World Cup LXV (65) RP Thread

by **Lymantatia** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:41 pm

A Year In The Life: Weeks 13-16
The person centered around in "A Year In The Life" is a female 14-year-old named Liselotte de Archambault (November 20, 1997-) who lives in Roselle, a town with a population of 10,000 which is near Laurentia. Liselotte's paternal ancestry starts with the Archambault noble family. She has a mother (October 22, 1964-), father (June 2, 1962-), a 14-year old sister Marguerite (March 11, 1997-) and a 22-year old brother named Alfred (March 28, 1989-).
Week 13 (March 25-March 31)
She goes to Alfred's birthday.
Week 14 (April 1-April 7)
She meets her granddad.
Week 15 (April 8-April 14)
She go to the mall.
Week 16 (April 15-April 21)
Her family goes to Connorstown at Saturday.
German-Spanish Empire 0–1 Lymantatia
Posted at 9:00pm 2013 June 27 - We are back to winning! Isn't that great?
Goalscorers
87 mins - Jacques Bressler (Lymantatia)
Current Statistics
Average number of time of goals: 37 minutes and 30 seconds (37.5 minutes)
Average number of time of goals by other teams: 50 minutes
Most goals by person on Lymantatia's team: Jacques Bressler (8)
IC Time is 9:00pm 2013 June 28

by **Super-Llamaland** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:59 pm

Group 1
Super-Llamaland 4–2 Friday Freshman
Horusland 0–0 Leorudo
Kalusia 1–1 Armed Bears
The fief of Sir Kunne 0–1 Sargossa
Oralana 1–3 Taeshan

- Group 1 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Taeshan 9 7 2 0 17 2 +15 23
2 Sargossa 9 7 0 2 12 7 +5 21
3 Super-Llamaland 9 5 1 3 23 17 +6 16
4 Kalusia 9 4 3 2 10 7 +3 15
5 Horusland 9 3 4 2 9 9 0 13
6 Armed Bears 9 3 3 3 19 17 +2 12
7 Leorudo 9 2 5 2 12 13 −1 11
8 Oralana 9 2 1 6 10 17 −7 7
9 The fief of Sir Kunne 9 2 1 6 7 15 −8 7
10 Friday Freshman 9 0 0 9 8 23 −15 0

Dominance in ninety minutes

The Llamas lead early, lead late, lead in between, lead at thirty, lead at sixty, lead at stoppage, lead at the half, lead by offense, lead on a worse team, lead in shots, lead in possession, lead in haircuts, and generally lead EVERYTHING against unranked and winless Friday Freshman (and no, they haven't drew either.)

The Llamas grabbed an easy early goal to the tune of Evan Powell to Trevor Duncan. This was less of a nice play than a mess-up by the tenth-place team. Thirteenth minute, one-zip. And it only got better.

Bobby Crosby headered one off the post off a great corner from Chris May, who then showed off his hustle by dashing to retrieve it off the post and lob it off the crossbar and in. A beautiful shot and one that put the Tigers up two-zero at the thirty-sixth minute. Friday Freshman got one in at the forty-third to make it look somewhat close going into the second half.

Then, Chapman went to May, who sprinted up the field...and then collapsed. The crowd gasped. May had a history of heart issues. Jared Mullin stepped in and looped a nice throw-in to John Oliver, who kicked it in for a three-one lead at sixty-nine minutes. Trevor Duncan added a goal off a Luis Alcanatra pass to make it four-one at eighty minutes. Eric Matthews was subbed in to recover from his bad outing...and gave up a goal at eighty-three. Ferguson, a smart manager, kept Matthews in to boost confidence but didn't make a third sub. And so it went to the end, four-two.

Stat of the day: Seventy-one percent possession speaks for itself.

Tyson DeJesus 86% Saves, 42 SOG-Six Goals [injured]
Nick DeJesus 85% Saves, 34 SOG-Five goals
Eric Matthews 40% Saves, 5 SOG-Three goals
Trevor Duncan SIXTEEN POINTS (six goals four assists)
Bobby Crosby TEN POINTS (five goals)
Jared Mullin TEN POINTS (three goals four assists)
Chris May TEN POINTS (three goals four assists)
John Oliver SIX POINTS (two goals, two assists)
Evan Powell FIVE POINTS (two goals, one assist)
Luis Alcanatra FIVE POINTS (one goal, three assists)
Johnny Rushmore THREE POINTS (one goal one assist)
Chris Chapman TWO POINTs (two assists)

by **Polar Islandstates** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:43 pm

THE HALF-WAY STATE OF PLAY
3-2 win in Rumiatzi brings both hope and concerns to Terns management

Morten Rasmussen considers his tactical options after Astograth take the lead

Last night's friendly match in Rumiatzi was a night of mixed blessings for Terns manager Morten Rasmussen, and as the Terns go into the second half of qualifying with their 100% record intact there will nonetheless be concerns over injuries to Julius Oyen-Spekke and Dima Petersen, as well as leaving questions left unanswered of first choice goalkeeper Artemiusz Korzhanenko.

Going to Rumiatzi to see our traditional rivals in the weakest state they've been in for a long time, Rasmussen was keen to give a few key players a night off from first team duty, and so Julius Oyen-Spekke captained the side with both van Sorensen and Kungas-Vaga rested. Having won every match in qualifying up to this point, almost without conceding, there is much to be said and little unknown about the Terns' first choice defence, and as such Oyen-Spekke was the only 'survivor' of the changes to the first team line-up in the back four. Kungas-Vaga, Rovanpera, and Petersen were all left on the bench, with Elden, Vaaraniemi, and Hesjedal brought in. In the midfield, Kirvesniemi, Zeljeznicar, and Lillehammer were brought in to replace Corneliu, Sudesval, and van Sorensen, whilst Gustaf Kolehmainen and Saarinen were given a chance to develop their burgeoning strike partnership as the former replaced Vadim Illich-Svitych.

One of the positions on which the most scrutiny was placed however was in goal, with the Franz Josef City goalkeeper given the nod despite the low stakes nature of the game. Aside from the game against Powersith, where Alexis Sand took the gloves, the Terns have alternated between Korzhanenko and Kirilaunen a lot in qualifying so far, with Rasmussen clearly still experimenting which which goalkeeper's attributes match with the team's tactical set-up the best. With a sequence of strong clean sheets in the opening few matches of the campaign, the chopping and changing between goalkeepers soon became a point of interest for fans and pundits alike, with the betting markets going wild for which keeper would be the first to concede.

That keeper was Korzhanenko, when he flapped at a corner whilst two-nil up against Fristat and Marionopolis to allow Solovetsky right-back Hugues Lamontagne to pop up and head home. There was still time for him to let a shot from Uwe Kunze squirm through his arms as well, with only a last ditch clearance off the line from David Wien keeping the Terns in front. A last minute strike from Bosnjakovic put a gloss on the scoreline, but the first cracks had appeared in Korzhanenko's public reputation, and the next match saw Kirilaunen brought back in.

Korzhanenko was back in for the friendly against Astograth however, and with many eyes on him it was a nervous goalkeeper that lined up against a similarly half-strength Olibondeka. Ekhi Subies, Ayoro Barinaga, and Koldobika Benitzaizin all started for the home side in an eleven that they usualy start off watching from the bench, along with young striker Oskarbi Churin, who is of course known to all at Surtsey and across Divisjon One. The familiar surroundings of Grand Duke's Stadium were as resplendent as ever, and for the scores of visiting Twitchers familiar enough with Rumiatzi to have loyalty cards for the coffee shops there there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air.

The game kicked of slowly enough, with plenty of the less experienced starters for both teams keen to grab themselves some early time on the ball in order to settle their nerves. For some, it was their first time playing in Rumiatzi, and that time on the ball was invaluable. Felix Saarinen was the first to test the target in anger with a clipped shot on the turn from eighteen yards. The ball was too close to Logegaray however, and the Astograthian keeper was able to catch it quite easily. It was a sign of intent from the man in form though, and a through ball from Zeljeznicar in the seventeenth minute was all the invitation the East Franz Athletic needed. Saarinen rarely needs asking twice, and his first time shot from close range was enough to put the Terns ahead.

You can't keep the Astograthians down for long however, even with confidence as low as it has been down on the Goose Coast, there is still a place in their hearts reserved for bringing the best out against Polarians. And so it was against last night when waves of attack started to come at the Terns defenders, orchestrated by the man in their team that perhaps knows us better than any other - Eriz Bakaikoa. Brought into the first team and tutored personally by Morten Rasmussen whilst at Axel Heiburg, Eriz Bakaikoa's passing was soon probing the weak points in the inexperienced Terns line-up, whose total wasn't yet quite greater than the sum of their parts with this starting eleven. Eventually, the pressure on the lesser forces of Lillehammer and Kirvesniemi in front of Oyen-Spekke and Elden would tell, and Balendin Uzkudun was there to slam home from an unexpected pocket of space. Nonetheless, there will be those who could argue successfully that it was a shot that Korzhanenko should have saved.

Things would get worse for Korzhanenko after the interval, when Oskarbi Churin took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Oyen-Spekke to skip past the challenge of Hesjedal and into the penalty box, letting rip with a shot that ducked underneath the goalkeeper's falling frame and trickled harmlessly into the net to give the Olibondeka the lead for the first time in the match.

The slip marked the end of the match for Oyen-Spekke, and a double substitution saw him join Hesjedal in being replaced by David Wien and Dima Petersen. Petersen, who has played in Ituraitz and won all there is to be won at club level, would have hoped to start the match in his adopted home nation, and he set out in those opening few minutes to settle a score and show just why he has proved to be the first choice so far this cycle, using his knowledge of the Astograthian game to read a move from Guerrikaechebarria and perfectly cut out a through ball to Churin within minutes of his coming on.

Anders Ekman came on for Villeneuve as Rasmussen tried a move that would attempt to stifle the Astograthian centre-midfield by overcroding and permit the front three to create more of their own chances. The move paid off, and with twenty minutes to go it was Petersen who found himself out wide and able to cross the ball inside to Kolehmainen. The young Surtsey attacker had had a somewhat quiet match up until that point, but his right foot goes like a traction engine when you ask it to, and the ball was in the top corner before Logegaray could even move.

Things would get better for the Terns just ten minutes later, too, as a cheap free kick for an unnecessary tackle turned into a great delivery from Zeljeznicar to Ekman, who in turn turned it into a goal he couldn't miss.

The Terns held their shape for the rest of the match, and though the home side attempted to do their home support justice and find a way through they were thwarted by the presence of Kirvesniemi and Lillehammer protecting the defence. On the one occasion they really did look like scoring, Korzhanenko was well placed to atone for his earlier error and pull off a superb top class save. Bakaikoa, who had been a thorn in the side of the Terns all match, was there to pull the trigger, and it was Korzhanenko who stabbed out a hand to touch the ball over the bar as he had to change direction in mid-air. It was a fine save, and one that would have justified his presence as first choice goalie to those that were doubting him.

Three-two at Grand Duke's Stadium is a good result whatever the circumstances, but Twitchers and coaching staff alike would have been concerned to see Petersen walk off the pitch just before the full time whistle holding his hamstring painfully.

The traditional mid-qualification fixture wasn't played last cycle as a result of the ongoing hostilities between the Federation and Sargossa, and this match marked a welcome return to competition between the two nations. It provided questions and answers and then some more questions for each manager however, and both will go away knowing that this friendly has provided them with rather more 'data' than on some occasions in the past.

For Sir James Handel, despite the nature of both teams fielding an under-strength eleven, scoring two goals against the fourth-best team in the Multiverse with a side that is down on confidence has to be seen as a plus point, though the ease with which the Terns opened up his defence and his players' willingness to commit fouls in the proximity of the area will be concerning.

For Morten Rasmussen, the performances of Zeljeznicar, Kolehmainen, and Kirveniemi in particular will give him some food for thought when it comes to his starting line-up, though with a possible injury to both Petersen and Oyen-Spekke, the rotating may be forced upon him in the defence. Korzhanenko also showed the best and worst of him so far in just ninety minutes, and whilst a win in Astograth without Alexsandr van Sorensen isn't to be sniffed at, it will bear looking at twice that in one match the Terns have conceded double their entire conceded goals in the first half of qualification. Whether or not that is just down to the status and opposition of the match is a question that Rasmussen will need to answer if the Terns are to continue as strongly as they've started. Seven points clear of second place Blouman Empire, there is even a certain amount of room for error should it be needed.

As the only team in qualification to still have a 100% record, as well as the team with the best defensive record, all eyes will be on the Terns as future opposition keenly awaits a first draw or defeat. In form like this, all goals scored against the Terns will be studied closely by all foreign managers. Right now, we are the team to beat, and the team that everyone wants to see beaten. Whilst this is a sign of the side's attainment and form so far this cycle, this is a new pressure that the Terns will have to find a way to deal with.

It's a problem, yes, but hardly one that you can complain about having to deal with.

by **Antoletia** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:59 pm

"Woo another win. 2-0 over a team we have actually played before, and away we might still have a shot at the playoffs."

"Yeah i see we are only 3 out of a three way tie for second, and four out of first."

"Yeah, really hopeful for the weeks to come in the second half."

"Yeah and Hiarchratez man, he may not have scored a fourth game in a row, but two assists and he was once again the player of the game."

"Yeah, he en fuego."

"Would love to see him in the world cup. We may have qualified before, but the world needs to see Hiarchratez."

"Yeah, great player no one really knows about."

"And von Leeweonheouck he is continuing to be great. Plays for a great club side, and man he anchors that midfield."

"Nice goal from Gabriel Mohammed as well."

"Yeah nice piece of work after the great pass from Hiarchratez."

"Yeah really excited for what is to come."

by **Taeshan** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:14 pm

Taeshan

Oralana

3

1

Jackson

Longwaters

Lydie

Jaffacake

Fasnacht

Tlumach

Conrad

Juniper

Icicle

Kljestan

Pantoum

Subs: 55' Ender Wiggin for Tyler Pantoum [TAE], 70' Jeremi Krieder for Tyler Icicle [TAE], 80' Manny Pato for Brian Kljestan [TAE]

Goals: 7' Tyler Pantoum [TAE], 45' Aaron Conrad [TAE], 60 UNK [ORA], 81' Jordan Jaffacake [TAE]

Apparently Joe Jackson was called up to play and boy did he do that. He may have let in the second goal of the nine games so far for the Knights, but overall he proved to barely be a step down from the injured Ryleigh Voegael. Sure both bench keepers must have felt shunted away from there chances, but with Jackson's recent form in the TSL, and the fans of the nation looking for him to get his chance on the national team he delivered. Maybe Henning Tir will be better than their last coach.

Elsewhere the changes also helped for the win. Injured striker Skylar Crane has been ruled out for this and one more game, and young striker Tyler Pantoum showed why he was long a part of the U21 squad and should long be a part of the senior national team. He may later have succumbed to a nagging leg injury and make way for long time future star Ender Wiggin, but overall his performance really sparked the offense and showed the coach and the fans that he was worth their respect.

