World Cup 73 - RPing Thread

by **Fluvique** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:25 am

Aimlessly

Incidents. The fans exploded after the fourth goal

If the last match gave us a little hope for the future, the last performance at South Lane was a punch to the illusion. A shy team, with urgencies, imprecise with the ball, slow in defence and impotent in attack. The Cook team showed his worst face and continued his poor way in the qualifiers.

The stadium was at boiling point. The fans showed hundreds of flares and tons of confetti fell to the pitch in the middle of a sea of waving flags. The supporters tried to help the team mood and to put some pressure on the rivals. But, when you are a factory of mistakes, there is not an atmosphere that can help.

Without Topolsky and Di Angello at bench, Fluvique tried to be more aggressive with his new 4-2-3-1 tactic. Cook was as disoriented as their players. Ricky Bertens was placed as forward, with Sam Gonza and Max Williams near he. Fede and Wilde ran in all the attack front, but lacked of ideas. That is the point of the team slump: has not idea of what is doing.

In the BoF Sam Gonza took the team leadership, in both football and moral, with Mhago and De La Mesea as soldiers of the fierceness. When you only put the eggs in one basket, is a fact that some bad things will come. The plan of the team was fight and play with his world class stars, waiting for a geniality of them that could end in goal. The stars are off, the glowing talent is extinguished and the team is agonizing

Be 0-4 at 56 minutes of a crucial match, was enough for the fans. First was a couple of stones falling near the away goalkeeper. Later, was the smoke bombs and the flares in the athletics track, which set fire the confetti. The game was interrupted for 20 minutes, until the things calmed down. A hurtful chant of Players sons of a b****/Can you play worst?/ In front there is nothing. After the restart, Fluvique scored two goals, but the fans whistled every passing of the white foxes.

Eastfield Lodge managed to transform in a couple of minutes another bad performance of the team in a nightmare and a historic defeat. Another home defeat, another knockout to the Cook team in this adverse qualifiers. Fluvique never found the formula to play the match. The shy touches of both Gonza and Bertens were the only clear actions of the white foxes. FEDE excited the public with a couple of individual plays, but he entered in the same bad sintony of the team. Cook insisted to the Defenseurs forward of play in the bands, but he started to wander on the right side, without company.

With a unfocused Gonza, Fluvique needed of everyone. And there was the problem. The team was naked, with the need of generate goal situations, but not knowing how. Cook tried with Auze (replacing Bertens), put Di Angello on pitch (replacing Williams), changed FEDE of side...but nothing.

Y, ending the first time and the start of the second, what was going to be bad day, became in a worrying defeat. The start of the qualifiers leaves many questions for what lies ahead. And one certainty: our world class players are disappointing with the white shirt.

by **The Saint James Islands** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 10:39 am

#omericavotes21: why the socialists are leading despite not leading
first past the post to blame for liberal woes, socialist relief in 2021 election

Latest UCN Poll Tracker projection

Georgetown — The Socialists have gained 5 seats from their previous 109 in the latest UCN Poll Tracker projections, while the Liberals—leading in terms of voter intention—have faltered, dropping from 101 to 96. The Nationals have made a significant recovery to 62, up from 53.

The big question, though, is why the Liberals aren’t leading in seat projections. If they are leading in voter intention, shouldn’t they win the most seats? Well, the Omerican system works somewhat differently than that.

Omerica is divided into 288 electorates, each of which elects one MP. If a party comes in second place in every electorate, it would have no representation despite having a significant share of the popular vote. The Liberals suffer heavily from this phenomenon, while the two largest parties—the Socialists and the Nationals—benefit from strong competitiveness across the country.

The Socialists and Nationals have electoral strongholds where their vote is concentrated, allowing them guaranteed representation. The Liberals, however, have precious few safe seats that are particularly solidly Liberal gold. Conversely, the Confederation benefit from strong concentration of their votes in Takiari cantons; with their votes more concentrated, they have higher chances of winning electorates.

The one thing the Liberals may have going for them, however, is tactical voting. If National voters continue to believe that their party has little chance of beating the Socialists, they will start to flock to the Liberals in an attempt to unseat as many Socialists as possible. The Poll Tracker does not account for tactical voting and attempts to present projections for if voters are being honest about their intentions.

Nonetheless, strategic voting will be a key factor in how the election plays out. In electorates where the Socialists are competitive but don’t have a majority, Liberals and Nationals may abandon their preferred party for the one with the better chance of keeping the Socialist out. So while it appears that the Nationals have hit rock bottom in the seat projection, it may get worse for them by election day and the Liberals might surge ahead of the Socialists at National expense.

The margin of error doesn’t make Aleksänder Mätjassen’s position any more enviable than it currently is. The highest likely number of seats his Nationals can win is projected to be 74, compared to a projected low of 76 for the Liberals. But a good night for the Nationals and a bad night for the Liberals would almost certainly also result in a good night for the Socialists, who will be relying on vote-splitting between the two opposition parties to retain many of its electorates outside the Takiari backbone of the country. The Liberals will need the National vote to falter further to get their best chance at eclipsing the Socialists.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Peoples and Movement 1988 are likely to receive similar shares of the vote, but the Confederation will come out with about five times the seats due to the concentration of Confederation votes in the Takiari-speaking cantons compared to the thinly spread distribution of Movement votes across the country.

The system sounds unfair, but it is not unreasonable to expect that local representatives ought to be able to represent the peoples of their locality in Parliament. The merits of such a system are debatable and the deafening silence of the Socialists on electoral reforms after decades of howling from the opposition benches is telling as to who gains and who loses from the system.

#omericavotes21: the takiari cantons
the confederation may be staci laurent’s biggest obstacle to victory

Lamalas, Chamangol — This article is the third in a six-part series exploring the battlegrounds of the upcoming federal election. You can read our last part on Omerican Aurentina here.

It’s a long way from the north of Selaga to the south of Alopi. The Takiari cantons run down Omerica like a spine and, like a spine, hold a vital role in keeping the Socialist government alive. Rebellion here could be fatal for Staci Laurent.

The Takiari cantons have long been ripe Socialist territory, with the locals in Omerica’s backbone benefiting immensely from the policies of the Hennessey and Laurent governments. But these same cantons have long been suspicious of the Socialists’ socially liberal streak, opposing the party on policies such as same-sex marriage, gambling and drug decriminalisation. Formerly, Takiari voters would have been forced to hold their nose and choose between a Socialist Party with less-than-ideal social policies and a National Party with less-than-ideal economic policies. That dilemma exists no longer.

Enter the Confederation of Peoples, a party that melds much of the Socialist manifesto on economic issues and the National manifesto on everything else. The perfect party for the run-of-the-mill authoritarian lefty.

The rise of the Confederation has been a severe challenge for the Socialists, who are keen to try to protect as many of the 67 electorates available throughout Takiari territory in the red column. In the south, it is not much of a challenge, as voters in Alopi and South Selaga tend to be more liberal. But in Selaga, Chamangol and Faroka, the Confederation is a real challenge. Add in the fact that the three cantons account for 46 of the 288 seats in the House of Representatives, and the problem compounds further.

The Socialists have managed to push back against the Confederation, arguing that a vote for the Confederation is a vote for a National government, but after the 2019 election, will that argument hold water much longer? Voters in the three northern Takiari cantons voted for the Confederation in rather significant numbers, but a Socialist government still formed in Georgetown.

This does not mean that the Confederation had no problems of its own. The Confederation will need to convince National voters that the Confederation is not simply “Socialist-lite”. The Confederation will also face a challenge in the cities, where voters are more socially moderate and more likely to vote for the Liberals. The Confederation will need to rely on vote-splitting in the population centres of Matomato, Lamalas and Tagatori and hope that Nationals in rural areas jump on board the Confederation boat to solve vote-splitting problems there.

If the Confederation can undermine the Socialists effectively, it would be a great night for a four party system and a terrible night for Staci Laurent. Laurent’s best hopes, strangely, may be to keep the National vote in rural areas high. Each seat bled to the Confederation is a sword that the Confederation can hold over Staci Laurent’s head in a hung parliament at best or a seat for an anti-Socialist government at worst.

for your reading pleasure

World Cup Challenge 73: Pick your qualifiers for Apox-Québec ▶
Omerica loses first qualifying game in West Angola, dropping to third in Group 17 ▶
Coleraine Socialist candidate forced to withdraw after social media posts surface ▶
Free State police bust meth ring in Nassau ▶

Turanga ʻAhipula ʻo ʻOmerika
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port-Alexandre, Philibiscostal 18-A40
COMMONWEALTH OF OMERICA
Official Press Release - Tuku Katipa Hoi ʻe Pieti

Qualifiers for the Seventy-Third World Cup
Omerica national team line-up vs Osarius (home)
Substitutes
GK - N^o 13: Stéphane ROUSSEAU
GK - N^o 25: John MARTIN
LD - N^o 14: Martin PALL
CD - N^o 17: Jean-Marie MOLINEAUX
CD - N^o 15: Makara ʻO TOA
RD - N^o 16: Mikäel CHRISTOPHE
CM - N^o 18: William PARNELL
CM - N^o 19: Tömas DE VRIKT
AM - N^o 20: Raia TURI
LF - N^o 21: Red TYLER
ST - N^o 22: John PERCIVAL
RF - N^o 23: Ryan CASSIDY
Starting eleven
GK - N^o 1: INTAN Petera
LD - N^o 2: Jean-Luc CHARPENTIER
CD - N^o 5: Tobias WILMER
CD - N^o 3: Marvin SESSIONS
RD - N^o 4: Victor MASON
CM - N^o 6: Kai EKO
CM - N^o 7: Erik DE WAALD
AM - N^o 8: Uirema MOANA
LF - N^o 9: Neama IOKUA
ST - N^o 11: Jan-Nikläs ROSENKRÄNTS
RF - N^o 10: JEAN-BAPTISTE Couard
Omerica’s top scorers
John Percival - 3 goals
Georges Rousseau - 2 goals
Tömas de Vrikt - 2 goal
Neama Iokua - 1 goal
Tii ʻo Uirema - 1 goal
Casimir Paquet - 1 goal

by **Armeia** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:07 am

STRIKERLESS: A BLOG FOR ARMEIAN FOOTBALL

PODCASTS: THE ROUNDUP

Dario Villa, one of the twins attempting to defect to Armeia

By Ezra Blaha and Tyler Olynik

Welcome to this edition of the Roundup Podcast, where we discuss and debate all the biggest subjects in the Armeian leagues. There will be a focus on the national team right now, with World Cup Qualifying underway, and we also have news about a special announcement from the Armeian and Zovorossian federations.

Ezra: First off, the biggest national team story right now is Isa Tangemen hinting at a return to Southeastern. Nineteen years old, she previously played for Southeastern for her entire career, eclipsing Mia Rojo as a viable starter two seasons ago. When Augustus Lenz tore his ACL in a fight, Isa took over as the starter for the U-18 national team, and now with Ander Jordyn and Dierk Tanzer dropping out of the national team squad to avoid injury, she's the starter for the senior team. Earlier today, she hinted at a Southeastern return online, which is sending their fan base into a frenzy with rumors.

Tyler: Yes, it's very important to note that her departure was because of conflicts with manager Holly Jonasson, who publicly told her a couple seasons ago that she needed to "grow up". Jonasson couldn't win without her, though, and she was sacked and replaced by Brandon Tjaeder, who Isa knows from her time with the U-18s and the U-21s. I think we can expect to see something along the lines of Southeastern cashing in on Rojo with an expansion club, and then bringing Isa back with the cash they've opened up by dumping her contract.

Ezra: I think you're right, she is a better fit in the system that Brandon Tjaeder plays, employing a sweeper keeper, than Jonasson's system, which needed the goalkeeper to sit back and wait for the game to come to her. A lot of her troubles recently with the national team have come because of that system, which is in play for the national team under Conor Svedsson.

Tyler: Well I think you can't just ditch a system as successful as Holly Jonasson's, the six league titles between 2004 and 2011 for Southeastern really show that Jonasson found something that works, I really blame the ownership of Southeastern for not giving her the proper resources to succeed anymore, not her tactics. I think if you ask any Armeian football fan what the most dominant team in league history was, they'll tell you that it was the IK Southern and Southeastern teams from 2008 to 2010, when their tiki taka tactics were at their peak. And a lot of people forget this, but using the exact same tactical system, Hawks United won the treble and defeated Racing Club Atlas twice in a calendar year, in the National Cup semis and in the Byrne Cup, back when they had Milan Toure and Vance LaFlame in their front line.

