World Cup 62 - The RP thread

by **Mytannion** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 2:38 pm

Leonti.

Rotan ran down the wing, how I'd have liked to have been in that position then, a footballer - playing for my hometown club. It was sometimes a lonely existence following a small club like Tekstilshchik Ibon, even if they were one of the better teams in the Third Division. Away trips to northern wastelands like Vysoki were quite fun at times, filling the away end to unbelievable extents. Today we were at home, though, Delchek Park was rocking. 12,000 fans inside, packed tightly.

This week, me and Dad were stood next to the away end. The corner was filled, the fans there were the hardcore, the FYC as they were known. The Firm. We could see them milling around, smoke filling the stand, all of them puffing away on their cigarettes. Some had lit up flares already, there was very few away fans there. It was ten minutes into the game and it seemed as if they had brought very few this week, Thessia Keltskaya normally would bring a big crowd... It was pretty much a local derby.

There was a bang in the away end. Smoke drifted throughout the away end and not just the thin, wispy smoke from the cigarettes in the corner. This was blue and black, it billowed through the stand. It was a smokebomb, quite obviously. No wonder they were late. The smoke crept ever closer to the pitch and that was when the real fireworks started. Flares were lit up, the smoke turned from blue-black to reddish-black, it was as if the away stand was on fire.

Through the smoke it could be seen that the few fans who were there at the start had multiplied to fill the whole stand. I glanced over to the FYC. Already I could see they were readying themselves for something. One lad was making his way down to the bottom of the stand.

I watched his progress, he was steadily moving down the steps, his leather jacket looked as if it had been taken straight from a designer from Cotdelapoms. He wore a mohair jumper under that and of course, the jeans that were ubiquitous with a Mytanar firm member. He turned towards the away end, the big fence separating the corner and the end was in his way.

The guy didn't seem too bothered however. The stewards seemingly ignored him. He walked straight towards the fence. He climbed it, sat on the top for a second and laughed. I looked around, no one else seemed to have noticed him. Not even Dad. I looked back to the guy on the fence, he was taking a drag on a cigarette as objects rained at him from the away fans. He didn't seem bothered.

He was laughing again. He looked down to the away fans and shouted something to them. He pulled something out of his pocket, it looked like a bottle or something. He lobbed it down and it smashed one of the away fans on the head. He fell over. The man jumped down, he didn't seem to care where he fell. He fell into a crowd of the away fans and whipped something out of his pocket, suddenly everyone was backing off. The rest of the FYC had joined him now though, climbing over the fence, finding ways through it and around it. It was one of the fights that were so heavily reported in the press.

The FYC were quickly laying into the Thessia Keltskaya lot, there was a massive brawl going on and already stewards and police were wading in to try and break it up. One guy was already on the floor, red stuff pooling around him. He'd probably been stabbed, stanley knives were common in football firms. It was an absolute riot at this point, with people who were probably not even affiliated to football firms getting involved, just normal people. It looked brilliant, the atmosphere and camaraderie between the people, one guy got knocked down and his mate immediately rushed over to help him up.

By now the police had begun to arrest people, you could see them in handcuffs, being carted off. Already people were jumping back over the fence or milling in with the away fans. I could see the lad who had started it all, he'd jogged over to where me and Dad were, he walked up the aisle next to me and I stared at him the whole way. He looked at me and kept my gaze. He walked past me, my eyes returning to the away end.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, it was the same guy again. He looked at me.

"What the fuck were you looking at?" He asked.

"I just-" I tried to start, but was quickly interrupted.

"You just what?" He replied, laughing. "You saw nothing, you hear?" He stared at me, I just nodded. He laughed and turned to walk off to the back of the stand. My Dad turned to me.

"Who was that young buck?" He asked, handing me a packet of crisps. Keeping his eyes on the action at all times.

"Ah.. I dunno Dad." I answered.

The game finished with out much other event, it was a 0-0 draw. The first twenty minutes had been the most exciting and it wasn't exactly for the football. Me and Dad went home, Myan was waiting for us there. She was beaming. I had no idea why, but she seemed to be on an absolute buzz. I didn't want to confront her, she had been in such a bad mood recently, no point changing that. She gave Dad his dinner, before coming out to the kitchen and bursting out in laughter.

"Wait and see what I got you!" She gushed. She grabbed my hand and proceeded to drag me out to the hallway and then upstairs whilst Dad watched the news.

"Myan! What're you doing?" I asked, laughing with her at the absurdity of her actions.

"Wait and see." She took me into my room. Hung up was a new pair of jeans and a Vasili Petrenko jacket. Myan pointed to the floor, at a brand new pair of 'trainies', as the lads called them. I was speechless. Questions ran around my head, how had she managed to afford these? Could she have stole them? What was it that was going on? She looked at me and laughed again. "Do you like them?"

"Myan, how...?"

"I saw you with your tongue wagging at the clothes them people wear, the FCY or whatever-"

"FYC." I replied.

"Fine, FYC. But yeah, I saw you, the clothes though - here you go." She said, handing me the jeans. "Try them on." And I did, I pulled my old jeans off - the ones that most firm members wouldn't be seen dead in, and put them on. They fit perfectly.

"Myan, these are perfect."

"See, I knew they would be! I don't understand why you want to get involved with them, but yeah - you can't say your little sister is never nice to you now!" She laughed.

I stood, watching the river flow by. It was chilly. The banks were already frosted over, parts of the river were frozen too, it was already cold up north. The council estates and factories of Ibon were still billowing their smoke out of the chimneys however, it was an industrial hub. I hated the place, I wanted to get out, especially with the political situation making us all poorer. It was genuinely horrendous. I wanted out.

I was dressed in my jeans, my 'trainies', my Vasili Petrenko cagoule. I felt like one of them now, one of the FYC. I knew they'd be here, they always walked past the council estates on their way to the pub. It sounded quite strange but I had studied them extensively, I knew what they did. I wanted their lifestyle, to get rid of the mundane trappings of everyday life working in an office, selling stuff for my uncle.

I saw them as they walked around the corner, it was amazing, they had command over the whole area - everything seemed to quieten as they walked past, the river seemed to flow slower, the wind seemed to die down. There was the guy who had told me that I hadn't seen anything at the game, this was the FYC. This was their group. There was a smaller guy with blond hair, a man with hair shaved at the sides and a flop of hair on the top, there was a couple of others. They were kicking something down the street, a stone or something. They were laughing and smoking.

They noticed me, leaning against the lamp post. The blond haired one said something and the rest laughed. There was six of them. The one who had talked to me at the game didn't though, he stayed quiet and kicked the stone down the street, his hands in the pockets of his duffle coat. He had a scowl on his face. The blond haired one glanced up at me and made another comment, a couple of them laughed this time. The others seemed more uncomfortable about it now. The blond haired one spat on the ground and then said something to them and he then turned and began to make a beeline for me.

I shifted uncomfortably, acting as if I hadn't noticed them, as if I'd just been staring at the river.

"Oi, who you waiting for you nonce?" The blond haired guy said.

"No one, mate." I replied, nervously.

"Look at you, what are you wearing them clothes for? You're not a hoolie."

"They're just clothes."

"You think you're a proper casual don't you?" He laughed. "Give me your coat now, you don't need one." I looked over to his mates. They were shifting uncomfortably, not wanting to be associated with this guy - as if six of them were ganging up on one 'scarfer', someone who wasn't a hooligan. The one who I had met at the match was beckoning the others to go with him. "Oi, don't you ignore me, I'll smash your face in."

"Look mate, you might think you're hard but look, your mates are going." I said. "Go on, move you silly twat." He scowled, sizing me up. He wouldn't be seen to be disrespected either, but his mates were leaving. He just glowered at me and went to follow them as I sniggered.

Alrik.

I was going out. A band were playing at the local club and I couldn't miss them, they were fantastic - and of course, live bands were even better than the records. It was time to have fun. A couple of days ago I had flogged some heads. It was all part of the lifestyle, I worked when I needed money, I spent the rest of the time using drugs, getting drunk and listening to music or fighting. It was all good fun though.

I had skinned up early today and the effects were still there, I was starving. I laughed with out any particular reason. I hadn't been able to afford all that much this time, maybe that's why I could still give so much insight into my own mind, even after smoking the weed.

I had to concentrate though, I had no idea how I was going to get into the club tonight. It was a ticketed thing, to try and make it more exclusive, it was all about being part of the scene now. Of course, I always found a way to keep up with the fashions, but affording poncy tickets for bands was a bit beyond me, I couldn't be bothered with that. Baby had asked if he could come with me, I'd told him straight. He's an idiot. He treated that lad from the football like shit. It wasn't fair. He was another who wanted to keep up with the scene, but he wasn't some wastrel from a council estate, that much was clear.

