Market Cup VI - Everything Thread

by **Sangti** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:21 pm

SANGTI EDGES GAVEO IN MARKET CUP GROUP H THRILLER

by Roman Barlaan

Gaveo 1 (Rojas 85'), Sangti 2 (Utanes 87', Corsiga (pen) 90+3')
Thunder Palace, Oatlahoma City
Market Cup VI Group H

Gaveo

Sangti

The Agilang Dilaw of Sangti and the Gaveo national team put one of the most exciting and dramatic matches ever seen in Market Cup history. Sangti managed to beat Gaveo 2-1 in Group H play of the Market Cup VI here on Oatlahoma City.

An attacking brand of football from Gaveo was shoved into the players of Sangti at the first half, with the Sangtians struggling to stave off any danger that comes to them. The back four were solid and it came to the point that Sebastian Cadiz was increasingly getting frustrated every chance they get. Williard Navarette was called into the action as early as the second minute as a blitzkrieg attack took Sangti by surprise and Santiago Rojas almost opened the scoring, but the Sangti keeper was on call, getting a reflex save on his legs.

In the second half, it was the same story. Sangti were thwarting any efforts from Gaveo, until the 85th minute came. Gregorio Bautista was sent off for his foul on Rojas at outside of the penalty area. The ensuing direct free-kick from Rojas gave Navarette no chance as Gaveo finally opened the scoring. However in the 87th minute a counter-attack by the Agilang Dilaw from a mistake from substitute Hector Montoya enabled John Utanes to score a poacher's goal for his 3rd international goal. Three minutes of added time were given. A rare mistake from veteran Jacob Andersen sparked another counter-attack from Sangti, this time the arm of Sebastian Riveros was adjuged to have contact with the ball from Linsangan's cross inside the box in virtally the last play. The referee wasted no time in pointing to the spot. Daren Corsiga, the substitute, scored the winning penalty.

"It feels great. You know that the lads played well when you see the opposing side throw attacks at our lads and they thwart it away. We were bred as a defensive team and the back four delivered. It was a hell of a risky tactic to put the young Roman Ang into action in one of the hardest matches of Sangti, but hey, sometimes high risks gives high rewards." Manager Jerous Manalo said.

In the other match in Group H play, Punum managed to recover from the Gaveo hammering to upstage German-Spanish Empire, 1-0, in Star Stadium in Canterlot. Sangti now has won 3 out of its last four international matches under Manalo.

GAVEO - Cádiz J., Mendoza (Montoya 67'), Orloa, Riveros, Andersen, Yo Chan (Valdiva 72'), García Jr, Yabro, Milano, Cádiz S., Rojas (Poncio 70').
SANGTI - Navarette, Bautista, Docdoc, Ang, dela Vega, Soriano, Sor, Fernandez (Mercado 61'), Linsangan, Utanes (Lampa 85'), Perea (Corsiga 70').

by **Schmiegelland** » Sun May 19, 2013 2:39 pm

Smileys Beat Georgi, Keep Second Place

The Schmiegelland national team won again, beating Georgi in a dull affair. Jahgv bundled the ball home after a scramble in the box to get a crucial goal in the 79th minute, and Georgi was stuck defending for almost the entire match, until the final whistle. Schmiegelland got a total of 21 shots, while Georgi got only 1, and that lone shot hit the bar after only a minute had gone by. Schmiegelland's dominance was also highlighted by possesion, of which Schmiegelland got 79%, contrasted with Georgi's 21%. As a result of that, Schmiegelland had more time in Georgi's half, and finally scored after 79 minutes of relentless shots by the Schmiegellan attackers. In other results, Equestrian States smashed Subramani 5-0, and that led to this table:

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Equestrian States          3   3  0  0   14   0 +14    9
2 Schmiegelland              3   2  0  1    2   4  −2    6
3 Subramani                  3   1  0  2    1   6  −5    3
4 Georgi                     3   0  0  3    0   7  −7    0

With three matches gone and three to go, a Schmiegelland win over Subramani and an Equestrian States thrashing of Georgi would send both the Ponies and the Smileys into the Round of 16.

by **New Sideburn** » Sun May 19, 2013 3:14 pm

Possession? Huh. What Is It Good For?
This game was beginning to follow a pattern.
Beldonia would pick up the ball in a good position. Play would start from the keeper to the defenders, they'd ping the ball around a bit and try to get their way through the Cormorants' defence. Then somewhere in the line someone would get tackled and New Sideburn would surge upfield and string passes together and make opportunities.
Possession, of which New Sideburn had managed a rather paltry 38%, mattered little in the grand scheme of things. What mattered was what you did with it, and Beldonia had managed sweet Fanny Adams.

But at any rate, both teams were through, and their manager had deserved a cordial handshake. He'd at least tried to have his lads play good football, and it had worked to that extent (though Gethin doubted they'd be exactly contending to win...)

But Gethin already had his eyes on the prize. Ambition was key in this business; if you didn't already have your eyes on a prize, any prize, you'd likely end the season with nothing. And he wanted the Market Cup, badly. He could taste the potential for raising the name, the... brand, as Henry called it. And if nothing else it was a good hefty piece of silverware to leave hanging around in your cabinet.

And Gethin respected a good, hefty bit of silverware. Any trophy you could theoretically murder a journalist with, his theory ran, was one worth fighting for.

by **Gaveo** » Sun May 19, 2013 4:06 pm

The Gaveoan Times

10-0

This happened 10 times.

By: Beni Cortez

Gaveo wins in blow out fashion as they beat Punum 10-0 in the biggest win in Gaveoan history. The blow out was so impressive that media outlets in Punum demanded that the head coach of Gaveo, Juan Villaroel, resign due to un-sportsman like conduct. The game gives the Gaveoan team a lot of confidence as they head out to play Sangti. The game started with a goal from Sebastian Cadiz in the 3rd minute after taking the ball from the Punum forward. He ran across the field to score, 1-0 Gaveo. 7 minutes later another goal was scored by Sebastian Cadiz as mistake number two by Punum resulted in a goal. 2-0 Gaveo. In the 19th minute Santiago Rojas scored his first goal of the match after receiving a beautiful pass from Cadiz. 3-0 Gaveo. In the 28th, Gaveo increased their lead with a goal by Sebastian Cadiz. 4-0 Gaveo. It seemed the onslaught was over by the half but another goal was scored by Cesar Milano in the 44th minute. 5-0 Gaveo, halftime.

The second half introduced one new player to the field as Cadiz was switched off with Anders Ericksen. Villaroel later said that those changes where made so Gaveo could score less. Except that didn't happen. Cesar Milano scored his second goal in the 50th minute, making it 6-0 Gaveo. In the 57th minute substitute Anders Ericksen scored his first goal of the tournament, 7-0 Gaveo. Soon after in the 60th minute, Santiago Rojas scored again, 8-0 Gaveo. Later Cesar Milano was substituted for Joshua Hood and 2 minutes later, in the 73rd minute, Hood scored. 9-0 Gaveo. Anders Ericksen scored his second goal in the 80th minute, giving Gaveo their 10-0 win.

