WC72 RP Thread

[Abanhfleft]

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ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

WORLD CUP 72 QUALIFIERS: ABANHFLEFT VS WALKANY
By Malik Qazizadah


Walkany's Eddy Haphazard attempts to get a shot at goal past Abanhfleft's Victoria Carter. A goal in second-half stoppage time sealed a point for the visitors. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

WANDA CITY, WANDA ISLAND, ABANHFLEFT - Abanhfleft failed to seal victory against lower-ranked Walkany in the IKEA Arena following a literal last-minute goal from Clint Daniels.

Playing at home, the Lady Revolutionaries looked to once again establish domination over the Walkanian Gators, who were playing Abanhfleft for the first time in an international football competition.

Abanhfleft started the match being the more dominant team, and it stayed that way for much of the game except for a few small moments. The Lady Revolutionaries almost opened the scoring when Alexandra Rousseau got on the right end of a Lillian Prescott cross, but it was child's play for Jurgen Coeman to tip the header over the bar.

Walkany seemed to have difficulty containing Abanhfleft's 3-4-3 formation, and the Lady Revolutionaries duly took advantage. Walkany had only two shots in the entire game, while Abanhfleft racked up twenty shots, with thirteen on target.

There was another chance for Abanhfleft to score when Bella Maynard's free kick from 28 yards seemed to be slipping into the net, but once again Coeman proved unbeatable yet again.

Just before half-time, Dawn Jackson jumped from behind Pep Pep Guardiola in another attempted header. Coeman, while surprised at Jackson's sudden appearance, was able to tip the ball away once again.

Abanhfleft didn't let up on the pressure even in the second half. With Coeman being forced into making more creative saves, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before Abanhfleft scored a goal. And indeed, in the 70th minute, Allison Torres let loose a screamer from between the box and the half line that Coeman simply had no hope of saving.

With twenty minutes to go, Abanhfleft continued on the offensive, as befitting Kasper Molak's "the best defense is a good offense" mentality. Substitute Karen Villegas challenged Coeman once again, but the youngster recently promoted from the U-21s saw her shot slide wide of the goal.

Some more heartbreak was in store for Abanhfleft as Cecilia Johnson, in for Lillian Prescott, attempted a shot but it was properly intercepted by Fil Gones and comfortably sent out of play.

Walkany's captain Eddy Haphazard almost got a chance to equalize for his country, but his through-ball from Leones Cleen was too weak to even trouble Victoria Carter.

But in the last minute of added time, David Lucius made a long attempt at goal, to which Carter was equal, but the rebound struck Clint Daniels' bottom and shot straight back to the net. It was a turn of events that was certainly unexpected. The Walkany faithful in blue and orange cheered wildly from their designated place in the stands of IKEA Arena, while the Fleftic fans were rendered quiet.

Abanhfleft's next game will be against the Gabbindon and The Liffan Isles, which will be held in their Harazat Stadium.

  ABANHFLEFT 1 - 1 WALKANY
TORRES (70')       DANIELS (90+2')

[Vangaziland]

In game 2, Vangaziland defeated Gnejs 1-0. The Vannish defense has been doing relatively well so far, allowing only two goals in game 1. But the attention was on the game 2 shooter. The goal came at the 76th minute from a reserve. Avery Hax came off the bench, caught a cross with his head and put it into the bottom left corner.

But for 2nd Lieutenant Avery Hax, a military policeman in the Vannish National Guard, it was not the first shot that he had to take under pressure.

Now he wears the uniform of the Vangaziland Royals, the National Soccer Team. But once a month on the weekends during his club team's offseason, he wore the uniform of the Vannish Army. It was his obligation for three more years. A year ago he graduated from the Imperial Military Academy, an academy for Army and Marine cadets. There, everyone must play a sport. Hax just turned out to be a top prospect. But he was always just as patriotic as anyone else there.

In fact, he was so patriotic that when his unit came on a deployment, he served with them for a few months during his offseason last year.

Wrexwic was a protectorate of the Vannish Empire. Corruption led to a collapse of the government's economic system. This left the nation in a third world state. The government could barely afford to police some areas. In the rural, outlying provinces, militias ruled the streets. And they needed to have a presence. Looting and other crime had been really bad before the militias came. Some areas, for one reason or another, the militia didn't reach.

It was so bad that Vangaziland had gotten involved. The Order of the Purple Cross brought hundreds of medical staff throughout the outlying provinces. Military units escorted them.

In Soha province, 2LT Avery Hax's unit, the 272nd Military Police Battalion was escorting the humanitarian operation. While Hax was finishing up his season with the Hamborg Hammerheads, the 272nd "Fireflies" had deployed their force of four companies with their DURO IIIP Guntrucks and MOWAG Eagle V 4x4s.

By the time Hax arrived, his unit was set up on a small base on the outskirts of the town of Han. This was the area where all the farmers came to trade. As such, it kept its economy up pretty well. But there was still lots of crime, organized at that.

The Vangazi, like 2LT Hax, would be working with the Wrexish militia to police the streets, conduct raids, and protect the humanitarian mission.

[Ko-oren]

A guide to Ko-orenite soccer and the Ko-orenite national team - World Cup 72 edition

Introduction
A new World Cup is underway, and it feels like it took longer than before. We all know there is one every year anyway, so we should not feel this way, but it might be because other Ko-orenite sports teams have done some winning in the time between World Cups.

And not just national teams have changed. The domestic competitions are completely different from last season too, and we know what caused it.

Union of Ko-oren, what is it?
Ko-oren is a Union now. No longer a Babelic Meritocracy - well, Ko-oren, the nation still is, but as a greater regional Union it isn't, but that's a little complicated. Let's do this again.

The five islands that make up Ko-oren: the large one and the four smaller ones to the east, are still called Ko-oren. But in addition to that, the small groups of islands to its northeast and southwest have both, within a year, declared independence under the name of the Wolf Islands and the Dragonfly Islands. Together with Milyu and Kang Rao, which have been territories of Ko-oren for centuries, the five nations are banded together in the Union of Ko-oren. So we have Ko-oren, the nation, and Ko-oren, the Union, which is five nations including Ko-oren.

But that is not where the fun ends. Thaulandi, which prides itself on its independence, has sought more inclusion with the other nations in the area - all of which in the Union. So, just for economic purposes, Thaulandi was included as well. Thaulandi boasts the largest GDP and population in the Union, but politically is not integrated very well ('blah blah independence'). More independent nations, Zakhozan, Irisia, Arhoria, Skyvinduren and Taloren, have made the same move: stay independent, but ally with the Union economically. Obviously, this transfered some power from the nations to the Union, and here is where the sports associations exploited the system. They found that all of these nations can play in the same league, like the multi-associational leagues in the Champions' Cup. But as all of these small nations do not have a national association, all of them are free to play for Ko-oren, but that would be a bit imperialistic, so it was decided that all of them could play in a joint Union of Ko-oren team.

Later, more nations joined the Union: three republics named Waratah, Fern and Protea from Crux Island. And then the Nine Sisters: nine city-states whose economies are unsustainable just because of a lack of farmland. And then the Six Saints and Santa Teresa, another two nations. Lastly Seiranesia and Dendronesia, two far western archipelagos, also joined to benefit from the economic Union. And then the large island of Polaris in the far north also joined because their economy is directly tied to Thaulandi's.

Basically, every single nation in the Union has an own history of why exactly they are in the Union. Every single nation also has a different level of integration into the Union, which makes decision making very hard. But one thing is clear: with a population of almost 159 million people (compared to Ko-oren's 23,8 million), the Union is ready to win some prizes.

(More information here)

The national team
Now we can take a look at the new team of Ko-oren. The 21 players on the team are from Ko-oren (13 players), the Dragonfly Islands (2 players), Santa Teresa (1 player), Polaris (1 player), Thaulandi (1 player), the Six Saints (1 player), the Nine Sisters (1 player), and the Polaris aboriginals (1 player).

The home venues that are tied to the team are from Ko-oren (3 stadiums), Thaulandi (2 stadiums), the Nine Sisters (2 stadiums), Santa Teresa and Polaris.

In terms of strategy, the team is the same as always. The same head coach, the core of the team remained the same, so Ko-oren will still be parking the bus. The nicknames also didn't change: it's still fine to call us Greenblues or Dragonflies.

Now you might be reading this and think that rosters typically have 23 players. That's true, but we are two players short for different reasons. The problem is that we only have one goalkeeper on the roster right now: Cláudia Macedo, a young goalkeeper who pushed the solid choice Storm Enshadilsa to the bench, but he didn't feel like sitting there, so that's one player that we expect to join the roster at some point. The last spot is still up for grabs, with that spot going to a nation that is not already represented on the team, but the selection process is still ongoing. Some of the places in the Union are far away, and some don't really care about soccer in the first place, but the search is on within teams playing in the top level of Union-wide soccer.

That's another thing that changed: Ko-oren's pyramid has disappeared (20 top level teams, 20 second division teams, etc) and now we have four conferences of 16-20 teams each, making the Union-wide system pretty easy to scout in. The teams are responsible for looking for new talent locally, and there is one team for about 1-2 million soccer fans, so every market is equally represented.

World Cup 72
And that finally brings us to the current World Cup. Group 12. Which has us, then three nations we see with a chance to reach the playoffs: Abanhfleft, San José Guayabal and New Wolfopolis, and four nations with less chance, in our eyes, to make it far: Sameba, Gabbindon and the Liffan Isles, Walkany and Nurovo.

However looking at their view on Group 12, one thing makes us very happy, and that is that they all see us as a threat. They all see a chance to beat our defence, which doesn't make us happy, but that makes us laugh instead. Bring it.

[Szavoda]

Continued from here

The three headed back down the elevator and back into the lobby. Mark talked to a secretary for a minute whilst Nick occupied himself in his phone. Katarina scanned the lobby – there were a number of people in the lobby, but there was one who stood out from the crowd. She was tall, taller than Katarina, who was close to 6ft, and had brown hair which spooled on her shoulders. She had a kind, innocent look about her, with deep, sensitive eyes with a thin yet warm smile. She was currently talking with a man in a suit, and looked a million miles away from the hired guns which this organisation was essentially made of. Mark returned shortly and Nick zoned back in, and they were first joined by another woman, presumably either Lauren or Molly. This woman was much shorter, around 5ft 4”, and had large glasses which covered a youthful face. She had thick brown hair which she wore in a tight ponytail. She, too, looked unlike a mercenary.

Mark introduced Katarina to the other woman.

“Katarina, this is Lauren. She’s our Szavda Technical Operations manager, our closest link into Szavoda. Should you choose to work with us, you’ll work alongside Lauren.”
“Hi, Lauren Nichols, you’re a Szavda right?” She said, offering her hand.
“Yep, born and bred.”
“Well, I live and worked in Szavoda for close to five years, studying at the Biological Institute in Kreceva.”
“Oh cool, do you speak Szavda?”
“Of course I do!” She returned in near-perfect Szavda. “That’s why they made me TO manager for Szavoda, I know Kreceva and Nevograd pretty well, and the Grey Corridor in between.”
“I was born in Kreceva, went to college there too.”

Another woman joined the group – it was the woman whom Katarina had seen across the lobby. She showed a smile to Katarina and shook her hand – everyone in this place had perfect teeth, Katarina noted. Mark introduced her.

“This is Molly Hibbert-Landsman, Strategic Location Operative for Szavoda, one of our finest operatives. Former OFI trainee and one of the best tennis players I've ever played against.”
“Hi, it’s a real pleasure to meet you.”
“You too.”
“Szavoda’s…quite a place. Working there certainly opens your eyes, especially when you grow up on this side of border. I personally love it there, once people get past the fact that you’re an olosh they’re actually really nice and welcoming.”

Olosh being a derogatory term used by Szavdas to describe Eurans. Katarina took an instant shine to Molly; she had a certain disposition about her which she couldn't place.