After that the Knights took the game easily with a second goal from Aaron Conrad just before the half on a set piece, and sure Oralana got one back and got a huge roar from their crowd, but overall the Knights were well ahead by then and the third goal late from Jordan Jaffacake on a corner really just sealed an already done deal.

by **Apox** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:37 am

Game day. George McLaren and the team we already in Wight Spit, having spent the night at a run-down hotel which was nearby to the friendly named stadium of Shallow Grave. George was up early, he couldn't sleep, this match had kinda taken over his life for the last few weeks, so he wasn't fully able to concentrate, nor able to sleep easy.

He trudged down to the hotel bar at around 6am, and ordered a coffee to prepare himself for the game, he would have breakfast when the rest of the team came down to eat. A couple of minute later he was joined by Sir Richard Marshall, who was equally fidgety and nervous.

"Do you reckon we can do it?" asked George, looking into his coffee, before glancing at Sir Richard along the bar.

"All in the mind really. If you go into the game with a positive attitude, then I see no reason why you can't win." Richard said bluntly, before sipping his coffee. That really killed off all conversation, and they sat in silence for quite a while, both contemplating the match. IT would be the first game either of them had played in or managed for over 50 years.

A short while later, the team came down in dribs and drabs. The two new arrivals who had only played for a couple of practise sessions, were Mitch "Lewie" Thornton (Goalkeeper, Gwinevra Rockets, 512-531, 180 apps, 0 goals) and Jack Jones (Right Midfielder, Mercury United, 508-525, 169 apps, 58 goals), both of whom would most likely be substitutes for the match ahead, but still very welcome to the team.

Breakfast was taken, and then the team returned to their rooms, to pack their bags and sort of the teams kit, traditional Apoxian colours of red and white, with the kit looking much like the original Apox national team shirt, as they prepared for the teams first match.

Something of note was what the team was actually called - there had been much debate in the Rose & Thistle a couple of days ago as to a team name. Many ideas had been thrown around, with no consensus being reached after many hours debate, until Sir Charles Barton, in what was and probably will be his biggest contribution to the team, suggested the name Rose & Thistle FC, which kind of stuff, until when asked what name they would be playing under by the Haïtiens club secretary, the only real option had been Rose & Thistle FC. So that was that.

They all met in the hotel lobby at 11am, and walked out of their, heading towards the Shallow Grave, for one of the biggest games of their lives.

Team Sheet from the Matchp (scorer in bold)
GK - Ettie Seabrooke
RD - Fronden Abel
CD - Dan Weekes
CD - Athelstan Firth
LD - Jennie Scott
RM - Olim Benzari (c)
CM - Jack Moses sub Armando Quillisi 69'
CM - John Carpenter sub Matthias Sindelar 78'
LM - Fran Gracie
CF - Tolgus Tregajorran
ST - Keri Ularu sub Fred Barnett 69'

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:48 am

With nothing going on for this 'match day', we thought it might be funny to see what others have said about our team. We have compiled the nicest, the rudest and the most striking observations about the Greenblues since World Cup 60, when things started to get better for us.

"assuming they could beat Ko-oren on the last day anyway" - Eura, just before their 5-2 loss during World Cup 64. Needless to say, Ko-oren was the winning party here

"Sbrskj Krk Trkrj admire Ko-orenite practice
Of managing team via committee of coaches
This is practice akin to a worker's collective
Whereby each coaches according to his abilities
And helps his comrades according to their needs
It is therefore a pity that Ko-oren play in green and yellow
Which is not only terrible colour combination
But has no relation to history
Of oppressed worker's struggle

Proletarian solidarity!
Proletarian solidarity!
United workers of the world
Cannot win football match
But at least losing badly
Prepares workers for
Capitalist exploitation" - The Holy Empire, making us look like hardcore socialists after their 5-0 win over the Greenblues during World Cup 64

"Now onto Group G. Quite possibly the Group of Death here, former Champs the Holy Empire, former semi-finalists Eura, former champs the Sylvanaes Queendom and Ko-oren." - Taeshan, offering some consolidation to our national team before the tournament (World Cup 64) even started

"The scene must have been bizarre for elderly Kericians watching at home, as familiar blue and green flags with a yellow cross were seen waving in the crowd. These were Ko-oren's, of course, but they happen to be nearly identical to the flag used by the former Kerecen government nearly a century ago." - Kericia, pointing out the designer of the Ko-orenite could be sued for making an almost identical copy of an old Kerician flag

"Ko-oren. Jedi8246 respects the nation and team." - Jedi8246 making the Greenblues look a lot better than they are. Or were. Anyway, the Greenblues did climb from 50th to 31st in just one cycle

"But overall, I can see where the system has its merits." - Maklohi Vai, being okay with the fact that Ko-oren is a meritocracy. At least he excused himself for the pun

"the Cabañas Effect, as shown by the curious case of Ko-oren. By this point, they're just hoping to not finish 5th again, even though they should have been contenders for
playoff spots in the last few Qualifiers." - The Falcons, on our talent for underperforming during and before World Cup 63

"The Bumblebees' 5-2 loss to Ko-oren in Cardston is the worst defeat they've suffered at home in 34 years." - Aww yeah

"They’re already thinking of whether they’ll hit the playoffs or not. They won’t. They’ll choke and come in third." - Thaulandi, our colony, always looking at the bright side of life. Joke's on them: we didn't finish 3rd, we finished 5th in our World Cup 62 group.

"subsequent loss for New Montreal States against Ko-oren - means that a Play-Off spot is still in the running for Starblaydia, who have their destiny in their own hands." -
compliments from Starblaydia during World Cup 61. They thanked us again a match later, after a 1-0 win for the Greenblues against Baltskandio.

"And Ko-oren are confirmed as our group's play-off entrant, ayyuh?" "Ayyuh... and I'd say that they deserve that chance, meself." - Bears Armed, when Ko-oren seized their first opportunity to make it into the World Cup (60), and blew it

"MD10 Offensive Juggernaut: Group 15's Ko-oren emerged as the MD10 Offensive powerhouse, lighting up the scoreboard 6 times in a blow out win over Equatorial Sarmen." - Cowardly Pacifist's The Poultry Prober thankfully highlighting something the Greenblues will probably never do again

"The Indios won 4 of its last five matches, save for Milchama but hey--they only lost 0-1. They even crushed Ko-oren, the 17th ranked at that time--at their own turf!" - Sangti, about the Ko-orenite National Baseball team... during World cup 65. Reminding us of a loss we'd not like to remember

"As the champagne dries and the poor stiffs from city maintenance sweep up the ticker tape from the Reformed Expos's surprise run past Milchama, Ko-oren and Sicoutimont, the Paladins will look to emulate their baseball-playing counterparts." - New Montreal States, again about baseball. Truth be told, they have that right because they won the tournament. Another loss we'd prefer to forget. What is it with World Cup 65 and our baseball team (oh yeah, we finished fourth in the WBC!)

"The 65th World Cup ended in farce for Eura after a bizarre 5-2 defeat against Ko-oren." - Eura, about a match that apparently exists differently in the Ko-orenite mind. Bizzare? Farce? Didn't think so

"Ko-Oren had other plans." - The Sova Empire, on what we do best

by **New Sideburn** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 5:39 am

Cathy Stokes' Dream Diary
December 21, 330
It was dark, and I was in an abandoned alleyway. A dog stared at me, and I stared at him. Suddenly I asked, "Why are you following me? What do you want to tell me?"

It didn't answer. I think it was just a dog. Still pissed me off, though.

"It's pissing down out there," observed Catherine, staring out the window. The match was scheduled to start in half an hour, and while the Farham Theatre and indeed all Premiership stadiums had retractable roofs, it appeared the Homeland stadium did not. But presently, that was not the issue. The issue was that they were meant to be there five minutes ago.
"We know," said Leila Corvette, acidly. Cathy Stokes had picked up another caution last match, which gave her the start. Leila had originally been the starting left-back for the side, but recent incredible club form from Cathy had given her the nod. Leila had at least managed to keep her prized no. 13, but beyond that this was not a campaign she was especially optimistic about. Don't get me wrong, Leila would say. I'm still a team player. It's just that I can only be a team player when I'm on the field. But that was okay for Gethin. He enjoyed seeing petty, competitive bickering. He felt it kept players on edge and eager to prove themselves.
The only problem was that Leila smoked even more when frustrated, lowering her normally anemic stamina to the point where she occasionally coughed up blood after the half-time mark. But as long as she could run (for admittedly brief periods), she was useful.
Portia stretched. "Anyone know anything about our opponents?"
"No," said Leila, flatly.
"Nothing from our scouts?" Portia glanced hopefully at Escher, but there was no hope there.
"Just do the best you can," suggested Chase. Portia glared at him.
Three agonised minutes passed without word.
"You sure you can't make this thing go any faster?" asked Gerd in an agonised tone. Leyland was the driver by common consensus, as he was the most likely to adhere to foreign speed limits. This, however, was coming with a downside that was, right now, being felt. "Kickoff's just eighty minutes from now..."
"We'll get there," said Leyland with infuriating calm.
Gerd grunted and turned back to the poker game. It was Texas Hold'em, still the preferred format in a country that had long forgotten where Texas actually was, and Darren Parrett was sweeping everyone. Even Cheney, whose reputation was not one that would please Paolo di Canio.
"The hell did you learn to play cards like this?" he sputtered.
"It's a knack," said Darren, smoothly.
"Bloody witchcraft, more like."
"Here," said Tarquin, craning his neck from the poker table. "I think the stadium's just up ahead."
"How can you tell?" asked Leyland, sceptically.
"Lots of drunk people in green shirts milling around a big building in the distance."
Leyland rolled his eyes. "Oh, brilliant. That'll be our lot, then."

There was no issue with the timing, fortunately, though it didn't leave them with much time to prepare. The Sideburnese weren't a particularly religious people, but they took quickly to superstition. When it came to the starting eleven alone, Leila would take to the field in the same tatty brown leather headband as she'd worn since her debut in the Premiership. Portia Thrift refused to wear matching gloves. Cheney would never abide a long-sleeved team shirt, but would wear a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath; though that was arguably more fashion than superstition. Gerhard hadn't brushed his teeth that morning. Barry's socks were different lengths. Lucia, team captain since Lukas' international retirement, read Machiavelli. Catherine stared into space, though how this differed from usual was uncertain. Rook obsessively polished the stone he took with him everywhere. James shaved exactly thirty minutes before every game, and during the season refused to shave at any other time. Anna played Solitaire as a sort of Russian roulette; every time she won, she had a dreadful game, but she was convinced that her losses made her stronger. Meanwhile, Chase hadn't come up with any good superstitions yet, so he chatted up the physio who, unbeknowst to him, was already having an affair with Paolo Crewe.

Eventually, inevitably, it was time to march out.

The rain was less of a violent downpour now as it had been an hour and a half earlier, but it was still fairly dismal. At least the pitch had held up alright. "Proper Rushmore turf," said Darren with the confidence of someone whose qualifications were damned by faint praise. Darren was recently signed onto Sicoutimont outfit Alouette Jonquiere. Sicoutimont was in Rushmore, as well, but given the scale of Rushmore and the fact that Darren hadn't actually been in Sicoutimont for even the start of the season yet it was hard to see how this made him an expert on turf quality.
Still, the fact that he heralded good news was enough for everyone present to agree with him.
The national anthems were sung, Lucia shook hands with people and lost a coin-toss, thereby fulfilling her duty as captain, and the game was on.

Six minutes in and there was already trouble. They were attempting to outfox the direct Cormorants by making pretty triangles. This is essentially an invitation to be 'dealt with', in the economical wording of the Sideburnese defence. Specifically, Homelands' big number nine ("You don't 'ave names, you don't 'ave nuffing" sang the away crowd) found that his legs had mysteriously just been snapped out from under him. James Yorke ('Yorkie' by general consensus) at least had the good grace to look embarrassed, but was lucky to come away without a card.
The ball whipped over the wall with real venom, but Portia Thrift, quick on her feet and wearing the lucky terracotta jersey of the national goalkeeper, leapt to it and punched the ball away. It caromed off Leila's head, and Yorkie cleared it upfield. A narrow escape.

Twenty-five minutes, and a Sideburnese throw-in. "We drank your grog and slept with your wimmin, we ate your food and pissed on the buildings," chanted the away crowd. The song, You'll 'Ave To Pay Us To Leave, was among the many reasons people took a dim view of the fanatical Sideburnese ultras.
Anna Shrike tossed the ball casually to Chase Wingett. Chase crossed in, and the keeper flapped at it weakly. Cath Sedgwick, through a miracle of pace and positioning, found herself on the end of it. She's at a bad angle, but she stabs it in anyway... and the keeper's scrambled onto the end of it.

Seven minutes later and the enemy are on the attack again. "Anna Shrike, Anna Shrike," chanted the ultras to an indeterminate and apparently optional tune. "Short, fat, can't run, only got one foot; she's the best full-back in the wooooooooorld!"
Anna smiles, despite herself... but this looks serious. 11's breaking out into a run. Unwisely, Anna decides to try to slide in.
She misses.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" bellows a voice that can only belong to Gethin Ramsey on the bench.
"Best full-back in the woooooooooooorld!"
11 laid it down for 8, who shot with real venom. Portia was equal to the shot, however... but she could only palm it into the ground. It bounced wildly. Right into their right winger, who bundled the ball uncleanly into the net.
Gethin continued swearing for some time. As a bonus to viewers of the televised broadcast, most of it was on-mic.

"Two minutes of extra time, lads!" Lucia shouted, shunting the team forward.
It was a cheaply won corner, coming off a fluke deflection, but it wasn't one that the Cormorants were about to throw away. They were as dominant as a team a goal down with 41% possession could possibly be, but even so they needed every chance they could take.
Lucia tapped her feet on the increasingly untrustworthy-seeming turf as the team moved forward. Oh, well, nothing for it...
The ball came in at head height for Gerhard Thunder.
Predictably, it rippled the net.

"We're gonna win the World Cup," crowed the ultras as the Cormorants walked into the tunnel. It wasn't quite as galling as the "We're winning 0-0" chants that rang through the Theatre against United Gordonopia, but it wasn't exactly great to hear, either. The Sideburnese ultras had a talent for biting sarcasm masquerading as cheeky Cockneyisms.
"Right, lads, I'm gonna keep this quick." Gethin had said. "We got to make this quick and convincing. Now the weather is... what's the weather like out there, Gerd?"
Gerhard spat. "Fucking pissin' out."
"It's fucking pissin' out, right, but that's good, that favours us if anything."
"How does it favour us?" asked Catherine, innocently.
"Don't think about it, that's my job," snapped Gethin. "Just go out there and get the three points!"