Ezra: I'd argue that Fredo Pelligrino's high pressing defensive system could be more dominant, three straight WD1 titles for Northeastern came out of it, and on the men's side of the game, the Terrum Reds are having a resurgence because of playing that style. And look at what Dinamo Barrier is doing right now with that, they're topping the table and they absolutely destroyed a solid Lions side that many were picking to win a third straight title.

Tyler: I don't think Northeastern's success has to do with their tactics, but rather their style of player. Think of a typical Armeian attacker... Let's take Cris LaFlame for example, may she rest in peace. She was this quick, shifty, attacker who was always walking the offside line, and then outrunning the defense in the open field. A natural counter attacker. And she knew when to pass instead of making a run. But Northeastern's players, they aren't these small, quick players who win because of being faster, because they can outrun the defensive line, these are big bruising forwards and defenders who push their way through the opposition, and there aren't a lot of teams who can match their physicality.

Ezra: So basically Northeastern isn't playing football, they're just smashing and grabbing the ball and pushing everyone out the way until they score. That works but real football is what the 2008 Southern team played, that was amazing. We didn't need to beat the other team up, we passed circles around them and then when the time was right, BOOM! We had a through ball over the top, and they were too tired from chasing us to defend it. Southeastern was the same way before Jonasson got more conservative and defensive, but like you said, I don't think we can blame her for that because the club didn't give her very many resources to work with, and we had lost a lot of talent. Wasn't the year when she dropped the tiki taka the same year we lost Abramsen and Takagawa to Center City, and when we lost Tyra Halloway to Hawks?

Tyler: I believe so... Yeah, Amy Abramsen left for three million, nobody knew that she was going to turn into a stud and that she would be worth more than ten times that amount this season. Ai Takagawa left on a free transfer, after she had a dispute with Jonasson over who should become the captain, and again, you guys didn't know she was going to turn into a top three goalkeeper in the league.

Ezra: Speaking of transfers, there's some special news from the Armeian federation. A few days ago it's been announced that the Federated Districts Football League will serve as a developmental league for D1 and WD1. The FDFL is located in the Federated Districts, which is quite an autocratic protectorate of Zovorossia, which has a government that can be pretty evil at times, but the footballers coming into this country from abroad will supposedly get immunity from some of their laws. Right now actually, there's a developmental draft taking place, where teams have marked certain players as protected and others as available, and teams from the FDFL will be drafting players from D1 and WD1.

Tyler: Let's see... These are the picks as of now.

Poghas Nazarian of Atlas went number one overall to Santisimo FC.

Paladins has selected Viktor Holzer from Kyang Steelers.

Saracens United took... Akira Miyamoto, from Hawks United.

Oilers FC are taking Ander Jordyn from Hawks United. That's a pretty interesting pick, I doubt a Federic team can pay her wages.

Armory has selected Boom Redman, on loan for one season from Sporting Center City.

Internacional is going to attempt to take Katarina Dana Bonner, but it's unknown if the transfer will be able to go through with the Lionesses front office not being functional right now.

Policia and Esclavos aren't picking, so Electronic picks next. They will take Konstantin Stefanov from the Zovorossian side Real Pericin, on a one year loan.

Clones Athletic hasn't picked either, leaving Farmers with the final pick. They have selected Leonne Warner from Northeastern.

Ezra: I'm interested in seeing how this pans out, especially with Jordyn going to Oilers. I hear Oilers has a lot of money, but her wages are still going to be through the roof after her performance in the Emperor's Cup.

Tyler: Ah, speaking of the Federated Districts, there's one more thing I want to speak on. Reportedly two players from Santisimo FC, Dario and Aleixis Villa, who are twins, showed up at the national team hotel in Sudens City asking if they would be able to come to Armeia and play, and eventually play for the national team since both are uncapped for the Federated Districts. Both are eighteen, although Dario has said that he wants to play for Southern and Aleixis has said that she wants to play for Hawks United or for Vandals. Both are very good youth prospects, Dario was the leading scorer of Santisimo last year and Aleixis was the assists leader, both play winger or attacking mid. What do you think will come of this?

Ezra: I think we'll see those two playing for us sometime or another, especially with the Toure retirement rumors. And judging from the human rights record of the Federated Districts, I really hope they can escape from there. We'll cover this some more on the next episode of The Roundup, and report which teams are interested in these twins.

by **Valanora** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:25 am

Valanora Times
The Big One

You can excuse the Marauders for not playing up to their best last weekend knowing that the biggest fixture of the qualifiers was waiting for them in the next match. While the Marauders have generally been dominant and steamrolling through their group, the match with Alpha Gamma Kappa was clearly not the Marauders' finer moments, managing a measly one goal to nil victory in front of the home crowd in Capri. While it was still three points and keeps them on pace with Cosumar to top the group, it was the first sign in this first half of Qualifying that the Marauders can be got but a team that is focused, ready, and determined to give the side a run for their money, especially if the side are looking forward to other games.

And with the trip to Cosumar coming up in the next fixture, you can understand why that might have been the case, as the Cup of Harmony champions are running on the same dominant pace that our squad are to top the group and nab the automatic spot in Apox or Quebec. A win in Cosumar would make it a clean six from six for the Marauders in the first half of Qualifying, giving them a leg up on their biggest threat to the automatic spot and putting some doubt into the Cosumar minds with their own record of four from four being quite impressive. It's a measure to ensure that when the last matchday of qualifying comes in a few months time that the side are not left with fate out of their control as they sit idle on the final matchday.

The team has definitely played up to expectation though, regardless of that poor performance against Kappa, and look to have finally solved the long standing riddle of defense. While Vanorians have always preferred to see a good attacking show with a bit of flair and excitement, we can not deny that it is often a keen and steady defense that will be the tipping point between two otherwise equal sides. In the past the Marauders have relied on the offense to find moments of brilliance to break down the opposition on numerous occasions while being content to concede and goal or two. However, it seems that the side has found a renewed focused on being solid at the back first and look to build the attack from there rather than merely try to outscore the opposition.

So here it comes then, the big test in the form of Cosumar, can the side put behind them the blip in the radar that was last week and show not only to the world but to themselves that they are back to being the Marauders of old? Can they show that they are once again a side that should be thought of as a serious contender for winning the entire tournament rather than that former power with a few trophies? One win does not validate the side nor does it invalidate the progress made through the past thirty-six months but a win here goes a long way towards answering those questions. The side is going into a hornet's nest and it will need the leadership of Soldarian and Hawk to guide it to a result if a result is to be had. The Marauders have a good history against their regional neighbors, though most of that is coming from the AOCAF and not the World Cup. With so much on the line though, you have to give our side the favor despite it being on the road, as the experience they have compared to their foes is quite substantial and will be heavily needed in this huge fixture.

by **Eura** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:43 am

Norrehavn's stiff resistance ended by clinical Campbell
Striker continues fine form as Eura maintain 100% record
Simon Banning reports from Norrehavn

NORREHAVN - 2
Čech 50, 90
Rendulić s/o 72

EURA - 3
Churchilli 37
Sutton 71
Campbell 72

Against every precedent set in the history of the Euran international team, from their very beginnings to world beaters, Eura picked up four very comfortable clean sheets in a row at the start of qualifying. Even at their best in the past, long runs without conceding a goal have been a rarity for Eura, especially with their policy of rotating the back line for ties against weaker teams. That run ended in Norrehavn as Steve Thompson's defensively competent but also offensively lethal side finally let in two goals, both of them of a high quality, in a tight contest that nevertheless ended in a fifth consecutive Euran victory. The game was a thriller, won by a narrow margin despite Norrehavn spending much of the second half with ten men. It was also yet another personal victory for Kris Campbell, who recovered well from his missed penalty against Polkopia to score the winner in this tie, which was his seventh goal of qualifying just five games in.

Eura played a mixed side against Norrehavn - not quite second string, but not the full strength team which took on Sandwich Territories or the near full strength team that faced Polkopia, as Eura refused to underestimate nor exhaust themselves in this tricky fixture. Watson came back into the side to replace Cotra after recovering from injury but Craig Gilbert found himself rested in favour of Mark Rogers, while Prince made a return in goal ahead of Waller. In midfield Spartan, Sinclair and Hughes all remained but Joel Sutton and Gareth Blackthorn found themselves out of the lineup in favour of Sterling Rose and Leo Hargreaves, as Eura adopted a very central midfield lineup to counter the strong centre of Norrehavn's unchanged 4-4-2. Up front Campbell started again, and in only the second minute had a golden opportunity to punish the home side for some very slack defending. Seizing on a loose pass from Frederik Čech back to the defence, he pushed into space on the right hand side of the D, just outside the box, before rattling the post with an instinctive shot through the gap between the two centrebacks closing him down. It almost came back across and over the line, but Adolfo Zuma (who was rooted to the spot in the middle of the goal) managed to take the ball at waist level.

Campbell's strike had set the tone and so Eura had almost complete control of the game for the first twenty minutes, but few clear cut chances. The next big chance actually fell to the home side. Massimo Eller probably should not have shot in the 26th minute from an isolated position on the wing, but he went for it anyway and his ambition was almost rewarded, only for Prince to make a diving save to flick the ball over at the back post before it could loop in. Andre Nielsen threatened to score too from the resulting corner but his header ballooned over the bar, giving Prince little cause for concern. Eventually the deadlock was broken not long before half time, in semi-controversial circumstances. We say semi-controversial because there was no scandal or bad decision, but the home side acted like there had been. Prince lofted out a goal kick after a poor ball forward by Norrehavn had run out of play, and found Lewis Hughes with a precise ball in the opposite half. Hughes leaped to head the ball forward for Campbell, beating Nielsen in the air, only for Nielsen to go down writhing in agony. Norrehavn's fans screamed for a foul in total uproar, while the players appealed as they tried to take defensive shape. Yet with Nielsen out of position and the referee waving play on, Campbell received the ball almost unopposed and was able to play it past a sliding Darius Rendulić for Churchilli, who was way out of position, to nip in and chip the goalkeeper. Replays showed the Hughes-Nielsen clash was nothing but a 50/50 challenge, and therefore no mistake was made, but nevertheless the restart was delayed by a minute or two of furious protest.

The second half started with a similar bang to the first, except this time the ball hit the back of the net rather than the frame hoisting it up. Norrehavn, bringing off one of their defenders (Nielsen) for the striker Radim Kraft, made a determined start to the half with an almost recklessly attacking tactical set up. What was even more remarkable was that this audacious attitude paid off immediately. They forced two consecutive corners with good efforts from Kraft and Rendulic with right foot and head respectively, both well saved by Prince. Then a third corner came and this resulted in a Kristian Jorgenson shot that Mark Rogers blocked well with his left foot. However the deflection went back out to the right to Čech, the corner taker, who sent Watson tumbling with a perfect dummy before smashing the ball at goal with his left foot from an angle. Prince was caught out by the outswinging swerve on the ball and it thundered in to the top left hand corner at the far post. It was an exquisite goal and finally, after 410 minutes of qualifying, Eura's defensive vigil was broken. For a short time it seemed as if Eura had suddenly frozen up and Norrehavn were looking the more likely side to win, creating more chances. They had one chance that would have given them the lead and probably the game it seemed, created by the brilliant Čech in the 62nd minute. Unfortunately for them his dipping early cross was headed just over the bar by an unmarked Ivan Faksa, with only Prince in front of him, to the dismay of the home crowd.

Faksa's wasted sitter seemed to take the wind out of Norrehavn; either that or it was the fact that their somewhat less experienced team, and at that a team that on paper is inferior to Eura's, getting tired after twenty minutes of breathtakingly aggressive play. Soon they paid the price as Eura settled down and spent a good five minutes accumulating possession to frustrate them, and they quickly were presented with an easy opportunity to restore their lead. They had made two substitutions by this point, bringing on Hunter for Spartan after he seemed to pick up a knock, which was unusually not a doom and gloom moment for Eura given the recent form of the Directus midfielder. The other was a like for like replacement of Hargreaves in favour of Albin Oslograd. Oslograd was kept quiet but Hunter looked dangerous again, and he found himself suddenly clear on goal in the 71st minute after Jan Krodvík had slipped at a crucial moment, as he sought to intercept a ball along the overlap channel by Rose. Despite his fantastic finishing record in recent times Hunter unselfishly cut the ball back across at the edge of the box intending to give Campbell an easy finish, but the striker let the ball go to Sutton who had caught up too. Sutton hit the ball first time with fury straight through the goalkeepers guard, almost pulling the net and posts out of their fittings. It was a cruel turn for the game to take for the home team, but as Eura have found out many times, taking your chances is often the most important part of football.

