Di Bradini Cup 24/U21WC45 RP/Roster/Scores Thread

[Slembana]

The Slembana Times: Out of the Di Bradini Cup

By Peter Whiteman, chief football reporter at Silverlands, Corinth, Starblaydia (attendance 64,359)

We are out of the Di Bradini Cup, the World Cup for international under-21 football teams, losing 2-1 to hosts Starblaydia in the quarter-finals of the tournament. This was our first loss of the tournament However, a fixture against the hosts of a tournament is always tough, and reaching the quarter-finals of a major tournament is a good achievement for us.

We took the lead in the third minute. A great left-wing cross from Prince Latifa found our star striker, Val Kylx, who powered a great header past Starblaydian goalkeeper Luis Maximiano. We were dominant after the goal, with Kylx, Jyvx Dagens, Oliver van der Young, and Jordan Valfox all coming close for us. So it was a surprise when Starblaydia's star striker, Lena Kochanska (who is only one of two female players in Starblaydia's squad for this Di Bradini Cup) scored. The player thundered home from the half-way line with her eyes shut. This goal was scored in the last second of the first half, and it made it 1-1.

The second half got off to a near-perfect start for us, with Kylx hitting the post with a volley in the 46th minute. Starblaydia went down to 10 players in the 52nd minute, with Pablo Del Astra sliding in dangerously on Valfox. Jenji Marino, one of Starblaydia's strikers, was booked in the 57th minute for diving. After Kylx saw a curling beauty palmed away by Maximiano in the 61st minute, a fire started in the stadium. This was in the 64th minute However, it was thankfully put out by the stadium's fire brigade. This fire delayed the match for five minutes, with fans having to be evacuated from the area the fire was in. No-one was hurt by the fire.

Fussito Rodah of Starblaydia hit the bar with a thunderbolt shot on 73 minutes, before Jyvx Dagens saw a header cleared off the line by Damon Kussek of Starblaydia. The match was further delayed by a dog running onto the pitch on 81 minutes. It ran around and chased the players, before being taken back to its owner. This time, the delay was 3 minutes.

As a result of the two delays caused by the fire and the dog, stoppage time was a mega 10 minutes. Kylx came close twice during this extra-long additional time, with Levi Anatanavic of Starblaydia also coming close. With seconds remaining, Anatanavic played a lovely through ball into Vicenzo Natrionne. Natrionne fired a low shot first time with his left foot towards goal. The shot squirmed under our goalkeeper, Kevin Banks, and into the net to give Starblaydia a 2-1 win.

[Free Swiss States]