The five of them set out from the front of the building, the sun beating down on the city. It was nearing 1 o'clock as they entered the restaurant. Katarina excused herself from the party as they sat down, going towards the bathroom. She entered the restroom and leant on the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She exhaled slowly. Things were moving quickly.

---

Goalscorers vs Fhulghamous Peninsula: Milic '38, Radic '90+2

[Schottia]

The Schottic dressing room, just after the Port Christopher match.

'Done lads... ladies.' Barry Gorman corrected himself as a perspiring Kim Coultan trooped in at the end of the line of players heading into the dressing room. 'Kimberly, make sure you play like that again next time, you hear me.' He waited for he to give a little determined nod before patting her on the shoulder and letting her join with her teammates.

Gorman stopped, and out of sight he released a sigh of relief, before pulling the door open and going back to being the motivator.

'That was much more like it.' He said, looking round the battle weary players as they stat on the changing room benches. 'So important to bounce back like that after the Gnejs game. Port Christopher were really up for it out there, so that was not an easy game.'

"You're telling me!" The devil on his shoulder could have added. It wasn't an easy game for Gorman either. When he had come to the job he had promised qualification in three cycles, or he would hand in his notice. Well that was last year and this was now cycle four, where was their elusive World Cup finals spot? The defeat to an unranked side in their opening match didn't help either. There were sections of the press now calling for his head on a spike. Hell, there had even been an article in the Daily Worker titled: Who is favourite to take over from Barry? He hadn't even been sacked yet!

Defeat to Port Christopher at Harbour Hill would have been it for sure, there would have been no coming back from that. It almost felt like the perfect script, too good to be true for the doom merchants. Gorman's side losing at home to their plucky rivals in front of 50,000 home fans, the qualification campaign in tatter before it had even began. The players would have needed someone to blame, the fans would have needed someone to blame, the SFA would have had to act.

However the Armageddon scenario hadn't played out like that. Actually Gorman had been surprised how well the team had played, against the BoF third-placers. He would never have admitted it of course, but he was absolutely terrified about facing the Christopherans. They had some really good players, and the worst part was (the albatross waiting in the wings for his plump neck), he could have called up any of them two years back, when there was no such thing as a Port Christopher FA.

But everything was now good, he had to keep reminding himself of that fact. Qualification was back on track, and his side had put in a professional workman like performance. At this rate however, it was going to take most of the day for his heart to slow back down. Maybe the sack wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him in a weird way. Not really, in the grander scheme of things. Win or lose this would probably need to be his last cycle, especially if he wanted to live past fifty.

The Daily Worker
The Road to Valanora and The Equestrian States
World Cup 72
Marrian McFadden reports

---

Schottia 3-0 Port Christopher
Goals: 24" Schwartz, 43" Avelione, 70" O'Maramy (Schottia)
Possession: 56% - 44%
Shots: 12 - 4
On-target: 7 - 1

---

After the disappointment of their opening day defeat to Gnejs, it was a tentative looking Green and Whites side who lined up against their West Pacific cousins in front of a tense, capacity Harbour Hill Crowd. The Christopheran fans, most of whom had been drinking since late morning were in full spirit and making a lot of noise in their section of the stadium. The tiny territory had absolutely nothing to lose, compared to Schottia who were on a knife edge. At points before the kick off, there was more noise coming from the 3,000 fans in the away end than there was in the rest of the stadium, as the Skots sat smouldering.

Gorman made two changes to the side which were humbled in their first game against the unranked Dandelions. Eion Killanen, who never really got going at Kejm Park, was replaced by United star Alf Seggerson. Also Bruno Schwartz was preferred to Mark Allen upfront in what was probably a tactical change, in order to deal with the physicality of the Christopheran back three.

There was no doubt that the home side had an unhealthy respect for the visitors, as buoyed by their draw with Mangolana, they looked to harry Schottia at every opportunity. Despite a good period of early pressure, when the Schottic side struggled to put together two cohesive passes, the Port Christopher storm eventually ended with Gorman's men settling into the match.

There has possibly never been a bigger cheer gone up in Schottic football history than when the home side opened the scoring after 24 minutes. A nice exchange between Kim Coultan and Gaston Avelione released Larry Watt down the right wing. The BW Pallstadt wing back exploited the gap left between Robert Wessel and the Christopheran by line, pulling the defenders out of position. The 22-year-old's cross may have lacked anything in the way of sting, but big striker Bruno Schwartz managed to get his head on the end of it, angling the ball past Laxium in the visitor's goal. The FC Soessch player's ecstasy was there for all to see as he sprinted off towards the his bench, where he was duly mobbed by his teammates and grateful manager.

The goal had the effect of settling the Schottic side down further and the fans began to find their voice, taunting their opponents. In the latter stages of the first half, Schottia pressed Port Christopher time and time again. The central trio of Gary Corsie, Jon Fotan, and Seggerson looked in control as the opposition midfielders seemed to be constantly two steps behind.

Barry Gorman's men were desperate for another goal, and just when it began to look like the half would finish 1-0, up popped Avelione. Rampaging in from the left, he picked up a Fotan pass, taking it in his stride, cutting inside Miller Icacic. The Handon United forward had Schwartz to his right and Seggerson to his left, but instead opted to go it alone, holding off the challenge of James Del Vertio before drilling his shot into the bottom corner. The second goal of course changed the atmosphere in the stadium completely, and the Schottic fans would have had a spring in their step as they went down to collect their halftime refreshments.

There needed to be something of a response from Port Christopher; and quickly. Jimmy Mitchel, in contrast to Barry Gorman, would no doubt have been in a very different mood in the dressing room.

Indeed when the teams came out for the second half, there was a degree of fight back in Schottia's opponents. So often their weakness in the past, the Schottic defence were able to hold firm however. Thio Crillin, brought on at half time for Fotan, looked every bit the defensive midfielder Schottia have been missing over the years, as the towering Myrmidon player kept the likes of Elisa Rivera and Tony Uist at bay. It was backs to the wall for the home side, but to their credit, they carried out their defensive duties admirably.

Port Christopher's best chance of the match came on the 54th minute, when Moritz Wessel's pass to substitute Aredhel Neil succeeded in wrong footing Darren O'Brian. Blue Coast star Neil then played a nice ball into the path of striker Franz Müller, however, the Pirates man couldn't get the ball out from under his feet and the ball was eventually gathered by Lucas D'Araby. Müller will be kicking himself for days to come, as a goal there may have changed the shape of the match.

In the short period that followed, there were a couple of chances for Schottia to put the game to bed. Coultan had a shot form the edge of the area well saved by Laxium, and Marionville man Gary Corsie was left with his head in his hands as he fired just wide after getting on the end of an Avelione cross. The second half was turning out to be a great game of football, and despite the match being end to end, the two goal cushion was enough to stop Schottic nerves from being to shredded.

The crucial third goal, which gave the fans the comfortable score line they expected, came on come on 70 minutes. After doing well to weather another attack, Crillin punted a long clearance up the pitch. Coultan, who owing to her size always stays forward while the side defend, managed to get on the end of the ball, doing well to hold off the challenge of Rivera. The Giants' player cleverly disguised her pass to substitute Craig O'Maramy who found himself through on goal. The winger, fresh from helping his club the Warriors to the Schottic title, was in confident mood as he slid the ball under the outstretched Laxium to round off a much needed good performance for his country.

There were a smattering of half chances after the third goal went in, but nothing that either side could really make stick. Joey Bia passed up a good chance to get his World Cup account up and running, the teenager unable to convert a Schwartz cross. And at the other end Diego Bandos, really should have given his side a consolation goal, but he couldn't keep his shot down, and it flew a full two meters over from the edge of the box.

With results going our way, Schottia find themselves in not too disastrous a position following the nightmare first match. Pasarga's win away to Chiata and Vangaziland overcoming Gnejs, helps to keep Group 15 tight early on. With the tricky visit to Sarribia up next for Schottia, they will need to tread carefully however, as Merlanda Aumbaugh's side, who qualified for World Cups 56 and 57, are more than capable of springing a shock.

---

Line-up: D'Araby 7, Watt 7, O'Brain 6, Hanlon 8, Okywä 7, Corsie 8, Fotan 7 (45 Crillin 8 ), Coultan 8, Avelione 8 (65 O'Maramy 7), Seggerson 7 (81 Bia 5), Schwartz 7

Man of the match: Thio Crillin. Made all the difference when he was introduced at half time, toot the game in his stride.

[Greater Watford]

Robert Rainshaw

Chapter 2: Western Alliance D2, Colney Street FC.

Colney Street FC of the Western Alliance D2 is the next club I visited when writing this book. This chapter was much more of a tale from the touchline, I was invited to a matchday by the team, with a front row seat at Denman Avenue. One of the main differences I noticed with this ground is unlike The Porters, which I spoke about yesterday, this felt more like a true football ground. Yes, the terracing surround the 3 sides of the ground was disused, as per GWFA regulations, but I was sat under a proper stand, albeit a small one, with a proper roof.

Despite the impressive facilities for a club of its size, Colney Street FC were one of the lowest ranked sides, finishing in the bottom 3 for the first 4 years (4-7AU) of the Western Alliance D2, and only coming 12th last year based on the fact that there were 4 new teams. As it stands, it looks like the new teams might even overtake Colney Street. So what is going wrong for them, the first person I spoke to was manager Harrison Tobias McGrady.

“We’re based in St Albans of course, but we’re very close to the districts of Redbourn and Sleapshyde”. He says “so a lot of potential support from possible players and supporters is diluted. Add to early poor performances, and it gives us a problem”. McGrady says. A common theme picked up among the Level 5 clubs is the struggle to find players willing to play for them. Often players are signed through a combination of trials, and word of mouth from other sources. Seamus O’Leary, 22 year old striker, explains this to me.

“I was a youth player for a year at Maltings FC, but was dropped, and gave up with football. I started working at a garage, and the owner told me he’d brought a few advertising hoardings at Colney Street, and dropped my name to some of the coaches, and here I am”. I ask him if he’s ever been approached by other teams. “Yes, it happens, and it’s not even local teams. There’s a couple of teams, or maybe it’s the managers, I don’t know, who seem to think a part-time footballer and a full-time worker can drop tools and go across the country to join other teams”.

In-season transfers are banned, but that doesn’t put off unscrupulous managers trying to make deals outside of the transfer window, as McGrady explained to me “I had 2 or 3 players come in last year, telling me that scouts were hanging around the stadium after the game, trying to get them to join another team for the next year. It’s chaos at this level sometimes. Nobody seems to want to go through the official channels. I’m sitting here, trying to plan match day tactics, and I’m finding half of my squad is getting tapped up!”
“So what should be done about it?” I ask, inquisitively.
“Something, fines, points deductions. There’s teams out there [for the purposes of neutrality, these will remain anonymous], and they’re trying all the tricks to get up the ladder, and then there’s up, scraping the barrel at the bottom of the league.”

McGrady’s comments, along with the story of Porters Wood VillageFC , demonstrate the problem of the rapid expansion of the League at semi-pro and amateur levels, some teams take it more seriously than others. One of the possible changes to the future of the pyramid is promotion and relegation from Level 5 to the Amateur leagues. However, this is dividing opinion. The proponents say it will keep the lower levels competitive, as too many teams are accused of not trying at the bottom of the pyramid (something that is heavily denied by the likes of McGrady). Opponents say it will create instability for smaller teams. Other suggestions, such as budget caps have been rejected by Level 4 and 5 teams as imposing a glass ceiling on them, and making the potential step up to professional level a lot harder. Nevertheless, the Alliance leagues seem divided, and something needs to be done to heal the split, and get the money flowing freely throughout the division.

Robert Rainshaw.

[Gnejs]

ON THE ECPATIA –
NEWS OF THE NORTH SINCE 1910

Narrow defeat in Vangaziland

The 'Dandelions' put up a good fight, but wasn't able to steal any points from their first away game in the WC72 Qualifiers. The Vannish scored a late goal in the second half and Gnejs never really came close to equalizing. Both players and manager still maintained that they played a good game.

