World Cup 73 - RPing Thread

by **Polkopia** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 2:41 pm

A Guide To The 11 States of Polkopia

The Allied States of Polkopia is composed of eleven different states, all of whom govern themselves to a certain extent. Of course, the states only have so much say compared to the ultimate power held by the dictator of Polkopia, in this case, Semyon Polk, who holds all jurisdiction over the states and can overrule any decision made by any state at any given point in time.

Originally, the eleven states had entire jurisdiction regarding decisions which were located within said state's boundaries and the leader of Polkopia acted as a figurehead of the state, however, that was all changed following the Communist takeover of the Allied States. Since then, the states' power was abolished, though the boundaries were kept in order to maintain order within Polkopian soil. After the dissolution of the communist governments surrounding Polkopia, Malcolm Polk, the dictator at the time, restored some of the states' original powers, but have himself the final say on matters regarding the states. Some historians believe that Polk was notoriously lazy and didn't want to have to handle every matter himself, and that he'd leave it all up to the states until he felt the need to step in, but this theory was never proven true.

#1: Seereli vy Ottgart, Yam Stuki, Nutkin, i Kalisto
The Islands of Ottgart, Yam Stuki, Nutkin, and Kalisto

Flag of 'Seereli vy OYNK'

The four Islands of Ottgart, Yam Stuki, Nutkin, and Kalisto together make up the first state of the 11 Allied States of Polkopia. The four islands have the smallest population out of all the states, and the fourth smallest land area. The stakanka, or capital of the OYNK is Kaminkoboy. Kaminkoboy is situated on the island of Yam Stuki and has an estimated 25,000 inhabitants, meaning that over 75% of the entire state's population lives within the city, making Yam Stuki the most populated island in Polkopia.

Demographics of OYNK
General
Population:                           32,390
Percent 65 years or older:               58%
Percent 18 years or younger:             16% 
Percent 5 years or younger:               9%
Percent Female:                          39%
Percent Male:                            61%
_____________________________________________
Race/Ethnicity
Percent White:                           71%
Percent African/Black                    .8%
Percent Asian                             9%
Percent Native Inhabitant:               16%
Percent Other:                          3.2%
Percent Latino/Hispanic:                  4%
_____________________________________________
Ethnic Groups
Polkopian:                               65%
*Thaori:                                 19%
*Haglaan:                                12%
Other:                                    4%
_____________________________________________
Religion
Christian:                                57%
     Orthodox:     89%
     Catholic:      9%
     Other:         2%
Pagan:                                    22%
Jewish:                                   15%
Muslim:                                    4%
Other:                                     2%

by **Schottia** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 3:28 pm

SBCNEWS Online...
Islands Cup special

One of the oldest and most fiercely contested sports tournaments in Schottia is the Island's Cup. Fought out between the eight counties, and three overseas territories that once made up the New Scottish Empire, the competition is now in its centenary year. The Island's Cup still draws in the crowds, and has become synonymous with the Schottic summer, with fans crowding into the nations stadiums, and filling pubs and beer gardens to cheer on their local side. Tempers have a habit of flaring up, as the Schottic players, and now Christopherans, leave their traditional allegiances to one side and fight it out for the coveted bragging rights.

Originally part of a wider, Empire Games, the football tournament is all that survives of the once annual sports tournament, and it has always had an important place in the nation's traditions. Not an international tournament, but not a club competition either, it has always produced some exciting encounters. To begin with there were only nine sides: Grater Handon and Marionville, New Scotland, Belker, Lammerton, Port James and East Eusebia, New Island, Begstadt, Pays Gorla, and Port Christopher. East Vormsi first took part in 1949, and Erisky most recently in 2002, when the island's eight hundred inhabitant were granted permission to enter a team. Each county or dependency takes it in turn to host the tournament, with the exception of Erisky, which is exempt due to its lack of infrastructure. For a lot of Schottic People, this is their summer holiday, and the two-week tournament coincides with the traditional trade-holiday period for this reason. Much of success behind the tournament is the notion of hospitality, and about keeping holidaymakers and their cash within Schottia.

The only sides never to have won the Islands Cup, are New Island, East Vormsi, and Erisky, although New Island have been to the final three times, most recently in 1998. The team who have won the most championships are Lammerton, a stat which they are extremely proud of, even if successes have been a little thin on the ground in recent years. Since 1976 they have only added twice to the haul of 24 titles and have had to watch Greater Handon and Marionville (21) and New Scotland (17) edge ever closer to their record. Of the others, Bergstadt have won it 14 times, Port James 7, Belker and Port Christopher have both won 6 titles, and Pays Gorla 4.

Playing in East Vormsi will present its challenges.

To see the influence of the Islands Cup on Schottic football, you only need to take a look at the domestic league in the country. Both Lammerton and La Gorlions in the Schottic Premier League started life as county sides, which then became clubs and joined the league set up, as did Division Two champions New Island. In fact, between 1938 and 1953, it was exactly the same squad of players who played for Lammerton in the SPL and the Islands Cup. This period of domination in both tournaments is largely the reason for the sides twenty-four titles, ten of them coming in that fifteen year period.

Steeped in such history, the Islands Cup 2019 could not fail to be another crowd puller. The tournament has come a long way since its early beginnings and the host ofinternational players in the sides mean that it will attract audiences from all over the Tyranian Region. This year's hosts are the small subarctic island of East Vormsi, who are hosting the tournament for the third time. With a population of only forty-thousand they have, more often than not, forgone their turn and left hosting duties to one of the mainland counties. East Vormsi have also never qualified from the group stages of the tournament although their results have been improving over the last decade. The island's bars, hotels, and restaurants, will be bracing themselves for the massive influx of tourists, while hoping that their side can spring a shock or two this year.

The Groups are unseeded, which can make for some fascinating draws, and with only two sides from each group progressing to the last four, it is often win or bust from matchday one.

Although most of the players will be familiar names, especially those playing abroad, the teams themselves might need some introduction. So here is our who's who guide to the competitors in the Islands Cup.

In terms of players with international experience, GH&M are the side that boast the most. As you would expect from the team with the largest population base to draw on, they have no shortage of players, and a depth of talent the smaller sides could only dream off. In recent years they have proven too strong for the rest of the opposition, and have lifted the trophy now for two years running. With the likes of Chloe Rudden, Joey Bia, and Larry Watt all coming through the ranks, things are probably only going to get better for them as well. Former Schottia captain Colin Donaldson is a rock in midfield, and with Gary Corsie and John Fotan ahead of him, it's hard to argue with the quality they have.

New Scotland have a very strong squad this year, after having recently come out of a minor dip. They are probably just behind GH&M when it comes to overall quality, but importantly, they have very good starting eleven, most notably, including Kim Coultan. If they can get through the intensive fixture list injury free, then there is no reason why they cannot go on and win the tournament.

It's a pale, pale Lammerton side compared to the great team of old, but they still have enough about them to do some damage. Key for the 'Princes' will be in defence, with centre back pairing Jim Blanters and Scott Burton both strong. They are also joined by up and coming star Bella Thompson, who has been winning rave reviews in Cosumar. It's true that finishing top two in their group is going to take a lot, but they shouldn't be counted out just yet.

We're not really sure what to think of this side's chances, as they are something of a mixed bag. Di Bradini Cup captain Ben Ross is a big player for Eusebia in defence, as is Kings Park's Jake Hall in centre midfield. They will start with three up from most likely, and Calum Frir Lucy Curren and Davy Ellan are all natural goal scorers. No one is really sure why Eusebia have done so little in this tournament over they years, but they never really seem to be able to get a strong enough squad together. Despite a couple of good players in the ranks, we are predicting a rocky campaign for the boys and girls from the west.

Similarly to Lammerton this far from the best Bergstadter side we have ever seen, though the Island Cup can throw in some upsets. The North Islanders have traditionally been one of the best teams in this tournament, and to be sure they still have few good players in the squad. Bruno Schwartz needs no intorduction, nor do his FC Soessch teammates Till Ümann, and Chris Okywä. Jenna Koemann of the Fleftic League is also an important player for them, as is Lammerton FC's Timo Düd. An exciting addition is Handon United's Aya Bernman, and the 17-year-old will be hoping she can make a difference as this side look to book a semi-finals spot.

On paper, Belker look very, very good. It is quite possibly the strongest side we have seen from the county in a very long time and represents their best chance of a title twenty-years. Going by their usual standards, Belker's midfield is jaw dropping with four players all in the current Schottic squad. There is quality up front too, with star of the Di Bradini Cup John McCormack, playing alongside Schottia cap Francis Keelinan. Belker will know that they will face stiff competition, but they are an excellent outside bet to lift the cup.

Despite having the Avelione brother in their ranks for over a decade, Pays Gorla have never made it out of the group. They have a bit of a patch work line up, with some top international stars punctuated with very average players. They simply don't have the population to compete with the others. With an aging team Caitlin L'Attue will give them some hope, as she is one of the nations brightest rising stars. Getting out of the group is going to be tricky, unless Gaston produces some of his magic. Maybe better to wait until they host the tournament next year, to really push for qualification.

New Island would love to shake the tag of being one of the sides to have never won the Islands Cup. In fairness, they are the smallest of the mainland counties, so winning would be a tall order for the Gulls. It is true to say however, that they have one of their best sides at the moment, and no one will doubt how good a young player Boris Hunt is. Teaming up with Marionville's Barry Stewart, and youngster Mark Deleuze, Hunt will know that the midfield will be where it is won or lost for his side. It is going to take a mammoth effort for New Island, they are ahead of Erisky and Vormsi in terms of ability, but the points won't come easy.

Port Christopher will go into this tournament quietly confident. Now competing the World Cup cycles as a team in their own right, they will be hoping this gives them the edge. Player for player, they are up there for sure, and the likes of Deigo Bandos, Elisa River and Tony Uist are as good as anyone in the competition. They will take heart from recent results like the 3-3 draw with Legalese, showing them that it is important never to say die. We think the Sea Lions will do well here, should make the semi.

The hosts will be under no allusion that they are pretty much here to make up numbers, and their history in the competition is littered with rugby scores. This year they do, in fact, have eleven profecional players in their starting line-up, which should help. Kaija Koppel is a quick young striker, who might be able to nab something given a good delivery, but she'll struggle with the scraps she is likely to get. The star of this side is one time wonderkid Nial Fiersen. The player never lived up to his billing at Port Sebastian, or latterly with Cornellians, and now plays in the Parvennan League with Augustinople Saints. Despite all his failing he has a great delivery and his set-pieces may be a factor. This is a big tournament for the hosts, and a win of any sort in front of the home crowd would mean everything to them.

Well at least they have found a system that seems to stop them from haemorrhaging goals for 90 minutes. Some of the hippy commune’s early attempts at playing football ended in some scorlines, which don't warrant repeating. It's now backs to the wall for them in every match, but they are ever hopeful of scoring a goal at some point. Like Vormsi, but to a lesser extent, they are gradually getting better, and maybe some day they will find that narrow defeat they have been looking for.

by **Kernansquillec** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:03 pm

THE INTERVIEW

Adamina Bloxam

Personal information

Full name       Adamina Severine Bloxam
Date of birth   17th July 2037 (28 years old)
Place of birth  Haix
                Big Island, Kernansquillec
Sex             Female
Height          1m84
Position        Defender
Nationality      Kernansquillecan

Club information

Currant team     New Southampton
Number          2

Youth career

2042 - 2049     Haix Youth Academy
2049 - 2056     Kernansquillec City Youth Academy

Senior career

2056 - 2063     Kernansquillec City
2063 - now      New Southampton

National team

2061 - now      Kernansquillec

Adamina, good evening and welcome to the Interview.

Thanks, I'm so glad to finally be here.

You have a big game coming up soon, how are you preparing for it?

We've had quite a bit of time to go over the mistakes we did last time against Barunia. We know we need to get a result here to stand a chance of getting a World Cup spot so the pressure's on us, but also on them. If they slip up against us then The Sarian will be right back in the mix for winning the group. So both us and them have got to give it all this time round, but with the home fans right behind us, hopefully we'll be able to do a lot better than last time.

Had bad did that crushing defeat feel last time?

It was one of the lowpoints of the last year or so. Barunia have a very good side and they proved it on the day. We cracked under the pressure and just didn't turn up when it mattered. After a result like that it was always going to be a tough ask to qualify, but after ten or so games we're still in the mix despite getting totally battered, so we must be doing something right. If we get a result here we could even still win the group.

Winning the group from our position would surely be quite an upset! Is it something the team is aiming for?

Aiming for, no. The get the better of the two world class teams above us is a very difficult task. If we manage to jump past one of them it'll be quite an upset already. But we have to dare to dream, so why not? But we shouldn't be expecting to reach top spot.

Gabby Indignu introduced you to the international scene, but you have really come of age under the guidance of Harry Broudant. What influence has he had on your game?

All of the managers I've played under have added something to my game. I will always be grateful to Gabby for giving me a chance to play with the national team, even when I was struggling with Kernansquillec City in the league. He was able to look past the form of a players' club and see their individual talent so I'm so grateful towards him. But Harry has helped me improve quite a bit, especially in regards to fitness and positioning. I've always had trouble with the physical side of the game, so the advice given to me by him has helped me really reach another level I wouldn't have believed I could have reached a few years ago.

Are you glad to have returned to your native Big Island?

I am. My time on the continent was great and I will always remember my days in the capital with fondness and I will always love Kernansquillec City, both the club and the fans. But playing for New Southampton was a dream of mine ever since I heard of the tales of gigantic football games when I was just a child kicking an old half-deflated ball in the back garden of my parents' house in Haix. So I am course very happy to now be playing back home.