Recording of Team Lounge Room

P. Benlizar: I can't believe I'm saying this, man, but... I'm scared.
A. Tolmeki: Yeah?
P. Benlizar: Yeah. I mean, look what we can do here. We're two matches away from... I don't even wanna say it. I don't want to jinx it.
A. Tolmeki: Two of the hardest matches you've ever played. Starblaydia are the only team we haven't got past. They're the hosts. They're on home ground.
P. Benlizar: I know, I know.
(pause)
L. Eries: 41st Baptism of Fire, third place. Gordon du-Lusavik's team.
P. Benlizar: Yeah. Win one more game... and we've gotten farther than any Swiss team in a major international tournament. Ever.
L. Eries: If we're going to lose, it's going to be the next game. Starblaydia is... legendary.
P. Benlizar: I was thinking about that, man. We tied 'em, remember! So, if they're legend, what does that make us?
(pause)
A. Tolmeki: Yeah. We're legend too. It's nice, isn't it? Of course, Artémis isn't here to enjoy it. The hell is he doing?"
L. Eries: Training. He's always training.
(pause)
P. Benlizar: I can't believe we got past Beskid, man. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that.
L. Eries: Forget him. Taeshan outmatched us at every step. If we didn't have Danny, we'd have been screwed.
P. Benlizar: Dude, I admit it. I thought Beskid was God. I really did. But after coming here... man. Everything's changed.
A. Tolmeki: Heh.
P. Benlizar: Yeah, I know. I know... but, hey. You think in... I dunno. Three years, four years. You think I can be as good as him?
A. Tolmeki: Not if you keep dropping games and smoking pot.
(pause)
P. Benlizar: Yeah, I know. Just can't help it sometimes.
(pause)
P. Benlizar: You know, I really enjoyed playing with you guys. Even though you're a total shithead, Lifa.
L. Eries: Uh. Thanks.
P. Benlizar: Tolmeki, man. I'm glad we're playing in the same league.
A. Tolmeki: It's going to be intense.
P. Benlizar: Yeah. You better watch your back, buddy! I know all your moves!
A. Tolmeki: Ay! Come at me!
P. Benlizar: Right now? You wanna go?
(sounds of scuffle)
A. Tolmeki: Ohshi - ... hey Daniel.
D. Artémis: What. The hell. Is going on here.
P. Benlizar: Nothing! Nothing, I swear, Adrian was just showing me the new headlock he learned in his martial arts I asked him to do it I swear on my grandmother's grave!
(pause)
D. Artémis: If I catch you two fighting. It's over.
A. Tolmeki: It won't happen, Dan.
D. Artémis: Good. Now elevate your legs. It'll help them recover.
(pause)
L. Eries: Damn. That was close.
P. Benlizar: Goddamn monks.
A. Tolmeki: Yeah man. Goddamn monks.

[Starblaydia]

Kochanska's Eyes Wide Shut, Kylx Premature As Always
Another early goal no help to Slembananas

Seeing Kylx 3' on the scoresheet was no surprise for this columnist. It is typical of the explosive, sudden appearance of Slembana on the international scene that Kylx opens the scoring for Slembana's national teams, whether senior or Under-21. Indeed, looking through the previous scorelines of the Slembananas, it seems that Kylx in particular only seems to actually be effective as a goal threat for the first four hundred seconds or so. For the rest of the ninety minutes, he's fairly inconsequential.

Pretty pathetic for a player who cost Feardillis Wanderers of Farfadillis 55 million Dilos - however much that is in real money like Starblaydi Credits, we're not sure. He does, nonetheless, continually score goals at international level, it's just a shame about the rest of the team and the remaining 85 minutes of a football match.

Recently (since World Cup 61's Qualifiers), Kylx has scored in the second, first, fourth, third, third, first (50 seconds), first, first (an unbelievable 24 seconds), third, third and second minutes of matches. These examples are only tested by scoring in the seventh minute of the Second Half, where Kylx obviously started 45 minutes late, and the added drama of the last minute of Extra Time.

There was plenty of late goal drama in this match, too, as both of Starblaydia's goals came as the referee was putting the whistle to his lips to finish a half. The first was from Starblaydia's latest golden girl, Lena Kochanska, who spotted Kevin Banks off his goal line and thumped a brilliantly-placed shot down almost exactly half the length of the field. With the referee mere seconds away from blowing the whistle, Kochanska simply closed her eyes to listen to the crowd's reaction to her shot. As the ball dropped in under the bar and the home fans went wild at the equaliser, a smile broke over her face before she was mobbed by her team-mates.

The second half, level at 1-1 with a place in the last four up for grabs, suddenly got very nasty indeed. Reacting to an alleged (and fairly obvious) elbow in the face from the out-muscled youth der Young, Pablo Del Astra received his marching orders with a second yellow card after clattering the equally-youthful Jordan Valfox. When Jenji Marino was hacked down in the Slembanan penalty area by Yannick Fleftouno and received only a yellow card, Starblaydia thought that the odds were against them, and it wasn't to be their day.

In seeming celebration, the S'Banana fans turned arsonists as a fire started in the end allocated to their travelling contingent. The well-drilled Starblaydi emergency services managed to wade in and contain the fire, but the smoke billowing over the field - as well as inherent dangers of flames to the stupid, of course - caused the referee to stop the match for around five minutes. After a second strange event - involving a S'Banana fan's dog that will inevitably be put down after failing to be checked at immigration control - it was Vicenzo Natrionne who squeezed the ball under Banks to send Starblaydia through to the final four at the very last moment.