Norrehavn were gutted by this sudden reversal, and their hopes of another comeback shattered by an almost identical breakthrough down the right a minute after the restart, albeit with a different result. Krodvik again was the exhausted weak point, being easily beaten by Sinclair to a loose ball following Višňovský's atrocious pass. Sinclair sprinted forward unopposed and the one central defender left in this now regrettable second half 3-4-3 formation Norrehavn were using, Rendulić, clipped Sinclair's ankles as he made a desperate last attempt to stop his run outside of the box. Sinclair was thrown to the floor and did not look impressed at all, but after a moment of intervention in a brewing argument the referee convinced Eura's offensive mastermind to stand down. Rendulić was promptly given his marching orders for a professional foul and prevention of a clear goalscoring opportunity, an easy decision to make that was not opposed by the home crowd. The resulting free kick was handed to Sinclair who could have gone for the shot to try and get a goal after a decent but not brilliant performance. Instead he laid the ball off for Kris Campbell, who was wandering about unmarked outside of the box as Norrehavn were not yet able to make a substitution to adjust to being down to 10 men. Campbell made the goal that ended the contest for good look ever so simple, stopping it with his right boot before smacking it towards the top right hand corner with his instep, a beautiful curled finish from about 22 yards. Eura soon replaced him with Simpson and began to settle for a draw. This result was never in doubt past this stage, with the only interruption in a smooth ride to victory being a late goal out of the blue, as Čech swiped the ball off Churchilli's ankles and into the net to a bit of a fanfare before the final whistle.

MOST VIEWED ARTICLES - EMPLOR ONLINE
- Judge expresses satisfaction as Parliament votes against fracking in the Reach
- Sameban footballing authorities criticised for Mertagne political stunt
- FPA and Bartley sign £7bn worth of contracts for naval support vessels
- General cancer cases down by 3.78% but remains third biggest killer in Eura
- Central Rail freezes prices for commuters
- EA and Whittorian Islands will be "singular entity" in Endemian Union or "Eurasphere"

by **Osarius** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:48 am

U. Sunrise Islands 4-3 Osarius           
       Maniche 21'     Jaconelli 13'   
       Alcouin 30'     Puntoriero 36'
    Rolandinho 68'     Watson 46'
      Ruby 87' pen
					   
Player of the Match: Hannah Alcouin (USI)         

Squads:
  OSR [4-3-3] Monteforte; Bocchetti, Rodriguez, Jaconelli, Harrison; Costello 
              (Gomez 64), Mitchell, Mancini; Kane, Puntoriero, Monroe (Watson 45)
  USI [4-4-2] Joan Marcel; Paranawe, Tretyakova, Zezinho, Hikari; Sarracena, 
              Rolando, Rolandinho Juliano, Ruby; Alcouin, Felipe Maniche

A late defensive lapse -- borne of passion, it seemed -- ultimately cost Osarius the game against a spirited Unified Sunrise Islands side last night. To reduce the victory to being the consequence of Miguel Gomez's pride getting the better of him, as he hacked down Rolandinho Juliano in the box late in the game would be to do the Samba Kids a huge disservice, however. The match was close-fought and keenly contested throughout, and saw Mihashi Chiyo make use of a strategy that served Nephara well recently: keep the ball airborne whenever possible. Something that was not lost on any of Osarius' starting midfield trio -- Costello, Mancini and Mitchell are all five foot ten or shorter; and none of the three are noted for their aerial prowess -- who took great pains to establish their swift, short passing game early on. "We had an idea early on, and tried to force them to play on the ground, but they got around that and punished us." Conceded Nicola Costello, one of the squad's elder statesmen. "I was disappointed to go off, but I understood. We needed to get a physical presence in there."

Bartolo Monteforte will be especially disappointed in the result, given that it's not hard to see how many would come to the conclusion that he blew his chance. "I have to do better." The Dynapolis 'keeper admitted. "I have to take these chances when they come, because there are two fantastic 'keepers ahead of me. The manager refused to openly criticise the youngster, though. "It was a rough one, yeah." Robinson agreed. "But it happens. I'm not about to judge his entire career on one game." Robinson went on to imply that Monteforte was in line to start the home game against Zackalantis, too, but wouldn't commit to anything. "It all depends on Ruby's wrist problem. I'm not sure we want to risk that, and Bartolo is perfectly capable."


           Osarius 4-0 Zackalantis       
  Laccona 18', 57'                    
       Simpson 43'                   
        Watson 81'                
					   
Player of the Match: Alan Drummond (OSR)         

Squads:
  OSR [4-3-3] Monteforte; Scott, Rodriguez (c), Constantini, Reid; Feliciano (Gentile 72), 
              Mancini (Mitchell 72), Drummond; Simpson, Laccona (Crespo 72), Watson

With Efrain Suarez still injured, and Ruby Fletcher only recently recovered from a wrist injury, Bartolo Monteforte got another shot in the red, black and gold. This time, he impressed, pulling off two notable reflex saves in a clean sheet victory at Mount Crown Stadium. "I feel much better tonight." Monteforte beamed, post-match. While he made some solid saves, part of the clean sheet is undoubtedly down to the defence. With familiar faces at fullback on both sides and a physically imposing centre back pairing of young Hastmead stopper Demetrio Constantini and captain Juan Pablo Rodriguez, Monteforte was likely a little more secure. It's also not likely to be disputed that the Sunrisians pose slightly more of a threat offensively than an unranked side would at Mount Crown Stadium.

Perhaps sensing that his side would be overwhelming favourites for this tie, in front of a raucous home crowd, Robinson opted to field several younger, inexperienced players. "They need to play, if they're going to improve." Robinson said. "No point having all these talented youngsters if we don't give them opportunities to grow." It turned out well, with Gustavo Feliciano slotting into midfield alongside Fabio Mancini and Alan Drummond to help dominate the match. "Gustavo did very well," said the gaffer. "The substitution was just a precaution, he looked a bit leggy. And we had Daniele on the bench, waiting."

Daniele Gentile was a dominant presence in midfield for Osarius U20s during the Rabastor Trophy, but missed the start of this season with an injury. "It felt good to make my senior debut in front of the home crowd." Gentile revealed after the match. Having first made a comeback from injury featuring for Hastmead in the highly competitive LigAnaia over the past few weeks, Robinson didn't hesitate to give the midfielder a senior call-up. "There's a lot of competition in the national team's midfield, so I know I have to perform every time I get a chance."

Gentile's connection with Hastmead teammates Constantini, Simpson, Crespo and Watson was promising, too. In his limited time on the pitch, the twenty year old displayed a maturity and tactical awareness that had the manager quietly smiling post-match. "They have a strong understanding, and a lot of promise. But we're not getting carried away just yet, it's a long campaign and there will be tougher opposition." More impressive to the gaffer was the performance of Alan Drummond and Salvatore Laccona. Laccona is slowly emerging as a legitimate option up front, and a threat to Marco Puntoriero's position as first-choice striker. "I've been impressed with Sal lately, he's not just a big guy who's good in the air, as tonight showed." Robinson told reporters. Laccona made smart movements to benefit from the vision and passing of emerging playmaker Alan Drummond, who is slowly elbowing his way into a regular starting spot himself. "Alan is making it difficult to keep leaving him out, I'll have selection dilemmas every game at this rate."

by **Schottia** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:51 am

Their Lives

The Tinfoil Hat.

#26: P. Coine, Centre Forward

'Welcome again to Through The Wormhole TV, as always covering the stories that the mainstream media don't want you to hear, in our never ending quest for the Truth.' Said the show's host, an overweight and greasy-skinned looking man with a grey goatee. 'I am your host Nick Du Cut, and tonight we are lucky enough to have on the show Dr Paul Coine. Now I'm sure a lot of you will already know who Paul is, and anyone who follows sport in this country will be familiar with his career to date. But tonight I'm going to be talking to him about his research in to the UFO phenomenon, and in particular his studies into crop circles. Paul it's great to have you with us, thank you.'

'Thanks Nick, it's an absolute pleasure to be here.' Paul answered smiling politely, despite playing in front of crowds of thirty-thousand with his club Port Sebastian, he wasn't the most comfortable on camera.

'So Paul before we get started, why don't you fill us in on a bit of your background? How did you get into all this? Your doctorate is in Biology I believe?' He waited for Paul to nod in agreement. 'Are people ever surprised to hear that you are a Doctor? I mean that must be unusual for someone who is also a professional footballer?'

'Yeah, I suppose so, but that's not to say that there are none.' Paul shrugged a shoulder. 'In the national side there's not so many, but playing in the league, and certainly in the lower leagues there are a fair few. Most players coming straight out of the academy are reasonably well educated, and its up to them to what extent they continue with that. With education in Schottia being free, and with open enrolment there are more options for young people.'

Du Cut was smiling and nodding in agreement. 'So how did you get from this into ufology, what was it that first got your interest?'

Paul took a sip of his water before answering. 'Well it was always something that I was interested in. However I think it was during the time of Masters project I was looking into the human genome. Lets just say, when I began to dig deeper, there were, what I would describe as a number of irreconcilable um... irregularities within the make up of the...'

'Signs of possible genetic engineering?' Nick cut in, helping him get to the point.

'Yes.' Paul answered firmly. 'I guess from there I have spent the last five years or so researching alternative theories, and last year I completed my PhD thesis on the subject. At length, I propose that we were visited at some point in our distant past, by a highly advanced race of beings, who created mankind by modifying the genetic code of primates.'

It certainly wasn't easy to talk about this kind of stuff, and Paul would never have brought this topic up with his teammates. The players in the Schottia squad already knew that he studied flying saucers, and that was bad enough. He had once had an chat with Jenna Koemann about it and she had seemed interested enough, not that she believed a word he was telling her.

'And just for our viewers at home Paul.' Nick's body language suggested that the intervention theory was also a viewpoint he held. 'Why would they have done that? What is your hypothesis?'

'Well er... Well there are a number of theories.' Paul paused to think. 'Having looked at them, the one which makes the most, um... sense, lets say: is that humans might have been crested as a slave race, maybe performing some task, or some form of industry here on earth.' Paul was easing into the interview now, no longer so aware of the camera. 'Another piece of evidence I would point to in the case of genetic experimentation, is the number of humanoid or sapient species that there are around the world...'

'You think that these were created in the same way as humans?'

'Um, yes, but moreover, I think that these were possibly prototypes or earlier attempts at creating a subservient race.'

'For example the many species of ponies in the Equestrian States.' Nick interjected helpfully. 'Or Elves, dwarfs...'

'Um, well, yes.' Paul held up a hand urging Nick to be cautious. 'In some cases, but I don't think in every instance it was for the same reasons. I believe that they did experiment, crossing different species. However in the case of Elves, I would say that it is rather more plausible that these were a rejected model; perhaps because they wanted a race that was less able. It wouldn't make sense, for example, to have servants who were just as able as you were.'

'Quite true.' Nick was keen to get the conversation wound down and back onto the topic of crop circles. 'So this is all in your PhD thesis?'

Paul nodded.

'And I assume you had trouble getting these papers published, but can our viewers read it anywhere? Do you have a website?'

Paul laughed. 'Yeah, as you can guess the Schottic Science Board were a bit reluctant to publish it; I only passed on a technicality, in that I submitted within the parameters of assessment brief.' Both men shared a chuckle. 'Yeah, but you can read my research at planetofpaul.net. There I've got the various articles I've written, and some of my broader research, so please check that out.'

'Yeah people at home should definitely check out Paul's site, there are some very interesting theories there.' Nick looked down at his sheet of paper before turning to address the camera. 'And some of that stuff includes what I want to cover today, of course that is the interesting cases involving crop circles. Now Paul, you've been looking very closely at crop circles for about eighteen months now, is that correct? And basically, you just weren't buying the fact that this was some sort of a hoax? You think that it might be part of some alien cover-up.'

'I'm not going to say alien.' Paul was keen to put this across. 'I generally work on evidence; and although there as some instances where I have to, I try not to speculate. But anyway, looking at these crop circles, studying the photographs, speaking to eye witnesses, I found the version of events in the Daily Worker article just didn't add up. What the supposed "hoaxer" was claiming they had done to create these patterns, totally contradicted what I was actually seeing at these sites.'

'So you reckon that the methods they used wouldn't have created the same effect.'

'That is correct.' Paul replied confidently. 'What the individual was saying he had done, trampling the wheat flat, there is absolutely no way he could have done that accurately, bringing the equipment onto the field, and not disturbing any of the other crops on the way. When you see these crop circles from above, the area around them is pristine.' Paul leaned in excitedly. 'And my research absolutely, categorically proves, that the circles had to draw from above, in the direct centre of the shape. There is no way any person or machine could replicate those marks from ground level.'