After the shocking opening win against Schottia at Kejm Park, many fans were optimistic for the 'Dandelions' trip to Vangaziland and the relatively low ranked Vannish side. The Gnejs side did do a good job, keeping their defense tight, as per custom, for the bulk of the game. However, whereas the opening game against Schottia saw some fast and effective turnarounds and counterattacks, the gnejsian offense never really got started in Vangaziland. So when Avery Hax came off the bench in the second half and headed in 1-0 for the Vannish in the 76th minute, the 'Dandelions' never really came close to equalizing.

Spirits were high among the hosts when the bell tolled, but the gnejsian players didn’t look too disappointed either. Team captain and left-defender Sven-Erik Andersson summarized the players' feelings like this when our correspondent spoke with him after the game:

"I think we did a good job on the defensive side, all in all. The players up front never really got things going for them, but we largely try to do quick turnarounds and pass stolen balls up fast, and when the Vannish players had such an effective way of dealing with that, it's not really fair to put the blame on our forwards. And it was quite overwhelming playing away, none of us have ever been outside the IDU before, and for a lot of the younger players this was the first time outside of Gnejs. This has been a great experience though, seeing the Vannish capital of Emeros was amazing, and I was surprised over how it kind of resembled Port Kejm and other gnejsian coastal cities."

The 'Dandelions' now return home, as they ready themselves to welcome Chiata at Kejm Park tomorrow. The Chiata Suns, ranked 33th in the world, are seeded second in the group, and most pre-game commentators, including On the Ecpatia's own Audun Nes, are expecting them to win at 'The Dock'.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

THIS IS WAR: Gregoryisgodistan invades Guayabal
Journalist Soldier 438ISDABSD

The invasion of San Jose Guayabal had begun, and with it the Great War of Esportiva and Beyond, or just the Great War for short. Gregoryisgodistani troops were parachuting into the country very fast to the point where in some cities they blacked out the sky almost. It was a terrifying sight for the people to watch, these heavily armed soldiers parachuting in and attacking anyone they came across, civilian or soldier. But the Gregoryisgodistani military was a guerilla front who didn't care about the laws of war, and they were shooting everyone who came outside. In the first two hours, they had killed 1,988 Guayabalense citizens before finally their government issued a shelter-in-place order via reverse-911 advising all citizens to stay inside until further notice. Unfortunately, some citizens were outside when the call came in and had to go back inside, so eventually the casualty count rose to 2,084.

But the Gregoryisgodistani troops were not done. Knowing everybody was inside their houses, they used their flamethrowers to set fire to said homes and when the people ran outside in terror, they shot them dead with machine guns. It was quite a brutal sigjt to watch if you are Guayabalense, but quite a glorious sight if you are a Godly person from Gregoryisgodistan. The total civilian death count between all the attacks has now reached 2,309.

Eventually, San Jose Guayabal's military figured out what was going on and was dispatched to fight the human blitzkriegers. However, because they were spread out over such a wide area, this became difficult and eventually the soldiers just started roaming the streets looking for Gregoryisgodistanis. When they found some, they opened fire, which was usually met with return fire by their foes. All in all, 1,390 Gregoryisgodistani troops were killed and another 2,091 wounded, but they did manage to kill 988 Guayabalense troops and wound an unknown, but surely high, number of others. Gregoryisgodistan keeps fighting bravely and nobly in San Jose Guayabal and will look to burn more homes and kill more people and allow the death toll to keep rising.

It looks like Guayabalense troops will soon be launching an invasion of Gregoryisgodistan following their leader's formal declaration of war yesterday. Indeed, that is what prompted the invasion. But for now, Gregoryisgodistan's borders are safe and secure, and the people, or at least the civilians, are living in peace. How much longer that peace will last remains to be seen, but the Gregoryisgodistani Intelligence Agency has raised the Threat Level to Red for the first time ever. Even after the Wolfopian terrorist attacks (OOC: false flag by our government) it was only an Orange level. In the past week or so, the Threat Level has been raised from Green, the lowest level, all the way to Red. Following the nuclear attack on Hicana, the threat level was raised to Yellow, the middle level, due to concerns about possible retaliation, then to Orange when the Holy Republican Empire declared war. Now, with this starting to look like a regional, or possibly even interregional, war, the threat is at Red.

Meanwhile, Gregoryisgodistan appealed to its allies Sameba and Quebec to assist with the war on both the Republican and Guayabalense fronts, calling those two nations, particularly the Repubicans, "the greatest threat the multiverse has ever seen." Lord Almighty Gregory added that he would not launch a preemptive or inaugural attack against the Kingdom of Saintland due to a desire not to fight a three-front war, but that if their small military were to come to the aid of their Republican brethren, he would "retaliate with full force, as harshly as King Andreas can imagine, up to and including the lengths we went to in destroying Hicana." Clearly it would be suicidal for Saintland to join in this conflict, but what do you expect from King Andreas, who is Consul Kulseth's BFF and would do anything for him? In the words of Lord Almighty Gregory, "We need to impale Andreas and destroy Saintland, but now is not the time. Right now, we need to focus on this two front war and not make it three. But if Saintland joins in with their Republican brethren, the result will be their prompt and utter destruction. As long as they stay neutral, they will be spared for the time being." What will Saintland do? Will they launch a suicidal attack with their tiny army that will surely lead to a nuclear attack? Will they stay out? Rumor has it King Andreas is making an announcement within 24-48 hours, and we will have full coverage when he does. For now, good luck to our brave men, women, and children in uniform, and Lord Almighty Gregory Bless Gregoryisgodistan.

Journalist Soldier 438ISDABSD, formerly Journalist 438ISDABSD, was recently drafted by the Third Section of the Gregoryisgodistani Military and has now become a war correspondent and soldier for the Gregoryisgodistani Military. He fights Guayabalense heathens by day and writes stories to send home by night. Prior to being drafted, he was already a regular columnist for The Lord's Word.

[Albaie]

Karl despite his skill with a football still found it boring and yet to actually begin to like the game. His development was not just stunted by the playing style of those he played with and against but the facilities he had at his beck and call. His widowed mother could barely afford their meagre flat in the capital on her husband's army pension and living in downtown Dubrack's Town meant that there were few open spaces for Karl to practice and so much of his game was developed in the streets of the capital where boys from all races, nations and faiths came together to play football in the back alleys and streets of the capital. This may have seemed like an odd past time for a boy who didn't much like football but in the overcrowded residential area of the capital and with such little money there was barely any other past times for Karl to partake in.

Despite the drawbacks of where he lived, Karl's flat was just on the edge of Little Rio where Brazilians had lived for almost a century after a huge push for immigrants before World War One had attracted people from all over the world. Playing with boys who had been brought up in the Brazilian fashion had meant that Karl learnt skill and flair that otherwise he might not have learnt against the more rigid and disciplined children from the Imperium that lived in the capital. Playing amongst these like minded offensive styled boys in an atmosphere with no pressure or worry Karl finally began to have some appreciation for the game.

Vincent had fallen as much in love with the game as his father and brothers before him. While his eldest brother Michael found a new favourite past time that led to his eventual military career and Mark had suffered a career ending injury Vincent never discovered something he loved as much as football and he seemed to be the luckiest player alive as he managed to side step or just avoid every piece of foul play thrown his away. Vincent's love and natural skill at the game was nurtured by his father who while still working as the assistant manager at Dubrack's Town Celtic, in his role as Baron Longharbour Island he also owned the local football team which he managed despite Longharbour Rovers still being amateur and allowed his sons access to all of the clubs while meagre still impressive facilities that every year as the team got better he funded improvements for.

It was not only access to the rising Longharbour Rovers facilities but also that his own house had it's own facilities and that most days he was at Dubrack's Town Celtic to train with the youth team that allowed Vincent to rapidly progress. At the age of 7 Vincent was already playing for the Under 10 team at Dubrack's Town Celtic and by the age of 10 he was playing at Under 12 level and better than most of the players in the age above but was held back due to his size and muscles compared to the boys that were older than him.

[Timbermunich]

Timbermunich

World Cup 72

Night
The sun sets on an old day, but new light is shed on the incoming darkness. The light, which is coming from the moon, fully illuminates the forest. Although little light reaches the floor the canopy seems to glow as the stars fill the sky and the creatures of Timbermunich lay down for a nights rest. Well not all creatures, those creatures of the night are just waking. They rise to the crisp cool air that surrounds, or envelops the forest as it enlightens the senses of those that are in the woods during the nighttime hours. This time of year the night is short so the creatures must make the most of their darkened time. At first there are little to no sounds within the forest, for the time between light and dark is for arousal but once the forest is fully dark and lit only by the faint light of the moon it becomes relatively noisy. The hunters of the night are typically the first to venture out into the darkness for they must find their prey or at the very least a suitable area for stalking them. The gatherers come out next and begin to forage throughout the forest floor and even up into the canopy. As all the creatures start their night it is apparent that things move, or seemingly move, much slower in the dark. That is before a predator attacks its prey, then the night explodes in movement but ultimately ends in utter stillness. On the other hand the night can also bring new life to the world as many creatures, even those non-nocturnal ones, often give birth at night. They add to the rich atmosphere and ambiance that the night has. This does not last and even during winter when the night is longer than any other time of the year the darkness still only lasts, at the most, a half days’ time. Now during the summer, night only lasts a mere 6 hours so it is imperative that the creatures of the night wake quickly and fulfill their nightly duties. Before you know it day will come and put an end to night.

---

Scores – current record: 1-1-0
MD1 – Draw: Timbermunich 0-0 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
MD2 – Win: The Fallenmark Islands 1-2 Timbermunich

[Electrum]

Centralis Herald - News Section - Frank Liszt

Deteriorating situation in Gregoryisgodistan and Southern Esportiva

As Electrumite readers may appreciate, the former breakaway special administration area of Cocoa Island and Coconut Isles has recently made clear that they have announced war on Gregoryisgodistan, joining the Holy Republican Empire, Gloriax and San Jose Guayabal, as well as other nations which still haven't actually declared war on Gregoryisgodistan. It is indeed a war of alliances -- the South Esportivan Treaty Organisation which I wrote on just a few months ago has immediately leapt to action countering the Gregs who nuked and entirely annihilated the nation of Hicana. Saintland might also leap into the war, if only to defeat those so-called 'godless heathens'. Of course, it has long been policy of the Church of Iesus Christus that Gregoryisgodistan is a heretical nation.

Just recently, the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, in a press statement said that, "The warning levels of entry to the Holy Republican Empire, Gloriax, Coconut Isle and San Jose Guayabal will be lifted to 'Do not travel,' due to the war." It seems that once again, humanity has failed to take heed of the lessons of the past, and once again bloodshed and war will descend like a shroud over the entire region. The World Cup qualifications would still be in progress in these nations -- so it's unclear how the arrangements will work, but Hicana's bombing will go down in history as the catalyst which will tear the whole Esportivan region apart. The Electrum government has also stated in a press release, that, "We are willing to act as international mediators in this crisis, to demonstrate that we are good global citizens." It is well known throughout the multiverse that Electrum is a pacifist nation, with a near non-existent military, instead relying on trade and finances to help ensure peace throughout the region of Rushmore.

Already, reports are coming in that Gregoryisgodistan's army, which consists of three divisions, will be stationed on both fronts of conflict, the Eastern Front (overland to Gloriax and San Jose Guaybal), and the Western Front (oceanic, mainly from HRE and Coconut Isle). It seems that SETO will need to be wary of the so-called 'human blitzkrieg', a strategy whereby soldiers are flown into foreign land, and shoot all they see, then razing the land until it is no more. It is truly a terrifying technique, and reports have already gone through from San Jose Guayabal that as many as hundreds of civilians or military soldiers have died. The strategy will be duplicated against Gloriax, and against the Free Republics as well. It is truly a worrying sign which was inevitable to happen from the beginning. A cornered dog will bite. In this case, Gregoryisgodistan is cornered, and had no choice but to attack on both fronts.

