World Cup 54: RP thread

by **Carpathia and Ruthenia** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:11 pm

Reported by Teo Pontecorvo

SAN DONATO, CARPATHIA AND RUTHENIA – The news has come through from The Babbage Islands, Carpathia and Ruthenia have been drawn in pot two for the Zonal Phase. With the World Cup re-structuring only two teams go through from the Zonal Phase, so getting into that pot was crucial. Although we must be cautious with our optimism, we all know how unknown teams can appear out of the blue to scupper our chances. If we manage to stay on target for a second place finish we'll move onto the Interzonal Phase where we'll play a group of six teams. Each group plays single round-robin in a neutral nation with the top three teams from each going through to the World Cup proper. Who knows whether the restructuring will benefit us or hurt us?

by **Consortina** » Fri Jan 14, 2011 7:32 pm

Second Rank joins the First Team for a week of scrutiny.

Two days ago, two jets arrived in the Babbage Islands. One carried the Consortinean team that had shown some promise but in the end disappointed with a bloodless performance. The other one carried a group of players determined to challenge the Baptism of Fire players for their spots in the roster. We reveal who has been nominated for the trainings camp and who of the BoF roster should feel most threatened.

Goalkeepers: None
Eisenberg showed good form and his replacements are no pushovers either. Wildgrimson apparently saw no need to nominate anyone else and diffuse the efforts of Goalie Trainer Esteban Peniola.

Centre-Backs: mzk0r3
Goldstein/Beer de Shevin looked good most of the time and Elfstedt proved that he is at least a solid backup. It is highly unlikely that there will be a replacement but at least there will be another Centre-Back for the training games. Also, the young mzk0r3 (and the media) should take the invitation as a sign that Wildgrimson plans with him long-term.
mzk0r3 (20): You wouldn’t expect a member of the T3CHN1C community to be one of the hottest young stars in Consortina, let alone on a position as solid and unspectacular as centreback. Nonetheless, mzk0r3 has made a name for himself when he rose through the ranks of Patrikstad Roosjes and signed his first pro contract only six years after he first picked up the sport. His undeniable technical skills aside, the main question for him will be whether he can integrate in a team.

Wingbacks: Gülyin, Erdstetten
Nawashimaru on the left has secured his ticket but the three other players have failed to convince so far. Unfortunately, there are not that many candidates for this position (in the male team at least. Katharina Saalebad will certainly have an opinion on who should ‘man’ the right flank). Before the BoF nobody would have advocated either of those new candidates but if they show good form in training, they might make the cut.
Ömer Gülyin (35): Kankürüspors allround weapon in the defense has been intensely debated as a candidate for the team ten years ago but he was dismissed for not embodying the type of offensive wingback Consortina needed to play their system. Since then nothing has changed. The Central Anatolian league clubs just put too many defensive demands on their defenders for them to gain the offensive skills necessary to meet Consortina teams systems. He might be the emergency solution should neither of the other candidates convince. At least he can keep a wing closed.
Frodo Erdstetten (28): Well, this would certainly be a surprise comeback. Erdstetten was hailed as a young talent for any wing position and with 16 he already had offers from several clubs, including Nijfelheim and two Megatopian cities. However, he remained loyal to Schluchtental Bergmannen only to leave them three years later to perform a clerical year in a monastery of Violet. Between service in the international peace corps and return to the temple, not much is known about him. Maybe the biggest surprise is not his nomination but rather the fact that he accepted. There may have been negotations behind closed doors that we are not aware of. Let’s see what nine years of absence from pro soccer has done with his play.

Wingforwards: Lommevalen, Arminson, Valinho
The large number of nominated wingforwards came as a small surprise since Peace played a strong Baptism of Fire until her unfortunate dismissal and Leonbert played not too bad either. However, most of these players are flexible and able to compete for different spots on the team. Also, all of them are promising players for future cups and giving them a few days of training with the first squad won’t hurt them anyway.
Ingvar Lommevalen (23): The obvious choice, really. The Heidesand wingman has been pitched against Zarkov for a spot on the roster and didn’t make the cut only narrowly. With the right wing being one of Consortina’s problematic areas right now it was only logical to invite Lommevalen back for another examination. The young Lommevalen is certainly promising but so far his passes and crosses need work.
Tungval Arminson(30): You could almost hear sighs of resignation when Arminsons nomination was announced in the press room. Arminson has been off and on the team for about eight years now. Bouts of bad form and injuries have thrown him back whenever he got close to the first team. Last season he was moved from his preferred right to the left side by Matsuhiro Takana at Cerkswain Rovers. So far he has failed to reach his previous level of ingenuity and passing strength that he possessed on the right. Wildgrimson is probably testing him for either side.
Valinho (38): Now this would be a story if Valinho made it to the team. The offensive genius was never even considered for Consortina because of his – unfruitful – attempts to join the Courinthean team. Only after retiring from pro soccer, Valinho performed the long-planned full immigration to Consortina. His nomination comes as a surprise but is not illogic, seeing that even when he retired to the amateur level he retained his key strengths: Flexible play, strong 1on1 and dangerous finishes. He might even be considered as secondary striker.

Holding Midfielders: Kaunas
Even though Weyerhagen disappointed largely, it is unlikely that a replacement for him will be chosen since his leadership and experience is still valued highly. And with the three other players performing at expected level or better, there isn’t really room for another Holding Midfielder. Or is there? If Wildgrimson sticks to the 4-3-3 of the last one and a half games, a fifth player in that position would be nice.
Alexander Kaunas (33): Kaunas nomination may be a genuine sign for Wildgrimson at least considering a change of system. The Kirkerrick midfielder is solid enough a player and had a magnificient quota in 1on1 duels but he plays as a lone holding midfielder at Kirkerrick and has been proved to adapt badly to a different system during a very short stint at Jotunheim. But in the cocktail glass system he would fit perfectly and his lack of offensive skills wouldn’t really show. A lot can happen in the next few days.

Strikers: Toivonen, Rothschild
Only two strikers? Considering the problems Consoritna had with the offense, some would have expected more nominations. Then again, the problem was more with the generation of chances not with the hit rate. One replacement for Ay will be definitely needed and it is not unlikely that both strikers will make the cut. There may be high hopes for the strikers.
Tore Toivonen (21): Toivonen has pushed hard to make the final cut and only narrowly was outperformed by Ay and Blodsten in the final training sessions. Toivonens quickness, dribbling skills and selflessness in front of the goal make him a great secondary striker. Inviting him back was an easy choice and out of the new recruits, he is the one most likely to make the final cut. Unless Wildgrimson chooses experience first – which is what observers have suggested happened to him in the BoF nominations.
Trautman Rothschild (29): The ‘experience’ would be him, then. Trautman Rothschild has spent the last few years as Consortinas striker number #2, #3 or #4, never making it to top notch but never being dismissed entirely either. Inviting him can’t hurt and he certainly is a solid alternative. He is great in 1on1, he passes well, he works in the defense – he just has this problem of taking too many chances for his goals.

by **Andossa Se Mitrin Vega** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:11 am

New Faces, New Kits - Same Expectations

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, The moment you have all been waiting for. It has been nearly four years since the Sea Dragons shocked the world by not only qualifying for World Cup 53 but by making a run all the way to the quarter finals! Now it is that time again! Get on your feet and scream for your new-look Sea Dragons!”

