Baptism of Fire 53 - Everything Thread

[Vaugania]

Frankie Malloy was visibly distraught in the locker room following their 2-2 tie with Monozygotia. He tapped his foot on the ground and twiddled his thumbs as he sat with his head down low. Some of his teammates began to take notice. As he realized this, he lifted his head a bit and saw a lot of his teammates staring back at him. He immediately kept his feet and thumbs still, but hung his head even lower. Patrick Kerr sighed and walked over to the 21 year old defenders locker. "What's wrong over here, little buddy?" he asked in a somewhat fatherly tone.

"That Ixil guy. I should've had him. It was the 87th minute, I felt great. I had him right where I wanted him," Malloy stared down at his hands for a moment. He seemingly held back tears from flowing down his face. "There's no way he should have gotten by me. But suddenly, off he goes. Stefan is all alone and can't stop him and his brother or mono-goat, whatever the hell the call themselves. Over to Ixalek and into the net. I cost us 2 points and now were in 3rd with only two games to go. That's what's wrong, Pat. I'm supposed to be the best Left-Center Back our country's got and I get burned on some silly play like that."

"It's fine, Frankie," Patrick said as he tried to soothe him, "Our fates still in our hands. We play Patistan on Matchday 5 and we'll smoke 'em. We're the highest scoring offense that's playing in United Gordonopia. Just get yourself back in gear and shut these guys down the next time we see their sorry faces."

"What if it happens again though? I fell like crap. If I'm the best we can get for this team, we don't stand chance."

"Crowns? We oughta call them Howeburton Softies FC," muttered SC Yzerberg's Aleksander Svenoy, speaking of his team's rival club and the club of Malloy.

"Excuse me," said Dennis Schmidt in a raised voice. Schmidt was the captain of SC Yzerberg back home. "I think you need to shut your trap, Aleks. That's your teammate over there. I don't care what the hell happens in a VPFL game, but for the next month or however the hell long this takes, you guys are teammates."

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen!" Svenoy countered as he gave Schmidt a light shove. As Schmidt started to react, both of them found Dmitri Blotski's hands pulling the them apart.

"That's enough!" he yelled. He pointed at Malloy and said, "Shape up! There's still 180 minutes for us to make something happen." He directed his attention to Svenoy, "Learn your place! You're a reserve. You haven't even seen the field yet. You have absolutely no right to say that type of thing about your teammate. Especially a starter." Svenoy gave him a dirty look, realizing he had been defeated, as Blotski turned to face Schmidt. "You wear an armband, but you don't even seem to come close to the composure required. I'm just a midfielder from Datsya AC who gets to play some international football for maybe 15 minutes a match if I'm lucky. I don't even know what one of those armbands feels like, so why the hell does it take me to sort this out?"

Everyone put their chins down a little a backed way from the situation. Kurt Hlasek, the manager, poked his head out of the office where he and his assistants were congregated and demanded to know, "What's all this yelling about?!"

"Just a minor disagreement," Blotski responded.

"I'm sure it is," replied Hlasek as he surveyed the locker room, "Fix it."

"Yes, sir."

[Astograth]

The race hots up

RP CUTOFF FOR MATCHDAY 4

Quick reminder that this is all constructive criticism and definitely not a requirement for your RPing.

-I'm pleased to see a fair amount of quite deep RPing, on which there isn't much to say - but picking up on some strands, and which might be a help to those less fortunate competitors, have you thought how you might RP loss and disappointment? It can often be more interesting to write about losing - and the guilt, regret or rage that comes with it - than a simple win. And maybe that win wasn't so simple either - what was the hardest part about it? Were there blunders and moments when it all seemed lost?

---

MATCHDAY 4 SCORES - ASTOGRATH

Group A
San Jose Guayabal 0–0 Marcos Dynamite
Tatras 0–1 Crystal Empire
Myeeria 1–2 Picts

Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Crystal Empire                4   4  0  0    5   0  +5   12 Q
2 Picts                         4   2  0  2    7   6  +1    6
3 Marcos Dynamite               4   1  2  1    2   2   0    5
4 San Jose Guayabal             4   1  2  1    2   3  −1    5
5 Myeeria                       4   0  3  1    5   6  −1    3 E
6 Tatras                        4   0  1  3    7  11  −4    1 E

Group B
Alitaba 3–0 Kavamkao
Rabbitomia 1–0 Furellum
Olastor 2–2 Above Your Pay Grade

Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Rabbitomia                    4   3  1  0    3   0  +3   10 Q
2 Alitaba                       4   2  1  1    6   2  +4    7
3 Furellum                      4   2  1  1    4   3  +1    7
4 Kavamkao                      4   1  1  2    6   9  −3    4 E
5 Above Your Pay Grade          4   0  2  2    6   8  −2    2 E
6 Olastor                       4   0  2  2    6   9  −3    2 E

Group C
New Matawan 0–5 Welsh Cowboy
Ellesmerus 1–1 Leintalun
Estado Livre 5–2 Alkoul

Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Welsh Cowboy                  4   4  0  0   17   4 +13   12 Q
2 New Matawan                   4   3  0  1    9   8  +1    9
3 Alkoul                        4   2  0  2    8  11  −3    6
4 Ellesmerus                    4   1  1  2    4   6  −2    4 E
5 Estado Livre                  4   1  0  3    8  13  −5    3 E
6 Leintalun                     4   0  1  3    6  10  −4    1 E

Group D
Evisceratomatoes 2–5 Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky
Haute Savoie 1–1 Callumackbar
Britanno 2–2 Carialus

Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky   4   4  0  0   13   5  +8   12 Q
2 Callumackbar                  4   2  1  1    7   3  +4    7
3 Britanno                      4   1  2  1    4   4   0    5
4 Carialus                      4   1  1  2    8  10  −2    4 E
5 Haute Savoie                  4   1  1  2    3   7  −4    4 E
6 Evisceratomatoes              4   0  1  3    2   8  −6    1 E

Q = Qualified for Round of 16
E = Mathematically eliminated from the tournament

[Tarrigan]

LEAD PASS: A Tarrigi Premiership footballing blog
MD3 Recap: Draw with Taijan Sets Up Group H Drama
Written by: ProjectCrossfire

Match Events
37' - GOAL, Richardson (1, Right foot). Unassisted TAR 1 - 0 TAI
57' - YELLOW CARD, Bouchard (1, reckless tackle)
68' - YELLOW CARD, Chang, (1, reckless tackle)
81' - YELLOW CARD, Womacks (1, reckless tackle)
86' - GOAL, GIffard (half-volley) Assisted by Nuno Brotz

"Football is... it's a cruel game of karma balance. Sometimes, you get the calls all going your way, and then later down the road, all the calls pile up against you. You know, in our first game, we stole two points. Here, tonight, uh.., well, we had two points stolen from us. Karma balance." [excerpt from Brian St. Claire's post match interview]

Tonight's match featured great disappointment after a shot blocked by Jarrett Ivers in the 86th minute deflected right to the feet of Ayden Giffard. Daren Silverburg tried to dive back to make the save, but his momentum had already carried him to far to the left. This nullified Yan Richardson's right-footed rocket that was scored in the 37th minute. The goal came after a strong Taijan corner, capped off by a lucky goal-line clearance by Calvin Ivers. All of the Taijan players protested immediately, but the head referee was hearing none of it. With so many men forward in the box, Richardson had enough space to take the shot. He blasted it straight past the Taijan keeper, using nearly no finesse.

Combining the draw with Polkopia's loss, the Tarrigis have the ability to jump up into second with a victory in the fourth match. (Tarrigan sits on four points, while Polkopia sits on six points.) A loss mathematically eliminates the Tarrigis, while a draw will severely complicate everything, and setup even more dramatics.

[United Gordonopia]

-Running a bit off of what Astograth said and from what I've seen so far, as well as the fact that we now have a number of eliminations: just because your team is out doesn't mean you have to stop RPing. If you have a story arc, for example, feel free to continue it! After all, the point of NS Sports is not to win, but to have fun writing. You can also use the opportunity to set up something for the qualifiers, or simply show another side of your team; dismay and perhaps discord over loss as opposed to the hopefulness coming in.

