Market Cup VI - Everything Thread

[Omarios]

Omarios Sports News

Omarios 1-0 Lukquarel

The Omarios National Football Team was able to win against Lukquarel 1-0 after a powerful shot scored by middlefielder Kastrozik in the 88th minute, currently Omarios sits 2nd in the table of the group after Boring Paradise who have never lost a match, Omarios Football Team players are training hard now and promised they will do their best in future matches, on the other side of the talk, Toddinlofer were able to win 3-1 against AlKheil AlArabi in their stadium, which made their aggregation 5-3, however even though Toddinlofer lost the fans didnt do anything, AlKheil AlArabi will face Gargovsan who qualified with 6-1 aggregate against Miston Rebels next week.

[Equestrian States]

Match Day 6 Results

Group A

Equestrian States 9–0 Subramani
Georgi 0–2 Schmiegelland

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Equestrian States          6   6  0  0   29   0 +29   18
2 Schmiegelland              6   3  1  2    4   9  −5   10
3 Subramani                  6   2  1  3    3  15 −12    7
4 Georgi                     6   0  0  6    0  12 −12    0

Group B

Lukquarel 0–5 Boring Paradise
Malefant 0–2 Omarios

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Boring Paradise            6   5  1  0   15   2 +13   16
2 Omarios                    6   3  1  2    6   4  +2   10
3 Lukquarel                  6   1  1  4    2   9  −7    4
4 Malefant                   6   1  1  4    4  12  −8    4

Group C

Lzherusskia 1–0 Swyftlandre
Movja 1–6 Wray

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Wray                       6   6  0  0   13   3 +10   18
2 Lzherusskia                6   4  0  2    9   3  +6   12
3 Swyftlandre                6   0  2  4    3   9  −6    2
4 Movja                      6   0  2  4    3  13 −10    2

Group D

Filopines 0–1 Allied Omaha
New Sideburn 4–0 Beldonia

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Sideburn               6   6  0  0   19   1 +18   18
2 Beldonia                   6   2  1  3    6   9  −3    7
3 Allied Omaha               6   1  2  3    2   8  −6    5
4 Filopines                  6   1  1  4    3  12  −9    4

Group E

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

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Saugeais U-21              6   5  0  1   15   5 +10   15
2 Eastfield Lodge            6   4  0  2   11   7  +4   12
3 Mangolana                  6   2  0  4    3   8  −5    6
4 Slembana                   6   1  0  5    8  17  −9    3

Group F

Licentiapacisterra 0–2 St. Lucoa
Shadowbourne 4–0 Max Empire

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 St. Lucoa                  6   5  1  0    9   1  +8   16
2 Shadowbourne               6   4  0  2   24   6 +18   12
3 Licentiapacisterra         6   1  1  4    4  16 −12    4
4 Max Empire                 6   1  0  5    1  15 −14    3

Group G

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

  Group G                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Mizuyuki                   6   6  0  0   23   5 +18   18
2 Ko-oren                    6   3  1  2   10   8  +2   10
3 Darmen                     6   1  1  4   10  18  −8    4
4 Southern Landes            6   0  2  4    3  15 −12    2

Group H

Sangti 1–4 Gaveo
Punum 0–2 German-Spanish Empire

  Group H                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Gaveo                      6   3  1  2   19   6 +13   10
2 German-Spanish Empire      6   3  1  2    6   5  +1   10
3 Sangti                     6   2  2  2    7   8  −1    8
4 Punum                      6   1  2  3    3  16 −13    5

Group Winner
Group Runner-Up

[Schmiegelland]

Smileys Qualify for Round of 16 After Massive Blowout

The match that 95% of the population of Schmiegelland were following was not their own, but the match between Equestrian States and Subramani. That finished 9-0 Equestrian States to the delight of the Smiley fans. Schmiegelland secured their passage with a win over Georgi. The game was all Schmiegelland as Georgi defended for 89 out of the 90 minutes, and had a short attack where the striker for Georgi blasted the shot very high and almost out of the stadium. On the resulting goal kick, the ball bounced over the Georgi defenders to send Gajka Jahgv through to score. Jahgv would later score in the third minute of injury time. That is how Schmiegelland qualified.

[Sangti]

UGLY DAY FOR SANGTIAN SPORTS: SANGTI BOWS OUT OF MARKET CUP WITH DRAMATIC TURNAROUND IN GROUP H, SANGTIAN CLUBS OUT OF UICA COMPETITIONS

by Roman Barlaan

Sangti 1 (Corsiga 42'), Gaveo 4 (Rojas 1', 86', 88', 90')
Star Stadium, Canterlot
Market Cup VI Group H

OOC: image courtesy of athlonsports.com
Sangti player seen crying as Sangti is thrown out of Group H in dramatic circumstances

Sangti has failed to progress in the group stages of the Market Cup VI in Star Stadium here in Canterlot. This was after Sangti lost to Gaveo, 1-4 and the German-Spanish Empire defeated Punum 2-0.

This adds to the ugly day of Sangtian Sports after the Motorsport Sangti were lapped down several times at Tarrogama Circuit at Hodori, Sangti Indios lost closely to World number one Milchama at the World Baseball Classic and Racing Xinghua Baoyam and CF Rumasi fail to reach the group stages of the Globe Cup.

Santiago Rojas opened the scoring at the first minute. They kept the lead for 41 minutes before Daren Corsiga equalised for the Agilang Dilaw. News from the Thunder Palace reached the crowd at the Star Stadium as GSE were leading at half-time.