It looks like the Gregoryisgodistani's will be hoping that this war is going to be a battle on attrition more than anything. They have a massively loyal contingent of both soldiers and slaves willing to sacrifice their lives for their own deity. No matter how you view Lord Almighty Gregory, it is undoubtable that his military mind is genius. He has managed to strike up a military alliance with both the Rushmori Sameba and the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. It is clear that the Gregs have a massive numerical advantage, and the LAG will be more than happy to sacrifice a few lives in order to conquer the rest of Esportiva. They have modern warfare, though it's unclear just how powerful it really is. For years LAG has been talking about his solar bombs, but they were really ineffective in battle, could the same be said for their other weapons? If you just look at the devastation in Hicana, then he will be a real threat indeed.

Despite that, SETO looks to have some decisive factors which might swing the war their way too. They are enacting a pincer manoeuvre, attack on both sides, attack on two fronts. Each of the individual nations can concentrate their efforts in one area, whereas Gregoryisgodistan will need to centrally command different divisions -- strength in numbers. Also, the HRE is known for being a huge war machine, and will have some massive technological improvements, and might just overrun the eastern seaboard. Of course, they are unhelpfully helped by Coconut Isle, who are sending along their finest tribesmen/magicians. The problem is, will they be able to make landfall and get a foothold along the coast for which to stage further invasion into the territory? Only time will tell.

The war is also not on the battlefront, but also it is expected that there will be some cultural wars of a different kind -- in WorldVision. The WorldVision in Ekoz has just started, and already Gregoryisgodistan has co-opted the anthem of the Holy Republican Empire and overlaid their own lyrics on top of it, a form of satirical irony. It is expected that the Holy Republican Empire will come up with a similar political message against Gregoryisgodistan. In the voting, it seems that San Jose Guayabal will not give any points at all. The beneficiaries? Us, because we have decided to remain neutral to both sides of the war. It is not good for us to interfere in this war, not only because we could lose lives and harm our relations with all of the nations in South Esportiva, but also because we might lose points in WorldVision, and we need to win that thing really badly.

The alliances have already unravelled. The Quebecois are expected to dispatch some help to defeat the Republicans, but they will probably refuse to fight against San Jose Guayabal. The Sword Bloke is already calling for appeals from both sides to join one or the other. In a world where there is greater distrust than ever, war was always going to be inevitable.

[HopNation]

I’m not sure all of you have heard, but I’m still in hiding. I’ll try to shed some light on the whole situation, but right now the time isn’t right. I fear for some people if the information is released too soon. You deserve explanations and answers to all your questions as well as knowing where I am and where I have been. For now just know the answers are coming and I’m hoping to shed a little light on the entire situation, but give it time my friends give it time. For now I am able to get you some football news, which I know your very used to coming from me but it’s been a long long time.

World Cup 72 is underway and we’ve seen our Hops play in two matches so far. They have managed a 2-2 draw against Kernansquillec and a 4-1 win over Garifunya. Ideally we should have won both of them and truly deserved to win both but give credit where credit is due. The Kers played very well, plus we were playing at the “Green Jewel” and we know how our Hops play on the road….piss poor if you ask me. But that’s neither here nor there really, we just didn’t do what we should have against Harry Broudant’s crew. Perhaps it was the mix of men and women that threw us off, perhaps not. We did have to dig out of a hole when we allowed a goal to be scored on us first, and off of a corner kick no less. Answer back we did and quickly too, netting a goal just two or so minutes after that dreadful corner (defensively that is). Schytaing did his thing after a nice set up from Loostin coming down the wing. Pech scored the other goal just moments later after a wonderful blunder in our favor as Bloxam attempted to pass back to the keeper to clear the onslaught of presser from the Hops, but a weak hospital ball was easily chased down and intercepted by Schytaing. He nimbly moved around the on rushing keeper to put our Hops in the lead and one would think the fast lane to an opening round win. But the Green and Whites had an answer for our fast paced pressure play as they allowed us some space to move the ball. This however let us to be complacent and relax our pressure, almost as if we were content with just a conservative possession game. With a one goal lead I felt this was a bit rash, but Schmidt typically steers the ship in the right direction. All seemed to be going to plan until Raefwar decided it was a good idea to drag down Iris in the box even though he was somewhat covered by Loontas. The penalty was easily knocked in to tie the match at 2s and neither side was able to break the draw before time expired. So we settled with a game 1 draw and headed into match two with a bit more to prove, especially if we were going to be taken seriously after a disappointing World Cup 71.

The next match found us up against Garifunya who also entered the day with a draw, a huge draw for them against Valladares. However they were not prepared enough for our Hops to do the same thing. It was a mere four minutes into the game when we scored our first of four goals. A nice couple passes through the middle by Droimpol and Smuemund created a great opportunity for Schytaing and he netted his third goal in two matches with a blistering shot that rippled the side netting and opened the match 1-0. Droimpol added a late first half goal off of a free kick that was just outside and to the left of center of the Garifunya box. He bent the ball around the wall to the near post and just out of reach of a diving Maatman. The second half would be much of the same where our Hops controlled much of the match and in the 71st minute Schytaing scored his 4th goal of the tournament, this time off of a corner kick of our own where the ball was dummied by Rothrothther as it came across the box and Pech slammed it home splitting two defenders and keeping it well out of the reach of Maatman. With a 3-0 lead our buys started to relax a little bit and allowed the Garifunya side into our defensive third and following another Raefwar defensive mistake, not foul this time but just poor defending, Boumers found room just inside the top of the box and let a very nice shot go that was no match for Subanos and the Garifunya side was on the board. The remainder of the match was a bit back and forth as our Hops were, or seemed, to be content with a two goal margin. Then with just about a minute to play Loostin found Droimpol wide open in front of the net after bring the ball in deep down the flank. Droimpol tapped the ball to the back corner for his second of the match and sealed the win at 4-1.

This put us back in a more favorable position and with the release of the first tables of the tournament we are found seated in second place at the moment. But we know how things can change so let’s not get to hopeful yet; we still have a lot of work to do.

I hope to be in touch soon.
RG

[Augusticinia]

Augusticinia gains its first win

Augusticinia got their first qualifier win against Matthewsiania. They played at Munich International Stadium in Augusticinia. Matthewsiania got an early start in the 14th minute when Meluna shot from outside the box and placed it right under the crossbar. Augusticinia came back in the 31st minute when Vladimir Maier curved the ball into the goal with a Free-Kick from outside of the box. Augusticinia broke the tie in the 49th minute when John Watson of Augusticinia drilled the ball into the net after a corner kick. Augusticinia maintained the lead for the rest of the match.

Statistics
Goals: Auguticinia {2} Mattewsiania {1}
Shots on Target (Including Goals): Augusticinia {8} Matthewsiania {4}
Total Shots: Augusticinia {16} Matthewsiania {12}
Fouls: Augusticinia {2} Matthewsiania {3}
Corners: Augusticinia {3} Matthewsiania {2}
Free-Kicks (Near Goal): Augusticinia {1} Matthewsiania {0}
Offsides: Augusticinia {4} Matthewsiania {1}
Yellow Cards: Augusticinia {0} Matthewsiania {0}
Red Cards: Augusticinia {0} Matthewsiania {0}
Possession: Augusticinia {60%} Matthewsiania {40%}

Full Match Report
3": Stephan Dragić (Augusticinia) traps the long ball and shoots. The ball flies over the goal
8": Michelakos (Augusticinia) crosses the ball. It ends up curving through the box and just above the goal
10": Louis Mendoza (Augusticinia) attempts to volley the ball into the goal. It bounces off of the Keeper's Gloves onto the Goal Line then it is caught. There is arguing between the players and Referee Nechtan Hummel. The Referee decides that it is not a goal.
14": GOAL!!! Meluna (Matthewsiania) takes a shot from outside of the box and places it right under the crossbar {0-1}
16": Gerard Jameson (Augusticinia) heads the ball but it goes over the goal.
19": Harry Wu (Augusticinia) shoots a fast ball from inside the penalty box towards the upper-right corner. It is saved astoundingly by Goalkeeper Pedrinho Cléston
23": Markov (Augusticinia) tries to flick the ball into the net but the ball veers off to the right.
28": Xowver (Matthewstiania) turns on a sixpence and tries to put it in the net but it goes off to the left
31": GOAL!!! Maier (Augusticinia) takes the Free-Kick and curves it into the Left Corner of the Goal. {1-1}
32": Meluna (Matthewstiania) tries to shoot from 10 yards outside of the box. The ball goes over the goal.
34": Colium (Matthewstiania) tries to tap a cross in with his head but it goes wide
38": John Watson (Augusticinia) tries to volley the ball into the net but it curves over the goal
42": John Watson (Augusticinia) tries to score with a header into the bottom of the goal but it is parried by the Keeper
44": Wilhelm Markov (Augusticinia) shoots a fast ball towards the other side of the goal but it is caught by the Matthewsianian Keeper
49": GOAL!!! John Watson (Augusticinia) drills the ball in after a ground cross from a Right Corner {2-1}
54": Meluna (Matthewsiania) tries to get a shot with astounding technique but it fails to find the goal
56": Zé Gatinha (Matthewsiania) tries to shoot from the halfway-line while Stanic is off his line. Zé Gatinha's Ball goes over the goal.
58": Jameson (Augusticinia) tries to turn on a sixpence and score but the ball rolls off to the side
62": Moira (Matthewsiania) tries to score a header but the ball goes off to the side
65": Moira (Matthewsiania) tries to score on a volley but the ball goes over the goal
66": Zé Gatinha (Matthewsiania) tries to chip the ball over the Augusticinian Keeper but it is too low and Stanić catches it
68": Bulle (Augusticinia) tries to hook a volley into the goal but the ball goes over the goal
70": Colium (Matthewsiania) tries to drill the ball in but it goes out
74": Charles MacBranian (Augusticinia) tries to score on a goal-line rush but his shot is saved by the Matthewsianian Keeper
76": Matthewsiania is given a Penalty Kick. Safadão will take the Penalty Kick. Safadão tries to go for the lower-right corner but it is saved by Stanić
81": Mendoza (Augusticinia) tries to score but it goes off of the woodwork and out
83": Colium (Matthewsiania) tries to get a Bicycle Kick. He hits the ball but the shot is caught by the Augusticinian Keeper.
86": Charles Macbranian (Augusticinia) breaks through the line of last defenders. He aims for the lower-Right Corner. The shot is saved by the Matthewsianian Keeper.

Man of the Match: Pedrinho Cléston

[Free Republics]

Legion of Lucifer Headquarters, Amolotopia, H.R.E.

The Armed Forces of the Holy Republican Empire were mobilizing. Millions of Republicans were flocking to enlist and die for God and Country. Yet, it was also time for those who loved liberty and hated Consul Kulseth's theocratic rule to rise up and fight to restore their freedom. Foremost among those champions of liberty was Veleik Nicholls. Fortunately for the son of the famous Mr. Nicholls of Nicholls Enterprises, his Ambassador to the Taiyouese government had returned. Eleanor Welch was an old friend of Veleik's going back to their middle school days, but in an unusual twist, they had remained just friends through it all and neither of them had any desire to change that. Because Veleik had resisted the urge to make her one of his innumerable lovers, he was able to rely upon her without worrying that love would someday turn to hate and lead to betrayal.

Eleanor had been the perfect choice to send to Taiyou and, for her part, she had thoroughly enjoyed her first visit to a land that she had been obsessed with for many years. While the other girls her age had spent their time chasing guys and, often, engaging in casual sex with them, Eleanor had shut herself into her room at home and watched bizarre Taiyouese cartoons for hours upon hours. When she wasn't doing that, she was studying the Taiyouese language, so that she would be able to move there one day. While she had no friends, she was an excellent student and ended up with a scholarship to attend the best private school in Amalotopia, where Veleik was the only person who bothered to pay any attention to her. The 2 of them became friends and soon the weird girl who was obsessed with Taiyou was hanging out with Veleik Nicholls and his clique of anarchist would-be revolutionaries. When he founded the Legion of Lucifer, it was a foregone conclusion that she would move into the Legion's underground facilities with Veleik and their mutual friends.

