to advance we need some help, we need to be able to continue. We need to stop being bullies and win the right way."

"But he doesn't believe in us."

"Maybe we should show him. Show him we can win without bullying the other squad. Prove to him we are the champions we now we can be."

"Prove to him we are the team we used to be."

"Yes prove to him we are the team he wants, we are the team we are."

"We are who we think we are."

"Exactly."

by **Kiryu-shi** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:10 pm

The only question left was keeping the zero on the scoreboard for the until the final whistles blew.

Patrick Yu didn’t much care for this KheapKopier Stadium - and with the dearth of Kiryu-shi fans combined with the seemingly apathetic Celestial Marshmallows side, he didn’t feel particularly invested in treasuring this moment. But a shut-out, a potential second straight shut-out in international play, that was something that Patrick could enjoy getting used to. And they had been largely successful so far. Especially given the fact that the Marshmallows had scored seven goals in their two wins thus far.

The game in general hadn’t been as exciting as the Patrick had feared - the two goals had both been scored in the first fifteen minutes, after which DeCastro had drifted back basically to bolster the defensive midfield, making it a particularly easy day for the defenders. There had only been one shot on goal - a long, ambitious affair that had been easily gathered on a single bounce by Yasumu.

The ball-possession game was fairly dominating, and although the few fans in the stadium at the outset seemed to have been cut in half by this time, ten minutes remaining in the second half, this was exactly the type of game that Coach Mayberry preached, and particularly the type of game that Patrick appreciated. The amount of effort he had to go through simply to pass the ball back across the defense for the countless time was entirely tolerable.

Patrick was already scanning for an open recipient when Erickson’s pass came drifting back from the midfield, and he had found a completely unmarked Feingold circling back around for an easy target. And then, all of a sudden, the ball was no where in sight. Patrick was certain he had struck the ball - there was no way he could have missed the easy one touch pass, and yet, his foot hadn’t felt anything, and Feingold’s eyes looked big as he stared at some point behind Patrick’s body. And as the unmistakable breeze of an opposing player running by passed over Patrick’s body, he realized that, by some terrible twist of fate, he had completely missed the ball.

Instinct took over, and Patrick sprinted off in pursuit, his feet pounding against grass. Ferguson’s voice chased him, profanity filling his eardrums and eclipsing all other sound, and he found himself, for the first time in the tournament, completely out of control of his own body, as it lunged terrifyingly towards the feet of the Marshmallow.

Somehow, when he stood back up, there were no whistles being blown, and his teammates were regrouping to defend the throw-in. Dusting off his unfortunately dirtied uniform, Patrick felt redness creep up his face, and avoided eye contact with anyone as he got himself back onto his mark. The zero was still intact.

Final Score:
Kiryu-shi 2
Celestial Marshmallows 0

by **Ipeland** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:15 pm

DBC: U-21s beat Sargossa, lose to Aels

Sargossa 0-1 Ipeland
Ipeland U-21s succeeded in their second game of the Di Brandini Cup 21, winning 1-0 over Sargossa.

The first half was evenly matched, and no goals were scored in the half. The first chance of the half came to Ipeland on the 10th minute, a Sargossan striker's shot being easily saved by the substitute keeper Luke Patel, who was filling in for the injured Christopher Palmer, who had broke his toe the night before while training. Ipeland's first chance came about 10 minutes later, Steven Bennett heading over the bar from a corner. Controversy arose in added time when an Sargossan shot bounced off the bar and possibly went over the line. The referee ruled the 'goal' out, and the teams went into the dressing rooms goalless.

Second half. Right from the kickoff the Sargossans pretty much dominated the game, booting the ball up the field and basically outclassing the Ipelandic squad. The only problem they had was the final touch, which lead them to waste all of their chances from all sides. The closest chance that was not a goal came in the 74th minute, one of Sargossa's strikers shot cleared off the line by Gavin Lewis. Despite all of the flow coming our way, Ipeland managed to counter attack in the last minute of added time, and managed to get a penalty, a Sargossan defender bringing down Michael James in the box. James stepped up and scored the goal with the last touch of the game.

Ipeland 2-3 Aels
The Ipeland team suffered their first loss in the DBC, losing 3-2 to Aels.

The first half contained two goals, one for each side. Despite the scoreline at the end of the half the game was mainly Ipeland. However Aels defence worked together well to block most of the Ipelandic shots. Despite this Aels scored first, in the 14th minute, a quick counter attack from an Ipeland corner led to Rhodri Price chipping over Christopher Palmer, who had just recovered from a broken toe. Ipeland attacked and finally got the goal, Michael James tapping in from an in-swinging corner. The game settled down coming up to half time, and at the whistle, the score was 1-1.

The second half was more equal than the first half, the possession being exactly 50%-50%, but the shots were wildly different. Aels retook the lead, about 3 minutes after the start of the second half, Bryn Thomas scoring heading in from an out-swinging corner by Rhodri Evans. Ipeland pulled back exactly 15 minutes later, a scramble in the box leading to the ball going into the goal with an uncertain goalscorer, but the goal was credited to Ben Marsh who appeared to get the last touch on the ball via the video replay. Many more chances lead up to the next goal, including an Aels shot which looked like it hit thin air before going wide. The winning goal was scored in the 89th minute, an Ipeland clearance hitting Harry Gruffydd in the face and going into the goal.

