Introduction of Fire (Baptism of Fire 38)

[Unitopolis]

Starting Line-Up (4-3-3)

GK: Jason Paul
LB: Séan Flawsley
CB: Eric Aldé (Joseph Olombo '77)
CB: Yutre Garu '44
RB: Séamus O'Mathruaigh
LW: Giuseppe Joliano MoM
CM: Kenil Hutsa (C)
RW: Vladimir Denzostropok
F: Coreninho '73
F: Rob Van Muir
F: Niall Hunt

Substitutes
GK: Martin Budsaja
CB: Joseph Olombo (Eric Aldé '77)
CM: Ernie Chambers
LW: Jon Boyde
RW: Oliver Chambers
F: Patrick Higgins

Unitopolis got their Baptism of Fire off to a great start with a 1-0 win over Emothica, thanks to a goal from star striker Corenhinho following a through goal from captain Kenil Hutsa. A knee injury for Emile Fallopius mean that Séamus O'Mathruaigh was brought in as a substitute right-back. Emothica started off well, creating some good chances that could have been goals but for the brilliance of Jason Paul, who kept the scores at 0-0. Yutre Garu was booked in the 44th minute for a late challenge, even though some Unitopolitan fans argued it was a fair challenge.

Unitopolis came out of their shell more in the second half and Giuseppe Joliano and Vladimir Denzostropok made several good runs on the left and right-wings respectively. Joliano himself had a curling free-kick hit the woodwork, and Unitopolis followed this up with a great Rob Van Muir shot that was saved by the Emothican goalkeeper. Unitopolis' break came on the 73rd minute mark, when a Kenil Hutsa through ball found Corenhinho, who needed only one touch to steady himself before slotting the ball home. Jack Beade relaxed a little after this goal, and Eric Aldé was substituted for Joseph Olombo in the 77th minute. Olombo was called into action almost immediately, making an 80th minute clearance off the line from a dangerous-looking Emothican corner. However, ten minutes of tense defending by Unitopolis secured the win and a great start to the Baptism of Fire.

Unitopolis 1 - 0 Emothica: Coreninho' 73
Man of the Match: Giuseppe Joliano
(UTN Sports Baptism of Fire 38 Coverage)

[Dennisov]

Almond Group

Dennisov 2-0 Vyknov
Zenethj 3-1 Hillpiece

The very first game of Dennisov in the Introduction of Fire was a memorable one with the La Mancha players leading the way.
Whereas many people in Dennisov where watching the playoffs of the DHL, the footballers playing their first game will be feeling rather pleased with themselves.
In spite of the promise of attacking football, Dennisov did what it had done before, defend and defend well. The team of Vyknov tried to pin Dennisov back right from the start of play, dominating the midfield gave them the control the wanted. The attackers of Dennisov were left wondering if they would ever see a ball played to them. As the first few minutes ticked away, the few spectators were left to wonder if they were watching a former World Cup champion or a poor rugby match as the tackles were flying left, right and center. A few yellow cards calmed the game and after 30 minutes of play both teams were more or less balanced.
The second half started eerily similar to the first as Vyknov attacked L'Hiver's goal as soon as the whistle blew. A long ball in the 69th minute, which was nothing more than a desperate clearance, ended up in the feet of La Mancha midfielder Arlette Coulombe whom had a clear run to the goal with Javier Coulombe. An easy pass left the Vyknov goalkeeper with no chance and her brother had no problem scoring his first goal of the campaign. The shock counter had the desired effect on the Vyknov players who were not entirely sure how to proceed. Dennisov leaned back as it had been forced to for more than an hour, but Vyknov seemed reluctant to put the pressure back on.
After 83 minutes a poor pass was intercepted by Robert Archambault whose shot over 30 meters eluded the Vyknov goalkeeper.

"A brilliant start of the campaign", Laurette Montminy said after the game.

Dennisov 2-0 Vyknov
70. Javier Coulombe (Arlette Coulombe) 1-0
83. Robert Archambault 2-0

Standings
1. Zenethj 1-0-0 3-1
2. Dennisov 1-0-0 2-0
3. Hillpiece 0-1-0 1-3
4. Vyknov 0-1-0 0-2

[Quintessence of Dust]

Matchday two cutoff.