---

Group E

Monozygotia 3–1 Hardwinter
Partially Blind People 2–2 Patistan
Vaugania 1–0 Kidlantis

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Monozygotia                       4   3  1  0    8   4  +4   10
2 Vaugania                          4   2  2  0   11   6  +5    8
3 Patistan                          4   2  1  1    6   4  +2    7
4 Kidlantis                         4   1  1  2    4   6  −2    4
5 Partially Blind People            4   0  3  1    8   9  −1    3
6 Hardwinter                        4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

Group F

New Lonopolian Empire 3–1 Szkvara
New Lowerlands 2–4 Riojasia
Bypass814 0–2 Gregoryisgodistan

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Lonopolian Empire             4   4  0  0    8   2  +6   12
2 Riojasia                          4   3  0  1   13   5  +8    9
3 Gregoryisgodistan                 4   2  1  1    5   4  +1    7
4 Bypass814                         4   1  1  2    5   6  −1    4
5 Szkvara                           4   0  2  2    2   9  −7    2
6 New Lowerlands                    4   0  0  4    3  10  −7    0

Group G

Colombian Britannia 3–3 Fiendish Snackers
Kingdom of Costa Luna 0–1 The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles
Kitsuneshima 2–3 Southwick

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles      4   3  1  0    9   5  +4   10
2 Southwick                         4   2  2  0   10   7  +3    8
3 Colombian Britannia               4   1  2  1   12   9  +3    5
4 Fiendish Snackers                 4   1  2  1   10  10   0    5
5 Kitsuneshima                      4   0  2  2    8  10  −2    2
6 Kingdom of Costa Luna             4   0  1  3    4  12  −8    1

Group H

Taijan 0–1 Safaari
Felinetopia 1–0 Theaoie
Tarrigan 2–2 Polkopia

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Felinetopia                       4   4  0  0    8   2  +6   12
2 Polkopia                          4   2  1  1    9   5  +4    7
3 Tarrigan                          4   1  2  1    5   5   0    5
4 Taijan                            4   1  1  2    2   5  −3    4
5 Theaoie                           4   1  0  3    1   6  −5    3
6 Safaari                           4   1  0  3    2   4  −2    3

Congratulations to our first Gordonopian qualifiers: Monozygotia, New Lonopolian Empire, The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles, and Felinetopia

[Gregoryisgodistan]

"Hi! I'm Newscaster H192PAKJS with the Gregoryisgodistan News at 5 AM. We've got highlights from the Gregoryisgodistan Baptism of Fire game, but first, here's today's weather.

In the north of the country, we expect rain, there's a high temperature of 63 in District 14, 66 in District 16, as you can see, the temperatures are in the 60's. In the South, highs are in the 70s, even the 80s, and it will be partly cloudy. But be warned - Hurricane I is making its way to the Southeast Coast, and could make landfall in District 29, 30, 31, or 32 late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. In fact,there is a Hurricane Watch for those 4 Districts. Stay tuned to state TV for the latest information. It would be the first hurricane to strike Gregoryisgodistan since Hurricane K made landfall in District 27 in 2009, although Tropcial Storm P did make landfall in Districts 29 and 30 in 2011. Hurricane I has sustained winds of 120 mph, a Category 3 storm, and might strengthen over water before landfall. Lord Almighty Gregory has issued mandatory evacuations for anyone in Districts 29, 30, 31, and 32 living within 1000 yards of the coast, and has advised evacuations for anyone living within 25 miles of the coast. Evacuation refugee centers have been set up in the Capital District. Our hurricane center is projecting landfall at 2:30 AM Thursday, Gregoryisgodistan time. Curfew has temporarily been lifted for residents of those districts, to allow them to prepare for the arriving storm and then leave. Buses will be running from those districts to the Captial District, departing every 30 minutes to carry citizens. They will leave from the District Centers and stop in several other Wards each as well. For more information, visit hurricane.rg.gov.

In other news, we regret not noting the Player of the Game Presented by Prune Farmers of Gregoryisgodistan for yesterday's game. It was Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Robert Possibe.

Now, for highlights of the Baptism of Fire match vs. Bypass814.

We pick it up in the 7th minute, when the Bypass814 player fires a shot on goal, but it is saved by Gruelmaker 28589A.

In the 11th minute, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Robert Possibe chips it to Death Row Inmate On Parole Until His Team Loses Inmate Number 91488, who fires it high.

15th minute, and Gruelmaker 28589A knocks a shot away, gets back up, and grabs the second shot in a diving save.

21st minute, Soccer Jester FunnyMan294 takes the free kick and it's off the post, but it hits off the back of the Bypass814 goalkeeper, and into the back of the net for an own goal. Embarrassing for Bypass814.

29th minute, Bypass814 looking for the equalizer, but it's over the bar. 38th minute, again looking for the equalizer, but it's wide to the right. We'd head into halftime, and it was still 1-0.

49th minute, and Soccer Jester FunnyMan294 takes the free kick, it goes to Death Row Inmate On Parole Until His Team Loses Inmate Number 91488 in the box and he heads it into the back of the net. 2-0 Foot Slaves.

55th minute, and Gruelmaker 28589A makes a great save on a shot by the Bypass814 forward to keep it 2-0.

63rd minute, and look at this diving save by Gruelmaker 28589A. What a play to keep Bypass814 off the board. And at the 73rd minute, he does it again. And again, in the 79th minute, he punches it away and the rebounded shot goes over the bar. That was the last chance Bypass814 got, and it was 2-0 Foot Slaves the final.

For his fantastic performance in goal, Gruelmaker 28589A gets the player of the game presented by Prune Farmers of Gregoryisgodistan.

Gregoryisgodistan now has the 7 points Lord Almighty Gregory predicted, but to advance they need to defeat the unbeaten New Lonopoloian Empire, and Riojasia must lose to Bypass814. Alternatively, Riojasia could draw, and the Foot Slaves could win by at least 8. Finally, the Foot Slaves could win by exactly 7, Riojasia could draw, and the Foot Slaves could score at least 9 more goals than the Janners in the final game. For instance, they could win 9-2 and Riojasia could draw 0-0. Clearly, winning and Riojasia losing is the most plausible scenario. Bypass814 is sitting on 4 points. A day after beating Bypass814, the Foot Slaves will be hoping they win their next game tonight. In the meantime, the Foot Slaves will need to win as well, a draw is definitely not going to be good enough.

Coming up next, we'll talk to Meteorologist DHHSUSOUT with updates on Hurricane I."

[The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles]

Hurrah! We have qualified

No, I think I'm missing a syllable somewhere

Hurrah! We have qualified for the knockouts

Hmm ... what rhymes with knockouts? Err ...

Hurrah! We have qualified for the knockouts
Let us celebrate with a feast of perch and trouts

No, that's stupid ...

Hurrah! We have qualified for the knockouts
Let us celebrate with a feast of perch and trouts
Hurrah! We've progressed from the groups

I'm still not sure about 'Hurrah!' ... seems a little cheesy ...

Woohoo! Hurrah! We've progressed from the groups

Even worse ... let me think ...

----- ten minutes later -----

Yippee! Shazam! Zoinks! Whinni-Wham-Wham-Wozzle! Yey! Zippidi-Doo-Dah! Woohoo! Hurrah! Now that We've progressed from the groups

Crap ... nothing rhymes with 'groups'. Well, nothing useful ... 'Soups'? ... Curse this.

Yippee! Shazam! Zoinks! Whinni-Wham-Wham-Wozzle! Yey! Zippidi-Doo-Dah! Woohoo! Hurrah! Now that We've progressed from the groups
Today, in football, our country excelled
By

Smelled? ... Gee, this is tough. Wait! Felled? ...

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians fought strong but were felled

Hang on ... is it Costa Lunaians? Maybe Costa Lunies? Costopians? ...

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians Our opponents fought strong but were felled

Yeah baby, Flappy got dem rhymes! So ... err ...