Ipeland's next and final match is against bottom of the group Stachland, which will be played at DebitDown Center, Sherwood.

by **Vilita** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:30 pm

Jungle Kitties Looking for Wins

2 Points from 3 Matches Sees Vilita Looking at Elimination

The Tika Massa led Vilita Jungle Kitties have struggled thus far in Civil Citizenry, opening the competition with a pair of draws before falling to defeat against Pasarga on Matchday 4. These results leave the Jungle Kitties in a precarious situation, starting at elimination from the competition if they are not able to defeat Qazox by a large scoreline on the final matchday.

Even if the Jungle Kitties should be able to record an improbably 5-0 victory over Qazox, they will need help from Western Cuba who will face the same Pasarga team that defeated the Jungle Kitties on Matchday 4. The Jungle Kitties will require Western Cuba to defeat Pasarga to allow even an improbable Vilita Jungle Kitties victory over Qazox to have any impact on the advancing teams.

Regardless of the results, two Vilitan players will remember positive things about the current edition of the Under-21 World Cup. Those two players are Relmar Winauat and Baiiub Jual-Knakok. Relmar Winauat pulled on the Vilitan kit and appeared for the first time for the National Team in the opening match against Hakkland. Winauat also made a substitute appearance in the defeat against Pasarga.

For Jual-Knakok, a similar accomplishment, being capped for the first time in Vilitan colors against Western Cuba in a 2-2 draw.

Yves Gadois has had a good showing with a goal a piece against Hakkland and Western Cuba, but the productivity will have to increase 5-fold if the Jungle Kitties are going to have any chance at advancing to the knockout round in the final matchup against Qazox.

Vilita Goalscorers v. Hakkland::
62' Yves Gadois

Vilita v. Hakkland
Best Player: Ritopa Simafela
Worst Player: Steffyn Siazzu
Shots on Target: 3
Corner Kicks: 1

Vilita Jungle Kitties v. Hakkland (3-(1-4)-2) ::
[GK] Nycflala Kater, [D] Ritopa Simafela, [D] Kadi Molali, [D] Niubo Deneli, [DMC] Retiso Buran, [ML] Jomur Hulyer, [MC] Steffyn Siazzu, [MC] Viliaka Morasita, [MR] Astara Daiili, [FC] Viji-mara Lawaai, [FC] Yves Gadois
BENCH::
[FC] Sirkii Moliaudo, [FC] Xcnaio Bansoa, [M] Riksa Valjariia, [M] Relmar Winauat, [U] Baiiub Jual-Knakok, [D] Eda Shindhi, [GK] Jaqe Planst

Vilita Substitutions v. Hakkland::
(45) - Ritopa Simafela >>> Relmar Winauat

Vilita Goalscorers v. Western Cuba::
24' Ritopa Simafela
34' Yves Gadois

Vilita v. Western Cuba
Best Player: Viji-mara Lawaai
Worst Player: Astara Daiili
Shots on Target: 5
Corner Kicks: 10

Vilita Jungle Kitties v. Western Cuba (3-(1-4)-2) ::
[GK] Nycflala Kater, [D] Ritopa Simafela, [D] Kadi Molali, [D] Niubo Deneli, [DMC] Retiso Buran, [ML] Jomur Hulyer, [MC] Steffyn Siazzu, [MC] Viliaka Morasita, [MR] Astara Daiili, [FC] Viji-mara Lawaai, [FC] Yves Gadois
BENCH::
[FC] Sirkii Moliaudo, [FC] Xcnaio Bansoa, [M] Riksa Valjariia, [M] Relmar Winauat, [U] Baiiub Jual-Knakok, [D] Eda Shindhi, [GK] Jaqe Planst

Vilita Substitutions v. Western Cuba::
(20) - Jomur Hulyer >>> Xcnaio Bansoa
(45) - Niubo Deneli >>> Riksa Valjariia
(76) - Ritopa Simafela >>> Baiiub Jual-Knakok

Vilita v. Pasarga

Best Player: Kadi Molali
Worst Player: Niubo Deneli
Shots on Target: 2
Corner Kicks: 2

Vilita Jungle Kitties v. Pasarga (3-(1-4)-2) ::
[GK] Nycflala Kater, [D] Ritopa Simafela, [D] Kadi Molali, [D] Niubo Deneli, [DMC] Retiso Buran, [ML] Jomur Hulyer, [MC] Steffyn Siazzu, [MC] Viliaka Morasita, [MR] Astara Daiili, [FC] Viji-mara Lawaai, [FC] Yves Gadois
BENCH::
[FC] Sirkii Moliaudo, [FC] Xcnaio Bansoa, [M] Riksa Valjariia, [M] Relmar Winauat, [U] Baiiub Jual-Knakok, [D] Eda Shindhi, [GK] Jaqe Planst

Vilita Substitutions::
(45) - Retiso Buran >>> Relmar Winauat
(62) - Jomur Hulyer >>> Xcnaio Bansoa
(71) - Viji-mara Lawaai >>> Sirkii Moliaudo

by **Falconfar** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:44 pm

Correspondence 1
Correspondence 2
Correspondence 3

To: Ju-Iro
From: Ky-Tro
Subject: Sticks, Hope You're Safe

After the notice from the Queen, we began having guards at our lodging spot, and making sure that all of our players were safe. It's been pretty hectic, but with two more games to play in this competition, and hoping for more than that, we had to just focus and try to move on.

I worry about you in Astograth. Hope that your team is as safe as well.

Before our game against Cyborg Holland, I had the team come together for a little meeting.

I gave a player one stick and told them to break it. Snap! The stick broke. I gave three other players one stick each and, they, too, were able to break the stick very easily. The players looked at me, confused, like I was playing a game with them or something.

Then, I threw one of them a bundle of maybe twelve sticks, and told him to break it. He tried, and he tried, but he couldn't. I had them pass the bundle around the room, but nobody could break the bundle of sticks.