Persimmon Group

Tonarius 2-4 Vjiay
Negative Katana 1-1 Khytenna

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Vjiay                      2   1   1   0    5    3    2    4
   2  Khytenna                   2   1   1   0    2    1    1    4
   3  Negative Katana            2   0   2   0    2    2    0    2
   4  Tonarius                   2   0   0   2    2    5   -3    0

Almond Group

Dennisov 2-1 Zenethj
Hillpiece 2-1 Vyknov

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Dennisov                   2   2   0   0    4    1    3    6
   2  Zenethj                    2   1   0   1    5    4    1    3
   3  Hillpiece                  2   1   0   1    3    4   -1    3
   4  Vyknov                     2   0   0   2    1    4   -3    0

Fig Group

Western Cuba 0-3 The Shinnian Islands
South Norwega 1-3 Hassett

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Hassett                    2   2   0   0    8    2    6    6
   2  The Shinnian Islands       2   1   0   1    5    3    2    3
   3  South Norwega              2   1   0   1    4    5   -1    3
   4  Western Cuba               2   0   0   2    1    8   -7    0

Pineapple Group

Inabi 3-0 Sentient Nukes
Rick Roll Land 2-0 Sierra Apathia

Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Inabi                      2   2   0   0    8    2    6    6
   2  Rick Roll Land             2   2   0   0    4    1    3    6
   3  Sentient Nukes             2   0   0   2    1    5   -4    0
   4  Sierra Apathia             2   0   0   2    2    7   -5    0

Pear Group

Upper North Yorkshire 0-2 Undeadzombiee
Zarbli 0-3 Mount Shavano

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Mount Shavano              2   2   0   0    8    0    8    6
   2  Undeadzombiee              2   1   0   1    4    3    1    3
   3  Zarbli                     2   1   0   1    3    5   -2    3
   4  Upper North Yorkshire      2   0   0   2    0    7   -7    0

Plum Group

Emothica 0-1 St Timothy Isles
Toy Toy 0-4 Unitopolis

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Unitopolis                 2   2   0   0    5    0    5    6
   2  St Timothy Isles           2   2   0   0    4    1    3    6
   3  Emothica                   2   0   0   2    0    2   -2    0
   4  Toy Toy                    2   0   0   2    1    7   -6    0

Elderberry Group

Senzymnia 1-1 Dimoniquid
Parilisa 0-3 Kazzoria

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Kazzoria                   2   1   1   0    5    2    3    4
   2  Dimoniquid                 2   1   1   0    3    1    2    4
   3  Senzymnia                  2   0   2   0    3    3    0    2
   4  Parilisa                   2   0   0   2    0    5   -5    0

Gooseberry Group

Odinex 2-0 Kryosis
Aluetiva 2-3 St Paul's Isle

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  St Paul's Isle             2   2   0   0    5    2    3    6
   2  Kryosis                    2   1   0   1    5    4    1    3
   3  Odinex                     2   1   0   1    2    2    0    3
   4  Aluetiva                   2   0   0   2    4    8   -4    0

Kiwi Group

Colurada 1-4 Palatazze
WalesaIreland 4-1 Tarmeny

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Palatazze                  2   2   0   0    6    1    5    6
   2  WalesaIreland              2   1   0   1    4    3    1    3
   3  Colurada                   2   1   0   1    3    5   -2    3
   4  Tarmeny                    2   0   0   2    2    6   -4    0

Cloudberry Group

Quattrablegia 1-1 DRo Alba
Chocolate Pencils 1-0 Lovable Weirdos

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Chocolate Pencils          2   2   0   0    3    1    2    6
   2  Quattrablegia              2   0   2   0    2    2    0    2
   3  DRo Alba                   2   0   1   1    2    3   -1    1
   4  Lovable Weirdos            2   0   1   1    1    2   -1    1

Standings for qualification to Round of 16 as highest placed losers:

