KRYBEC- Cup of Harmony 64 Everything Thread

by **Krytenia** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:36 pm

Cutoff time. Which eight teams are going home?

These ones!

Matchday Three: KRYTENIA

Group A
Abanhleft 6–4 Associated Godlands
Vermark 1–0 Chiata

Group A                               P    W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
1 Chiata                              3    2   0   1    7    2   +5    6  Q
2 Abanhleft                           3    2   0   1    9    9    0    6  Q
3 Vermark                             3    1   1   1    4    4    0    4
4 Associated Godlands                 3    0   1   2    6   11   −5    1

Group B
Ceni 3–1 Reçuecn
Walkany 4–5 Barunia

Group B                               P    W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
1 Barunia                             3    2   1   0    9    7   +2    7  Q
2 Ceni                                3    1   1   1    7    6   +1    4  Q
3 Walkany                             3    0   2   1    7    8   −1    2
4 Reçuecn                             3    0   2   1    3    5   −2    2

Group C
Bears Armed 3–4 Szavoda
Omerica 0–1 The Sarian

Group C                               P    W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
1 The Sarian                          3    2   1   0    5    3   +2    7  Q
2 Szavoda                             3    1   2   0   10    9   +1    5  Q
3 Omerica                             3    0   2   1    6    7   −1    2
4 Bears Armed                         3    0   1   2    6    8   −2    1

Group D
Polkopia 2–4 Patistan
The Fallenmark Islands 2–3 Brenecia

Group D                               P    W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts 
1 Patistan                            3    3   0   0    9    5   +4    9  Q
2 Brenecia                            3    2   0   1    8    7   +1    6  Q
3 The Fallenmark Islands              3    0   1   2    5    7   −2    1
4 Polkopia                            3    0   1   2    6    9   −3    1

Knockouts: KRYTENIA

Monday 3 August - Second Round
R1: Chiata vs Ceni @ Coalfields, Osteria
R2: The Sarian vs Brenecia @ Walton Gardens, Simpson
R3: Barunia vs Abanhleft @ Abbey Road, Bradwell
R4: Patistan vs Svaboda @ Harbour Stadium, Stanton

Wednesday 5 August - Quarterfinals
Q1: Chiata/Ceni vs The Sarian/Brenecia, New City Stadium, Avidia
Q2: Barunia/Abanhleft vs Patistan/Svaboda, Southern Arena, Ousevale

Friday 7 August - Semifinals
SFK: Winner Q1 vs Winner Q2 @ Isserson Olympic Stadium, Emberton

Sunday 9 August - Third Place Match
Loser SFK vs Loser SFQ @ New Mercia Stadium, Bromham

by **Nova Anglicana** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:14 pm

Elizabeth Avenue

Sports, Politics, Pop Culture and a whole lot more

NABL Western Division Preview

In the following days, we're going to be doing extensive previews of the twelve teams of the NABL, division by division. We're continuing with the Western Division and our projected 4th place finisher, the DC Brewers. All of our numbers are produced in-house by our statistics team.

Starting Lineup
Order	Name	Bats	Slash Line	wRC+	PA
1	CF Taylor Harvey	S	.299/.357/.389	118	517
2	1B Brett Robertson	R	.279/.347/.428	119	497
3	LF Brandon Maynard	L	.289/.348/.486	125	489
4	C Tommie Griffin	R	.239/.305/.476	115	480
5	3B Nate Briggs	R	.275/.325/.415	112	470
6	RF James McGee	R	.265/.319/.422	100	461
7	2B Lee Ross	S	.264/.332/.398	98	456
8	SS Aaron Palmer	R	.258/.338/.405	100	443

Starting Rotation
Order	Name	ERA	FIP	IP	K/9	BB/9
1	LHP Chris Keyes	3.01	3.24	180	8.6	2.7
2	RHP Tom Roberson	3.59	3.76	170	6.7	2.9
3	LHP Jack Fuller	4.09	4.27	164	7.5	3.6
4	RHP Nick Ford	4.14	4.48	152	8.8	4.4
5	RHP Derrick Boyd	4.65	4.94	147	8.0	3.9

Biggest Projected Hitter/Pitcher Improvement: Brandon Maynard, 1.5 WAR/500 PA; Nick Ford 1.3 WAR/175 IP

Biggest Projected Hitter/Pitcher Decline: Nate Briggs, minus-1.4 WAR/500 PA; Jack Fuller, minus-1.2 WAR/175 IP

Hitter With Most Projected Days Missed: Aaron Palmer, 25 days

Highest Projected Starting Pitcher DL Probability: Derrick Boyd, 28 percent

Best Offseason Move: The Brewers were mostly quiet this offseason. Probably their best move was having a good amateur draft, in which they graded out as an A overall. Their first-round pick, Ty Oliver, is the most physically gifted (if a bit raw) young player we've seen in quite a while, so keep an eye on his development.

Worst Offseason Move: Probably not re-signing JC Whitworth. He was a valuable long reliever and spot starter for them last year, but I think the Brewers were wary of his age (38) and his projections. He's a hurler that we think can surpass his projections, and he signed for very cheap, so even if he turned out to be a poor investment, it wouldn't have cost them very much.

Greatest Team Strength: The lineup is as strong as ever. The Brewers scored the fourth-most runs in the league last year, a big reason why they almost finished .500. All but one regular are projected to be league-average or better by wRC+, and there's some real power coming out of the 3 and 4 slots with Maynard and Griffin. Between the two of them, they are projected to surpass 45 homers, while Harvey and Maynard are expected to combine for more than 60 thefts. Robertson and Briggs at the corners will provide solid batting averages, while the other three keep the bottom of the lineup from becoming a total sinkhole.

Greatest Team Weakness: The pitching beyond Keyes in the rotation and Walker and Fleming in the bullpen. Keyes is a legit ace and one of the best pitchers in the league, but there isn't much else to speak of in the rotation. Roberson and Fuller will eat some innings, and Ford and Boyd will pile up strikeouts, but they won't do it without surrendering more runs than they ought to. Ford should improve, though, mostly because nobody can walk 5.5 per 9 and expect to get away with it again. Fleming pitched his way to a 1.48 ERA last year, and he really is that good, but his value is limited because he mostly faces lefties. Walker has settled into the closer role, which is a shame, because the Brewers would really benefit from using him as an old-school fireman.

Player We Can’t Wait to Watch: Brandon Maynard. Everything about his game is flashy, from the diamond earrings and gold chain, to the impressive bat flips, jubilant outbursts, and diving plays in the outfield. A true personality.

Noteworthy Miscellaneous Stat: The Brewers led the league in home runs allowed last year, with 143. Royal Bank Park is not a bandbox, so we can't blame that. The Brewers' hurlers showed elevated home run to fly ball percentages last year, but not out of the ordinary, either for the pitchers or for the league in general. Expect to see the Brewers pound the bottom of the zone this year to try to keep that issue from recurring.

Off-Field Story Line: This is Brandon Maynard's last year before he becomes eligible for arbitration, and he is going to get paid if the Brewers let it get that far. Expect Maynard to sign a semi-lucrative extension this year, something like 5 yrs/AP 14 million, where the back end averages about 4 million a season.

Projected Record and Over/Under: 62-64 — OVER. They haven't changed the team much from last year, but simple regression to the mean should help them. Regression isn't always a bad thing, and their home runs rates should come down, and their young guys should get a little better. Their pitching isn't great, but I don't believe they're going to allow the second-most runs again this year. No challenge to the better teams in their division, but they should score enough runs to keep them in the middle of the pack.

by **The Saint James Islands** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 4:18 pm

For the Spirit of the Game
Sixty-Fourth Cup of Harmony
On the management of the Omerica men’s national team
Turanga ʻAhipula ʻo ʻOmerika
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port-Alexandre, Philibiscostal 18-A40
Commonwealth of Omerica

Due to the failure to meet the criteria set out by the TAO Executive Board during the midpoint break of the World Cup 72 qualifying tournament, the Turanga ʻAhipula ʻo ʻOmerika hereby terminates its relationship with James-Alexandre Christopherson with immediate effect.

Sincerely:
Makara Mahana ʻo Petera
General Secretary of the Turanga ʻAhipula ʻo ʻOmerika

by **Garifunya** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 5:15 pm

The chaotic atmosphere of Frederykvil slowly lessened as night settled over the city. Following Immanuel Prins' orders, his sympathizers in the Laandmakt had taken up arms against their fellow soldiers and the Jandaams in support of Prins' militias and the protestors. Despite his wish that there be as little bloodshed as possible, violence was inevitable and certain portions of the streets ran red with blood. Prins and François regrouped at a house in one of the friendly neighborhoods. With them were General Mastebroek, Jan, the head of the neighborhood militia, and Issaac Wullings and Hanneke Hulter, the leaders of the protestors.

"First things first," said Prins. "How many did we lose today? Both dead and wounded."

General Mastebroek spoke first. "Among my men, we began with an approximate strength of 1500, against a force of 1200 soldiers and more than 200 Jandaams. Estimated casualties were 45 dead and 189 wounded. Our best guess for enemy casualties was about 92 dead and 424 wounded, with many of those casualties coming from the Jandaamkorps."

Jan, the militia captain, spoke next. "Our militias were mostly intended for defense, so I think whatever casualties we inflicted are included in General Mastebroek's total. In our neighborhood, we lost three men and had six wounded. Other reports from around the city indicate totals somewhere around 88 dead and 200 wounded."

"We only had seven protestors die," said Wullings.

"But over 400 of them were wounded or incapacitated in one way or another, whether from tear gas, bullets, or whatever else," added Hulter.

Prins shook his head. "So many hurt. It wasn't supposed to be this way. If only I had had more time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Hulter. "You said you were in support of our protests, and we decided that we couldn't wait any longer. Are you trying to blame us for all this?"

Prins stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "I didn't know it was going to be today! If you hadn't fucked everything up by forcing the issue, I could have gotten a national movement coordinated!"

"That's bullshit!" yelled Wullings. "All of you politicians are the same! You tell us to wait for change while the rest of the country suffers! Well, we're done waiting! At least it made you get up off of your ass and do something."

An awkward silence reigned in the room for a few moments before François cleared his throat. "Excuse me. Are we all done getting our emotions out? We're all on the same side here, and it's rather important that we co-ordinate our efforts instead of yelling at each other."

