AOCAF Cup 45 - Everything Thread

[Valanora]

From the Offices of the VSC does the Marauder information come

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players Y (no more than three weeks out)
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players N
Godmod Other Events Y

What is the name of…

…the five time World Cup champions?
Valanora (known prior to World Cup 37 as Elves Security Forces)

...the other nations involved in Valanora?
Vyinta and Dark Templara

…the nation in which this Commonwealth play their home matches?
Elves Security Forces (sometimes ESF in shortphrase)

…people from the Commonwealth?
Vanorians or Vanors

…the person who created this mess?
Elves Security Forces

Style Modifier: +2

[b]Kits

Home Away

Manager
Vamariiel Falavir (F) ~
Age: 1099
Falvir's contributions to Vanorian football and the rise of Ibini FC under her management have landed her the spot as the manager of the national team. She became the first Vyintanese to ever hold the office and to many is seen that anything is possible for anyone residing within the commonwealth. Tactically, she prefers a possessive game with probing from wingers and the midfielders, which suits the player strengths of Valanora, with a history of superb attacking midfielders. Her appointment brout a lot of excitement back to Vanorian football and has been seen as a major cultural moment for the entire commonwealth, especially with the success of guiding the Marauders to the Final of the AOCAF in her first cycle in charge, and the Semis in the World Cup. Her second cycle in charge saw the abject failure of the Marauders for the first time not advancing out of the group, yet just weeks later, winning their first ever AOCAF on home soil, the victory securing her the job one more cycle on the job.

Assistant Manager
Polennoion Mitheththor
Age: 1513
Polennoion was an odd choice to be Falavir's right hand man, considering that his squads have never done more than what is expected of them. Granted that being the manager of AC Valanari had never been an easy challenge for him, but there were other options with a better pedigree to choose from. His ability to keep the squad disciplined even when there were signs of tension during the last campaign proved his worth and why Falavir picked him to be the assistant.

Keeper

1 Aediron Galadirdren, Ibini FC
Age - 673
Sex - M
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 174 lbs
Galadirdren looks to be the long term solution for the Marauders in net after several stellar seasons in the domestic scene with Ibini FC. While not loud and "in control" of his box, the keeper is very good when the opposition has a breakaway, as well as some amazing reflexes. His best attribute though is his near perfect position, always seeming to know where the opposition is going to place their shots or crosses.

Defenders

2 Vanacauion Haelinde, Raynor City United
Age - 683
Sex - M
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 168 lbs
A versatile defender who is quick for his size and good with his feet. Can be an attacking threat not only on set piece situations but also deliver good through balls and crosses when he does venture forth.

3 Aearost Tinueme, Raynor City United
Age - 610
Sex - M
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 166 lbs
With the failures of the backline the past few editions, the new managerial staff decided that pairing Haelinde with his club teammate on the national team seemed the best idea. Tinueme unlike Haelinde is a stay at home centerback, looking to disrupt opponents play with a combination of pace, strength and solid positioning. He is a manger's dream of a centerback.

4 Urúvcion Kinarthir, Ibini FC~
Age - 584
Sex - M
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 166 lbs
Part of what makes up a very formidable defense in the Premiership, Kinarthir is a mobile defender who while natural in center of the park, can also operate on the wings. A good passer and crosser of the ball and will have to pick their moments to attack cautiously with the reliance of the centerbacks on the national team for the majority of the defensive assignments.

Midfield

21 Espy va Drake, Yuba United (Paripana)
Age: 749
Sex - M
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 159 lbs
After becoming a folklore hero for the lower class of the world, va Drake has made himself one of the living legends of the game after help leading the side to a title in World Cup 53. He has traveled far and wide while plying his trade, donning kits for no less than five countries clubs. Seen as the driving force in the middle of the park alongside Hawk, it is up to the opposition to try and figure out how to deal with the brilliance the winger and his other attackers have rather than them to create magic.

6 Aintôrthea Durosa, Raynor City United
Age - 758
Sex - F
Height: 5"10"
Weight: 144 lbs
Durosa is one of those players that can play just about any position, as her skill set is vast and adequate in multiple areas. She developed her skills in her CMSC seasons, nabbing goals and assists with regularity and continued with her transfer to the Cafundeu league. She translated that wealth of experiences into solid form and was named captain to her side in Astograth, with hope that this recognition raises her play for the national team. Her good knowledge of va Drake's typical playing patterns has made the two to be a devastating pair for the opposition to contain.

14 Laborious Hawk, Hondo FC
Age - 713
Sex -M
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 213 lbs
Words do not even begin to define his talent, his talent defines words. He was awarded one of the spots that the Vanorians have in the World Cup Hall of Fame, with it being very well deserved, as he has and continues to earn everything he has been given every single day. Hawk simply strives to be the very best footballer, captain, and teammate that there can be, with the hunger for perfection driving him forth on and off the pitch.

8 Merenwen Lúinwë, Hondo FC
Age - 679
Sex - F
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 152 lbs
Lúinwë is not really an exceptional talent, not compared to the rest of the midfielders on the side. What she is though is very hard working and disclinplined. Don't let her small statue fool you, she will get stuck in with the best of them and can also spring an attack with well placed through balls. All in all, a player who will fill their role well but likely not exceed it, but with Hawk, Soldarian, and va Drake around her, that's all she will need to do.

7 Faeron Soldarian, Raynor City United
Age - 627
Sex - M
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 163 lbs
Soldarian continues to live in the shadow of more well known players both on the national team and with his club. Despite this, Soldarian is seen by all on the squad as the emotional leader and the linchpin the in the middle that allows the more attacking minded midfielders being allowed to play their game.

Strikers

9 Allandren Fresco, Ibini FC
Age - 502
Sex - M
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 167 lbs
Fresco will once again have to learn to play off a new strike partner with Isiliéseil being recognized for his exceptionally play in the domestic league and given a spot straight into the starting eleven. By now Fresco is a known commodity, strong in the air with a pretty decent shot, the vision to create when asked upon. With both of the forwards very comfortable playing with the ball in their feet rather than one being a poacher, you can expect them to rotate their positions, along with Hawk, to create a fearsome attacking spearhead trio that will be difficult for many managers to come up with a plan to stop.

10 Sellien Isiliéseil, Hondo FC ~
Age - 684
Sex - M
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 162 lbs
Sellien is a big lad who can play the hold up game when called upon. However he prefers to slink back into the attack, get the ball, and take a run at players with his great dribbling skill. With a cracker for a shot, he's been known to pepper the goal from even forty-five yards away, though accuracy of those shots can sometimes be a problem.

Subs
13 GK Thodaugon Isilitandar - age 686 - Straightdale FC
20 GK Hothborn Ondovir - age 719 - Soldarian FC
15 CB Revhil Lardireil - age 644 - Hondo FC
16 CB Rainyardil Toraandal - age 645 - Mar Sara FC
17 CB Morlaithan Aldamiel - age 686 - AC Izotz Zubia (Audioslavia)
22 AMC Héra Teltholsyr, age 462 - Lonngeylin Coast (Vilita) (F)
23 DMC Belltherdon Cularin - age 708 - Milona-Lpaka (Turori)
18 LW Ilglerdiriel Lithvathar - age 719 - Raynor City United (F)
5 LRW Tanna Norovathar - age 379 - Ibini FC (F)
16 MC Caeltimyonan Haerear - age 604 - Mar Sara FC
11 ST Dûrdur Celetholtinu - age 696 - Oljestaden IF (Audioslavia)
19 ST Gonmucaethor Mithlithelen - age 654 - Ibini FC ~

Captain: Laborious Hawk
Set Piece Taker: Laborious Hawk
Penalty Taker: Allandren Fresco
Right Corner: Espy va Drake
Left Corner: Espy va Drake

Galadirdren
Haelinde       Tinueme        Kinarthir
va Drake          Soldarian     Lúinwë             Durosa
Hawk
   Fresco      Isiliéseil

~ denotes Vyintanese

[Furellum]

Dear Frederik Montalban,

It has come to my attention that you represent a group, calling themselves the "Furellum Team in Exile", who are impersonating the official Furellum team to the AOCAF. Under Section 398, Subsection C, part 48, Article 579, Subarticle 4, Clause 1099, Subclause 2 of the Corvidae Party Act, the misrepresentation of Furelese Ambassadors, Officially Recognised Persons or other Official Parties is strictly prohibited. You are herby ordered to cease and desist from these activities at once, and to withdraw from any event which you have gained access to through these unlawful activities.

Yours Sincerely,
Vasilica Petrescu,
Head of National Security

PS. I recognise that the players you represent were formally the official team of Furellum. The current government is willing to offer the team the chance to represent their country again. To that end, I am happy to offer amnesty and a place on the national team to any player that will return to Furellum. Please consider this option carefully. I'm sure your players must miss their family and friends very much, and would like to see them again.

It was the home field of Furellum's football team, but no football was being played tonight. That was not surprising, now that the team was in exile. The field had been owned by the Grand Duke, but since the Corvidae takeover, the field was now officially owned by the state. Which meant Special Administrator Yuri Kedzierski. The grey wolf strode out onto the field, ignoring the other people that ran around setting up oil lamps in a large circle. Yuri stood at a suitable distance from the circle and looked up into the night sky. Soon, the sound of a helicopter could be heard. Yuri looked to see where the noise was coming from. It was a strange sound; he'd never heard it before, or even seen a helicopter. He wondered what the machine would look like. He could see something, but it was difficult to make out in the dark. He'd been told the aircraft would be flying without lights on so it wouldn't be seen, but he wondered what the point was when you could hear it from leagues away.

The aircraft began it's descent, and Yuri got his first look at a helicopter. He was amazed, but he tried not to let it show. It would not do to make a bad impression on his guest. He was sure foreigners considered Furellum backwards because they didn't have the technology they did. For Yuri, that had been a good thing. He was the man who had brought technology to the people, even if most of it did end up in the hands of his party. With modern weapons he'd taking control of the country in one night. Yuri was about to meet the man who had given him those weapons, the man who was the father of the Corvidae, the Supreme Leader. Yuri tried not to show his nervousness as the helicopter's blades slowly came to a stop. From the helicopter to men stepped out. The first had "bodyguard" written all over him, but the second man…Yuri bowed. "Supreme Leader Crowley, welcome to Furellum."