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians Our opponents fought strong but were felled
A lone forty minute goal
Scored by

... A troll? Ha ... no ... that is a bit harsh on Hooktooth. Scored by ... err ... an accurate tap of the ball ... boll ... Does that count? It rhymes if you say it with a funny voice ... bowhl ... meh ...

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians Our opponents fought strong but were felled
A lone forty minute goal strike
Scored by Faster than a bike

Humph ... actually, a bike isn't very fast. A pike? They're pretty fast ... tasty too ... yeah, much better.

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians Our opponents fought strong but were felled
A lone forty minute goal strike
Scored by Faster than a bike pike
The

Err ... Dammit! I can't get 'smelled' out of my head! ... err ... Oh for Fish's Sake!

Today, in football, our country excelled
By The Costa Lunaians Our opponents fought strong but were felled
A lone forty minute goal strike
Scored by Faster than a bike pike
The
Yippee Yippee Yippee Yippee
Yippee Yippee Yippee Yippee
Yippee Yippee
Yippee Yippee
Yippee Yippee Yippee Yippee!!

Screw it ... It's abstract ...

[Furellum]

The small shop was in an alley off the Felismarch, in the feline quarter of town. The body lying in the middle of the shop floor was a leopard, although it was hard to tell. The head had been severed form the body, and the spotted fur was dyed red with blood. Fyodor shook his head. Two brutal axe murders in one night? Surely it wasn't a coincidence. He took a look around the store. It was one of those strange shops that seemed to have a specialty that no-one was quite certain of. There were silver balls and glass crystals, pretty baubles like the ones found everywhere in the Felismarch. There were some magic crystals, a few amulets that were almost certainly fake at that price, and other supposedly enchanted items. A hack merchant, thought Fyodor. Although somehow he didn't think this murderer was simply a disgruntled customer, upset at finding his enchanted amulet did nothing but look pretty. From the look of the store, the killer had been looking for something.

A thought occurred to Fyodor. The Library at the Guldisall had been in a similar state. Now Fyodor was convinced that the two were connected. But what had the killer been looking for? More importantly, had he found it? Upstairs in the meagre bedroom above the flat, Fyodor examined the living space of the late Ioan Wolankski, purveyor of magical goods and curiosities. The killer hadn't gone in here, suggesting that he'd found whatever it was downstairs. Perhaps there was a clue in here somewhere though. Fyodor went to the desk and began opening draws. A bag in the first one caught his eye. Cannabis. So Wolankski was a user. Judging from the quantity in the bag, he was also a dealer. In the second draw, he found a ledger marked "Shipping manifest." That looked promising, but whn Fyodor opened it, he discovered that Wolankski, possibly afraid of his illegal shipments being intercepted, had written the ledger in code. It would have to go back to the Watchhouse for deciphering.

When Fyodor got back, there was even more bad news. There'd been another murder that night, only discovered late this afternoon. A fireworks merchant by the name of Felix. Slain with a black bolt, identical to the one fired at Fyodor. It seemed the assassin had found his mark this time. Captain Kohut was worried. "This is madness. The body count is rising, and we have no suspects and no leads. You've proven yourself capable Constable. I'm moving you to Vice. We've got too catch this murderer."
"You think it's the same killer sir?"
"Well, there's at least two of them. But I'm sure they're connected. Let's go through the facts."
"Murder number 1 through to 6. Committed at the Guldisall, main faculty building. All victims killed with what was probably an axe..."
"Definitely was actually. We have the lab report. Long bladed axe, a combat weapon, not the wood-cutting variety."
"Ok. All victims killed with an axe. Probable motive: Something of value in the Library. Murder committed to prevent discovery of the crime."
"That would appear a likely hypothesis. Continue Constable."
"Second Murder: Ioan Wolankski. Murdered at his shop. Probable involvement in criminal activity, selling fraudulent merchandise and dealing in cannabis. Again, killed with an axe, likely same weapon as first. Probable motive: Again, something of value that Wolankski had."
"And finally our third murder. Felix the Fireworks merchant. Shot in his workshop with a black bolt. Probable motive: Once again, theft."
"So we have a magic book, something from a magical curiosity shop and stolen fireworks. I don't know what it means, but it smells bad."
"The thing that puzzles me though, sir, is Vasile. Why try to take him out?"
"That's a good question Constable. Unfortunately I doubt Mr Vasile will be very forthcoming. Whatever it is, it's most likely illegal. I suppose you'd better ask him anyway though."
Fyodor sighed and stood up. It was going to be a long day.

If only. No two words could more acutely convey a sense of regret, of a desire to change the past. If only Fyodor had seen it then. The Watch might have had more time. Might have been prepared. But he hadn't, and nothing could change the past. He had much cause though, to dwell on those words today. If only. If only Vaduva's shot at an open goal had been on target. If only Szczelaszczyk had stayed onside. If only Petrovich had gotten a hand to YihJiaw Doong's shot. If only the Turtles had gotten more of the ball. But what had happened had happened, and the Turtles now faced an uncertain future. Would they pay the price for a defensive style of play? With goal difference putting them third behind Alitaba, Furellum could exit the Baptism of Fire in the next game, even with a win. They needed that win though, else it was almost certainly over. They would have to do their best against Olaster, and hope Alitaba failed. It was not a situation Fyodor liked, although he was all too familiar with. His fate being decided by another. It had been the same, way back then...

[Marcos Dynamite]

Welcome to Dino-Me-Tay Daily! I'm your host, Mikala Turez, as Carla Dram has the night off.

Most scoreless draws are boring, drawn out, tiring to watch affairs, and so was last night's 0-0 snoozer between our Firecrackers and San Jose Guayabal. Both teams looked so tentative that I was afraid the two teams had been replaced with cardboard cutouts.

A few shots on net here and there by each side kept it mildly more interesting than watching milk curdle, but the bad news is the mutual draw hurt both sides, as Picts' win over Myeeria has them in 2nd place.

Now the Firecrackers need to beat Tatras, and hope SJG and Picts draw vs. each other on Friday.
_________________________________________
BACK IN MARCOS DYNAMITE-

Light Charley-4! T-minus 5 minutes until target arrives! Check in all stations!

/hallway alpha secure
/hallway beta secure
/rear entrance locked and secure
/front entrance secure and awaiting target
/subproject Daniel-7 complete and in position
/subproject Hanna-16 complete and in position
/subproject Mildred-60 complete and in position

Alright, folks it has been an honor and I just wanna say I'm proud. T-minus 1 minute until target arrival. Everyone locked and loaded, on my mark, 10 second countdown... mark.

10..
9..
8..
7..
6..
5..
4..
3..
2..
1........

[Polkopia]

---

Polkopian National News brought to you by Mr. Boris Valafeev

Original Translation

---

Polkopia Ties With Tarrigan. Advancement In Doubt.

After a rather disappointing game against Felinetopia, the Polkopian National Team hoped to redeem themselves with a victory against Tarrigan. Their hopes were dashed when the final whistle blew, ending the game in a 2-2 draw, making the final race to second place in group stages even more challenging for Polkopia.

The game kicked off on a sorry note for Polkopia, as a rough foul from Tarrigan left striker Immanuil Serevo hobbling off the field in pain. Although he was given swift medical treatment, he was unable to return to the game. He will, however, be able to start against Taijan. Artur Yeminov came on the pitch in Serevo's place, and scored within ten minutes of his substitution, putting Polkopia ahead 1-0. A foolish mistake made by keeper Vladimir Polov after a pass from a teammate found its way past him and into the net, tying the score, 1-1. To kick off the second half, a goal by the Tarrigan side allowed them to pull ahead after a series of successful passing allowed for such a chance. It wasn't until the 87th minute that Polkopia managed to equalize the score after a corner kick met with midfielder Vyacheslav Gorodiva's head, and found its way into the back of the net, tying the score.

Although clearly disappointed with the result, Coach Stenin noted the multiple times that the team went out of formation and instructed them to not do the same against Taijan, who Polkopia must beat in order to advance in the tournament. Since Serevo is expected to be capable of running again, Coach Stenin has decided to keep the same starting position that he had done so this game.

