World Cup 63 RP Thread

by **Aguazul** » Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:22 pm

"Excitedly spur worth!"
"Turn off the anagram machine!"

Welcome to the 63rd World Cup! Feel free to begin posting your roleplays here.

Proper Draw

Groups A-D play in Aguazul (stadium information), groups E-H in Turori (stadium information).

Group A
Boring Paradise
Aguazul
Polar Islandstates
The Archregimancy

Group B
Osarius
Valladares
Chenkorya
The FSSO

Group C
Milchama
Audioslavia
Bears Armed
Mytannion

Group D
The Babbage Islands
Taeshan
Jeruselem
Karditan

Group E
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Turori
Sargossa
United Gordonopia

Group F
Starblaydia
The Sylvanaes Queendom
Pasarga
The Holy Empire

Group G
Gyatso-kai
Valanora
Kiryu-shi
Kulverint

Group H
Vilita
Farfadillis
Wight
Yesopalitha

Schedule:

1/29: 1 v 4, 2 v 3
1/31: 4 v 3, 1 v 2
2/2: 2 v 4, 3 v 1
2/4: Round of 16 (A1 vs. B2, C1 vs. D2, D1 vs. C2, B1 vs. A2, E1 vs. F2, G1 vs. H2, H1 vs. G2, F1 vs. E2)
2/6: Quarterfinals
2/8: Semifinals
2/9: Third Place Play-off
2/10: Final

Groups in Turori will be scorinated around Aguazul's normal scorination time. Group stage matches in Aguazul will be scorinated a little later than Turori's normal scorination time, though knockout matches might be slightly earlier.

Group Draw

Teams appear in randomized order. Matchday 1 is the night of January 2nd (or early 3rd depending on your time zone), with games proceeding every day until the 10th. January 11th is an off day, then we'll resume with Matchday 10 on the 12th and games through Matchday 18 on the 20th. Playoffs will be January 21st and 22nd.

Group 1
Iturributa
Mazion
Cosumar
Sargossa
Chunnan
Taeshan
Branta Island
19th Century Beards
Gaveo
Boyznichov

Group 2
Euskirribakondara
Armed Bears
Tyrants
Azox
Afrinesia
Beaverriver
Eastfield Lodge
The Islands of Qutar
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
The Archregimancy

Group 3
Palascio
Melbergia
Bongo Johnson
Pasarga
Homelands our
Chenkorya
Swenshell
Bergnovinaia
Sorthweast
Antoletia

Group 4
Starblaydia
Bloodbath Generation
Lymantatia
West Angola
Vakolic
Anollasia
Cambirano
The Holy Empire
Kishrael
Vettrera

Group 5
Cataduanes
Leorudo
Legalese
Hutt River
Paradystopia
Mapletish
Sarzanestan
Smernof
Charruterra
The Sylvanaes Queendom

Group 6
Powersith
Kericia
Jedi8246
Jeruselem
Carmadin
Pacificius
Velkomorave
Cuboneland
Super-Llamaland
Darmen

Group 7
Saugeais
The FSSO
Sandwich Territories
Mashiki
Yelvoldia
Western Cuba
United Gordonopia
Lunar Republic Islands
Newmanistan
Darknesssssss

Group 8
Falconwhereveryouare
Conclespia
Savski Venac
Backyard Sports
Gyatso-kai
Vivedin
Torisakia
High Heels
Kiryu-shi
Mirelesin

Group 9
Soviet Canuckistan
Jeru FC
Mantwenic
Northern Artic Islands
Licentiapacisterra
Communist Quinntopia
Khytenna
Kandorith
Earo
Kulverint

Group 10
Swyftlandre
The Babbage Islands
St Lucoa
Mialmaropa
Zandistan
Groteberg
Maklohi Vai
Westros
Ko-oren
Michael VII

Group 11
The Pazhujeb Islands
Equestrian States
Megadia
Royalsoldiers
Argo Islands
Yesopalitha
Carpathia and Ruthenia
Estope
Legokiller
Blouman Empire

Group 12
Kartvelistan
Karditan
Krytenia
Tyrrin
Geisenfried
Old Guard
Valanora
Bordurian
Birolika
Northern Sunrise Islands

Group 13
Mesoland
Riyahda
Nethertopia
Polar Islandstates
Jukenia
Traila
Fewmist
Audioslavia
Liventia
Akbarabad

Group 14
Apox
Kinitaria
Bears Armed
Richmond Republic
San Potato
Warkus
Sicoutimont
Bonarisa
Shadowbourne
West Zirconia

Group 15
Kintratar
The Inevitable Syndicate
Cyborg Holland
Astograth
Exrasus
Lalo Limahina
Vilita
Asteran
Ossidiacqua
Farfadillis

Group 16
Milchama
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Timfen
Pugh
Kaledor
New Ecopia
Mytannion
Patricant
West Guiana
Thatius

Group 17
Valladares
Svengarda
Silar
Free South Califas
Skarakia
Qazox
Osarius
Cap-Hibou
Tryienne
Kerblaekistan

Group 18
Amelio
Octinstine
Slembana
Boring Paradise
Cowardly Pacifists
New Montreal States
Secundus Kasius
Free Swiss States
Wight
Nation M

Roster thread
Scores thread
World Cup Discussion Thread
Football referees thread
Signup thread

by **Slembana** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:29 pm

Slembanan stories

Story 1: How Jyvx Dagens met Follin Maxet

Date: Wednesday 18 August 1999
Place: Hartgrove Primary School, Hartgrove, Bafilo, Slembana

It was 7:15 am on Wednesday 18 August 1999. The sun was shining over Hartgrove, a district in the north-east of the Slembanan capital city, Bafilo. For one boy on Acacia Terrace, it was a big day. This boy was called Jyvx Dagens. He was a 4 year-old boy who had black skin. He would be starting school today at Hartgrove Primary School, which was not that far from the Dagens household, which was on 28 Acacia Terrace.

Jyvx was tossing and turning in his bed. He did not want to go to school, but he had to.

"Jyvx, it's time to wake up," said his mother, Anthea, sweetly.

"Don't wanna wake up," moaned Jyvx.

"It's your first day of school," said Anthea. "You don't want to miss that, do you?"

"All right, I'll wake up!" said the toddler. With that, he jumped out of bed, and got dressed into a white shirt with dungarees. After that, he had his breakfast, cleaned his teeth, and packed his bag. When everyone was ready, Anthea took Jyvx, and his 8 year-old sister Nambra, to school. It was busy when they got to school. The playground was mobbed with children and their parents. For Primary One children like Jyvx, this would be the first-ever day at school. For children in the years above, it would simply be a "back-to-school" day. The sun was shining brightly, and the socks (small animals that looked like socks) were playing in the school grounds. They would be playing for the whole day. But for the kids, it would be a day of work. But probably not that much.

Jyvx was nervous. He hoped to make some good friends. He spotted some kids playing football in the playground. Jyvx, who liked football, wanted to join in. But the kids who were playing football were much older than Jyvx. They were about nine or ten years old. They would be starting Primary Six that day.

Jyvx rushed over to the big boys. He was nervous, but he managed to ask one of them a question. This boy was wearing a football strip of some sort. He also had black skin. Jyvx managed to figure out that it was the current Bafilo City strip. Jyvx supported Bafilo United, but that would not stop him from joining in.

The question Jyvx asked of this boy was: “Can I join in?”

The boy replied with: “Sure thing.”

However, this decision proved to be an unpopular decision with the other boys. They went up to the kind boy who allowed Jyvx to play. The main “other” boy said “Why did you allow that kid to play in our game? He’s gonna start P1 today, for crying out loud!”

“He asked kindly,” answered the Bafilo City boy.

“Can we get on with this?” asked Jyvx.

“OK,” said the kind boy.

The game was three-against-two. Jyvx played with on the kind boy’s team, and won the game two-to-one. The “final whistle” was the bell going for the start of school, at nine am. Before Jyvx rushed to class, he told his new mate that he would meet him at break time. As soon as he had finished his conversation with his new pal, he rushed into line, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

It is now 10:20 am. Break is about to start.

Jyvx had got off to a good start at Hartgrove Primary. He had a very nice teacher called Mrs. Bollingbroke. Mrs. Bollingbroke told her class some stories, before dismissing them for break when the bell buzzed for the start of break. The kids rushed out of class after being dismissed.

Jyvx wanted to see his pal, but there was a problem. He could not go into the upper-school playground unless he asked a playground helper adult permission. Because of this, Jyvx rushed over to him.

“Hi,” he said. “Can I go into the upper-school playground? I’ve got a new friend there I would like to meet.”

“Nice to see you,” said the man. “I’m Mr. Japata. And yes, you can go through there as long as you don’t get hurt.”

Jyvx punched the air with victory. He rushed over to see his friend.

“I’m back!” he said. “Hi, friend!”

Jyvx rushed into the arms of his 10 year-old friend, who hugged him. This caused some of the 10 year-old’s other friends to say rude comments.

“I’m Jyvx!” said Jyvx. “Who are you, friend?”

“I’m Follin,” said the boy. “It’s very nice that you want to be my friend. Do you want to play?”

“Yes!” said Jyvx.

“Let’s roll!” said Follin.

The two boys went up the hill at the back of the school to look at the wildlife. They spotted a team of socks, a dangerous sabre-toothed rabbit which was sleeping, and even a famous lion called Lazarus, who lived near the school. Follin said “hi” to Lazarus, who said “hi” back. As well as this, Follin and Jyvx talked about themselves, as well as football. When Jyvx went home at lunch-time, he knew that he had got a friend.

by **Karditan** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:05 pm

Emanuel Portico plopped onto the couch, bowl of popcorn in hand. "So, what did I miss?"

Sweet Swing gave him a jab in the ribs. "Only the announcement we've been waiting three hours for."

"To be fair, it wasn't very suspenseful." He tossed up a kernel and caught it with his tongue.

She chuckled and hoofed the remote. "Well, I suppose. El Casino Grande in Norleans staked their entire fiscal year's worth of profit on Aguazul and Turori winning the hosting rights; anyone who bet the minimum on 'reopen bids' winning could have made millions."

"The Grande? So a five mach bet, then."

She gave him another jab. "I still don't like how comfortable you are with the gambling business."

"Well, I learned most of it when I visited Nethertopia."

The television flicked to a nature channel. A couple of dolphins were shown frolicking off the coast of Ossidiacqua. "...wait. When did you go the Nethertopia?"

Emanuel gave her a surprised look. "I never told you about the time I went backpacking across Rushmore? Oh, you'll love this story. I think I still have my travel journal somewhere around here..."

***______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________***

Dear Diary,

Today began my journey across the continent (and some islands) of Rushmore. I've been planning the trip for a few years, but it was only recently that I could scrape together the funds I would need to pull it off. The first item on my list was actually getting out of Karditan. The most efficient way is obviously by plane, but places such as airports tend to give criminals like me trouble. I deftly avoided arrest at Fillydelphia International by exploiting a law passed a few years back that forces airlines to provide their own security. I'm not sure if the guards working for TynealAir--a native Rushmori airline--were in-house or a hired force, but they didn't recognize my distinctive mug. It also helped that TynealAir is a budget airline: the scanners they used couldn't find a bomb in a paper bag. My equipment and I were on-board and in the air without any trouble.

The seats were rigid, obviously designed for short intra-region flights rather than long-haul ones. The chicken dinner looked like mud and tasted like owl. The toilet didn't flush. The guy sitting next to me had a cold and the woman behind me was ignoring her wailing baby. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience. The one bright side to the flight was the movie, which was (surprisingly) a recent blockbuster: "The Black Goose," the latest film out of Cotdelapoms. It was a bit boring, plot-wise, but the acting was brilliant and the production values were tremendous. And the lead actress was quite the looker.

