World Cup 69 RP Thread

[Yttribia]

"Yes? Of course, the Armed Forces of Yttribia would be delighted to join your forces on a mission in the Mertagne. We'll have our best troops dispatched with you all shortly. You'll receive a telegraph dispatch shortly from our Director of Armed Forces." Porter Augustin hung up after finishing small-talk with Lex Crowley, as he called up Clifton Klose, the DAFt director of the Yttribian Armed Forces. He sat in his leather chair, as he lit a cigar, just as Clifton Klose's could be heard

"Klose?" Porter Augustin asked, swiveling his chair to face Klose, as he blows out the smoke from his cigar.

"Yes, Administrator Augustin?" Clifton Klose stood at attention, as Porter Augustin smoked and spoke to him.

"I need you to send a telegraph to our brothers in the Syndicate. We're going to help them clean up some stuff."

"Yes, Administrator Augustin. I'll get to work on that immediately."

"Excellent, Clifton. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

Clifton Klose headed out of the room, as Augustin smoked his cigar. He walked into his own private office, as he got to work on a telegraph to the Syndicatian Armed Forces. He began to type his message, with his eyes glued to the computer screen.


>Sent: 1 July 2214
>To: 47.796.342.283
>From: 29.267.829.786
>Topic: Mertagne
>Message: WE'LL BE SENDING TROOPS SHORTLY. TROOPS 3970, 5698, 6542, 1984 WILL BE DISPATCHED TO JOIN SYNDICATIAN FORCES.
>STOP

Clifton pressed "SEND" and saw the successful "TELEGRAPH DISPATCHED" message flash on his screen. Now it was time to hope for the best.

---

A young soldier of seventeen has just hopped on a military plane, getting ready to take off and fly over to the Mertagne, where his troop was dispatched to. He then takes out a blood-stained notebook, which is small enough to not be noticed by the higher ups in the military. He takes out the pen which was keeping his place in the diary, and began to write.

July 5, 2214

We never really were that well known for having an extremely powerful military, to be frank. Our military was small for a nation our size. Back in the old days of the Confederation, the military was only used for peacekeeping missions. That was about it. Sure, most of the nation was trained in how to defend the nation in case of an attack against the Homeland, but the actual military was extremely small.

That was, and I'm pretty sure it was always the case until recently.

Personally, I wasn't really that involved when it came to politics. Quite a surprise, to be honest. I mainly enjoyed playing football with my friends, and had no idea of what was going on in the political world. When this war is all over, I just really want to return to the good old days of playing football with the mates. I’m not even eighteen, and now I've been selected in this “lottery” of sorts to defend my nation. While yes, I do want to defend my nation, I sure as hell didn't think about defending my nation with a gun. I thought about defending my nation with my skills on the pitch, but not like this. Alas, that was my fate when the Corvax Party somehow got democratically elected into power.

Porter Augustin, he’s the man that tore up the Yttribian Dream. Most of our troop, 3920, were all aspiring footballers. Played with prestigious prep team from across the nation, and now this load of bullshit comes out of nowhere. The blockhead in charge of this once great nation now decided to screw us all over. We were conscripted into serving the Yttribian military. We went through hell, and back, and then returned to hell in the terrible process known as “boot camp,” and have had to train extensively with weapons, both melee and machine weapons. It’s actually quite impressive on how much we were trained with these weapons, we were drilled with weapons more than we were when it came to football training.

He decided to dispatch a couple of troops to the Syndicate, saying that they needed help, and we were called upon due to our close relations. And wouldn't you know it, our troop was one of the lucky ones being sent over. We took some of our belongings, and boarded this large plane. It was huge, just lying on the tarmac of the Fontvieille Military Airport, and there were about three-hundred of us, from across the entire nation, of all walks of life, just fighting for the country they had loved. You could tell the look on their faces, and it was a look of depression and sadness. Honestly, you could tell that the soldiers were pissed on the fact that they were conscripted and forced to serve, but what else could you do with a police state?

Anyways, our plane had embarked for a voyage over to meet up our fellow "brothers" in the Syndicate, who were probably just like us, conscripted and forced to serve, or not. Honestly, I can't give a damn about politics, I just give a damn about the idiots who elected this government. The flight here was dismal. If you would want to gather up several hundred, depressed people, just extremely sad overall, this was the place. We woke up to the blinding lights, as our superiors woke us up, forcing us out of the plane, and allowing us to meet with our colleagues from the Syndicate.

He scribbled the final paragraph of his diary entry, and quickly hid away his diary, as he walked out in the hot, scorching sun to meet up with the Syndicatian soldiers. The young soldier shook hands with the others, as they all got ready to attack whoever they were supposed to attack.

---

Yttribian Goalscorers
C. Abbatantuono - 54'
Arce - 68', 74'
V. School - 82'

[Mehdonesia]

The tree of victory

The Mehdonesian Times

We report to you chaps this evening from a land of much beauty, most of that coming from the beautiful result that came against third seed ORCA Bay earlier today. The decisive 4-0 victory left nothing desired by the fans. There has been a clear improvement since yesterday's resounding,yet narrow, loss against Nephara. The professionals at the Times agree that this result was vital to ensure that Mehdonesia retained their chances in the group, which now looks like this;

  Group 17                                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Vaugania                                            2    2   0   0     6    2   +4     6
2 Kiryu-shi                                           2    2   0   0     4    0   +4     6
3 Terres de Gaulles                                   2    1   0   1     3    3    0     3
4 Nephara                                             2    1   0   1     3    3    0     3
5 Mehdonesia                                          2    1   0   1     4    1   +3     3
6 Kandorith                                           2    1   0   1     6    4   +2     3
7 Arkiasis                                            2    0   0   2     2    8   −6     0
8 ORCA Bay                                            2    0   0   2     1    8   −7     0

As always, with the win here is the evaluation from our correspondent Emmie Jensen;

Kicking off on a wonderful Wednesday afternoon, the ORCA side began with the ball and immediately looked to pressure the Mehdonesian squad with a long ball out to the right winger, who was quickly stopped by defender Andy Heweer. Over the next five minutes Mehdonesia retained possession and looked to get forward, however they couldn't escape the middle of the field until around the twelfth minute when a long winding run from Olav forced the defence to concede the first corner of the game. From here Gorbauld ('P-diddy') arced in a long, high ball searching for a header at the back post but only managing to find the head of the ORCA defender, who placed it behind for another corner. This corner was drilled in low and it managed to find the foot of Wojda, a diving save was needed to concede the third corner in a row. Looking to continue the pressure, Gorbauld played the ball short to Agryris, who's long ranged attempt sailed over the bar for a much needed ORCA goal kick. By the 25 minute mark the squad had reaffirmed the pressure and began to attack again which led to the first goal,

"Manns takes it down the wing, the stepover takes him past the fullback but he isn't done! A cheeky one-two with Gorbauld brings him into the box and he looks to fini... no wait it's a brilliant dummy! Had the whole team fooled as Wojda slides it home into the bottom corner."

With the first goal conceded all defensive organisation for ORCA went through the roof, seeing everything the time is going ticking on and on everybody's rushin'. But anyway back to the game, Mehdonesia were cruising despite only having only one goal to their name, with 3 minutes to go until half-time Bjarni Ozoliņš managed to win a free-kick on the outside of the ORCA box. Erasmo Argyris would be the man to take it and as he stepped up to the spot he placed his hands on his hips, legs apart and took two deep breaths. He powerfully placed the shot into the top corner of the goal, gliding over the wall towards the back of the net, it would have taken a true miracle to stop that shot from going in, and so goes the second goal,

"He glances to his left and signals Wojda, clearly planning something here. Perhaps going to spring a tactical surprise, oh wait, my bad he's asking for the time. Anyway the whistle blows and he takes his steps... OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH what a shot, a beauty and this is
just what Mehdonesia were lacking against Nephara."

Halftime couldn't have come sooner for the ORCA squad, who really needed to regroup and refresh in order to find their way back into the game, and for the first ten minutes they looked set to do so, continuously looking to attack and score. However the defence held well and they only managed a corner and some long shots. Then came another corner for ORCA, the ball flew high above it's target area and instead was given to Mehdonesia to counter hence the third goal,

"Off of the back of a rushed corner it lands at the feet of Ozoliņš, he glances up and sends the curling ball to Argyris, only one defender stands between him and the keeper and he has Wojda in support, he bursts past the defender and lets the shot connect powerfully with his left boot, but it's straight at the keeper! HE'S SPILT IT! Wojda clears up the spillage with a simple tap in, there's no point crying over spilt milk but he may well cry about that "

Over the next 15 minutes Mehdonesia slowed their pace and began a slow passing tempo, the ORCA defence dropped back. The play had came to a standstill until Olav makes a run,

"Olav now on the ball, dribbles in quickly towards the defence, now turns for the wing. He gets across the full back, ball goes in and... OHHHHHH Wojda's head finds it. Only 3 minutes to go now so this should be the last goal."

This was a fine Mehdonesian victory for the first time they face ORCA.

Looking Ahead

Later today the side faces 4th seed, Kandorith, we wish the best of luck to them.

[United Eastedge]

The navies pulled out the victory at home!
Aelley City, United Eastedge

---

It seemed that everything turned bad for the navies since the hosts announced the new fixtures of the group 24, such as the disgraceful way in which the team led by Masson kicked off the World Cup 69 Qualifiers, falling to Audioslavia, 4-0. But now, was finally time to face Kernansquillec or simply the green and whites/the kers, on a match that took place at the Aelley Stadium, which is located in the Eastedgean capital, Aelley City. Obviously, the grandstand was almost completely dyed of navy, being the first time ever in which the navies play at their home field. Even the weather was an important factor in favor of United Eastedge, since it was a rainy and warm night of football...

Kernansquillec reached the stadium with three points obtained at the National Stadium or Green Jewel against Buyan and they were looking for their second victory in a row. The green and whites, guided by Rachael Sandheart, jumped to the field with Kate Ellysa (GK), Mary Cressac (RB), Julian Yegos (LB), Jean Dubois (CB), Stuart Kellah (CB), Julia Fengouli (DM), Isabelle Zorm (DM), Marie Iris (LM), Zac Poutre (RM), Adélaïde Noupen (CAM), and Peter Lilac (ST). Considering their 4-2-3-1 formation, it is the same starting eleven that Sandheart used against Buyan lat night. They like to play offensively, defending their goal by trying to have the possession of the ball the majority if time in the opponent's territory.

In the other hand, Marcos Masson gave the opportunity to the majority of the players who were not called to participate in any friendly or BoF match before. Although he decided to use the same 5-3-2 formation once again. Drew Yates (GK), Robin Harris (LB/LM), Jared Russell (LB), Caleb Green (CB), Matthew Alvarez (RB), Sean Wilkins (RB/RM), Casey Warren (CM), Chris Dixon (LM), Grady Christensen (RM), Israel Cannon (FW), and Jonathan Dunn (ST) jumped to the field on a new attempt to pull out those valuable three points in order to bounce back as well as get out if the bottom of the standings. Their game-style changed a bit based on the skills of each one of the players that were part of the starting eleven. They tend to look for empty spaces through the center of the field instead of the bands and above all, they did not wait over the midfield like they did it against Audioslavia last match.

"I think the team did a good job out there... The guys showed that they are not here just because yes. Maybe we are underdogs to make the Finals, but we will keep playing as tonight. Struggling hard in each one of the games during this Qualifying Stage. I'll try to improve the level of the team in general even more to defeat the next opponents and above all, we would like to defeat Audioslavia or at least cause them suffering next match against them. Buyan seems to be a strong team but they are clearly not in their best moment. It will be a hard match adding that we will visit them..." That's what the head coach, Marcos Masson said after the game against Kernansquillec, in which United Eastedge pulled out a 2-1 victory as well as those three points that everybody had in mind.

At the twenty-fifth minute, Israel Cannon stole the ball over the outskirts of the box, after an error committed by the defender, Cressac. He gave a pass toward the box, where Jonathan Dunn received it and subsequently, he kicked the ball softly, placing it next to the right post of Kate Ellysa's goal. Thereafter, the board was in favor of United Eastedge, while the grandstand was a madness, since they were jumping, playing the drums, and some of them were a bit high... The rain was stronger than how ot was at the beginning of the match and the physical wear was increasingly present in both teams, but both of them were willing to give everything in the last minutes of the second match of the World Cup Qualifiers.

Close to the fifty-seventh minute, the match was locked over the midfield, without leaving spaces on the back. Marcos Masson decided to change Jonathan Dunn by Garry Blair, who took the ball immediately after he entered to the field. The kers were placed on the back, perfectly tuned in case of a couner attack. Garry Blair saw Sean Wilkins alone, running through the right band of the field. Blair gave a incredible pass to Wilkins, who passed the ball toward thecenter of the box looking for somebody to head it. Suddenly, Israel Cannon ran quickly from outside of the box to the center of it, heading the ball to the lower angle of the goal. United Eastedge increased their advantage to finish with the possibilities of Kernansquillec, although it was early yet.