Stadii Se Draggonnii Arcea erupted with cheers as the squad took the pitch for their lone domestic tune-up before hitting the road for a pre-World Cup friendlies with Sarzonia and Delaclava, a new tournament hosted by The Babbage Islands, and the all-important qualifiers for World Cup 54. This was the first look for fans at the new squad that boasted six new faces in the starting eleven and all four reserves being new as well. And the fans were more than rabid to finally get a look. Camera flashes nearly engulfed the stadii in brilliant white light as thunderous sound echoed and rumbled through even the bones of those present.

Fifteen players. Ten new faces. And a new kit that bore a striking resemblance to a tuxedo. A ton of changes indeed to a squad that had done the impossible last time out with a miracle run to the quarterfinals of World Cup 53. But with change comes a new excitement for what could be. And considering the age of players who have left the squad for this run at glory, change at least brings a youthful exuberance and enthusiasm to the daunting task of recreating the magic from last time out. And every fan in and without the stadii knew that for fact.

More than 90 minutes later, not a single fan had left their feet as the Sea Dragons played a near perfect match against their own “B” side and came away with an easy 4-0 victory. Newcomers Ariq’Alara and Ju’Rizii proved to have a nose for the net as each managed a goal early in the first half to set the tone. (Ariq’Alara 14’ ; Ju’Rizii 23’) and the new defensive backfield played with a fiery passion as they helped Triarii keep her clean sheet by allowing only two shots on target for the match - both easy stops for the veteran keeper. Wu’eres would add a goal on a Morigra corner in the 62nd minute that showed brilliant touch and placement while reserve Ombare Huxa’Se would finish the rout with a score in the 84th.

Fans loved the result and staff was more than pleased as well. But it remained to be seen how well this squad would perform against other, more experienced sides as qualification got underway. 10 new players definitely meant the squad had been retooled. And 10 players under the age of 23 showed a definite move to youth and athleticism. Hopefully youthful energy can adequately replace on pitch experience.

All the questions are now unanswered. All the excitement from fans across ASMV is in place. Can the Sea Dragons again shock the world? Will the new players hold up to the intense pressure and rise to the expectations? Or will it all crumble to dust? We will find out soon enough.

by **Dorian and Sonya** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:54 am

Unicorns Ready To Defend Title
Now The target Is On Our Backs

The image had become an instant icon for the Elven peoples of the Sylvanaes Queendom. J’hys Ickaeth and Airewen Rololond hoisting the trophy after winning the Championship Match in World Cup 53 and becoming perhaps the most unlikely champion in World Cup history.

But that was the identity of the Mystical Unicorns after all, wasn’t it? The scrappy underdogs who couldn’t grasp the meaning of the words “give up”.
Returning to the World Cup in its 50th installment, the squad shocked everyone by finishing third in their group as an unranked side, posting notice that they would be a force to be reckoned with - and sooner than later. The Unicorns proved that again in World Cup 51as they once again defied the odds to finish third in their group and pushed hard for a qualification spot that was denied them on the final match day.

But it would be World Cup 52 where the underdog Unicorns would prove to the rest of the world that they were actually for real. A monster battle raged between the Unicorns and the Monks of the Archregimancy for the entirety of qualification to see who would grab the all-important second position. That battle would not be decided until the final match when our girls found theirselves into the World Cup proper.

And the iconic image that seemed to be seen everywhere in the Queendom was proof as to what the underdog 39th ranked side in the world can accomplish through hard work and an unwillingness to give in to what is expected.

But now the target had shifted to the backs of the Unicorns players. No longer would they be able to use the underdog persona for motivation. How well the Unicorns can make the switch from brash usurpers to stoic favorites will determine just how well they will perform as qualification for World Cup 54 gets underway.

by **Newmanistan** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:56 am

ONE BIG RETURN

Pocono City- After a two-World Cup hiatus, Emperor Michael IV gave his blessing for the return of the Empire to interregional football play. And this was before we found out where World Cup 54 would be taking place. Almost as if it were scripted, the two co-hosts could be seen as understudies, if you will. It’s not as if The Babbage Islands was inexperienced at hosting sporting events prior to World Cup 49, because they had done more then there fair share, but teaming up with them to co-host that event was a rewarding experience for those who bleed sky blue or black and yellow. We worked with Cassadagan authorities to help them with their first hosting experience, which was World Lacrosse Championship 7. Things can have a funny way of coming full circle, because now we see these two fellow One Big Island nations ready to put on a great show, and we know that they will. Then here we are, as a returnee, with a ranking comparable to that of the teams that just played in the Baptism of Fire. All of that will ultimately mean nothing, though, when the Rockets hit the pitch as Newmanistan once again must go through the growing pains of working their way back up the charts.

What is the goal of this Newmanistan team, knowing qualification is extremely unlikely? Well with the different format this year, the worthwhile goal to shoot for is making the interzonals. Inter-what, you ask? Let us explain. There are approximately 173 nations attempting to qualify for the World Cup, and they have been put into thirty groups, with the majority of the groups having six teams, then a few having just five. This will be referred to as the zonal stage. Within this stage, teams will play a double round robin against their group mates, once at home and the other on the road. The teams that finish first and second will advance to the second stage, or the interzonals. The teams who finished third through fifth then wait to see if they might be going to the Cup of Harmony. The interzonal stage will then consist of ten groups of six, and it is the first two teams in each interzonal group that will advance to the World Cup. With Newmanistan as the third seed in the first stage, you can then see how interzonals are very much a reasonable goal. Once there though, if they get there, further progression is very unlikely. One more thing about the interzonals, each are played in a neutral country, and are a single round robin in that country. And Newmanistan will be hosting one of these! So even if the Rockets are not able to progress to this stage, our fans will still have reason to stay tuned in this second stage. Given the group draw, potential teams that we would see in the interzonal would be: Andossa se Mitrin Vega, Starblaydia, Kelssek, The Holy Empire (wouldn’t they enjoy a return trip to the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds?), defending champion Dorian and Sonya, Valladares, Toyur, Churchma, and others. So as you can see, there are some big names there. Starblaydia vs The Holy Empire on our soil, potentially? If Newmanistan were so fortunate to make the interzonals they would play in either Bostopia or Qazox. (Bostopia probable). Now wouldn’t that be just another ironic twist for our return? Because in World Cup 40, our first ever attempt, a World Cup which also had somewhat of a “second stage”, who was it that beat us out on the away goals rule to qualify? Yep, Bostopia.

As for the first round, Newmanistan will be in Zone 26, and it is one of those five-team groups. The nation to beat is Queer Poco el Mono Ara, as their nation’s program has improved quite a bit in the last two Cups. But the Rockets don’t necessarily have to beat them, and instead it will be the second-seed in the group they will be monitoring more. That is The Whirl Islands, and quite frankly we know nothing about them. A quick look-up shows that they were the runners up in the last Cup of Harmony. Well, we’ve won three of those, so we’re not intimidated. Hemas, who had the worst record out of anyone who attempted to qualify for World Cup 49 is in our group. Given their current rank, they haven’t got much better. Then there’s Hossaim, who should be intimidated by our World Baseball Classic reputation enough, given that they were in the last Classic.

But before we begin the zonal stage, we have our “welcome back” friendly. It will be against The Babbage Islands. Let’s hope that goes well, and then our friend Margaret from there continues to look positively upon us. We’ll need it.

by **Kulverint** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:13 am

Kulverint Get Good Group Draw!

The Kulverintian Football team have been smiling all day, as they have got one of the easiest group draws they could possibly have got. The team will be facing, both Home and Away, the members of their zonal group, who are as follows:

Kulverint (36)
Moresnetujo (196)
Novikov (46)
Stuffed Taxidermists (347)
Pinsk (319)
Telibi (UR)

The team is higher in rank than all of these teams, and there are none who could give realistic challenge to them. Kulverint expects to be top of this group. If we are not, serious questions will have to be asked about the team's strength as a unit.