An hour later, there was shouting in the streets of Homelands Our.
Instinctively, the bartender at the nearest pub flinched, and not even he knew why at the time.
He got his answer when the door was slammed open to reveal a pack of twenty-three football players.
The bartender had heard of the Sideburnese. Granted, they were to him a legendary folk tale of rowdy, unwashed, blokey men (and women!) with strange accents. Unfortunately for the bartender, the legend was right in front of him, right now, and about to demand large quantities of alcohol for as low a price as wasn't criminal.
"Right, my son!" roared a meaty-looking player in an accent he could barely recognise. "My girl Cath'rine here needs a couple dozen drinks down her on account of 'aving just won a game on the road ten minutes ago! And Dale, you're buying this round for once, you stingy bastard!"
The bartender sighed. This was going to be the longest afternoon of his life.

by **Jeruselem** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 5:50 am

Jeruselem WC coach Michelle Salad and Jeru FC wC coach Princess Melody comparing notes

Michelle: So, how are the boys?
Melody: It's like playing with dynamite
Michelle: Surely you doing alright?
Melody: Sometimes you light the fuse and nothing happens
Michelle: And you're left with something that will blow up anytime
Melody: They can play football but they got all weirdos in the army in one place

Michelle: I don't want to swap, I have enough health issues
Melody: They gotta learn respect
Michelle: I'm glad I have my job
Melody: You're doing alright, other than bad patch
Michelle: we're still in the fight
Melody: I guess we are too, we just need to get better

Michelle: We had a respectable 1-0 loss to Taeshan in a friendly
Melody: I guess that's good given Taeshan are so good
Michelle: How come the Jeru FC don't play any friendlies
Melody: That cost money, God spending money at Jeru FC is a nono
Michelle: I see nothing has changed
Melody: I don't think we have any money for the CoH

Michelle: I guess you should qualify
Melody: I hope we both qualify
Michelle: We have the harder path being ranked so low
Melody: 21st isn't that much better
Michelle: Better than 32nd
Melody: I guess I can't complain that much

Michelle: I see the Queen is back from holidays
Melody: Yes, and looking a bit tanned
Michelle: Nude sunbathing
Melody: Better than nudity in the football stadium eh?
Michelle: Hey, that was a once off accident
Melody: Wouldn't bother me

Michelle: I hear you have to put up with pranksters
Melody: Yes, that's most of my team
Michelle: Like what
Melody: You're having a shower in the women's bathroom and one of the boys looks in and says good morning
Michelle: OMG, I couldn't tolerate that
Melody: Hey, that's the boring stuff.

Michelle: It gets worse?
Melody: They are supposed to watch football games of their opponent.
Michelle: Yes?
Melody: They watch one game and then watch something else
Michelle: Like what?
Melody: Old episodes of Naked News with me in it

Michelle: Cheeky bastards
Melody: I mean, I could go on all day about this crap
Michelle: Melody Pond would freak out if this happened
Melody: They aren't malicious and actually well meaning but ... misguided
Michelle: Don't you lose your temper
Melody: Yes, but they like that and it makes them behave worse

Michelle: Sounds like sexual harassment central
Melody: Makes you wonder what the army is really like
Michelle: Sure does
Melody: You're just lucky
Michelle: I'm glad too
Melody: I better get back, they might be up to something. I'm sure they are

Michelle: Why don't you quit and they get a male coach who can sort them out? Discipline, bootcamp, you know real army stuff?
Melody: They tried that with these guys. Apparently they respect women more ... not that it looks that way
Michelle: Really?
Melody: A cranky redhead with big boobs sorts them out
Michelle: So you're babysitting those rejects for the army
Melody: I'm used to managing children, it''s like managing a team of kids

by **Sangti** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 8:27 am

Centrado en el Futbol
with Lito Supnet and Ron Villaroman (Former Sangti International players)
and Williard Navarette as special guest

Lito: Good evening for this presentation of TiViSangti's Centrado en el Futbol. I am Lito and here is Ron. We are here for the pre-match of the friendly between Sangti and Felix. Let's see first the WC65 match report from our good friend Roman Barlaan. Let's PDF Viewer!

IMPRESSION
Roman Barlaan, El Diario Deportivo del Sangti

Wight 2 (Fosse-Gordon 28', Falcon 88'), Sangti 1 (Corsiga 76')
World Cup 65 Qualifying Group 16
South Lawn, Spit, Wight

Sangti 1 (Utanes 39'), Karditan 0
World Cup 65 Qualifying Group 16
Estadio Ferdinand Marcos, Ciudad Sangti, Sangti

The Agilang Dilaw ended the first half of their qualifying campaign in the World Cup 65 with 2 impressive results: a close 1-2 loss at Wight where it could have been easily a different result, and a 1-0 shock win at home against Karditan. These two teams are the top seeds of Group 16 where Sangti currently sits at sixth place at the mid-qualifying break. They will stay at home, specifically at the EFM, for the match against Jedi8246 before going to St. Petrus in Saintland to face the Sanctii.

The away match at Spit provided fireworks as both teams struggled to put their opponent away early. but at the 28th minute, Zachary Fosse-Gordon of AFC Portsmouth trickled past keeper Brian Cua with a low drive off the near side of the left area. Sangti was terribly unlucky, as John Utanes and Daren Corsiga, favored to start over Adrian Magcaleng, hit the post each 2 times -- it could have been 4-1 to Sangti if all those goals came in. In the second half, the Agilang Dilaw put more effort and were almost rewarded in the 62nd minute when Big John Corfe Sheviock fouled Utanes inside the box to give Sangti a penalty. However, Marvick Sor, the penalty taker, flurried the shot over the bar. (Burien Kneebone would have saved it anyway if it went below the bar). 14 minutes later, Corsiga got his goal to level the match at 1-1. He intercepted a pass of Kent to Skewes and thie interception itself flew furiously into the back of Kneebone's net. Both teams pushed for the win, but it was the youngster Israel Falcon who got Wight's winner with a looper over Cua, and it was 2-1 to Wight at full time.

The home match at Ciudad Sangti proved to be Sangti's gem of the qualifying campaign. Karditani forward Mario Cansetta struggled in his shots and this is the statistic: 10 shots, 0 on target. He was quickly marked by Luke Docdoc and Roman Ang every time the ball was on his feet. The game went entirely Sangti's way after John Utanes scored a half-volley off his right foot, to lead 1-0. The score remained 1-0 at halftime, and it looked like that it will not change in the second half. Both teams tried hard to beat their opponents' defense, but to no avail. In the end, it was Sangti who scored an upset that everyone in Sangti will never forget.

Sangti will stay home for their next match against Jedi8246, while also taking Felix in a friendly. In their last meeting, Jedi8246 emerged victorious, 1-0. It is time for the Agilang Dilaw to take revenge and continue its good form. Wight still leads Group 16 with 21 points and no loss after beating The Sovan Antithesis 3-1. In other Group 16 results, bottom of the group Narsora collected their first points of the tournament with a 1-1 draw against The Royal Kingdom of Quebec at the Green Point Stadium in St. John's, Jedi8246 beat Aquitayne 1-0 and Saintland defeated Sondstead 2-0 at the Telesünd Eästerkjirkjh Stadium in Windstrand.

(This match report is brought to you by the El Diario Deportivo del Sangti, noticias deportivas, en el camino!)

Ron: So Sangti was impressive in their last 2 matches to close out the first round of qualifying. The Agilang Dilaw is in sixth place on 14 points. Not bad for a World Cup qualifiers debutant.

Lito: And the match against Karditan was a nice coming out party for Sangti. They will face Jedi, Saintland and RK Quebec next in a tough stretch of matches. Then after that four comfortable matches vs. Sondstead, Aquitayne, Narsora and TSA. Then difficult ones against Wight and Karditan.

Ron: If Sangti win all their 7 next matches, then they might take a big step towards qualification, but if they draw or lose even one, then Sangti is out for the running. The top two only has a chance to realize their World Cup dream.

Lito: So let's have a review on the first half of qualifying in Group 16. Here is our correspondent Beethoven Jabines for the report.

GROUP 16 So far:
-  Group 16                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Wight                                9    6   3   0    23    9  +14    21
 2 Jedi8246                             9    6   0   3    15   13   +2    18
 3 Saintland                            9    5   2   2    19   12   +7    17
 4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec          9    4   3   2    18   13   +5    15
 5 The Sovan Antithesis                 9    5   0   4    18   20   -2    15
 6 Sangti                               9    4   2   3     8    8    0    14
 7 Karditan                             9    3   3   3    11   10   +1    12
 8 Sondstead                            9    2   3   4     8   13   -5     9
 9 Aquitayne                            9    1   1   7     6   15   −9     4
10 Narsora                              9    0   1   8     4   17  −13     1
The Table-toppers
WIGHT
Form: DDWWW
Home Record: 3W 2D 0L
Away Record: 3W 1D 0L
Next 3 Matches: @Narsora, @Karditan, vs Jedi8246

JEDI8246
Form: WWLWW
Home Record: 4W 0D 1L
Away Record: 2W 0D 2L
Next 3 Matches: @Sangti, vs TSA, @Wight

SAINTLAND
Form: DLWWW
Home Record: 4W 1D 0L
Away Record: 1W 1D 2L
Next 3 Matches: @Aquitayne, vs Sangti, @TSA

Of the nations in group 16, these three have the biggest chance to make it to the Pasarga and Saugeais. Jedi8246 is rich in form, so are the other two sides. Saintland however could capitalize any unfavorable result in MD12 where Wight and Jedi8246 faceoff in Spit. However, they should be wary of also in-form Sangti, who is the only other side besides these three who has 10 points or more in the last five games. Another factor in that match though is the fact that the match will take place at the Royal Stadium, with Saintland making it a fortress.

Chasing Pack
THE ROYAL KINGDOM OF QUEBEC
Form: DWWLD
Home Record: 2W 3D 0L
Away Record: 2W 0D 2L
Next 3 Matches: @Sondstead, vs Aquitayne, @Sangti

THE SOVAN ANTITHESIS
Form: WWLWL
Home Record: 3W 0D 1L
Away Record: 2W 0D 3L
Next 3 Matches: vs Karditan, @Jedi8246, vs Saintland

SANGTI
Form: DWWLW
Home Record: 3W 1D 0L
Away Record: 1W 1D 3L
Next 3 Matches: vs Jedi8246, @Saintland, vs RK Quebec

KARDITAN
Form: DLDWL
Home Record: 3W 0D 2L
Away Record: 0W 3D 1L
Next 3 Matches: @TSA, vs Wight, @Narsora

The biggest surprise of Group 16? Karditan struggling in 7th. They were expected to occupy the play-off spot at least but their away form dipping with their recent loss at Sangti, they need to pick up their pace with Wight visiting their underground stadium at MD11. These 4 teams, if they pick up good results in the next matchdays, they can challenge the top three for the two coveted spots in this group. Of these 4 teams, Sangti is the most in-form, though they will face Jedi8246 and Saintland and then the RK Quebec showdown at MD12. The factors that Sangti can exploit are Jedi's away form and Saintland's home form, in which the latter can make the Saintland match difficult for them.

The Bottom Three
SONDSTEAD
Form: LDDLL
Home Record: 1W 1D 2L
Away Record: 1W 2D 2L
Next 3 Matches: vs RK Quebec, vs Narsora, @Aquitayne

AQUITAYNE
Form: DLLLL
Home Record: 0W 1D 3L
Away Record: 1W 0D 4L
Next 3 Matches: vs Saintland, @RK Quebec, vs Sondstead

NARSORA
Form: LLLLD
Home Record: 0W 0D 4L
Away Record: 0W 3D 1L
Next 3 Matches: vs Wight, @Sondstead, vs Karditan

These three sides have so much work to do if they want a shot at qualifying for the World Cup, especially Narsora. With only losses to show in their home matches, they need to win some home matches to win back their home crowd. Sondstead will look to take advantage of facing the bottom 2 to pick up points.

From the look of things, Wight is looking good to qualify for the WC finals while it could be a two horse race between Jedi8246 and Saintland for the play-off place. But don't count out any of the chasing pack, particularly our very own Sangti.

This is Beethoven Jabines. Back to studio.

Lito: Thank you Beethoven. Now lets look forward to Sangti vs. Felix friendly. Felix is Sangti's regional neighbor in Esportiva. They recently passed a bill allowing women to compete in national teams that were once dominated by men. Ron, thoughts?

Ron: I will look forward to the time when Sangti finally has women playing on their national teams. Right now I love what Cassadaigua is doing, fielding an all-female team. Feminists among the sporting world would love it. Not that I'm homosexual or anything. Jerous Almirante was in favor of this but he was not able to send a message to The National in Felix.

Lito: OK. Let's look at Sangti's lineup. GK: Bucaoto, DF: Dela Vega, Lampa. Arceo, Averilla, MF: Magsombol, Manuel, Flores, Regencia, FW: Corsiga, Garaza. So it's the reserves who will take center stage.

Ron: Not surprising, since Jovick (Bucaoto) has not started a single match for Sangti - they preferred Alwin Villejo to start in the Narsora game.

Lito: We turn you now to our commentators...

First half (key action)

10' - Sangti's first real chance - Daren Corsiga catched a pass from Rohn Manuel, he dazzled through Felixian defenders, and shoots... saved by FEL keeper. But what a shot from Corsiga.

18' - Felix's attackers look to put the ball into the box. Felixian forward strikes! Off the bar!

27' - Felixian tackle catches Janrold Garaza. Yellow card for Felix.

35' - Dickson Lampa pulls the shirt of a Felixian attacker. Yellow card for Lampa.

42' - Another Felixian chance. This time, shot hits the post. Felix rebounds the shot but is saved by Bucaoto.

45' - 2 minutes added.

45'+2 - Halftime, Sangti 0-0 Felix.

Half-time talk

Lito: For our halftime discussion, let's welcome, the NT keeper who is in the road to recovery, Williard Navarette!

Will: Hello, Lito and Ron. Nice to meet you.

Ron: How's your injury?

Will: I'm fine now. I just recently had surgery to repair my torn groin. Unfortunately it will take a long time to heal, so long that I will miss the rest of the campaign. I would say good luck to Brian, Jovick and Alwin. Keep up the good work.

Lito: It is good, especially the fact that Sangti is currently conceding the least goals in Group 16. The area of improvement is obviously their attack. They have been misfiring lately particularly in the Narsora game. You cannot be that complacent.

Ron: Yes. It might come back to haunt the Agilang Dilaw. So, lets get down to the first half stats.

Lito: It looked like Felix had more chances than Sangti. They shot 10 on target and Jovick was a busy goalkeeper. On the other hand Sangti only shot 4.

Ron: They have to have a better job on ball handling, they lose the ball more frequently and Felix is capitalizing on their mistakes. Jovick is proving he can start for Sangti in some games.

