World Cup LXXV - AK75 - The RP Thread

by **Farfadillis** » Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:16 pm

The Kamikaze

A site dedicated to Farf football

National Team Section

Kâí and Ibarra Injured, Ruiseñor Left Out: the Final 23
submitted just now

As it turns out, Tíbürçìó has had most of his decisions taken for him by fate, with Risko and Iñaki both suffering injuries in the last stretch of their seasons. There was speculation that Çíânflöné and one of Meier and Çìró was going to be excluded, but in the end those two injuries have forced Tíbürçìó's hand.

Risko's injury is a hard hit for most of us fans. We're eternally thankful to him, so seeing him miss out on what was going to be, in all likelihood, his last World Cup... it is truly not what any of us wanted. However, it also has to be said that it is, in the end, not as important an injury for the team as it would've been some years ago. At this point, Risko's just a useful substitute, whether we like it or not. An injury to Nofzaleiné or, God forbid, Fuego would've been a lot more serious.

Ibarra's injury is also very far from convenient, since he's been pretty good lately and he was definitely our best back-up winger. However, Meier has shown she can step up if needed, and Çìró's inclusion is far from a national tragedy.

Finally, Ruiseñor's exclusion does not come as a huge surprise. He's young and untested. He certainly impressed when Tíb gave him a chance, but Siorrha'Asione impressed even more, and Çíânflöné is clearly better than him. With Kâí injured, many speculated he'd get the nod over Stiin, but it's clear who Tíbürçìó believes to be more talented. Hard to blame him for his decision, it is pretty clear Stiin is a cut above. However, many are worried his complete lack of professionalism, even by Farf standards, could cause problems.

The final 23 are the following, in bold the likely preferred line-up, conveniently also numbers 1 through 11:

01: Rôhj Tzâín [VC]
02: Leonhard Mixé
03: Thjorgias Pickton
04: Drê Röènôùjýâ
05: Ruy Monrazón
06: Elexhé Nofzaleiné
07: José Torino Fuego
08: Ror Jevdjevic-Hadsic
09: Mâás Fôx [C]
10: Fôrté Wínrôuge
11: Rübéãn Tôr
12: Calogero Metz
13: Jallerrhé Ljungman
14: Ivaktör Bârr
15: Trejo Maes
16: Täjó Çíânflöné
17: Jê Çìró
18: Matías Delafuente
19: Scheherazade Meier
20: Stiin Siorrha'Asione
21: Ostadar Arambilet
22: Armando Elevado
23: Lafayette Tifoxé

Revolutionary Forces Rise Up in Southern Ruland
They've seized control of Ômên and several villages in a matter of hours

The Rulandese Revolutionary Army, a guerrilla group founded overnight as far as Farfadillis intelligence is concerned, has risen up in southern Ruland and claimed control of one city and several village in less than half a day. According to anonymous sources, the revoluionary group found no obstacles in their path, as the civilians were quick to surrender and even join their forces in sizable numbers. The Rulandese squadron of the Farf military, outnumbered by the RRA, has entirely avoided the fight, instead choosing to wait for reinforcements. About a third of the squadron, however, is rumoured to have defected to the RRA.

Minister of Defense Turás Monganer has announced he will mobilize "as many troops as necessary" to "smash this terrorist group." In his full statement, Monganer explicitly stated that he planned to "go all-out" and "show absolutely no mercy." Carpet bombing Ômên is "considered an option should the situation arise for its need."

Initial reports point towards civilian uprisings independent of the RRA in other parts of Ruland. They are expected to promptly join the revolutionary movement. It is expected all of Ruland will come under rebel control come midnight.

It is as of yet unclear what the objectives of the RRA are.

"Well, José, what does that intelligence report say?" Turás Monganer asked rather nervously.

"Quite a lot of things. Things we can use. But it doesn't contain any good news, I'm afraid." José da Sauj, head of the AIF, Farfadillis' Intelligence Agency.

"Well, go ahead." Ordered Gorgeo Solala, Head of State.

"Their leader, Tüyárá Röj, is thirty-three years old. She grew up in Ômên and graduated from the University of Ruland with a degree in chemistry, with a specialization in chemical warfare the university really shouldn't offer. She's seen by her folk as a selfless Goddess who will liberate them from our oppression. That is to say, she's built quite the personality cult in her home city. A lot of people are willing to die for her the need arises. Banners with her face are woven in the streets. She is the image of this revolution."

"Any information on her whereabouts?"

"The RRA's leadership is believed to be in Ômên at the moment."

"What other individuals lead this pesky group?"

José sighed. "People with far more influence than we would like, I'm afraid. The reason people outside Ômên rose up in arms is because other prominent figures incited them to."

"How much influence are we talking about here?"

"The uprising in Ruland was led by Küý Rásámá, the president of Mâ Âlâmëómë, with some help from a certain Yurpá Mêndêlöíndçêl."

Gorgeo spat his coffee. "MÊNDÊLÖÍNDÇÊL?"

"Yes, sir. And he's not the only prominent footballer to have instigated these uprisings."

"Who else?"

"Risko Kâí was the one who started the revolutions up north. He is rumored to be second-in-command. Some even go as far as to say he's in some sort of relationship with Tüyárá Röj, though the same is said of Yurpá Mêndêlöíndçêl."

"This is bad."

"It gets worse. Mâ Âlâmëómë and Dí Maozöxê are arming the group with foreign, advanced firearms, using their budgets. And, also, there's an even bigger problem to worry about. One that could turn public opinion against us."

"Why?"

"Let me just ask one question: do you really believe Kâí pulled his hamstring?"

"Tíbürçìó, it is Gerardo Pescado, from Channel 52. Can you answer a couple of questions."

"Why, of course, little man. Ask any questions you want."

"With the current events unfolding in Farfadillis just days before the World Cup kicks off, how is the team feeling?"

"I won't lie, there's been a lot of infighting. Fôrté even knocked out Elexhé. I don't think the atmosphere in the dressing room could be any worse."

"So the players are taking sides on this?"

"Indeed they are. The Rulandese side with the RRA, and so do some others like Ror and José. The rest support Farfadillis. Things have been a bit tense."

"How do you plan to control this situation?"

"I do not plan to control it. These men will fight. They will hate each other if needed be. Then, in a few days, they'll go out and play the most passionate football of their lives. They'll play as if they were in the war, if all goes according to plan."

"Rumours have it you stand with the RRA. Are they true?"

Tíbürçìó grinned.

"Vívè la révolüsîón"

by **Nephara** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:59 am

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
WORLD CUP GROUP C PREVIEW
by Staff

Nephara
Geneva Schwarzer

Qualifying Run Comfortably topped qualifying, dropping only a draw to Sameba and a home defeat to Sameba - their +30 goal difference was the highest of any nation. Benefited from a weak second seed in the Sandwich Territories. Complicated somewhat by a 'friendly' against Saintland - a 1-0 defeat.

The Squad The domestic contingent has been slowly dominant of late, in another mostly-female squad with 16 World Cup winners from two years ago. For the most part, the squad boasts two very strong players in every position, and competition for places remains fierce going into the tournament.

Strengths Conceding nine goals in qualifying, scoring 39 - Nephara's very strong in both ends of the pitch, largely stemming to an exceptional midfield unit. Not to be underestimated is the degree that Reinhard Shale has emphasised set piece work. Furthermore, Nephara's reputation as a tournament team - in remission for a few years - is straight back into prominence after last World Cup, where they just always found that next level to edge past teams.

Weaknesses Nephara looks thin in the full-back positions. Sasha Christener is a good rightback, but at 30, might just lack a yard of pace - Surman is unproven at international level and lacks Scylla Vyntra's club chemistry with Lienke Vesper, and an injury to Vyntra could prove devastating. Both first-choice central midfielders are exceptional players, but Rainsford's never been fast and, at 31, neither is Ashdown - pace down the spine could be an Achilles heel.

Prospects Anything less than the semifinals would be a disappointment.

Saintland
Karin Rietveld

Qualifying Run Comfortably topped a not-wholly convincing Group 1, nine points ahead of impressive runners-up Hasznia. Will be buoyed at having won the Strongnesse Trophy.

The Squad As always, an almost entirely domestically-based affair - veteran Century Mertagne midfielder Josephus Flaccus, formerly of South Laithland and AFC Treason, is the exception. For the first time, they were a mixed-sex side in the last Copa Rushmori, and the move paid dividends - they won the tournament.

Strengths The match against Nephara showed how this side can break teams down - they're devilishly hard to score against. The chemistry within the team is remarkable, and they have a way of finding a second wind to simply outlast opponents.

Weaknesses While the Sanctii have an excellent midfield for the most part they might find themselves lacking cutting edge, with Olivia Florius unproven up front - most of the danger stems from attacking midfielder Andreas Fadius, as distinct from the disgraced former prince Andreas. Underestimating his influence cost Nephara last time, so if Rainsford devotes herself to attacking him, that could blunt their attack.

Prospects Likely to get out of the group, but based on seeding, would be likely to meet a powerful Pasarga side in the next round. The Wanderers will be hungry for revenge, and should be strong enough to get it.

Abanhfleft
Patricia Steinbren

Qualifying Run Topped Group 4 with just 24 points, aided by poor performances from top seed Nova Anglicana who finished in 4th.

The Squad A relatively young squad with tight chemistry, mostly domestically-based. This particular side is all-male, thus losing the services of many capable players - forward Chelsea Stuart likely the best of them - leaving them thin in certain areas.

Strengths Very attack-minded, Potter and Kelvin are a strike partnership with a real eye for goal - a tight, attack-minded midfield is well-suited to feeding them, too. There's plenty of beef on the bench, too, with wunderkind Dagen and underdog story Lee very capable of being the X-Factor.

Weaknesses A nation with strong potential, Abanhfleft have perhaps been shackled by a couple of quirks. First off, the reluctance of their players to leave their sphere of influence for tougher leagues abroad, with only Eikborg Club's Kareem Dagen playing for a truly eye-catching club. Second, their insistence on only picking half of their national team for a given cycle - that said, past results seem to indicate their men are the tougher outfit, and they shouldn't be underestimated. And, for what it's worth, they've ditched their traditional blue, orange and green strips for a white home and a red away. When it comes to specific players, leftback Riedewald is considered unremarkable even within his own country, and Szalai (and Chromatika's Rien) could rip him apart.

Prospects A strong, solid side on their day who should acquit themselves well, but lacking the star quality to escape the group.

Chromatika
Gerry Stavros

Qualifying Run Deservedly overtook Flardania on the final matchday to edge them into second on goal difference. From there, went on to edge Sarrbia 3-2 on aggregate in the playoffs.

The Squad An eclectic, talented squad from a wide variety of regions, though Lisa Amos has announced her XI to take on Nephara - four of which have played in the Premiership or First Division. It's a very young squad, as well - in the squad, only Lucas, key to Armstrong's recent promotion, is in his 30s. The Anomalies are set on an upward trajectory, though the impact they can make on this tournament is uncertain.

Strengths Thorben between the posts is a key player for them and will undoubtedly be relied upon to keep it tight at the back. Technically adept and good at flowing, attractive football, the two supporting forwards in their Christmas Tree formation both have strong records for their countries and in Nephara - Antonio in particular is a genuine goal threat.

Weaknesses The Anomalies may struggle to hold down the centre of the park, lacking a real destroyer to compete in the area. If they narrow in the area to try and crowd out Ashdown and Rainsford, that leaves them outnumbered on the wings.

Prospects In their first World Cup, the Anomalies might be written off by some sources - but they have the look of a team who could edge their way into second place.

by **Audioslavia** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 6:23 am

"Frank... Frank what is that?"
"It's... it's a tradition"
"Frank, you're getting blu-tac all over the flock wallpaper"
"It'll only be up for a month, love"
"Frank it hardly matches the Vetrianos next to it"
"It's just for June and July, love"
"...and what's that pen doing balanced on the dado rail?"
"Well, that's kind of the point, see, you keep the poster up to date by..."
"Frank you're not running a pen along my $350 wallpaper"
"It's tradition, love"
"Well I've never seen you do it before"
"Well we were married after World Cup 74, so..."
"Ooh, yes, I remember, you made me wait until August until the wedding 'just in case' your stupid football team won the football"
"I mean, it's only once every four years. And it's Audioslavia. It's your football team too"
"...and everyone noticed the bump. And little Karsten was born only six months later, it was so obvious to everyone that we'd... that we'd... oh the shame of it, Frank, the shame of it, and if anyone sees that poster Frank. Oh, whatever will they think of us then?"
"We've got no fewer than five Jack Vetrianos on the wall, love, it's not as if they think we're the bastions of good taste anyway"
"Well I happen to think Mr. Vetriano is quite the tasteful artist. Certainly more tasteful than that... thing. Why is it green?"
"Colours of COCANEFA, love"
"Coke and Hay for? Coke and hay for what? You'll not give our pony any of that coke, she'll be off her udders, so she will"
"Love, it's not a pony, it's a horse, and horses don't have udders, and it's not a mare it's a stallion"
"I'll not have any of that blue language in my house, Frank, thank you very much"
"What, Stallion"?
"It's suggestive, that's what it is. Mind your beer, Frank, you'll spill it on the dilly-whotsits"
"It's not a dilly-whotsit, it's a doily, and if you can't bring yourself to say the word 'doily'..."
"Oh Frank, such language, not in front of the petunias, please, Frank..."
"For the last time, love, Petunias lack the capacity to get offended. Also, what's wrong with the word 'doily'?"
"Suggestive"
"How?"
"Because of what it covers up, Frank"
"Table legs?"
"Exactly. And I'll thank you not to refer to them in the house"
"Why? Why do you have to cover up table legs"
"Because! Frank! Because!"
"Because what?"
"Because they look like ruddy great big cocks so they do"
"but.... wait... Maud?!"
"I mean... er... oh now look what you've made me do. I've just gone and referred to hot swingy wangers in my own drawing room"
"Maud, why don't you have a lie down?"
"What, in a bed, what kind of woman do you think I am?!"
"Maud..."
"Oh, lord, I just said 'bed', this'll take some confession I tell you..."
"Maud.."
"Oh very well, I'll go lie down in the beddy-whotsit, I want that... thing... taken down. You'll not spoil my $350 flock wallpaper with your sportball papers. And since when did you get the Cathair Herald anyway? You better not've looked at those page three.... slatternymphs"
"Of course not. They stopped putting nude models on page three years ago"
"Oh, Frank, I wish you wouldn't use such language in the parlour..."
"I thought it was a drawing room?"
"Well not if it'll give you ideas of scrawling your mucky sport results all over my £350 flock wallpaper."
"It's a living room"
"It's nothing of the sort, Frank, we've been over this before. When you married me you married upwards, and we don't have living rooms in high society, nor anything as uncouth as a lounge either"
"We're hardly high society"
"Oh, Frank"
"We're in Oljestaden for christ sake. I work on an oil rig"
"Now, Frank, what have I told you, you're in the petroleum trade as an Aqua-Dextrous Pneumaticist , you can't just refer to yourself as some sort of perspirating rig-docker now that we're..."
"I climb ladders and fix pumps."
"Don't say 'pump' in the morning room, Frank, really..."
"Why?!"
"The petunias"
"But why is 'pump' suddenly a bad word?"
"because it brings to mind some sort of rampant... thrusting... sweaty.... oh Frank now look what you've made me say"
"...I can hear what I've made you say"
"Oh, Frank"
"and... Morning Room?"
"Don't ask questions Frank. Take that silly posted down and for heaven's sake don't scour the £360 flock wallpaper with your fingers. It cost $370 don't you know?"

With that, Maud departed. Frank looked up at the poster.

Every four years. Every four years since he'd been a little boy. During World Cup time. There had to be one of these on the wall. It wasn't a World Cup without one...

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 7:53 am

World Cup 75 Preview

Expectations soar ahead of Ko-oren's 9th World Cup. After partaking in 74, 72, 71, 70, 69, 66, 65 and 64, the team has never been in such a good position for a deep run. The team is coming off of a 10-1-1 qualification stage, before that we came second in the AOCAF, last World Cup we were in the final 16, and even before that the team won its first silverware in the Cup of Harmony.

The Round of 16 has been our end last time, against Nephara. The last time before then that the Dragonflies appeared in the knockouts was in World Cup 70, where Osarius had the better of us. Then came World Cup 69, against Audioslavia. The first time the team survived the group stage was in World Cup 66, against Eura.

Wait a second...

Last World champion was Nephara. In 70 it was Osarius. In 66 it was Eura. In 69 it actually wasn't Audioslavia, but they did make the final. In other words: we were in the knockouts four times, three times of which we played the later World champion, and in the remaining one we faced the losing finalist. In other cups, we had the tournament winner or losing finalist in the group. Maybe, just maybe, we survive the group this time, and maybe, just maybe, we won't get set up with a finalist. A look at our group this time isn't really calming our nerves: it's Eura again. And Brenecia and Frenline Delpha.

Eura
We are far from pleased Eura came rolling out of the draw again. It's the third time now, and the Euran team are known to go on a stupid far run when we're in their group. Like us, they play a packed midfield (4-5-1 instead of our 5-4-1 though) but their gameplan is entirely different from ours. Sinclair, Hughes and Sutton make up the attacking midfield of the team, at 32, 30 and 27 years old. Don't let age deceive you: all three are coming off of a great season and Sinclair even was player of the season in the Gold League. The defensive mids are Spartan and Rose at 34 and 27. The youngest players on the starting eleven is one of the 27 year olds (Sutton, Rose, but also Hancock and Ainsworth in defense).

What are we even supposed to say about this team. First in the world rankings, this feels like a rerun of World Cup [number here]. It's going to be a loss to us, Eura takes first in the group and will easily cruise into the final 4. Depending on if our bad luck holds, we face the tournament winner in the Round of 16 (if we get there) and we'll see Eura versus the team that eliminated us in the final. It's going to be one of these episodes, isn't it.

Brenecia
The reason we're being so apprehensive from calling our Round of 16 spot is Brenecia. First the story of this qualification: Brenecia squeaked by between a rock (keeping their old coach) and a hard place (getting a new one), choosing the hard place, and creeping into the World Cup after a 5-4 aggregate playoff score. The Patriots have plenty of storylines going into the World Cup, so we're going to try to give you a quick rundown: Brenecia is coming off of a bad streak and will look to impress once again, this time under a new coach: Raven Cullen. The starting defense, with the exception of Ophelia Lovelock, is among the 10 most capped players of the national team. However, the most capped player of them all is Catherine Purrington, who also needs just five goals to become the joint topscorer of the Patriots. From our sources, we gather she scored at least 2 goals during qualifying (Unified Sunrise Islands and Lymantatia), both very early in the campaign, and was scoreless afterwards. Just three more goals to become the nation's top scorer. Anyway, you guessed it, Brenecia has an old team. Some young people on the bench to spice it up, but it seems we can call Group F the old people group already.