Finally, two minutes after the second goal for the navies, Zav Poutre stole the ball on the midfield, thereafter, he ran quickly toward the box, leaving several Eastedgean midfielders on the back. When he was within the box, Caleb Green slid strongly, committing a foul as well as giving an oppotunity to the kers to bounce back via penalty. Noupren placed the ball in the floor, he stepped back slowly and breathing to finish with the nerves. The stadiums was doing sound in order to decentralize him. He shoot toward the right of the goal, but unfortunately, the goalkeeper went to the left of it. Kernansquillec discounted one and they were looking fir the equalizer, but time was not enough for them to achieve that...

Next up, it's time to visit the champions of the Baptism of Fire 54, Buyan. A team that was defeated 3-1 against Kernansquillec at the National Stadium or also called Green Jewel, but they bounced back as well after defeating Maklohi Vai as visitor, which is something difficult to achieve. The match will take place at The Nine, located in Dyatisnk, Buyan and it has a capacity of 57,000 persons.

[New Wolfopolis]

Zwangzug Edges New Wolfopolis, 2-1

The New Wolfopolis national football team suffered a heartbreaking, yet expected loss yesterday to Zwangzug, 2-1. The scoring started fairly early on when Arlo Rais-Sonnen had a beautiful strike off of his left foot from inside the box. It bent around Wolfpack keeper Zachary Nicholson and put the Zwangzug side up 1-0. Shortly afterwards, New Wolfopolis missed out on a chance for an equaliser when Zwangzug keeper Bruce Millar had to dive to save a shot by captain Nicholas Pollard. He left it right in front of the net, which gave striker Harlan Spears an easy opportunity at a goal. However, his shot hit Nadine Roark, who was standing in the perfect position, and the Wolfpack remained unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Eventually, they'd hit the equalizer, on a counterattack play. After a save by Nicholson, he was able to get a quick punt off to the unguarded forwards on the other end. With some help from Pollard, they were able to pass the ball around to get past the defenders, Eventually, Spears passed to Sidney Pendleton, who kicked the ball from the right side of the goal to the left. It hit the post and went in, tieing the game at one. The game would remain tied through halftime until the 73rd minute, when out of the blue, Zwangzugian captain Martina Ruan connected for an outside-the-box strike. Zwangzug would hold onto that lead through the end, beating New Wolfopolis, 2-1. (Side note: that is the exact score I predicted yesterday.) The Wolfpack was able to hang in there against a tough team, and their efforts show promise. Perhaps, once they find themselves in front of the home crowd, they can take one from Zwangzug. We'll have to wait and see. However, the Wolfpack currently sits in fourth place, behind Barunia in third, Estope in second, and Zwangzug in first. With a few more wins, who knows where the Wolfpack might end up. This brings us to tomorrow's game.

That's right, tomorrow, the national squad from Vunishia comes into town. These guys impressed in the recent Baptism of Fire, losing in the Semifinals to eventual runner-up The Fallenmark Islands. However, they've had trouble in this qualifying stage, with an 0-0-2 record and a -5 differential. Due to that, they find themselves in last place in the group. They've yet to post a roster for this Qualifying stage, nor have we heard anything from their home press. While this team has potential, I don't really see them beating us on our home ground. Their losing streak will continue. My prediction? Wolfpack over Vunishia, 3-1. You can watch the game live on NWSN or catch it in person at the Campana Bowl @ Lupinia Pavilion in downtown Lupinia.

We had another chance to sit down and talk to captain Nicholas Pollard about how things are going.

"We're definitely excited," said Pollard. "It was a lot of fun to get that win against The Blaatscapen in front of the home crowd. Obviously, the result of the Zwangzug game isn't what we wanted to see, but to hang in there for that long with a team that good is really promising. The guys have been playing hard, everyone's working together really well, and I'm really excited for the next twelve games. I think we have a shot to win some games against teams that many say are 'better' than us, and we're going to work our butts off and do our best. What happens happens. I know we're not expected to qualify, but I want to change some people's minds. I know many people didn't expect us to do as well as we did against Zwangzug. We definitely surprised some people. I think if we come out and play hard, we've got a shot. I'm excited to be back at our home grounds tonight. Vunishia's a pretty good team, but we're expected to win, and I definitely think we can. We'll have to keep doing what we're doing, but also improving, and making adjustments. We can beat expectations, if we really put our minds to it."

Gosh, he's just a bucket full of energy. Anyway, make sure to watch and support the Wolfpack throughout this qualifying stage. Cheer on the home boys.

[Carialus]

Carialus Bugle

Yesterday, we had our home opener game for the 69th World Cup. The game was played against Green Highland, the bottom pool team in the group. The result was rather predictable, with the Comrades using their "shock and aw" strategy. In the 8th minute, Frost was quick to score, assisted by Kovalcik. The Highlanders then seemed to get scared and became unpredictable and prone to mistakes. In the 21st minute, Frost scored again off a corner which was kicked into the box by Fuller. The game continued on with the Comrades' midfielders dominating the possession of the ball. After 45, Green Highland was exhausted and their nerve were getting shattered at Capital Field. At the start of the 2nd half, Green Highland had gathered what dignity they had left and began to play some good football. They were able to get the ball past the wall of midfielders and jumped on the opportunity to score. Three Highlanders got past the midfielders and were practically home free. There were only two defenders in the area. One of the strikers go to the side of the box and flicked it in. A Highlander jumped up and headed the ball in. However, the Comrades clamped down of their defense. The bulk of the mids never left their own half, making it more difficult for Green Highland to go on another fast break. For the rest of the game, neither Green Highland nor Carialus. The game ended 2-1, in favor of Carialus. Next the Comrades will play The Jasminia Islands, another low ranked team. This is predicted to be an easy game, but so was the game against Green Highland.

[Felix]

(OOC: Note here, this RP was planned out months before the MH 17 crash, this was not this inspired from MH 17.)

Previously

Dusseldorf, Felix

"Alright Mrs. President," started the guard in a hush tone, "We got the forged documents ready. It should get through, these security officials are underpaid and at this point don't give a shit. Ok, we gotta go, we are getting some looks. Go Mrs. President." Tamara nodded as she started to head for the counter she noticed two things. One, this is probably the same experience her poor daughter, Alexandra Van Der Ven went through. All nervous, afraid of being recognized, fearing someone, somewhere would recognize her. Tamara was going through that too. Two, her colleagues both United, Liberal and Socialist were being talked to by the same guard probably telling them what he told her. And just like herself they were probably as nervous as she was right now. All of them thinking of their family and people they loved.

She gulped it was time, the security check. She waited in line for a good 10 minutes before this critical moment happened, the id check. A old man was in charge of checking the ids. He had glasses and had a clear beer belly, none the less he looked like a man that could check an id and find out whether it was fake or real. He already dismissed this Kaji family, maybe he could dismiss her. Tamara sighed and walked up to the man. She smiled, "Hello, how's your day?" the old man, possibly in his later years, 60 or so, looked at her and grumbled. He looked at the id. He looked back and forth at the card checking it's authenticity. He looked at her and the card for what seemed the last time. Tamara awaited her fate. "You are clear to go." said the grumpy old man. Tamara nodded and after the scanner process she was clear to go. She breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Meanwhile the all the other associates made it out without a hitch. Well, almost every associate. One, by the name of Philip Kelly, Speaker of the House panicked and ran away. Security guards soon caught up to him and apprehended him wondering what exactly was going on with him. Luckily for Kelly the guards thought nothing and didn't report it to their superiors. Finally Steven Smith was up and he was disguised as a baker heading for a convention for bakers in Kazamatsuri. He too passed through the grumpy old man and like Tamara was extremely relived. One thought that came through Steven Smith was that of his family. Right now they are probably in Apox wondering if they would ever see their father/husband again. He nodded and knew this was a step to seeing them again.

Tamara went to a café she was utterly nervous, the nerves of being arrested and sent back to that horrible prison in Santa Maria finally caught up to her. She was shaking. She thought taking a nice Pajoso (Felix's version of that tea that can make you sleepy) tea would help. It did. But she was still shaking a little bit. She noticed the time, how she spent an hour in the café was beyond her but she knew it was time to go. If she missed her flight she risked staying in Felix for an unreasonable amount of time. She went to the boarding gate and noticed the plane.
Airbus A380-842. It was meant for long trips. She looked at her ticket, it read, "Felixian Airlines Flight FA 5362 Flughafen Düsseldorf (FDF) to Aéroport National du Glore (ANG)" She nodded and looked at the plane it looked brand new that must be good right?

Little did Tamara know and the Free Felix movement that funded the trip a FIA spy was on board ready to go tell agents in the targets were on board and ready to apprehend. Soon the boarding call was made and everyone got on board in roughly 20 minutes. The spy then took out his phone ready to send the text to apprehend them but someone interrupted him. It was the air stewardess, she told him to put the phone away that they were about to take off. The FIA agent looked around and told her it was a government thing he had to do. The stewardess didn't care, "Look, we are getting ready for take off. Either put your phone away or get off the plane. It is as simple as that." The agent sighed loudly and put his phone away. He lost his chance on plan A but the government did have a plan B.

The flight took off as scheduled and was soon over 10,000 feet. When the seatbelt sign turned off the FIA agent got up and got out his knife. The goal? Try to kill Tamara, if she was out the political face of the resistance would die with her. She was sitting in business class and the FIA agent was in first, he was walking down ready for the kill when suddenly the plane hit a rough patch of turbulence and he fell, the knife went flying and Steven Smith noticed the knife eminently. He quickly got up and picked up the knife only to be tackled by the FIA agent. The flight stewardess that told the FIA to put the phone away soon phoned in the captain of the flight and told him to lock the door. The captain did as she said and the stewardess quickly tried to ask for help.

Random people started to get up from their seats and started to pile on the FIA agent in an attempt to stop him from getting that weapon. Eventually, and despite many kicks from the resisting agent the passengers managed to subdue the attacker and later put him in a seat and tied him up just in case. In the cockpit the captain was informed that the emergency was over. But as any responsible flight captain he decided to land early so instead of a direct flight to Kitsune-Deese he decided to make an emergency landing in Kazamatsuri. He called the air flight controller in Kazamatsuri's international airport and told him of the situation. Soon enough flight 5362 was allowed to land in Kazamatsuri. The pilot made a safe but rapid descent so he can make it to the airport and he did. Landing 30 minutes after the inflight scare.

After the landing the troubled FIA agent was taken away his mission has failed and he should probably stay in a Kazamatsuri jail rather than going back to Felix. He would easily be killed by fellow FIA agents that discovered he let Tamara get away. For one man, his life was over but for the political heads that were recently liberated their lives were starting again with the roar of the engine. They took off heading for Kitsune. 2 hours later the flight landed in Aéroport National du Glore where other Felixian dissidents met up with the former ministers, congress members and the former president herself. They quickly got to the cars awaiting them and they headed for the capitol of Kitsune where they would meet Claire La Déesse Queen of Kitsune and discuss the possibility of forming a government in exile.

Eventually after hours of talks the Kitsune government agreed to be the host of the Felixian government in exile. No news on it was made yet as Tamara requested two things before she personally made the announcement. One, call the Free Felixians regarding the news and two, call her daughter who is currently in the Northern Sunrise Islands. She picked up the phone and called General Gilbert Förstner the leader of the Free Felixian Army informing the good news. Next up was an emotional call to her daughter Alexandra. Unlike the call to Gilbert that only lasted a few minutes the call with her daughter lasted a few hours. Eventually Tamara hanged up on Alexandra but before she did she promised her that she would call her everyday.

Now it was time to make the announcement. News organizations around the multiverse were informed that something big was about to be announced in Kitsune but they weren't told what. In Felix all government approved news agencies were told not to broadcast the "important announcement" but little did they know a pirate radio station called Radio Free Felix (the news arm of the Free Felix movement) broadcasted the announcement live on radio where every Felixian could listen to do upcoming news. Meanwhile back in Kitsune the former President of Felix stood on the podium much to the surprise of the foreign and local reporters at the announcement.

"Hello, I am President Tamara Van Der Ven and during CE X I was overthrown by the Nationalists and later imprisoned for months. And I am here to tell you after a brave rescue mission from the Free Felixians I and many other Felixian ministers and congressmen and women are free and ready to represent the Felixian that desires freedom over tyranny. As of right now I am proud to announce that the Felixian Government in Exile has been formed. I hope that the multiverse can recognize the true Felix and send much needed support to our brothers and sisters currently fighting for freedom against the Corvidae backed scum. As of right now our government in exile has declared war on Nationalists and their allies in the Corvidae alliance. The government in exile is also aligning themselves with the anti-corvidae movement that Rüntenbach, the Collective Sunrise Islands and San José Gauyabal. While we can't assist these nations if they are invaded we will pledge our diplomatic support to this universal struggle." She paused and began to read again.

"To my Felixians compatriots in Felix. I would like to tell all of you from Santa Maria to Altomare and from Cato to Fortuna that I stand with you. All of us in the newly formed government in exile stand with you. We will fight for your freedoms that you lost when a evil man by the name of Lazzaro Passerini took it away from each and everyone of us. To my brothers and sisters in other Corvidae dominated nations. I too stand with you. Your struggle has been our struggle. Your beatings, needless abuse and oppression has been our beatings and needless abuse and oppression. Let me be clear when I say we stand with you, the people, not the governments that fail to represent you. Tonight we start a new era in the multiverse, an era of freedom. Tonight I ask you something. If you want freedom. What will you do to get it? Will you watch and hope someone will stand up? Or will you, the man or woman you are stand up and fight these bastards? I hope you choose the second option. That is all I will not be answering any questions." And with that Tamara announced to the multiverse that Felixian democracy was indeed alive and well. She got off the podium and walked out through the bronze doors of the press room.