Wullings and Hulter looked down, shamefaced. Prins sat back down in his chair and folded his hands. "I'm sorry, Isaac. I'm sorry, Hanneke. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You are important to our cause and I am grateful for the bravery that all of the protestors have shown so far. Sometimes it takes a little push for things to get going. Now, what is our next course of action?"

"We can't just hang out in our neighborhoods and hope to outlast Gillaat," said Jan. "Our militia members barely held on today. They're no match for trained soldiers."

"I agree," said Mastebroek. "If we continue to fight like this, Gillaat will bring in soldiers from other cities or call up reserves, surrounding and outnumbering us. The citizens of Vrijport will support us, but Gillaat can call upon sufficient forces without needing to move his troops from there. The only course of action is assassination. Cut off the head of the snake, and the snake will die. Without Gillaat, the Jandaams and the Laandmakt will not know what to do. You step into the void, and they will be yours to command."

Prins put his hand to his chin. "I don't know," he mused. "Do we have the ability to assassinate him? And I fear that his death will plunge the country into a state of chaos. Perhaps one of the other generals will try to assume power, or even more than one. We cannot have a civil war. Peace must return to our nation. People must have their normal lives back."

"Even more importantly than that," interjected Wullings, "wouldn't assassinating Gillaat make us just as bad as him? God knows he's 'disappeared' enough people to stain his soul many times over. We need to arrest him and put him on trial. That gives the new government and the country legitimacy. If we kill him, then it's just another coup."

"Insanity!" exclaimed Mastebroek. "We know he is guilty! What need is there of a trial? Besides, the longer he is alive, the more time he has to counter our gambit. He could sow the seeds of dissension even as Immanuel attempts to get the country under control."

"I can see both of your sides," said Prins. "The problem is not an easy one. Gillaat will not surrender unless he is defeated. We cannot hope to defeat him by force of arms nor by negotiation. François, I want you to contact Martijn in Vrijport. Have him prepare the safe house. General Mastebroek, pick your best squad of men to infiltrate the Palace and abduct Gillaat. Have a truck waiting at the edge of the city to take him to Vrijport. This is our only hope."

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 6:04 pm

Will your wings let you fly to the playoffs, or fail you? Only Margaret knows.

MD3 cutoff.

MD3 Results- Quebecois Half

Group E
Flardania 1–2 Star United States
The Royal Barangay 0–2 Stvoto Latoli

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Stvoto Latoli           3    1   2   0     4    2   +2     5
2 Star United States      3    1   2   0     4    3   +1     5
3 The Royal Barangay      3    1   1   1     2    3   −1     4
4 Flardania               3    0   1   2     2    4   −2     1

Group F
Nassau-Hessen 1–7 Gloriax
Cosumar 3–0 Albaie

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Gloriax                 3    2   1   0    13    2  +11     7
2 Cosumar                 3    2   1   0     6    2   +4     7
3 Albaie                  3    1   0   2     1    8   −7     3
4 Nassau-Hessen           3    0   0   3     2   10   −8     0

Group G
Schottia 1–7 Super-Llamaland
Kernansquillec 4–2 Arcantova

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Super-Llamaland         3    3   0   0    12    1  +11     9
2 Schottia                3    2   0   1     9    8   +1     6
3 Kernansquillec          3    1   0   2     5   10   −5     3
4 Arcantova               3    0   0   3     2    8   −6     0

Group H
Matthewsiania 0–1 Nova Anglicana
Electrum 0–0 Garifunya

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana          3    2   1   0     2    0   +2     7
2 Electrum                3    1   2   0     2    0   +2     5
3 Garifunya               3    1   1   1     3    2   +1     4
4 Matthewsiania           3    0   0   3     1    6   −5     0

Knockouts: QUEBEC

Monday 3 August - Second Round
R1: Stvoto Latoli vs. Cosumar @ Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg
R2: Super-Llamaland vs. Electrum @ Soohyup Field, Gaspe
R3: Gloriax vs. Star United States @ Pavel Wilson Stadium, Kingston
R4: Nova Anglicana vs. Schottia @ Bannockburn Stadium, Charlottetown

Wednesday 5 August - Quarterfinals
Q1: Stvoto Latoli/Cosumar vs. Super-Llamalan/Electrum @ Iqaluit Stadium, Iqaluit
Q2: Gloriax/Star United States vs. Nova Anglicana/Schottia @ City of Attawapiskat Stadium, Attawapiskat

Friday 7 August - Semifinals
SFK: Winner Q1 vs Winner Q2 @ Blue Point Stadium, St.John's

Sunday 9 August - Final
Winner SFK vs Winner SFQ @ The Samseongoloondongjang, Montreal

by **Stvoto Latoli** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 12:42 pm

Section: Home Page
Section: Local News
Section: Business
*** Section: Sport ***
Section: Entertainment
Section: Opinion

Ten Man Golden Crows Slay Lethargic Barangayans

Matchday 3 - With Beolagh Athey suspended, the youthful right back Tayyib O'Callaghan was rather astonishingly handed the captain's armband for Stvoto Latoli's final group stage match against the Royal Barangay. One half hour into the game, it seemed that Brendan al Tameer was some sort of enlightened football guru for having dished out such a gift - O'Callaghan, assisted by Usama O'Bearga, scored the first of the Gold-Whites' two goals in a thrilling victory. But in the thirty-fifth minute, O'Callaghan was a bit too vociferous in his captain's duties. Outraged that Gibimizhoy Shoodow's goal had been overruled (it was asserted that the Cóiméid target man was in an offside position, a pronouncement later proven incorrect by replays), the Maritime Empire's young leader apparently used some rather repellent language in his debate with referee Emaan Akhtar. The Patistani man in black wasn't having it, and cautioned O'Callaghan for the second time.

However, the resolve showed by Group E's last-seeded team was just as impressive as it had been just days earlier versus Flardania. Golden Crows supporters were dragged through some white knuckle stuff when Los Islenos saw two penalty shouts denied during the opening minutes of the second half. Happily, Akhtar made decisions kind to the Gold-Whites, and Rick Martinez's infuriated side struggled to produce attacking opportunities from there on out. To add insult to injury, in the 73rd minute Muhammad abd al Raziq's quick-witted flick-on caught the stretched Barangayan midfield ball-watching, and after marching down the pitch in Zowbowbyuthi-esque fashion and spraying the ball out wide to Suhayla al Nazihah, the Lobyuseistvooshu center back's head was the last object the ball touched before slamming into the back of Marty Balido's net.

A handful of substitutions mean Brendan al Tameer must run a piecemeal operation in a few days time, when Stvoto Latoli, as winners of Group E, will face off against Group F runners-up Cosumar in the Round of 16, but the good news is that regular captain Athey has now served his suspension, and the veteran number nine can now re-enter the starting eleven and (hopefully) continue his scoring streak.

0 - 2

Information

Venue: Bannockburn Stadium, Charlottetown, Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Emaan Akhtar (Patistan)
Man/Woman of the Match: Muhammad abd al Raziq (Stvoto Latoli)

Managers

The Royal Barangay: Rick Martinez (The Royal Barangay)
Stvoto Latoli: Brendan al Tameer (Stvoto Latoli)

Squads

The Royal Barangay: Balido; dela Vega, Arceo [█ 22'], Docdoc, Oliva (Taguiam 62'); Belga, Linsangan, K. Khan (Ang 76'), E. Khan, Leron; Marbas (Tisang 78')
Stvoto Latoli: Orman [█ 6']; O'Callaghan [█ 1', ⚽ 26', ██ 35'], Gilmore [█ 24'] (Goy 50' [█ 65']), abd al Raziq [⚽ 73'], Drummond, al Nazihah [█ 56']; Padhi, O'Bearga [█ 22'] (O'Coilligh 37'), Ebash (Thušabhi 76'), Nuhu; Shoodow

Next Match

Opponent: Cosumar
Venue: Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Stvoto Latoli's Projected Starting XI: Orman; Hyumowthagoo, Thušabhi, abd al Raziq, Drummond, al Nazihah; Ebash, Padhi, Nuhu, Zuabi; Athey
Referee: Joel Martín Águila Nena (San Jose Guayabal)

by **Szavoda** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:36 pm

Friday Morning

Katarina woke early. Whether from excitement, or nerves, she hadn't slept well, and was relieved to see the pale sun creep over the horizon and illuminate Hornchurch's shadows on the walls of her bedroom. She glanced at the clock by her bed - 6:20 - and decided to rise.

Lauren and Cross had mentioned there being a gym in the basement of the apartment complex, and Katarina considered it too early to have breakfast, so she changed out of her nightware and replaced with it running shorts and a neon sports top, before running some water through her hair and putting in her earphones and heading downstairs. The gym did exist, it was located in the basement, indicated by a useful G symbol in the elevator. As seemingly with all gyms these days, it was open at obscene times, including 6:25 on a Friday morning. Being primarily a runner, Katarina headed straight for the treadmill, and stumbled through the complex instructions in Euran. She eventually resorted to pressing various buttons until the machine grumbled into life. She ran for 40 minutes, slipping her footfalls into the rhythmic beat of the music. Once in this trance-like zone, she could run for hours, and she regularly had to snap herself out of it so that she didn't run herself into the ground.

She stepped off the treadmill and scanned the rest of the gym and its equipment. In the far corner she found the other machine she was looking for: a rowing Ergo machine. In her youth - well, when she was at University and before - she'd been an avid rower. In University, she was in the women's rowing eight, which was an outstanding achievement considering her University doled out Rowing Scholarships like candy. Like running, she appreciated the smooth rhythmical motions, how you could just let everything else slip and focus on the constant drop-and-pull of the oar. She blitzed a 2km circuit on the machine, her attention only broken by someone else entering the gym.

She returned to the apartment, Lauren still wasn't up, showered and got herself breakfast. She allowed herself a moments respite to watch the television, as Lauren emerged from her bedroom, her thick shower of brown hair in severe need of a brush.

"Hey Kat, didn't hear you get up. What've you been doing?"
"Went to the gym downstairs, did some treadmill stuff then went on the ergo."
"Cool. You're a better girl than I, I hardly ever get down to the gym. I much prefer running on the road, you actually feel like you're going somewhere."
"Yeah, I suppose" Katarina replied nonchalantly "tell me, Lauren, what do you wear when on Ops?"