Frenline Delpha
The Anacondas are most like us in the way they see the game. Yup, it's about winning and doing so defensively, no need to entertain the onlookers. Not much is known about this team, other than that they're from a group that also held West Angola, Osarius, Falatulu and Legalese. They kept the Firebirds out of the tournament, and that means that the Anacondas are immediately exempt from any criticism if they keep points off us.

Ko-oren
The Union of Ko-oren, as said, is up for its 9th World Cup campaign. At the hands of Bogdan Antonescu, the starting 11 are regularly changed over to allow young players a spot. Currently the team is the youngest on average of Group F, with 25-year-olds in goal, rightback and midfield. Claudia Macedo might be young, but she conceded the least goals of any team in qualifying, once again earning the Dragonflies the title of best defense in the World*. Tingzhe Chou barged into central defence and hasn't left, a fantastic find at Weiyao FC. Katherine Davenport hit 28 and that means her best years are, well, right now and should hold on for a while. The midfield is solid with Bagaurunir and Volkov as polar opposites, and Millet and Arevalo for young creative blood. Leroux has been the primary striker for the team for a while now, but still isn't far ahead of her colleagues Deerloonah and Löddy. Don't be surprised if Antonescu switches up the striker position.

Group E
The second round has Group F face Group E. It might be wise to take a very early look into that group - they have Audioslavia, who still possess a great team, and could go far towards the final. Eura and Audioslavia. The rest of Group E consists of the Unified Sunrise Islands, Matthewsiania and Banguela. Anyway, I can't get over that Eura/Audioslavia combo. Awesome. Maybe they'll even hit the finals together and we become an even more cursed team by losing to both finalists in one World Cup?

*Not really a thing

by **Electrum** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:36 am

OOC: Sorry for the short and not as well researched as I liked RP. Had a lot of stuff going on, still do...

Centralis Herald - Sports Section - Stewart Faraday

Unchanged team for World Cup 75

It is perhaps surprising that we've reached this far once again in the World Cup. After losing both matches to the Holy Phillipine Empire, a minnow team, and squandering the chance for automatic qualification to Semarland, we thought we would be done for. The Electrumite team was set to face off against Valladares, but as luck would have it, the Swordeans of The Sword Bloke misfiled their paperwork, and through the machinations of the World Cup Committee, Bonesea replaced them. As a result, the seeding being shifted, the Electrumites would instead face off against the Omericans, who were under massive internal strife due to a corruption trial and hooligan-like supporter body. Luckily, it was the singular goal from Fernando back in Electrum that sealed the 1-0 aggregate victory.

It really was a bittersweet victory. No one ever wants to eliminate a team, especially one that is fundamentally broken, and one that is demoralised. Captain Fernando, in the presser after the match said that, "It's never easy to see the other side struggling like that. I really do wish them well for the future, and hopefully they come back stronger than ever. It's not a good feeling once you realise that you were the reason that potentially they will never ever play again.

Jeffery Clark must have sighed a huge breath of relief. With his managerial job now secure, and with that, his selections for the national team are also secure. There are, as expected, no changes to the roster or the starting XI. The Electrumite national team is based on stability, and the set starting team would have a lot of time playing with each other, so they know how each of the other team member works, and there is a collective hive-mind or instinct around the team.

Now a new challenge presents itself. The team find themselves in Cosumar for Group G, drawn against San Jose Guayabal, Vilita, and Bonesea.

San Jose Guayabal: In the same group as Omerica, they were the automatic qualifiers. A largely successful qualification, and a largely successful team, with their players hailing from all of the well-known clubs from around the multiverse including goalkeeper Terrazas who plays for Izotz Zubia, Zelaya for Cathair 1830, etc. They are a class act and their ruthless efficiency in terms of converting corners into goals and other set pieces means that the defensive mettle of the Electrumites will be tested. Unfortunately, I just don't think the Electrumites can stand up to it, with the largely inexperienced Frances Lemona on goalkeeping duties, expect a blow-out loss here.

Vilita: Topped their own group as well, and expected to qualify, as well. The Jungle Cats are predicted to top their group, barring that, at least second place with San Jose Guayabal on top. There hasn't been much coverage about the Vilitan team so far during qualification, but they've had a 9-2-1 record, losing their sole match to Kirisaki. Perhaps Risa Shigaraki on the Electrumite team might talk to some of her contacts on the Kirisaki FA, but it's pretty clear that we probably won't get any points off them too. We're just too outclassed really.

Bonesea: The surprise packets of this tournament. Sneaking into this tournament based on the improper filing of documentation by the Swordeans, on the account of them not existing at all, they debuted in this cycle and have managed to live the dream that not many other nations get to do - get to the World Cup after the first cycle. They surprisingly flicked off Gregoryisgodistan during the playoffs too, meaning all the more chances of an upset loss inflicted onto the Electrumites by them. Uh yeah. The cautious pessimist in me sees us losing to them too. They defeated Gregoryisgodistan, then why not us? Who are we to deny their dream run anyways?

So that's my prediction. A 0-0-3 record. It's the best of a bad situation, and quite frankly, we should thank Margaret that we even managed to get this far, despite all the stuff-ups so far in qualification and a rather fortuitous draw in the playoffs. But at least we're in the World Cup. And at least Clark's job is secure (for now). And that's all that matters.

by **Trans-Dniesters** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:56 am

Living With the Loggers, Part Five

"Where's Britt?" Bisera asked as she stepped into the locker room.

"You just missed her," Indah Nystrom, Hunsen's captain, told her. "I don't think now is the right time to talk to her," she told the Pridnestrovian. "She's going through a lot right now, from what I heard when she came through here, and I don't think she wants to talk to anyone else right now in any case. Something about Erin, you know."

"Well, that's a shame," Bisera said. "Do you know where I can find her?"

"You never know with Britt, Bisera," Indah admitted. "Whenever she's emotional, she always goes where she thinks no one can see her be emotional, if that makes sense."

"All right," Bisera shrugged. "If you see her, tell me that I came here to talk to her."

But Indah didn't have to tell Britt that, because Bisera herself found Britt in the training ground, sitting down in the dugout where the manager and bench players usually sat. Britt had her knees up to her head, and she was covering her face with her arms. "Britt?" Bisera asked quietly.

Britt raised her head, and Bisera could see that she had been crying profusely for how much long she had been here. "Bisera, what are you doing here?" she asked in a voice strained by recent sobbing.

"I came here to tell you that I got in contact with some friends and people I know in Abanhfleft," Bisera replied. "They're willing to take a shot with you. They won't be making any offers for you yet, but they're going to send out some scouts to watch you play and assess you."

"Thank you for all that, Bisera, I really appreciate it," Britt said. "But you shouldn't have bothered. Aside from the fact that I don't want to go out of Upper Valeria anyway, I don't think my own father's going to let me play in our next game."

Bisera suddenly remembered what she had seen in Erik's office happening between him and Alysha, and she wondered if she should tell Britt, Erik's daughter, about it, but then she decided against it. Britt already had a lot on her mind, and Bisera wasn't going to add the problem of Britt's father and Alysha Hakala flirting with each other to Britt's troubles. "I'll talk to Erik if you want," Bisera said instead. "He'll probably listen to me, what with me being from the Democratic People's Republic of the United Socialist States of Pridnestrovia, after all."

"How do you even manage to remember all that, anyway?" Britt asked. "That has got to be the longest official name of a nation ever!"

"I'll say," Bisera agreed. "But once you figure it out, it's actually easy enough to remember, if you chunk it all up. Democratic, People's Republic, United, Socialist States, Pridnestrovia. See, easy as pie."

That got a short laugh from Britt, but then she went silent again, and Bisera found herself wanting to break the silence. "What's on your mind, Britt?" she asked. "What's troubling you?"

"You won't understand it, Bisera, you're not from here," Britt said.

"Try me," Bisera dared.

"This is not supposed to happen, okay?" Britt suddenly said, taking Bisera by surprise. "It's not acceptable here in Upper Valeria, but of course, I had to be the one to which it happened. I love Erin, okay? I'm attracted to her the way you're probably attracted to Rory Edwards or Valery Zolnerov."

It took a moment before Bisera was able to process what Britt had just told her. "You're attracted to Erin?" she asked. "As in, romantically attracted or just puppy love attracted?"

"I don't know!" Britt practically shouted. "But I do know that I'm going to die for her, and I'm gonna do my best to be always with her no matter where that takes me! And what's worse, Erin keeps trying to push me away! It's like she can't see the feelings that I have for her! Is she, like, stupid or what? Did her drugs affect her heart in whatever way? I just don't know!"

"Damn, girl," Bisera muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. "You've really got problems right there," she told Britt. "Now, I'm no love guru or anything, but I can see that there's a lot of unresolved shit going on between you and Erin. And you say that it's not acceptable to be lesbian or queer here in Valeria? Well, what a tough place. In Abanhfleft, nobody bats an eyelid anymore if you're LGBT or whatever, but then again, this ain't Abanhfleft. Eh, it's a real shame that I can't help you out more with that problem of yours, Britt. I can only help you in the football end of things. But remember this: if you want a shoulder to lean on, or an ear to talk to, I'm here."

Britt looked at Bisera and then squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Bisera," she said. "That means a lot, even for a foreigner from a socialist country like you."

Bisera was about to say that she was from Abanhfleft, not Pridnestrovia, but she wasn't in the mood to stress the distinction for the moment. "Also, I may be single, but I'm not available," she added.

This time Britt laughed longer and a little more honestly. "Yeah, I kinda got that vibe from you," she said.

ПРИДНЕСТРОВСКАЯ ЦЕНТРАЛЬНАЯ НОВОСТИ АГЕНЦИЯ
PRIDNESTROVSKAYA TSENTRALNAYA NOVOSTI AGENTSIYA
PRIDNESTROVIAN CENTRAL NEWS AGENCY

PRIDNESTROVIA MAKES HISTORY WITH ASTOUNDING 5-1 VICTORY OVER DAMUKUNI TO SEAL WORLD CUP SPOT!
By Gustav Tyumenov

The Pridnestrovian women's national football team celebrates their unprecedented and history-making victory against Damukuni right in front of Damukunian fans. The Red Army were triumphant over Damukuni by the scoreline of 5-1.

ATARASHII-DAMUSHUTO, DAMUKUNI - Pridnestrovia advances to the World Cup finals held in the region of Atlantian Oceania following a massive and historic result against Damukuni. The Red Army scored five goals against Damukuni's lone goal, and therefore they advanced to the World Cup by virtue of an aggregate score of 9 goals to 5.

Damukuni drew first blood with an early headed goal from Rich Willis following Joanna Dietrich's corner, but Bisera Haralampieva managed to return Pridnestrovia to an equal footing with a calculated strike from a tight angle which beat the Damukunian keeper, Raiden Tatsuyumi, due to the sheer audacity of the attempt.

And then things turned to Pridnestrovia's favor courtesy of Irina Pavlyuchenko's left-footed volleyed strike, which came about from a moment of opportunism when Garth Catanese's miscalculated clearance ended up right at the Sarvusdalamoive Ladies striker's feet. Pavlyuchenko showed her quality as a player when she sent the ball through a crowd of players from both sides until meeting the back of the net.

Pavlyuchenko then began to turn what was a possible Pridnestrovian victory into a Damukunian rout when she headed in the cross from Haralampieva, and then Aygül Kartal compounded Damukunian troubles by scoring another header from Tanya Poroshenko's corner kick.

And when Pavlyuchenko was brought down in the box by Nicole Statham's needless and rash challenge, resulting in the referee giving the penalty in favor of the Red Army, the Pridnestrovian victory and Damukuni defeat was well and truly confirmed. Irina Pavlyuchenko took home the match ball after sending Tatsuyumi the wrong way with her right-footed shot, completing her perfect hat trick.

Pridnestrovian women's national football team manager Yakov Chernenko: The nation's biggest football games are about to come with the World Cup

Pridnestrovian women's national football team manager Yakov Chernenko: "This is a very unexpected moment for all of us. We are still trying to absorb the meaning of the moment. We did not expect such a massive victory against Damukuni. At most, we expected a draw or at most, a penalty shootout. If we won, it was probably by just a goal. But not like this.

"Now we go to the World Cup. We are going to be up against some of the multiverse's best sides, and all we can do is play our best game and hope that we can keep up with them."

   DAMUKUNI 1 - 5 PRIDNESTROVIA
WILLIS (3')       HARALAMPIEVA (39')
                  PAVLYUCHENKO (56', 67', 80' pen)
                  KARTAL (71')

PRIDNESTROVIA
GK: 01 Kirilenko
RB: 02 Shevchenko (Utkina - 65')
RCB: 03 Gevorgian
LCB: 04 Tymoshenko
LB: 05 Artyomova (Kartal - 61')
RDM: 06 Shostakovich
LDM: 07 Feltzer (Kundakçi - 83')
RW: 08 Hedervary
CAM: 10 Poroshenko
LW: 23 Haralampieva
CF: 09 Pavlyuchenko

DAMUKUNI
GK: 36 Tatsuyumi
RB: 09 Willis
CB: 08 Matterhorn (Tanaka - 70')
LB: 04 Catanese (Shizumi - 70')
DM: 65 Lano-Hartman
RW: 22 Dietrich
RCM: 16 Butler
LCM: 12 Statham
LW: 47 Shiinato (Rose - 90+1')
RS: 74 Vayne
LS: 35 Mizayaki

MATCH STATS
Possession
Damukuni: 51%
Pridnestrovia: 49%
Shots
Damukuni: 11 (4 on target)
Pridnestrovia: 10 (7 on target)
Corners
Damukuni: 6
Pridnestrovia: 4
Fouls
Damukuni: 17
Pridnestrovia: 16

by **Vilita** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:30 am

World Cup 75 Qualifying Summary

Jungle Cats ease through Group 6, Headed for Calania!

Tivali Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra, Vilita :: After a disappointing performance during World Cup 74, Vilitan fans were looking for a sign that their team would return to their previous form and once again become a World Cup contender.

They got their sign at the Tivali Ring Stadium in Alikki-Corra on the very first matchday when a team with the heritage of Ferrets held them to a surprise draw. While the Ferret Civilization was ranked a full 4 pots behind the Jungle Cats at the time of the match, they were equals on the day and were up to the challenge of fulfilling the long-standing Vilitan prophecy of dropping points on the opening matchday of qualifying to a lower-ranked opponent.

Most pundits and fans alike agreed that the draw with the Ferret Civilization was the best possible outcome and would send the Jungle Cats on a clear path to Audioslavia & Krytenia.

And they seemed to be right.

Vilita [2] - [2] Ferret Civilization

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 44' Tripate Falcon
:: 52' Jirijii Januaa

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 51%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 13

:: Ferret Civilization Statistics ::
:: Possession: 49%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 7

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Ferret Civilization ::
[GK]Cilamara Issah, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Linkat Cjinder, [D.]Monner Vileai, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Tripate Falcon, [MC]Lopaki Kilpter, [MC] Serabi Chamya, [MR] Westii Yahaya, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [FC]Kiliko Riazen
BENCH::
[FC]Perran Adlani, [FC]Linvoi Warazil, [M]Karisto Monafog, [M]Cavuna Aquafek, [U ]Arocki Tadalek, [D]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [GK]Zelkki Milake

After the draw with the Ferret Civilization, the Jungle Cats began to run riot on Group 6. While they didn't have their defensive corps in order, the offense came out guns blazing on Matchday two agaisnt Kirisaki with Vilita's attack of the future becoming their attack of today. After Jirijii Januaa opened the scoring from an early corner, Kirisaki would equalize. However, controlling the majority of the possession, it was only a matter of time before the Jungle Cats got back in front and they did so in the 78th minute thanks to a daring bit of skill from the Yeaddin Owls starlet Tenziki Kulakao. Substitute Jyuola Mtalata put the game out of reach and set the Jungle Cats off on their course.

The third match of the campaign was not terribly impressive from the Jungle Cats, a slim 2-1 victory over the Island Formerly Known as Tasmania but it marked the first goal of the campaign for Polaox Torerun who many expect to become the next Vilitan Star after the young midfielder led the Turoki Tide to the Vilitan League 49 title.

Vilita [3] - [1] Kirisaki

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 18' Jirijii Januaa
:: 78' Tenziki Kulakao
:: 84' Jyuola Mtalata

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 61%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 12

:: Kirisaki Statistics ::
:: Possession: 39%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 11

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Kirisaki ::
[GK]Kalek Intafel, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Arocki Tadalek, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.] Mileke Drokasorna, [ML] Vliela Lianksa, [MC]Westii Yahaya, [MC] Lopaki Kilpter, [MR] Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [FC]Tenziki Kulakao
BENCH::
[FC]Sipke Tarala, [FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [M]Jyuola Mtalata, [M]Cavuna Aquafek, [U ]Purapal Eskiiy, [D]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [GK]Zelkki Milake

Vilita [2] - [1] The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 35' Endur Rotropii
:: 51' Polaox Torerun

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 56%
:: Shots on Target: 8
:: Corner Kicks: 15

:: The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania Statistics ::
:: Possession: 44%
:: Shots on Target: 3
:: Corner Kicks: 7

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania ::
[GK]Kalek Intafel, [D.]Monner Vileai, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [ML] Serabi Chamya, [MC] Polaox Torerun, [MC]Vliela Lianksa, [MC] Karisto Monafog, [MR] Purapal Eskiiy, [FC]Tenziki Kulakao, [FC]Perran Adlani
BENCH::
[FC]Kaivel Illatara, [FC]Sipke Tarala, [M]Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [M]Westii Yahaya, [U ]Kiliko Riazen, [D]Arocki Tadalek, [GK]Cilamara Issah

The Jungle Cats returned to action against the not-quite Peter's of Szavoda and once again snuck through with a 2-1 victory but ran out with all three points. Despite the slim advantage on the scoreline the result never looked in doubt as Sipke Tarala emphatically stuck a dagger in Szavoda just 30 seconds into the match. Karisto Monafog doubled the advantage at the half before the home side recorded a consolation goal late in the second half.

Tarala struck again in Kylxian fashion as the Jungle Cats returned home to face Dainer; once again finding the back of the net inside the first minute and setting the tone for Vilita. This time, however, his teammates responded in full force and the Jungle Cats had netted four times by the half time interval, sending a clear message to all of their group 6 opponents, eventually closing the deal with a 5-2 victory much to the delight of the home fans.

The Jungle Cats closed out the first half of qualifying with a 4-1 victory over New Dukaine in a match where they had appeared to have lost a little bit of the edge from the big home victory the matchday before. With 20 minutes left in the match and the scoreline level at one a piece it looked like it would be a tense away finish. Instead, the Jungle Cats snapped to life with Purapal Eskiiy, Westii Yahaya and Vliela Lianksa running the New Dukainian fans out of the stands and cementing the Jungle Cats near-perfect record in the first half and commanding their place atop the Group 6 table halfway to Audioslavia and Krytenia.