---

Leave A Comment Below

Mikhaos_2: Disappointed. That's the only word to describe my feeling toward Polkopia rn.


GODZIRRA: Good fight but not good enough. LOLing at Polov though.


YamEater (In reply to GODZIRRA) But you're forgetting that he's probably the best keeper in Polkopia's history.


Keys_To_The_J33p: only took 1 day for Serevo to heal? seems shady to me!!


Directionerrrrrrrr2: I don't know anything about football, but looked like both teams played hard!


Aphrodisiac: We need a new coach srsly. Stenin is starting to get on my nerves... I still can't believe he didn't call up Ivanovich from Peeto United. He's a much better midfielder than half of these ****s!

[Riojasia]

Article from http://www.allthingsjanner.rio

Riojasia - Will we advance?

It looks like the Janners are heading forward to the next round, currently sitting in second place behind the undefeated New Lonopolian Empire with a 4-2 victory over New Lowerlands. The next match against Bypass814, currently fourth in the group with one win, one draw and two losses looks to be promising. Third in the table is Gregoryisgodistan, who we defeated 4-2 and tomorrow they take on the New Lonopolian Empire and are our contenders for second place. To advance, Riojasia need to draw while Gregoryisgodistan need to draw or lose. However, the Janners will still progress if they draw 0-0 and Gregoryisgodistan wins without increasing their goal difference by 8 and will progress should both teams lose. However the best result would be a Riojasian victory to seal their spot in the next round.

Group F

New Lonopolian Empire 3–1 Szkvara
New Lowerlands 2–4 Riojasia
Bypass814 0–2 Gregoryisgodistan

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Lonopolian Empire             4   4  0  0    8   2  +6   12
2 Riojasia                          4   3  0  1   13   5  +8    9
3 Gregoryisgodistan                 4   2  1  1    5   4  +1    7
4 Bypass814                         4   1  1  2    5   6  −1    4
5 Szkvara                           4   0  2  2    2   9  −7    2
6 New Lowerlands                    4   0  0  4    3  10  −7    0

Here at allthingsjanner.rio, we believe in our Janners and support them in good times and bad. We believe in David Seaman and the rest of the squad and we are sure we'll progress. Let us know what you think.

Leave A Comment Below

Jannr4Lyf: Woo! Go Janners! we'll get thru 4sho!


lil_h8r: Lyk u shud! Seaman has let in sooooooooooooooooooooo many goals! He shud retire n giv da captency 2 Spingo. Janners dont dezerv 2 progress!


Jannr4Lyf: (In reply to lil_h8r) U shut ur mouth! Seaman is gr8, despite a few goals gettin past. I'd lyk to c u do betta! Go Janners!


Big_Bad_Goalie: We've been getting good results but our defence has really let us down. Why do we need to concede two goals to score four? We need to focus more on defence! And why hasn't Roy Rogers even touched the ball in these games so far? Waste of space he is.


Blurred Eyes: The Janners have been working hard, despite their defeat to the New Lonopolian Empire. It was a single goal right at the end and they didn't let it break them. Instead, they went forward and wiped the floor with Szkvara 5-0!

Drunk-Footie-Fan: I got soooooooooo wasted during the Szkvara game! Down a pint at every Janner goal, plus general drinking, holy f**k! I was sooooooooooooo wrecked!

Janner Mod: (In reply to Drunk-Footie-Fan) Language please Drunk-Footie-Fan. Keep it clean.

Sexi-babe-23: Devon has the best legs!!!!!!!!!

[Welsh Cowboy]

OOC: Yet again, this occurs before the match. I apologize for the brevity, but my time is limited today.

The Journey I've Been On
The Story of Alec Vordeau: Part IV

As I sit here in my hotel room here in Arexa, Astograth, I am thinking a lot about my experiences thus far in this new nation. Of course, the first thing I think about is the football matches; we've won them all so far, and all our wins have been pretty convincing. I'm sure the press back home is loving it, although I haven't bothered to go online or try to find a newspaper from Welsh Cowboy. Too much pressure.

But beyond the football, I think about all the people I've met here in Astograth. They've all been pretty nice, except for perhaps the man in the ancient temple ruins who almost beheaded me. I especially remember the young kid on the street in Gesterlake just a few days ago, who was so pleased to receive my autograph- I certainly couldn't have imagined that my first day on the U-18 field!

Another thing I've been thinking about is making sure that I've been a leader on the team, as captain and one of the more hyped players. Although I don't really think our team has had too much crisis, because our success has left all of us feeling happy, we've still had a bit of tension. After our 4-1 win over Estado Livre in the opening match, the kid on our team, Patrick [Teller], seemed unhappy in the locker room that he was not starting. He kept shooting hostile looks at Lucas [Burns], who of course started ahead of him. I'm not sure how big an issue it was, but I made a point to pull him aside after the next team breakfast and tell him that I expected more out of him.

So, what will I remember from this experience, as we move onto the World Cup qualifiers, and Welsh Cowboy begins a professional football league? I'll remember that I visited a great, beautiful country, had the opportunity to play the game I truly love, and of course, I will remember all the success this team has had.

Let's hope there's more to come.

[Callumackbar]

3:16 AM CST

Jack Price stared out the window of the plane, pondering about football. He laughed to himself. Football... It was all he ever talked about. Or thought about. Yasmine had told him he needed a break from football, but he found that difficult, as much as it was putting him through a lot of stress -mind and body - recently. He had been going back and forth between Northern Sunrise Islands and Astograth for... Well he wasn't sure, his sense of time was distorted due to all the traveling. Coaching in Northern Sunrise Islands... Plane to Astograth... Playing in Astograth... Plane to Northern Sunrise Islands... Coaching in Northern Sunrise Islands... Over and over.

"You okay Gaffer?" The voice broke Price from his train of thought, looking over to goalkeeper Marcos Richardson. Richardson had been called up to both the U-15 World Cup Squad and the Baptism of Fire squad. Though he was only deputy 'keeper in both. So all the traveling and no playing. Worse in one way, better in another.

"You don't have to call me gaffer... We're teammates when we're in Astograth." He responded.

"Well we aren't in Northern Sunrise Islands or Astograth right now. Pricey."

Jack laughed again. "I hate that nickname."

"Fine, Gaffer."

"And that one."

"Jack."

"Better."

"You know..." Richardson ran a hand through his hair, then continued. "You didn't answer my question about being okay. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? If I was in your position, I would have died from sleep deprivation."

"I'm fine." Price insisted. "We're winning when I coach, and winning when I play. The team is doing well. I've scored three times in the Baptism of Fire already, and in both of the last two games. So you can't question my playing ability."

"But the long-term effects... Or even after this tournament... Can your body cope?"

"Trust me. It can."

"Whatever you say, Gaffer..."

"Don't call me that."

Richardson didn't respond, concerned for his Coach and Teammates' health.

[Alitaba]

Serafino was already resting in the hotel after the Manggugubat's comfortable 3-0 victory over Kavamkao. He was tired after playing ninety minutes of keeeping the opponents scoreless. He must be proud of himself because they won big while collecting a clean sheet for his keeper Marcelo and they were perhaps on the driver's seat for the last spot for the Round of 16 from Group B.

He also had an interview, where he had nineteen minutes of pure talk to the media after he was selected as man of the match for keeping the opponents scoreless while scoring a goal - a header from Rasid's perfectly placed corner. As he was tired, he hurried to his room and slept after the bus travel from Olarria to Ituraitz, where their fifth match will be played. Last time they visited the Ituraitz Sports Ground, they were beaten by Rabbitomia, who already won the group courtesy of a 1-0 win over Furellum, the very reason Alitaba was in second spot, thanks to their superior goal difference.

As Serafino fell asleep, he had a dream.

Second half
Above your Pay Grade vs Alitaba
Ituraitz Sports Ground

As the team were trailing 4-0 at the hands of Above Your Pay Grade, the defenders, particularly Serafino, started to be frustrated on what the opposing team is doing. The calls were not going their way - they had three goals blatantly disallowed for "offside" and two dubious and contentious penalty decisions, one which led to the dismissal of Josefino. Whenever the opponent misses the penalty or Marcelo saves it, which happened three times in the match, the shot is retaken until the opposing side scores it.