With the draw enough for Sangti to go through, Gaveo, who was that time the team would be eliminated, scored late goals from Rojas in the last 5 minutes, sending Sangti out of the Market Cup. Sangti's fate was sealed when the match between GSE and Punum was finished 2 minutes later. It was a disappointing end to the Market Cup for Sangti, failing to win at the last three games. Winning at least one of them, particularly against GSE would have made Sangti progress, but it was not to be.

Jerous Manalo was blamed for not changing his side plagued with fatigue. They will now start preparing for the Baptism of Fire and the World Cup.

In UICA competition, Racing Xinghua Baoyam and CF Rumasi failed to enter the group stage of the Globe Cup. Racing was ousted at the Preliminary Stage after a 1-3 aggregate loss against SK Franz Josef City of Polar Islandstates. CF Rumasi meanwhile, after winning the last round against Lac-Drouin St-Pierre of Sicoutimont, progressed to the Eliminatory Stage after defeating Pontyport Athletic of Aels 6-2 on aggregate, but lost to Latrobe AFC of Kelssek. 1-4 on aggregate.

[German-Spanish Empire]

Franz Bramer looked at the sky and simply said,"Fuck," he couldn't believe he made it to the next round the MC. Coach Rios messed up the dramatic moment by saying the dreaded six words of,"Get your ass in the lockeroom!" Coach Rios looked at his team with the widest smile that they've ever seen. He began his speech,"I don't know what the fuck just happened," he said as he unzipped his team colored jacket,"Either it's a dream or we're advancing to the god damn next round."
The locker room was quiet for a long time until Rios continued his speech,"So you guys have been a damn good team,who knew that the last placed team in the GSE soccer league would win the tournament to represent us internationally?" "I'll be honest I didn't, so for a gift from me to you, I bought you all 1999 Crown Victorias!" The team erupted in laughter as soon as he said Crown! "Just kidding I bought you all those annoying little Smartcars or whatever the fuck they're called!" They all cheered and praised the Lord, not for the Smartcars...for advancing!

Cars

[Equestrian States]

Round of 16 Matchups

Equestrian States vs. Omarios
at Elements Stadium (cap. 48,750) in Ponyville

Wray vs. Beldonia
at Derby Field (cap. 65,000) in Manehattan

New Sideburn vs. Lzherusskia
at Star Stadium (cap. 59,250) in Canterlot

Boring Paradise vs. Schmiegelland
at Estadio Poco Caballo (cap. 79,500) in Maredrid

Saugeais U-21 vs. Shadowbourne
at Sky-High Coliseum (cap. 45,000) in Cloudsdale

Mizuyuki vs. German-Spanish Empire
at HarmonyLink Field (cap. 67,800) in Seaddle

Gaveo vs. Ko-oren
at the Maple Bowl (cap. 54,385) in Trottawa

St. Lucoa vs. Eastfield Lodge
at the Equestria Dome (cap. 87,500) in Canterlot

[New Sideburn]

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
Lockdown Leads Charge As New Sideburn Seal Perfect Group Stage
by Paige Galleon, International Sportswriter

A rotation in Gethin Ramsey's lineup, but the same results as ever as a switched up Cormorants side including James Turnscrew in goal, Yorke in defence, Charmwell in midfield and Kearney and Lockdown up front proved its worth. Treason striker Tara Lockdown in particular stole the show, scoring twice from crosses, and Raven River's Barry Kearney killed off the game with a half-volley four minutes from half-time. When Karelline Charmwell struck home in the 76th, the game was already a formality.

The Sideburnese have managed to pull some truly remarkable performances out of the hat, but one has to wonder if they can retain this form next year, in the World Cup? Gethin Ramsey has stated a desire to fight for a play-off spot, but it would be a lot in a short space of time, and surely nobody could blame our valiant lads if they didn't achieve their lofty aim. But one thing's for sure; THEY think they're up to it, and if they think they're up to it then it's our job to support them 100%.

[Ko-oren]

Round of 16

Another disheartening loss against Mizuyuki, a second place, but what gives, Ko-oren is with the best 16! Gaveo is the next opponent, and they are the winners of group H that saw a nasty twist at the end with GSE advancing instead of Sangti. Gaveo is the direct cause for this, beating Sangti 1-4 in the last game. With only 10 points for both Gaveo and runner-up GSE, they have the same amount of points as Ko-oren. On the other hand, Ko-oren has a +2 GD, Gaveo has +13. This all because of one particular extreme blowout win earlier this tournament. Talking about huge scores, this has not been the first big win. With six games, you could expect the best teams to score an average of three per game. This would come down to about 18 goals. Gaveo has 19, Mizuyuki 23, Shadowbourne has 24 (and they're not the group winner, even!), New Sideburn has 19, and group A's Equestrian States has 29! Wait, what? Twenty-nine! And no goals conceded at all...