Here is Kulverint's match schedule:

Moresnetujo vs. Kulverint - Kelmiso - 12/06/2023
Pinsk vs. Kulverint - Pinsk - 19/06/2023
Kulverint vs. Novikov - Stadia de la Kulverint - 17/08/2023
Kulverint vs. Telibi - Stadia de la Kulverint - 21/08/2023
Stuffed Taxidermists vs. Kulverint - Thaplace City - 18/11/2023
Kulverint vs. Moresnetujo - Stadia de la Kulverint - 23/11/2023
Kulverint vs. Pinsk - Stadia de la Kulverint - 08/01/2024
Novikov vs. Kulverint - Velká Noviková Stadion - 11/01/2024
Telibi vs. Kulverint - Activia - 12/03/2024
Kulverint vs. Stuffed Taxidermists - Stadia de la Kulverint - 19/03/2024

OOC: For me 1 RL month = 1 RP year, which accounts for the large date gaps.

by **Silver Beach** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:58 am

Silver Beach group Draw

Silver Beach has been drawn into Zone 10, and will open it up on the road at Kagdazka and Pazhujebu. This 5 team group has the makings of a thriller, as the strongest side is Tarrentum, but Romeo Juliani is 9-2-1 as the Silverian manager, so he is riding a hot streak into WC 54 qualifiying. Here is the Silverian group.

Zone 10
Tarrentum
Capivara
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Silver Beach
Redhistames

Silver Beach is looking to go far here, and qualify for the Second Round of World Cup 54 qualifiying, qualify for the Interzonal phase, The first round is a home and home, so Silver Beach will have 8 games, and will open up on the road at Kagdazka and Pazhujebu. The Silverian schedule is right here-

Week 1: Silver Beach at Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Week 2: BYE
Week 3: Silver Beach at Tarrentum
Week 4: Silver Beach at Capivara Group
Week 5: Silver Beach vs. Redhistames
Week 6: Silver Beach vs. Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Week 7: BYE
Week 8: Silver Beach vs. Tarrentum
Week 9: Silver Beach vs. Capivara Group
Week 10: Silver Beach at Redhistames

As you can see, Silver Beach has a very unbalanced home and away schedule. Silver Beach has its first three games on the road, going to Kagdazka and Pazhujebu, Tarrentum, and Capivara Group. After that, they get 4 straight home games, with the return matches, and Redhistames. Then, the Silverians finish on the road at Redhistames. All of their home matches are at Justinian I stadium in Lulika City, and expect full crowds for each match. The game to watch will be vs. Tarrentum in week 8, as that may be the deciding game in who wins the group. So Silver Beach is forced to win on the road to have a chance, but expect them to do so.

We wish them luck!

by **Swartaz** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:21 pm

The Insight

As the World Cup fast approaches, it is a time for reflection. Reflection on the last World Cup. On how we played. How we behaved. And most important of all, how we didn't qualify, and how we need to this time round.

Matchday one of The 53rd World Cup saw the Hawks go up against group favourites Bostopia. We were confident, we had belief, but that didn't count for enough against our hosts. We fought tooth and nail throughout the game, but ultimately a late Bostopian goal undid all our massive efforts and left us in the penultimate spot in group 5.

Matchday two saw us host World Cup newcomers Garimidia, who were coming out of a World Cup debut win against Carpathia and Ruthenia. We piled men forward all game in an attempt to skyrocket our goal difference, but the visitors ultra defensive style kept us to just 2 goals, and a goalkeeping blunder by stand-in Byron Jansuur gave them a savoured goal from their first game on the road.

We travelled to footballing nobodies Glan Seiont in matchday three, and we blitzed the opponents goal again. Three goals were gained this time without reply, but the Glan Seiont players obviously found it hard to swallow their first defeat, and all the anger spilled over in the tunnel in the form of a major bust up, seeing Vaemullen and Lukas being issued bans for their part in the incedent. Carpathia and Ruthenia held us to a 1-1 draw in matchday four in a fairly non-descript match.

The less said about matchday five the better...the game that arguably cost us a finals place and should have been a comfortable win.

We were defeated for a third time in matchday six, but this time it was expected, with high flyers Jeru FC dispatching of us by a score of 1-0 in a match very similar to the one vs Bostopia. Alversia were our guests in matchday seven, and we beat them only 1-0 in another unconvincing performance.

At this time, many in the squad started looking for someone or something to blame for their dire performanced thus far. They then decided who it would be. Konstantin Brita, formally Swartaz's crown jewel, had only scored once in seven games thus far, and after a Swartazian newspaper uncovered an affair he commited he ruled himself out of the next game. This gave the players who were aiming to have him axed from the time perfect ammunition. They complained that he should be able to rule himself out of games at will, and that if he wasn't going to play for the time when asked, he should be gooten rid of. This failed and Konstantin played in matchday nine, but Benidikt Klum then stole his spot in the team after his dazzling substitute appearance, grabbing four of Swartaz's six goals in a thrilling six-four win against Bazalonia.

Matchday ten saw our most savoured result of qualifying. Full of attacking confidence after slamming six past Bazalonia, we blitzed Bostopia's five man defence, and Klum nicked us a late goal to send us 3 in the group elated. We secured our first double of the process later in the week against Garimidia. It was a exhibition match in truth, and the opponents never came close to giving us problems. We secured another double in Glan Seiont on matchday twelve.

A second one all draw against Carpathia and Ruthenia left us on equal points with second place Bostopia. We knew that meant we just needed to smash Trivval, the team we embarrisingly lost to on matchday five. We did, and then some, with a five-nil thumping taking us into second place and a qualification place. Jeru FC pulled off an expected double against us with a two-nil win on matchday fifteen, sending us back down into third. Then, in another twist, Bostopia were held at Garimidia. That meant out two-one win against Alversia sent us second for the second time in three matchday's. We maintained our second place with a one nil win over Western Cuba.

But alas, it was not meant to be. Bazalonia outclassed our fatigued team on the final matchday, and Bostopia sailed through to the finals with two points to spare. So, the last world cup taught us to make sure we go into no game's thinking a win is guaranteed, that we tighten up defensively and dont concede silly goals, and, most importantlly, put all all of our goalscoring chances. This, combined with our team's individual class, should hopefully see us make a finals appearance at the eight time of trying.

by **Kazzoria** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:26 pm

Matthias Maucksch sat down and took a look at the zones for the cup. He understood that the top two went through and looking at facts on paper he could be confident. But you never know with the world cup, shocks had happened in the past and they were liable to happen again. Hopefully they could cause a shock by making it to the next round then the world cup. But for now it was best to focus on the games in hand. Hopefully his side would navigate their way to the next round and beyond, but he decided he wouldn't think about that. Just take it one game at a time. The group was looking mildly challenging still, they had Nethertopia who would probably take top spot and a couple of good challengers for second spot.

Zone 5
 1.13  Spliffters
 0.00  Grays Harbor
37.19  Nethertopia
11.45  Kazzoria
 0.00  Costa Fiero
 6.93  Orlkjestad

Orlkjestad, despite being impossible to pronounce of spell, would probably be able to challenge his side for second place, but that was about it. As long as they kept their focus and kept on trying their hardest the players should be able to make it out of the group with ease. Maybe they could even challenge Nethertopia for the top spot. Hopefully the next round would see them dropped into a scalable group as well. But as far as Matthias was concerned there was a mountain before him, he still had a way to climb but it could be done. If they were knocked out there was still the cup of Harmony, but the second qualifying round was a must. For the sake of his job.