He wasn't running around with my lot anyway.

I could never remember really how or why I had got involved in the firm, it was all a bit of a blur. My life hadn't been made better by the government though, jobs were shut and I couldn't really be bothered with the normal life. I wanted to experience things. I wanted out of Mytannion, out of Ibon, away from here. They were a gang of idiots, that much was certain. I needed an outlet for my aggression though, the pent-up anger inside me needed to get out. This seemed like a good way.

I had nobody to talk to about my feelings though, about what I was. I needed to get the frustration of that out. I had always been into football, but the fighting side of it came with the drink and the drugs. Once I started getting drunk regularly, drugs followed... After that, I was introduced to all sorts of people. Radko and the rest. They channeled my anger into their line of work. That's what they actually called it, a 'line of work', it always made me chuckle. So what? They used me? I wasn't bothered, it helped me, it got my feelings out and it was the only time I felt happy, after smashing some southern ponce's face into the dirt.

Time to go. It would only be a short walk to the club. That was one of the main reason's I rented this property, it was near to the pubs and clubs that the good bands frequented. I loved it.

I was there in five minutes, the club already had a long queue gathering to get in. I joined the queue and tried to start thinking of how to get in. The queue gradually moved on and I still hadn't thought of a way to get in when I was only about five back from the bouncer. I turned to the left, looking back down the queue as someone brushed past me.

"Hey!" I shouted. I wouldn't allow anyone to jump the queue. He turned around. It was the lad from the football.

"Alright la'?" He asked, chuckling.

"Erm yeah, don't fucking jump the queue mate." I said, glaring at him.

"Look, you probably don't have a ticket, but neither do I. My uncle owns this place, come on, I'll get you in." He said. I laughed. He waved me past and I followed him as he nodded at the bouncer as we edged past and into the club. Inside it was smoky, I pulled a cigarette from my back pocket and groped around for a lighter. I couldn't find one. "Oi, here y'are." The guy said. I smiled.

"Cheers." I said. Lighting up. "Sorry for about what I said at the football mate. No hard feelings yeah?" I asked.

"Nah mate. Don't worry, I can understand. I was more bothered about your mate the other day." He laughed.

"Eh?" I asked, confused for a moment. Then realisation crept over me. "Oh yeah! Ah. He's a twat, I wouldn't worry about him." I replied.

"Aye, I dealt with him pretty well I think." He said. Before I could reply, he pointed to the stage. The band had came on. "Do you want me to get you a drink mate?" He asked.

"Go on la', pint of whatever." I said. The band had began to play by the time he had came back with the drinks, he passed me my pint as he sipped his own, his head nodding to the beat. "I didn't catch your name before mate.."

"Name's Leonti. You?" He replied.

"Alrik, mate." I said. We spent the night talking, Leonti seemed like a pretty sound guy. He liked the same music as me, he wanted out of Ibon, out of Mytannion as a whole. He tried to divert the conversation to the FYC time and time again, but he wasn't the sort for that. He was too normal, he couldn't get involved and throw away his life on getting arrested at away games. He had prospects. He probably thought I was an all out hooligan, if only he knew the real reasons. I laughed to myself every time. Oh, it'd be a pretty sure thing that he wouldn't continue the conversation.

A couple of hours later, after the band had finished their set we began the walk home. Leonti was sat on a bench. I leaned on a wall, and lit a cigarette.

"You're pretty interested in the lads I knock around with, aren't you?" I asked.

"The FYC." He said. This took me by surprise, he knew more than I thought he would. I thought he'd be some fairly well-to-do lad who had no idea about the hooliganism in football, really.

"You what?" I replied.

"The FYC? I seen you remember."

"That weren't me mate.." I said.

"Bu- but the fight at the footy?" He protested.

"That weren't me." I said. "Look, Leonti. They're baddies that lot la', a nice lad like you doesn't want to be playing out with naughty boys like them. Trust me la'." I said, in the most patronising tone I could muster. I chuckled. He wasn't impressed. We walked around aimlessly. We ended up beside the river again.

We skimmed stones and kicked water at each other, it was like my old mates when I was little. It was all good fun. We had a laugh.

"It's fucking gorgeous la'." I said, looking at the water flowing by.

"What?" He asked.

"The river you div." I said. "I'd love to get out me." The wind was whipping up, my hair was blowing all over the place.

"Where?" Leonti asked.

"So many questions Leonti la'. I dunno, anywhere." I paused. "Bartewick."

"Bartewick?" He queried.

"I dunno.. Iturributa. Just anywhere. Just out of here." I stopped again. "Out of this... Wouldn't you?" I asked.

"Big sky man." He replied, vaguely.

Leonti.

It had been weird. Meeting Alrik, the rest of it.

"Serious mate. I just want to go, most people live here all their lives and stay low. But that's not me mate." He said. I wasn't sure how to reply. He chuckled. "Have you got far to go?"

"Nah mate, I live just down the road." I said. He smiled and punched my arm, turning to walk off. He laughed again and turned around, pointing to the sky.

"Big sky man." He laughed as he walked off.

As I said, it was weird. He, was weird. But whatever, I was in with Alrik. Alrik and the FYC.

by **Wight** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 2:47 pm

by **Darmen** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:21 pm

Darmen dominates after dropping first match

After dropping the first match of the qualifying campaign, the All Greens have bounced back tremendously, and are looking forward to their match tonight against Gangnam. Tor Tong Lee has been in excellent form over the three games, scoring seven of Darmen's twelve goals, and adding two assists to his name as well.

Darmen kicked off its qualifying campaign with a disapointing 2-3 defeat to the ~~hands~~ hoofs of Equestrian States. Despite a start to be remembered, in which Bryan Faulkner scored in the fourteenth minute, and Lee in the 26th, the All Greens' defense couldn't hold their opponents off, and Darmen droped three points it could easily have taken. Darmen rebounded quickly, defeating fellow Rushmori nation Weatherdon, by the tremendous score of six to one. Tor Tong Lee scored a hat trick, while Faulkner, Roberto Gregio, and Luca Cormio each added a goal of their own. The defense played much better than they had in the previous match, not allowing a goal until the 78th minute.

Darmen's third qualifying match was against United Gordonopia. The two teams had only one previous meeting, during the Group Stage of the 53rd Cup of Harmony, one that Darmen would finish in second place. The previous meeting had ended with the score of 4-1, in favor of Darmen. The two teams second meeting wasn't far off, with a final score of 4-0, once again in favor of Darmen. Tor Tong Lee scored his second hat trick of the qualifying campaign, while Nicky Salapu scored his first ever goal for the All Greens coming off the bench.

Tor Tong Lee has been nominated by the Darmeni Soccer Federation to become a member of the World XI team, stating that he exemplifies what a "true footballer" should be, both on the field and off. "Aside from calling Timo Skye a saint, Lee has done nothing wrong," stated President of the DSF and former All Greens Manager, Georges Thomas. "Lee is a true gentleman, I wouldn't want anybody else, save for Zach Preston, to be captain of the All Greens."

When asked what Lee brings to the table in skill, Thomas replied, "The man has three things going for him. Confidence, Determination, and Devoution. He believes he can do anything and everything, he tries to do anything and everything, and believes in his supporters. Besides that, he's fast, has an eye for the goal, and the kick of a Rhino. His fitness is spectacular, and he rarely gets tired. He's got great ball control, and is able to cross well after being pushed out wide by a rather lucky defender."

Meanwhile, Mikael Gibbons failed in his appeal attempt, and the Supreme Court upheld its' own decision to bar Gibbons from returning to Darmen. His three sons, Aaron, Abraham, and Jake, have decided to move to Turori, and Gibbons expects his sons to apply for citizenship and become future members of the Turori National Team. The three brothers have also accepted an offer from Kionao Locals, a Turori club, to play domesticly in the Island Emirate.

OOC: The above is a nomination of midfielder Tor Tong Lee, aged 25, for the World XI.

by **Aguazul** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:28 pm

La Verdad

Finishing the hat

Following Arturo Benavides' hat trick against Apox, sources close to the Alianza Ciruelas striker report unease on how or if to tell him that the game ball was not switched at halftime.

"It had been a quiet first half," fellow forward Juan Mario Pedroso recollected, "and I was just impressed by how their defense had been playing. And he was being tense, sure, but I figured he was just exhausted because we'd been working hard but for nothing. And then he starts snapping about how the ball is like curving the wrong way or something. I was just like, dude, shut up, so he did."