Vilita [2] - [1] Szavoda

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 1' Sipke Tarala
:: 40' Karisto Monafog

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 58%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 4

:: Szavoda Statistics ::
:: Possession: 42%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 8

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Szavoda ::
[GK]Cilamara Issah, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Monner Vileai, [ML] Karisto Monafog, [MC] Purapal Eskiiy, [MC]Westii Yahaya, [MC] Polaox Torerun, [MR] Cywrenta Vlintejni, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [FC]Sipke Tarala
BENCH::
[FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Kiliko Riazen, [M]Tripate Falcon, [M]Vliela Lianksa, [U ]Jyuola Mtalata, [D]Arocki Tadalek, [GK]Kalek Intafel

Vilita [5] - [2] Dainer

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 1' Sipke Tarala
:: 20' Karisto Monafog
:: 30' Purapal Eskiiy
:: 35' Kwuimekii Hentetii
:: 68' Nili Ylimaiina

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 61%
:: Shots on Target: 15
:: Corner Kicks: 6

:: Dainer Statistics ::
:: Possession: 39%
:: Shots on Target: 9
:: Corner Kicks: 9

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Dainer ::
[GK]Cilamara Issah, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [ML] Karisto Monafog, [MC] Purapal Eskiiy, [MC]Vliela Lianksa, [MC] Tripate Falcon, [MR] Jyuola Mtalata, [FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Sipke Tarala
BENCH::
[FC]Tenziki Kulakao, [FC]Linvoi Warazil, [M]Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [M]Serabi Chamya, [U ]Berali Tzufarei, [D]Monner Vileai, [GK]Kalek Intafel

Vilita [4] - [1] New Dukaine

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 39' Tripate Falcon
:: 75' Purapal Eskiiy
:: 78' Westii Yahaya
:: 81' Vliela Lianksa

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 65%
:: Shots on Target: 10
:: Corner Kicks: 14

:: New Dukaine Statistics ::
:: Possession: 35%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 10

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. New Dukaine ::
[GK]Kalek Intafel, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [D.]Mileke Drokasorna, [ML] Vliela Lianksa, [MC] Tripate Falcon, [MC]Jurzen Devmiko, [MC] Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [MR] Purapal Eskiiy, [FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Tenziki Kulakao
BENCH::
[FC]Kiliko Riazen, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [M]Westii Yahaya, [M]Serabi Chamya, [U ]Linkat Cjinder, [D]Jirijii Januaa, [GK]Zelkki Milake

While the Jungle Cats, now with one foot firmly placed into the World Cup finals needing only to hold true to their firm to stamp their ticket, may have felt they owed a thank you to the Ferret Civilization for holding them to the self-motivating draw they needed to spark their unbeaten run - they weren't about to thank them on the pitch.

So when the Vilita National Team travelled to the Ferret Civilization to kick off the second half of qualifying, there was nothing amicable about their intentions. Having been well and fully sparked, the Jungle Cats once again raced off and made their intentions clear with Cavuna Aquafek and Endur Rotropii getting on the scoresheet inside five minutes. By the half-hour mark goals from Linkat Cjinder and Kiliko Riazen had put the Jungle Cats up 4-0 and the Ferrets had barely a sniff of possession, no less a shot on goal.

Things calmed down near the half time interval and the Ferrets were actually able to convert a pair of counter attacks that left some questioning whether Zelkki Milake was still the right face between the sticks for the Jungle Cats.

However, the relentless barrage of corner kicks earned by the Jungle Cats were eventually too much for the Ferret Civilization to handle and Vilita added another pair of goals to cap off a three match stretch where they outscored their opposition 15-5.

Vilita [6] - [2] Ferret Civilization

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 2' Cavuna Aquafek
:: 4' Endur Rotropii
:: 16' Linkat Cjinder
:: 26' Kiliko Riazen
:: 68' Berali Tzufarei
:: 84' Serabi Chamya

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 71%
:: Shots on Target: 11
:: Corner Kicks: 23

:: Ferret Civilization Statistics ::
:: Possession: 29%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 10

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Ferret Civilization ::
[GK]Zelkki Milake, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.]Arocki Tadalek, [D.]Monner Vileai, [D.] Linkat Cjinder, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC]Cavuna Aquafek, [MC] Purapal Eskiiy, [MR] Lopaki Kilpter, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [FC]Kiliko Riazen
BENCH::
[FC]Linvoi Warazil, [FC]Fishtii Blikala, [M]Serabi Chamya, [M]Jyuola Mtalata, [U ]Kamarul Zaman, [D]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [GK]Kalek Intafel

Just as the Jungle Cats had hit their top form, however, they fell to an unexpected home defeat at the hands of Kirisaki. The 1-2 reversal was never really a close match as Karisto Monafog's consolation goal came in stoppage time - giving the remaining Vilitan fans something small to cheer about before heading home. While possession was shared Kirisaki had the better chances as the Jungle Cats looked as if they had lulled themselves into a false sense of confidence against a string of lower ranked opposition and were not fully in the right mindset to square off against a well prepared Kirisaki side who ended the Jungle Cats unbeaten campaign record and put a dent in Vilita's hopes of clinching early their place in the World Cup 75 finals.

Vilita [1] - [2] Kirisaki

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 90' Karisto Monafog

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 54%
:: Shots on Target: 3
:: Corner Kicks: 2

:: Kirisaki Statistics ::
:: Possession: 46%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 7

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Kirisaki ::
[GK]Zelkki Milake, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Arocki Tadalek, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.] Monner Vileai, [ML] Tripate Falcon, [MC]Lopaki Kilpter, [MC] Serabi Chamya, [MR] Cavuna Aquafek, [FC]Berali Tzufarei, [FC]Kiliko Riazen
BENCH::
[FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Fishtii Blikala, [M]Westii Yahaya, [M]Karisto Monafog, [U ]Kaivel Illatara, [D]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [GK]Kalek Intafel

It would be a defining moment for the Jungle Cats as they travelled to the lost land of the Island Formelry Known as Tasmania. Would they slide back into the grips of their opponents and face a contested battle for World Cup Qualification? Or would they rebound strongly and assert their position as Group 6's rightful winners and qualifiers?

Luckily for Vilitan fans, the answer would emphatically be the latter.

The five-star Jungle Cats secured their most complete victory of the campaign with even the defense stepping up - not allowing a single Tasmanian shot from inside the 18 yard box. The goals came prominently from the midfield for the Jungle Cats with the forwards playing smart holding ball and the attacking midfielders coming through and collecting for a finish full of technique instead of going to smash-and-dash route that they had earlier in the campaign.

The 5-0 result was also the first clean sheet of the campaign for the Jungle Cats.

They would, however, have a fight on their hands the following matchday when they squared off against Szavoda and went down 0-2 at the half - the fans at the Turoki Community Complex wondering if they had picked the wrong day to come see their National Team play.

The Jungle Cats would re-gain some form in the second half but were unable to fully overcome the deficit - goals from substitue Nuola Brenzil and squad leader Purapal Eskiiy could only secure a point for the home side.

Vilita [5] - [0] The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 11' Jirijii Januaa
:: 27' Monner Vileai
:: 37' Vliela Lianksa
:: 49' Purapal Eskiiy
:: 63' Lopaki Kilpter

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 71%
:: Shots on Target: 11
:: Corner Kicks: 8

:: The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania Statistics ::
:: Possession: 29%
:: Shots on Target: 3
:: Corner Kicks: 2

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. The Island Formerly Known as Tasmania ::
[GK]Zelkki Milake, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Monner Vileai, [D.]Kwuimekii Hentetii, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Purapal Eskiiy, [MC]Vliela Lianksa, [MC] Lopaki Kilpter, [MR] Cavuna Aquafek, [FC]Kiliko Riazen, [FC]Kaivel Illatara
BENCH::
[FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Perran Adlani, [M]Jyuola Mtalata, [M]Tinjus Mngomeni, [U ]Linvoi Warazil, [D]Endur Rotropii, [GK]Cilamara Issah

Vilita [2] - [2] Szavoda

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 60' Nuola Brenzil
:: 76' Purapal Eskiiy

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 53%
:: Shots on Target: 8
:: Corner Kicks: 11

:: Szavoda Statistics ::
:: Possession: 47%
:: Shots on Target: 4
:: Corner Kicks: 8

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Szavoda ::
[GK]Zelkki Milake, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.]Arocki Tadalek, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Purapal Eskiiy, [MC]Tripate Falcon, [MC] Vliela Lianksa, [MR] Cywrenta Vlintejni, [FC]Nili Ylimaiina, [FC]Berali Tzufarei
BENCH::
[FC]Kaivel Illatara, [FC]Nuola Brenzil, [M]Westii Yahaya, [M]Jurzen Devmiko, [U ]Linkat Cjinder, [D]Mileke Drokasorna, [GK]Kalek Intafel

With just two matches left, the Jungle Cats were already starting to prepare for Audioslavia and Krytenia. One of the concerns that they did have was a lack of production from their forwards in the second half of the campaign. Coming out in a 3-5-2 formation against Dainer however, the emphasis on production seemed to once gain be on the midfield and Va'a-Rio Kiwavn opened the scoring with a 25 yard screamer that the Daineri netminder could do absolutely nothing about.

They finally did get some production from up front when Kiliko Riazen tapped in a cross from Polaox Torerun at the far post just before the hour mark, but there were still some concerns and doubts about who the Jungle Cats top pairing would be once they got to Audioslavia & Krytenia.

Keeping his second clean sheet of the campaign, however, it seemed clear that Zelkki Milake would be the #1 in goal for the Jungle Cats. In fact, it would be the last appearance of qualifying for Milake who was given a rest in the last match of qualifying, replaced by Cilamara Issah.

Issah performed well in a match that likely solidified him as the #2 on the depth chart for the finals, conceding just one goal in a 2-1 victory over New Dukaine to wrap up qualifying. The late game winner from Kiliko Riazen may have been enough to secure the former Alikki-Corra trainee's place in the Jungle Cats top attacking pairing for the finals but the coaching staff would have plenty of names to choose from after not settling on a single pairing for any length of time during the qualifiers.

Vilita [2] - [0] Dainer

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 18' Va'a-Rio Kiwavn
:: 54' Kiliko Riazen

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 60%
:: Shots on Target: 4
:: Corner Kicks: 4

:: Dainer Statistics ::
:: Possession: 40%
:: Shots on Target: 3
:: Corner Kicks: 7

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Dainer ::
[GK]Zelkki Milake, [D.]Jirijii Januaa, [D.]Monner Vileai, [D.]Mileke Drokasorna, [ML] Polaox Torerun, [MC] Jyuola Mtalata, [MC]Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [MC] Serabi Chamya, [MR] Dalian Magagula, [FC]Kiliko Riazen, [FC]Berali Tzufarei
BENCH::
[FC]Kaivel Illatara, [FC]Fishtii Blikala, [M]Vliela Lianksa, [M]Purapal Eskiiy, [U ]Arocki Tadalek, [D]Endur Rotropii, [GK]Kalek Intafel

Vilita [2] - [1] New Dukaine

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 39' Tripate Falcon
:: 83' Kiliko Riazen

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 57%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 2

:: New Dukaine Statistics ::
:: Possession: 43%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 10

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. New Dukaine ::
[GK]Cilamara Issah, [D.]Endur Rotropii, [D.]Arocki Tadalek, [D.]Monner Vileai, [ML] Purapal Eskiiy, [MC] Karisto Monafog, [MC]Tripate Falcon, [MC] Va'a-Rio Kiwavn, [MR] Jurzen Devmiko, [FC]Kiliko Riazen, [FC]Perran Adlani
BENCH::
[FC]Linvoi Warazil, [FC]Tenziki Kulakao, [M]Lopaki Kilpter, [M]Tinjus Mngomeni, [U ]Westii Yahaya, [D]Jirijii Januaa, [GK]Upsin Ajaara

The Jungle Cats would end the qualifying campaign seven points clear of the Ferret Civilization who incredibly scraped together enough points to finish second in the group after a wholly disappointing performance overall from Kirisaki - with the notable exception of the one victory over the Jungle Cats.

The Ferret Civilization would end up falling 4-5 in the playoffs to Savalen meaning that the Jungle Cats would be the only representatives advancing to the World Cup Finals from Group 6, a fact that would likely not come as a surprise to any pundits who would, in hindsight, likely assess that Group 6 was overall one of the weaker groups of the 20 in the draw and certainly one of the least exciting with only the Jungle Cats truly showing up from start to finish.

It was a stark turn-around for the Jungle Cats who had just one campaign earlier had to contest the single most epic playoff pairing in modern Vilitan history - having to oust non other than The Holy Empire in order to advance to the World Cup Finals - a playoff matchup that - once it was over - felt like a World Cup Finals triumph in itself, and likely drained all the energy out of the Vilitan's resulting in their poor showing in the finals.

Now, having skated through the second half of qualifying without any real threat to their advancement, the Jungle Cats should be well rested and prepared to take on the World - looking to claim the World Cup title on Calania for a third time.

by **Eura** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:38 am

Under normal circumstances one must travel to a great height to experience the sensation of a noticeable change of atmosphere pressure, marked by a ping or possibly even greater pain in the ears and a distortion of sound and air. It is possible though to experience this underground too, especially within the deep cavernous storage and “survival” chambers that underwrote the vast defences of the DZ. Thousands of soldiers had spent years eating, sleeping, training, shitting and stirring in this environment and you could tell from the smell. Monty was well aware of this, and he had made explicit references to it in his latest narration for the radio version of this series. ‘The pits as they call them, these vast underground barracks designed to survive being trapped down here for those lucky enough to reach them, have a very definitive pungency. It’s the smell of sweat, the smell of frustration at being locked away and all sorts of behaviour that keeps the troops ticking over. It’s almost as bad as it is up top.’ Rowan flicked off the switch on the recorder and smiled back at his boss. ‘That was great! The way sound travels in here is amazing, makes your voice so much more impressive.’ Monty found it hard not to be slighted by the last bit of that comment, but he knew Rowan had the social subtlety of a sledgehammer so he let it slide.

The entire team had gathered down here for an unusual set of final tasks. They were written exercises, concerning everything from disciplinary procedure to the values and objectives for the proud men and women of the Euran Army. Ever since the second “Shut In” of Monty Kat and Rowan’s stay of now many months was prolonged to two months (almost certainly an attempt to test their patience and nerve), Third Platoon and indeed their entire company had been forced to find things to do. One of those personnel in this platoon of fifty men was Private Jones, from Fourth Section. Kat was helping him revise on the chain of command. ‘Ok, so this platoon; who leads it?’
‘Lieutenant Brown is CO, commanding four sections of ten and nine other staff.’
‘And what goes above that?’
‘Uh, I’m not sure. I don’t know.’ Jones dipped his head and looked down at the floor. Green might have not had much confidence, but Jones had no confidence and made it worse by not being very bright. Or rather, he wasn’t on the face of it. Kat got the best out of him and she knew it. ‘Come on now, you know this. You know the entire structure.’
‘The company structure! Five platoons!’ This was fairly elementary and easy to understand, but sometimes Jones would get himself in a state trying to work out something simple and then forget everything else. ‘We are part of Echo Company, which is led by Captain Dean.’
‘Close, think again.’ Jones furrowed his brow trying to think of the answer.

Mace appeared at this point, intrigued by the 18 year old’s struggle to remember who his bosses were. ‘No, Major Williams!’
‘Yes! Now tell me the rest, I know you know it.’
‘Right, and the five companies plus BHQ form First Battalion, so just over thirteen of us.’ Mace laughed and gave Jones a playful clip around the ear. ‘Thirteen hundred, you mean.’
‘Yeah, right, I knew that! Battalion is led by Colonel Wattlove, and forms part of the Second Regiment under Brigadier Allen and then the 8th Division, which is 21,000 strong or something.’
‘What does that make up then?’ For a moment, Jones sat in silence staring up at the ceiling, looking increasingly worried. ‘Jones? Not a hard one this.’ The light bulb above him flicked on both literally and metaphorically as he bellowed out the answer. ‘The Corps! The 5th General Infantry Corps, 210,000 people, run by General Harrison from Bleak Valley!’ The entire section sat around him erupted in one big cheer for their dimmest member. Some even exchanged a bit of money, having discreetly made bets while Mace wasn’t looking. Kat simply sat back and smiled at the now vindicated Private Jones. ‘Told you that the answers were all there, didn’t I?’
‘H-h-hey, thank you! You all keep saying I’m dumb, she believes me though!’
‘Oh no, you’re still dumb’ They laughed again. Times were good, even during a Shut In. Even Lieutenant Brown, sat a few tables away in what was effectively a makeshift cafeteria, let a wry smile creep up onto his face. It was one of the few times Kat had seen much humanity from the guy.

As soon as their laughter had stopped, everything went dead. Every light in the room, every bit of machinery that was plugged in somewhere and the cookers in the galley area all went in an instant. A couple of cries rang out as people tripped over obstacles and reacted to what had happened. Then the emergency lighting came on, as did the standalone power generator that backed up the ventilation in times like this. Monty yelled out in frustration as his stream to the national news went dead on one of the laptops. ‘What the fuck just happened! I’m trying to follow the news. The Population Density Act vote is about to commence and then Eura are playing in the evening, what the hell? I’ve got a final writeup to do!’ He stood up and walked over to the next chamber to see if they’d lost power too. Kat was concerned, as they were supposed to be leaving within a matter of days. It was a bad time for a holdup. Huddled together in a small group, they searched around for torches and other disposable light sources, before making their way out towards the assembly area on the next floor. The whole group were a bit of a mess as they poured upstairs in a not very military-like unorderly fashion. It was there that they found three engineers by what essentially a large fuse box. Lieutenant Brown strode to the front of the group. ‘Can you get the power back on? How long do we have to wait?’
‘We can’t get it back on.’ There was a stunned silence. ‘Well, what do you mean? Do we leave or what?’ One of the engineers shook his head solemnly. ‘I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It’s not the fuses or anything, it’s the source. The whole line is offline. It’s like someone cut the cable.’ Monty looked away in disgust and went to unpack his travel bag, as they would not be leaving any time soon.

by **Pasarga** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 12:39 pm

Torgos Tribune ~ Wanderers Aim High

The Wanderers have landed in Mertagne in Northern Calania in preparation for the World Cup that is set to begin in Krytenia and all around COCANEFA next week. Retaining their third spot in the post qualifying WCC rankings, the Wanderers are among the favorites to win the trophy and if recent history is to be believed, the champion of the tournament is as like as not to come from the first pot. However do not be surprised if a second pot or third pot team manages to make a deep run or even wind up in the Final itself, for although the champions have tended to be among the top teams heading into the tournament, there is always one or two surprises that seem to throw groups and brackets all out of whack. The Wanderers will be hoping to be that first seed that rides the strength of their players all the way to the Final and make it four Final appearances in the last five tournaments.

If they are going to do that however, they are going to have to contend with a group full of up and coming nations that are looking to make their mark in the World Cup, though the Wanderers are the clear and away favorite to advance from the group. The most difficult of challenges will come from Barunia, the second seed who has been in the World Cup a few times now and knows just how much pressure and intensity comes with playing in the Finals compared to the Qualifiers. Barunia is a mid tier second seed and finished with the same record as the Wanderers in qualifying, with ten wins and a single loss and draw each, finishing as the group winners in Group 15, ahead of Gregoryisgodistan and Taeshan. They proved to be quite a balanced side and a dominant one at that during the qualifiers, averaging nearly two and a half goals a game and conceding just under one. The match between the two on the second matchday will be one that the neutrals will no doubt be salivating about, though there are a few more flashier fixtures on that matchday.