I took out a knife, cut the rope binding the sticks, and gave each of them one stick that had been part of the bundle. Sure enough, they broke them easily.

"Do you see?" I asked them, "When you work together as a team, you're like that bundle of sticks, and it will be harder for the other team to break us. However, once we start acting like individuals, that's when we all fall apart and lose."

I paused for emphasis, and said, "Let's start acting like a team. As long as we play as a team, I don't really care if we win or lose. If we keep acting as individuals, though, with no respect for each other, then things will fall apart, and we will disgrace our nation as well as each other. Let us not do that."

They nodded.

And it made a difference. We defeated Cyborg Holland, 3-2, behind a hat trick by Ilirea Neokechen. We were behind twice before finally coming back and winning.

Our last match against Civil Citizenry will decide it. Cyborg Holland and Valladares play in the same day. If we beat Civil Citizenry and Cyborg Holland loses to Valladares, we should advance. If we win but so does Cyborg Holland, we won't. If we lose, then the run in the DBC is over for us.

Be safe, Ju-Iro.

Ky-Tro Wahari

by **Civil Citizenry** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 9:18 pm

Let's see who's advancing into the playoffs, after I've Brad-ed the RPs.

Group A
Taeshan 3–0 Swartaz
Darmen 5–2 Mapletish

Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Taeshan                  4   3  0  1   12   6  +6    9  Q
2 Darmen                   4   2  0  2   10   7  +3    6  Q
3 The Icemark              4   2  0  2   11  10  +1    6
4 Mapletish                4   2  0  2    6   9  −3    6
5 Swartaz                  4   1  0  3    2   9  −7    3

Darmen advances over The Icemark and Mapletish on H2H goal differential.

Group B
Vilita 2–3 Qazox
Western Cuba 0–1 Pasarga

Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Pasarga                  4   2  1  1    5   4  +1    7  Q
2 Western Cuba             4   2  1  1    6   5  +1    7  Q
3 Qazox                    4   2  0  2    5   8  −3    6
4 Hakkland                 4   1  2  1    9   6  +3    5
5 Vilita                   4   0  2  2    5   7  −2    2

Pasarga ahead of Western Cuba on H2H result.

Group C
Aels 6–3 Cafundéu
Stachland 1–1 Ipeland

Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aels                     4   3  1  0   17  10  +7   10  Q
2 Ipeland                  4   2  1  1    6   5  +1    7  Q
3 Sargossa                 4   1  2  1   10  10   0    5
4 Stachland                4   0  2  2    8  12  −4    2
5 Cafundéu                 4   0  2  2    7  11  −4    2

Group D
Falconfar 3–3 Civil Citizenry
Valladares 1–0 Cyborg Holland

Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Erathore                 4   2  1  1    4   2  +2    7  Q
2 Civil Citizenry          4   1  3  0    5   4  +1    6  Q
3 Valladares               4   2  0  2    5   5   0    6
4 Cyborg Holland           4   1  1  2    4   5  −1    4
5 Falconfar                4   1  1  2   10  12  −2    4

Civil Citizenry advances over Valladares on H2H result.

Group E
Dorian and Sonya 2–1 Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuk
Thatius 3–2 Krytenia

Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Dorian and Sonya         4   3  0  1   11   8  +3    9  Q
2 Bears Armed              4   2  1  1    7   6  +1    7  Q
3 Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuk   4   1  2  1   10  10   0    5
4 Krytenia                 4   1  1  2    9  10  −1    4
5 Thatius                  4   1  0  3    6   9  −3    3

Group F
Osarius 3–0 Carmadin
Mangolana 2–1 FSSO

Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Osarius                  4   2  2  0    6   2  +4    8  Q
2 Mangolana                4   2  2  0   10   7  +3    8  Q
3 Saugeais                 4   1  3  0    8   7  +1    6
4 FSSO                     4   1  1  2    6   7  −1    4
5 Carmadin                 4   0  0  4    5  12  −7    0

Osarius ahead of Mangolana on GD.

Group G
Celestial Marshmallows 1–4 Astograth
Michael VII 4–2 Kiryu-shi

Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Astograth                4   4  0  0   10   2  +8   12  Q
2 Michael VII              4   2  0  2    9   9   0    6  Q
3 Kiryu-shi                4   2  0  2    5   5   0    6
4 Celestial Marshmallows   4   2  0  2    8   9  −1    6
5 Homelands our            4   0  0  4    6  13  −7    0

Michael VII advances over Kiryu-shi and Celestial Marshmallows on H2H goal differential.

Group H
Megadia 1–2 Spongebobeeshia
Cassadaigua 1–0 Camwood

Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Polar Islandstates       4   4  0  0    8   2  +6   12  Q
2 Cassadaigua              4   3  0  1    7   3  +4    9  Q
3 Camwood                  4   2  0  2    5   4  +1    6
4 Spongebobeeshia          4   1  0  3    3   6  −3    3
5 Megadia                  4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

Round of 16 Matches were selected at random, with group winners facing group runners-up.
Pasarga vs. Bears Armed Doman Field (43,000), Briarshaw
Erathore vs. Civil Citizenry The Barn (58,100), Comesby
Aels vs. Western Cuba Goosegear Stadium (16,825), Kyle
Astograth vs. Darmen Bay Forest Stadium (29,000), Bartewick
Taeshan vs. Ipeland Insuracare Field (32,000), Baker
Osarius vs. Cassadaigua Smacky Snack Arena (20,850), Merrilin
Polar Islandstates vs. Mangolana KheapKopier Stadium (22,000), Kent
Dorian and Sonya vs. Michael VII DebitDown Center (15,750), Sherwood

by **Bears Armed** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 8:34 am

(The Bears' manager and her administrative deputy are talking with each other_ )

"Heyyah, Amarra. Hwill you see to it that these three parcels get sent out properly, please, hokay?"