[The Hakifao Isles]

Starlings Daily : Your Number One Blog for Hakifao Football News!

Starlings Draw Mochria One-All, Close to Knockouts

It was another good match for Hakifao against the Questionable Nation of Mochria, as the Starlings drew one-all to take undisputed control of first place. With one match to go against Nellietopia, the northern underdogs suddenly have a good shot to make the Final 16 teams. We'll cover scenarios for every group after the match report!

Things got out to a slow start, the holding midfielder Mattias Saarinen having been substituted for his more dynamic counterpart Elias Borg, who was out with a poorly-timed illness. A win would clinch the group, but any points at all would be considered successful against the more experienced Mochria team, especially as Hakifao's football infrastructure could be considered a hybrid between "Oakland A's minor-league team" and "Not bad for a bush league".

Early on, with Saarinen performing well on defense but leaving the offense a man short, both teams had a hard time penetrating the defense. But Mochria transitioned first, their unorthodox 3-2-3-2 quickly becoming a 3-7 dribblefest as they slowly pushed back the Starlings with a variety of runs and passes. The team seemed more dangerous than normal, spurred on by the right winger. Hakifao in the first half never had any momentum, and with three minutes to go, the line finally broke, letting the striker bang a shot off the hands of Isak Andersson and into the net.

The Starlings began to fall further and further back as Mochria continued their insane attacking pace. When the halftime whistle sounded, many players were glad to get off the field and as far from their opponents as possible. However, the goal in the first was not without cost; two exhausted attackers were forced to be subbed off. For the Starlings' part, Clint Egress guessed correctly that Mochria would try to park the bus and recuperate, and decided to change to a 4-1-4-1, with Saarinen moving to defensive midfielder and Walquist, Korhonen, Pederssen, and Letonien (in for Lindqvist) supporting Daniel Niemi at striker.

The second half began much better than the first, the new attack seeming to push back the Mochrians. As expected, the Mochrians subbed in a defender and a defensive midfielder to create a defensive 4-3-2-1 scheme. Alas, it was not to be, as in the fifty-third minute, Daniel Niemi's shot off the post, set up by a beautiful cross-field through pass from the foot of Herlek Korhonen, bounced to Sofia Letonien, who pounced on the ball and used her knee to smack it into the goal.

After that, both sides began to withdraw, and a few Hakifao attacks and Mochrian counterattacks fizzled out at the hands of Isak Andersson and his Mochrian counterpart. When the whistle sounded on the end of the game, the Starlings had gained a valuable point to take the group lead.

A win against Nellietopia will seal the group lead, while a draw will advance them as well. However, a loss will require Mochria getting points against Osarius for the Starlings to advance. There's only one way to figure out what will happen next!

[Greater Watford]

Hornets finally off the mark.
It may seem like a dull result, but a 1-1 draw against New Drakonika ensured Greater Watford at least came away with a point from AOCAF 45, better than any previous AOCAF campaign. A few changes were made to the side, Oldfen, Regan, and V.Warthon making way for Salvatore, Deer and Revson. Nevertheless, de Rosso had a hard task, with people already getting on his back.

In the opening minutes, Greater Watford had the upper hand, and could've scored two, however Jk Jnz was in good form, diving far to block both of Peréz's shots. Jmz Blyv also came close at the other end, but his powerful shot skimmed the top of the crossbar. Also, the game was well disciplined, which was an upside for both sides, as some players were known for being feisty.

Despite some good build up play, neither side could find that cutting edge to make the difference in the first half, and both teams went into the break, hoping to find the spark to go on and succeed in this tight encounter in Group I. A win could give either side a fighting chance to reach the knockout stages.

It was Greater Watford who struck first in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Harris managed to shake off Jrj Lepd, squaring the ball out wide to Deer. Deer was able to lob the ball back to the otherside of the pitch to Mannetti into the box. The captain calmly knocked it onto his favoured foot, before rifling home a powerful strike into the back of the net. 1-0 to the Hornets, and finally they look like breaking their losing streak.

With just 10 minutes to go, it looked like the Hornets may actually win. They hadn't counted on Jk Jnz, showing his flair and accuracy, with a 20 yard shot that swerved around R.Warthon, and into the top corner, beyond Hemsworth's outstretched arms. It was a great shot, but it was still a bad blow for the Greater Watford side.

In the final minutes, Greater Watford worked on keeping the ball away from their goalmouth, and when the final whistle blew, relief came across their faces, as they ended their losing streak. Next up, the Calanian Union, formerly The Inevitable Syndicate, who will be a stern test for the Hornets. Still, never say never.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

Season 5, Chapter 3: Kickers Offwiththehead
Chapter 1: Enter Deadpool (city) | Chapter 2: Wallbanger

The bar was rather warm and active, clapping loudly for Southcoast after their surprise win of one-nil against the Blues of Prince Rupert. The squad was gathered around a couple of table, drinking and eating, including Sindy and Sunrise, that happened to be on a table together with Purity and Wight.

Sunrise: OK, I'm going to break the silence here. Was it really needed to kick the ball through the keeper's head like that?
Sindy: It worked, didn't it?
Sunrise: Still!
Wight: Have you guys asked the coach about a wage already?
Sindy: Isn't it voluntary?
Purity: Where do you even think this is? Soviet Heaven? Nope.
Wight: Our inflation is just almost non-existant, that's it. You still have to pay for things using ink drops.
Sunrise: ...That's your currency?
Sindy: So that's what that thing was? I thought they were Chocolate Drops.
Wight: You didn't ate them, did you?
Sindy: I... think I may have to go to the bathroom for a bit.

Sindy dashed to the bathroom, causing the others on the table to look rather uncomfortable to each other.

Sunrise: I think being a bit psychotic wasn't the biggest of her problems sometimes.
Purity: Nobody can be as perfect as-
Sunrise: Do you want to have the same amount of lines of Patistan?
Purity: Eek!
Wight: You people.
Sunrise: We, the people.

A strange beat started to be hummed around the bar, until someone yelled for it to be stopped from the back.

Wight: Anyways, you better go ask the coach tomorrow about your wage, we could use the money.
Sunrise: Didn't you suggest us to him, though?
Wight: Yup. But she scored, so you should get something.

Meanwhile, on the Regular Realm.

Mikoto: Can you track where this is from?
Ytt: I'm trying my best... this isn't a walk in the park, you know...

Ytt proceeds to smack the computer's monitor afterwards.

Ytt: And this screen is a bit glitchy. Anyways... it might take some time.
Dainer: Until the next chapter?
Ytt: No... Yeah, next chapter.

[Vilita and Turori]

5-Time AOCAF Champions

The coaches will select the squad from the National Player pool. Players are listed below, grouped by position and sorted by projection 'Depth Chart' position where the top player listed is most likely to be named the first player selected for that position, and so on. Depth chart positions are determined by performance in pre-cup training sessions, as well as performance and average ratings in the Vilitan League competition and previous appearances for the National Team.

GOALKEEPERS:

Zelkki Milake [ - Lonngeylin Coast - ]
GK ( AGE: 20 CAPS: 14 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
An aspiring Astronaut, Zelkki Milake's sporting career took added importance when he signed for Eastal Lunar FC at the age of 16 and immediately became the clubs starting goalkeeper for the Season 41 Declasse Division campaign. Milake kept a series of clean sheets that kept Eastal Lunar in the top half of the table for the majority of the season and still mathematically in the hunt for promotion entering the final matchday. The 1-0 victory over Akisa Surta combined with a Turoki Isle draw propelled Eastal Lunar into the top two and ensured that the young Milake would be thrust into action against some of the top players in the world as a Stellar Division goalkeeper for V-League Season 42. It wasn't at Eastal Lunar that Milake would make a name for himself, however. The young Vilitan goalkeeper opened his International Career with four-consecutive clean sheet performances and earned a place as a reserve player on the World Cup 67 World XI team. The performances for the National Team would earn Milake a transfer to Lonngeylin Coast after Eastal Lunar's Season 42 relegation. World Cup 68 Would be a coming out part for Milake who was in goal for the Jungle Cats as they lifted the World Cup Trophy for the first time in 48 editions with a 4-2 win over the Free Republics, making Milake one of the youngest starting netminders to win the World Cup.

G.Q Disterfred II [ - Turoki Isle - ]
GK ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 9 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Young prospect Disterfred pushed Inura Forests into the top half of the Season 38 Declasse, earning player of the season honors at the club and earning recognition as a serious propsect for the National Team. Disterfred was a member of the AOCAF 41 Championship Winning side, but did not start any of the 7 matches en-route to the title. When head coach Nycflala Kater took a back seat early in the competition during AOCAF 42, however, Disterfred had his chance to play as Vilita & Turori earned their second consecutive AOCAF title. However, Disterfred's domestic career took a negative turn when Inura Forests were relegated out of the Vilitan League, prompting a cross-country transfer to the Kionao Locals in the Declasse division. Despite the strong leadership of Lita Adjei and good performances in the UICA Competitions, Kionao was unable to get promoted and eventually Disterfred would move to Turoki Isle in order to get a chance to play in the Stellar Division

Cilamara Issah [ - Marine Coast United - ]
GK ( AGE: 23 CAPS: 7 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ 5.59 Average Rating ]
Issah graduated from the Crosaibi Academy in time for the end of Marine Coast United's Season 37 campaign. After being named Marine Coast's player of the season during the first professional campaign, Issah was named Declasse player of the season during Season 38. Issah was a member of the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cat things squad that won back-to-back championships during AOCAF 41 & 42.