The last matchday fixture is not exactly an easy go of it either, as it is non other than our fellow Rushmoris in Ceni, the strongest of the third pot teams. Ceni finished the Qualifiers with an unbeaten record in Group 16, with eleven wins and a sole draw, triumphing over a rather poor Turori squad and a Jeruselem side that somehow lucked into the second spot because of Turori's poor performance. Ceni is an offensive powerhouse this cycle, with firepower that has been developed in their league as some of our own players have seen with the likes of Pinnacle Project. Ceni can be had on the back end if you are able to withstand their furious attacking prowess, and that is what the Wanderers will be wanting to do to a tee. Their matchday three match could have all the makings of a winner take all, depending on if Barunia is able to replicate their qualifying form or not.

First though is Ficisia, a relatively new face on the international footballing scene but they have been quite a force in their few campaigns in the World Cup thus far. Having navigated the playoffs and been quite a thorn in the side of their fellow group mates last cycle, you can tell that they have the wherewithal to be able to hand with squads with their first eleven. The question comes down to their depth and if when injuries of substitutions need to be made if they can keep up with the better sides in the group. Their ice hockey team has shown that they are a people who are proud, skilled, and not to be underestimated with their quick success in the World Cup of Hockey. Now their footballing side looks to replicate that success but their lack of experience should ultimately be their downfall and the key for the Wanderers to be able to outlast the resistance that they look to give in the first game. Getting three points is required here for the Wanderers to get off on the right foot and they have a squad with plenty of high level experience with WC Finals, CR Finals, and UICA runs that should have them steeled for this challenge and the aim of making it to the Final once more.

by **Saintland** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 12:49 pm

World Cup 75: Preview

(SP) The 75th World Cup Finals are finally upon us and the Sanctii National Team have been drawn into an impressive Group of Death also featuring the likes of defending champs Nephara and a promising Abanhfleft side. They come into this World Cup holding the Copa Rushmori trophy and the Strongnesse trophy and, now that bizarre changes in geography has made them ineligible to enter any future Copa Rushmoris, they are effectively the permanent holder of the trophy. Hopes run high for a side that has now qualified for 8 out of the past 10 World Cups, but which has exited in the Round of 16 a grand total of 5 times, having been defeated by the likes of Polar Islandstates, The Holy Empire, Audioslavia, Quebec and San Jose Guayabal in Round of 16 matches over the years. "We are looking forward to the chance to prove to ourselves and to the multiverse that we can make it past the Round of 16 at the World Cup. But to get there, we must first prove that we can hold our own against three very capable sides, all three of whom have a legitimate chance to win it all. We have all the respect in the multiverse for our opponents in this group, but we're here to prove beyond any doubt that we're better than them." - Olivia Florius

Group E

We will start our preview of World Cup 75 by covering the teams that are competing on what would traditionally be the Audioslavian side of the Cup. However, as a grand total of 10 nations throughout Atlantian Oceania will be hosting the Group Stage, it can't truly be called that. However, this is undoubtedly the Audioslavian group as it will be contested there and will feature the legendary hosts as the headliner of the group. The Bulls of Audioslavia are one of the greatest sides in the history of the World Cup, having won World Cups 63 and 64, but also having lost the finals of World Cups 12, 19, 20, 29, 67 and 69. They also finished third at World Cup 66, the last one at which they automatically qualified as a host. They have hosted World Cups 7, 25 and 66 and are a co-host of this World Cup. They also won Baptism of Fire 46 and are 3-time former AOCAF champions. This particular Audioslavian side has been untested in WCC competitive matches during the current cycle, by virtue of having qualified automatically, but they finished 4th at World Cup 73 and are currently ranked 4th in the KPB rankings. We believe Audioslavia have to be one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to win it all this time around.

The second side in this group is the Unified Sunrise Islands. The Sunrise Islands are two-time runners up of the Campionato Esportiva and this cycle is the 15th time they have entered World Cup qualifying. They have never finished in the top 3 at a WCC-sanctioned event, but have won several youth championships. After failing to qualify in their first 6 cycles and only coming remotely close at qualifying for World Cup 65, they narrowly beat out the Sylvanaes Queendom for a spot in the World Cup 67 playoffs. They would defeat Ossidiacqua handily. They did not make it out of the World Cup group stage until World Cup 69, when Antoletia knocked them out in the Round of 16. They would also make it to the Round of 16 of World Cup 70 and would be knocked out there as well. Although they've qualified for 9 consecutive World Cups, they have 6 group stage exits, including such exits at the past 4 World Cups. In Qualifying, they coasted to 11 out of 12 wins in an especially weak group featuring underperforming sides from Brenecia and Yttribia and a Lymantatian team that almost made it to the playoffs. Despite coming in ranked 16th and as the second seed in this group, they don't look to be significantly better than past iterations of the Sunrise Islands national team.

Matthewsiania is the third seed in this group and finally qualified for their first World Cup in their 5th attempt. Last cycle, they barely edged out Krytenia for a spot in the playoffs before being defeated by the Unified Sunrise Islands. This time around, they won Group 10 with a mere 21 points after The Holy Empire choked at home against Ethane on the final matchday of Qualifying. They finished third at the 58th BoF and third at last cycle's Cup of Harmony, but we believe that their ceiling is not particularly higher than that of the Sunrise Islands. They come into this World Cup ranked 37th.

The fourth side in this group is a Banguela, who come in ranked 38th in the current KPB rankings. Banguela were a surprise qualifier last cycle, shocking The Sarian to make the playoffs then pulling off a huge upset against Zenic to qualify in only their second cycle. Although they lost all 3 of the World Cup finals matches to Audioslavia, the Sunrise Islands and the Sanctii respectively, they showed quite a bit of potential in those losses and won a fairly tough group at the most recent CE in convincing fashion with a 5-1-0 record against the likes of the Northern Sunrise and the Anglatians. In Qualifying, they actually managed to pull off a victory in Nephara, an extremely impressive feat, before seeing Ethane off in the playoffs. We would not be surprised to see them make it out of this group.

Group F

Group F, jointly hosted by Schiavonia and Legalese, will be a particularly interesting group even though it is all but a foregone conclusion that #1 Eura will win this group. The champions of World Cups 66 and 73 and runners-up of World Cups 60 and 72, Eura finished 3rd at the last World Cup and come into this one expecting to make it back to the semi-finals yet again. This is their 22nd consecutive World Cup cycle, although they did not qualify for their first World Cup until their 7th cycle. However, they finished second at that World Cup and have now qualified for 16 consecutive Cups. As usual, they had no difficulties in Qualifying as they made it through all 12 matches without a single defeat. They have to be one of the favorites to win it all and would likely prefer to avoid a Round of 16 match with the Audioslavia Bulls at all costs.

Joining them in this group will be Ko-oren, who come into this World Cup ranked 13th and hoping to make it past the Round of 16 this time, where they were knocked out by Nephara last time around. Their one major championship is the 65th Cup of Harmony a mere two cycles ago. They have been around nearly as long as Eura, having debuted during the 55th World Cup cycle, although this is only their 20th World Cup cycle as they did not enter World Cup 57. Their big breakthrough came in World Cup 64 when they finished 2nd in a relatively weak group and defeated Mytannion in the playoffs to earn a spot in the World Cup finals. In their first World Cup, their sole victory was a 5 to 2 victory over Eura on the final matchday of the group stage that condemned the Eurans to last place in that group. Eura would get revenge in World Cup 66, knocking Ko-oren out in the Round of 16. They would be knocked out in the Round of 16 at World Cups 69, 70 and 74 as well and have qualified for 9 out of the past 12 World Cups, falling short of qualification only in World Cups 67, 68 and 73. Ko-oren qualified for this World Cup with ease, winning their group by 11 points. The SP expects the battle for this group's second spot to be tightly contested and we could definitely see Ko-oren beating any of the Group E sides in a hypothetical Round of 16 matchup, with the exception of the Audioslavia Bulls.

They will be joined in this group by 32nd ranked Brenecia, who return to the World Cup after a 3 cycle absence. Brenecia are competing in their 11th consecutive World Cup and have now qualified 3 times, but have never made it out of a group stage. In recent cycles, they have been a perennial semifinalist at the Campionato Esportiva, which they won a couple of cycles back. More recently, they have finished third and second at the past 2 CEs and they finished second to Falatulu at the last Cup of Harmony final. Brenecia finished a distant second in the same group as the Sunrise Islands, barely edging out Yttribia and Lymantatia for a spot in the playoffs, where they defeated Jeruselem by the narrowest of margins. Their performances are notoriously inconsistent, so they could either shock the multiverse and go to the World Cup finals or they could crash out of the group stage with 3 losses. Anything is possible from Brenecia.

The final team from this group is Frenline Delpha, who come into their first World Cup finals ranked 41st. This is their 5th World Cup cycle and the first time they have ever qualified or even come close to qualifying. They qualified directly for this World Cup after going 8-3-1, with their lone loss coming against Falatulu. This Frenline Delpha team is built around a strong defense that only conceded 9 goals in qualifying as they advanced out of an extremely difficult group that also included Falatulu, Legalese, Osarius and West Angola and they will be looking to prove that their Qualifying performance was no fluke. The SP regards them as one of the more dangerous teams in Pot 4.

Group G

Group G, which will be held in Cosumar, is headlined by San Jose Guayabal. The Guayabalense come into this World Cup ranked 2nd in the multiverse and hoping to improve upon a second place performance last World Cup. They are competing in their 10th consecutive World Cup cycle. While their upset of The Archregimancy in the second round of the World Cup 68 playoffs was regarded as a shock at the time, few would look at it that way in retrospect. In the cycles since, they have hosted the BoF, the CoH and 2 World Cups and even won the 63rd Cup of Harmony at home. This is their 6th World Cup finals, though it is only the 4th time that they have qualified for it on sporting merit. They finished third at World Cup 73 and were defeated by Nephara in the first ever all-Esportiva final last cycle. Despite some early losses in Qualifying, they still won their qualifying group easily and avenged one of those defeats in style with a 9-2 rout of The Urain in the rematch. Its very hard to see a scenario in which they do not advance out of this group.

The second side in this group is Vilita, who come into the World Cup ranked 8th. Vilita are 2-time World Cup champions, having defeated Audioslavia in the World Cup 20 finals and Free Republics in the World Cup 68 finals. They are also the champions of Cup of Harmony 6 and the hosts of 10 BoFs, 2 CoHs and 4 World Cups. In AO regional competition, they famously compete as a joint team with Turori and are always a serious contender to win the AOCAF. Vilita coasted to World Cup qualification this time in an easy group and, in their 36th World Cup finals, remain a strong contender to win it all and a potential threat to San Jose Guayabal in this group.

This group doesn't get any easier once you get to the 3rd and 4th seeds in the group. Electrum are ranked 22nd and will be competing in their third consecutive World Cup finals. After failing to qualify in their first 5 attempts, Electrum has qualified in each of the last 3 cycles and will be looking to make it out of the group stage for the first time ever. They narrowly edged out The Sarian for a spot in the playoffs and defeated Omerica to qualify. This group will be rounded out by Bonesea, the BoF runners-up and one of the most impressive newcomers in a long time. Bonesea technically finished 3rd in their group with a mere 19 points but made the playoffs after The Sword Bloke's team failed to show up for their regularly scheduled playoff. As the next best team in Sword Bloke's group, Bonesea was given their playoff spot and pulled off a surprise upset against Gregoryisgodistan to qualify for the World Cup in their first attempt. Bonesea hosted the Sanctii for a pre-World Cup friendly and our National Team emerged victorious by a 3 to nil margin. While the SP expects both of these teams to give the Guayabalense and Vilitans the fight of their lives, we don't expect either of them to go through in this group.

Group H

Group H, based out of Osarius, is widely regarded as the weakest on the Audioslavian half, but it still should not be taken lightly. The leading team of the group is Quebec, now ranked 6th in the KPBs. Quebec have come a long way from when the days when they put up a combined 0-1-25 record in their first 2 Qualifying attempts (World Cups 59 and 62). Now in their 15th World Cup cycle, they have now qualified for each of the last 7 World Cups and have made it to the Quarterfinals of each of the last 2 World Cups. After winning 11 out of 12 Qualifying matches, they come into this World Cup hoping to finally make it past the Quarterfinals.

The second seed in this group is 15th ranked Cosumar, winners of the 64th Cup of Harmony. Veterans of 25 World Cups, Cosumar have been up and down quite a bit through the years, but are decidedly up at the moment. Their first World Cup qualification was in World Cup 54 and they went on to qualify for 6 consecutive World Cups, including Round of 16 exits in the latter 4. Then, they lost a playoff to Vilita, failed to qualify for World Cup 60 and would only qualify for 1 out of 13 World Cups (62), at which they lost all 3 matches. Yet, they have now qualified for each of the past 3 World Cups, making this their 10th World Cup finals. Cosumar's best performance at a World Cup finals was at World Cup 73 where they defeated Valanora on penalties in the Round of 16 before being eliminated by San Jose Guayabal in the Quarterfinals. They qualified for this World Cup without much difficulty, winning their group by 9 points. They have made it out of the group stage in each of the past 2 World Cups and should do so again at this World Cup.

The third seed in this group, 28th ranked San Llera, has qualified for their second consecutive World Cup. Their best performance thus far is a third place finish in the 6th Runner Cup a few cycles back. They narrowly edged out Damukuni for a spot atop a relatively weak qualifying group anchored by a weak and highly overrated Polkopia side. San Llera's first World Cup finals appearance ended in a group stage exit and we'd be surprised if they bettered that performance at this World Cup.

The fourth and final team in the group is West Angola, who come in ranked 77th. West Angola skipped two cycles entirely, yet overachieved this cycle and made the playoffs where they defeated Hasznia for a spot in the World Cup finals. This is their first World Cup qualification since World Cup 66 and one that absolutely came out of nowhere. Its also their third Qualification in 16 attempts going back to World Cup 58. West Angola has never made it out of a World Cup group stage before, but they did finish second at Cup of Harmony 55 and win Cup of Harmony 57. While they have shocked the multiverse by making it this far, we doubt that they can make it any further.

Group A

Turning now to the Krytenian side of the World Cup Finals, we start with Krytenia. The Krytenians surprised everybody back at World Cup 72 by qualifying for the World Cup entering qualifying unranked then making it to the Round of 16 at the World Cup proper. Then, they qualified again for World Cup 73. Nonetheless, they failed to make it out of the group stage at World Cup 73 and did not qualify for World Cup 74. They enter this World Cup ranked 29th and, like Audioslavia, have not faced competitive WCC competition yet this cycle. The Krytenians finished 2nd at World Cup 58 and have finished third at 3 World Cups, but have never won a World Cup. We don't expect them to win this one either.

The favorite to win Group A is undoubtedly Valanora, whose team is literally older than dirt and yet is still a constant fixture in the World Cup finals. After finally failing to make it out of a group stage at World Cup 68 for the first time in seemingly an eternity, they hit a down time of sorts and even failed to qualify for a World Cup or two, but now they're back in the World Cup on an every cycle basis, once again ranked in the top 10 (9th) and seemingly on the rise yet again. They easily won a qualifying group that wasn't particularly impressive and seem to be heavy favorites to advance out of this group.

Semarland come into this World Cup ranked 26th, second highest of all the teams in this group. Now in their 7th consecutive World Cup cycle, they've now qualified for 4 in a row and, after losing their first 8 World Cup matches, finally picked up a win over Electrum on the final matchday of last World Cup's group stage. They edged out Electrum for first place in their group with an unimpressive 22 points and return to the World Cup hoping to make it out of the group stage for the first time ever.

The final team in this group is Pridnestrovia, who finished second at BoF 58. After failing to qualify or do anything of note in the Cup of Harmony, they skipped three World Cup cycles then returned this time as an unranked side, barely edging out several others to make the playoffs with a mere 18 points. After a shocking 5-1 victory at Damukuni, they earned a spot in the World Cup finals. Pridnestrovia come into the World Cup ranked 102nd and it would be a surprise if they pick up a single point even in this extremely soft group.

Group B

If you thought the group based out of Krytenia was one of the weakest in the history of the World Cup, well... the group based out of Semarland and Quebec is merely weak within conventional bounds. The top seed in this group is Farfadillis, who come into the World Cup ranked 7th. Farfadillis are 2-time AOCAF champions, but their best WCC performance was a third place finish in Cup of Harmony 60. This is their 16th consecutive World Cup cycle and 11th World Cup qualificaton. Their first qualification was in their 4th cycle in World Cup 63. Their best performance in the World Cup is the Quarterfinals, where they were eliminated in World Cups 67, 73 and 74. They will be looking to finally reach a Semi-Final this time around and probably have above even odds, at the very least, of making it back to the Quarterfinals. They qualified for this World Cup with ease, wining their first 11 qualifiers before drawing 1-1 against Losthaven in their final Qualifying match.

The second seed in this group is Valladares, who are ranked 12th. This is their 29th consecutive World Cup cycle and their 20th World Cup qualification. Their first qualification was way back in World Cup 52. This is their 10th consecutive World Cup qualification and their 15th out of the last 16. They have hosted the CR twice and each of the WCC tournaments once apiece. Their best World Cup performance is 4th, back in World Cup 67. They made the playoffs with a victory over Red Blackiland on the final matchday of Qualifying and then defeated Starblaydia to earn a spot in the World Cup. They will probably advance out of this group.

The third highest ranked team in this group is Associated Godlands, a nation that was recently nuked by Gregoryisgodistan. However, the SP can confirm that their players left their homeland before it was nuked and will be competing in Semarland and Quebec nonetheless. Associated Godlands are ranked 30th but had done little of note before dominating their qualifying group that included Valladares this cycle. Their 11-1-0 record in Qualifying was widely regarded as a fluke, but they will definitely be motivated to prove the doubters wrong and to do especially well in what is, almost certainly, their swansong as a team. The nation of Associated Godlands team includes a player who claims to be "Jesus Christ" (sic). We don't know what to expect from them.

Finally, this group is rounded out by a Savalen team that was knocked out of the BoF in the Quarterfinals by eventual champs Chernodad. Savalen finished a close second behind Abanhfleft in a group that saw Nova Anglicana and Fluvique underperform and made the playoffs. In the playoffs, they defeated Ferret Civilization to earn a spot in the World Cup finals. Ranked 81st, we don't expect much out of them.