Will: I see potential in the kid. You know, Brian and I are close to retiring, this WC might be our last, but this is showing the Sangti Nation that our goalkeeping department has a future in Jovick.

Lito: So with that, lets discuss the Jedi game. You know, after this match the next show will be on air immediately, so lets preview the match.

Ron: Sangti will have the benefit of a complete squad. No injuries, suspensions or whatever. I think they will start with the usual lineup, or they will use a 4-3-3 with Daren replacing Erick. They have a luxury of doing that since unpredictability may be the key in winning games like these. But it will all depend on one man and that man is Jerous Manalo.

Lito: Sangti will exploit Jedi8246's struggles in their visits. I think Sangti might have a shot of winning the game after all.

Ron: There is a breaking news here. Cameras are on the FAS office and Jerous Almirante.

Lito: Let's hear what Jerous Almirante has to say.

Jerous A.: I apologize for the delay in the Sangti-Felix match. I will announce some important notes. First, we are fining FA Nuevo Nomadia of 100,000 Sangs for the uncontrolled fiasco at Gabel, along with probation to all officers of FA Nuevo Nomadia. And I will remove the city of Gabel's rights to host Sangti National Football Team matches until further notice. As such, the Sangti-Aquitayne match will now be held at the Estadio Olimpico de Pranse in Leonde in the region of Pranse. This is to avoid complications of this situation and for FAS to avoid sanctions from Esportivan and World Football authorities. Thank you and good evening. Now back to normal television coverage.

Ron: That was expected. Gabel has the worst hooligans in this nation.

Lito: I agree. Hope that NN can redeem itself from what happened in the TSA match.

Ron: OK.

Lito: In behalf of Ron Villaroman and Williard Navarette, This is Lito Supnet and we'll see you at the conclusion of the TSA-Sangti match in the near future.

Second half of Sangti-Felix match (again, key action)

58' - Sangti substitution - Utanes in for Garaza, Sor in for Manuel, Ang in for Averilla.

65' - Felix use 2 substitutes. Changing a defender and a forward.

70' - Felix shots off the bar! Rebound got by Felixian attacker, but shots wide.

74' - Last substitution by Felix. Changing a midfielder.

82' - GOAL!!! by John Utanes. He curled in a shot after receiving a pass from Sam Magsombol.

90' - 4 minutes of added time.

90' + 4 - Full time. Sangti 1-0 Felix.

Commentator: This is Nigel Cabais for TiViSangti's broadcast of Sangti vs Felix and good night Sangti! See you in the match against Jedi8246.

by **Turori** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:06 am

Eels Struggle Against Rivals
1 Point from 6 emphasizes importance of second-half

The Turori National Team had to put the distractions of Darmen behind them as they headed into the rest of their qualifying campaign. The result, a 2-2 draw, was certainly something the Eels were thrilled to secure in an away match against the groups top seed. The other distractions, more politically driven, saw the Football Association of Turori condemned by the Darmeni Ministry of Immigration after their attempts to smuggle the Gibbons brothers, Aaron, Abraham and Jake into the country for the match, in addition to their father, Mikael Gibbons, under the guise of the "Coco-bon" brothers, Ekajii, Harabii and Noraai.

Returning to the Island Emirate, the Eels headed to the Forest to the Coliseum of the Inurahtii where they hosted a new-look Carasatoga side. Following the Darmen debacle, the Gibbons brothers indicated they had had enough with their native country, even considering to take on the Aliases they attempted to use to sneak into the country as their new names. However, Abraham Gibbons was on the Team Sheet for the Eels against Carasatoga and made an impact in an otherwise less-than-stellar performance for Turori. It was Gibbons cross in the 71st minute that was met by the head of Lioniaa Tana to give the Eels the 1-0 lead, and thats exactly where the match would finish.

From there, the Eels travelled to Eelandii where they hosted Thatius in a match that could have propelled them to the top of the heap in Group 2 with their own destiny well within their hands. However, the Eels would slip up, giving Thatius the points they needed to stay in contention for a top 2 place, falling 3-2. Second-half goals from Liinai Zakazaka and Jukkia Diijelhma got the Eels back into contention but the equalizer never came as Turori came through the toughest part of their schedule with just a single point out of 6.

The schedule would only get easier from that point through the break, and goals from Zakazaka and Tana would get the Eels back in winning form, and much-needed momentum that they would need to keep pace with Darmen and Thatius in the battle for Qualification to Saugeais and Pasarga World Cup 65.

Turori 1 - 0 Carasatoga

Turori Goalscorers::
71' Lioniaa Tana

Best Player: Cediici Tzatzos
Worst Player: Yoains Konoaafeo
Shots on Target: 2
Corner Kicks: 1

[b]Turori Eels Lineup ::
[GK] Ronji Miiastara, [D] Yoains Konoaafeo, [D] Lioniaa Tana, [D] Diauro Dlaminii, [UT] Restiaa Mumamba, [ML] Raso Tareak, [MC] Cediici Tzatzos, [MC] Rikko Rawaii, [MR] Vrotaoa Lorasoiba, [FC] Liinai Zakazaka, [FC] Loala Kigoouao
BENCH::
[FC] Jukkia Diijelhma, [FC] Anuh Ciniima, [M] Tiika Diirotora, [M] Etamara Kulkkiia, [UT] Abraham Gibbons, [D] Balariita Muzmaara, [GK] Mumau Atla-Siioai

Turori Substitutions::
(58) - Cediici Tzatzos >>> Anuh Ciniima
(69) - Yoains Konoaafeo >>> Abraham Gibbons

Turori 2 - 3 Thatius

Turori Goalscorers::
50' Liinai Zakazaka
74' Jukkia Diijelhma

Turori

Best Player: Rutaj Ranaso
Worst Player: Etamara Kulkkiia
Shots on Target: 5
Corner Kicks: 4

Turori Eels Lineup ::
[GK] Hooizo Nuakoi, [D] Diauro Dlaminii, [D] Yoains Konoaafeo, [D] Lioniaa Tana, [UT] Restiaa Mumamba, [ML] Cediici Tzatzos, [MC] Raso Tareak, [MC] Rutaj Ranaso, [MR] Etamara Kulkkiia, [FC] Liinai Zakazaka, [FC] Jukkia Diijelhma
BENCH::
[FC] Loala Kigoouao, [FC] Anuh Ciniima, [M] Vrotaoa Lorasoiba, [M] Rikko Rawaii, [UT] Mumau Atla-Siioai, [D] Noa-isinao Wioauoi, [GK] Ronji Miiastara

Turori Substitutions::
(75) - Restiaa Mumamba >>> Mumau Atla-Siioai
(75) - Yoains Konoaafeo >>> Vrotaoa Lorasoiba
(76) - Rutaj Ranaso >>> Loala Kigoouao

Turori 2 - 0 Bongo Johnson

Turori Goalscorers::
21' Liinai Zakazaka
25' Lioniaa Tana

Turori

Best Player: Ronji Miiastara
Worst Player: Etamara Kulkkiia
Shots on Target: 3
Corner Kicks: 5

Turori Eels Lineup ::
[GK] Ronji Miiastara, [D] Lioniaa Tana, [D] Diauro Dlaminii, [D] Yoains Konoaafeo, [UT] Restiaa Mumamba, [ML] Raso Tareak, [MC] Cediici Tzatzos, [MC] Rutaj Ranaso, [MR] Etamara Kulkkiia, [FC] Liinai Zakazaka, [FC] Jukkia Diijelhma
BENCH::
[FC] Loala Kigoouao, [FC] Anuh Ciniima, [M] Rikko Rawaii, [M] Aaron Gibbons, [UT] Balariita Muzmaara, [D] Noa-isinao Wioauoi, [GK] Hooizo Nuakoi

Turori Substitutions::
- None -

by **The Inevitable Syndicate** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:09 am

Qualification Wants To Be Free

29th June 2013

Wortana, FREE REPUBLICS---- The Syndicate managed to pull off an amazing victory at the MilanesiDome in the Free Republics last night, as they snatched those three points away from the home team in front of over 90,000 Republican Fans. It seems that Marius Christofferson just couldn't keep a firm grip on the ball. Here's how it went down...

The Republicans won the proverbial coin toss, and went out with the eyes of several nations looking down upon them, both home and away. This didn't stop them from caving under the pressure, and they played the ball hard and fast. This proved to be a good counter for the Syndicate's typically defensive style of play (often called the "Anti-Wight", after manager Lewis Thackray studied some old videos of the Wight Side playing, and decided to emulate those tactics, but defensively), and in the first fifteen minutes, two shots had been made at the goal. Problem was, this double-barrelled attack lacked the accuracy that's needed to put a shot into our chest, and the opponents goals proved fruitless.

Twenty minutes in, however, captain Kyle Bolton managed to cut past our famed defence, and fired a ball straight and true past Archer's deft hands, setting the bar at 1-0 to the Free Republics. They celebrated as the Syndicate kicked the floor in contempt. Fortunately for us, this wound up the tried and tested machine that is the typical retaliation plan, and a mere seven minutes after the Republican goal was scored, Mitchell had torn his way up the pitch and worked up a frenzy that shot past Christofferson and tied the game up. Christofferson seemed to be Pissedofferson as Mitchell did the robot, and the game was set up again with fans across the stadium chanting and jeering at the Syndicate. This didn't stop the dominance from shining through, as in the 41st minute, Bradley Birch came along and stole another goal right from Christofferson's hands. The first half ended with the score at 2-1 to the Syndicate, and some very annoyed Republicans.

The goals didn't stop there, and thirteen minutes after the whistle blew to start the second half, it was Jacob Pratt's turn to step up to the plate, and fire and delivered a great goal after receiving a ball to the head from Mitchell. The Syndicate were pulling away, and the opponent would have to do all they could to stop this winning train form departing the station. The Republicans went on the offensive, and as soon as they had possession of the ball, we would find it halfway past our defence and on the way to the goal. But when it comes to saving face, Archer had us covered, and while there were many shots on target, none of them managed to penetrate the Syndicatian goal. Of course, to put a cherry on top of the wonderful cake that we'd made, Peter Howard, who is currently filling the boots of Ethan Sinclair, managed to prove he is an asset to the team by putting a goal in in the final minutes of the game. This was the final straw for the Free Republics, and they unfortunately paid the price of facing a side with more experience, and left the MilanesiDome a dejected team indeed.

The Inevitable Syndicate
:: Goalscorers ::
:: '27 Luke Mitchell
:: '41 Bradley Birch
:: '58 Jacob Pratt
:: '89 Peter Howard
Free Republics
:: Goalscorers ::
:: '20 Kyle Bolton

-----  Group 20                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1  Equestrian States                    9    6   3   0    22    9  +13    21
 2  Bears Armed                          9    6   2   1    24   12  +12    20
 3  The Inevitable Syndicate             9    6   1   2    18    8  +10    19
 4  The Islands of Qutar                 9    5   2   2    18   13   +5    17
 5  Brenecia                             9    4   1   4    10   14   -4    13
 6  Sudagiu                              9    3   2   4    16   16    0    11
 7  Carmadin                             9    3   1   5    18   16   +2    10
 8  Free Republics                       9    2   1   6    12   19   -7     7
 9  Omarios                              9    2   0   7    11   29  −18     6
10  Tantamir                             9    0   3   5     7   15   −8     3
Flags kindly provided byEquestrian States.

As you can see, this win has put us within clawing distance of Bears Armed, one of our two obstacles on the path to qualification. Unfortunately, as this is the halfway mark, it's back to playing the forerunners of the group again, however this time we might fair a little better against the Ponies of the Equestrian States, as we'll be facing them in the Flynn Arena. the Bears at Wimbley will pose a threat, and we'll need to be a stronger side on the day if we want to win.

Freddie Johnson
ILN Sports

by **Gaveo** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:49 am

The Gaveoan Times

World Cup LXV Qualifiers: Our Qualification Journey So Far

The Gaveoan flag.

By: Beni Cortez

Gaveo ends the first round of qualifications with a win at home against the last placed and quite frankly, struggling team, Worszary, three goals to one. The win gives us a important three points in qualifying, but the loss against Bergnovinaia still effects Gaveo, as the Golden Eagles are still 4th in Group 6, four points away from first, three from second, and two from third. A revenge win against Beaverriver will help us out a lot and if we are lucky, move us up to third with Jeruselem losing and with Bergnovinaia losing big, a 5-0 loss will suffice, but that won't help us at all if we don't win next week. Anyways, here is a recap of the game we played against Worszary.

The game overall was Gaveoan dictated as the Golden Eagles dominated the pitch with sixty percent of ball possession and took numerous shots. The first half though resulted in two goals both from Joshua Hood, the first one happened in the 8th minute from an assist by Milano. The second goal was scored in the 20th after Hood stole the ball from the Worszary player and shot the ball in. Gaveo had other chances at net but those shots did not result in goals.

The second half was more of the same as Gaveo continued to be a powerful influence in the pitch. In the 57th minute Gaveo conceded a goal a rather silly one, but nonetheless it made the match closer. 2-1. But Gaveo quickly ended that chance at a close game with another goal in the 64th minute from Anders Ericksen. 3-1 Gaveo. After that no major action happened and the referee blew the whistle ending the match. Gaveo wins, 3-1. Gaveo will now face off against that team we lost 3-5, can we pull of the revenge win? I think so and so does Villaroel after the postgame news conference. That's all from Gaveo, good luck and go Gaveo!

by **Barunia** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 9:54 am

BaruniainSports.com.bu

What just happened?
By Kitty Smith

There was a very... strange game played at Northport last night. It was made all the more bizarre by the BFA putting a complete media blanket on the event, an action unprecedented in the history of Barunian sport. Which means I can't even tell you about the game. I can tell you that it was against the Glorious Commune, a highly defensive side, and despite this being their first tournament the Suns lost one-nil. Further details may come later, depending on the result of a legal action by the Barunian News Network against the BFA to lift the restrictions on the media.

Anyway, as the case won't go to court for a while, I'll fill in the space with those player biographies I promised a few weeks back.

Victor Castolo
Victor has been with Porthaven United since the beginning. Joining the club as a talented eighteen-year-old, he has become the team captain and a major part of their success, winning three consecutive premierships and a community cup. Barunia's best known and best loved footballer, cries of "Castolo! Castolo!" echo around the stadium whenever he has the ball. An all-round goalscorer, he holds the national records for both domestic and international competition for the most goals scored in a match and the most goals scored in a season/campaign. Victor tries to downplay his fame and success, but it is difficult as he is generally regarded as the greatest footballer Barunia has ever produced.

Fabrice Sagoro
Tipped as a superstar of the future, Fabrice was signed to play for the Ravens when he was still in the under-twelve league. Fabrice favours his left foot for attack, and also likes to shoot from range with his powerful kick. This ability has seen him picked as the favoured free kick taker for the Suns.