Though it wasn't the greatest Starblaydi performance - nor has it been their greatest in the tournament until now - the crucial factor is that Starblaydia are through to the Semi-Finals, and are two wins away from Di Bradini Cup glory.

Final Score from Silverlands (64,359)
Slembana 1 - 2 Starblaydia
Kylx 3 - Kochanska 45, Natrionne 90+10

[Kiryu-shi]

A letter penned to interested individuals of the
Sakaino Athletic and Performance Arts Committee,
with the utmost respect and admiration,

It is with great consternation and concern that we have been watching Kiryu-shi perform in this year’s iteration of the Di Bradini Cup. While our two nil victory over Thatius last week will no doubt serve to alleviate fears in the general public, you can be assured that we share no such delusions. This match, and this tournament at large, is predicated on an incredible series of fortunate events, and has no relevancy for the future of your stronghold over the future of Kiryu-shi football.

First of all, we’d like to address the play of defender Vince Alonzo, a student currently enrolled in Kasakake University. His play has come under scrutiny here, and we believe that it is J.J. Erickson himself who selected him for the squad, at the discretion of no one else in particular. We are aware of J.J. Erickson’s connection to the National Sports Committee, and we do not believe that the roster selection process was properly administered during his recommendations. And as a result, we have this subpar defender, Vince Alonzo, stumbling around the field like a moron. Derek Christensen, one of the youngest players on the Thatius side, regularly abused Alonzo’s poor defending, culminating in that ugly sequence at the end of the first half when Alonzo ended up lying on the ground with his shoe off while Christensen’s shot barely missed the net, as he hit it just wide. While we know that Christensen is not utterly terrible, he is certainly not a player who should make any one representing Kiryu-shi look as bad as that.

And of our two goals, can you say that either was deserving and keep a straight face? The first might as well have been an own goal, even though Yume was credited with it. Sloppy play by our opponents allowed us an impossibly easy shot on goal, and then the redhead d'Erdélyi clanged a shot off the top crossbar, displaying a carelessness typical of her style of play. And then when Jezdić didn’t manage to grab the rebound, Yume was able to score on an empty net. It might have been the luckiest goal in this entire tournament, if it were not for the second goal, which came in the waning minutes of the match, when Thatius clearly abandoned their commitment to defending. Peterson’s ability to intercept a pass between two of their defenders, who were already pressing up, highlights nothing but her own ability to read a defense, and nothing about the coaching in any way, shape or form. And as for her long shot, which just happened to drop in over Jezdić’s head? She should have been forbidden from taken a shot from that distance! What could have J.J. Erickson told her? At a time in the match when conserving possession and winding down the clock was paramount, she goes ahead and shoots a low percentage shot from 40+ meters out? You are damn lucky it happened to work out.

Anyway, with this information, we have been forced to submit for review a document asking from J.J. Erickson’s immediate dismissal from Kasakake as of his return to Kiryu-shi. While we enjoyed his stay here, we think him and his distinctly careless style of coaching is better suited for your school, and we will be happy to support his return to Sakaino. No doubt you know that we have the influence to make sure he doesn’t even get a chance to step foot on our campus again.

In the meantime, you should look to the upcoming AOCAF to see how a team is really coached. I’m sure you know that, with three AO teams represented in the final four of the Di Bradini, that the AOCAF truly represents the best of the best. And in case you needed to know just how far our influence has grown, you should know that none of your recommendations for the AOCAF were accepted.

Sincerely,
The Kasakake University Committee on International Affairs
Kasakake University
Premier Kiryu-shi Governance

[Starblaydia]

Semi-Final Scores
Now we are two. And two.