DEFENDERS:

Endur Rotropii [ - Marine Coast United - ]
D RLC ( AGE: 24 CAPS: 64 :: GOALS:6 ) :: [ 7.46 Average Rating ]
Rotropii made his debut for Marine Coast United during Season 38 and quickly grew popular with the fans in Crosaibi, being named Marine Coast's player of the season in his rookie campaign. Rotropii scored his first career international goal during World Cup 65 Qualifying in a 4-1 victory over Mashiki.

Jirijii Januaa [ - Mliona-Lpaka (Turori) - ]
D LC ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 6 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ 6.76 Average Rating ]
Januaa began his career at Kiiarana City but after City failed to secure promotion back to the Stellar Division during Season 41, Januaa was recruited by Nycflala Kater to make the switch across town to play for Kiiara-Torra starting in season 42.

Dmitri Levada [ - Cednia Beach AFC - ]
D LC ( AGE: 20 CAPS: 6 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
After being part of the Vilita & Turori squad that won AOCAF 42, Levada was a member of the Cednia Beach AFC squad that won the Vilitan Cup during Season 43, and subsequently went on to win the 50th UICA Globe Cup, the first ever UICA Top-Level Champions from Turori.

Tarek Edgeli [ - Strike FC (Vilita) - ]
D RLC ( AGE: 19 CAPS: 16 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
After spending 3 seasons being trained in Crosaibi at Marine Coast United, Edgeli made the switch down the coast to the Lonngeylin Coliseum for Season 43. While Strike were unable to win any silverware, Edgeli fit straight into the squad as one of the top performing defenders in the entire league earning instant plaudits and recognition back in Turori.

Geafi Laina-Sola [ - Mliona-Lpaka AFC - ]
D RLC ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 19 :: GOALS:1 ) :: [ N/R ]
Laina-Sola started their career as a training in Inura before being spotted by the big clubs and playing a few seasons with Jlinal Cove and Makosile in Vilita. Then, however, the young Turorian defender finally made the big move home to Mliona-Lpaka in time for V-League Season 44.

Arocki Tadalek [ - Inland Peaks - ]
D RC ( AGE: 19 CAPS: 9 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]

Kwuimekii Hentetii [ - Alikki-Corra - ]
D RC ( AGE: 17 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Hentetii was promoted to the senior squad at the Alikki-Corra Academy to support their Season 44 Declasse campaign

Tlikao Muratai [ - Lonngeylin Coast - ]
D C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 28 :: GOALS:1 ) :: [ 7.56 Average Rating ]
A Member of the AOCAF 41 Championship winning side, Muratai quickly proved his worth at the international level as well as earning a domestic transfer to Kiiara-Torra in the Vilitan Stellar Division for Season 40, spending a season there before switching to Lonngeylin Coast for Season 41 helping them to a 4th place finish in the final standings and a spot in the UICA Champions Cup.

:: Reserves ::

Inbekira Ajhabekk [ - Iskara Daii (STR) - ]
D RC ( AGE: 17 CAPS: :: GOALS: ) :: [ N/R ]

Monner Vileai [ - Tropicorp FC - ]
D RC ( AGE: 17 CAPS: :: GOALS: ) :: [ N/R ]

DEFENSIVE MID:

Karisto Monafog [ - Strike FC - ]
DM C ( AGE: 20 CAPS: 3 :: GOALS:1 ) :: [ N/R ]
Monafog had a breakthrough season during V-League 43, transferring to Strike FC and scoring a career high 9 goals.

Klaillal Tuirma [ - Mliona-Lpaka - ]
ATH ( AGE: 26 CAPS: 30 :: GOALS:3 ) :: [ N/R ]
Descendant of Season 4 Turorian Player of the Season and National team legend Cuolia Tuirma, Klaillal will work with Restiaa Mumamba to become the future "All-Around" player for the Turori National Team. Playing in a unique role, Tuirma will be expected to fill the role of being able to play every game, in every position - even Goalkeeper, if there are no subs left. Tuirma will certainly be starting as a substitute during their debut campaign in World Cup 62 but may get the chance to start against weaker opposition. After being brought up through the academy system at Kionao, Tuirma signed a professional contract with Colonial Sile in Vilita for Season 35, winning silverware in the first match, the Tropical Trophy triumph over Strike. Tuirma's stay in Sile didn't last long, however, coaxed back to the luxury of Arcticala Inlet to help in their Champions-Cup qualifying campaign of Season 38. Tuirma returned to Turori during Season 44 as a member of Mliona-Lpaka AFC

Kamarul Zaman [ - Makosile - ]
DM C ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 3 :: GOALS:0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Zaman, a product of the famed Alikki-Corra Academy, made the switch to the Island of Turoki to play for Makosile during V-League Season 44.

MIDFIELDERS:

Purapal Eskiiy [ - Kionao Locals (Turori) - ]
M RC ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 41 :: GOALS::SR: 6 ) :: [ 7.30 Average Rating ]
Up and coming youngster who can trace lineage back through Lake Bekk and Starblaydia, was a member of the Vilita & Turori regional squad that won the AOCAF 42 Championship. The young Eskiiy broke into the Vilitan lineup during World Cup 68 and started in the World Cup Final, scoring the goal that changed the momentum of the game in the Jungle Cats favor.

Westii Yahaya [ - Turoki Isle - ]
M C ( AGE: 17 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Yahaya was a graduate of the Turoki Academy drafted in to the Turoki Isle senior squad ahead of V-League Season 44.

Tripate Falcon [ - Cednia Beach AFC - ]
M C ( AGE: 18 CAPS: 17 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Vilita & Turori Dual National. Member of the Cednia Beach AFC squad that won the Vilitan Cup during Season 43, and subsequently went on to win the 50th UICA Globe Cup, the first ever UICA Top-Level Champions from Turori.

Aiden Varess [ - Cednia Beach AFC - ]
M RC ( AGE: 20 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]

Kigaoua Oalalka [ - Strike FC (Vilita) - ]
M RC ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 22 :: GOALS::SR: 5 ) :: [ N/R ]
Oalalka never could get settled down in Vilita, taking trial runs at clubs such as the Turoki Tide, Inland Peaks and Mavaloiao before switching gears and looking at international transfer options.

Vliela Lianksa [ - Mliona-Lpaka (Turori) - ]
M C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 48 :: GOALS::SR: 6 ) :: [ 6.72 Average Rating ]
Lianksa was a member of the Vilita & Turori AOCAF 42 Championship side

Amosiik Montaane [ - Lonngeylin Coast - ]
M LC ( AGE: 20 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]

Nubara Moafalia [ - Yeaddin Owls (Vilita) - ]
M LC ( AGE: 19 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]
After coming up throught the academy system at Mliona-Lpaka, Moafalia saw the opportunity to become a star player for the Yeaddin Owls - trading in his role as a substitute in Turori for the limelight at the Lirai Asku Castle ahead of V-League season 44.

Ikala Mravedii [ - Tropicorp FC - ]
M RLC ( AGE: 17 CAPS: :: GOALS::SR: ) :: [ N/R ]
Mravedii made their debut for the Vilita National Team at the Eagle's Cup V tournament.

Serabi Chamya [ - Arcticala Inlet - ]
M C ( AGE: 19 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]
Blood of Bedistan, Chamya was trained up in Lonngeylin before making the move to Jlinal Cove. Despite experiencing success, Chamya was talked into a switch to Arcticala Inlet in the midst of season 44 by the new Electricians Manager and Vilita National Team captain Miiara Makose.

:: Reserves ::

Jomur Hulyer [ - Mliona-Lpaka (Turori) - ]
M LC ( AGE: 37 CAPS: 188 :: GOALS::SR: 37 ) :: [ 6.76 Average Rating ]

FORWARDS:

Perran Adlani [ - Jungle Strike FC - ]
F C ( AGE: 19 CAPS: 13 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ N/R ]

Enluta Makakio [ - Strike FC (Vilita) - ]
F C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 35 :: GOALS::SR: 18 ) :: [ N/R ]
After coming through the ranks in Kionao, Makakio's performances got the attention of the scouts at Strike FC who signed the young Turorian attacker for their Season 39 campaign.

Matlya Eelador [ - Cednia Beach AFC - ]
F C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 19 :: GOALS::SR: 4 ) :: [ N/R ]
Although Eelador was never known as being the most prolific scorer in the Vilitan League, he regularly put forth consistent performances for his club. Eelador was a member of the Cednia Beach AFC squad that won the Vilitan Cup during Season 43, and subsequently went on to win the 50th UICA Globe Cup, the first ever UICA Top-Level Champions from Turori.

Inamari Altariiz [ - Mliona-Lpaka - ]
F C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 37 :: GOALS::SR: 12 ) :: [ N/R ]
Altariiz was instantly identified as a high-quality prospect at Mliona-Lpaka and was promoted to the senior squad at 16 years of age taking up a starting role in Mliona-Lpaka's Season 38 campaign. Altariiz was named Mliona-Lpaka's player of the season for 39 & 40 in addition to being named Turorian Player of the Season during Season 40 after leading MLiona-Lpaka to the Vilitan Cup title.

Kaivel Illatara [ - Lonngeylin Coast - ]
F C ( AGE: 22 CAPS: 15 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ 5.68 Average Rating ]
A graduate of the Crosaibi Academy, Illatara signed professionally with Marine Coast United during season 38. After a slow start, Illatara's Season 40 exploits earned him top honors with 16 goals in Marine Coast United's promotion campaign. The performances did not go unnoticed and Illatara was snapped up by Lonngeylin Coast as they contended for the Season 41 title. Was a member of Vilita & Turori's AOCAF 42 Championship side.