Goals
(3rd): Sebastian Cadiz (GAV)
(10th): Sebastian Cadiz (GAV)
(19th): Santiago Rojas (GAV)
(28th): Sebastian Cadiz (GAV)
(44th): Cesar Milano (GAV)
(50th): Cesar Milano (GAV)
(57th): Anders Ericksen (GAV)
(60th): Santiago Rojas (GAV)
(73rd): Joshua Hood (GAV)
(80th): Anders Ericksen (GAV)
Assists
(19th): Sebastian Cadiz (GAV)
Possession
GAV: 80%
PUN: 20%
Shots Made
GAV: 30
PUN: 20
Shots On Goal
GAV: 20
PUN: 5
Cards
Yellow: N/A
Red: N/A
Fouls
GAV: 9
PUN: 10

That's all from ES. Ciao.

---

The Gaveoan Times

So Close!

Aaaaand we lost...

By: Beni Cortez

Gaveo lost 2-1 in a upset lost against Santgi. The first goal wasn't made till the 85 minute when Rojas scored. In the 87th minute Santgi responded with a goal from Utanes and they won in by a last second penalty shot in the 93rd minute. Gaveo's Juan Villaroel was dissapointed at the loss but was proud at Santgi for upseting the Gaveoan side. Gaveo faces the German-Spanish Empire again next week. Good luck to our boys and go Gaveo!

(Sorry for the short RP posts, really busy with RL stuff and I am burntout from RPing in the U-21 WC and this cup. As soon as the U-21 WC ends, I will post better RPs.)

by **Slembana** » Mon May 20, 2013 2:21 am

Toby Garton's Football Blog

We're shite.

We fucking suck so bad.

We lost 6-3 to Saugeais' Under-21, were edged out 1-0 by Mangolana, and, on the final day, we were demolished 5-1 by Eastfield Lodge.

Fuck that shit.

We are hopeless.

We scored 4 goals and conceded 12.

That's so bad that it's not funny.

It's ridiculous.

We're awful.

We may have been in a tough group, but damn! I wasn't expecting to be thrashed! But we're Slembana. What can one expect?

Maybe it is time to sack Luc Gaudreau after this shitty excuse for a tournament.

This is all I have to say. Bye.

Toby

by **Lzherusskia** » Mon May 20, 2013 5:01 am

Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad
Lzherusskia Cap Off Strong First Half of Group Stages With 3-0 Swyftlandre Demolition

Two goals for Patrik Zhuravlev helped Lzherusskia take three points against Swyftlandre

Although head coach Yuri Gavrikov has constantly urged the fans to be restrained in their hopes for their national team, with a couple more performances like the one put on against Swyftlandre one could start forgiving the Lzherusskie fans for letting expectations get away from them a little. Coming on the heels of the disheartening 2-1 defeat to Wray, a victory as comfortable as the team enjoyed yesterday undoubtedly went a long way to keeping the morale in the locker room high.

Game one saw the Lzherusskie team, led by elder statesman Gleb Pralnikov, go up against another debuting team in the form of the Republic of Movja and while the match will not go down as the “shining ideal of System Karela” that the Pitrikovsk Sentinel bombastically referred to it as, it’s hard to find anything to seriously complain about in the defensive display on show. Denis Rublevsky was rarely troubled in the Lzherusskie goal as his wing-backs worked wonders to cripple the Movjan attacks coming off the flanks and after seventy minutes of clogging the midfield, Vitali Chernisov’s game-winning goal was justly deserved.

Buoyed by the victory and looking to continue against Wray, themselves victorious in their opener, coach Gavrikov’s hopes of keeping his 100% record intact took a body blow two days later during a routine training seession. With the training pitch softened and muddied by a rain shower, the injury was accidental but no less unfortunate for it – challenging for the ball during a five-on-five match, when Leopold Bazavyluk attempted to make a quick movement, his foot stuck in place and the striker went down. Initially only thought to be a minor injury, an X-ray revealed Bazavyluk had broken a small bone in his ankle and, while not too serious, it was likely going to keep him out for the remainder of the tournament.

Initially, his loss wasn’t immediately felt and some speculated that if anything, it couldn’t have happened to somebody at a better position – indeed, with Antonin Porkhomov’s eleventh-minute goal to open the scoring against Wray, things still looked positively rosy for the Lzherusskies. As the game wore on, however, the missing Bazavyluk became more and more evident; his replacement, Sergei Kevorkov, lacked the pace to properly trouble Wray’s defence and with a lessened offensive threat, Wray began to get more and more confident as the game wore on.

Sensing this, coach Gavrikov made some adjustments at the break, moving to a more traditional 5-3-2 formation – an underperforming Artem Ovcharenko was taken off to bring on Patrik Zhuravlev, with two of the three remaining midfielders moved to the flanks and the wing-backs pushed further up the pitch to add to the additional pressure. A bold, if thoroughly un-Karelan move, the decision immediately turned into fodder for debate as, two minutes after the start of the second half, Matus Zemchenko lost his man who was able to float a cross into the Lzherusskie penalty box for an answering header.

With the wind taken thoroughly out of the team’s sails, a quick goal looked necessary if Lzherusskia were going to walk away with six points from six, and a quick goal was indeed in the offing – chasing down a breakaway and desperate to prevent him from going one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Valdemar Lavretsky dove in and upended the Wray striker. With the Wray fans baying for blood, the Equestrian referee pointed first to the tunnel…then to the penalty spot! Although instant replay showed that the tackle came just outside the box, neither the referee nor the linesman were in a good position to see and, in ten minutes, the lead had dissolved – never to return.

Despite the defeat, both coach Gavrikov and members of the team said they were keeping their heads high and not letting themselves get dragged down – the substituted Ovcharenko, in particular, came out in support of his coach’s decision to replace him and admitted he wasn’t playing up to his normal standard. He was not the only man to be left out, as the Lzherusskie team fielded five new starters and a new formation, with the two wing-backs pulled towards goal to create a flat back five, and Chernisov and Pralnikov moved further to the flanks.

The impact was wonderfully immediate. With less than five minutes gone, Zhuravlev had drawn a foul that led to a Swyftlandre yellow card and challenged the goalkeeper with a vicious free kick, and a few minutes later, had opened the scoring with a neatly-placed shot from the edge of the penalty box – with the opening pass coming from Radislav Limonov, fans of Alekhine Poszar had even more reason to celebrate. Learning from the errors of the last game, any urges coach Gavrikov had to tinker were suppressed and were rewarded – shortly after the half-hour point, Zhuravlev struck again, putting the cap on a multi-man manoeuvre that left the Swyftlandre defence in tatters.

With the two-goal lead secure, coach Gavrikov made the orders to begin pulling back and going into lockdown mode – although against most footballing logic as it allows the opposition increased freedom to attack, a lot of System Karela devotees have enough faith in their team’s ability to deny the opposition offence to risk it and, with the Swyftlandre attack already looking toothless, Gavrikov seemed happy to let the game run out as it was. Only a moment of mad genius from Rudolf Sevruk prevented the second half from being completely without event, as the 21-year-old sub decided to defy orders and push forward, beating two men on speed alone and finally cracking his shot in the far-right corner.