Time for a history lesson. Last Market Cup (MK V) was one of the first tournaments the Ko-orenite NT played in. That roster is almost the same as the current NT's roster, save for some retired players. It will take a lot to live up to that team, however. With a bit of a slow start (loss v. Carasatoga, draw v. ABK), the team picked up in the third MD (out of four) with a 4-2 win over Mangolana. With the bye day short after that, the team found themselves in third place and needed a win desperately to advance. The last opponent was Cyborg Holland, top two team until that time. With a lucky goal, Ko-oren shot from third to first, and it was time for the second group stage. More or less the round of 10. In a group with Equestrian States, Gyatso-Kai, Azrael and FSSO, the group was tough enough. It is certainly funny to see that Equestrian States are yet again tearing it up in the Market Cup. The first two match days were a loss and a bye day, which had Ko-oren on zero points before md3. The game until Gyatso-Kai was the one that made people see the potential of the young squad (yes, back then they were young. They're all in, or nearing their thirties now): 5-1. Two games to go, and three points. They needed to fix the three point gap with the two teams above them (Equestrian States and Azrael). FSSO was beaten 1-4, and suddenly Ko-oren was the top scoring team of all last 10 teams, and they found themselves in second place. The last game was against Equestrian States (aka an almost certain loss). Azrael had their bye day so Ko-oren were not completely in the clear, but they had good hope for the last four. The Equestrian States indeed won by 5-2, but Ko-oren was still second. Group B had Triimoria and Eastfeld Lodge advance. Ko-oren played Triimoria in a goal fest (4-6 win), and Equestrian States only barely beat Eastfeld Lodge (1-1, 3-3 AET, 4-3 Pen). But that is the story of the semifinals, and the current squad is far from there.

[Mizuyuki]

The Goal Mouth

Football news - delivered to you fresh and piping hot

EQUESTRIAN STATES is the place where any Mizuyukian football fan worth his salt would want to be right now. Why? Because Mizuyuki's national team are making great waves in the competition right now!

Following the appointment of the mercurial and dynamic Ishikawa Haruka as the manager, Mizuyuki has gone to strength from strength. Initially tipped by many as outsiders for qualification from the group stages of the Market Cup, Mizuyuki has really shown the abundance of talent in the nation as a whole XI of unproven youngsters made light work of Group G, sweeping to 6 victories, 23 goals scored and only 5 conceded.

With a string of impressive victories under their belt, our young guns will now be looking forward to facing the German-Spanish Empire, who finished second in Group H, behind Gaveo. Group H has been the most competitive group in the Market Cup, with qualification and elimination going right down to the wire on the final matchday. Sangti, who were leading the group at kickoff, slipped to a disappointing 1-4 defeat against a strong Gaveo outfit, while results elsewhere in the GSE-Punum match conspired to knock them off their perch and into the mire of elimination.

Our opponents, GSE, have a mixed record in Group H, with 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats against their name. This is of course less than perfect, and many pundits are tipping Mizuyuki to steamroller over their opponents after our convincing display in Group G. However, Ishikawa has warned against complacency in the wake of such sentiments arising, and insisted that the team would be fully committed to seeing out the win against what is a relatively good team.

Ishikawa will be counting on her Generation of Miracles to propel the team towards the quarterfinals of the Market Cup, and on current form it is hard to see them doing anything else other than winning. A win would boost confidence and morale, while a loss is most certainly a crushing blow that will end Mizuyuki's hopes and bring the curtain down on what has been a very promising debut tournament.

GSE play a very defensive style, which has led to them conceding only 5 goals. However, the negative tactics that coach Victor Rios has utilised also stifled his team's attack somewhat, with GSE averaging only a goal a game so far in this tournament. In contrast, Mizuyuki, playing a progressive style under Ishikawa Haruka, has scored almost 4 times that amount, while conceding the same number of goals. This goes to show that the possession game emphasised in Ishikawa's Zen Flash system has contributed massively to the team's hot streak. As a famous Mizuyuki pro once said : "If you don't give the ball away, your opponents can't score."

Mizuyuki is heavily favoured to progress yet further in the Market Cup, but only time will tell if the young 'uns can overcome the stiff challenge posed by GSE. Let us hope that the national team find in it them to give Mizuyuki's sports enthusiasts something to cheer about come the end of the round of 16 matches.

[Mizuyuki]

The Goal Mouth

Football news - delivered to you fresh and piping hot

With the group stages of the Market Cup VI coming to an end, let's take a look at the performance of the Mizuyuki national team throughout the 6 matches of the tournament.

---

1st Matchday - Darmen 3, Mizuyuki 5

In the first match of the group stages, Mizuyuki swept to a highly entertaining 5-3 win over a good Dermen side. Mizuyuki were 1-0 down to a brilliant Sergio Autitore free kick within 11 minutes. Soon after the restart, a through ball from the midfield maestro Tsukuyomi Akira found its way to 14 year old forward Miyazaki Misaki, who equalised with a clinical finish from 12 yards.

Afterwards, Isshiki Mika managed to execute a wonderful chip shot that ended up in the back of the net when an attempted backpass from Trevor Goodwin to his 'keeper was intercepted by the alert Isshiki. Mizuyuki pulled further away as a defensive mix-up between Scott Rydzik and Kimi Siesman led to Suzuki Rikka smashing in a powerful long range shot. Leading 3-1, Mizuyuki allowed the slightest bit of complacency to creep into their game and Darmen capitalised, Maika Molesi losing Sato Mana and curling in a cross that was guided past Takanashi Kiyoko by Adam McKay.

The midfield enforcer Saten Ruiko got her name on the scoresheet soon after the restart, as she crashed a shot from 30 yards which left Siesman with no chance at all. Although he managed to get the slightest of touches on the ball, Siesman's efforts were not enough to keep the ball out. Mizuyuki continued to press and they deservedly grabbed another goal in the 73rd minute. Sato, trying her best to atone for her earlier defensive mistake that led to the 2nd Darmeni goal, commenced a weaving solo run that ended with a waltz past the 'keeper's despairing dive and a simple tap-in from close range.

Darmen pulled one back as Autitore faked a shot in front of Takanashi and passed the ball back to Son, who calmly slotted home.