Kiliko Riazen [ - Arcticala Inlet - ]
F C ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 1 :: GOALS::SR: 0 ) :: [ 6.00 Average Rating ]
Riazen was trained in Alikki-Corra but opted to stay in the Vilitan Declasse after Alikki-Corra earned an unexpected promotion to the top flight, signing with Kiiarana City. Riazen's Krytenian bloodline makes him a secret weapon in the Vilitan arsenal, sure to be the ultimate future thorn in the side of any Audioslavian opposition. Was a member of Vilita & Turori's AOCAF 42 Championship side. After scoring 5 times for Kiiarana during their Season 41 Declasse campaign, the youngster made the switch across town to Kiiara-Torra in order to re-unite with Eel-Cat things head coach Nycflala Kater and return to the Stellar Division. The magic never came through, however, and eventually, Riazen returned to the Stellar Division by transfer - to Arcticala Inlet

Berali Tzufarei [ - Tropicorp FC - ]
F C ( AGE: 17 CAPS: :: GOALS::SR: ) :: [ N/R ]
Tzufarei made their debut for the Vilita National Team at the Eagle's Cup V tournament.

:: Reserves ::

Lboaisa Akarelm [ - Mliona-Lpaka (Turori) - ]
F C ( AGE: 21 CAPS: 17 :: GOALS::SR: 5 ) :: [ 6.00 Average Rating ]

Kristofer Kilpter [ - RETIRED (East Franz Athletic - PIS) - ]
F C ( AGE: 37 CAPS: 139 :: GOALS::SR: 64 ) :: [ 5.92 Average Rating ]

I Give My Opponent Permission To:		
		====================		
		Choose Scorers: Y		
		GodMod Goalscoring Events: Y		
				
		Injure Players: Y (Limited to Duration of Competition)		
		GodMod Injury Events Y (Limited to Duration of Competition)		
				
		Red Card Players: Y   (TG After RP is Posted to Inform)		
		Yellow Card Players: Y		
		GodMod Other Events: Y		
		===================  

[Mendoya]

Previously

Felixverse

Months into building the colony's infrastructure resulted in the first city of Mendoya, Cordoba. It was a humble city as her population was only 5,000 strong and it was mainly composed of scientists, soldiers, and construction men. But over the next year 15,000 new colonists were moved to Mendoya. The settlers were carefully selected by the Nationalist government and were placed in Mendoya. Yet, to the wider public the idea of Mendoya and existence of the colony was shrouded in myth and mystery. Many Felixians were doubtful of the existence of Mendoya yet it was there concealed for the Felixian public. But in the government the existence of Mendoya was loud and clear. For the next three years the scientists in Felix and Mendoya were determined to make a new device that can teleport things and people themselves.

The first year was babysteps, but those steps were rushed ones as the civil war raged on. Labs in Volker, Santander, Santa Maria and Cato all tested out various methods of teleportation some were crazy. Others were close. But unfortunately for the scientists the dice didn't roll for the until a late October day, in Cato. After months of trying the Rosberg Theory for Teleportation they stumbled upon a new problem but it was a good one as it set up a solution for teleportation. They solved the problem then tested it out with a carrot. It went across the room successfully. It was a huge accomplishment for the Felixian scientists as they were the first lab to figure out teleportation. They would soon inform the government.

Little did they know is when the released that information to Lazzaro Passerini's government the team would be divided, one in Mendoya and the other in Felix. For the last two years they would work with other Nationalist scientists and the originals would work long hours without rest. Some of them would die over the over working. But for now, they celebrated their crucial discovery.

To Be Continued...

(OOC: Well this was crap... I wish I wasn't tired...)

[95X]

from the Oceanside Press-Gazette:
Slipped Away
EAST-RATXFORDSHIRE, RATASTAN—95X had all the pieces put together: Talented strikers? Check. Competent midfielders? Check. Dilligent defenders? Check. Nimble goalkeepers? Check. Luck? Well, that seemed in short supply and distributed to the opposing team.

In the end, Vilita & Turori walked out of the stadium with yet another victory over 95X, 2-1. Nineteen-year old Perran Adlani scored the winning goal for the opponents at 89:53, on a charge that placed nine Vilitian players within striking distance in that final minute of play.

"Well, we congratulate them on another win," 95X Head Coach Marvin Stark remarked after the game. "We'll be reviewing the recording of this one going forward, obviously any time you leave the stadium with an 'L' you've got work to do for the next game and future meetings."

"No comment," remarked Xi Foureleven, who scored the go-ahead goal for 95X in the 32nd minute, as she quickly left the pitch following the defeat.

Enluta Makakio tied the game shortly after halftime, on an assist from Purapal Eskiiy in the 54th minute.

95X will be facing a young but challenging Romorovi team in its final Group Stage H game in this AOCAF 45. Although Romorov has yet to win a match, they've yet to lose. Unless 1-1-0 Vilita & Turori lose their match to 0-1-1 Weimania, 95X (1-0-1) needs a strong win to have any viable chance of advancing to the Round of 16.

[Ratastan]

AOCAF 45 - MD 3 Results.

Key: Qualified to next phase as best side in their group.
Qualified to next phase as one of the best seven second placed sides.
Eliminated

Group A

Ibex 3–1 Semarland
Ratastan 2-0 Florgania (Scorinated by Felix)

Group A                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ibex                    3    2   1   0     7    4   +3     7
2 Ratastan                3    2   0   1     6    4   +2     6
3 Semarland               3    1   0   2     6    7   −1     3
4 Florgania               3    0   1   2     3    7   −4     1

Group B
Naitpyge 0–1 Mendoya
Mangolana 0–3 Valanora

Group B                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                         3   2  1  0    6   1  +5    7
2 Mendoya                          3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
3 Naitpyge                         3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
4 Mangolana                        3   1  0  2    1   5  −4    3

Group C
New Cloudsdale 3–2 Bazalonia
Furellum 1–1 Ko-oren

Group C                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                          3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Furellum                         3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5
3 New Cloudsdale                   3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
4 Bazalonia                        3   0  0  3    2   5  −3    0

Group D
Nellietopia 0–0 The Hakifao Isles
Mochria 1–4 Osarius

Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Osarius                          3   2  0  1    8   5  +3    6
2 The Hakifao Isles                3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5
3 Nellietopia                      3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 Mochria                          3   0  1  2    2   6  −4    1

Group E
Cosumar 2–0 Austenersey
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1–2 Farfadillis

Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis                      3   3  0  0    4   1  +3    9
2 Cosumar                          3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6
3 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec      3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
4 Austenersey                      3   0  0  3    1   5  −4    0

Group F
Schiavonia 0–0 Western Sunrise Islands
Northern Sunrise Islands 0–2 Audioslavia

Group F                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Audioslavia                      3   2  0  1    4   1  +3    6
2 Schiavonia                       3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
  Western Sunrise Islands          3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4
4 Northern Sunrise Islands         3   1  0  2    1   4  −3    3

Group G
Blouman Empire 0–0 Robsonien
Kiryu-shi 1–5 Legalese

Group G                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Legalese                         3   3  0  0    9   1  +8    9
2 Kiryu-shi                        3   2  0  1    5   5   0    6
3 Blouman Empire                   3   0  1  2    0   3  −3    1
4 Robsonien                        3   0  1  2    0   5  −5    1

Group H
95X 0–0 Romorov
Weimania 0–3 Vilita & Turori

Group H                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita & Turori                  3   2  1  0    5   1  +4    7
2 95X                              3   1  1  1    2   2   0    4
3 Romorov                          3   0  3  0    2   2   0    3
4 Weimania                         3   0  1  2    2   6  −4    1

Group I
New West Guiana 4–2 New Drakonika
Greater Watford 2–1 The Inevitable Syndicate

Group I                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New West Guiana                  3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6
2 Greater Watford                  3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
3 The Inevitable Syndicate         3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
4 New Drakonika                    3   0  2  1    3   5  −2    2

To decide which teams got eliminated, it was used by the Host Committee the following tie breakers: Points, Goal Difference, wins, goals for and at last the RP bonus, in the case of Schiavonia's elimination and 95X qualifying, it was in base of RP bonus, due to the RP's of 95X compared to the roster-less and non RP Schiavonia (Due to personal reasons as he said).

Seedings

The teams will be placed with a number in their left side for the group winners, the second best sides will have the number on the right side, the teams with everything in green are first placed sides, the second placed sides who qualified are in blue.

Overall Table                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Legalese                       3    3   0   0     9    1   +8     9
 2 Farfadillis                    3    3   0   0     4    1   +3     9
 3 Valanora                       3    2   1   0     6    1   +5     7
 4 Vilita & Turori                3    2   1   0     5    1   +4     7
 5 Ibex                           3    2   1   0     7    4   +3     7
 6 Ko-oren                        3    2   1   0     3    1   +2     7
 7 Osarius                        3    2   0   1     8    5   +3     6
 8 Audioslavia                    3    2   0   1     4    1   +3     6
 9 New West Guiana                3    2   0   1     7    5   +2     6
10 Cosumar                        3    2   0   1     3    1   +2     6 #1
11 Ratastan                       3    2   0   1     5    4   +1     6 #2
12 Kiryu-shi                      3    2   0   1     5    5    0     6 #3
13 Furellum                       3    1   2   0     3    2   +1     5 #4
   The Hakifao Isles              3    1   2   0     3    2   +1     5 #5 
15 New Cloudsdale                 3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4
   The Inevitable Syndicate       3    1   1   1     4    4    0     4
17 Greater Watford                3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4 #6
   Nellietopia                    3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4
19 95X                            3    1   1   1     2    2    0     4 #7
   Schiavonia                     3    1   1   1     2    2    0     4
21 Mendoya                        3    1   1   1     1    1    0     4
   Western Sunrise Islands        3    1   1   1     1    1    0     4
23 Romorov                        3    0   3   0     2    2    0     3
24 Semarland                      3    1   0   2     6    7   −1     3
25 Naitpyge                       3    1   0   2     3    4   −1     3
   The Royal Kingdom of Quebec    3    1   0   2     3    4   −1     3
27 Northern Sunrise Islands       3    1   0   2     1    4   −3     3
28 Mangolana                      3    1   0   2     1    5   −4     3
29 New Drakonika                  3    0   2   1     3    5   −2     2
30 Florgania                      3    0   1   2     3    6   −3     1
31 Blouman Empire                 3    0   1   2     0    3   −3     1
32 Mochria                        3    0   1   2     2    6   −4     1
   Weimania                       3    0   1   2     2    6   −4     1
34 Robsonien                      3    0   1   2     0    5   −5     1
35 Bazalonia                      3    0   0   3     2    5   −3     0
36 Austenersey                    3    0   0   3     1    5   −4     0

Fixtures

The venue and city can be found here, every Ro16 match has a number that will help you to identify the venue.