Minutes Before the Announcement

Santa Maria, Felix

"You did what?" asked a enraged Carlton Thurstan Director of the FIA to a oddly depressed Lazzaro Passerini. "Did you just contact the enemy and hoped that Syndicate agents wouldn't pick up on it?! Are you an idiot?! Are you mad?!" Thurstan slammed his fist on the desk of the Presidential desk, "Seriously what the hell is wrong with you?! You know how bad we look in front of the other Corvidae states?! We look like a bunch of pussies! I mean Jesus Christ what were you thinking when you decided to click send?" After two straight minutes of yelling Lazzaro finally had his chance to speak out, "Look. Carlton... I... I have bad news, we lost Tamara." Carlton laughed, "Really? I didn't know that." He started in a bitterly sarcastic tone, "I am the director of the Felixian Intelligence Agency I knew that and it was my people that informed you."

"Lazzaro I am asking you this. Do you have control of this country?" Lazzaro looked at him confused and Carlton asked him again, "Do you have control of this country? Cause right now, you don't." Lazzaro sighed and looked at the window and Carlton continued, "I have the documents to declare war on the Collective Sunrise Islands, Rüntenbach and Quebec." He dropped the papers on the desk and as he started to walk away he said two things, "And need I remind you that the Collective Sunrise Islands and Rüntenbach have already declared war on us? And lastly, did you read Lex's letter? He clearly states you need to know which side you are on." With that he left and Lazzaro was left signing the documents of war. He looked at Quebec's and quickly signed it, that was easy. He finally go to the Collective Sunrise Islands and after some hesitation he too signed it. Lastly it was Rüntenbach, he was contemplating it but soon changed his mind when suddenly he heard Tamara give out her speech. At this point he lost it and furiously signed the document.

Now Felix joined the war and it seemed the fiery Lazzaro was back but the question remained, does Lazzaro have control of his country?

To be continued...

[Vaugania]

Part 1: Cool Guys Don't Look at Explosions
Part 2: What Can You Do?

Part 3: L33T H4XX0R SK1LLZ

For the people down in Anglis, it was the quite the sight to see. Imagine seeing over 300 people slide down mud and rock into your hometown. They came in waves, slipping, sliding, climbing down. Their purpose unknown. Almost immediately, the local police were notified and intercepted these hikers.

“Come here,” said Petras Burokas, the police chief, to one of the many men, “What’s your name?”

“Etienne Mallou, sir,” he replied.

“What’s all this? Who are you guys?”

“We’ve brought food and supplies, sir. That’s what’s in our packs.”

“We’ve been listening to the radio, the government was going to go by airdrops, but they’ve all been cancelled because of this rain.”

“We aren’t with the government, sir. We’re with the Church. We’re all volunteers.”

“Then may God bless you. Come with me, we need to get this organized.”

“Yes, sir!”

---

Hokejs, Vaugania

A brick building stands in one of the quieter parts of Hokejs. It serves as the headquarters for Terralliance, a group of “environmental activists”. Leonas Pakalka was there, fresh off of the sabotage of the Anglis coal mine. He felt that they had built up enough strength and were prepared to finally take claim for that event.

He stood in before a camera completely concealed, face covered with a ski mask, dressed completely in black. They would attempt to hack into Hokejs TV-5’s news broadcast and put forth their message. One of his underlings stood off camera holding cue cards with his speech written on them:

“2 weeks ago, Anglis was rocked by a series of explosions. You have all been wondering ‘Who did this?’ ‘What do they want?’ Well… we did this. We are Terralliance. You are destroying the planet with your coal burning and overabundance of industry. Earth cannot hold out much longer. We are committed to protecting our planet and we will do whatever is necessary. We are Terralliance. We are Earth.”

He thought that it was quite good. It took him a few days to make it sound alright. But now it was ready and it was time to take action.

“Daniels!” he called to their tech specialist, “We are ready. Hack in now.”

Daniels began his work immediately. The first layer of security was not too difficult. It wasn’t a challenge for an experienced hacker, but it couldn’t be bypassed by a random kid in his basement. After a bit longer he just said, “Damn.”

“What is the issue?!” asked an alarmed Leonas.

“Eh… they have some pretty beefy security. This is going to be a lot more difficult than we thought.”

“Well… I can try. It looks like we’re up against NetBarrier 6. That’s some heavy duty stuff. It’s amazing what those IT guys in Abel can cook up.”

“Daniels! Can you beat it?”

“It would be the crowning achievement of my ca… SHIT! I just got booted. They’ve probably traced us. We need to leave. Pack it up!”

“I make that call!”

“Then make it. If you don’t we’re going to make a lot of new friends in prison.”

“Fine. We’ll leave. Where do you think we ought to go? Raja?”

“I guarantee that when they don’t find us here, they’ll look there too. I’m thinking Port Byron.”

“Fine. We go to Port Byron… SHIT!!!”

---

MD2 2-1 W v Kandorith

1  GK  Stefan Blanc (C)   |     |       
17 RB  Patrick Kerr       | 82' |        
10 RCB Jeremy O’Mara      |     |        
14 LCB Henrik Ovesen      |     |        
30 LB  Peder Helland      |     |       
55 CDM Dmitri Blotski     |     |         
40 RCM Morten Karlan      |     | -> 65' <- 46 RM  Sander Kraft        
37 LCM Miloslav Vorotaev  | 55' | -> 82' <- 12 CDM Dennis Schmidt  
11 CAM Thorsten Althusser |     |
27 RS  Lars Baltzersen    |     | -> 70' <- 16 ST  Cristoph Sykora
19 LS  Joshua Farnerud    |     |

[German American States]

The War Room, The Presidential Palace, Muenchewald

---

Kurt Nachreich walked down a long carpeted hall in his home, the Presidential Palace. His black dress shoes softly padded along the ground, his eyes watching all of his aides and advisers waiting for the elevator down to the War Room, or as Kurt liked to call it, Die Daschegraben. As everyone piled into the elevator, they created a small bubble of space for Kurt and mumbled hello. Everyone seemed a little uncomfortable, and rightly so. This war was the first since Die Grosskrieg. The nation hadn't experienced any sort of conflict since then, and the millitary was a bit inexperienced to say the least.

Kurt looked down at his tablet computer. Several messages were in the inbox of his email, including one from Lazzaro Passerini, the president of Felix. He looked over it, and muttered under his breath, his eyes growing wide. Several of his aides exchanged glances, curious about his reaction. Soon, the elevator clunked to the bottom of the line, and everyone filed out. Soon enough, several aides came to Kurt's side walking up to the elevated floor that was the Daschegraben's situation table. A long, ovular desk with about 50 spots at it was filling up quick, under the light of a few spotlights on the ceiling. The cavernous room was filled with talk between secretaries and advisers, most with a worried look on their faces.

Soon, Kurt's executive aide, Elisabeth Meier, called the meeting to order. She sat at his right side, and Secretary of War Johann Frisch on his left. Kurt cleared his throat.

"Thanks everyone for coming here on such short notice from all over the country, I'm sure you appreciate the urgency." A nervous chuckle rose into the room's ceiling. "Anyhow, before we get started, I'd like to tell you guys about something. I received a personal email from Lazzaro Passerini. Yeah, the Lazzaro Passerini. He wants to not fight us. I know declaring war on all the Corvidae nations was a given that we had to do, but would a under-the-table nonagression pact be out of the question?"

What followed was about an hours worth of heated discussion from every member of the committee. It was agreed that a message of a proposal of a nonagression pact would be sent to Lazzaro Passerini for consideration. They also decided that they would wait to take the offensive until the Guayabalans and Sunrisians agreed to commence an attack. He also heard that the draft had been going nicely...

---

Martin pedaled hard on his bike against the busy Mannendorf traffic. He wove through the honking cabs and buses, up to Schindlerstrasse, taking a right at FreidrichAvenue, and coasting down the alleyway to his apartment, 345 Grabenstrasse. His heart pounded in his chest, both from the physical exertion of his manic biking, but also from the news. Martin had gotten a text at school that day saying that he had a letter waiting for him at home, and it was of the utmost importance that he get there as quick as possible. His mind was racing through his classes all day. What could the letter be about? Kurt tried to convince himself it wasn't it, but he knew what it was.

His draft notice.

Martin was 17, making him an adult in Ruentenbach, and also making him available for conscription and public service. He knew the letter would be coming. He had seen his friends in school who had gotten notices, their gloomy faces, the works. Martin was a little anxious throughout the week. He didn't want to go to war.

But now, as he walked up the stairs into his apartment, saw his parents' teary faces, and read the letter telling him to report to Mannendorf Kriegsmachen HQ a week from that day, the future became more clear in his mind than ever,

[Schottia]

Courting Disaster

Part Two

On his Sundays off from pre-season training Gary would take the time to explore the immediate area surrounding their flat. It was a chance to get some time to breath. Things fell in to place when he walked. The area they lived in was near the old industrial heartland of Marionville. There were several canals and waterways, most if not all of them had piers at regular intervals, and moored up, were longboats of different sizes. The boats looked lived in and taken care of in a domestic sense, like the way a front garden was looked after, as opposed to something that was meant to be pristine. The boats fascinated Gary and he would crane his neck, or crouch down on all fours to try and look inside their dark little windows. Their dark little secrets. This was a ritual that he repeated every time he had any hours to himself. He always felt like it was sneaking somehow, and he never dared to tell Karen, instead he just slipped out quietly and headed down to the waterside.

It was on one of these occasions that he noticed the old clock. It was a sturdy specimen, and certainly old. Old and discarded, but discarded with care. It was this care that prompted Gary to wonder whether it was discarded at all. The clock was made of solid oak and had a tarnished brass face. It was large but not huge; it would need two hands to carry it but it did not look overly heavy. He walked up to in and crouched down on his haunches, bringing himself face to face with the old timepiece. It had been placed carefully against the wall next to an old set of stone steps leading up from the canal. Just gently lain up against the smooth stone. He stretched out a hand and stroked the wooden casing, feeling the contours and the engraving near the base. He lifted it, and put it down. He turned around looking to see if anyone was there who may be connected to the clock in any way. He wanted, more than anything, to take the clock home with him but he was insecure about whether or not it was thrown out or just placed there. To the left of him was one of the boats, a green and red boat, long and slick. He thought to himself, that surely there, he would find the clocks owner, or if not at least maybe they had seen someone place it down.

With much trepidation he stepped up to the boat and peered, as he always did, inside. The interior of the boat was dark and there were old stained net curtains covering the windows. There was nothing else for it, he was going to have to knock on the door.

Setting foot on the boat was a task in itself. The vessel constantly bobbed up and down even on the still water, and when he placed a foot on the edge it sunk away beneath him. Eventually with use of hands, he braved the gap and stood on the part of the deck next to the entrance. Knocking on the door didn't feel weird somehow. Somehow this was a house and not a boat. He waited a long while for an answer but none came. At length he stepped back onto the shore, being careful not to push the boat out on its mooring, that would be plain rude. No answer at the door could have meant one of many things, but at the very least it meant there was no one there to see him take the clock.

Back, standing again next to the clock he bent down and picked it up. The weight surprised him, as it was very solid. The oak of course was thick, and that gave the object its mass. He wanted to be quick about this. He wanted to be up the steps and home before the owner, if there was an owner, saw him. Whether it was rubbish or not, he did not want to have to explain his actions. So holding the clock from beneath with both hands and bracing it against his chest, he moved swiftly towards the set of steps, which would take him up from the canal. He was nearly at the top of the steps, the very last step to be precise. One more step then he would have been free, off with the clock, never to be seen again. It was then however that he heard a voice from down near the water.

'Excuse me.' Oh no, not this, not now, he kept walking.

'Excuse me. You, it the black shirt, with the cap on.' No. The voice had described him perfectly, he had to stop and turn round. He didn't want to. No in fact it was the last thing he wanted. Probably a football fan who wanted his autograph, of worse the owner of the clock. He was now fully on top of the harbour wall making the canal-way beneath a kind of subterranean valley. Standing bare foot on top of the boat perched precariously was a young girl, possibly 16 or 17. The girl had bright ginger hair and was wearing short cut-off faded blue jean, held up by maroon braces over a white t-shirt, which in turn was over dark green sleeves. Gary stopped frozen with terror; he had probably just stolen the girl’s parent's clock.

'Was that clock yours?' asked the girl, leaping off the boat in a way that terrified him; her light body landing on the cobbles of the pier without causing harm. She was on her feet quickly like the proverbial cat. Gary took a few steps backwards, hoping not to lose grip of the clock.

'Eh. It is.' He lied.

'Why did you leave it here all day?' She asked quickly waking up the steppes towards him, all the time Gary was slowly retreating. 'I was wandering if it was junk, I'd had my eye on it you know. I thought it would look good in my mum's kitchen.'