'That's really interesting Paul. So you obviously just don't buy what the papers are saying, do you? Do you think they are being put up to it by someone? Do you think there are groups out their who might have in interest in covering this stuff up?'

Paul was nodding again, but this time he was smiling cynically. 'That also goes back to what I said earlier about speculation. I've always maintained that my work isn't conspiracy theory, because I'm interested in facts. I touch on some subjects, which are controversial, but I only write about things I can prove. I'm sure there is plenty the government aren’t telling us on a wide range of topics. What I'm interested in however, is trying to prove that whatever object made the crop circles: A) got into the centre of the field without bending a stock. B) Had to be from a fixed overhead position. And C) used some form of technology, which is not currently in the public sphere. Now that might be extraterrestrial, it might be non-disclosed technology, or it might be some divine deity. All I'm saying for sure, is that that "§$&%-¢≠%&" story in the papers, is certainly not an accurate version of events.

'Okay Paul, we're going to go for a short break now, but you're going to stay with us, and we'll talk to you again in a couple of minutes.'

Paul Coine thanked the host before breathing a sigh of relief, glad to be finally off-air, even if it was only temporarily. He often wondered if what he was doing was strictly the right thing to do. Someone of his profile probably shouldn't be getting under the skin of powerful organisation. During the course of his work he had riled: The church, creationists, the Schottic government, several other Tyran governments, police departments, hospitals, and aid charities, all in his quest for the truth. His problem had always been keeping his mouth shut, all his life he had never known when to butt out. In that sense it was perhaps inevitable that he ended up in this line of work. A footballer's career was a short one however, and he was going to need to do something to fill in his thirties and forties. Coaching was always the obvious option, but for Paul there were way too many people claiming to be abducted by aliens, too many UFO sightings, and not enough time left to allow him to manage a football team.

by **Thaldor** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:31 pm

1:2 defeat in Valencia, 5000 fans demanding payback

Another matchday gone and while the prospect is dumped to a bit more realistic goals it was not the shootout critics predicted.
In fact after the first halftime it was a decent match against Valladares. While the team lacked the proper training and international experience it was a closer call then expected.
On a more sad note 3 leading managers of the Bureau for Foreign Relations are put under investigation after several fans discovered fake Visas baring them entry for the Game within Valencia. Rough estimations add up to ~ 500 000 NS Dollars for travelling costs and compensation of 5000 angered fans.

The next game will be played again in Milano against the Nation of Burthnas (ranked 237 in the world rating) cutoff will be this evening, live on Channel one and on stream here on soccermania.th powered by Channel one. Also there is a radio reportage from Sport 4 and a after match discussion broadcasted on Channel 2.

links that could be of interest:

more about the 'Valladares Scandal'

detailed Match report

Ingrid Larson admit 'yes I'm in love with Yoshi Kobyashi'

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:47 pm

"Hey, and welcome to episode 378 of the Frightening Firefly podcast, your edutainment regarding all things Union soccer. I'm your host Mason Morgan, with me in the studio is the lovely Natsumi Takeda ("Hi there, everybody!") and 'professor' Stephen Westerhuis ("Good day to you all!"). Today we're going in a slightly different format: first we get today's key points in rapidfire mode, then we go over to Stephen for the Stat of the Day and Natsumi is here to back us up on any topic that could come up, before she will end off today's episode with the Foreign Fact of the Day. So, here we go!

The Union wins 1-0 for third place in the group! That's the third 1-0 victory!

Arevalo scores the single goal of the game from open play, our first open play goal this campaign!

Starblaydia loses 0-1 to Brenecia in the rival clash, for Brenecia's awesome six-point lead over both Starblaydia and the Union of Ko-oren. Antoletia is three points further behind. Ilasia stays pointless. Uh, without a point.

Stephen, your turn!"

"Thanks, Mason. So, with our 1-0 victory, that means every single match by the Dragonflies has been decided by one goal. Three 1-0 wins and two 1-0 losses. It could be worse: Taeshan and the Witty Penguins both have scored one and conceded two. Taeshan is actually doing pretty ok regardless, fourth in a tough group with Valanora and Cosumar as well as the ambitious Fallenmark Islands. Still, it confirms one of those persistant little factoids about our national team, and that is that they are simply boring. Few goals, but so far it has brought them where they needed to be. So, for a little in depth research, here's what I think causes is in this case. It's going to get tactical, so hang on! Basically, Antonescu is making the Dragonflies play much like under his predecessor. When it's 0-0, the team goes into the default way of playing, with a goalkeeper plus another 7 conservative field players. The defence outnumbers whatever attack is coming. Let's face it, no team is going to play five offensive players against Ko-oren. And that means that our defence, with the defensive mids, can almost always overcome what is coming at them. And because our opponents generally know what we will do, they are not going to take a lot of risk either. Those that do, are penalised in the form of a counterattack or worse even, a goal. In which case, it's 1-0, and the Dragonflies run down the clock systematically. Not by wasting time so much, but by playing an effective passing game and the only philosophy being 'if they don't have the ball, they can't score'. And if the Greenblues do concede and it's 0-1, well, that's the Achilles' heel of this team, they just can't enforce anything against a team, that, well, knows our game plan. Antonescu's plan is predictable. A big problem. However, the plan is pretty good and based on what we do well, defending, so the plan works regardless. So you better start liking these 1-0s, because those will be sticking around until we break the deadlock or another team does something reckless. For those of you that want even more information, it's Aoki and De Jong on the wings that force attackers inside, where they'll inevitably bog down into the central three. But actually, it's Bagaurunir that does most of the work here. He is a midfielder, but often provides the support that a lot of teams just don't expect. He is always open in possession, and he is always in the way when we don't have the ball. What Antonescu needs to improve on - and experience will help - is little changes that are almost unrecognisable, but still have a large impact. Think of switching Volkov for Bagaurunir: most teams know exactly how we currently run our team. But put leftie Bagaurunir for rightie Volkov and you'll see that all of a sudden, the entire game looks mirrored."

"Thanks, Stephen! And thanks to the folks at the Frightening Firefly to help us piece the puzzle together on the tactical side for even more in depth analyses! And that leaves us with the charming Natsumi, with an update from, if I'm correct, San Llera?"

"That's right! The people at the Player Bracket - stunning name - have pitted all of the multiverse's best players against each other in a virtual battle for the best. Every nation has one delegate, and ours is Timo Arevalo who put away that great goal for our 1-0 win earlier. He might have been great there, but those San Llerans are not as convinced. Arevalo survived the first face off against Frenline Delpha's David Minet, but lost to Gregoryisgodistan's Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy - dropping out in the Round of 32. Yeah, you heard that right. Arevalo, you're a top 16 player for us, don't you worry!"

"That's all from us today, see you after the Union's next game!"

by **Eshan** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:45 pm

The silence of the long hallway was punctuated by voices coming from behind doors, whether is was from a TV or people one couldn't tell. A slight creak signaled the opening of one of the doors, and a blond haired head popped out, looked quickly down the hallway in both directions, and popped back into the room. Moments later, a figure clad in black sweats and a black hoodie with a drawstring bag on his back crept into the hallways, turned around to softly close the door, and slinked down the hallway, to the staircase, and out of the building. He waited until he had gone a street down from the hotel, and pulled his hoodie down.

Marco van Ciavatinni hated being confined to the hotel the Eshan national team had been put up at. It was suffocating, sitting in his room with ice on his knees watching World Cup highlights or tactical breakdowns of his/the teams/upcoming opponents performances. So tonight, the day after the game against Sarriba, he had patiently waited until around 11 when he could be reasonably sure most of his teammates and coaches were going to be in bed, or anywhere that wasn't the hallway asking him why he was trying to sneak out of the hotel with a football and a pair of cleats in his bag. They'd be pissed that he was sneaking off to go play some footy on the side with the locals, risking injury/abduction/death just to, as they would perceive it, get a few extra touches on the ball. But the truth is, there was so much more to football in his life than just playing the game.

Ever since he could walk, van Ciavatinni had the ball at his feet. He clumsily made his way around his mom's 'house' (the term shack would be over-exaggerating his living conditions from age 0-11) on his still developing legs, gently poking a little football a few feet infront of him and stumbling to catch up. It was his first love affair, chasing after the ball in that manner. As he grew and gained more speed throughout his young years, Marco started breaking things with the ball or by running into them, so he tried to dribble around the house with the ball as close to his body as he could keep it so he didn't have to see that look of disappointment and frustration in his mother's eyes as he broke one of the few things of value they owned.

Marco reached into his bag and pulled out the football, dropped it to the sidewalk, and took off on a brisk jog throughout the Chromatikan city. This had always been one of his favorite things to do, just to run and think and play soccer. As a kid he would run through streets of Sebio with the other children, passing, dribbling, imagining starting for the national team and brining glory to Eshan. He had always been different though, special. He saw things the other people simply couldn't. He remembered being nought but a wee lad and knocking over a glass of water and marveling at how slowly it seemed to fall. He saw the water start to slowly flow out of the glass as it tumbled, and he saw the glass splinter like a spiderweb for an impossibly small fraction of a second before shattering when it hit the ground. When he'd taken a serious of reflex and quick thinking evaluations as a prospective youth player for Sebio City, the doctor had simply sat with mouth agape before calling into the head of youth development and sharing what an extraordinarily physically and mentally gifted player they had on their hands. With a reaction time of .13 seconds and the innate to predict where an object, say a football, would wind up. He could see the angle, feel the exact right amount of power and curl to put on a shot or pass, he could see the seams in the defense, the perfect path to run on to slip through into space, and what hesitation or dribble move to freeze the defender and evade him.

His trip down memory lane was interrupted when he came across a group of kids around his age kicking the ball around. He made his way over, and joined in on their juggling circle, introducing himself simply as 'Marco'. They played together for a little while until the kids departed for home, and again Marco van Ciavatinni only had the company of the moon and the football. He started to make his way back to hotel, and replayed the match against Sarriba in his head.

He'd approached his first ever international start in the same manner he'd approached football every single day of his life. He didn't go into the game with a gameplan, rather he just took matches play by play, and bring the same passion and love of the game to he had as a kid to every game he played. He'd started as a left winger, but had been given the freedom by manager Steven Dumolt to sit narrow as a false-winger, and to impact the game in whatever we he saw fit.

He'd combined brilliantly with Antonio Mulcair the whole game, with the two of them interchanging positions on the wings and causing havoc among the Sarriban defensive unit. His dribbling hadn't been as crisp and brilliant as it usually was, so he had compensated for take shorter runs and passing more and making chances for his teammates via his offball movement. And it was one such movement that resulted in the single goal of the match and a crucial Echani win.

In the 63rd minute an Echani attacking move started off when Francesco Di Nolfo charged up the right side and played a 1-2 with Mulcair, who had switched wings with Marco a few minutes earlier. As the attack charged up the right flank, van Ciavatinni dropped deeper and more central into a pocket of space between the Sarriban left back, centre back, and midfield. He saw Irlian Ceka start to drop deep from his striker position, so Marco pushed back up a bit on the left side to make room for him.

Mulcair played the ball back to Di Nolfo, who pinged it to Xavier in the midfield, who quickly dropped it to Samper Markovic. He kept the ball swinging and played a driven cross to Luke Albom, the left back, who dribbled to the halfway line. Marco knew that if he moved a bit more central, he could open up the wing for Albom to drive into, while also forming a triangle with Albom and Jean-Marie Bentacur. He jogged more central, Albom took two dribbles in the Sarriban half before passing to Bentacur. Before this pass was even played, Marco was moving. He saw that Bentacur would receive the ball in the middle of the center circle, and that Mulcair was making a diagonal run into the space that Ceka had just opened up by dropping into the midfield. Marco took off, starting with a jog across the front of the center circle to receive the ball from Bentacur. As Jean-Marie rolled the ball to him, time slowed down as his abnormal reflex speed kicked in. As the ball slowly came his way, Marco flicked his eyes up, taking in the entire attacking half and making note of every Echani and Sarriban player with one split-second glance. The ball came within his reach, and he saw the perfect angle to dink the ball over the defensive line into Mulcair's path. He made a sharp one-touch pass, an arcing 20 yarder through the air the landed perfectly on Mulcair's foot in stride. But Marco wasn't done yet. He used the momentum garnered from his pass to lead directly into a sprint, racing towards the right wing where Anthony Mulcair had just came from.