Ro16M1: Legalese vs 95X
Ro16M2: Farfadillis vs Greater Watford
Ro16M3: Valanora vs The Hakifao Isles
Ro16M4: Vilita & Turori vs Furellum
Ro16M5: Ibex vs Kiryu-shi
Ro16M6: Ko-oren vs Ratastan
Ro16M7: Osarius vs Cosumar
Ro16M8: Audioslavia vs New West Guiana

Scorination will happen in 46 hours after this post.

[Ko-oren]

Legalese vs 95X: Legalese will take this. Their attack is very impressive and their defence is holding up very well. Their goal difference of +8 is not challenged even remotely by any other team in the competition: 4-1 for Legalese.

Farfadillis vs Greater Watford: While the Farf attack is missing something this year, I don't see why they would lose here. Not saying I can see an upset coming, but Greater Watford might take the Vherderoja to extra time. Still: 2-1 for Farfadillis, extra time or not.

Valanora vs The Hakifao Isles: The newly arrived Hakifao Isles made it through the group stage without a loss. We hope their resilience will keep doing them good, even though the Elves are as good as always. Close victory to Valanora: 1-0, 2-1?

Vilita & Turori vs Furellum: Now this is one to look forward to. Vilita and Turori should definitely come away with a win, but if there is any team in the 9-16 range that can be a pain to one of the typical strongholds of AO, it's Furellum. 3-2 to the Vilitans, and that might very well be after extra time.

Ibex vs Kiryu-shi: Ibex pulled a few tricks to get this high. Mainly because their pot 1 team were hosts Ratastan, but that does not matter much as we expected Ibex to reach this level sometime anyway. Kiryu-shi is a team that is scary in the World Cup, but somehow less of a threat in regional football. Still, these teams might take each other to penalties. And once you're there, anything can happen. If this game is decided during the first 120 minutes, Ibex wins, but I can see Kiryu-shi make it to the penalties and even win there.

Ko-oren vs Ratastan: Low scoring Ko-oren takes on home advantaged Ratastan: this is one game destined for a 0-0. However, Ratastan have scored a lot (and conceded a lot) in the first three games: this will either be 0-0 with Ko-oren winning after extra time, or a 6-4 win to the Greenblues.

Osarius vs Cosumar: The Firebirds' defence is not very strong. We can't say that in any nicer way. But we don't need to: their attack balances that out perfectly. Cosumar has kept the scoring low, but we think Osarius can make an end to that: 4-2 to Osarius.

Audioslavia vs New West Guiana: Possibly the biggest match of the second round. Audioslavia had some problems with the one loss they sustained, while New West Guiana just wanted to entertain the fans with 12 goals (for and against) in three games. Both teams are also group winners, but with nine groups, a first place in the group stage does not mean you'll be protected. We can only hope for a huge scoreline and a great game. The latter is almost a given: as for the former: 3-1 to Audioslavia.

[Nellietopia]

"Roster"
MD1: 1-0 v Mochafrappuccino@ a random blurb
MD2: 2-3 v Osaycanyousee @ another random blurb
MD3: 0-0 v The Hakifao Isleseeyoulater @ a final random blurb

---

Nellietopia Express Post Journal of Current Events Translated by Freaky Dudes

Wait, Wait, Don't Eject Me!
TURNU-SUCEAVA - A Yafotie was not enough for Nellietopia, as they suffer the ignominous fate of an early exit (which is kinda weird, considering more than half of the teams competing are actually heading home now). Things couldn't get worse as the Nellietopia mascot Nellie Scout Frying Pan was ejected early in the first half for a dubious tackle (come on, how exactly does a frying pan commit a dubious tackle?!?. The match official later admitted that he had "lost the yellow card" and decided to use whatever he had at the moment (which must mean that if the red card was gone too, he'd had sprayed the Frying Pan with the vanishing spray, perhaps?). In the end, with the only legal player from Nellietopia off the field, Hakifao was left without any opposition, after which it was determined by the Laws of the Game that players from the opposition, "should no opposition be present, must stay on their side of the field for the duration of the match". That seemed wholly unfair, given that the Hakifao players couldn't manage to lob the ball the whole remainder of the match into the back of the empty net on an empty field. They had some other conflicting circumstances preventing a more just conclusion - the wind was howling ridiculously, at one point, a player was sprayed by the match official (in the face), and continuing the theme of ridiculous weather, it started to rain sheep.

At the match's end, neither side could score (one for obvious reasons), and the Hakifao Isles were just as content as it left them plotting their next course through the tournament. As it were, the match official ended up in the hospital after an incident with the Frying Pan in the lockers after the match. He was sent away murmuring about some big white whale and stabbing and whatnot. So ends another Nellietopia adventure in AOCAF - until next time.

[Semarland]

Miserable end

IBX 3 - 1 SEM
FW 26’, 72’, MD 37’ - Lygaard 40’

Semarland’s first ever time at the AOCAF came to a miserable end, getting thumped 3-1 by a relentless Ibex side that clearly knew what they were doing. There was some good news on Andreas Mikkelsen, as the goalkeeper will be out for much shorter than expected, he’d be able to return by the quarter-finals. But Semarland were going nowhere with a poor performance from most of the team.

Semarland were good until around 20 minutes, when it all went downhill. A slip up from Matthias Karbruck granted an Ibex striker to slam the ball home past Jorgen Karlstad. Seventeen minutes later, Ibex doubled their lead after a midfielder tapped home from an Ibex corner, thanks to poor defending from both Karbruck and Nicolas Janzaard. Marc Lygaard, who put in a lot of effort, scored a consolation goal five minutes before half-time.

Semarland tried their best to look resillient for the second half, but ended up conceding one more goal from the striker who scored the first, who doubled his tally in the 72th minute. Substitutes Demba Cisse, Otto Kalsabur and Lars Carlsberg could not do much as Semarland slumped to a 3-1 defeat. This means they were knocked out, as Ibex win the group and Ratastan, the hosts came second. Congratulations to these teams, and all other teams that advanced.

SEMARLAND: Jorgen Karlstad; Knut Svensson, Nicolas Janzaard, Matthias Karbruck, Eirik Malsen; Mads Olsen (Kalsabur 70), Adren Christiansen-Hallensburg, Andreas Jansen, Tipio Runen (Cisse 63); Marc Lygaard, Jakob Larsen (Carlsberg 63)
SUBS ON: Demba Cisse (Runen 63), Lars Carlsberg (Larsen 63), Otto Kalsabur (Olsen 70)

[Weimania]

[Robsonien]

conciliatory end

[The Hakifao Isles]

Jonas Walquist was exceptionally excited. The Hakifao Starlings were set to play the biggest game of their admittedly-short (as of far) tournament. Against Nellietopia, who had defeated Mochria but lost to Osarius, this could prove challenging, although by swapping out the vicious purple-stinging nellies for a single frying pan, their opponents had seemingly shot themselves in the foot. Walquist knew differently, having worked for an abusive chef in university to make ends meet.

But no matter. It was a pan, and as such the amount of damage it could do was limited. The young left-halfback pulled up his socks and prepared himself for another game.

The frying pan called "tails", but the coin showed otherwise, and Herlek Korhonen elected to kick off first, thinking that the team could rack up a goal or six and the second-half kickoff would prove unneeded. He couldn't have been more wrong.

The frying pan, balancing precariously on its handle, was an adept keeper. The offense pushed further and further up, but it was just too large and their shots all went clattering into the pan or off the mark in futile attempts to avoid it. Korhonen, frustratedly, ripped a shot that could have torn the post asunder, but the pan's metal surface flexed so quickly that that Isak Andersson had to scramble to save the ball from going into the Starlings' net.

Eight minutes in, the pan spotted a hole in the offense and, rather than saving Elias Borg's cross, it merely intercepted it and began to dribble up the side. A nonplussed Herlek Korhonen kicked the ball away, whereupon the pan, angered, delivered a thunderous tackle directed at Korhonen's legs (the ball, bored out of its mind, had decided to peruse a nearby patch of grass). Korhonen toppled, the referee saw red, and the game was now eleven-on-zero. The penalty was taken, but Oscar Lindqvist tripped on a deposited patch of invisi-spray and went crashing face-first into the ball.

Daniel Niemi, quick-thinking as ever, quickly sprinted out to snatch the ball, sending it into the net. Unfortunately, due to a previously-unused rule about being unable to move to Nellietopia's side of the pitch, Niemi was handed a yellow card, followed by another when he protested with his fists.

The team sullenly lined up on their side. Herlek Korhonen walked up and sent his shot sailing off the crossbar and out-of-bounds. Nellietopia was ruled to have forfeited the resulting goal kick after three minutes of waiting, whereupon Oscar Lindqvist sent a shot off the post and out of bounds. After three minutes, next stepped Elias Borg, whose shot bounced off the post and stayed on the other half.

As Hakifao could not cross the line, the team collectively glared at the ball (Borg had immediately substituted himself off the pitch for Sofia Letonien) until the half ended, whereupon somebody had the foresight to bring some long sticks and string to tie them up with in case it ever happened again.

---

"Check out this merchandise I brought, mum!"

"Oh, chance cubes? How quaint. Let me see."

Little Johnny handed them over to his mother, whereupon he tripped over a disembodied liver and dropped the cubes on the ground.

---

The stadium was ankle-deep in butter. One minute it wasn't. The next minute it was.

Jonas stared at it. He was lactose intolerant. He was about to say something about not being able to physically step on the field when the sheep hit.