Serafino was thinking of a probable match fixing that may involve other sides, or for betting purposes, but he continued to focus on the game, although he was close to losing control.

And the next play that ensued finally ticked him off. After a blatant offside trap perfectly executed by the defense, the referee allowed play to go on despite seeing his linesmen raise the flag up for offside. Marcelo was just standing there, waiting for an offside whistle, but there was none, as he remained standing as he conceded the fifth goal for the opponents. What was worse was instead of the referee pointing for the goal line for a goal kick, the referee instead pointed at the center circle and allowed the goal despite the linesmen contenting it for offside.

Serafino overheard the conversation between the officials.

"Man, that goal should not be allowed. It was offside."

"Shut up, old geezer, you do want money right? Be consistent with my calls, dimwit."

"But..."

"No ifs, no buts. Get you ass on the touchline..."

Serafino had enough. He knew it all along. He knew the referee was doing something that break the laws of the game. He approached the referee while they were discussing with the linesmen and swung his arms. His fist reached the face of the referee and the referee fell to the ground. The players from both sides came to the action, but instead of stopping Serafino's rage, they had a commotion of their own.

When the referee gained consciousness, he gave three Alitabans, including Serafino a straight red while there were even no yellows for the opposing side. Talk about match fixing.

The players of the opposing side were not done yet. Behind the referees' backs, they hit Serafino with a furious fist while the latter was taking his walk of shame. The referee did not even bother warning the player. Serafino's body was slammed into the ground.

It was four o'clock in the morning.

Serafino opened his eyes. He was on the floor of his room. It was obvious that he fell from his bed. All that action that happened was only a dream. Realizing what could happen in the next matchday, he grabbed his ball, got onto the field just outside the hotel and started practicing. There he found Marcelo and Donaldo, who started practicing since 3:30 AM.

"Raffy, what's up?"

"Nothing. Guys, we must win no matter what. Do not let your emotions get the better of you. Even a win cannot guarantee our progress, so we must give our best shot."

While Serafino was going back to the hotel room to get more balls, Marcelo and Donaldo were clueless on what Serafino said.

"What happened to our captain?" Marcelo asked.

"Well, let's just do what he says. He's the captain. He will guide us, OK?" Donaldo answered.

[San Jose Guayabal]

total panic by string of draws, God Help Us!

The National selection SJG feel distressed by the large number of ties, so Milos Miljanic expressed,

- Miljanic: I'm very sorry for this, it may be, we have to win today to advance to the next phase, whatever it is, my players have to put the balls, soul, life, blood and win at all costs.

The noble SJG fans demand a win and face lift to victory, as well get up the image of our national football.

From Astograth, Juan Ramirez

[Southwick]

Why They Play: Part X (Fraternus Duo)

"It looks like it will be a good result for the boys from Southwick today," said Ris. It was the eighty-ninth minute and Southwick led 3-2.

"One goal from Nobles, one from Locklear, and the prospective game-winner from Cantu in the eighty-second minute. Thoughts on the performance Grav?"

"The boys looked good out there today. Crisp passing and good communication. I think the Cheveron is really starting to click with the team. Good performance, they were good."

"Almost as good as having one of those Pteronurians in my movie," he thought. The last few days had been a slow descent into madness for Grav, with him becoming more and more obsessed with the idea of a movie involving Pteronurians. He had already been cited for misdemeanor stalking and word was some of the Lymrykers were considering pressing for a restraining order against him. Couldn't they see it would be a mutually beneficial relationship? "I wonder if there are more Pteronurians in the Lymryk Isles, besides for these football players." He decided to do some research later that night.

"Tweet, tweet."

"And there goes the referee's whistle, what a game, what a game," said Ris. The team from Kitsuneshima had been slightly favored despite their poor performance in the Cup. "With that, Southwick needs only a draw in their next match. But, they will be facing their toughest opponent yet: Colombian Brittania." Ris shuddered at the sound of the name.

"We'll have manager Watts in the press room momentarily."

Down on the pitch, Steve Groves fell to the ground. His feet hurt, his knees buckled, and he felt as if he was getting shin splints. But, they had won, and they were only a draw away from victory.

Steve took out his necklace and kissed it. He looked up to the sky. It was starting to rain.

"Thank you Lord for humbling me so that I may face the trials of my life. Thank you for granting me the opportunity to be on this team, to meet these people, and to share my gift to the world. Thank you for blessing me so. Amen," he said, reciting the prayer that he had learned before leaving Southwick. A staunch christian, Steve was one of the most religious players on the team.

Steve felt a wetness on the back of his neck. It was starting to rain.

He sat up. Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he felt his legs groan and creak. The rain felt like a bath, soothing the pain in his legs. He started to walk off of the pitch.

"Good game boys," he said, patting Scott Raines and Nathaniel Paredes on the back.

"Thanks," said Scott, turning. "You too."

Nathaniel muttered a thanks before speeding up towards the tunnel.

Steve and Scott walked behind him in bewilderment.

"What's his problem?" asked Steve...

The night before they had received word of Matthew's death, Steve had had a nightmare.

He was a race car driver in the middle of the biggest race of his life. Running out of gas near the end, Steve had a choice. He could throw in the towel. Or, he could go on to win (somehow he knew he was going to win if he continued). But, the only fuel he had could be obtained through the death of his brother.

Unconsciously, Steve gave the go ahead to continue on in the race. Watching with apathy, Steve watched his crew members light Matthew afire, collecting the ashes for fuel. As Matthew burned, Steve felt himself growing stronger and stronger, as if his brother's death injected steroids into him.

Continuing in the race, Steve looked back to see his brother's ghost. Horrified at the knowlege of what he had done, Matthew tried to undo what had happened, but it was too late. He had won the race.

Steve often wondered what the dream meant, but in his heart, he knew. Only through the death of his brother could he gain the motivation to reach the peak of the footballing world. Only such a tragic loss could push Steve to his greatest heights.

[Crystal Ponies]

The Crystal Courier
The Official Supporters' Newsletter of the Crystal Knights

CRYSTAL EMPIRE CONTINUES ROMP AGAINST TATRAS

Crystal Empire - 1
Sapphire Rose '73 (Arctic Lily)

Tatras - 0
None

RUMIATZI, ASTOGRATH - It's something that many fans of the Crystal Knights have said repeatedly throughout this tournament. It's cliché and overused in the media. It's a line that some analysts get really ticked off by. But still it rings true: "Who saw this coming?"

Heading into yesterday's match, the Crystal Empire national hoofball team needed just a single point to clinch a place in the knockouts. However, the Crystal Knights went a step beyond, thrilling fans with a victory and punching their ticket to the next round. Throughout the match, there was a feeling of great optimism in the crowd. Sure, the team wasn't scoring, but the fans didn't really care. As the minutes passed by, the dominating performance of the Crystal Empire became much clearer. Possession, shots, shots on target, corner kicks, everything seemed to be coming together.

Yet with just under 20 minutes left to play, both sides remained scoreless. That is, until Arctic Lily intercepted a pass and cleared the ball all the way to Sapphire Rose. The talented, offense-minded midfielder dashed up the field, finding an opening between two of the Tatras defenders. With nothing but the keeper between her and the net, Sapphire Rose charged into the box. The goalkeeper dove in to capture the ball, but a last-second flick of the hoof by the Crystal Pony midfielder sent it above the reach of the keeper and bouncing into to the goal.

For the remainder of the match, the Crystal Knights' supporters waited eagerly for the final whistle. A weak effort by the exhausted-looking Tatras team to score a late equalizer collapsed well short of its objective, and the Crystal Ponies pranced their way to the finish line. Combined with the result of the San Jose Guayabal-Marcos Dynamite match, the win not only guaranteed that the Crystal Empire would remain in the tournament for the knockout rounds, but also that they would enter the round of 16 as group winners.