With six points from three games, Lzherusskia sits a strong second in the table and, more importantly, still stands a strong chance of qualifying at the top of the group. The key game is obviously going to be MD5, as they square off against Wray for the second time - a loss, while not a complete crippler, would make it extremely difficult to qualify top of the group.

Group Standings

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Wray                       3   3  0  0    5   2  +3    9
2 Lzherusskia                3   2  0  1    5   2  +3    6
3 Movja                      3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1
4 Swyftlandre                3   0  1  2    3   7  −4    1

Scores
Game 1: Lzherusskia 1 – 0 Movja (Chernisov 74”)
Game 2: Lzherusskia 1 – 2 Wray (Porkhomov 11” - 47”, 54”)
Game 3: Swyftlandre 0 – 3 Lzherusskia (Zhuravlev 9”, 33”; Sevruk, 88”)

Man of the Match
Game 1: Gleb Pralnikov
Game 2: Mikhail Susunov
Game 3: Patrik Zhuravlev

Lineups
Game 1: Rublevsky – Goncharenko, Ljubirin (sub Masterkov, 62”), Susunov, Batutin (yellow), Zemchenko – Chernisov (sub Vyshinsky, 62”), Ovcharenko, Pralnikov, Porkhomov – Bazavyluk
Game 2: Rublevsky - Goncharenko, Ljubirin, Susunov, Lavretsky (red, 53”), Zemchenko – Chernisov (yellow), Ovcharenko (sub Zhuravlev, 45”), Pralnikov (sub Koposov, 70”), Porkhomov – Kevorkov
Game 3: Rublevsky - Goncharenko, Deminov, Limonov, Ljubirin, Zemchenko – Chernisov, Koposov, Pralnikov, Chausov (sub Sevruk, 82”) – Zhuravlev

by **Mizuyuki** » Mon May 20, 2013 5:15 am

Mugen Chiheisen TV

The Sports Scene

Delivering the hottest, latest sports news! Right here, right now!

Analysts - Nakano Miku, Uesugi Ryuunosuke

Nakano Miku :

Konban wa

The Sports Scene

Nakano Miku

Uesugi Ryuunosuke :

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

The Sports Scene

Nakano

Nakano Miku :

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

It is certainly a delight to watch the national team play progressively under the tutelage of Ishikawa. I still remember that sorry excuse of a manager we had before her... they played like -bleep-.

Nakano Miku

Now there, Uesugi-san, it's not good to swear in front of all our viewers! Back on topic though, I really feel that Ishikawa's got her Generation of Miracles clicking together. Although she's only had a mere 3 weeks in the job, Ishikawa has amazingly managed to foster a strong team spirit among Mizuyuki's youngsters that have led to them combining perfectly on the pitch. For me, the most notable move was the Saten goal scored in the 2nd matchday, where the passing move initiated by the midfield led to her goal. That was simply superb.

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

I have to admit that I'm pretty impressed by them so far, and that's saying something since I initially discounted their chances in this Cup, seeing that they were making their international bow in football. However, I'm pleasantly surprised to be proved wrong, and I sincerely hope that this hot streak that the national team are on will continue.

Nakano Miku

I know, right? So far so good then for Ishikawa's Generation of Miracles. However, the opponents that they have faced so far are no slouches, with traditional powers like Darmen and Ko-oren among those vanquished by Mizuyuki during the group stages. Uesugi-san, do you think that they really have a crack at winning the Market Cup?

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

It appears that they have already established an insurmountable lead in Group G after their solid 3-1 win over Ko-oren, thus I think that they'll have no problem at all in progressing to the elimination rounds. However, we must not forget that there remain several excellent teams who are serious contenders for the Market Cup, and I think that our youngsters will have a difficult time in overcoming them. For example, Mizuyuki might face the host of this edition of the Market Cup, Equestrian States, who have so far scored 14 goals while conceding none. New Sideburn are also a side to be feared, as their defensive record is only equalled by the Equestrian States. I don't think that we'll be able to get past these opponents with the level of play we've seen so far - thus I'm tipping Mizuyuki to advance from the group, but they will get knocked out if they draw one of the stronger teams out there.

Nakano Miku

Still, Ishikawa's current flawless record as Mizuyuki manager just makes her stock rise even more. I'm thinking that she will be able to instill some kind of mentality among the team that will give them the belief and confidence required in trying to perform a giant-slaying feat, which will surely be needed if Mizuyuki is to reach the final.

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

Ishikawa has a perfect record, but I don't think it will remain unblemished for long. I do hope that I'll be proven wrong, but the team's streak might even end in the group stages. We'll see how they do in their remaining group stage matches.

Nakano Miku

The Sports Scene

Nakano Miku

Uesugi Ryuunosuke

Nakano Miku

The Sports Scene

by **Omarios** » Mon May 20, 2013 8:35 am

Omarios Sports News

First of all we start bringing you the happy news that the Omarios National Football Team won against Malefant 3-0, but on the other side, clashes went on between angry Toddinlofer fans and the police after Toddinlofer lost 1-0 against Beden FC in the Omarios Football Cup final, more than 100,000 fans from both teams went to the match at the national stadium last week, even though that Toddinlofer showed that they are the dominant in the first half, they lost by a beautiful 40 yard screamer scored by Rengong in the 56th minute.Back to the subject, the Omarios Football Team scored their first goal by a header in the 37th minute the second goal was a foul in the 45 +1 minute, the team was also able to score in the 88th minute by a powerful shot scored by middlefielder Albab.

This picture shows the violence yellow and black Toddinlofer fans did after the match:

by **St Lucoa** » Mon May 20, 2013 10:52 am

The St. Lucoa Tribune.

Match 3

Today was going to be a great day of football. St. Lucoa, a team who are so far undefeated, against Licentiapacisterra, a very prestigious national team. The stage was set for a great match.

The game kicked off with Licentiapacisterra and St. Lucoa battling for possession. It seemed no side could keep the ball for more than a minute. It was end to end stuff, as both sides had excellent chances to go ahead, but none were taken. It was only in the 28th minute that one of the Licentiapacisterra strikers broke free and curved the ball towards the top corner. St. Lucoa keeper Sanchez was on hand to keep the score level at 0-0.

It was not until the 47th minute, in additional time, that Joe Benson was played in by Stein, but Benson smashed the ball wide. His reaction summed up how most St. Lucoa fans and players felt - annoyed. Half time and the sides were still tied at 0-0.

The trend of both sides not taking their chances continued well in to the second half. In fact both keepers only had to make 3 saves in total due to the poor finishing. Baxter found himself in unfamiliar territory when he boosted forward and maybe it was his downfall, as the left defender took a few too many touches and was quickly closed down by Licentiapacisterra's defenders.

It seemed it would be a match where one of the sides stole the victory at the end and St. Lucoa nearly did when Juan Novo blasted the ball towards goal, which it hit the post and went wide. A day of missed chances for both side; a game that St. Lucoa should have won, but a great result that they will be happy with.

St. Lucoa need to keep up this good play and continue to not lose: this will surley guarentee them progression past the group stages.