The Beach cup team were concerned. They attacks on them had been done by the Kazzorian government on them and they wanted vengeance on someone. Were they getting revenge on the wrong people? Wouldn't it make sense to destroy the nation that killed their tribe instead of take it to victory? Maybe they should. In the end they joined a gang. The blue panthers as the called themselves. It had been the blue panthers who had sent them a letter to guide them. They had told them to go against the nation oppressing them instead of with it. It truly would be a new golden era for the tribes people of the desert. Time for their revenge.

by **Khytenna** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:46 pm

Khytenna drawn in Zone 15!

Reporter John Dark

Khytennans all over the six islands where drawn to there televisions set last night as the draws for the Qualifying zones where called, Khytenna managed to get an alright group, but the main threats will come from Iglesian Archipelago and Valladares. Valladares is a team that Khytenna have faced before, and have lost too! There a good side with some awesome players.

Khytenna’s first game will be against Iglesian Archipelago, a decent side that plays good football, Coach Proctor once again is confident that his team will be perform well.

“I was up with my staff watching the draw as they came in” Proctor said to us in a phone call after the draw “Zone 15 is a good zone to play in, and will certainly be fun for us, our first game will be indeed against a very strong Iglesain Archipelago, but i know that the we got the Skill to beat these guys! We have been training hard for our friendlies and we will be looking at the video’s to see about tactics to beat these guys.”
For the full group, see below:

Zone 15
Ibasira
Khytenna
Valladares
Arse of Asia
Iglesian Archipelago

Khytennnan Coach Proctor also announced the Team that will play Gray harbour in our friendly game. It is an interesting line up, he has decided to rest firestone, and put on the Pellett and Blaylock in up front, also Kusek is on the pitch and Ursua will be captain for the night as Jolin is put on the Wing. Also Dunstan takes the defensive centre position.

The team is Below:

GK 1. Tim Gatton (age:28 Team: Central FC)
RB 3. james Ursua ( captain) (23 Blue bay)
LB 2. Shad Vancil (23 Keltyme Foresters)
DC 15. Oliver Testerman ( 22 Atlético Central, Cafundeu)
DC 18. Darron Dunstan (27 Persepi Sharks)
RM 21. Darryl Jolin (24 Xephic Reds)
LM 16. jamie Pittenger (20 Blue bay)
CM 8. Kurk Rusek (24 King’s District)
CM 12. Malik Deshazior (21 Percepi Sharks)
FW 10. Lini Pellett (20 AC New Haven, Silver beach)
FW 20. Lyle Blaylock (21 Kings’s District Athletic)

                         Gatton
Ursua          Testerman           Dunstan          Vancil

Jolin             Rusek            Deshazior          Pittenger

                    Pellett        Blaylock

by **Churchma** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:47 pm

Churchma Gators World Cup 54 Coverage
Coach Christopher 'pleased' with Group Draw
Churchma Sports Inc.

With a clear cut favorite in zonal play, it's easy for many to look over the Gators and just focus their attention on the number six ranked in the world Dorian and Sonya squad. D&S manager Maelwen Maridilyon has the team looking as competitive as ever. The much-experienced Sylvanae appear as if they are going to make a strong run for winning Zone 14 and even World Cup 54.

"Obviously D&S isn't a squad that we can look over. They're a hell of a team, with a lot of international experience, and they have one of the top coaching staffs in the entire world. Fortunatley for us we don't play them until the fourth match of zonal play, which will give us ample time to learn about our own team before we have to concern ourselves with our best opponent," head coach Norman Christopher said.

Previously Christopher's Gators defeated top-ranked teams in Nethertopia and Queer Poco el Mono Ara in World Cup 53- which could potentially give the Republic some much-needed experience when playing teams like Dorian and Sonya in World Cup 54.

Once again the Gators will be led by captain and forward, Antonio Shoop. The 32-year old has been the rock of this team for the last four years and many experts have written him off for World Cup 55, saying that this will be his last international touranment before he joins the ranks of the coaching world.

"I'm not going to discuss anything to do with my retirement until the end of WC 54. We have too much going on as a team to sit around and start talking about individual stories. I'm here to win, bottom line," Shoop said.

The Gators have tremendous momentum considering the most recent win came over Tynelia in the Cup of Harmony 45 final. Hardly anyone around the world- inclduing Churchmanians- expected the Gators to even compete at the Cup of Harmony. Shoop and his squad silenced the doubters one year ago when they knocked of Tynelia for the nations' first major international championship.

If there is any team around the world that plays the underdog card, it's the Churchma Gators. They're going to compete week-in and week-out, whether it's against D&S or whether it's against the #347 ranked team in the world.

Zone 14
#347 Kookaracha
#6 Dorian and Sonya
#127 Balida
#77 Churchma
#279 Chebsville

World Cup 54 Schedule
Pre-Qual- Cosumar
MD1- at Balida
MD2- Bye
MD3- at Kookaracha
MD4- at Dorian and Sonya
MD5- Chebsville
MD6- Balida
MD7- Bye
MD8- Kookaracha
MD9- Dorian and Sonya
MD10- at Chebsville

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:25 pm

The Sporting Gazette

The World Cup. Again.

Zone 12
 0.00  Socialist States Owen
11.93  Eastfield Lodge
 0.50  Jimmy Wales
24.30  Akbarabad
 6.87  Greater Cotswalds

On paper, this seems like an easy group (apart from Akbarabad), and one from which the EL team would progress easily. However, we said that for the last World Cup, and badly failed. Still, things can only get better. Both Socialist States Owen and Jimmy Wales should be easy wins both home and away, while Greater Cotswalds may prove to be a challenge in our away game. Akbarabad will probably demolish us in both legs, so damage limitation is called for. These are our predictions (although don't take our word for granted):
MD1: vs. Greater Cotswalds: WIN
MD2: @ Jimmy Wales: WIN
MD3: BYE
MD4: vs. Akbarabad: LOSS
MD5: @ Socialist States Owen: WIN
MD6: @ Greater Cotswalds: DRAW
MD7: vs. Jimmy Wales: WIN
MD8: BYE
MD9: @ Akbarabad: LOSS
MD10: vs. Socialist States Owen: WIN
So we may just scrape through to the Interzonals, where we will be thoroughly destroyed. Ah well.

Team to play Kazzoria at Lodger City Memorial Stadium: Doctor Who roster
Team to play MSMT match (maybe): Starting XI
Team to play first match of Publisher's Cup against Erathore: Starting XI

by **Loonaterian** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:35 pm

The Babbage Islands wrote:

Zone 6
 8.63  Loonaterian
 1.13  Cursores
 0.00  Los Estados del Sol
 0.00  Octinstine
 2.38  Rustika
35.27  Sorthern Northland

The "Big Cats" are well and truly ready for the World Cup. They are confident about their qualifying group draw considering they are the second highest ranked team in their group. This means that qualifying for the Interzonal phase seems almost certain as Loonaterian readies itself for another World Cup. Loonaterian's first game is against the team they are dreading playing the most; Southern Northland. Our second game will be against Rustika. Our third game will be a match between us and Octinstine. Our fourth game will be played with Los Estados del Sol. In our fifth match we play Cursores. And then we play all of those teams again in the same order. Our manager, Levi Kotuu, made this announcement today.

Levi Kotuu wrote:We are confident about our group draw and feel we can do well this World Cup. Our Zonal phase group draw is encouraging and our players are all in top form. The entire country is united in expectation as my boys know all too well, but I can assure you that your "Big Cats" are hoping too live up to those expectations.