Four matches into their Baptism of Fire, the Crystal Empire has weathered the flames and kept in excellent form, remaining the only team with 4 wins and no goals conceded. Going forward, the supporters certainly hope for a deep run from the Crystal Knights, but are nonetheless thrilled by the team's success. After a rough first few international matches, the string of victories in the Baptism has been a welcome change for the Crystal Knights. However, the team must remain focused on its ultimate goal: a place in the Cup of Harmony. A place that will require the Crystal Empire to impress during the World Cup qualifiers, not the Baptism of Fire.

Winning in Astograth (or United Gordonopia) would, of course, be nice. But in the end, a Baptism of Fire title isn't what every team wants to be at the center of their trophy case. That spot is reserved for a Cup of Harmony or, if the team is really good, a World Cup. Given the choice, I'm sure that the majority of the Crystal Knights and their fans would prefer the latter.

[Aslotten-Behtherborg sa Cesky]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Självbiografi av Edvin Astøberg, Del 4

I made my first national team at age 11 as a reserve for the U15 squad. I was the youngest player to ever play on the U15 team, and then a year later, the youngest to ever start a U15 match. Three days later I was the youngest to score a goal in the history of the team.

Understandably, this stage of my development was often overwhelming for me. I did not have free time, nor did I have many close friends besides those who I interacted with at school. That's really my main regret: friends.

Now I have several great friends whom I cherish and love to spend time with, but these are all people who have had many stable relationships since they were young. I've only had my family.

It still bothers me, but mostly when people make assumptions about my past. I don't have anything against the, it's just that they assume I had a large group of friends growing up, and I really didn't. I remember one time I was meeting with Coach Olsen, right around the time I was joining the senior national team:

"Ok, Edvin, so we've gone over your athletic capabilities and history yesterday. Now, I'd like to know about you, the person. Let's start off easy: how is your relationship with your parents?"

"It's very close, coach. We've always been very loving."

"Good to hear. A strong family can certainly help you through a lot, no?"

"Oh, yes it can indeed."

"How about your friends? Are your relationships good there?"

"Umm... Yes."

"You sound unsure."

"Well, uh, the thing is..."

"Yes?"

"I don't really have many friends. I have a ton of acquaintances, but there's nobody who's really close to me and not a family member."

"Why is that?"

"I spent all my time on school and football growing up. I didn't have time for other things."

"That is certainly admirable, but why did you not make the time?"

"Well... I never really had close friendships growing up, so I never saw the value in them."

"Do you have close friends now?"

"No. I have some friends who are closer than anyone previously, but nobody I can trust with personal things."

"Have you ever been in a romantic relationship?"

"Never, and never gotten close. Girls were very nice to me and some flirted with me, but I never had time to be in a relationship."

"Edvin, it sounds like you've sacrificed a lot for the sake of football. What happens when you retire?"

"I... I'll have something else to do. I'll probably stay around the game and coach or something. I don't know, that's a long ways off."

"It is indeed. Edvin, tell me, do you ever wish you didn't spend as much time on football?"

"No, I can't say that. It's really my life and my passion, and I wish I could spend every waking hour playing it."

"You sound extremely committed."

"I am, coach."

"Well then, Edvin, you will have to do well for your own sake as well as that of the team. Please, do not over exert yourself. Go forth so you can balance the things in your life. Football may be the main thing for you, Edvin, but it's not the only thing."

---

Evisceratomatoes 2–5 Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky

Dvakošek 6' (0-1 ABC). Assister: Äsmundsen.
Astøberg 25' (0-2 ABC). Assister: Anderßon.
Evisceratomatoes 31' (1-2 ABC).
Čalrek 43' (1-3 ABC). Assister: Ruzïck.
Astøberg 59' (1-4 ABC). Assister: Rasmußen.
Evisceratomatoes 65' (2-4 ABC).
Astøberg 82' (2-5 ABC). Assister: Äsmundsen.

[Astograth]

Can you feel the heat?!

RP CUTOFF FOR MATCHDAY 5

Quick reminder that this is all constructive criticism and definitely not a requirement for your RPing.

-Dreams, experienced whether actually sleeping or simply daydreaming, can be a great way of introducing a characters' hopes and worries, as well as highlight all the possibilities of certain courses of action. One thing I like to do is quickly go over all that has led up to a specific moment, or all the things (good or bad) that could happen from then on - to add weight to an impulsive or particularly dramatic situation, such as a vital penalty kick.

-Having your players score amazing goals is, of course, part of the fun, but it is quite frustrating when their merit is known and recognised only by yourself. If there's one player in particular you want everyone to know as your best, go over his actions in detail and don't be afraid to pile on the praise, especially from the domestic press - I'd say you shouldn't go overboard, but some of the most talked about players are the ones hyped to unrealistic extremes.

---

MATCHDAY 5 SCORES - ASTOGRATH

Group A
Picts 1–0 San Jose Guayabal
Crystal Empire 2–0 Myeeria
Marcos Dynamite 2–2 Tatras

Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Crystal Empire                5   5  0  0    7   0  +7   15 Q
2 Picts                         5   3  0  2    8   6  +2    9 Q
3 Marcos Dynamite               5   1  3  1    4   4   0    6
4 San Jose Guayabal             5   1  2  2    2   4  −2    5
5 Myeeria                       5   0  3  2    5   8  −3    3
6 Tatras                        5   0  2  3    9  13  −4    2

Group B
Above Your Pay Grade 0–2 Alitaba
Furellum 1–0 Olastor
Kavamkao 0–3 Rabbitomia

Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Rabbitomia                    5   4  1  0    6   0  +6   13 Q
2 Alitaba                       5   3  1  1    8   2  +6   10 Q
3 Furellum                      5   3  1  1    5   3  +2   10
4 Kavamkao                      5   1  1  3    6  12  −6    4
5 Above Your Pay Grade          5   0  2  3    6  10  −4    2
  Olastor                       5   0  2  3    6  10  −4    2

*Alitaba ahead of Furellum on goal difference
*Above Your Pay Grade and Olastor sorted by alphabetical order, tied on points, head-to-head results, goal difference and wins.

Group C
Alkoul 2–4 New Matawan
Leintalun 0–1 Estado Livre
Welsh Cowboy 1–0 Ellesmerus

Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Welsh Cowboy                  5   5  0  0   18   4 +14   15 Q
2 New Matawan                   5   4  0  1   13  10  +3   12 Q
3 Estado Livre                  5   2  0  3    9  13  −4    6
4 Alkoul                        5   2  0  3   10  15  −5    6
5 Ellesmerus                    5   1  1  3    4   7  −3    4
6 Leintalun                     5   0  1  4    6  11  −5    1

Group D
Carialus 3–0 Evisceratomatoes
Callumackbar 2–2 Britanno
Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky 3–1 Haute Savoie

Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky   5   5  0  0   16   6 +10   15 Q
2 Callumackbar                  5   2  2  1    9   5  +4    8 Q
3 Carialus                      5   2  1  2   11  10  +1    7
4 Britanno                      5   1  3  1    6   6   0    6
5 Haute Savoie                  5   1  1  3    4  10  −6    4
6 Evisceratomatoes              5   0  1  4    2  11  −9    1

Q = Qualified for Round of 16

Congratulations to the qualified teams, but special commiserations to the eliminated. I encourage you to use this experience as a catalyst for the World Cup Qualifiers!

Round of 16 - Astograth (Structured as A1 vs B2, B1 vs A2, C1 vs D2, D1 vs C2)
Crystal Empire vs Alitaba at Knights' Stadium, Rumiatzi
Rabbitomia vs Picts at Cherketzo Arena, Urbizania
Welsh Cowboy vs Callumackbar at Castle Hill, Gesterlake
Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky vs New Matawan at Goyaingerua Stadium, Arexa

[Southwick]

Why They Play: Part XI (Vicarius Tres)

"We're sending you down to our sideline reporter Andy Karelitz, standing by with manager Elias Watts. Andy?" Ris and Grav were sitting in the booth, awaiting the start of the postgame report. They had some air time to fill, and luckily, the manager was available for a short interview.