Finally, you are one of the few national team members who is currently single. And you have somewhat of a reputation in the rumoursphere of being somewhat of a man & woman "eater", including one surprising rumour that you once had a fling with another international player. Is there any truth behind this?

Haha, I remember hearing that rumour. But no, I haven't had a fling with a fellow international player. I may have had my share of flings - I like to enjoy myself while I'm young and free - but I don't recall any of them being with team-mates of mine. But never say never, we have quite a few lookers in the team if I may say so myself.

Haha! What a shame, that would have made a nice juicy bit of gossip. Anyway, thank you very much for you time and good luck for the games to come.

Thank you very much, I hope we meet again soon.

Kernansquillec 3 - 1 Garifunya
(Noupen 31', Iris 68', Bloxam 72' / van der Linden 53')
The National Stadium, Kernansquillec

Britonisea 2 - 6 Kernansquillec
(Chick 23', Theo 77' / Varano 1', 9', 29', Iris 55', Stanley 82', Busto 88')
The National Stadium, Sports City

# Group 2                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts   Form
1 Barunia                      10    7   3   0    26   11  +15    24   XDWXWW-WWWW
2 The Sarian                    9    6   2   1    20    9  +11    20   DDW-WWWWLW-
3 Kernansquillec                9    6   1   2    25   17   +8    19   WX-WLWLWW-W
4 Britonisea                   10    3   3   4    23   25   −2    12   DWXL-LWLWXL
5 Garifunya                     9    2   4   3    14   17   −3    10   -XXXWLW-LXL
6 Dreamplanet                  10    2   0   8    23   33  −10     6   LLLWL-LLLLW        Qualification position
7 RealSquad                     9    0   1   8    13   32  −19     1   X-LLLLLL-LL        Playoff position

by **United States of Devonta** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:11 pm

The Struggle Continues
_{Devontans lose to lower ranking team after string of bad defeats}

United States of Devonta 2-3 Witty Penguins

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Cooper, Brooks, Benton, Kindred, Liam, Russell, Abdullah, Edwards, Owens, Johansen, Adams
Witty Penguins (4-2-3-1): Johnson, Garley, Strathmore, Howard, Carson, Walter, Knight, Whitfield, Fort, Cornet, Gunther

Quick Stats:
53% Possessions, 13 Shots, 9 on goal, 6 corners
47% Possessions, 14 Shots, 9 on goal, 7 corners

Goals:
Adams (23' - PK), Johansen (45')
Gunther (38'), Martinez (76', 88')

CAUTIONED: Strathmore (23')
EJECTED: --NONE--

Table:
Group 18                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Saintland                   9    8   1   0    20    4  +16    25
2 Abanhfleft                  9    5   1   3    20   14   +6    16
3 United States of Devonta    9    4   1   4    11   17   −6    13
4 Witty Penguins              8    3   3   2     9    8   +1    12
5 New Gelderland              9    2   4   3     8    8    0    10
6 Maklohi Vai                 8    2   1   5     4    9   −5     7
7 Cuboneland                  8    0   1   7     5   17  −12     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 2-0 Cuboneland
RD: BYE
MD8: United States of Devonta 5-0 Saintland
MD9: United States of Devonta 0-2 New Gelderland
MD10: United States of Devonta 3-2 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:
Saintland 1-0 Maklohi Vai
New Gelderland 2-2 Abanhfleft

----MATCHDAY TEN----

Matchday Ten | Witty Penguins | 258th Ranked | @Capitol Stadium, Devonta City, United States of Devonta | 57,798 attendance | Ref. Victor Isla

A Forecast of Whats To Come?
_{Guayabalense hand Devontan's worst defeat ever in a mid WCQ friendly match}

United States of Devonta 1-5 San Jose Guayabal

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Cooper, Brooks, Benton, Kindred, Liam, Russell, Abdullah, Edwards, Owens, Johansen, Adams
San Jose Guayabal (3-4-3): Terrazas, Moreira, Passarelli, Salume, Valencia, Nunez, Bregoo, Saucedo, Fraser, Zelaya, Fana

Quick Stats:
37% Possessions, 7 Shots, 3 on goal, 3 corners
63% Possessions, 18 Shots, 12 on goal, 7 corners

Goals:
Johansen (45')
Fana (16', 69') Bregoo (33'), Zelaya (72', 79')

CAUTIONED: Abdullah (77')
EJECTED: --NONE--

by **Valladares** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:13 pm

The National Kickoff
The Online Home of Valladar Football!

We're Coming Back!

By: Alan Rosero

COLUMBUS (VP) - Well, well, well...it looks like Valladares are still in control of their destiny with 3 games to go (err, 2 for us). Honestly, I wasn't willing to bet much money on this new process under new coaching wonder Flabio Flórez after dropping points in disappointing fashion to the Lee Islands, Lons (!?) and Zenic in the first half of qualifiers, 7 points which stalled the Valladars in third place of Group 15 with 9 points and trailing Zenic and Kirisaki, who were both supposed to be duking it out for the playoff spot in this group. However, I am also impressed by the incredible recovery the team have shown, with 4 wins in a row over Burthnas, Kirisaki (with 3-0 thumping and Pedrinho hat-trick included at the National Stadium), the Lee Islands, and now Lons. Those 4 wins in 4 games, with the team now playing the way they used to during the good ol' times of Marín and Campbell, have restored hope in this squad, who will now be heading to Thaldor with their destiny in their hands while also making life pretty uncomfortable for leaders Zenic...who could find themselves on the verge of missing direct qualification to the finals should we manage to make it 5 wins out of 5 by including the Thaldorians in the list of victims.

Gignac Sinks Lons

After dumping both Kirisaki and the Lee Islands (especially the latter) in spectacular fashion with Pedrinho scoring a hat-trick in the first game and contributing a goal in the 5-1 thrashing of the minnows in the second game, and Frank Rozenthal doing his part of the deal against the Lee Islands with a brace (Abel Brücke and Iván Coupet being the other scorers in that match), confidence in the Valladar squad experienced a great growth. And it was no wonder, since the past four games showed a great change of attitude on the team with all the musicians in it now playing the same symphony and improving their chemistry and sync as the time passed. With the team now enjoying a good streak, Valladares were now ready to host Lons at the brand-new Estadio Parque Armenia in Columbus, built for the Baptism of Fire played recently in Valladar lands. Although Lons were already out of contention, they had managed to get points off both Zenic and us, that most recent meeting at their home being the worst game ever played by the Valladar squad in the recent era: a boring 0-0 which could've perfectly had a worst outcome for us.

We've already talked on how Pedrinho and Rozenthal had their chances to shine in recent games, but what about Yoan Gignac? Unlike his younger teammates, the former Fontvielle Impact star who is now offering his talent to the Pasargan masses hasn't had too many chances to be the spotlight, however, he has always been willing to tell the world that he's still alive and that he's not just "Pedrinho's teammate" or "Rozenthal's teammate" or even "the dude who's got C.A. Sáez ingrained to the bench". Anyways, Valladares were waiting for Lons to step on the pitch of Estadio Parque Armenia in order to settle an old score with the group's bottom-placed, but Gignac was more than willing to settle it for them.

The game started with Valladares exerting their usual pressure (as any team would do at home, really), with Juan Pablo Reyes once again being instrumental from the right wing, while Lons, who didn't have much to lose now that they were out of contention, were trying to endure the suffocating Valladar onslaught hoping to find a chance to orchestrate a counterattack in order to get the home team out of focus. However, that strategy was easily crushed by Valladares with Gignac taking Lons' goalie by surprise with a strong 25-metre shot in the 15th minute after a great combination with Reyes and Pedro Pedretti. This goal was clearly doing justice to the Valladars, who had been the ones looking for it, whilst also being a "warning call" to Lons: "go ahead or else prepare to be crushed". Well, the thing is that Lons didn't go ahead as the lovers of back-and-forth football would like, and instead retreated even further into their own half of the pitch, which did nothing but help the Valladar interests. Pedrinho tried to increase both his and Valladares' goal tally twice after Gignac's goal, in the 23rd and 25th minutes, but the crossbar denied him twice, whilst Rozenthal attempted to head a cross by Abel Brücke but his effort went wide when the clock marked 30 minutes. Of course, those misfortunes for both heroes happened just because Gignac was the one destined to shine, not them, and this was proven true by Gignac himself, who in the 41st minute took advantage of Lons' poor passing to take the ball in their defensive zone, face the goalkeeper, and send the ball to the back of the net for the 2-0.

The events of the second half weren't too different from what we saw in the first half, Valladares pushing for yet another goal despite having already built a fairly healthy 2-goal advantage, while Lons found themselves crumbling in the midst of the typical dry heat of the Danube Canyon region. Seeing that most of his stars were already worn out by having already made a considerable physical effort, Flabio Flórez decided to give Juan Pablo Reyes and Pedrinho a rest, calling Angelo Farías and Lucas Valdez to refresh the team while also keeping the pressure on Lons. And, though Lons had already given up on attacking, Yoan Gignac considered he wasn't done yet, and managed to capitalize a foul in the area on Farías into a goal from the penalty mark to complete his triplet of goals in the day and delivering the icing of the cake for Valladares in the 79th minute.

What's next for Group 15?

And now that we're entering the final stretch of qualification, we're going to analyze the panorama for Group 15 where Zenic, Valladares, and Kirisaki are the 3 sides who will be battling until the last matchday for direct qualification for Apox and Quebec, or well...a berth to the playoffs (Thaldor are still theoretically alive in that fight, but it seems they won't be so for long). In fact, the team that will be getting an express pass to the finals will be decided when leaders Zenic visit Valladares, you'll see why a few lines below...

ZENIC - 1st, 22 points, +12 GD (10 matches played)
The Survivors have been surprising all and sundry by leading this group by most of qualification, and remaining unbeaten after 10 games (one of those ending in the lone defeat in this cycle for the Tricolor). As the group leaders, Zenic basically depend on their own effort, however, there are two things playing against them in this final stretch: not only have they got a bye for this upcoming matchday but also, their return to competition will take them to the heights of Campo Grande to play an in-form Valladares (hah!) in what will surely be the crunch game for direct qualification in this group. Due to their bye on the next matchday, Zenic's odds of arriving to this crucial match in Valladares in second place are pretty high, and for this reason they will be wishing for Valladares to trip up in their visit to Thaldor in order to remain in the driver's seat for qualification ahead of their visit to the group's top seed. A win in Valladares will send them through unless they somehow lose to Burthnas at home in the last matchday and Kirisaki wipe the floor with all of their rivals. The draw in Campo Grande will still have them in a great position to clinch qualification (considering Valladares' bye on the last MD) although with some pressure in case of a Valladar win in Thaldor, while a loss in Campo Grande will seriously harm their hopes of qualification, the severity of such blow depending on Valladares' previous result against Thaldor, once again.

VALLADARES - 2nd, 21 points, +14 GD (10 games played)
Incredibly enough, and even though we're the unlucky side who will be finishing their participation in the qualifiers before the rest of teams in the group, Valladares still depend on their own effort, and the Tricolor will be punching their ticket to Apox and Quebec just by beating Thaldor (on the road) and Zenic (in Campo Grande). Those 6 points added to Valladares' current 21 points will make it 27 points, unattainable amount for Kirisaki, who can only make 25 points at most, and Zenic, who would be left grounded with 22 points with 1 match to go. If Valladares can't make 6 points, they could still be qualifying directly with 4 more points (knocking Kirisaki out of contention for top spot on H2H), but then, they'd need extra help from Burthnas on the last matchday in the form of a win or a draw against Zenic. Flabio Flórez's squad have a strong reason to believe in direct qualification, by the way: their current winning streak, which extends to 4 matches and, if Thaldor and Zenic are both defeated, will then increase to 6 matches with the extra prize represented by qualification.

KIRISAKI - 3rd, 16 points, +6 GD (9 games played)
Zenic's victory over Thaldor and Valladares beating Lons while Kirisaki were "enjoying" their second and last bye day of the campaign certainly didn't do any favors to the group's second seed, given that these results allowed Survivors and Valladars to open 6-point and 5-point gaps on Kirisaki, respectively, with 3 matchdays still to go. This picture forces them to win their 3 games while also hoping that Zenic don't make more than 2 points and Valladares no more than 3 in order for them to leapfrog both for direct qualification to the finals. Fortunately for them, Valladares will be hosting Zenic in the penultimate matchday and therefore both will be taking points away from each other, which Kirisaki might take advantage of in order to snatch from either of them the playoff spot. And they've got the Lee Islands, Lons, and Thaldor in that order as their final 3 games. That said, Kirisaki will be waiting for the Valladares-Zenit match with great eagerness, but a Valladar win in that game would undoubtedly be the most favorable scenario for them, even though it will likely mean dooming themselves to the playoff contention...unless Thaldor put the handbrake on the Valladars (which we don't want to happen, obviously).

THALDOR - 4th, 13 points, +5 GD (9 matches played)
Thaldor are in a very difficult situation despite having one game in hand: they must win everything from now on AND hope for Zenic to beat Valladares and Kirisaki to make no more than 6 points in their next 3 games. Even so, they would only be aiming at the playoff berth since they've lost to leaders Zenic on H2H. Anything different to a win against Valladares will leave the Baptism of Fire's "copper" medallists out of contention.

BURTHNAS - 5th, 7 points, -12 GD (9 matches played)
THE LEE ISLANDS - 6th, 6 points, -14 GD (10 matches played)
LONS - 7th, 5 points, -11 GD (9 matches played)
The faster the qualifiers are over, the better for these 3 teams.