Jack Smith reporting for The St. Lucoa Tribune.

by **Equestrian States** » Mon May 20, 2013 1:55 pm

Match Day 4 Results

Group A

Subramani 0–0 Schmiegelland
Georgi 0–1 Equestrian States

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Equestrian States          4   4  0  0   15   0 +15   12
2 Schmiegelland              4   2  1  1    2   4  −2    7
3 Subramani                  4   1  1  2    1   6  −5    4
4 Georgi                     4   0  0  4    0   8  −8    0

Group B

Boring Paradise 3–0 Omarios
Malefant 1–0 Lukquarel

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Boring Paradise            4   4  0  0   10   2  +8   12
2 Omarios                    4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
3 Lukquarel                  4   1  1  2    2   3  −1    4
4 Malefant                   4   1  0  3    4  10  −6    3

Group C

Swyftlandre 0–1 Wray
Movja 0–3 Lzherusskia

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Wray                       4   4  0  0    6   2  +4   12
2 Lzherusskia                4   3  0  1    8   2  +6    9
3 Swyftlandre                4   0  1  3    3   8  −5    1
4 Movja                      4   0  1  3    2   7  −5    1

Group D

Allied Omaha 0–0 Beldonia
New Sideburn 3–1 Filopines

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Sideburn               4   4  0  0   14   1 +13   12
2 Beldonia                   4   2  1  1    6   4  +2    7
3 Allied Omaha               4   0  2  2    1   7  −6    2
4 Filopines                  4   0  1  3    2  11  −9    1

Group E

Saugeais U-21 4–1 Slembana
Eastfield Lodge 3–0 Mangolana

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Saugeais U-21              4   4  0  0   14   4 +10   12
2 Eastfield Lodge            4   3  0  1   10   4  +6    9
3 Mangolana                  4   1  0  3    2   7  −5    3
4 Slembana                   4   0  0  4    5  16 −11    0

Group F

St. Lucoa 1–0 Max Empire
Shadowbourne 8–0 Licentiapacisterra

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 St. Lucoa                  4   3  1  0    6   1  +5   10
2 Shadowbourne               4   3  0  1   20   5 +15    9
3 Licentiapacisterra         4   1  1  2    4  13  −9    4
4 Max Empire                 4   0  0  4    0  11 −11    0

Group G

Southern Landes 0–2 Ko-oren
Mizuyuki 3–1 Darmen

  Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Mizuyuki                   4   4  0  0   14   5  +9   12
2 Ko-oren                    4   2  1  1    7   4  +3    7
3 Darmen                     4   1  0  3    8  14  −6    3
4 Southern Landes            4   0  1  3    2   8  −6    1

Group H

Gaveo 0–1 German-Spanish Empire
Punum 1–1 Sangti

  Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Sangti                     4   2  1  1    5   3  +2    7
2 Gaveo                      4   2  0  2   14   4 +10    6
3 German-Spanish Empire      4   2  0  2    3   4  −1    6
4 Punum                      4   1  1  2    2  13 −11    4

Clinched Group
Clinched Second Round Berth
Eliminated

by **Ko-oren** » Mon May 20, 2013 2:35 pm

Almost there

The 2-0 victory over the Southern Landes put Ko-oren very, very close to the next round. With two games to go, one victory is sufficient to advance. Actually, a draw in the direct match against Darmen is enough too. Mizuyuki secured their second round spot after a victory against Darmen, and they are very close to winning the group altogether as well. Only if Ko-oren win both and Mizuyuki lose both, they lose first place. This also means that the 23 players in the Ko-oren B squad have another match at least to prove their worth, maybe qualify for the eventual World Cup squad, or even a transfer to a bigger club. Possibly even a move abroad. For now, all their attention has to go to the next match against Darmen: a draw or a victory is enough to secure a second round spot. If Ko-oren loses, the Greenblues must win against Mizuyuki... who are the surprise of the tournament, maybe?

In a solid match, the defense focused on trying to get the opponent offside, and played in a high defensive line. While not really a Ko-orenite tactic, the more offensive approach caught Southern Landes off-guard, and pinned them in their own half. In a sense, the best defense is the attack. With 17 shots on goal at the end of the game, this must have been the most shots on goal by a Ko-orenite National Football Team in years. Still only two went in: one by Jugurirashin, and one by Bonangorthen. It has to be said that most of these 17 shots were attempts from 20-30 meters out, and the two goals came forth from these far shots. Neither went in directly, but hit another player and are more or less lucky goals. The Greenblues were in control, so even if both shots had missed, the team would not have despaired.

In a week full of football, with the AOCAF, Market Cup and Di Bradini Cup, there is even some news from the domestic league. There were some plans to add trophies and games to the season, to increase its profile and importance abroad. Apart from the three-division Ko-orenite league and the Greater Ko-orenite Cup with all professional teams from Ko-oren and its colonies, there are a few more plans that will be presented to the media in the coming weeks. The first plan was the idea to add State Championships: a knock-out cup with teams from one state. This will add 15 more trophies to a season, and it will offer smaller local clubs to get some attention too. As every state has at least two professional teams (some states have 20, though), there will be some competition at least, and hopefully it will increase the popularity of teams from smaller states too, if they can win a cup. It has been calculated that the State Championships of Arelothun and Othushun will be most competitive, and that Ong and Ka Uin will most likely be contested by just up to 8 teams. If a state does not have a nice number of professional teams, amateur teams will be added according to their quality.

by **Sangti** » Mon May 20, 2013 3:15 pm

SANGTI DRAWS PUNUM, GROUP H GETS TIGHTER

by Roman Barlaan

Punum 1 (Singleton 73'), Sangti 1 (Linsangan 2')
Thunder Palace, Oatlahoma City
Market Cup VI Group H

Group H

Gaveo 0–1 German-Spanish Empire
Punum 1–1 Sangti

  Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Sangti                     4   2  1  1    5   3  +2    7
2 Gaveo                      4   2  0  2   14   4 +10    6
3 German-Spanish Empire      4   2  0  2    3   4  −1    6
4 Punum                      4   1  1  2    2  13 −11    4

Clinched Group
Clinched Second Round Berth
Eliminated

Sangti wasted its one goal lead to draw with Punun 1-1 here at the Thunder Palace. The Agilang Dilaw still leads Group H by 1 point over Gaveo, who lost 0-1 against the German-Spanish Empire.

Sangti was without Greg Bautista as he was suspended for the match. The group leaders grabbed the lead 1-0 with a stunning strike from Robin Linsangan. He weaved through the Punum defense and found a little space at the edge of the box. His curled shot was too powerful for Punum goalkeeper Billy Joseph, who had no chance at saving the shot. Sangti was the more aggresive side and looked to double the advantage but Punum seemed to recover and thwarted the Sangti offense. The first half ended 1-0.

In the second half, Sangti was put on the backfoot after Punum started to attack. The Sangtian defense was strong to put away these chances, until the 73rd minute as the Agilang Dilaw finally gave on as Elliot Singleton scored a goal on point black range. Punum tried to find the winner in the latter stages, but both sides would contend to a draw.

Group H got tighter as the German-Spanish Empire managed to beat Gaveo 1-0. The sides are only separated by three points. This was also Sangti's last match at the Thunder Palace here in Oatlahoma, as they finish their group campaign against GSE and Gaveo at the Star Stadium in Canterlot. A Sangti win by 2 goals in the GSE match would seal progression for the Agilang Dilaw.