Lauren moved across the room towards the kitchenette and took a carton of juice out of the fridge.

"Err, I wear a T-shirt, either, like, brown or dark green, it's mostly covered by your pack, but short sleeves are preferable. On the bottom I wear cargo trousers, lots of pockets are useful. Then I wear lightweight walking boots. If it's cold I wear a fleece. I often skip on a bra because it's just a pain with the pack on, but I know that's personal preference."

Katarina smiled. Unlike the army, which was almost exclusively male, she could freely talk on more feminine topics. She returned to her bedroom and set about packing her smaller travel suitcase. It was six days, although she didn't know how many nights, as Cross had specified Ops would continue throughout the night. She followed Lauren's advice and threw in four plain t-shirts, as well as two pairs of loose-fitting trousers. Also, in went her walking boots, socks, underwear, a wash bag and sunglasses, as well as a baseball cap from her local rugby team.

Shortly after Lauren finished her breakfast, the pair went upstairs to Molly, who had just readied herself, and together the three went down to the garage, packed their three suitcases and headed off to Clyne's airfield.

The airfield, or the Hutcherson Regional Airstrip as it was officially called, was located in a secluded field, some 30 miles outside of Hornchurch. There was one single hangar building, which housed three aircraft: two small private jets, and a larger cargo plane. It was the cargo plane that was being readied, with numerous crates being put into the back of the vehicle: presumably guns and other equipment. Two of the other team members were there, the two juniors, Garfield and Tom, who were talking amongst themselves. Katarina and Lauren went over to them, whilst Molly spoke to the Head Flight Technician. She then returned to them, holding a clipboard.

"Kat, you, Garfield, Fjodor and I are on Hardy for the Op, Tom, you Marcus, Lauren and Landen are on the rest of the goons. When we land, you and I will go directly to Hardy and brief him, then we'll ride along with him until we reach the first location."
"Roger that." Katarina replied attentively.

Shortly, the rest of the team arrived, and the plane finished loading. After a quick brief, they were hurried onto the jet, and sat into the rather uncomfortable seating rows bolted onto the walls of the plane. The engines hummed, and then roared into life, and Katarina stared out of the window as the plane lifters above the Euran countryside, and away towards her Homeland.

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 8:53 pm

Dragons pile three on Albaie, advance to knockouts in style

KINGSTON, QUEBEC -- The Cosumarites have their swagger back.

Thanks to an R-rated halftime lecture from Gethin Ramsey and a tactical change that unleashed the big gamer in Darwyn Lucassen, the Dragons finally imposed their will for an entire half. It's a groove of momentum they will seek to ride all the way to the Cup of Harmony Finals.

Despite the added pressure of the deciding game in Group F, Cosumar looked more loose, free and confident than they had up until now in Quebec as they dispatched Albaie 3-0 with a flurry of goals early in the second half.

"This game was huge for our confidence," said Lucassen, whose 49th minute goal sent Cosumar to the Round of 16. "It was what we needed after two really close, tight battles in the first two games. We're going to keep this mentality and really be flying in the next game."

It was the kind of game that boosts a team's morale and makes it feel invincible, even if it is still transitioning to a new system. But the Dragons seemed lackluster, at best, in the first half. Their potent offense was somewhat stifled by the formation, with AM Darwyn Lucassen playing slightly out of position as a CM and spending most of his time buried near the backline. They went into the dressing room frustrated, with their fate still up in the air as the 0-0 scoreboard loomed overhead.

That's where Ramsey comes in. Cameras caught the coach telling his players in, err, colorful language during the break to "just get a f------ goal in the first ten minutes and we win this f------ game."

And they did. Not one, but two goals in the first ten minutes of the second half. And another in the 58th minute.

The team clearly listens to Ramsey, but his impact wasn't limited to some expletives and stern glares. He recognized that something different was needed to give his players more chances to get forward, attack at players and create. He moved Vareza Na'Noni back into more of a true #6 role to allow the other midfielders more freedom to get forward. He subbed out striker Anders Engström (who was limping slightly after a hard yellow-card challenge from Edward Fent in the 38th minute) for passing extraordinaire Pablo Corderro, who slid into Na'Noni's gap in the four-man midfield, leaving Ace Newman as the lone center forward up top. The end result was a 4-1-4-1 formation that put more attacking onus on Cosumar's electric cast of midfielders and wingers with the reliable steel of Na'Noni behind to cover.

The difference was noticeable immediately after the second half kicked off. Lucassen looked liberated in central midfield as he was allowed to take on more of the CAM role going forward that he does so well in Buyan. Cosumar was quicker and more energetic as a whole, and within fifteen minutes they had racked up more chances than they had in the whole first half.

The aforementioned Lucassen made it 1-0 in the 49th minute. Vareza Na'Noni played Mauricio Sigler down the left, splitting the defense. Sigler collected, cut inside and fired a hard shot towards goal from 10 yards. It slammed back off the crossbar thanks to a tip from the keeper, but Lucassen was in the exact right spot to head the rebound back into the roof of the net. That counts as Mauricio Sigler's third assist already in Quebec - an amazing tournament for the young star.

Almost immediately thereafter, winger Ole Öhman took on Edward Fent on the right and the fullback was forced to slide in near the baseline after Öhman got around him with a burst of speed. The ball went out for a corner, which Pablo Corderro stepped up to take. His placement was perfect, the ball dropping right into the crowded fray in the middle of the box. It glanced off of someone's something (no one was quite sure who or how at first) past Edward Erentsen for the scrappiest of scrappy goals. A slow replay revealed that left back Maynard Gorham had inadvertently prodded it into the back of the net with his thigh. 2-0 Cosumar in the space of two minutes.

Starting to really spread their wings, the Dragons continued to press Albaie hard. Only a remarkable nine-save showing from Erentsen prevented things from getting ugly in the second half. Albaie struggled to keep up with the onslaught. Andy Alecder was forced to take an intentional yellow card to prevent Ace Newman from outrunning him for a clean look on goal. Darwyn Luccasen subsequently unleashed a true beauty of a free kick over the wall from 22 yards to put Cosumar up 3-0. It seemed certain to be drifting wide before curling back inside the near post at the last second. Erentsen could do little but watch from his stance, aghast.

Lucassen's elation was on plain display as he celebrated by karate-kicking the corner flag as Newman and Corderro stormed him from behind.

"It's the first game of the tournament where we really put our opponent back on their heels for significant stretches," Lucassen said. "That second half is what it needs to be like all the time. Collectively, from everybody, it was just fantastic soccer. If we can play a whole match like that, I will feel sorry for whoever is on the other side."

Swagger.

Cosumar
18 shots (12 on-target)
58% Possession, 78% pass accuracy
12 corners, 1 offside
6 fouls, 0 cards
Albaie
10 shots (5 on-target)
42% Possession, 71% pass accuracy
4 corners, 1 offside
17 fouls, 2 yellow cards (Fent, Alecder)
Cosumar - 3
Lucassen 49', 58'
Gorham 50'

Albaie - 0
No scorers

Photo: Albaie were shredded by Garbarnia Hoyersko's Darwyn Lucassen (right), who seemingly spends more time at mineral shows than practicing soccer.
Cosumar subs: Corderro (45'), Petrov (63'), Kirumsen (88')

As the Dragons leave Group F in the rearview mirror, they will be very pleased to have earned seven of nine possible points. The only draw came 1-1 against higher-ranked Gloriax, who showed their true strength beating Nassau by five and Albaie by six. This means Gloriax technically won Group F on goal-differential, leaving us to play the winner of Group E instead of the runner-up. But after seeing the Round of 16 draws, maybe we should thank Nassau and Albaie for crumbling so easily against Gloriax. Group E's winner, in a bit of a plot twist, is Pot 4 nation Stvoto Latoli. If we had won the group as was our goal, we would have had to face Pot 1 juggernaut Star United States instead. We'll leave that task to Gloriax. Look where all their style points got them.

Truthfully, with the way the Black Tigers have been playing lately they should be more than able to defeat a Starian side that has been a little underwhelming in Quebec. But still, letting them win the group works out nicely for us.

Stvoto Latoli has surprised in group play, stubbornly holding Star United States and Flardania to draws before sucker-punching the heavily favored Barangayans in the gut on the final Matchday, 2-0. Plus Beolagh Athey and his scoring streak will rejoin the side after serving his suspension. Yet in the back of their minds must be a flicker of doubt as they recall the brutal 5-2 friendly defeat we lopped upon them in preparation for the tournament. It will take a major turnaround to reverse a 5-2 result in the opposite direction.

Of course, we shouldn't put much weight in the outcome of a meaningless game, but the players don't forget. Cosumar will be confident, full of swagger even, as they attempt to replicate their earlier performance and the Golden Crows will have to overcome the mental barriers of reverting to the same mistakes that cost them five goals the first time around.

The question looming large over proceedings for Cosumar is the medical status of striker and captain Anders Engström's sore left ankle. The Dragons' attack hummed along just fine in the second half without him against Albaie, but Ramsey would undoubtedly like to have him available against a better opponent in Winnipeg tomorrow. If Engström cannot play, it will be interesting to see if Ramsey begins the game with the same 4-1-4-1 that sparked his team against Albaie. Pablo Corderro played awfully well, his partnership with Na'Noni and Lucassen being particularly impressive, so it would not be a surprise to see him get his first start of the tournament in the middle of that 4-1-4-1.

"All I can say right now is that Anders is day-to-day," Ramsey said. "He took a hard challenge and the other player caught his ankle a little funny. He's still walking gingerly, but he's feeling better. It will likely end up being a game-time decision for him whether he feels like he can help the team or not. He knows his own body better than I do."

The last time Cosumar advanced to the Cup of Harmony knock-out rounds, they went on a run all the way to 3rd place, defeating Sandwich Territories and Starblaydia to get to the semifinals. This time, it is Stvoto Latoli that stands in their way, with familiar foes Super-Llamaland or Electrum waiting in the wings. The big Round of 16 match will be played at Winnipeg Stadium in Winnipeg at 8 p.m. Cosumar-time on Monday. Be sure to support the Dragons on Holo-TV (CSBN channel 3) or in-person.

Thank you for reading The Cosumarite Courier's exclusive Cup of Harmony 64 Coverage. Follow us on Twitter @TheCourier or subscribe to our website (TheCourier.cos) to receive daily updates and analysis of Cosumar's progress in the tournament.