Security was surprisingly relaxed when we landed in Rushmore (both the region and the Charmunnry city). I still needed to slip the guy at Customs a few bucks, of course, but it was easier than I had anticipated. He only gave my luggage a quick pat to make sure I wasn't packing a rifle or something and sent me on my way. The guy who stamps the passports didn't inspect mine all too closely, though I'm confident the counterfeiter I purchased it from did well enough for it to survive scrutiny. Immediately after clearing the last checkpoint, my stomach rumbled like an angry dragon.

I didn't buy anything in the airport, of course. Even I think it's immoral how much they extort prices. I stopped at a little café just outside the airport for a quick bite instead. The old couple that owned the place was extremely kind. When I mentioned I was heading to Sant'Elia, they gave me some information on an old friend of theirs who plies the seas between Rushmore and Ossidiacqua. He normally runs cargo, they said, but he doesn't mind taking a hitchhiker or two along for the ride. I thanked them, grabbed a latte for the road, and set off for the port. The old sailor wasn't hard to find. His ship was big, gray, and rusty, and so was he. But he assured me that it could still out-sail all the modern boats docked nearby. I gave the crew a hand bringing in some of the cargo, but I've been sitting here in the cabin writing while the cranes bring in the heavy stuff. We should be setting off soon; in fact, I think I hear the engine sputtering to life right now. Suppose I'll go out on deck and give the crew some company. Emanuel Portico signing off~

by **Thatius** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 5:42 pm

The Story of Cooper Branham, Midfielder

Starfall, Thatius
It never snowed down in the southern half of Thatius. Even with the Northern Djonos Islands having a cold climate in the wintertime, that half of the country seldom found itself with any snow. Yet a blizzard continued to pound the Thatian city of Starfall as residents bunkered down in hopes that they would be able to go outside soon. Cooper Branham sat in his dorm at the University of Starfall, wishing he could go outside and play soccer with his friends and teammates. The snow definitely ruined any plans, seeing as no one could walk outside in the freezing temperatures and four feet of snow.

Hardly anyone had cold weather gear anyways. Every winter in Starfall, the temperatures stayed relatively mild, usually around fifty degrees. But this winter was unique, as shown by the freak blizzard. Overnight the temperature dropped from fifty to thirty, and a violent weather system arrived just in time, thus giving Starfall its first blizzard in over a hundred years.

Cooper sat staring at his desktop computer. 'This paper wasn't going to write itself, unfortunately,' he thought while he opened up a new tab. All of a sudden, the power went out. Cooper's computer screen went dead, along with all the lights in his room. 'At least I saved my opening paragraph...'

"Power's out!" yelled Cooper's roommate, Nick Evans.

"No shit," replied another roommate, Landon Orević, as he emerged from his room. "Anyone have a flashlight? Candles?"

"We're not girls Landon, we don't have any kind of candle in our room. But I do have a flashlight," stated Nick.

"Looks like we're really not having soccer practice today," Cooper said to Landon as the two stared out the window while Nick went back in his room to grab a flashlight. "I bet some people on campus are really freaking out, especially Molly and her roommates."

Molly, Cooper's girlfriend over the past year, had grown up in the resort town of Las Palmas her entire life. She had never seen snow in her life, except on one occasion when she and her family traveled to ski in Laage the previous break.

Landon laughed. "I bet. But what are we going to do about power? No electricity means no running water and other things. Can't cook dinner, unless its cereal. Oh, and the stuff in the refrigerator will be going bad soon, too, if the power doesn't come on."

Nick shined his flashlight around the room, trying to figure out what they should do next. "Well the university is probably doing something about this," said Nick. "They'll hopefully have power running back up soon, and we can get back to studying."

"Maybe they'll cancel finals?" asked Landon.

"I doubt it," said Cooper, frowning. "We didn't get out for the shooting in downtown last year. I doubt we'll get out for snow."

"Then how will people get to class? The university, or the town for that matter, hasn't experienced something like this in a long time." Nick asked earnestly.

"They'll find a way. But I gotta study for my Finance and Management final I have tomorrow. You know Professor Esseri will still have this exam scheduled at eight in the morning, as usual."

Grumbling, everyone returned to their rooms, although thankful some daylight still shone out the windows that allowed them to read their textbooks and notes. Cooper tried to focus on the financial equations he had to memorize, but just couldn't do it. A letter from the Thatian Soccer Federation, written by the Coach of the National Team himself, Max Djantschenko, invited Cooper to come back for practice after making the cut for the national team. He would at last be on the bench, if not starter. Cooper did not believe his eyes once he had read that letter. As a senior playing for the University of Starfall, he had one last chance to make an impression in college before either joining the national team, joining a professional league, or just pursuing a career in international banking. The first choice seemed most lucrative to Cooper, who had dreamed of playing alongside Thatius' greatest stars in Frederikstadt National Stadium, with the deafening roar of ninety-six thousand fans greeting you as you enter the stadium.

Those dreams had become a reality last month when Cooper was scouted by a staff member of the national team, who told Cooper to attend the team tryouts that were to be held in Korcyka later that week. His teammates, his coaches, the university, and of course his parents supported his decision to tryout, and Cooper flew out to Korcyka a few days later to practice. There he met a few members of the national team, including his idol Jack Petković, as well as legends like Marcel Asarenko and Chase Kowalcyzk. They gave him encouraging words of advice after they shook Cooper's hand, and went back to conditioning as they neared the start of the World Cup. Cooper, more than ever, was pumped have spent the weekend in Korcyka trying out for the team, and had prayed that he would make the cut.

The letter that changed his life appeared a week and a half later. It was lightweight, which concerned Cooper, but the news inside warmed his heart. He had made it, along with two other guys, Derek Christensen and Clark Andrijašević. All three of them would report to the National Training Grounds in Kristiansond following the Winter Term, where they would then begin officially practicing with the team. Derek, Cooper knew, was a top midfielder from Tronjheim National University, while Clark was just a junior who played forward for Noikos State University. Cooper was somewhat taken by surprise that he was selected to play alongside such great athletes like Clark and Derek. Of course he believed in his talents, but never would he have thought he was one of the best players in the country. Obviously, though, the coaching staff from the National Team believed he was superior than the rest of the field.

Sadly, Cooper could do nothing but read the letter over and over, and remember telephone conversations with Coach Djantschenko. The snow kept piling up, and all Cooper wanted to do was get on the pitch and shoot some on the goal. Once finals were over, and the snow cleared, Cooper could then make his way to the airport and head to Kristiansond to begin training. Soon, the World Cup would begin and he would make his debut on the international stage. An incredible feeling for someone so young. Now was his time.

by **Qazox** » Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:58 pm

Day one, post incident

The one thing that televison, movies and most novels don't tell you about concussions are they hurt like hell when you wake up. Doubly so when you're awoken with the ocean lapping at your face like an overeager puppy. I have no idea how long I was out, but it mustn't have been for too long as I could still see the smoke coming from the reminants of the Pruxian Queen off shore. Luckily for me, the purser's table is waterproof and very buoyant as I assumed I held onto it for dear life. I don't remember much after the terrorist stuck a gun in my face, however many days or hours ago it was. All I knew was as he (or she) pointed towards the safe, an explosion ripped through the ship and next thing I knew I was here. Exactly where I currently am, I don't know, but the last I can recall we were about 25 miles WSW of Point Charles, Green wombat and we were headed back home to SaxerVilla with our passengers.

Pieces of the ship, the cargo, the terrorists (or were they pirates?) and my crewmates have been washing up on shore for the better part of the day. After a quick look around the beach, I found a small inlet about 250 yards south of where I washed up. The inlet led about a half a mile inland where I found a couple of wide mouthed, but shallow caves. But beggars can't be chooser's right? At least it'll get me out of any potential rain. I pushed the purser's table into the ocean and half-floated/half-rode it towards the inlet and upstream to the larger of the two caves. It took me an hour or two to find a big enough rock to break open the locked drawers in the table. And everything was there, an almost completely filled-out ledger that contained a list of the crew's and passenger's personal items locked in the safe; a copy of the cargo manifest; various amounts of currency and exchange tables and this unused ledger that I decided to use as a journal to keep me sane.

With a crew of only 11 and the 5 passengers that turned out to be pirates/terrorists/whatever they were, odds were that at least one other person would've washed up on shore as I did, but so far only dead people and limbs. The Pruxian Queen was a throwback, a maercer 70-foot schooner, weighing 41 thousand and having an 16' 10" beam. We were a tourist boat, on our yearly sail around the Continuum, at a rather pricy Z500,000 ($250,000) per person per trip. I don't know why someone would attack the boat at all. Other than the passenger's and crew's valuables, there isn't much interest in a vessel of our type, at least not since the 1500's or so.

As the sun begins to set, I huddle in the cave, with a few berries and nuts I found near the cave mouth. I finally got a fire going after spending most of the afternoon rubbing two sticks together. The wind's calm and only a few clouds are in the star-filled sky. I hope that tommorrow will be a better day.

(ooc: I don't know much about the weights of wooden boats, so if someone who does know thinks that 41k is too heavy/light for a 70-footer(and if a 16' 10" beam is too wide/narrow for that type-of boat), let me know in a TG and I'll change it to a more correct weight/beam width. Thanks!)

by **West Angola** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 7:39 am

Standing outside the team hotel, Luke Parrish couldn't believe how young he felt. The drugs Danforth had tried to kill him with had revitalized him and restored his youth, and had given him another shot at the World Cup. After years of hard effort and several stumbles, the team had reached its highest ranking yet: 48th. While still relatively low compared to other teams who had begun international play around the same time as West Angola, such as Wight and Yesopalitha, it was high enough to give the team a chance at qualifying. They would likely be drawn third in their group, and if they could land a team in the upper thirties in the second-place slot, they might be able to pull out an upset and sneak into a playoff berth. West Angola had never reached the playoffs before, their highest finish in qualifying having been a pair of third-place showings in World Cups 60 and 62, and just reaching a playoff would be a great accomplishment for the team.

However, the team was completely redone. Parrish was the only player who had played on the world stage before, and he hoped the young squad's lack of international experience wouldn't be a handicap. The entire team was drawn from the best of West Angola's various football teams, but so had the Baptism of Fire 45 squad. Parrish vividly remembered how that team, of which he was a member, had imploded in a 3-0 loss to Cascratia on the final matchday. That loss had cost the team a spot in the knockout rounds, and had resulted in the murder of coach Peter Warren by Thomas Nasser, who was acting under orders from King August II. August had been driven from power, but had harassed Parrish and the rest of the football team for years before finally staging a coup during the 53rd Cup of Harmony. Parrish had been forced to kill August, but had been grievously wounded in the process, and only through the actions of George Sien, formerly Captain of the Royal Guard and now King Sien III had he survived at all.

It was early, and the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Parrish let its first rays spill over his face, and he smiled at the small warmth they provided. He was officially forty-four years old, but looked and felt twenty, his youth and vitality fully restored. The warmth of the day also brought his loneliness to the surface. Parrish had been the first King ever not to take a wife, and had abdicated without one. He had friends in King Sien, as well as Phillip Garren and Isaac Warren, but female companionship had long eluded him. With a sigh, he made a decision, “I’m going to find a wife. I’ve got a second chance at youth now, and I’m not going to spend it all on football!”

His mind at last at ease, Parrish turned and walked back inside, he had a lot to do…

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WEST ANGOLA GETS SET FOR WORLD CUP 63!