Semi-Final Results
Match SF1: Free Swiss States 2-3 Starblaydia
Match SF2: Kiryu-shi 3-1 Geisenfried

Third-Place Match
3PPO: Free Swiss States v Geisenfried at Stadii di Quercus, Farça - FC Farça (99,000)

Di Bradini Cup 24 Final
Final: Starblaydia v Kiryu-shi at Stadii Di Bradini, Jhanna - National Stadium (196,754)

[Free Swiss States]

Adrian Tolmeki leaned back and plugged in his headphones. He shifted through a list of bands, and finally sighed and picked one at random. The slow, steady beat of The Association of Tautology Members drummed softly in his ears. He stretched out his legs and let them lay across the footrests of the bus. The seats were so comfy... he hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until later, when he awoke to the lights of passing trucks on the roadway.

He turned to Daniel Artémis, sitting beside him and engrossed in a book. He wondered if he would get mad if he disturbed him. Finally he shrugged to himself and nudged Daniel's shoulder. "Hey, Dan."

Artémis turned to look at him. To Tolmeki's surprise, he saw Daniel's eyes were unusually bleary and tired. He must be worn out too, Tolmeki thought. "What is it?" asked Daniel.

"I was wondering... since you're the captain and all... what'd we do wrong during the match? I mean... you know."

Daniel assumed a thoughtful expression. "I wouldn't say it was any one factor, really. Of course, we were going up against one of the strongest teams in the world. Not to make an excuse, of course. But maybe if we'd had a little more experienced defense... perhaps a little more cohesion with the defenders and midfield, we could have won that game."

He started to turn back to his book, then seemingly decided against it. "You know, Adrian, another thing which really interested me," he said. "The presence of females on their team. I mean, not that they were female. I mean, that they allowed women to compete in their international competition."

He paused.

"I mean, I had never really thought about the gender rules before coming to this Cup. Now I'm wondering if they're maybe not a little old-fashioned. If we had a greater talent pool to pick from... if we could break old traditions, maybe we'd be heading to the finals instead."

"Wow," Tolmeki said. "I... well, I gotta be honest. I never thought of it that way."

Daniel gave him a half smile. "Hey, well. I'm the captain, and it's my obligation to make sure we win. I'm just sorry... that I wasn't able to do that, this last match."

"Don't say that!" Tolmeki said. "Listen, you got us damn far. You put our name on the map. And I'll be honest... there are some guys on the team who are good. Me? I'm alright. Benlizar has some talent. Eries is pretty good, and Robel is pretty good for a kid. But you? You... outshine all of us. You're made to play, man. You have the moves."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Daniel said. "You've scored as many goals as I have this tournament." He glanced around and leaned in. "Seriously, though. Pierré really pisses me off. I mean, really."

Tolmeki looked at Daniel in surprise, and then laughed. "Yeah, he does that with everyone. Probably one of his better qualities, honestly."

"No, I mean. Pierré is a piece of shit. If a piece of shit had arms and legs, it would be Pierré." Daniel said, then sighed. "I mean, he has so much talent. Probably more than me. But it's all going to waste, because he couldn't hold down a responsibility to save his life."

"I don't know man,," Tolmeki said. "Beginning of this cup, I woulda agreed with you. Hands down. But he's changed. This whole thing has helped him, I think, seeing what success is really like. He cares now."

"I really hope so," Daniel said. "Oh well." He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his bald head. "I'm tired as hell. Who are we playing for the bronze again? I can't even remember."

"Geisenfreid," Tolmeki said. "Dunno who they are. It's been all Starblaydia, Starblaydia for the past couple of days. Damn." The memory of the game once again came flooding back, the heartbreaking 2-3 loss, Dolosovek's mad scramble, the reflection off the wrist, the header by Natrionne and the ball in the back of the net. And then the worst six minutes of his life, as they had pulled together everything they had to equalize and finally, inevitably, come short.

"One more match," he said.

"Agreed," Daniel said. "Let's go for the medal. I want some evidence, Adrian. Stone-cold evidence."