Kelcee Va'Rakeh
Staff Writer

Cosumar's World Cup 72 Cycle
Pre-Qual Friendly: Super-Llamaland 0-0 Cosumar
Pre-Qual Friendly: Osarius 3-0 Cosumar
Pre-Qual Friendly: Cosumar 3-4 Super-Llamaland
Pre-Qual Friendly: Cosumar 3-3 Sameba
Matchday 1: Stellonia 1-0 Cosumar
Matchday 2: Cosumar 3-1 Eastfield Lodge
Matchday 3: Torisakia 3-2 Cosumar
Matchday 4: Cosumar 1-2 The Holy Republican Empire
Matchday 5: Lons 2-2 Cosumar
Matchday 6: Cosumar 2-2 Callagea
Matchday 7: Buyan 1-1 Cosumar
Matchday 8: Cosumar 1-1 Stellonia
Matchday 9: Eastfield Lodge 0-0 Cosumar
Matchday 10: Cosumar 2-2 Torisakia
Matchday 11: The Holy Republican Empire 4-2 Cosumar
Matchday 12: Cosumar 4-3 Lons
Matchday 13: Callagea 0-0 Cosumar
Matchday 14: Cosumar 0-0 Buyan
Post-Qual Friendly: Stvoto Latoli 2-5 Cosumar
Cup of Harmony MD1: Cosumar 2-1 Nassau
Cup of Harmony MD2: Gloriax 1-1 Cosumar
Cup of Harmony MD3: Cosumar 3-0 Albaie
CoH Quarterfinals: Stvoto Latoli vs. Cosumar (@ Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Quebec)
Blue: Draw
Green: Victory
Red: Defeat

Cosumar Goal-Scorers Tally (37 GF)
Ace Newman (8)
Darwyn Lucassen (7)
Ole Öhman (5)
Anders Engström (4)
Sur Arora (4)
Vareza Na'Noni (2)
Maynard Gorham (2)
Jon-Perohlin Nodtveit (1)
Felix Merchison (1)
Arndu Farsgaard (1)
Mauricio Sigler (1)
Tomasso Tenebrosa (1)

Cosumar Assists Tally
Anders Engström (6)
Felix Merchison (4)
Mauricio Sigler (4)
Darwyn Lucassen (3)
Robahn Akindele (2)
Ole Öhman (2)
Tomasso Tenebrosa (1)
Ace Newman (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)
Paaron Petrov (1)
Pablo Corderro (1)

by **Super-Llamaland** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 9:05 pm

sportsnet.sll - Your #1 Source for CoH Coverage!

Dominant Tigers Destroy Schottia, Face Electrum in Ro16

The World Cup qualifiers were, for the first half, characterized by an inability to defeat teams a tier or two below them, as the team took only three points against Boring Paradise, Timbermunich, and the Fallenmark Islands in the first half before picking up six more in the second. Had they managed to take more points against those teams, they might have automatically qualified considering they split the home-and-away with Quebec.

But so far, the Cup of Harmony team hasn't faced the same issue. After a shaky one-nil defeat of Arcantova, the Tigers finally got everything together, smashing Kernansquillec early and late to win four-nil, followed by an absolute demolition of Schottia's morale as the team won seven goals to one.

So far, no team has done better than the Tigers in the entire field of thirty-two, who have won all three games and outscored their opponents twelve to one.

"Is it a good sign?" said manager Carlton Hoover, who despite calls for his sacking has lead the team to a 8-1-1 record in their past ten tournament games, "yes. But in the end, the only thing that matters is that we played well and made it across the line. We'll have to keep doing that in order to make a deeper run.

The game started off with a bang, Schottia winning the toss and immediately hoofing it upfield to the speedy winger Coultan - Coultan crossed it to Avelione but the left winger's shot went over the crossbar. However, the Tigers quickly regained dominant control of the ball, setting up chances for Magnusson, Stanton, and a reinserted Tobias Dickinson - all three missed, but it was a good sign.

It would, of course, be the Tigers to kick things off scoring-wise. In the thirteenth minute, Anthony Player took the ball from Gary Corsie, playing aggressively upfield despite his position, and initiated the counterattack by effortlessly flipping it upfield to a sprinting Tobias Dickinson. Dickinson easily beat Darren Hanlon, giving him an open goal, but instead he sent a through ball over to Lily Stanton, whose shot hit the back of the net with ease.

Things weren't over yet, as a few minutes later, after Magnusson had a shot at a goal but rolled it past the far post, Schottia managed to knot things up again. In the twenty-second, Darren Hanlon saw a chance and took it, taking a few strides forwards before smashing a long pass into green space. Talismanic winger Gaston Avelione beat out a surprised Adam Bay to the ball and easily beat the SK Alice Springs right-back. He had a chance from nineteen yards, and he took it, firing low and hard off the far post, Jared Finch's hand missing it by a millisecond.

The tie didn't last long. The Schottians won with speed and a curious intensity that had given them many favorable results in their days as plucky underdogs, but occasionally their play was a bit sloppy - a necessary evil for that intensity - and the Tigers were able to take advantage. Avelione's attempt to cross it to Allen was easily stolen away by Sebastian Myers, and the pass to Tristan Karnstedt launched an attack. Karnstedt blew past a nonplussed Avelione and, seeing nobody nearby, just kept running. When Corsie finally reached the wingback, Karnstedt simply rifled a pass to the now-open Anthony Player, who quickly saw an open Tobias Dickinson and launched an aerial pass.

Unfortunately, Player overhit it and the ball sailed over Dickinson's head, towards the far post, Lucas D'Araby leaping out to grab it. The Handon United keeper was a reliable veteran for an attack-first Schottian team, and he likely would have made the play. But nobody could've seen what happened next.

It was the thirty-six-year-old, Peter Masters. Well-decorated from his days with Audioslavian club 1830 Cathair, easily the most prestigious team any Llamanean had ever played for, now phasing into a nice final act with Cenial United, a striker who'd lost a step but not his signature deadly touch. He ran in front of D'Araby, back to the goal, somehow headed it over the keeper's arms, and turned around as it sailed in a touch under the crossbar. Two-one.

Both sides had a few chances, Avelione barely missing over the crossbar and Mark Allen's deadly shot barely palmed out by Jared Finch - for the Tigers' part, Tobias Dickinson skied a wide-open shot high and Anthony Player's free kick spun out of bounds.

Until the forty-third minute, when a deplorable tackle by Darren O'Brian earned the left-back a yellow and the Tigers a free kick. Anthony Player, looking to make up for his earlier miss, made a perfect shot, and Tobias Dickinson headed the ball home - the Tigers took a two-goal lead into the half.

Then came the second.

Schottia actually had some nice opportunities in the early moments of the second, the best of which was Avelione's perfect cross dropping out of bounds after Mark Allen barely missed it. Defensively though, things weren't as good - O'Brian had never been a strong defender, more of a wingback sort, while Hanlon's inexperience showed badly and Okywä and Watt seemed a bit unsettled. It was quickly noticed, and the Tigers were swarming the pitch, a furious Lucas D'Araby barely managing to hold the score at three-one. A shocked Barry Gorman quickly signaled for Jenna Koemann to replace O'Brian, but before she even came in, Lily Stanton slid in and a cute pass to Alicia Magnusson was just hard enough to make it past the defense, Magnusson slipping the ball just inside the far post as D'Araby dove for it.

Koemann came in, O'Brian coming out, but it wasn't enough - Sebastian Inriquez came in for Javier Agudieres for the most attacking 4-4-2 diamond Super-Llamaland had ever seen - Meng, Myers, Bay, Karnstedt / Stanton, Player, Inriquez / Dickinson / Magnusson, Masters (!)

And, of course, it was the Lyon winger that beat out Koemann for Player's well-placed pass and took a twenty-yard shot that D'Araby had no chance of stopping in the fifty-ninth, six minutes after the last goal. Five-one. Barry Gorman tried to stem the tide of Tigers goals by bringing in Thio Crillin for an absent Gary Corsie, but it didn't work - just after kickoff, Dickinson dispossessed Eoin Killanen almost immediately, whipped a pass by Crillin to Lily Stanton who passed to Anthony Player after she inexplicably drew three defenders, giving the Tigers' best playmaker a ton of open options to choose from - his selection was a through-ball to Peter Masters that the aging striker easily slapped in to make it six-one.

Aidan Ferguson came in for Masters, and the move paid off immediately as the playmaking striker reeled in an errant pass from Stanton and sent a perfect through-ball to Tobias Dickinson, who easily smashed it home for number seven in the sixty-fifth. A humiliated Gorman brought on Seggerson for Killanen, and finally the Tigers' prowess started to drop off as the Schottics managed to hold the attackers off - Carlton Hoover brought on Alex Bale for Dickinson to hold off Schottia's surprising counterattack, but the team had sacrificed too much in attack trying to make the whipping stop, and they were unable to convert, especially without the incisive presence of Killanen.

The whistle finally sounded, and the Tigers had humiliated Schottia to advance - could they keep it up?
---

TIGERS ABSOLUTELY DEMOLISH SCHOTTIA

Schottia (4-5-1)
GK: D'Araby
LB: O'Brian (Koemann 54)
CB: Hanlon 
CB: Okywä
RB: Watt
CM: Fotan
CM: Corsie (Crillin 60)
WL: Avelione
CAM: Killanen (Seggerson 67)
WR: Colton
ST: Allen

SUPER-LLAMALAND (5-3-2)
GK: Finch
LB: Meng
LCB: Myers
CB: Agudieres (WR Inriquez 51)
RCB: Bay
RB: Karnstedt
LM: Stanton
CM: Dickinson (Bale 67)
RM: Player
ST: Magnusson
ST: Masters (Ferguson 64)

STATS (Opponents First)
28 - POSSESSION - 72
6 - SHOTS - 19
3 - SHOTS ON TARGET - 1

SCORED: Stanton 13
Avelione 22
Masters 29
Dickinson 43
Magnusson 53
Inriquez 59
Masters 62
Dickinson 65
CAUTIONED: Dickinson 15
Player 35
O'Brian 43
EJECTED: --NONE--

Next up, the Tigers will face Electrum, who drew Garifunya and Nova Anglicana and defeated Matthewsivania to advance onwards with five points in second place in Group H. To face the Electrumites' defensive 4-4-2, Hoover will rely on the 5-3-2. The back line, lead by Myers, Agudieres, and Bay, should be able to hold back an attack of Electrum's caliber, although they're better than the three teams the Tigers just defeated. Meanwhile, Karnstedt and Meng (or possibly Myers-Briggs, considering Meng's recent struggles) can advance up the wings if needed but can also stay back if the Electrumites push forwards. Meanwhile, Player's brilliant playmaking should power the attack although de Vries could be brought in if he can't do it alone, Stanton and Dickinson have attacking prowess, and Alex Cartwright's return, coupled with Alicia Magnusson (or maybe the aging but venomous Masters) should be able to see the Tigers rip through the opponents' stout defense, which hasn't conceded at all so far.