"Hello, this is Andy Karelitz, down on the field with manager Elias Watts. Mr. Watts, your team played splendidly today. Thoughts on the performance?"

"Well, I think it is something to work on. I was glad to see the boys really coming into their own in the second half. They seemed like they were finally comfortable in the system."

"Speaking of the system, or the Cheveron, as it is known, how did you come up with that genius formation?"

Elias thought for a second, opening up memories long left unperturbed...

20 years earlier

"Beep. Beep."

Elias' eyes opened slowly towards the blinding light. He had no idea where he was and could not move his head. All he could see was a single light bulb and all he could hear was a beeping noise.

Straining his neck, Elias shifted his eyes down. He saw a blank wall made of plaster and wood. It was painted all white. Quite boring to look at. His eyes could move no further and his neck could not push whatever was holding it back from moving.

He felt a dull pain in his left leg. It felt as if someone were slowly crushing it, grinding it with a large rock. "Rrrr." He groaned. He looked at the light for a few more minutes. Then, he fell asleep again...

"Beep. Beep."

Elias awoke again. He could see no more than before, but this time, he heard a voice coming from his left. It sounded far away. He groaned again.

A face appeared in the left side of his vision field. It was a woman. She had a concerned look on her face.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I..." Elias started to speak but his train of speech disappeared in a blinding headache. "Rrrr."

"You have a concussion and," the woman glanced down past his field of vision, "some other injuries. Why don't you go back to sleep."

Elias blinked and in a flash, the woman was gone.

"Beep. Beep."

Elias wanted to get up. Run around. Play some football. But he couldn't. His legs ached. His head hurt with the slightest movement. His arms were sore. And all he could see was the dim light bulb and the wall.

Elias sat and thought for a few hours. He thought about his childhood. He thought about his teen years and his life in the academy. He thought about his first practice, his only practice so far. He thought about his years in the army. And he wondered what the hell he was doing here.

All this thinking made his head hurt even more. He slowly drifted back into a welcome sleep.

"Beep. Beep."

Elias needed to do something. He still couldn't move, but he was going crazy, just staring at this wall. He had lost of track of time, it could have been days, weeks, months. He could feel his muscles slinking away, starving for lack of food. He woke up every so often, thought a little bit, and went back to sleep. This was no way for a young man to live.

Elias' head was feeling a little bit better, and so, he thought about his favorite thing: football. He thought about equipment, players, skills, tricks. But his favorite topic of thought was tactics.

As a kid, Elias had read books upon books of football strategy. He learned the positions inside and out. He learned offsides traps and give-and-go passes. He learned 3-6-1s and 4-2-4s. But he had always felt that something was missing.

What was missing, he didn't know, but that is what he resolved to find out. He may have been stuck in this place physically, but he could still escape to the pitch mentally.

What was missing, what was missing. Elias thought for hours each day. Think, sleep. Think, sleep. It became a pattern of sorts, a pattern to maintain sanity.

Finally, after what felt like years, Elias awoke one morning to see two faces above him. "Hello Elias," one said. "I am Sergeant Wilson. You were involved in a special operations ambush and were wounded. Do you remember that?" he asked.

Elias thought. He vaguely remembered some sort of ambush, but he had no bearing on when or where it had happened.

"Kinda," he mumbled, slurring his words. He wasn't used to talking, having been silent for what felt like years.

"You're in a hospital now. We've been fixing you up; you got hit pretty bad. We're going to wheel you over to a mirror over here. You might notice a bit of a change, but don't be alarmed..."

Change. The word lit up in Elias' mind. "Yes," he whispered. That was what had been missing. Change.

"If you'll look over here..." The sergeant was saying something.

Elias shifted his gaze over to a large mirror. He was lying in a bed, connected to various machines by wires and tubes. His head was being held in place by some sort of restraint.

He shifted his eyes a little bit lower. He was wearing a blue gown. It looked like he had stitches on his arms, which were also held in place.

He moved his eyes a little lower. His right leg looked pretty banged up. It was in a heavy cast, weighted to keep it motionless. His left leg... His left leg... His left leg was gone.

Elias' eyes rolled back into his head as he passed out back into the bed he was lying in.

[Vaugania]

88th Minute, 0-0

Dear Lord, please quell the tempers flaring among these men. Amen.

That was all Joshua Farnerud could think to say after what had just happened. Thorsten Althusser was navigating through defenders with great skill and elegance. He shimmied around one defender, danced around another, completely making fools of these guys. One had decide that he had had enough. He came in with a hard tackle from behind and felled him. He took a really hard hit to the back of his calf and went down grabbing it. he rolled around for a bit until the trainers and med staff came out. What's worse is that the Kidlantian came in with cleat bottoms up. You could see the impressions of the spikes on Thorsten's leg and it didn't take a doctor to tell that there were going to be some deep bruises.

As a result of the play, the defender was given a red card and shown off of the pitch, putting his team at 10 men. Lars Baltzersen came up to that defender and got in his face. It wasn't the most gentlemanly of discussions and Lars was shown a yellow for it. Despite being short handed, the Golden eagles still had a penalty kick to take. Althusser was taken off of the field with assistance and the referee placed the ball on the penalty dot. It was Farnerud's turn to be center stage as all of the other players walked to the outside of the large goal box. It was just him and the goalie.

Joshua's heart slowed down and he felt everything fell as if it was in slow motion. He took took loooooong, deeeeeep breaths. The goalie bounced on the goal line to attempt to psych out the 21 year old striker. Farnerud didn't allow himself to be distracted. He took his first steps forward and could feel the impact of each and every step he took in his run up. As we swung his foot towards the ball, he could he the rustling of the grass as each individual blade brushed against his cleat. The ball was sent flying to Farnerud's right. The goalie guessed correctly and was headed to the same place. His clenched fist punched the ball off to the side. Morten Karlan stormed into the box like a bat out of hell as he went for the rebound. he put every bit of force he could behind his course so it could reach Joshua before every other player, their mother, and their 4th cousin, thrice removed could get in on the action. Farnerud decied he wasn't going to put his face in front of that shot so he positioned his body to deflect it with his chest. The impact knocked Joshua to the ground, but the ball found the bottom corner of the goal.

While some players rejoiced at the goal, others ran over to Joshua's side without hesitation. "Are you okay?" a worried Cameron Battle, who was subbed for Althusser, asked.

Farnerud coughed multiple times before he could answer, "Yeah *cough* I'm fine."

A couple of his teammates helped him to his feet and started to walk him towards the bench.

"Noooo," Joshua wheezed, "I'm staying in."

"You're ridiculous," said Baltzersen to the strikers plea.

"Just me give me a se-"

"No way," Vorotaev interjected, "You're going off."

Manager Kurt Hlasek agreed and used his last sub to play Christoph Sykora. The match went on without any trouble due to Kidlantis being down a man. The Vauganians took 3 points and 2nd place in Group E. The only opther team not eliminated and waiting to see if they would advance is Patistan, whom the Golden Eagles are playing on Matchday 5. To advance they just needed a win or draw.

In the locker room, Joshua Farnerud received some good news. "You just got the wind knocked out of you really bad," said the trainer who was looking him over, "Nothing's cracked or punctured, take it easy for the rest of the day and you'll be fine tomorrow."

"I can play?" Joshua asked eagerly, as he mentally prepared himself for Patistan.

'Yes, but Thorsten can't. I suspect that his leg won't be good to go until some of that bruising goes down. That will likely be around the finals. That means you better wins some games if you want to see him on the pitch again in the BoF. otherwise you'll have to wait until qualifiers."

Farnerud became rather grim as Althusser sat there on a bed with his leg wrapped up. Althusser looked his way and nodded. Farnerud nodded back, realizing he had just promised to go deep enough in the tournament to get him back on the field.

[United Gordonopia]

-Talking about the background of your characters helps create a lot of depth you your team, and can often make RPing much easier. If you have created histories, personalities, and backstories, it is often easier to visualize how they would act.

-If you are good at writing humor, feel free to do it! Satire and comedy are often very popular with both readers and hosts, and as long as it is actually enjoyable to read, can make RPing more enjoyable to write as well.