Okay, so here we go. Even though at halfway we thought direct qualification was lost, it's relieving to know that we still depend on our own effort. What I like the most is that the Tricolor has finally gained momentum and is starting to go over its rivals as it should've happened from the very beginning, so Zenit will have to be especially careful with us for the group's final. Game on!

by **Super-Llamaland** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:30 pm

TIGERS OVERCOME KAI HAT TRICK, DRAW FARVES


SUPER-LLAMALAND (3-4-3)
GK Kudlowski
LB Myers
CB Agudieres
RB Smith-Reynolds
LM Stanton
CM Raburn
CM Sigurorzson
RM de Vries
WL Rasmussen
ST Nilssen
WR Inriquez


FARFADILLIS (3-3-4)
GK Tzain
LB Mata
CB Barr
RB Roenoujya
LM Tor
CM Mendeloindcel
RM Fox
OM Delafuente
OM Teran
ST Kai
ST Fuego

SLL       FRF
4 - goals - 4
15 - shots - 18
9 - shots on goal - 10
45 - possession - 55
1 - yellow cards - 1

NEW LLAMA CITY --- Domineering Farf striker Risko Kai put three past Annabeth Kudlowski's net - but the Tigers managed to salvage a point out of the messy affair in New Llama City, drawing with the Farves four-all.

Tobyn Clearwater, when asked to sum up his tactics for the match, key if the Tigers wanted any chance of winning the group, reportedly explained it in just two sentences: "Who cares if they score eight? We'll score nine!" This proved to be an accurate description of the Tigers' modus operandi, and if not for the valiant attempts of Annabeth Kudlowski, it likely would have been far worse. Not the best ninety minutes we've seen out of these guys, but they inexplicably managed to get the job one-thirds done anyways, even if it did basically eliminate them from the group victory. Crystal Empire remains a point behind and a game ahead, which would be very concerning if they had more than a one percent chance of beating a Farf team that's been perfect against all non-Tiger entities.

Things started with a bang. La Vherderoja won the flip, and Yurpa Mendeloincel, after receiving a pass backwards (a rare sight from this Farf team), calmly evaded a charging Kristopher Nilssen and lobbed a picture-perfect pass into the box, where Jose Torino Fuego managed to beat out James Smith-Reynolds for a free shot on goal. Which Fuego smashed right off a post and out of bounds.

And, it being a Farf-Llamanean matchup, things weren't about to stop. Jake Raburn had the best thirty minutes we've seen him play this cycle, as the out-of-form 27-year-old suddenly returned to his original state as a world-class (SC Kiel-class, even) playmaker. Rifled passes, beautiful through-balls, even an attempted shot that bounced harmlessly out but indicated renewed confidence - truly great play. Unfortunately, Kristopher Nilssen hadn't fully warmed up yet, Josva Rasmussen was being a bit outclassed, and Stanton and Inriquez hadn't done much of note yet. So Raburn was alone for quite the while.

And, since we were playing Farfadillis, eventually we found ourselves on the defense, to the chagrin of Tobyn Clearwater. Risko Kai proved to be having a good day, and the aging Javier Agudieres a not-so-great one. Whatever the reason, Kai drew nominal sweeper Agudieres terribly out of position and looped a pass to a now wide-open Matias Delafuente, who was very unlucky to see Annabeth Kudlowski get a hand on his screamer. But Kai pounced in the box before Sebastian Myers could, and after all of twelve minutes the Farves were out in front.

Remaining on the attack proved to be a strong choice for Stefan Pekarik. Rubean Tor played a devastating pass to, you guessed it, Risko Kai, who calmly kicked the living **** out of the ball. Kudlowski never stood a chance. Javier Agudieres, who was supposed to deal with the pass, had been dragged out of position by Fuego, who had also been wide-open.

After thirty minutes, the team was behind two goals to nil. Once again, things did not look good. The back three were receiving basically no support from the front seven, who were (for the most part) ice cold. A pensive Clearwater warmed up Tyler Zhou, presumably for the rigid Agudieres, a misfit in something that was two steps from Total Football.

But, sure enough, the Tigers warmed up very quickly, going back on the attack. Dre Roenoyjya was exploited by a clever one-two between Lily Stanton and Josva Rasmussen, the latter of which got a cross off that Sebastian Inriquez was able to get to, ducking past Cleto Mata and volleying it home. On another set piece six minutes later, Jake Raburn's lofted free kick sailed off the head of the leaping Michael de Vries, set-piece extraordinaire, and past Rohj Tzain, who frankly should've been able to get to de Vries' shot in time.

Two-all by the end of the half! The Tigers were back in business!

At halftime, out went Javier Agudieres and in came Tyler Zhou, fourteen years Agudieres' junior. The switch did nothing for the offense, but the red-hot attack cut a clean line right through the Farf defense - it was Lily Stanton who caught up to a misplaced cross off Inriquez's left boot, whirled around, and poked it home past a hopelessly out-of-place Rohj Tzain, who wasn't having the greatest day (although the cross itself was Mata's fault).

Up three-two, Tobyn Clearwater nonetheless recognized the opposition's attacking capability, and refused to park the bus, believing that a one-goal lead to this team was never secure. He was right. Matias Delafuente managed to duck past all three fullbacks in quick succession and rifle off a pass to Teran at the far post - he missed, but somehow missed off said post and into the net, Annabeth Kudlowski misreading the pass and diving past it.

Some time passed; the game settled down a bit. Both sides looked a bit tired, so Pekarik brought on Forte Winrouge for Teran and Ibarra for a tiring Maas Fox, leaving his final substitution in reserve in case of emergency. As for Clearwater, the interim manager opted to bring on Cartwright for Nilssen, also saving a substitution for later.

And then it was Sebastian Inriquez again.The right-winger humiliated Cleto Mata, casually cut past Mendeloindcel, and cut away from Barr to give him a split second to make a decision on what to do. He went for goal, being Sebastian Inriquez and all that. The Tigers had their second lead of the day. But good things don't last, and after Inriquez went for a hat-trick but hit the crossbar, and Stanton lofted one to de Vries that sailed just a hair too far, it would be none other then Risko Flippin' Kai to kill the collective dreams of the populace in (you guessed it!) minute eighty-eight.

RIP Tigers Run for First Place. But despite some pretty bad form, we still have a very good shot at the playoffs.

by **Northern Sunrise Islands** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:30 pm

SUNRISIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
New pyramid sparks interest from the Colonies

The usual Sunrisian Championship normally sees the whole sport as something more targeted towards different Sunrises. Rarely so, a colonial team makes the cut. In fact, these teams are so unique that the select colonial sides on the top of the pyramid are normally regarded as some of the best teams in the country. After last season's outcome, seeing Son Vasco CF from the colony of Son Vasco win the trophy and the entire shuffle of the pyramid being based towards the "Nationals" and fanbase numbers, colonial teams now want an even bigger slice of the cake. "One thing noticeable from the Colonial Tournaments such as the Solariliga-1 and the Furry League is that colonial football is reaching its' apex as far as interest from the mainland goes." commented sports analist Martin Scyther. "The only legitimate doubt about it remains on whether the Diagonal Sunrises have enough interest to justify a larger effort towards the colonial teams for a proper expansion towards the likes of Jousevillocklerolies and Mount Xangers."

Television numbers, obviously, give reasoning to any of the colonial teams towards a move envisioning the Sunrisian Championship. On ratings, games from colonies such as Sant Jordi and Son Vasco did at least 18 points per game, with a maximum of 41 points for the clash between Sollupgängen sides B52 and Soluppgängen FF at Prime Time, with games featuring non-league teams raking up somewhat good ratings just as much. "It's a matter of economics." states Miles Prometer, owner of MilesCo and the football team MilesCo Thunder from Basil Pike. "Sunrisian football can either ignore us and see our tournaments stealing viewers from the Sunrisian Championship or take us in, where we'll proceed to beat pretty much everyone out." Basil Pike is also one of the colonies that will not have Sunrisian Championship football as Basil Futures weren't included in this reshuffle as they were thrown out of the league over Hollywood Acres Stars, who also proceeded to buy some of their players, mostly the foreigners. Basil Futures' lineup at the Furry League was, in fact, a line-up made out of rookies and others that prefered to start things over.

Not every colonial side is high over the idea of playing at the Sunrisian Championship, however. The Hakifao Isles, newest Sunrisian dominion has disagreed with any ideas of the Sunrisian Championship leaders and instead prefered to accept an offer from Kirisaki to revive the SUN.League. The idea behind it is that playing on a league of their own would nulify any chance of a cultural tie between the Hakifaos and the Sunrises, plus being able to generate profit for the Kirisaki sides. "Even though most of the teams from Kirisaki have sold their stars to Sunrisian teams, we believe this SUN.League revival will be very succesful." said SUN.League's leader Mackenzie Coutinho. "We don't really worry if Sunrisians want to watch the Hakifao teams playing, but the odds of them being at a Sunrisian Championship couldn't be nearer zero than now."

by **Pasarga** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:01 pm

"It's coming down to the nitty and gritty for the Wanderers, having had their bye and finding themselves three points clear of both Flardania and Greater Watford, with a game in hand over Great Watford. We can not forget about Yttribia though, who sit just four points back and are still in the race for both the group and the playoff spot, amazing when you consider that this is far from being their first choice team. Just goes to show that quality comes from all walks of life, you know?!"

"Yes and unfortunately for the Wanders, despite just the single loss, they still will not able to clinch their spot in Apox-Quebec following this match even with a win and a Flardania loss. It seems like the group is going to ultimately be decided on matchday thirteen when Flardania visits Torgos and the Wanderers. It is being top billed by all of the local marketing firms as the match of the year for the Wanderers, since it currently looks to be the sole match that will be the difference between the two nations."

"Yes but before the match of the years comes the match of the weekend, as the Wanderers will be visiting Greater Watford this weekend and will look to eliminate of the competitors to the group title before the big match against Flardania. A victory against Watford will not only make it so that Watford could not win the group but also secure at least a spot in the playoffs for the Wanderers, thus making this match just as vital as the penultimate match of the group with Flardania. In fact, you could make the case that this is the bigger of the two matches as a victory ensures that the Wanderers will not be able to not at least have the chance in the Playoffs, which will be a huge sigh of relief to all of the doom and gloom that people felt to begin the campaign."

"It's been an awfully odd campaign as you look at the group's table, as the Wanderers goal difference is twice that of their three closest competitors in the group and yet only four points separate first from fourth in the table. When the Wanderers have won, they have won going away, while their competitors have had narrow margins for their victories and have been blown out when losing. It all sets up rather well for the Wanderers, with head to head goal difference as the third tiebreaker, something they would enjoy against Watford but might have a worry for with Flardania. It is amazing how much is still up in the air this late into the campaign."

"Aye but that is what makes football and these qualifiers such an interesting event, you think you know how something is going to proceed, but one small upset and everything can be changed. So many fates rest upon the precipace, on the edge of the blade, and the smallest mistake can see fate turn ill. It is truly amazing how narrow the margin for error has become, that the World Cup Champions could be looking at potential elimination when other teams have already clenched their birth into the Finals that were not even part of the tournament in the last edition."

by **Armeia** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:21 pm

(This turned out more dramatic than I expected. Can we fit all five parts in before qualifying is over? We'll see.)
The Isa Tangemen Chronicles Part Three: Bargaining

Isa leaned her head against the goalpost after the match ended, letting a tear roll down her cheek as the dream ended, officially. Armeia had been eliminated, and she couldn't help but blame herself for some of the team's problems. It wasn't even just her on pitch play, because she was very good for the amount of shots she had to face, by better teams. No, it was her leadership that really hurt the team. Not everyone liked playing for her, with how she screamed and shouted on the pitch, cursed out her own teammates for making mistakes. Even after mending her feud with Gregor Borg and Marc-Andre Zupan, she still wasn't completely trusted by the rest of the squad, especially the defenders.

"Stop sulking," said a voice behind her, Bianka Schraeder. "At least everyone in the last city you played in fucking loves you, even though you basically showed the whole city your middle finger by leaving them with Rojo."

Isa shoved Bianka, starting to walk away. "You don't know what you're talking about. You always get to be second. Second to Draga, second to Reina, second to Katarina, you have no idea what it's like to have every fucking fan watching you, waiting for you to slip up so they can have someone to pin our problems on."

"Yeah? Maybe that's true. But you don't know what it's like to have the city turn on you, because you're trying to get ahead. And really, you don't realize that your critics are right sometimes. You do have a hair trigger temper these days," sighed Bianka.

"Bia, you don't see how much PR you gained from this. Every team, manager, player, and ultras firm from the West is going to want to beat AFC Center City because of what Sayo said about you. You went from playing overseas to being a superstar and signing a new contract with what's going to be-" Isa started before stopping. "This is pointless. You don't know what the fuck you're talking about, or how good you've got it."

Bianka ran after her as she was heading to the locker room. "Isa, wait, I'm sorry," she said, turning around and hugging the taller girl. Isa didn't bother resisting, she could tell that Bianka really regretted what she said.

"It's fine," sighed Isa. "Just... Try to realize that your situation isn't near as bad as you think it is. You at least have the whole country backing you up."

The night after the match, Sudens City was rocking, not because of another match but because of a concert. The popular Armeian rap-rock/alt-rock band Strathaven 09 was playing a sold out show at Sudens City Music Hall, and Isa Tangemen was a surprise guest as the last song was about to start. She was wearing the red and white striped jersey of Southeastern, which made the crowd even more excited to see her. "Hey guys, it's great to be back in Sudens City after traveling so much for qualifiers..." she started, making everyone cheer. "And, uh, I'm here to announce something... Something I'm sure you'll all really like."