'Well it is mine so mystery solved, you can get on with your day.' He was trying to be as abrupt as possible, not wanting to linger in this conversation a moment longer than was required. 'Good day to you.'
On closer inspection the girl must have been older than he had thought, as what he had mistaken as sleeves, up close turned out to be tattoos. These covered a surprising portion of her skinny frame, including one, which protruded slightly out from under the collar of her t-shirt. The one small mercy in all of this was that the girl clearly wasn't a football fan, or had not marked him a celebrity at any rate. He could see the headlines now. "Schottia midfielder steals clock from canal-way."

'But why did you leave the clock down by the canal?' Said the girl continuing her pursuit but slowing a little. 'Wait up. I've never seen you around here before.'

'That's my business and, I would rather not go into it here.' He answered staying as close to abrupt as he could without crossing the line into rudeness. That was a line he would never cross. His parents had always raised him to have manners, if nothing else. 'Now as I said earlier, and I don't wish to be so frightfully rude, but good day.'
Gary turned and walked as fast as he could. At the very least he knew the clock was not the property of the people in that boat, which meant it was potentially his to take. He did not turn round, nor did he want to. He trusted that the girl was not going to be following him. At any rate, he should try to get home before Karen. She would simply say he was just bringing home more junk.

[The Archregimancy]

THE CANONS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE MONASTIC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

The priests and administrators of the Monastic Football Association out of different regional associations assembled by the grace of God in the Holy Monastery of Ivirion, on the summons of the Council of the MFA, following the victorious second Matchday of the 69th World Cup, have decreed as follows:

1) Every heresy shall be anathematized, particularly that of FALSE ECUMENICISM such as that that sees Orthodox nations co-hosting international sporting tournaments with the heretics, but not excluding the heresy of the Arians, that of the Semi-Arians or Pneumatomachi, and that of the Sabellians, and that of the Marcellians, and that of the Photinians, and that of the Apollinarians. Let the Nicene faith stand firm. Anathema to heresy.

2) Concerning the Holy Synod and the disorder which has happened in the Archregimancy on account of their lack of support for the MFA, it is decreed that the Holy Synod never was and is not now the canonical source of authority for the MFA; that those who have been ordained by the Synod are in no order whatever of the clergy; since all which has been done concerning them or by them, is declared to be invalid.

3) Forasmuch as many wishing to confuse and overturn ecclesiastical order, do contentiously and slanderously fabricate charges against the Orthodox Monastic Football Association who have the administration of the Orthodox sporting events under their jurisdiction, intending nothing else than to stain the reputation of the priests of the MFA and raise up disturbances amongst the peaceful laity; therefore it seemed right to the MFA assembled together in Iviron, not to admit accusers without examination; and neither to allow all persons whatsoever to bring accusations against the administrators of the MFA, nor, on the other hand, to exclude all.

If then, any one shall bring a private complaint against the MFA, that is, one relating to his own affairs, as, for example, that he has been defrauded, or otherwise unjustly treated by us, in such accusations no examination shall be made, either of the person or of the religion of the accuser; for it is by all means necessary that the conscience of the MFA should be free, and that he who says he has been wronged should meet with righteous judgment, of whatever religion he may be.

But if the charge alleged against the MFA be that of some ecclesiastical offence, then it is necessary to examine carefully the persons of the accusers, so that, in the first place, heretics may not be suffered to bring accusations touching ecclesiastical matters against orthodox sporting administrators. And by heretics we mean both those who were aforetime cast out and those whom we ourselves have since anathematized, and also those professing to hold the true faith who have separated from our canonical bishops, and set up conventicles in opposition to them, and that this be considered to include the Holy Synod of the Archregimancy. And if anyone, despising what has been decreed concerning these things, shall presume to annoy the ears of the Emperor, or the courts of temporal judges, or, to the dishonour of all the Bishops of his Province, shall trouble an Ecumenical Synod, such a one shall by no means be admitted as an accuser; forasmuch as he has cast contempt upon the Canons, and brought reproach upon the order of the Church and the Monastic Football Association.

4) Those who from heresy turn to orthodoxy, and to the portion of those who are being saved, we receive according to the following method and custom: FALSE ECUMENICISTS of the Dreamed Realm we receive, upon their giving a written renunciation of their errors and anathematize every heresy which is not in accordance with the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of God. Thereupon, they are first sealed or anointed with the holy oil upon the forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, and ears; and when we seal them, we say, "The Seal of the gift of the Holy Ghost." But those who are by nature heathens, such as the teams we face in the World Cup,and the partisans of all other heresies - for there are many such in the World Cup Committee, particularly among those who come from Atlantian Oceania and Esportiva and Rushmore - all these, when they desire to turn to Orthodoxy, we receive as heathen. On the first day we make them Christians; on the second, catechumens; on the third, we exorcise them by breathing thrice in their face and ears; and thus we instruct them and oblige them to spend some time in the Church, and to hear the Scriptures; and then we baptize them.

5) As for the Holy Synod of the Archregimancy, which is unlawfully called autonomous, and the champions of their stupidity of constant FALSE ECUMENICISM via engagement with the World Cup Committee, innumerable weeds of heresies are scattered within it... Let them be anathema, let them be anathema ­ maranatha (I Corinthians 16:22).

Amen

[Vettrera]

Previously
The Aftermath (PART 2)

Geneva sat in her living room on the couch, continuing the same routine she had done since the end of the Under 15 campaign. Her mom on the other hand had moved on rather quickly. She was datng again already, with an old family friend, Harry Poles. Around 7 in the evening her mom was preparing for another date with Harry and wouldn’t be back till, well, the next morning.

“Geneva. You need to go out, enjoy life, move on. It’s been a month and a half, you need to move on from this black phase”

“Yeah, and it’s extremely apparent you’ve moved on.”

“It’s what your father would have wanted. And I mean, this is a time for me to restart my life. Your father and I were extremely busy people. He was a university professor, and I a legal advisor. But with the life insurance policy we’re getting, I can take off time for a while, reduce my workload, and enjoy myself.”

“And enjoy Harry.”

“Look. You can get off your high horse whenever you choose because NOTHING is going to bring your father back. The fact that you’re choosing to wallow in misery and misfortune is you’re problem, but don’t try to contrast it with my behavior when I gave you life and am your mother.”

“It’s not like you raised me though. All the money in the world doesn’t make up for the fact that you made the decision to send me to boarding school. I was always away at soccer training or at boarding school. You just didn’t want me home.”

“And your father did?”

---

Vettrera was slated for another mid-level performance in the World Cup, and nobody was expecting anything extraordinary to take place, so there was honestly no reason for them to feel upset about the loss they were handed at the hands of The Icemark. It could of course always be worse Even so, that didn’t mean that Vettrera was just supposed to roll over, and ignore everything that was necessary to achieve. But the squad was…preoccupied . Lucas Murdoch of course should have been focusing on making a strategy for the next match, but his mind was still stuck on the terrorist attacks, and the odd warning that PUSH had put out telling everyone that there could be no tournaments held in Cape Marshall in the same moth of that attack. Now, Lucas didn’t know what to believe and he wasn’t one to put much stock into conspiracy, but something just didn’t feel right about this. In the past, when PUSH banned certain events from taking place they would always give a reason why and explain how to get the problem rectified but this was not the case…

There was no emphasis given, no explanation provided, PUSH came down with a ruling and that was the end of it. And as far as Murdoch was concerned, there had to be someone else that saw this as an issue, right?
…

“Well I mean…what you’re suggesting isn’t really ethical for me to do…”

“Neither is what I’m accusing them of Elise.”

“Look, I’m just the personal assistant. It isn’t really my place to do this. And I could get in a lot of trouble for—“

“Can you just look it up Elise?”

“Look Lucas, Mr. Murdoch. What will you even do if you get this information? Go to the press? Nobody will believe you. You’ll have no concrete evidence.”

“I am a soccer coach, I’m basically an international diplomat—“

“Well, that’s kind of a stretch sir.”

“Hear me out. I can’t support a nation that allowed a terrorist attack to take place and kill their own people.”

“Fine. Call the office again tomorrow and I’ll have the files ready. But you need to focus on your job. After all the attacks, the World Cup at least gives Vettrerans some sense of national pride again.”

[Kernansquillec]

5 WAYS TO DEAL WITH DEFEAT

1

CRY (A LOT)
We've all been on the end of a heartbreaking defeat at some point. And it hurts every single time. Sure, losing a friendly hurts a lot less than losing the World Cup final by a goal scored the opposition's goalkeeper who just before kick off downed a bottle of whiskey. One of the "classic" ways of dealing with sure soul crushing defeats is to just let it all out... Yes, cry a bit (or even a lot). It might not make you look sexy, it'll even make you look pretty ugly, especially if your make-up starts running. But if your team has just lost, who cares?! If you're going to feel down you might as well go ahead and make yourself look just as bad as you feel inside.

So next time your team lose - be it by a single goal against the World's best side or by twenty against the worst team to have graced a football pitch (except maybe for your own team of course...) - just cry yourself a river.

2

BLAME SOMEONE ELSE

Why should your team lose?! NO, they shouldn't! And if ever they do "loss" it obviously isn't their own fault. The ref? The opposition? The pitch? The weather? A bureaucratic conspiracy? Aliens? Wives refusing to "motivate" their husbands? IT'S ALL THEIR FAULT! It is! So make sure in stead of crying like some little sissy or taking it out on your own team make sure that those billionaires who bought the ref known just what your think of them! Be it conspiracies, acts of God or that damn pitch that makes the ball go to the other players when on your pitch that pass would have been inch perfect just remember, that defeat wasn't your fault.

So no matter by how much God Margaret wills your team to lose, remember: blame someone else!

3

CHANGE TEAM!

Do you support one of those sides that are at the bottom of the rankings? Does your team stand no chance what so ever of making the World Cup (final)?! Well... change! It's quite simple actually. Would you carry on buying bread from a bad baker's who always gave you stale, uninspiring and poor quality bread? No you wouldn't (unless you're a bit ). Yeah, well, "upgrade"! Stop supporting the "we did our best and finished 8th out of nine in group 129 in qualifying" and go support the bestest sides out their at the moment. I'm talking about the Polar Islandstates' and the Vilita's of this World (and preferably Polar Islandstates since they are kind of the number ones, why settle for less if you've got the choice?). Some may call it "disloyalty" but it isn't really. Supporting your first side is just the product of a random series of events and it could so easily have been the best team in the World that you ended up supporting... If fate wasn't kind to you make your own fate for once; no one deserves to lose all some a single match!

So if you don't want to be a cry baby, bring on the winds of change and pick a team that will always win!

4

TAKE IT ON THE CHIN (YAWN!)

It's hardly the most enthralling solution, but according to some people it is the most "noble" one. Basically the whole idea is that no matter what your team do you carry on supporting them. Indeed, it is very weird, but what can you do? Some people are just that: weird... So for you who just lost (again) you could always not through all the toys out of the pram and carry on supporting your team for at least another game. You never know, they might win. It'll definitely be worth staying on for another match if that match is going to be against some amateur squad who train with inflated cow stomachs or similar ball like objects. But please, I beg you, if your team ALWAYS LOSES, take up another option 'cause if you carry on choosing this one your friends will think you're weird, girls won't dig you and your team will be relegated to be that team that everyone loves to play against because they are just awful (giving everyone else 3 points every time).

So if you're also very weird and don't care about losing, you may well want to just carry on supporting the same team day in day out.

5

LIE

Who hasn't lied before? We all have. So why not just expand the concept and do the same for football? All the stick usually comes from workmates who like to take the mick out of us for supporting a team that loses more often than not. Well, if they ask you the weekend's results why not tell them a little fib? It won't hurt anyone and your team will look like god, "beating" everyone, all the time. Morally it might not be great, but is your team losing every week morally justified?! No it's not, so show morality the two fingers and make up some fibs. It won't deal with your own despair inside, but at least your friends and family won't take you for an idiot. You could even expand this to a much larger scale: indeed governments should fake match reports to make their team look great. Who's going to care? All it will do is make everyone happy all the time instead of making everyone unhappy, depressed and even suicidal (apart from the single team who actually won something on sporting merit...).

So if you team loses all the time, make it seem as if they don't.

UNITED EASTEDGE 2 - 1 KERNANSQUILLEC
Cannon 25' 57' // Noupen 59'

[Queer Poco el Mono Ara]

CHAPTER 2. IN THE TEMPLE

The funeral procession was ushered past the lamassu, standing guard at the entrance and into the temple. It was built perfectly square and each wall was covered in marble in an effort to keep it cool during the height of the Pocoan summer. The roof above them was an enormous coffered dome, with a central oculus that was pierced by the mid-morning light. The light was scattered and distorted amongst the heavy laying smoke from the ceremonial incense that the priests had waved in front of themselves as they guided the mourners in.