Ines Rebuelta had been unconcerned about the slow start. "I liked the way we were playing and so I didn't push too hard at halftime, just gave people a chance to rest. Sure enough, when we started out, it seemed much like the first half. Apox were playing extremely well and we were just doing our job, waiting for a chance.

And, you know what, it was just like the first half. That was the thing."

With the lineups unchanged for the second half, Benavides opened with a goal. After Celia Rimoldi assisted Diego Héctor Carranza on Aguazul's second, Benavides added another two minutes later. In the second minute of stoppage time, he would complete the hat trick. which Benavides immediately credited to referee John Prado introducing "an actual legit ball, like the old way."

"I just didn't know what to do," said Rebuelta. "I mean, I guess this is the point where we're supposed to say no, it wasn't your ball or your lucky cleats or the lucky whatever the heck else you carry around with you, you had the skill inside yourself all along. Except, like, this is what you say to the plucky benchwarmer on your under tens team. Not the striker who's a Super Cup champion."

"It's just been awkward," said Alfonso Ordoñez. "I mean, you sort of don't want to give him any reason for stuff to go to his head. Hat tricks, they don't happen every day. That he's being humble about it is nice. But all the same, it's the kind of thing we wish we could celebrate, so that he's being so cool about it is sort of aggravating."

"Like, if you're going to downplay it, call the ref a homer or something," Pedroso suggested. "I mean, he sort of was a homer, but we would have won anyway. Claim he was related to Lucas or something clever. Make something up about how God wanted you to win instead of, like, just wanting a fair and nice game like normal. It's always the ball this and the ball that."

Captain Gascon Amatrian took it in stride. "I'm just used to dealing with this from Ciruelas, I guess. Sure, it's awkward, but at least we did win. Let's face it, as bad as he gets, it's even worse when he actually has something worth complaining about."

by **Blouman Empire** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:36 pm

THE DAILY REVIEW

EAGLES WIN FIRST POINTS

The Golden Eagles performed their best game of the campaign so far securing a 1-1 draw with top seed Mytannion. In a match where Mytannion were the clear favorites the Eagles spurred on by a home crowd held Mytannion to a goal a piece that is sure to throw a spanner in the works in the top half of the table. The Eagles showed how good they really are and played to a high performance taking the game to Mytannion and scoring an early goal off the boot of Briggs-Way that shocked the visiting team. The visitors didn't stay a goal down for long equalizing in the 30th minute. The rest of the game was a tit-for-tat affair with both sides having shots at goal. The final 10 minutes saw a resurgence from the visitors and also exposed the lack of fitness within the Blouman team, however, the defensive line held strong and managed to keep the score at 1-1 to give the Eagles their first points of the campaign.

Manager Harry Malsomp was pleased with the score and the performance of his players "Tonight we saw what we can achieve, to hold a top 20 side to a draw is a remarkable achievement, and gong forward we should expect to see some wins this campaign". Captain Briggs-Way also congratulated the team for their draw "The game was a fair game and I think the score was deserved, this is the best the team played and we will be maintaining this momentum".

by **Falconwhereveryouare** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:41 pm

The Eagle's Eye
GET YA NEWS HERE
SPORTS
Boredurinagame

By Otis Birmingham

As the title shows, this was one of the more pedantic displays of football I've seen in a while. The Falcons where completely mailing it in and still won comfortably. Bordurian seemed to have a lot of trouble just organizing themselves; their defenders could not get their coverage tight enough in the first thirty minutes and even the lacklustre play from the Falcons was enough to see a thundering 3-0 lead form. McClain punted a high, arcing kick that flew over most of the defenders--Tadeusz Mrożek had a shot to jump and head it away, but didn't get a good hop and missed it by three inches--and bounced in front of the goal before going in. The Bordurian keeper, Stanisław Szymborski, was a good half a metre away from the ball for no reason. Then Baez found a wide open path straight up the middle and took it down himself, a short shot in the corner more than Szymborski could handle. Then the same exact thing happened. It was really ridiculous to watch; Baez at a light trot somehow easily staying ahead of Bordurian defenders running at full tilt. Suppose there must be some magic to him, being in the top 3 for Astograthian Player of the Year three years running. The Falcons didn't feel much like pressing the attack after that, but Stowe took a wrong turn and accidentally took out Ewald Cebula in the box. He made the penalty with ease to get Bordurian on the board, but that was it for them. Full time rolled around with the score firmly planted at 3-1.

In Group 12 news, The Holy Empire took a completely expected 1-0 win over Allandium to remain in first. Arcadian Islands confirmed Cevalo Nacio as the group's whipping boys, though the Cevalos have had their deficit in each game reduced over the first three matches. The most surprising result was Western Cuba's 5-2 whipping of Cosumar, which is good news for us: it makes the race for second much closer, and we have a much better shot at beating the Cubans than the Cosumarans. The next match for the Falcons should be relatively easy--they'll be away at the struggling Allandium team.

by **Mesoland** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:51 pm

MBC Sports News
Coverage of the LXII World Cup in Carpathia-Ruthenia and Astograth

FIVE GOAL THRILLER SEES MESOLAND EMERGE VICTORIOUS

Mesoland 3
Vava 7, Nukaba 89, 90+1

Soviet Canuckistan 2
Peters 45+3, Wasney 84

A late goal rush saw Mesoland defeat Soviet Canuckistan in one of the most enthralling games of the qualifiers so far. Canuckistan, who rank 16 places above Mesoland, were unlucky to lose out to the bluebirds after a late John Wasney deadlock-breaker looked to seal the game for the Soviets. Nobody had bargained on Beritata Nukaba charging and scoring two late goals, however, and last night's man of the match was greeted by a pitch invasion from some several thousand Mesoland fans who had packed into Tabarak's Pekolé Stadium to watch the game yesterday evening.

Both sides had the odd chance or two in the first few minutes of the game, however Mesoland were determined not to allow the Soviets to settle into a rhythm; the blues did their best to interrupt play, and it eventually paid off after some decent defending saw off a dangerous Soviet attack. The clearance from John François landed a few yards in front of Vava, who picked up the ball in the 'D', went one on one with the keeper and chipped him with ease, the ball rattling agonisingly slowly over the goal line. The Soviet keeper, Vaclav Sinopov, received a yellow card for booting the ball into the stands after the goal had been given.

The Soviets immediately fought back, Sorbeil making several good runs up the flanks for the maple-leafs. Mesoland's defence held tight, though, and the blues were able to use the Soviet advances as ideal moments to strike counter-attacks, Nukaba hitting wide twice on counters, his own sheer pace tripping him up a little. In the last minute of first-half stoppage time, the Soviets struck. Ugadu had strayed from his left-back position and made a reckless challenge on Rolokiev, receiving a yellow card for his conduct. The free-kick was taken just centimetres from the edge of the penalty box, and Rolokiev hit it hard and accurately, the ball swishing past both the wall and keeper to equalise.

The first 40 minutes of the second half were a relentless, yet exciting game of ping pong, the bluebirds and the maples almost taking it in turns to have shots on goal. It all went pear shaped for Mesoland late on. Desperate not to drop any more points, Bert Giazanba brought on the in-form Balotelli after 82 minutes for the captain Nazakofye, who had performed well that evening. Typical to his style, Balotelli received a yellow card for shoving Mahmoud Al-Beq, and just moments later, Wasney had broken throught the Meso back-line and fired one into the bottom right corner of the net.

Meso fans began streaming out of the stadium, a good portion of the 37,981 of them gone before the game had hit 85 minutes. Giazanba threw on JJ Lukaka in place of Vava, and brought Bahazio on for Schmitt in an attempt so salvage at least a point from the game. All it would take was a moment of magic, and a moment of magic was indeed produced.

Bahazio took the ball on the right wing from a well-aimed goal kick and dribbled on for thirty yards, before playing the ball into the feet of Miaku. Miaku beat two defenders midway inside the Soviet half before curling a through-ball into space. Nukaba latched onto the pass at a tight angle inside the Soviet box, rounding three defenders and the keeper to tap the ball off the post and into the back of the goal. The comeback was on.

Mesoland's final goal came about in the first of two minutes of stoppage time. Balotelli took the ball from the centre circle to the 'D', where he played a little pass into Nukaba who curled the ball stylishly into the top right corner, the whole stadium erupting into a hubub of noise and celebration, any jeering from the Soviet fans easily drowned out by the sheer might of the Meso voices booming around the ground. The game was just about able to finish, before thousands of Meso fans started spilling onto the pitch in celebration, a group of them lifting their 'hero', Nukaba, onto their shoulders and parading him around the field. Order was eventually restored to the fans, and the stadium finally emptied three hours post-match.