PUNUM - Joseph, Doyle, Rodgers (Olson 66'), Banks, Roffins (Porter 70'), Cisse, Knowles D., Schutz, Knowles S. Singleton, Castro (Ramussen 74')
SANGTI - Navarette, Pablo (Lampa 84'), Docdoc, Ang, dela Vega, Soriano, Sor, Fernandez (Magcaleng 65''), Linsangan, Utanes , Corsiga (Perea 65').

by **German-Spanish Empire** » Mon May 20, 2013 3:46 pm

Coach Victor Rios smiled as his guys as he went into the locker room. He clinched a cigar in one hand and the game ball in the other,"Okay, I'm not one to get all ass happy over a guy and his goal but this man deserved the god damn world!" he then tightened his tie,"This man, scored the last two goals of our last to games,my son, Miguel Rios get's tonight game ball!" the locker room began to cheer. Then everyone started the chant,"Speech, speech!" Miguel then got up and said the two simple words of,"Fuck yes!" Coach Rios got up and said,"Guys we have a visitor, his name is Dennis and he is an autistic patient and his 11 years old!" Miguel took out a pen, signed the ball and gave it to Dennis. Dennis's face turned red out of happiness. "You want a picture?" Miguel asked. "Yes!" Dennis said. Miguel on his way home felt satisfied he gave that game ball to Dennis, besides he would've looked like an ass if he didn't.

OOC:GROUP H THEME SONG!!!

by **New Sideburn** » Tue May 21, 2013 3:19 am

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
Brenecia Announces Bid To Join Next World Cup; Cormorants Ready For A Face-off
by Matt Hope, Sportswriter

So now it's official; the Patriots are preparing to march into the next Baptism of Fire. Lead by Blake Lawless, who named his provisional side for the Baptism of Fire yesterday (a powerful outfit containing Violence Chariots playmaker Fiona Sylver, highly demanded young goalkeeper Felix Carrick and Sabrefell Moths' recently acquired winger James MacBeth). The bookies, noting their proximity to our great nation and similarities in terms of footballing style and tradition, mark them down as one of the front-runners to win.

Brenecia, as they have no originality, blatantly copied us and ordered Kirola designs. Bastards.

Lawless' selection plays to Brenecia's strong points; wing play and a very physical defence. Curiously, while their means of attack is very similar to that of the Cormorants (one cannot help but feel the likes of Rook Harm would be right at home), Lawless favours a 4-3-3 with two rapid wingers, moving primarily on the counter-attack, rather than a centrally focused onslaught that pressures the opponent's defence back.

While it remains to be seen whether our overenthusiastic neighbours will be drawn in the same group as us anytime soon, this much can be certain; any matches that do occur between us will be a passionate affair, and they will almost certainly resent being treated as a less important fixture than a Strongnesse Cup match. But then, that's Brenecia - they always did have a flair for the dramatic.

by **St Lucoa** » Tue May 21, 2013 11:01 am

The St. Lucoa Tribune.

Benson's injury time goal wins it for St. Lucoa.

Match 4.

The fouth match of the Market Cup VI for St. Lucoa seen them up against Max Empire. The flags and scraves were flying high, as the fans knew a good support would be crucial to the team's success.

The game kicked off and it was St. Lucoa who dominated possession for the first 30 minutes, most of this possession was due to the fact that the back four passed it around frequently - although keeping the ball, chances were not being created for St. Lucoa in the first half. Truthfully, the first half was boring from both team's perspectives - safe football, uncreative and unoriginal, just passing, passing and more passing.

It was'nt until a Max Empire striker was played through by a ball over the top of the defence that St. Lucoa realised that they needed to change their style of play. This great chance for Max Empire was wasted, much due to the sluggishness of the striker.

Half time seen both teams in the dressing rooms getting a stern talking to.

The second half was the polar opposite of the first; the football was fast, creative and there was many chances. Unfortunatly none of the teams took their chances and it looked like it would be a draw. The fans of both sides were very disappointed with their team's performance.

In the 3rd minute of injury time, literally the last kick of the ball, Juan Novo found himself space and crossed a powerful ball in. Benson performed his traemark leap and headed the ball own into the ground. The Max Empire keeper tried to parry the ball away, but he could only watch as the ball travelled past him.

Benson, again, celebrated in style, for his goal had once again won St. Lucoa the match. Benson has surley made himself a legend in St. Lucoa.

A win next match will guarentee St. Lucoa passage into the next stage of this tournament. One more game!

Jack Smith reporting for The St. Lucoa Tribune.

by **Shadowbourne** » Tue May 21, 2013 12:30 pm

Mateo is Underrated Star for Shadowbourne
by: Jos Karlovik |SNSN
21-April, 2013

Budding superstar and starting midfielder Brendon Mateo fields questions following last night's 8-nothing win over fellow Esportivians Licentiapacisterra.

The Shadowbournean national football squad is one step closer to their first ever playoff berth in an international tournament.

Shadowbourne blew out region-mates Licentiapacisterra by an eight goal margin. Both the team's offensive and defensive showings were impressive, and national side manager Lukasz Kellner gave a glowing report of his squad's performance during last night's post-game press conference. "I thought we played spectacularly." said Kellner. "We really stepped up our games, and we showed everyone out there tonight that when we play to our full potential, we have the ability to be truly unstoppable."

Shadowbourne is currently leading all participating teams in goal scoring with twenty, a figure that have demonstrated how effective Kellner's counter-attacking defense can be when executed properly. Six of the team's eight goals last night came off of fast breaks resulting from defensive stops. Young midfielder Brendon Mateo has thrived under the team's new offense; as the team's center midfielder, he orchestrates the transition from offense to defense and distributes the ball to his forwards for easy in-close opportunities. Mateo's field vision and pinpoint passing have been a key to the team's success. Of the team's twenty goals this tournament, all but five have come off of assists from Mateo, and of those five, two were scored by Mateo himself.

When asked about his remarkable performance over the course of this Market Cup, Mateo said, "I really worked on passing this past World Cup cycle, and it's really starting to pay off. I believed that I was incredibly fortunate to be born with a natural sense of field awareness, and now that I've learned how to put the ball where I want it, I think everything is really starting to come together." Mateo is not the only one who feels that he is finally starting to perfect his game: national team midfielder's coach and former national squad player Emile Radakovic shares his point of view. "Brendon has really perfected his passing game of late, and I think that it's really starting to show. He's getting the ball where it needs to be, and his guys are gobbling up all the easy chances."

Mateo also scored his second goal of the season last night, a perfectly kicked ball from the left elbow that soared majestically into the net for the team's eight and final goal. The impressive shot was yet another example of how effective he can be when he is playing at full force. Until this tournament, Mateo had still been recovering from a torn ACL that he acquired during the championship game of last year's collegiate season. According to Brendon himself, he had been nursing the injury for the past six months, it was greatly affecting his ability to strike the ball. In hindsight, the injury should have been quite obvious; there has been a significant improvement in the velocity of his leg swing over the past month. I, among others, believe that this increase was caused by Mateo's recovery from his injury.