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1= Rick Roll Land             2   2   0   0    4    1    3    6
   1= St Timothy Isles           2   2   0   0    4    1    3    6
   3  Dimoniquid                 2   1   1   0    3    1    2    4
   4  Khytenna                   2   1   1   0    2    1    1    4
   5  The Shinnian Islands       2   1   0   1    5    3    2    3
   6= Zenethj                    2   1   0   1    5    4    1    3
   6= Kryosis                    2   1   0   1    5    4    1    3

[Dennisov]

Almond Group

Dennisov 2-1 Zenethj
Hillpiece 2-1 Vyknov

Two early goals for Dennisov were enough to win their second game of the Introduction of Fire and take sole possession of first place in the Almond Group.
Prior to the kick off, Laurette Montminy said that she would adopt a more attacking tactic, but as soon as the game had started, it was the defense of Dennisov that made the difference. Both Paul Hervé and Iven Lepage played a solid game as the two central defenders kept everything away from their penalty area. A slow start of the game soon picked up pace when Clarice Garcia headed in a corner awarded after some questionable defending by Zenethj. Right from resulting the kick-off Arlette Coulombe picked the ball off a Zenethj forward and passed out wide to Robert Archambault. At the touchline he whipped the ball in front of goal where Clarice Garcia headed the ball behind the Zenethj goalkeeper for her second goal in under 2 minutes.
The Zenethj coach instructed the players with both hands and feet to turn the tide. The remainder of the first half saw Zenethj hold the majority of the possession, but no real chances were created.
After the tea break both teams came back unchanged. Alexis Ménard managed to miss from 10 feet out when the ball flew over the goal as he tried to slide in a cross from Arlette Coulombe. This was as close as Dennisov had come to scoring in more than an hour's worth of football. After Zenethj had added another striker, they managed to pin Dennisov onto its own half. A hard challenge from Étienne Goguen gave Zenethj a free kick just outside the penalty area. The resulting free kick was beautifully placed behind Dennisov goalkeeper Mason L'Hiver, but unfortunately for Zenethj they could not manage to find the equaliser.

Dennisov 2-1 Zenethj
12. Clarice Garcia (Simone Lejeune)
13. Clarice Garcia (Robert Archambault)
77. Zenethj player

[Mount Shavano]

Another Dominating Performance from the National Team

ZYARN, QUINTESSENCE OF DUST - Last night the Front Range Republic national soccer team followed up a 5-0 drumming of Upper North Yorkshire with a dominating victory over the United Nations of Zarbli. Mount Shavano dominated the flow of play for the entire game, outshooting Zarbli 26-11 and spending most of the game on the opposing side of midfield.

The first clear sign of things to come came just shy of the ten minute mark, as Mike Herron blew past an overmatched defender, received a perfect pass from Grant and banged it home for a 1-0 lead. Mount Shavano began to pull away at 18:28 when Clark beat undersized defender Uindsor for a header into the corner of the goal off a pass from Watson. The 2-0 lead stood until the final two minutes of the match when Grant tapped in an exclamation point off a pass from Watson.

Clark and Herron abused their defenders all day. Uelinton couldn't handle Herron's speed and Uindsor was simply overpowered repeatedly by Clark. The defensive line for Mount Shavano showed why they are considered the unit with the star power, smothering Zarbli's offense and creating great frustration for their players. This may have been a contributing factor to a brief scuffle in the 82nd minute between Isaac Flowers and Miguelito Treta that resulted in both players being yellow carded. In post game interviews, both players insisted that the other had said something to provoke the exchange.

Robert Anderson continued to validate his once surprising selection as the national keeper, posting his second shutout in as many international games. In the post game press conference he was all smiles behind his trademark unkempt gameday hair and stubble. "Why should anyone be surprised I'm playing so well? I mean, there aren't a lot of goalkeepers who wouldn't play well with Flowers, Rimes, and Salina in front of them. My shots faced are down so much, it doesn't even quite feel like I've played afterward, you know?"

Mount Shavano now stands atop the division standings with 6 points, and has the highest goal differential in the tournament. They are one of only two teams not to allow a goal, along with Unitopolis.