The two centerbacks were racing to intercept Mulcair, who was in on goal, and that made it easy for van Ciavatinni to sneak in behind them and slash into box. By this time, the Sarriban goalkeeper had closed down Mulcair's angle and the vice-captain of the Echani team centered the ball. Again, time seemed to slow down, and in a fraction of a second, he knew where the ball was going to land, and he knew he would have the luxury of striking the ball with his left or right boot. Not that it mattered either way, Marco had always been naturally two-footed capable of shooting, passing, dribbling, and crossing equally well with both feet. He preferred to dribble with his left, as most defenders naturally assumed he was right footed, but liked to shoot with his right, and it was on this occasion that he chose his trusty right foot.

The ball dropped right in front of him like he knew it would, and Marco van Ciavatinni wound his leg back and smashed the ball into the roof of the net to make it 1-0 to the Echani team and to give them a much needed win to keep their qualification hopes alive at this early stage.

Marco van Ciavatinni slid his key into the lock, and opened the door to his room. It had been a good, relaxing night out and he had been able to clear his thoughts and reflect on the match against Sarriba, exactly what he had been hoping for. His mind kept replaying that goal, the fourth of his young career, as he changed out of his ninja clothes and into better sleeping attire. As he slipped into bed, Marco thought about where he was in life. He hadn't yet made his professional debut, but he had four goals and three assists in 7 matches for the Eshan National Football Team. At the age of 17. Life was good, life was special.

He reached over and turned the light off. Practices would be hard the next week leading up to the Chromatika match, and Marco knew that he would have to give it 110% to make the starting spot his for the rest of the tournament. He could do it, he knew that, and this self-belief put as smile on his face as he drifted off to sleep.

by **Carialus** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:57 pm

Carialus Clairon
Another Great Game

The Comrades continued to have success when they travelled to Torisakia for Matchday Five. Torisakia was down on their luck in qualifying while Carialus was having the best campaign of its history. Most of the stadium was clad in sky blue with red collars and sleeves, the home colors for Torisakia. In a small corner of the stadium, away Carialites wore whit shirts with blue sleeves and a blue streak running down the center. The Icebirds play defensively, so it was expected to be another 1-0 grind, but Carialus surprised the home and away fans. Right at the start, Torisakia was forced to retreat far into their half of the pitch as the Comrades exploited their weaknesses. For the first twenty minutes, Carialus was breathing down the neck of the Torisakian goalkeeper, Klossowski. Carialus finally struck when Caouette tapped in a goal from the edge of the six yard box off of a hair pin pass from Cantin. Torisakia found no way to get back on their feet and Carialus exploited it. Courtermanche chipped the ball above Mikita and it floated towards the goal. The ball had a wacky spin and skidded right off Klossowski's gloves and went between the posts. The Icebirds went into damage control mode and shutdown for the rest of the first half. Carialus continued to pound away at the goal but failed to convert any more chances.

Losing 2-0 at the half, Torisakia decided to come out of their shell and launched an offensive. In cycles past, this quick change in play style would have caught Carialus unprepared. However, the Comrades balanced play allowed them to adapt quickly. In fact, Carialus was able to extend the lead after a lightning quick counter attack. De Lainey stole the ball away from Bailey and launched the ball up the pitch. Masson was blazing towards Torisakia's end as soon as he saw de Lainey challenge. The ball was passed just before Masson passed Arendonk, so no offsides. Masson was deep in Icebirds territory when he got the long ball and pumped up field. The defenders frantically raced after him, but they were a good three seconds behind. Klossowski charged forward and dove for the ball. Masson kicked the ball moderately to the side, lunged over the frantic Klossowski, and of collected the ball. On a wide open goal, Masson made a slow grounder that tickled the net. Torisakia was down 3-0, the clock was ticking, and home fans were beginning to leave. The Icebirds just didn't have anything left in them. Carialus, on the other hand, continued with energy and vigor. They didn't let up, even scoring in the dying embers of the game off a strike from Echeverri.

by **Apox** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:59 pm

Groups 11-20 Matchday 6 Cut-off

This one's a few years old now, but it's still good.

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:04 pm

HARD GAME TO WATCH
Double Duty while the Samba Kids rest

You'd think that this whole thing about Unified Sunrisians getting a bye would mean that I would have a break of my own, but nope. Turns out that, since the national team is taking a bye this week, I'm responsible for not one, but two covered matches. Imagine the wonder as I take a trip from a nice flat at Mardi to two colonies, non-stop. If this sounds snotty, I beg your pardon... it's just a matter of annoyance. Anyhow, let's start things with the lesser of evils.

It seems fitting that after the game at Sant Jordi, we'd have to make a trip to Son Vasco, their rivals. How to describe Son Vasco... Well, imagine two cousins that seem very alike. One thing is that while one is calm, private (as far as being sober, of course) and normally rich; the other is brash, friendly and loves a fight. Son Vasco only isn't as trigger happy as the Edenias, otherwise they'd be on the top of the inconsequential Northern Sunrisian areas. Anyhow, Son Vasco is home of the current Sunrisian champion and... well, that's kinda it as far as football goes. Son Vasco CF is the only football club of the island on the system. Every other football team from this place has to live with state leagues and all that, case of point: Gratallops Olympique and Vileiriz, two teams that do with what they have. Make no mistake, however, these teams have, for one, more fanbase than whatever the hell was on that other game at their rich cousin.

That being said, here we are. Gratallops, Son Vasco. This small town was founded back in the early 40s as an army base for what, at the time, was a fascist regime. Olympique dates back to those days, then under the name Los Tigres-Gratallops. They didn't last much long at the major leagues, however, and at most worked as a feeder side for mid-table teams. At least up to the point where the state obtained independence under the name of Euskaldunek. Now under the name Gratallops Olympique, they failed to obtain much leverage, sticking with the lower leagues until an invitation finally arrived and the squad was promoted to the Garaikur Nazionala B. Like any of these teams, their dream is to play against Son Vasco, but for the home team's case, they still have to scrape over other seventeen teams to get there.

   GARAIKUR NAZIONALA B     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
01 Vasco Vulpine             16    9   6   1    20    7  +13    33
02 River Vasco               16    9   4   3    25   12  +13    31
03 IEDG Izarrak Gerrak       16    9   3   4    21   11  +10    30
04 Zalla Claren              16    9   2   5    25   17   +8    29
(...)
14 Vileiriz                  16    4   3   9    17   24   −7    15
15 Athletic Restande         16    3   6   7    14   22   −8    15
16 Zalba                     16    2   7   7    14   19   −5    13
17 Gratallops Olympique      16    2   6   8    15   27  −12    12
18 Societa d' Jauregia       16    3   1  12    13   31  −18    10

Let's just say that they're failing hard at that purpose. It's kinda funny for a team named Olympique to be that low on the table. And it's nice there's no relegation yet from there. Speaking of that, their opponents of the afternon, Vileiriz, aren't exactly near the top either. In fact, the word on this league is that Vileiriz is actually counting on their odds against Olympique to get out of a five-game losing streak and turn things straight ahead. On the other hand of the spectrum, we have a peculiarly team named Vasco Vulpine on the lead of the second division. For those who don't know (or just don't care), turns out Vulpine Sportif's thing now is dealing with some sort of feeder system. Seems they're doing well.

The team's president wasn't around, sadly, for it seems she had a major fight the other day over something and was now at jail. Go figure. Her husband was the one handling things for the moment and... well, let's just say it feels like they switched over. Now, I'm not saying he's girly... wait, I am. Either way, things were supposedly notoriously clean as "the wife never, ever bothers with that kind of crap like she says" and it was a good day for me to come for a visit. I have to say, though, for a team that isn't capable of much on football, there are a couple of interesting prizes at their club house. Badminton, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Gaelic Football... something named Kabbadi that I never ever heard of.

The president was pretty nice, offered me a pair of shirts from the team, which I had to accept seeing as they're rather good looking. As I asked about the other sports, there was a large smile from the temporary president, stating that "I assumed you'd look over that." and then a field trip started as we walked by many sorts of courts for different sports. Turns out that, aside from being a key team on the Son Vasco scenery when it comes to those sports, they also have been an upcoming threat at Swimming, Basketball and Baseball. "Just football isn't our thing." as he said.

Game time as we arrive at a pretty nifty field. Fans already finding their seats, quite a noticeable group of people from Vileiriz and there they were, coming from the lockers. One interesting thing about Vileiriz is that one nickname attributed to them by the local media is "The Team of Siblings".

GRATALLOPS OLYMPIQUE - Jaquí; Morentezabal, Lorenaguas, Xivil; Graça Días, Luka (C), Luna, Bibi; Rotalín, Elemael, Niklas Mortís
VILEIRIZ - Aritz Diavekz; Danilla, José Martín, José Diavekz, Kavon; Markel Sarabia, Mateus Sarabia (C), Patxi Lakarabázal, Mateus Diavekz; Fernadoni, Joselito

Well, I'll be damned. Also, another Luna. I have a feeling this name is pretty common around here. And as the game started, let's just say it seemed like Gratallops would be an embarrassment just like the expected, suffering a goal at the very start of the game thanks to an opportunistic shot by Joselito. After that shot, I more or less imagined the team would get curb-stomped. If only Vileiriz's offence wasn't so damn clueless. First half saw Vileiriz try their best to look artsy and win via complicated tricks, enough time for the home team to pretty much build up a defence against them.

Come second half, the away team was tired and even the substitutions didn't help. If only Gratallops Olympique weren't just as clueless. Though, to be fair, Luka did make a nice justification of his spot as the captain by scoring the goal that would tie it all. It was all after a corner, Luka heading the ball somewhere Aritz Diavekz couldn't block. In the end, the game ended on a tie and... OK, I stuck around to watch Kabbadi. And I still don't get it.

Well, damn it. Welcome to bloody Basil Pike Island, hope you like furries and universities! ...Yeah, it doesn't sound as bad as the slogan from Lower Sunrise's Boatmurdered, but it's just as accurate. Basil Pike was discovered somewhere at Futurnia long before the Mobian Wars. The Sunrisians simply shrugged, pondering "why not?" and claimed ownership of the little island. What they didn't know was that Basil Pike was like some of the other furlands like Tiki Lodge, Mobian Nations or Proweric. So as they just placed settlements, the humans realized they weren't alone at all. Furries. Tribes of furries were actually hidden between the forests. They're still majority on what nowadays is a slightly bigger island after some landmass projects took place that mostly lives off their universities, tourism and just every sort of small thing you can buy late at night. It's a rather lenient area and that's mostly why they haven't been promoted to being a Northern Sunrisian state.

Though to be fair, as much as they're lenient, they're a pretty sympathetic bunch. Their status as the oddball of the Sunrises is largely acknowledged and "thankfully" as they themselves say, the Sunrise has yet to see a half-furry. Genetics is confusing, good to remind. Anyway, Basil Pike is another island with only one relevant team: their case being Basil Futures, a blue-and-pink side that plays in the middle of the island and mostly combines humans and furries as a squad. Other teams attend to the Furry League, a traditional tournament of the island that mostly works as their state championship.

So yeah, a pretty small place that somehow has a couple of towns. Had to take a plane there and then a train trip from Basil Pike to a town named Rouge. Supposedly, it's the name of a legendary jewel hunter that had a thing for bats. I wouldn't mind if the statues of said jewel hunter didn't make her sound and look like some sort of fetishist. Again, it is Basil Pike, I'm not really impressed. Rouge is the hometown of one of the silliest names in the league, Batty Rouge 02. Originally Batfaces United, the team nicknamed as "the Rogues" was actually a pretty solid amateur team from Rouge. That's mostly where their trophies come from. That being said, the team benefited heavily from human players that were attending the Basil Pike University and played there at their spare time.

They assumed a leap towards professionalism was the next thing to do... only to find out that they would then have to pay their players. University talent flocked towards the city league and Batfaces United struggled until a Prowerician night club chain decided to buy the club. Born was Batty Rouge 02, now some sort of feeder of Proweric's Club Rouge SC. They now struggle just a bit more. Their opposition, Dragonfleet Palace, is a mix of a Daineri expat club with a group of frat...something from Tiki Lodge. So yeah, a team named Palace met a group of university students known solely as Dragonfleet. Nowadays, the Daineris have more or less returned home, sans somewhat of a minority. Football-wise... well, they play like the rejects of Valverde.

