Cup of Harmony 60: Everything Thread

by **The Archregimancy** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 10:09 am

A Press Release From the Monastic Football Association

The Monastic Football Association would like to make clear its disgust at being forced to play matches in this so-called "Cup of Harmony" between Great and Holy Friday and Pascha, a period where we should be reflecting on the expiatory suffering of the Saviour and His death upon the Cross rather than playing football.

Were it not for an obscure clause in our contract with the World Cup Committee forcing us to participate in this tournament or face expulsion from all World Cup Committee events - including the World Cup itself - we would be boycotting the "Cup of Harmony".

Further reasons for boycotting come in the shape of the tournament hosts. Why the World Cup Committee chose two such ill-suited nations to host a tournament devoted to "harmony" (harmony that we would note the WCC committee fruitlessly and stubbornly continues to seek outside the One True Church) escapes the understanding of the Monastic Football Association, unless there really is an anti-Orthodox conspiracy.

Kinitaria is, we understand, currently run by a communist government. Historical experience has taught the Orthodox that communist governments are inevitably militant atheists who persecute the Orthodox Church in the name of their disgusting materialist ideology. While it is true that there are sections of the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles that call upon Christians to pool and share their property, nowhere does Holy Scripture endorse militant atheist dialectical materialism. We are flabbergasted that we would be required to participate in a tournament where one of the hosts embraces an ideology so antithetical to Orthodoxy. We can only hope that the current protests in this benighted nation lead to a change of ideology in the upper echelons of the national government.

The situation in Kazamatsuri is, however, arguably even worse. Here some sort of jumped-up nature demon called 'Kirigiri-no-Mikoto' has proclaimed herself to be a 'goddess', and is attempting to make an alternate reality copy of the nation. Here in the Archregimancy we know a thing or two about both deities and multiple realities, and we can see nothing but disaster rising from this foolish attempt. First of all, there is only one true God (one God in three persons, each co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial); this Kirigiri-no-Mikoto may refer to herself as a 'goddess', but she is a mere demonic spirit not worthy of Ordinary Reality worship. Secondly, as any resident of the Dreamed Realm could tell you, the power required to make a copy of one reality in another reality is such that not only is it beyond the power-generation capacity of almost all Ordinary Reality entities, but even if the attempt is made, the power required could cause incalculable damage to the reality where that attempt is taking place if that power improperly unleashed. Why the WCC gave co-hosting rights to a nation in imminent danger of possible total destruction truly boggles the mind. It is in the interest of all participants drawn in Kazamatsuri to leave the tournament as soon as results permit.

As it is, we shall be planning to lose each and every match we play in protest at A) the timing of the tournament, B) the bizarre choice of tournament hosts, and C) as penance on behalf of the entire Monastic Republic for forcing other nations to listen to the well-intentioned but clearly deeply misguided 'music' of the now-disbanded monastic chanters who called themselves the 'Backstreet Monks' during World Cup 68.

Yours in Christ

The Monastic Football Association +

by **Kinitaria** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 12:14 pm

SUPREME PEOPLE'S COUNCIL OF THE SOCIALIST FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF KINITARIA

A REPORT TO THE POLITBURO OF THE SUPREME PEOPLE'S COUNCIL
for the purposes of maintaining State security

SECRET: for the eyes of Politburo/SPC delegates ONLY. This document is not to be published to the Kinitar or foreign public, or to any press agencies.

The delegates of the Supreme People's Assembly wish to present the following information to the Politburo:

The delegations (staff and team members) of fifteen foreign international football teams are staying in Kinitaria for the duration, in whole or in part, of a major international football tournament, the Cup of Harmony, which Kinitaria is co-hosting. Furthermore, football fans from these nations - up to twenty thousand or more in some cases - intend to stay in Kinitaria for the purposes of watching their representative teams in this duration. The Kinitar national football team is also taking part in this competition.

An alarming recent increase in counter-revolutionary activity, of a nature that is openly hostile to the Socialist Federal Republic, and threatening to the very structure of this State, has been seen across Kinitaria, coupled with a troubling increase of foreign infiltration and interference in Kinitaria's internal affairs. Some delegates are concerned that such a significant influx of foreigners into the country may inflame the current tense political situation, especially in major flashpoints such as Serenberg and Mi'ato.

Eight major cities in Kinitaria are to be host venues for the Cup of Harmony (Mi'ato, Paleu, Litora, Serenberg, Tirinthea, Lorceag, Inovita and Chyr). There is also a concern amongst some delegates that, as these cities are some of the most important in Kinitaria, economically speaking, any large-scale violence in these locations could affect the international perception and prestige of Kinitaria, and by association, have a negative effect on Kinitaria's position in international trading markets.

We also note that our government is dubious about the intentions of some of the nations involved in the tournament:

The Inevitable Syndicate and Ossidiacqua both operate under fascistic dictatorships, and if their fans are given free rein, no doubt they will attempt to push this position to citizens of Kinitaria.
It was noted, at the ceremony for the Cup of Harmony draw, that a representative of the Zwangzug Football Association expressed criticism towards the legitimate government of Kinitaria.
Melody Pond, current manager of the Kinitar national football association, has national ties with Jeru FC, and may receive instructions from their delegation.
Kinitar and Electrumite football fans clashed during World Cup 68 qualification, before and during the Kinitaria v Electrum match in the group phase. Some arrests were made on that occasion, and Electrum will be returning to Kinitaria for the Cup of Harmony.
Gregoryisgodistan is ruled by a tyrannical dictator who operates with impunity in his own nation. He was present at the Cup of Harmony draw, during which he executed two Gregoryisgodistan natives, in accordance with their laws. This would, of course, be unacceptable in Kinitaria.
Some other nations in the competition, such as The Archregimancy and Nexxus Drako, were also flagged as possible concerns. However, of the 16 nations who are playing in Kazamatsuri, only one will play in Kinitaria throughout the tournament, for the final, and concerns about nations in the Kazamatsurian half of the draw should be addressed as and when necessary.

Instances of terrorism by anti-communist saboteurs in the Chyr region are increasing, despite an increased police and army presence in the province, and polls indicating a clear majority of the Chyri population wishing to remain a part of Kinitaria. As the city of Chyr is a host venue for the Cup of Harmony, there is a necessity to prevent separatist elements from causing disruption to the smooth running of the tournament. The same applies to any anti-government elements that may be operating in any of the host cities, although the SPC notes that such incidents have been declining in recent times. Nevertheless, dissenters must not be allowed to disrupt the tournament.

Therefore, with these considerations in mind, the delegates of the Supreme People's Council have agreed unanimously to recommend the following proposals to the Politburo and the government of Kinitaria:

That the armed forces be called upon to guard any Cup of Harmony host stadium, for a period lasting from two hours before the match starts, to two hours after the match ends. Their duties would include ensuring a safe atmosphere in which football can be enjoyed by fans, preventing dangerous elements from affecting Kinitaria's image in front of the world, and making sure that fans get into and out of the stadiums without any trouble starting in or around the stadium in question.
Pursuant to the last point, that an increased police and military presence be in operation in the eight Cup of Harmony host cities for the duration of the tournament. The purpose of this increase in personnel numbers would be to ensure the safety of travelling fans in the host cities, and to ensure that dissent does not make itself known in the form of disruptive street protests of the kind seen in the past two months around Kinitaria, especially given the violent nature of some anti-government demonstrations.
That police and army chiefs are reminded that they are not expected to relax their policies in any way for the duration of the Cup of Harmony. They are to be reminded of their responsibilities under the SFRK Penal Code, specifically Article 43 "Counter-revolutionary activity". Anyone they suspect of involvement in counter-revolutionary activity is to face arrest, and the army retains certain powers under the Armed Forces Act to violently disperse subversive or disruptive protesters, especially within city limits.
That foreign visitors to Kinitaria are to be reminded of their duties under Kinitar law upon arrival. Namely, Kinitar law shall apply to any foreigners during their stay in Kinitaria, whether they be tourists, football fans, team officials, or players. All four categories can and will face arrest for the same crimes and under the same conditions as Kinitar citizens. Foreign governments are also to be contacted and reminded of their rights and responsibilities, should any of their citizens be arrested within Kinitar territory.
That, while foreign teams and officials have already been assigned to some of the best hotels in Kinitaria, ranging across all eight of the host cities, the Office for Internal Security retains the power and right to collect information on visitors to Kinitaria by any means it deems necessary, which could include uninformed surveillance of their hotels. The use of such surveillance by the OIS is a matter of national security. The government should, however, maintain a policy of official denial if questioned over the use of surveillance on foreigners.
That the Kinitar government should carefully monitor the situation in Kazamatsuri for the duration of the tournament, especially as one of the 16 teams in Kazamatsuri will be playing the Cup of Harmony final in Kinitaria. The sporting associations of the two nations have been working closely in order to organise this tournament, and the governments should follow their example. The Kinitar government should be aware of disturbing reports of a freakishly high incidence of natural disasters in Kazamatsuri, and should be prepared to take further action if necessary.
That no special provisions shall apply to the region of Chyr for the duration of the tournament, save for the level of autonomy it is accorded in the Kinitar constitution. Any person resident in Chyr is and shall be treated as a Kinitar citizen, and any person visiting Chyr shall be considered the same as one visiting the Kinitar mainland. Kinitar laws and customs shall continue to apply to Chyr, and the provisions of this document shall equally apply to Chyr.
That this report be accorded top-secret status. The publication or transmission of this report in any way, in whole or in part, in any form of media, shall be forbidden by the terms of the Information and State Security Act. Receipt of this report shall be limited to properly accredited officials, that is, duly elected deputies of the Supreme People's Council and members of the Politburo.
That the provisions within this report be enacted as soon as possible, ideally before the first matchday of the Cup of Harmony, for the assurance of security of all visiting fans, players, and officials, and also of all Kinitar citizens.