The crowd cheered again and Isa continued. "I'm probably coming home this season, to Southeastern. I'm sorry for screwing you all by leaving, but I'm going to make it up to you on the pitch. I'm just working on getting the transfer and contract stuff sorted out."

Nobody was expecting that, but Isa's speech quickly blew up on social media. Yes, she would be coming home as soon as her agent managed to get a transfer arranged. Everyone knew Southeastern would be willing to trade Rojo in for her, it was just a question of was the club good enough at bargaining to bring back their prodigal child.

Isa had left to grow up but really to grow up, what she needed was home. And right now, it looked like that was where she was heading.

by **Kandorith** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:38 pm

First Place In Sight

Augusticinia 0–4 Kandorith

Group 13                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Kandorith               9    7   2   0    17    4  +13    23
2 Equestrian States      10    6   2   2    20   12   +8    20
3 Stvoto Latoli          10    6   1   3    10    5   +5    19
4 Boring Paradise         9    4   1   4    19   15   +4    13
5 Augusticinia           10    3   2   5    13   12   +1    11
6 Copper Cuprum           9    1   2   6    10   24  −14     5
7 Saaksvala               9    0   2   7     5   22  −17     2

As the qualification round moves on, Kandorith keeps improving and showing their worth. With every game either won or drawn, the Red Dragons stand unbeaten and proud on the field. With the fans even more jubilant than ever, they have found the absolute strength to keep winning every match. Without a doubt this is the most successful qualification or even World Cup campaign of the national team ever. Kandorith has something to look forward to, a flawless qualification to the World Cup finals. Kandorith has a few matches left, but their recent performance have left an undoubted impression of the Red Dragons.

With Méng back on the field the goals are falling again, where the previous set up was somewhat lacking in the goal department, they still held a very solid defense. Although with Méng in the starting eleven for the remainder of the qualification matches, it remains the question if he will return for the World Cup finals. Previous World Cups a lot of hope and pressure was put solely on Méng for being the top scorer of both the domestic as international leagues. But as the match against Augusticinia has shown, Méng is still very much in shape and very able to score goals for the national team.

In the upcoming match, Kandorith will see some rotation again. As Huangzhou is confident of the Kandorese win against Boring Paradise. Qeilang Zhu will make his debute in the national team and in the starting eleven. Qeilang is a promising young player of Xóu Zhíyeng, a lesser known team of the Kandorese First Division. With Qeilang in the starting eleven it seems like Méng and Taiji will be the most experienced players on the field. They will be the ones managing the team and taking on the captaining roles on the field itself. Huangzhou has put an amazing amount of trust in Taiji, who is believed to be too old for this team, as Huangzhou sees him as an un-replaceable part of the Kandorese national unity, at least for now. With Méng in the goal scoring position and Qeiling to back him up, a very interesting is surely to await the Kandorese fans. Kandorith is going for a total win without any losses, and for the first time in their history they might actually make it as group winners.

(Home)Kandorith vs Saaksvala(Away)

Substitutes
GK - N^o 24: SEIJI Sakabara
GK - N^o 25: KEIXÍAN Han
LB - N^o 6: SUYING Shin
CD - N^o 8: HUÁN Jun
CD - N^o 14: MING-HUA Te
RB - N^o 16: SHANYUAN Lee
CDM - N^o 11: MURAKAMI Mitsuhare
LM - N^o 13: OKHA Eiichi
RM - N^o 20: XIN Zihao
CAM - N^o 21: QÍNG Weimin
ST - N^o 22: MADATO Xien-kan
ST - N^o 23: MINGZHENG Shéng

Starting eleven
GK - N^o 1: JIANJIN Tuan
LB - N^o 3: XIAN Shilin
CD - N^o 5: XIEXIE Tian
CD - N^o 7: LUNG Mara
RB - N^o 9: MAO Zhénsheng
CDM - N^o 4: TAIJI Moto
LM - N^o 12: KEILÁNG Xie
RM - N^o 15: SHAN Xiaobo
CAM -N^o 10: XÍMÍN Chosi
ST - N^o 19: MÉNG Zeijí
ST - N^o 17:QEILAN Zhu

by **The Saint James Islands** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:53 pm

radio

Election 2021 Leaders’ Debate on UCN1 - Programme Transcript

Jean-François Bouchard: Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the leaders’ debate for the 2021 federal election, live from the Commonwealth National History Museum in Georgetown. Before you tonight are seven people seeking to be your next Prime Minister: Kirakina Matarea of the Confederation of Peoples, Aleksänder Mätjassen of the National Party of Omerica, John Timms of the Liberal Party of Omerica, John Cassidy of the Democratic Labour Party, Christine Lumley of Victory Omerica—Union of the Radical Left, Mira O’Malley of Movement 1988, Staci Laurent of the Omerican Socialist Party. We here at the United Counties Network would like to thank all of them for taking time out of their busy schedules to be here tonight in the capital.

(applause)

Bouchard: My name is Jean-François Bouchard and I will be the moderator for the leaders’ debate tonight and I would like to start by asking that the audience here in Georgetown to please hold all further applause until the end of the debate. Tonight, each of the leaders will have the opportunity to make the case for why they should be the next Prime Minister of Omerica and answer questions on important areas of policy that affect you. The podiums at which each leader is standing, as well as the order in which the leaders will speak, were determined by a blind draw last night. We will start with opening statements, for which the Leader of the Official Opposition Aleksänder Mätjassen was drawn to speak first. Mr Mätjassen, your opening statement please.

Aleksänder Mätjassen: Thank you. Omerica, we are not in a good place right now. We are in recession and our debt is ballooning. Our loggers and miners and fishers are finding their belts squeezed by the environmentalist tirade of this government and our banks are finding themselves unable to compete abroad. It is time for us to realise that the government has failed and move to a plan that has been proven to work, our National plan for Omerica’s future, reducing our debt and the state’s role in your life. It is time for change and it is time for politicians in Georgetown to stop choking our potential.

Bouchard: The leader of Victory Omerica—Union of the Radical Left, Ms Christine Lumley.

Christine Lumley: We are supposed to be a Commonwealth, a political community founded for the common good. Somewhere we lost touch with that, that we are supposed to care for and look after each other. We have allowed greed to consume our country and corrupt our halls of power and it has brought very real suffering to our country. Some want to merely put a bandage over the leaking pipe and pretend the problem is fixed, but we can no longer ignore that the pipes need to be replaced. If you want real change in Georgetown, Victory is the party to vote for.

Bouchard: The leader of Movement 1988, Ms Mira O’Malley.

Mira O’Malley: I would like to thank all the leaders who have spoken before me for their statements and wish all the leaders here the best in their personal endeavours. It is an honour to be here tonight to present the Movement vision for what our Commonwealth can be and our vision for a society that will allow our children and their children to live a hospitable and fair world. Our vision is to rise above partisan politics, to strengthen communities, to protect our forests and rivers, to keep our coasts habitable and to empower ordinary Omericans to make an impact on our political process. We are here to be your voice and we hope that you will support us on 31 October.

Bouchard: The leader of the Confederation of Peoples, Ms Kirikina Matarea.

Kirakina Matarea: Like Ms O’Malley, may I say that it is an honour to be here tonight taking part in one of the great exercises of our democratic process. Omerica, you have an important choice to make on the 31st. We face a number of important challenges in our modern society and without diligence and strength, it is all but impossible for us to make it through. We must be able to empower our communities to make their own decisions and empower Omericans to aspire and achieve great things. We cannot allow ourselves to wallow in mediocrity. We are better than that and we can do better than that and the Confederation is dedicated to strengthening our communities and our nation. God bless.

Bouchard: The leader of the Democratic Labour Party, Mr John Cassidy.

John Cassidy: I agree with Lumley in that we have gone off track and lost touch with what kind of society we are supposed to be. But it is socialists like her and this Prime Minister who have sent this country off track. We lost touch with what the architects of our federation envisioned for us. They roll over in their graves as parties like the Socialists, Confederation, Movement 1988 and Victory feed us to the vultures and the Liberals and Nationals roll over and let it happen. It is time for us to abandon the failures of pacifism, liberalism and socialism and return to the country our founders envisioned.

Bouchard: Madam Prime Minister, Ms Staci Laurent.

Staci Laurent: Eight-and-a-half years ago, you chose something different. You chose to put an end to the politicking and petty nonsense that ruled Georgetown at the time. You chose to venture into the unknown and take great risks. The reward was a healthy recovery from the economic disaster the Nationals created, with ordinary Omericans benefiting the most. Cleaner air and water, stronger infrastructure and a safer Omerica are the record of this government. You know that what the Socialists have done for Omerica has worked, reelecting us twice. And we are here to fight for you tooth and nail and to work to built a stronger and better Omerica for generations to come.

Bouchard: The leader of the Liberal Party, Mr John Timms.

John Timms: I cannot dispute that the government has had its heart in the right place, but the cracks have begun to show, both within the party and the Omerican they have been crafting over the last hundred months. We Liberals are here to present a optimistic plan that seeks to put Omerica back on the right track. We want you to believe in Omerica again and show that politics can work and work for you. It is time to move past the politics of division and alienation and bring Omericans together to battle the challenges we currently face as a nation. We are the voice of unity and sensibility in these uncertain times, a set of steady hands to guide the ship that is our Commonwealth.

Bouchard: Thank you to all the leaders for your opening statements. Tonight’s debate will be held on five topics that Omericans are talking and vigorously debating about in this election campaign: defence, international relations, the economy, the environment and democratic reform. None of the leaders have any knowledge of the questions that will be asked tonight. I will ask a single question on each topic and give each leader a chance to answer the question. Once all seven leaders have answered the question, I will return and give each leader the opportunity to respond to the statements made by the others, though leaders are not obliged to do so.

We will start with the topic of defence. General Assembly Resolution 10 gives World Assembly member states the right to develop and possess nuclear weapons if they so choose. With full knowledge that the Gregoryisgodistani regime, a notoriously temperamental and unpredictable regime, possess such weapons and, as demonstrated by its attack on Hicana, has displayed a propensity to use said weapons, would your government move to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent to any attack on the Commonwealth. Ms Lumley, your answer please.

Lumley: Absolutely not. By developing nuclear weapons, we become no better than Greg. We could use the money we waste developing nuclear weapons to do far more important things such as making sure that children do not go to sleep at night with empty stomachs and people can seek out adequate medical treatment. Nuclear weapons are nothing but a money sink and we should not be investing in them.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy.

Cassidy: It’s nice to know that Lumley wants Greg to be able to waltz in whenever he wants and destroy us at his whim. Pacifism is nothing but rolling over and allowing evil dictators like Greg to walk all over us like a doormat. We can’t let bleeding hearts take away our sovereign right to defend our nation.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: I agree with Mr Cassidy in that we ought to put in the money to invest in an adequate defence system, but neutrality is a prized Omerican institution as old as the Commonwealth itself. I want Omerica to be able to defend itself as much as the next person, but to abandon neutrality is to walk into a death trap. I can’t support that.

Bouchard: Mr Timms.

Timms: It is unthinkable that we are even having this conversation. Why we would want to sink taxpayer money into this is my first question. As Ms Lumley said, we have much bigger priorities and I agree with her that we should be focusing on those first instead of giving the Commonwealth Defence Forces shiny toys they don’t need.

Bouchard: Ms Matarea.

Matarea: I can’t say I disagree with my Liberal counterpart. Why Mr Cassidy and Mr Mätjassen want to emulate Greggy is a question for another time, but we simply do not need such weapons. It is a silly discussion when there are so many other things that a devout Christian like Mr Cassidy claims to be could be doing to serve God’s will. Playing God with nuclear weapons isn’t one of them.

Bouchard: Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: First I’d like to hope that we can tone down the debate and not attack each other personally here, but I definitely agree that we should not be going down the path of becoming a nuclear weapons state. GAR#10 is not worth the paper it is written on and we should not be validating dictators in their decision to divert precious resources from their people in a quest to become ever more powerful. We ought to serve our people, not bomb others out of existence.

Bouchard: Ms Laurent.

Laurent: I really cannot say anything that Mr Timms, Ms Matarea or Ms O’Malley haven’t already said. We should not even be discussing whether we should develop nuclear weapons because it is obvious that we shouldn’t. We will continue to refuse research into nuclear weapons and commit Omerica to pushing for nuclear nonproliferation as we have over the last eight years.

Bouchard: Each leader will now have the chance to respond. Ms Lumley.

Lumley: It is strange that the Prime Minister would refuse to allow development of nuclear weapons when she is building them at home in the form of nuclear power plants. We should be ending this flirt with nuclear anything. Full stop.

Cassidy: I actually agree with the Prime Minister in developing nuclear power, but peaceniks like the women on this stage, and I am counting Timms among them, only put our country at risk. We are not going far enough. It’s time for us to realise that our founders did not want neutrality at all.

Mätjassen: Mr Cassidy, they say you can attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Our founders were pretty clear about us being a neutral nation and we ought to continue that. I agree that we should be able to defend ourselves

Timms: I have never opposed our defence forces being able to defend this country. If we are attacked, we should fight back, but our neutrality has served us well for more than a century and a half. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Matarea: I know Mr Timms and I disagree on a lot of things, but this is something where we are in complete agreement. This question is bad and whoever wrote it should feel bad.

O’Malley: I have nothing to add.

Laurent: I have nothing to add on the issue of nuclear weapons, but I will stand by this government’s commitment to developing nuclear power, which has been a key part of our efforts to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We have been nothing short of cautious and conservative in approving projects, but to eliminate nuclear power would do our country a huge disservice.