---

2nd Matchday - Mizuyuki 3, Southern Landes 0

Saten Ruiko was Mizuyuki's hero in this win against a rather weak Southern Landes team. Saten was fully up to the challenge, getting stuck in and diving into tackles for the ball with a fervent energy. Her passion for the game soon granted Mizuyuki a lead, as a curling shot took a lucky deflection off a Southern Landes defender and spun into the net.

Soon after, Miyazaki was tripped by a Southern Landes defender while attempting a mazy solo run through the Southern Landes defence. Taking the set piece, Tsuchimikado Mikoto floated a high ball into the area, and Saten managed to jump clear of her marker and bullet a powerful header past the 'keeper.

Saten was soon to be found in the thick of the action again in the second half. With Mizuyuki dominating possession and Southern Landes looking desperately for a way back into the match, Saten was at the heart of almost everything Mizuyuki did right. When Tsukuyomi was hacked down by a Southern Landes defender 28 yards out, Saten, who was assigned to take the free kick, drove a swerving thunderbolt at goal which caught the 'keeper by surprise and left him grasping at thin air.

It was a personal landmark for Saten, who scored her first international goals and her first international hat trick in this match.

---

Part 2 coming up soon!

[St Lucoa]

The St. Lucoa Tribune.

St. Lucoa youngsters put on a show against tough opposition.

Match 6.

Today the St. Lucoa Tribune is proud to present a special edition of the newspaper. This edition will cover the match that would ensure St. Lucoa finished top of their group.

The match against Licentiapacisterra would be interesting, as both sides fate was sealed before the match had started. With St. Lucoa advancing and Licentiapacisterra going back home.

St. Lucoa kicked off, they knew that they could afford to be less offensive in this match. The St. Lucoans played the ball between the back four for a few minutes, then tried some long balls up the pitch, but they could'nt seem to get anything going. In the 34th minute defender George Huntsley played a high ball up the field. The Licentiapacisterra defence allowed Joe Benson to sneak around them and the top striker made them pay. He sprinted to meet the ball before the Licentiapacisterra keeper got there. Benson calmly slotted the ball to the left and St. Lucoa were on their way.

Licentiapacisterra kicked off, but like St. Lucoa in the first-half they could'nt get anything going. A few chances presented themselves to the Licentiapacisterra forwards, but none were taken advantage off, due to spectacular goal-keeping for Sanchez. Half-time and St. Luoca were 1-0 up.

The second half was a carbon copy of the first. Few chances and overall a boring game. Until the winger, Stein ran with the ball down the touch line , he took the ball past Licentiapacisterra's defensive line and whipped in a magnificant cross, which was head home by youngster Jones. He celebrated in style, as previously he rarely even started a game for the St. Lucoa, but maybe after today that might change. 2-0 St. Lucoa

Licentiapacisterra kicked off, but the St. Lucoan defence was shutting them out brilliantly. St. Lucoa sensed that the game was over, so they played defencive and conservative. It was not long until it was injury time. St. Lucoa were happy to keep the ball in their own half.

Seconds later the final whistle went. St. Lucoa were surely throught to the last 16. The crowd celebrated and so did the team, they had made history.

After the match I interview manager, John Green, about the news that St. Lucoa would face Eastfield Lodge in the last 16 match. He said,

"We'll, Eastfield are a great team, legendary even, however we can't let that intimidate us. I've told the lads; no fear, no backing down and no prisoners. I've told them, and I'll be honest here, if they see an Eastfield player with the ball then get in to him, win the ball, take him out if you have to. We need to be aggressive, but smart. If we don't lay down and if we keep on fighting then there is every chance we will win."

Joe Benson said,

"It is our first time playing against Eastfield Lodge, so it will be interesting. We can only do our best. From our perspective we have completed our objective; we have advanced past the group stage, anything from now on is a bonus. Saying that we can't just go in to the match half hearted, we need to go in and win and give them a good fight."

Jack Smith reporting for the St. Lucoa Tribune.

[Omarios]

Omarios Sports News

Omarios Football Team Runner-Up in Group B

Currently the Omarios Football Team players are training as hard and as much as possible for the next match against the Equestrian States, which are relatively tough and are expected to win, the team won 0-2 against Malefant in which middlefielder Sendev scored both goals in the 32nd and 67th minutes, the match will be held in Ponyville.

[Schmiegelland]

Smileys to Rekindle Rivalry in Round of 16

The whole of Schmiegelland watched as the draws were drawn. They were tightly stuck to their screens as one-by-one, the results were drawn out of their bowls. Equestrian States vs. Omarios. Good, they thought, there go the dominators. Wray vs. Beldonia. New Sideburn vs. Lzherruskia. Good, there go the BoF champs. Then, two names were drawn that would spawn a real game. Boring Paradise vs. Schmiegelland. The matchup in the final of the FireStorm Cup would happen again, except on the international stage. The rest of the draw was ignored by all. And Schmiegelland's coach called for Søren Broðbeck to travel to the Equestrian States and join the team.