---

The team dragged themselves into the locker room following their nil-nil draw, bloody and exhausted. After a twenty-one minute long driving rain of sheep, which had died down halfway through into a drizzle before it began to hail chance cubes. At this point, all sirens in the stadium went off and the match was declared a forfeit in favor of Error 458 (no nation found), although the result was revised two hours later to a draw.

Jonas had been locked in the stadium by a fire in the locker room, and his body was badly in shock from the splatters of butter he had futilely tried to avoid. The final tally was nine minor injuries, one major one (Oscar Lindqvist, who had been struck on the head with a sheep, would miss the game) and Daniel Niemi's suspension.

They dragged themselves past the smoking ruin of their lockers, which had been extinguished halfway into the second half via the emergency sprinkler system, whereupon the chirrups of their OuranosTech Indestructiphones, from inside their molten lockers, informed them that they were playing Valanora next.

"Fun," Jonas muttered.

[Cosumar]

30 September 998

Fiefdom Soccer Federation
Grady Pachenko, Director of Public Relations
45 Thomas Street, Ramusok, Ramusok Fief, Cosumar
Phone: 214-529-8873, Fax: 972-315-9959
gpachenko@fsf.org

~FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE~
FSF offering special travel package to boost Cosumarite turnout for Osarius AOCAF match

Kare Boğalar, Isratanbul, RATASTAN -- The Cosumarite National Team has just advanced to the Round of 16 of the AOCAF Cup for the first time ever by defeating Austenersey 2-0, and will face longtime rival Osarius in the Round of 16 in two days. To ensure that the Dragons have plenty of fan support at this crucial match, the Fiefdom Soccer Federation has organized exclusive travel packages to Jubilee, Ratastan. Show your patriotism by following Team Cosumar on their quest to earn region-wide glory!

The discount travel packages, which can be customized and purchased at fsf.org, include air travel tickets from eight different Cosumarite airports, hotel reservations in Jubilee, a Cosumar Dragons pep rally the day before, pre-game tailgating events and of course, match tickets. All of this can be yours for just 500 Chrons per person. With a value upwards of a 1000 Chrons, that's a discount of over 100%.

"All we are trying to do is make sure there is more blue in Jubilee Stadium than orange," FSF President Tomas Navarro said. "This is a unique match in that Cosumar and Osarius are close in proximity, and equidistant to Ratastan. Two exceptional teams and fanbases will be present, and we want to give our wonderful Cosumarite followers maximum opportunity to support their team and country and make our presence felt."


Cosumar and Osarius are neighbors in eastern Atlantian Oceania, with host nation Ratastan directly between us. With both able to make the trip to Ratastan so easily, there is sure to be an intense atmosphere at this Ro16 duel.

The FSF reached a special deal with Ratastani authorities to secure 5,000 of the approximately 24,000 total tickets for buyers of this exclusive package. Since there are only two days left and it is the cheapest, easiest AND most rewarding way to witness this historic match, these 5,000 spots are sure to fill up fast! The only way to reserve YOUR spot is to order it now at fsf.org!

Similar packages will be made available for future AOCAF 45 knockout round matches should Cosumar win against Osarius. The packages can be customized to depart from airports in Ramusok, Kaldukosic, Stoneshore, Azuris, Crawford, Cassandra, Versiaville and Centus. Participants are free to tour Ratastan in their spare time before and after the match. Pep rally and pre-game festivities are optional but included in the price of the package. Flights back to the aforementioned Cosumarite airports (or to the site of the next match if we defeat Osarius) will depart the day after the match.

Children under five are free and seniors over 75 are half-price. Also included in the package are blue "Dragons Eat Firebirds" T-shirts.

The Fiefdom Soccer Federation is the governing body of Cosumar's domestic soccer leagues. It also manages Cosumar's delegations for various international competitions, such as the World Cup, AOCAF, Olympic Games, and youth tournaments. The FSF was formed in year 983 of the Cosumarite calendar to bring a single structure to our various loosely organized groups with the goal of turning Cosumar into an internationally respectable soccer destination.

###

[Greater Watford]

Shock Win see Hornets through
Against one of the powerhouses of AO football, Greater Watford stunned everyone by winning their first game at the AOCAF, and eliminating The Calanian Union from the tournament. It was a shock to see the Pot 1 team fall out of Group I, especialyl against a team who had never won before.

In the opening minutes, it was predictably all attacking play from The Calanian Union. Spencer Fox had a great opportunity on the 16th minute, and his right-footed shot slid past Hemsworth, but wide of the goal. Just 3 minutes later, and Rhys West had a header deflected away from goal by Ryan Warthon. The defence of Greater Watford threw everything on the line, frantically trying to stop a goal being conceded.

Near the end of the first half, it looked like it would be a 0-0 score, to the surprise of many. However, there was a goal in the 44th minute. The real shock however, was Greater Watford scored it. From a Calanian Union corner, Jonny Gregor hoofed the ball clear. Harris ran onto it, and dribbled for 50 yards, against a backline in shock of the counter attack. A quick one-two with Mannetti, and Harris closed in on Matt D'Sauviterre, before a delightful curling shot over his shoulder. It was 1-0 to the Hornets, at the end of the half.

Into the second half, and The Calanian Union looked for an equaliser, with all of their experience. It came in the 63rd minute, with some good midfield play leaving space for Jacob Pratt to run onto before, and he shot from 15 yards, showing composure and skill to place the ball past Hemsworth. At 1-1, The Calanian Union could play with more ease, and focus on getting a win they wanted.

In the dying minutes, Greater Watford went on the attack to find the elusive goal. On the 88th minute, Jonny Gregor sent an early cross into the near post. Freddy Lincoln met it with his head, only to see it deflected onto the crossbar. Harris followed up with a low driven shot which hit Robert Morgan before Mario Mannetti hit it on the half volley on the edge of the box, and it flew into the net. The captain ripped off his shirt in delight, and jumped into a crowd of delirious Greater Watford fans.

The final whistle blew not long afterwards, and The Calanian Union players collapsed to the ground, devastated by their defeat. The Greater Watford players stormed the bench to celebrate, joined in by several fans who invaded the pitch, to the frustration of the hosts. A second round tie against Farfadillis is now on the cards for Greater Watford

[Furellum]

To Vasilica Petrescu,

I have received your offer of amnesty. If you can guarantee my place on the national team, I shall accept it. Please understand, many of the team remain loyal to Furellum as a nation - we were forced on to Mr Montalban's boat at gunpoint. Are you aware that he is a spy for the Maalvian King? From what he has said, there may be others still working in Furellum. I advise you to be cautious.
There is one thing I would like to ask, a small favour. As you know, the team here has qualified for the Round of Sixteen against Vilitia and Turori. While it is unlikely we will win, this is a big game for everyone involved, and I would never forgive myself if I gave up the opportunity. Would you allow me this chance? I would be able to return to Furellum immediately after, if I can find a way to escape from this spy's net.

Sincerely,
Eleazar Szczelaszczyk

---
Yuri looked at the map of Furellum, as several aides stuck pins in representing various groups. While he'd claimed power, pockets of resistance against the Corvidae state had formed, formed mostly around the surviving Cardinals. Three were accounted for: Yuri had killed Mata himself, and his Hoodcrows had taken care of Cardinals Shwetz and Holub. Yuri was quite pleased with the Hoodcrows; they were proving to be quite useful. Drawn from the ranks of loyal party members, the Hoodcrows were battlemages, known for the black hoods they wore with their uniforms. Wherever they'd appeared on the battlefield, they'd turned the tide in their favour. A few here, a few there, and Yuri had Altsby under his thumb. The threat of what the Hoodcrows would do to any who resisted was enough to stop most citizens from even thinking about rebellion. Stories of them walking into locked houses and magicking victims away had circulated like wildfire among the populace. Yuri knew full well the power of such stories. He knew too that it was a threat, one that he would carry out, and indeed had.

Yuri had sent the Hoodcrows to the Guldisall, but they were too late. The magical fighting had been intense here, around the wizard's university, but the Hoodcrows arrived to find the Corvidae forces had won a partial victory. The University and its surrounds had been won by the students who sided with the Corvidae, but there was no sign of the Chancellor, Cardinal Petran. Another bird had fled the clutches of his Hoodcrow's talons, and Yuri was getting impatient. As one of the most powerful wizards in the country, Petran was a dangerous foe, and he had completely gone to ground. Yuri had his seers scrying, but Petran knew how to hide his tracks. Likewise, the other cardinals, each a wizard of some degree, had protected themselves from magical detection. So Yuri had resorted to an old-fashioned, non-magical tactic. He was going to flush the rats out with force.

He tapped a paw on the map. Speaking to the Hoodcrow in front of him, he said, "We'll leave Ingridberg for now. Let them run to it, it will make killing them simpler. Right now, we need to move forces up the Rode, search every city, every town, every shack from Upton to Rodenia. I want no stone left unturned." The Hoodcrow nodded, raised his arms, and muttered an incantation. There was a flash of light, and he disappeared. Yuri put a small, black pin at the source of the Rode River, and grinned. Once he controlled the Rode, he would hold more power, and more influence. The people could be easily swayed once the poisonous influence of the Cardinals was removed. Soon, they would see the only true way was the Corvidae way.

---
A flash of light, and the Hoodcrow appeared in a cave near Upton-on-Rode. A coyote officer in a grey uniform, the Corvidae bird at his throat, greeted him. "What orders?" he asked. "We march north, following the river. Subdue everything in our path."
The officer nodded, and the two men left the cave. In front of them was the camp, tents sprawled out in a random sprawl across an abandoned football field. Home of Upton-on-Rode Football Club, one of the best teams in the Lega Football Furellum. But there hadn't been much football played in Furellum of late. In a short while, the officer had gathered the small army on parade, and the Hoodcrow addressed them. They were an interesting army, with the first ranks in armour and carrying pikes, the next few ranks armed with swords. Behind them came men with assault rifles, some in armour and some without, and also an array of rocket propelled grenades, sub-machine guns, pistols and sniper rifles. Off to the side stood the battlemages, armed only with wooden staffs but wielding immense power. The coyote officer gave the order, and the army began to move towards Upton, which lay quietly sleeping a little way downstream.