Here is the schedule:

vs. Sirain-The Citadel-17/1(friendly)
vs. Civil Citizenry-The Babbage Islands-17/1(Publisher's Cup)
vs. Southern Northland-The Citadel-18/1
vs. Rustika-Rustika-19/1
vs. Octinstine-The Citadel-20/1
vs. Los Estados del Sol-Estadio Monumental de la Paz-21/1
vs. Cursores-The Citadel-22/1
vs. Mangolana-Mangolana-23/1(friendly)
vs. Southern Northland-Southern Northland-24/1
vs. Rustika-The Citadel-25/1
vs. Octinstine-Octinstine-26/1
vs. Los Estados del Sol-The Citadel-27/1
vs. Cursores-Cursores-28/1
vs. Carasatoga-The Citadel-29/1(friendly)
vs. Meguroko-The Citadel-5/2(friendly)

Tune in on LNN Sports 1 or LNN Sports HD to see all the action of this World Cup.

by **Albundania** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 5:04 pm

Albundania return with in-form roster

Yes, the time has come around for qualifying to begin again, and even with a fancy new format, it'll feel like the same old thing again, but we do have the squad to talk about. Martin Kellogg is still going to be in between the posts for Albundania, entering his last WC cycle. In front of him we still have the forgettable center-backs Marion Andrews and William Deosta. There was some hullabaloo about Andrews not being fit for the qualifying stage, but Ricardo seems to think otherwise. Then, as a left-back, we have Ryan Theriot, with Marco Ulbrich captaining the defense. For the most part, a forgettable defense. Mind you, they do punch above their weight pretty consistently, but Albundania really needs to find some good center-backs if they want to consistently perform well.

Onto the midfield, and this is where things always get mouthwatering. We have the captain, and God, Q Inieta working together with EIOC 2 MVP Lisa Jacoby. This is going to be an extremely high-scoring pair in the middle of the field, especially with Jacoby's tendency to play as a third striker. Leaves a bit of a gap for counter-attacks though. On the wings, we're going to see Konig and Mawrz again, as you might have expected. Mawrz scored a handful of free-kicks in the EIOC and Konig, actually, we're not so sure about Konig. We'd much rather have seen Luke Seal start instead of him. We shall see how that ends. Strikers, we have Raul Ibanez, always the top goal scorer despite his age, and he's going to have some serious competition in the form of Kurt Winger as well. Winger is coming off an excellent campaign with his domestic club (Arskanskigrad United) and he'll be looking to put his stamp on the World Cup as well.

On the bench Clayton Sellmen will be eagerly waiting to be the man to replace Kellogg (no one else has started as Albundania's keeper in about 12 years, after all), and we'll finally get to showcase youth talent Elias Mill off to the world. One of Lemanskigrad's best investments, that. The other defender on the bench will be Paul McAdams, which should cause absolutely no interest at all. Luke Seal and Evan Liszeo are both surprises to be sat on the bench, though we imagine they'll see a lot of playing time. Seal can play anywhere in the midfield, and Liszeo even makes an amazing striker. Expect to see Seal as a starter for the next phase of qualifying. Evan Lawson finishes off the bench, and we were actually expecting him to replace Ibanez, since Ibanez hasn't scored in about 10 games with all clubs. That said, Lawson is almost a shoe-in as Ibanez's replacement when he retires.

Anyways, we move now to the group draw:

Burchadinger (60)
Our toughest competition in our group, you may remember them from past competitions. Honestly, the only real threat in our group, they could take a few points away from us.

Soviet Massacre (222)
Should be able to get three points from them with relative ease. Only problem here is that we haven't seen them play before.

Calmerica (NR)
They aren't even ranked. Enough said.

Unibot (196)
We don't know why, but we suspect this may be the surprise team in our group. Watch out for them when we play.

Albundania (4)
That's us. We stand a pretty good chance of winning this group well ahead of second place.

Aldoraan (347)
Yeah, no, we've seen them play, and they are pretty bad, sorry to report.

Anyways, all we've got for you today. See you tomorrow, on behalf of everyone here at Albundania Football Network!

by **Valladares** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 6:17 pm

Valladares Sports Network

WORLD CUP 54 QUALIFYING ROUND - Valladares drawn in Zone 15 for first qualifying stage

THE WORLD CUP'S KICKOFF

By: Alan Rosero,
Blogger from "The National Kickoff"

THE BABBAGE ISLANDS (VP) - The World Cup is back, and this time the action will move to the Babbage Islands and Cassadaigua, who will be the hosts of this edition. The draw for the World Cup 54 Zonal Phase was held yesterday in the Babbage Islands, and Valladares was placed as the top seed in Zone 15, in which Iglesian Archipelago (oh, come on!) and Khytenna (what the...?) will be the main threats for Les Gones. Ibasira and Arse of Asia, two newbies, complete an -a priori- easy group, but that doesn't mean we should let our guard down. So, let's do a preview of our first rivals for the first of two qualifying stages, this time. Yes, two qualifying stages! More stages but the same amount of action.

Iglesian Archipelago (10.27): Ok, we're facing the Iglesians for the nth time. This isn't a surprise for us. They have a decent team, but I don't think they can justify that Pot 2 placing in the Group Draw in this phase with that team.

Khytenna (7.80): Khytenna...I remember we played a friendly against them and we utterly demolished them in 45 minutes without our usual starters. I hope things are different and they show their worth to us this time.

Arse of Asia (0.50): What a..."colorful" name for a nation. However, as newcomers to the world stage, I doubt they'll give us lots of problems.

Ibasira (0.38): See above.

Well, that's what I think about the rivals Valladares will face in this zonal phase. It's true that we are one of the favourites to clinch one of the two berths to the interzonal phase, in either Newmanistan or Queer Poco el Mono Ara, but I'm sure Iglesian Archipelago and Khytenna will also give their best for one of those two berths. Let one of the best sporting event in the multiverse begin!

Friendlies, Interzonal Matches in Valladares, and Something Else...

For this World Cup and due to the second valladar participation in the Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy, the VFA has decided to arrange only four friendly matches throughout the qualifying phase. The Heritage Cup between Valladares and Whirl Islands will be contested for the second time, and will also open the valladar campaign in this World Cup. Also, matches against Bears Armed, Cotdelapoms, Mytannion and Kazzoria were also confirmed by the VFA. However, for each good news, there's also a bad one: the VFA confirmed the cancellation of two friendly matches against Erathore and Swartaz, although they refused to disclose the reasons for the cancellation of the matches. Some spokesmen think it was at the express request of the Valladar Professional Footballers' Association, although this was not confirmed.

In the press conference in which the VFA announced the venues for Valladares' matches in this World Cup qualifying stage, it was also confirmed that Metropolis, Carloburgo and Eterna City will be the host cities for the Valladares Interzonal, which will have the winners from Zones 7, 8 and 9 and the runners-up from Zones 10, 11 and 12. This is the reason for which none of these cities will host any Valladares' qualifying match this time. The VFA also stated that all the six qualified teams to the Interzonal will have to play at least a match in the three host cities, although the officers will not release a schedule until the World Cup's officers release the schedule for the Interzonal Phase. Among the teams "called" to qualify to the Valladares Interzonal, we have Pasarga, Jeruselem, Rejistania, Silver Beach, Qazox, Eastfield Lodge, among others.