According to team doctor Kumar Patel, Mateo's ACL injury could have decreased the speed of his leg swing by as much as 50%. This decrease could be to blame for his numerous inaccurate crosses and poor shooting during the team's last World Cup campaign. Regardless of the reason behind Mateo's previous struggles, one thing is certain: he is now an entirely different player, and one who can be counted on to lead the team for many years to come.

Shadowbourne and their newly-found leader Brendon Mateo will have another opportunity to show off their impressive play tonight, as they take on St Lucoa, with a potential playoff berth on the line. The match will be broadcast live on at 4:00 SCT on SNSN, as well as on snsn.com and our mobile app.

by **St Lucoa** » Tue May 21, 2013 12:44 pm

The St. Lucoa Tribune.

Today St. Lucoa face Shadowbourne in what promises to be one of the most explosive encounters of the tournament so far. Both sides need a win to increase their chances of progressing in this tournament, a we can be sure it will be a gritty, but exciting match.

Shadowbourne, who are just behind St. Lucoa on points will be looking to end St. Lucoa's undefeated streak, while St. Lucoa will be wanting to win to guarentee them passage in to the next stage of the competition.

Joe Benson, St. Lucoa's top scorer said,

"I think Shadowbourne are a well structured team, we know they can score goals and we know how effective they are. We need to stay focused and hold strong. And one thing is for certain we cannot leave it late, like so many other games, we need to start strong and end strong."

We can be assured that this will be a feisty game, especially with so much on the line for both teams. St. Lucoa will need to stand their ground and make use of possession.

In other news we have heard reports of The St. Lucoa Ultras causing damage to property and businesses in the many towns and cities of Equestrian States. Reports vary, but the vast majority of them say that the small number of St. Lucoa fans set off flares in the middle of the night, deliberately agitated other fans and upset the local population.

The St. Lucoa Football Federation had this to say,

"We do not know if these reports are true, but if they are then we would like to apologise profusely to the citizens of Equestrian States. The actions of this small portion of St. Lucoa fans do not represent the majority of St. Lucoa fans - who are mostly respectful and co-operative. If sufficient evidence is provided and people can be identified then appropriate action will be taken against the offending individuals.

The St. Lucoa Tribune would also like to apologise to the population of Equestrian States. Please note that the vast majority of our fans are well behaved, it is just a small minority that ruin it for all.

Jack Smith reporting for The St. Lucoa Tribune.

by **Omarios** » Tue May 21, 2013 1:03 pm

Omarios Sports News

Toddinlofer Fans strike again!

Angry Toddinlofer fans struck again after a 4-0 defeat against AlKheil AlArabi in the first leg of the Omarios Gold Cup, Toddinlofer fans started making chaos just after 21 minutes when the first goal was scored at the 20th minute, police however controlled the situation inside the stadium which had about 87,000 spectators, only 10,000 of them Toddinlofer fans.However, the fans didn't show any attention to the fact that the National Football Team lost a crushing defeat against Boring Paradise 3-0, but instead focused more on the cup and try to ignore there 1-0 lost against Beden FC the week before in the Omarios Football Cup Final.Police are currently trying to hold Toddinlofer fans from doing chaos and are deploying riot forces in Toddinlofer, Omarios to assure the safety of women and children.

These are some pictures provided by some photographers in the chaos:

by **Equestrian States** » Tue May 21, 2013 1:11 pm

ESPN: Equestrian Sports Programming Network
Hosts Dominating Market Cup VI

CANTERLOT - Although the Equestrian States is presently hosting the Market Cup, fans have been somewhat reluctant to throw their full devotion behind the so-called "Merchant Ponies," citing the National Equestrian Sports Council's own reluctance to devote the national team to the tournament as evidence that the Equestrian States does not truly care about defending their title. With the much-loved Little Ponies competing in the Di Bradini Cup semifinals for the second straight year, local fans have been observed turning out to Market Cup matches simply to watch the scoreboard for updates from Saugeais. Heck, even the World Baseball Classic's group stage games have gotten more public devotion than the Merchant Ponies!

But the Equestrians competing in the Market Cup, a few national team starters still among them, haven't let this disparity in support get to them. In four matches, the "other" ponies (as some fans have referred to the team) have thoroughly dominated the opposition for a combined score of 15-0. With such total control over their group, the Equestrians have already ensured themselves a spot in the second round and can clinch the group title itself with a draw or win over Schmiegelland tonight in Ponyville's Elements Stadium. Let's take a look at the team's last four matches:

Match Day 1: Equestrian States 5, Georgi 0
at Elements Stadium, Ponyville

The Equestrians' first match was the exception to the "we ain't go no stinkin' fans" trend, with the always cheerful Ponyville crowd turning out in force to watch the tournament's opening match. And what an opener it was. There was no doubt just a few minutes in who would be on the favorable end of the scoreboard after 90 minutes. Heck, it took Fire Dash just three minutes to nail the first of his two goals. Five minutes later the Equestrian captain's sister made a laughingstock of the goalkeeper, hammering home a bullet into a nearly empty net. Apple Pie contributed another goal with ten minutes to spare in the first half before Fire Dash picked apart the defense to score just before the break. With a comfortable 4-0 lead, Twilight Striker held her best players on the sideline to avoid injuring them in the months before World Cup 65 qualifying opens. Subtle Trix finished off Georgi in the 59th minute, crushing a drive through the keeper's gloves and into the net.

Match Day 2: Equestrian States 4, Schmiegelland 0
at the Equestria Dome, Canterlot

Matching the impressive result of their first match was not an issue for the Equestrian States when they took on Schmiegelland. Fire Dash was at the center of attention once again, scoring two first half goals and adding another in the 77th minute to complete his hat trick. Goal Blossom finished off the visitors with a 80th minute strike three minutes after Fire Dash's third goal. The defense was particularly good against the "Smileys," holding Schmiegelland shot-less for the first twenty minutes of play.

Match Day 3: Equestrian States 5, Subramani 0
at the Equestria Dome, Canterlot

Looking to finish the first leg strong, the "Merchant Ponies" came to win against Subramani and left with their third victory of four or more goals. Rapid Dash equaled her brother's feat, scoring a trio of goals in a 15 minute span that opened the second half. Starlight Sparkle and Apple Pie tacked on their own goals in the first half, leading the Equestrians to a powerful 5-0 victory before an estimated 79,000 fans.