The fallout from the civil war had meant the Queen’s family had been torn apart, leaving her with only her husband, her daughter and her husband’s family, a distant sister in law and her husband, their children, the Queen’s two nieces and a young nephew and her husband’s cousin, Mohammed Peynirci, a well to-do shipping magnate whose cargo ships transported containers from Queer Poco el Mono Ara all around the world. He had seen a lean couple of years during the war, when manufacturing and thusly trade had stopped, meaning there was nothing to ship. Those few lean years had meant the gut he had developed living a gluttonous life had disappeared and the constant brow of sweat from the faintest exertion of energy was no longer present. Mohammed was in the best shape he had been in for the past decade, when he was forced to make cut backs to his luxurious diet, he began losing weight, which felt pretty good. So he joined a gym and the weight kept coming off. He could see abs appearing, his soft man mammaries were becoming rock hard pecks and he was down to just the one chin. Which is where his marital problems had stemmed from. For years, his glamorous trophy wife had been cruel and obnoxious, but Mohammed’s lack of self esteem, derived from his weight, had stopped him ever challenging her. Now he was no longer a rich, fat, slob. He was a trim, wealthy man, who in his downtime had read, a lot, and felt good about himself for the first time in years. He kicked her to the curb and was no single... and ready to mingle.

He had set his sights on the soon to be Queen. Apparently Ayda didn’t have a suitor, or whatever modern terminology was being bandied about to describe someone who was a potential match for an un-wed princess. And with his new found self worth, and a slightly unsubstantiated sense of grandiosity that had arisen in the former fat man, Mohammed thought he could be king.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the football, we have now played two, won none, drawn one and lost one. Not the most auspicious of starts to the World Cup qualifying campaign, but it could be worse.

[Kinitaria]

"...which is why we call upon the divine power of the Lord Kira to bring judgement upon these criminals who have slandered his holy name!"

Torisakian television programming was weird to the outsider, such as Navra Kulisev and Vilo Mulkanov, the Kinitar internationals who watched it in their hotel room. It is often the case that footballers are stereotyped as having a particularly low intelligence, which may not be entirely unfair in some cases, but international footballers get to experience the customs of many different nations. It's part of the job description. Even so, none of the Kinitar squad were aware that such a unique nation existed less than a hundred miles from the coast of Kinitaria.

It had started just a few days previously, when startled Torisakian immigration officers received the twenty-three players, plus assorted staff, of the Kinitar team who had unanimously decided not to return to their homeland while it descended into chaos. Their claim had briefly been taken for a hoax, but although the players weren't all superstars, a good number of them were at least recognisable to football fans. And they had all their official documentation, having just flown back from an away game in Vilita, which helped. As it turns out, once their story was established, the Torisakian state was only too willing to help.

There was still another issue to be addressed; that of what the team would do for the rest of qualification. Their home stadium was unusable even in the event that they could gain access to it. An appeal to their hosts was made, and answered quickly. The team were issued temporary permits for residence in Torisakia, to last the duration of World Cup qualification, and taken out to Koradai, where they were told that they were welcome to use the city's stadium for their home qualifiers.

The team staff and players could only thank the Torisakian officials who had helped them out, and potentially saved their World Cup campaign. Melody Pond personally contacted the World Cup committee to advise them of the circumstances. Although having your home games in a foreign country is an unusual occurrence, Kinitaria's situation was certainly not unique in history, and it wasn't long before they were cleared to compete, having satisfied the concerns of the tournament hosts. It was a relieved manager who put down the phone, having expected for some bizarre reason to have to fight her way through a lot of bureaucracy to get to that point, and preparations could begin for the first ever Kinitaria home game to be hosted outside of Kinitaria.

Boring Paradise would provide the opposition. They'd met once before, but no-one associated with the current Kinitar setup was around for that game, a 3-1 friendly win, ironically enough, at the Central Stadium in Mi'ato fifteen years ago. They didn't have a lot of information on their opponents, so scouting and pre-match preparation had to be altered in light of this.

"Exactly why don't we have proper information on Boring Paradise?" Melody had asked her first team coach, Milo Serinev. "They're third seed in the group, top sixty in the world, and all that's available to us is a cursory glance at their playing style. Isn't this an old squad list, too?"

Serinev was known as a hard man in his playing days, and still loved to see nothing more than a full-blooded crunching tackle (ie, "traditional Kinitar football"), but the manager could be downright terrifying when she was annoyed. "It could be down to the fact that they don't often get noticed, and so they don't get picked out as a potential threat - which they can use to their advantage-"

"And so we should have been sure to pick up on that once we knew we were playing them!"

"-and the fact that the vast majority of our scouting material is back in Kinitaria doesn't help either."

Melody swore, which she didn't do often, much to Serinev's amusement. "Your grasp of Kinitar is coming along nicely," he remarked. Melody obviously didn't think this was the time for jokes. You don't spend several decades in international management without a good idea of how to react quickly to this type of situation, and she was immediately in contact with the World Cup committee and the Esportivan confederation in an attempt to obtain some tapes of Boring Paradise's games ahead of match day.

Training would continue as normal for the Kinitar players. They were used to training on foreign soil, as Melody was keen to tell them, and conditions in Koradai were closer to those in Mi'ato than some of Kinitaria's northern extremes were. Their training sessions occasionally attracted a handful of curious locals, but in a way, it was refreshing to not be training in Kinitaria (where fans would occasionally pass by and shout helpful suggestions) or an away venue (where the fans were more likely to hurl insults).

The day before the game, Melody had urged her players to get some rest. "Because tomorrow is when we show the world that we're tougher than they think. We bounce back. We do not die tomorrow. We fight on, for those at home whose hopes rest on us!" she had proclaimed, to the raucous enthusiasm of her team.

All this is how some of the Kinitar players found themselves, the evening before their first ever home game away from home, watching a Torisakian TV program which called down the fury of the local deity on sinners and other assorted evil-doers. Others took some light exercise, as much as they were permitted by the manager's regime, wanting to be in the absolute best physical condition for the game against one of their main rivals in the group. Others still checked out the sights of Koradai, although Melody had imposed on them a strict curfew. This wasn't because of any danger inherent in Koradai, that's just how Melody operated. She expected her players to stick to her plans.

As it turns out, they could have probably afforded to lighten up a little. The surroundings were unusual ones for a Kinitaria home match, with practically zero home support, save for a few interested locals. The away support wasn't anything special either, and those opposition fans who had made the journey from Esportiva were silenced in the space of the opening 20 minutes as two goals from Virne Limcič and one from Samuel Costica - who had been made captain at the start of the cycle following the retirement of Ciprian Marin - saw Kinitaria race into a 3-0 lead. A blazing free-kick from Malen Elkinič made it four shortly after the half-hour, and although Haider Williams reduced the arrears with a smart finish at the end of the first half, the smiles were on the faces of those clad in blue and yellow as they made their way to the dressing rooms for half-time.

Melody cautioned the team against thinking that they had it won already. Stranger things have happened, after all, and Boring Paradise are no minnows, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face after seeing her team tear apart a side expected to be one of their key challengers. She would have been smiling even wider when Ivan Alič, introduced at the break, headed in Pavlov's cross for a goal on his international debut.

The visitors weren't finished, and Webber cut the lead again with a ferocious shot from just outside the area. But this day belonged to Kinitaria, and the besieged Osama Homewood couldn't contain the tide. Costica doubled his tally for the day with a low effort that deflected horribly off Alklani and into the back of the net - although the captain will be sure to claim that goal for himself - before Alič sealed the rout and a remarkable debut for himself with a mazy run past two defenders and a clinical finish into the bottom corner to make it 7-2. And yet it was Boring Paradise who would have the last word. Kevin Harris floated in a cross from the left wing that evaded everyone - including Kinitar goalkeeper Semil Alčer - and flew into the net for one of the most spectacular, yet irrelevant of consolation goals.

"I couldn't be prouder of each and every one of you," were Melody's words to her team after the full-time whistle. "You've shown everyone today that you won't lie down. We might not get much news from Mi'ato any more, but what you've done here will give hope to everyone at home. Forget about Vilita, because our campaign starts here!"

[Brenecia]

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
How We Can Beat The Inevitable Syndicate
by Kurtis Baines

First, time to get it over with. Statistically, we have never beaten the Syndicate in four attempts. We have, in fact, lost all four matches, to an aggregate scoreline of 10-1. This is likely to get worse, since the Syndicate are at home, better than us and harder than us.

That said, they just drew 0-0 with Southern Holdinia. Southern fucking Holdinia. They weren't even mentioned by name in the Observer's preview. Because they're not worth mentioning.

Off days happen. And you'd better believe Brenecia is far more capable of exploiting one than Southern Holdinia.

Granted, we've had off days of our own. Both of the first two days, in fact, from a defensive standpoint. But Scherzer alone has scored four times, and the team's been working fantastically going forward as a unit. We've proven far better going forward than anyone had expected, let alone ourselves. We might just have it in us to crack the Syndicate defence.

It would help if they rested a few players, but that's doubtful given as we're a legitimate threat in this group; certainly more than any other team barring Ruentenbach. Why would they feel the need to rotate?

So in all likelihood we'll be stuck against their best XI, or something close to it. Meaning a team better than us almost all over the park - barring, perhaps, the back lines, which seem comparable - will face us. Brenecia will need to play to our strengths to succeed - and in my view at least, this means going on the offensive, away, against a very strong team.

Do we have the ability to do so? I'd say so. With Cheney Scherzer in red-hot form and Miriam Spitfire a solid player in the Apox leagues, with Snowden playing his heart out on the right, as usual, we have the calibre of players it takes to get the ball to him - Spitfire is, of course, a threat of her own, scoring twice against Mamaroneck.

The main issue is central midfield. Jay Robinson was a truly world-class holding midfielder two or three years ago. Cotrell... still is. And Fletcher? A dynamic 23-year old based on Farfadillis? Their best players will be matched up against what is relatively a weak point for us; Erin Camden's a good player but her skillset isn't really cut out for this sort of midfield battle, Underwood is a real battler but doesn't have the technical ability, leaving us with Breton alone; he'll probably have his hands full in a purely defensive capacity.

If we leave the Syndicate to attack us at will, they will find a way through. Likely through that superior central midfield, but they're a threat on the flanks as well. There's a reason we've never beaten them. But with a new, aggressive style of play that prioritises smashing down defences and playing an extremely fast, high-tempo game, we might just buck the trend come the weekend...

[Eura]

OOC: This is the second part of the conclusion to the Askoy/Ituyan RP line from yesterday.

‘…the verdict of this inquiry is that the Agency of State Information played a key role in the recent crisis, and must be refitted for purpose. This tribunal will be pursuing treason charges against no fewer than two dozen ASI personnel, though for reasons of national security we cannot confirm their identities. For that reason we would also like to state our disappointment at the mainstream media for attempting to disclose the identities of some of these individuals. In the meantime, the ASI will be equipped with a new staff that can carry the agency into a prosperous and, more importantly, legal future…’

‘So you’re absolutely sure he is going to be a good appointment?’ Eura’s new Prime Minister Michael Judge was making plans for the future while the news report played on the radio in the background, and that included appointing a new spy chief for the purged but not neutered OSI. He had a couple of years until the next election, but Judge wanted to be seen to be making a positive impact from the start. That meant appointing a new Chairman for the OSI, one whom could be trusted. Though his real identity would never be publicly disposed, a good appointment would find its way to be murmured back to the media and therefore gather good publicity for the government.

He was looking to his Minister of Defence Robert Anderson to reassure him. ‘Michael, there’s no need to worry. He’s the best man for the job. Sure, the old Ticker identified him as his likely successor, but that doesn’t mean he’s in his pocket. My sources indicate he took part in the arrangement in return for a blank cheque with the Kalinina situation.’
‘So we can rely on him to not start up a fuss?’
‘Absolutely. I doubt him and the Ticker will talk beyond some guidance.’
‘Alright, well then, if that’s the case…let’s bring him in.’ As Anderson left the room Judge stared down at the dossier in front of him.

Colonel J. Doyley; Euran Marine Corps, DSM, MOG. Files included: South Sameba (Operation STONEWALL), Mytannion (Operation FROST), Austroslovakia (Operation’s HANDOVER AND BRINKSMAN), Astograth (Operation CROSSCOVER). This file is most secret and its disclosure by any authority or individual is a crime of treason against the Euran state.

The door opened loudly and an individual entered, taking off his coat and sitting at the desk as Judge put the folder away and got out of his chair. He held out his hand, and a broad smile appeared on his face. 'John...I'm so pleased you came.'
'Is this my interview?'
'No, no. You've already got the job. I just want to outline your remit.'
'I already know what it is.'
'Oh really? Enlighten me.'
'To defend the people and state and operate as its hidden hand, without blowing up any airliners. Good enough?' Judge chuckled as he shook Doyley's hand vigorously. 'I do like it when a man has good wit. I'll get Yarley to fill you in at the Foreign Office. I have one question though; are you still in contact with the Ticker?'
'Not really, no. He occasionally sends me a bit of advice, but...'
'But?'
'I don't take it. I intend to be different.' Judge's smile widened further - that is all he had needed to hear.

[Kandorith]

Kandorese Dragons Fail to Uphold Momentum

A devastating 2-1 loss, fans in shock and a team praying to the heavens to return the momentum in the Kandorese team. The fans are sure it will return, so is the coach. But, how are the players feeling? General opinion shows the players still having a very high morale and very high hopes in this World Cup qualifying campaign. A little bump on the road to the World Cup early in the campaign is better than failing to qualifying because of a burn out, most members of the Kandorese squad agree. If the dragons will bounce back, we will see against the game against Mehdonesia, which on paper, should not be a single problem.