This report made by unanimous declaration of the Supreme People's Council, and,
Signed and enacted,
IRIN KUCINIČ
in the capacity of Chairman of the Politburo.

by **The Inevitable Syndicate** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 12:56 pm

Atlantian Oceania Cartographic Institute, Magnaeus - Two Weeks Ago

"Check two, check two - co-ords one four seven six nine three six, over."

"Copy that. One four seven six nine three six."

It was 10 in the morning. From the seventh floor of the tower block in Magnaeus, a team of thirty-seven highly trained men and women, along with a multitude of computer systems, were tasked with controlling six of the Syndicate's greatest pieces of technology - Keyhole, a satellite project designed to send projections of the region to the institute for use in regional mapping software.

Jeff Villiers was at the helm of this operation, and as he sat drinking his coffee, scanning over his emails, and waiting for something to go wrong. He'd been the chair of Keyhole for three years now, and over this time he's hardly been called to do anything interesting. Occasionally, he received the odd phone call from the government telling him to move Keyhole Two over a notch to have a gander at Mertagne, but this still bored him. It's not as if it was the Damocles*. He had a read through his emails again. A notice from HR that someone was leaving. A notice from security that those who didn't have level 3 clearance would no longer be allowed in The Spyglass. A note on how the latest version of the official regional map was forced to include Mertagne, at a World Assembly request, but wasn't to be shown on the Syndicate Version of World Maps. All things he'd read at least twice over.

Suddenly, he received a new e-mail. One from IT. Taking another sip of his coffee, he dove into it and had a read. Something something compromised security feature something something change your password something something very important something something threatened.

"Oh, I'll do that later..." he said, smiling and slowly moving out of his chair. Grabbing his cane, he walked around the office. Everyone was working hard, tapping away, shouting at each other, keeping the expensive hunks of junk in the sky. Still, at least he didn't have to do anything...

Atlantian Oceania Cartographic Institute, Magnaeus - Yesterday

"Sir? Sir? Sir, are you even awake?"

Jeff woke up with a start. "Eh? What's up?"

"It's Keyhole Four. It's exhibiting strange behaviour. Three of our external camera feeds are down - the only one that's working is the LED Printer, and obviously Keyhole itself..."

"Right... Is it a software fault?" Jeff said, rubbing his eyes.

"It could well be, as they seemed to lose contact simultaneously. The only issue is..."

Suddenly, another technician dashed over to Jeff's desk. "Big problem. It's changing course. We didn't tell it to change course..."

Another cry from across the room. "The LED Printer! It's doing something!"

Jeff sat up in his chair. "Patch it over then - I want to see it!"

CRIKEY, THIS ONE WAS EASY. COME ON CORVIDAE, YOUR SPY SATELLITE ISN'T DOING MUCH GOOD TO YOUR OWN CITIZENS. HOW ABOUT WE MOVE IT TO SOMEWHERE WORTH SPYING ON? LOVE, OHM

Yet another shout echoed along the room. "It's heading south!"

"Ohm?" said the first technician. "The government in Mertagne? This is an act of war, surely?"

"We already are at war, aren't we?" piped up the second technician. "Have been for years!"

"Call security." whispered Jeff, shaking at the thought of an unexpected crash landing on a populated area. "Tell them we have a problem."

"We've got a bigger one. All the rest of the satellites have their cameras offline too..."

Jeff scrambled to his feet. Reaching for his cane, he walked as fast as he could towards the door of the office. Opening the door with a crash, he moved as quickly as he could over to the lift. Pressing the button as quickly as he could, he pressed it over and over until the lift was finally called down. Riding it down to the basement, he bolted it out of the door, determined to make it to security and tell them of the problem himself. He turned into the second corridor. The cane slipped, and the breathless man tumbled to the ground.

*For those of you who don't know, the Damocles, to the Syndicate's knowledge, was a Starblaydi orbital weapons platform deployed in the last regional war. It's something that Lex Crowley's always found interesting, but he hasn't yet gathered the resources or the blueprints to build anything like it himself...

by **New Montreal States** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:40 pm

"...Doc Lagace having opted for early retirement rather than accept an assignment to a roiling cauldron of natural disasters, we're pleased to welcome our unpaid intern Samantha Weatherspoon, live from Kizuna, where the Paladins are preparing for the 60th Cup of Harmony. Sam, how are the Paladins coping with some of the most adverse conditions since their trip to Farfadillis years back?"

"Matt, they were fortunate enough to miss the 8.3-magnitude earthquake that rattled the country, although thousands of locals have been rendered homeless and are living in makeshift shelters. The most recent development is an inch-thick layer of mashed potatoes that fell straight out of the sky onto the Kizuna area, impeding - well, everything really."

"So it's raining mashed potatoes, Sam?"

"No, Matt, they all came down at once. I heard a tremendous thunk, and dozens of witness began yelling about how a roiling mass of mashed potatoes crashed down from the heavens across the land."

"How are people coping?"

"Pretty well, although there are scattered complaints that the mashed potatoes are too peppery. What's helped a lot, I think, are the scattered showers of gravy and sharp cheddar that have been breaking out around town all day."

"And how are the Paladins getting ready for their match against Armakistan?"

"Very, very carefully, Matt. These are some slippery potatoes - and the gravy is really thick and kinda viscous. Manager McDowell told me that all the plans in the world won't do anyone any good if someone hurts themselves before the match starts. Armakistan turned in a very strong performance in the BoF, and then followed it up by a strong playoff drive in the World Cup proper."

"This is the most loaded Cup of Harmony field in the history of the tournament, Sam. How do the Paladins like their odds in this one?"

"They know they've got a long fight ahead of the, starting with Ko-oren at the top of Group G, Matt. With the world #7 Archregimancy leading a top pool of teams most people figured were cinches for the World Cup proper, this is going to be brutal.

"Finally, are there any truth to the reports that star Armaki left back Phillip Boston is actually the Emperor Boston in a very clever disguise?"

"Everyone I've spoken to so far is convinced that it's pure fiction, Matt."

"Thanks, Sam. Up next, the War Eagles travel to Sorel on their quest to avoid relegation-"

*click*

by **Star United States** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 3:26 pm

Star United States

Cup of Harmony 60

☆★ For The First Time ★☆

Content
1. The Group
2. Cup of Harmony 60 Matches - Group Stage

*Please not that the article below may contain trilingual content.*

For the first time, Star United States has been invited to a Cup of Harmony, along with other fellow rivals from the same group of Star United States in the 68th World Qualifiers. Star United States has been placed into Group F, along with three other teams. Star United States will face challenging teams in the first round of the Cup of Harmony 60.

The Groups

Groups
Groups A-D to be played in Kinitaria

Group A
(21) Kinitaria
(62) Ossidiacqua
(74) Gregoryisgodistan
(128) Schiavonia

Group B
(16) Equestrian States
(53) Jeru FC
(72) Chiata
(104) Zenic

Group C
(13) The Inevitable Syndicate
(23) Zwangzug
(84) Kalumba
(95) The Sarian

Group D
(20) Apox
(39) West Angola
(73) Brenecia
(149) Electrum

Groups E-H to be played in Kazamatsuri

Group E
(75) Kazamatsuri
(47) Taeshan
(71) Bears Armed
(88) Nexxus Drako

Group F
(7) The Archregimancy
(44) Kandorith
(67) Albaie
(105) Star United States

Group G
(19) Ko-oren
(25) New Montreal States
(83) Armakistan
(108) HopNation

Group H
(10) Farfadillis
(34) Astograth
(76) Cosumar
(121) Yttribia

Group A
These teams are totally unknown to Star United States, die to the fact that they have never been faced by any of them! There is a 107 rank gap between the highest ranking team in the group and the lowest. These teams will be playing at Mi'ato and Litora in Kinitaria. Best of luck to these teams! Boa sorte! ¡Buena suerte!