---

Group E

Kidlantis 0–1 Monozygotia
Patistan 0–1 Vaugania
Hardwinter 2–1 Partially Blind People

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Monozygotia                       5   4  1  0    9   4  +5   13
2 Vaugania                          5   3  2  0   12   6  +6   11
3 Patistan                          5   2  1  2    6   5  +1    7
4 Kidlantis                         5   1  1  3    4   7  −3    4
5 Hardwinter                        5   1  0  4    6  13  −7    3
6 Partially Blind People            5   0  3  2    9  11  −2    3

Group F

Gregoryisgodistan 2–0 New Lonopolian Empire
Riojasia 1–0 Bypass814
Szkvara 0–1 New Lowerlands

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 New Lonopolian Empire             5   4  0  1    8   4  +4   12
2 Riojasia                          5   4  0  1   14   5  +9   12
3 Gregoryisgodistan                 5   3  1  1    7   4  +3   10
4 Bypass814                         5   1  1  3    5   7  −2    4
5 New Lowerlands                    5   1  0  4    4  10  −6    3
6 Szkvara                           5   0  2  3    2  10  −8    2

Group G

Southwick 2–0 Colombian Britannia
The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles 1–2 Kitsuneshima
Fiendish Snackers 3–2 Kingdom of Costa Luna

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Southwick                         5   3  2  0   12   7  +5   11
2 The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles      5   3  1  1   10   7  +3   10
3 Fiendish Snackers                 5   2  2  1   13  12  +1    8
4 Colombian Britannia               5   1  2  2   12  11  +1    5
5 Kitsuneshima                      5   1  2  2   10  11  −1    5
6 Kingdom of Costa Luna             5   0  1  4    6  15  −9    1

Group H

Polkopia 3–2 Taijan
Theaoie 0–2 Tarrigan
Safaari 0–3 Felinetopia

Rank                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Felinetopia                       5   5  0  0   11   2  +9   15
2 Polkopia                          5   3  1  1   12   7  +5   10
3 Tarrigan                          5   2  2  1    7   5  +2    8
4 Taijan                            5   1  1  3    4   8  −4    4
5 Theaoie                           5   1  0  4    1   8  −7    3
6 Safaari                           5   1  0  4    2   7  −5    3

Qualifiers: Monozygotia, Vaugania, New Lonopolian Empire, Riojasia, Southwick, The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles, Felinetopia, Polkopia

Draw for Round of 16 (Cutoff in 48 hours)

Monozygotia - Riojasia - (IGC Arena, Gordonopia City)
New Lonopilian Empire – The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles - (God's Pike, Teva (Mansburg))
Felinetopia - Vaugania - (Northern Field, Deska (Reinheim))
Southwick - Polkopia - (Mormont Arena, Reichsburg-Holiday (Halburg))

[Aslotten-Behtherborg sa Cesky]

OOC: This will be worked on and ultimately finished before the deadline, but because I'm doing a collab with Welsh Cowboy, I want to at least get the outline up for his sake.

Monsieur Alec Voudreau,

Good day, and greetings from Edvin Astøberg. This is a letter out of the blue, but one nonetheless that I believe is worthy of your attention. Observing your play through the Baptism of Fire, I couldn't help but marvel at your dexterity and finesse. Your field smarts are quite excellent as well from what I can tell.

I was hoping that we could communicate through this series of letters to have a balanced and interesting discussion about our careers, our time in the Baptism of Fire, and other things in general.

I don't know about you, but I'm not really the one to be a social butterfly outside of playing football. I don't have a whole lot of free time, and most of what I have I just want to be with my family or sleep. Do you have any hobbies or things you like to do in your free time?

I'm interested in how you balance your life outside of football with being on the national team. It's obviously a very large time commitment, and I would be lying if I said I didn't have trouble with it sometimes. I grew up very close to my family, and so it's hard for me to not be able to spend a lot of time with them. I also have, compared to most people, a dearth of friends, simply because I don't have the time to maintain that many relationships. I'm looking to branch out now, but I'm finding it difficult. One of the reasons I'm writing to you is because my mentor, who is also the assistant coach of the national team, suggested I look abroad for new contacts. Do you have any sort of personal mentor or someone who gives you advice? I know, being in my early twenties like you, that I'm not wholly comfortable with the entire game of life yet. I need some help to get me through the day and to help me succeed.

With regards,
Edvin Astøberg

---

Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky 3-1 Haute Savoie

Anderßon 23' (0-1 ABC). Assister: Äsmundsen.
Čalrek 39' (0-2 ABC). Assister: Ruzïck.
Haute Savoie 56' (1-2 ABC).
Astøberg 78' (1-3 ABC). Assister: Rasmußen.

[The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles]

New Lonopilian Eempire – The Paradystopi Lymryk Isles - (God's Pike, Teva (Mansburg))

"There we have it pups, into the knockouts. I'm proud of you all but now we've all got to give that extra ten percent. No slip-ups like Kitsuneshima, we can't afford it. Let's buckle down and show the New Lonopilian Eempire who's boss! Are you with me?"

Coach Pasternick's attempt at a rousing speech was in truth a little pallid and didn't garner the reception he expected. A few quiet 'woo's and many perplexed faces.

"The New Lonopilian Eempire?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"The winners of Group F. Strong team, it's not going to be an easy match."
"The New Lonopolian Empire?"
"That's not what it says here."
"I'm pretty sure there's no such word as 'Eempire'"
"Look kid! This is official documentation from the Gordonopian officials and you don't disagree with anyone who puts their country's name in such an aggressive shade of violent green."
"But ... eempire?"
"Must be."

Flappy was disinterested in the cyclic discussion of the name of their next opponents. He couldn't think of a word to rhyme with neither empire nor eempire.

[Marcos Dynamite]

Welcome to Dino-Me-Tay Daily! I'm your host, Carla Dram. Well going into last night's game, the Firecrackers already knew they were up against the wall, and for the first 75 minutes, it looked like the team would make the Baptism of Fire playoffs.

But once the final score of the Picts-San Jose Guayabal match was shown (1-0 Picts); the ladies just seemingly self-destructed; allowing two goals in the next 8 minutes, blowing the 2-0 lead they had had at that point.

Ashley T.'s goal in the 22nd minute broke a long scoreless skien by the Firecrackers. Rene's goal in the 51st minute gave the team a 2-0 lead, marking the first-ever multiple goal effort for the team.

Up next is the World Cup for the Firecrackers and the greater world at large for our nation. Will we and the team be ready? We hope so.
_________________________________________
BACK IN MARCOS DYNAMITE-

3...
2...
1.......


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADAME PRESIDENT!

Gary Marcos took in the surprised look on his wife's face. It took a whole month of planning, wheeling and dealing with multiple secret service members and her staff to get this 90 minute chunk of her time free. He had to beg his mother-in-law to come and to ensure that the kids were there he had to pay off too many school officials, but the look on his wife's face, it was worth it.

Nothing really surprised her anymore, not since her grandfather, Marcos Dynamite, the founder of the country bearing his name; died 5 years ago and explicitly left the presidency to his wife, Brianna Dynamite, the youngest of his 7 grandchildren. The shock, and to a lesser degree fighting off the legal challenges that just recently ended; had made the last 5 years tough on Brianna. But seeing his wife smile like that, had made all the preparations and secrecy worth it.

Then it all went to hell.....

[Gregoryisgodistan]

The Foot Slaves got the win they needed, thanks to two goals by Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Robert Possibe, but unfortunately Riojasia won too, meaning the Gregoryisgodistan team did not advance. The Foot Slaves finished third in their group with 10 points, the most of any team not to advance. Lord Almighty Gregory was disappointed but says he is still proud of his team and looks forward to World Cup qualifiers in a few weeks. For now, the remainder of the Baptism of Fire will have to play out without Gregoryisgodistan. Instead of airing the games Gregoryisgodistan is not in, State TV will be airing re-runs of the cast's favorite episodes of "Costa Lunians Say the Darndest Things".