[Equestrian States]

Round of 16 Results

Equestrian States 3-3 Omarios (3-3 AET) (5-4 pen.)
at Elements Stadium (cap. 48,750) in Ponyville

Wray 0-1 Beldonia
at Derby Field (cap. 65,000) in Manehattan

New Sideburn 2-0 Lzherusskia
at Star Stadium (cap. 59,250) in Canterlot

Boring Paradise 3-4 Schmiegelland
at Estadio Poco Caballo (cap. 79,500) in Maredrid

Saugeais U-21 0-4 Shadowbourne
at Sky-High Coliseum (cap. 45,000) in Cloudsdale

Mizuyuki 4-1 German-Spanish Empire
at HarmonyLink Field (cap. 67,800) in Seaddle

Gaveo 1-3 Ko-oren
at the Maple Bowl (cap. 54,385) in Trottawa

St. Lucoa 1-2 Eastfield Lodge
at the Equestria Dome (cap. 87,500) in Canterlot

Quarterfinals Matchups

Equestrian States vs. Beldonia
at Derby Field (cap. 65,000) in Manehattan

New Sideburn vs. Schmiegelland
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad

Shadowbourne vs. Mizuyuki
at the Equestria Dome (cap. 87,500) in Canterlot

Ko-oren vs. Eastfield Lodge
at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree

[German-Spanish Empire]

Victor Rios looked at the sky as he and his team filled up the Jet that said Hawks in red on the side. When they all got on to the plane coach Rios went to the front,"Guys, you did a damn good job this time!" he continued,"Clap it up!" The team clapped and clapped and clapped, Franz Bramer began to cry and Miguel Rios comforted him in this time. "We have a hell of a lot more tournaments to be in and we gotta win one!" The jet took off and Rios sat down.

OOC:Thanks guys for having me, really enjoyed it!

[Ko-oren]

Upsets everywhere in Round of 16

The Market Cup VI's Round of 16 has been played and we're sure that many people would not have seen some of the results coming. In the Round of 16, group winners always play group runners-up, and because the group winners already do better in the cup, why wouldn't you expect them to do better than the runners-up? Well, it turned out that out of eight group winners, only three survived the round of 16 (and obviously there are five runners-up left). Some where only barely knocked out (Group B's Boring Paradise, 3-4 vs. Schmiegelland), some lost by a larger margin (Group E's Saugeais U-21, vs. Shadowbourne, 0-4). In any case, the group winners did not have the advantage that is usually assumed.

Apart from the carnage with the group winners, there are some groups already completely gone from the tournament. Group B, C and H are all gone. Meanwhile, Group A, D and H have both their teams through to the quarterfinals. That leaves Groups E and F with one team in the tournament, and interestingly, these teams are both runners-up.

The Ko-orenites themselves are back at the podium they never really acted at... The previous edition of the Market Cup (Market Cup V) saw Ko-oren finish second, in a final directly after the second group stage. This edition does not have a second group stage, so while Ko-oren finished higher than they currently are, they never played a Round of 16 or quarterfinal. It is definitely tense with these sudden eliminations coming on. In the Round of 16, the Greenblues eliminated Group H's winners Gaveo in the third smallest venue of the cup. The quarterfinal will have Ko-oren play Eastfeld Lodge in the smallest venue in the cup by that time. Maybe there are some benefits to playing in a smaller stadium, instead of the huge Equestria Dome that Miyuzuki will play in. Eastfeld Lodge played in the biggest stadium in the Ro16, and they will now go to the smallest one.

It will surely be hard to do as good as in the last Market Cup, but with some concentration (a key word in Ko-orenite sports), some luck (not very likely in Ko-orenite sports) and some dedication, it might be possible. The national team coach should have a hard time deciding which players to call for the next World Cup. This presumed B-squad is doing pretty well, after all. The 'A-squad' actually gave it up rather quickly in AOCAF.

Past this point, Equestrian States/Beldonia will play New Sideburn/Schmiegelland in the semifinals, and Shadowbourne/Miyuzuki will take on Ko-oren/Eastfeld Lodge. This means we might see Miyuzuki again! If the team gets even further, Equestrian States might be the stop after that, and hopefully we'll get a rematch of the Market Cup V final (if only)!

[New Sideburn]

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
Lzherusskia Brushed Aside: Schmiegelland Next To Step Up To The Plate
by Paige Galleon, International Sportswriter

While Lzherusskia proved the most challenging of any opponent so far in the Market Cup, the Cormorants still managed to pull through. Despite struggling to get a grip on the game in the first 45 minutes, they soon pulled through in the second half with a fine distance strike from Grant Beardsley and a close-range volley from Gerhard Thunder. The match report is in the Sports section; it's not my job. My job is speculation.

The Cormorants haven't lost a game since the Cup of Harmony. They're the champions of Esportiva. Even if we do lose to Schmiegelland, it will be regarded as a successful year for Gethin Ramsey's lads. It's just a shame we didn't have this form in a World Cup year. Can you imagine? If New Sideburn reached the World Cup in its second attempt, it would certainly plant us on the map and assert our desire to be taken seriously. Not that we aren't taken seriously at the moment, but we probably aren't on the list of the 32 most people would expect to qualify. It shouldn't be forgotten that we won the Campionato as rank outsiders, and the fact that Apox wasn't defending their title was probably a factor. And the World Cup is still a year away; if this is just a lucky streak then there's no reason to assume it'll last that long.

But there's no reason to be pessimistic, either. I think if we play our cards right we might well make it to the World Cup of 330... and if our current standard of play keeps up, that with a third trophy in our cabinet.

[Schmiegelland]

Smileys Win Close Match Over Boring Paradise

The square was filled with fans, celebrating Schmiegelland's victory over Boring Paradise. In front of 79,500 cheering fans, Gajka Jahgv and the newly-called-up Søren Broðbeck scored 2 goals each to send a jubilantly successful team into the quarterfinals.