A last gossip: some rumors state that José Marín would be filling out documents for valladar citizenship, but that has not been neither confirmed nor denied by the coach. Anyways, without further ado, we'll give you the full schedule for Valladares matches in this Zonal Phase:

by **Socialist States Owen** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 6:47 pm

FSSO HANDED TOUGH OPPOSITION

Yesterday the opposition for the FSSO in the first phase of the World Cup was drawn up, and much to the dissapointment of many fans the FSSO has been placed with strong opposition:

0.00 Socialist States Owen
11.93 Eastfield Lodge
0.50 Jimmy Wales
24.30 Akbarabad
6.87 Greater Cotswalds

Although the team will likely be able to challenge Jimmy Wales ferociously, you can't help but fear the scoreline of the match with Akbarabad. Eastfield Lodge will also be a tough fixture, as will the fixture with Greater Cotswalds. Undoubtedly the primary objective of the FSSO's opposition will be to close down Lee Sharp, the FSSO's world class striker who has netted 31 goals in 57 international appearances, including a very recent and very stunning hat trick in the Baptism of Fire. Although outgunned, the FSSO has always had an ambitious side and hopefully they will be difficult to subdue. They have an excellent young squad who hopefully can all live up to expectations.

by **Jeruselem** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:09 pm

Princess Helena Troi Dallas and the Jeru FC coach Ailill Ó Riagáin looking at the zonal groups

Ailill: Well, this new system is certainly interesting.
Helena: God knows what will happen.
Ailill: Apart from Jesselton, we don't anything about the other teams in Zone 8
Helena: We shouldn't fear the other teams really.
Ailill: All we have to fear is Unitopolis in Group 27
Helena: Don't know much about them other teams
Ailill: Mind you small groups make it easier for weaker teams to progress should big teams not win
Helena: Yes, that's true.
Ailill: The Pink Cup teams are certainly a lot harder to beat
Helena: Yes, all good teams in the Pink Cup.
Ailill: My boys are ready.
Helena: Maybe we should a Macho cup with male teams who don't have female players and love beer.
Ailill: Great idea!
Helena: You seen my daughter?
Ailill: I think Mango Mousse is chatting her up.
Helena: Isn't she a bit young for him?
Ailill: I don't think my boys are too fussy about age.
Helena: She is very cute.
Ailill: Most Dallas girls seem to be very cute.
Helena: Yes, we all seem have good looks at any age.
Ailill: Don't worry, he's just been nice. He's no pedo.
Helena: I think he wants his own kids.
Ailill: I'm sure your daughter isn't stupid either.
Helena: She's no dummy either.
Ailill: Is she World Cup material?
Helena: I don't know. Mind you she likes running around in our old football uniforms.
Ailill: Our boys will be watching the Pink Cup.
Helena: That's because of the sexy girls.
Ailill: No, because of fantastic football players.
Helena: Who happen to be sexy females. Even them bears.
Ailill: Maybe Jeruselem girls could play in bikinis.
Helena: Well, I'd play naked if I was allowed. Not all the girls are like that.
Ailill: YOu must Qazian.
Helena: Half-Qazian.
Ailill: Great mix, Qazian and Dallas.
Helena: Yes, very compatible.

OOC
Zone 8
28.91 Jeruselem
0.13 Cakistan
14.32 Jesselton
4.31 Slazenagara
0.88 Crime and Criminality

Zone 27
35.25 Jeru FC
1.00 Alpakaa
4.67 Lycrabon
12.51 Unitopolis
0.38 Ibrox Park

by **Burchadinger** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 8:46 pm

ALEXANDER ZRUW'S BLOG
World Cup 54 Preview Edition

As much as this is a cliche, there's a buzz surrounding the start of the World Cup 54 campaign. True, anything would have been better than the embarrassment that was WC 53, but Die Adler's football team members, most of them at least, have finally woken up to the needs of the fans, the people who come to the matches and watch on television, the people who understand that the World Cup is the pinnacle of football, the people who would also like to see some real football.

While the sacking of several staff members such as Roland Fritsch and Ralph Hummerich, who were widely blamed for the team's lackluster performance last time around, has turned spirits up a bit, the major news is the national team's hiring of Daniel Sennif, the popular first team coach of Dynamo Dresden. Sennif is the man whom is widely regarded to have been the person responsible for Dynamo Dresden's meteoric rise to the top (other than Matthias Maucksch of course), and it is hoped that he will be able to do the same for Die Adler.

The decision to add a training session on Saturday morning, however, seems to be alienating quite a few faces. Will it be an advantage or hamper the players? Perhaps there will be no affect at all, since the players are meant to be some of the fittest on the face of the planet. Either way, Deval Enke's betting that his 'lazy goons' will be paying more attention at class, and hopefully, they'll be returning some 'A+ marks', which would be a nice change from the so called 'B- marks' Enke has 'credited' the team with.

Markus Klogh in particular has said that the team cannot afford to make mistakes, especially seeing that this is probably the best chance Die Adler will probably get at qualifying for the World Cup. Seriously, how many times have we been placed in a group where 4 out of 5 opponents are ranked below us? None, and that makes for a pretty good deal. All we have to do is score a few goals and keep clean sheets, sometimes you have to do that in the game.

Whatever anyone else says or does, Albundania should be the top team of the group, but it is just to be hoped that they are pushed harder in getting there. The team definitely has a formidable package, and others will probably have their work cut out simply to match it. Die Adler's experience against Albundania will certainly help, a bit, but in the end it will all come down to a mixture of talent and experience, and we are at an obvious disadvantage when it comes to that. The two teams share one weakness, a lack of good defenders. Elias Becker is clearly past his best, and others like Bernd Hansen have yet to show what their truly made off. Still, I dare say that Albundania have worse defenders than we do, and perhaps we should exploit that.

The Albundanian press seems to be claiming that their national team is leaps and bounds better than they were, but of course they would say that. Frnakly, it's hard to compare the two sides, and i say this because nobody in Burchadinger was really paying attention to the cup last year, not because we know (or remember) who's good in Albundania and who's not. Here's hoping and praying that they don't turn out to be any better than Kazzoria. But with their superb organisation, professional and devoted players and staff, they will still be the team to beat.

About Unibot, they should be able to finish third in the group. After all, they have young players, all keen on winning, they have a manager who seems to know what he's doing, and most importantly, they seem to have a team spirit that is certainly missing in our own team. Now, you know I'm probably making most of this up, but it's extremely important we don't underestimate Unibot, and I'm certain that they'll be the best of the rookies.

As for Soviet Massacre, the only thing I do know is that the only teams they will be 'massacring' will be the ones on equal footing on them. Really, they can't be that bad of a threat to us, can they?

I should really stop here, as I myself have not been paying attention to the football world recently. All I can say, though, is good luck to Die Adler, and good luck to every team competing in the World Cup 54 qualifiers.

'May the Force be with you, always...'

Based on a review by my good friends Enoch Law and Jamie McGregor.

by **Mangolana** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 9:01 pm

The time we have all been waiting for has come around, for qualifying for the 54th world cup is set to begin, for this is also Mangolana's first attempt to qualify for the world cup, and have old faces on this squad to talk about. Robby Mathewson is still going to be in between the posts for Mangolana. In front of him we still have center-backs Mathew Johnson and Yurgen Smith. There was some talk about Yurgen not being fit for the qualifying stage, but Manager Bobby Washington has just stated that " Yurgen is in the best shape of his life". Then, as a left-back, we have John Davenport. For the most part, a unforgettable defense for Mangolana soccer fans. Mind you, they do punch above their weight pretty consistently.