Group D

Turning to the group in Mertagne before we turn to our own group, that group is headlined by a Pasarga team that is still ranked 3rd in the KPB rankings despite not going particularly deep last cycle. Pasarga were the champions of World Cup 72 and Copa Rushmori XXI, but their performances have leveled off since then and their team seems to be past their peak. They've now qualified for 8 consecutive World Cups and they competed in three consecutive World Cup finals from World Cup 71 to 73, bookended by losses to Osarius and Eura. Pasarga's surprising 4th place finish at World Cup 68 set them on a path to becoming one of the best teams in the multiverse, but they did not make it past the Round of 16 last time. Although they coasted to qualification at the expense of some has-beens from places like Starblaydia and Bears Armed that haven't been relevant in 10 cycles or so, we think there's a real chance that they may not make it past the group stage at this World Cup.

The second seed in this group is Barunia, who also entered their 12th consecutive World Cup this cycle. Although ranked 11th, they are often the forgotten team of the 3 great National Teams to come out of BoF 51. However, the Cup of Harmony 62 runners-up really should not be overlooked. They first qualified for the World Cup back in World Cup 67 and have now qualified for 6 out of 9. Twice, they have made it to the Quarterfinals of the World Cup (World Cups 71 and 74), losing to the Free Republics and Audioslavia. They dominated their Qualifying group this time around and we believe they have a real shot at winning this group.

The third seed in this group is a Ceni team that appears to be on the rise and will be looking to get out of the group stage for the first time in their third World Cup. Ceni come into this World Cup ranked 17th and having qualified for the third consecutive time in this, their 9th World Cup cycle. In a qualifying group also containing Turori and an resurgent Jeruselem side, Ceni went 11-1-0 and qualified by a 10 point margin. While they have yet to win anything of note or make it out of a group stage, they seem to be a dark horse in this World Cup, one that can take the fight to Pasarga and Barunia.

The final seed in this group is Ficiscia, the 48th ranked runners-up of BoF 61 who have now qualified for their first World Cup in just their second attempt. While they did not look as good in Qualifying this time around as they did last cycle, Ficiscia narrowly defeated Devonta in a playoff and are probably one of the stronger pot 4 sides. We would not be surprised if they were still in the hunt on the final matchday.

Group C

Finally, we turn to Group C in Starblaydia. While the local soccer team hasn't been very good in recent memory, Starblaydia used to be the home of great soccer teams and is still the home of some of the most enthusiastic soccer fans in the multiverse. Thus, the Starblaydian fans should appreciate the sheer quality of the teams that make up Group C. It starts at the top, with the 5th ranked reigning World Cup champions Nephara. While Nephara were upset by Brenecia in the CE and lost the Strongnesse Trophy match at home, they still easily qualified with a 10-1-1 record. The Nepharim will be looking to repeat as World Cup Champions, but more importantly, will be looking to regain the Strongnesse on matchday 2. Like Barunia and like a certain other nation in this group, Nephara debuted in BoF 51 and has entered 12 consecutive World Cups. Of the past 9 World Cups, they have qualified for 8 and are the winners of BoF 51, CoH 61 and World Cup 74. Given that the last defending World Cup champion to be ranked 5th in the KPB rankings went on to repeat as champions, the Nepharim have to be regarded as one of the favorites to do just that.

The second seed in this group is the #10 ranked Sanctii National Team. We are the reigning Copa Rushmori champions, but our best WCC performance was a third place finish in Cup of Harmony 63. Many within our Kingdom believe we would have been BoF 51 champions were it not for Nephara and now, for the first time since the Quarterfinals of our BoF, we are assured a head to head WCC-sanctioned match with Nephara. Knowing the players on our National Team, they will be willing to go all out to retain the Strongnesse Trophy and pull off a victory against Nephara on Matchday 2.

33rd ranked Abanhfleft is the third seed in this group. Now in their 6th consecutive World Cup cycle, Abanhfleft previously qualified for World Cup 73 and exited in the group stage. After winning their Qualifying group narrowly over Savalen, Abanhfleft will be looking to prove that they belong among the WCC's elite. 51st ranked Chromatika will round out the group. Chromatika debuted in BoF 60, has now entered 3 consecutive World Cups and qualified for the first time after finishing with 20 points and reaching the playoffs over Flardania on a tiebreaker. They defeated Sarrbia for a spot in the playoffs.

One of the aforementioned 32 National Teams will be your next World Cup champion. Be sure to tune into the Royal Networks to find out whom it will be. Their coverage of the 75th World Cup starts later today...

by **Savalen** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 12:56 pm

OOC: I was ridiculously busy whilst on holiday. This is all I can manage, I'm so sorry everyone.

Part 1 - Infected Madness

A rustle of leaves through the wind, a creaking of old trees, barely standing their weight, the forest whispered ”Dead, gone, dead, gone.”

Lost, bewildered, gone. Moving, following, treading. Torak moves as if taken by a curse, controlled by an outer being. Torak moves swiftly, silently enough to not snap the twigs or crackle the leaves on the forest floor, because he is but a teen - not yet fully built, not yet fully knowledgeable, not yet grown.

If you were to look into his eyes, the gushing red blood that pumped through the veins would terrify you, the pupils, naturally small by heritage, are even narrower, even more focused. They look down, following a small trail, a trail of death on the forest floor covered up. If you were to look at his mouth, the foul grimace would send you scurrying away, his bare yellowed teeth scaring nature and landscape around him.

He was a hunter. But now the hunters had been hinted and he was the only one alive. The roles had switched again and Torak was hunting the beast. The beast was the same form and shape as a bear, but if you actually saw it, you would see that it was twice as big and thrice as strong.

As the human being passed through the low land forests, a person who saw him would see the signs of man gone mad. Torak passed another uprooted tree, this time the poor swallow hadn’t had a chance - it lay dead a few meters, flung with a sense of carelessness, a bloody puddle its resting grave. Torak would have buried him properly, as the gods of the forest would want, but he wanted revenge. A man corrupted by revenge.

And all the while the forest whispered ”Dead, gone, dead, gone”
[hr]

Sav, Sav, Sav your sh*t, pack your pack and run away. Sav, Sav, Sav your sh*t, pack your pack and run away. Sav, Sav, Sav your sh*t, pack your pack and run away. The chant changed as the crowd turned the corner of the stadium to the exit of the away fans. ”Away end is terrified, Ferrets on fire.” came the roar of the crowd. The Ferrets, dejected by their loss, in such a terrible way, were not in much of the mood to fight. But the Røros citizens were up for a fight right now. The crues of the chant got louder and faster as they pumped themselves up. The Ferrets may have civilisation in their name, but there’s nothing civil about a group of football ultras. Cries of “Ferrets” and “Barbarian scum” could be heard as they came down the stairs, ready to destroy everything in their path. But they weren’t ready for a few thousand disgruntled miners.

What follows wasn’t nice, so the usual photo is missing, but naked, sunburnt, hairy miners running at poor little fluffy ferrets is not a fair match. I think that it’s probably best to just say they had a 60% death rate in the Ferret Civilisation. The Dome really is the bad corner of Savalen.

by **Bonesea** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 1:13 pm

by **Vilita** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 1:36 pm

by **Brenecia** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 3:31 pm

ThreeFourThree Forums > Discussion > World Cup
Topic: brenecia wc75 : just happy to be here!

CattyPurrington420
hello this is the brenecia thread for the world cup , arancione said she was gonna make the thread but she's nepharim so she'd have said really mean things tbh what a rude bitch

fellow brenecians feel free to make yourselves at home, the complimentary sheep have been rounded up for use as footrests and companions, the bad cheap lager is on the house and the weather is fucking foul, enjoy it

hello innocent foreigners if you are lucky enough to have avoided experiencing the BRENECIA NATIONAL PATRIOT FOOT SQUAD BOYS then you are lucky lucky people, however, we have made the world cup and there is no escaping us

especially not in Group F for which i have here a webcam screenshot of my fancy new wall poster

our group

the mighty soccer patriots of brenecia have been drawn against
EURA who will destroy us
KOOREN who we have history against and can maybe beat
and who the fuck are FREN DELPHA

yes, glory to the wcc, due to how many good teams were fucking shit in qualifying/how fake the rankings are, brenecia are a POT THREE team which means we get for the first time a team that's meant to be worse than us. i am sure that they will look at our recent results such as a brave 1-1 draw at home to mercedini and taking one hard-won point from two games against lymantatia will make them shit themselves

but that's okay because that was mostly before our new manager, raven cullen

the gaffer hard at work on the touchline

raven cullen is worse than our last manager but her honeymoon period restored brenecia to happy mediocrity so we scraped into the world cup, which makes her a hero since some fucking jinx had meant we'd never make it through a playoff ever again until we were lucky enough to be drawn against jeruselem, who aren't very good.

we have excitingly brought 23 players to the tournament. here they are with my exclusive hot takes on them

Goalkeepers
our goalkeeper, was shit early in qualifying but has been amazing in every other game for us. maybe a bit errorprone, sometimes, i guess. otherwise perfect. my sister has like, a fucking shrine to him in her room because he's kind of a heart-throb but wtf
our other goalkeepers are Geneva Urquhart who was really good once and Sheila Cannon who has like two caps, if Urquhart comes back we aren't quite fucked but Woodgate's way better

Defenders
We have pretty good centre-backs, all four of them! Orson Faulkner and Rostyn Bradden will probs start though with Anaximander 'Naxi' Scrivener thrown on to break legs when needed. Sadly our fullbacks are terrible, they're flat-track A-League bullies and they have a track record of being massively found out at international level, Ophelia Lovelock (or as the tabloids will probs call her Ophailure) and Coleslaw Pierogi and they will both be routinely destroyed especially against Eura, oh fuck, Eura are going to trash us
we have good fullbacks in Given and Collingwood who the manager never uses because she is stubborn and stupid and delusional enough to think the a-league is a high standard of play because the UICA rankings say so

Midfielders
our midfield is kind of garbage against the really good teams honestly
cathy purrington who my username is named for is this really cool and good tubby playmaker thing with only one foot, problem is she's now old as well as ridiculously unathletic and honest to god any one of the fat cunts on this forum could run faster. she's really good tho
the two garbagewomen alongside her will be cathy gryphon who played in apox for a while and Alexhandle Skorupi - they're both way too good for the a-league and skopskurp's probably going to play at a really good club someday but they aren't actually good enough, like, right now
that's okay because cullen will probably eventually realise she'll have to break out the big gun, lilith paterson, who has probably killed before
cathy blackslate is okay, elsie drover will be good in a few years but plays for rosbank fucking town right now lol

Forwards
my online sticker collection is only missing ursula rankin for brenecia someone please help me
anyway
brenecia is really good at scoring goals most of the time and mostly that's because we have two really good forwards and one pretty good one including really hot and swole man Squire Trevelyan and ursula rankin who looks like a bulldog who just smelt a really awful shit, they are both insanely good, so is karena foran who backs them up, both really dynamic and cutting fast lads/lasses who hurt people and score goals
roisin carroll is not but we don't have any better left wingers, she's kind of lightweight and not very dynamic and can drift out of games
why the fuck isn't ronan bowditch in the squad
or thatcher
instead we've got a-league wasters Lynch and Fallon who fittingly will be hung up to dry and said to have fallon from grace when this all goes to shit

Tactics
brenecians dont use tactics
cullen will put us in a 4-3-3 and tell everyone to run up the pitch really fast and do some sick goals, which might happen

What Will Happen
well just looking at the group everyone knows that eura will destroy everyone else in the group and fren delpha will probably like
lose every game
though they did beat osarius i guess somehow but still who the fuck are they
so brenecia plays kooren first which will decide who comes second in the group, its our attack versus their defence. the two sides keep playing in high-pressure situations - apparently brenecia beat them twice in qualifying but i sort of drank cycle 73 out of my memory tbh but last world cup kooren beat us, so that sucked
anyway
i reckon we might just do this
we'll definitely do fren delpha tho like who the fuck are they seriously
and then high on confidence we'll get pumped 8-0 by eura
second place will be enough to face Probably Audioslavia in the next round where we will be annihilated yet again. then again, it's audioslavia, maybe they'll fumble it somehow
...
nah.

Why you, an neutral, should support brenecia in all our games
we're cute
we're plucky
we're doomed to failure
we have really nice kits

fashion

and, when it all comes down to it, we're really just happy to be here at all lol
(just don't call us sheepshaggers only we can do that)

so to sum it up; we're gonna win the world cup

by **San Jose Guayabal** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:09 pm

OOC: Formula used in this RP is an attempt of mine to create a new scorination formula, more stuff shall be announced soon.

From: Mathematical Department of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Yucuaiquín (UCY) and the Universidad Nacional de San José Guayabal (UNA), staff of the Mathematical Intelligence Unit - National Association of Artificial Intelligence Developers (Asociación Nacional de Desarrolladores de Inteligencia Artificial - ANDIA) - Proyecto G MK II.
To: Ministry of Education and Technology
ATTN: Mirna González.
Location: Master Plan Tower, San Salvador, San José Guayabal

1. Introduction

In this research project, conducted by the Catholic University of Yucuaiquín in cooperation with the National University of San José Guayabal, the results obtained through simulation of the tournament called "World Cup 75 Finals" where teams of all places around the multiverse, face each other to determine who is the best. For six months, the staff of the best trained engineers from both universities in software and artificial intelligence, notable in Esportiva for its academical success and highly accurated investigations, along with the best students in the Mathematical-Statistical Department and Artificial Intelligence Department, who have worked on the creation of a second version of a high-precision algorithm called "Footie Algorithm" which was used before in World Cup 71 Madness, this time the algorithm aims to obtain results based on the analysis and interpretation of these National Teams history from its origins to the present, their performance and deduction of the game system employing only based on possible histories against a rival with which they face during the competition, along with an individual analysis of each of their players' performances in order to get an adjusted ranking scale for each of the competing National Teams into this World Cup finals, alongside with the description of overall fortress and weakness of each of the teams, this is made in order to get a better score prediction without bias, scores were generated randomly.

How simulation developed? The process itself was not easy, as they had to adjust the algorithm simulator repeatedly to enter the teams that participate in each stage, after that the investigation of the history and technical details of each team took an average of six hours, with the notable exception of Valanora, Audioslavia, Vilita, Farfadillis and nations who are on their first appearance ever into a World Cup whose data collection lasted about five hours because of his long career during each Cycle of World Cup before while the new teams took at least a day to gather and create an overall profile of each team with everything that was taken in consideration as it was mentioned before, besides that had to deal with constant rotations of the student staff, because this qualifies as paid work in The Guayabalense Labour Code, therefore had to work only seven hours for five days a week, so the work were late arriving students as cover rotations came to the Proyecto G - MK II Hall.

Despite this delays caused by rotations, the team were able to sort all the information and gather all the information in eight groups of four and setting the knockout phases according to what was settled by the World Cup Organizing Committee, the information needed the use of three supercomputers + a 25 Yottabyte hard disk in order to gather all the information from those teams. A last moment modification was the addition of the climate conditions of each host nation and how it could affect phisically on each NT player and manager at the time of playing or taking decisions.

Algorithm: The Footie Algorithm MK II was created by Luis Ernesto Caicedo and Marta María Suárez, upgraded by Milton Gavidia and Marcos Herrera, in cooperation from the students of the MSD and members of ANDIA of both involved universities, the presentation has an accuracy of 99% and an error margin of 0.4%, the results were simulated after 1000 games between both nations, the scores presented on the chart that will be displayed below were the most repeated ones in each of the series.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<sport version="0.3"> 
<name>Association football—SGIS formula</name> 
<discipline>Association football</discipline> 
<event>SGIS formula</event> 
<scorinator/> 
<!-- only one scorinator is needed for this event -->
 <paradigm>sqis</paradigm> 
<paradigmOptions> 
<double type="constantA">0.11</double> 
<double type="constantB">0.08</double> 
<double type="homeAdvantage">1.22333333333333</double> 
<double type="homeAdvantageGG">0.123333333333</double> 
<int type="attacks">12</int> 
<double type="etAttackCoeff">0.293333333333</double> 
<int type="shootoutLength">5</int> 
<double type="goldenGoalProb">0.4</double> 
<double type="shootoutProb">0.65</double> 
<int type="pointValues">1</int> 
<double type="attackCoeffs">1</double> 
<double type="NSFSStyleCoeffA">2.0000000000000</double> 
<double type="NSFSStyleCoeffB">1.2000000000000</double> 
<double type="NSFSStyleExponent">-0.23705203296846</double> 
<double type="NSFSStyleOffset">0.102435335725325</double> 
<string type="tableHeaderGoalsFor">GF</string> 
<string type="tableHeaderGoalsAgainst">GA</string> 
<string type="tableHeaderGoalDifference">GD</string> 
<list type="tiebreakers"> <string>extratime</string> 
<string>shootout</string> </list> 
<list type="tiebreakerNames"> 
<string>AET</string> 
<string>pen.</string> 
</list> 
</paradigmOptions> 
<!-- the style modifier distribution is a bit wonky because negative modifiers are less likely to take effect -->
 <dataPoints name="style"> 
<dataPoint pos="0">-3</dataPoint> 
<dataPoint pos="0.4">-1</dataPoint> 
<dataPoint pos="0.5">0</dataPoint> 
<dataPoint pos="0.65">0</dataPoint> 
<dataPoint pos="1">3</dataPoint> 
</dataPoints> </sport>

by **Krytenia** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:41 pm

CUTOFF FOR GROUPS E-H

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:42 pm

OOC: Former is written around 5 months before the IC date (on my calendar) for the WC, while the latter is around a month before that.

RQFA confirm Jayson Dhanda's departure

QUEBEC CITY (C-N) - Departure while on summit is the best way to describe the current situation with the Quebecois National Team and the manager Jayson Dhanda, as the Royal Quebecois Football Association granted Jayson Dhanda his departure from the national team shortly before his 4-year contract expired. The decision, rumoured to have come rather unexpectedly after the Quebecois National Team finished with a phenomenal 7-1 home victory over Kingdom of Cordelia, first released on a suspicious, now-deleted telegram made by Grim Reapers' left-wing womaniser Xavier Hertel.

Dhanda, aged 58, entered the Quebecois National team as the Grim Reapers' manager following the retirement of the late Ji Choon Kim in the end of World Cup 69 cycle. He, originally the senior assistant coach of the Osarian National Team after a legendary career carved back in his native Osarius, took over what was a once-promising side with youthful movements into all of the Grim Reapers' 3 qualifications into the knockout stage, including 2 Quarterfinals appearances. At the same time, he also allowed for further development of bona-fide prospects to the likes of Hazel van Robben, Leonardo Conavacio, Lorne Dunford and Ondrej Cech to develop as some of the best in their respective positions. His unconventional, extremely Takil style of management and strategies, marked at all-time high with the excellent qualification campaign by the national team, were praised for bringing the Quebecois side to 6th seed in most recent KPB rankings. The national team, however, was unable to translate this success in the AOCAF 50 (the first time in a long while to send a full international squad) when they disappointingly went out early in Round of Sixteen. While his job was ever so certain following the excellent qualification campaigns, Dhanda may have felt he was feeling differently with what this team could do and in an unlikely decision to move into other managerial opportunities.