Game Report

Schmiegelland 4(Broðbeck- 45, 95. Jahgv- 72, 92)-Boring Paradise(Williams- 70, 74, 89)

The kickoff was delayed 20 minutes due to fans of both sides invading the pitch in a small-scale battle that only heated up the game. Daniel Jones of Boring Paradise was sent off after only 5 minutes, and Kolaa Tuut soon followed him. Søren Broðbeck scored within 20 seconds of the second-half kickoff after a slip by Robert Johnston to allow Broðbeck through to score. 25 minutes later, Haider Williams scored a thunderbolt to get Boring Paradise back in the game. Just two minutes after the restart, Jahgv sent a curving shot into the corner of the goal to make it 2-1 Schmiegelland. Yet another two minutes would pass, and Williams would strike again for Boring Paradise. The game was held in a brilliant suspense, with the strikers of both sides forcing brilliant saves from equally brilliant shots. As the game drew to a close, there was a small gap in the Schmiegelland defense. Haider Williams would receive the ball, and burst through the gap and score to send the Boring Paradise fans into hysterics. All seemed lost for Schmiegelland until it was announced that 4 minutes of injury time would be played. In the second minute of that reprieve, Colin Chammi made a beautiful defense-splitting pass to knock open the BP floodgates and allow Gajka Jahgv to equalize the game and sparkle celebrations across the Schmiegelland fans in the stadium. Due to the goal and the resulting exuberating celebrations, the kickoff was delayed. In the last minute of the game, Boring Paradise gave up a free kick on the halfway line. Kjaer went up from his goal to take the kick, and resulting from his launched ball into the area, Robert Johnston made a clearing header, but only as far as Søren Broðbeck who slammed the ball into the top right corner to send Schmiegelland through to the quarterfinals and the country into hysteria. Next up is New Sideburn.

[Mizuyuki]

The Mizuyuki Chronicle

24th May 2013

---

Super Samurais

Mizuyuki romp to 4-1 win against GSE thanks to Ishikawa's inspired selections

---

Reporting from the Equestrian States, Uchida Shougo

---

Mizuyuki's national team defies limits and expectations. "Defensive team? Scratch that, we'll just go and score 4 goals against them in 1 match when they've conceded only 5 in the last 6 matches." That was exactly what happened at the HarmonyLink Field in Seaddle as Mizuyuki romped to yet another comfortable victory against GSE with the scoreboard showing 4-1 at the end of the 90 minutes.

This match marks the beginning of the elimination stages of the Market Cup. A defeat here would mean that all the effort put in by the national team to get this far would amount to precisely zilch, nada. However, Ishikawa took her chances with a gamble on her selection of the Mizuyuki XI, despite the nature of the competition and the possibility of her job being on the line. This fine victory vindicates Ishikawa's selection of a 3-5-2 formation, designed to mount a relentless siege on the GSE goal and outscore them.

Mizuyuki suffered an early setback in their attempt to overcome GSE's challenge and proceed to the quarterfinals as GSE took the lead straight from the kickoff. GSE started a fluid passing move that ended with Miguel Rios controlling a chipped pass from Johan Streisberg some 30 yards from goal. The Mizuyuki defenders were slow in closing him down, and they paid the price as Rios swivelled and launched a half volley that rocketed into the roof of the net.

Mizuyuki were not prepared to roll over and concede defeat even though they had fallen behind early in the game. Despite GSE's efforts to gain a foothold in the game, the next 20 minutes was all Mizuyuki as we dominated possession and put GSE under intense pressure. Our strategy paid dividends as we finally found an equaliser, albeit through a rather un-Mizuyukian method. After regaining the ball in the middle of the park, Saten Ruiko strode forward into the opposing half with acres of space. Many thought she was going to pull the trigger onto another of her trademark thunderbolts, but Saten elected to chip the ball high towards goal from 38 yards.

Escaping the attentions of her marker, Kousaka Shizuri popped up at the edge of the penalty area and planted her bullet of a header straight past 'keeper Franz Bramer for the equaliser. The score was now 1-1, and Mizuyuki was monopolising possession and was able to play the game on their own terms.

Thus, it was no surprise as Mizuyuki narrowly missed a glorious chance to edge ahead in the match in the 24th minute. Miyazaki, who had been played through by a long ball from the defence, slalomed through the GSE defence and found herself with only the goalkeeper to beat. However, it was not to be this time around, as Miyazaki's usual composure and cool in front of goal deserted her and conspired to somehow sky her shot.

GSE were beginning to retreat into the shell of their defensive style, as they were pinned in their own half by wave after wave of Mizuyuki attacks. The pressure told on the stroke of halftime, when Sato Mana, playing as a wide midfielder, found herself in space at the edge of the area and curled a wonderful shot with her weaker left foot past Bramer's fingertips.

After the restart, GSE had to attack Mizuyuki in order to find a way back into the game, which was something that they were inept at. Having played conservatively throughout their Market Cup campaign, GSE began to overload their attack, which consequently led to their defence being abandoned. The Mizuyuki defensive trio of the Nakanos and Toyoshima, aided by Akiyama and Saten, managed to repel GSE's attacks effectively.

GSE's master plan backfired spectacularly in the space of 15 minutes, as Miyazaki made amends for her earlier miss by netting a brace to seal the win. As the GSE attackers were courageously trying to assault the Mizuyuki goal, Nakano Rin managed to steal the ball and delivered an inch-perfect pass to the advanced Suzuki Rikka, who was also playing as a wide midfielder. With the GSE defence virtually non-existent, Suzuki was able to run all the way to the corner flag, where she danced past a GSE defender before sending in a low cross across the face of goal. The predatory Miyazaki sneaked forward and managed to get a touch to the ball, which caused it to take a touch off Bramer before nestling in the back of the net.