BOX SCORE
Goals by Period..........1 2 Tot
-------------------------------------
Mount Shavano..........2..1..3
Zarbli.....................0..0..0

Mount Shavano
Pos ## Player...........................Sh SOG GS As +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------
GK 12 Anderson, Robert...............0...0...0...0...3
D 13 Flowers, Isaac....................0...0...0...0...3
D 33 Salina, David.....................0...0...0...0...3
D 14 Rimes, Jack......................0...0...0...0...3
M 11 Holmes, Raymond...............0...0...0...0...3
M 01 Hobbes, John....................1...0...0...0...3
M 23 Hobbes, Julius...................0...0...0...0...2
M 09 Watson, Front...................1...0...0...2...3
F 08 Herron, Mike.....................7...2...1...0...2
F 03 Clark, Lewis......................12..6...1...0...3
F 10 Grant, John.......................4...3...1...1...3
----RESERVES-------------------------------------------------
F 45 Travis, Jim.......................2...0...0...0...1
F 41 Smith, Frank.....................0...0...0...0...0
M 62 Jackson, George................1...1...0...0...0
M 17 Pershing, Ted....................0...0...0...0...0
M 44 Bradley, Matt....................0...0...0...0...1
D 76 Jones, George...................0...0...0...0...0
D 05 Nelson, William..................0...0...0...0...0
GK 02 Lee, Patrick.....................0...0...0...0...0
TOTALS Mount Shavano..............26..9...3...3...3

Mount Shavano
Pos ## Player MIN GA SV +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------
GK 12 Anderson, Robert..........90:00...0...6....3
GK 02 Lee, Patrick................00:00...0...0....0

SCORING
Goal Time Team : Scorer, Assist
-----------------------------------------------------
1. 09:31 Mount Shavano : Herron, Grant
2. 18:28 Mount Shavano : Clark, Watson
3. 88:20 Mount Shavano : Grant, Watson

OOC: Permissions change : I want to pick my own scorers.

[Kazzoria]

KAZ POST
Parilisa 0-3 Kazzoria
Last night the Kazzorian Team beat Parilisa 3-0. This great victory put Kazzoria in first place in the group in the driving seat. The game started well for Kazzoria after a good through ball from Short got through to Bob Lee’s head which sent the ball flying into the back of the net. The game was in Kazzoria’s favour and they took full advantage of it. For the first half of the first half Kazzoria controlled the game with an iron fist. It paid off in the 33rd Minute Liam Miller put the Kaz 2-0 ahead the game was really in there favour. The Kaz held out and walked into the changing rooms at half time. The manager said “It’s not over yet they can still win so go out and play to win.” The Kaz were very defensive and they then continued pressing for the second half of the second half. In the 75th Minute Brian Tash got hold of the ball 40 yards out and shot the ball ripped into the net and the Kaz fans shouted with delight. When the ref blew the final whistle Kazzorian fans erupted with happiness and then decided to start a riot. It was another 2 hours before the police gained control but everyone agreed it was a good game.

[Dimoniquid]

Supporting the Dominoes!

The Dominoes have drawn on their second match through their qualifying rounds in the Baptism of Fire 38 cup. Once the game had started on the seventh of May, there was a strong chance that they would make a name for themselves after competing in the Toiletdonia International Cup, and show them a thing or two. After taking from the first match, a two-nil win against Parilisa, it was defiantly time for Millar to get back in the game after being off for two months.

The game had started well, with only a few minor slip-ups from the Dominoes, while Carwall was watching their every move as he thought up more tactics. "It was a good draw - but to be honest, I feel we need to change the team around a little bit, see if the subs and reserves can get into the feel of being in a cup." He said, just after the match. After the first half had ended, the Dominoes were in a one-nil lead by Landers, softly chipping in the ball past the goalie and hitting the post, then flying in.

As the second half begun, Carwall had changed the team to a defensive set of mind, while sending on Head for Jameson. After letting in a long range goal by Carlos Pereira, and were distraught as they thought they were going to win. After a quick formation change, the team were hammering shots at them, but the Senzymnian team were saved by the whistle.