In what was a carefully-carved effort to calm the public in recent situations, the RQFA explained that "due to the wishes of Mr. Jayson Dhanda to pursue other managerial opportunities, the RQFA has agreed with him not to file any possible offer for extension, thereby meaning that him and the RQFA be amicably concluding the successful tenure of coexistence between each other. The RQFA, on behalf of those in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, would like to thank Mr. Dhanda for his excellent tenure and would like to wish him good luck in future endeavours."

It remains to be heard of what will be the Tubrissian's next managerial gig, but according to many sources, he is rumoured to be named the next national team manager for either Valladares or Super-Llamaland. In the meanwhile, the RQFA will be looking to find his successor immediately in what should be one of the best and highest-paying, but also toughest managerial job available in the market. It may take a while given the particular challenge and identity the national team is associated with - the Takil - so it is widely advised that the fans stay patient and controlled about the situation.

5 Things To Expect With Grim Reapers : WC75

Over the last few months, we have seen some significant changes in the Quebecois National football team, most notably the change of managers and personnel adjustments. We have the same 25-man squad but they will be utilised differently to fit the new system by their Guayabalense manager, the FASmeister of Chochera Castillo. After many hours of assessing the different sets of trainings, practices and formations long considered and thought of by our fans, as well as their group practices on how to support their national team, I have decided that the following 5 things will most likely happen with the Grim Reapers for sure :

5. Leonardo Conavacio and Gloire-Honore Mvouba III will not be starting

One surprising thing with the Grim Reapers' qualification campaign in this World Cup was certainly the limited utilisation of Leonardo Conavacio. Leonardo Conavacio, for half the season, did not play due to Guayabalense league being on strike and his fiancee Claire Hanson giving birth to their son Enrico. The birth of their firstborn, on top of his desire to take a brief break from association football until joining Port Sebastian for last third of the Schottic season. He didn't do particularly well there, and his end of stay with there only made him really look forward to the world cup and subsequent season, when he will be returning to Alianza FC. With this lack of conditioning (though he'd been training with Port Sebastian throughout the season before signing with them on a loan) in mind, the "grim reaper" of Gary Corsie was mostly kept out of the starting job in the Grim Reapers. While he shined on few qualifying matches by scoring 5 goals in 7 games played, Chochera Castillo has said multiple times that he's "adamant" about using the Alianza striker as a starting option and will rather use him if Gelinas goes cold on foot for too long. Whether that'll be a good choice is remained to be seen, but oh well.

Gloire-Honore Mvouba III, on the other hand, will be out on bench for a different reason; we all know what happened with his groins. Few weeks ago, while back in Ruland, he received some serious groin injuries while doing you-know-what with what's now rumoured to be a hooker and got sidelined. Whether that's actually true or not, this will force some shift into the team. With Mvouba out and Conavacio not fully on condition, the national team will most likely start Fortin in his usual striker position (also due to lack of effectiveness should he be used as a right wing) and Hazel van Robben move back to the right wing position. Whether that may affect the Grim Reapers' goal scoring, with the aging of the Marinos Metropolis captain remains to be seen, but the starting forwards should look largely similar to the last time, with Angelo Gelinas replacing Leonardo Conavacio.

4. Le Takil Quebecois restent aujourd'hui

We all know of the Quebecois National football team as the team that practices the Takil style of football, meaning that they would always try to go run-and-gun and score whenever they can with firepower. This has been highly successful in providing the Grim Reapers a rapid rise to the top, as most notably noted by the Grim Reapers' successful breakthrough. The fortunate news for those wondering about the fate of Le Takil Quebecois is that this won't change with Chochera Castillo- Chochera himself, though coaching CD FAS with a heavily Karelan football in past, is a manager who really changes the teams' playing style depending on whom the team has - just like the CD FAS the last two seasons when they maximised the capabilities of both Hertel and van Robben to drastically shift and surprise the people with Takil. With the national team's limited depth on defensive backups and its overabundance of excellent forwards, Castillo will (more or less be forced to) continue the Takil Quebecois.

3. Henri Kierkegaard may have his breakthrough soon

This may not be the name you've heard of before, but will remember after the world cup most likely. The 18-year old from Attawapiskat, Northwest province, may not be the most known nor the one with highest potential among youthful leaves in the Quebecois National Team, but he for one has a potential to play some significant role under Chochera Castillo. This is mostly because of how the new system operates : While in most traditional Quebecois system he'd be in the reserves as a centre midfielder, under the new system he would be the starting centre defensive midfielder in front of three fullbacks. The new, FAS 2023-2024-inspired formation of 3-1-2-4, Kierkegaard would be the one serving the "1", what's arguably known as the most important role in defensive side of Guayabalense football. The "1", also known as the Iniesta due to a legendary Guayabalense midfielder, contributes heavily on the transitional game by participating in offensive creation while also handling the ball/physicality well enough to destroy the game of the rival, meaning that one would have to be an excellent ball-handler, passer and also the grinder, which Kierkegaard has successfully shown in many occasions he's played with Celtic Noviodunum or the national team. Whether that ends up being successful remains to be seen, with the relative youth and inexperience Kierkegaard has, but if it works even in long term future could be a huge gain for the Grim Reapers.

2. The Bubonic Plague - Swarming all over Osarius!

As we already know, The Bubonic Plague is the official ultras of all Quebecois National Teams. Strong in numbers, with over 3 million members registered, it possesses some of the rowdiest fans in the multiverse. But it's not in their numbers that they can be intimidating; it's their behaviours and actions on stands. The Bubonic Plague is known for its extremely consistent display of supporting its teams no matter what; Whether they be in hockey matches or football games don't matter, for there will be no change in their behaviour. Like usual they will come to the stadium, get their scythes, machine guns and torches ready and start cheering with highly insulting chants- the kinds you would give your kids an ear bleach for. With those weapon-cheering tools in mind, on top of the fact that Quebec is pretty close to Osarius (only 2 hours by plane, woo), expect The Bubonic Plague to strike Osarius with at least 500,000 fans entering the country.

1. Grim Reapers ain't going anywhere with their poor discipline

If there is something that's not going to change easily, that'd be the Grim Reapers' reputation for being a dangerous, oft-penalised and violent squad. The Grim Reapers, under Jayson Dhanda's charge, have become some of the hardest-working squad out in this multiverse but have also become infamous for copious use of marijuana, abnormal personal lives of players, and constant ejections of its players (especially among its forwards Leonardo Conavacio, Xavier Hertel and Hazel van Robben, with Gloire-Honore Mvouba III joining them lately) for assaults on what's now a very long list of their victims by violence and other forms of abuse. With Chochera Castillo infamous for promoting such abuses on opponents with usual, only adding to the Santa Ana side known by many as "The Devils", and not giving a damn about such poor discipline, this is unlikely to change. They will still give all they have in field, something Castillo should be as good as his predecessor is at, but this lack of discipline and abnormal personal lives could possibly end badly for the Grim Reapers on unexpected moments.

by **COCANEFA** » Sat Jul 02, 2016 8:45 pm

a slightly belated CUTOFF FOR GROUPS A-D

by **Saintland** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 6:10 am

Realm of the Gods Games to Begin Today

(SP) The Realm of the Gods Games will begin today in Ilysea, Ilyseum. The Royal Networks have agreed to broadcast all events involving Sanctii athletes. These Games are notable as they include the eagerly-awaited return to the gridiron field of King Petrus XX and the eagerly-awaited return to the basketball court of Prince Ioannes. They even include Censorina Polus leading the Sanctii Hockey Team onto the concrete to play Ilyseum and the rest of the best from the Realm of the Gods. "It is a great honor for the Kingdom of Saintland to participate in the Realm of the Gods Games and express our support for the legitimately elected hosts of the Games of the XI Olympiad. While other nations callously ignore the removal of the Olympics from Ilyseum due to an absurd technicality, we stand with them in boycotting the Olympic Council. Given the circumstances, we decided that it was only appropriate that members of the Royal Family and of Parliament come out of retirement to participate in these Games." - King Petrus XX

...

The Realm of the Gods Games will feature competition, on a truly gender-neutral basis, in several hundred events, including an epic pentathlon that will feature over a thousand entrants. The Games start tonight.

The opening day of action at World Cup 75 had seen several noteworthy upsets, but fortunately Saintland's match against Abanhfleft was not one of them. The scoring opened in the 9th minute when Rory Edwards fed the ball to Gustavo Potter behind the Sanctii defenses. While the Royal One commentators initially thought Potter was offside, a replay confirmed that he was, in fact, onside. The shot was a rocket that was batted away by Virginia Seius, but unfortunately it bounced right into the head of Kevin Kelvin, who put it in the back of the net. Several minutes later, the Sanctii would equalize on a long shot by Josephus Flaccus. Varamoninov's left arm missed the ball by a fraction of an inch and the Fleftic keeper could do nothing but watch it sail into the net

The match would see plenty of action throughout the remainder of the first half, but neither team would score again until Amanda Maximius was called for an accidental foul in the 43rd minute right outside of the scoring area. Alan Turpentine launched the free kick above the wall and at goal. It bounced off the bar above the goal and landed at the feet of Rory Edwards, who applied the finish to put Abanhfleft up at halftime.

In the second half, the Sanctii came out on the attack and around the hourmark, Andreas Fadius was able to force a corner with a powerful shot on goal. Fadius promptly launched the corner toward the far post, where it was headed in by Silvia Allectus for the second Sanctii goal. Several minutes later, a careless foul by Melisizwe Afolayan set up a Sanctii penalty kick, which Olivia Florius was more than happy to put in the net to put Saintland up 3 goals to 2.

After the penalty kick, the tide of the match turned back toward Abanhfleft as they put relentless pressure on the Sanctii goal. However, as the clock hit 83 minutes, the Sanctii went on the counterattack and managed to catch Abanhfleft's defenses off guard. Soon, Florius had beaten the last Fleftic defender and, at that point, it was a foregone conclusion that she would score the match-clinching goal in a one-on-one situation with the keeper. That fourth Sanctii goal would be the final one scored by either team.

As the Sanctii returned to their locker room, they checked the other scores and discovered that Nephara had lost to Chromatika, 2 goals to 1. Over in Group D, Ficiscia had pulled off a draw against Pasarga, which didn't surprise the press in Saintland. Yet, the most surprising results of the day had to come from Group G where San Jose Guayabal and Vilita had been upset. They were relieved to have avoided their own upset defeat, but were concerned about having to go up against a Nepharim team that was coming off of a loss, with the Strongnesse Trophy that they had only just won back on the line as well...

by **Ko-oren** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 7:51 am

Games of the Union

Day 18:
18:00: ice hockey | Thaulandi 4-3 Nine Sisters
20:00: handball | Polaris 25-22 Thaulandi

Day 19:
09:00: water polo | Milyu 9-8 Protea
11:00: volleyball | Six Saints Protea
13:00: rugby union| Protea 27-26 Waratah
15:00: baseball | Ko-oren 3-2 Nine Sisters
18:00: lacrosse | Thaulandi 16-10 Polaris
20:00: gridiron | Ko-oren 24-13 Thaulandi

The day started off with some smaller finals. Milyu versus Protea, while both nations are located on the Crux landmass of the Union, isn't exactly a hard fought derby. The game went both ways, both nations were the better team for two quarters each, but Milyu outscored Protea just a little on the whole. The first quarter was a Protea lead, 1-2, before Milyu claimed the next two quarters (4-1 and 3-2). The Proteans had a massive comeback in the final quarter, 1-3, but the single Milyuae goal finished it off. The green and purple of Milyu took their first final, while the Proteans kept glued to their tv screens for the volleyball final, where Protea would play the Six Saints.

In indoor volleyball it was another close-but-not-really-a-rivalry. Two southeastern nations, similar in standards of living. The Six Saints usually look up to Santa Teresa while Protea butts heads with Waratah, but when the time is there, these two also fight against each other. In the first set, the Proteans started off well and escaped the Saints for a 20-8 lead, but then dropped points and all of a sudden the first set was heavily contested. The Proteans did take the set 29-27, but after such a lackluster start it worked wonders for the self-confidence of the Six Saints. The second set was promptly won by them 25-19, and they took the third set by an even larger margin, 25-15. The Proteans briefly fought back to a 2-2 overall standing (28-26) but ultimately dropped the match 3-2 with a last set loss of 25-21. The Six Saints celebrated, but the Proteans were left behind with two lost finals within 3 hours. There was no time to stay in it too much, because the first massive final was about to take place.

Rugby Union. The most successful rugby code in the Union, but only by a little. Union is contested by most Crux Island nations as well as Ko-oren, and so it was Protea again to go far and even win the semi against Fern, while Waratah disposed of Ko-oren. And so, a Protean team was up for a third final of the day, this time against their biggest rivals Waratah. The day didn't start off well by far for the Proteans, but this would be time for revenge. And what better team to do this against than the one team they want to beat more than anything. Meanwhile, the Waratines qualified for three finals total, all of which still had to take place. For the Proteans, it was the last chance at redemption. The red and green Proteans looked at some of the best talents of today, such as Leon Evans at fullback, or an incredibly strong pack of forwards with Bennett, Nkundlande and Molenaar. The Waratines are better at the back, with elusive Leonardo Braga on the wing and technical Theodore Darwin at inside centre. The Waratines also possess a good set of forwards, but not the kind of weight the Proteans kept around. This immediately shifted the game in favour of the Proteans, when Otis Miller slid across the try line for the first points. As both teams lack a clear great at the halves positions, it became a match of hit-ups and unsuccessful runs, a lot of lost energy as both teams lacked a clear plan. Miller extended the lead to 14-0 before Darwin finally retaliated with two field goals for 14-6. A bad hit by Bennett gave the ball back to Waratah and Nigel Fletcher scored the first Waratine try for 14-13. That was the score going into half time, and the remaining 40 minutes would decide the winner between these extremely close teams. All players on teams not as lucky to get to the final were in the stands, and they saw Gareth Mulholland score a try for Waratah, 14-20 (no missed conversions so far) by plowing through three Protean defenders. From here on out, both teams exchanged field goals to go 20-26 with 10 minutes to go. Molenaar passed to Evans, who found Miller for a clean linebreak and the quick winger went all the way for 25-26. The kickers proved flawless as even this conversion all the way from the touchline found its way between the goalposts, 27-26, and Protea finally won.

Next up was baseball in the quick fire round of finals. Special rules were put in place to keep the game as short as possible, as a four hour final would mean an overlap with the lacrosse final. The game eventually still went for 3:15 after complaints from both teams loosened the strict rules somewhat. This final was a classic: Ko-oren versus Nine Sisters. Two of the three oldest large nations of the Union (the other one being Polaris), and this was the 105th time an international game between the two was played. Ko-oren won 61 of them, the Nonosororitans took 44. Both nations have a great set of pitchers, with the Ko-orenites using Oceane Sauvage and the Nine Sisters going for Yumi Kasai. If the game got down to having a large amount of relief pitchers, the Nine Sisters definitely had an edge with by far bigger names to throw balls. Fielding was on the Ko-orenite side, while neither team usually excels in hitting. After 7 innings, the score was 1-2 in favour of the Nine Sisters. Nobusada Ose and Aaron Elliott went over home plate in the sixth inning for the lead. The eighth innings saw a great triple play by the Ko-orenites to bring the game quickly to the ninth inning (they failed to score at the top of the eighth), and all the Ko-orenites needed was a run - and then keeping the Nonosororitans at bay. Augusto Barbosa bat himself to first, then stole second, ran to third after a hit by Chantal Bonnet, and then exploited Arnand Bourgeois' sacrificial bunt: 2-2. On two outs, Wesley Roosevelt hit a double to bring Bonnet to home for the 3-2 lead. Then Roosevelt was the third out himself, caught napping too far from second base to make it back safely. The Nonosororitans were kept to no runs in the bottom of the ninth, so the Ko-orenites won 3-2! The Nine Sisters lost the second final of the weekend.

Lacrosse was a mellow game as both teams suffered from injuries sustained in the semifinals. Thaulandi and Polaris are the other two giants of the Union with Ko-oren and the Nine Sisters, and they were the ones in this one. Thaulandi took a lead early in the game that was impossible for the Polarians to challenge, and this game simply never lived up to the class of the semis. But tell that to any Thaulandian.

Lastly, it was time for the big one of the day. Gridiron, enjoyed by many in the Union as a secondary sport and most of Thaulandi as a primary sport. The Union team as a whole has had many successful runs in the World Bowl, but finally the answer would come to the question of which nation would win when it finally came down to it. Ko-oren versus Thaulandi. A passing offence paired with a tactical defence versus a running offence with a hardhitting defence. Huge stars on either team on both sides of the ball. The first quarter was a test run for the coaches, neither team advancing too close to the endzone. The Ko-orenites closed out the first 15 minutes with a field goal from 34 yards, 3-0. The second quarter was a lucky one for the Thaulandians, when Yeremey Netrebov found a gap between centre and right tackle to go 20 yards for a touchdown: 7-3. The Ko-orenites came back for a 100 yard dash down the field for a touchdown of their own, 10-7, and the Thaulandians were the ones to close out the first half with a field goal, 10-10. The teams in perfect equilibrium and it looked like if you just waited long enough, the game would remain a perfect tie. Individual qualities on the Ko-orenite defence prevented that in the third quarter, forcing two turnovers and a pick six to top it all off, Keira Johnston picking off Dexter Gregory. With 17-10, the Thaulandians were nowhere to be found. Their runs were stopped around the line of scrimmage and passes were picked off too much to rely on them. An error on the Ko-orenites allowed a big win of territory for Thaulandian wide receiver Denis Rubashkin, but got stopped and they had to settle for a field goal (17-13). In the final 15 minutes, nothing seemed to go wrong for Ko-oren with another two interceptions, a touchdown for Wouter de Bruijn (Ko-orenite wide receiver) and they ran down the clock for their 24-13 win.

Day 20:
09:00: Waratah rules
11:00: bandy
13:00: field hockey
15:00: rugby league
17:00: soccer
19:00: basketball
20:30: Ko-orenite football

Seven more finals on the last day. The Nine Sisters, after bad Games all around, still are looking for their first final win.

by **West Angola** » Sun Jul 03, 2016 9:08 am

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WEST ANGOLA FALLS IN OPENER

Peter Simmons winds up a cross in the first half against Royal Kingdom of Quebec

RAMUSOK- West Angola came up just a minute short in their opening match of World Cup 75. Despite a spirited fight, the Royal Kingdom of Quebec put away Jan Pawel’s side after the underdogs put a scare into the top seed. Andrew Ricardo scored his first international goal on the largest stage imaginable in the 89th minute, raising hopes in West Angola of a miracle comeback, but solid defense by the favorites and a 93rd minute goal by Hazel Van Robben doused those dreams. Peter Simmons also scored, but was subbed out in the second half after a nasty collision with Lorne Dunford while leaping for a header. Dunford only came away shaken, but Simmons struck his head against the ground on landing and was treated for a concussion.