There was still time for Miyazaki's star to rise higher. On the stroke of the hour, Mizuyuki launched a counterattack after wresting the ball from an increasingly desperate GSE side. Sato, bombing down the flank on the overlap, delivered a curling cross into the middle, which was smacked against Julian Juarez by Tsukuyomi. This did not deter Tsukuyomi though, as he collected the resultant loose ball and flicked it up for Miyazaki.

Playing with her back to goal, Miyazaki attempted the spectacular with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

Mizuyuki's fans erupted into cheers as Miyazaki managed to hit the ball cleanly and powerfully, smashing the ball into the top right corner of the goal with Bramer helpless and motionless. Following that goal, Mizuyuki continued their strategy of all-out attack, but it seemed that GSE were going for damage limitation and reverted back to their highly defensive style. The rest of the half passed without much event except for a speculative Saten shot rocking the crossbar with Bramer beaten.

After this victory, Mizuyuki will now face Shadowbourne and their coach Lukasz Kellner in the quarterfinals. Shadowbourne will not be a pushover, as they crushed Saugeais Under-21 4-0 in their round of 16 match. However, Mizuyuki will, as ever, go all out for the win against them, so expect sparks to fly when these two teams clash at the Equestria Dome come the day of the quarterfinals.

---

[Omarios]

Omarios Sports News

Omarios Out of the Market Cup!

The Omarios National Football Team were eleminated from the Market Cup in the Round Of 16, the team made an astounding job by equalizing the whole game 3-3 until the penalties, in which the the substituted middlefielder Sabon missed the penalty in the shootout, but the Omarios Football Team players played in a way in which was not expected, the goals started off with a penalty for the Equestrian States in the 24th then they would also score a header in the 29th, the team's middlefielder however replied in the 31st minute by a ticki-taka style goal, later the states would expand the score to 3-1 by a shot from a foul in the 51st minute, later on in the 71st minute midfielder Wzaten scored from 50 yards in the right angle of the goal, the score was 3-2 and the team was depressed, so the coach substituted midfielder Albab with Sabon in the 89th minute, in the 90+3 minute a late header was scored by Rengong, in the extra times Rengong missed a goal chance that was thought to be a goal by most people, in the penalties all the shots were successful except Sabon's one which hit the top right post, the States won at that moment, the team will now have to prepare for the world cup.

Sabon in tears after the loss:






OOC:Really enjoyed this cup, thanks for everything!

[Equestrian States]

Quarterfinals Results

Equestrian States 5-0 Beldonia
at Derby Field (cap. 65,000) in Manehattan

New Sideburn 3-1 Schmiegelland
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad

Shadowbourne 0-4 Mizuyuki
at the Equestria Dome (cap. 87,500) in Canterlot

Ko-oren 3-0 Eastfield Lodge
at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree

Semifinals Matchups

Equestrian States vs. New Sideburn
at Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot

Mizuyuki vs. Ko-oren
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad

[New Sideburn]

Varying Definitions of 'Equestrian'
Karelline watched from the sidelines as Dale Brightley slid in to score the third of the game, after Barry Kearney's brace. She'd had to fight a losing battle for her place this year, as the younger and more dynamic Dale Brightley was impressing abroad, which was, of course, more glamourous.
Prat.
But Karelline did have problems of her own. For one, the country. Karelline was a girl born and bred in the Laith, the clump of incredibly fertile land in New Sideburn's north. It was also incredibly dangerous, home to pretty much anything with venom or huge teeth. It took a special kind of maniac to set up a farm out there, and they tended to strike rich for their toil. Karelline, herself, was the latest daughter in a long-standing family farm, and her parents welcomed her decision to go out and play football only because she was the fourth in a family of seven, so chances were they'd probably have someone else to hand the farm down to. Karelline was a rather proficient horse-rider. She was good with horses, but she'd used them so often as mounts and beasts of burden it was hard to see them as anything other than that.
So when they started talking and playing football and acting like they were equal to humans it threw her a loop.
Most Sideburnese were city folk. Came with the territory; the Laith was the only good bit of land in the entire place, so they tended to clump into cities and large towns. In fact, she'd heard Barry Kearney, great lad, solid, honest, reliable, not too bright, had never actually seen a horse in his life before. In fact, at least half the team hadn't.
Bloody hell.
Karelline lit a cigarette and huddled on the bench. This place wasn't right, wasn't right at all.
She wasn't pleased to find out the semi-final draw.

[Ko-oren]

Could it be?

With a 3-0 victory over Eastfeld Lodge, the Greenblues (or at least, the 23 Ko-orenite players that are technically in 'Ko-oren B' and want to challenge the current A-list players) made it to the final four of the Market Cup. With one more victory, the team will equal the previous achievement at the Market Cup: second place (at least). The only problem is the team that is still in between us and the final: Mizuyuki. With a 4-0 victory, they show to be in an even better form and will obviously put up a fight. Possibly more than that. After all, Mizuyuki is not an unknown team anymore. The record of Ko-oren v. Mizuyuki is not too good: 3-0 and 3-1 losses earlier in the group stage.

Back to yesterday's write up about the groups still in the Cup: we saw that out of the last 8, 5 were runners-up. Three were group winners. Now the situation is completely turned around, with all three group winners in the semifinals, and only one runner-up. Some more groups have disappeared completely from the Cup, in addition to B, C and H which have been gone since the quarterfinals. Actually, only A, D and G are left. A and D with one team representing, and G with both teams in. We are already sure that a Group G team will make it to the finals, because Mizuyuki and Ko-oren play each other for the third time in only a few days.