After finishing the game, Landers gave a quick word on how he felt when scoring his second goal on the qualifying rounds. "It was a rush of blood - I knew I was too close to the keeper, so I chipped it left thinking someone was beside me - but there wasn't. After hearing the ping off the post, I had thought it was out - only until the Domino fans started cheering in delight, and Millar came rushing over to celebrate with me. I felt fantastic."

And after the first two games, the scorers stand:
Millar - 1 Goal, Parilisa.
Landers - 2 Goals, Parilisa, Senzymnia.

The current leaderboard in the Elderberry group.

Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Kazzoria                   2   1   1   0    5    2    3    4
   2  Dimoniquid                 2   1   1   0    3    1    2    4
   3  Senzymnia                  2   0   2   0    3    3    0    2
   4  Parilisa                   2   0   0   2    0    5   -5    0

[Zarbli]

Gomen Proved Wrong... Once Again

ZYARN, QUINTESSENCE OF DUST - A mess. That was what the new Zarblese defensive system put together by coach Paulo Gomen looked like last night in the match against Mount Shavano for the second round of the Introduction of Fire. The coach tried a bunch of new players and a new tactic scheme, and was once again proven wrong in the field, as Mount Shavano won an easy 3-0 victory.

Uindsor, Miki and Uelinton did nothing but hit their heads against each other as Shavano's Herron, Grant, Clark and Watson passed through them as if playing against blind opponents. Kasapa didn't do that great in the goal either, and of the three goals he took, two he could have catched. A shameful defeat that got even worse after a misunderstanding involving Migelito Treta and Shavano's Isaac Flowers.

This terrible defeat is somewhat remembering us football lovers of the Zarblese ridiculous campaign in the Toiletdonia International, when we started winning the first match and ended up last in the group after two large defeats, much like this one. Let's just hope the team is put back in track with the return of Uiston Txartxhil after his suspension for the match against Upper North Yorkshire, the weakest team in the group. And let's also hope mister Gomen doesn't try anymore funny business.

Zarbli: Kasapa; Uindsor [Y], Miki and Uelinton; Treta [Y], Ualase(c), Raxid (then Bonaparte), Aladin (then Nohis) and Tudor; Disiparta [Y] (then San) and Norman

[Vjiay]

Tonarius 2-4 Vjiay

A good performance from the Vjiayan team who will be wondering why they didn’t win by more goals, and after ninety minutes of utter domination they’ll be wondering how the Tonarius’ even got a sniff of the points.

It looked like the Vjiayans, who scored in the eighteenth and twenty-fourth minute would take a commanding lead into the second half. That was until Tonarius grabbed a goal in extra-time, setting up a finely balanced scene for the second half. Soon after the second half began, Tonarius equalised and the Vjiayans had a few minutes of being under extreme pressure, however another set piece afforded them a goal, which was followed by a good team goal and got the Vjiayans their first win of the tournament.

Tonarius had started their tournament off poorly, losing one-nil to Khytenna who at the beginning of play today stood at the top of the league. The Vjiayans, however were ready for a tough task at Tonarius, whose manager had told them ferociously to improve, he will be able to take heart from the way his team came back from two-nil down today, but there is still much to be improved upon.

The Vjiayans burst into life as soon as the first half whistle was blown, every single Vjiayan player, even the notoriously laid-back Wrede was chasing down. The pressure mounted and mounted on Tonarius, with their keeper Lucius Boari making two world-class stops, one with his face. Eventually the pressure told, however, when a wonderful touch on the eighteenth minute from the Vjiayan number nine Arnold Wrede sent the youngster Clarke through, who, still with much work to do slipped the ball through the legs of Tonarius’ centre back Barboi and coolly rolled the ball past the helpless Boari.

The Vjiayan side didn’t rest on their laurels though and six minutes later they were two up via Wrede, a side footed shot from the left edge of the penalty box looped over the keeper and into the net, sending the Vjiayan fans behind the goal crazy.