Despite their opponent’s high rank, West Angola did not seem at all cowed in the opening minutes of play. Jan Pawel had spoken of the need for the players to “assert themselves” out of the gate, and within ten minutes three fouls were blown and Sophia Valdez found herself booked for a particularly aggressive tackle on Stewie Burns. When the referee was looking, things calmed down considerably after that, but the shoving, bumping, and elbowing continued whenever official backs were turned. Hazel van Robben broke through in the 21st minute to score the first goal of the match, taking advantage of poor positioning by Keith Glover and an artful cross from Xavier Hertel to find the back of the net and put Quebec up 1-0. West Angola appeared to have an opportunity to answer, but wasted two promising chances on the other end, with Paul Ramirez shooting wide and Abraham Taylor sending a pass just beyond the reach of Nathan Gonzalez.

The Royal Kingdom continued to push forward against an increasingly tired West Angolan defense until Hertel found himself with an open shot on the goal. Jeremy Thomas managed to tip the ball over the crossbar, but only succeeded in moving his side from the frying pan to the fire. Elsa Scott chested down the delivery and attempted to clear the ball out to Santos, but Zachary Fortin struck the ball on the fly with a blazing shot that Thomas couldn’t hope to stop. Down two with more than half the match still to play, West Angola might have folded, but they rallied a determined effort in the waning stages of the first half. Peter Simmons, who scored thirteen goals during qualifying, added another in the 43rd minute after a neat bit of footwork to fool Karl Varsteeg and create an opening to shoot. The goal pulled West Angola within one and caused EPSN commentator Alan Harrison to exclaim, “No one told him it was over!” Indeed, the score sent a charge through the West Angolan fans in attendance, resurrecting hopes that their side could manage a shock result. Heading into halftime, Jan Pawel was optimistic about his players’ prospects, “We’re matching them blow for blow, to be sure. We’ve got some things on defense we need to address, but if we can tighten up our play at the back and keep pressing forward we’ll come out ahead, I’m confident.”

Despite Pawel’s confidence, West Angola played timidly to open the second half, drawing back into their own zone and failing to pursue potential counter-attacking chances with the necessary vigor. Quebec pushed forward against the West Angolan attack and threatened to score on several occasions, only being kept out by excellent keeping by Jeremy Thomas and no small amount of luck. The clock climbed into the seventies with no shots taken by West Angola in the second half, and with the ease with which they were dominating the match the Quebec side could feel confident of victory. When Nathan Gonzalez flubbed yet another chance at an attack with a sloppy pass to Abraham Taylor true despair became evident in the voice of Alan Harrision and the faces of many fans. The underdogs’ hopes were dashed still further five minutes later when Peter Simmons was taken off the pitch with a concussion, leaving the untested Andrew Ricardo to carry the attack forward.

Ricardo played better than expected, however, finding an open shot just minutes after coming onto the pitch, and even though it was corralled by Ondrej Cech it sent a powerful statement of possible things to come for the young striker. Quebec was content to protect their lead rather than risk disaster by charging forward, and their defense did a masterful job of containing the West Angolan attack after Ricardo’s effort. In the 89th minute, with West Angola on the ropes, Ricardo reminded everyone why Huambo will be paying him A£300,000 next year. Nathan Gonzalez fed him the ball at the corner of the eighteen-yard box, and Ricardo curled his foot around the ball and fired it across the front of the goal into the upper corner to equalize. Ricardo passed up a chance to feed the ball to Paul Ramirez on the other side of the box and took the shot himself, showing impressive confidence for his first international appearance. Alan Harrison let his excitement show through as he shouted to be heard over the cheering West Angolan fans just in front of his microphone, “Quebec keeps putting this match away, and West Angola just won’t fall. Hope was all but lost, but now the fans have got to be wondering, ‘Could it be? Can we do this?’”

Seeking only to protect the draw, West Angola drew back and crouched in their zone, allowing Quebec to press forward with impunity. This strategy proved foolhardy, and in the 3rd minute of stoppage time Philip-Michel Schneiderlin crossed over Glenn Santos and lobbed a ball ahead to Van Robben, who spun around William Craig and fired the ball home over a diving Thomas to seal the win for her side and send Quebec into a jubilant frenzy. While celebrating the goal, Van Robben withdrew a large marijuana cigarette from under her shirt and proceeded to smoke it to the delight of the Quebec faithful, who at that point would likely have cheered on their striker burning the national flag in front of them. West Angolan fans were stunned into silence by the late reversal, and Alan Harrison summed up the feeling in the stadium, “West Angola feeling absolutely gut-punched right now. They came so close to shocking the world and they’re left with nothing but ‘what if’s’ and ‘maybes.’”

In the post-match press conference, Jan Pawel offered remained optimistic about his side’s performance: “We came very close on several occasions to scoring, and coming away with two goals against the sixth-best side in the world is a major accomplishment. We know what we need to work on before San Llera, and if we can account for where we came up short today and avoid repeating our mistakes we’ll be a real threat against them and Cosumar later.” Asked about Peter Simmons’ availability for the match, Pawel said “The physio and his staff are examining him, and we’ll take a look at it when the time comes. I can’t give you any more than that.” A source within the training staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Chronicle that the captain told him the only thing keeping him off the field would be double amputation. Cosumar defeated San Llera 4-3 in the other Group H match, setting up what should be an exciting meeting between the two top seeds in Kaldukosic while West Angola and San Llera face off in Fire River Arena. West Angola will have had a little more experience at the grounds, having played there once already, and will be looking to capitalize on their best chance to secure some points in their visit to the World Cup.

Group H                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Cosumar                      1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec      1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
3 San Llera                    1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 West Angola                  1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0

 West Angola (77)  vs. Royal Kingdom of Quebec (6)
                   0-1 21' Hazel Van Robben
                   0-2 36' Zachary Fortin
Peter Simmons  43' 1-2
Andrew Ricardo 89' 2-2 
                   2-3 93' Hazel Van Robben       
Yellow: Valdez  8'
        Santos 51'
Red:    None

Chronicle writers Christopher Lauren and Paul Wilson contributed to this report.

Part One|Part Two|Part Three|Part Four|Part Five|Part Six|Part Seven|Part Eight|Part Nine|Part Ten|Part Eleven|Part Twelve|Part Thirteen|Part Fourteen|Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen: Power-Sharing
Karol Preszek’s coronation, where he would be crowned King Karol of West Angola and Cabinda, was just a day away. His election had not been cheered within Emily’s government, and in fact had been greeted with no small measure of fear. The Exile government had not been elected by a majority of West Angolans, it was a holdover from Farreth Island, and with the first Parliamentary election just four months away the victory of a far-left antiwar candidate did not bode well for the centrist, pro-military Freedom Party. Robert Morris maintained that the Party’s best chance was to ally with the Nationalists to concentrate Robert Silva’s voting bloc between the two of them and keep the Reform Party from retaking control. Even though Preszek hadn’t publicly endorsed a party, Reform was the only significant left-of-center party in the country, and even though it hadn’t been in power since before the Augustine coup it had grabbed a definite advantage from Preszek’s victory.

Owen Rigte, the Reform Leader, had unveiled the Party’s official platform yesterday, and it was clearly an appeal to Preszek voters. The first line was not a position statement, but a reminder that Reform had voted against most of Emily Parrish’s war funding bills and had opposed the decision to invade. The first actual issue on the platform was a pledge to increase transfer payments to the regions on the west coast still devastated by the war. Immediately below it was a promise to drastically cut the nation’s defense budget in order to move West Angola towards a “post-military future,” an idea which was radical, unprecedented, and in Morris’ opinion insane, but the current mood of the war-weary populace made it politically advantageous. Rigte was taking a page from Preszek’s playbook, running ads featuring images from war-torn Benguela overlaid with Emily’s voice overlaid talking about “sacrifice” and the “price of freedom.” The ads would then cut to greyscale shots of the Prime Minister’s residence, which looked far more well-to-do than it actually was, before fading to a black background with the words “Who pays the price?” emblazoned in white.

The ad was devastatingly effective, especially along the coast, and it only added to Emily’s mounting sense of self-doubt about the direction her life had taken. Knowing she couldn’t share her concerns with anyone in her government, she had gone to see her mother. Sarah Parrish had met her father after he had abdicated the throne and returned to football. Less than a month after they had begun dating, they had been kidnapped by disgruntled former members of WASN’s commentary crew who blamed Luke for their situation. Her father had rescued her after escaping himself, and the two had soon fallen in love. Emily and her twin brother, Phillip Warren, had been fifteen when their father had been murdered, waking up to find him already gone and their mother urging them to hurry and pack. They had spent three anxious days on a transport heading to Farreth Island not knowing if Luke was alive or dead, but when they arrived at the Exiles’ new home Paul Arrat had met them at the landing strip to deliver the tragic news.

Sarah had been nearly driven over the edge by learning her husband was truly dead. She was a strong woman, but the exhaustion of the evacuation and the stress of not knowing for three days had almost overwhelmed her. A week of Farreth’s cold, wet climate hadn’t helped, and the twins had only been able to watch helplessly as their mother nearly died of pneumonia. The chaos following the evacuation meant that the Exiles’ doctors were run ragged dealing with injuries and a dozen other communicable diseases that had sprung up in the refugee camps and had little time to do anything besides quarantine her. Emily and Phillip had done their best to care for her and keep her warm, but they had fought a losing battle until Isaac Warren had returned from Valladares with the national football team. Warren, who knew the Parrish family through his friendship with Luke, had paid out of his own pocket to have antibiotics flown in and distributed to Sarah and others. Sarah’s condition had improved remarkably, but the cough had never left her and she had always been a little weaker physically.

Her mind had remained as sharp as ever despite the damage her body had suffered. Throughout Emily’s time as Prime Minister, Sarah had nursed a burning hatred of the men who had killed her husband, and at every opportunity she had urged her daughter to keep up the fight. Towards the end of the civil war, however, she had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and by this point it was a coin flip whether she would recognize her children when they visited. Sarah had moved in with Phillip not long after her diagnosis, the retired footballer having a schedule far more friendly to caregiving than his politician sister, although Emily visited often, and on this occasion she was lucky enough to have found her mother lucid. “Emily, so good to see you again.” Concern creased her brow, “Are you feeling well? You look like something’s bothering you.”

It seemed everyone Emily knew had asked her that since the election, and she attempted to sound reassuring, “Nothing more than usual, Mom. There is a lot happening with the government of late, especially since Karol Preszek won the election.”

“Oh, I’d imagine so, dear. Seeing that silly man declaring victory made me sick. Phillip had to turn the television off and take me upstairs I was getting so upset. I mean, really, where does he get his ridiculous ideas?”

Emily didn’t want to drop the full measure of her uncertainty on her mother right off, and managed to recapture her thinking as it had stood six months ago, “I have no idea. Wherever the far left has been selling their ideology, I guess. It’s like he sprinkles in just enough realism to make the whole pot believable, but so much of it is just this wishful thinking populist-pacifist nonsense. Every once and a while he’ll come out with something halfway reasonable, but so many of the things he says are too extreme to work.” She sighed and sat on the edge of Sarah’s bed, “What on earth is the King thinking?”

“You know he means well, Luke.” Emily started, her mother had lapsed into another episode. Unsure of how serious it was, she tried to set things straight, “No, Mom. It’s me, Emily.”

“Of course you are dear, now run along, I’m speaking with your father.” Sarah continued her conversation with an imaginary Luke Parrish as though Emily weren’t there, “Yes, yes. ‘What is the King thinking?’ You always say that when he’s pushing something you don’t like. Luke, he’s doing what he feels is in the best interests of the country, just as you did when you were King.”

Emily tried to break in, “What’s happening, Mom? What did the King do?”

“Oh, Emily. The King has said he’s considering military action against the Eurans to force the return some of our people that they arrested last year.” She was describing events which had happened before Emily’s birth, but was apparently unaware or uncaring of the impossibility. “Your father’s just upset, he thinks using the army is going to lead to needless violence.”

“And what do you think, Mom?”

“I agree. It seems as though war only hurts those who never asked for it. Leaders start fights and the ordinary people are the ones who wind up caught in the middle. I’d be afraid for the Eurans, and for our people, if fighting started again. Your father knows better than most, he was King during the New Heatherian Revolution, and during the Vortropolan War before you were born, and he learned then that the consequences of war go deeper than lines on a map. Even ideas like freedom and democracy tend to mean little to the people who lose their homes and loved ones in the process.” This was a different Sarah Parrish than the one Emily had known most of her adult life. Gone was the anger and grief at the death of her husband, gone was the burning desire for revenge against the mainland, gone even was the desire to fight to retake the homeland. In its place Emily heard the ideas of Karol Preszek from an unexpected source. Her voice trembling, she asked one more question, “And father thinks so too?”

“Oh yes, dear. He didn’t always, but when he saw war close up he realized the true horrors are often invisible from a distance.” Emily was glad she was sitting—she feared she’d be unable to stand should she try. She’d come to her mother to be reassured of the rightness of her actions, and instead was discovering that her mother had once thought the opposite, and that her father had apparently gone to his grave sharing that viewpoint. The doubts that Preszek’s words had kindled within her had been ignited into a firestorm by what she’d heard. Fighting to keep her composure, Emily kissed her mother goodbye, said farewell to her brother downstairs, and got back into her car waiting outside. Henry, her driver, looked at her in the rearview mirror, “Back to the residence, Madame Prime Minister?”

Emily shook her head, “No, Henry. Take me to 17 Rockwood Lane, Karol Preszek’s headquarters. It’s time we spoke about our working relationship.”
===
The Royal Palace was still being refurbished, so Preszek and his family had taken up residence in an apartment nearby while they waited for their home to be finished. The King had left a standing invitation for Emily to come by and discuss their plans for government, but she’d held off until she was sure of her own thoughts. Now, even though her mother’s revelations should have thrown her thinking into complete chaos, she was finding a strange sense of peace. If her father, a man who had seen even more war and violence than she had, had died in the firm belief that war caused more problems than it solved, and her mother had once shared that view, then perhaps it wasn’t such an unfathomable idea after all. Henry slowly wound his way through the midday traffic. As Prime Minister, Emily normally wouldn’t have to deal with such things as traffic, but she preferred to avoid the spectacle of a motorcade to keep the media spotlight off of her mother. At last they arrived at 17 Rockford, and after Will confirmed with the Royal Guard that there were no security threats in the area Emily got out and was shown into the King-elect’s parlor.

Preszek was evidently surprised by Emily’s visit, and from his face he was rather unhappy to find the Prime Minister waiting on his couch, “Madame Prime Minister, what an unexpected pleasure. I didn’t know you were coming, so I beg your forgiveness if I seem caught off guard.”

Emily smiled, “Quite alright, Your Excellency,” (for he would not be “Your Highness” until the crown sat upon his head) “I know my visit was unscheduled and unannounced, but you did leave a standing invitation with my office.”

Preszek coughed, “Yes, yes I did.” He walked over to the large window that faced the street and looked out. With his back to Emily, he continued, “To be honest, though, I made the invitation for form’s sake. I never expected you to accept.”

She frowned, “Why wouldn’t I? We’re going to be working together for the foreseeable future, and at some point we’ll need to discuss how that will work.”

Now the King-elect laughed. After sixteen years as the supreme authority in the Exile government, Emily was not used to such audacity, but forced the flash of anger down as Preszek turned around to face her, “Let’s be honest, Madame Prime Minister, your days in office are numbered. My election represents a repudiation of everything your party stands for by a majority of West Angolans. If Robert Silva can’t win on what’s essentially a Freedom Party platform in a two-person race, when you have to split the hawk vote with the Nationalists your majority will collapse. No, I don’t think we’ll be working together for very long at all. Face it, the Freedom Party, your party, lost the election the night Robert Silva conceded defeat. This is a new West Angola, one that cares for the individuals who might get caught up in its grand schemes.”

Emily put on a superior smile, “An excellent speech, sir, and one which accurately outlines the current political feeling among our countrymen, I must admit. However, you are incorrect in one rather significant regard.”

“And what is that, pray tell?”

“The Freedom Party will not be my party come the next election.” She knew she’d shocked him with that. Preszek sank down to the couch and knocked over an empty water glass as he fumbled for a grip on the end table to steady his descent. He coughed, looked around briefly, then exhaled as he tried to process what Emily had said, “Well, Madame Prime Minister, that is absolutely the last thing I expected you to say.”

“I meant it, Your Excellency.”

“But why? What in heaven’s name is going on in your head?”

“The words of people I trust more than anything, and those of a man who proved far wiser than I ever gave him credit for,” she replied with a small nod to confirm who she was referring to, “I’ve come to realize that things are not as clear as I once believed, and it’s caused quite a few changes to my thinking.”

Preszek leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling, “How long has this been in the works?”

“I didn’t make up my mind until about half an hour ago, when I decided to come speak with you, but I feel as though I’ve been moving towards this conclusion ever since our talk.”

“Well, I’m overjoyed to learn my words had such a profound effect. I must confess a certain level of skepticism, however, this smacks of a political move, although I hope I’m wrong.” He leaned forward fixed her with a piercing gaze, “Am I wrong?”

“You are, Your Excellency, and I believe I can prove it.” She took a deep breath, “I intend to resign immediately after your coronation tomorrow and stand for election as a member of the Green Party of West Angola.”

There it was. Quite possibly the most ridiculous thing she’d ever said, and if the Emily Parrish who delivered the Great Crusade speech heard it, she would likely have herself committed. Preszek rocked back a little, then took a moment to collect his thoughts, “Well, that is certainly strong evidence in your favor. I fully expected you to tell me you were joining the Reform Party, to be honest. They mastered the perfect formula of tossing breadcrumbs to the populace while kowtowing to the money interests at Gregon and Standard Rubber. The Greens, though, that’s very interesting. Have you spoken with them?”

“No, not yet. As I said I only made my decision just before coming here.”

A hint of genuine excitement was evident in Preszek’s tone, “I can put you in touch with the leadership, and soothe any questions about your sincerity. I know once they’re sure you’re for real they’ll be eager to have you. Hell, they’ll probably offer you the leadership if you want it.” This wasn’t hyperbole. The Greens, as the only party to endorse Preszek, had had their national profile boosted dramatically by his victory, but had been hamstrung by organizational issues and a lack of experience at the top. Bringing on a veteran politician like Emily would be a dream come true, and she would essentially be able to name her price. “Thank you, Your Excellency. I would appreciate that very much.”

“Wonderful! Let me go and grab my phone.” Preszek’s entire demeanor had changed. When he’d entered, he had been suspicious, on edge, and more than a little hostile; now he dashed into the apartment like a child on his way to a toy store. He returned in moments with a black smartphone at least three generations old, “I can give you the numbers and emails of a dozen members in their leadership, and a bunch of my donors who are big into green issues. If you want, we can call Will Wright right now and talk to him about this. How does that sound?”

Yes, he was definitely excited, “Well, I suppose. Do you have time?”

“Oh, of course, I’d be happy to do it. I’m not bound by any constitutional restrictions like you were.” He laughed, then snapped his fingers, “But where are my manners? Can I get you anything? Something to drink? I have water, tea…”

“Water, please.” He disappeared again, and when he returned it was with a short, dark-haired woman who looked to be about five years younger than Emily, “Madame Prime Minister, I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Sonia.” Emily stood and shook the woman’s hand, then gratefully accepted her drink from the King-elect. Karol and Emily sat back down on the couch, and Preszek dialed and set his phone on the coffee table, “Wright usually has an early lunch with Rosa Delgado, his deputy, so you can speak to both of them if you want.”