When Wakiko Takahashi was elected the Governor of Taiyou and declared her desire for independence, Veleik decided to send Eleanor to Taiyou on official Legion business. Veleik wanted an insurrection against the Imperial Government and he wanted allies in that fight against tyranny. Eleanor eagerly agreed to visit Taiyou, but when she got there, she found that people were suspicious of her because of the color of her skin and the shape of her facial features. She simply didn't look Taiyouese, so most people whom she ran into were suspicious of her, at first. Eleanor didn't blame them, given how the Republican government had started a war of conquest against Taiyou under false pretenses, forced colonial status upon them, taxed the country dry to subsidize programs for the mainland and attempted to replace their traditional culture with a new culture more acceptable to Republican sensibilities. Under those circumstances, the wild-eyed Taiyouese wannabe admitted, they were justified in their suspicion of anybody who didn't look like them even if she did speak their language.

None was more suspicious than Wakiko Takahashi. Miss Takahashi was the leader of a nationalistic political party which would have been called "racist" under just about any other circumstances. She fanatically believed that the Taiyouese were superior to all other peoples in the multiverse and that the Republicans were all hateful demons. Yet, Eleanor was persistent and made a point of always speaking Taiyouese and doing so in the most respectful fashion possible. After a while, the fiery Taiyouese freedom fighter realized that she was being too harsh toward the Republican girl and agreed to speak with her. Surprisingly, the 2 women hit it off immediately despite their differences in personality. Eleanor was absolutely enamored with the beautiful Taiyouese leader and Wakiko, like most people who rise to a position of political power, enjoyed having followers who worshiped the very ground she walked upon. Eventually, Eleanor brought up the Legion of Lucifer and explained how this group was committed to the overthrow of the Republican Consul. Wakiko and Eleanor agreed that it would be best for the uprisings to be coordinated in order to cause as much trouble for Consul Kulseth as possible.

Veleik listened as Eleanor relayed all of the information to him. He was in agreement that a coordinated and simultaneous revolt would be their best move. While he was nowhere near as enamored of the Taiyouese nationalists as his friend was, Veleik recognized that Taiyou's culture was alien to his Republican sensibilities and that the kind of liberty that he desired was a non-starter there. To the Republican, liberty meant freedom from government. To the Taiyouese, liberty had a very different meaning: freedom from foreign rule. Yet, there was certainly no reason why the anarcho-libertarian Legion of Lucifer couldn't align itself with Taiyouese Nationalists who sought an independent Taiyou that was ethnically and culturally homogenous and free of all foreign influences to defeat Reino Kulseth and his army of theocrats. If they were willing to go into business with Feministvs Sanctvsterra, a group that was obviously hostile toward men, in order to fight their common foe, then there was no reason why they couldn't do business with racist, xenophobic Taiyouese as well. Consul Kulseth had to go and Veleik was willing to align himself with anybody who would fight against theocracy.

Following their meeting, Eleanor would relay this news to the Taiyouese Governor. Meanwhile, Abelino Greece, the right-hand man of Veleik Nicholls and one of the leading assassins in the Brotherhood of Assassins, had been recruiting for the Brotherhood in Falatulu, the one place where Consul Kulseth was widely and openly hated by the overwhelming majority of the populace. The people of Falatulu had always been known for their endless partying and their extremely high level of debauchery. Falatulu had long been the place where people go to party wildly, without a care in the world. Wild drug-filled orgies were a constant occurrence there, but the tropical Republic was also notorious for having the weakest economy and the worst schools in the entire nation. People loved visiting, but very few were foolish enough to try to start a family on these islands of debauchery. The people of Falatulu absolutely loathed Consul Kulseth, so Abelino found numerous recruits during his visit to the islands. The Brotherhood now had more members than at any time in recent memory. It was just a matter of time before they would strike again...

The plans gradually came together. Even the leadership of Feministvs Sanctvsterra agreed to abandon their strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience and take up arms. With guns widely available in the HRE, it was relatively easy for the numerous would-be revolutionaries to stockpile military grade weapons and ammunition for their upcoming revolution. For over a week, the Holy Republican press spent as much time talking about the skyrocketing price of guns and ammunition as they did about the National Soccer Team's loss to Buyan. When Wakiko Takahashi, clad in a kimono, finally went on national television in Taiyou and declared her nation independent, it sent shockwaves through Republica. As she was speaking, the Taiyouese police forces moved to quickly seize all Republican military bases located on Taiyouese territory and arrest all of the Republican soldiers who were stationed on the Taiyouese islands. Meanwhile, the Legion of Lucifer rose up throughout the Holy Republican Empire with an all-out offensive to free non-violent prisoners who were being held for political reasons. Among the first to be freed from prison was a man by the name of Samuel Izmailov, who had been imprisoned for nearly a year at the Northern Amolotopia Maximum Security Prison without a trial. Many of them, including Izmailov, agreed to join the revolution and take up arms against the Consul. While the HRE was now at war against Gregoryisgodistan, they would also have to turn their attention to the war at home lest the eclectic group of revolutionaries succeed in toppling the government and undoing everything that Consul Kulseth and his co-conspirators had spent years working toward...

[The Royal Barangay]

OOC:
Scorer against Octinstine - Castro 83'
Scorers against Corralejo - Amio pen 15', 52'; Conanan 46', 88'; Corsiga 70'; Linsangan 79'

At the halftime break of the match between the Agilang Dilaw and Corralejo, in which the visitors led 2-1 after two early blunders by the defenders and a Josue Amio penalty, the chief of the KPMB, Adrian Tuprio, who replaced the late Pedrito Mariano announced the division alignments of the accepted clubs for the next season of the TRBLiga. The big screens at the stadium and the megaspeakers tuned into the KPMB office for the announcement:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

I am here to announce the sixteen clubs that will be participating in the TRBLiga Premier next season. Before I announce it, I, in behalf of the KPMB, shall announce the different provisions in choosing the participating clubs per division:

CLUB PROVISIONS FOR THE TRBLIGA
Each division will have sixteen clubs, with the following provisions:

• Provision A: Each administrative region shall have at least one club in each division.
  
• Provision B: The regions are grouped into two clusters: Cluster A (Respana Nuevo, Respana Viejo, Cantones, Olhana) and Cluster B (Nomadia, Nuevo Nomadia, Region Capital, and Pranse).

Now, I shall announce the clubs that will participate in the three TRBLiga divisions next season:

TRBLIGA PREMIER CLUBS

• Atletico Radi
• Balompie Mogya
• Carrubonieta Il Gueti
• CF Sangti
• CF Vanie
• Club Union Viocla
• Deportivo Nespa
• Gabelona
• Olympique Leonde
• Racing Xinghua Baoyam
• Rambo Pesgem
• Real Baoyam
• Real Cintore
• Real Nonasa
• Real Tiagosan
• Sporting Nandezfer

TRBLIGA ISA CLUBS

• Atleti Gueti
• Carbonel Nuelma
• CF Dradean
• EDC Cadomer
• FC Jocolim
• Gimnastic Nardober
• Girondins Tossan
• Locomotiva Nandezfer
• Ramo Central
• Real Rosavilla
• Real Droniolo
• Real Tadofal
• Respeto Mogya
• Ryne Savio
• Tossan Saint Etudes
• Wanko Nocoru

TRBLIGA DALAWA CLUBS

• Academica Bonher
• Atletico Gustina
• Balangay Balongaca
• Barunio Asi
• Celta Vanie
• CF Lafoxpa
• CF Nuevavilla
• CF Rumasi
• Chateroux Mosra
• Deportivo Girabel
• Nidadtri FC
• Reape Atlantique
• Sporting Cencioino
• Union Diabuen
• Veritas Verosoli
• Yesre Atletique

The league regulations remain the same, with the exception of the promotion and relegation between the divisions. The fifteenth and sixteenth position clubs will automatically be relegated, with the top two clubs of the division below them promoted to take their place. The fourteenth place club then will play a double round robin with the third, fourth and fifth placed clubs from the division below them, in which the highest placed club takes the final spot in that particular division. For the second division, the TRBLiga Isa, the best placed club of the three (whether that club wins promotion or not) after the playoffs will qualify for the Series B Champions' Cup, which entries reduced from four to three.

To make things more exciting at the top division, another playoff will take place. The second to fifth placed clubs will take part in a two-legged two stage playoff to determine the qualifiers of the Champions Cup and the Globe Cup. The top club automatically qualifies for the champions' path of the CC. This scheme will continue until the Barangayan places for the Champions' Cup are reduced to just one.

I will now announce the guidelines for the lower leagues. For the national league, 48 clubs will participate in a two-division National League, with a proposed regional leagues below them. More details on this on my future announcements.

Good evening everyone, and keep supporting our Agilang Dilaw.

The match had few talking points with the exception of the two blunders; but a five-goal second half allowed the Barangayans to secure a vital and convincing win, in which they top Group 17 after Legalese and Volcanoc only managed narrow victories. But the main talking point for the Barangayans is the recent announcement. Not everyone will be happy at that announcement.

Why?

The KPMB could have seen a decline in football performance in the past few seasons, in which Barangayan clubs failed to impress at the multiversal competitions they partake in. Is this a move of the KPMB to move football closer to the capital? I don't think so. CF Sangti could have clawed their way to the top tier next season without this, after their capture of Luke Docdoc, who fell out of the starting lineup at Evertree Forest. Their unexpected ascent to the top would only mean their plan to dominate the Barangayan football scene would be accelerated, now that they captured the signature of Capistrano, a highly-rated Daineri defender from CF Rumasi, who should have been playing Premier football next season but now see themselves at the third tier due to the competitive nature of the clubs in Nuevo Nomadia.

Speaking of that region, we are sad to see Real Nesley drop down into the amateurs. The only non-Premier club to have won the CopaTRB fell victim to the six per region rule of the KPMB, booting them from the second tier. The region had six clubs who have played top tier football at their timeline, more than any region in the Barangay. Some clubs even forged a merger, such as the Diabuen and the Viocla clubs. Rayo and FC Diabuen, despite playing at the same league, merged as they look to consolidate the city's participation at the TRBLiga; the latter set of clubs had a different reason - despite being on the same city - CD Viocla never acknowledged Atletico as its true rival. They only considered Real Cintore as their main rival. But the Las Violetas had more investment, and they had Daren Corsiga. Club Deportivo (CD) Viocla had their finances slowly dwindling, and their top flight status are in jeopardy last season, hence the call for the clubs to merge. More on this on my next article.

Will this move by the KPMB pay dividends? The TRBLiga is the 22nd ranked league in the multiverse, well inside the Top 32, so I can't see a reason for a reshuffling. But closer inspection to the coefficients, and you will see a decline in the performance of the Barangayan clubs from the 57th and 58th editions.

We hope it would make league football better in The Royal Barangay.

-Roman Barlaan

[Polkopia]

A Piece Of Polkopian History
#4: The Revision Of The Polkopian Flag (2010)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

For years and years, the crude pattern of the Polkopian flag flew about the streets of Peeto, hanging from nearly every home and government-owned property. One couldn't go three minutes in a major Polkopian city without seeing black, maroon, gold, and sky blue, waving in the sky. The rugged design was created by Francis Zenobios, a notable Polkopian theologian in the 1800's. The black and gold were, and have always been, representative of the Polkopian soil. The blue was made to symbolize the ocean adjacent to Polkopia, however is is disputed on what the maroon was said to signify. Some claim that the maroon was made to symbolize the blood of Christ, while others believe that it symbolized the blood of Polkopia's enemies.

The use of the flag became controversial during the outbreak of the Second Polkopian Revolutionary War, however. The flag was used t wrap dead bodies of those who had sought to commit a series of mass genocides across Polkopia, and most felt that, by wrapping the bodies in the flags, they were being honored in a sense, and Vadim Gorbeskvy, the leader of the Polkopian Revolutionary Forces, declared the flag as an enemy of the militia.