The West Angolan Football Team, revamped and revitalized by the addition of Luke Parrish, is gearing up for its World Cup 63 qualifying campaign! West Angola, which has come within a hairsbreadth of qualifying twice now, only losses to team's they should have beaten preventing them from reaching second in the group, and hope that this is the magic year for the team. Coach Phillip Garren, optimistic as always, expressed excitement about the upcoming run:

"It's always great to get some fresh faces on the team, and with Luke back, we should be able to take the group by storm! Depending on how the group draw goes, we may be able to crack through the glass ceiling this time!"

The Chronicle would like to add that it does not endorse Coach Garren's opinion, it merely reports it. Oddsmakers give West Angola a 17:1 chance of qualifying in pre-draw betting, with that number subject to change once the teams above us are revealed.

WEST ANGOLAN TV PERSONALITY JOHN USIAK STILL DETAINED!

Popular West Angolan television personality John Usiak remains in a Euran prison following the arrest of him and several other West Angolans at the match against them four years ago. In interviews, Usiak and the other prisoners said their treatment has been "admirable" but still wish to return home. Negotiations with the Euran government continue as King Sien III said it was the crown's "highest priority" to secure the safe release of its citizens. Prime Minister Kevin Garret, who narrowly lost the monarchical election to Sien, said he is "confident that all West Angolans being held in Eura will be returned soon and without incident."

The Chronicle certainly hopes that his majesty and the Prime Minister are correct, as every day the captives spend overseas is a drain on the morale of West Angolans everywhere.

by **Slembana** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:08 am

(OOC: As Saint Clarke is not in the World Cup, and thus does not have a roster, I have used his roster from his very own “Island Tour” instead. I hope he’s OK with that!)

DBK Sports – Football – Saint Clarke 0-6 Slembana

Written by Aaron Dartmouth

In our first friendly prior to World Cup 63 qualifying, we have beaten unranked minnows Saint Clarke – who are not even in the upcoming World Cup – 6-0 away from home. This is our joint-biggest win on the international football stage.

Saint Clarke got off to a bright start. They were dominating the game early on, and almost scored in the 7th minute, only for striker Thomas Neilson to see a volley palmed away brilliantly by our veteran goalkeeper, Toby Gapman. Shortly after that - in the 12th minute, to be exact - our unranked hosts had a penalty claim turned down by the referee. Saint Clarke had another chance to score in the 23rd minute, only for Robbie Norwich, their other striker, to hit the post with a backheel. Then, four minutes later, a shot from Clarkian attacking midfielder Noel Shaw spun just wide of the post. At this point, a goal for Saint Clarke would definitely be deserved.

Despite this, it was us who opened the scoring. Our attacking midfielder, Zorro Pullman, was the one who scored. He smashed a 30-yard shot past Jeremey Gosforth, Saint Clarke’s goalkeeper, to score totally against the run of the play. We had scored, and we were hungry to do so even more.

Then, in the 42nd minute, a great cross from Finlay Yalnif found our captain, Don Adobe, in the penalty box. Adobe is very tall, and used his height to an advantage, as he jumped higher than everyone else to nod past Gosforth and score, putting us 2-0 up. With half-time near, this was a good time to score. We would be going into half-time with confidence.

During the break, our manager, Colin Blackwell, told us to “keep up the good work”. We continued our dominance into the start of the second half, with Jyvx Dagens, our main attacking midfielder, seeing a great free-kick tipped over by Gosforth. This was in the 49th minute. Six minutes later, we scored our third goal. The scorer of this goal was our legendary star striker Val Kylx. Kylx, who turned 23 at the start of this month, picked up the ball inside his own half. He jinked inside Noel Shaw, before using the rainbow flick to take it past Davi Crawford. After that, he nutmegged Louis Morris, twisted past Adam Barker, and slotted past Gosforth to make it 3-0 to us. As we were leading 3-0 with just over half an hour to go, it looked like we had killed Saint Clarke off.

However, the Rushmori minnows had not given up hope, and rained down shots on Gapman’s goal. Norwich, Neilson, Shaw, and Crawford all tested our veteran goalkeeper but none of them scored. However, we could not manage to score either, with Saint Clarke’s defenders defending brilliantly.

Despite this, a fourth goal for us came when Kylx volleyed in off the crossbar, leaving Gosforth rooted to the spot. This was in the 75th minute. 8 minutes later, Kylx completed his hat-trick, curling a fantastic shot from 25 yards out into the top corner of the net. Then, in the 88th minute, the rout was completed by Tom Iflon, who headed home from a Dagens free-kick to make it 6-0 to us.

by **Sicoutimont** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:43 pm

Royales Drop Pre-Qual Friendly with Slembana

LAC-DROUIN-Sicoutimont's selection camp squad played its first pre-tournament friendly today, with rival Slembana. The Slembanans are a good footballing nation, with a similar rank to ours. The game was played at Field National, in downtown Lac-Drouin. Attendance for this game was an average 56,000. The Slembanans took the game into their hands early on, with a free kick in the 2nd minute by Jyvx Dagens going wide. But, Slembana's human time bomb, Val Kylx, stormed the Slembanas ahead, in only the 3rd minute. That goal was Kylx' 2nd against Sicoutimont, dating back to a friendly before World Cup 62, where the Slembanans and Sicoutians rose the rankings to the top 100. Sicoutian defender Jacques Julien responded with a devilish yellow card for a slide-tackle on Kylx 4 minutes later. The strikers playing against the Slem's were Louis Desjardins, Christopher Savard, and Lucas Dandenault. Sporting Lac-Bouchard's centre, Desjardins, answered the call of duty 9 minutes later, evening the game at 1 all after 20 minutes. The game stayed that way until the 47th minute, the 1st of the second half. Jyvx Dagens reimbursed himself for his missed opportunity earlier, smashing the ball behing a sprawling Yves Chapin. Les Royales tried to even the game, with Savard and Desjardins leading the charge back. But in the 78th minute, Dagens scored for his second of the night, putting the game away for Colin Blackwell's visiting squad. So, losing the first friendly of the World Cup 63 campaign, should we be worried? Marc Denis says, no way: "Slembana are a great team, and have a similar rank to us....Girard Giroux did not play, and our team defence was subpar overall. However, you have to give credit to the Slembanans, especially Kylx....he's taken a lot of hits so far, Slembanana and all that, but he still manages to be one of the best players....he's got a bright future, I find him similar to our Girard Giroux." Sicoutimont's next game is against Farfadillis (OOC: I know this game already was scored), where Girard Giroux will make his first appearance for the team before qualifing. Marc Denis also announced the first set of cuts today. Yves Chapin, goalkeeper, and Louis Lejardins, midfield, were cut from the squad. On these cuts, Denis stated: "Chappie and Lej were pretty good players for us....but Chappie didn't perform as well as I expected him to tonight. As I see it, there's only 1 more spot on the roster for keeper, behind Pier-Luc Dion, and I think that'll go to either Artyom Bergeron or Herbert Georges. Lej plays a good style of football, but I don't have room to fit him in." Artyom Bergeron will start in goal against the Farf, Pier-Luc Dion against Gaveo and Georges will take on the Estope. Depending on the cuts, either Bergeron or Georges will start against Boring Paradise. Another major announcement today: Team Sicoutimont will play World Cup 63 qualifing at 1 of 2 stadiums: Stade St-Pierre, the home of Lac-Drouin St-Pierre where tonight's match was played. SportCity in Pierre Beach is the second host stadium, seating 116,000 for football matches. It hosted matches at the Baptism of Iron, and numerous club matches for FC Pierre Beach. Catch tomorrow's Farf-Sico derby, right here downtown at Stade St-Pierre.

by **New West Guiana** » Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:59 pm

A look back through the memories good and bad
Sport Central TV

"Now we are only a few weeks away from the start of the qualification round for the sixty-third World Cup, and what we here at Sport Central will be doing, is taking a look back at every international match that our national soccer team has played. Yes that includes all five Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football Cups. Yes we are willing to look back at the films from the 1987 Baptism of Fire in which we made our international debut.

-------------------Baptism of Fire 43-----------------------

We start our programming in July of 1987, where West Guiana fans were eager as their first national soccer team was preparing to make its debut. Of course we weren't the only ones forty-seven other nations were also debuting in the wonderful world of international Association Football. Finally the day had arrived when the hosts, Kagdazka-Pazhujebu and Andossa Se Mitrin Vega had drawn the groups for the forty-third BoF. West Guiana landed in Group B with: Cbngggfv, Scrap Brain Zone, Oiseaui, Sneaky Nuts and Darmen. Ah one whos' national teams have crossed paths with us many a time, Darmen. Yet we hardly to this day no very little about that nation.

Match day one
On the first day if the firty-third Baptism of Fire our team tied with Ouiseaui in a two-two all. We can not find the names of the players who scored the first two goals in West Guiana history or for that matter during the entire BoF 43, but what we can tell you is that the game did really come down to the final possession, in what we do know is that West Guiana was down two to one and with only one minute left in extra time we scored to make it two two.

Other scores form that day were Cbngggfv 4–0 Sneaky Nuts and Scrap Brain Zone 0–0 Darmen.

Match day two
In the second game/match team West Guiana went off to play against Sneaky Nuts in our two nations only encounter in any sporting event. Like the last game the most goals scored was two however though those goals were from Sneaky Nuts and West Guiana only scored once, thus our first ever loss in international play. Other scores from that day were; Darmen blanked Ouiseaui three nil and Scrap Brain Zone did the same thing to Cbngggfv blanking them to the same score

Match Day Three
The first of many encounters our national teams have had with that days opponent, and we showed them from the very start that we can be tough to beat. On day three drew a zero all with Darmen. From what we do know as it looks both recording of the match from both Darmen and West Guiana have been lost to time. It was a rainy day the field became muddy and that made things difficult so much so that neither team was able to score.

Match Day Four
To this date the only encounter we've had with this team and the nation before it was lost to time, team West Guiana lost to a simple score of one to zero. really in truth as far as we can tell the match really wasn't that close as it seemed that Cbngggfv who at the time was the group leader. The Cbngggfvans held posesion for nearly 70 minutes!
Match day four did produce thus far the biggest loss in Group B where Darmen blanked Sneaky Nuts five nil!

Match Day Five
Well the last day of group stage for the forty-third Baptism of Fire and like so many other major soccer championships West Guiana failed to advance to the knock-off rounds. Matter of fact West Guiana ended second to last in Group B ending with a 0-2-3 record, scoring a total of four goals while allowing seven goals. On the final day of the BoF 43 West Guiana lost to Scrap Brain Zone by a score of two to one. the final standing below, the ones highlighted in green advanced to the knock off rounds. The furthest any one got from Group B was the finals of the BoF where Scrap Brain Zone lost to Bleak Rock two to nothing.