Wright answered on the first ring, “Karol! I didn’t expect to hear from you until tomorrow. What’s going on?”

“Hey, Will, I’ve got a surprise for you. Is Rosa there?”

“She is, let me put you on speaker.” There was a brief pause, then a woman’s voice joined Wright’s on the other end, “Hello Karol. Will says you have good news?”

“Oh I certainly do. There’s a high profile personality who wants to make an endorsement, if you’re interested.”

Wright and Delgado both started to speak at once, but the deputy quickly deferred to the leader, “Well, of course we are, Karol. Who is it?”

Preszek turned to her, “Go ahead and say hello.”

Emily leaned towards the table, “Mr. Wright, Ms. Delgado, it’s Emily Parrish. I’m interested in joining your party for the upcoming election.”

The line was silent for about five seconds, then a cough, then another three seconds before Delgado found her voice, “This is a joke, right Karol? What the hell is going on?”

Emily and Preszek traded a look, and the King-elect shrugged. Emily returned the gesture, then leaned back towards the phone, “It’s no joke. I’ve had a change of heart, as it were, and I’d like to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss an electoral strategy.”

Preszek leaned in, “I’m vouching for her, Rosa, Will. Trust me, this is for real.” He turned to Emily, “I’d like to come with you to that meeting, if that’s alright. My security can be very discreet, and if we get a private table under Will’s name we shouldn’t attract too much attention.”

“Of course.” Wright had evidently collected his thoughts, because he finally spoke again, “Well, we’d certainly be happy to meet whenever it’s convenient for you. When are you planning to announce?”

“I intend to inform the public of my decision just after the coronation, which should maximize the attention the party receives, so if we could meet before that it would be ideal.”

“Of…of course. Would you like to discuss things over dinner this evening? Rosa and I will be there, along with whoever else you’d like to bring.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wright, that’s perfect. I believe the King-elect would like to be there as well, but I don’t have any guests in mind.”

“Excellent, we know a lovely restaurant in the garden district with private tables. Karol knows the address, so we’ll see you there at seven?”

“Seven it is, thank you.” Emily nodded to Preszek, who hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket. He smiled at her, “This is the last thing I expected to happen today, Madame Prime Minister, but I’m quite glad you’ve made this decision.”

“I think I’ve surprised myself, Your Excellency, but I’m sure I won’t have any regrets.”

by **Bonesea** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 12:36 am

by **Nephara** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 3:17 am

Reinhard Shale relaxed back in his office chair, lit a cigarette, took the laceless boot in his left hand, cracked open a can of black paint with the other and got to work.
Cardinal Belgrave was a good lad. That was why he was in the squad, after all - but he was flash, and he'd turned up at training with his new boots. Pastel pink and fluorescent yellow.
This was unacceptable.
"But, gaffer, I got a new boot deal with Vulpine! I got a contract to wear these and everything!"
"Yeah, well, they look like shit. What kind of colour is that?"
"Uhh... salmon and pyranine, gaffer."
"What the fuck."
"Um."
"Give me those! When with the Cormorants, you will wear black or white. That's it. Fuck about with the laces if you have to, but..."
"Awh, gaffer!"
So he'd confiscated them as Michael Brandon watched on, clearly amused. And now, here he was, tucked away in his hotel room, painting.
See, he was old-school, in a way. Not a dinosaur. He wasn't about to bring back Ramsey's weird wide diamond, scream hairdryers at people, largely ignore tactics and give his big forward the number 7. But then again, some of Theresa Riether's methods - if certainly not her results - seemed... strange. Certainly two and three years back. Very laissez-faire, very tactically... wavy. She set out the players to play and instilled them with the desire to win, and it... worked, somehow?
He felt he took the middle ground. Maybe not even that. Maybe his own way. First and foremost with this team, he'd set the groundwork from the start. He'd done so much to make the team solid. They were tight at the back, disciplined, defended set pieces properly. They fought for each other. They fought for him. He was the gaffer, Ashdown was the skipper.
And all this work was at risk of crashing down on his head.

"Scharner under pressure from Quren, hoofs it out... to Meagan Kelly, the captain, Rien making a forward run, Kelly finds it with a beautiful slide-rule pass! Good cross to the far post, bounces over everyone in the box - ANTONIO DRIFTS ONTO IT! HITS IT FIRST-TI- that's an AMAZING goal! Volleyed past Hargrave after a beautiful, fluid passing move! Chromatika, in their first World Cup match, have taken the lead against the world champions!"
"You know, it won't be a popular opinion back home, but they've deserved this. Nephara's been tested, Antonio and Rien have been just stretching and prying at the defence all day, it was always going to pay dividends. Still, sixty-five minutes left for the Cormorants."

It hadn't even been a bad match. Not in the middle of the park, at any rate - but they couldn't beat Thorben. There was already a Vine circling the net of Ashdown's four direct free kicks, all turned away by the excellent Thorben. That was, he had to admit, just about all Ashdown had contributed all match, and she'd been visibly frustrated when taken off. Hadn't complained, she was a model professional, a perfect captain... but she knew she'd done poorly at anything involving 'running'. The crowd had questioned the substitution. Vocally.
But it had given them their equaliser.

"Liam's pass cut out by Rainsford, that's world-class anticipation to read that, she slides it across to Gallagher... he's only been on four minutes, the fresh legs are showing. Ooh, he's past Hellion, hits it across to Vesper who's beaten the offside trap, draws the Chromatik defence in, Scafidis heavily marked - Vesper cuts it back! RAINSFORD! SMASHED PAST THORBEN FROM JUST OUTSIDE THE BOX, IT'S ONLY HER FOURTH INTERNATIONAL GOAL, AND WHAT A TIME TO FIND IT!"
"Well, that's just a beautifully-worked move, really, quick, dynamic passing. 76th minute and Nephara have finally found a way back into this game, and about time... but surely they'll be chasing the win. Thorben looks devastated, he's been a colossus today..."

And then... was it hubris? Cawdor came on for the excellent Vesper, her fresh legs testing Morningstar, Chromatika's arguable weak link. She was excellent. Sensing the need to switch things up a bit, he threw on Covenant for the quiet, disappointing Amokachi.
No, pursuing the win was the right thing to do. Of course it was. You could never, ever think a draw was good enough unless one exact point was enough to guarantee you success, and even then you wanted to keep the other bastards honest or you'd concede anyway and then be fucked.

"Pointless even trying to hit the long ball to Szalai, Ellen'll have those all day, and now the former Armstrong loanee makes her way forward, Nephara's breakaway has broken down, Ellen hoofs it, tests the high line, KEIRA ANDISORI WITH AN INCREDIBLE TOUCH, the teenage substitute's just dinked it past Katskalidis and Antonio rides Christener's challenge - that was dirty - but it's not enough, Hargrave comes out- goal, Chromatika, 2-1! Just chipped the keeper as he came out, never stood a chance!"
"Perfect counterattack and you have to say Nephara overcommitted, and a wonderful touch of class there by Keira Andisori... what a future the young Letson Town striker has, what a World Cup debut! Things might be rough in the home country at the moment but by God this team's played without any of that pressure..."

He dropped the brush into the jar of water, left the boots on the desk to dry and rolled a new cigarette, stubbing the old one. The boots were matte black now, aside from the sponsor logo - well, they'd have thrown a fit if he'd done anything to hide it - and the laces, which he couldn't be bothered to overlay. That'd be fine.
He was a strong manager. He'd been through so many difficult and even dangerous assignments all over the multiverse. And Saintland were next, a team whose shortcomings he knew. He'd stick to what worked, detractors be damned. Same system and same players that had gotten them here. Yes, even the vulnerable Christener, the quiet Amokachi... and there was not even the question that Ashdown might be dropped. He'd stick to what he trusted, and the things he trusted would win out.
So why were his hands shaking as he lit his cigarette?

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 4:13 am

From Dnester To Destiny
by Rami Niblick in Emberton

THEY say it's good to be back. Krytenia are back in the World Cup finals, the World Cup finals are back in Krytenia for the first time since World Cup 50, and yours truly is back behind the metaphorical typewriter - and very real laptop - of Krytenia's favourite sporting organ. Last night saw the Dragons kick off their latest campaign to complete the impossible dream against the debuting nation of Pridnestrovia; the men in sky and white prove just about too strong for their opponents, winning by the odd goal in five.

The match started brightly, with both sides setting out their atall to get the early goal. The Red Army (who, bizarrely, play in green) are a team afraid of nobody, as they showed against Damukuni in the playoffs, and their women were a match for Krytenia's men in the opening exchanges. Veteran goalkeeper David Heaton had to be on his toes in the third minute as Tanya Poroshenko unleashed a fizzer from range that took a wicked deflection off Alfie Xousa; the former Wexax stopper just about managed to tip the ball round the post before Xousa redeemed himself with a splendid goal-line clearance from Yelena Tymoshenko's header. The tone was set for the game, though, as that clearance led to a surging run from the talismanic Armando Ortega. His pass to Alex Sampson released the Ousevale man, but Marfa Kirilenko saved well and managed to scramble onto the rebound.

The game continued in this breathless fashion for a good twenty minutes without producing a goal - though not for want of trying. Poroshenko hit the side netting with another cracker, Bisera Haralampieva was superbly denied with a goal-saving tackle from Jason Davis, and captain Irina Pavlyuchenko did get the ball in the net, but saw the goal chalked out - and a yellow card - for a forearm-leading challenge on Davis. The Mercia man landed awkwardly, and was forced to be substituted, with Michael Coker taking his place. At the other end, Valrauncion could only glance his header across rather than into the goal, whilst Kirilenko was kept busy with a top-notch double save from an Ortega thunderbolt and Nathan Lyons' follow-up.

A goal was sure to come, and eventually it did, just before the half hour. It looked for all the world that it was coming to the Dragons as Mark Rankine's pass found Ortega in space; the Avidia man, though, just got too much underneath it and the ball cracked off the bar and back into play. Tatiana Gevorgian quickly got the ball moving upfield, and with Krytenia sucked forward, the Red Army found themselves with a numerical advantage. Pavlyuchenko controlled the clearance expertly, before releasing Poroshenko with an over-the-shoulder ball that took both Krytenian centre-backs out of the play. With only the keeper to beat, the Dinamo Bender forward made no mistake, leaving Heaton no chance with a perfectly-weighted chip.

The lead, inevitably, was not to last. Pridnestrovia were almost still celebrating the opener as Ortega strode forward from the kickoff; a one-two with Sampson advanced the attack before the twenty-six year old slid a beautiful disguised pass to the unmarked Valrauncion. The elf met it first time, and the ball was still rising and accelerating as it hit the back of the net. Pridnestrovia's lead had lasted forty-seven seconds, but did it dishearten them? Did it heck as like. Poroshenko almost restored the Red/Green Army's lead with yet another exocet - this one hitting the outside of the post - whilst Bogdana Feltzer was assigned the lask of neutralising the dangerous Ortega, stifling his space in the middle of the park. It was probably a fair assessment of the game that the sides went into the break tied at one apiece.

The second half was more of the same - as you'd expect from these two sides - and once again, the early goal was the aim for both sides. This time, though, there actually was an early goal. With Feltzer sticking to Ortega like a particularly hungry leech, Mark Rankine used the opportunity to unleash his skills. He found left-back Mitch Mitchell bombing down the flank, and the Ashton man's pullback to the edge of the box was met by Ortega, who'd finally managed to get a few inches goalside of his shadow. It was to be his last opportunity to show his talents for the day, as he pulled up in the goal celebration. Krytenia will be hoping to get him fit for the next match; for now, though, Dario Navas decided to inject some youth and pace by bringing on Jaime Verdano.

The ladies from the DPRUSSP were not done yet, though. With Krytenia in front, the chances began to recede for the girls in green, but they still looked dangerous on the ball. Arkadia Zubarenko came on for the largely ineffective Greta Hedervary, and almost scored with her first touch as she beat her marker at a corner, only to see her header creep over the bar. Poroshenko also narrowly shot over, this time with an athletic volley, but the goal was coming. What was rather surprising, though, is that it came from the spot. A relatively clean game was somewhat marred by a cynical two-footed tackle from Alfie Xousa just inside the box, and he rightly saw a straight red for the challenge. Pavlyuchenko took some time to get up, and was taken off as a precaution with Irina Severtnik replacing her. It was Zubarenko who took the penalty, and she placed it with precision, the ball brushing the inside of the post on its way in. Heaton wouldn't have saved it if he was nine feet tall.

The game was set, then, for a thrilling climax. Krytenia were probably just about the better side, but were a man down; Pridnestrovia were the underdogs, but had plenty of fight in them. Both sides had chances to win - Valrauncion forcing yet another excellent save from Kirilenko, and Severtnik was denied by a particularly athletic stop from the seemingly ageless Heaton - but as the clock struck ninety, the scores remained level, and the match was heading to a draw. To be fair, neither side deserved to lose. Ignore the Krytenian attack at your peril, though. Verdano earned a corner as Tymoshenko cleared off his feet; as time ticked into the last of the four added minutes, Adrian Anuzzi whipped the ball in...and there was Mark Rankine, nodding in at the near post to secure the three points and deal ill-deserved heartbreak to their opponents. Semarland could be in trouble when they take on the Pridnestrovians in their next game.

As for Krytenia? Next up are an opponent that just seem to keep cropping up and spoiling the party for the Dragons. The elven nation of Valanora have, for so long, been a thorn in the side of the Krytenians, and it is perhaps destiny that the two sides will meet once more on the biggest stage. The Vanors halted the Cinderella run of Krytenia in World Cup 72; can the men in sky and white mete out revenge with a place in the second round at stake? The world, once again, will stop and find out. ONWARD!

KRYTENIA - 3
Valrauncion 30
Ortega 47
Rankine 90+4

PRIDNESTROVIA - 2
Poroshenko 29
Zubarenko 66 (pen)

by **Brenecia** » Mon Jul 04, 2016 5:09 am

It was the longest ninety minutes of Elisheba 'Elsie' Kathleen Drover's life. The first time she really realised that maybe the magic of the World Cup wasn't all it was meant to be.
Even three years back, this was unthinkable, as she prepared to step up to the first-team of Rosbank Town from their academy. Sure, she'd done great in the C-League on loan and was bluntly too good for the reserves, but she was in the Brenecian second tier. Stars were not born there.
Then a year later she was the keystone of that Rosbank Town side as they went on to survive, comfortably, in the A-League. Same again next season, but it's a long way from the A-League, even as U21 player of the year, twice, to the World Cup.
And here she was.
And this game was u t t e r c r a p .
There was a simple pattern - Brenecia broke forward in search of a goal. Then they made a chance, which they promptly wasted through want of end product. Sporadically, Ko-oren hit hard on the break but the settled, disciplined Brenecian defence - or, failing that, Woodgate - denied them. It was so shit that she just knew some pundit somewhere was calling it an 'intense tactical battle, a chess match, one for the purists'.
It was garbage.
So much for the magic of the World Cup, eh?
She'd been thirteen since the last World Cup Brenecia took a part in. Eleven when Brenecia last won a game - well, even a point at the tournament. She was sitting in the living room, contorted into a terrible posture, craning her neck forwards as ... "Spitfire clips a forward pass to Schzerzer, Scherzer leaves Provenza in his wake, gets past Garcia, cutback for- CULLEN! ISADORA CULLEN SMASHES PAST NUREMBERG WITH THE EQUALISER, WITH BRENECIA'S FIRST WORLD CUP GOAL!"
She turned to her single mother. "Mum, someday," she said proudly, "that'll be me at the World Cup."
"Not if you keep failing Maths, you won't."
Well, ten years (and an official diagnosis of dyscalculia) later, here she was... on the bench.
Raven Cullen turned to her. "Right. Elsie. Warm up, you're coming on for Cathy."
Right. Of course she was. This was fine. This was her moment! The World Cup! At 21! Brenecia's hope for the future! Given... given... six minutes plus injury time to turn the game around.
She missed Aisling Crowan.
Okay, that sounded ridiculous on paper, but it was Aisling who'd more or less revived her career. At 14, after recovering from the disappointment of watching Brenecia slump to three defeats, early signs were that she looked like she'd be the best player to come out of Brenecia, ever. At 15... she was about to be released by Rosbank Town. An ACL injury. Those things end careers.
Aisling Crowan's career had been ended by injury, though - a dodgy hip saw her off to the glue factory by 31, but that was fine. She'd used her extensive time on the sidelines earning a UICA A licence and had quickly secured a post as Rosbank Town's U18 manager. Drifting between the professional and semi-professional tiers of Brenecian football, she supplemented her income as a stripper. Clever as a fox, knew the game like the back of her hand, and her rise through the ranks had coincided exactly with Drover's own.
And it had been Crowan alone who'd sat by a young, scared, broke Drover's bedside and reassured her that it would all end okay.
It did. Crowan convinced Rosbank to keep her on-contract and Drover recovered a couple months before schedule... and went straight back to dominating wherever she played.
Crowan was the only manager she'd ever known. Cullen? Raven Cullen, the cruel namesake of one of the nation's great players?
She suspected Cullen was kind of a chancer, in all honesty. She'd kept it to herself, but there was something about the manager - and her record - that just seemed to suggest she'd been making it up as she went along. She was well-liked, that was pretty much all it was - keeping a fragile dressing room pulling the same direction. 22 of them, anyway, and for her part? She was professional enough to keep her head down and hold her tongue.
She clapped Purrington's hand as the Vermillion midfielder lumbered off and she couldn't help but wonder what a waste she was. The best technical player Brenecia had ever produced and she was overweight, one-footed, lazy and had once had an affair with a Nepharim international during the tournament, an affair she retold with no small pride.
Purrington was a national hero to most Brenecians, because they'd never had better. Oh, but they would. Drover, herself, would make certain of that. All lean muscle, fierce bounding energy, two good feet.
It made her angry that she was behind Purrington, and it made her angrier still that, right now, Purrington was the better player. Eleven years of experience will do that. But that rage made her fly into the first challenge on Volkov and never look back, flying down the left, little one-two with Lovelock and a clever jink past -
"Elsie!"
- a centre-half and jinking away and -
"I'm open! Fucking hell!"
- her touch was a little heavy and her shot was off-balance and Macedo gathered it up gracefully.
Drover shook her head, jogging back to the touchline.
"Oi, Elsie!"
She turned. Rankin. Her hero, in a way - she showed what was possible if you just fulfilled your ambitions every step of the way, succeeded in two foreign leagues, kept in-
- she jabbed a finger into Drover's chest. "I know you play for a shit club where you have to do it all yourself, but if you see three guys open and have four to beat? You fuckin' pass."
And she stormed off, immediately calling for another pass to come her way. Drover stared, and blinked. Maybe she had a lot to learn after all.

World Cup LXXV - AK75 - The RP Thread

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