   THE FURRY LEAGUE - DIVISION TWO  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
01 Krystal United                    18   13   3   2    28   11  +17    42
02 Mobian Legion                     18   10   5   3    23    9  +14    35
03 White Knights SC                  18    9   5   4    26   20   +6    32
04 DH Howlers                        18    9   1   8    23   19   +4    28
05 Magicka Manor                     18    7   3   8    23   20   +3    24
06 Basil Rockers                     18    6   6   6    19   20   −1    24
07 Kenan Hill Oranges                18    5   7   6    19   23   −4    22
08 Basil Fury                        18    5   6   7    16   21   −5    21
09 Alliance Bridge Dittos            18    5   5   8    13   17   −4    20
10 Stigmata Musics                   18    5   4   9    18   26   −8    19
11 Batty Rouge 02                    18    5   1  12    17   30  −13    16
12 Dragonfleet Palace                18    3   6   9    19   28   −9    15

As for their league status? Well, I guess pathetic is more or less where they rank. Turns out Dragonfleet hasn't been playing their heart out and Batty Rouge 02 isn't doing much better. Sadly, this team doesn't really have a president... so I just had to make do with the supporters. Yeah, the folks from "Batfaces of Battysville" were the ones guiding me this afternoon. Beyond being noisy and the fact I'm pretty sure one of theirs was eyeing me out all the bloody time, I think they were decent. Anyway, this is a fantastic moment to tell that I might just start to collect jerseys as, after some hard work, I've earned my fifth small team jersey, including the ones the teams I covered sent me. With me now is a half-black/half-pink jersey of Batty Rouge 02 sponsored by... a condom brand. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this island?

Finally we reach Heart Park, as the home team prepares for what could be the game of their season... since, y'know, it's being covered nationally. By me. Quality. And as I finally managed to obtain the line-ups... let me say before hand that some of these names are just questionable. Seriously, what is legitimately wrong with this island?

BATTY ROUGE 02 - Lianel; Yoley, Maddie, Chester; Gustav, Max, Rocket, Pierre, Jakelyn; Justinsson, Guillhelrem (C)
DRAGONFLEET PALACE - Blazeth; Firena, Chama, Escalas, Rey; Chrissy (C), Buksy, May; Nick, Cinos

Yeah, about the whole "the farm of stars" thing? This game isn't. At all. Not that I expected players with names such as Jakelyn, Justinsson or Buksy to be the ones that would award the time of my life here. Hell, they even had a flippin' Cinos. CINOS. And the thing about Cinos? He stubbed his toe the tenth minute in and had to be subbed by a better kid that looked like a Weasel named Fwinha. Still a lame name but at least someone that can play. Way to go, Cinos. Way to go.

About the others? Well, like other games that I covered, they weren't poor. Whether they take that as a compliment or scouting, it's up to them. Honestly, they did know how to pass the ball. It was more or less the only thing they did the entire first half anyway. Seemed pretty tense, but when you don't kick a ball, people should realize it's not tense, just lame. Seriously, what is wrong with this island?

Second half saw a couple of substitutes, the key one being a kid named Sonny Junior. Or just Sonny Jr. Odd that a girl has Junior on her name... if that was a girl, of course, but still. Anyhow, she was the one responsible for what seemed like an innovation for Basil Pikean football. Ladies and Gentlemen... she actually kicked the ball. Towards the goal. Like once she did kick the ball, everyone realized the game was on and poof, actual football. They did try to play like a quality Sunrisian team and while they failed to pull a quality dribble, they did provide a clip of Chrissy trying a Pot of Gold only to literally hit the face of Guillhelrem.

Finally, a goal would come from Fwinha, one of the only players that actually did do her portion of dribbling well enough. She received a well-thought pass from Rocket and bluntly kicked the ball towards the net. For the sadness of Batfaces of Battysville and... well, an actually present crowd, the home team ended up losing. Dragonfleet Palace leaving the last place of the table. Now if you excuse me, I think I'll go wash myself. At home. Freaking furries.

by **Polkopia** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:23 pm

Twenty Seven Dead As Terrorists Strike Train
Station In Polkopia

By Gaja Funar and Natalya Alkaev
2 hours ago

Novigrad/Gordki District, Polkopia - citizens living in the Polkopian city of Novigrad were awakened early in the morning to the sound of loud booming noises which rocked the city at the local train station, "Novigrad Vozkal". The attacks took place at approximately 7:35 AM, and were compromised of three separate bombings, each which took place approximately ten seconds right after one another. It is unknown how many deaths each attack caused; all authorities know at the moment is the combined death count from the three bombing.

Novigrad Vozkal shortly after the attacks

Polkopian authorities have confirmed that the attacks were, in fact, suicide bombings, and the three assailants are dead. Authorities have identified brothers Vosgi and Nasim Ali, and Wullem Nejem as the attackers. Investigation is currently underway to see whether or not these attacks are linked to a larger group or an entire nation, or if they were random attacks.

Camera footage has been released to the public and shows the assailants casually stroll in the train station. Eventually, the three men go their separate ways and stand in line for different trains. Soon, screams can be heard as one of the men unveils his explosive device and detonates in a crowd. A few moments later, and another explosion can be heard in the building, and then one more, before the camera cuts out. Viewers can watch the video below, but it should go without saying that the content below is not for the faint of heart.

by **United States of Devonta** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:26 pm

Good Days Ahead
_{Devontans pull through to second place in Group 18 with win over Maklohi Vai}

United States of Devonta 2-1 Maklohi Vai

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Cooper, Brooks, Benton, Kindred, Liam, Russell, Abdullah, Edwards, Owens, Johansen, Adams
Maklohi Vai (5-3-2): Makai, Punao K., Kolu W., Wulamo R., Lunako M., Lomo K., Lakunao W., Klaus W., Tilao P., Segundo, Tumo M.

Quick Stats:
54% Possessions, 10 Shots, 8 on goal, 2 corners
46% Possessions, 7 Shots, 4 on goal, 3 corners

Goals:
Liam (28'), Johansen (78' - PK)
Segundo (45')

CAUTIONED: Worunapalakani (78')
EJECTED: --NONE--

Table:
  Group 18                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                               5    4   1   0     9    2   +7    13
2 United States of Devonta                5    3   1   1     7    7    0    10
3 Abanhfleft                              5    3   0   2    11    8   +3     9
4 Witty Penguins                          5    2   2   1     5    3   +2     8
5 New Gelderland                          6    1   2   3     3    5   −2     5
6 Maklohi Vai                             5    1   1   3     3    5   −2     4
7 Cuboneland                              5    0   1   4     4   12   −8     1
Schedule:
MD1: United States of Devonta 0-4 Saintland
MD2: United States of Devonta 2-0 New Gelderland
MD3: United States of Devonta 0-0 Witty Penguins
MD4: BYE
MD5: United States of Devonta 3-2 Abanhfleft
MD6: United States of Devonta 2-1 Maklohi Vai
MD7: United States of Devonta Vs. Cuboneland
RD: BYE
MD8: United States of Devonta Vs. Saintland
MD9: United States of Devonta Vs. New Gelderland
MD10: United States of Devonta Vs. Witty Penguins
MD11: BYE
MD12: United States of Devonta Vs. Abanhfleft
MD13: United States of Devonta Vs. Maklohi Vai
MD14: United States of Devonta Vs. Cuboneland

Other Group 18 Games:
Witty Penguins 4-1 Cuboneland
Saintland 1-0 New Gelderland

----MATCHDAY SIX----

Matchday Six | Maklohi Vai | 92nd Ranked | @Unknown | 55,494 attendance | Ref. Javier Mendes

by **Banguela** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:48 pm

“Ze Vidigal as the most prodigal player of our generation. I don’t know what these San Llerans have been drinking, but if it’s that strong, I want a pint of it as well!”

Just this winter, a scowl like that would have led to trouble. In the best case, a painful silence would have filled the dressing room, you could probably expect a bit of bickering and pushing and it was not unlikely that knifes would be sharpened. But time had passed and as these guys were growing used to living next to one another, sharing unreal experiences and battling strong opposition, the remark of Nefala was laughed away as a quirky joke, even by the victim itself.

“Yeah, but they must have at least some eye for football or they would have picked you! Or Carlos!”

Cue the laughter of a bunch who would prefer stabbing their neighbours over admitting they were nervous. After all, they never really bonded with the people next door, so, it wasn't a loss, right? I could only grin sheepishly, once again being the butt of the joke. Of any joke, actually.

Maybe it was exactly that reacting that had been cause of it all. I mean, could they truly think I was the worst of them all? Not? I mean... It is just because I am not signed by one of the big two, that’s probably it. In a squad dominated by Uniao and SC players, you’re easily the odd one out and if they wanted to find the ugly duckling, I apparently came along at the wrong time. That is just it, just... Bad luck. Right?

I started to chew on it a little more... I had not been stellar so far, scoring none throughout the whole eight games. Not a splendid record for a striker, especially one that has a compatriot with twice his talent but a decade less experience breathing in his neck over the position. But Rui Mokanga had not convinced against Electrum and my fifteen minutes on the pitch had been good, right? The coach said so and...

”Hey, Carlos, left boot on left foot. Mommy’s not here to help you!”

Laughter as I looked down to my feet as if I only discovered a few minutes ago what these stumpy things beneath my legs were. Why did they always build dressing rooms with these horrible walls that made all noise echo thrice through your eardrums, whether it was our own Sao Pedro or this imposing Metrodome?

”I’m not your mummy,” Nefala grinned cruely as he tossed my second boot across the room.
”Oh... I’m... Eh...” I stuttered.
“Use words, Estupido,” he continued, [/i]“It goes easier.”[/i]

Look, afterwards... Afterwards, I had this great response that would have put him in his place. As the matter of fact, his role for the national team was over before it ever began. He was too brutal, too weak tactically, too unrefined to deal with this level and quickly surpassed as a player. ‘And likewise, you’re surpassed as a person’, I would have said. Would have. Now I just stumbled across the dressing room for my airborn shoe. Just in time to run into Joao Ferreira, who entered the room with his serious frown on, indicating it was time to shine.

”Com’on Carlos, they’re not gonna wait for you,” he spoke under his breath, ”and me neither.”

A muffled sorry, a last series of warnings over the inspired 4-3-3 opposition and a terrible gut feeling later, the first whistle resounded. I couldn't but feel like somehow, this game had turned into a last chance and I... I just was not at my best. Look, I’m not the guy to hang down my head and drop my duties, I’ve got where I am today because I’m a team player but it just did not work out.

The Blue Boys, as expected considering their excellent form, dominated from the first minute onwards but we stood our ground as good and as bad as it could. Almost. On my wing, they seemed to possess a little extra and the combination of Lesley Cooke and Titus Blackett formed an inspired machine that had to take lessons from no one in our group. Chingala, covering my side of the pitch as usual with his charming stride and similar attitude had to be saved by Luis Cangé more than once but it eventually went wrong.

And Titus Blackett was the sort of player who smelled blood and decided to dig his jaws deep into it. We had worked our way to a corner kick, the most sad of Pyrrhus victories as we lacked a strong offensive header, and as one of the shorter guys on the pitch, I had to cover the counter attack. Had to. Analysts around the globe would show slow-motion pictures of how Blackett steamrolled me and managed to dribble me not once, but twice en route to goal.

Game over? Not yet. Com’on, two goals, everything is still possible and... From the corner of my eye, I saw Rui Mokanga getting ready. Minute 34. Must have been a new record for that predetermined substitution. I started thinking. And thinking. And simply wasting it. You want to make that extra rush and just forget to ask the ball. You sprint to the back line and get the leather played between your legs by the kind of centre back that usually can’t pull that trick during practice. You run so hard to goal that you’re not nowhere around the receiving end of a pass.

Extra time of the first half, always a strange minute. Not nothing, that would be against good sportsmanship and hardly ever more than one. Always 'a' minute, unless someone was injured so harshly that needed more time to pick up loose body parts from the pitch. And always it carried a bit of limbo. After all, in what minute does someone score if he finds the net that minute? The 45’? No, that already passed. Or, maybe the 46’? No, that’s the first one of the second half. 45+1’? That’s ridiculous, you don’t say ‘he scored in the 90+2’ minute? Wait, you do? No, that is just downright silly. I could have given people across the globe that horrendous puzzle to solve.

I could have. Jo Courtemanche, so far dominant on the middle and not even the least annoyed by Flavio Kanté in his back pocket, passed it a little too short on South. Ze Vidigal got a toe in it and suddenly there was a boulevard. You could wonder what I was thinking then and... I don’t know. All I know is that it was too much. Even, on close consideration, every thought is a thought too much at such a time. You just need to control and shoot on instinct. And I... Anastasio Massali picked it up with a combination of disbelief, relief and amusement on his face.

And... That’s all. At least for me. I wore one of those ridiculously large training coats whilst watching how Rui Mokanga towered over Blackbourne to bring us back in the game. And how he found Edison Joao with a clever pass to the crescent who scored a late goal. Too late, that’s what you get from the 90+2’ minute, but it still was a good alibi to leave the pitch and tell journalists, sweat still dripping and looking with a glance as if you were not exhausted but calmly analysing, that ‘we were close and deserved more, it’s only a single goal difference’.