Onto the midfield, and this is where things always get dicey. We have the captain, and nicknamed president of Mangolana, Robert Jimenez working together with Mangolana Priemeir league MVP John McFadden. This is going to be an extremely high-scoring pair, even though they are defensive midfielders, especially with McFadden tendency to strike from beyond the box. Leaves a bit of a gap for counter-attacks though. in the center of the midfield, we're going to see Jonathan Kamary, as you might have expected. Though with scoring situations needed Mangolana will sub in Jacob Dakin. We shall see how that ends. Strikers, we have Rudy Johnson, always the top goal scorer despite his age, and he's going to have some serious competition in the form of Jonathan Montgomery
as well. Also our final striker Franklim Ordonez is coming off an excellent campaign with his domestic club, and he'll be looking to put his stamp on the World Cup as well.

On the bench Tim Hejduk will be eagerly waiting to be the man to replace Mathewson, and we'll finally get to showcase youth talent Antonio Jeffery off to the world. One of Mangolana's top future players.,

Anyways, we move now to the group draw:

Zone 21
Powerful britannia(UR)
Their unranked, but their young and stranger things have happended at the world cup
Sibirsky (63)
Their highly ranked, compared to us, and we've never seen them play before, then again, we've never seen any team in our zone play before. Could be in trouble.
The Archregimancy(17)
Ranked in top 32, will be lucky to tie them, but you never know, Mangolana likes to play the role of the underdog, and this could be their moment to shine
Jacouba(293)
shouldn't be much of a problem, if the team is prepared and goes into it as a win or go home game.
Great viveka(331)
If we lose tp this team, the team should just forfiet every game for the rest of the tournament
Mangolana(125)
Us of course

We'll be back with updates After Mangolana's first qualifying game, until then, Remember, Go Mangolana! :clap:

by **Orlkjestad** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:28 pm

And welcome to OBC SportsCentral, your center in everything sport!

Jan: And welcome back to another exciting edition of OBC SportsCentral's World Cup coverage! As I previously said, I'm here with some well-respected sports analysts, including ex-coaches and ex-players! They are Willy Mieke, Kenny Cisle, Riki Doline, and Margot Jannus! Let's cut to them right now! So, what are your opinions on our WC placement?

Willy: Just for the audiences knowledge, we''re up against... ah, here it is. Spliffters, Grays Harbor, Nethertopia, Kazzoria, and Costa Fiero. About this lineup, noting is a specific threat, but then I saw the word "NETHERTOPIA". As you can see, that's the reason I'm wearing brown pants today.

*The rest of the panel bursts in laughter*

Willy: Nethertopia is a legendary football nation. They've hosted a World Cup, and probably won a few, which is an accomplishment, albeit a frightening one. So, that's the one I'm worried about. Kazzoria may be a minor obstacle, but nothing big. Overall, we may not qualify due to Nethertopia, but we'll still get through the rest.

Kenny: Nethertopia. Nethertopia... we're gonna get slaughtered out there. It's the Everest of football teams, the pinnacle of sport, as a few ways to put it. If we want to win- scratch that, survive- we have to build and maintain skill. That's going the be the obvious number 1 on Coach Gregorian's list.

Riki: Actually, I believe that there is nothing to fear. Nethertopia is just another team, with a coach, players, and staff. In essence, there's nothing to fear but fear itself.

Margot: Nethertopia is surely a worrisome obstacle, but any obstacle has a bypass. If we train hard over the next few days, and hope and pray for the best. We're sports analysts, godammit, not coaches!

Jan: And that was the opening commentary on SportsCentral. Our first match is, luckily, according to the analysts, Spliffters vs. Orlkjestad. After this commercial break, we'll see previews for this weeks World Cup and domestic league games, and more commentary form are high-ranking analysts, after this short break!

by **Azulcena** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 10:38 pm

AZULCENIAN TELEVISION

"Eye on Sports / Ojo Deportivo" segment, January 15th, 2011

*The newscaster for this segment was Manuel Colroja.
*Broadcast with available Spanish captions.

(Roll intro)

Colroja: Buenas noches, and this is "Eye on Sports." I'm Manuel Colroja. The National Football Team has advanced from the Baptism of Fire in Queer Poco el Mono Ara with a bit of a mixed record. After a promising first-game win over Jimmy Wales, Los Rojos went on to lose to Anglonesia by only one goal after a very intense game. Not to be sidelined so easily, the team bounced back and put away the team from Leiceister four goals to zero, and finish at the top of their group.

(Colroja turns to a new camera as a graphic comes up behind him of the Moresnetujo flag.)

Colroja: But Azulcena's hopes of making a name for ourselves internationally were not to be, as the next game was against vibrant World Cup newcomers Moresnetujo. The game was a powerful watch, but in the end the score was not ours. Moresnetujo went on to crush Anglonesia in the quarterfinals and Eurentus in the semifinals, before losing to the regional finalist, Rustika. At least we can be glad that Azulcena lost to such a professional and well-trained team.

(The graphic behind Colroja now changes to the logo for World Cup 54.)

Colroja: But after a bit of tourism in Queer Poco and a rest and training period here at home, Los Rojos are now preparing for their next great test: qualifying for the big show, the 54th World Cup. Head Coach Sofronio Maravilla was able to speak a little with "Eye on Sports" by phone earlier today.

(Cut to a picture of Sofronio Maravilla, wearing his trademark dark sunglasses and brown leather jacket, the words "Recorded Earlier" in the top right corner of the screen. Unlike Colroja, Maravilla speaks with a bit of an accent.)

Colroja: How are things looking for us, going into the qualifiers?

Maravilla: Well, we're not in an easy zone by any stretch of the imagination. Starblaydia is in our group, and since we've got word of that I've been trying to pull as much archive footage of them as I can to help us study up, brush up.

Colroja: Do you see a change of formation or starting team in the works--?

Maravilla: No, no.

Colroja: --to adjust from anything you learned in the Baptism of Fire?

Maravilla: No, definitely not. Cuatro-dos-cuatro works great for us, we've got a great starting team, what made us lose in the Baptism was not who our players are or where they are. The only way we can get better is practice, practice, practice. And that's what we're gonna do. Practice, practice, practice.

Colroja: Now, Coach, who else are you looking at in your zone?

Maravilla: Our first game is versus Itheus. They weren't in the Baptism, they're lower-ranked than us, but I'm not letting the guys turn into peluches on me. They call me "Sofa," but they can't be like one.

Colroja: (laughs) And who else?

Maravilla: After Itheus is Starblaydia, and trust me, by the time we reach them we'll be ready for them. We've got a lot to prove and although I admire their history in the Cup, this is Azulcena's turn. After them is Legalese, then TailsPrower, then Nova Mercia. Legalese is new like us, it should be a fun game. TailsPrower is the second-ranked in our group and Nova Mercia is third, we're fourth. And after that we get to face everyone all over again. I don't want to discount anybody else in the group, claro, but Starblaydia is the big fish for us. You only get better by playing the best, and we intend to win.

(Camera cuts back to Colroja live.)

Colroja: The game against Itheus will be held on Tuesday, to find the channel that's broadcasting in your area you can always visit our website, http://www.atv.azc. Another team to look for in the Cup is fellow East Pacific nation Kelssek, who has been a prominent participator in the Cup but to date hasn't secured a title for themselves. Their first game will be against Swartaz on Tuesday, and although it may be harder to find here in Azulcena, I'm sure we can all wish them good luck... until the qualifiers are over.

by **Qazox** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:00 pm

The Road to One Big Island and World Cup 54

Due to the 175 nations that signed up to participate, this World Cup will have a 2-stage qualifying set-up. Qazox has been awarded the right to host one of the 2nd round of qualifying groups, but more on that later.