"Hokay, Sammhra.
"Hr'rmm, parcels for the coaches of the three teams that have just been eliminated from our group?"

"Ayyuh. Sort of 'consolation prizes', as it were, for them to share out amongst their players. I felt that with our own qualification for the next round having ended up depending largely on how well the other teams fared against each other yesterday, and things having gone in a way that befurred (OOC: = "suited"...) us, this would be a nice thing to do..."

"Ayyuh, it is, for true!"

"Anyhows, so... Next up, Pasarga. More humans, hardly surprising. They won the group that they were in, but only with verry comparable results to us. Their country's senior team is pretty highly ranked, just under threeEights'th in the worlds, if I remember hrrightly, but the Belles don't have any significant history against that team."

"So, not much of a clue about how that game's likely to go?"

"Not a lot, no. Apparently they favour a hrrather less attacking style than us, but they're still not an overly-defensive side. Oh, how I wish that we could have hired some ravens for inetlligence-gathering even though there weren't any available for air-cover against the geese as well."

"Oh, how I wish that the whole problem with 'Dead Bears Walking' back home, hwhich is hwhy we can't hire the ravens, didn't exist!"

"Ayyuh, that too, of course: Goes without saying, hrreally, doesn't it?
"I was just focusing on smelling the matter from a purely football-managing position..."

"Hwell, hokay...
"Hr'rmm."

"Eh?"

"Telegram from BAAS: Although they still can't get us any ravens, one of the Bennu Birds has hinted that a few of their people might fly over to see hwhat they can do about the geese!”

“Urrgah! For them to get involved:. Whau!”

“For true!
“So, maybeso there’s something even more serious to hwhat’s been happening than we’d thought was the case?”

“Maybeso...
“Whau!... just... Whau!”

__________________________________________________________________________________

(OOC: As far as RL is concerned, Bennu Birds are mythical creatures who were possibly an inspiration for the story of the Phoenix. Bears Armed is home to about a dozen of them, who have been there since the days of the earlier [Human] [i] ‘Luvarian’[i] civilisation... but they really don’t get involved much in the mortals’ business: This is very much a 'first'...)

by **Polar Islandstates** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 9:48 am

Postcards from Civil Citizenry

Dear Mum and Dad,
When are you coming to visit? I've got my hands on two tickets to the quarter finals if you're interested? I doubt I'll be on the pitch, mind.
Might be a bit like jumping the gun as well I suppose. Mangolana can be a tough team to break down.
That said, I know they've had a national tragedy recently, so maybe their mind won't be in the game.
Or, we all saw what happened to Oasirica, maybe that will just make them play even better.
Our hearts go out to them, either way.
Nicolaj
x

~

Heeeeeeey Brother,
Feeling very much like the baby of the team at the moment. There's only me, Rune, and Iosef that are my age, really.
Eyvindur and Max are only the year above I guess, but that's a big difference when the ages are this tight in range.
People keep talking about my performances though, feels good.
Love,
Marten

~

Dear Gran,
No, not mangoes, Mangolana.
We'll be looking to get back in form after our matchday off. Hopefully that won't come back to haunt us.
I know we all feel fit and raring to go, anyway.
Lots of love
Sven
xxxx

~

Dear Lewis,
U mad, bro?
Enroljas

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 10:09 am

And we continue with the spacebook stuff......

Samantha O’Keefe>: Well done ladies. Camwood is no slouch as we know but we took it to them, especially in the back end.
Holly Sanders>: Zoey was awesome, you too Sammi!
Zoey Anderson>: Just doing my job. The fans at home might not expect us to win the Cup, but they expected us to make it out of the group stage.
Samantha O’Keefe>: Traditionally, yeah, we make it to the quarterfinals and then bottom out.
Ashley Barrett>: We're the World Cup Qazox of the Di Bradini Cup!!!!!!!!!
Samantha O’Keefe>: lol
Holly Sanders>: What does Qazox have to do with anything?
Samantha O’Keefe>: Qazox is well known in the World Cup to do well and then lose in the quarterfinals. Which has become our history at this level.
Zoey Anderson>: It is what it is, I'd rather have that kind of history at this level.
Ashley Barrett>: What do you know about Osarius?
Samantha O’Keefe>: Solid team. Doesn't have a real signature soccer moment but they have done a lot of good things.
Holly Sanders>: My dad said we have played them a lot in the World Bowl.
Zoey Anderson>: Yeah, there's a history in the World Bowl between them and us. That's their best sport, I think, but they are strong in soccer as well.
Samantha O’Keefe>: I have a history lesson for you. Are you ready?
Holly Sanders>: Yeah.
Ashley Barrett>: Go ahead.
Samantha O’Keefe>: In World Cup 49, Cassadaigua did not lose a game in the second half of qualifying (only qualifying, not the actual World Cup). In World Cup 50, Cassadaigua went undefeated in qualifying, and in World Cup 51, we went undefeated in the first half of qualifying. That ended up being a streak, I think offhand of somewhere around 25 qualifying games that we went undefeated in. In the second half of World Cup 51 qualifying, we were eventually defeated and that long streak came to an end. The team that ended that streak: Osarius.
Ashley Barrett>: Wow cool!
Zoey Anderson>: I didn't know that, good info!
Holly Sanders>: Yeah very interesting!
Samantha O’Keefe>: Well, I confess that I did not know it either before coach Bateman told me about it this morning. (OOC Note: Bateman was a player for all those teams)
Ashley Barrett>: Well we better get revenge for that then!
Holly Sanders>: I agree!
Samantha O’Keefe>: Well we've probably got our actual revenge for that. Remember they did go on to win World Cup 51.
Zoey Anderson>: Still though, good info, pass that around to everyone!
Samantha O’Keefe>: Yeah I will. We need to be sure to knock them out and advance to the quarterfinal. I think its Taeshan or Ipeland if we win but don't hold me to that.
Zoey Anderson>: We've done well against Taeshan in the past. Ipeland, no history.
Holly Sanders>: Yeah I think they are kind of a newer country.
Samantha O’Keefe>: Still let's keep our focus. Osarius comes first.
Ashley Barrett>: Absolutely!