Lineup to face Electrum - Finch; Myers-Briggs, Myers, Agudieres, Bay, Karnstedt; de Vries, Dickinson, Player; Magnusson, Cartwright

by **Electrum** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 5:15 am

Centralis Herald - Editorial

Puffed chests all for naught

Yet again, the multiverse has shown that nothing good can ever come from 'puffed chests,' or the phenomenon that we like to call at the Centralis Herald whereby nations try and provoke each other into action through thinly veiled threats and accusations of war. It is the view of the Centralis Herald that the recent controversy with Eura and Valladares was nothing more than a storm in a teacup, with both nations being extremely upset that Electrum allowed Sargossa to build an airbase in Electrum's East. You know they are scared when they try and team up against you, and quite frankly, it is quite despicable that both nations, instead of going through the normal political channels, instead went out in the open.

Of course, the Greens Society, perhaps because of their inexperience triggered this whole elections nonsense, which led the right-wing government into power once again, where Nick Wood renegotiated a new deal. Which we probably would have seen under the last government anyways. There really was no point at all to that election, as it would have been clear that internal pressure on former Prime Minister Suarez would have been too much for her anyways, and she would have renegotiated that deal with Sargossa. It was of course, quite ridiculous that once the new deal was formed by PM Wood, both nations were immediately placated and they went off in their own colonialist ways once again. Valladares is still restraining Electrum's Eastern water supply, especially with the drought up near Prescott, while Eura has gone fought some other war in Saintland.

On the other side of the multiverse, in Esportiva, Gregoryisgodistan overran HRE after the HRE declared war on them. It was simply a farce whereby probably thousands, if not, millions of civilians died, all because of just differences in what deity to believe in. Here in Electrum, we have a saying, "Peace and Prosperity." It is through the olive branch that true structural and meaningful change can last -- not through the sword. Through peace and tactful diplomacy, we could truly achieve prosperity around the world. It's fairly easy to do that -- all you have to do is not declare war, and negotiate solutions. And we don't understand what is so hard about that. When there are severe injustices around the world, we simply cannot afford to push more people into war and poverty.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:38 am

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL - OFFICIAL WEBSITE
ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

CUP OF HARMONY 64: ABANHFLEFT VS ASSOCIATED GODLANDS
By Malik Qazizadah

Players of the Abanhfleft women's national football team check on each other following the game against Associated Godlands. The team was already assured of victory before the end of the first half, but a last-gasp effort from "the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" gave the Godlands four goals back. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Ulysses Turogo)

EMBERTON, KRYTENIA - The people who poured into Emberton's Isserson Olympic Stadium were expecting an intense battle of the nations between Abanhfleft and the Associated Godlands, but instead what they got was nothing short of a farce of a match that was over before the first half had even ended.

Once again, Fleftic fans were in full force to support their national side today, chanting "We' are heathens and we're proud of it" to the tune of the famous football chant "Glory, Glory." However, if they were expecting a fantastic display of football from both teams, then they were about to be disappointed. As soon as the whistle to start play had been blown, the Associated Godlands football team assembled around the player known as "Jesus" and sat down in front of him as he preached to them in front of the goal. It was similar to a play that the Godlands had used earlier against Chiata, but this time they crowded around their "Jesus" in front of the net in quite probably their version of park the bus.

But despite the eleven opposing players bunched in front of the goal, there was still enough space around for Abanhfleft to operate and send some shots into the net. After the brief confusion about Associated Godlands' new formation, Chelsea Stuart walked in the Lady Revolutionaries' first goal of the game after only two minutes because she tried to see if the Godlands defense would budge a bit once she went closer and closer to the goal.

It was a similar story just a few minutes later, and this time it was Alexandra Rousseau who walked in Abanhfleft's second goal. When Allison Torres walked in her first goal in the competition and her team's third, the team realized that they had a golden opportunity in their hands and moved to take advantage immediately. The rest of the first half was quite a strange sight to behold, both for football fans and average spectators alike: both teams were in the same half, but one team was sitting around one of their players listening to his stories and parables while the other team began doing what can only be described as "football drills." Even keeper Victoria Carter didn't bother watching her goal because the opponent made no effort to challenge her anyway.

As the match drew on and the Godlands didn't appear to even be remotely interested in playing the game, some of Abanhfleft's shots at goals were becoming fancier and fancier. Bella Maynard once again displayed her skills and accuracy with the long shot as she sent in the ball from 35 yards, and as an added challenge to herself--she confirmed this in the post-match interview--she chipped the ball over the Godlandic (?) "congregation" around "Jesus".

Lea Choi got in on the action with a very fancy bicycle kick following the pass from Adelaide Singh, and just to show how absolutely crazy the game had become, Carter chanced a shot at goal from her own net. And, much to everyone's surprise, the ball went in, making this the first time in Fleftic history that a goalkeeper had scored a goal for the national team, own goals not included.

With Abanhfleft now 6-0 up five minutes from half-time, the players realized that while they had a real opportunity to run up the score against the fanatics of Associated Godlands, it wasn't really the most sporting of things to do. Nevertheless that didn't stop them from attempting one more cheeky shot at goal just before half-time. The ball bounced off of Judas's head and went straight into the back of the net, but the own goal was not counted because the referee had already blown his whistle for half-time.

In the second half, things began to become a little more interesting. The Associated Godlands had finally decided that their park the bus strategy wasn't really working, and now they went on all-out attack. Still, their new strategy consisted of the Godlands players crowding around "Jesus", who continued telling parables even as he was advancing the wall towards the Fleftic defense. This was the reason why Abanhfleft failed to muster any more attacks, because they were so busy fending off Godlands attacks that they couldn't even begin thinking about attacking on their own. In a bit of cruel and poetic irony, they were probably thanking God that they had already scored six goals in the first half.

And in the second half "Jesus" revealed his hitherto unknown ability to run so fast as to appear to be teleporting from one place to another, and that was how the Godlands managed to score 4 goals in quick succession. But Abanhfleft eventually learned an effective counter against "Jesus"'s attacks, and that was to park their own bus and bunching together around the mouth of goal. The strategy worked, mostly, and the Lady Revolutionaries were surely relieved when they heard the final whistle being blown and walked away with all three points to finally qualify for the knockout stages of the Cup of Harmony for the first time in the team's history.

Abanhfleft's first opponent will be Barunia, a nation that is no stranger to Fleftics as their Karl Marx University is currently playing against our Ceneisis Naval Academy and Thereisnogodistan Community College in the NSCF. Manager Kasper Molak hopes that the win against Associated Godlands would give the team confidence that they could carry over to the game against Barunia.

   ABANHFLEFT 6 - 4 ASSOCIATED GODLANDS
  STUART (2')       JESUS (46', 47', 50', 51')
ROUSSEAU (5')
  TORRES (6')
MAYNARD (10')
   CHOI (13')
 CARTER (19')

ASSOCIATED GODLANDS
GK: 02 Francis
RB: 03 Judas
RCB: 04 John
LCB: 05 Peter
LB: 06 Matthew
CDM: 07 Obama
RM: 08 Adam
LM: 09 Luther
CAM: 01 Jesus
RS: 10 Teresa
LS: 11 Tebow

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Carter
RB: 02 Osgood
CB: 03 Jackson
LB: 04 Valentine
RW: 07 Prescott
RM: 05 Maynard
LM: 06 Choi
LW: 08 Singh
CAM: 09 Torres
RS: 11 Stuart
LS: 10 Rousseau

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 50%
Associated Godlands: 50%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 22 (12 on target)
Associated Godlands: 4 (4 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 5
Associated Godlands: 0
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 0
Associated Godlands: 0

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:28 am

OOC: For those in Cup of Harmony, the Quebecois side of cutoffs will be held in +2330 EST, instead of +2030 EST for Round of Sixteen and Quarterfinals. This is due to personal reasons that I could not avoid.

Sorry for this inconvenience.

by **Barunia** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:07 am

Barunia enter the Round of Sixteen of the Cup of Harmony with a load of pressure, not all of it from the pitch. A war of words is threatening to tear the Barunian Football Association apart, after CEO Bruce Pattison lost the support of the majority of his executive council. The issue, which revolves around a controversial arrangement involving the facilities at Northport, has seen the BFA split into two camps. The issue arose after nominations to the National Team Board (NTB) were passed to the BFA executive council for approval. One nomination, former Nightjars head coach Steve Green, sparked disagreement, with the current NTB arguing that Green's nomination was against the BFA constitution. Pattison was asked by the executive to disallow the nomination, but ruled that the nomination was valid and refused to heed his council's advice.

In an emergency meeting to resolve the issue, no member of the five-person executive provided a reason for refusing Green's nomination other than "unresolved issues" between Green and members of the NTB. Pattison defended his actions, saying that his understanding was that the council had rejected the nomination on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. As he deemed it constitutional, Pattison saw the advice as invalid. After the meeting though, an email was circulated from the executive that stated the council's position. In it they accused Pattison of actively trying to remove NTB member Rod Neal from his position. Mr Green then accused Mr Neal of having a personal vendetta against him, which stems from a disagreement of facility use at Northport Sports Complex involving the Sea Lions and the Nightjars.