Group B
Another group will teams that are unknown to Star United States. The ranks for these teams have a range of 88 ranks for the highest ranked team to the lowest. The four teams in this group will play at the Lorceag and Tirinthea in Kinitaria. ¡Buenasuerte a los equipos en este grupo!

Group C
Group C? Some of these teams same way familiar for Star United States. Remember The Inevitable Syndicate? From like a week ago or so, in the World Cup Qualifiers 68? Yup, that's them. And remember Zwangzug, from the 67th qualifiers? Yup, Star United States have played both of these teams before! This is actually the first time Star United States hears about Kalumba. These teams will play at Chyr and Serenberg in Kinitaria. The rank range in this group is 82. Best of luck to all the teams in this group.

Group D
The last group that will play in Kinitaria, at Inovita and Paleu. Star United States has heard of Apox before, and to be honest, who hasn't? The other teams are less known, well in Star United States. The rank difference between the highest-ranked and the lowest-ranked it 129. Boa sorte!

Group E
With only 41 ranks in difference between the highest and lowest ranked team, this group is closely placked together. These teams will play at Kizuna and Yuigahama in Kazamatsuri. Not much is knowm about these teams in Star United States. ¡Buena suerte a todos los equipos!

Group F
Star United States was drawn into this group where the rank difference is 98. Star United States has never faced any of these higher ranked teams before, so there reakly isn't a guess if Star United States is able to win, etc. Best of luck to all of these teams that will play in Kazamatsuri.

Group G
Ko-oren once lost to the hands of Star United States during the qualifiers of the World Cup 67. HopNation, a fellow friend of Star United States, but their soccer team is totally unknown in these shores. As for the rest of the group. Best of luck to the teams in this group!

Group H
The final group of the Cup of Harmony, includes the team of Astograth, who Star United States played against in the World Cup Qualifiers 68. As for the rest of group, which in matter of fact is unknown to the team of Star United States. Boa sorte!

Cup of Harmony Matches - Group Stage

Match Day One - Saturday April 19, 2014
1. Kinitaria v. Schiavonia (Central Stadium, Mi'ato, Kinitaria)
2. Ossidiacqua v. Gregoryisgodistan (Stadion Munisipaliya, Litora, Kinitaria)
3. Chiata v. Jeru FC (Stadion Irin Kucinic, Lorceag, Kinitaria)
4. Equestrian States v. Zenic (Stadion Universitii, Tirinthea, Kinitaria)
5. The Inevitable Syndicate v. The Sarian (Stadion Nasiyonala, Chyr, Kinitaria)
6. Zwangzug v. Kalumba (Stadion Republikana, Serenbeg, Kinitaria)
7. Apox v. Electrum (Parc Cetatii, Inovita, Kinitaria)
8. West Angola v. Berencia (Stadion Dinamo, Paleu, Kinitaria)
9. Kazamatsuri v. Nexxus Drako (Sekine Memorial Stadium, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
10. Taeshan v. Bears Armed (Hexagon Park, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
11. Kandorith v. Albaie (Shiranao, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
12. The Archregimacy v. Star United States (Tenshi Dome, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
13. Ko-oren v. HopNation (Midori-no-kaza, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
14. New Montreal States v. Armakistan (TBA)
15. Farfadillis v. Yttribia (TBA)
16. Astograth v. Cosumar (TBA)

Match Day 2 - Monday April 21, 2014
17. Kinitaria v. Ossidiacqua (Central Stadium, Mi'ato, Kinitaria)
18. Gregoryisgodistan v. Schiavonia (Stadion Munispalyia, Litora, Kinitaria)
19. Jeru FC v. Equestrian States (Stadion Irin Kucinic, Lorceag, Kinitaria)
20. Zenic v. Chiata (Stadion Universitii, Tirinthea, Kinitaria)
21. Zwangzug v. The Inevitable Syndicate (Stadion Nasiyonala, Chyr, Kinitaria)
22. Kalumba v. The Sarian (Stadion Republikana, Serenberg, Kinitaria)
23. West Angola v. Apox (Parc Cetatii, Inovita, Kinitaria)
24. Berencia v. Electrum (Stadion Dinamo, Paleu, Kinitaria)
25. Kazamatsuri v. Taeshan (Sekine Memorial Stadium, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
26. Bears Armed v. Nexxus Drako (Hexagon Park, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
27. Albaie v. Star United States (Shiranao, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
28. The Archregimacy v. Kandorith (Tenshi Dome, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
29. Ko-oren v. New Montreal States (Midori-no-kaza, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
30. Armakistan v. HopNation (TBA)
31. Farfadillis v. Astograth (TBA)
32. Cosumar v. Yttribia (TBA)

Match Day Three - Wednesday April 24, 2014
33. Kinitaria v. Gregoryisgodistan (Central Stadium, Mi'ato, Kinitaria)
34. Schiavonia v. Ossidicqua (Stadion Munisipaliya, Litora, Kinitaria)
35. Equestrian States v. Chiata (Stadion Irin Kucinic, Loreceag, Kinitaria)
36. Jeru FC v. Zenic (Stadion Universitii, Trinthea, Kinitaria)
37. The Sarian v. Zwangzug (Stadion Nasiyonala. Chry, Kinitaria)
38. The Inevitable Syndicate v. Kalumba (Stadion Republikana, Serenberg, Kinitaria)
39. Berencia v. Apox (Parc Cetatii, Inovita, Kinitaria)
40. Electrum v. West Angola (Stadion Dinamo, Paleu, Kinitaria)
41. Kazamatsuri v. Bears Armed (Sekine Memorial Stadium, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
42. Taeshan v. Nexxus Drako (Hexagon Park, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
43. Kandorith v. Star United States (Shiranao, Yuigahama, Kazamatsuri)
44. The Archregimacy v. Albaie (Tenshi Dome, Kizuna, Kazamatsuri)
45. Ko-oren v. Armkistan (Midorio-no-kaza, Kizuna, kazamatsuri)
46. New Montreal States v. HopNation (TBA)
47. Farfadillis v. Cosumar (TBA)
48. Astograth v. Yttribia (TBA)

by **Kalumba** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 4:06 pm

The Herald
Sport Today
Report by Bruce Mtwetwe

Well after Kalumba crashed out of the World Cup play offs with a defeat accross two legs to fellow Aurorans Mizuyuki, an invitation to the 60th edition of the Cup of Harmony was accepted by the Football Association and here we are. And almost certainly here we go. 13th in the world, 23rd in the world. Yep, two of the highest ranking nations are in our group and we are going to be spanked.

The team looked exhausted as they battled out a one all away draw with Mizuyuki last time out, and it is doubtful they will be able to produce anything in such an impossible group. One would worry that three defeats are in the offing for the Kudus with a strong looking The Sarian side making up the last spot in the group.

But big George Davies inspired the boys to an unlikely third place in the qualifiers, perhaps he can produce another miracle and get us out of what is to all intents and purposes a group of death.

by **Equestrian States** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 4:56 pm

CoH 60 Blog: Gentle Breeze's Story, Part I
by ESPN Staff

One of the more popular topics of discussion among local pundits these days is Equestrian starting goalkeeper Gentle Breeze, and just how she compares to her peers around the multiverse.

Gentle Breeze's professional career began at age 16 with the Whitetail Foresters, a club in the old Second League of the NEHL system, where her dominant performances earned her widespread acclaim and a spot in the Under-18 All-Equestrian XI. Two years later, the young pegasus was selected as a backup goalkeeper for the Equestrian States national team during the World Cup 62 qualifying campaign, replacing the much-despised Mac Stevenson on the roster. Gentle Breeze's international debut came against Qazox in a match which has since become famous, replacing an injured High Soarin' on the pitch against the qualifying group's top seeded team. Conceding three goals in 30 minutes, and another in the final minutes of the match, the move to bring in Gentle Breeze to the national team seemed a colossal mistake on head coach Twilight Striker's part as the Ponies lost by a humiliating 6-2 scoreline that remains the team's heaviest defeat to this day.

However, Twilight Striker kept her faith in the promising young Gentle Breeze, and gave the pegasus her first international start just a week after what Gentle Breeze has described as "the worst day of [her] life". In that match against East Shippensburg, the future Equestrian superstar earned the first of her many clean sheets. Gentle Breeze would go on to earn seven caps that cycle, with two of them being shutout victories. It was a fairly average performance, but a strong one for a player so young and without any prior international experience.

To Be Continued...