by **Taeshan** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 11:35 am

X Island Inquirer

Knights Advance to Round of Sixteen

Unlike the first three games of the Di Bradini Cup, last night the Lil' Purple Knights seemed to mellow in their final game of the group stage. With their place in the next round all but locked in the Knights didn't go with all out aggression against their Swartazi opponents. They still had an edge to their game, but no pointless fouls or demonstrative sliding tackles were taken on the night. Overall it was a shining example of the beautiful game they had been lacking in the previous game. With their 3-0 victory over their opponents they assured first in their group, and will play Ipeland in the next round. A fitting opponent as any.

The relaxed looking Knights started the scoring early. In the 11th minute Marshall Murgatroyd broke free down the left flank, eventually finding striking mate Brian Ibrahim for the first goal on a nice 5 yard curl. The first goal if anything relaxed the boys more as they went on throughout the day. The second goal would come from Karl Llana on a brilliant pass from Peter Fasnacht down the left wing, thus putting the Knights up by two. The game was sealed in the 59th minute when Jeremiah Longwaters set up a corner, then converted with a nice popped header over the goalie.

by **Ipeland** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 1:24 pm

DBC: Final game of group stage ends in draw, Ipeland to play Taeshan in Ro16

Ipeland have qualified for the Round of 16 in the Di Brandini Cup 21, after drawing with bottom team Stachland one goal to one. Ipeland qualified before the game anyway, so this game was just to confirm which position Ipeland would be finishing in. Ipeland eventually finished second, as Aels stormed to a 6-3 victory against Cafundéu in the earlier game.

The Ipeland manager decided the game was a chance to give some of the players match fitness, so he decided to play all of the substitutes; Luke Patel, Dylan Lee, Mason Smith, Jake MacDonald and Michael James, who were unlikely to play in this game anyway. The first half had no goals, as both teams didn't seem to care about the match and saw as an opportunity to practice things that they normally do in training. The few shots that went toward the goal went wildly wide and into the sparse crowd, obviously expecting a dull match. With nothing to lose, the teams ended the half 0-0.

The second half was basically the same as the first half, but with two goals, one for either side. The first goal went to Stachland, who randomly decided to launch an attack around the 55th minute involving all of their players. After around 23-24 passes, Rumir Agaton tapped it in past the half-assed goalkeeper. In between this and the next goal, few shots were to be had. Ipeland scored in the 81st minute, a pot shot from defender Mason Smith went into the net. The teams ended the game with a shake of the hands, the score being 1-1.

Ipeland are now into the Round of 16, and will play against Taeshan at Insuracare Field, Baker.

by **Erathore** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 2:59 pm

And, Predictably, We're In

Like usual, la furia azulita has qualified for the U-21 World Championships. Not exactly our best go as we only finish with seven points, but we topped the group and are in the Round of 16, where we will play the host nation and group member Civil Citizenry at the Barn in Comesby. Our previous meeting ended at a 0-0 tie in which neither team seemed to be at 100% playing skill. Hopefully this next meeting will be far more exciting. With us winning of course.

Overall the team has been pretty good over the course of the tournament. The defense, along with Brosemer in goal, did a brilliant job of shoring up the backfield, as we only conceded twice over the course of the tournament. The midfield also did a wonderful job. They kept possession, attempted thousands of passes and make the vast majority of them, and also provided plenty of killer passes for the forwards. Which brings me to my next point. Our forwards have been disappointing. Very disappointing. Only four goals in four games.

Hopefully our forwards find their finishing touch in the upcoming fixture.

by **Osarius** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 3:21 pm

AcademyDropout.osr | Blog

Finally! I've been hoping for the entire tournament that Ishmael Walker would just unleash the attacking potential of the Flying Sparks. It's just as well he did, too, or they'd have to face a strong Polar Islandstates side in the first knockout round. I think they'd be tougher to overcome than Cassadaigua based on results so far, but there's not much in it. The Dagans have a lot of football talent, and Walker will probably need to make some changes to overcome them... but I'll get back to that in a minute. First, that unleashing.

Under Montblanc, the Flying Sparks were generally hard to beat. His system was largely a defensive one to start with, and its a trend that has continued ever since those two final runs a few years back. Walker has tried to emulate this with his side, and in fairness, he hasn't done badly. Conceding just twice in the entire group stage in a pretty strong group is impressive. However, the team scored just six times. This is completely uncharacteristic of an Osarian side, but the reasons are pretty easy to understand when we break things down.