Team                      P    W    D    L    PF    PA    +/-   Pts
Darmen                    5    3    2    0    12     1    +11    11
Scrap Brain Zone          5    3    2    0     8     3     +5    11
Cbngggfv                  5    3    0    2     8     7     +1     9
Sneaky Nuts               5    2    0    3     7    13     -6     6
West Guiana               5    0    2    3     4     7     -3     2
Ouiseaui                  2    0    2    3     2    10     -8     2

With this ends our first day of covering past sports tournaments of West Guiana.

by **Sicoutimont** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:08 am

Royales Draw with Farfadillis, powered by Giroux and Bergeron

LAC-DROUIN-The day after Sicoutimont dropped a 3-1 friendly against Slembana, Les Royales took to the field against Farfadillis at Stade St-Pierre. After Yves Chapin and Louis Lejardins were cut from the eventual roster, Artyom Bergeron and Girard Giroux made their first appearances against Farfadillis today. Starting forwards for us were Stan Sarault, Georges Allonts and Giroux. Marc Denis stated before the game that the key to this game was "to not let them get anything early...we can't go into the 5th minute down a goal like we did last time, but we also have to be agile, and create scoring chances." And create they did. Farf striker Fermin Juarez drove on Artyom Bergeron, who made a sprawling save. 4 seconds later, the ball was punted to a racing Girard Giroux. However, early in the 11th minute, his drive went just over the net. The pace of this friendly continued until the 22nd minute. Georges Allonts recieved the ball from defender Shane Von Axelsson, and chipped it to Girard Giroux again. Faking Farf keeper Erfaon Lisdiren, he stuffed the ball into the bottom right corner. Sicoutimont took the lead, its first of the game and the friendly season. In the 36th minute, Juarez and teammate Ichi Tuzzio broke in with a passing game, but Bergeron stopped them in their tracks, sprawling at the ball being passed between them. The first half ended with a small scrum near the Farf net, with Oscar de Orebale and Yung Chinsua recieveing yellows. Early in the 2nd half, it looked like Sicoutimont would keep the lead in this game, missing 2 opportunities to extend it from Stan Sarault off the crossbar, and Girard Giroux just wide. And then, in the 54th minute, Jacques Julien got called for tripping. Julien'd had a bad game against Slembana, recieving a yellow, and another bad game against Farfadillis. Often a substitute for the national team, he hadn't played a cap for the squad since Valladares in the last World Cup, 2 years ago. His misfortune continued with being given 2 yellows in less than a minute: first for tripping, then for unsportsmenlike conduct. And Farfadillis still had a penalty to take! Juarez converted past a diving Bergeron, to tie the game at 1 all. That's the final score of the game, with only 1 opportunity for either side after that, a free kick from our designated Stan Sarault. After the game, Marc Denis announced the next set of cuts: "We're glad to have drawn with the Farf, both teams played excellent. However, I gotta send 2 guys back home, and those guys are Jacques Julien and Henri Dion. I'd also like to announce that Girard Giroux, Pier-Luc Dion and Oscar de Orebale have all made the final roster. Thanks." So, 3 players have made the team, and 4 have been cut to ribbons. Next up for Les Royales is Gaveo. Herbert Georges will start in net, and the forwards will be Desjardins-Savard-Sarault. After this game, the final keepers will be announced. See you back here for Sicoutimont against Gaveo!

by **Slembana** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:15 am

DBK Sports – Football – Sicoutimont 1-3 Slembana

Written by Temi Temi Dagens

In our second friendly match before World Cup 63 qualifying, we have beaten Sicoutimont 3-1 away from home. This is our second successive friendly win, following our 6-0 thrashing of Saint Clarke. Due to our win over Sicoutimont, we have kept up our 100% record in pre-World Cup 63 qualifying friendlies.

We got off to a bright start, and almost opened the scoring in the 2nd minute, only for Jyvx Dagens, our star attacking midfielder to curl a free-kick just wide of the post. However, just one minute later, our brilliant star striker, Val Kylx, gave us the lead, volleying a 25-yard shot past Yves Chapin, the Sicoutian goalkeeper. I’m slightly disappointed at this, as I thought that Kylx had stopped scoring early on. But no, he was forced into scoring early on, further denting his reputation.

In the 7th minute, four minutes after Kylx’s goal, Sicoutian defender Jacques Julien devilishly slid in on Kylx, earning the former a yellow card. Sicoutimont had three strikers playing against us in this match, and one of them, Louis Desjardins, levelled the game after 20 minutes, nodding home a cross. No more goals were scored in the first half, meaning that the half-time score was level at 1-1.

However, just two minutes into the second half, we went back ahead, with Dagens smashing a fantastic screamer of a shot past a sprawling Chapin, making it 2-1 to us. After that, Sicoutimont desperately tried to level the game, with Desjardins and Christopher Savard amongst those who were coming close. However, in the 78th minute, Dagens killed the game off, curling a beautiful free-kick past Chapin, and making it 3-1 to us.

Our next game is another friendly. Our opponents for that game will be Thatius, a strong team from Atlantian Oceania. We have played them twice before, with both of these games coming during World Cup 62 qualifying. We hope to get a win in that match, but such a result is sadly unlikely. However, we will try our best to get a win.

by **Homelands our** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:06 am

Hamilpon: From Village to New City of Sport

Andrew Willmot: President from Jan 2005 - Jan 2009

Harloop Dec 2005: Andrew Willmot steps on to a stage to announce the final village to be given a regeneration into a modern city.
"As you know last week Greenville won first place over these to towns. Now it is time to finalise the last new city. Will it be Hamilpon north of Napio and south of Greenville? Or will it be Vanparapoll our outpost at the eastern side of the Mogi rainforest? I now take great plesure to announce that Hamilpon shall take the honour of being our final new city."
Loud cheers go up in the Hamilpon bid teams box while the mayor of Vanparapoll shakes his head that walks out the the parliament building in disgust.
'Hamilpon will be a city around the size of Newland, smaller that it's neighbour Napio. It will have an international airport. Our state of the art train links which rival the rest of Rushmore will be extended. Football as our most popular sport will connect with Hamilpon with the two teams being called Hamilpon Wanderers and Rovers respectively. Both stadiums will have an all seated capacity of over 30,000.'

Although overjoyed by the announcement many sports fans in Hamilpon are unsure about how the football will work:
'Franchising is never a good idea in sport' - Tom, 31
'The teams won't have a real identity' - Adam, 24
'This is just governmental moneymaking' - James, 49
None of the selected fans seem to be supporting that move, do they want Hamilpon Town promoted up past the state leagues? It is clear how the government feels about moving the country ahead of the times, but has Andrew Willmot's got their first big policy right? Will Greenville and Hamilpon be finished or past the point of no return in time for the next elections in early 2009?

part two on billionaire owners, UICA shortcoming and sports place in politics after Christmas

by **Nation M** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:10 am

Nation M has long since struggled to maintain a steady soccer tournament. Good news! This year Nation M kicked off their first successful tournament and elected their first national team!

President, Honorable Maximus Maximus is pleased to submit a formal request for the country to participate in the cup!

by **Mazion** » Sat Dec 22, 2012 10:31 am

Les Monarchistes: Part 1

Bavacin, Mazion

"Down with corruption! Up with change!" The bus passed protesters who were chanting in the streets. Christian looked out of his window. The faces were full of anger. They were angry with Sartre, Christian knew. Mathieu Sartre had swept into office two years ago, with promises of reform. Now, his government was again embroiled in scandal. Christian sighed. This was why he usually ignored politics.

The bus screeched to a halt and Christian was thrown forward with a jolt. Shaking his head in annoyance, he picked up his headphones which had fallen off. He was about to put them back on, when he heard a huge boom. Out of the windshield, he saw a huge fireball rise up off the ground. The crowd screamed and yelled. "Hisssssss..." A can of tear gas flew into the protesters. Christian watched with horror.

The bus turned right, avoiding the protesters and advancing riot police. Standing shoulder to shoulder, their black shields looked like huge masks, which promised doom for all those in their way. They were carrying tear gas launchers and firing them indiscriminately into the crowd. Christian looked away quickly. He did not want to see the carnage he knew would ensue.

Picking up pace now, the bus sped off towards the national practice facilities. Christian settled back into his headphones and started to doze off.

They finally reached the parking lot. The ride was only about 20 minutes, but it seemed an eternity to Christian. He couldn't stop thinking about the protesters. He knew it was wrong, but he had been taught never to question the state. If you did, you would be next to go.

Today, they were playing a scrimmage against a local side. It would probably be a blow out. The team walked off of the bus and into a locker room. Christian would be starting today, and he quickly changed into his uniform. Then, after receiving some final instructions, he walked out onto the pitch. It would be a good game.

One hat trick later, Christian walked out of the practice facility. He was tired, but he wanted to go out for the night. In fact, he had a spot in mind.

He walked three blocks west, turned, and continued on. As he walked, the buildings went from skyscrapers, to shops, to tenements. Finally, deep in the English District of Bavacin, he reached the restaurant.

"We're Open" said a sign on the door. The awning read "Le Jacobin." Long famous as a pub, it was home to some of the most radical thinkers of the day. Every night, long political discussions went into the morning, and arguments between monarchists and liberals sometimes grew violent. Christian took a deep breath and entered.

The ringing of a bell greeted him. "Hello sir," said a man at a table in the front. "Welcome to the Jacobin." Looking at Christian's clothes, the man added, "Bienvenue à le Jacobin." "Would you like a table, or will you sit at the bar?" "I'll sit at the bar, please," replied Christian. The waiter led the way. "Here you go, sir" he said, handing Christian a menu. Christian looked at the list of foods. "Just a beer, please" he said. The waiter nodded and left.

A roar rose from one end of the bar. "A king is necessary to provide stability! We need to do away with all this bureaucracy and get things done!" one man was saying. "Democracy is the correct way!" said another. "A monarchy will be a tyranny!" Christian listened thoughtfully. He was not a big fan of the government, but he was no rebel. "Down with the government! We need a king!" A faction roared. "Here is your beer, sir." The waiter was back. "Thank you," said Christian, and he took out some money to pay for it. Suddenly, a group of six or seven men got up. "All monarchists, come with us!" one of them said. Christian paid quickly, and got up to go with the group. They walked quickly out of the door and into the street.

Up the street, left, right, right again. The walk went on and on. Christian wondered what time it was. He had practice the next morning and he needed some sleep. Finally, they reached an apartment building. It was a little bit nicer than the ones surrounding it, but not by much. The group entered and elevator and one man pressed a button. Suddenly, the elevator began to move down, going into the ground. For a second, Christian thought that they were falling. Then, it stopped, and the doors opened. "Welcome to the Ground Floor" said a female voice.

"Hello, I am James, James Dandom" said a man. He stuck out his hand for Christian to shake. "Christian, Christian Bachelder," replied Christian. "Are you new here," asked James. "Yes," said Christian. "Well, we are the leaders of the MMA, the Mazionite Monarchist Army. We are a guerilla group committed to bringing a monarchy to Mazion." Christian froze. This was a clearly criminal activity. "Good. How do I join?" a voice said. Christian realized that it was his. "Well, you're here aren't you? That's good enough for us. We are just starting our efforts to unify with other monarchist groups." "And what are our goals?" asked Christian. "Rebellion," answered the man. Christian nodded. "What have you gotten yourself into," he thought...

2 Weeks Later
Bavacin, Mazion

"Order. The Assembly is now in session." Christian sat next to James in a large meeting hall. This was the Assembly of Monarchists, a secret meeting where a unification agreement would be hammered out. Christian was one of the four representatives of the MMA. Along with James, the others were Mattieu Lionele, one of the few Frenchmen there, and Richard Taylor. "Our first order of business is the type of monarchy we would like." Christian knew that their group was part of the Hamiltonians, a group led by Daniel Hamilton of the Bavacin Monarchist Organization. They wanted an absolute monarchy. This was the only way that the country could ever achieve anything. However, they also wanted a Bill of Rights to protect citizens. Their main opponents were the "Oiseau Bleu", so called because of their blue jackets. They wanted a constitutional monarchy that was overpowered by a legislative assembly. This argument could threaten the success of the conference.