Mesoland have now taken six points from three games after last week's win away to The Jahistic Unified Republic, and sit fourth in group eight, going ahead of Soviet Canuckistan with this vital home victory. The blues next face Fanchnopolis away in what should be a fairly simple victory for Mesoland, yet as we know, and as was proved last night in Tabarak, football is not a simple game: anything can happen, at any time and anywhere on the field.

All World Cup and CoH news and results can be found on the MBC website, http://www.mesolandbc.mz, under the sports section. Article by Jonjo Tikali.

by **Karditan** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 3:59 pm

Part 1

"Excellent!" said the man in the Fedora. "Go to Mriono's Bar down on Vloga Avenue tomorrow at noon to meet your teammates. The first practice will probably be shortly thereafter, so wear something you can move around in."

Havr looked down at his worn-out and mildly torn blue jeans, his stained polo shirt, and brown bomber jacket. "I think this will be fine."

"Whatever fits you best. I have seen guys play soccer in full suits. I, personally, can't bear to have anything more than a t-shirt and bike shorts on when running that much. Now, I must bid you farewell." The man tips his Fedora and starts to turn.

Havr held out his right hand. "Wait! Could I have your name?"

The hatted man gave a quick glance back. "Why, of course not; its mine, after all." He then disappeared into thin air; not a puff of smoke to speak of. Just gone.

"...perhaps I should lay off the Vodka." Havr scratched his chestnut-brown stubble as he closed the door. "Now I suppose something must be done for Rodery. It would not be right to leave him in this state."

Grabbing a relatively clean cloth from the sink and wetting it, he set about softening the blood around the cleaver so removal wouldn't be too gory. The shlurp of the not-quite-stiff-but-not-exactly-soft flesh as it exited made his stomach jump, just a bit. Living a life like his desensitized him pretty well, but there are some natural reactions you just can't shake. Some quick scrubbing to remove most of the visible blood made the corpse look decent enough. A grunt and a heave later, Rodery's body was in the trunk of Havr's lemon. Sure, it couldn't go faster than 20mph, but it had plenty of torque. Essentially a tractor in the shape of a car. The trunk was lined with plastic for situations exactly like this. It was a short drive to the Volvek household. Rodery had walked to and from his shop every day since it opened. He found cars an unnecessary, expensive convenience. Havr wondered how he'd explain this to Samantha.

by **Equestrian States** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:00 pm

ESPN: Equestrian Sports Programming Network
High Soarin’ Injured Again in Blowout Loss
By Steve McNotapony

QAZOX CITY - It was a night to forget. The Equestrian States lost by a record-setting score of 6-2 last night in Qazox City. Not since World Cup 58 had the Equestrians lost by such a lopsided tally. To make things worse, the Equestrian goalkeeper High Soarin’ was knocked out of the game in the 24th minute with a head injury suffered while trying to block Qazox’s Sebastian McCoy from scoring. He was replaced by rookie backup keeper Gentle Breeze, who will likely start the next few matches for the Equestrian team as High Soarin’ recovers from his injury.

Qazox started and finished the match strong. From the first whistle, it was obvious that the Equestrians were going to have their hooves full trying to stop Qazox’s powerful offense. But for the first twenty minutes or so, the Ponies held back the tide. Brooke Chen’s 19th minute score would poke the hole in the dam that would lead to the total collapse of the Equestrian defense. Five minutes later, High Soarin’ was carried off the field with the score 2-0.

Gentle Breeze held strong for ten minutes before her inexperience began to show. In a three minute span, Qazox would score twice to essentially end any shred of hope the Equestrians had for pulling off the upset. But following the half, head coach Twilight Striker refused to pull any of her players. Whether or not this was a mistake was soon irrelevant as Daniel Spaatz punched the fifth goal of the night by Gentle Breeze’s outstretched hooves.

At this point, Qazox’s players were substituted out for some of their reserves. Seeing an opportunity to make the score more respectable, the Equestrians went on the offensive. Fire Dash and Cloudchaser would both score, bringing the deficit down to three. It would still have been the worst Equestrian loss since Civil Citizenry won 5-2 in the Cup of Harmony 52 group stage, but it was respectable considering the gap in rank and experience between the two squads. Only four minutes after Cloudchaser’s goal, Qazox brought an end to the short-lived Equestrian counteroffensive with a header by Ariel Carver into the lower left corner of the net.

When the final whistle blew, the Equestrians could only hang their heads as they trudged from the field. After such a horrific loss, the Equestrian States will look to beat up on East Shippensburg on the road.

by **Kinitaria** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:01 pm

There's the final whistle, Kinitaria have secured a crucial victory, a 2-0 win against West Zirconia in what was - even at this early stage of qualification - a must-win clash for Kristijan Evinov's men. Two fine goals won it for them, Luka Sabčot grabbed his fifth in four matches with a well-taken strike from just inside the penalty area which left Mike Chapman with no chance, and with West Zirconia just threatening to find a way back into the game, Kristijan Preda made things safe with a curling free-kick from 25 yards that dipped beyond the reach of the stranded goalkeeper. Kinitaria were by far the better side going forward, with the visitors offering very little in attack besides a few half-chances early on, and if Kinitaria had been firing on all cylinders, the scoreline could very well have been greater than two.

Coming up next, yet another must-win game (there seemed to be a lot of them these days) against Yesopalitha, who will almost certainly be Kinitaria's main rivals for qualification. Both sides are unbeaten in their opening three games, although the Flames' record is blotted somewhat by a 2-2 draw with the Javahe Islands. Both teams rely on fast, counter-attacking football and a midfield battle looks like being a key factor in deciding this game - Kinitaria will be hoping for a solid performance from the central midfield pairing of Naoumov and Preda, who have impressed so far in this qualification campaign. The vast Sacred Heart can accommodate 144,000 fans, so the atmosphere will no doubt play a factor, and it's up to the Kinitar players to rise above that and silence the packed home crowd. Meanwhile, Evinov had the task on his hands of preparing his squad to go out and play out of their skins once more.

And so, they came to be watching a rerun of their opponents' 2-2 draw with the Javahe Islands.

"They give away cheap free-kicks really easily, you can see that," explained Evinov. "We've got to get stuck in, press high up the field and harass them for every ball. Try to draw the foul. Anything can happen from a free-kick. This keeper, he's decent enough with one-on-ones, but he can't keep them out forever. Push up, make sure you're always breathing right down their necks, we've got to be just as physical as they are, we know we can be better than them. We beat Krytenia, and that was a magnificent performance, there's no reason you can't go out there and do the same again. And they will try to spring the counter on you, so make sure we keep the back line well-guarded. Hold your line, watch the runners coming through - I want you to mark your men - and don't try to play the damn offside trap, because we know what happened last time we did that."

Meanwhile, expectation was peaking in Kinitaria. Thousands of visiting supporters were making their way to Yesopalitha, decked out in their scarves, flags and banners (and, indeed, some carrying smoke bombs). The general line of thought was that this could be the year Kinitaria made it to the World Cup finals for the first time. This crucial group tie in Yesopalitha would go a long way to deciding that, but one thing's for sure - whatever the result, they had an army of loyal fans backing the team all the way to Yesopalitha, and after the match, win, lose or draw, these fans would descend upon the bars of their host nation.

A nation was ready to face its footballing future.

by **Carpathia and Ruthenia** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:40 pm

RP CUTOFF FOR MATCHDAY FOUR

Scores for the day can be found here

by **Conclespia** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 5:09 pm

"It's just not good enough," Blue Thunder had roared when the team descended into the locker rooms, the atmosphere sullen and the players dejected after that bitter loss against the Hutt River. "We absolutely dominated the game. Created dozens of chances. That, I'll give to ya, Ryan, Lightning Bolt, Daniel and Canyon Storm. But what happened to your finishin', yea? Totally wasteful. We blundered those sweet opportunities. And what happened when we were caught on the break? Daniel, Headstrong, Ben, Thomas, where were ya? The only two people I saw back for that last goal were Ethan and Blade Runner. Imagine that. A four on two. No chance.

And with that last word, he had sent the team from the Permafrost Arena back to the Laardite Grounds, the modern, state-of-the-art training facility that was home to players from the most talented stars in the Premier League to aspiring youth seeking a career in football. With the bitter taste of defeat still hanging above their heads, the players had silently retreated to their rooms, preparing for the flight ahead. Except for one particular defensive midfielder, who had made his way out of the complex and into the summer night.

Daniel Saegerson quietly stalked alongside the coast, dotted with palm trees that shivered as a warm, summer breeze snaked through the beach. The roaring waves gleamed white in the light coming from a round moon, and the player zipped up his jacket and began his late-night jog, the events of the past match still swirling inside his head as he made his way down the beach. It was his misplaced pass that had gone straight to the Hutt River defender, his failure to get back and help his defense that was so horribly exposed by the breakaway, his fault that the opposition had scored the winning goal when they had had the game in their grasps...