In due course, flags were torn, burned, and treated like garbage all throughout Polkopia. In some cities, (Restnov being the most infamous for this to have taken part within its city limits), some flagmakers and those who sold the flags were put to death by the revolutionaries for reasons varying from treason, to suspected terrorism. Nevertheless, nearly every citizen who owned a flag didn't want anything to do with the material anymore and properly disposed of it so they wouldn't become victims of the revolutionary forces as well.

When the smoke had settled and peace was officially brought to Polkopia, no citizen in Polkopia really cared for the flag anymore, especially after the threat received from the revolutionaries. Therefore, a group of citizens officially sent in a petition to Dictator Semyon Polk himself to have the flag formally changed. Surprisingly and without hesitation, Semyon had approved of this and hired three different flagmakers who were all in charge of coming up with two designs each of the Polkopian flag.

Eventually, one won over the others, and Yared Philippo's first design was used as Polkopia's flag, and is still used to this day. The flag is simple, with the white symbolizing the peace currently instilled in Polkopia, whereas the black and gold, like the other flag, remain symbolic of Polkopia itself.

---

Snovski Smash Opening Games
By: Sebastian Aliyev

Well, we're back now, with the Polkopian National Team, or Snovski, which seem to be the team's new nickname given to them by their fans back home. For those who aren't fluent in Polkopian, Snovski literally translates to Smashers in English. So call them what you will, Smashers, Snovski, or the Polkopian National Team.

But anyway, yes, we're back after a close run last time, and now the team seem to have their sights on at least qualifying for the multiverse's largest international event; The World Cup. Coach Spartak Stenin mentioned his high expectations for this team, and if you look at the starting roster for the match against Kaboomlandia, you can see several of Polkopia's largest football stars have been kept on the roster, even after some of them decided to play overseas in other leagues. Exciting, isn't it?

Well, the first match was played in our very own Hanisov Stadion in Peeto, the lovely capital of our lovely country, Polkopia. It was a full house, with a little less than two thousand Kaboomlandian fans filling up the fan sector. The Snovski expected to completely dominate the opposition, and the opening minutes showed their eager-to-impress attitude, and striker Immanuil Serevo, who was deemed Polkopia's highest scorer in Polkopia's history, opened the scoreline at 7 minutes after managing to dribble past several defenders, passing it to Rotislav Kantrisov on his left, who then fed the ball back to him. A simple one-touch guided the ball just past the keeper and into the bottom corner, giving Polkopia an early lead.

The second goal wasn't until the second half, but it came from Nikolai Aksenov, who made his debut for the National team. After a blocked shot, the Snovski earned a corner kick, and Nikolai Aksenov managed to head the ball right at the crossbar, but luckily, the ball dropped down just inside the net. The final goal of the night came from the visitors side at 88 minutes, scored directly from a free kick, and it seemed to boost the away side's attack, but in the end, the Snovski were victorious 2-1 over Kaboomlandia.

In the second game, fans were a bit less optimistic, seeing as the Snovski were playing a much more experienced team, Starblaydia, in their home ground. However, the team set out to play their absolute hardest against them, and show them that the Snovski were not to be overlooked.

The starting XI was the same as the game before, along with the traditional 4-4-2 diamond formation, with Serevo and Kantrisov up front. The opening minutes were extremely intense from both sides, each of which wanted an early lead, but the first goal didn't come until the 39th minute. A long ball from the Polkopian defense managed to somehow find its way to Kantrisov, who just beat the defender and manage to stay onside. This led to a breakaway from the defense and Kantrisov placed the pall just out of the keeper's reach and into the back of the net. Polkopia was up 1-0.

After halftime, the game pace seemed to slow down a lot. Several missed attempts from both sides seemed to lower the morale of both sides, and Spartak Stenin substituted in Erast Vinogradov and Kazbek Gairbekov in the midfield to bolster the attack. Though it didn't seem to help immediately, Kazbek Gairbekov was directly involved in the next goal, after Serevo passed the ball back and Gairbekov floated the ball in the opposition's box, where Aleksandr Krenkov headed the ball in the net, giving Polkopia another goal.

Neither side was able to score after that last goal, and Polkopia were triumphant in Starblaydia. It was a shock victory for the Snovski, but better is yet to come! Next, the Snovski play Vettrera at home. Though Vettrera doesn't pose too much of a threat to the Polkopian side, be warned; they do tend to pull upsets every once in awhile. Vettrera managed to hold off Gregoryisgodistan the opening match, so this team isn't going to let us walk all over them. If we want this victory, we have to fight for it.

As always, the in-depth analysis of the last game can be found below:

---

[San Llera]

San Llera Draw 3-3 In Bizarre, Riotous Match

Starting XI: C. Fons, Olivier, Abello, De Gonia (Batista), Belles, Saragosa, Bou, Fonda, Llorens, Capo (Mallet), Mestre
Goal Scorers: Llorens 17', Bou 78', Mestre 86'

What would have been an incredibly exciting game of soccer last night was marred by riots from the San Lleran fans after Omerica dared to wear red. All that transpired is a bit unclear, but here is the best recap of the events:

Before the game, the players on Omerica made a decision to wear red as a strategy to provoke San Llera and perhaps earn a forfeit. As they were exiting the away locker room (which is just an outhouse), a steward warned them that wearing red in San Llera was a punishable. They went out onto the field anyways. When they showed their red, San Lleran fans roared their disapproval, and there was some unrest in the crowd. One brave soul tried to run onto the field but he was quickly tackled by security. After lengthy discussion by security and San Lleran Great Leader Alejandro Llano (who was attending the match), it was decided that Llano was to go down to the field and warn the Omerican players that they should change. And if they didn't, they would be arrested just following the match. The game began and the two team played the first 40 minutes as they usually might, but not without more and more unrest in the stands. Finally, the crowd was set off. Jan-Niklas Rosenkrants scored Omerica's second goal to put them up 2-1, and he ran to the corner flag, showing off his red shirt to the 90,000 San Lleran fans. The fans reacted, overwhelming the wall of riot police around them, and burst onto the field, most trying to attack Omerican players, especially Rosenkrants. Rosenkrants immediately escaped into the midst of Omerica's armed escort like most of the other Omerican players as fans continued to spill onto the field, with the riot police nearly helpless to stop them. It seemed like the match would end in a forfeit right then, but then the only person with influence over the San Llerans stepped in.

In the middle of a riot, San Lleran Great Leader walked down to field level and into the PA box, where he grabbed the microphone and spoke.

"People of San Llera, this is your Great Leader, Alejandro Llano." Everybody suddenly stopped what they were doing and turned around to listen. "Everybody, please stop what you are doing. If we continue rioting, this match will end and we will lose 2-1. Do you want that to happen?" The crowd made a collective "Huh," and shuffled back to their places, exiting the field. "Wait for the end of the game to riot." Everybody was off of the field within a minute. The game continued as normal.

At the end of the game, after a 3-3 draw, the fans immediately began rioting again. Reinforcements of riot police had arrived by then, but they only delayed the San Lleran fans. So pretty soon, both angry fans and police were running towards the Omerican helicopter, trying to arrest or attack players.But the Omerican players had time in the midst of the chaos to get to their helicopter and get the hell out of San Llera, somehow unhurt. The San Lleran fans weren't as lucky, as they took a real beating once the third wave of riot police.

As for the game, it was very exciting.

[Arcantova]

http://KingsOwn.arc.com/blog/post7

Defense Stellar in 1-0 Loss, Offense Still Can't Get a Foothold
By: Terry Phillips

The King's Own suffered a second defeat on math day 2. This time at the hands of Nassau-Hessen. Arcantova did, however, put up a fight. The Arcantovan defense controlled the pace of most of the game, keeping shots on target below ten. The wall held for most of the game, and received praise from the commentators. It wasn't until the 74th minute that an exhausted defensive unit broke down and allowed the first, and only goal of the night. A couple of substitutions were made following the goal, and the wall held strong for most of the second half.

"You just can't expect the defense to keep up with everything. The defense that we have on the field is the best possible defense that we could put together. They are good at what they do, but you cannot expect them to do it forever. Eventually your offense has got to pick up their end of the deal." Coach McDaniel said following the game.

Offensive Woes Continue

While the back end of the team held up their end of the deal, the offense had trouble finding their footing, just as they did in the first game of the World Cup. Passing lanes closed quicker than expected, and when the lanes were there the pass was executed to early, resulting in many offside penalties for The King's Own.

When asked about the alarming number of offside penalties, McDaniel had this to say, "This is our first time out here on the international scene. Many of these guys really want to score out there, and they do get a bit trigger happy. I am definitely disappointed by the offside penalties, but in the end it is something that we cannot change now. We just have to hope that the players settle down as the competition moves on."

With the offensive unit in shambles, only four shots landed on target. Three of those came from star attacker, Elias Taylor. Taylor said after the match that he believes if the unit can become a little more cohesive in the coming games and work together, there is definitely hope for them in the qualifying round.

It Won't Get Easier on Match Day 3

Arcantova takes on Nova Anglicana on Match Day 3. The team is ranked 39th in the world, and currently holds a 1-1-0 record in the tournament. Their offense is what some would declare average, scoring 3 goals over the first 2 match days. Arcantova, on the other hand, is the last remaining team in group 5 with no goals to their name.

They possess an aggressive offense that Coach McDaniel fears could trip up the Arcantovan defense that has currently been playing on point.

"We will need to come out of the gate swinging, and playing aggressively on the back half. The first goal of the night will not be to score, but to contain Nova Anglicana's offense before trying to move forward with our own."

The King's Own will be looking for their first goal of the tournament while the defense will be looking to succeed against the biggest challenge that they have faced. It will certainly be a tough game for the men of Arcantova.

Good luck men! We are all pulling for you here in Arcantova.

[Port Christopher]

22:00, Harbour Hill Stadium, Handon. Sporting Times reporter Steve Lewman catches up with Port Christopher manager Jimmy Mitchel to get his reaction to the 3-0 defeat to Schottia.

Reporter: So Jimmy Mitchel, your team weren't quite able to repeat the performance against Mangolana. Would you say this result brings you back down to earth with a thud?

Mitchel: Eh no, I wouldn't, no. Look, there was no doubt in our minds coming into this match that this was going to be hard. Schottia were going to be very much up for it, and they are the toughest team we have faced so far. Lets just remember, we have only played eight games of competitive football before tonight. I'm very proud of what the boys and girls have managed.

Reporter: I mean a lot of fans back home will have been sensing, after Schottia losing to Gnejs ,that they weren’t invincible. Did you sense yourself that another upset could have been on the cards?

Mitchel: [Laughs] I said after the Gnejs - Schottia match, and I was very clear on this, that result only made the task harder for us. It was a wake up call that Schottia probably needed; we lost the element of surprise if you will.

Reporter: Sure. Because they seemed up for it today didn't they Jimmy? It was never easy for you out there.

Mitchel: Absolutely, they raised their game just as I knew they would, unfortunately we couldn't do the same, and that's something we will need to work on as a squad. We need to be able to respond appropriately to the change in conditions. If another team raises the tempo then that's not an excuse for us to sit back; we were perhaps guilty of that today.

Reporter: Did anyone really impress tonight? Franz Müller will have been disappointed not to have followed up his goal against Mangolana when he had that good chance in the second half. What did you think of his performance?

Mitchel: Yeah, I though there were some good individual performances. I thought James [Del Vertio] for example didn't put a foot wrong; he couldn't be blamed for any of the goals. I also thought Franz played well actually, despite his miss he was always willing to take the game forward and create something. I mean that's the difference between him and Tony [Uist]. Where Tony is excellent at feeding off the scraps, Franz is a creator, he is always looking to bring other people into the game and this is vital.

Reporter: So is there anything that you think you could have done differently? I know that's easy in hindsight, but how could you have gotten a result here tonight?