OOC: Please consider this an entry for Gentle Breeze for the CoH XI.

by **Yttribia** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:02 pm

A middle-aged man, with an untrimmed and unkempt beard, lied on a cold hard prison bed, and thought about what the hell went wrong. He lied in bed as sunlight was starting to come into his jail cell. He was located at Telino Federal Prison, the same prison in which martyr for the confederation, prisoner HGW 227, was interrogated. Over the past few weeks, the man, lied in bed, while the regional government did the same thing, as elections that were originally planned for several weeks ago were delayed. (OOC: HGW 227 is from my Beltane Cup RP, which I wasn't able to finish) About to return to sleep, a blaring alarm played, which reverberated throughout the prison. The man lied up in his bed, and began to talk to himself.

"Oh come the fuck on now, can I at least try to get some sleep? I'm really tired, and I just want to rest..."

Out of nowhere, a gruff voice began to speak to the entire prison via intercom. He was known to the prisoners "Big Brother", due to his somewhat psychotic rule over the prison. "Big Brother" had a Fontvieille accent, and had a voice that "belonged on the radio", according to him.

"'Allo, 'allo, 'allo? Right, good morning everyone, the Warden speaking, hope you all had a nice rest. In your daily dose of news, the elections for our wonderful region take place today, finally for fuck's sake, the Presidency has been re-established, and the Cup of Harmony is scheduled to kick off today, with the Yttribians being drawn in another group of death. Anyways, with your daily dosage of news out of the way, each group of prisoners has their tasks listed on the "community service" board in the quad, and today's lunch is going to be chili in a bread bowl. Have a good day everyone."

The intercom turned off, and the jail cell door opened. Each of the prisoners inside their respective jail cell went out to the quad, where the daily tasks for each prisoner were listed. This man tried to shimmy his way through the area, and looked for his group. He was in the "Political Criminals" group, and was the sole member of that group. The man's name, is Richard Vivas, former governor, as well as a former mafioso. He found his group, and looked at the task he was assigned to do for the day.

"Oh damn it, toilet duty again?

by **Kinitaria** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:26 pm

Groups E-H: Matchday 1 Results

Group E
Kazamatsuri 2–1 Nexxus Drako - @ Sekine Memorial Stadium, Kizuna
Taeshan 2–1 Bears Armed - @ Hexagon Park, Yuigahama

Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kazamatsuri              1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
  Taeshan                  1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Bears Armed              1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
  Nexxus Drako             1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group F
The Archregimancy 2–1 Star United States - @ Tenshi Dome, Kizuna
Kandorith 3–2 Albaie - @ Shiranao, Yuigahama

Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kandorith                1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 The Archregimancy        1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Albaie                   1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
4 Star United States       1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group G
Ko-oren 0–1 HopNation - @ Midori-no-kaze, Kizuna
New Montreal States 1–2 Armakistan - @ Sylph Cube, Kizuna

Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Armakistan               1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 HopNation                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 New Montreal States      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Ko-oren                  1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group H
Farfadillis 3–2 Yttribia - @ Wave Arena, Kizuma
Astograth 4–4 Cosumar - @ Horizon Bridge, Yuigahama

Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis              1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2 Astograth                1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
  Cosumar                  1   0  1  0    4   4   0    1
4 Yttribia                 1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

by **Kazamatsuri** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 5:28 pm

Groups A-D : Matchday 1 Results

Group A
Kinitaria 1–0 Schiavonia - @ Central Stadium, Mi'ato
Ossidiacqua 1–1 Gregoryisgodistan - @ Stadion Munisipaliya, Litora

Group A                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Kinitaria               1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
2 Gregoryisgodistan       1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
  Ossidiacqua             1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
4 Schiavonia              1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0

Group B
Equestrian States 2–0 Zenic - @ Stadion Universitii, Tirinthea
Jeru FC 3–1 Chiata - @ Stadion "Irin Kucinič", Lorceag

Group B                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Equestrian States       1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
  Jeru FC                 1    1   0   0     3    1   +2     3
3 Chiata                  1    0   0   1     1    3   −2     0
  Zenic                   1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0

Group C
The Inevitable Syndicate 1–0 The Sarian - @ Stadion Nasiyonala, Chyr
Zwangzug 1–2 Kalumba - @ Stadion Republikana, Serenberg

Group C                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Kalumba                     1    1   0   0     2    1   +1     3
  The Inevitable Syndicate    1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 The Sarian                  1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
  Zwangzug                    1    0   0   1     1    2   −1     0

Group D
Apox 1–0 Electrum - @ Parc Četatii, Inovita
West Angola 0–1 Brenecia - @ Stadion "Dinamo", Paleu

Group D                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Apox                    1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
  Brenecia                1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 Electrum                1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
  West Angola             1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0

by **Nexxus Drako** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 6:10 pm

The ground shook with great verve, shaking the team bus that was shipping the players from the stadium to their hotel after a 2-1 loss to Kazamatsuri.

"Fuck, not again!" grumbled Kevin Arland, who was shaken out of his seat.

"Damned earthquakes, what the heck's even going on?" exclaimed Daniel Mackintosh.

"Something about a goddess and mana and some other magical things... didn't think magic existed!" said Lio Golt.

All of a sudden, the bus began screeching to a halt, then it crashed into something. The front of the bus was 1 meter shorter than it used to be, meaning the driver was dead, squashed under metal. No-one else was even injured, not even the dracon that the bus had crashed into.

"Did we just crash into a dracon... and it crushed the bloody bus?" asked Robert Hill, to which most of the team nodded.

The dracon then bent the metal surrounding him back into perfect shape, fixed the mechanics and climbed onto the bus.

The team were shocked when he got on, but even more shocked when he completely healed the driver of his injuries and revived him.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU???" shouted Jez Zmyve.

The red scaled dracon merely smiled, and said "Look on the flag."

It was then that they realized that they were dealing with the legendary thought-to-be-long-dead magical founder-of-the-nation, Nexxus Drako. Their collective mouths gaped wide open.

Nexxus smiled and said "I've been hiding in an alternate dimension for a while, but when I heard of the Kazamatsurian goddess fucking about with this dimension, I had to come fix it."

The team remained speechless.

"Sorry about the crash, was the only way I could make my presence known and believeable, I'm going to travel with you for the rest of the CoH, protecting you, then I go about keeping the whole nation out of harms way." said Nexxus.

The team were still speechless.

Nexxus sighed, and sat down next to Ryn Frd, and the driver started the bus up again and drove back to the hotel.

by **Taeshan** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 8:30 pm

Knights Open Cup of Harmony With Win

It was a great start to the Cup of Harmony for the Purple Knights of Taeshan as they opened with a solid 2-1 defeat of a team from Bears Armed once considered one of the top teams in the world. Behind a masterful effort from forward Tyler Pantoum the Knights managed a great first day in the tournament. In the other matchup on the opening day Kazamatsuri defeated Nexxus Drako by the same exact score. The hosts also got off to a good start, and when the two teams meet it might be very well could be to decide the eventual group winner and team with the best advancement out of the group.

As mentioned before it was great opener for starting forward Tyler Pantoum. The B team Captain got things underway rather quickly with a thunderous shot only 4 minutes in as he slammed home past a Bears Armed goalkeeper hardly prepared for a shot, let alone one from the more aptly right footed Pantoum from the left side. Then Bears Armed got a goal just after the half to tie things up putting the Knights in a panicked frenzy for a few minutes later in the second half, but ultimately Pantoum would give the Taeshani visiting fans something to shout for with another goal, this time on a corner, rising up above the defense and slotting home a header to make it 2-1. The Knights would hold the ball up for the last 20 minutes of the game, and ultimately win the game.

by **Star United States** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:40 pm

Star United States

Cup of Harmony 60

☆★ Match Day One in 180 Seconds ★☆

Previous Editions: Cup of Harmony 60 SUS Roster, For The First Time

- Curtains open up to Star TV hosts Max and Jake. -

"Welcome, bienvenidos, bem-vindo, to the one hundred eighty second match report for Match Day One go the 60th Cup of Harmony." - Jake.