Joao Ferreira said little to me at half-time. Seven words.

Well, he said more but the ones that stuck at least.

”I just needed more confidence out there.”

Me too. Me too.

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:49 pm

Gregoryisgodistan 4–0 Aeqamustopia

"Hello, and welcome to Lord Almighty Gregory National Stadium for today's game between Gregoryisgodistan and some useless, no-name nation that calls themselves Aquadiddlyduck or something like that. Nobody really cares what they're called because they're too incompetent to do anything, even release a roster. So we'll just have to give all the players silly, made-up, insulting names. But first, it's time for the kickoff. And let's get ready for some World Cup Qualifying!

...

"7th minute, great tackle by Slave Catcher I913AFBSBFI239 to win the ball from Useless Clownbuttfartface in space, and now he gets it up to Soldier 0EDCK13DHI. Soldier 0EDCK13DHI will pass it all the way across the field to Prune Farmer 913881, who now gets it up to Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU. And the elephant guy will send it into the box, but it is headed over the crossbar by Underwear Monger of Aquadiddycrackedcornandidontcare or whatever they are called. So it will be a corner, to be taken by Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU. He sends it in, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal is there AND THE CAPTAIN SCORES THE FIRST GOAL! FOOT SLAVES ON THE BOARD! Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal heads it right past Ugly Goaliepants of Aquadudleydursey. It's 1-0 Gregoryisgodistan as the fans are going nuts!

...

"16th minute, it's a free kick for Gregoryisgodistan, about 30 yards out. Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU to take, and the goalie deflects it over for a corner. Can the Foot Slaves score on another corner? Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU will take the corner and it's headed clear. Now Aquadumbodumbodumbo looking to counter, here's Silly Futeu streaking up all alone, he's going to pop one from way out, but right to Prune Farmer 3818F. He heard footsteps and was afraid of being tackled by Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy! Footy! Fatty! Crushy! Coo!

...

"33rd minute, oh, and Uncle Stupid of Aquadoggydoodoo has brought Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy down and is going to be yellow carded. Oh, what's this? Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy is crushing Uncle Stupid! And Uncle Stupid is dead, and Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy only gets a yellow because Uncle Stupid started it. He'll be replaced by Cousin Stupid Junior. What a crushing!

...

"And now it's halftime. And you know what that means. It's time for the Slaves R Us Leaders Race! Let's send it up to the public address announcer who has the call."

"And here are the leaders, all four of them emerging from the gate together. And they're neck and neck all the way down the sideline and as they approach the corner, now Lord Almighty Gregory has fallen a bit behind the other three. But what's this? A ferret has taken out Shop Owner! Oh, and Shop Owner falls onto the Consul, who falls onto King Petrus, and they go down like dominos. And that's not just any ferret, folks, that's Lord Almighty Gregory's pet ferret, Rufus! And now Lord Almighty Gregory and Rufus are going to run across the finish line hand-in-hand for the win."

"Wow, what an interesting Leaders Race. Attack by a guy in a giant ferret costume - how often do you see that? Great win for the Lord, back after this with the second half.

...

"52nd minute, and here is History Teacher CZDE9745. He passes to Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU. He hits it into the box, off the finger tips of the goalie, rolling towards the net, and Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal sends it in just for good measure. He'll get credit for the goal there, his second of the match, and it's 2-0 FOOT SLAVES! Bad attempt at save by the Aquarubberuduckyyouretheone goalkeeper. Terrible, terrible, stupid stupid. Almost Costa Lunian in effort.

...

"66th minute, still no shots for Aquadoodlebop, and they won't get one here because the cross is headed away by Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy as the Foot Slaves look to counter. History Teacher CZDE9745 up to a streaking Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU, he's one on one with the goalie but slides it in to a sneaky Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo, wide open net GOAL FOOT SLAVES! 3-0 GREGORYISGODISTAN! WHAT A GOAL! And another bad play by the Aquadundundun goalkeeper.

...

"81st minute, and OH MY! Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo has been taken down in the box by Foofoo Batootledumb and that is a PENALTY KICK! Will they let Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal take it and try for the hat trick? He steps up, goes right, GOAL! Goalie didn't even try to save it. 4-0, Foot Slaves lead Aquafinavelva. And now Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal is coming off to a standing ovation, replaced by Slave Beater SUAXMC91 as the Foot Slaves try to be more defensive.

...

"Only a few seconds left here, and THERE'S THE FINAL WHISTLE! FOOT SLAVES WIN! Still in fifth place, but only two back of second. This is an exciting group, and with almost halfway through, almost everyone except for Aquadadamamalama and the other no-name are still in contention. What fun. See you tomorrow as we play another no-name."

by **Gim** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 4:14 pm

WATV - Monday ~ Sunday 8:30-9:00

Host: Jo Jin Ri

Camera is at an aerial view of the studio with Anchorwoman Jo Jin Ri in the center of the studio.

"Hello. I'm Jo Jin Ri of WATV 8 Sports News. Tonight is a joyous night, as Gim, after two consecutive losses, emerges to earn a victory against Damukuni. How did they exactly triumph over them? Let us look at the highlight."

Camera turns to Gimians and Damukunis playing on the field.

"26th minute. Gimian forward Heo Min Soo passes to the Choi Name towards the center of the Damukuni penalty zone. Choi Name redirects the ball past the goalkeeper for a goal. 1-0 Gim!"

Camera turns to Gimians and Damukunis playing on the field.

"48th minute. Gimian forward Choi Nam takes a shot forty feet out from the Damukuni penalty zone, and scores! Past the goalkeeper and in the net! This is the first time in Gimian football history that they have taken a two-goal lead.! 2-0 Gim!"

Camera turns to Gimians and Damukunis shaking hands on the field.

"90th minute. No stoppage time and final whistle blows. Gimian and Damukuni players shake hands, embrace one another, and exchange jerseys. We can see that, when Kim Dong Jin takes off his shirt to wear his opponent's, his defined abdominal muscles and chest muscles can be seen. Gim 2 - Damukuni 0"

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:06 pm

PJP Forms Government, Blackwood Announces Cabinet

John McAvoy, Political Columnist, Londinium Courier

After weeks of hard-fought negotiation, the People's Justice Party has formed a government in Londinium. The PJP and their Stewardship Party allies won 47 of 100 seats, which wasn't enough to form a government on their own. In previous Parliaments, the PJP-SP alliance has won enough seats to govern on their own, but they have always been courteous enough to give the Liberal Secularists a Cabinet position and a nominal alliance. This time around, they needed the support of the Secularists in order to form a government. Many thought that this would be the Parliament where the PJP-SP alliance finally brought in the Secularists as full partners. But, as was announced earlier today, the PJP-SP government will instead pursue a confidence and supply agreement with the Secularists. This means that they will help the PJP-SP government in the event of a vote of no confidence and when the annual budget is passed. This gives the left a government of 54 seats in crucial situations, but still leaves them vulnerable to fragmentation on day-to-day issues. The Secularists drove a hard bargain; they managed to double their Cabinet seats in exchange for their support. This, in turn, caused inflation for the Stewardship Party; they moved up from two Cabinet posts to three in recognition of their long-time partnership with the PJP.

Hal Blackwood, PJP party leader, will be the Prime Minister, with Sandra Meyer, PJP leader runner-up and former Minister of Infrastructure as his Deputy PM. As Deputy PM, Meyer will be responsible for managing the rank and file, articulating government policy, and helping organize party efforts. Just missing out on the Deputy PM spot is William Lyons, who will stay in his post as Minister of Defense. Lyons is hawkish for Nova Anglicana and for the PJP; that still means he's a moderate in the parties of the right and fairly dovish in many nations around the world. His focus is to keep the military strong, not necessarily to use it. The more-than-capable Erik Parsons returns as Minister of Finance; Parsons situates himself between the moderate and progressive wings of the party and will continue to promote an active government role while attempting to keep debt under control. Emily Waterford, party leader of the Liberal Secularists, continues in her role as Minister of Education; her priorities include STEM education and keeping tuition rates low. Josephine Clark moves up from Minister of Immigration to Foreign Affairs, where she will be tasked with implementing Nova Anglican foreign policy. It's a good bet she continues traditional PJP diplomacy and a soft-power approach. With the split of the Ministry of Health and Social Services into two separate ministries, Alexandra Ward takes the Minister of Health portfolio. It might look like a step down because of the decreased responsibilities, but health is where her passion is. Colin Clarke, representing Isca Dumnoniorum for the Stewardship Party, comes into the Social Services role. He's already vowed to fight unemployment and depression in areas with high First Nations populations. Representing the more interventionists side of the Liberal Secularists is Bryan McKinney, the new Minister of Infrastructure. He has some big shoes to fill, coming in after Sandra Meyer, but he's been itching for a Cabinet post for some time now and looks likely to fulfill Meyer's wishes of increased electrification and Internet access for rural communities. Tim McKenzie, the star without a clearly defined role, winds up in the Minister of Justice role. He has said he will push for community-based policing and sensible reforms to the justice system. Richard Wright, the veteran and former union leader, stays on as Minister of Labor. It will be his unenviable task to ensure that migrants are integrated into the workforce and that disgruntled Nova Anglicans can return to work after a period of economic downturn. Warren Berry is the Interior Minister; he always seems to know what is going on, and that's exactly what you want from him. Whether it's securing the country against internal security threats or deftly "handling" provincial and local elections, he's done a good job. Marilyn Greenfield stays on as Environment Minister and is a strong leader for the PJP-SP alliance. Ralph Coleman is in his last term as a Deputy and is tipped to run for the Senate when he finishes up in the HoD, but for now, he's going to keep representing the interests of farmers and conservatives in the Cabinet. Robin Carpenter continues to serve as Minister of Culture, and she has announced that her Ministry will embark on a campaign to preserve aspects of First Nations cultures in danger of going extinct. Finally, Brian Austin, former Nova Anglican hockey player, stays on as Minister of Sport and will continue to oversee a vibrant national sporting culture.

Nova Anglican Cabinet

Prime Minister: Hal Blackwood (PJP)
Deputy Prime Minister: Sandra Meyer (PJP)
Minister of Defense: William Lyons (PJP)
Minister of Finance: Erik Parsons (PJP)
Minister of Education: Emily Waterford (LS)
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Josephine Clark (PJP)
Minister of Health: Alexandra Ward (PJP)
Minister of Social Services: Colin Clarke (SP)
Minister of Infrastructure: Bryan McKinney (LS)
Minister of Justice: Tim McKenzie (PJP)
Minister of Labor: Richard Wright (PJP)
Interior Minister: Warren Berry (PJP)
Minister of the Environment: Marilyn Greenfield (SP)
Minister of Immigration: Talia Sherwood (PJP)
Minister of Agriculture: Ralph Coleman (PJP)
Minister of Culture: Robin Carpenter (SP)
Minister of Sport: Brian Austin (PJP)

by **Zenic** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:22 pm

Marvelous.

That is the only word that I can use to describe the amazing event that occured at the Philosophia Colosseum. It has happened: our 52nd ranked Zenic squad has defeated fellow Rushmori nation and 17th ranked squad from Valladares 3-2 in the Empire. It was certainly a close game but our Survivors did just that against their higher ranked opponent: survive.

The matchup between the squad was interesting: the two squads had similarly offensive-minded mentalities but vastly different formations, as Zenic ran a very standard 4-3-3 wihle Valladares ran a 3-2-2-3(or a 3-4-3 depending on who is looking at it). The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying in the Colosseum as Valladares kicked off the game. They would also open up the scoring with an impressive display of passing between Brücke, Gignac, and Pedrinho, culminating in a 23 meter strike and goal for Pedrinho in the 23rd minute. Killian and his men would strike back before the end of the first half with a Gavin Barnsley goal in the 41st minute.

Zenic attempted to start the second half off as quickly as Valladares did in the first half, which led to some sloppy play. This, in turn, led to a breakaway for the Valladars who converted the opportunity into their second goal, which was tapped in by Yoan Gignac in the 49th minute. The Survivors decided to slow the game down a bit while still pushing forward, hoping to not allow any more breakaways due to sloppy plays: if the Valladars were going to score a goal, they would have to earn it. After 12 minutes, the youngster Sroel Cavan found an opening where he slid a pass into the box for Augustine, who attempted a shot on goal. Orozco managed to deflect the ball right into the path of Daniel Oliver Barnsley, who made sure the ball went into the back of the net, tying the game up at 2-all in the 62nd minute.