The young, brown-haired midfielder stopped his jog and slowed to a dejected saunter, whistling in frustration while looking at the Grounds, a modern, beautiful complex that sat on a grassy hilltop overlooking the beach. So much had been spent on the team, so much was expected of them, the burden of playing for the nation and it's people rested solely on his shoulders, and just for a moment Daniel wondered, Am I meant to be here?

He scoffed, shaking his head. Of course he was. He had 47 international caps, for crying out loud. One crappy game wasn't going to change anything. After all, the team still had a bunch of games to play and it wasn't like their dreams of qualification were crushed. But still, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that the team's loss was all on him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a burst of dubstep that erupted out of the pocket of his track pants. Grabbing his smartphone out, the design resembling a sliver of ice, he tapped the green "accept" button on the display, raised the phone to his right ear, and asked, "Hello?"

It was Diana, his high school sweetheart the warm sound of her voice music to his ears. "It's me."

Although he usually would have smiled, Daniel just replied, "Oh. Hi."

"You feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that you did a pretty good job out there. It's not just me saying it. The entire Sorrenson Street's talking about you. I walked past the Pilgrim's Lodge the other day and overheard a conversation between two guys, talking about how you'd bounce back after that one unlucky game."

Daniel wasn't even moved. "I sure hope so, Diana."

Her voice came out sternly, like a hammer hitting on an anvil. "Hey, listen to me, alright? One game isn't going to change anything. I don't know what your coach told you, but there are still three games left in this round and an entirely new one coming up. A loss is a loss. We all have them. Move on from it."

The midfielder finally smiled, saying, "You know you sound really hot when you say that, right?"

He heard a laugh out of the other end. "Only too many times."

The mood instantly shifted back to a shade of gray, however, as the upcoming match against Trimorii popped up in his head. "I'll be sure to remember that. Match tomorrow, remember?"

"Who wouldn't know?"

Daniel nodded to himself. "Wish me luck, yeah?"

There was a moment of silence. "You'll need it." And then she was gone.

by **Maklohi Vai** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:22 pm

The Wakai Inquirer

Maklohi Vai [0] - [1] Ko-oren

"We just got outplayed today. There's no excuse for what happened. We just didn't execute our flow how we wanted, and that ultimately doomed us. No excuses for today," said forward Tumo Makanopalani, expressing his disappointment after the game. The game was definitely one where the score was not reflective of the actual play on the field. The Vaian team allowed the goal by Ko-orenite striker Koyane Shiribeshi in the 15th minute, but throughout the game appeared disjointed and out of sync. Coach Rimolanao Lomokanapai commented, "We had our system in place, and when we execute, it works. Today was just a problem of not executing. We didn't give our all."

Some in particular have called out midfielder Runokunao Palatai, whose lackluster effort allowed the Ko-orenite goal and other attacks over the course of the game. Team analyst Molonao Pukalomani had this to say, "Palatai definitely gave a subpar effort. He was slow off the ball and didn't make his reads. His passes weren't crisp and he seemed very out of sync. I know he's a better player than that, but a performance like this can be brutal for moral later on if it isn't handled correctly."
Palatai allowed one reporter to visit with him, and only for a couple minutes. Palatai acknowledged that "I was out of sorts. It's a one time occurrence, and it won't happen again." In a longer interview with the press, coach Rimolanao Lomokanapai summarized, "I know he's a better player. He's one of the best we have. I'll have a talk with him, and he'll be ready for the next game."

Post match, analyst Pukalomani discussed the ramifications on the Vaian's qualifying campaign: "We are on the verge of dropping out of contention. We were obviously huge underdogs coming in, but it looked OK with the two ties to start things off. It's going to be a very tough road against some very tough teams. We could still squeak by with 6 wins, but that's not very likely either. It's got to be one game at a time from now on, or else there won't be a tomorrow."

With that, let's take another look at the group.

Equatorial Sarmen (106)
Wins needed 1/7
Wins needed 2/7

The Archregimancy (30)
Draws completed 1/3
Loss expected

Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (2)
Draws completed 2/3
Loss expected

Neuseeland (306)
Loss completed
Wins needed 3/7

Ko-oren (59)
Draw needed 3/3
Loss completed

The Holy Temple of Bacon Strips (231)
Wins needed 4/7
Wins needed 5/7

Geisenfried (112)
Wins needed 6/7
Wins needed 7/7

Due to this prediction, the Vaians almost need to win out. With four done and 10 to go, the team needs to win 7 and draw one. There is such a little chance of that happening that we won't even calculate it.

This has been Lomo Woparalani for The Wakai Inquirer, Kolo Lahi, Maklohi Vai

by **Qazox** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:59 pm

(ooc to my opponent: If there is anything here that you disagree with, TG me before the next cutoff, and I will change it)

Hello once again NSverse 1.0 (if you are not currently located within NSverse 1.0, please insert the correct NSverse version as appropriate for your local spatial-linear time frame), I'm Dr. John Laeter of the University of Qazox (Qazox City). As stated before, I am allowing unprecedented access to historical spatial-linear time frames other than the main one your specific nation resides in currently for research in historical and/or sociological differences between different spatial-linear time frames of your nation. While many might dismiss this as nonsense, I will offer up an alternate version of Qazox for all to peruse at their leisure. Last night, the Qazox national football team drew with Weatherdon by the combined average score of 2-2, with an acceptable 0.0001% margin of error. A truly stunning result, as in over 48.3% of the universes found, Qazox had won by at least 2 goals. But I'm not here to talk about that. Weatherdon's history suprisingly, leads to the same conclusion in both our SLT, and the alternate we are looking at today.

Weatherdon; 743 BCE
Weatherdon founded by Phoenicans.

RESULT:

Weatherdon; 743 BCE
Weatherdon founded by Etruscans.

RESULT:

QAZOX SPORTS
Eagles stifled by a Dwarf.

A team record setting 7 yellow cards, and record-tying 2 red cards were handed out to Eagles players, as ASMV's leading referee, Turnok Flamebeard called the game so close to the rules, that the little @#$%^&! might have written them. After getting out to an early 2-0 lead, with goals from Quentin Rashaad (18th) and Marsha Tanner (25th); Qazox looked like they were on their way to another dominating victory. But the tides of the match changed in the 34th minute when Marsha Tanner was given a yellow card for bumping into a Weatherdon forward on a throw-in. Flamebeard would show Juila McDaniels (d); Daniel Spaatz (31 yrs. old); Quentin Rashaad (21 yrs. old); and Brooke Chen all before haltime for infractions such as (respectively): Backtalking the referee, cursing, cursing, and tripping. Coach Carpenter talked with the referee on the way to the locker room, but to no avail. With in the first 5 minutes, Marsha Tanner was sent off with her 2nd yellow card of the day, after a Weatherdon player flopped after a small shove. Daniel Spaatz received a red card just 4 minutes later, as he cursed out Flamebeard after he was drug down in the penalty area, with no foul called. Now up a man, Weatherdon began to shift the tide of the match into their favor; but it wasn't until Juila McDaniels (D) was sent off with a red card in the 65th minute for an inadvertent elbow that the momentum completely left Qazox. The ensuing Penalty Kick cut the lead in half, and down to 9 men, Qazox was forced to play back. In the 88th minute, the 7th yellow card, and 2nd red card were given to Sebastian McCoy and Harley Rose, respectively. McCoy got a yellow for another swearing attack; while Rose was sent off for a high kick to the upper chest of Weatherdon's forward. Still down by 1 goal, but up 3 players, Weatherdon sent everyone forward, and just seconds into injury time, Eve Wallace just missed a blistering shot from 16 yards out and the match was tied. Qazox will next head back home to face United Gordonopia @ Ganja Vodka Stadium in Fromburg.

by **Lymantatia** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:07 pm

http://thefootballguy.bloghost.co.lym
Lymantatians win another match in WC62
The Lymantatian football team won another match! Jacques DeLamielleure scored two goals and prevented Westros' defensives from seeing it coming!
If Lymantatia were to play a match against Astogarth or Carpathia and Ruthenia, what would happen?
Both wins: 99,155,295
Win against Astogarth and Lose to C&R: 133,194,002
Win against C&R and Lose to Astogarth: 13,300,502
Lose to Both: 15,914,244
No clue: 210,366,001

by **Free South Califas** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:11 pm

The Pasadena Worker
"Always 1:15 credit hour at respectable shops"

FOOTBALL SHOP TALK
Cokan stonewalls on Ceh's hat trick

FONTANA, San Bernardino County - Califas goalkeeper Zlato Cokan, of Chula Vista (San Diego County), salvaged three desperately-needed points with a clean sheet performance riding on a thrilling, confident hat trick by the Long Beachian, Bela Ceh, the sole Harvest Mouse abroad, at Dwile Central of Apox. The ⁹⁵Harvest Mice crunched ²⁶⁵Charruterra, 3-0, in the first meeting in any sport between the two nations.