Qazox has been drawn into Zone 11, and only the top two teams from each "Zone" will advance to the 2nd stage. In the group are: Cafundeu, the prohibitive zone favorites, Daemonheart, Sirain and Fellow Citizens. Of the 4 teams we have had a rather lengthy history with Cafundeu, but none against the other 3 teams.

The schedule, which follows, starts off in Cafundeu and ends hosting Fellow Citizens. The last 2 qualifying efforts have failed miserably as Qazox has gotten off to bad starts and with only 8 games in this Zonal stage, it could be deadly. On paper Qazox should advance to the next round as the 2nd place team, behind Cafundeu.

Estadia Pika, Pika City. Capacity: 84,562

Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg. Capacity: 94,500

Qazian Memorial Stadium II, Qazox City. Capacity: 100,052

@ New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721

If Qazox does advance, then most likely they will not be at home in the 2nd round. There will be neutral site 2nd round games as various locales across the NSUniverse. Qazox has, as mentioned before, been awarded the right to host one of these 2nd round groups. The stadiums Qazox will use to host those matches are as follows:

Qazian Memorial Stadium II,Qazox City. Capacity: 100,052.
Estadia Pika II, Pika City. Capacity: 84,562.
Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg. Capacity: 94,500.
Rockport Stadium, Rockport. Capacity: 90,000.
SaxerDome (II), SaxerVilla. Capacity: 91,150.
New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721.

(ooc to Hosts: Use the stadiums in any order you wish for 2nd round)

by **Calmerica** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:19 pm

~~~~~~~~~~Nationwide Broadcasting~~~~~~~~~~
Program: Sports News at 10
Episode: NA

Now ladies and gentlemen, on to the World Cup. Its the 54th, and the first time that Calmerica has decided to enter its national team, despite one thats 31 years of age. It has been selected to Group 17 for that stage, which consists of the following:

Burchadinger has been here before, and even qualified. They're an experienced team, and a tough match to be sure. Not much is known about Soviet Massacre however, and they're expected to be somewhat of an "easy victory", as one player put so elegantly. Don't expect much from them in any case. Unibot is much the same way. Inexperienced, and rumored to not even be participating, Unibot should be two more victories for the Royals in our opinion. Albundania will no doubt be their toughest group competition. They've won several world wide sporting events, qualified for the previous two World Cups, and will be looking to do so again. Calmerica will plan on stopping that, but don't expect it to be easy. Lastly, there's Aldoraan, who's also new to the World Cup arena. Performing poorly in the recent Baptism of Fire would lead some to believe them to be an easy target. However the same can be said for homeland, who declined to enter. Bravery, or stupidity on Calmerica's part?

All in all we'll be looking closely at three things for the group stages:
1 - Will Unibot be participating, and if so will they be as easy as they look?
2 - Is Albundania a fluke, or are they the strongest competition of Calmerica?
3 - Is Calmerica the weakest of all Group 17?

The obvious answers here would be Yes, the strongest, and yes. However not all is what it seems and the young Calmerican team, managed by Alexander Vesti, looks to beat the competition and silence the doubters. This is Ken Neer, reporting live from Studio 16. Now back to Jenifer with, "Headlines From The Stores".

by **Saugeais** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:28 am

National Journal Sports
Saugeais has decent road to traverse to World Cup

From the drawing earlier today, this was where Saugeais was placed:

Zone 29
Points   rank   Team
 0.38     331   Keilriagorth
 9.94      68   Western Cuba
23.17      25   Bears Armed
 4.36     130   Saugeais
 0.50     319   Strapszor

That would make the schedule format like this:
(all home games played at Stade de Montagne)
Pre-friendly: AT Pretty Awesome Persons
MD1: vs. Bears Armed
MD2: off-day
MD3: vs. Keilriagorth
MD4: vs. Western Cuba
MD5: at Strapszor
Mid-friendly: vs. Khytenna
MD6: at Bears Armed
MD7: off-day
MD8: at Keilriagorth
MD9: at Western Cuba
MD10: vs Strapszor
Post-friendly: vs. Erathore

Saugeais definitely has their work cut out for them in the form of the highly ranked Western Cuba and Bears Armed, but they also have the cupcakes to romp on for quick easy points.

TEAM BREAKDOWN
-Bears Armed: Very rugged, very strong, very fast. That's why they are near the top of the world rankings. They can stay with you throughout the entire 90 minutes, even longer if it has to. Thing is these players do not get tired; they have rigorous stamina training that is unrivaled. Not to mention a few play makers on their team to boot, such as. Saugeais will definitely have their hands full taking on this powerhouse.

-Western Cuba: Another perennial participant to the World Cup, Western Cuba will look to surprise a few skeptics by bringing in some bigs guns this time. Forwards Victor Gorbachov and Boris Ovinko will give the Saugeais defense quite a bit of trouble, possibly score a goal or two. Look for this match up to be close in both games.

-Keilraigorth: A relative newcomer, nothing is known about this nation, which could lead to many surprise moves on their part and potentially an upset. The Knights should be wary when facing this opponent.

-Strapszor: Another newcomer to the game, Strapszor has a star player on each part of the field: Edwin van Bergeijk at keeper, Ömer Boekhout at defender, Lou Kosters at midfield, and Josh de Langen at striker. Time will tell if their egos will clash or not, but early prediction have this matchup going to a shootout for both games.

by **The Archregimancy** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:50 am

OOC - Given the potential that some will misunderstand a mod posting this, I stress that all of the below is strictly IC

THE MONASTIC TIMES

MFA CONDEMNS WORLD CUP 54 QUALIFYING STRUCTURE
Heretical Mormon-Designed System Called "Confusing, Unorthodox"

By Fr. Nicholas the Scribe

As the World Cup 54 qualification draw was announced last night, senior hierarchs in the Monastic Football Association united to condemn the new qualification structure as "confusing and unorthodox". "I know not what the organisers speak of when they talk of 'zonal' and 'interzonal' rounds" said team coach Fr. Sozon the Simple "but it all looks like an innovation to me, and everyone knows you shouldn't introduce innovations without calling a full Ecumenical Council."

Senior sources at the MFA were quick to downplay Fr. Sozon's suggestion that an Ecumenical Council would be needed to resolve the issue, noting that "there aren't enough Orthodox in the World Cup to warrant that solution, even where they do support Symposia between state, church, and sport". Instead, a spokesman for the MFA drew attention to the demographics within co-host nation The Babbage Islands, more than half of whose citizens belong to a heretical Latter Day Saints sect. "No doubt this is part of an anti-Orthodox conspiracy by a sect which wholly - and foolishly - rejects the Ecumenical Councils" said a senior archimandrite, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It is a matter of record that the entire World Cup Committee is biased against the Orthodox, and handing part control of the tournament to heretical sectarians is just another sign of this bias."

When it was noted that the World Cup Committee had previously elected legendary Archregimancy footballing figure Fr. Polycarp the Venerable to the position of WCC president, and that Orthodox Christians were one of the largest religious minorities in The Babbage Islands - and Orthodox Christians therefore almost certainly sat on the tournament's organising bodies, the spokesman muttered something about "tokenism" before storming out of the room to lead Vespers.

Elsewhere, sources close to the team were said to be "optimistic" about the initial draw, observing that - with the possible exception of Sibirsky - the entire zonal group consisted of what secular military figures might refer to as "cannon fodder"

World Cup 54: RP thread

LNNN: Group draw revealed!

FSSO Broadsheet Newspaper "Emplor" - Sports Section

Mangolana Gazzette

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