As the muck starts to fly, the national team themselves are caught in the middle. As direct employees of the BFA (as opposed to club teams), they have voting rights at BFA general meetings. There was a meeting last night, which dissolved into chaos as both sides resorted to insults and accusations, and refused mediation. The meeting has left many of the national team angry, disillusioned, and upset about how their sport is being run. Coach Joric Ruskin told a news interviewer, "Everyone knows I was once a soldier. I've seen conflict, I was on a team divided by civil war and ideology. I've never seen any thing as petty, as vicious, vindictive, or as brutal as that meeting." Defender Peter Barnett said that he felt "mentally exhausted" after the meeting. Captain and goalkeeper Paul Bainbridge said that the ongoing battle amongst the top brass was also present in the team, "There's guys from different clubs, who've all got different sides of the story. The problem is no one has a clear understanding, most of it hearsay and secret meetings that different people have been to or not been to. The meeting was supposed to clear it up, but it dissolved in to an argument. There are guys on the team who have joined the conflict, so to speak."

Further adding to the worries of the national team is the advancement of Cyclone Alexina, which is due to make landfall at Sheppardton tonight. The category 4 cyclone is expected to bring widespread devastation, and the people in its path are preparing for the worst. The government has already dispatched four navy ships loaded with humanitarian supplies to the area, and soldiers have been aiding the people of the south coast to batten down the hatches and reinforce the river bank. Coach Ruskin, who lives in Fairweather, which will be hit by the cyclone at about 4am, said that there was a sense of uneasiness running through the team. "Everyone's worried. I'm worried about family, friends, of course. Everyone knows someone from Sheppardton or Fairweather. Add to that this stoush in the BFA, and we're under a lot of pressure."

Adding to the pressure, the team have also been touted by local media as hot favourites to win the Cup of Harmony. The Suns are the highest ranked team in the competition, and also finished as runner-ups last season. The team struggled early on against Reçuecn, who are beginning to build a reputation for their solid defence. The Suns then met Ceni for the fifth time, the most times the Suns have faced the same team in WCC competition. Once again, it was both a high-scoring and close affair, with the game going the Suns way 4-3. Finally they faced Walkany. The Suns pushed hard to try and blow their opponents away, but it almost backfired as the lowly-ranked team put four past Bainbridge. The Suns' aggressive tactics paid off with five goals, and they finished top of the group.

by **Patistan** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:47 am

Match Report

Patistan VS Polkopia

            Patistan 4 - 2 Polkopia

 Nabil Aslam (13') Boris Palgov(46', 51')
 Shahid Shazib (36')
 Shafqat Tariq (89')
 Shafqat Tariq (90+2')

Patistan came into this last group match with already securing qualification after surprising wins against Brenecia and Fallenmark Islands and were now vying for top place in the group, which only a week ago was thought impossible. Polkopia came into this match acquiring a win and also needing The Fallenmark Islands to beat Brenecia.

"0": Welcome to this Cup Of Harmony match between Patistan and Polkopia

"1": And we're off, Polkopia are already on the attack, Vsevolod Bilan tries from far away but that not's troubling the goalkeeper.

"9": And first try on goal for Patistan, Zia dodges Tivoni gets some space and shoots directly at the goalkeeper

"13": GOAL!!!!!! Beautiful corner kick from Abdullah Hussain and unmarked Nabil Aslam heads it comfortably in the upper right corner for the first goal of the match.

"18": Oooooo So close from Krenkov, The midfielder tries just outside the box and forces a save from Sohail.

"28": Ohhhhhh, Rasool hits the crossbar. Free kick outside just outside the box and Atiaq beats everyone except the crossbar.

"36": GOAL!!!!!! awesome skills from Shahid, he dodges everybody and rounds up the goalkeeper before walking the ball inside the goal and gets a yellow card for his celebrations.

"42": Close from Palgov, Sohail was clueless about the ball and it just misses the crossbar

"45": Halftime, we'll be back in 10 minutes!.

"46": GOAL!!!!!! OH MY GOD, WHAT A GOAL. Bilan scores for Polkopia, 25 yards from goal and he shot it like a missile, no chance for Sohail whatsoever. 2-1 now

"50": FOUL inside the box, penalty to Polkopia. Hargig made a harsh tackle on Rotislav. and now has to pay the price.

"51": Bilan steps up for Polkopia and GOAL!!!!!!, he sends Sohail the wrong way and its 2-2 now.

"60": GOAL!!!!!! oh no wait it's offside so NO GOAL. Gorodovia just had to tap it in and was a little ahead of Maldov.

"73": Muhammad tries for goal and it needs a fingertip save from Opotov to keep it at 2-2.

"82": Grigia brings on Shafqat in place of Atiaq.

"86": Polgov hits the crossbar!!!!, it was a fluke shot and it almost payed of, amazing game here right now.

"89": GOAL!!!!!!!! The wonderchild scores, Tariq scores his third goal of the tournament. Even though all the work was done by Younda to bring it from the flanks and provides a low cross for Tariq to tap in.

"90+2": GOAL!!!!!!!!! Now this was all Tariq, he receives the ball at the half way line and needs to dodge only the goalkeeper as everyone is ahead. He gets the ball on the goal line, gets on all fours and puts the ball in with his head.

"90+4": That's it, Patistan win the group and will now face Sazvoda in the Round of 16, can they keep the run going?

by **Schottia** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 1:20 pm

SBCNEWS Online...
Sports special

The Next Schottia Boss, The Bookie's Short List.

There has been no end to the speculation, surrounding the future of Schottic manager Barry Gorman, following the manager's poor start to the cycle. Originally Gorman had said he would qualify for the World Cup within three cycles, or he would hand in his notice. That was over a year ago now, and despite guiding the White and Greens to the last sixteen of the Cup of Harmony, it is strongly suspected that the 47-year-old will step down at the end of the tournament.

Despite never making the world cup play-offs, Gorman's time in charge will be remembered for some of the side's relative successes. In his four years in charge he has overseen a complete overhaul of the senior squad, transforming Schottia from a side finishing WC 68 qualification on zero points, to a team knocking on the door of the top-50.

With his successor inheriting a much healthier side than the one Gorman took on, what sort of individual is required to take Schottia to the next stage? We thought that we would have a look at some of the bookie's favourites to take the hot seat.

Jane Gullie, 39. Current odds: 4/1
Gullie at the moment is the front-runner to take over from Gorman, with the Warriors boss making all the headlines at the moment back home. She masterminded her side's title success last season, and has worked with several players in the current squad including Jon Fotan, and Craig O'Maramy. One of the main strengths Gullie seems to possess is her ability to motivate her players, and get them all pulling together. When working with a disparate group of individuals from a range of different leagues, this can only be a positive point.

One of the foreseeable problems in Gullie's appointment however, would be her relative lack of experience. At only 39, she has risen through the ranks at her club, going from team physio to coach, to manager. Whatever she does though, she seems to be doing it right, as the players certainly respond to her style of management.

There is no doubt that Gullie's appointment would be popular with the fans, but would the board take such a risk on a young manager.

Jock Sonny, 67. Current odds: 5/1
Sonny is by far Schottia's most successful living manager. He guided the U-21s to the Di Bradini Cup title, as well as a last 16 place the previous year. In addition to this he managed the Olympic side en route to the quarterfinals in the last summer games, picking up some impressive wins along the way. Sonny is also the manager of Schottic MPL side Cornellians, who have finished 2nd and 3rd in the first two seasons and last year lifted the MPL Cup.

Sonny is a firm hand at the tiller, a cultured and intelligent manager, but at this stage in his career would he be willing to take on such a job? He came to management quite late in life, having previously worked as an assistant, mostly in the lower leagues. The 67-year-old certainly has the presence, and the profile for a post like this one, and his energetic displays from the sidelines are popular with the fans. Due to his age, Schottia are probably looking at two years at most with this man in charge.

Jurgen Peters, 58. Odds: 5/1
The FC Soessch manager would be a pretty safe bet, one that would not rock any boats, but wouldn't excite the fans either. He has been a steady hand at his club, keeping them near the top of the table for the last six seasons, but never setting the world alight. He has a proven track record for bringing through youngsters and working with players from the lower leagues. His sides tend to be less glamorous, but get the job done.

The Schottic fans have gotten used to a pretty attacking, free flowing style of football over the last four years, and with Peters at the helm they would have to be a bit more patient. Whether the fans could take to this would probably depend on whether or not it resulted in victories. He is the kind of guy who goes with the tried and tested, and likes to slot round pegs into round holes

Sarna Dyrvedz, 32. Odds: 8/1
Dyrvedz is the current number two in the Gylian management team, and she has acquired a long list of admirers round the globe for her innovative approach to the game. In the same mind set as Gullie, Dyrvedz seems to be able to motivate players through having fun, and her appointment would certainly promote a sense of togetherness. She also knows how it is to handle a co-ed side, and with Schottia rapidly moving in that direction, this experience could be invaluable.

She made the headlines over here for letting her players have free reign to go and enjoy themselves during major tournaments, but maybe that is something that would pay off for Schottia. It would no doubt be a step up for her, going from coaching the Gylian side, to managing a team like Schottia, with far more expectant fans. If this charismatic 32-year-old could manage it however, she would probably have the team playing a brand of football the fans would enjoy.

by **Star United States** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:21 pm

Change.
Part 1

Solo, the 27-year-old defender of the Men's National Soccer Team, shared his life story with the public.

"Everything changes. It'll change whether we want it or not - for the good, or for the bad. Life loves playing games.
- Santiago Solo

In an interview, Solo poured his heart and soul out as he shared his thoughts. He shared how his life completely changed and uplifted by his faith. The interviewer, Maria, asked specify questions that dug deep into Solo's past, which he answered truthfully.

"How was your childhood?" asked Maria for the first question.

"See, I was born to loving parents twenty-seven years ago. They weren't rich, but they gave me everything I needed. I rarely got what I wanted, but I survived. Nonetheless, this quickly changed. When I was starting school at six years of age, my mother had been trying to give me a younger sibling. After various attempts, she got pregnant. I was so excited that I was going to have a younger sister or brother to play with! Things changed though - my biological dad didn't seem to happy about the idea of having a new member added to the family - which made no sense. His attitude changed drastically. He wasn't the same. Our home started to slowly break down. My mother turn old quickly. Time passed, and my little brother was born. When I was twelve, my mom passed away. I used to blame my biological father because he would treat her so badly. After her death, he would never be home. He would come home after we would have fallen asleep and left before we were awaken by our alarms."

He took a short pause and inhaled and exhaled as he continued, "So I decided that it would be best if my little brother and I would run away. I was twelve and he was six. We ran away. To this day, I have not gone back to my home city and I'm not planning to."