"What we need, is a strong, absolute monarchy!" said James. The Hamiltonians roared in approval. "Otherwise, we will be back where we started: In corruption, misery, and oppression!" A crowd of representatives roared again. "No! An absolute monarchy will be tyranny. We need a constitution!" Another group roared, while the Hamiltonians hissed. "Alright, let's have a vote," said the presiding officer. All in favor of an absolute monarchy, raise your hand." Christian raised his hand along with the other MMA reps. The presiding officer counted. "All in favor of a constitutional monarchy, raise your hand." Once again, the presiding officer counted. Christian knew it would be close. "By a count of 44-42, absolute monarchy wins." The Hamiltonians roared in triumph. "Second, we need to elect a leader. He will become the King when we succeed." Christian noted the "when". He thought it was more of an "if" at this stage. Suddenly, James stood up and yelled, "I nominate Christian Bachelder of the Mazion Monarchist Army!" The crowd murmured in suprised. Christian sat with his mouth agape. "I second!" yelled Mattieu. "Alright, we have one nomination," said the moderator. "Any others?" he asked. "I nominate John Dayton," said a Oiseau. "Second," said another. "Alright two choices," replied the presiding officer. "Any others?" The room was silent. Christian was still in shock. "Alright then. All for Mr. Bachelder, please raise your hand." The Hamiltonians and a few assorted others raised their hands. "All for Mr. Dayton?" The Oiseaus raised their hand. "Congratulations, Mr. Bachelder."

Suddenly, James was patting him on the back and pushing him onto his feet. The Hamiltonians were cheering. "Say something," hissed James. Christian raised his hand. The hall fell silent. "Thank you for your confidence in me," Christian stammered. "I won't disappoint you." The hall rocked with cheers. "If only I had confidence in myself," thought Christian...

Gearing up for the World Cup wouldn't be easy. Especially when Christian was suddenly the leader of a rebel group. So it was no surprise that Christian came out flat in Mazion's 5-0 loss to Khytenna. "Christian!" barked Eli Beringer. Eli was only 44 years old, but he was tasked with turning the Mazionite team into a World Cup squad. "What are you doing out there?" Christian just nodded, shrugged, and turned away. "Sub him off," yelled Beringer to his assistant, Yves Babineaux. Babineaux whispered something to the fourth referee. The referee held up a sign, showing that Christian was coming off. Coming on for him was Maurice Torger. Christian walked over to the bench. "That was utter s***!" yelled Beringer. "If you want to keep your spot on the team, you better get your head in the f***ing game!" Christian ignored him and walked to the bench. He sat with his head in his hands, staring glumly out at the field, as the Khytenna lead increased from 3, to 4, to 5. With every goal, he felt worse and worse. The referee's final whistle sounded like a mercy bell to him. He hurried into the locker room, hoping to dress quickly and avoid Beringer.

"Bachelder!" Christian winced. "Come into my office!" Christian put on a shirt and walked nervously towards Beringer's headquarters. He knocked on the door and entered. "Christian, sit down." Christian pulled out a chair and sat, fidgeting anxiously. "If you want to be on this team, you have to start acting like it. I know you are some sort of hot shot in club, but on this team, everyone is equal. If you are going to put in a half-a** effort like you did today, you will be gone." "Sorry Eli, I just wasn't feeling that great." "Well, maybe playing off of the bench would make you feel better. You won't be starting in our next friendly." Christian hung his head in shame. He had never been benched before. All of his life, everyone had treated him like a star, and now, someone was putting him down a rank. "Goodbye," said Eli. Christian got up and sadly closed the door behind him. He sighed, finished dressing, and walked to his car.

"Alright, tonight will be our first op." said James. He had been elected as the leader of the Monarchist Army and now, the MMA was clearly the most powerful group in the Monarchist faction, with two major leaders in the collective. The groups had formed an organization known as the Monarchist National Party, which was officially legal. However, it's military wing, the Monarchist army, was not. "We will be hitting a train depot. No casualties, just sabotaging troop transport. Also, the DRA will be performing recon on government officials," he added, referring to another group. "We will leave at 10. Meet back here at 8:30 to get ready." Christian was both nervous and excited. He anticipated the adventure that would come, but he also knew that he was surely a criminal after doing this, if he wasn't already. He also knew that if they were caught, they would probably be killed. "Alright," Christian said. "I'll be there."

Three hours later, Christian arrived back at the hideout. Tomorrow was an off day, meant to rest the team after the blowout versus Khytenna. He opened the door to the welcome of the black barrel of a pistol. "It's Christian," he said. The pistol was lowered, and the door opened fully. "Welcome," said James. "Come with me." James led him over to a few racks of equipment. "There will be eight of us," he said. "You, me, Mattieu, Richard, Danny Hamilton, Hiram Derton, Andy Gratz, and Javy Elliot." Christian nodded. "We'll split into two teams. I'll lead the first and Danny will take the second. You'll be in Danny's group." Christian began to protest, but stopped. "Fine," he said. "Good. Here you have your bulletproof vest, handgun, ski mask, and a smoke grenade." He handed one of each to Christian. "Put the vest on. Then go into the other room with Danny. I believe the others are already there." Christian put on the vest and mask, took the handgun, ammunition, and grenade, and left.

He walked into the room James had pointed him to. "Close the door behind you," said a voice he recognized as Danny's. "Alright, everyone hear?" Christian and the others murmured in the affirmative. "Good. Here is a map of our hit. We'll be taking out one track, while James' team will be taking out the second one. Hopefully we can steal some ammunition too." He paused, to make sure everyone understood. "Andy, you will plant the explosives. Javy, you'll provide his cover." He pointed on the map to the spot where the explosives were to go. "Me and Christian will run over to the storage room and take some weapons. Recon says that there is no guard." He glanced rolled his eyes. "If they are wrong, however," he said, emphasizing the "if" sarcastically, "we'll have to disarm him. You have your gun right?" he asked Christian. Christian nodded. "Alright. Let's go then." Danny led them out a back door, down a hallway, and out into the night air. "Car's there," he said, pointing to a jeep. It was missing doors and a back, and looked like it was built thirty years ago. "You sure that thing will run?" quipped Javy. 'Positive," said Danny. "I'll drive. We'll have to take back roads." They got into the car and set off.

Zipping along the road, Christian felt the wind in his hair. It was almost refreshing. He let himself drift into a dreamy state, before being jolted awake by Danny's "We're here. Get out quick. I've got to hide the car." He jumped out with Javy and Andy, and Danny drove the car down into the brush. "This is why I brought a jeep," he said. "Let's go." They ran through the brush, sometimes on a path, and sometimes bushwhacking. Up and down, left and right, Christian followed Danny. Danny stopped and turned. Christian peered out at the train depot in front of them through the brush. He saw James' team run out of the brush. "Andy, you take the explosives where I showed you. Christian, let's go." Christian sprinted out after Danny. They passed one building, ducking below the window. Danny motioned Christian on with a wave of his hand. "In here," Danny said. Christian looked around. There was no guard in site. Danny picked up some belts of ammunition. He also grabbed an automatic rifle, taking it with him out the door. "Hurry up and grab what I did," he said to Christian. Christian followed Denny's instructions. Just as he turned to go, Christian heard the distinctive "Pop, pop, pop" of automatic rifle fire. "F***," said Danny. "Come on!" They sprinted towards the brush where they had came from. "Go, go, go!" said Danny. Christian turned around. He saw James' team sprinting towards the brush as well. "Pop, pop." "Errgh." He heard James' groan. As if in slow-motion, he watched James' body fall, shaking every time another bullet hit it. "Noooo!" he heard himself scream. "Come on!" yelled Danny. Danny threw his smoke grenade, creating a blinding screen. Danny grabbed Christian, and pushed him towards the brush, At this impulse, Christian ran, running as fast as he could. "Boom!" One set of explosives went of. "Boom!" There went the second. Fire rained down over the tracks. They reached the brush, and crashed through, hoping to reach the jeep. Through a small creek, up a hill, and down a ridge, and they finally saw the hiding spot. Soaked in water, Christian crawled out of the bushes. At the jeep, they met Javy and Andy. "How'd it go?" Andy asked. "Fine for us," Danny said. "But the others got in some trouble. And James is dead." Javy and Andy went silent. Christian bowed his head. "Come on," Danny said. "Let's get going."

The Next Day
Bavacin, Mazion

Up on the fourty-fifth floor of the Marshall Building, Christian sat in the kitchen of his condiminium. The doorbell buzzed. "Newspaper," said a voice. Christian opened the door, picked the newspaper off of his doormat, and closed it. On the front cover, there was the headline. "Attack On Military Depot. Six Dead." "Great," thought Christian. It would only be a matter of time before Les Gris were knocking on his door. He read further. "Last night, rebels perpetrated an attack on the Viotena Train Depot. The attempted sabotage turned tragic when one of the rebel teams ran into a patrol. One rebel was killed in the ensuing firefight. The later explosions that twisted the train tracks beyond recognition also caused the death of five soldiers. The bodies were burned beyond recognition. Lord Protector Sartre promised no mercy for the rebels. "These paramilitary extremists have caused the death of our soldiers, who are protecting not only us, but also them. They have attacked our nation itself. They will not live on my watch!" An investigation has begun by the military police.

Christian stopped reading. "Clonk, clonk." A heavy hand knocked on the door. Breathing heavily, Christian froze. He reached for the handgun he still had from last night. Slowly, he peered through the eyesight in the door. "Who is it?" Christian called. He was sure whoever it was could hear his heart beating, even through the thick metal door. "It's just me, Paul," said a voice. Christian breathed a sigh of relief. "One moment," he said, hiding the handgun in a cabinet. He unchained the door and opened it. "Come on in." Paul Martin, the starting goalkeeper for the Mazion team, was also one of Christian's best friends. Christian's brother, Yves, had played in the Englishtown academy with Paul, that is, before his death. Yves had been killed in the crossfire of a fight between government forces and protesters. Although the government claimed he had been struck by a projectile from the protesters, Christian believed that he had been killed by a government bullet. This was yet another reason why he hated it so much.

"How are you?" asked Paul. "You don't look so good." "I'm fine," said Christian. "Late night on the town?" asked Paul, with a smile. "Yep," Christian lied. He didn't lie to Paul often. "Want to go out to the Carnival today?" asked Paul. Christian had forgotten. The Spring Carnival, run in Croft Park in the center of Bavacin, was starting today. "Sure," said Christian. He grabbed his coat, and they headed for the door. "Did you hear about the attack?" asked Paul. "Damn rebels. Causing trouble. The country would be a whole lot better off without them." Christian nodded slowly, faking agreement. Words like that hurt him, even if Paul wasn't speaking about him directly. "You sure you're okay?" asked Paul. "Maybe you should stay and rest. Eli's already mad at you." Christian nodded. "Perhaps that is best," he said. He put his coat back on the hook. "See you later Paul." Paul waved and Christian shut the door. He went back to the kitchen table, and sat down, wondering what he was going to do.

It was quiet at the hideout. Any celebration about the successful attack was subdued by James' death. Christian and Danny, the new head of the military wing, were planning massive recruiting efforts. They hoped to recruit enough men for something bigger: Le Chateau della Montagna. "La Montagna" as it was known, was the second-largest weapons dump in Mazion. It had enough guns for a small army, enough food for for divisions, clothing, armor, and even a few small vehicles. Taking these weapons would be a great blow to the government and a huge help to the military wing.

It would not be as easy as it sounds of course. La Montagna was constantly patrolled by a large company of guards. Recon estimated about 80, but Danny believed it was more like 125. Any door in the building could be closed by any of the guards. And, worst of all, it could be completely surrounded inside minutes. So, the Monarchist Army needed a man on the inside. If they couldn't make it an inside job, the plan would be almost impossible without thousands of men.

It is with this in mind that Christian set out into the streets that night, to post propaganda in the streets of Bavacin. Walls, telephone poles, street signs: Christian canvassed English Town with monarchist pictures and posters. He put fliers on doorsteps, and the night was going well.