"For Group A: Kinitaria won over Schianovia to the score of 1 - 0. Ossidiacqua tied to Gregoryisgodistan to the score of 1 - 1." - Max

"I think you pronounced it wrong." - Jake

"Mira, ya vas a ver, no me digas eso en el aire!" - Max

"Don't you go all Spanish on me, moving on, For Group B: Zenic lost to the hands of Equestrian States to the score of 2 - 0. Jeru FC soared with a victory over Chiata to the score of 3 - 1." - Jake

"We'll finish this later. Moving on to the third group: The Inevitable Syndicate won over The Sarian, 1 - 0. Zwangzug lost to Kalumba to the score of 0 - 1." - Max

"Apox won over Electrum in Group D with the score of 1 - 0, and West Angola lost to Brenecia with a score of 0 - 1." - Jake

"In Group E, Kazamatsuri won 2 -1 over Nexxus Drako. Taeshan has a victory over Bears Armed with the same score of the first game of this group." - Max

"The Archregimancy won over Star United States, sadly, to the score of 2 - 1. Kandorith won 3 -2 over Albaie." - Jake

"That was group F. Group G on the other hand, Ko-oren lost to HopNation to the score of 0 - 1. New Montreal States lost against Armakistan, 1 - 2." - Max

"In Group H, Farfadillis got a victory over Yttribia, to the score of 3 - 2. Astograth and Cosumar tied." - Jake

"Well, that's all the time folk, see ya next time!" - Max

"Pues, ya es todo el tiempo que tenemos para ahora, hasta pronto." - Jake

"Bem, é o tempo que temos para agora, até." - Max

"Bye! Adios! Tchau!" - Jake

- Curtains close on hosts as they said goodbye. -

by **HopNation** » Fri Apr 18, 2014 9:44 pm

Group G
Group findings, teams, and game results

Arrival and Teams
Where to begin, where to begin…The Hops entered Kazamatsuri and were immediately taken to their hotel in order to abide by the current marshal law that is in effect. Luckily the vehicle they were in kept them from feeling the aftershocks from another earthquake. It actually wasn’t until morning that they were able to see the extent of the damage already done to the city. They also understood the reasoning behind the current curfew that had been put in place and hopefully all players accept and follow this advisory. The team would take the field first against Ko-oren at a very iconic stadium, the Midori-no-kaze in Kizuna. It has a seating capacity of 82,050 but with some of the damage caused probably does not hold that many at the moment. Raffael Volk picked the Ko-oren side to finish in first for the group and is the highest ranked team in all of group G, so they would be a very tough opponent. It seems the acid rain is holding off for kick-off of this match so the two teams should be able to focus on the task at hand, however we do hope nothing else happens during the game. Let’s take a quick look at the rosters of each team to see how they might stack up.

Ko-oren: Greenblues, Dragonflies
The Dragonflies look to be employing the 3-5-2 or as they claim the 3-2-3-2, which could be very offensive if they get the right mix going and depending on how they decide to shift within the formation, which the transition forward and back during the opening few minutes will show us more. They do say it is more defensive, but we’ll just have to wait and see as to us this formation is not heavy on the defensive aspect as they so claim it to be. As for the starters, it looks like they’ve got Enshadilsa in goal, then we see Norn, Ulgyban, and Juliasterninthen as the back three. We’re not so sure of this choice in the back as they look to use two center backs and one left wing back. Next we see the five midfielders who look to set up in a stacked 2 by 3 set where they have two defensive mids behind three attacking mids. We have Bagaurunir and probably Napertnau as the defensive mids although Napertnau is listed as a center mid. Next we have Idrasil, Talmis, and Eregrent at the other midfield positions. Idrasil is listed listed as a right winger and both Talmis and Eregrent as attacking midfielders. Up top for the Dragonflies we have Terathu and Tokachi. We still don’t see the defensive nature the team claims to have with the positioning and players chosen to start this team could score a good number of goals.

HopNation: Hops
The Hops are going with the 4-2-3-1 formation and should stick with their short passing counter attacking style to hopefully penetrate through the opposition’s defenses. The team will deploy it’s usual’s with Subanos between the pipes. In front of him will be Loontas, Raefwar, Lesamnal, ad Wiashrod. The four will be in a kind of flat back set, though from what we’ve seen it’s more of an umbrella shape as they seem to arch around the mids a bit and the outside backs join the attack often. In the midfield we find Smuemund and Biaddan in the defensive mid positions, then Loostin, Droimpol, and Myer as the attacking mids. Look for the ball to go to the flanks then quickly transition in ward to playmaker Droimpol. The lone striker is Schytaing who will be fed from anywhere on the field as he is their target man. He is a quick distributer so look for him to have a few assists along the way.

Can the scoring power of HopNation outpace the defensive nature of Ko-oren or will defense rule in this first game of the Cup of Harmony? We will soon find out as the teams have both now arrived and are getting ready for action.

The Game
This was a game for the ages as both teams came out of the gates striving for a win. Thankfully the natural disasters held off for the full 90 minutes and the teams were able to focus wholly on the game and not worry about something bad happening to them or the minimal crowed that braved the environment to watch the game. Ko-oren seemed to get the possession lead in the first half as the Hops chased the ball around the field for a good portion, but they couldn’t produce a single chance on Subanos and both teams went to the locker rooms without a goal or even a good scoring chance for that matter. The second half was much more even in play and ball control as HopNation seemed to settle into their rhythm and the teams exchanged chances on both keepers. It wasn’t until the 83rd minute that the first goal would be scored, and surprisingly it was the Hops that found the netting. There was an exchange in the center circle between Talmis and Droimpol as the ball was played out from a Ko-oren goal kick. Droimpol came away with the ball and sent it wide to Loostin who played back to Smuemund and then up to Droimpol who was still in the center of the field. Then with the help of Myer, Droimpol and Schytaing moved the ball forward into the attacking third for HopNation. Myer received the ball one last time and sent it across the 18 to a sprinting Loostin. Loostin headed the ball centrally to Schytaing who laid the ball slightly back with his first touch. Droimpol, who was a bit behind the play but who now streaked into the box one timed the ball, which curled into the upper ninety leaving Enshadilsa stoned in the center of the goal. After 10 more minutes (7 +3 stoppage) of back and forth play the ref sounded the final whistle and a surprise victor came though. Hopefully the Hops can continue their good play going forward and shake up Group G.

The Group
The other game in the group had New Montreal States facing Armakistan held at Sylph Cube in Kizuna. This game would also be a surprise finish as Armakistan got the best of New Montreal States and stunned them 2-1. The Paladins were the favorite going in and looked to use an odd 2-6-2 formation, which is touted as being very offensive, in hopes of shredding Armakistan. The Armakistan side was coming off of a stunning start to their World Cup journey. They too would be using a more attacking mentality, but in the more classic 4-4-2 formation. Armakistan continues to surprise people and hand supposed superior teams losses.

Next up for Group G we’ll see Ko-oren take on New Montreal States and Armakistan take on HopNation. So it will be loser against loser and winner against winner. It will be interesting to see what comes out of this next set of games. We may have one of the advancement spots locked in if Ko-oren and New Montreal States tie and there is a victor in the Armakistan/HopNation match. They will be good games to watch so don’t miss them if you are in the area. But please be aware of what is going on around you and watch out for those pesky celestial beings that are claimed to be taking over people and destroying their souls. We'll end with a look at the group table.

Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Armakistan               1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 HopNation                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 New Montreal States      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Ko-oren                  1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

With that we draw our Match Day 1 chatter to a close. Brew on, Brew well Hoptonians!

Ringwald Griffinsmith
HopNation Sports Reporter and Writer

by **Jeru FC** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 12:28 am

Anna Beans and Jeru FC's dream lord chatting after a 3-1 win over Chiata

Anna: Great work guys, one down - two to go
DL: Yes, we have make up for our world cup I guess
Anna: You actually need to win 2 of 3 make the next round
DL: But the coach wants us to see if we can avoid Kintaria
Anna: Oh yes, and our own Melody Pond
DL: Yeah, we don't want to be blamed for knocking them out of this cup

Anna: Kintarian immigration is more like a police interrogation I tell ya
DL: Yes, they sure checked everything when we got here
Anna: It's even worse for us journalists
DL: I guess it would
Anna: They though I was the team whore or something
DL: Well, you do look like one though

Anna: I mean surely they knew I was Anna Beans from Naked News Jeruselem. I mean they know what I look like naked if they bothered to watch Jeruselem TV
DL: I guess they don't
Anna: I think they were expecting Princess Katy
DL: We love her and you all the same
Anna: I'm not as pretty or clever really
DL: We think you're hot

Anna: It was bit noisy outside the stadium
DL: I heard some people were protesting
Anna: And a bunch of soldiers beat the crap out of them
DL: Seems normal around here
Anna: And why are there people following us around
DL: They want to make sure we follow the rules

Anna: sure a lot of rules round here
DL: Yes, we have to be careful ...
Anna: I don't think they like you lot
DL: They think we're crack soldiers from the Jeruselem army
Anna: You're more crack using soldiers
DL: We're not the best trained for sure. We don't even own a firearm.

Anna: I've seen you lot training with guns
DL: Yeah
Anna: You're more dangerous to yourselves
DL: I suppose I've nearly shot someone by accident, a few times
Anna: No wonder they give you lot blanks
DL: Ah, explains what we never hit anything

Anna: Let's hope there's less trouble next game
DL: We can't seem to do a lot really, I mean all these rules!
Anna: Good thing we aren't living here
DL: Makes one appreciate home
Anna: Yes, I have to keep my clothes too.
DL: Such a pity, you're sexy when you're on TV.