"Where did you and your brother run away to?" asked Maria.

"My mother, before she died, used to sponsor this orphanage in a city relatively close. In her will, she left half of her saving to the orphanage and the other half to us. However, my dad was not allowed to see the will. I got bus tickets and we made our way to this orphanage. We got there, and we spoke the lady in charge. Here name as Miss. Huney. She was a really nice lady. She accepted us, however, she called our biological father. She told him to pick us up, yet he never did. She reported us abandoned by force, and he was arrested."

"So, what happened next?" asked Maria.

"We just lived at the orphanage. It was a Christian orphanage, and they church that operated the orphanage, also operated a school - meaning that we also got educated. When I was young in my teen years, I managed to get my fingers on alcohol. I poured myself out over that - over the idea that my mother had died because of my biological father's fault and that my father never came looking for us. Nobody wanted us. I did my best to keep my little brother happy! Soon enough though, I started to attend the youth group of the church that operated the school and the orphange. This changed my life in amazing ways. I started to take my little brother with me. By the time I was sixteen and my brother was ten, we were adopted. Miss Huney got married with Mr. Solo. They adopted us, so my brother and I took use of the last name Solo. We lived in much better conditions than with my biological father. I attended the University of Star in City of Star. I was quiet and shy, but with help of my real father, Mr. Solo, I attempted to join the University's soccer team."

"Is that how your soccer career started?" asked Maria.

"Maybe, but I was a failure! I didn't get in the first time, or the second time! I started to practice with my little brother, and the third time around - guess what!?"

"What?" asked Maria.

"I still didn't get in! My fourth time though, I did! That's the year I was scouted for the national team."

"That's quite interesting! Now, tell us more about your brother!"

to be continued...

by **Stvoto Latoli** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 2:43 pm

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16

PRESENT DAY

DOCTORS NOTES, 5268-04-26

Patient 53138-L32 (Eherebhimi, Savathi) remains in comatose state. As listed in 5268-04-24 notes, drug overdose definitive
cause of current condition. Brain scans report significant neurological activity. Credible to say patient is conscious of
outside stimulus but paralyzed. Condition is stable but may deteriorate in future. Severe dilation of middle cerebral artery
likely cause - failure to correct will result in cumulative damage to pre-frontal cortex. Surgery probably required.

ADDENDUM

Patient 53138-L32 (Eherebhimi, Savathi) reported to have had strange dreams containing violent imagery in weeks before
overdose, as reported by close friends Tatasipoke, Jorojoro and Mbaye, Nyangoma in waiting room this afternoon. Friends
adamant that this be looked into; however, anecdotally significant only - irrelevant to diagnosis.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE - Dr. Chujujia Sighi

Confirmed.

(NOTE: This RP is part of a very long and ambitious storyline that serves as an origin story for this nation. I will be referencing at least a half dozen of my own former RPs, written as the Pazhujeb Islands or Kagdazka and Pazhujebu. As such, I feel like it is in good faith to report this to hosts who might be tabulating my RP bonus: the past RPs I will reintroduce are original material, but most of them have been directly copied and pasted. If this is considered uncouth, I will understand if I am docked bonus points. However, it is worth mentioning that in many of these ancient RPs I left hints that I did plan on revisiting later. Subsequently, this self-plagiarism simply attempts to give context for the plot I will be weaving. I will always provide a notice in this space any time an old RP is used or referenced.)

by **Krytenia** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 4:28 pm

Cutoff! Now for the hammer to fall upon four of you...

Second Round: KRYTENIA

Chiata 1–1 Ceni (1–1 AET) (2–1 pen.) @ Coalfields, Osteria
The Sarian 3–0 Brenecia @ Walton Gardens, Simpson
Barunia 5–4 Abanhleft @ Abbey Road, Bradwell
Patistan 1–2 Szavoda @ Harbour Stadium, Stanton

Wednesday 5 August - Quarterfinals
Q1: Chiata vs The Sarian, New City Stadium, Avidia
Q2: Barunia vs Szavoda, Southern Arena, Ousevale

Friday 7 August - Semifinals
SFK: Winner Q1 vs Winner Q2 @ Isserson Olympic Stadium, Emberton

Sunday 9 August - Third Place Match
Loser SFK vs Loser SFQ @ New Mercia Stadium, Bromham

by **Nova Anglicana** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:50 pm

Elizabeth Avenue

Sports, Politics, Pop Culture and a whole lot more

NABL Western Division Preview

In the following days, we're going to be doing extensive previews of the twelve teams of the NABL, division by division. We're continuing with the Western Division and our projected 3rd place finisher, the Sept-Iles Bleus. All of our numbers are produced in-house by our statistics team.

Starting Lineup
Order	Name	Bats	Slash Line	wRC+	PA
1	CF Thomas Barnett	S	.292/.347/.400	117	510
2	RF Terrence Mills	R	.269/.337/.418	111	493
3	3B Curtis Brooks	R	.293/.338/.466	120	484
4	1B Ken Henry	R	.247/.315/.471	114	475
5	2B Josh Wallace	S	.271/.328/.403	101	470
6	LF Alex Fletcher	R	.225/.298/.472	99	462
7	SS Tim Quinn	S	.249/.330/.398	96	456
8	C Brad Brown	R	.271/.318/.404	99	451

Starting Rotation
Order	Name	ERA	FIP	IP	K/9	BB/9
1	RHP Achille Gagnon	3.31	3.54	172	8.1	3.4
2	LHP Fabrice Fournier	3.66	3.82	164	7.5	3.6
3	LHP Serge Poirier	3.89	4.11	160	8.5	3.9
4	RHP Shawn Harrison	4.00	4.28	155	7.0	3.0
5	RHP Eric Bishop	4.21	4.53	150	7.4	3.8

Biggest Projected Hitter/Pitcher Improvement: Curtis Brooks, 1.3 WAR/500 PA; Shawn Harrison 1.1 WAR/175 IP

Biggest Projected Hitter/Pitcher Decline: Alex Fletcher, minus-1.8 WAR/500 PA; Serge Poirier, minus-1.6 WAR/175 IP

Hitter With Most Projected Days Missed: Alex Fletcher, 20 days

Highest Projected Starting Pitcher DL Probability: Eric Bishop, 23 percent

Best Offseason Move: The Bleus didn't do a whole lot this offseason, so I'm going with signing Thomas Barnett to a five year extension worth AP 11 million. This extension keeps Barnett averaging 2.2 million pounds, which is more than the league average, but certainly less than what he would get in arbitration or on the open market. It does expire when Barnett is in his prime and he's going to command a big payday, but the Bleus don't have to worry about that right now.

Worst Offseason Move: They could definitely upgrade at second and in left. Josh Wallace is a league-average offensive player, but he isn't going to provide the sort of pop that a team might want in the #5 slot, plus his defense is mediocre to below average. Alex Fletcher isn't providing any value with his glove, and he's going to have to hit a lot of homers to make up for his sub-.300 OBP. Standing pat wasn't the best move.

Greatest Team Strength: Squeezing value from unlikely sources. The Bleus have only two non-relievers selected to the national team, and both of them are in the starting lineup. Despite this lack of star power, the Bleus won seventy games a year ago and posted the best run differential in the league. Are they exploiting market inefficiencies, à la Moneyball? Is it the managerial brilliance of Boris Boudreaux? Is it the ever undefinable clubhouse chemistry that powers them? Nobody really knows, but they're succeeding.

Greatest Team Weakness: There aren't any glaring weaknesses on this team. The starting rotation is full of solid but unspectacular starters and a good mix of veterans and newer players. The lineup is mostly league average or better, though their OBP game is kinda weak. Is their greatest weakness that they aren't an amazing team?

Player We Can’t Wait to Watch: Thomas Barnett. He provides a major spark at the top of the lineup both in terms of getting on base, but also in terms of steals. Fifty-plus steals last year, and there's no reason to expect he'll be any worse. He's still twenty-three and speed doesn't vanish at that age. Doesn't hurt that he can run down almost anything in center.

Noteworthy Miscellaneous Stat: Staff-wide, both rotation and bullpen recorded a .244 BABIP last year. While some of that is attributable to Tim Quinn and Thomas Barnett crushing batters' hopes, it's still a low number. League-average BABIP usually hovers around .300, so you have to think there is some regression coming for the Bleus. I don't think that they'll quite reach .300, but that number will rise and their ERA will suffer.

Off-Field Story Line: The Bleus' ownership group has been in some financial trouble for quite a while now. They were able to stave it off a little last year thanks to the team's on-field success, but barring an unforeseen financial windfall, they will have to sell eventually. Then it becomes a crapshoot for all involved. The players have to worry about being traded, free agents don't know if the new owners will want to hand out big contracts, and fans worry about the rising prices of everything as the owners try to recoup their investment.

Projected Record and Over/Under: 69-59 — UNDER. And by a fair few games. Their Pythagorean record last year said they should have won seven more games than they did. Seventy wins may well be the peak of their ability, and I don't see them overachieving like last year. Four of eight regulars had career years at the plate, and the pitching staff was outstanding. This is the year the Bleus come back down to earth.

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:10 pm

Lads, it's time to shine or fall in despair, for the snowstorm is no angel and will favour just four of you.....

Round of Sixteen Results

Stvoto Latoli 0–1 Cosumar
Super-Llamaland 0–0 Electrum (0–1 AET)
Gloriax 1–1 Star United States (1–3 AET)
Nova Anglicana 7–1 Schottia

Wednesday 5 August - Quarterfinals
Q1: Cosumar vs. Electrum @ Iqaluit Stadium, Iqaluit
Q2: Star United States vs. Nova Anglicana @ City of Attawapiskat Stadium, Attawapiskat

Friday 7 August - Semifinals
SFK: Cosumar/Electrum vs Star United States/Nova Anglicana @ Blue Point Stadium, St.John's

Sunday 9 August - Final
Winner SFK vs Winner SFQ @ The Samseongoloondongjang, Montreal

by **Super-Llamaland** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 3:02 am

HOOVER GETS LITERAL SACK BUT NOT METAPHORICAL ONE

LFA Promotes Event to Sponsor Stadium Building

In the new event, "Stuff Carlton Hoover into a sack and punch him", which is pretty self explanatory, a bag reported to contain Carlton Hoover, the Tigers manager, was placed in the middle of a busy road in New Llama City and nearby fans were invited to punch it for the low cost of $5, which would go towards building new national team infrastructure.