Firstly, there's the difference in forwards. Richards is a great prospect, no doubt... but he's no Romario Roberts. The chart to the right shows Richards' passing against Carmadin -- his best performance of the tournament so far -- and Romario Roberts' passing against Iton Valley in the King's League last season (his last performance before the injury). Richards not only makes less passes, but they tend -- as tenuous as the trend is with such a small sample size -- to be much closer to goal. Roberts comes deeper, links play, holds up the ball, and scores goals... while Richards, like his mentor Keon Tinto, is almost purely a finisher. He does come deep sometimes, but he becomes exponentially less effective the further he is from goal, it seems. There's nothing wrong with that, but in the current system used by the Flying Sparks, he sometimes ends up isolated, or anonymous. This is perhaps a miscalculation on Walker's part, as there is no other kind of forward in the squad. Both McLean and Lee are deep-lying forwards who aren't particularly good at holding up play either, though both are more capable at linking it.

A potential solution may be to try a 4-3-3 system, and ask Richards to drop off the defense and play a little deeper. In doing so, and having Parker pushing forward, the Flying Sparks could exploit the space between the fullbacks and centre backs for either Cuellar or Urbina to sneak in. From that role, Richards could also beat any defender who tracks him for pace. By laying the ball off to Menendez (for example) he could then re-double back toward goal and potentially exploit the space he created for himself.

Either way, to beat Cassadaigua, there will need to be a change in playing style for Walker's side. This supremely patient style might not be enough to break through a dynamic Dagan midfield. Let me know how you think the Flying Sparks should line up in the comments section below (haha! no emails anymore!).

Till next time, people!

by **Pasarga** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:14 pm

"How the hell did that happen?"

"Hey, watch your language, this is a pg-13 setting."

"What?"

"Umm.. nothing, just watch your language okay?!"

"Whatever. Have you seen this ridiculous stuff?"

"You will have to be more specific."

"The Young Wanderers are in the round of sixteen o the DBC. We even sent a weak team and gave them no media coverage, thinking they were going to go out early. But no, they are through and won their group to!"

"Well that's all very nice and all, but was it really worth cursing over?"

"Yes, yes it was."

"Be truthful now."

"Alright, perhaps not, but it is still craziness, you have to admit."

"It is against the likely odd and percentages and what one would expect in an event like this one is, but it is not improbable."

"Riiiight.... anyways, they are likely going to bow out next round, got a group of Bears."

"Ahh hell, why do they let bears play? They can go on a killing rampage!"

"Well... there is nothing in the rules of the game against fielding bears..."

"KILLING RAMPAGE."

"Ar'ight, you made your point, quit screaming."

by **Civil Citizenry** » Sun Mar 11, 2012 7:57 pm

Over the (Bra)din of RPs come round of sixteen scores.

Round of Sixteen
Pasarga 3–4 Bears Armed
Erathore 0–0 Civil Citizenry (0–1 AET)
Aels 2–2 Western Cuba (3–2 AET)
Astograth 3–2 Darmen
Taeshan 0–3 Ipeland
Osarius 3–3 Cassadaigua (3–3 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Polar Islandstates 1–1 Mangolana (1–2 AET)
Dorian and Sonya 1–5 Michael VII

Quarterfinals To be scorinated Tuesday, March 13
Bears Armed vs. Civil Citizenry
Aels vs. Astograth
Ipeland vs. Cassadaigua
Mangolana vs. Michael VII

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 6:32 am

Our Spacebook chatters meet again...........

Samantha O’Keefe>: Let's all give Z a round of applause for her excellent goalkeeping in the shootout!
Ashley Barrett>: You rock, Zoey!
Holly Sanders>: Wonderful job yeah! How do you keep calm in that situation?
Zoey Anderson>: It's never easy, especially when I already let three behind me during the game itself. But just the way you would practice when you were younger, with one-on-ones, I did the same thing. They call it guessing which way to dive, but its an educated guess. It's not a 50-50 coin flip.
Ashley Barrett>: Yeah I know when I scored mine in the shootout I had to fool the goalie. That's really important, isn't it.
Zoey Anderson>: Absolutely, Ashley. Even in a game like this where we didn't know a ton about the Osarius team, there's been enough scouting done to know who they're gonna line up in a shootout. Then you just try to go from what you learned in game tape but most importantly trust in your own ability.
Samantha O’Keefe>: I've never really been a fan of the shootout, as a nation we have had bad luck in them. Maybe this win helps you make the senior team, Z.
Zoey Anderson>: Well, it's not as if I stopped them all. We got the win because of the goals that our shooters got. As a keeper, I have a love-hate relationship with the shootout.
Holly Sanders>: I think they're fun!
Samantha O’Keefe>: It's just the defender in me, but soccer is an 11-on-11 game. No shootout gimmicks. It's like taking a basketball game that's tied after four quarters and determining the winner with a slam dunk contest.
Holly Sanders>: That's just silly.
Ashley Barrett>: Yeah but she's got a point though. I don't mind it, its a chance to shine.
Zoey Anderson>: You learn to accept it. I don't think games should be decided like that but it does get your blood pumping as a goalkeeper because just like you dream of scoring a big goal, I dream of stopping a big shot.
Samantha O’Keefe>: Well this time we were the winners. Some good teams got knocked out in the last round, so let's be glad we got here.
Ashley Barrett>: I think this is the year we finally make that semifinal!!
Holly Sanders>: Don't know a lot about Ipeland. Where are they in the senior team rankings?
Samantha O’Keefe>: They got an uphill battle in the senior rankings, but this isn't their senior team.
Holly Sanders>: Oh I know!
Zoey Anderson>: They got a pretty good group of young forwards. I have just begun to analyze them, if they represent the future of their senior team, then they might have a bright future. Remember, we were all Ipeland once.
Ashley Barrett>: Yeah, well we have our own mountain to climb. Making the damn semifinal in the Di Bradini Cup! I'm tired of hearing that we never make it past the quarterfinals!
Samantha O’Keefe>: We're doing a lot of the little things right. And we won a shootout. We haven't always done that, so maybe that's a sign that this Di Bradini Cup will have a different type of ending for us too!
Zoey Anderson>: Amen to that!
Holly Sanders>: Cheers Sammi!!

by **Bears Armed** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 11:41 am

"And now we are to play against our hosts' own team. You've been watching some tapes of their previous games -- and "Well done" for managing to obtain those, hwhen we don't have any ravens along-- so hwhat can we expect?"