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:19 am

The shame

The facts: it's difficult without a head coach. It's difficult with another two new players in the starting XI. Another four players have been called for the national team in just the short time between the last playoff and the first Cup of Harmony game. And now we also lost the first game against HopNation: let that be a warning. A painful warning.

Droimpol decided the game after 83 minutes, in a rare display of completely outplaying our defenders. Droimpol was not alone in the box: Loostin, Smuemund, Schytaing and Myer all had a part in this goal and Loostin and Schytaing both appeared before Enshadilsa. To make things worse, they didn't score but they gave the ball to a third player to finish it. Ulgyban looked particularly bad, but who is going to reprimand him? A non-existant head coach. The assistants are currently watching over the team, and they have decided to leave all players with leadership capabilities home (Asgard, Fenner, Shiribeshi) and apparently this leaves us with a decapitated team, not capable of winning against the Hops.

Meanwhile, New Montreal States also lost their game against Armakistan. Not as much of an upset, but still a very, very weird result. But the situations are different: 7 out of 8 first seeds beat their opponent (Ko-oren being that last one who didn't), and only 3 out of 8 second seeds managed to get a good result against their third seed opponents.

What does this mean for the rest of the Cup? Well, with HopNation playing Armakistan next game, the winner will surely secure a final 16 spot. This leaves either Ko-oren or New Montreal States to exit the tournament early. The one who does not advance will probably be decided next game, when the Paladins take on the Dragonflies. On the third day, we play Armakistan and New Montreal States has the 'relatively easier' (which just turned into a very relative term) HopNation to play.

Let's hope the rain stays away for another day, or we hope the hosts can roof the stadium before the next game starts. It has certainly been an interesting stay for the Dragonflies, who have made their way to dangerous places, but never stayed in a disintegrating society before for an entire tournament. At least, not one that disintegrates because of the environment. This should definitely make you value our own environment at home, which has recently received - another - prize for its beauty (World Assembly experts rated Ko-oren as one of the top 1% of beautiful environments). This is in part because of the government, who do their job well in this regard (again, in the same report the WA experts estimate our environmental policies as top 1% in the world). Incidentally, our weather is nicer in just one out of twenty nations multiversewide, and it attracts tourists. Whether it inhibits other things? Not exactly, our top-notch universities and the IT beg to differ. Our economy? Among the 10% fastest growing ones. Kazamatsuri, it might not yet be too late to turn things around!

The Dragonflies stay in the vicinity of the stadium for the time being. After the game is over, they are at their hotel to avoid the extremely strict curfew having any negative effect on them. Ko-orenite press is also advised to not visit the team, in the chance that anyone might be critical of the government. Would we have been better off in Kinitaria? We at least would have avoided HopNation then. The landscape would be nicer. In fact, it's much like Ko-oren - though Kinitaria is in the south of AO, and we are in the north. Like us, they have only recently started modernising their infrastructure, boats remain an important way of getting around, and there is a fairly small immigrant population. Paradise on earth (just ignore the government and the racism for a second).

(OOC: my nation doesn't really do/understand mana, so can you blame them for not accepting it as the reason for disaster?)

by **The Inevitable Syndicate** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 5:39 am

"I... I think he's awake..."
"How about now? Come on Jeff, just wake up... We've..."
"Oh hell, I can't... ...need to get back, as... gone to hell..."
Jeff sat bolt upright, and scanned his surroundings. In his ears, he heard a symphony of chatter from those around him, conducted by the rhythmic beep of what he assumed was his own heart. The bright lights disoriented him, but he could see that he was in a bed. In a ward. In a hospital. He stammered to get some words out.
"Keyholes... Off course..."
One of the technicians, sat by his bedside, span round and looked Jeff in the eyes. "You're awake!" she exclaimed, before turning to her colleague. "Do you want to tell him the news?"
The other technician paused, before breathing a mixed sigh of relief and deep regret. "Every single keyhole is now off course, and is moving into low planetary orbit. You've been out roughly 24 hours. We're trying to regain control of the satellites, but it seems that whoever took them in the first place has installed additional cypher measures. The LED printer is their means of communicating with us, and has done nothing but print out taunts."
Jeff's eyes widened. "Taunts? Concerning what? Where they're moving them to?"
The first technician stood up, and took a piece of paper from her pocket. Putting on a pair of glasses, she began to scan what were obviously notes on the day's events. "The course seems to suggest they're being moved into low planetary orbit, so they still retain a considerable chunk of debris in the event of a crash landing. They've shut the Keyhole cameras themselves, activating the heat-shields, and we predict they're trying to steer the keyholes into various important locations."
"Any predictions on where exactly?"
"Keyhole One's LED Printer keeps claiming 'We're returning to the scene of the crime'. I don't know what that means, but trajectory calculations predict it's headed towards... The old Ahlenfi Capital, Hashbi."
"I haven't heard from that place in years. What exactly happened there?"
"Well, many hate to talk about it, but Corvidae sent aid after the region was battered by sandstorms on a regular basis. However, it's assumed that nobody survived. Keyhole itself has a prominent place over the ex-nation, searching for anything of interest. Results often come back negative."
Jeff pushed a hand to his temples, attempting to suppress the headache that was beginning to swell within his skull. "Anything on the others?"
"Nothing. Just the aforementioned taunts and threats."
The second technician piped up. "What if they're crashing them in order? And it's some sort of game?"
"In that case," Jeff said, "We'll just have to play it..."

by **Zenic** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 6:55 am

“Well, that was a thing.”

These five words broke the silence amongst the staff members in the hotel room. The speaker of these words, Assistant Manager Golovkin, was seated on one end of the couch as Dr. Wakahisa sat on the other end.Also in the room was Deputy M.o.S. De Luciano who was standing by the door and Sanders himself, drinking a glass of whiskey as he stared out the window.

The loss was a bit heartbreaking as everyone knew they had a shot to win but just couldn’t pull it off. Besides a small bit towards the end of the first half, the game was in Equestrian States’ favor. Equestrian States’ held the ball for 81% of the game and a goal by Fire Dash in the 19th minute put them ahead with one goal for Rainbow Blitz in the 77th minute secured the win.

“Not wanting to sound offensive or disrespectful but, what the hell was that out there, Sanders? The game should have been closer than that. Why did you take Ayaode off after the first half? He could have turned the game around,” yelled De Luciano. It just seemed unbelievable that a manager would not do anything and everything possible to win. “It was a lost cause.” De Luciano looked confused, unsure of what to make of those words.

Sanders sighed, putting his glass down before moving closer to the window to look out over Tirinthea. “We had no chance to win it after the first half so instead of wasting energy, I decided to rest key players for the next two matches. That way, we have the best possible chance of victory. A strategy you only get with experience, something I see you lack, Emile,” Sanders responded.

Sanders just wanted to get the hell out of Kinitaria: the real danger was not on the pitch, it was on the streets. The last thing he needed was to be caught up in the middle of a riot or even a damned revolution. However, he did feel a bit sad for those in Kazamatsuri where literally anything could happen. It did brighten up the next matchday against Chiata a bit as he knew he was a bit safer than groups E-H were, allowing him to actually think about football a bit more.

But not by much.

by **Bears Armed** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 10:02 am

(BABC television programme 'Sports Report'. The show's presenters Berron o RedRose and Marrana Lightning are discussing last night's game against Taeshan.)

"So, Marrana, a rrather disappointing start in the Cup of Harmony for our girls?"

"Ayyuh, Berron, disappointing despite the equaliser with hwhich Marra SunDaughter basically opened the second half of play. That 'Phantom' player of""

"Wait a moment, did you say 'Phantom'? My copy of Taeshan's roster says 'Pantoum', instead."

"Well, he seemed as elusive as a phantom would have been out there on the pitch, so I thought that maybeso..."

(Berron sighs)

"Sorry, Marrana, tempting though blaming the defeat on a player with supernatural advantages might be, I don't think that we can hrreally do that... Not this time around, anyhows. It smelled to me as though the Taeshanese team just played a bit better than the Belles did yesterday, that's all, for true."

"Hr'rmm.
"Anyhows, if we go simply by WCC statistics then that should have been the toughest team that our girls have to face during this group stage. After all, Taeshan has been doing well enough in recent tournaments to be currently ranked at fiveEights-and-seven'th in the worlds, as against one-EightSquared-and-seven'th for the Belles, but both of the other teams there are lower-ranked than our girls are instead."