"Was" is the key word. Christian was nearing the end of his route when he spotted a police officer. "Halt!" the officer yelled. Christian dropped the posters and ran. "Stop!" The officer raised his handgun. "Stop!" A bullet slid into the chamber with a click. Christian turned and, still running, threw a smoke grenade between him and the officer. White smoke filled the street, blocking Christian from the officer's view. The officer's commands got softer and softer as Christian ran farther and farther away. However, running aimlessly is a good way to get lost, and this is the predicament that Christian found himself in.

Christian slowed to a walk. He didn't recognize any of the street signs, even though he had grown up in English Town. He walked past a couple of shops, and stopped inside a pub. It was very crowded, and he had to push his way up to the bar. "Pardon me," he asked the bartender. "Could you tell me how to get back to Bear Street?" "Take the second right, then a left, and then go straight on Garber until you reach Bear. Should be seven or eight blocks." Christian thanked him. He started at a brisk pace. "Hopefully, I can reach my apartment before two," he thought. He did have practice the next day after all.

He followed the bartender's directions, and turned onto Garber. Walking up the street, he glanced sideways and saw a figure in an alley. Stopping on a dime, he turned and saw a man yelling at a little girl. The little girl was dressed in ragged clothes, and looked tired and hungry. The man looked as if he was about to hit her. "Hey!" yelled Christian. "Hey! You!" "Stay out of this," snarled the man. "Back off," said Christian. The man smiled a toothless grin. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a black object. "Flick." A silver point rotated out of the handle. Christian recognized it as a switchblade. He had some experience in using one from his days growing up in English Town, but he had never had one pulled on him.

The man lunged at Christian. Christian side stepped, parried the blade and hit him with a hook-uppercut combo. The man dropped before the second punch connected. Christian kicked the blade out of the man's hand and into a gutter. He took some money out of his pocket and gave it to the girl. "If he ever tries to hurt you again, call me," he said, writing his phone number on a piece of paper. She took it quietly, looking up at him in awe. Christian said goodbye and walked back out of the alley. He knew he had seen the man before somewhere, but he wasn't sure where. Shrugging, he got to Bear Street and turned towards his apartment. A few blocks later, he was in the lobby. Hit with a sudden wave of drowsiness, Christian took the elevator up to his condo, flopped onto his bed, and fell asleep.

"Bzzzz. Newspaper." The sound of the doorbell awoke Christian. He had a few hours before practice, so he sleepily walked to the door, opened it, and took the newspaper. Going into the kitchen, he put some bread into the toaster, and sat to read the news. The headline shocked him. "Lord Statesman Amyot Attacked." Below it, he saw the face of the man who had attempted to stab him last night. The article read, "Lord Statesman Nicolas Amyot was attacked last night by an unknown assailant. Amyot says that he was walking down Garber Street when he stopped to give some money to a homeless girl. He then claims that he was attacked from behind and blacked out, waking up a few minutes later. Police are investigating it as a possible mugging. They do not believe there is a connection to the attack on the Viotena. If you have any tips on the incident, please contact the police." "That's not - what - I..." Christian blustered. How could the incident have been so twisted?

"Of course," Christian thought. "The government couldn't be seen beating up little girls. So they had to twist it for PR." Christian threw down the paper. He looked at the clock. Time to get ready for practice. "But what if they see me at practice," thought Christian. "I wasn't wearing a mask or anything. I guess I have to go. Otherwise Beri will probably kick me off of the team." Christian went into his closet and found his clothes. Dressing quickly, he left the apartment and walked quickly out to his car, a new V-18 Phénix. He slid into the drivers seat and sped off into the streets of Bavacin.

by **Lymantatia** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:04 am

it is December 21, 2012, when the Lymantatian football team have started to plan their trip to Aguazul, who has won the World Cup four times, hosted it twice and is WCC President. The Lymantatian football team, however refuse to remove a player from their team, no matter if they're transferred to a football team from a different country. In fact, that is what makes the Lymantatian football team unique.

by **Cataduanes** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 5:12 pm

Welcome to Cataduanes Sports focus,

With the return of the national side to the drama of International competition we will tonight look at our nations history in the worlds biggest sporting event. With the qualifiers for the 63rd World Cup due to begin one has to go back many decades when the Cataduanes Free State's national team last participated. In fact it was World Cup 26 which saw the national team captained by the legendary midfielder Fernando Bulumbaga burst onto the scene so to speak. Placed in Region 11 of the qualifying groups Bulumbaga and the rest of the team notched up 7 wins to qualify in second place behind Bedistan and ahead of the Archregimancy for the finals hosted by Commerce Heights and Oliverry. However the finals were to be considerably tougher, placed in Group G the team failed to win any of their fixtures against Hockey Canada, Total n Utter Insanity and Audioslavia. It was a tough yet educating experience for the squad. The following tournament (WC 27) saw Cataduanes fail to qualify from group 5 despite some promising performances.

After the disappointment of WC 27 Bulumbaga and the team put in more effort for WC 28 and sealed second place within the group behind Fmjphoenix to book their place in the finals hosted by The Archregimancy and New Montreal States. However it was to be as tough an experience as WC 26, with Cataduabes notching up 3 defeats, however their was the exciting match against the Archregimancy which they lost 3-2 while at the other end of the spectrum their was also the humiliating 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bettia.

WC 29 saw the national side without Bulumbaga who had retired after the previous tournament, however the team qualified from Group 8 in second place behind Liverpool England to book a place at the finals in Krytenia and Casari. However it was to be still too tough a journey for the team who failed to better previous performances and were beaten in all three group games.

WC30 saw the last few remaining veterans of the Bulumbaga era finally retire leaving a largely young side to contest the qualifiers, however they did qualify from group 8 and travelled to the finals in Schiavonia and The Islands of Qutar. The finals began well enough with the young side notching up their first ever tournament win with a spirited and unexpected 2-1 victory over co-hosts Islands of Qutar, however they still finished bottom of the group on goal difference.

Yet WC30 would turn out to be the apex when in WC31 the national side performed poorly and failed to qualify from Group 4, a sorry state of affairs that was repeated in the qualifiers for WC 31. Sadly for the team it was to be the end of the road as the nation slipped into political instability and eventually devastating civil war that was to encompass decades.

However with the restoration of peace and stability that came with the final end of the war and the rise of military dictatorship the national side was rebuilt and can at last continue the story begun by its forebears so many years ago, a whole nation will be cheering on a team who symbolize not only continuity with the past but a fresh start for a people and nation that has suffered so much. Be sure to stay tuned to Cataduanes Sports Focus as we follow the national sides adventures throughout the qualifiers.

by **Argo Islands** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:36 pm

Sports Review: Argo Islands

Authored By,
Nick Frost VI

After the rigorous training that the entire Argan team went through during the last couple of years, they were getting ready for their first match. They were all excited to see the draw of teams and they would enjoy the World Cup Banquet that was prepared for them. They were yet to travel but would be soon travelling. They experienced a friendly match with the experienced Royalsoldiers Imperial Squad. The score of 4-5 Royalsoldiers did not reflect the effort the team put forth against the Royish squad. Manager Ryan Carmichael has continuously discussed the lack of true World Cup experience on his team. He continuously recognizes this fact but will say that James Axe and Andrew Barker will be able to lead the young squad against the best of teams. However, the most well-known name on the entire Argan National Team is easily and indisputably, is Tyrone Warner. The young star rose to fame in his rookie season in the Argan Premier League in which he set the record for goals by a rookie. Warner was named to the team as a late replacement for the injured Brian Harper. Harper who resigned from the team hopes to return for the next World Cup. Warner scored three goals out of the 6 scored by the Argan team in the Baptism of Fire. Jamison, Barker, and March scored the other three goals. Andrew Barker and James Axe are the officials captains of the Argan team and Carmichael has made that clear. They have been described as field generals and are notoriously efficient on the field. Axe is expected to retire after the World Cup and Barker hopes to continue for a couple of other competitions and the next APL season until his retirement.

The qualifying rounds are the main focus of Carmichael. Ryan who himself was a top recruit for football himself until he was injured. He led the entire Argan Youth Football Association, or AYFA, in goals and assists. Carmichael was named to the manager position on the Argan team after a number of continuous record-setting seasons with Royland United where he won four Argan Premier League championships. He also coaches the main players on the team such as James Axe, Mickey Bauer, and Tyrone Warner. Carmichael says he just hopes that he will get some sleep during the World Cup as he is under lots of pressure from the Argan citizens to do well. Carmichael does have to contain many young talent and personality. Erick Sexton is one of the main talks of the team. Sexton is the second youngest starter and performed superbly in the Baptism of Fire. Sexton will not be the issue in the World Cup and Carmichael has, from the beginning, expressed his confidence in Sexton while in the goal. Carmichael has a balanced team that consists of both extremely experienced players and young talent. So far Carmichael has been able to control the team, but will he be able to keep them bound during the real competition?

by **New West Guiana** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:01 pm

"Continuing with our Past Sports moment the good and the bad we continue tonight with the qualifying round of World Cup 56 which was hosted by Southern Northland and Valanora. West Guiana was placed in Group eleven with the following teams; The Kiaser Colonies, Landau Institute, Saugeais, Krytenia, Rhodesiah, Stuffed Taxidermists and Jedi8246. Out of the seven teams we've encountered sports teams from Saugeais multiple times and two times with Jedi8246.

-----------------Qualifying round of World Cup 56------------------

Match Day one
On our first day of the qualifying round for World Cup 56, we played against Rhodesiah in what was our soccer team's first ever win. Team West Guiana won two to one, but alas just as with the forty-third Baptism of Fire no records have been found of the names of the players and coaches from that first World Cup qualifying round that we participated in.

Match Day two
Now on this day West Guiana played against one of the most oddly named nations we've meet to this very day, Stuffed Taxidermists. What the hell of a national name some one must of been drunk when coming up with a name to that land, but despite the name they beat us three goals to two.

Match day three
On day number three West Guiana would encounter this nation of the first of many encounters, if you're guessing Saugeais then you guessed right. Now we don't know much of the history from this team, but we know that during this qualifying round they were ranked 70th in the world and us...well above 300. Still the fact that we tied them was considered by many to be an upset. From a Saugeais news article:

West Guiana took the early lead 18 minutes in, and the entire stadium let out a chorus of boos directed at both sides of the field.

After the final whistle it ended in a one all draw.

Match day four
In the fourth match West Guiana suffered their first "blow out" losing to top rated Krytenia five to one.

Match Day five
Match five we played against a tough, well to our standards at lest a tough Jedi8246 squad like some many we've played thus far never minding the last game we ended better than hoped tied one all.

Match Day six
Six in and we had started to see a pattern form, West Guiana soccer isn't very good, well not internationally. Matter of fact at this time West Guiana didn't even have a domestic league to funnel players out of from. So no guess this one was a flat out loss, but hey at lest at this time the most goals we'd allowed was only five. But West Guiana lost to the Kiaser Colonies 1-0.

Match Day seven
Half way through the qualifying round and at this point hope as it's not in great supply in West Guiana especially during those early years started to fade fast. Another loss this time to Landau Institute in which we lost three to one. At this point in the qualifying round it was clear who would qualify for their umpteenth World Cup:

Team                      P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Krytenia                  7  5  2  0  25   6  +19  17
 2 Saugeais                  7  4  2  1   9   5   +4  14
 3 Landau Institute          7  3  3  1  14   7   +7  12
 4 The Kiaser Colonies       7  4  0  3  11  11   +0  12
 5 Stuffed Taxidermists      7  3  2  2   9   8   +1  11
 6 West Guiana               7  1  2  4   8  15   -7   5
 7 Jedi8246                  7  1  2  4   7  16   -9   5
 8 Rhodesiah                 7  0  1  6   3  18  -15   1

But even for our first World Cup qualifying round scoring eight goals is pretty good right?