Pablo Zokora
The main man in the Tridents attack, Zokora is known for his deadly accuracy. Give him the ball in front of goal and plenty of space, and he will hit the back of the net every time. In recent years he has favoured a flat shot from range that has proved highly effective, and it this well=rounded skill set that has seen him make it on to the national team. The second highest goal scorer for the Suns in Word Cup 64, Zokora missed the Cup of Harmony due to injury, but is back and ready for action.

Timothy Featherstone
A brilliant centre-forward, timothy plays smart football, setting up players for attacks with well timed crosses and through-balls. His shooting record isn't that high, and he will usually pass is he can, rather than shoot himself, but he can find the target if needed.

Danil Samson
A surprise inclusion to the Baptism of Fire team, Danil was dropped for the WC64 side, before being recalled for the Cup of Harmony to replace the injured Zokora. He was a rookie in that campaign, having surprised everyone by becoming the Sea Lions top goal scorer. Danil does have a sporting pedigree though; his sister Vanessa is in the national field hockey squad, and his father is a football coach. Known for his speed and quick reactions, a loose ball in the penalty box will soon be pounced upon and hammered into the goal with his lightning fast kick.

Georgio Bezana
Born in Barunia, Georgio had only played internationally when he was called up to play for the Suns in World Cup 64. Since then he has signed to the Marion Hawks. Georgio tends to play out on the wings while on the attack, and is rather conservative in his defence, rarely showing aggression or fouling.

Damien Crook
A newcomer to the national side for WC64, Damien has played several international friendlies with the Suns squad prior to this campaign. A highly versatile player, he is capable of playing in both midfield and defence, with good tackling and passing skills.

Arthur Wood
Wood was called up for the Cup of Harmony campaign after concerns their was no player to take over the vital defensive midfielder role if Bhara was unable to play. Arthur has a wealth of experience in the position, having played in it for Porthaven United his entire career. He is an aggressive player, but tackles smartly and always seems to manage to stay out of the referee's book.

And that's the team. I have an interview with Coach Wiggens this week, and I will try and get that up on the site sometime after the next game, but no promises as to when. It's also midway through the qualifiers, so that means there will be no game this week. I will of course be back with another article in two weeks when the Suns take on Mantwenic. We beat them last time in Barunia, but can we do it at their home ground? It was a close thing last time, so who knows? We'll find out in a few weeks time, but until then, goodby and Go Suns!

by **Sondstead** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 11:30 am

Kle̊mssunr: World Cup protests "a grave disappointment"
Interior minister apologizes for conduct of Sondsteadish fans; confirms Saintland team "Safely exited the country"

29 June 2013

_{Interior Minister Rübert Kle̊mssunr addressed Thursday's
incident of hooliganism in a press conference this morning.}

Windstrand — At a press conference this morning, Minister for the Interior Rübert Kle̊mssunr expressed disappointment with the actions of the home team fans following Thursday's home match against Saintland during the World Cup qualifiers.

"The conduct shown was a grave disappointment.", Kle̊mssunr said. "It was not the conduct we condoned when we said we would not interfere with peaceful protests. I don't think there is any question of that. It is saddening to me that we did not live up to our reputation as a welcoming and hospitable country, due to a small group of anarchists and petty criminals who instigated this. I have been informed by the municipal government that over one hundred arrests have been made and that any anarchist instigators will be found and given a trial. However, I will also reiterate that the right to peacefully protest is one we hold sacrosanct and we will not infringe upon it based on the desires of a relatively insignificant, geopolitically speaking, foreign country.".

Kle̊mssunr also responded to calls from a group of protestors that Prince Andreas, a son of Saintland's ruling monarch and captain-manager of the country's national football team, be detained and put on trial.

"There is an understanding of trust between World Cup participants and there is an understanding that it is not a time for politics. It would be a breach of that to arrest a player except for criminal offences committed on Sondsteadish soil.".

The Saintland team's departure was delayed by security concerns, particularly a group of protestors who camped in the terminals at Nörditser airport. However, Kle̊mssunr confirmed that the team had left the country.

"The Saintland players and fans were able to safely exit the country. Beyond the localized rioting in parts of Windstrand City on the evening following the match, we recorded no violence against any of the guests, and visiting fans were able to leave the country normally. To avoid any further disturbance however, the visiting players were escorted by rail to Pedershefn and their jet was allowed to fly to the air base there. Afterwards the team exited the country from Pedershefn yesterday.".

Following the conference, SRR questioned Kle̊mssunr about allegations Saintland was prepared to use military force to extract the team.

"While this is not under the purview of my department, it is my opinion that those claims [made by King Paulus XV] were useless bluster; the situation was never nearly as serious as it was made out to be. It is laughable that they claimed it was a situation which warranted an international coalition against Sondstead. More believeable statements have been made by Prekonati or Milogradian propaganda agencies; it's like something out of a parody skit.".

Kadarina Ästerssünr @katieasterssunrfotbol1h
To be clear, Saintland is a v. good footie team; I just cant
respect their country when they subjugate women on a false
view of Christianity
Expand

by **Saintland** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 12:13 pm

Saintland 2, Sondstead 0

(SP) The Kingdom of Saintland defeated newcomers Sondstead today in their final World Cup 65 qualifier before the mid-qualifying break. The Sanctii were in control of this match for the majority of the match. The most noteworthy story to come out of this match was the decision by Sondstead's fans to behave in a disgraceful manner, likely because they were just upset that their national team lost. Our Kingdom's National Soccer Team is currently stranded in Sondstead and unable to safely leave the country, while their authorities have issued statements seeming to support the classless behavior by their fans. "Today's match went exactly as we expected it to go. We came in, scored 2 goals and should have already left Sondstead with a 2 goals to nil victory. However, some of their fans, apparently listening to propaganda coming from the likes of Feministvs Sanctvsterra and Vindicta Progressvm have decided that we are a nation of 'human rights' violators and that I should be put on trial in Sondstead for some unfathomable reason. I can assure everybody back home that we will not be returning to Sondstead unless their government takes measures to ensure the safety of visiting teams. While some of our opponents had delays leaving Royal Stadium after qualifying matches last time around, that was entirely due to Feministvs Sanctvsterra, an organization that is illegal in our Kingdom and their decision to blockade the streets of St. Petrus. We prohibited our fans from traveling to Cassadaigua during the last World Baseball Classic for safety reasons, despite efforts by the Queen of Cassadaigua and their players to discourage their fans from throwing produce onto the field. It is regrettable that we are now unlikely to be able to return to the Kingdom prior to our match in Aquitayne, but we will be in Aquitayne in time for the start of that match and we will pick up another 3 points, if that is what God Wills." - Prince Andreas

The post-match chaos was foreshadowed by what the National Soccer Team saw as they walked from the airport to their hotel. Seemingly thousands of their citizens were protesting in support of our Kingdom's most prominent domestic terrorist organizations! Some of their "women" even had the audacity to run around naked in public, which just proves that women in Sondstead have too many "rights" and their government needs to pass legislation to restore some basic decency in their nation. Their government soon issued a statement of support for the protests, which only served to encourage their classless fans. Although their government paid lip service to the idea that the protests had to remain "peaceful and non-disruptive," nobody in the Kingdom is buying that for even a second.

When the match began, it is visible on the Royal One broadcast that Sondstead's players were wearing pink armbands, apparently in support of the domestic terrorist organization Feministvs Sanctvsterra. That is downright disturbing. They even had the audacity to play a female player, who is normally a backup for them. Apparently, they don't understand the purpose that God created women for, or if they do, they are deliberately rebelling against God's Plan. Either way, there is something seriously wrong with their nation.

On the pitch, the Sanctii controlled possession for the majority of the match. Sondstead just wasn't good enough to compete. Although they had some success early in the BoF and early on in this qualifying group, they seem to be unable to adapt to the grueling schedule that is commonplace in World Cup qualifying. Sondstead did get an early scoring chance, as Möhmet Dale̊r set up Katie Ästerssünr with an excellent pass. The female striker put her shot wide to the right side of the goal and Royal One television cameras caught Alessandro Seius laughing at the bad shot by a female player.

Hillariously, Sondstead's media has misinterpreted the 5-3-1-1 "Sanctii" formation as a defensive-oriented formation when it is nothing of the sort. They are apparently unaware that the Poenius brothers often function like additional midfielders rather than defenders. This lack of awareness of the tactics of our Kingdom's National Soccer Team seems to have been shared by Sondstead's team. In the 16th minute, Stephanus Vagionius would score a goal after executing, along with Prince Andreas, the classic Sanctii fake a shot, pass to your teammate when the keeper buys the fake and take your easy goal play. That has scored dozens of goals for the Sanctii over the years. If Sanctii opponents were as dedicated to film study of their opponents as Sanctii players are, they would have figured that play out by now and would not keep falling for it. Maybe they just need to get their hands on a Saint and a copy of the Real Soccer Simulator, which has been an additional tool used by Sanctii players during this qualifying season to scout their opposition.

A few minutes later, Lucas Aufidius intercepted a pass from Mihäel Hömmel and quickly sent a rocket in the direction of Prince Andreas. Prince Andreas acquired possession of the ball and was soon through on goal. Karl E̊nokssunr did not stand a chance of stopping the Prince of Saintland. Instead, the widely acknowledged best soccer player in the multiverse today made a rare mistake, hitting his shot just slightly further to the side than he wanted. Instead of going in the back of the net, it hit the post. Sondstead had once again proven ill-equipped to stop the Sanctii playbook. However, this time the post had denied a sure Sanctii goal.

As the clock hit 30 minutes, Tom Markussunr attempted to pass to Katie Ästerssünr, apparently unfazed by her hilariously bad shot earlier in the match. However, the Sanctii ran an offside trap defense and the female player fell for it, going just past the last defender and getting called offside. Following the offsides call, Lucas Aufidius booted the free kick deep into Sondstead's end. Stephanus Vagionius headed it forward and off the shoulder of Äster Bage̊r-Lusjanssunr. The ball bounced out for a Sanctii corner. Prince Andreas took the corner, sending it in the direction of Nicolaus Poenius. Poenius leaped and got his head on the ball, but Karl E̊nokssunr pulled off a spectacular save to deny the Sanctii a second goal. (OOC: corner kicks are not awarded on offsides calls, so I've changed this part of Sondstead's match report.) The match would reach halftime, with the score still 1 to nil in favor of the Kingdom of Saintland.

At halftime, Sondstead inexplicably striker Kalju Rummo and replaced him with midfielder Arjus Henrikjrssünr, switching to a 4-4-2 formation while they were trailing. That move didn't make much sense, nor did it help them maintain their 1 goal deficit either. Sensing that Sondstead's team was fading, the Sanctii went on the offensive, looking for that second goal. That goal finally arrived in the 56th minute, after a Vagionius shot left Karl E̊nokssunr with no choice but to concede a corner. This time, the Prince Andreas corner went to Ioannes Poenius and where his brother Nicolaus had failed earlier, Ioannes would succeed. The Ioannes Poenius header went into the back of the net for the 2nd Sanctii goal. Suddenly, the Kingdom of Saintland had a 2 goals to nil advantage.

Prince Andreas took that opportunity to immediately make a substitution. The Flaccus brothers left the match and the Jucundius brothers replaced them. The Sanctii were now playing a 7-1-1-1 formation. This freed up the Poenius brothers to play more like quasi-midfielders and the Sanctii attack was still as relentless as ever. Although they failed to get a 3rd goal, it was not for lack of trying as the Sanctii players already knew that they didn't appreciate the disrespect that the inexperienced Sondsteadish side and their fans had already shown them. The match would end with the Kingdom of Saintland defeating Sondstead 2 goals to nil.

However, if the behavior of Sondstead's fans before and during the match was bad, nothing compared to their ugly behavior after the match ended. On the way out, the visiting Sanctii fans had to listen to the sore loser Sondstead fans say nasty and unprintable things about a Cantus Virginum singer. This is likely to lift the morally upstanding young ladies of Cantus Virginum to even greater heights of popularity. However, that was relatively minor, as their fans began blockading roads. Apparently, they must be very big fans of Feministvs Sanctvsterra, if they are willing to adopt that group's tactics against their own people. They began lighting automobiles, the private ownership of which is apparently legal in Sondstead, and buildings on fire and attacked not only Sanctii fans, but even their own police officers. When our Kingdom's National Soccer Team attempted to quickly leave Sondstead, these violent terrorist sympathizers hijacked an airport and prevented the Sanctii players from leaving their God-forsaken nation. They even had the audacity to demand that Prince Andreas be arrested. Reportedly, King Paulus XV will be issuing a statement later today to address the situation, but this calls into serious question whether the nation of Sondstead should be permitted to host World Cup qualifiers.

On a happier note, the Sanctii have now moved into sole possession of 3rd place in Group 16. Elsewhere, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec actually drew Narsora, giving that hapless minnow their first point of World Cup 65 qualifying. Meanwhile, Wight defeated the Sovan Antithesis 3 goals to 1, so the Antithesis and Quebec are now tied for 4th place with 15 points. Sangti shocked Karditan with a 1 goal to nil victory to claim 6th place with 14 points. Karditan is currently 7th with just 12 points. Jedi8246 remains in second place with 18 points after a narrow victory over lowly Aquitayne. Meanwhile, Wight still leads Group 16 and the Sondry Folk now have 21 points, putting them just 4 points ahead of the Sanctii. The National Soccer Team is much closer to the top 2 spots than they were last time at mid-qualifying. Fortunately, since the team is currently stranded in Sondstead, the Sanctii have a day off before they have to arrive in Aquitayne for their next match.

Our Kingdom's National Soccer Team will be more than satisfied with their current position in the standings, since Sanctii national teams have a history of doing better in the second half of a double round-robin than the first half. Jedi8246 appears to be a very similar side to Krytenia last time around. The Jedis are a 3rd seed that has gotten off to an unexpectedly strong start despite not revealing their roster and apparently not reporting on their national team's matches at all. Although Krytenia had 24 points in the first half last time, enough to lead the group, but they had only 8 points the second time through the table, as Audioslavia and Kinitaria took the top 2 spots in the group, as had been expected. Meanwhile, the Sanctii had just 15 points at mid-qualifying, but put up 22 in the second half. Had they defeated the defending and future World Cup champions on the final day of qualifying, as they very nearly did, the Sanctii would have finished with 40 points, tied with Audioslavia for the top 2 spots and 1 point ahead of Kinitaria. This time around, our Kingdom's National Team is in a much more favorable situation at mid-qualifying. Karditan has had a disappointing run and it does not appear that the nation, which has banned soccer, will be able to turn things around in the second half. However, one worrying sign is the emergence of Sangti, a team that shows the same fire and determination that the Sanctii showed in qualifying last time around. They have already proven themselves to be a tough opponent and it will be vital that the Sanctii take 3 points from them when they visit Royal Stadium on the 11th matchday. If Sangti is permitted to stick around, they may end up in the playoffs and that is something that Prince Andreas and the National Team must not permit to occur.