"Ayyuh, but Kazamatsuri is only fourranks lower, and as the host of course they have the 'home crowd' advantage... and even though Nexxus Drako are another eight-and-five places lower than that apparently a number of f their players come from a People who are somehow related to Dragons so who knows hwhat they are capable of?"

"Well, how well did they play yesterday?"

"Not too well, actually, our hosts defeated them by the same goal-ratio that the Belles lost by..."

"So the Belles should be able to beat the, you think, barring action by bad spirits?"

"Ayyuh, I think so."

"And that's our girls' next match, hwhich would give them a chance to build some momentum before they face our hosts?"

"Ayyuh."

"Well, that's something, anyhows."

by **The Sarian** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 10:13 am

The Bustard Presents
The Cup of Harmony 60
Saturday 19th August 2185

The Inevitable Syndicate 1 - 0 The Sarian
By Joseph Norton

The Inevitable Syndicate got their Cup of Harmony campaign off to a winning start and silenced some of their doubters with a dominant performance against The Sarian in Chyr.

While not quite the sum of their supremely talented parts, Gerald Montier's side were able to capitalise on the space fatally afforded them by their opponents to register a well-deserved victory, secured through a headed goal from Oliver Baker.

The Sarian had their chances, primarily down the left where Syndicate defender Alex Sutler was often exposed, but forward Ross Horn was unusually wasteful.

A vociferous Stadion Nasiyonala crowd showed their appreciation for the entertainment on show, particularly that provided by Syndicate forward Jacob Pratt, who was the standout performer, creating opportunities for others and on a number of occasions drawing superb saves from impressive Bustard keeper Brigham Huddlestone.

Kalumba's comfortable 2-1 win over Zwangzug in Group C's other fixture on Saturday means the winner of next Thursday's match between them and The Inevitable Syndicate will be in pole position to qualify for the last 16.

Such an outcome would represent an extremely satisfying stride forward for an Inevitable Syndicate side who have polarised opinion in the build up to this tournament between those who identify them as challengers because of the sheer abundance of talent in their ranks and those who hark back to a turbulent qualifying campaign and the perceived flaws in manager Gerald Montier as reasons to write them off.

Twice in the first 20 minutes Pratt ran at The Sarian defence and provided scoring opportunities for Mitchell, but the first the Franz Josef City striker put past the near post from three yards out and then saw his angled drive from further out blocked by Huddlestone.

Sandwiched between these two chances The Syndicate took the lead. Birch's superb curling shot was tipped over by Huddlestone for a corner, from which Adam Willis provided the cross for Baker to dive in unmarked and head home.

The Atlantian Oceanians remained the more likely to score, but they were either wasteful or unable to beat Huddlestone, who kept his side as a credible threat in the match with further impressive saves from Pratt and Mitchell.

The Sarian's preparations for this tournament have been far from ideal, with Nexxus Drakon Jack Parker effectively given only three weeks to prepare his squad for the tournament after replacing Leonard Heathwait as manager and former captain Wiley Tyrell's retirement but they remained committed to the cause throughout.

Had Horn been better able to capitalise on the poor positional play of Sutler with greater accuracy in his shooting in the first half, Cody Roberts's toe-poke shot been a foot to the left, or had substitute Daley Brandon shown greater composure when unmarked to keep his shot under the bar late on the Esportivans could have salvaged what would have been an undeserved draw.

There was still time in the final few minutes for Pratt to slightly blot his copybook by allowing Huddlestone to save from six yards when he should have scored but it is harsh to take away from what was a superb display from the forward and an encouraging victory for Montier's men.

It was Inevitable
By Francesca Hart

Personally, I was the only one in the country slightly jubilated by the result, not because I enjoy our demise, not because my prediction was correct but because I have the chance to use an inevitable pun as much as possible.

Yes, I can hear the groans now.

First off, after the way we played the result was inevitable. Ross Horn was unusually wasteful and unable to equate his few chances to anything more than that, with the busards obviously lacking the pace Gord Hawking provided.

On a brighter note, Brigham Huddlestone really stepped into the number one jersey, making several spectacular saves to deny a fantastic Pratt, certainly bagging Sarians Star of the match.

Jarrett Firmin also impressed with his first match as captain, with Peters also performing to defending standards unseen to The Sarian for many blue moons.

But it was the midfield that struggled, Ron Fletcher looked nervy and unable to focus and Rodriguez showed his lack of international experience. Even the usually superb Daley Brandon looked quiet.

And the forwards failed miserably, no other way to put it. Jordan Lee seemed to still be struggling with an ankle injury and Ross Horn, as mentioned previously lacked the pace in the game.

So with these issues, the result was an inevitable victory for The Inevitable Syndicate.

And that it before you consider what a prat Pratt was for The Sarian fans. His fantastic darting runs did everything Ross Horn should have, and made sure the result was certain for The Syndicate.

This result almost certainly means we need wins in our next two matches to even stand a chance of qualifying for the next round, an eventuality those unfamiliar with the rules of large numbers would call an impossibility.

So by this time next week, it is likely that we will be back on the beaches of Chippenham. Nice writing for you folks.

by **West Angola** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 11:31 am

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WEST ANGOLA BARELY REACHES MATCH IN TIME, LOSES ANYWAY

Phillip Garren spent last night understandably upset at the Sporting Ministry

INOVITA- West Angola almost didn't play last night, and it might have been better for them if they had. The Brenecian team and large amounts of fans from both sides gathered well before the match's scheduled start time at Parc Četatii, but Phillip Garren and the West Angola squad were nowhere to be seen throughout the Brenecian warm-ups. With only five minutes to go until the match was scheduled to begin, the PA announcer informed the crowd that due to a scheduling mix-up in Namibe, Garren and the team believed the match to be tomorrow, and were still at their hotel. Frantic calls had been placed prior to the announcement, and the team arrived in a rush of activity just as the match was to begin. Robbed of any chance to warm up or prepare besides their mad scramble, West Angola played accordingly, appearing listless, tired, and without focus for most of the first half. In that time, Brenecia was able to take a 1-nil lead on a Brad Kuepper goal in the 24th minute and completely contain the West Angolan attack. In the second half, West Angola played a little better, but the two teams found themselves evenly matched as neither side managed a second half goal, leaving the final result 1-0 in favor of the Brenecians.

Following the match, Phillip Garren finally gave voice to his frustrations: "What happened tonight was inexcusable. Our team battled hard throughout qualifying for the World Cup, didn't quite make it, got invited to the Cup of Harmony, trained and prepared for this match, and then get cheated out of our preparation time by idiots at the Sporting Ministry who give me the wrong schedule!" Garren acknowledged he should have double-checked, or at the very least looked at a local newspaper to confirm that he had the correct times, but defended himself saying, "With all we've been doing to get ready for the match, I had very little time to buy newspapers, let alone to read them. I trusted that the Sporting Ministry had given me the correct schedule of events, and I failed to follow up on it. You can blame me if you want, but the real fault here lies in Namibe. To my players, I'm sorry it happened this way, and the same to the fans of this team. You all deserve better, and you're going to get it." Despite seeming to blame the Sporting Ministry for the scheduling mishap, Garren did go on to discuss the play of the team itself, "I understand the first half, they were out of breath and not mentally ready to play a football match. That said, we needed to come out a lot stronger in the second half. Brenecia is an excellent team, we know that firsthand, and we knew that we had to play our very best for the entire match to beat them. We didn't do that, and the result is on the scoreboard."

The loss leaves West Angola with an uphill battle to reach the second stage of competition, as they face top-seeded Apox in their next match. The expected loss in that match would leave West Angola with no points through the first two matches, and require a win over Electrum in the final match coupled with some goal magic in the Apox/Brenecia showdown to snag second place in the group and reach the Round of Sixteen. West Angola has historically not done well when relying on goal math to guarantee advancement, the most poignant example being their first Cup of Harmony, when they missed advancing due to second-place Fenris having scored two more goals total (the teams had drawn each other and were tied for goal differential). Essentially, West Angola's match tonight becomes an elimination game, as they must manage at least a draw against Apox and secure one or more points to keep themselves in contention to reach the Round of Sixteen for the fifth time in a row.

by **Apox** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 12:44 pm

Forged in Fire - Part Sixteen

Jack Greybold and Kashmir Aston stood nervously inside the lounge of Government House, outside Chamber 1, a slightly smaller chamber than the governmental chamber which was where the main work of the Government was conducted. It was the first day of the conference, and the leaders of all the various factions which had sprung up in Apox would be arriving.

Jack knew that it would be an incredibly difficult process to try and resolve many of the issues which currently surrounded Apox, in its suddenly embattled state, and Jack knew that any hope of a peaceful resolution to this conflict was centred on this conference going well.