With Kandorith suffering their first defeat early in the campaign, most fans agree the worst has been dealt with. The team will bounce back in the next match and will gain full momentum towards the World Cup. Kandorith ranks among the youngest teams of the World Cup, which seems to become a tradition. But according to coach Yúan; if this team makes it to the World Cup and keeps performing like they did in the first match, they will be crowned as the 'golden generation'. The golden generation team won't see any major changes from then on, the coach explained earlier today. Will Kandorith finally settle for a stable team? And will Yúan establish himself as the legendary coach he claims to be? The World Cup campaign is still young and this Kandorese team has all the time to still prove themselves to the fans at home.

[Star United States]

Star United States

---

The World Cup 69 Qualifiers

---

☆★ World Cup Qualifiers - Day Two ★☆

---

Previous Editions: Roster of Star United States; Here We Come; First Glimpse; One Day Closer;
Match Day One Preview;Day One Out and Over

Vunishia 2 : 4 Star United States

24' Unknown (VUN)

26' Soarison (SUS)
28' Garrison (SUS)
30' Gasteiz (SUS)

63' Unknown (VUN)

82' Gonzalez (SUS)

---

Star United States travelled to Vunishia, a mysterious nation. The government of Star United States provided extra security for the team as they travelled to this country.

Vunishia took the lead at their field as an unknown player scored a goal. Spark, goalkeeper of Star United States, failed to reject the ball as it was shot into the goal net.

Star United States' response came rather quick, at the 26th, 28th, and 30th minute, with goals by Soarison, Garrison, and Gasteiz. The first goal shocked the hosts, and the visitors [us] took advantage and scored two more. The first half ended with 3 goals in favor of Star United States and 1 in favor of the hosts.

Two more goals were scored during the second half. At the 63rd minute, Unknown Player #2 scored as the ball slipped into the air from the center of the box, as we call it. Star United States' response came by Gonzalez and his goal at the 82nd minute.

The game ended to the score of 2 : 4, with no yellow or red cards were handed out.

Breaking News
Chaos hit the streets of Star United States today in then morning, leaving everyone shocked. The National Department of Sports even withdrew their bid for the 61st Cup of Harmony. A great hurricane-type storm has engulfed the eastern coast of Star United States, flooding major cities such as SeaShore City, and Riverside City. All the citizens have been told to leave and take refuge in the emergency underground cities. The cities on the plains on the opposite side of the country has been attacked by tornadoes, all the citizens there have been evacuated to the underground emergency cities. So far, the citizens of City of Star and Lake Star have not been under great danger - just some light rain.

More to come as cities report in. The venues of the World Cup Qualifiers are under discussion.

[Zwangzug]

"Another day at the office?"

"The office?"

"An office, then."

"Office? Really?"

Arlo sniffed. He had a flat, unimpressive nose, the kind he was too composed to pick. He was not one to stop and smell the roses; the roses could be neatly killed and arranged before they looked presentable, and he could appreciate them just as well that way. "It's, you know, the place where we work? Half the time."

"Half of half the time."

"A quarter, then."

"I can do math."

Arlo smiled. "Wouldn't have it any other way. But, I don't know. It's just weird, thinking of all the fans, coming to watch us, while we're just doing what we're supposed to do..."

"Is it better or worse when we're on the national team and not really getting paid for it, the same way?"

"Like we get paid for much as a club?"

"Okay, well, there's that."

Arlo nodded. "What do you think of Laynee?"

"She's cool."

"That's all?"

"She...respects me, I guess," said Martina. "Or she gets that the others respect me, which is good enough."

"And Kratochvil didn't?"

"Kratochvil...we got along well, you know? Most of the time. But by the end, just...Just because you--they--never mind."

"No, go ahead."

"There's a difference between getting me, well enough to see what I have planned on the pitch, and work with that. To be part of the team and work together, so we can succeed. I can do that, Brett could do that..."

"Whoever we dig up next will hopefully be able to do that?"

"That's the plan," Martina rolled her eyes, "work on that if you're still around, yeah."

"My pleasure."

"But yeah. The difference between that, and following me, over a cliff, or whatever. I don't want that kind of camaraderie, I need...want?"

"What?"

"Nothing that comes up with the Oxen, just..."

"Is this about the Cup of Harmony?"

"The freedom to do my own thing, every once in a while! Off the field. I'm not--I'm not that different from the average Zwangzug...person," she trailed off rather than guess a demonym, "I'm just more so, sometimes. That's not too much to ask, to be proud of what makes us different?"

She was looking up at him, as if ready to gulp back a burst of fear, and Arlo decided that it wasn't the job he'd signed on for, but it was the job at hand. "Not too much, no."

"Okay," she smiled. "Yeah. I...I don't know. I'm just..."

"Nervous about playing in front of the home fans, yeah? First time in a while."

"I'm not nervous."

"Sure. Whatever."

"Arlo! Shut up."

"With pleasure."

"You're not pleased, you'd rather play your stupid folk music than be quiet..."

"Guilty. Okay, are you more or less nervous at the Pagoda?"

"Um," said Martina. "That's not fair."

"I'm just curious!"

"Like you don't know me well enough already."

"You know yourself better. So answer."

"It's...different. C'mon."

Arlo raised his eyebrows.

"Ugh," said Martina. "Whatever, I don't even know, let's go do this. Is this how people who aren't the captain feel every game?"

"How'd you feel when Brett was captain?"

"Not like this. Whatever."

"Hey," said Arlo. "Breathe. Soak it in."

Martina breathed, shivered, breathed again. "Thanks."

"Whatever. I mean, anything I can do."

"It's..." She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, tried to take things in. There were no roses to smell in the clubhouse at Eglantine Park, but there was a lot to see. "It's good to be home."

Arlo nodded. "Let's do this."

[West Angola]

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WILLIAMS, DAVIS DROP HAMMER ON CARPATHIA

In the absence of photos of West Carpathia, one of our interns created this humorous little “Western Showdown” picture

WEST CARPATHIA- West Angola soundly avenged the 1-0 heartbreaker last night, making up for the narrow loss to Saintland by issuing a thorough drubbing of West Carpathia. Leading 3-1 at halftime, West Angola cruised to a 5-2 win in what was dubbed by media here the “Western Showdown” (see above). The level of intensity displayed in the first half was just as high as that which the team showed against Saintland, and it was clear after only a few minutes that they intended to avenge their defeat in dramatic fashion. Christian Davis scored West Angola’s first goal of the qualifying campaign after twelve minutes of pounding the Carpathian defense, lifting a cross from Alan Harrison over the outstretched arms of the keeper, giving West Angola an early lead and earning himself a kiss from Mary White, lending more credence to the rumors of a relationship between the pair.

Up by one goal, West Angola didn’t let up, resuming their furious drive immediately after play resumed. The Carpathian defense proved resilient, however, and it was another quarter hour before Alan Harrison cracked the shell for the second time. Penetrating the box, Harrison attempted to overpower the keeper, but an artful deflection sent the ball rolling off to the keeper’s left straight at Anna Williams. Williams had no trouble chipping an easy shot past the keeper, who had been driven to his knees trying to block Harrison’s shot and was unable to lunge quickly enough to stop the follow-up shot. Now trailing by two, West Carpathia’s level of play increased on the attack, the desperation on the part of the young team obvious as they transitioned from a 4-4-2 to a 2-3-5, an unexpected move which, while potentially opening them up for a lot of misery on defense, was successful in throwing West Angola off guard, and Carpathia was able to break through and score their first goal of the match, the qualifying campaign, and national team history, touching off a jubilant celebration by the home crowd.

This celebration quickly became a source of controversy, however, as members of the Carpathian government ordered play stopped and entered the pitch to award the goalscorer with a medal, a celebratory jersey, and a plaque inscribed with the words, “The First of Many.” While this was going on, time was quickly running down in the first half and the ball had yet to be placed back in the center circle. Several West Angolan players and coaches approached the referee, most notably Blake Green, Luke Parrish, and Alex Birke, each of whom were stopped just short of grabbing the referee by their teammates. Carpathia had scored in the twenty-eighth minute, and the celebration had lasted for fifteen, which left only two plus whatever extra time was tacked on. Leading only 2-1 with a lot of momentum being transferred to Carpathia on account of their first goal, it was clear that allowing the score to stand until halftime could have disastrous implications. Incredibly, the referee opted to add only four minutes of extra time onto the end of the half, a move which so incensed Parrish that he had to be again restrained from entering the pitch and addressing the referee directly.

In the end, however, four minutes was more than enough, as Alan Harrison took a beautiful corner from David Thorpe, heading the ball into the goal in the second minute of extra time to put West Angola up 3-1 at the half. Chronicle reporter Donald Farrel noted that “the late goal seemed to suck the air out of the stadium. Carpathia’s fans had been loud and excited up until that point. There they were, the young team in its first World Cup, and they had just pulled within one of the second seed in the group, and had a shot at pulling even if they could bring the same level of play in the second half. When Harrison scored, however, it stole their momentum back and restored our two-goal lead. The noise level absolutely collapsed, and you could tell the fans no longer believed a draw to be a likely result.”

The second half saw West Angola again come out ready. West Carpathia had retreated back into the 4-4-2, but as soon as they gained possession in the 51st minute they again shifted into their attack-heavy style from the first half. This time, however, West Angola anticipated the move and countered beautifully, with Will Owens intercepting a pass and driving it ahead to Christian Davis, who along with Williams and Harrison easily smashed the outnumbered Carpathian defense, and Davis scored his second goal of the match to increase the gap to 4-1 in favor of the visitors. If the third goal had deflated the crowd, the fourth blew them away, as even the few halfhearted cheers prompted by the shift in formation died, and even the players seemed to feel the difference. Anna Williams would score one more time, in the 74th minute on a free kick that curled around the wall like a boomerang before settling in the back of the net, sealing West Angola’s first win of qualifying.

West Carpathia would manage one more goal, however, slipping through the defense in a last, desperate lunge in the 88th minute. The goal was disputed by Phillip Garren, who claimed that the shooter was offsides, but the goal was allowed to stand. It proved to be the final one of the match as West Angola contained West Carpathia through three minutes of stoppage time and celebrated their first victory just as jubilantly as the fans gathered in Victory Square in Namibe to watch the match on the large screen set up outside the Sporting Ministry building. West Angola returns to Namibe in their next match to face The Kytler Peninsulae in what should be another win as they attempt to keep pace with Saintland and unbeaten Olastor, who currently top the group.

Group 19 Scores
(1-0-1) Gregoryisgodistan 0–2 Saintland (2-0-0)
(0-0-2) West Carpathia 2–5 West Angola (1-0-1)
(1-0-1) The Kytler Peninsulae 0–1 Olastor (2-0-0)
(1-0-1) Alexanderburn 1–0 Alundas (0-0-2)

  Group 19                                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Olastor                                             2    2   0   0     3    0   +3     6
  Saintland                                           2    2   0   0     3    0   +3     6
3 Gregoryisgodistan                                   2    1   0   1     1    2   −1     3
4 West Angola                                         2    1   0   1     5    3   +2     3
5 Alexanderburn                                       2    1   0   1     1    1    0     3
  The Kytler Peninsulae                               2    1   0   1     1    1    0     3
7 Alundas                                             2    0   0   2     0    2   −2     0
8 West Carpathia                                      2    0   0   2     2    7   −5     0

[Farfadillis]

"So, you've done what I asked you to do?" Pekarik inquired.

"Of course I have; I get paid for it." Veen replied. "Though I can't help but feel this is a lost cause."

"But I'm hoping it is not. So I'd appreciate it if you went ahead and told me about your findings. " Pekarik replied, slightly annoyed by his scout's pessimism.

"Well. When you said 'defensive-minded defenders', I found the condition too vague. So, basically, I looked for good defenders from every league and gave them a rating that tells you wether the player's very defensive or not so defensive. Say, a zero is a defender who likes to dribble his way out of the box and a five is one that will punt it out as soon as possible and encourage his teammates to do the same."

"I see. I guess the higher the rating the better, but I'm not a particular fan of your description of a five, to be honest."

"Well, I think that judging by your preferences, a three or a four would be best. Nonetheless, I don't think you'll be a fan of many of my findings. Maybe you won't like any of them." Jon told Pekarik, knowing his colleague wouldn't like to hear that, but he still believed it to be the truth.

"Hmph. Fine, but still, go ahead."

"Well, I'll go from worst to best. At least it will build up some hope for you, I guess. The first one I found was Martín Zondoraa. Twenty-two years old."

"Oh, so a young talent? Or, wait, is he terrible?"

"Pretty much. He's very defensive-minded, but he still makes silly mistakes. He plays for Farf amateur team Gorfalle Town. Gorfalle Town is one of the worst teams in the Farf football pyramid. However, they did produce one of the most important footballers in Farf history, Erfaon Lisdiren. So if you're superstitious, you could consider him. He's got a defensive rating of four."

"... So you mean you actually got to the point of including defenders just because of coincidences."

"Well, I did tell you this would probably be a fruitless effort. The following one would be Mîrãés Mûrállá, who happens to have a defensive rating of two and play for Rülândéá Côstä, a third-tier Farf club. He's fairly good in terms of technique."