Match Day 4: Equestrian States 1, Georgi 0
at the Equestria Dome, Canterlot

Having dominated Group A cleanly, Head Coach Twilight Striker saw no reason to risk her star players in what was expected to be an easy win. Though the offense was not quite up to speed against Georgi this time around, the defense pieced together a stellar performance to master their opponents with a mind-boggling 79% control of the ball. It was mostly a time-consuming affair that saw many fans leave out of sheer boredom before the midway point of the second half.

by **Equestrian States** » Tue May 21, 2013 1:24 pm

Match Day 5 Results

Group A

Schmiegelland 0–5 Equestrian States
Subramani 2–0 Georgi

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Equestrian States          5   5  0  0   20   0 +20   15
2 Schmiegelland              5   2  1  2    2   9  −7    7
3 Subramani                  5   2  1  2    3   6  −3    7
4 Georgi                     5   0  0  5    0  10 −10    0

Group B

Omarios 1–0 Lukquarel
Boring Paradise 0–0 Malefant

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Boring Paradise            5   4  1  0   10   2  +8   13
2 Omarios                    5   2  1  2    4   4   0    7
3 Lukquarel                  5   1  1  3    2   4  −2    4
4 Malefant                   5   1  1  3    4  10  −6    4

Group C

Wray 1–0 Lzherusskia
Swyftlandre 0–0 Movja

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Wray                       5   5  0  0    7   2  +5   15
2 Lzherusskia                5   3  0  2    8   3  +5    9
3 Swyftlandre                5   0  2  3    3   8  −5    2
4 Movja                      5   0  2  3    2   7  −5    2

Group D

Beldonia 0–1 Filopines
Allied Omaha 0–1 New Sideburn

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Sideburn               5   5  0  0   15   1 +14   15
2 Beldonia                   5   2  1  2    6   5  +1    7
3 Filopines                  5   1  1  3    3  11  −8    4
4 Allied Omaha               5   0  2  3    1   8  −7    2

Group E

Slembana 0–1 Mangolana
Saugeais U-21 0–1 Eastfield Lodge

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Saugeais U-21              5   4  0  1   14   5  +9   12
2 Eastfield Lodge            5   4  0  1   11   4  +7   12
3 Mangolana                  5   2  0  3    3   7  −4    6
4 Slembana                   5   0  0  5    5  17 −12    0

Group F

Max Empire 1–0 Licentiapacisterra
St. Lucoa 1–0 Shadowbourne

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 St. Lucoa                  5   4  1  0    7   1  +6   13
2 Shadowbourne               5   3  0  2   20   6 +14    9
3 Licentiapacisterra         5   1  1  3    4  14 −10    4
4 Max Empire                 5   1  0  4    1  11 −10    3

Group G

Ko-oren 3–1 Darmen
Southern Landes 0–6 Mizuyuki

  Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Mizuyuki                   5   5  0  0   20   5 +15   15
2 Ko-oren                    5   3  1  1   10   5  +5   10
3 Darmen                     5   1  0  4    9  17  −8    3
4 Southern Landes            5   0  1  4    2  14 −12    1

Group H

German-Spanish Empire 1–1 Sangti
Gaveo 1–1 Punum

  Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Sangti                     5   2  2  1    6   4  +2    8
2 Gaveo                      5   2  1  2   15   5 +10    7
3 German-Spanish Empire      5   2  1  2    4   5  −1    7
4 Punum                      5   1  2  2    3  14 −11    5

Clinched Group
Clinched Second Round Berth
Eliminated

by **Sangti** » Tue May 21, 2013 3:08 pm

Centrado en el Futbot reviews the Sangti-GSE game and analyze the probabiilities of the quaifications for Group H. Here we have the expert panel of Lito Supnet and Ron Villaroman, both former Sangti Internationals.

Let's start with the match review:

MATCH REVIEW

Sangti 1 (Utanes 82'), German Spanish Empire 1 (Rios 56')
Star Stadium, Canterlot
Market Cup Group H

Poor performance from the Agilang Dilaw. Their defense was disappointing and could have let in 2 goals for GSE in the first half. Then they conceded first. I think If they want to progress here, they must keep the backline solid, because it's their bread and butter. The match turned on its head in the 70th minute due to the substitution of Lampa over Docdoc, could mean that Lampa would be preferred over Docdoc. Roman Ang has been mistake-free since starting in Matchday 3. In their attack they are fine, but they need cover in the event that Utanes is gone. This means that strike partner Rafael Perea may be dropped in Matchday 6. Only Utanes, Corsiga and Linsangan have scored in the Agilang Dilaw lineup.

For reference, Sangti didn't mave even one change in the lineup that drew with Punum, except for Greg Bautista, who returned at RB in place of Jade Pablo.

GROUP H PREDICTIONS

The standings look like this coming into Matchday 6:

  Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Sangti                     5   2  2  1    6   4  +2    8
2 Gaveo                      5   2  1  2   15   5 +10    7
3 German-Spanish Empire      5   2  1  2    4   5  −1    7
4 Punum                      5   1  2  2    3  14 −11    5

Clinched Group
Clinched Second Round Berth
Eliminated

Matches at MD6
Sangti - Gaveo
Punum - German-Spanish Empire

Of all the groups, Group H is the only group that has no qualified teams or even eliminated teams, and is the most open group in the Market Cup. One thing is sure though, Punum cannot win the group now and Sangti cannot finish bottom due to Sangti holding the tiebreaker. Here are other tiebreakers in the group:

Punum-Sangti: Sangti (0-2, 1-1)
This is the reason Punum cannot win the group, in addition to the way the matches will be played (SGT-GAV, PUN-GSE), if Punum wins, they cannot overtake either Gaveo or Sangti because Gaveo also holds the tiebreaker against Punum
GSE-Gaveo: Gaveo (1-3, 1-0)
This is important. if both teams get the same result, Gaveo will always win the tiebreaker.
GSE-Sangti: GSE (1-0, 1-1)
This is the reason why Sangti needs to win against Gaveo. A GSE draw and a Sangti loss would mean disaster for Sangti. Even a draw may not be enough if GSE win.
Gaveo-Punum: Gaveo (10-0, 1-1)
See Sangti vs Punum.
Gaveo-Sangti: Currently Sangti (1-2, ?-?)
It would have been most important tiebreaker. However it cannot be used since Gaveo and Sangti will never be tied on points.
GSE-Punum: Currently Punum (0-1, ?-?)
Same as Gaveo-Sangti. GSE and Punum cannot be tied on points.

Now the odds in the group (provided that wins, draws and losses count as 1)
Sangti
Probability to advance: 7/9
Probability to win group: 5/9

Gaveo
Probability to advance: 5/9
Probability to win group: 3/9

GSE
Probability to advance: 5/9
Probability to win group: 1/9

Punum
Probability to advance: 1/9
Probability to win group: 0/9

For Sangti to win the group:

For Sangti to qualify:

For Gaveo to win the group:

For Gaveo to qualify:

For GSE to win the group:

1. GSE beats Punum and Sangti draws with Gaveo
For GSE to qualify:

For Punum to qualify:

1. Beat GSE and Sangti beats Gaveo
The three teams in Group H know that they have to win the group, else, they will face Mizuyuki in the event that they advance. Mizuyuki rampaged through Group G with a perfect record and had a sound thrashing of Southern Landes.

Prediction: There is a high chance of Sangti and Gaveo or Sangti and GSE. But it is an open group, so it would be a hard guess.

by **German-Spanish Empire** » Tue May 21, 2013 4:00 pm

Coach Rios looked at the clock inside the colorless locker room. All the fans were gone and all the players were gone, it was just him. He got up and went out onto the field. He fell to his knees and started to pray,"Dear Lord," he continued,"I know I've ignored you and never talked to you before but I need you this time in my life,you know when I was a lawyer all I did was win, but I never asked you for it, so this time I need to win Lord." He began to cry. His son had forgot something in his locker so he went to go get it when he heard the familiar cry of his father. "Papa, papa are you okay?"
"Yes I am okay I was just praying."
"Papa no offense but when did you start praying?"
"Just now."
"Why."
"None of your business."
"Okay father." Miguel left.