Osarian manager Oswaldo Garabona's new lineup did the trick for the Mice, who looked increasingly desparate after an 0-2-2 opening stretch that could have easily been 2-1-1. Thousand Oaks keeper Christine Gonzalez started WCQ62 in net, but lost the job after giving up 10 goals, some of them embarrassing at High Heels. Garabona was said to be pandering to voters by adopting a less experimental system in name, while encouraging the side's more experienced players to break ranks and play with the fluid improvisation they are accustomed to from 'El Metodo', known internationally in the anglophone world as "The Califas Method".

After the game, Garabona was quick to remind the press that while Zlato Cokan is battle-tested, the best WCQ test is not necessarily ²⁶⁵Charruterra. Cokan will start again, with the lineup otherwise unchanged, for the away game at ³²⁴Birolika, the bottom-ranked team in Group 5. He will also likely play in the Boring Paradise friendly, and Garabona says that he will evaluate Cokan's performance in all three games before deciding who to put up against ⁵Eura at the Rose Bowl, then the grudge match at ³⁸Phoenigetuzstha, the latter of whom are said to be infuriated by the 2-2 draw at Mission Valley Stadium in MD2. Technically, it is still possible to achieve the original goal, 7-3-4, or even briefly surpass it at 7-4-3; but that would take a measure of discipline and focus that would show a marked improvement in the Harvest Mice, drawing against Phoenigetuzstha (agian) and West Angola and losing only to Eura. In fifth place, the Mice are very much alive, but for how long?

by **Azox** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:32 pm

Metropolis, Valladares.:

John Holsten: Cody Cerna's just horrible in net. When is Gao gonna get cleared to play, at least she's somewhat decent.

Abby Dearborne: She'll be ready to go for the Milchama match on Sunday.

John Holsten: I know that we were going to struggle this campaign, but to not have scored a goal in any of the three losses? Unacceptable.

Abby Dearborne: I don't know what I or Jay Holland could do. We can't change our roster, and too be honest, the starters we have are our best shot.

John Holsten: I know, I know. Is my sister going to be there for the Milchama game?

Abby Dearborne: Not that I can find, her private box was "rented" to the Princess again.

John Holsten: Well, at least we'll have home advantage, right?

SCORING:
Valladares: Jean-Pierre de Roux (25' and 36'); Yoan Gignac (40'); Miguel Flórez (66'); and Jefferson McAllister (85')

by **Gaveo** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:07 pm

"Hello ladies and gentlemen I am Victor Moreno and this is Football Report."
*que house music with logo*
"So we lost again..."
*booing*
"At home..."
*booing*
(Random Male) "Where is the coach!?!"
(Random Male II) "Yeah!"
*cheers*
"T-The score was Gaveo [0] - [2] Boring Paradise ."
*booing*
"We lost to a good team but again we have yet to score, Maria show the chart..."
*booing*

  Group 16                              Pld   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 The Sylvanaes Queendom                  4   4   0   0   13    6    7    12
2 Leorudo                                 4   3   0   1    7    1    6     9
3 Boring Paradise                         4   2   0   2    8    8    0     6
4 Osarius                                 4   2   0   2    4    5   -1     6
5 Stachland                               4   1   2   1    7    6    1     5
6 Earo                                    4   1   1   2    2    4   -2     4
7 Gaveo                                   4   1   0   3    5    6   -1     3
8 Kaldorium                               4   0   1   3    4   14  -10     1

"So we are 7th and have a -1 GA but look at this, we are only 3 points away from 3rd place, so not its not over, we can still be in the race... We just ne-"
(Random Female): "Bulls**t! We are screwed!"
"We aren't, we still got this... Anyways the first goals came in the 5th minute and the 47th minute. We just couldn't respond... But to be honest we faced a tough team... Look I guarantee that we can win... We can do this!"
(Random Male III): "Where is he? Common!"
*cheers*
"Guys calm down... He will be back... [size=50]I hope... Well we ran out of time-"
(Random Female II): "Thank goodness!"
*applause*
"Cut it..."
*outro music with fading logo*

by **Mapletish** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:24 pm

Following the Lions' Den; The World Cup LXII Qualification Journey
Mapletish (43) 4-0 United South Dominion (UR)
Venue: Corazones Estadio- Struggait City
Referee: Emmanuel Johnson, Taeshan
Attendance: 63,170

Mapletish 4
Dennis Long 14'
Jaimie Lim 41'
Janelle Elda 84'
JH.Morison 88'

United South Dominion 0

Mapletish 4-0 United South Dominion: The Lions come out top of the match with an uphill task waiting for them, a major three match decider that would determine the runners for the World Cup.
Two goals in each half gave the Lions a cushion as they face the rampant Starblaydia in the next match before a top of table clash against Valarnora.

Mapletish cleared the last hurdle before a final leap in the World Cup Qualifiers 1st leg group stage, with a 4-0 win against United South Dominion. at the Corazones Estadio.

The Lions' victory might not have decide anything but they are now 2 points behind group leaders Valanora, with fringe players taking up the line up giving the usual starting players a break.

Dennis Long opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour with a header, before a lung busting run and finish from Jaimie Lim put Mapletish two goals ahead by half time.

The second half saw chances for both teams, but the match changed on the hour mark after Player 5 was strechered off moments after coming off the bench, reducing United South Dominion [USD] to 10 men with all three substitutions already used.

There was no way back for the away team after that, as Mapletish put on a passing exhibition to drain the life out of Mr Manager's men. With time running out, Janelle Elda and JH.Morison added clinchers in the 84th and 88th minutes respectively to maintain their second place for the Lions.

Despite pre-match comments hinting that he would allow Cirillo Remigio to play, Muain Newtons opted for Dennis Long to lead the line ahead of Jessie Leons and JH.Morison in a leading forward role.

Mr Manager also made one change to his starting XI, with Player 6 coming back in time from a pre match injury to replace Player 15 at right-back, while Player 9 continued in attack after putting in effort for the USD in the previous three matches.

Mapletish wasted little time in dictating the tempo, with USD forced to defend deep against the wave of red shirts and relieve pressure on the counter whenever they could.

Chloe Frçoisa sent an early header off-target, but the first real chance fell to Enkainia, whose one-two with Dennis Long ended with a crashing drive that flashed inches over the bar after 10 minutes.

It was an opportunity to mark the initial dominance of Mapletish, and four minutes later, the Lions would find themselves ahead.

Enkainia was the architect, threading in Morison on the overlap down the right, who clipped towards Dennis at the near post to glance a header past Player 1.

USD attempted to hit back straight away, with a 20-yard free-kick from Player 7 deflected about a foot too high. From the resulting corner, the rampant midfielder forced Sapphire Avalon to stretch to tip away his dangerous delivery.

The away team were handed a blow after 21 minutes, as defender Player 3 limped off after picking up an injury, with Player 16 coming on. Moments later, Anjol Darez became the first player booked for a crunching challenge that sent Player 7 flying.

Life continued to be hard for USD although they did not allow Mapletish to walk all over them after the opener and were able to a respectable amount of procession in the face of the Lions high speed passing football.

With Player 16 active since his introduction, he placed several neat crosses towards Sapphire's goal but the cross was tipped away after a courageous effort from Sapphire before Player 7 can get a head onto it, however the ball rolled towards the incoming Player 9 who tried finding space to squeeze in a shot from the left side that was easily saved.

Just past the half hour mark, the rampant female keeper was called into action again to parry PLayer 8's strong dive from 20 metres out.

The away team kept up pressure in the midfield but they were still unable to get their hands on the ball as they remained as viewers that were treated to somewhat unfamiliar sight of Mapletish playing through counterattack.

However the Lions proved too much for the away team to handle as they proved to be effective on the breakaway as they doubled their advantage four minutes before half time through a move start and finished by Jaimie.

The centre back played the ball to Enkainia near the halfway line, surged behind the USD defence and latched onto her counterpart's pinpoint return pass to slot her side further ahead.

The Lions might be jubilant but they remained dangerous on the attack with Sapphire getting the side on the run again for punching clear PLayer 7's attempt from outside the area to maintain their two goal advantage at the interval and a counterattacking move assured.