Match day Eight
And we started the second half of the stage off on the right foot with a big win over Rhodesiah in a two nil shutout.

Match day Nine
Like the second match we once again play against that oddly named nation...Stuffed Taxidermists..wow really still looking back over the years we still wonder how the hell did we lose to those people? Oh well..like the first match up we lost this time a close one nil.

Match Day Ten
This match showed that our players weren't professional as according to a Saugeais paper one of our players intentionally hurt another player:

As they drove deep into West Guiana teritory, the opponents began to play rather violent, sliding into tackles more frequently. As the ball came to Cane Pryor, he made a mad dash into the box. He didn't have a shot so he passed the ball out to Esteban Dombrowski, but suddenly he had his legs taken out from underneath him in a vicious tackle. The West Guiana player had deliberately slid into Pryor after he made the pass. The ref showed little hesitation and handed him a red card, but Cane was still down in obvious pain. The trainers came over immediately with a stretcher, and carted him off.

Really this does show how far we have come since those early days. So it shouldn't come to any ones surprise that we lost that match to a score of 4-0.

Match Day eleven
Ouch this one hurt...simple as that...I think this was the largest blow out for this qualifying round. But wow number 13 at this time Krytenia literary blew us out of the park killing our team 11-0! But like so many other games all records seem to have been lost.

Match days 12-14
To sum these up we went 1-0-2 left the qualifying round limping from many embarrassing blow outs and questioning whether or not entering was the best of ideas.

by **Saugeais** » Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:13 pm

Powell Pieran sat in his office, looking over his final choice of players for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers with assistant coach, Jenson Paulson.

"I've really want to focus on more youth input this cycle," stated Pieran. "Therefore, my decision to drop Donovan Francis first from the keepers position was the first thing on my mind, much to your chagrin so I'm told."

"He has the captain of the squad, and a fine player to have boost morale in the squad," quipped Paulson. "Dropping him was probably the worst move of your tenure so far."

Pieran responded, "Well it is always nice to have counter arguments to my decisions, but you have to realize this is a young man's game. Having him on for one more cycle wouldn't make much of a difference out on the pitch; in fact, in the longer run, his constant stamina issues would force us to use the backups more often. Might as well drop him and develop a younger player. Or in this case, three new players."

"...Untested players, you mean. Sure, Vincent James and Yancy Wash have had domestic success, but you never know if that well turn into international success as well."

"Faith and time, Paulson. Well then, looking at the Cup of Harmony and Copa Rushmori squads, not much has changed save for a replacement on both sides; we have great depth on the back line and a solid platoon in the middle, I didn't see much of a change needed," Pieran stated as he places a sheet of paper on his desk.

"Something I have to agree with you on, Mr. Pieran. Over the past couple tournaments, our defensive play has keep us in the game, no doubt from your switch to the 4-4-2. Palhke will be a substantial loss, and your choice of Maurice Bellamy to fill his shoes was quite peculiar, but I'll just have to take your word for it. 'Faith and time' as you put it. I hope we can have some easy group matches out of the gates to give these guys some of that mentioned time."

"No worries, Paulson. The starting eleven is listed, but not set in stone. Yes, I'll switch out players in seemingly one sided matches, but who knows. If they impress me enough, they can see themselves as a top player come World Cup time. And finally, now I'm looking at the forwards here. Ruslan, obvious choice there, while Casimir Archambault you have a problem with, I can tell from the look on your face."

"Another one of your mystery callings. You have Terrance Studwick right there on the bench, but you refuse to list him in the starting lineup. That front line would prove to be deadly amongst the group," said Paulson, nearly shouting.

"Calm down. Terrance is there for his accuracy, yes, but he's lost a step on the rest of the pack. He'll be used primary as late match fire power, or when Casimir gets tired. He's not out of my plans entriely yet, so I'll use him where I think he's best, and right now that is coming off the bench."

Paulson shook his head. "I agree with you there. And it would be beneficial to the team in the long run. I guess that's why they hired you as manager, you can make those tough decision."

"Sometimes the easy choices are the difficult ones. I can see why you'd think dropping the veterans would be so rage-inducing, but I'm looking towards the future of this team. And if that means dropping dead weight when needed. Take this list to the press secretary to have it published, and I'll prepare for the almost certain media backlash. Good day, Paulson."

by **Khytenna** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:02 am

RNC:SPORTS

Khytenna thrash Mazion in friendly

Khytenna-5
Firestone 18th, 67th
Yzo 24th 32nd
Falcon 53rd

Mazion- 0

the build up to the world cup qualifiers couldn't of gone better for Khytenna last night at the Duke Issac Stadium, with 5 impressive goals scored be the Strips, the away side didn't have a chance. the team played impressively, with only one dad incident in the game involving a coalition between Firestone and Girond with firestone having to be subbed of due to a head injury, but the good news his that he will be fit for the Qualifiers. despite the positive outcome of the game, Critics of the new coach, James Davy, have expressed concern over his selection of the squad.

Today a new flag was raised over the stadium, a flag of the new crowned federation, decided by the people in a referendum, the old reminance of the dark past of the independence war is over, and despite being a friendly, the Duke Issac Stadium was full, with even His majesty King Blaze and his Brother, His Grace Prince Loric was there to watch the game in the Royal box.

Yzo was the first to get on the score sheet, after an impressive and dominate start to the game by Khytenna, it was clever play by Kusek, who slotted the ball between two defender, after seeing Yzo starting a run around the the defense, battling of hicks, Yzo just made it to the ball, and luckily chipped the keeper to open the scoring.

Firestone got the second of the game moments later, it was a typical Firestone goal, after recieving the ball outside the box, Firestone battled his way in to box and powered the ball past the keeper to make the game 2-0. Firestone also helped with the 3rd goal, Yzo getting his second of the game. it was a cool 1-2 pass between him and Firestone that open the defence, they made it look simple Yzo just putting the ball away with only one touch, the first half ended 3-0.

Falcon got on to the score sheet 8 minutes in the second half, from outside the box, he tried his chances and, with a cheeky deflection, Falcon put the ball in the top left corner. Firestone would get the 5 and final goal of the game, thanks to a long rang effort by a Carmichael free-kick that the keeper kept out, Firestone managed to get a chance with the goal almost open, the keeper (Martin) nearly got a touch on it, but Firestone's marker was not doing the job properly, Khytenna doing well to exploit the defensive mistake.

Firestone, however, didn't get the end of the game that he intended, after trying to head a ball into the box, he and Girond collided in the air, Girond was fine, but Firestone came of worse with a cut on his bleeding forcing him to be subbed of for Pellett, the game ended 5-0 to home team.

After the game, James Davy was under more pressure by his critics over the selection of a few players, the main criticism comes over the selection of Brockberg, Javis, Hytan and Maycast-Nockes who have had bad season and have not played to the level we expect them to play. players like Fynn Kelly was expected to be in the squad, but the media (including us) was shocked by his exclusion for the national team. Davy has that his team was selected for there international experience, but time will tell if his team was the right choice.

by **Kandorith** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 8:20 am

Xiǎngzhóu Daily

Sports

Kandorese 'Red Dragons' Ready for New Appearance?

Devastation, is what we could call our last attendance at the World Cup. Perhaps hugely disappointing, outrageous and a scandal in our football world. But this did not stop the Kandorese Football Ascociation to create a team and management from scratch.

A fresh wind blows trough the previous corrupt leadership of the KFA, the old almost tyranically ruling chairmen have been fired on order of parliament and were replaced by competent, young management. The new headcoach is the most promising coach our nation had to offer, six time winner of the Kandorese First Division with Nagato Goya. Regional title holder and former division player himself.

"I am completely up for the task and understand the extreme reforms the ascociation is going trough right now. I am prepared to set the right example for both national and international football. Trough the years I have seen great players go down slope towards destruction, that is why I choose for young players with much stamina and experience on the field.
I must say it was a surprise for me they chose me, but the pressure won't get to me. I have carried two clubs to success in just a couple of years and I have no hesitation about this new and young team. Attack will be our best defence and teamwork will be our trademark."

According to head coach Xíanjí Hatema.

Will the team make up for their promises and vanquish the painful memory of complete defeat, the most conceding team in World Cup history?

The friendly matches surely did look well, not a single team got passed Kandorith. It seems their new nickname fits their playstyle. The young boys of the team are energetic, precise and very attacking in spirit. Yet their defence is a wall of protection for the goalie. With new tactical insight from Nagato Goya, the most prestigious club of the nation in the lead, they have the confidence to take on everyone and every single team out there.

The boys are ready, the dragon is awake. The question is, is the World Cup ready?

by **Farfadillis** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 9:30 am

The Farves and the Apoxians headed for the pitch. The international friendly at Apox that had been scheduled last minute was about to start. Both teams quite remarkable, one champion of the last Campionato Esportiva and the other one 3rd placer of the last AOCAF Cup. It promised to be a fierce battle. The Apoxian manager had decided to try a more offensive formation against La Vherderoja, which culd end up with barbaric results as Farfadillis already employed a highly offensive formation, leaving just one defender on the back line. They played a barbaric 2-3-5, while Farfadillis, while attacking, played another barbaric 1-6-3, the game promised to be fantastic and entertaining, obviously plagued with goals.

And the game started as such. Fich got the ball on the edge of the box and sent a through pass to Maarsden, who shot precisely and with a lot of strength to the lower-left corner. Lisdiren's effort was fruitless as he saw the ball go in in spite of his dive. Apox rapidly put themselves above the Farves with a two minutes goal. They'd widen it quickly with another goal by Maardsen, this time a header. Gracie crossed the ball from a corner and it started bedning towards the goal. The cross surprised Lisdiren as he tried to go back and stop it. However, he wouldn't get there on time, and the ball would hit the post. The rebound would end just on Maarsden's head, who'd send it in with calmness as he made the difference bigger just on the seventh minute. Juáres would then level things just a bit by scoring a penalty after a very controversial challenge by Weekes, who got a yellow card after hitting Tuzzio's feet violently. The penalty was shot strongly and to the centre, and as Hewitt dived to the left, the ball went in. Now Farfadillis was just that close of equalizing, and the only twelve minutes had passed. After that, Carpenter would score a long shot that somehow went directly to Lisdiren's upper-right corner, and it was all of a sudden. Wanderis left him some space and BAM, Apoxian goal once again. And there was more to come, it was just the thirty-fifth minute. Then Forster got a goal in the dying minutes of the first half. Scott got the ball at the box's edge after a rebound from a corner and volleyed it to the surprise of many. The ball hit Forster on the head and left Lisdiren in a completely awkward position to stop the imminent Apoxian goal. The ball went in after bouncing once and sending the Apoxian fans wild, as they were already winning 4-1 at the end of the first half.