On the 10th matchday, the Kingdom of Saintland will visit Aquitayne. Sondstead will host Quebec in a battle of the last 2 Sanctii opponents. Karditan will save the Sovan Antithesis. If the Antithesis pick up another upset by defeating Karditan, that may all but eliminate the 2nd seed from any realistic hope of qualifying for the World Cup. Sangti will face Jedi8246, in what could be the beginning of a possible Jedi fade. Interestingly enough, Wight's next opponent will be Narsora, a match that is an almost certain victory for the current Group 16 leaders. As always, the match between the Kingdom of Saintland and Aquitayne will be broadcast live on Royal One. While Aquitayne may not be the most difficult opposition, the Sanctii will still need to put their problems in Sondstead behind them and focus on leaving Aquitayne with 3 more points. Sadly, the situation in Sondstead has led to some doubt regarding whether the National Soccer Team can take care of business against Aquitayne, but we will soon know whether they can put all of that behind them and return home to the Kingdom with 6 points from a successful road trip. With the opening half of World Cup 65 qualifying complete, things are about to heat up in the world of international soccer.

On the evening of their day off, the Saintland National Soccer Team was finally able to get on their team plane and leave Sondstead. As their flight to Aquitayne began, the Sanctii chatted among themselves:

Josephus Flaccus - I'm glad we're finally out of Sondstead. Those people are crazy.

Silvester Flaccus - You're right about that, Josephus.

Prince Andreas - We need to put that behind us now. Their government apologized and made some arrests. That's fine with me.

Alessandro Seius - Andreas is right, as he often is. We play Aquitayne tomorrow.

Ioannes Gratus - Aquitayne? Didn't we beat them 3 goals to nil?

Stephanus Vagionius - Yes, we did. They haven't been a very good team so far.

Prince Andreas - We can't take them lightly. You saw what happened to the Quebecois against Narsora.

Josephus Flaccus - That has to be the most embarrassing result any team has suffered in this World Cup. Narsora is terrible.

Alessandro Seius - We only beat them 1 to nil.

Paulus Flaccus - It would have been a larger victory if the biggest whore in Cassadaigua didn't give us 3 red cards against those Jedis.

Lucas Aufidius - You forgot those spoiled brats from that foreign resident school.

Paulus Flaccus - Them too. I thought Sister Polus would have beaten the rebellion out of them by now.

Prince Andreas - That isn't an easy task. You forget that these are not normal high school students. Most, if not all, of them have not have the benefit of a proper upbringing.

Paulus Flaccus - That's a good point, Captain. The way those foreigners let their brats get away with just about anything is child abuse.

Prince Andreas - They would probably call proper parenting "child abuse," so I wouldn't use that term if I was you.

Silvester Flaccus - Foreigners are crazy.

Alessandro Seius - Actually, they aren't. They're just deceived by Satanas because they have not been exposed to the True Church.

Petrus Mamilius - But, whenever we try to convert them, they resist and call us names.

Stephanus Vagionius - Those foreigners are obsessed with freedom to sin and they think we are "oppressing" people because we try to keep our Kingdom free from sin.

Prince Andreas - That's correct, Stephanus. They don't understand that true freedom is not freedom to sin. It is freedom from sin. When we are free from sin, we live in the correct manner and by living in the correct manner, we get to experience happiness in this world and the next.

Lucas Aufidius - I've noticed that they tend to be unhappy and appear to be filled with hatred in their hearts. I especially feel bad for the women of those countries.

Georgius Catiotus - Their women don't get to experience the true happiness that God has made possible for them. Instead, they have to pretend to be men. Because they rebel against their nature, they are unhappy all the time.

Stephanus Vagionius - On a related subject, why do they hate Cantus Virginum so much? I understand that they aren't very good singers, but why do those foreigners actually attack those young ladies for their purity. I admire that about them. Do they really want their women to be sluts?

Georgius Catiotus - I'm one of a few married men on this team and I assure you that it is worth waiting. I know that I will be the only person who gets to be intimate with Martha in that way and she knows the same with regards to me. Those foreigners don't understand the value of abstinence until marriage and, yes, they do think that promiscuity is a good thing.

Prince Andreas - I have noticed that. STDs are virtually unheard of in our Kingdom, because we have values.

Josephus Flaccus - What's an STD?

Prince Andreas - I forgot. They don't teach that stuff in the Church schools, but STDs are basically diseases that foreigners get because they are too promiscuous. God hates sin, so He punishes the promiscuous with nasty diseases. You probably don't know this, but the Church does test for STDs before they will sanction a marriage license.

Josephus Flaccus - Why did I never hear about this before?

Prince Andreas - If you were found to carry a disease that is usually a consequence of sin, would you want to tell other people about it? If you were engaged to somebody who had such a disease, would you tell other people about that?

Josephus Flaccus - I see your point. Why do you say "usually" a consequence of sin, Andreas?

Prince Andreas - Some people can acquire those diseases for other reasons that have nothing to do with promiscuity or drug use. It would be unfair to automatically treat everybody who is discovered to have those diseases as a sinner who is hiding their sins from their priest.

Stephanus Vagionius - Can we talk about something else?

Alessandro Seius - Stephanus is right. I don't want to hear all this information.

Andreas Inventius - Are those Jedis really going to collapse in the second half or is that just wishful thinking from the SP?

Prince Andreas - I don't know. We'll find out the answer to that question when we check the scores tomorrow night. How about we turn on our Saints and practice against Aquitayne. Hopefully, everybody downloaded today's mid-qualifying update when we were connected to the satellite earlier.

Paulus Gabinius - I forgot to update it.

Prince Andreas - That's not good, Paulus. Anybody else?

Nobody else said anything.

Prince Andreas - Good. Let's all set the Real Soccer Simulator to Aquitayne v. Saintland. Make sure to learn their tactics inside and out. Be ready. Paulus, you can watch videos of Aquitayne matches. Before we left for Sondstead, I had their first 8 matches ripped from Sanctustube and installed on our video player.

Soon, there were 17 different matches between Saintland and Aquitayne taking place on 17 different Saint devices. Meanwhile, Paulus Gabinius was studying film of Aquitayne. The Sanctii hoped they would be ready when they arrived in Aquitayne. They simply couldn't afford to leave that Group 16 minnow with anything less than 3 additional points. Aquitayne would probably pull off a shocking result sometime during the second half of qualifying. Prince Andreas and the rest of the Saintland National Soccer Team were determined to ensure that they were not that team and that tomorrow would not be that day.

by **Kinitaria** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 1:29 pm

A History of Kinitar Football in Eighteen Objects
Nine: The briefcase

It looked for all the world as though the Federation had won out in their goal to make themselves the undisputed holders of power in the Kinitar game. They had, through a series of shrewd negotiations, manipulation of their opponents, and the odd concession, given themselves sole power over the laws of the game and the finances of their member clubs. The players, too, had been brought onside, even if it did mean that the Federation had to agree to scrap the maximum wage. A small price to pay, in their eyes, for the ability to control the development of football in Kinitaria. But in doing so, they had made themselves resilient to change. An organisation which once seeked to develop the game of football now sought only to control it, and this attitude was sure to result in a backlash. It did not come from an expected source, however. The game would have to be dragged into the modern era, and this wouldn't be achieved through the players, but through a new class of elites in the game of football. Business owners were about to manifest themselves in football for the first time, with irreversible results.

In the early days of the game, club executives - where such a thing even existed - were often the founders of the club (or, as was increasingly the case, their nominated successors, as the founders became too old to manage the affairs of a football club properly), or local businessmen who had lent their support to a particular club. But as grand new stadiums went up all around the country, and the most significant matches of the season attracted record crowds year on year, some especially wealthy individuals began to look at the development of Kinitar football and they started thinking that they could take a part of the profits that tens of thousands of paying spectators were sure to bring in. One of the first men to think this way was Talim Semukov, a wealthy business owner from Mi'ato, the Kinitar capital, who had made his fortune as a landlord and factory owner, and was now estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of hirin, a huge sum, even in those days, with the Kinitar economy as fragile as it was.

Two factors would then combine to forge a new chapter in the history of the game. In the first place, record transfer fees. This record, as of the beginning of the 3409 season, stood at 150,000 hirin (4,000 NSD) for the transfer of Pova Kiumar from Avnani to Serenberg in 3408. Public concern over the ever-increasing record had already started long before this point. The second factor was the emergence of a new type of football club. Although a lot of clubs set a great deal of store in those days - indeed, many still do - for their links to their local communities, other clubs were emerging, with their eyes on a different sort of society. Olimpia Mi'ato, for example, were the club of the capital's bourgeoisie. They had a stadium in the richest part of the Kinitar capital, in stark opposition to KF Mi'ato, with their arena by the main port, and the support of many dockers and a large segment of the working class. Semukov, who had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, made his move in 3411. individually, he approached many of the Olimpia directors and made an offer to buy out their portion of the club - or, more specifically, the limited company which technically controlled the football club.

One by one, the Olimpia directors approved Semukov's generous offer. Some were more stubborn and clung onto their shares to the end (more motivated by profit than a desire to preserve the club as a bastion of the community, it has to be said), but it wasn't long before the businessman reached the point at which he could legally claim full control of the club, which he wasted no time in doing. Once officially installed as the new club director, he immediately set about building his vision for the club. The national record transfer fee was smashed just two months after he joined, with Milo Čerov, widely acclaimed as the country's leading centre forward, joining Olimpia from Serenberg for 200,000 hirin (5,300 NSD). By the time the 3412 season rolled around, Semukov had thrown just over one million hirin at the club in transfer fees alone. The Olimpia fans may have appreciated this, but not everyone in the country was so optimistic about the implications of this unforeseen policy. The Mi'ato Record newspaper wrote that, "although Olimpia may be considered to be in the front running for the upcoming Alliance One title, a great number of their fans have already gone on record as disavowing any success they may achieve through their new transfer policy, owing to their unwillingness to see the club buy up the league championship".

Fans' concern over money infiltrating the game, then, is nothing new. But it didn't seem to affect the commercial side of things at Olimpia, as they attracted bumper crowds to almost every game in their league season. They began fantastically well, dispatching title favourites Serenberg and then city rivals KF Mi'ato (in an astonishing 5-2 victory watched by a crowd unofficially recorded as being over 55,000) in quick succession. They wouldn't have it all their own way, though, and after one of the tightest league races in two decades, Olimpia eventually lost the title to Serenberg on goal average. But Semukov considered this a success. Not only had he dragged Olimpia out of their comfortable pit to become league contenders, but he also got them to the Federation Cup final, in which they would play Universita Tirinthea. In a game that was much-hyped as the bankers' club against the students' club, the haves against the have-nots, the money eventually won out. Olimpia won the cup, 3-1. it was representative of the state of Kinitar football at the time, as the money culture began to spread out of Mi'ato and into the rest of the country.

While the Olimpia fans may have, for the most part, welcomed their new owner, this was not the case once this new ownership style began to spread across the country. Far to the north, in the city of Tirinthea, their two football clubs had divided support in a similar fashion. Universita Tirinthea, the club formerly affiliated to the city's educational institution, captured the vast majority of the city's working class support, while KF Tirinthea, the city's original club, were seen as the more affluent club of the upper class. They were also in the second division of the Northern League, having been displaced by Universita some years prior, and found themselves unable to regain their place at the top table. Understandably, then, there was a large amount of resentment between the city's two clubs. Inspired by the successful regime now installed at Olimpia, Boris Palmin, an incredibly successful Tirinthea businessman, made offers to the club's shareholders to buy out the club. Partially driven by a desire to see the club enjoy the same success as Olimpia, the shareholders were only too happy to give up their portions of the club.

For a while, it looked as though the move was going to be a successful one. With hundreds of thousands of hirin now behind them, Tirinthea blitzed the Second Division, winning promotion in 3416, which was Palmin's first season in sole control of the club. Once in the top tier, they set about establishing themselves there, and did so with ease, with the highlight of the season for their fans being a 4-0 victory over Universita, their fierce rivals from across the city. Winning the Northern League was always a step ahead of them in their first season after promotion, but they achieved a very credible third place, just five points off champions Litora. That's when Palmin had the realisation that has come to so many football club owners since. Running a successful football club simply is not profitable. To do so requires spending a lot more money on wages and transfer fees than you're ever likely to have coming in. And so, ahead of the 3417 season, Palmin announced massive increases in ticket prices, with fees for some seats almost doubling. The fans, to put it lightly, were not happy.

The backlash was immediate and severe. Fans marched on Parc Lavori, Tirinthea's stadium, ahead of a pre-season friendly against Avnani. When the season kicked off, the first game, which was at home to Paleu, was played in front of a half-empty stadium, and those that did turn up were sporting banners bearing slogans against the regime in place at the club. Throughout the season, attendances gradually grew, but the amount of those who paid to gain entry was going down. Fans would charge at or jump over the turnstiles, and on one memorable occasion, ahead of a home game against the league champions, Litora, fans forced open the main gate, allowing thousands of fans in for free. Eventually, Palmin backed down, announcing that ticket prices would return to the way they used to be, albeit with the caveat that he would be unable to invest as much money in transfer fees or wages as he previously had been. For the fans, they saw this as a fantastic victory. The first ever clash in Kinitaria between the fans and the club owners had resulted in the owner's capitulation.

All across the country, fans were expressing their dissatisfaction with new millionaire owners in a variety of ways. When SK Fojvalva were bought out by a consortium of local business owners (another innovation, for takeovers had previously been conducted by private individuals), their city rivals, Junulara Fojvalva, immediately experienced a rapid increase in support. With the increased revenue that they gained from the vastly inflated gate receipts, Junulara were able to gain promotion to the first tier, where they stayed, and saw their rivals plummet down to the Alliance Three after the consortium ran out of money. It's fair to say that Junulara's new fans engaged in a bit of (well-deserved, they would say), schadenfreude.

But possibly the strongest reaction to a club being bought out came at KF Fule. Despite promising to protect the club's interest, Fule's board of directors capitulated to an offer from a consortium of businessmen from around the country, almost all of whom had no connection to either the city or the football club they were now claiming to represent. Angry fans promptly went off and formed their own club, which they dubbed Fule Union, commonly known by its Kinitar name, Unione de Fule. This new team was a pioneering example of a club being formed by, and run for, its fans, well ahead of the "fans' clubs" of the modern era. SK Fule were another club who would crumble thanks to the mismanagement of their new owners, while Unione thrived, and continue to do so today, as members of the Kinitar Premier Division.