Bouchard: Very well then. We move on to international relations. The World Assembly has come under heavy criticism for a recent resolution regarding patent recognition, which Statistics Omerica has indicated would drive up the cost of pharmaceuticals significantly. With public opinion of the WA spinning negatively fast, would your government withdraw from the organisation? Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: No. The WA may be a failure in every respect of the term, but that does not mean we should throw our hands up and quit. This terrible patent resolution must be repealed and likely will be, thank God. But we need to be in the WA to defend important legislation on things like environmental protection and workers’ rights, something that is impossible if we have no voice or vote.

Bouchard: Ms Matarea.

Matarea: We should withdraw, not because of the patent resolution, but to give power back to our communities. The WA frankly shouldn’t even exist and I question why we chose to join in the first place.

Bouchard: Mr Timms.

Timms: The WA has given us stronger trade links and strengthened human rights at home and across the multiverse. There is absolutely no doubt that we ought to stay. There are bad resolutions that need to be repealed, such as Foreign Patent Recognition, but the bad work that the WA has done by no means outweighs the good.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: Our relationship with the World Assembly is constantly evolving. At the moment, I see no reason to leave, but necessity could easily come at some point in the future. I would not have Omerica leave immediately, but I would not rule out a withdrawal during the term of the next Parliament.

Bouchard: Ms Laurent.

Laurent: What we seem to be forgetting in the midst of this debate is that the much vilified patent resolution is ultimately toothless. Section 6 sets out means by which recognition can be denied, while Section 7 declares patent disputes international trading disputes, taking power out of the hands of the patent holders and allowing us to carry on not recognising the patent at all as we are not forced to submit to arbitration. Hence why absolutely nothing has changed since the resolution’s passage. We are howling mad for absolutely no good reason.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy.

Cassidy: We should be getting out of the World Assembly immediately. It is shameful that the political elites of this country would surrender our sovereignty and allow this country to be whored out to the highest bidder. There is no justification for being part of the cesspool that is the WA that is worth selling out Omerica to the wolves.

Bouchard: Ms Lumley.

Lumley: We have seen too much legislation that negatively impacts workers to justify remaining part of the WA. The organisation had a good run, but it has become nothing short of a shill to capitalism that we should have no part in.

Bouchard: And now for responses. Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: It is sad that Ms Lumley’s party is rolling over and surrendering. That is not the attitude we should be having. We can fix things and it would be criminal not to try.

Matarea: I agree with Ms Lumley that there is little hope for the WA. We have weakened our communities for little in return. It is time to give up on the fantasy of world government and give government back to the people, where it truly belongs.

Timms: I agree with Ms O’Malley that we can work to improve the WA. Statistics Omerica will happily point out the trade benefits of our membership and Ms Lumley’s party should look at Supreme Court records and note how much human rights resolutions have improved the situation here.

Mätjassen: I have nothing to add here.

Laurent: Nor do I.

Cassidy: Timms is pointing out that our Supreme Court has sold itself out to the den of sin that is the WA. For that reason alone, we should be getting the hell out of the World Assembly.

Lumley: The capitalist cabal that rules the WA with an iron fist is not going to be stopped. The WA has rotted from within and we need a new alternative and it is sad that Ms O’Malley is overly optimistic about the WA, because it has no capacity for change.

Bouchard: Thank you to all of the leaders. Now we move on to the economy. In the wake of debt crises, numerous governments have implemented austerity measures of increased taxes and reduced government spending to reduce the burden of sovereign debt. With the knowledge that Omerica currently has a debt burden approaching 100% of gross domestic product, would a Commonwealth government with you as its head implement austerity measures to reduce Omerican sovereign debt? Mr Cassidy, your answer please.

Cassidy: This burgeoning debt is a sign of our weakness as a country. The socialists have sold our country off to the highest bidder and don’t care about the consequences. We need to tighten our belts and fight back against this sell-out, because if we don’t, the Guaya Beans will own two-thirds of our country soon enough. We will push for fiscal responsibility legislation and a balanced budget amendment to our constitution so that socialists can never again sell our country out for their failed projects.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: Fiscal responsibility should be a top priority for our country. We have not been responsible enough with our money and we owe it to taxpayers to restore Omerica’s financial credibility and make sure Omerica is a credible country to lend to if we must borrow. We ought to correct the imbalances we have introduced to our economy so that it can grow properly and as it should.

Bouchard: Ms Lumley.

Lumley: Absolutely not. We have seen abroad that austerity is a failure of an economic policy and for the good of Omerican workers, we should not bring it here. Fundamentally, the system of debt and credit is a hollow and corrupt shell and we would do better to do away with it completely.

Bouchard: Ms Laurent.

Laurent: Sovereign debt is far different than household debt and to conflate the two is intellectually dishonest. As for austerity, we saw it fail under the last National government. As soon as the Socialists came to power and undid the austerity policies of the Nationals, we saw unemployment drop and the economy recover. If we go into recession again, we know what to do and it is certainly not to raise taxes and cut public spending.

Bouchard: Mr Timms.

Timms: Might I begin by pointing out that we are a significant creditor, which offsets large parts of our debt burden. The Prime Minister is right to point out that we should not be applying the rules of household debt to sovereign debt and that we should not be implementing austerity policies during times of economic crisis. We will not attempt to tighten belts to prosperity because history shows that does not work.

Bouchard: Ms Matarea.

Matarea: Austerity hits our communities hard and that is unacceptable. We cannot hurt the foundations of our economic growth. We need to empower our communities to undertake economic initiatives and remember that bureaucrats in Georgetown cannot solve all of our problems.

Bouchard: Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: We ought to invest in our country. I have to give credit where credit is due, as the government has the right idea investing in renewable energy and infrastructure, but we believe the government can go further in investing in a more sustainable Omerica. We should be encouraging research and giving tax breaks to innovative companies who are working towards sustainable development and treating workers fairly.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy, if you would like to respond.

Cassidy: It is baffling that the bleeding hearts think that they can throw our country into debt and think that prosperity will magically come. It is absolutely laughable.

Mätjassen: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, Mr Cassidy. Fiscal responsibility is important and we should definitely be cautious and careful about how we spend money.

Lumley: All I will say is that austerity is an anti-labour policy that must be stopped. That is all.

Laurent: We have seen the failure of austerity to bring economic prosperity to the people. We have seen what sensible economic policies do and that is what we are pushing for.

Timms: We should be applying a good deal of common sense to our economic policies and realise that raising taxes and cutting spending is going to start a vicious cycle that will not help our economy one iota.

Matarea: When we take into account that austerity will cut into the budgets of local governments and communities, it should become clear that it is not a policy we should go through with.

O’Malley: I will simply conclude by saying this: it is a strange situation that our right-wing parties would take money out of our economy by taxing more than we spend. It is baffling to say the least.

Bouchard: Now we move on to the environment. Carbon emissions have been steadily marking up over the past few decades with no end in sight. As carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse gas, accumulates in the atmosphere and global climate change threatens to sink much of the Omerican coast, what measures would your government take to encourage companies to reduce carbon emissions? Mr Timms, your answer please.

Timms: I believe the government has its heart in the right place with the carbon tax, but I would repeal the tax. We should certainly encourage companies to reduce emissions and we should be giving tax credits and breaks to companies who are reducing emissions and operating on an environmentally-sound basis rather than taxing companies for polluting.

Bouchard: Ms Laurent.

Laurent: I fully defend the carbon pricing scheme that our government has put in place. We created the policies with cooperation from top Omerican climate scientists and it has worked to reduce our emissions over the past six years. We will continue with what works and we will continue to cooperate with scientists to work on the best strategies to reduce our environmental burden.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy.

Cassidy: Three words: coal is good. Global warming is a fraud It is time to give up on the hippie projects and go back to the way God intended it to be.

Bouchard: Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: That is quite frankly the most inane string of bovine manure I have ever heard anyone spout in my life. If we do nothing, we are dooming ourselves as a species. I certainly believe in the carbon price and I would not be opposed to Mr Timms’s plans for sustainability tax breaks. We should definitely use both the carrot and the stick to achieve our aims of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: We are overblowing the problem rather significantly. The carbon tax introduced by the Socialist government has been a useless detriment to our economy and it ought to be repealed.

Bouchard: Ms Lumley.

Lumley: Climate change very much threatens our existence as a species and it cannot truly be remedied until we do away with the system of profit and debt that drives it. Private companies with short-sighted goals have brought us into this mess and as long as we remain under our current economic system.

Bouchard: Ms Matarea.

Matarea: We ought to remember that we were given this world to be stewards of it. We should remember our responsibility to use this world responsibly and think generations ahead in all of our decisions. Parliament can certainly help encourage responsible decision making and we will listen to the advice of reputable scientists in forming general policies and allow local governments to tailor the policies to their needs.

Bouchard: And now for responses. Mr Timms.

Timms: To ignore such a large scientific consensus is to condemn our species to death. We should be encouraging companies to reduce pollution for the good of our environment and the health of our people.

Laurent: I fully agree with Mr Timms. We disagree on methods, but I am certainly willing to work with his party and all others and to talk with the scientific community to come up with sensible policies that work.

Cassidy: If the ladies would do their own research instead of believing what the bought-out scientists want them to hear, we would not be having this debate. They need to get it into their thick heads that this “climate change” nonsense is not real.

O’Malley: Mr Cassidy needs to get it into his thick head that climate change is happening. We should certainly be engaging in dialogue with the scientific community instead of alienating them.

Mätjassen: We should not be falling for alarm bells and we should not let the alarm bells come in the way of our economic growth.

Lumley: Quite simply, we are not going to get anywhere with this climate change problem as long as we still have this capitalist system. Until we get rid of it, we are doomed.

Matarea: I agree that we should enact policies to discourage pollution, but such policies should not be one-size-fits-all, because we see that that doesn’t work. We need to have our communities engaged in this dialogue as well as the Commonwealth government and top scientists so that we can formulate policies that work.

Bouchard: And on to our final subject, democratic reform. Malapportionment, whereby voters in Asterleis and Vestleis have approximately twice the representation per capita compared to most other cantons in the House of Representatives, has come under increasing scrutiny. Is this a problem and if so, what would you do to resolve it? Ms Laurent, your answer please.

Laurent: The disparities in representation are most certainly a problem, as they undermine the foundation of what our lower house of Parliament is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a people’s house and making some people’s votes more equal than others undermines the purpose of the House of Representatives. The ideal solution is to reduce the floor on the number of representatives so that the Leis cantons are not overinflated.

Bouchard: Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: I agree that malapportionment is a problem and for the reasons that the Prime Minister stated. However, the solution ought to be to get rid of our silly electorates system altogether and move to a proportional system that fairly reflects the wishes of the Omerican public. A single national constituency would completely eliminate malapportionment from the system.

Bouchard: Ms Matarea.

Matarea: I have to say that eliminating local representation spits in the face of our system of government. The purpose of choosing MPs out of electorates is to have a system where local communities are guaranteed representation in Parliament. As for the issue of overrepresented cantons, I would certainly support measures to redress that, be they lowering the minimum number of MPs per canton or raising or eliminating the cap on the size of the House.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy.

Cassidy: This is not a bug. It is a feature. People in small cantons need representation too. Vestleis and Asterleis would have never joined the Commonwealth if not for the minimum representation guarantees and I would certainly not get rid of them.

Bouchard: Ms Lumley.

Lumley: It is laughable that Vestleis, which doesn’t even have enough people to merit two MPs, gets the same representation as Nice, which is nearly three times the size of Vestleis. Ideally we would get rid of the cap on the size of the House and move to a fully proportional system of representation so that people have the chance to express their democratic will.

Bouchard: Mr Timms.

Timms: I agree that malapportionment is a problem and something to be corrected. We would not want to remove the minimum representation, but we would opt to grow the House enough to even out disparities in representation. The House of Representatives should be like its title implies, a house that represents the people. Currently, it fails at doing that.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: We should definitely be cautious about messing with our constitutional design. I am fully opposed to getting rid of the clauses that give cantons a guaranteed four MPs.

Bouchard: And responses. Ms Laurent.

Laurent: It is pretty obvious that the architects of Federation knew they were fallible. After all, they gave us a mechanism to fix any silly mistakes they made in the form of a process to amend the constitution. This is a mistake they made and we ought to fix it.

O’Malley: We have to recognise that a document written back in the 1860s is not going to be entirely reflective of a 21st century society. We should certainly update our constitution to meet with modern conceptions of what democracy entails.

Matarea: I will state for the record that the Confederation does not oppose reforms to our democratic process, but we are incredibly cautious about exactly what form they take. Nonetheless, we can improve our democratic process and we should not be afraid to do so.

Cassidy: This so-called “reform” debate is nothing more than a blatant power grab by our political elites to eliminate the common man from representation in our Parliament. Any person with two brain cells to rub together should oppose this.

Lumley: The common person has no opportunity to make their voice heard in Parliament the way things are. The current system is favoured by the big parties so thoroughly because they are the ones who benefit to the detriment of everyone else.

Timms: Our founding documents encapsulate many principles that we still believe in today. We have a constitution that has lasted us a century and a half and we ought to be proud that we have had such a stable history of governance, but there is always room for improvement and there is always room to make our government more accountable to you the people.

Mätjassen: The way to keep our government accountable is to keep the current system. To change over to a system such as proportional representation takes power out of the hands of the people and puts it into the hands of party heads. That is not something the architects of Federation wanted and we should be wary of attempts to bring such a system in.

Bouchard: Now that we have finished with our questioning, I will give each of the leaders one last opportunity to address you, the voting public. Ms Matarea, your closing statement, please.

Matarea: I would first like to thank the UCN for putting on this debate, such a vital part of the election, and I would like to thank every person who has been watching tonight. I urge everyone to take part in the democratic process we so often take for granted and go out and vote on the 31st. And if you believe in empowering local communities to take charge over the issues that affect them the most, the Confederation is an easy choice to make.