"I'm not looking for that kind of defenders. I know I've got tons of those. I want some who can actually defend properly by Polarian standards."

"Well, then." Veen said, as the way his eyes moved made evident that he was skipping at least ten players. "That shortens the list quite a lot. But I've got a few. There's this guy Alberto Rey, who plays for Avenida Leal as a substitute. He's thirty years old, but he's subbed in whenever the team needs to play defensively, and carries out his job fairly well. He'd be worthy of a place in a Divisjon Two team as a defender. Defensive rating of five."

"Next one."

"Roró Marutivá. Youngster from Ferdullaele, another top tier team like Avenida Leal. He's twenty and he's very good defensively by Farf standards. He's got a good future. If things go his way, he could aim to be a starter for a yo-yo team in the Polarian pyramid. Defensive rating of four."

"Look, I don't want to know about players who could theoretically one day play for Divisjon Two clubs, or maybe bad Divisjon One clubs. I want to know about ones that could at least play for teams like Red Star Severny."

"Well, there's Rancisc Faró. Red Star Severny's captain. He's been capped many times, but has fallen out of form. But I'm sure you knew about him anyway."

"There, I want players like Faró. Close to him in skill, at least." Pekarik insisted, making Veen skip at least another thirty players.

"Well, there's a few players I can tell you about."

"Fantastic! Go ahead!" said a somewhat-excited Pekarik.

"Should I exclude players you were going to call up anyway?"

"... Yes."

"Well, there's this guy called Salomón Cayfú. Won the Di Bradini Cup some years ago, moved to Farf top team La Nueva Avenida very recently. Defensive rating of three, maybe a two. A bit more offensive than you're used to, but still acceptable. I think he could play for a good amount of Divisjon One teams. This is probably the closest you can get to your expectations."

"Interesting, I want a comprehensive analysis of that guy, if you don't mind."

"I don't."

"Very well. Is there any other player worth mentioning?"

"Well," said Pekarik looking for a name in particular. "there's this guy I'm unsure of. He's the son of two Apoxians, but he was born in Farfadillis and considers himself Farf. He moved to the Polar Islandstates when he was a teenager and currently plays for Waldenøya Bears. Very young, but pretty untested. I stumbled upon him by chance, but he's shown tactical awareness and very good tackling, as well as one adamant attitude. He's a bit overly aggressive, but he can avoid being sent out really well. John Dragonslayer's his name. He could end up a Divisjon Twoer just as he could end up playing for a top Polarian team in the future, if you ask me. Actually, a top team from any league. He's somewhat skilled when it comes to attacking, but he's evidently better at defending. Wait, you've not even moved since I started saying this, what's happening, Steffan?"

"Marvellous! I want a comprehensive analysis of this guy as well. I want you to phone him about him being considered for the national team, too." Pekarik said.

"I'm guessing you really liked the description."

"I did."

[Osarius]

((OOC: Roster coming soon, need to finish this RP sequence first. In the mean time, can I have style modifier set to my normal +1.5 please?))

After a somewhat nervous 1-1 draw, Jermain Lewis took a break, handing the reins of the national team over to Jayson Dhanda for the Rabastor Trophy, held in Callistea. Dhanda's only instructions were to take an under-23 squad, with no players who already had more than five caps. A chance to prove himself, in a way. Osarius typically steamroll all opposition in the Rabastor Trophy -- when using a senior squad anyway -- but Aquillian have looked stronger and stronger in recent years, even after the departure of Alfredo Herrera and the retirement of Alejandro Palacios. Dhanda opted to bring his own backroom staff, rather than draft in Ayanna Barca-Carthy and Serenity Lewis for backup. On the face of it, an unwise move, but their presence could easily complicate things for him, and undermine his authority. While all three are former Osarius captains, Dhanda was never in the same mould as the superstar ladies.

01 [GK] Efrain SUAREZ         20 y/o Utica United
02 [RB] Gabrielle HARRISON    18 y/o Burningham City
03 [LB] Paolo BOCCHETTI       22 y/o Callisto City
04 [DM] Miguel GOMEZ          17 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
05 [CB] Fabian PADRON         20 y/o Warton Villa
06 [CB] Juan Pablo RODRIGUEZ  20 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
07 [CM] Nicola COSTELLO       20 y/o Hastmead Diamante
08 [CM] Emilio TAPIA          20 y/o Real Rajahara
09 [CF] Gabriella NEGRI       23 y/o FC Masaka
10 [AM] Andrea POYNTER        21 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
11 [LW] Tobias CLARKE         23 y/o Firewood City
12 [GK] Paolita TACCARDI      19 y/o Hastmead Diamante
13 [GK] Bartolo MONTEFORTE    17 y/o FC Barciddia
14 [ST] Marco PUNTORIERO      19 y/o Violia FC
15 [CB] Fabricio GALLARDO     22 y/o Trothwands Evolution
16 [CB] Clemente JACONELLI    20 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
17 [RB] Vito QUIROZ           16 y/o Paper Tree Town
18 [RW] Paolita BRUNO         18 y/o FC Barciddia
19 [CM] Zoe BARNES            17 y/o FC Masaka
20 [LB] Alexander SCOTT       17 y/o Cymrwell FC
21 [LW] Barbara PUGH          23 y/o Paper Tree Town
22 [ST] Salvatore LACCONA     19 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
23 [CM] Fabio MANCINI         16 y/o Hastmead Diamante

As luck would have it, Dhanda's Firebirds would face the Islanders in their opening game in Great Swan Park. The jewel in the crown of Callistean sports and performance venues is still tiny by Osarian standards, holding just twenty thousand, but it is far more aesthetically appealing. The two teams lived up to the view, too, playing to a draw in a spectacular eight-goal thriller.

             Aquillian 4–4 Osarius            | Attendance: 20,000
   Morrison 11, 37, 72     Puntoriero 2, 33   | Conditions: 25C, Clear skies
             Madera 58     Poynter 45+1       | Man of the Match:
                           Padron 69          | Tobias Clarke (OSR)

Elsewhere, a controversial late penalty secured victory for Eristicea over Kryosis. The Kryosi were strangely subdued, avoiding the usual violent outbursts that typically follow their being swindled by Eristicea in the Rabastor Trophy. The Kryosi Emperor -- present in the stands at Silver Arrow Meadow, though obscured from view -- was openly praised by the fans for his team's discipline. It is unclear whether this will be enough to spare their lives upon return to North Cyanea, however.

               Kryosis 2–3 Eristicea          | Attendance: 14,500
         Puente 68, 81     Molinaro 3, 29     | Conditions: 25C, Clear skies
                           Daley 88 pen.      | Man of the Match: Alvaro Puente (KRS)

The next matchday could have been the most difficult. At least with Kryosis and Aquillian you know what to expect, Eristicea are never so generous as to play in a familiar style. Dhanda's inexperience in management almost cost him dearly, as Osarius slumped to a 3-1 deficit within half an hour. Spotting the problem a little before half-time, the interim boss was able to adjust, and his team pulled back to 3-2 just before the break. In the second half, his changes took control of the game for Osarius, flipping the deficit to put the Firebirds 5-3 up with fifteen remaining.

               Osarius 5–4 Eristicea          | Attendance: 12,500
            Poynter 11     Molinaro 9, 27     | Conditions: 23C, Slightly cloudy
            Negri 45+1     Soukraites 18      | Man of the Match:
 Puntoriero 49, 54, 76     Daley 81 pen.      | Marco Puntoriero (OSR)

Elsewhere, Aquillian took the lead in the tournament standings, Madera's hat trick securing a comfortable win over Eristicea -- likely themselves bamboozled by the ferocity and speed of Futbol Aquilliano -- setting up a lively final game between Osarius and Kryosis.

             Aquillian 3–1 Kryosis        | Attendance: 20,000
     Madera 31, 58, 73     Puente 62      | Conditions: 23C, Slightly cloudy
                           Montero s/o 73 | Man of the Match: Jefferson Madera (AQL)

Dhanda's inexperience finally caugh up to him in the final game, as he was unable to mastermind a breakthrough against a resolute, almost spitefully, solid defensive display from Kryosis.

               Kryosis 0–0 Osarius       | Attendance: 14,500
                                         | Conditions: 21C, Slight rain
                                         | Man of the Match: Juan Estevez (KRS)

             Eristicea 4–5 Aquillian          | Attendance: 20,000
       Molinaro 19, 31     Madera 16, 48, 80  | Conditions: 21C, Slight rain
         Daley 57 pen.     Morrison 64        | Man of the Match:
        Henstridge 73      Lynch 72           | Jefferson Madera (AQL)

Final Rabastor Trophy Standings

            P  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts
Aquillian   3  2  1  0  12 9  +3  7  .
Osarius     3  1  2  0  9  8  +1  5
Eristicea   3  1  0  2  11 12 -1  3
Kryosis     3  0  1  2  3  6  -3  1

Aquillian's Jefferson Madera struck in the dying stages of The Islanders' final game against Eristicea to secure Rabastor Trophy for the Rushmori nation. It is the first time since the revival of the competition some thirty years ago that Osarius have failed to emerge victorious, and the knowledge that they fielded an unnder-23 side throughout will not be of any comfort. Jayson Dhanda's side will perhaps feel hard-done-by, with Kryosis set up to play spoiler in the final game, and fortunate to end the match with eight men, let alone all eleven.

"I'm not going to make excuses, we should have scored," said Dhanda, "Aquillian were deserved winners, you could see their Futbol Aquilliano was problematic from the start."

Aquilliano winger Jefferson Madera picked up player of the tournament as well as top scorer, notching seven goals and two assists to make him far-and-away the most effective attacker at the tournament. The twenty-three year old Bahia Rojo man has been linked with a move to Osarius following the tournament, with Rapid Hearthlands allegedly leading the chase.

Of Osarius' promising bunch, Dhanda is certain that the defenders -- who put on a less-than-flattering display in Callistea -- are among the most talented players he has seen. "I think these guys have been let down a little by the midfielders ahead of them at times, and they've shown a naive lack of focus in some situations, but they are talented kids." He explained. Of course, the greatest praise for his team went to Marco Puntoriero, whose five goals were good enough for second-highest scorer at the tournament. "Marco was isolated against Kryosis. He's a lot like Ezio Grassi in the sense that when he has a chance, he takes it. But if you can stop him getting the ball, he's not going to create his own goals, like, say, Rene Wilson-Ouaddou would have."

Osarius continued their World Cup preparation tour with a game in Applegrass. The western region is known for it's lush greens and abundant agriculture, but the game took place in the colder north, not far from the Fourgian border, where the region's biggest and best club is located; Greeningham.

Preparation Cycle, Game 3 @ Green Bowl, Greeningham, Applegrass

01 [GK] Louis FOX           23 y/o Greeningham City
02 [RB] Rex BUCHANAN        30 y/o Greeningham City
03 [LB] Jennifer JAMES      23 y/o Greeningham City
04 [CM] Nicholas PORTER     23 y/o Iton Valley
05 [CB] George SPENCER      30 y/o Lylat City Starfox
06 [CB] Salvador JUAREZ     23 y/o Greeningham City
07 [RM] Eula LUSITO         18 y/o Trelagstad FC
08 [CM] Ellen PERRY         19 y/o Trelagstad FC
09 [ST] Luisa RICO          16 y/o AFC Hollybrent
10 [CF] Joanna HEALY        18 y/o Greeningham City
11 [LM] Walter HARRISON     19 y/o Iton Valley
12 [GK] Tanya CLEAVER       17 y/o AFC Hollybrent
14 [ST] Chester DUNCAN      21 y/o Trelagstad FC
15 [CB] Eldrick HART        21 y/o Iton Valley
16 [CB] Lindsay DOHERTY     19 y/o Trelagstad FC
17 [RB] Indiana MITCHELL    20 y/o Iton Valley
18 [RW] Rodney MCCORMICK    19 y/o Iton Valley
19 [CM] Dominic BENNETT     18 y/o Greeningham City
20 [DM] Alfredo BARRERA     22 y/o Iton Valley
21 [LB] Laurence EDWARDS    19 y/o Greeningham City
22 [AM] Francisca SANDOVAL  19 y/o Greeningham City
23 [LW] Jason LANE          19 y/o AFC Hollybrent
24 [CM] Edward WOOD         22 y/o Iton Valley

       Osarius  1–0  Nova Anglicana      | Attendance: 49,723
      Healy 44                           | Conditions: 21C, light winds and intermittent showers
                                         | Starting Lineups
                                         |  * Osarius
                                         |  * Nova Anglicana (Unavailable)

Looking at the squad lists for the preparation tour, it would be easy to designate this one as the weakest. Aside from the experienced George Spencer (an Applegrass native; born in Trelagstad, of course) and Greeningham's talented teenage attacking duo of Joanna Healy and Francisca Sandoval, there doesn't appear to be much in the way of standout talent. Interestingly, Lewis deigned to field the dynamic duo together, despite their impressive performances for Greeningham's reserves and academy sides over the past few years. One can only assume it was in order to perform a better appraisal of their individual abilities, in which case Joanna performed significantly better. The eighteen year old centre forward adjusted well to Eula Lusito's deep crossing style -- a stark contrast to the direct, wingplay she is used to at Greeningham -- though she struggled when expected to run at defenders. In the end, the partnership clicked -- just in time, as wholesale changes came at half time -- and Healy correctly anticipated one of Lusito's crosses toward the back post, peeling off her defender early to find herself in acres of space. With time to set and shoot, she was always going to score, looping her strike beyond onrushing defenders, out of reach of the goalkeeper into the top right corner.