"Yeah," Tolmeki said. "I guarantee you, every man on this bus is thinking the same thing. 'cept Benlizar since he's napping. We got the most talented group of players since du-Lusavik. This'll launch us, man. A stand for our generation."

"And a strike for the Swiss?" Daniel said, grinning.

Adrian leaned back. "How about a wager? If I pick up more goals than you... you're buying drinks. And I'll buy them if you score."

Daniel looked at him. "Nice try, Adrian." he said. "But I'm a monk."

"Goddamn monks," Tolmeki said.

"Goddamn monks," Daniel agreed.

[Kiryu-shi]

A letter addressed to the individuals who make up the
Sakaino Athletic and Performance Arts Committee,

Thanks for your letter of support earlier, it is with my fullest gratitude that I write to you. To be honest, though, the politics of Kiryu-shi football are hard to care about from Starblaydia, especially since, as you know, we’re now preparing for the final match.

I have to say, it is difficult to comprehend exactly what I am doing. Trying to take down a Starblaydia squad fighting at home for the tournament that they run and they host - intimidating is a vast understatement. I hope that, regardless of the outcome, you will read this letter knowing that I have been trying my best.

Not that is has been easy. Are you familiar with the song entitled “Call us Starblaydi”? It apparently was recorded during the qualifications for the previous World Cup as an anthem to the Starblaydi football team, and well, as the tournament has progressed it seems like radio stations here have been getting more and more enthusiastic about playing it over and over. I swear, I need no more reason to win this match than to ensure that we don’t have to listen to that damned chorus rising up from the seats of the Stadii Di Bradini. I can’t imagine a torture so bad as having to listen to tens of thousand rabid fans yelling that score was craa-azy when the whistle blows. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t so infuriatingly catchy, either. I’ve even caught both Enéh d'Erdélyi and Megumi Harris humming it in just the last day.

Speaking of the team, though, I think it’s fair to say that they’ve proven themselves to be a fairly resilient squad, and they’ve bonded more than I would have thought possible. You know my fears, that without much supervision in this kind of a country that they would run wild every night… But to be honest, I think that most of them are pretty timid about exploring the night life here. It’s just so different than Kiryu-shi, I almost wish that they had taken more initiative to go out and explore the culture in whatever ways they could find. I’ve promised them a big party to close out the tournament, and used the leftover money from the discretionary budget to rent out a room in downtown Jhanna complete with a Starblaydi chef providing a full multiple course meal - of which I have not even seen the menu. But I feel like I’m more excited by that than they are.

In terms of talent, it is of no surprise that Lilly Yume has dominated the pitch most matches, it is clear that she will be part of the future of Kiryu-shi football. I know a lot of you were interested in Megumi Harris, and you’ve seen her play fairly well throughout this tournament, I’m sure. And I’ve been particularly impressed with her leadership throughout this trip. She has basically taken on a captain’s role, even with her age, making sure the team knows their responsibilities off the pitch, and being an amazing presence during training. I’m still unsure of her full ability on the field, however, as she has, at times, lost command of her defenders which has led to some pretty dicey situations. When Wolfgang Gerhardt, who, by the way, is a name to keep an eye out for in my opinion, was able to get a shot on goal in the 75th minute or so, it was because Megumi lost track of where Vince and Richard were playing, so that they both got caught in a vulnerable position moving away from the ball to mark the same player. While her athleticism enabled her to keep Geisenfried from making it a one-goal match, I’m still hesitant to say whether she’d be an upgrade for the next World Cup Qualifications. I’m afraid that, particularly against experienced opponents, her insecurities and hesitancy will condemn her to a game plagued by big mistakes in communications.