Football was now reaching one of its most turbulent periods. The Federation would fight running battles to maintain its control over the national game, both with club directors and with an ever-increasing number of fans who believed that their welfare should be the clubs' priority. But Kinitar society was also in a turbulent state. Class divisions ran high, economic mismanagement was rife, and the only way these divisions could manifest themselves was through violence. They were about to do so on the football field, propelling the newly adopted national game into a state of turbulence it had never previously experienced.

by **The Sovan Antithesis** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 1:47 pm

ALL HAIL MARGRET

Oath has been recited, so here is our schedule:

1. @ Karditan
L 1-3
2. Jedi8246
W 3-2
3. @ Saintland
L 2-5
4. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
W 3-2
5. @Sondstead
W 3-2
6. Aquitayne
W 4-3
7. @Sangti
L 1-2
8. @Narsora
W 2-1
9. Wight
L 1-3
10. Karditan
11. @Jedi8246
12. Saintland
13. @The Royal Kingdom of Quebec
14. Sondstead
15. @Aquitayne
16. Sangti
17. Narsora
18. @Wight

A review of the first half shows one glaring thing: no ties. Some teams have 4, 5, even a team with 6 ties out of 9 games. But that is not the case, as TSA has not settles for any draws. Whether it's an impressive victory against Jedi8246 or losing a dandy against Saintland, a draw is simply not in the mindset of TSA. A few more wins could even put TSA in a first-time qualifications. So go Margret, and enjoy the 2nd half.

We now present you, the daily census ranking for our group. Today, timber wood-chipping.

1. Karditan (11)
2. Jedi8246 (8)
3. Narsora (3)
4. Sangti (2)
5. Aquitayne (-3)
6. The Sovan Antithesis (-4)
6. Wight (-4)
8. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec (-6)
9. Saintland (-7)
10. Sondstead (-8)

And the running tally (10 for first, 9 for 2nd, etc.):
1. Karditan (56)
2. Sondstead (51)
3. The Royal Kingdom of Quebec (48)
3. Jedi8246 (48)
3. Narsora (48)
6. Wight (46)
6. Aquitayne (45)
8. The Sovan Antithesis (39)
9. Sangti (37)
10. Saintland (28)

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 1:59 pm

DE PLACA
Um bicho velho cheio de risco mal serve pra abanar / Eu tô comendo bem, no restaurante morte lenta
A cozinheira é uma nojenta que vive limpando a venta / No avental, eu tô passando mal tô com saudade mainha

WORLD CUP 65
Teal frowns, Vaporeon smiles: NSI controls the match, but almost gives up the win

After a small delay while moving thru the many countries of Balder, the Sunrisians finally entered the Garagendach - Stadium in Schoenwetter to face the Kriegiersien national team, nicknamed by us here in the headquarters of De Placa as "the Teal Faces", for the nineth matchday of the World Cup Qualifiers. A huge threat to our good situation at the Group 7, the land of the Scorpions is a nice, common place, where a massive campaign is underway to ensure the race of Kriegiersien remains pure, religious organizations are being forced to leave the country or pay income taxes like everybody else, a dictator has seized power and outlawed elections and citizens are regularly arrested in queues for 'loitering'.

Sounds like your common weekend trip! That's why we sent one of our youngest guys to the country, watch the match and hopefully say how stuff went. Sadly, the guy was also arrested due to 'loitering', which would originally mean that we wouldn't have any stuff to talk about, but, in a twist of events, a newspaper from that land was nice and gave us everything about the match.

The stadium was overflowing with fans, mostly because some of our good Sunrisians that went there, decided to bring their Pokémon too. Either way, the match started normally, with Kriegiersien being pressed to the back of their own field. After a small confusion at the box, Kochann would kick the ball out for a corner kick to NSI. Hawk would kick the ball high near the goal, only to meet Carvalho's head on the way. 1-0.

Carvalho would be at it, again, when Kochann, once again, messed up for the Teal Faces. A harsh tackle at Nagatomo, tackle and, controversially, no yellow card to the defender of Kriegiersien. Carvalho would go on to convert it from 24 meters away of the goal, celebrating with his teammates later.

The first half would end with Kriegiersien's top player, a clone of the legendary Simeone Di Bradini, nutmegging Netto Hikari, and scoring, leaving the defensive sector of the Sunrisians a little surprised. In the other half, the clone would do it again, now hitting the top right angle to tie it up.

Vaporeons were now more tense, trying everything to score, until Carvalho, in his best perfomance ever for the Sunrisian squad, hit the back of the net after dribbling with class the entire defense of the Teal Faces, until hitting the back of the net. 3-2, NSI leaves with another win. Looking for a possible debut at the World Cup? It's early to think about it, but why can't we dream about it?

NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS - 3
T. Millard; J. Redwing, N. Hikari, Y. McFlemming, A. Hawk; T. McCloud, I. Mangalonga, G. Di Luca, N. Nagatomo; C. Travis, M. Carvalho (10', 37', 80')
KRIEGIERSIEN - 2
J. Berger, N. Volter, W. Kochann, L. Esch, D. Zehb; J. Carre, H. Niehuis, F. Weissig, H. Daucher; J. Haudels, S. Di Bradini XI (42', 60')

OTHER NEWS
> Daineri Super League: the fourth domestic league ever to be clad in Vulpine Sportif uniforms, after NSI, KDE and Felix!
> PKMNA-NSI National Tournament Profile: Felipe Vaz of Barra e Janeiro.
> Chairman of Saint Anne FC requests SAJ pyramid reconstruction.
> NSIFC could be taking over the Scholar Leagues of Barra e Janeiro and Saint Pauli to form a mega-junior league.

by **Free Republics** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:04 pm

Sporting World

Letters to the Editor

Nova Hellstrom

I don't understand why Nova Hellstrom is still employed by Sporting World. She clearly is not competent at her job and is turning our Federation into a laughing stock around the world. It would be better if Sporting World did not cover the World Cup at all than if they continue to allow an incompetent like Nova Hellstrom to write hilariously inaccurate articles.

Dominic Waters
Republic of Amolotopia

Your international soccer "journalist" Nova Hellstrom is a complete idiot. I seriously can't believe that this woman is stupid enough to actually think that professional wrestling, of all things, is real. I didn't think it was possible to get any worse than her "reporting" about the Republican national team, but she somehow managed to do just that. Since everybody with half a brain knows that pro wrestling is fake, what does that say about Nova Hellstrom?

Georges Lafond
Republic of Vorita

Why did Sporting World have to hire Nova Hellstrom? I don't want to read about how she's getting drunk on the job and I certainly don't want to read about how she's reading those trashy Sixty Shades books. Just report what happened in the soccer match and keep the propaganda to yourself. That's called doing your job. The reason why the newspaper business is doing so poorly these days is because of all the journalists that want to "make a difference" instead of doing their job. Why does it seem like journalism school keeps churning out an ever-increasing supply of idiots? If she won't do her job, fire her and hire some common man off the street who hasn't had all that j-school nonsense drilled into his head.

Jakub Kwiatkowski
Republic of Nejax

As a woman and a professor in women's studies, I am disgusted by Nova Hellstrom's terrible journalism. In a pervasively sexist society such as ours, there is already enough misogyny out there. We don't need incompetent female "journalists" that only serve to convince misogynistic men that all women are morons. If Nova Hellstrom cares at all about the rights of women, I would strongly advise her to resign immediately and stop working as a journalist. It is regrettable to have to criticize a woman, but Nova Hellstrom's "journalism" is widely read by men, especially young men and that is just making it more difficult to convince these male chauvinist pigs that women are just as intelligent as men.

Alain Krylova
Republic of Exastrium

I was reading the recent article by Nova Hellstrom about the match between the Republican national team and the Equestrian States team and I have to say that I've never seen such a speciesist article in my life. That article is hilariously inaccurate and does not even remotely reflect what everypony watching that hoofball match saw. The Ponies dominated that entire match. The only reason it was a draw was because Twilight Striker was too cautious. Everypony knows that the Ponies should have won that match.

Anonymous
Via Email

I am so proud of my big sister for getting hired as a journalist by such a respected publication. When I grow up, I want to be just like Nova. She's just so fabulous and she has such a great sense of fashion. I don't understand why some people have to be so mean to her. Maybe they should move to Saintland if they have a problem with strong, independent women like my sister. I love my sister Nova and I don't care what any of those trolls say about her.

Asgjerd Hellstrom
Republic of Plymouth

Rule Theriault

I am a Petrograd United fan, so I know firsthand how terrible of a coach Rule Theriault is. He had success at the Di Bradini Cup because he had a very talented team that would have played well under any manager. The FFR has a treasure trove of great soccer talent. Unfortunately, we have a national team coach who is too stupid to use any players over the age of 20 on his national team. He'd rather just play a bunch of teenagers because only a naive young kid will tolerate his crap. I hope the Federation Government will establish a Republican Soccer Association, so they can put together a proper national team. If we had that, I believe we could be one of the top 10 or 20 soccer countries in the world.

Findlay Murphy
Republic of Plymouth

Why do we insist on keeping an imbecile coach who has made a fool out of himself on numerous occasions. Everybody knows that Nova Hellstrom wouldn't have a job if she didn't have a special relationship of some sort with Theriault the incompetent. I'm sure those teenagers are talented, but why is a nation like ours, with athletic talent on par with any other nation anywhere in the multiverse, playing a bunch of teenagers? Why is her so reluctant to make substitutions or change up his lineup? The players on that team are of roughly comparable ability. It isn't like any of them is a Prince Andreas.

Denis Truchon
Republic of Larota

I think it is a complete joke that Rule Theriault is the manager of the Republican National Team. I wouldn't let that man manage a youth league team. He's every bit as incompetent at his job as his girlfriend is at hers.

Nawien Elgersma
Republic of Amolotopia

I was watching some of those World Cup matches and I want to know why Rule Theriault has not named a single female player to the Republican national team. Numerous other nations have female players and in fact the nation of Cassadaigua won multiple World Cups with an all-female team. While it is possible that some of Cassadaigua's female athletes may have been raped some men, I am still inspired by the success of their all-woman teams. Rule Theriault should get out of the 19th century and include women on his team already. I'd also like to see the end of gender segregation in the domestic soccer leagues in our Federation. Those leagues that refuse should be banned from the Champions League.

Isa Dahl
Republic of Exastrium

Why are people so hard on Rule Theriault? Can we please give the man a chance? He's going with a long-term strategy to develop a cohesive national team that plays as a single unit. While the jury is still out on whether this unusual approach to creating a national team will be a success, it is an experiment that might make our Federation into a long-lasting power in international soccer. I, for one, give Mr. Theriault the benefit of the doubt. His strategy may very well pay off 5 years from now. Whatever happened to patience

Morgana Lo Duca
Republic of Kernoama

Giancarlo Bolko

As an openly gay man, I applaud Giancarlo Bolko for coming out as gay in the pages of Sporting World. Mr. Bolko is a legendary baseball player in the FFR who captained the national baseball team at the end of a glorious career. Although Peter Bach's team consisted of a bunch of scrubs, has-beens and fringe prospects, Giancarlo Bolko captained that team with class. Although he has had to put up with some homophobia since coming out, I have to say that I support him 100%. I also applaud his decision to start a support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender athletes when he retires from baseball at the end of the current season. I dream of a day when every team in every professional sports league in the Federation will have an openly gay player. Giancarlo Bolko, by coming out as gay, has helped to move us toward that goal.

Vladislav Denisov
Republic of Nejax

I wish Giancarlo Bolko and other homosexuals would keep their perversions to themselves. God created us as man and woman and he intended for marriage to be one man, one woman, until death do they part. Sadly, our society has gone further and further away from Godliness in the last few decades. We now have easy divorce and we have a pervasive "hook-up" culture that corrupts our young men and women. People like Giancarlo Bolko only further destroy the moral values of our society. If you find yourself attracted to the same sex, you really should seek out conversion therapy. My Church offers that and it is a compassionate way to help homosexuals overcome their perverse desires.

Diana Roth
Republic of Amolotopia

OOC: I requested and received (via TG) permission from Equestrian States to include the letter from the anonymous pony about Nova Hellstrom.

by **The Sova Empire** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:06 pm

First Half Review

1. @San Potato (112)
L 2-5
2. @Rex Lucian (UR)
W 1-0
3. Nouvel Ecosse (231)
W 2-0
4. @De La Fleur (281)
W 1-0
5. Piddlehinton (315)
D 2-2
6. @The Holy Empire (Alasdair I Frosticus) (4)
D 0-0
7. Ko-oren (31)
L 1-2
8. @Iturributa (70)
W 1-0
9. Liventia (93)
D 2-2

-  Group 14                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                      9    6   3   0    21   12   +9    21
 2 Ko-oren                              9    6   2   1    19   10   +9    20
 3 Liventia                             9    5   4   0    24   10  +14    19
 4 The Sova Empire                      9    4   3   2    12   11   +1    15
 5 Nouvel Ecosse                        9    4   1   4     9   10   -1    13
 6 San Potato                           9    3   3   3    16   17   -1    12
 7 Iturributa                           9    2   2   5     9   10   -1     8
 8 Piddlehinton                         9    2   1   6    11   16   −5     7
 9 De La Fleur                          9    2   1   6     5   15  -10     7
10 Rex Lucian                           9    1   0   8     7   22  −15     3

The Margret Bashers might be in a bit of trouble if they wish to qualify. While this is only TSE's 2nd qualification cycle, things were looking bright at the quarter mark, but have since dwindled. TSE is 5 points out of qualification. So let's see how they got to their current 4th place position:

The good: Drawing against The Holy Empire. Jade Bird was tested, and she passes, not letting one of the bests squads in the world score.
The ok: Drawing against Liventia. To close the 1st half, they were hoping to get momentum, but settled for a tie at 2 goals apiece.
The bad: Drawing against Piddlehinton. The 315th team in the world is 8th, and they would be 9th if not for a draw against a Sovan squad, who had been riding a wave of momentum before that match.

The future has potential for the Margret Bashers. They host San Potato, Rex Lucian, De La Fleur, The Holy Empire, and Iturributa. Will a home stadium help? Maybe. Here are some ~~amateur guesses~~ expert calculations on the 2nd half:

1. San Potato (112)
D 3-3
2. Rex Lucian (UR)
W 4-1
3. @Nouvel Ecosse (231)
W 1-0
4. De La Fleur (281)
W 2-0
5. @Piddlehinton (315)
W 5-2
6. The Holy Empire (Alasdair I Frosticus) (4)
L 0-3
7. @Ko-oren (31)
L 2-3
8. @Iturributa (70)
D 1-1
9. Liventia (93)
L 1-2

by **New Montreal States** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 2:51 pm

VousTube's twelve-story headquarters on the Philemon waterfront were every stereotype of where spoiled programmers go to work, the sort of place Classics grad students can only dream of working. Today, thanks to Sister Polus, one Montréalais grad student was about to live the dream.