The delegates began to arrive, and were directed into the chamber, to begin the discussions. Some were friendly, and on Jack’s side, such as John the True and Richard Montague, while others, such as Udar Ljisbergen from the Industrial Conurbation of Barbury and Wrexton and Divine Father Kallios from the Monastic Republic of North Apox would not be interested in co-operation to the same extent as others.

Finally, the Major of Cierbana, Beatrice Hawthorn arrived, slightly late due to her delayed flight from the mountainous north, and the Conference could begin. Jack strode into the room, which had a large table in the centre. The leaders of each of the regions looked up, and watched him carefully as he walked round to his spot at the table.

In total, there were 16 delegates at the meeting, representing the various states, with delegates from the city state of Gwinevra, the Monastic Republic, the Industrial Coalition, the ONP, Old Guard and Apox as well as the counties of Mountainshire, Ucalegon, Coastal, Border, Heartlands, Toltonshire, the Deep South, Oxshire, Mylshire and Midshire. Together, they all turned to him as he reached his spot round the table.

“Esteemed guests. Thank you for allowing this meeting to happen. In recent times, our nation has been struck down from the regional powerhouse it once was, to a nation on its knees. We are here today to solve the problems which have arisen since the troubles started. I beg your co-operation in this, as we try to solve our nations issues. Now, onto our agenda…”

Apox 1-0 Electrum Moses '11
Apox open their Cup of Harmony campaign with a strong win, beating lowest ranked Electrum 1-0. What, the scoreline doesn't reflect Apox's dominance? Well, you clear didn't watch the match then, Apox were able to harry and move Electrum's players about at will, and they didn't look much like scoring at any point throughout the game. However, that didn't mean they played badly, they were a really handful. Their defense had a great game Fenech and Meus having a great game, Meus especially after he managed to contain Tolgus Tregajorran for much of the game. Tregajorran did assist the only goal of the match, receiving Matthias Sindelar's aerial pass controlling it well and laying the ball back to Jack Moses, who smashed it into the top left corner. Tolgus Tregajorran came close three times in the half, along with Armando Quillisi. In the second half, Alexander Krane nearly headed the ball into the back of the net after Jake Ingram's free-kick; the free-kick resulting from Kaj Aurora's challenge on Ingram which resulted in a yellow for Aurora. However, that attempt was Electrum's best of the game, and from then on, the pressure was applied firmly back on the Electrum defense. Apox will certainly be pleased with that result, and they will go into their game against second seeds West Angola full of confidence with two good wins on the trot, for both teams first meetings with each other.

by **Kalumba** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:05 pm

On The Lash With The Lads

Well bugger me sideways and call me Milicent, we won a Cup of Harmony game, for the first time in my memory. While I will be the first to admit my memories aren't the clearest, due to my age and what my doctor refers to as a chronic dependence upon alcohol, I can remember only a few games thatwere as unexpected as this one.

Zwanzug, one of the top 30 odd sides in the world, versus Kalumba on a good spell but exhausted. The result, two-one to us. We did them. That's right I had to double check, like you no doubt have, but we did win against a difficult opponent and did so in the Cup of Harmony where we have never had any luck. The only game which stands up next to this was that no distant win against The Slyvannaes Queendom in the young days of Kalumban football. 3-1 that day, and 2-1 today. Seems like Malan still needs to work on the defence but big old Georgie has got them going forward like nobodys buisness.

Ollie Roberts, in all his mincing faggotry, has always been a crucial part of the Kalumban side and this was equally obvious today. Usually best known for his incisive runs and pin point through balls, last night he showed a different side to his game. Playing in the centre he showed that hours on the training pitch do pay off as he sprayed the ball around the pitch with precision, twice outfoxing the opposition defenders with balls in behind to Von Kruger who finished skillfully.

The opposition came back into the match in the second half, but in all honesty, in spite of them scoring I never actually felt like we would lose the lead, or indeed the game. Ulusu was magnifique in goal as usual, but was only called into action once or twice but really couldn't have done much about their goal. But a solid stop late on ensured three points, and a first place in the group, so who can complain.

Mr Spleen.

He's been quite good today, but if you found anything to take offence with it was all the old soak not me, the fanzine or the street selling monkeys. So leave it alright. Ed.

by **Chiata** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:45 pm

Occupation
Part 1

Shkta, Deala-

Soldier 1- Regardez ces rues! Tous monté avec les ordures et les déchets! (Look at these streets! All ridden with trash and garbage!)

Soldier 2- Oui, mais rien Carialus ne peut pas réparer. (Yes, but nothing Carialus cannot fix.)

Soldier 1- Mais par où commencer? Regardez là-bas! Il ya une bombe raté! Il serait dangereux de fixer ce lieu vous. (But where to start? Look over there! There is a dud bomb! It would be dangerous to fix this place up.)

Soldier 2- Ayez foi camarade. Si vous avez foi en Carialus, Carialus aura confiance en vous. (Have faith comrade. If you have faith in Carialus, Carialus will have faith in you.)

Soldier 2- Venez. Regardez ce petit garçon là-bas. Allons l'aider. (Venez. Regardez ce petit garçon là-bas. Allons l'aider.)

Boy- *whispering* their coming over.

Resistance Member- Relax kid. Stay cute and innocent.

Soldier 2- Bonjour petit garçon! Voulez-vous une gâterie? (Hello small boy! Would you like a treat?)

Boy- Um.. err... I no speaky your language. Can you come closerith?

Soldier 1- Eh bien, nous avons essayé. Il ne parle pas notre Lingo. Allons camarade. (Well we tried. He doesn't speak our tounge. Let us go comrade.)

Soldier 2- Donnons-lui un peu de nourriture. Lorsque vous avez de la bonne nourriture, tout le monde est votre ami! (Let us give him some food. When you have good food, everyone is your friend!)

Resistance Member- *under his breath* just a little closer...

Soldier 2- Voici petit garçon, encore un peu de chocolat. Pouvez-vous dire cela? Cho-co-latVoici petit garçon, encore un peu de chocolat. Pouvez-vous dire cela? Cho-co-lat (Here small boy, have some chocolate. Can you say that? Cho-co-lat)

Boy- Um... cho-co-lat

Soldier 2- Il camarade, vous voyez? Ils peuvent apprendre. (There comrade, you see? They can learn.)

Resistance Member- Now!

Soldier 1- Qu'est-ce que c'est?!?! (What is this?!?!)

Resistance Member- Au revoir Commies!

*Two shots ring out in the deserted city

by **Farfadillis** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 4:45 pm

Alright, alright. They had failed to make it to the World Cup despite being vastly superior and making a big effort, so what? So what if luck and his tactical ineptitude had reared their ugly heads in the worst possible moments? The past was in the past now, and so they would have to make up for it with a great Cup of Harmony appearence.

If only it were so easy. As luck would have it, this particularly bad cycle had not been bad only for Farfadillis. Instead, other top nations such as the Inevitable Syndicate, the Archregimancy, Equestrian States, Apox, Ko-oren and Kinitaria had failed too. They were not the only ones who had been let down by their own performances. This did mean the upcoming Cup of Harmony would be a lot more fun than usual. Sure, not as good as the World Cup, but the breach would now be a lot smaller...

... And that was totally not good. After all, how would he help add another trophy to Farfadillis' rather empty trophy case if they were going to face nations they would consider 'equals'? But then again, it did give them an excuse to fail!

Wait? An excuse to fail? What was he thinking? He couldn't lose his head like that anymore, or else he would literally lose it after the Cup of Harmony. He did kind of understand why he'd failed to his team, however. Maybe he was not cut out for the job, despite what his successful record with the national team could have to say. Perhaps he was just not psychologically prepared. What's worse, Risko Kâí had made him eat his own words in the second leg against New Sideburn, after he proved that he had failed tactically, and most likely lost the match, all by himself. The kid had disobeyed him scoring a brace in the process, after all.

Why was he even going on managing the team? Maybe he could look for some big team that could pay a good amount of money instead. He'd be doing a favour to the national team and to himself. Hmm... it was the first time he had pondered such a possibility. Maybe he could make it a 'See you later!' instead of a 'Goodbye' as well. Maybe he could start experiencing new styles, go to leagues such as the Polarian, the Euran and the Mytanar, get to know different cultures and start to understand the game more. That would make him a manager worthy of a position in this national team. He had been there when Farfadillis burst into the World Cup scene, and for some time, he had believed he was the most important person in making that happen. He had just noticed he was not.

It looked set now. He would leave after the Cup of Harmony - win or lose. Then, he'd use his experience to become the manager of some important team that would pay him a very good salary. Then, he'd go to some other club, and then he'd continue bouncing around. Finally, he'd return to the Farf national team once again, having finally become actually worthy of the position. The plan could not fail.

Cup of Harmony 60: Everything Thread

Who is online