The first shots were fired as the army came within sight of the walls. Laping into action, the battlemages flew into the air, the Hoodcrow amongst them. Magical fire burned down upon the wall tops. The watch captain called his men to surrender, and opened the gates as the mages flew over the battlements. In days gone past the watch would have set wards to protect them from such magical attacks, but no wizard wars had happened in so long that such precautions had been largely ignored. Now the watch of Upton opened the gates and watched as the Corvidae army marched into their city. Building by building they searched, rooting out every person and ascertaining their identity. Some resisted, and met a cruel fate at the end of a pike, or were shot by bullet or mage fire. Houses were looted, sheds ransacked, and bit by bit the Corvidae army crawled through Upton, leaving a trail of destruction and fear in its wake.

[95X]

(OOC: Yes, September 30th marked my ten-year anniversary as 95X. Not bad for a nation named after my original favorite bus route, eh? Here’s something a bit more exciting than a match report about a scoreless tie.)

The showdown was here. Xi Foureleven had defeated dozens of security bots and made her way to the core of the ship, where a large room contained one thing: a levitating metal cube measuring at least ten meters in each dimension.

“Hello, eleven,” the box taunts. “I will finally assimilate you!”

“No, never!” Xi shouts back, her voice echoing across the room, infuriated by the patronizing of her name being pronounced correctly the first time. “I have personally defeated all your minions and waited for this day since the beginning of eternity! I promised everyone and everything you have destroyed that I will destroy you even if it is the last opponent I face!”

Xi pointed out a window at the destroyed multiverse, unfazed she was the last remaining remnant of it.

“You were created to worship me!,” the box demands. “Bow down before me, I am your God!”

Disgusted, as Xi did not believe in “belief,” Xi calmly pulls out a triggering device.

“F*** you, Margaret!,” as she presses the button, causing the ship to explode, immediately ripping apart the molecules of everything in it.

Xi jumps up, standing atop her bed in clothes she went to bed in, breathing heavily, and noticing she is holding her chest as if she were hugging herself.

It was all a dream.

The software creating Xi Foureleven’s reality reached 4 AM at her Pacific City home, a cold rain was pouring down outside. This cold, wet Day One of a new year in 95X were the perfect conditions for shaking off the recurring dream that was also her nightmare.

She immediately slipped on some running gear and shoes, starting a very early morning jog on the jogging trails of her walled-in neighborhood. She would properly get ready for the day later on; she simply enjoyed the raindrops that soaked her in no time.

Several houses away, Floyd Commando was visiting with his parents. As Day One is a day that many in 95X use as a family holiday, the Commandos are partaking in their traditional family dinner gathering. Early that evening, Floyd had a discussion with his mother about his life.

“It’s okay, Floyd,” Mrs. Commando consoles, after Floyd was trying to explain he just hadn’t met anyone yet. “And if you should, well, you know—”

“Mom!” he cuts her off. “Pro soccer is time consuming! Just because I don’t have a girlfriend to invite over doesn’t mean I’m not trying!”

“What about your friend who became your teammate?” Mrs. Commando asks. As she doesn’t follow the sport she has no idea who she is. “Didn’t you say she’s home but doesn’t have family in town?”

Floyd was shocked.

“You mean,” Floyd nervously asks, “you want me to invite over—XI FOURELEVEN?!”

“Of course!” Mrs. Commando obliviously responds. “After all, she got you started and all! Now be a good son and give her a call.”

Floyd heads to his childhood bedroom, gets out his cell phone, and calls Xi Foureleven. He is one of the only people Foureleven trusts with her direct line.

“What do you want?” Foureleven interrogates of her caller.

Floyd responds with the nervousness of a teen asking someone out of his league to coffee, not a man in his twenties contacting a friend:

“Uh, Xi, hi, say, my parents want me to invite you over.”

After all, despite several years of playing professional soccer on the same team as her, Floyd still thinks of her as the most attractive woman in the world. He’s obviously better about it, but not perfect.

Xi groaned over the phone, and responded:

“Do you know how many people contact me regarding appearing at their event today?”

“W-well, it-t was actually my Mom’s idea—” Floyd nervously tries to explain.

“I shall be right over.” *click*

Floyd’s jaw dropped. He never imagined it would really be that easy.

Within minutes the front doorbell rang. As Floyd opened the door, his eyes lit up at who was there, although he could only get himself to look at her jaw. At least, for his sake, he wasn’t staring lower.

Xi placed the tips of her right fingers on Floyd’s chin, pushing it up so Floyd’s eyes would look into hers.

“You are getting somewhat better at this.” Xi and the brick wall of her cold eyes “greets” him. “However you still have a long way to go.”

Floyd’s father, Mr. Commando, surprised Xi didn’t dress up for the occasion and was wearing simple shorts and a shirt, walks up to greet her.

“Ms. Foureleven! Welcome! May we help you with a dress for the evening?”

“If you place a dress on a farm animal it is still a farm animal,” Xi replies. “And, I am ‘Eleven’.”

“Well,” Mr. Commando disapproves of Xi’s lack of manners, remembering a distant memory of meeting Xi’s “agent” who explained Xi the best he could, “none of Floyd’s grandparents are here this year, and there are no other guests, so I guess it’s okay, but just this time. If you would like, the bar is over there—”

“I do not drink.” Xi coldly cuts her host off.

Floyd is still standing right there, unsure of what to do, though he knows food would be ready shortly, and a brief pause is heating up to a standoff of silence.

“Hey, Dad! Maybe we should check on dinner!” Floyd attempts to cut the tension by changing the subject.

Mr. Commando slowly turns around and leaves the entryway for the kitchen, saying nothing but knows that Floyd knows Xi better than he does. Floyd turns to her to explain.

“I thought you knew my parents were professional business people,” Floyd explains. “This is like an extension of their jobs to them.”

Xi shuts down Floyd’s explanation: “You should not extend my agitation by attempting to compensate. Perhaps I now understand why you started playing soccer.”

Floyd, smiling slightly, not wanting to admit he was having a conversation with the real reason, nodded. Xi knew he was stretching the truth but decided not to admonish him for it, she’d done that plenty of times before and knew there’d be plenty more in the future.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Commando lets them know dinner is ready. As the older Commandos are lining up their plates and Floyd grabs sensible portions, Xi grabs a bit of salad without dressing, her cover for when she doesn’t want to admit she rarely eats normal food.

“Diet,” Xi claims, while the four sit down.

“Eleven, right?” Mrs. Commando asks, attempting to strike up a normal conversation over a dinner. Xi gives a dirty yet affirmative nonverbal reply, and Mrs. Commando continues. “So what does your family do and how come you aren’t with them?”

Xi, yet to take a bite, sighs, puts down her fork and grudgingly explains, knowing she would otherwise be barraged with questions all night.

“I do not have a family. I was told I was found near an outhouse on a farming road by a traveling family with ten children with the surname ‘Foureleven.’ I was the eleventh, someone wrote the letters ‘X I’ and I was never given a more proper name. I left them when I was fifteen when I became proficient at soccer and indoor soccer. I do not know or talk to them today.”

The other three were speechless.

“I do not want to speak further about my personal life.”

Mr. Commando takes a sip of wine, clears his throat, then starts his pitch, thinking this is a prime opportunity.

“Well, I’m sure there’s someone or something important to you, and as an Executive Sales Agent for Sunshine Insurance and Investments, I know I can save you a lot of money on your life insurance rates and retirement plan commissions.”

“Uh, Dad,” Floyd interrupts, trying to warn his father of impending doom.

“Not now, son,” Mr. Commando chides Floyd for interrupting, not realizing Xi was about to boil over. Mr. Commando continues, “As I was saying, someone of your age—”

Xi pushes the chair out and stands up; no more nice house guest.

“HOW DARE YOU!” She yells back. “Nobody talks to me about that, ever! Especially a peddler of overpriced scams! I will leave now! Never invite me over again!”

As Xi leaves and the door slams shut behind her, Floyd’s parents look at him oddly. Floyd knew he had some explaining to do. Neither Floyd nor Xi contacted each other until soccer picked up again.

Fast-forward to the beginning of Training Camp. Xi walks up to Floyd on the training field, giving him a hard, firm pat on his left shoulder.

“Do not become like them,” Xi says out of context.

“I don’t want to talk about it, either,” Floyd responds while looking into her proverbial brick walls. He knew exactly what she was referencing, and would never tell her how he explained her actions that night.

“However,” Floyd adds, “neither of them know how to do this!”

Floyd, situated near one of the warmed-up goalkeepers standing in front of a goal, grabs a ball, performs a practice spin move and takes a practice shot, surprising the keeper and finding the net.

“Gotcha!” Floyd playfully exclaims to his teammate.

Xi looked on. Her poker face smiled ever so slightly.

“Perhaps you will be strong enough to challenge me one day,” she calls out to Floyd.

[Austenersey]

BALLS: EUCALYPTS BOW OUT OF AOCAF 45
After the Grim Reapers take Austenersian spirit with 1-2 loss, Eucalypts cooked by 2-0 defeat to Dragons

Isratanbul, RATASTAN - The Austenersian Eucalpyts are officially out of the 45th AOCAF Cup, after scoring only one goal after three matches.

Following a nail-biting 1-0 loss to #1 seed Farfadillis in Matchday 1, the Eucalypts couldn't defend against the neighbouring Royal Kingdom of Quebec, defeated 2 goals to 1. At this stage, the side were more likely than not to be eliminated; this unfortunately made true with a 2-0 defeat by Cosumar. Assistant manager and coach Nicholas Willoughby said in a statement that the side were "gutted".

A source reported close to Willoughby's home club Mont Alban Glory has told the Herald that his future at the club is currently under close scrutiny, only a matter of weeks before the Leagua-A series kicks off.

AOCAF Cup 45 resumes with the round of 16, on ASN2 (and ASN2HD) for TeleSat subscribers, as well as RTA Radio 3 - 88-94FM.