Special services called in Brandon Llalagher, a classic grad student who had roomed with one of the programmers in college and drank with several of them. After firing off an email politely asking her to fill out an official request for her video to be delisted - and then translating the form, which had been returned in Latin of a quality that would make Cicero nod in approval - he lost a game of ping-pong 21-4 to his old roommate. He was then comped a pair of spring rolls and some pork bun from the cafeteria and ferried back to the off-campus one-bedroom he shared with his fiancée in a chauffeured SUV.

On his way home he thought about the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise.

Meanwhile, VousTube's legal team had suggested that they discreetly take down the parodies. It had been over a month since they'd come out of nowhere to dominate VousTube for 72 hours or so. Not that many people would notice, and it would avoid an unpleasant and expensive confrontation with a theocracy that might push the bounds of all rationality in combating a perceived insult to its faith. There was general agreement that this was the right thing to do. At 1 P.M., six VousTube staffers named sat down in outsized vibrating memory-foam futons in the Paradigm Solarium, retrofitted to the building at a cost of 25 million oz., and began erasing the parodies of Sister Polus from VousTube. Anyone trying to access them got a black screen with a notice that they had been removed for violating SanctusTube's terms of use.

Fortuitously enough, it took them exactly four hours to track down and remove every parody with more than a thousand views. They then rode the subway back to their respective apartments, washed themselves with same brand of shower gel, phoned six different significant others with textured bowl cuts, and coincidentally ran into each other at the same unspeakably trendy martini lounge in a newly gentrified (and still ostensibly "edgy") part of Philemon. The weekend zoomed by in a haze of overpriced drinks and pointless personal drama.

The first seven hours on Monday morning were like every other Monday morning at VousTube. At 4:45 P.M., the first lawsuit was served at the front desk. Harold Tessier, a first-year law student mired at the bottom of his class, had sued over the removal of his parody video, in which he had paired the footage of Sister Polus's lecture with quotes from Shemp, the Dean of Neo-Lemmitania Sports, that synced with Sister Polus's lips. He claimed that SanctusTube's terms of use were not enforceable in NMS, based on a painfully long list of technicalities.

VousTube's in-house counsel had barely began making their way through Tessier's list of technicalities when another lawsuit landed on their desks. Venture capitalist Lily Passenger, worth four and a half billion oz. by the most conservative estimate, had outed herself as the creator of one of the parodies, and had lawyered up and was demanded redress. Her lawyers were making the more drastic case that Saintland's government censorship policies were harsh enough to require VousTube to not remove any videos of Saintland without issuing a public explanation as to how the removal did not amount to a capitulation to foreign tyranny. (This law was one of many, many reasons why NMS's levels of civil rights were sometimes considered to be "Excessive.")

Passenger had also released a VousTube video asking if Sister Polus thought her doctrines were so brittle they couldn't withstand public exposure. She concluded by calling Sister Polus a chicken and saying "the only people who need to fear comedy are those who know that they believe things so eminently silly that they would collapse the moment anyone questioned them. Like the filioque clause, for instance."

Lawyers through Philemon leaned out their windows and sniffed the air, intrigued by the scent of billable hours wafting into the downtown from the suburbs. VousTube's counsel was burning up the phones and digging through the clusterfuck of NMS's non-WA-member international laws and practices when two more process servers literally ran into each other at the front of the building on their way to make everyone's days that much worse.

A thirteen-year-old girl, angered at the loss of a video that she'd spent hours working on, had managed to use her father's guilt to get him to do something about it. Her father, as a junior partner at Caissonier MacStone, was better equipped than most fathers to carry this promise out, and after two long nights in the cheap motel he'd been living in every since his soon-to-be-ex had kicked him out of the house, he'd finally come up with his solution. Sister Polus, who was in the habit of giving public, electronic lectures on the Church of Saintland and the moral failings of those outside the Church, was therefore a public figure, and the public had a right to know the contents of her lectures.

Save ALL The Children NOW!, a prominent NGO, had the most potentially serious allegations: that one of the boys in the neat, orderly rows was Bertram Laroche, born in Angiers, who had left the country at age 8 when his mother had converted to the Church of Saintland, remarried and left to go be a housewife in a distant land. Save ALL The Children NOW was demanding that the government send a consul to ask Laroche whether he was staying voluntarily, or if he would like to be repatriated to an École des Orphelins in his birth country. They also contended that the original footage of Sister Polus's lecture was leaked evidence of child abuse on behalf of Sister Polus and the school, and that Sister Polus could not have evidence of her crimes be stricken from the Internet without the approval of a judge.

All the plaintiffs was seeking immediate injunctive relief.

A very confusing all-nighter followed, during which the in-house counsel tried to make sense of two orders demanding that VousTube restore access to the videos and two orders demanding that they do no such thing. Access to the videos came and went - for a while, T3 user could access them, and cable users could not; then they were available only in unincorporated areas while city-dwellers needed to guess a rural IP address if they wanted access, and finally they were only available to domestic IP addresses while any interested foreigners found themselves obliged to spoof an NMS IP address.

It would be a while before anyone at VousTube would have the spare time to hang around trendy martini lounges again. Gin stocks took a three-point dive as a result.

by **Wight** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 3:18 pm

by **Jedi8246** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 3:35 pm

Theme
Fenris Sports Corner

"Good evening, this is Logan Dale with the Fenris Sports Corner. As many of you have been following in the news for the past few weeks, the court case over banning media coverage of the Wyverns has been debated fiercely and has finally reached a decision. The ban was so wide spread that even our own station has been forbidden from discussing it. For those unaware, we shall give you the scoop on what has happened in the past few weeks.

Entering into the World Cup season, the Wyverns were struggling to find a new head coach. Longtime Coach Donald Hemlock had retired and the search for a new coach was long and arduous. It actually became a major source of debate among many public officials due to the popularity of the team. The Council of Sports eventually selected Head Coach Jean Wilson. Wilson was an experienced coach of the Spartans and well know for being as brutal of a coach as his players are. The decision was quite controversial, due to his tactics. President Sir Richard Worthington was personally outraged by the choice and demanded that the Council reconsider. They refused and thus the President decreed with his first ever executive order that the media was banned from covering the Wyverns while the man coached.

The order was immediately challenged. Though he argued his order was legal as the Wyverns were that national team, the argument was quickly struck down as a challenge to freedom of speech and the press. Sir Richard Worthington issued an apology, noting that these actions were not the actions of a president but a child. And now once again we can bring you coverage of the Wyverns. So... just how have they been doing?

Frankly put, amazing. Coach Wilson has done a marvelous job of coaching the team. They currently stand at second place with a 6-3 record. In a stunning move though, Coach Wilson has agreed to step down due to President Worthington's public apology. Though the President said the move was unnecessary , he stated that a compromise could be made if he was insistent. Coach Donald Hemlock has thus been allowed to return to coach the remainder of the season with Coach Wilson as assistant. Coach Wilson will begin coaching full time again next year. Thus, Coach Hemlock has one final chance to take the team all the way. Things are looking good from that stand point.

In our next edition of Fenris Sports Corner, the rosters will be released and our breakdown of the remainder of the season will be given. We will not go into as much detail as usual due to the shortage of time, but we shall do our best. More sporting news after the break.

by **Equestrian States** » Sat Jun 29, 2013 4:03 pm

Gentle Breeze Continues to Impress in Victory

Brenecia 0-2 Equestrian States
at Union Park in Pavonia, Brenecia
Attendance: 70,500
Scoring:

Thunderlane '32 (Starlight Sparkle)

Rainbow Blitz '74 (Cloudchaser)

PAVONIA, BRENECIA - Could High Soarin' be on his way out as the Equestrian States national team's starting goalkeeper? The odds of a change in goal are low right now; but in a year or two, that might not be the case. High Soarin's past struggles with injuries have left a noticeable dent in his abilities to perform, and the aging keeper seems unlikely to improve anytime soon. But relief in goal has come to the Ponies' supporters in the form of Gentle Breeze, the young star who posted four consecutive clean sheets in the Equestrian U-21s' Di Bradini Cup 27-winning campaign. On the senior squad, the pegasus has also managed to turn heads as well, shutting down a number of teams in her few appearances including a clean sheet last night against Brenecia.

To be fair to High Soarin', the older keeper probably would have met the same success as Gentle Breeze did last night, thanks to the stellar performance by the defenders in keeping Brenecia out of range for much of the match. The limited amount of testing Gentle Breeze has been put through against weaker opponents, and her lack of experience in any major games is an indicator that she is unlikely to be tapped by Twilight Striker to replace High Soarin' in the near future. However, Gentle Breeze did have a few excellent saves in Pavonia, including one where her speed made all the difference in recovering from a dive to deny a second chance effort by Brenecian striker Bryan Respect.

But Gentle Breeze wasn't the only Equestrian to impress last night. Rainbow Blitz looked perfect against Brenecia playing as the Ponies' attacking midfielder, a position at which he has also excelled at with Makosile United. The Equestrian States' most promising young player contributed in setting up a number of chances, and scored his own goal late in the match to seal the Ponies' win. Others who were seen as critical to the Equestrian victory were Thunderlane, Starlight Sparkle, Cloudchaser, and Flitter.

The match began well for the Ponies, who looked determined and well-prepared to face their opponents. After last week's disappointing home draw against Free Republics, Head Coach Twilight Striker was clearly less than pleased by her team's performance, promising to work the players hard in training. Whatever the longtime Equestrian coach did during the week, it was effective in motivating the Ponies not to get on her bad side and there was no lack of trying against Brenecia. By the 20th minute, the Equestrians had their opposition reeling from repeated attacks that inched ever closer to a goal each time. Just 12 minutes later, the stumbling home team found themselves unable to do anything as Thunderlane pulled away from his mark and Starlight Sparkle threaded a perfect cross to the pegasus forward. With no sign of the hesitation that has plagued the Equestrians before in close matches, Thunderlane hammered the ball home to put the Ponies on top going into the second half.

Equestrian fans made themselves known in the otherwise hostile crowd all night, never doubting their team would win. While other nations may struggle to bring their supporters with them, the "Herd" and other Equestrian fan organizations have learned how to organize an effective road trip over the years. With flags of the Equestrian States visible in the stands, the Ponies continued to chip away at their opponents throughout the second half, utilizing their superior speed and endurance to give the Brenecians no quarter. Then, with 16 minutes to go, Rainbow Blitz tore free of the mass of players at midfield, taking the ball with him. Stephen Mansfield never stood a chance.

The Equestrian star lifted the ball into the air before pounding it into the ground a few meters from where the Brenecian keeper was positioned. Rainbow Blitz's kick gave the shot a surprising amount of spin, leaving Mansfield to catch nothing but the breeze as the ball skipped once before planting itself in the net. The Ponies relaxed a bit after the second goal, but the Brenecians had nothing left to mount a desperate final bid to score, allowing the match to end along with the first leg of qualifying for both teams.

   Group 20 - Qualifying            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1  Equestrian States              9    6   3   0    22    9  +13    21
 2  Bears Armed                    9    6   2   1    24   12  +12    20
 3  The Inevitable Syndicate       9    6   1   2    18    8  +10    19
 4  The Islands of Qutar           9    5   2   2    18   13   +5    17
 5  Brenecia                       9    4   1   4    10   14   -4    13
 6  Sudagiu                        9    3   2   4    16   16    0    11
 7  Carmadin                       9    3   1   5    18   16   +2    10
 8  Free Republics                 9    2   1   6    12   19   -7     7
 9  Omarios                        9    2   0   7    11   29  −18     6
10  Tantamir                       9    0   3   5     7   15   −8     3

At this point last year, the Equestrian States were doing much better with a stunning 8-1-0 start to the qualifying campaign. But this time the Ponies have a different set of challenges to face. None of the top three seeds have fallen apart as Sargossa did in World Cup 64, which effectively gifted the Equestrians a spot in the World Cup. The race to qualify is far from being over, and the Ponies must continue to remain "elusive" (as some have called them) if they are to return to the Cup. No slip-ups can happen with just two points separating the team that automatically qualifies from the one which doesn't even get a shot in the playoffs.

BRENECIA 0-2 EQUESTRIAN STATES
Starting XI:
GK - #21 - Gentle Breeze (Pegasus - Female) - 21 -  Mardi Lopunnies (NSI)
DF - #3 - Flitter (Pegasus - Female) - 25 -  Ponyville United (EQS)
DF - #8 - Andrea Molovi (Human - Female) - 24 -  Stalliongrad HC (EQS)
DF - #18 - Horus (Unicorn - Female) - 22 -  Canterlot Royals (EQS)
MF - #5 - Starlight Sparkle (Unicorn - Female) - 28 -  Ponyville United (EQS)
MF - #9 - Rainbow Blitz (Pegasus - Male) - 21 -  Makosile United (VIL)
MF - #2 - Cloudchaser (Pegasus - Female) - 25 -  Cloudsdale Flyers (EQS)
MF - #4 - Apple Jack (Earth Pony - Male) - 26 -  Mardi Lopunnies (NSI)
MF - #11 - Rapid Dash (Pegasus - Female) - 28 -  Canterlot Royals (EQS)
FW - #7 - Thunderlane (Pegasus - Male) - 25 -  Kiiara-Torra (VIL)
FW - #30 - Sonar (Bat Pony - Male) - 21 -  Matthew City Senators (NSI)

Substitutions:
 Blaze in for Thunderlane '62
 Carrot Cake in for Rapid Dash '76

EQUESTRIAN STATES 0-0 ARMED BEARS
Scoring:
None

Starting XI:
GK - #20 - Barrel Roll (Earth Pony - Female) - 24 -  Appleoosa HC (EQS)
DF - #3 - Flitter (Pegasus - Female) - 25 -  Ponyville United (EQS)
DF - #26 - Blackmane (Earth Pony - Male) - 23 -  Stilwater Saints (NSI)
DF - #6 - Stronghoof (Buffalo - Male) - 23 -  Stalliongrad HC (EQS)
MF - #2 - Cloudchaser (Pegasus - Female) - 25 -  Cloudsdale Flyers (EQS)
MF - #4 - Apple Jack (Earth Pony - Male) - 26 -  Mardi Lopunnies (NSI)
MF - #31 - Candace Rivers (Human - Female) - 23 -  Umber Lumber (FWH)
MF - #25 - Ironhide (Dragon - Male) - 22 -  Selyne City Athenians (NSI)
MF - #12 - Lightning Bolt (Pegasus - Male) - 23 -  Canterlot Stars (EQS)
FW - #10 - Fire Dash (Pegasus - Male) - 29 -  Ponyville United (EQS)
FW - #23 - Thunderbolt (Pegasus - Female) - 23 -  Canterlot Stars (EQS)

Substitutions:
 Horus in for Flitter '46
 Xena in for Stronghoof '46
 Katherine Everdeen in for Fire Dash '46
 Stardust in for Cloudchaser '68
 Krystal in for Apple Jack '77

World Cup LXV (65) RP Thread

Eeeeeeeeeeeeasy

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