Rios saw a stray soccer ball and he began to kick into the net,"Shit,we might lose tomorrow!"

by **Schmiegelland** » Tue May 21, 2013 4:26 pm

Smileys With Chance of Advancing

Our Schmiegellan Smileys just need a bit of strength to qualify for the next round. Our Smileys face last-placed Georgi, who are so weak that they haven't even scored a goal! The hosts, Equestrian States, are playing our rivals, Subramani. Below are the situations.

Equestrian States-
Advanced

Schmiegelland to Qualify-

1. Schmiegelland win
2. Schmiegelland draw and Subramani draw/loss
3. Schmiegelland loss and Subramani loss

Subramani to Qualify-

1. Subramani win and Schmiegelland fail to win.
2. Subramani draw and Schmiegelland loss.

Georgi-
Eliminated

These are the current standings.

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Equestrian States          5   5  0  0   20   0 +20   15
2 Schmiegelland              5   2  1  2    2   9  −7    7
3 Subramani                  5   2  1  2    3   6  −3    7
4 Georgi                     5   0  0  5    0  10 −10    0

Well, that's it for this short edition of Schmiegelland Sport Channel. Goodbye!

by **Ko-oren** » Wed May 22, 2013 4:04 am

And we're in!

One match day before the end, the Greenblues secured second place in Group G, and will play in the next round. With one match to go, the team will only face Mizuyuki who have won everything until so far. Darmen and Southern Landes came too short and are 7 or 9 points behind Ko-oren... and 12 and 14 points behind Mizuyuki. That are some huge margins for such a small group. Now Group G is one of four groups that are completely finished. Tomorrow's game against Mizuyuki is just there to see if they will go on 6-0-0 or 5-0-1 (or 5-1-0). As second place of Group G, Ko-oren will take on the winner of Group H... which could still be three of the four teams in that group: Sangti, Gaveo and German-Spanish Empire. Punum has no chance anymore to win the group, as they will play GSE and therefore Sangti and Gaveo will share at least two points in their game, making first place impossible for Punum. Even getting to second place will take a miracle, as they need to fix a -11 GD. Most likely, the winner of this group will be Sangti, as they are already a point ahead. In case of a draw in the Sangti-Gaveo match, GSE has a chance to overtake both with a win. So we cannot really say anything about that. Maybe the Ko-oren vs. Mizuyuki match, between two solid teams in this Cup, will attract less of an audience than the remaining games in Group H?

In this game, Ko-oren beat Darmen 3-1. The Ko-oren B players are making a name for themselves, now that the Ko-oren A players are already eliminated from AOCAF, and they might have a chance to substitute some of those players close to the World Cup. Dauragur, the goalkeeper, looks solid throughout the group stage, and only conceded one against Darmen. He conceded 5 so far: 1 per game. Nothing too bad. The five defenders played well, though with 6 total players in defense, one might have expected less goals against. Moreover, the defenders on the far sides of the pitch regularly help in attacks, and mainly are there for crosses. The midfielders, Bohanan especially, have a very nice passing game. Ordosthen scored a lot for a midfielder, and might be an option for the World Cup squad that lacked goals in the last cycle. With a little bit more power, the Greenblues maybe would not have to rely on tons of draws to get second. In front, Jugurirashin and Bonangorthen play well too. Jugurirashin has scored a few goals, too. Though with 10 goals in 5 games, the average score is (only) 2-1. Mizuyuki, for instance, scored 20 so far and have 4 goals on average per game.

Further news from the domestic league: in addition to the plans of state championships in last press release, the association have had another plan, which could be implemented together with the previous plan and possible future plans, in any combination. This means that next season could look different from the previous seasons, though the core of 38 games will remain the same. This press release is about playoffs: there are a few plans that will take place on different levels:
- Promotion/Relegation playoffs. These could be implemented for the highest division, or for all divisions. Instead of having 2 teams relegating no matter what, there is the idea of 1, 2 or 3 relegating teams per division. One team will relegate no matter what to keep some circulation, and the other teams will relegate according to playoff results. KNL-1 (the highest division) has 20 teams: #20 will relegate, and then #19 and #18 will play teams ranked #2 and #3 in KNL-2 (the second division). There is another more elaborated version of this idea, with KNL-2 #2 vs. #5, and KNL-2 #3 vs. #4. The winners of these playoffs will then take on KNL-1 #18 and #19. What is even possible is to let #18 and #19 play KNL-2 #4 and #5, and let the winners of these play KNL-2 #2 and #3.
For KNL-2 to KNL-3, the problem is more difficult: there are three separate KNL-3 leagues: North, East and South. Right now, the lowest three teams have to relegate and only the champion of each of the three KNL-3's promotes. KNL-2 has 20 teams: #20, #19 and #18 relegate for KNL-3N #1, KNL-3E #1 and KNL-3S #1. Furthermore, KNL-2 #17, #16 and #15 could play direct playoffs against KNL3NSE #2. In other variations, KNL-3 teams will play playoffs against other KNL-3 teams before taking the place of KNL-2 teams. With the lowest 6 teams in relegation problems as in this plan, might be a bit much.

- International competition playoffs. As long as Ko-oren has two CC spots, the second CC spot can be competed by teams in #2, #3, #4 and #5. After that, the lowest two teams (the NEW #4 and #5, aka the losing teams in the CC playoffs) could play teams in #6 and #7 for the third GC spot. This all to involve more teams once the season is over. If Ko-oren loses the second CC spot, subtract 1 from all # numbers given.

In addition to last press release's state championship plan: there is also a plan to have all eight champions from Greater Ko-oren (Ko-oren, Thaulandi and 6 more colonies) to play each other in a Confederations' Cup style tournament.

by **New Sideburn** » Wed May 22, 2013 5:30 am

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
'Modern Game' Appeals To Fans; 'Dieticianing Malarkey' Does Not
by Paige Galleon, International Sportswriter

While approval for the modernisation of the game grows amongst fans, who appreciate the globalisation of the New Sideburnese name, there is still widespread opposition to keeping footballers hemmed into restrictive dietary regimes.

The likes of Fenland Albion keeper Mark 'Fat Bastard' Hemsbury would likely disappear from the footballing world should nutritional experts become commonplace, and the world would be poorer for their absence.

Despite claims from foreigners that players like New Sideburn's wingbacks, slightly chubby Anna Shrike and chain-smoker Leila Corvette, would benefit from an increased stamina, 79% of fans polled oppose any moves in this direction. Said one passing Southfell fan, "how would we get a chance to drink with the lads and lasses down the local? They'd become inaccessible, and that ain't right. That ain't the way it should be."

While the trend may favour the spread of nutritionalism over accessibility, recent performances, including most recently a 1-0 victory against Allied Omaha in the Market Cup, have shown that New Sideburn can still compete and is in no way held up by a perceived lack of fitness. "I'll stop drinking when other nations stop diving," said Karelline Charmwell, Cormorants midfielder, and there's evidence to suggest she speaks for the whole team.

Market Cup VI - Everything Thread

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