Reports say that over seven million dollars were raised, and frustrated fans flew in from all over the country to beat the s**t out of the sixty-something-year-old manager, under whose guidance Super-Llamaland missed the World Cup for the first time in twelve years and left the Cup of Harmony absurdly early, in the second round, to underrated Electrum.

A minor controversy was sparked when Carlton Hoover claimed to be alright and watching television at home on a social media website later in the day, but it was quickly clarified by a panicked-looking LFA there was a television inside of the sack. Hoover was not fired, as the LFA spokesperson thought it wouldn't be needed.

by **Szavoda** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:21 am

"Well that was the unexpected."
"Fuck yeah."

Dazdan kicked off his other shoe and put both his feet up on the upturned bin which acted as a footrest. There was a cool breeze rolling onto the balcony, and the distant lights of Stanton's harbour side twinkled in the night sky.

Moli leaned on the door to the balcony, running one hand idly through her hair, and the other round the neck of a beer bottle. Several similar bottles sat at Dazdan's feet. Tonight's events were still swirling in both their minds. 1-0 for close to 80 minutes, advancement to the Quarter Finals seemed practically impossible, especially when the performance on the field by Szavoda was a long way from professional standard. But on 83 minutes, Branimir Milic picked up the ball on the half-way line, before dancing round defenders to the edge of the penalty area, where he lifted the ball to the opposite flank, where Zar Mihailovic took it down, evaded a tackle and tore towards the goal. Instead of shooting, he rolled it back across goal to Stefan Petrovic, who couldn't miss - although he did his level best, hammering the ball against the crossbar before crossing the line.

Dazdan had actually missed the goal. He was talking to Tristan, the only footballing member of Szavoda's staff - Dr. Mazic was nowhere to be seen - about a potential tactical shift to be able to get forward quicker. Tristan had merely muttered "fuck me Daz we just scored."

The 43-year old turned. It was impossible to tell that Szavoda had scored, there were no Szavda fans there to cheer, and there was only polite applause from the Patistan fans and the neutral Krytenians, neither of which filled the ground.

If Szavoda's first goal was a flowing move brilliantly executed, then their second was utter garbage. It was a corner in the 92nd minute, and Szavoda had stuffed the penalty area with every player bar Petrovic. Milic swung the ball in, Lukic headed the ball down and a 20-second ping-pong proceeded, with the ball bouncing around in the six-yard box as Patistani defenders tried to hack it away, and Szavda attackers tried to squeeze it in. The final touch officially came off Vlastimir Markovic, although that was merely a guess based off replays. There was no time left in the game, and Patistan weren't able to strike back, allowing Szavoda to win and advance to the Quarter Finals. As expected, the team - and Dazdan - went berserk, and celebrated on the pitch for close to 20 minutes.

Sorry this is so short, writing on my tablet on a domestic flight in Peru

by **Star United States** » Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:14 am

Change.
Part 1
Part 2

From Part 1...
"I still didn't get in! My fourth time though, I did! That's the year I was scouted for the national team."

"That's quite interesting! Now, tell us more about your brother!"

"My brother, hm. He's a handful alright -well, he was. His name is Adrian. He, as well, adopted Solo as his last name. However, as he was growing up, he would ask a lot of questions referring to our biological parents. He didn't remember much, since he was young when everything occurred. It was hard. How was I supposed to tell a young boy that our biological mom died and that our biological father never came to look for us? Nonetheless, when he had the appropriate age, I shared with him the story. He, as I expected, did not take it very well. He shut himself in his own little world. He entered a world of depression. He couldn't handle it. So, I got him involved On my with a youth group, which help a whole lot. He would yet more, and he would go out - he started to act like a teen. It was a slow process, but it was worth it. Now, as I have already stated, he's at the same university I studied, and is playing for their soccer team - which is amazing!"

"Indeed, it is," replied Maria, "how was life with the parents that adopted you and your brother?"

"It was amazing! It was better than before, to be honest. We would spend time together - something we didn't do with our biological father, since he was never home. We had everything we needed, and as well, many things we desired. Although we all had different schedules throughout the day, every Sunday - we would spend the entire day together."

"That sounds amazing," exclaimed Maria, "What would you all do on a Sunday?"

"In the morning, we would go to church together! I love going there! After church, we could have lunch together at some fancy restaurant. After lunch, we would do something as a family. Sometimes we would watch a movie, go to the pool - there was always something. Then, we would go home and have dinner. Following dinner, we would just talk the night away. That was a regular Sunday for me."

"That's nice! I can imagine you made a lot of memories, right?" asked Maria, "could you share one of them?"

"A good memory? Hm, let me think - I have many! I don't think I can choose just one! Hmmm"

"Any of them will be fine!"

"I can't choose just one, though - it's impossible."

"Yes, I understand! Well, we hope you make up your mind on one of them. Anyways, on to the next question," stated Maria.

to be continued...

by **Electrum** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 4:24 am

OOC: Sorry for the short RPs lately. I'm packing for a short school exchange.

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Enver Hassan

Electrum to go against Cosumar in the Quarters of the CoH

In a long string of draws, and quite close matches being played by the Electrum team, one could accuse them of being boring. I certainly see some fans which have been complaining that the reckless all-or-nothing approach that saw the Electrum team gain some initial success as disappearing, but this is not the case at all. Indeed, to play in the big leagues, you must play some mature football, and that is what the Nepharan Brunet's team has done. The Nepharans, known for their defensive strategies have done well in Electrum, with probably one of their more better performances against Super-Llamaland.

The margin at the end of the match was 1-0, but what that margin didn't reveal was the pure grit the Electrum team displayed -- Usher and Kane held the fort well against the first half relentlessness of the Llaman team, but really, it was MF Lynn-Peters who stole the show, setting up several close opportunities, but no cigar, the offense this time being out of position. That will be something Brunet will need to work on. Despite the Llama's energeticness in the first half, it all went downhill from there, with sustained Electrum pressure, most notably Ingram's attempt hitting the crossbar with the Llaman goalkeeper Finch being a constant annoyance.

An extremely good goalkeeper, and the momentum swinging towards Electrum, it took extra time to finally separate the two teams, with a dared and ambitious header from Ingram, sealing the deal. Ingram took the ball in his stride after a failed pass to Agudieres coming off the Llamans, Henry was right next to it, as he kicked it up high giving it some air. Ingram leaped up and pushed the ball in, with Finch diving the wrong way. Coming up next will be Cosumar, noted for defeating Electrum in the third-place playoff of Electrum's run two cycles ago. Perhaps it's time for some revenge, or will the team crumble again? Find out tomorrow...

by **The Sarian** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:42 am

The Echo Presents: Daily Sports Briefing

Bustards Prepare for Cup of Harmony Clash

The National Team is preparing for a difficult game against fellow Esportivan side, Chiata in an attempt to reach their first major semi-final since the 54th Baptism of Fire.

The Bustards, which have recently established themselves as a common "also appeared" in the World Cup, have never previously gotten out the group stage from the Multiverses 'Best of the Others' tournament - which they haven't participated in since the 60th Edition and are among the favourites to win the tournament, under the guidance of new manager, Gareth Bournemouth.

Bournemouth, who previously managed Nepharan sides Sabrefell Moths and Crisisbless, has recovered from a shaky start with a decisive victory of Brenecia making up (in the minds of many) for embarrassing draw against Szavoda and the resurgent performances of Methuselah Meuwessen and goalkeeper, Matthieu Soleil, with the latter putting in a claim for keeper of the tournament - recording a clean sheet in every match apart from the opener, have given hope to a sceptical football fanbase.

Chiata defeated Ceni on penalties to get the quarter finals, denying the Bustards their first rematch with the side they played in their first ever international football match. The side, which was captained by assistant manager Wiley Tyrell, may be hoping for the same kind of luck which possessed them that day against a Chiata side who beat the likes of Vermark and Abanhleft to the top of Group A thanks to the performances of Douglas Prince and Jesse Carroll.

The Bustards are favourites to win the clash, but Bournemouth has warned against over confidence, saying that "any side can beat any side" and that The Sarian will have to "be on top of our game if we want to progress".

You can catch The Sarian vs Chiata live on SNN 3 at 20:00 PM.

Alexander-Johnson - "World Cup Bid On The Cards"

The Chairman of The Sarian Football Federation, Harold Alexander-Johnson has today stated that a World Cup Bid is "on the cards" following the announcement of the construction of the Ross Horn Arena, the future home of the national team. The stadium, which will house over 90,000 fans, is expected to be completed within the next three years, well in time for the next World Cup.

The last major tournament hosted in The Sarian was the 57th Baptism of Fire, which was co-hosted with the Royal Kingdom of Quebec - a host of the current Cup of Harmony, in which The Sarian are just two game away from their first final appearance since their own Baptism of Fire, the 54th.

Previous bids from The Sarian to host major tournaments have proven unsuccessful, with bids for the 71st World Cup (alongside Valanora) and the 11th and 12th Campionato Esportiva (both with San Jose Guayabal) proving unsuccessful. However, Alexander-Johnson is assured that a future bid may be more successful, citing a more stable political landscape and improved infrastructure as reasons for optimism.

Speculation has been rife about possible partners for the bid, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec is currently leading the bookmakers although Alexander-Johnson has refused to comment on any speculation about co-hosts.

Competition to host the tournament is expected to be tight, with rumours of a bid by the Apoxian Football Association, who hosted the highly successful 69th World Cup, gaining steam.

Whether or not the bid comes to any fruition remains to be seen, but the possibility has excited fans ahead of the much anticipated Cup of Harmony Quarterfinal Clash against Chiata, which expected to be the most watched sporting event since the Bustards fell to Turori in the last World Cup, four years ago.

The Daily Echo, and its sister paper the Sunday Echo, is a broadsheet newspaper which has printed since 1934 (ASSRPT). The Echo is known for it's centre right views and commanding online presence which means that although it is only the third most read paper on the islands (Behind the Bustard and the People) it has the largest web traffic of all non-government news sites. The Daily Briefing service was launched in 2200 (ASSRPT) and provides subscribers with a condensed version of the largest news stories daily.

KRYBEC- Cup of Harmony 64 Everything Thread

Change. (Part 1)

Change. (Part 2)

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