Mitchel: Take our chances -- that would be the thing I would put out there for a start. You're never going to win anything if you don't take your chances. Maybe if we had scored in the opening ten minutes when we had a bit more possession or if Franz had found the net, then that could have changed things. Schottia seemed in control, but that was because we didn't ask enough questions of them. If we had taken the lead, or if we had pulled one back to make it 2-1 then suddenly they might have started to look a little less comfortable.

Reporter: Next match we are at home to Vangaziland, how do you feel about that? Will you change anything? What kind of a fight do you expect them to put up?

Mitchel: Well I think in the home games we always need to be looking to take something, even if it is just a point, we need to be scoring goals and we need to be looking like winning. I couldn't possibly comment on the starting line up at the moment though, there is a lot of time for the players to impress in training, and there are places up for grabs. With regards to Vangaziland, we will really just have to wait and see, but we cannot treat them lightly. They won their last game and they proved they have strength and depth. Avery Hax came of the bench and took his goal very well. But we've got home advantage, we will stick to our game plan and I think we can give a good account of ourselves.

Reporter: Okay Jimmy, it was a pleasure to talk to you as ever, best of luck with the match. I'm sure you know that the whole of the territory will be behind you and the team.

Mitchel: Thank you, yes. That support means a great deal to us. Thank you. Goodnight.

[Furellum]

Levy was down at the docks in Altsby, which in itself was highly unusual for him. He hardly ever went down into the city, and to cross the trans-dimensional bridge was a rarity. But he was working on his history, and he needed an eye witness. While he was here though, he had decided to be an eyewitness to some different history. At the docks, the team from Gregoryisgodistan were arriving. Levy scribbled away at a parchment, recording the events. A squadron of City Watch in polished uniforms, spoiled a bit by the fact that it was a mismatch of pre-Corvidae and Corvidae armour, and the steel was battered from having clearly seen action in the recent wars. But it made the statement anyway to the visiting players that these were not men to mess with. Levy would have thought that the fact that most of the guard either weighed over a tonne, had sharp fangs and claws, or big horns might have been a deterrent, but he also knew that the Gregoryisgodistanis were not your average, reasonably minded people. Last time they visited here, Yuri Kedzierski had felt the need to have fifty of his personal bodyguard surrounding him just for his own protection, as well as two dozen battlemages. Today, there was only one battlemage, who the other troops saluted as he strode down to meet the delegation. He was a terrifying figure, a canine figure obscured by a heavy caped cloak, with a hood pulled low over his forehead and the collar pulled up past his muzzle. Again, the signs of Furellum's changing nature were in his costume: in a previous life, the cloak had no doubt belonged to a Hoodcrow, the most feared of Kedzierski's "special" watch. On to the black hood had been sewn sigils and coats of arms of various houses, colleges, and guilds; the owner had desperately wanted it made clear that his allegiance was not with Kedzierski and his Corvidae.

Levy followed the delegation as they were marched, surrounded by armed guards through Altsby from the dock to the ground. "Liberty Ground" it was called now, but that was subject to change. The land belonged by rights to whoever owned the big house next door. Originally, it had belonged to the Grand Duke, then the Special Administrator. Now, nobody seemed to know who the house belonged to. The doors and windows were shut, all the staff had been sacked, but there were chinks of light coming through the blinds at night and the flag still flew on the roof.
It was still the Corvidae flag, but someone had turned it upside down. Levy had no doubt it was a deliberate act, and not one of carelessness. It, like the Hoodcrow's new hood, was a sign of the times.

Levy had been hearing things about the last time that fag flew upright. Whispers, rumours, that might explain the mysterious new occupants of the Palace. That was why he had come to the capital. But he had some time to spare, and he figured, why not watch the game? He could write his record of Furelese football from his own experience rather than second-hand accounts, and the document would benefit from some drawings of the action as it occurred. That decided, now he only had to find something to sit on for the game…

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

OOC - see the Holy Empire roster for a detailed explanation of what's going on here.


World Cup 72
An oratorio by Jorge Handeles

ACT 1, SCENE 3
(Matchday 1 - Viktoria in the Imperial Hippodrome)


Aria 'What is This Mystery?'
(Andres Daphopates as Juan Tzimisces)

What is this mystery?
This great, great mystery?
This mighty mystery?
This unknown quantity?

Truly, scouting hath been useless
I know next to nothing about our opponents
Except they play in orange and blue
And take a defensive formation

What is this mystery?
This great, great mystery?
This mighty mystery?
This unknown quantity?


Chorus 'Let Us Break This Team Asunder'

Let us break this team asunder
And cast away their challenge to us
Let us break this team asunder
And cast away their challenge to us
Break! Break! Break! Break!
Break this minnow team asunder
And cast, cast, cast away
Their cha-a-a-a-a-lenge to us.


Recitative 'Truly, the Task is Too Easy'
(Zoe Dalasseno)

Truly, the task is too easy
Two goals hath I scored in the first 20 minutes
And Monachuso hath added a third.
Though victory is what we strive to achieve
You at least like the opposition to put up a fight


Aria 'And Now My Third I Surely Score'
(Zoe Dalasseno)

And now my third I surely score
Score, score, my third I surely score
Sco-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ore
My third I surely score
Score, score, my third I surely score
Sco-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ore
My third I surely score

Really it is too easy
A nice pass from Lascaro
Sets me free, free, fre-e-e-e-e-e-e-e
A nice pass sets me free.

And now my third I surely score
Score, score, my third I surely score
Sco-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ore
My third I surely score
Score, score, my third I surely score
Sco-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ore
My third I surely score


Chorus 'We Wisheth Now For Six'

We wisheth now for six
Having seen Monachuso score a brace
Either side of a Dalasseno hat-trick
For six! For six!
We wisheth now for six!
We wisheth, wisheth
Wisheth now for six.
For six! For six!
We wisheth now for six!


Aria 'He Was Despised'
(Isaac Gemisto as Simeone Di Bradini)

He was despi-sed and rejected
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

Lo, I feel most sorry for opposing goalkeeper
Arsenio Madhava Earl
For conceding six this night
Though he hid not his face from shame.

He was despi-sed and rejected
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

[Yttribia]

Storm clouds prevailed as Quentin woke up in his Fontvieille loft early this morning. Crud was in his eyes, and he hated having crud in his eyes, so he wiped it off. Getting out of bed was always a pain for him, with the cold floor below him. Nonetheless, he braved the struggle and got out of bed. He quickly made his way to his fuzzy slippers on the other side of the room (why he put them there, Quentin has no idea) before leaving his bedroom and making his way downstairs. The maids had been given a day off, so the fresh coffee he usually expects to be made for him was not there. Kettle on the stove, heating up the water. Check. Freshly grounded beans. Check. Coffee maker turned on. Check. It was just a matter of putting everything together in the coffee maker to produce some fine coffee. While that was being made, Quentin made his way to his tablet, lying on the marble countertop. He opened up the application for the Fontvieille Post, as he read the news. Snap elections were the headlines left and right, with one article catching his eye.

"The Dark Horses With a Chance"

Intrigued by this, Quentin opened up the article. He began to look through the article, skimming through it for the most part, until he saw something he'd never think he would see. His mouth was wide open as he was baffled at what he was reading.

While he hasn't announced his intentions to run for a political office in a long time, many monarchists are looking to draft Quentin, head of the Pelletier House to run for Parliament, and hopefully establish a united monarchy. While Quentin has stayed out of the public eye, the surge in monarchists will eventually force him to respond in some way. Both members of the left and right are in support, with many flocking to a big tent party known as the "Regal Party." With one-eighth of the population allegedly in support of establishing a monarchy, the time to make one is now. In an interview with Wil Ponderosa, devoted monarchist and leader of the Regal Yttribian Movement, he told us that "it's not a question of if, but when" in regards to whether or not Quentin will run for Parliament.

He shook his head in shock, as he opened up his email application. There were emails coming in by the minute, with many of them featuring various subjects with one goal in common: "Run for Parliament." This was just too big of a shock for Quentin to handle. He understood why the people would want him to run, after an extremely disappointing interim term by temporary Prime Minister Andrew Liguetti, a former janitor. Why Marchegiano would give Liguetti that position, Quentin wondered. While regality did have its benefits, Quentin wished at times that he could be a normal person. However, fate decided to have his ancestors to be the six heads of the smaller Yttribian kingdoms, and fate decided for him to be royal. He hated the treatment he got at times, but this was not a matter of his ancestry. The people wanted to call on him to run for Parliament, and that number of people was rising suddenly.

This was now his time to rise. While he didn't think he could get elected, it was worth a shot. He opened up a new email, directed to the Editor-in-Chief of the Fontvieille Post. The subject was very simple. "Candidacy." The email itself was short and small in regards to what the contents were, albeit the email had a lot to say itself.

Let the people know there's a race brewing, and I'm in it.

It was worth a shot, after all. And it was worth attempting to revitalize the nation that had now lacked common sense. The race for Parliament was now heating up. All in, Quentin thought as he began to contact the head members of the Regal Party.

[Emporer Pudu]

The last few weeks had been some of the strangest of Bogdan Obakumovich's life. Elevated suddenly to the head coach position of the national team, he had led the team in the final of the Baptism of Fire and then, after receiving a surprise invitation, in the Rabastor Unity Trophy. The team rebounded from the loss in the Baptism of Fire final to come out on top of the Unity Trophy field, claiming the team's first international hardware, however small an honor it might be in the scheme of things. Bogdan was proud of the way the team had come together and played strong after the disappointing try in the Baptism and the strange circumstances surrounding the end of that tournament.

At the moment the erstwhile head coach was relaxing in the team's hotel in Valanora, sitting alone in the hotel bar after leading the squad in training during their day off following their recent defeat at the hands of the Kirisaki side. The lackluster start to the World Cup qualifying campaign wasn't a concern to Bogdan at the moment; he wasn't nearly as high-strung as his predecessor Lucan, though he still couldn't seem to shake the feeling that he knew what had broken the previous coach. Right now Bogdan's thoughts were purely practical. The past two games had seen early goals from the opposition that the Pudite side had been unable to overcome. Although they scored once in the second match, the opposition's three goals were too much for the defensive-minded Pudites to chase down. One solution to this problem might be Nekras Ekimov, Bogdan reasoned, the veteran midfielder had the potential to turn games on their head with half a chance and a couple of seconds. Surrounded by the already strong outside midfielders, Ekimov would certainly change the play of the team, whether or not it would ultimately be for the better would be up to the players to decide.

As he went over the roster again in his head, Bogdan hardly noticed the man sit down next to him. "Seven and seven and a pack of Crusaders," the man ordered from the bartender. "Sorry, no Crusaders," the young lady behind the bar said, mixing his drink. The man didn't seem concerned, he leaned over toward Bogdan, "Hey buddy, can I bother you for a smoke?" Bogdan was shaken from his quiet contemplation, "What? Oh, sure." He replied, pulling the pack from his front shirt pocket and passing a cigarette over to the other man. This second man was older, maybe in his fifties or sixties, he wore an brightly colored floral patterned island-shirt and loose slacks and had a wide comforting smile on his face. "Thanks," he said to Bogdan. "The name's Burt. Play a hand with me?" Burt laid out a pack of cards on the bar. Bogdan shook his head, "No thanks, I don't play games of chance." Burt just chuckled, "Sure you do! We all do, every day. It's no matter though," he said before setting up a game of solitaire for himself. "You've got a game on your mind right now," Burt remarked absentmindedly after a minute. "Excuse me?" Bogdan said, turning to the older man again, "Do I know you?"

Burt shook his head no, "We've never met, you and me, but I know who you are." Burt never looked up from his game of solitaire, except to sip at his drink occasionally. "You're a fan, then?" Bogdan asked him. "Yes, certainly. I've been a fan for a long time. I remember your days playing for Nunkid." Bogdan nodded, "Well, thank you then." He thought the conversation might be over, or at the very least he'd sign something and be done with the old man. Burt, after another quiet moment, spoke again "It's a strange chance that's brought you here, I think." Bogdan squinted quizzically at the old man, "Yes, it's weird business," he replied tersely. "Don't worry," Burt said, "Lucan is going to be just fine. I think he's here, actually." At this Bogdan turned sharply on his barstool to face Burt, "Do you know something about Lucan?" He demanded angrily. Burt replied in his casual, friendly way "No, not exactly. But it certainly seems likely."