In terms of surprises, I’ve been let down by the performance of both Sato and Arai, who have both been liabilities in the midfield, giving up the ball way too easily and just playing significantly more carelessly than I would have hoped. They’re both talented enough to be threats, particularly Arai, but they have a long way to go before they will ever be effective 90 minute players for the national team. And Enéh simply doesn’t have the incredible talents of Tziganes, no matter how much we may compare the two players. Enéh simply doesn’t have the pure instinct that Tziganes had at such a young age, while she is good at what she does, we should be wary to temper the expectations that are placed upon her. On the other hand, Wendy Peterson has been incredible for this team, and while I think she doesn’t have the skill set to be a striker long-term, she should be in the midfield of any team representing Kiryu-shi. Her head for the game is incredible, the only thing she lacks for on the pitch is creativity and self-confidence. Once she gains that, and I think it’s only a matter of time, given her play thus far, she will be a force to be reckoned. I mean, if you rewatch her two goals against Geisenfried, you will see some tremendous football. She plays off of her teammates so well, and she can see openings and opportunities in extremely dense, cramped quarters without losing her cool. It is almost mechanical, the way she takes apart defending players. And the third goal, the one that Enéh put away, only happened because Wendy’s presence drew multiple defenders towards the left wing, and even though she only got the briefest touch on the ball, she started the sequence of passes that found Enéh against Nichol Amsel one on one.

Anyway, you can probably tell that I’m a little distracted from the situation at Kasakake right now. I have to say, I don’t exactly look forward to returning there at the moment. Looking ahead to the Starblaydia match seems a little bit more important right now. I know we don’t have the heroes from the last match against the Starblaydia youth squad, but they show a lot more promise this year than they did four years back, while I can’t say that our team is any more talented than our previous one. I’m hoping that grudges don’t last that long, that there are those in Starblaydia who look back on the squad that knocked them out last year with a kind of enduring respect. And maybe playing all three of our group matches in Jhanna left them with a good impression of us, and may mean that the audience will be slightly sympathetic toward our squad…

Well, here’s to hope, at least. I have to say that the prospect of coaching on the same field as FrJ. Father Juan the Fifth Takilan is more than slightly terrifying, and I may be distracting myself with fairly frivolous concerns rather than try to pretend I can match wits with someone like him. Really, can you imagine him doing the Raiigar, even at his age? I can only hope he stays on the sideline for that. As far as I know there is little to no precedent for a coach getting up for that.

Oh, and by the way, if you do happen to get this before the match is aired on television, I strongly suggest turning the sound down, I assure you that you will be extremely unhappy the moment you find yourself humming it’s cool to play in white, like Di Bradi-ni in a committee meeting. And yes, we will be playing in our all-black kits.

Your devoted friend,
with respect and admiration,
J.J. Erickson

[Starblaydia]

Final & 3PPO Scores
One shall stand. One Shall Fall. Two others will play a match, too.

Third-Place Match
3PPO: Free Swiss States 2-1 Geisenfried

Di Bradini Cup 24 Final
Final: Starblaydia 1-3 Kiryu-shi

Congratulations, Kiryu-shi!

[Free Swiss States]

Dear Adrian,
Mom was dancing last night after the game. It's the happiest I've seen her in a long time. We're all so very, very proud of you, I don't think you even realize. We couldn't get to sleep last night, because our neighbors decided to hold an impromptu toast to you. Do you remember Sigurd? He's 12 now, and he adores you. Oh, and I almost forgot the most important thing. Nicholas Jayet, yes, THE Nicholas Jayet gave us a call last night. He asked us to give you his best wishes, and to say that he is looking forward to playing on the national team with you.

Dad's doing all right. He's stable, at least. The doctors say they don't know if he'll wake up again. If he does, you'll be sure the first thing we tell him is that you're the biggest thing in the States since du-Lusavik. Do you know what they're calling you now? You might have heard this already, but you, Daniel Artémis and Pierré Benlizar have been christened "The Big Three." The only issue anyone has with you, as Dan explained to me, was that you chose not to play for Basil AC, and instead opted for some spiffy foreign club.

Speaking of which, I don't know how I'm going to deal with you being away forever. These past years have been hard enough, but now that I won't get to see you for months on end, well, I just want you to know we'll all miss you very badly. But don't mind me, I know that you're going to be big someday. Go out there and make some legends.

Your loving sister,
Nausicaa