On the second half, many more things would happen. It started with Apox once again scoring in just two minutes, with Williams heading in a cross from the left corner, after Scott was left there trapped and somehow managed to cross the ball after dribbling Setentriona and Wanderis. Farfadillis would ten minute later, on the fifty-seventh minute, get to score a goal to narrow the already gargantuan difference on the scoreline. Mêndêlöíndçêl stole the ball from Scott close to the midfield, dribbled a player with speed, another one and passed the ball to Tuzzio, who gave it back with a one-touch-heel that left an in-coming Mêndêlöíndçêl on a perfect position to shoot. The shot was tremendous and went at light-speed, figuratively, directly to the goal. Hewitt tried to stop it but the ball hit his arm and went in, and according to him later on a press conference, would've stopped it if it wasn't because the ball could've broken his arm. Potence. After that, Apox would score two goals to leave things 7-2, tearing apart the Farf defense. Nielsson scored from the edge of the box directly to the lower-left corner, a very strong shot that Lisdiren couldn't stop. Poor guy, he wasn't one to blame for any of the goals, he even saved lots of shots. After that, the goalkeeper Hewitt would score another goal, more of a show-off, by scoring from the penalty spot after Chinsúa fouled Scott. With a 5-goal lead and twenty minutes left, Farfadillis was almost hoping for it to end. Dandalleion would then score an "honour" goal, after feinting a cross and going into the box, dribbling two players, dribbling the goalkeeper Hewitt and chipping the ball. After scoring that goal, his celebration was more of a way of provoking the Apoxians, because of how he had dribbled them like puppets. However, the probably most important part of the game was a little fight between Ichi Tuzzio and Dravid Scott over reasons that remain unclear, after which they were both carded. After that, Scott scored two headers and celebrated them in Scott's face, saying something about how he was much better than Tuzzio, to which Tuzzio looked really enraged. The outrage ended up being a rampge of goals, after Farfadillis was down 9-3, he got baqck and scored some goals. The first was basically dribbling four players and fulminating the ball to the crossbar, which it hit and went in tremendously, the crossbar's sound could even be heard. After scoring, he just ran towards the ball, picked it up and ran towards the centre. He then scored another goal two minute later by dribbling two players, the keeper and chipping the ball with his heels. His celebration was this time a show-off. After the match restarted, he got to score another goal by going down the flank by dribbling two and shooting without any angle but a lot of strength. The ball went in to the surprise of many and with two minutes left, if Tuzzio continued like that, maybe Farfadillis could get to level things. After that, he got to score another goal by dribbling two and shooting fromthe edge of the box. This time, the ball was slow but headed directly towards the upper-left angle and Hewitt couldn't reach it. This time to celebrate he ran directly to Scott and shoved the goal up his face. The rest of the match featured Tuzzio too tired to continue his streak, but he did show-off a bit by dribbling Scott with some tricks and things. Apox won 9-7 and that was what mattered, even if the game was a "friendly".

But the most interesting thing would happen on the press conference, Scott would be the first to speak, with Tuzzio following. What was going to happen wasn't thought of...

by **Royalsoldiers** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:23 am

Imperial Telegram: World Cup

After a close victory over the young Argan team, Royalsoldiers continued into a friendly match against Eupheos-Anetus. This game was one of the best balanced game by a Royish team. With the final score of 9-1, the Royish team plowed through the Eupheos-Anetus team. As a team, Royalsoldiers played a possession game where they continuously took controlled shots at the goal and placed them well. Manager Jim Kodiak who is participating in his first official World Cup led the Royish team to their second official Christian Cup. Kodiak who was the assistant to Cody Wilson, who recently retired, is a fiery and bold figure. Kodiak who participated in World Cup 53 for Royalsoldiers performed terrific and earned himself a spot on the coaching staff. Kodiak who is notorious for his bold and somewhat controversial comments on games. Kodiak has an team who is currently undefeated under his coaching and hopes to do very well in the World Cup to solidify his legacy. In the team interview, he expressed his confidence in his team and its players. The team physio, Theodore Cruz, was questioned on the physical health of Victor Madison who was limited in training the yesterday after the blowout of Eupheos-Anetus.

The team is preparing for its next friendly against an undecided opponent. They are expecting to participate against a more experienced and talented team. Royalsoldiers so far has not had to rely on the main star that is Eric Taurus. Taurus still leads the team in goals during the qualifying matches but there is in no way a reliance on his scoring ability to win matches. This has been described as an advantage to the team as reliance on one player in previous World Cups have shut them down in the preliminary group competition.

Authored By,
George Beck III

by **Mazion** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 10:37 am

Les Monarchistes: Part 2

Bavacin, Mazion

Nicolas walked out of the hospital. He was angry and ashamed. Quickly, he got into the government vehicle and barked at the driver to take him to his residence. "That dirty, good for nothing, nosy interloper who had stuck his nose into my business," he thought. "I will find him and then, he will play."

The truth is, Nicolas had been scolding his illegitimate daughter, the daughter of an Englishwoman. The thought of a Frenchman having an affair with an Englishwoman was extremely controversial in esteemed society and would surely lead to a scandal that would ruin any chance of him becoming Lord Protector. This one goal had dominated Nicolas' life since a young age and he would not let it be ripped away from him. Dialing his cellphone, he made a call. "Hello?" said a gruff voice on the other line. "Hello, it is Nicolas. Please meet me at my office in 20 minutes." "Very well," said the voice. "Click." Nicolas shut the phone.

"We are here, sir." said the driver. Nicolas got out without thanking him and walked into the office building. It was here, on the twenty-third building, where he worked when he was not in the Council of State. He took the elevator up to his floor. "Ding." The doors opened. Nicolas walked down the hallway, past a receptionist, and into his office. He was a rude man, and many of his staff didn't like him. Even his receptionist was a member of the Resistance.

A knock sounded on the door. "Come in," said Nicolas, shuffling papers on his desk. A man in a black trenchcoat entered. He had a black Homburg hat on that covered his eyes. "Hello, Nicolas" he said in a thick French accent. "Hello Xavier." The room was filled with an awkward silence. "So, what do you want me to do," asked Xavier? "I want you to track down, this man," said Nicolas, showing him a drawing of his "attacker". It resembled Christian, but it was not identical by any means. "Alright. And my compensation?" asked Xavier. "A job in my government when I am elected Lord Protector," said Nicolas. Xavier nodded, and walked out of the office. Nicolas returned to shuffling papers around his desk.

Xavier left the office and took the stairs down to the lobby. Getting into his car, he sped off into the street. "This shouldn't be too hard," he thought. "After all, I've caught murder suspects who were masked, I've caught criminals with plastic surgery." Deep in thought, he didn't notice the truck coming from the left. Closer and closer it came, Xavier not noticing it. "Honk!" Xavier turned just in time to see the grill of the truck engine next to his window. "Boom!" The truck smashed into the car, sending it airborne. The car flipped once and landed upside-down next to streetlamp. The truck sped on through the intersection.

Christian needed to get to practice and fast. He was already going to be late. A big truck pulled out in front of him. "Honk!" Christian sounded his horn in annoyance. The truck sped off through an intersection. "Boom!" Christian braked suddenly and he watched in horror as the truck sent a black car flying into a streetlamp. Christian had to get to practice. But the person could be in real trouble. Christian pulled over his car next to the sidewalk and ran over to the small crowd that had gathered around the car.

The car was smoking and a man inside was screaming for help. The crowd stood, stunned, no one moving to assist him. Christian pushed through and started to drag the man through the shattered window. "Rrrrrrr." Christian pulled and pulled. The man's seatbelt popped off, and his head stuck through the window. Christian continued to extricate the man, finally getting him fully out of the car. By this time, the car was on fire and a few others were trying to put it out.

The man was bloodied and dazed. Paramedics quickly surrounded him and Christian backed away to get into his car. He waved to a passerby, got into his car, and sped off. At least he had an excuse now.

Xavier felt the man dragging him through the window. "Oof!" He was dizzy and his head felt awful, but at least he was out of the car. He looked up and saw his rescuer. Brown hair, blue eyes. He repeated this in his mind and blinked. When he looked up again, the man was gone.

by **Vettrera** » Mon Dec 24, 2012 11:35 am

12 years....that's how long Marshall Tadlock had been president of Vettrera, and he was done with it. For 12 years he had been a people pleaser, keeping his country out of war, and dealing with a Congressional Panel that was planning to undermine the Unified Party, who had been leading the nation in support for 6 years, until the most recent Congressional Election saw their support freefall. Marshall Tadlock had a perfect career, and was only 50. But all he had worked for was being threatened. The Defense Secretary had called an emergency meeting, and Marshall already knew that the news would not be good. When he arrived at the meeting he sat down, surrounded by Generals from all 12 provinces.

"Recently," Defense Secretary Antonia Hardley began, "There have been a number of mass murders and assassinations orchestrated by members of the Vettreran Police Force. We currently have reason to believe that these events all have to do with a plot being organized by a single terrorist group. As it stands, 80 people have been killed in various police brutality cases this month. All of which, former members of the Vettreran Espionage Agency who are or were in positions of importance. As you all know, the VEA is the most powerful, and selective branch of Vettrera's military, holding most of our international secrets. We currently do not know who is leading this group, but it is apparent that all former VEA Members are in danger, and must be alerted immediately."

"Well, what international secrets did this deceased spies know?" asked Kensley Yeats, defense secretary of upper Bellmont.

"I think you and I are both aware of what information they possessed." Hardley responded.

"That information could plunge us into a civil war. Who's to say they don't just start shooting civilians all across the nation until the citizens lose faith in the current government and revolt? In fact, if they groomed and bred some citizens long enough, they could infiltrate the entire VEA"

"Well what do you want to do then? Start an entire war on espionage?'' Tamera Brown asked.
"Of course not, then that would ruin little Marshall's pacifist streak." Said republican Gregory Schmidt.
"Oh I'm sorry, are you still upset about the election back in 2006?" Tadlock responded.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP! At this point we don't know who is infiltrating the police force, or for what reason. All we know is that they're gathering information from spies and are trying to enrage the populous. I'm reluctant to start any war as of now, as it will just create more distrust in the police force. You don't need people scared to dial '929' in fear that a terrorist is coming after them. As of now call EVERY former spy you know who may have classified information about Vettrera. You are all dismissed." Hardley said, concluding the discussion.

Marshall returned to his room, prepared to do something he hadn't done in 26 years...talk to Beatrice Parker.

Beatrice had been president of the Valoria Sporting Association ever since PUSH had been put into effect. There was always something going on in NS Sports, and she of course had to work it out. She had even recently got into a fight with another nation's international baseball competition. There was always something going on, be it in the Protectorate Leagues, Vettreran Leagues, or international competitions. And of course, she never got any recognition.

Vivica, Beatrice's assistant poked herself into Beatrice's office. "Ms. Parker, President Tadlock is on the phone."

Beatrice's heart sank immediately. She hadn't talked to Marshall much since their days at Triepa Row, a strategic military university in Huddleston. He was a point guard on the university basketball team, and she was a forward on the school soccer team. Marshall was extremely sarcastic and witty, he was the only guy in the world that could challenge Beatrice. They dated freshman and sophomore year, and then broke up, Beatrice still couldn't remember why. All she knew was that he broke her heart. After college they both served in the VEA for five years, in different branches and nations. Beatrice had only seen Marshall one time since their college days, at an awards banquet honoring former military members for their service. Marshall was married at the time, and governor of Hectate, Beatrice was coach of a soccer team in Calvarie. Marshall and Beatrice talked briefly, until his wife whisked him away and shot Beatrice a dirty look.She couldn't imagine what Marshall wanted now...

"You can transfer the call to me Vivica" Beatrice said.

"Hello Beatrice Parker? This is Marshall Tadlock. I'm here because of the recent murders involving VEA members. As you know, you were a member on the 'Artemis Project' during your 5 years in the VEA. Because of this, you know sensitive information about the nation of Vettrera, and need to be on high alert, regarding your safety. I suggest you travel with the World Cup 63 team, in attempt to lose anyone that may be after you."

"Thank you, if you do not mind me asking. Are you offering this advice purely as a national official, or are you offering this advice as a friend?"

"Friend,"

"Thank you, and goodbye."

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