From that point on, despite multiple chances from both sides, it seemed as if the game would end in a draw. That was, until an incident in the 88th minute changed everything. Juan Pablo Reyes was about to receive the ball from Pedretti and run up the right flank with it. However, for some reason, Pedretti slipped and the ball slowly rolled away from him. Gavin quickly took advantage when he gained possession of the ball and took it down the sideline. With an impressive cut towards the inside between Lopes and Coupet (who had ran over to cover Pedretti's position), Gavin lobbed the ball into the box where Ayaode somehow got enough of his head on the ball to redirect it past Orozco for the game-winning goal in the 90th minute.

After the game, every city on the Zeno peninsula from Binar to Manascus to New Citium celebrated late into the night, and I'm certain the rest of the Empire did as well. The victory kept Zenic in 2nd place in group 15 with only Kirisaki ahead of them on goal differential. The final test of the first half of the World Cup 73 Qualifiers is an away game against Burthnas.

As long as Zenic can remain undefeated in the first half of qualifiers, it will be the most successful half of qualifying the national squad has ever had. How wonderful it would be to see history being made.

-- Xavier Magnusson

Xavier Magnusson is one of the oldest and most respected sports writers at the Leinz Herald. Having 32 years of award-winning journalism and experience covering both domestic and international association football competitions, it is only appropriate that he would be the one to cover the Empire’s first ever international tournament and all subsequent tournaments/events.

by **Acronius** » Tue Oct 20, 2015 5:26 pm

Blue Boys Outplay Os Gnus in Delancey
Acronius remains in second position in Group 8 following 3-2 win over Banguela
James E. Sudlow (@SudlowUP)
^{10/19/2015, 22:19 | Delancey, Acronius}

^{SHARE THIS:}

ACRONIUS 3 - 2 BANGUELA

Acronius - 4-3-3
GK - Anastasio Massali
LB - Aaron Maxwell
LCB - Keith South
RCB - Owen Blackbourne
RB - Lesley Cooke
LM - Steven Everard
CDM - Jo Courtemanche
RM - Jaxon Fitzgerald
LF - Claude Meunier
CF - Juste Leroux
RF - Titus Blackett

Banguela - 5-1-2-2
GK - Joao Pinto
LB - Chingala
LCB - Jacinto Freite
CB - Djalma Yaba
RCB - Helder Barbosa
RB - Ze Mata
LM - Edison Joao
RDM - Figuerinho
RAM - Flavio Kanté
LF - Carlos Neto
RF - Ze Vidigal

Goalscorers
Blackett - '20, '90+2
Leroux - '45+1
Vidigal - '63
Kanté - '70

It would be the Free Union's third win in a row - and it was a hard-fought one. Acronius A was once again representing the Free Union at home, more specifically under the giant state-of-the-art four-sided centre-hung high definition video board in the Metrodome, Delancey. Most would agree that Acronius D should have, quite logically, played the matchday 5 game against a solid Banguelan side, but Acronius A, following up on a surprising 2-2 draw against Electrum, continued their on-par performance with a 3-2 win against Banguela, and I'm sure not too many of us can complain about that. The playstyle and the flow of the game fell in line with Acronius' previous matches - frequently fast-paced and controlled by the midfield. Speaking of the midfield, something was particularly interesting about the match - Banguela's midfield was essentially Acronius A's midfield flipped over and turned 180 degrees around, and play in that area was what really defined the match.

Coming off two straight losses, Banguela, also known as Os Gnus, weren't in the best of shapes against Acronius, especially considering the latter was not only ranked around 150 spots higher than the former in the domain of football. However, Os Gnus' World Cup qualifying campaign opened with a beautiful 1-0 win against Legalese - group giants and football moguls that, despite having an international rank of 20th, are currently in a mediocre 5th position in Group 8. Most would agree that had the match been played on Banguelan soil, the red and black-clad team would have probably been able to inch out the Blue Boys by a goal or two, but the match was being played on the grass at the Delancey Metrodome - this was Acronian territory - an Acronian stadium filled with Acronian fans, in an Acronian city. The match took little time to get off the ground - it seemed as if both teams were both ready to attack at a moment's notice, and wasted no time testing their new opponents or taking any precautions. Despite the fact that Acronius A, unfamiliar with playing against a team whose formation coincidentally featured an irregular three-man triangular midfield that obscured their complete control over the midfield, they still made the first move, and they opened the scoreline in doing so.

Finally, after twenty minutes of sluggish play, Acronius A drew first blood. Os Gnus had somehow managed to push their way to a threatening corner kick - but the kick completely failed, due in part to an outnumbered Banguelan force spearheaded by a Carlos Neto - it was then that the Blue Boys realized that the gaping hole in the Banguelan offense that should have been filled by a strong, tall player was instead half-filled by a disadvantageously short striker. With the threat subdued, the ball was played up to Titus Blackett, who, in contrast to Neto, had the build of a typical army sergeant - strong, buff, and muscular - and what was even more surprising was that this mammoth somehow outclassed the small, nimble Carlos Neto twice before the counteroffensive action eventually resulted in Blackett storming towards the goal and firing one of his signature 'howitzer shots' everyone in the stadium knew Joao Pinto had not the tiniest chance of even touching. The crowd went wild as the giant screen cube looming over the stadium clearly displayed 'Acronius 1-0 Banguela'. Acronius lead in the 20th minute.

The next fifteen minutes passed. One set of fans was clearly overjoyed, and another set wasn't. The amount of errors Banguelan striker Carlos Neto was committing was simply unacceptable, and it was throwing golden Banguelan opportunities into the sea, only for them to wash up on Acronian beaches. One of these opportunities washed up on the Acronian shore a minute into stoppage time. It was a classic goal from them - buildup in the midfield triangle, playing the ball up the field, and, goal. One minute into stoppage time, Jo Courtemanche, Steven Everard, and Jaxon Fitzgerald went face to face with Flavio Kanté, Figuerinho, and Edison Joao in the center of the pitch. Tiki-taka tactics, a rarity in Acronian football, suddenly surfaced, with rapid passing on the part of the Acronius A midfield eventually breaking the Banguelans down. Much like the team's second goal against Electrum back on matchday one, Steven Everard, now past Figuerinho and holding his ground against the joint efforts of Jacinto Freite, Djalma Yaba, and Helder Barbosa, faked a pass to winger Claude Meunier, but instead opted to send the ball to Juste Leroux, over on the other flank of the field. Leroux faked a shot, passing Banguelan wingback Chingala in the process, before firing a shot past the three Banguelan center-backs, who were still recovering from Everard's little trick. Joao Pinto's gloves were simply out of the ball's range as it flew into the net.

The halftime break passed, and Acronius' two-goal advantage over their opponents would be cut in half as the Banguelan midfield triangle quickly devised ways to counter the Acronian triangle. As they were playing in a rather unusual, but relatively efficient 5-1-2-2 formation, the Banguelans were able to call up wingbacks Chingala and Ze Mata from the defensive line while still maintaining a three-man core defense guarding Joao Pinto and the Banguelan goal. The one-hour mark had passed - and the improvised Banguelan midfield's two-man advantage over Acronius' midfield finally won over the ball - and won a goal. Edison Joao was in possession of the ball, dragging Jaxon Fitzgerald along with him in a cat-and-mouse situation. Knowing from the past fifteen minutes that Courtemanche and Everard, who were serving as markers for Flavio Kanté and Figuerinho respectively, weren't going to bulge from their positions, Joao cleverly utilized the abnormally empty left flank to make it to the Blue Boys' defensive line. Knowing that there was no way that a cross of his would reach the red and black specks in the sea of blue and gold, Joao instead faked a move, cheaply tricking an unexperienced Lesley Cooke in tackling him. The Banguelans were awarded a very conveniently-placed free kick which Flavio Kanté would take. The Banguelan midfielder tried to immediately go for goal, but he settled with Ze Vidigal taking the rebound and scoring after the ball bounced off the post.

Most thought that, at this rate, the match would end on that note - but did anybody expect a Banguelan equalizer? The match had now entered its final thirty minutes, with Banguela in possession of the ball. The ball, was, you guessed it, once again in the midfield, with Edison Joao trying to escape yet another dance for the ball with Jaxon Fitzgerald, which had been going on for over ninety seconds now. Joao had fended off Fitzgerald the whole time, but he just couldn't find any way out, which meant he had to give away the ball. And he succeeded in doing so - with a drop of luck as well as some clumsiness on the part of the Acronius defense, the 25 year old midfielder managed to get the ball safely between the feet of Flavio Kanté, who played the classic false-nine role just excellently enough to allow a second Banguelan goal. Dodging what would have been a nasty slide tackle from Jo Courtemanche, Kanté proceeded to outmaneuver Owen Blackbourne, and somehow skim a pass to Ze Vidigal, past goalkeeper Anastasio Massali, leaving the latter to score in the open goal.

And this was where the match became interesting. With both teams unwilling to go home from the match with a single point, the match quickly evolved, or rather, devolved into a furious frenzy of blue, gold, red, and black. Opportunities fell down on the pitch like rain in the game's last twenty minutes - both the teams on the pitch were giving all they had in the match - but that small inch separating them from the glorious tiebreaker that would make their country proud was repeatedly denied, time, after time, after time. The ninety-minute mark past, and the game was now in stoppage time. It did appear quite apparent that the two teams on the pitch would be heading back home with one point apiece, and many supporters in the stands were already shuffling towards the exit - but there was still one last spark left in the game, and it was what won the match for the Blue Boys.

Second minute of additional time. The Blue Boys had the ball in their custody, and they were giving one last shot to claim three and leave Banguela with zero - and that was the one. That was the one that finally worked. Jaxon Fitzgerald, with the ball at his feet, decided to make a run for it from Edison Joao, sprinting along the right flank of the pitch with whatever energy was left in his body after over ninety minutes of game-time. Fitzgerald was able to outrun Joao, casting the Banguelan behind him, before going for gold on the spot, not bothering to develop the blooming action any further. Fitzgerald fired an on-target shot, almost a mimicking of Titus Blackett's 'howitzer', but the crossbar denied the leather. Speaking of Titus Blackett, though, let's take a look at him at that particular moment. He had just noticed Fitzgerald's shot, and it was that long-hated rebound, that feeling of relief a defensive line would get following the beautiful 'clang' of leather against metal, only to be caught off-guard by that second striker that vanished from their radar who would consequently score. And this time, Blackett scoring meant a guaranteed win for Acronius, with not the faintest shadow of a doubt. And, well, it happened. The Acronian fans erupted in cheers.

A major source of controversy, however, came with Blackett's goal. Upon replay of the goal, one could see that the moment Blackett's shot crossed the goal line came a few milliseconds after the referee blew the halftime whistle. At first, essentially, or rather, literally the entire stadium - staff, players, fans, security personnel, and everybody else - knew, or rather, thought, that Blackett's second goal would be the one that would win the Free Union three more points. Well, that was literally the entire stadium minus one person - Joao Pinto, the Banguelan goalkeeper, who, quite confusingly, did not even bulge when Blackett fired his shot at the Banguelan goal. He was the lone person, amongst over 80,000 people in the Delancey Metrodome, who realized that the 'howitzer shot' was technically illegal. After Pinto explained his case to his teammates, the referee was mob-swarmed by the team, screaming like a class of primary schoolchildren bursting into the playground for recess, bombarded with waves upon waves of demands, much less pleas, for the goal to be discounted from the match. Intervention from other match officials eventually defused the situation, and the goal was indeed counted, meaning that Acronius would retain their second spot position in Group 8 with another three points under their belt.

Next up, the Blue Boys will be - and I'm willing to bet my bank account on this, which really means that I'm 1000% sure, if you didn't understand that - utterly annihilated, subject to a humiliating victimization at the hands of Legalese in the unfamiliar Atlantian Oceanian land, in front of the amused eyes of millions of telespectators watching as one by one, Acronius D gets each of its limbs cut off by the Legalites. Acronius D plays in an awkward 3-3-3-1 formation captained by left winger Max Fawden, an original Blue Boy who played an essential role on the team back during the Free Union's Emperor's Cup campaign. Amongst others, national team substitutes William Connolly, John Cavey, and Max Bittecourt will be seen on this very unlucky series of eleven poor Acronian souls.

Man of the Match: Edison Joao

He might have been on the side of the match that ultimately lost the match, but Edison Joao's performance during the match simply cannot go unseen. His constant austerity within the midfield glued the Banguelan midfield's act together, and put on a substantial show up against the likes of Jo Courtemanche, Jaxon Fitzgerald, and Steven Everard. Despite the fact he didn't score any goals throughout the match, many of his exploits on the field were key in unlocking actions that eventually lead to goals for Banguela - Edison Joao will definitely be one to watch next time Banguela and Acronius clash, on matchday twelve.

World Cup 73 - RPing Thread

Who is online