Mr Manager attempted to file in a response for the performance of his players as he hauled off Player 11 for Player 21, but to no avail as Player 21 was unable to convert his first touch that could have help covered up the team but he was left to wonder around in the Lions' defence but isolated from the rest of his teammates.

A sparker rang for the Mapletish intense pressure on the away team as the Lions were unable to convert a delicious long passing play with a goal as Morison missed the goal by just a metre as the ball went off play to the anguish and disappoint of Morison.

USD were then first time lucky to escape a penalty after an apparent handball by Player 2 in the box after referee Emmanuel Johnson waved play on, to the incredulity of many members of the Maplish team.

With the handball waved off, the Lions continued to feed pressure into the USD's defence, making space for Morison to leash a goal out of it. However he was unable to convert his chances as his shot missed the goal by an inch as it went out of the goal, despite an inch perfect shot.

Shortly after PLayer 5 went into the play to replace Player 2 as Mr Manager looked to shuffle his current packages and switching to a more conservative play.

However Player 5, barely three minutes after making his appearance, was taken off on a stretcher clutching his hamstring, leaving the away team with one man short as Mr Manager had already used up all three of his substitutions.

The away team were floored by the setback as the Lions, a man up and two goals ahead, began to kill the game off with large periods of leisurely held procession in the opposition half.

With 16 minutes left, the Lions focused on quick shooting and succession to counter the already tired opposition. At that point in time, the only question left to linger on the heads of the fans was whether Mapletis hwould socre again, and they nearly achieved that feat with a bad miss from Dennis Long, which was tempered somewhat by the offisde flag.

However, Janelle would make no such mistake with six minutes remaining, finishing a perfect through pass from Enkainia to put the Lions three goals ahead to put the Lions on a safe side.

Morison would make one last attempt on the goal this time with a penalty appeal allowed by the referee as he slotted the ball low and with class as it beat Player 1 to mark the last goal of the match as the Maplish fans started their party as they kicked up the momentum for the upcoming match against Starblyadia.

by **Jeruselem** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:14 am

Princess Sofia Michelle Dallas and player Park Jae Sang

Sofia: Pooey!
Park: You look worried.
Sofia: Three draws, not good enough
Park: I guess it's not really your fault, we're not playing well enough
Sofia: Three draws is like one win
Park: At least we don't give the opponent 3 points

Sofia: That's beside the point, we should have more wins
Park: Your daugher is still limping around
Sofia: Our defense isn't the same without her.
Park: I think we aren't scoring enough goals
Sofia: Very true but leaking goals isn't helping
Park: Well .... yes

Sofia: I tell ya, being a coach isn't all roses.
Park: Why don't you go back to music then?
Sofia: Well, no one wants the job unless they get huge pay increase.
Park: You get underpaid?
Sofia: No, other people are just plain greedy
Park: Why don't you give the job to someone else then?

Sofia: I can't just give it to someone. They might think it's just a job for the money.
Park: You do it for the love then?
Sofia: One has to want to love the job. Or at least care a little bit
Park: So what would you do otherwise?
Sofia: I would work on my music. Haven't released an album for ages.
Park: I think you don't need to. Your daughter is working on hers.

Sofia: I see she's working a on K-Pop song.
Park: I guess she's got spare time now.
Sofia: I guess she does.
Park: I think she really wants to get back on the field
Sofia: Of course she does but she can't.
Park: She looking a bit frustrated.

by **Apox** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:29 am

(OOC: Supersonic is a dual themed program. The first half is an email program that is widely used in Apox. The second half is like a fusion between MSN/Group Chat/Twitter/Instant Messaging where you and your mates create a room to chat. You can also "Follow" people or things, that will automatically post into your chat room. This is a random chat room of a bunch of football mad mates during Apox vs New York State.)

<Booting up room>
<Gavin1532 online, Fred_MATE online, Jonno online, LadsOnTour (Steve) online, Jessie online, Fala online>

Fred_MATE: WE should win this game tho, right?
Gavin1532: Statistically? We should thump them.
LadsOnTour: We better do that then.new
APXSportsUpdate: Hello! And welcome to todays game where Apox host New York State, both teams are hoping for their first wins of the campaign.
Jonno: The atmosphere is great in here today! And only the second time I've seen a match in the Royal Stadium.
Fred_MATE: So jealous!
Jonno: Too right you are, but you were the last person to see a game here

Fred_MATE: True.
APXSportsUpdate: Ok, Apox have kick-off, let's begin!
Fala: COME ON TEAM!
Jessie: I probably won't chat much this time, watching the game at Steve's house.
LadsOnTour: OOHH YEAH

APXSportsUpdate: New York State seem to have settled deep back. We haven't found a copy of their roster and from what I can tell they seem to be playing an 8-1-1 formation.
Fala: Sounds like our defending from the last match!
Gavin1532: Only for the first half mind!
LadsOnTour: I miss the days where I got pissed for these things.
Gavin1532: I don't.

APXSportsUpdate: A shot from Apox there, after a lovely run by Cas Newan, ho crossed it into Chris Maarsden who tried to volley it in. Unfortunately it went over the bar. Good aggressive play by Apox though.
Jonno: The crowd are getting hungry for goals, we'll score soon hopefully.
Fred_MATE: I'm getting hungry for goals, and I'm sitting at home with a beer and crisps.

APXSportsUpdate: Crunching tackle on Marlon Vetta there, however, only a yellow and Marlon puts himself back up and jogs it off. Free-kick to Apox.
Fred_MATE: Bloody cheats.
Fala: As per usual, wildly exaggerating everything Fred.
APXSportsUpdate: And it's a goal! Ken Rickwright stepped up to take it, and he fires it home! Somehow it goes over the top of everyone!
Fred_MATE: YEAHHHHHHH
Jessie: Steve's gone wild and started doing some sort of weird tribal dance...
Gavin1532: That was a cracker of a shot...
Gavin1532: And loving the insight into Steve's life!
Fala: Quite an odd one, is Steve.

APXSportsUpate: Another shot by Apox, however, saved by the keeper, a good block of Olim Benzari's shot.
Gavin1532: As I said, a great new talent.
Fala: Yeah, yeah course.

APXSportsUpdate: Another goal for Apox!!!!! This time, courtesy of a glorious thundering drive by Dravid Scott, which has now settled at the back of the net!
Fred_MATE: YES DRAV!! 2 nil, 2 nil, 2 nil
Fala: Well done m'boy!
LadsOnTour: Yes you crazy monkey man!!
APXSportsUpdate: and he scores on the dot of half-time, giving us quite a comfortable lead at this stage.
Fred_MATE: Doing better than we were this time late game.
Gavin1532: Hey guys, you know I said I was now managing that small club?
Fala: Yeah
Jonno: Yep
Gavin1532: Well, they've got a match starting in 30 mins, I gotta go.
Fred_MATE: He still won't let me play for them.
<Gavin1532 is offline>
Jessie: Which club is he managing?
Fred_MATE: One in the regionals, I think it was Mandon United, in the Dwile League
Jessie: Cool!

APXSportsUpdate: And play is about to re-start, New York State with kick-off.
LadsOnTour: Charge!!!!
Fala: Has he been at the drink again?
Jessie: Yep.
Jonno: Argh, that was lucky, one of those New Yorkers went on a massive run!
Fred_MATE: I don't need any more conceding goals, especially when it's not Jarv between the posts.

APXSportsUpdate: The pressure got to Apox a bit there, and is a yellow to Chris Maarsden. He's protesting furiously now of course!
Jonno: Quite a weak decision.
Fred_MATE: Least we got a ref who knows what he's doing, unlike that bloke who reffed the Thatius game.
Jonno: True.

APXSportsUpdate: A third goal!!! A cheeky header in by Fran Gracie there, who comes off the bench and scores with her first touch! Her first international goal as well.
Fred_MATE: YES FRAN!
Fala: Just cos you fancy her...
Fred_MATE: No I don't
Jonno: Fala, we've been here before, it just ends in stalemate.

APXSportsUpdate: Some substitutions, mainlyNew York State, replacing some people who I don't know with some more people I don't know.
LadsOnTour: Sound's like Jon's getting bored up there...

APXSportsUpdate: And there goes the final whistle, a sound victory for Apox which will lift them up the group table a bit. Now to prepare for Svengarda next!
Fred_MATE: We'd better beat those BoF winners.
Fala: You'd say that about any team. You'd probably say, we'd better beat Valanora if we played them.
Jonno: He's just being optimistic... blindingly so.