Bouchard: Mr Timms.

Timms: We have seen here tonight that politicking is still alive and well. It is understandable that in a political climate that seems so cold and distant that many of you have stopped believing that politics can make a difference and that your voice matters. Well I am here to say that politics can be different. We Liberals are presenting a slate of candidates with passion and drive and expertise unlike any slate of candidates ever put up in Commonwealth history, all ready to embark on a political path based in an optimistic vision of what we can become and serve you, the people.

Bouchard: Ms Laurent.

Laurent: The last eight years have been an adventure. I have been proud to be part of Omerica’s first Socialist government and I am proud of what this government has accomplished. Significant growth in Omerica’s renewable energy sector, more sustainable fishing, mining and forestry and strong health for the automobile and electronic manufacturing industries are all part of the Socialist legacy. The Socialists have turned Omerica around in a way that few thought possible and we are ready with an experienced team to guide Omerica through whatever lies ahead in these next three years.

Bouchard: Ms Lumley.

Lumley: The first step to solving a problem is to realise what the problem is. Profit and greed are behind that which ills our country today and until we replace the institutions that perpetuate the injustices of today, we are doomed to keep repeating history. We here at Victory have the will to stand up for you and to fight for a real Commonwealth, a country founded on the principle that we should all care for and look after each other. We are here to stand up for the radical change that you deserve.

Bouchard: Ms O’Malley.

O’Malley: Tonight we have learned quite a few things. Perceptions have changed and candidates have revealed their true colours. Movement 1988 has stayed true to our principles, the principles articulated in our founding charter, the will to rise above partisan politics, to strengthen communities, to protect our environment and to empower you, the people. We have stayed true to that for more than three decades and have made honesty about who we are and what we stand for the cornerstone of our campaign. As I said in the opening statements, Movement 1988 is here to be your voice and we hope that you will support us on 31 October. Thank you.

Bouchard: Mr Mätjassen.

Mätjassen: We have lived in an interesting eight years. For eight years, we have strayed from the path of prosperity and we are seeing the consequences of electing the Socialists to government, but the Nationals are here to be the remedy for what ails Omerica. We are here to give Omericans the chance to get ahead in life, to get the state out of your life and to get Omerica back onto the path of fiscal responsibility. If you want three more years of reckless and intrusive governance, vote Socialist on the 31st. If not, vote National.

Bouchard: Mr Cassidy.

Cassidy: For too long we have rolled over as socialists, liberals and peaceniks have run amok in our government, perverting the Omerican constitution and state for their own nefarious purposes. We are quickly headed for destruction, economically, socially and militarily, and we need to act fast to save Omerica from the abyss. We need a government that will get Omerica back to the vision intended by our founders and we have seen tonight that no one but Democratic Labour will have the guts to face up to the political elites who are running our country into the ground. If you want Omerica to have a future, vote DLP on Saturday the 31st.

Bouchard: Thank you to all of our leaders and thank you, Omerica, for tuning in for tonight’s debate. Please remember to register on the rolls if you have not already and go vote on Saturday 31 October. From the Commonwealth National History Museum in Georgetown, on behalf of the United Counties Network and all of the leaders, I am Jean-François Bouchard, saying good night and God bless.

(applause)

END

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 West Angola (home)
Substitutes
GK - N^o 1: INTAN Petera
GK - N^o 13: Stéphane ROUSSEAU
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
Starting eleven
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
Omerica’s top scorers
John Percival - 4 goals
Tömas de Vrikt - 3 goals
Georges Rousseau - 2 goals
Neama Iokua - 2 goals
Casimir Paquet - 2 goals
Tii ʻo Uirema - 1 goal
Jan-Nikläs Rosenkränts - 1 goal
Kai Eko - 1 goal

by **Krytenia** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:02 pm

K1K: The Game Of History

MATCH #729: RAWRCRUSH, SKY BLUE STYLE
Krytenia 11-0 West Guiana, World Cup 56 Qualifying
Ousevale, Krytenia, 5 September 2157

Sometimes, there are close games, back and forth, thrilling end-to-end excitement. This is not one of those times.

THE BUILD-UP
Following an AOCAF XXXI campaign that promised much, but was shot down in a six-one humiliation to Pacitalia, the Aces were hoping for better as qualifying for the fifty-sixth World Cup got underway. The group draw was nothing if not benevolent, and the stuffings soon commenced. Two six-ones against The Kiaser Colonies, a six-nil hammering of Rhodesiah, and, in their previous game, putting seven past Jedi8246.

All this, though, was merely an amuse-bouche...

THE MATCH
The Aces team was one just getting into its stride. A glut of young players had come through the ranks together, and the likes of Leon Sartelli, Terry Hart, Robert Allen, and Michael Anderson were beginning to gel nicely. Add to that the youthful exuberance of Alan Keys, Peter Southern, and Travis Westhuisen, and this was a side with a bright future ahead. As for West Guiana? Frankly, who cares?

At no point was this game a "match", at least not in the competitive sense of the word. Krytenia, in front of their own fans at the Southern Arena, had the bit between the teeth from the start. An attacking 3-5-2, with Hart and Allen just behind the strikers, was the first sight of Francisco Vázquez García's famed "Fiesta Football", and it was immediately clear that the Aces would be partying hard. Michael Anderson opened the scoring on three minutes, nodding home a Sartelli cross, and Cameron Davis would get in on the action a scant five minutes later, cracking one home from the edge of the box. The poor Guianans didn't know what was hitting them. And the hits kept coming, too: a clumsy foul on Allen meant a penalty on twenty-three minutes, which Anderson gratefully tucked away. A corner shortly after the half-hour led to Krytenia's fourth as Southern leapt above his marker and found the target. Krytenia's intensity faded slightly after that, preserving energy until half-time; not so much, though, that they couldn't score another as a crisp set of passes sent through Hart for number five.

If West Guiana were hoping that their opponents would be on cruise control in the second half, they were sorely mistaken. Anderson wanted a hat-trick, and when Davis' shot was half-blocked, he got onto the rebound for his third of the game. Indeed, he was unlucky not to add a fourth moments later, rifling a shot into the side netting inches wide of the goal. It didn't matter, though, as Davis would soon make it seven when he met Calvin Thordarsson's cross with a sweet volley.

It was Davis' turn to hunt the hat-trick, and Hart was happy to oblige with a scalpel-precise pass through the hapless Guianan defence that left the Cedrus striker with the simple task of slotting it past the 'keeper. With the score at eight-nil, and with both strikers claiming a match-ball, it was time for FVG to ring the changes. This, of course, led to two more strikers looking to get themselves on the scoresheet. Tim Caldobresi duly obliged with a somewhat scuffed effort that evaded an off-balance goalkeeper; Simon Carter, meanwhile, decided to just run at the defence before unleashing a thunderbolt for number ten. The captain was the man to put the exclamation mark on things two minutes from time, though, curling home a free kick.

Anything Valanora can do...

THE AFTERMATH
Rather unsurprisingly, the team qualified for World Cup LVI at a canter. The team would then make the knockouts, despite a painful loss to Valanora, before despatching Cotdelapoms in the second round. Fate, though, would have a cruel twist for the Krytenians, as they lost heavily to the Holy Empire, a match not helped by the fact that Alan Keys, Steve Orsini, and Ray Cordoba were all injured early on, leaving a bewildered Bryan Valissa between the sticks and no substitutions left.

The team, though, were destined for greater things, as this band of men formed the crux of Krytenia's World Cup LVIII team.

#1: It Haperd One Night
#89: You Beat Us, We're Still Better
#637: The Magnificent Seven
#361: What's The Time?
#220: The Smashing Orangey Bit
#809: Hell Has Frozen Over, And Now It's Sky Blue
#234: Mallon's Miracle
#35: Send Us Victorious, Happy In Squornshelous
#394: D.I.V.O.R.C.E.

by **Chiata** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:08 pm

Chiata Times
Seven Points to Playoffs

Chiata travelled to Nui-ta to play Matchday Eleven. Our post last matchday said the Suns would be playing at home against Eastfield Lodge. This led to a lot of confusion and many angry emails coming our way. Of course, it was nothing compared to the storm we got from Super-Llamaland citizens during the International Basketball Championships, but that is besides the point. Anyway, we apologize for our misdirection and note that the game we said would be today is actually next matchday, we promise!

Anyway, Nui-ta is an unranked nation with hardly any information regarding to their National Team. Nui-ta had only two draws, not a single win, when the Suns came to play. Last leg, Chiata won 1-0, a terrible game for the Suns, especially since they were at home. Nui-ta posed little of a threat to a far better Chiatan side. Chiata's defensive play dominated the pitch. The stingy defense, even with Ducharme in, didn't allow a single goal. Webb scored in the 32nd minute off of a corner kick. He handily slipped past his marker and slammed the ball in between the posts. The half would close at 1-0, the exact score that the match result was last leg, but that was after ninety minutes. Nui-ta was terribly disorganized in their play and lacked the cohesion and fluidity that Chiata possessed. Carroll would score the second and final goal in the match. Two goals, one in the first half and one in the second. As straightforward as it sounds, Chiata won 2-0.

Where does this place Chiata in the hunt for a playoff spot? Well, as usual, a win can only help the Suns' cause. However, Nassau-Hessen had a good game too, drawing against Audioslavia, something Chiata failed to do themselves at home. Even with their favorable result, Nassau-Hessen is in a difficult spot. They only have two more games to play while Chiata and Eastfield Lodge have three more matches. Chiata's win and Nassau's draw have them tied at sixteen points. Due to Chiata's head-to-head record of 1-1-1 against Nassau-Hessen, Chiata has the tiebreak despite having a neutral goal difference. Eastfield Lodge won their game over Fluvique and sit opportunistically with fourteen points. Adioslavia still looks untouchable, despite only being five points ahead. In order to guarantee a playoff spot, Chiata needs seven points over three games. Chiata's last stretch will consist of vs. Eastfield Lodge, @ Emrate of Akbarstan, vs. Fluvique. The last two games should see Chiata coming away with six points, so it comes down to the home game against Eastfield Lodge. Last time around, Chiata won 5-4. If Chiata can at least do that, than it will become remarkably easier to get the playoff spot. Chiata controls their one destiny, they need to seize the opportunity!

by **Carialus** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 6:44 pm

Carialus Clairon
Momentum Continues into Final Matches

The red toothed monster leaps forward once more. It swallows nations by the dozens as it continues its unstoppable ascent to the top. Unemployment? Nation Debt? Carbon ppm in the atmosphere? All valid answers, but we speak of the worst monster of all, mathematical elimination! (dun dun dun)

Dramatization aside, things have gotten mighty close in Group 19. Its do or die time, where every game counts. Torisakia, in fourth, have been eliminated, leaving Turori, Star United States, and Carialus in the hunt for two spots. Really, it is one spot since Turori basically has the top spot rapped up now. This leaves Carialus and Star United States to duke it out for the playoff position. As fate would have it, both nations are now tied at sixteen points. This came to happen with a Carialite win and a Starian loss. Carialus defeated Octinstine 1-0 while on the road. Sevier scored the single goal for the Comrades while Captain for Onctinstine John Glens did his best to help out his squad, but ultimately could not lead his team to even a draw. Star United States lost to group leader Turori with a score of 4-3. Star United States has already played ten matches while Carialus has only played nine, giving a chance for Carialus to take the playoff spot late in qualifying. Sadly, one of the Comrades' final games is against Turori. Given that Carialus will be playing away in the match, there is very little chance of coming away with any points. This leaves Carialus with a very attainable six points with matches against Torisakia and Scottopian Isles. But there is a problem, Star United States will likely get six points as well, leaving the table in its present state. It comes down to if Carialus can draw their match against Turori or if Star United States will crack under the pressure. With three matchdays left, the future is still uncertain.

by **Nova Anglicana** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 7:12 pm

Lion's Roar

A SportsWorld Weblog

Bradley Lancaster Sits Down With Lion's Roar
by Alpha Lion

A real live NT player speaks with us!

The following is a transcript of the conversation we had with NT defender Bradley Lancaster.

Lion's Roar: We're here with veteran national team fullback Bradley Lancaster. Bradley, thanks for joining us.

Bradley Lancaster: It's great to talk to you.

LR: First things first. The Lions are 8-1-0 and topping the group right now. What's the secret to your success?

BL: Finally getting me off the pitch? *laughs* No, but actually, our team has really come together this cycle. We're strong up the middle. I think Alec [Chapin] and Emmanuel [Moga] and Jimmy [Kelly] are linking up well and putting pressure on the other team. The back line's pretty darn solid too.

LR: This is the first time that the Lions have been in first place this late in qualifying. What's the mood in the locker room like right now?

BL: You know, we're trying to take it one game at a time. Some of the younger guys like Matt [Wells] and Aaron [Bowen] are really hyped up, and that's great. But we also have veterans like me, Terrance [Jordan], and Kyle [Fleming] who can be kind of a calming influence and keep the team focused and not let it get too far ahead of itself. Our next two games are away to San Llera and home against Nephara. We've still got a ways to go.

LR: Speaking of your remaining games, what's it like traveling to hostile environments, like you'll see in a couple of weeks at Camp L'Aigua?

BL: It's all about routine. You just have to settle into a routine and that keeps you on track. For me, I always try to make sure my sleep cycle is aligned so I'm refreshed when I get up. I start my day with a short core workout, then a shower, then breakfast, always ham and eggs. Once we get to the stadium, I like to take a few laps around and then up and down the pitch to get a feel for what it's like. If you can do the same thing home and away, then the size of the crowd or where you're playing doesn't make a difference. Everybody's got their own thing, but as long as it makes you comfortable, you can handle places like Camp L'Aigua?