Bogdan stood up from the bar, laying cash down to pay for his drinks, "Stay out of it, buddy." He said to Burt as he turned to leave. Burt called after him, "Hey, put Ekimov in next game!" Bogdan said nothing as he left the bar. Was the strange old man right? Was Lucan here, would he come back? Later that night, while finalizing the roster for the next game's match, Bogdan put Ekimov down as a starter without a second thought.

SQUAD FOR THE THIRD QUALIFYING MATCH

NUM.	POS.	NAME				CLUB			NICKNAME		TEAM ROLE
#1	GK	Vasilei Agafopod		Nunkid United		"the well-footed"
#3	LB	Liang Luk			Industrial Tablid
#4	LWB	Allexe Ignatevitze		Capital City
#5	RB	Lui Sui Ki			Capital City
#6	RWB	Cheng Songwei			Asral FC
#12	CB	Fedot Vakhromeev		Nunkid United		"the old man"		(captain)
#8	CMF	Adrian Iarlyk			Nunkid United		"the monk"		(vice-captain)				
#26	MF	Nekras Ekimov			Nisi					
#42	RMF	Goriashka Abakumov		Nunkid United		"the locksmith"
#9	RFW	Tsang Hong Lim			Hollarum FC
#10	LFW	Tsang Man Fai			Capital City


#13	GK	Marcellus Titus Frontinus	Shagal Professional
#34	RB	Ivan Oiatkin			Hollarum FC
#21	CB	Faustus Atrius Oceanus		Nisi
#23	CAM	Chan Zicheng			Hollarum FC
#19	CDM	Jack Macdonough			Nisi
#18	FW	Kaeso Camelius Velius		Athuk Captains

[Chiata]

David Hogue clutched a railing as salty mist stung his eyes. His face was pale, some would say with a slight shade of green. David hated being on the Allegiant, or being on the tipping a rolling sea, for that matter. David had lived in River End, so he had never even seen the ocean. Now he was hundreds of miles away from even Chiata's shoreline, headed to southern Esportiva. David was a marine, and proud of it. However, he didn't really expect to be thrown into a war at only 18. In Chiata, enlistment starts at 17, so he had already been in the service for a year. Apparently, that "experience" got him transferred to the 3rd Marine Division. By him was his patrol mates: Pvt. Clifford Foley, Pvt. Theresa Fulbright, and Cpl. Kenneth Grant. There was no Private 1st Class position, just Privates. That way the government doesn't have to shell out as much money. Like him, all of his patrol members were in their teens. Only Kenneth was in his twenties, and he was only 22. Their squad consisted of four patrols, making it number 17 soldiers, counting Sgt. Humberto Brooks. Three squads made a troop and five troops made a unit (OOC: company). All in all, the unit had 261 soldiers and was commanded by Cpt. Daniel Holleran, whom they all instantly nicknamed Hollering Dan.

Everyone had heard the news. Some tin pot dictatorship, Gregory something, had completely nuked Hicana. Does Mutually Assured Destruction mean anything to them? Surprisingly, no nation retaliated with nuclear force. The Holy Republican Empire had declared war on... what was it? as yes, Gregoryisgodistan. San Jose Guayabal did the same. However, GGS had the jump on everyone and drafted a bunch of deprived "citizens." The dictator gave them some, probably, cheap weapons and sent them running across the border. Chiata had been slow to react. It wasn't right for a nation to completely obliterate another, but the prospect of war seemed like a little too much to swallow. Still, the politicians got riled up about human rights and duty to Esportiva crap. A hop, skip, and a jump later, Chiata's at war! Active forces, such as David, we're immediately gathered. It all happened to fast and was plagued by disorganization. Eventually, the entire 3rd Marine Division was gathered together, 1st, 2nd, and 4th Regiments and all. They loaded the marines onto whatever the Navy could scrounge up and off they were.

As they steamed south, the reservists were being put into mobilization. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, you name it. The 5th and 6th Marine Divisions, made of reservists, were supposed to be ready before the 3rd Division would go into combat. From there, who knows where they'll be sent to. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, San Jose Guayabal. Currently, they were going westward at a decent clip and were somewhere in the waters between Brenecia and Buyan. They would soon turn south into the Hollander Sea until they reached Sakhovelo. They would go through the island chain, hopefully with permission, and head down all the way to Bongo Johnson. After that, it would a long eastern voyage to the war theater. The trip would take a while, and apparently the Air Force couldn't get their act together and give the marines some troop aircraft. With that, they could make the trip in less than a day.

Once in friendly territory, the 3rd Division would wait for the 5th and 6th to arrive. Together they would form I Corps and be combat ready. The doggies in the Army would still be mobilizing while the marines were being shot at. The Army promised to have their active troops and reservists ready within a month. That would mean the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th, and 11th divisions. They would all form the II Corps. Coupled with a few Air Force air wings and a III Corps from the Navy, Chiata would have a large presence and what is already being called the Great Esportivan War. However, the war had a bad image in Chiata. Military volunteering has taken a sharp turn in recent days. Some fear a draft may be instituted if the war drags on and the manpower is needed. David hoped that would never happen. The convoy turned began to turn Port and go South towards the Hollander Sea.

[Madesu]

Starting XI
GK: #1 Amos Chapman (27 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)
DF: #55 Devereux Curtis (19 years old; Stanleyville Stealers) will replace Malcolm Hanson's position
DF: #20 Mario Bullard (23 years old; F.C. Avengers)
DF: #16 Jerônimo Pressley (32 years old; Phillipsburg)
DF: #88 Hamilton Moore (19 years old; Phillipsburg)
MD: #27 Kobina Beaumont (24 years old; F.C. Avengers)
MD: #72 Leroi Mendes (26 years old; Phillipsburg) replaced #7 Olufunmilola Jephson in last game
MD: #22 Nicéphore Osbourne (20 years old; F.C. Avengers)
FD: #16 Delroy Gibson (29 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)
FD: #9 Levi Melende (18 years old; F.C. Avengers) 
FD: #10 Rosaire Richelieu (21 years old; Phillipsburg)

Bench: 
GK: #2 Ufuoma Eason (23 years old; Phillipsburg)
GK: #4 Kade Lavigne (24 years old; F.C. Avengers)
DF: #29 Chase Rye (20 years old; F.C. Avengers)
DF: #32 Malcolm Hanson (22 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)
MD: #7 Olufunmilola Jephson (21 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)
MD: #12 Norwood Hobbes (25 years old; F.C. Avengers)
MD: #6 Hananiah Harden (24 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)
FD: #18 Walter Kevinson (28 years old;Phillipsburg) 
FD: #8 Nikolas Neil (22 years old; Stanleyville Stealers)

I will update this information on my original roster for matchday 4 soon.

It is about a week after Madesu's first matchday when Lamech's family arrives from Musala, Madesu to visit him with the Porcher family. It's also a pleasant sunny afternoon when Serge, Jourdain, Caetano and Lamech himself decide to attend stage 2 of the Tour du Madesu, that will start from Sembai, Ndaku to Iroko, Madesu (103 miles, 165 kilometers). The 4 boys decide to take Lamech's sisters with them to watch the 55 riders embark on their journey through Ndaku and part of Madesu. Lamech's sisters are Leah (18 years old, Lamech's twin), Luzia (13 years old), and Lydia (8 years old). The 4 boys and 3 girls depart from the Porcher residence and they set off on their 4 mile trip to Sembai, which is obviously very close to where the Porchers live, in Kinshasaburg. They are traveling via designated cycling roads/paths. There are a lot of them on Madesene and Ndakene roads. Lamech's sisters describe their experience in Lumumbaville Stadium just a week ago, with all of the fans and the craziness in the stands.

LAMECH: "So, it looks like we'll miss matchday 2, huh?"

SERGE: "Yeah, but it's alright. I mean, dude, the Tour du Madesu, it's like the first successful Tour in Africa now. Madesu and Ndaku are going places, y'know?"

LAMECH: "Yeah I guess so. So Leah, how was Lumumbaville Stadium?"

LEAH: "Okay, so where we all sat was the Madesene side of the stadium. In fact, the whole stadium was the Madesene side, but there were a few Azorian fans out there. I took a lot of pictures. I mean, A LOT of pictures."

CAETANO: "I heard there was a big fight between some Azorian guys and a group of Madesene guys, did you see it?"

LEAH: "Hmph, do you have any idea on how big the stadium is? You'd be lucky to even spot a fight from where we sat, we sat pretty much on the opposite side of where the fight was, but the police took care of it right away, I'm sure."

JOURDAIN: in a sarcastic tone. "Did you suffer from hearing loss?"

LEAH: smiling. "YES, I swear I did! Every time we scored a goal we literally needed to cover our ears, because behind us there were like 4 groups of man choirs singing 'Madesu will Prosper' throughout the whole freaking game, and on our left and right we had people just screaming on the top of their lungs just to be heard."

LAMECH: "Ha-that sounds like fun to me!"

SERGE: "Lam, our next trip is Lumumbaville. Well, the next time a matchday is gonna be held there."

The 4 boys and 3 girls arrive in Sembai and they could practically hear all of the cheering right at the Sembai-Kinshasaburg city border.

LAMECH: "I've never been to Sembai before, it's beautiful,"

SERGE: "Oh trust me, cities in Madesu look much more prettier than Ndakene cities. But yeah, Sembai is one of the cities that glamorizes Ndaku."

The 7 make their way to the starting line of the riders, then the race begins. The 7 ride along with them for about 2 hours, then Serge's mother calls them to come home.

SERGE: "Ok, I told mom that we'll eat some lunch over at Didier's for like 15 minutes then we'll ride back. Ok, guys?"

JOURDAIN: "We should probably allow Lydia to relax a little. Are you tired, Lydia?"

LYDIA: "Not really, but I can still ride some more."

CAETANO: "I'll rack our bikes for a little bit. I see a bunch of benches over on that spot there."

JOURDAIN: "Is there any WiFi around here? So I can check the score? They're probably finished by now."

LAMECH: "I got you. I have unlimited data," he checks the scores. The match is over, and he is completely stunned. "Oh my gosh! WE WON! WE WON! 4-0!"

Right as the rest of the group hovers over Lamech's shoulder in the distance they all can hear cheering from the Didier's restaurant as well as the stage 2 site. The 6 teens and the child cheer with joy.

LUZIA: "4-0! Come on guys let's eat and see what mom and dad are gonna say about this! This is great!"

SERGE: "Yeah Luzia's right. Alright I'm gonna order some light stuff, you guys wait here."

The 7 eat and relax for a little bit and make their way home. They come to see their parents with big smiles on their faces.

SERGE'S FATHER: "We won, guys! 4-0! Can you believe that?! 4-0!"

LAMECH'S MOTHER: "How did you guys like the Tour du Madesu? Is it finished yet?"

LAMECH: "Nah, they're still showing the coverage on NSHQ Cycling. It was great, Sembai is a beautiful city, mama."

LEAH: "It really is. Serge is saying cities in Madesu are still better looking than a lot of Ndakene cities."

SERGE: "They are! Madesu's landscape and climate is slightly better, even though many don't see the difference. But there really is one, I swear!"

CAETANO: "I'm so happy, this is great. Who put the goals in?"

LAMECH: "Gibson at the 9th minute, Mendes at the 25th minute, and that was a penalty kick, Melende at the 46th minute, and finally Richelieu at the 87th. Looks like this was a great game, man! We're even on the top of the scoreboard already!"

SERGE: "Dude this is just the second matchday, we've got a long road ahead of us. But if we continue this way, Madesu's gonna make so much history, the anthem's prophecy of a complete Prosperous Madesu is gonna come true, I'll tell ya that."