Lewis himself admitted that the performance was not what he had in mind when agreeing to bring the national team to "the second home of football"* and vowed to return with a better performance in future to make up for it.

* a classy nod to the shared heritage of Firewood City and Greeningham City in Osarian professional football's early days. Lewis is a less-than-popular man in Greeningham, though those remarks at pitchside post-game garnered appreciative cheers and applause.

[Evraim]

The Daily Comet

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Evraim forces lackluster draw against HopNation

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Nathan Harel, The Daily Comet

Yesterday evening's performance at Shimshon H. Kedar Stadium was lackluster, albeit predictable. Ha Izarayim managed to force a 3-3 draw on the favored Hops, just losing out on an upset. While analysts had predicted a similar result, no one had expected the defenses of either team to part so seamlessly, nor the scoreline that would result from two aggressive sides butting heads. "We continue to see old demons resurrected," Yosef Beleván remarked to one junior correspondent from the Comet. His demeanor was grim, the tone of his voice anguished.

While the heartbreaking, last minute goal from HopNation's Droimpol shattered the high hopes that had accrued during the last twenty minutes of play time, Evraim still managed to leap ahead of fellow journeymen, Jeckland, who took a draw against the Firebirds at their own field. Meanwhile, the top seed Northern Sunrise Islands edged past expected bottom-dwellers Tryinne by a single goal, taking the second place spot in the group. Mizuyuki retains its comfortable perch at the top of the group after demolishing the ill-starred Jecatria in a 4-0 tour de force.

Group 1
Tryienne 0–1 Northern Sunrise Islands
Evraim 3–3 HopNation
Jeckland 0–0 Thatius
Jecatria 0–4 Mizuyuki

  Group 1                                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Mizuyuki                                            2    2   0   0     6    1   +5     6
2 Northern Sunrise Islands                            2    1   1   0     3    2   +1     4
3 Thatius                                             2    1   1   0     1    0   +1     4
4 Jecatria                                            2    1   0   1     2    4   −2     3
5 HopNation                                           2    0   2   0     5    5    0     2
6 Evraim                                              2    0   1   1     3    4   −1     1
7 Jeckland                                            2    0   1   1     1    2   −1     1
8 Tryienne                                            2    0   0   2     0    3   −3     0

Speaking more of yesterday's home match, it began on a frenetic note, with the Hops controlling the center and making several tentative attempts on the goal, which Tamir Bashzayi dealt with in an earnest fashion. Unfortunately for the rookie goalkeeper, one ball snuck in seven minutes after the whistle sounded, giving the Hops the initiative they needed to open what might have been a wholesale rout. After a few minutes, however, play became more timid as Pheir Droimpol, Eisa Loostin, and company demonstrated their possession by leading youngster Reziko Nikoloz, Misha Krzentowski, and the back four on a tiresome and ponderous game of cat and mouse. As the half progressed, possession seemed to swing back to the home side, with Erez da Silva facilitating two forays that ended in missed opportunities on the goal, one by Silva himself and another by Ulan, who looked to be in top condition for this match.

As the first half dwindled to a close, the Hops resumed their more dynamic and aggressive style of play, netting another goal, this time due to Droimpol, who volleyed a pass from Loostin past a diving Bashzayi into the lower right-hand corner of the goal. This seemed to signal a pending defeat for Ha Izarayím, who looked ravenous as they departed the field for a prep talk from Beleván. The coach, who retains his long-held reputation for sternness, lectured the squad even as they took drafts from the cooler that had been set up, decrying an under-performing defense and pointing out potential solutions to the problems that had sprang up during the first half.

When Evraim's men once again converged on the field, it was with a tactful glimmer of vengeance in their eyes. Within fifteen minutes, Beleván had taken the unorthodox measure of reorganizing his back four, trading out Yair Mamo for Gram Ióllmhuraín and sending Ardelan Krishtzophar to replace Fenríc Valmarin. Together with Szirmay and Benacerraf, the newcomers succeeded in forming a robust defense that would keep the Hops from capitalizing for close to thirty minutes. Just three minutes later, Nikoloz lobbed the ball to Indamar Ulan, who ensured that it found a home behind HopNation's captain, Oeny Subanos. The cries of ecstatic fans were deafening all across the city. An equalizer scored a mere minute later on a penalty kick awarded to Erez da Silva evoked an even more enthusiastic response from the home crowd, who began singing the song "Our Spurs are Hot", an old riding tune that has become associated with Everayí football for inexplicable reasons.

Tasting blood, Beleván sent a fresh Avdil Šarho to assume Nikoloz's position, hoping to gain one more goal before the whistle brought the match to its conclusion. After a fierce series of attacks, combining the skills of Šarho, Silva, Ulan, Zamorski, and Ben-Ami, the undeniable Taamrat Ben-Ami received the ball from his attacking counterpart, beat the Hops' defense, and scored the goal that put Evraim ahead for the first time. The chants from the stands might have caused earthquakes by this time. The remainder of the game passed uneventfully, excepting the last minute goal from Droimpol. One prior attack had been ended by collaboration between Benacerraf and Krishtzophar with ease, but a prudent pass by Loostin allowed the attacking midfielder to find enough room to let rip, and he did just that. Minutes later, the game was over, and shouts of consternation reigned supreme.

Yesterday's results continue Evraim's less than stellar track record at the World Cup, and the odds remain stacked against Ha Izarayím, who will confront the top seed Vaporeons later this afternoon at Union Stadium located in Mardi, the Northern Sunrise Islands. Ruby, Alcouin, and Maniche present a tall order for the Everayí side, who have struggled to find themselves following the injury of captain and chief playmaker Nachshon Panzieri. Most analysts have predicted that Beleván will assume a more defensive orientation in the middle, fielding Nikoloz and Elharar in the center of the field. While this won't make for the most compelling play, it should ensure stiff resistance in the event of a Sunrisian sally. "We have to play smart," the coach affirmed, "Pretty dalliances with the opposite net are not going to help us win. We need to focus on the gritty, technical aspects of football, and that's what I aim to do during our match against the Northern Sunrise Islands. Expect more than a mild amount of physicality."

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Nathan Harel earned a Bachelors in Journalism from the University of Benellion in Netanya, where he played football for a time. He is a newly appointed senior correspondent for the Daily Comet, who has been recognized numerous times for his contributions to the Comet and to sports reporting in general. He has trice been awarded Correspondent of the Year, and was also a recipient of the Bercow Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism.

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Trending

• Wolfheimer FC extends advertisement for new sponsor following disagreement with Reinzberg
• Ulan and Nikoloz are both in the running for best young footballer
• Cumbersome odds: group stage analyses and predictions
• Tamir Bashzayi: I'm open to transferring out of the domestic league

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Comments (133,406)

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Ha Valiérèt Meudh ve Fuzéval Everayí
Match 2 - Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
Shimshon H. Kedar Stadium, Cor, Evraim

Home	Score	Away
Evraim	3 - 3	HopNation

Evraim	Statistics	HopNation
Indamar Ulan 63' Erez da Silva 64' Taamrat Ben-Ami 69'		Pech Schyntaing 7' Pheir Droimpol 45'+2' Pheir Droimpol 90'
5	Total Shots	12
3	Shots on Goal	5
4	Fouls	3
38%	Possession (%)	62%
1	Corners	4
2	Saves	1
1	Offsides	1
0		0
0		0
Indamar Ulan	Most Valuable Player	Pheir Droimpol

[Sandwich Territories]

Saint James Islands (FFISJ) Turned Into Flatbread; Sandwichians Win 6-2

PORT TRADAIL — So much for a tactical disadvantage. The Royals came out looking as confident as ever at the start of the match between the Sandwich Territories and the Saint James Islands at Parc na Saoirse in Port Trádáil. However, once the match went underway, overconfidence once again took over the SFA, as the Saint James Islands dominated in the early minutes of the game. Eventually, the defense succumbed after a valiant effort, and RF Mikaere Raia was able to notch one in to take a 1-0 only 14 minutes into the match. The faces on the Sandwichian supporters and those in their houses watching were that of disbelief, and even anger that the Sandwich FA once again succumbed to their overconfidence; which costed them the other match at home (and 2 more points). Luckily, the distress signal sent out by the Sandwichians was finally recieved, as Alexander Wolff got his first goal of the season in the 20th minute. The Sandwichians continued to dominate in possession from there, and Finnán Pavia was able to bend the ball from 18 yards out just past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Soon afterwards, Adam Sergeant was able to get away with a rough tackle on RB Victor Mason, and LM Kai Eko was booked for trying to get a revenge tackle on Sergeant; who was shown with a smile on his face knowing that Kai would be booked (as is common from the notorious Sandwichian troll). From there however, Mikaere Raia was once again able to show his skill, and got his 2nd goal in the 42nd minute to tie it at 2 a piece; which is how the 1st half would end. Halftime brought with it a sense of dismay once again, but the fans were resolved to stay and support their nation at home. They had passed the test, and, wow, were they highly rewarded. What was a 2-2 tie and a chance of (God forbid) another tie, or worse, possibly a loss, turned into a Sandwichian domination and Saint James frustration. It only took 3 minutes into the 2nd half for LB Thomas Castille of the Saint James Islands to get sent off for a horrible tackle on Alexander Wolff; who had to walk it off for a few minutes before returning to the game (to the high dismay of the crowd, as he was clearly hurt and possibly concussed). Saint James Island GK Marcos Llosa was also given a yellow after he went over to argue with the referee's call. Adam Sergeant was taken off for Tristan de Klerk during the break, as the Saint James Islands were down a man, and Laurance Blaise feared more retaliation towards Sergeant. Right after the substitution, de Klerk was able to send a long ball to Brady Slezak, who was able to get a blistering shot into the back of the net from around 35 feet out; giving the Royals a 3-2 lead in the 53rd minute. Sandwichian supporters started to cheer frantically, as they fueled the Sandwichian machine forward. At this point, Angelo Zapatero of the Saint James Islands was subbed out for Mikara Uira, but Uira was not able to get in position in time, which allowed for a through ball to get to Finnán Pavia, which lead to a chipped ball over a very frustrated Marcos Llosa to make it 4-2 in the 55th minute. At this point, the stadium was very alive, while the Islanders (along with their supporters) were in high dismay at what they had just seen in 10 minutes of the match. But it was not over yet, as Barukh Kjeldsen was able to join the scoring party, as he made it 5-2 in the 62nd minute with a header from a corner. At this point, Seung Riese was lacking stamina, and was taken off for Arsène Santana. The Saint James Islands, also suffering from stamina loss, also saw RM Louis-Pierre Matignon taken off for Neama Iokua. However, the Sandwichians did not hold back, as even though the Islanders seemed determined not to let in another goal, Alexander Wolff was able to get on in the upper-right corner from the upper-left corner of the box in the 75th minute, giving the Royals a 6-2 lead. He jokingly knocked the top of his head towards the crowd, and went off as he saw his number in red. Homegrown striker Derry Wilbur was able to finally play on Sandwichian soil for the national squad after representing the Sandwich Territories at the youth levels for most of his career. It was almost a sign of the changing of the guard, as the very experienced 38 year old Alexander Wolff was being replaced by Mr. Wilbur, a 21 yr old. Alexander Wolff was also a part of the Sandwich Territories national team at one level or another throughout his long 20 year career so far. Both Davos-born players were given a massive round of applause from the crowd. For the last 15 minutes, there was only joy (and relief) in the expression on Sandwichian faces, as the match ended with a scoreline of 6-2, as even though many were fearful of when the Royals would get their first win, they were able to do it at home after a less than stellar performance at home in the 1st game.

Other Notes

Adam Sergeant told the media that he expects to be playing in tonight's match against Dobbsland, and that he plans to be "just as much of a pest as usual".

Alexander Wolff will not play against Dobbsland tonight, citing that "Head coach Amadej Lama and assistant coaches Anton Ohme and Wenzel Pierce spoke with trainers earlier, and said that I had a minor concussion, and with my age they want me to rest tonight". Manager Laurance Blaise has stated that he plans to start Derry Wilbur in place for Mr. Wolff, stating that "Besides the fact that Derry is our only other true striker, he played very well in those last 15 minutes against the Saint James Islands offensively and defensively."

Leading Sandwichian Goalscorers

Finnán Pavia - 3
Barukh Kjeldsen - 2
Alexander Wolff - 2
Adam Sergeant - 1
Brady Slezak - 1

EDITS: Fixed alignments.

[Apox]

Scores

"Rah! Another matchday!"

"Oh quite, old sport, though I have to confess I haven't got a blinking badger about what's going on!"

"That's the point, my good man, one doesn't need to understand this marlarkey when one is a member of the aristocracy"

"Mmm, splendid, I rather prefer just sitting with my gin and tonic in a swanky looking box with a load of attractive females, wot"

"Oh quite, you cad"

"Rah!"

Matchday Three Cut-Off