LR: Obviously, you're playing less this cycle. Matt Wells has taken over at right back. How does it feel to be a substitute and what is your relationship like with Matt?

BL: Coach Lee and I talked about my role before the qualifiers started. He told me they needed me to be a solid sub, give the young guys a breather every now and then, and be a mentor. I'm happy to do whatever is best for the team. Besides, it's not like I never get to play. I've got a goal this cycle, you know. *laughs* As for Matt, I think he's a great young player. My specialty was always playing balls in the air, and Matt's a bit short, so he hasn't really had a lot of experience in that area. That's been the biggest thing I've worked with him on, knowing the little tricks you can do, when to jump and so on that let him win balls even though he's usually a couple of inches shorter than the guys he's working against.

LR: Let's talk club football for a second. You've been with Trojana for quite a while now. What's it like to play with them and how's Quebec? Anything like our next door neighbor?

BL: I'm glad to be at Trojana. Casey [Bowman] is there too, so it's not like I'm the only Nova Anglican in the whole country. We get to play against Aaron now and then, so that's nice. Playing in the LigAnaia, I think, really exposes you to some of the highest-level competition in the world. As far as Quebec, it's a great place. A little odd and definitely different than our Quebec, but the fans love us and we love them.

LR: You and your wife Amy are expecting your third child soon. Is it going to be another boy? Are your other two kids playing football at all?

BL: We're actually waiting to be surprised with this one. We'll find out when we find out, but we really are blessed to have two healthy kids and another on the way. As far as football, Jamie is playing on a club team. It's crazy that they have clubs for nine year-olds. Blows my mind. Noah, actually, is showing more of an interest in hockey than football. I think he skates better at five than I do at thirty-five. We're actually good friends with the Parkers*, so hopefully Troy can get us an in with the national team.

LR: Last question. How do you think the Lions will do over the last three games of qualifying?

BL: Well, we'd love to win all three. But we're just going to take it one game at a time, because all of them are going to be challenging.

LR: Bradley Lancaster, fullback for the national team. Thanks again for the interview. Good luck to you and the Lions.

BL: Thanks. It's always great to sit down with the fans.

*Troy Parker, national hockey team captain.

More from Lion's Roar
Is this the best NT we've ever had?
Jimmy Kelly can't stop smiling
Rugby starts off with three wins in RUWC 24

(OOC: Logo at top shamelessly cribbed from Pride of Detroit, Detroit Lions blog. The opinions expressed above are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily indicative of the opinions of Nova Anglicans or the user behind Nova Anglicana.)

by **Ceni** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 7:36 pm

Part three of a poem trilogy
Dusk | Dark

O hark!
The forces of light enter triumphantly -
parading along the horizon -
O hark!
People subjugated by the night,
Your saviors have arrived!
Bless the day!
Bless the dawn!
Bless the light spreading over the horizon!
O hark!
The rule of the darkness has ended,
The onslaught of the night mares has ceased,
The darkness no more controls
the thoughts, the minds, the actions
of the people -
The darkness no more reigns,
Light has returned
From its nooks and crannies,
Light has returned to save the day!
O hark!
Look at the light filling the world,
Look at the forces of light
Pushing out the last vestiges
of that unforgiving darkness,
Look at your saviors and rejoice!

The rain is over -
That harsh pounding of souls,
That thunder and lightning,
driving fear into the hearts
of the people,
That rain scares us
No more!
Only drizzles remain -
Only a few drops still
drip down from the tops
of buildings into red rose gardens,
Letting the birds sing
in the morning light,
Letting the birds sing
their sweet songs that carry
through the cool morning,
that carry through the morning
dew - innocent, peaceful, serene

The wind is over -
No toppling gales to blow
over helpless trees,
anchored only by shallow roots -
The wind is over, replaced
by only a quiet breeze to
greet gently those who awaken
to find the storm of the night
has ended - the
troubles and tremors have
subsided, the ominous
rumors of defeat have passed
in favor of the relief
that the storm has passed,
the forces of the night have not won!

O chariot of fire!
Bring your saving grace
to the people of this world -
they are tired of the darkness,
and ready for the light -
they are tired of the darkness
They want the light!
They want the sunshine
to permeate into every
nook and cranny -
they want the sunshine to spread,
overtaking those last vestiges
of darkness, bringing the
world back from the brink
of despair and back
into the world of
hope and happiness -
O chariot of fire!
Bring the light!
Continue your path around the world,
Light this world up,
Bring the light!

O hark!
The chariot of fire moves along,
guided by gallant steeds,
bringing the light to the world,
O hark!
The chariot of fire gives us -
gives us all - hope
that goodness will prevail,
that the forces of light are
strong enough to win this battle,
that they are not as craven
as they first seem,
that they do fulfill their promises
to bring hope -
O hark!
The chariot of fire brings us hope,
Carries our hopes on wings
far above,
Teaches us to hope more
O chariot of fire!
Bring us more hope!
Bring us more light!

Let the light embrace us!
Let the light embrace
the entire world!
O chariot of fire!
Bring us hope!
Bring us light!

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:15 pm

MATCHDAY 12 RP CUTOFF - GROUPS 11-20

Hey Qualification, I see you when many reach! Can you take few more of them to the promised land?

by **San Jose Guayabal** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:26 pm

MATCHDAY 11 RP CUTOFF - GROUPS 1-10

This is a war, just the stronger sides can survive in this fight, are you one of them?

by **Brenecia** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:46 am

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Brenecians Left Heartbroken As Starblaydis Survive In Kingsgarden
by Karena Fife
BRENECIA G Urquhart; S Given (F Berenger 76'), O Faulkner, B Duguid, J Collingwood; D Kilbane (L Galloway 80'), L Paterson, C Purrington; I Cullen, S Maddon (U Rankin 64'), N Thatcher
STARBLAYDIA J Makuszewski; K Rodriguez, F Al-Hashem (R Anaru 48'), J Cayden, E Ortiz; V Nieminen (V Braith 90'), M Lopez, O Silva, A Mattarino; J Copeland, C Catanneo (E Cruz 79')
Goal: Copeland 72'

Everything was fine a week ago. And then, for some reason, the Patriots decided that the ability to hit the broad side of the barn was overrated. First Dainer pretty much just watched on as Brenecia imploded in the final third time after time, and now, presented against an actual good team in good form, Starblaydia stayed compact, waited, and took their best chance - Jason Copeland, so ineffectual in the first game, with a perfect header past Urquhart to seal it here. Nineteen games into her tenure and Sasha Bale has suffered her first defeat. Not bad, but the timing and the subject could not have been worse.

That's not to get all sour-grapes, raining on Starblaydia's parade. The fact is that they just looked more dangerous throughout, their passes were actually going places. Brenecia's first ball into Starblaydia's box came forty-one seconds, but Kilbane's pass was nowhere near either Maddon or Thatcher and went out for a goalkick. It took twelve minutes for the game to have its first shot as Brenecia's passes simply wouldn't stick, and even that was fairly innocuous, Makuszewski having no problem as Cullen hooked the ball at his near post.

Starblaydia got their first in the sixteenth minute, hitting dangerously on the break with a string of long, accurate passes. A beautiful first touch from Catanneo obsoleted Faulkner, but her shot was straight at Urquhart. That should have been a warning, but it wasn't. Were they that cocky of a pack of second- and third-tier LigAnaia players? It's not like the LigAnaia 2 isn't comparable to the A-League. Either way; the first half was a write-off. Exemplified, perhaps, by Sheila Maddon. She intercepted a terrible pass by Al-Hashem, bombed triumphantly forward, overcooked her touch horribly and vaulted Makuszewski as the grateful goalkeeper got to it.

Things started to get interesting in the second half. Mostly, both teams got tired in a match that had been full of adrenaline and short on technique. Al-Hashem's disappearance in favour of Anaru undoubtedly helped the defences nerves, though Maddon would have given them another heart-attack blazing over from eleven yards when, again, she should have scored. Brenecia was finally starting to take concrete shots, at least, but they were too far out for the most part to test a goalkeeper in decent form. Maddon's last contribution to the game was a horribly slow trickling shot from just outside the box. Ursula Rankin, unsurprisingly, came on soon afterwards.

But it was to no avail, as it was a striker at the other end of the pitch who finally accomplished something - Jason Copeland. Not without a little help from his friends, of course, and it was Anaru who won the ball and got it rolling, Silva who knocked it forward on the wings and Mattarino who beat a wrong-footed Given and knocked in a cross. But the way Copeland ghosted in off Faulkner's blind side and flicked his header across goal from a narrow angle, leaving Urquhart motionless, was a thing of beauty. Hearts sank all around Kingsgarden. Were they really going to let this one slip?

Well... yes. No matter what they did, Brenecia couldn't break the pattern of crap passing in the final third, and the urgency only translated to nervousness. Naphtali Thatcher smashed a shot into the side netting hard enough to almost break it, but Rankin had been crying out for the pass - she later smashed a shot against an upright. Starblaydia, meanwhile, just compacted. You just knew they were going to hold out. And, as the last throw of the dice played out - Galloway sent a direct free kick straight into Makuszewski's chest - they did. Starblaydia seem unstoppable... and a win in their game in hand puts them top. For all Brenecia's hard work. For all its nine wins. In spite of doing the double over Ko-oren, for beating Starblaydia away. All of that's about to mean fuck-all if Starblaydia don't suddenly and dramatically choke. Against Ilasia and Recuecn, teams who have, not counting the matches against each other, collectively won twice.

Brenecia, for their part, have to play Recuecn themselves after a bye - they just beat Dainer 1-0 at home. Ko-oren flattened Ilasia 3-0 away while Antoletia reconsidered their life decisions - it means that the top two are locked in as Brenecia and Starblaydia, regrettably probably in a different order come the final day. If nothing else, it's been a good campaign. Just a shame to end on a whimper.

by **Gregoryisgodistan** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 3:34 am

Foot Slaves Draw Pretty Pretty Naked Naked Princesses
by Journalist XU82388AS8D

The Gregoryisgodistan Foot Slaves have Drawn the Pretty Pretty Naked Naked Princesses of Jeruselem, 1-1. As 175,617 fans looked on and cheered, Gregoryisgodistan got off to a great start on a 13th minute goal by Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal. Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal celebrated by burning a Guayabalense flag and bowing to a statue of Lord Almighty Gregory, then was yellow carded for excessive celebration.

But Gregoryisgodistan would keep the lead against the Naked Naked Pretty Pretty Princesses until the first minute of stoppage, when Rose Tyler was apparently taken down in the box by Youth XILE42, who was making his first start ever filling in for the suspended Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy, who was suspended for getting a red card for crushing Guayabalense fans after yesterday's game. Youth XILE42 received a yellow card. The call itself, by Farf ref Itake Bribes, was highly questionable, and it is indeed possible Itake Bribes lived up to his name and took bribes. Since making or receiving bribes is a capital crime in Gregoryisgodistan, the Secret Police have opened an investigation into Itake Bribes, but he was allowed to leave the country and return to his native Farfadillis. Should Gregoryisgodistan wish to execute him, they will put in an extradition request to the Farves and any other country Bribes is refereeing in.

But enough of that digression. We haven't gotten to the actual penalty kick yet. Sara Otter stepped up to take the penalty as all the fans booed and threw prune juice and gruel at her. Sure enough, she made it to tie the game, and shortly after that, Itake Bribes blew his whistle to end the game as the Foot Slaves' fans booed. The Foot Slaves have taken just one point in the last two games, and are only one point clear of the Naked Naked Pretty Pretty Princesses for a playoff spot. Jeruselem sits in third with 17 points. Fortunately, the Foot Slaves face two no-names after this - Aquadiddlyduck and Natanians and Norwegians, or something like that. Nobody really cares what they're called. Because they're no-names and that is the fate of no-names.

The Slaves R Us Leaders' Race was very interesting as well. King Petrus XX jumped out to a big lead, with Shop Owner and Reino Kulseth not far behind and Lord Almighty Gregory way back. It looked like the Lord would finally lose, until Cleffie Martinez lept onto the field. She hit Petrus and Kulseth with her handbag, knocking them to the ground, and, after swinging and missing at Shop Owner, tackled him to the ground. She and Lord Almighty Gregory then crossed the finish line hand-in-hand and he was proclaimed the winner once again. Shop Owner, Consul Kulseth, and King Petrus still have one more chance to end Lord Almighty Gregory's streak, and possibly a second in the playoff, and maybe even more in the Cup of Harmony, but we all know it's not going to happen. Lord Almighty Gregory will always win because he is Lord and God and that is what God does.

Next up, the Foot Slaves travel to Aquadiddly in a must-win game, with three other teams within three points of the Foot Slaves in Group 16, the Literal Group of Death that has proven itself to be the most exciting and competitive group in the tournament. Gregoryisgodistan can clinch a playoff spot tonight if they beat Aquadiddlers, The Sword Bloke beats Jeruselem and Associated Godlands fails to beat San Jose Guayabal. But that's a lot that has to happen. As long as the Foot Slaves win their last two games against no-names, they will be through. But they'd love to do it with a game to spare. They need some help to do that, though, and may not be willing to root for the Guaya Beans to accomplish it. But we'll see what happens, let the chips fall where they may, and maybe come tomorrow, the Foot Slaves will have clinched a play-off spot.

by **Jeruselem** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 4:12 am

Jeruselem Government News

Princesses hold off hostile Greg in Gregoryisgodistan

The Jeruselem team travelled to Gregoryisgodistan for match day 12 of the World Cup 73 qualification. There's certain nations the Princesses really don't like and Gregoryisgodistan is one the top of that list. It was a critical game given four teams were fighting for 2nd spot in Group 16 with San Jose Guayabal being dominant - their only loss was to Jeruselem.