---

Transcript: After 11 with Nick Adams | C3 Television
October 1, 2014 - Segment 5: The Papers

Nick: Welcome back to the show, before we finish up tonight - a look at tomorrow's papers. The New Bellevue Herald runs with "BALLS: EUCALYPTS BOW OUT OF AOCAF 45" [audience laugh]
The Portland Bugle writes "DISASTER IN PA-RAT-DISE: AOCAF CUP CAMPAIGN OVER FOR AUSTENERSEY". A little more dignified in Independent Weekly - "POOR KOALA-TY, AS AUSTENERSEY LEAVES AOCAF GUTTED" [audience laugh]
In the sports papers - Round Ball Edition opens with "BAD TASTE IN MOUTH - HAVE THE RATS BEEN UP TO NO GOOD?", Sporting Globe features coach Nicholas Willoughby and the headline "INGLORIUS WILLOUGHBY - IS THERE A FUTURE FOR HIM AT MONT ALBAN?"
and, of course, the final word from Saturday's Austenersey Weekender - "VOTE 2014: SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN AOCAF"

That's it, I'm done, on the day Austenersey learnt that there's more to life than balls. Goodnight.

[Nellietopia]

*blurb*

Code: Select all

===BEGIN TRANSMISSION===

Posted - %rhe32Y6t..43rAS0f00e%r3hGE0dRf5###rs1.-4plAS

Begin message:::

.  .  .  .  .

The Nellietopian Football Association would like to protest the conditions of the match played in Turnu-Suceava between the Hakifao Isles and Nellietopia.  Amid ongoing reports of uncommonly extreme weather - including a dangerous deluge of arian quadrupeds, non-AFLAC affiliated - we also have reason to believe that the match official did not conduct himself in the most estimable manner.  After issuing a red card to the last Nellietopian player on the pitch - whereas the Laws of the Game do accommodate play without opposition (per Article X, Section 9-3) - the match official clearly oversaw the [i]other[/i] rule - that a team without any eligible players on the field shall be forced to forfeit (per Article IX, Section 8-4).  Furthermore, we have plenty of documentation showing that the match official was poorly trained in using his vanishing spray - which per the Ratastan AOCAF hosting bid clearly states that "vanishing spray shall [i][u]not[/u][/i] be used at this tournament as the technology is untested" - and used the spray nonetheless to indicate the position of a ball during a penalty, which is already marked anyway with a spot on the ground, no spray necessary.  The resulting penalty kick injured the player, which was gross negligence on the part of the match official.  Moreover, when the player from Hakifao Isles punched the match official - we do not believe that a second yellow card was the proper recourse - as violent play necessitates an automatic red card - why bother with the second yellow in simultaneous turn?

This incompetence leads us to believe that the Ratastan Organising Committee cannot handle the rigours required to organize such an estimable competition of association football, whereby we have ordered our geese to defile your grass until we have received [i]justice[/i] for this recklessness.  Also, our llamas are coming to take your kumquats - if you don't have any, than Holy Maggie help you.

Nellietopian Football Association
Publication supported by the Nellietopia Ministry of Anthrope Affairs - Diplomacy and Detergent Department
Threat vindicated by the Armed Forces League of Allemenschen Critters - Bovine Goose Corps and Wooly Llama Brigade

=== END TRANSMISSION ===

---

The Nellies looked a bit turned off at this. "Are you sure we want to publish this? Isn't this inflammatory? After all, it's just a game of footy."

"Too late! It's already published..."

[ooc: who ever said Yafoties were boring???]

[The Hakifao Isles]

To the Leaders of Nellietopia

Dear Sir or Madam,

We have noted your complaint with Ratastan and find it reasonable. However, we protest one line. In our match report, we clearly stated that "Daniel Niemi...protested with his fists." You seem to have taken this as that Daniel Niemi actually punched the referee, which would indeed be a straight red. However, Mr. Niemi did not punch the referee. Mr. Niemi has a rare condition, so rare it has no name, in which the closed fist gains power of speech. As such, Mr. Niemi actually protested with his fists. His fists told the referee that he was wrong, but as it was slightly too colorful he was tossed for poor conduct, although not quite as poor as a punch.

Regards,
Alexander Korhonen
President, HFA

[Ratastan]

AOCAF 45 - Round of 16, results

Ro16M1: Legalese 1–1 95X (1–1 AET) (4–5 pen.) (12:30)

Ro16M2: Farfadillis 4–3 Greater Watford (13:30)

Ro16M3: Valanora 0–0 The Hakifao Isles (0–0 AET) (4–3 pen.) (14:30)

Ro16M4: Vilita & Turori 2–2 Furellum (4-2 AET) (15:30)

Ro16M5: Ibex 1–1 Kiryu-shi (1–1 AET) (0–3 pen.) (16:30)

Ro16M6: Ko-oren 1-0 Ratastan (17:30) (Scorinated by Valladares)

Ro16M7: Osarius 1–0 Cosumar (18:30)

Ro16M8: Audioslavia 3–1 New West Guiana (19:30)

Quarterfinals Fixtures

QF 1: 95X vs Farfadillis
QF 2: Valanora vs Vilita & Turori
QF 3: Kiryu-shi vs Ko-oren
QF 4: Osarius vs Audioslavia

[Ko-oren]

First ever AOCAF quarterfinals and predictions

The Greenblues beat hosts Ratastan 1-0, and Kiryu-shi will be waiting in the Quarterfinals. Our defence was in top form again with a record number of intercepted passes, and this cost Ratastan the game after Nanami Aoki cleared the ball to Ceindrych Heilyn. She passed quickly to Narantuyaa Chuluun, who only needed one touch to slot the ball past the suprised Ratastan goalkeeper, and the all-female goal was all to note about the game. As is only to be expected with five defenders in Green and Blue. Nascimento had to be replaced late in the game after a tackle that sent shivers down the spines of all that saw it, and he will probably not be in the next game. In his place, Hisahito Kawano will probably play, which means that we will have some problems in getting the ball from defence to offence, but in return every corner and free kick will be a threat. Audrey Leroux is also set to start as striker, keeping Chuluun off the pitch for the next game.

Kiryu-shi kept their goal clean until the third matchday, when Legalese lost any sense of mercy and scored five against the poor goalkeeper from southern Atlantian Oceania. After their second place finish they took on Ibex and we already fairly accurately predicted that Kiryu-shi would win if the game got to penalties. Which it did.

Interestingly, Legalese, as strongest of all group stage teams, lost to 95X. And that is something we could not foresee. But all of the other games? We had you covered. Betting offices across AO reported record losses for this round. Farfadillis indeed beat Greater Watford in a long game with lots of goals. Valanora did get a close victory against the Hakifao Isles. Vilita and Turori eliminated Furellum after extra time, with the losing team still scoring two goals. A tiny victory to us. Audioslavia winning 3-1. And our second worst prediction is from Osarius-Cosumar, where we only did not get the scoreline right. So obviously we are stretching our luck with the quarterfinal predictions:

95X vs Farfadillis
95X is probably the biggest surprise among the final eight. With Ko-oren in close second, obviously. Still they have the daunting task of keeping Farfadillis, current best ranked team, at bay. It is a shame to say, but we expect the fairy tale run to end here: 2-4 to Farfadillis.

Valanora vs Vilita & Turori
Two of Atlantian Oceanias oldest and biggest take each other on. And this is just good news for the other teams, who will be happy to see one of these two leaving the tournament early. 1-1 after 90 minutes, and the Vilitans will take this one after extra time?

Kiryu-shi vs Ko-oren
This is very probably the worst match in the quarterfinals. With top five teams in every single game but this one... we'll just say the the Greenblues will win 1-0.

Osarius vs Audioslavia
Another huge game. The biggest two teams in the east. An Audioslavian victory. 0-2.

[95X]

Another New Beginning
The 95Xers emerged from the tunnel at Sobolanii Stadion as underdogs, and the fans of the opposing team didn’t let them forget it. Legalese dominated Group G, winning all three of their games by at least a two-goal margin, conceded only one goal, and finished group stage with a plus-eight goal differential. But in the Round of Sixteen and going forward, everyone starts every game at zero.

95X played solid out of the opening kick, as Myrshyll Grandview led the midfield ball movement. As expected, Xi Foureleven and Floyd Commando found themselves heavily guarded, with talented defenders breathing down their neck every step of the way. Commando thought he had a great look and position around 19 minutes into the contest, wound up to take the shot, only for it to be deflected at the last minute as the ball sails over the top of the goal.

Not wanting to give either of who 95X calls a ‘superstar’ a chance, the Legalese goalkeeper powers it down the field, and Legalese led an offensive charge that resulted in a one-on-one situation between twenty-one-year-old 95X defender Wu Fivetwelve and a competent top-level Legalese player. Fivetwelve tried with all her might not to let her emotions get to her, but let her sweat weigh her down like lead, leading to a Legalese goal in the 22nd minute.

As the Legalese delegation celebrated, Fivetwelve was consoled by her teammates. It was her first national team Round of 16 game, after all.

“It’s not over yet,” Floyd Commando encouraged her. “We’ll come back.”

The score would remain 1-0 Legalese until the 66th minute, when footnote starter Krista Beal took a medium-range chance that surprised everyone. Tied at 1 apiece.

After one hundred twenty minutes, the game remained tied. Trent Callahan did his part, stopping the fourth Legalese goal during the penalty shootout. Marvin Stark looked at his penalty kick list; Foureleven, Commando, Grandview, and Natasha Davis were all up, it would be up to—Fivetwelve. She did have a decent shot for a defender, after all, and occasionally filled in as a midfielder in Brooklyn. She breathes heavily, takes a kick low and to the left, as the opposing keeper sailed to the right.

After the game, all she remembers was 95X supporters cheering, her team cheering from the sidelines, Legalese players slowly walking towards their sideline, and being personally hoisted into the air and carried into the 95X womens’ locker room after the game. And so begins a new chapter of 95X Soccer.