"A verrry defensive-minded side, if they stay true to form. Maybeso even five backs, and only two forwards. Admittedly they came second in theri group, but that was on the basis of only one win and a trio of draws..."

"Urrgah! After the Pasargans managed to get through our girls to score so many goals against us I was seriously considering pulling our Lynchpin and Wingers back a bit, to tighten our own defence, but if the locals are like that: Our normal arrangement, and "No Quarter!, I think."

"Hr'rmm..."

"You disagree?"

"No, no, I was just thinking about the old question concerning an irresistible force and an immovable object..."

"Ah.
"Hr'rmm..."

(A raven comes tap-tap-tapping at the windowpane. Amarra lets it into the room, and after checking heridentity it hands over a letter...)

"Oh...
"Fur-loss!"

"Hwhat is it?"

"It's from BAAS: They aren't sending us any backup players, after all... And we might not be able to go straight back home after this tournament, neither. They say that the High Council of Clans is considering the imposition of a national quarantine until the "you-know-hwhat problem" has been dealt with..."

"Urrgah!"

by **Ipeland** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:15 pm

DBC: U21s win in Round of 16, Cassadaigua awaits

Ipeland have gone one step further than last time, managing to qualify for the quarter finals after routing Taeshan three goals to nil. It was a fantastic performance by the young team, fans highlighting the performances of Luke Patel, Ben Marsh, and Michael James as key to the victory. Goals were scored by Michael James (2) and Ben Marsh. The U21's now have to face Cassadaigua in the quarters.

Taeshan's defensive passes leading up to Ipeland's second goal

If you didn't watch the game or only saw the highlights, you would think Ipeland dominated the game from start to finish. You would be wrong, as the possession percentage for the whole game was closer to equals than it was to total domination, at 53%-47%. So what went wrong for Taeshan's defense which made them concede so many goals? Passing.

As you can see by the very poor graph on the right, only one out of the seven defensive passes were not intercepted by the Ipeland attack, (red is the intercepted passes, blue are the completed ones), leading up to the second goal, scored by Ben Marsh. Although Ipeland lost the ball easily, which is kind of shown by the graph, the Taeshan defence couldn't get most passes to any of their team mates, which was ultimately one of the reasons for the downfall.

Although one individual did not certainly cause this, one could point out the disappointing work of center back Grant Wetter, who had a torrid time at the on the field, only one out of every three of his passes being completed successfully, a worrying figure and surely one his manager would take note of.

Ipeland's (top) and Taeshan's (bottom) shots on goal

Another factor in the result, as shown by two more poor graphs, is the distance away from the goal when the shot is taken. As you can see, Ipeland's shots were closer to the goal, the mean average being 4.53 yards outside of the goal. In contrast, Taeshan attackers decided to a lot of shots from way outside the box, the mean average of their shots being rounghly 10.43 yards outside of the net, and 80% of their shots coming from outside the 6-yard area. The length of the shots reflects in the goals scored, as two of Ipeland's three goals were inside the penalty area, and the third deflected off of a defender's leg.

Of the individual players, Ben Marsh had the best shooting accuracy 3 out of his 6 shots being on target, 5 out of 6 of them being in the 6-yard box. He is then followed by Michael James, who managed to get 2 of his 8 shots on target, all of them in the penalty area. At the other end of the scale, Lawson Street had a terrible time on goal, none of his 6 shots going on target, all of them being at least 8 yards out.

So to conclude, the biggest deciding factors of this game were Taeshan poor defensive passing, and how far out the shots were, the closer being the better type of effort.

So, onward to the quarters, and Cassadaigua and their team awaits. After a high scoring draw against Osarius after extra time, the match went to penalties, which ended 3-4 to Cassadaigua. Their keeper Zoey Anderson looks a decent player, and they may have the upper edge on penalty shoot-outs, having experienced one before. Anyway, only time will tell, and all we can do is cheer them on. Let's hope for a win and a semi-final place next match.

by **Qazox** » Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:47 pm

Osprey get slapped around by Hakkland

A pair of goals each from J.Oqvist and L.Sorenssen sparked Hakkland's blowout of Qazox.

Osprey edge out Vilita

A goal by Yves Gadois in the 85th minute, the 2nd of the match for Gadois (17th minute) to tie it up at 2-all. But a Tomas Vera goal 3 minutes later gave Qazox a 3-2 win and a 2-0-2 record in their 1st Di Bradini Cup appearence. Vera's 2nd goal of the match proved to be the winner, after his first goal in the40th tied it at 1-all. Daniel Spaatz' goal in the 64th minute gave Qazox a 2-1 lead.

by **Civil Citizenry** » Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:00 pm

Quarterfinals
Bears Armed 3-2 Civil Citizenry
Aels 0-0 Astograth (2-0 AET)
Ipeland 1-2 Cassadaigua
Mangolana 1-1 Michael VII (1-1 AET) (4-3 pen.)

Semifinals To be scorinated Friday, March 16
Bears Armed vs. Aels
Cassadaigua vs. Mangolana

by **Cassadaigua** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:29 am

They keep playing, they keep chatting....