Another factoid, about the Greenblues always playing in one of the smaller venues, is no longer relevant. Both stadiums used for the semifinals have a maximum capacity of 75,000. Stalliongrad's Diamond Park will have the Group G rematch and Canterlot's Royal Equestria Stadium will have Equestrian States vs. New Sideburn. That's right, the hosts are still in. Moreover, they are last Market Cup's winners. Wait a second, didn't we recently say that Ko-oren wasn't too bad in Market Cup V too? Absolutely. That Cup's final was Equestrian States v. Ko-oren. And we could still get that rematch in the final. Or the third place playoff...

The domestic football league association, KFA, has released their final plan before making a decision on next season's schedule. This plan will increase trophies and will add some more (artificial) 'history' to the KNL: the system of Apertura and Clausura. Instead of playing a full round robin with the KNL's 20 teams, it could be split up in two separate halves, each with their own champions. The Apertura and the Clausura will be seen as apart from each other, and both leagues' champions will be recognized as official KNL champions, with the only difference being that teams will not promote/relegate in between the Apertura and the Clausura. This will also allow for some interesting playoffs at the end of the season. A team could be fantastic in the Apertura, reaching 3rd place, but fall back dramatically in the Clausura, finishing 10th. Then they will still be able to secure a Globe Cup qualification spot, for instance. The plans around the playoffs following both leagues are not too detailed, but all the international competition spots can be fought over with the new system. To recap: increase of trophies by splitting the season in two, with official KNL champions in both 'half' seasons, and more history by having twice as many seasons in the span of one old season.

In a few days, the KFA will make its decision on the new season system. It could include all, or any amount of, the plans that have been evaluated in the past weeks.

[Equestrian States]

Semifinals Results

Equestrian States 2-2 New Sideburn (3-4 AET)
at Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot

Mizuyuki 4-4 Ko-oren (4-4 AET) (3-4 pen.)
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad

3rd Place Playoff

Equestrian States vs. Mizuyuki
at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad

Championship Match

New Sideburn vs. Ko-oren
at Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot

[New Sideburn]

Sense of Urgency
"But guv'nor," hissed Alicia. "Our attack's getting mullered out there! We're well underfoot-"
"-hoof," corrected Jess Mortlock, absently.
"-already, and they're gonna put the proverbial-"
"-horseshoe-"
"-in!"
Gethin considered this. Alicia was clearly fit, motivated, and champing at the bit. And they were going to need goals from somewhere... they were 2-1 down as it stood, despite a valiant show of away support ("Que Bazza Bazza" was presently being chanted to spur Barry Kearney onwards).
"And these are fucking horses!" blurted out farmgirl Karelline, to Gethin's surprise. "Guv, this ain't right! We gotta do this for all mankind!"
"Well... um, yeah, sure," said the gaffer, taken a little off-guard. "You'll come on for Baz and Dale in five minutes, then. Start warming up."

GO UP
There were cheers as Alicia Scabbard and Karelline Charmwell (9 and 19) hustled onto the pitch; not everyone agreed with the selection of Kearney that had proven more common of late, and Brightley... well, he was foreign, weren't he? Couldn't keep an eye on him that way, if he kept up playing at 'Basin Plain'.
Almost immediately, they made an impact.
Leila Corvette was almost concussed by the swing of a stray hoof, and a fight almost started over it. Still, it was deemed accidental, and Portia took a free kick from barely in her own third.
The free kick was long.
Very long.
It bounced over both its intended target and his marker, falling for... Grant Beardsley. Curiously enough, in much the same way as he had gone on to score in the final of the Baptism of Fire.
He closed in on the near post. The goalkeeper made itself big... by spreading its wings. "Oh, fuck off," muttered Grant, and he laid the ball across for Alicia to slide in...
An equaliser on her first touch of the ball, with three minutes until full time. Which was, it had to be said, looking rather like extra time now.

Motivation
Leila Corvette walked into the dressing room door with a dull thump.
"I think we might want to pull her off," muttered Jess. Gethin rolled his eyes, cleared his throat and began.
"Look, lads and lasses, there ain't much to say. We broke 'em down as best we could, aye? We can all agree we did our best? 'Cause I'm proud of youse, fightin' off a band of crazed mutants and that. Cath, you go get warmed up. The rest of you... just remember that we got a job t' do. Now let's go out there and do it!"

Excuses
Leila sat gloomily puffing on a cigarette. "But guv, I was right to go on!"
"Oh yeah? So tell me what happened in the past five minutes."
"Well-"
"CHRIST!" bellowed James Turnscrew, standing up. "He's been played onside!"
'Goal Blossom' had, indeed, been played onside, and was one on one with the keeper. Portia later admitted she could've been braver going into the one-on-one, but all she was thinking of was the word 'trample' and a full year missed on injury.
As it stood, things looked bleak.
Bleak was the perfect time, Gethin decided, to bellow across the pitch. "HIT 'EM BACK TWICE AS HARD!" he roared. "GO UP! GO UP!"

Response
The team responded.
It started with Karelline Charmwell, in space, in possession and surrounded by equines. Sensing her doom approaching, she defiantly snapped "I grew up on a farm, you bastards!" and dashed through the crack in their lines while the horses tried to figure out what she even meant.
Charmwell, faced by a charging pegasus with wings outstretched, rolled the ball across to Alicia Scabbard...
...who sidefooted it low and hard. There was nothing that the pegasus in goal could've done.
It ended four minutes later, with Lucia Oakwood's corner and Alicia smashing home a volley... the final nail in the Equestrian coffin.
One more match to go... and they hadn't lost a final yet.