APXSportsUpdate: Team Sheet from the Game (scorers in bold)
GK - William Hewitt
RD - Jack Forster
CD - Dan Weekes
LD - Jennie Scott
RM - Olim Benzari
CM - Ken Rickwright
CM - Will Fich sub Fran Gracie 66'
LM - Cas Newan
ST - Chris Maarsden
ST - Dravid Scott
ST - Marlon Vetta

by **Slembana** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:31 am

DBK Sports - Football - Slembana 2-1 Svengarda

Written by Aaron Dartmouth

We have just beaten Svengarda 2-1 at home in our fourth game in World Cup 62 qualifying. The winners of the last Baptism of Fire were denied a famous point against us by a great last-minute free-kick from Val Kylx, our star striker, which zipped past Svengardan goalie Toms Holt from 30 yards.

The game started brilliantly for us, with Eddie Barlow, our other striker, heading home a Yuppë Tárnix cross in the 2nd minute, putting us 1-0 up. Kylx came close shortly after, seeing a great low shot saved by Holt from 20 yards in the 5th minute. 5 minutes later, Svengarda had their first major chance, with Svein Danielsen, their star striker, seeing a volley from 25 yards palmed away by our goalkeeper, Toby Gapman.

After that chance, our visitors got into a good passing tempo, having a good amount of chances, and eventually equalized, after 22 minutes. Boghos Danielsen, another one of their strikers, slipped a low shot under Gapman to equalize for Svengarda at 1-1. Svengarda almost scored again in the 29th minute, only for yet another one of their strikers, Truls Waaserson, to curl just past the post. We also had some chances, with our playmaker, Jyvx Dagens, hitting the crossbar in the 39th minute with one of his trademark free-kicks. The score at half-time was 1-1.

The second half almost started excellently for Svengarda, with Waaerson hitting the post from 12 yards after 46 minutes. Svengarda were dominant in the start of the second half, and, on 64 minutes, were given a penalty by Ancharmunnian referee Rory O'Sullivan. Svein Danielsen was the man who stepped up to take it. He stroked his penalty down the centre of the goal, only for Gapman to palm it over the bar, saving us from going down. This penalty miss was a watershed moment in the match for us, as we became the dominant side. Our players rained down shots on Holt's goal right until the final minute, when Kylx scored his great winning goal to give us a 2-1 win.

by **Yelvoldia** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:44 am

YBC Sports - Football - Cassadaigua 2-2 Yelvoldia

Written by Aaron Bearven

In our fourth game in World Cup 62 qualifying, we have held Cassadaigua - 11th in the world - to a stunning 2-2 draw. Two things which make this even better are the fact that we are joint-252nd in the world (meaning our opponents are almost 250 places higher than us), and that we were playing away from home. However, the draw means we slip down to 7th - second-last - in qualifying group 17, behind Sameba on goals scored, as well as Cassadaigua and Anollasia on goal difference. Us - and the three other teams mentioned - are all level on 4 points. In addition, most of Cassadaigua's sportspeople are women, so we'll just assume that all of their players - who are all un-named - are women. Anyway, let's get on with the match, as this a long intro.

We took a shock lead in the 2nd minute, with our star striker, Roger McLeod, heading home a great left-wing cross from our left-winger, Lionel Martin. This sent our fans absolutely wild. Three minutes later, Cassadaigua's star striker saw a great dinked shot palmed over the crossbar by our goalkeeper, Herman Barton. Three minutes after that, our other striker, Connor Evans (who is a badger), hit the post with a chipped shot.

Cassadaigua's players were getting into the game gradually, and, after a period of dominance, equalized in the 20th minute. Their playmaker received a great through ball from their defensive midfielder. The playmaker advanced forwards, before shooting from 30 yards. The ball looked like it would go wide until it hit off Xavier Jules, our captain, and looped past the static Barton to make it 1-1, ending our trip to Dreamland. Cassadaigua almost scored again in the 39th minute, only for their star striker to hit the bar with a toe-poke. We had a great chance to put ourselves ahead again in first half stoppage time, only for Aaron Bïndel, our playmaker, to curl a great free-kick against the crossbar, with Cassadaigua's goalie totally stranded.

The second half almost began brilliantly for us, only for McLeod to see a slotted shot palmed onto the crossbar by Cassadaigua's goalie in the 46th minute. Shortly after, Cassadaigua came close, only for their other striker to ram the ball against the post, after her strike partner - Cassadaigua's star striker - had backheeled it across for her. This was in the 49th minute, with Cassadaigua entering a period of dominance after that.

This period of dominance culminated with Cassadaigua's star striker slotting under Barton to score, putting Cassadaigua 2-1 up after 64 minutes. Cassadaigua's players continued to bombard our goal with shots, and it looked very likely that they would snatch a third goal, which would seal them the three points. However, in the last minute, Evans smashed past the 'keeper from 25 yards, giving us an equalizer, and sending our fans absolutely bonkers with delight. When the final whistle blew, just as Evans' shot had hit the back of the net, our fans roared with delight again, as we had just picked up a famous point.

by **Warkus** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 4:52 am

Ultimate Glory
Part VII

"Well, that wasn't the best of matches. We lost to a team ranked 306th, at home, no less."

"Yeah, we just had a bad day, y'know? They got a little lucky, we got a little unlucky. It happens."

"Alright, let's discuss what we should do in the away match against Farfadillis."

"Well, we're going to have to play slightly more defensively. It's an away match, so who cares how entertaining our game is?"

"You're right, but we shouldn't just play keep-ball."

"We should capitalize on any opportunity if we see one, don't hesitate, make a run."

"Same goes for the defenders, move the ball up if you see a chance."

"But we still need to be cautious, when the opposition get the ball, get back. Quickly."

"Agreed, avoid giving away corners, as well. If you need a quick clearance, try to send the ball out for a throw-in."

"Yeah, I suppose. Tackle aggressively, but try not to leave the goal without another defender or two behind you."

"Remember, this is an away game. Ignore the home crowd and hope our fans can out-cheer them. No, wait, they will out-cheer them. Just believe in that."

"Oh, yeah, Iwan, you've got the support of the internet. You're being cheered on as a big independant man who don't need no balls, whatever that's meant to mean...Just take it as a compliment."

"Alright, guys. I've recorded this all down, we'll discuss this again on the match day. Meeting adjourned."

by **Cambirano** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 6:36 am

ANOTHER CRUSHING LOSS

Cambirano looked like a confused, lifeless team against West Zirconia, the 81st-ranked team in the world, in the fourth match of World Cup 62 qualifying.

The team lost 4-0 in West Zirconia, putting the team 7th in its group, with 1 win and 3 losses. Manager Corey Baldwin described his team's performance as "weak".

"I know that they're a better ranked team. I know they're supposedly favored. I get it. But come on, you can't lose 4-0."

West Zirconia was given a break in the 29th minute, when, in a scoreless and contested game, they earned a penalty kick after Richard Koulares was whistled for a foul in the box that appeared to be more of a flop on the part of the West Zirconian striker. However, referee Sakm Sovdat from Villita blew the whistle, and West Zirconia was soon in the lead, 1-0. The goal appeared to take the air out of Cambirano's sails, and West Zirconia scored just four minutes later on a cross into the box and a solid header.

The score was 2-0 at halftime, with Cambirano having no shots on goal and only 1 shot total. Baldwin appeared irate, screaming at several players to hurry off the field. When asked to explain his actions, Baldwin had no comment.

Halftime seemed to have no effect on Cambirano. Even with the mass substitution of Xavier Camette, John Redding, and Jacob Agroune into the game in the 50th minute, the team was slow to get back on defense, and set up for corners. One corner for West Zirconia, in the 60th minute, was taken with only 5 Cambiranans in the box. Theo Walden had to come out and leap to punch it away. Despite the apparent lack of effort, West Zirconia still held only a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute. That was when a free kick just outside the box for the West Zirconians deflected off the wall and fell to Cambirano fullback Peter Yarborough. His attempt to clear, hit another West Zirconian striker, though, and the ball careened into the corner of the net.

"That one killed me," said Yarborough after the game.

West Zirconia completed their scoring in the 88th minute, with another penalty kick, this one caused by an obvious foul by Jacob Agroune in the box, which earned him a yellow card. A little spurt of energy came late in stoppage time for Cambirano, when captain Charles Davies took a through ball into the box and from an awkward angle, tried to place the ball into the goal. His attempt was denied, though, and the whistle blew shortly after.

Cambirano finished with that shot as their only shot on goal, and three shots in total. West Zirconia, by comparison, had 6 shots on goal and 13 shots. Manager Baldwin said only goalkeeper Theo Walden's play had kept it under five.

"We were just bad. Theo saved us there from an even worse result."

Some have suggested Baldwin's strong words stem from pressure on his position as manager, but these are unconfirmed.

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