Ashley Barrett>: We are now officially the best Cassadagan Di Bradini Cup team ever. YAY!!!!!!!
Zoey Anderson>: I would say big deal, we still have to win two more, but you can't deny that it is pretty cool when you consider who's gone before us.
Ashley Barrett>: Yeah, all our great players played in the Di Bradini Cup, and they never got to the semifinals!
Holly Sanders>: I think it should get us all a spot on the senior team roster!
Zoey Anderson>: If we keep doing well, our cases get stronger and stronger.
Samantha O’Keefe>: It's a good reason to be happy. Like Z said, we have a lot of history in this. We started in the 7th. I know there are a few along the way we didn't compete in, but you can't deny history. We should be very proud of what we have attained but as you all know, we want more.
Holly Sanders>: The Mangos don't scare me!
Ashley Barrett>: There are some people who might see Mangolana as a sentimental choice. But we can't get bogged down in that. We have a job to do, and if we ruin a feel-good story, then that's what we have to do.
Holly Sanders>: Agreed!
Samantha O’Keefe>: We can't look past them, just like we didn't with Ipeland. They were pretty good, after all. What did you think of Ipeland?
Holly Sanders>: I guess they have some talent.
Zoey Anderson>: They have some good kids. Their shot selection is pretty smart, and don't tend to take shots from a distance that give me a good read on it. At the same time, that kid McDonald on the right wing seemed a little nervous. He telegraphed several of his crosses, in particular. A good coach will teach him out of that. Bennett was good.
Samantha O’Keefe>: Scoring in the 9th minute was key. Ashley's goal immediately got in their heads of "we're trailing a two-time World Cup champion? Already?" Then the 43rd minute goal by Taylor (Connors) that sealed it. 2-0 at the half. We held on well.
Ashley Barrett>: Yeah I knew scoring early would be big. I was so stoked when I got that!
Samantha O’Keefe>: You've had a good tournament, Ashley. As I said, we have done alot well.
Zoey Anderson>: Are you starting to like it in Civil Citizenry, Sammi?
Holly Sanders>: lol yeah really are you changing your mind based on what you said before?!
Samantha O’Keefe>: If we win two more games here, I'll take my parents here on a long vacation, how about that?!

by **Bears Armed** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:39 am

"And so, it's Aels next."

"Eels? How good are they going to be out of the water?"

"No, I said Aels..."

"Wels? Isn't that a sort of catfish?"

"No, Aels."

"Ales? Hear, hear: Don't mind if I do..."

"Aels."

"Or else hwhat?"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Ayyuh."

"Hwhy?"

"I'm hungry."

"That isn't a good reason."

"It is to me."

"Fleas and fur-loss!
"Look, you've been told, the meals supplied by the caterers whom we brought along have been carefully calculated to keep all of you in the best condition for playing that's possible."

"There's not enough chocolate, for true!"

"Urrgah!"
*(sighs)*

by **Aels** » Fri Mar 16, 2012 11:49 am

After 90 minutes in the Aels–Astograth quarterfinal

"Well done lads. From where we were before we came here, to where we are now, no matter what the result of this match is you've outdone everyone's expectations and done us all proud."

Team manager Gareth Hywel-Jones wanted his boys to know that their unbeaten run would go down in Aels' short sporting history, with nobody having given the team even a chance to get out of the group stage. The team had pretty much been hastily assembled; prior to arriving in Civil Citizenry they had only won one match playing together, a 2–0 win over the hitherto-unheard-of Branta Aboriginal Protectorates in the Rushmore Junior under 20 Championship. Since then they had won three and drawn one of their group games, scoring a remarkable 17 goals in the process including six in a shock result against Cafundéu, and beat Western Cuba in a difficult second round clash.

Captain Alun Jenkins piped up.

"Boss, we know what we've done has surprised everyone including ourselves, and this is our second match in a row where we've had to deal with extra time. But you're forgetting that a lot of us won't ever get to represent Aels again. Most of us will soon be too old for this team, and we don't play at senior international level. For that matter, only one or two of us will be lucky enough to be like Luke and be called up for Ancharmunn. That's the reason why we're playing our hearts out. We've got to do ourselves proud."

Luke Jones, the team's Penfro-born 28 year old assistant coach who played for Ancharmunn in the last World Cup qualifying round, nodded in agreement.

"Boys, you're just 30 minutes away from becoming one of the four best under-21 sides in the world. Alun is spot on here — this isn't for us, this isn't for the FCA (Football Commission of Aels), not for your clubs. It's about the pride of representing Aels — and representing yourselves. Be spotted by a foreign club. Earn a nice salary and get noticed by the Charmunnry selectors."

As the ref's whistle called the teams back into position for the start of extra time, Hywel-Jones took one last quick glance at his team, and said quietly: "Go on then. Time to show that Aels has enough in us — if not in funding, then in ability — to stun the world."

Led by captain Jenkins, who nabbed a 113rd-minute goal, the Aelsh team fought hard through the extra 30 minutes, and sealed the game when Jenkins was brought down inside the area in the one added minute at the end of the extra frame. Substitute Vernon Parry had the ball for the spot-kick — and coolly dispatched it past the Astrograthi to seal passage into the semifinals.

by **Civil Citizenry** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:33 am

Semifinals cutoff!

Semifinals
Bears Armed 2-2 Aels (2-2 AET) (3-1 pen.)
Doman Field (43,000), Briarshaw
Cassadaigua 2-0 Mangolana
Roratz Stadium (58,000), Eastern Chase

Final To be scorinated Tuesday, March 20
Bears Armed vs. Cassadaigua
Red Circle Arena (82,500), Athenstoft

Di Bradini Cup 21 (Rosters/RP/Scores)

Who is online