Rivals The Sword Bloke were hosting the top dog San Jose Guayabal and hoped to beat them in order to keep up with the other but SJG beat them 2-0 and helped the other three teams in end indirectly. The other contender Associated Godlands had a bye and had to watch the others play. Natanians and Nosts beat the winless Aeqamustopia 2-0 and they will probably be 2nd last (or 6th) in Group 16.

The big game was between the Greg team and team lead by nememis Princess Laura. By all means, Gregoryisgodistan was playing at home and well was the higher ranked team so they should have with Jeruselem only just recovering from a 3 game losing streak which was broken by two recent wins.

The game was far from pretty and more of vicious scrap between two determined opponents. The home team had the ideal start when a player with a rather long name "Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal" scored in the 13th minute to put the home team ahead, much the delight of the 99.99999999% loyal home crowd with a small hardcore set of Jeruselem fans in there somewhere.

The game pretty much deteriorated after with the home team doing anything to stop Jeruselem scoring. The Princesses tried hard to break the solid Greg defense which is the best in Group 16 overall. It's just they don't score that many goals in comparison to other teams. Eventually the determined Princesses got the better of home team when Sara Otter scored a penalty goal after Rose Tyler was brought down by "Youth XILE42" in the first minute of stopping time. The locals would dispute it was a penalty but then they were other similar incident before that were not called and ignored until now.

Should Greg have won this, the table would have been very good for them but the draw and the Sword Bloke losing as well as Godslands sitting out the bye means the 2nd spot is available to 4 teams still. San Jose Guayabal sit pretty on top, while Greg holds onto 2nd by 1 point from Princesses who are far from finished. Godlands is one point behind with 4th and Sword person fell back to 5th. Pretty much one win covers 2nd to 5th so it's far from finished.

Jeruselem have to pretty much have two wins even to be competitive as all teams left with byes are either eliminated or in SJG case, they have top spot anyway. Godlands and Sword Bloke have lowish goal differences while Greg and Princesses have far healthier ones. Two games ago Jeruselem looked doomed after sinking to 5th but they are back in the fight.

Even if Jeruselem win the last two games, it's likely Greg would do the same and the top 3 would stay the same. Jeruselem did not get the win in Greg-land it wanted but it didn't give away a win Greg wanted either.

Game of the round was group 14, with Ceni vs Free Republics at the top the table having scorefest. Both scored 6 goals each and failed to settle the final 2. It must disappointing to score 6 goals and get a point.

It's sad to say Bears Armed in Group 12 are out, they have been disappointing this cup with 3 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses. 5 draws is lot, considering they've played 10 games. They could have been contenders if some of the draws were converted to wins.

Eura seem the team to watch, with 11 of 11 wins. In this form, they could be going home with the world Cup. Hopefully Jeruselem can make the playoffs to give themselves a chance to take on such opponents.

The Sword Bloke 0–2 San Jose Guayabal
Gregoryisgodistan 1–1 Jeruselem
Natanians and Nosts 2–0 Aeqamustopia

Code: Select all: Group 16 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts 1 San Jose Guayabal 11 9 1 1 29 10 +19 28 2 Gregoryisgodistan 10 5 3 2 15 7 +8 18 3 Jeruselem 10 5 2 3 24 18 +6 17 4 Associated Godlands 10 4 4 2 22 19 +3 16 5 The Sword Bloke 10 5 0 5 13 12 +1 15 6 Natanians and Nosts 11 2 1 8 11 26 −15 7 7 Aeqamustopia 10 0 1 9 8 30 −22 1

by **Krytenia** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 6:14 am

The South Shall Rise Again
by Trevor O'Carroll in Emberton

MERTAGNE, we hardly knew ye. The men from north of the border made the journey to the capital last night, and came away with only humiliation - and likely elimination - to show for it. This was not the Mertagne who had put seven past the Aces in Magnaeus. This was a Mertagne who could only stand and gawp as seventeen-year-old Armando Ortega put in a footballing masterclass.

To be honest, the visitors were never in the game. Ortega, aided as always by Sam Alinas behind, simply had too much energy and control in the midfield. He set the opener up on a plate for Valrauncion to slam one home less than ten minutes in, before taking time out to produce the best goal of the match. The Avidia-born teenager had a capacity 190,000-plus crowd on their feet as Ortega danced his way past one, two, three, four challenges, completely foxed the onrushing goalkeeper with some deft footwork, and tapped into an empty net. Ortega then produced something even rarer in a Krytenian - a show of religion - by making the sign of the cross and pointing to the heavens, thanking God for his talents.

Whether God (or Juan Tzimisces) was listening, we'll never know. What we do know, though, is that Ortega wasn't done yet. Just before half-time, he released Marco Angelo with a cross-field ball; Angelo returned the favour by getting to the bye-line and pulling it back for Ortega to lash home his second. The Aces had well and truly buried the ghosts of their previous meeting, and went into the break three goals to the good.

Mertagne seemed to remember they were in a football match at the start of the second half. A rare attack led to a stretching David Heaton save, a corner, and rotten luck for the home team as Alfie Xousa's hooked clearance hit Sam Barcali in the back of the head and bounced into the net. To add injury to insult, Xousa had hit the ball so hard that Barcali received a concussion for his efforts. Lee Hodge came on for a rare international cap.

The match, at this point, fizzled out somewhat as Mertagne finally put the shackles on Ortega. He did, though, have the chance to create one more goal; another beautiful pass, this time for Ronnie van Rijn, and the Avenida Victoria man hit his shot with dead-eye perfection to make it four.

Krytenia celebrated at the final whistle, and this win, coupled with Schottia's excellent victory in Sameba, makes life simple at the top. The game against Volcanoc is almost inconsequential, though a win does guarantee a play-off place at the very worst. Beat Schottia by two in the final match, though, and regardless of the result in the Volcanoc match, the Aces will be returning to the World Cup. Fine stakes, indeed, for game 999.

KRYTENIA - 4
Valrauncion 9
Ortega 17, 44
van Rijn 74

MERTAGNE - 1
Barcali og 47

by **Associated Godlands** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:21 am

GodHatesYou.God
The official blog of Shirley Phelps-Roper

This World Cup qualifying campaign, I've been talking a lot about the crash and burn of teams like Gregoryisgodistan. Well, this is where it happens. Gregoryisgodistan are in second and are in prime position to lose their playoff spot to Associated Godlands in the most painful manner possible. They are confident that they will win their final two games and make the playoffs, and that's what God feeds off of. They will lose to Aeqamustopia and Natanians and Nosts and Associated Godlands, after winning their final two games, will clinch a berth in the playoffs. Jeruselem will also lose their remaining fixtures. Lord Almighty Gregory will be so disappointed, and then he'll be even more disappointed when he's tortured to death! It will be broadcasted live to the Gregoryisgodistani people on Gregory's own execution channel.

Speaking of which, we would have an execution channel ourselves if God didn't hate the media so much. I'll bring it up anyways.

By the way, Associated Godlands beat The Sword Bloke. No surprise there. The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ scored a hat trick, and we held The Sword Bloke to one goal despite some defensive errors. David Duke got the start in place of Obama, and he was fine. Much better than the impostor heathen garbage Obama was.

Then we had a bye, and the results played out to this. God apparently is passing judgement on San Jose Guayabal, who have clinched qualification. And then there's Gregoryisgodistan in second and Jeruselem in third, both of which won't qualify in painful ways. And then us, the team who will grab that slot in the playoffs. I can't wait.

Shirley Phelps-Roper out.

by **Szavoda** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:35 am

continued from here

18 months later, Hornchuch, Eura

It was warm inside the apartment, despite the cold conditions outside. The blinds were drawn, with only a few rays of city light slicing through the dusty darkness. Little stirred within the apartment – the clock ticked on the wall and the fridge hummed to itself, but beyond that, there was an earthy silence.

The door clicked, before falling open. A couple bundled into the room, locked in a passionate kiss. The woman, dressed in a black evening dress and fur coat, uncoupled herself for a second to drop her keys and flick on the lights. The man, in black tie, took the moment to take his phone out of his pocket and hurl it on the bed behind him, before they resumed their embrace. The man removed his jacket and tie, whilst the woman unclipped her hair and took off her necklace, before playfully pushing the man down onto the bed. She unzipped the back of her dress, and was about to join him when they were interrupted by an electronic trill.

“Fuck.” They muttered in unison. The man took his phone and glared at the screen.

“It’s Cross.”

“Ah shit.”

The man answered it. “Yep. Yep. No, I wasn’t up to anything in particular. Yep, of course. Yep, I’ll be right down. ‘bout 40 minutes. Do I know where Katarina is?”

He looked at the blonde woman in front of him, who’d now done-up her dress again. She rolled her eyes. Their relationship had been kept secret for several months now, but it was growing increasingly frustrating to keep it quiet from the other members of the organisation.

“I dunno, I’ll give her a call...I think she’s in town, she’ll probably go with Molly and Lauren…Right. OK, see you in a bit.”

He put the phone down and looked up at Katarina.

“Cross wants us in ASAP. Got a new operation, says its important.”
“Did he let on what it was?”
“Nah, but he said he wanted us on it. One of us has to get changed, so they don’t think we were doing anything together.”
“Can you, this dress is a drag to get out of and I don’t know if I've got any clothes here.”
“Sure.”
“What will you say, why you’re in that dress?”
“Dunno, something about the Szavda consulate or something.”

The man nodded and took himself into the bathroom. Katarina removed her heels and put on a pair of flats which sat by the door. She then moved through to the kitchen where she retrieved a bottle of beer from the fridge, before perching on a bar stool which gave views through the window down onto the Hornchurch landscape.

This Katarina Krevic was a world away from the backwards Szavda army hick who’d first rocked up for Clyne Services a year and a half ago. Instead, she was an elegant, graceful socialite, having mastered the language – something which had surprised her as much as anyone else. There was a trace of a Szavda accent, but it was disappearing with time. She attended parties and social gatherings as much as she could, a good way to garner connections and get drunk off other people’s booze. She’d adopted Euran social customs: namely the fashion of the Bastion catwalk, as well as fine food and wine, cars and accessories, habits afforded by the considerable pay-cheques given by Clyne. She’d started seeing Landen, her Euran colleague, and was considering purchasing a flat in Bastion to take up as her primary residence. Occasionally, she’d found herself using her adopted Euran identity, Katherine Ward, especially when at societal functions, removing some of the stigma which came with her heritage – which included keeping her dyed blonde. She’d visited Szavoda a few times of course, to visit her mother and check up on her apartment, but she began to see Eura more and more as her home – there was so much more going on there, in just about every sphere of life: more money to be made, more opportunities to have, more men to date. The long term goal, although she’d never admit it, was citizenship, but she knew how hard that would be to attain.

It was her job that was responsible for this transformation. Her placement with the Private Military Contractor had opened her eyes to a life of excitement and jet-setting luxury. She’d travelled all over Rushmore, engaging in all manner of operations. She’d joined up with numerous armed forces, worked private security for a Taeshani politician, guarded the wedding of Polarian glitterati, worked on an oil tanker against potential pirates – her favourite was working security for the family of a notorious Electrumite drug-lord (Clyne didn't pick and choose as to the morality of its clients), the daughter of whom Katarina was now very good friends with, and she made regular trips out to the nation to live the high-life with Rose. Her circle of friends was mainly Eurans, but she maintained a couple of compatriots as friends, especially when she was craving a good traditional Szavda meal – something she could get quite freely in a certain section of Hornchurch. If you met her for the first time, and had no inkling she was a Szavda, it would be quite difficult to identify her as such - she’d done well to leave her backcountry roots behind.

Landen came back out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, exposing his finely tuned physique. Katarina languidly draped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him again, before retrieving her keys – dropping them in her bag – before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. Landen followed her and locked up and they took the elevator down to the car-park, where Katarina’s new Verta sports car – her favourite - sat next to Landen’s SUV. They got in the latter, and as they set out, Landen dropped a return call to Cross.

“Hey Mark, just to say, I picked up Katarina from some do in the City Centre, she’s dolled up and had a bit to drink but she’s fine.”

Katarina laughed. “I'm fine Mark, just a consulate soiree, managed to change my shoes.”

“Good to hear, Kat.” Cross replied from the receiver “See you in a bit.”

by **Barunia** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:43 am

Joric Ruskin rolled into the dressing room at Sun Stadium. Looking around at twenty-three faces, all ready to hear him tell them how to win. To tell them how good they were.
"This is it, guys. Win this, and it's the world cup. Lose, and it could all slip through our fingers. I don't want to put our fate in the hands of others, and we shouldn't have to. You guys can take Britonisea.
You know what they said when we first started this campaign? They said we couldn't work together as a team. They said I was stupid, taking eleven new players on to this squad. They said we'd never make the world cup. Well, I don't need to tell you they were wrong. You guys have shown them in the best way possible, you've proven yourself worthy on the pitch. Well, let's show the world we're worthy of a world cup. 1 goal ahead, people. 1 goal, and we can shut up shop and start booking our flights.

So, which of you lucky few will fight for the survival of the whole team? Paul in goal of course; back four Hyde, Benitez, Sweet, Parker - Steve, I'm keeping you in reserve. Dan, you're in the middle - everything hinges on you. Kassy on the right, Ric, you've got the left flank. Bailey and Lisa, you'll be up starting forwards. Bench: Magana, Cole, Tarrega, Marsh, Cartwright, Hutton.
Alright guys, you know what to do. I'm not going to say anything else. I know you can do this, now go and prove it to yourselves."

World Cup 73 - RPing Thread

RP7

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