Vjiay kept the pressure on but couldn’t capitalise and were warned that their attacking play w getting too vociferous when Tonarius counter-attacked brilliantly, but their prolific forward Rafael Tadu couldn’t finish and sent the ball just over the bar.
The Vjiayans didn’t heed the warning though and, on the forty-seventy minute yet another counter-attack from Tonarius earned them a corner kick, which was lofted beautifully onto the head of Guiseppe Chiarino, whose thunderous header shot past Holmes who didn’t move an inch. As soon as the Vjiayans kicked off again the half-time whistle went, with the Vjiayan clearly disappointed at losing a goal so late on in the game.

The goal had seemed to breathe new life into the Tonarius team, who straight from the second half kick-off were on the offensive with lobbed balls over the susceptible Higgins. On the forty-ninth minute the tactic worked, Higgins was beaten in the air by Tadu on the edge of the box, who brilliantly volleyed it on the turn. The ball soared into the top corner of Higgins’ net who, despite making a valiant dive was ultimately beaten. The Tonarius side had equalised.

The Vjiayan captain was furious and, pulling a few players to the side while Tadu and his teammates celebrated, told them what was required of them. Whatever the inspiring captain said, it worked. From the kick off the midfield seemed to have an air of confidence about them, they were spraying balls out to the left, right and centre. The Tonarius side couldn’t cope with the pace of our speedy right-midfielder Eustice, who was fouled on the edge of the box by the Tonarius left-back. The left footed Dwayne Lightfoot stepped up to take the free-kick and nobody in the stadium thought he would be doing anything other than shooting, and shoot he did. A spectacular driven shot never lifted off the turf and the Tonarius keeper, who must only have seen the ball late due to the melee of player in front of him, dove too late and could only watch as the ball rocketed into his bottom right corner. The newly galvanised Vjiayan side were in the lead once more.

The game now saw the Vjiayans utilising their pace on the wings. Time and time again the ball was lofted into the box from the Vjiayan wingers and time and time again the chances were squandered. The Vjiayans were still uneasy and required a goal to calm their nerves. It came in the eighty-second minute.

Following a Tonarius counter-attack, Holmes threw the ball thirty yards to the tireless Eustice. After a nifty one-two with Chamberlain, he sprinted down the wing, tapping the ball past the sliding Tonarius’ left back, who had looked shaky since he gave away the free kick for Vjiay’s third goal. Looking up, Eustice played a through ball Wrede, who deftly back-heeled into the path of Flinchum on the edge of the box. Without breaking stride, he struck it right on the sweet spot and the ball sailed well out of reach of the Tonarius keeper and into the net. A superb team move capped off a good team performance, and Vjiay now sit joint top of their group, sitting on four point with Khytenna.

48% - Possession – 52%
5 - Attempts on Target – 9
3 – Attempts off Target – 16
4 – Corners – 6
6 – Fouls – 4
0 – Yellow Cards – 0
0 – Red Cards - 0

[Hassett]

Excerpt from the Hassett Daily Telegraph:
HASSETT NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM ARRESTED FOR PARTYING TOO HARD


Fresh of their second victory in a row in the Batism of Fire 38 World Soccer Tourney, Hassett's national soccer team, composing of 13 members and the nation's emperor, were arrested for parting "too hard." Police responded to a call against the disturbance of peace and where promptly sursprised to see who the perpetrators were. After a good laugh and a team picture, the police apologized for the arrest and congratulated them over their 3-1 victory against South Norwega. Hassett, team captain, coach, and Galactic Emperor, told reporters with a laugh, "We were celebrating like we won the damn cup, I know we can't get ahead of ourselves, but this is our first tourney and we're already 2 and 0. Now if you excuse me, I've got to hit the pubs again with my team." Undoubtedly, the Hassett Pirates are planning on winning this tournament and are prepared for their game against the Shinnian Islands. The Pirates are presently ranked first in the Fig Group.

[Odinex]

Thor's Hammer
Odinex's Prime News Network

Our Odinex national team is on the board after their 2-0 defeat over Kryosis. The team looked strong out there, and it really showed by the result. Odinex currently slots in at third in the group, but have the same number of points as Kryosis. Goalscorers in their game were Demetrius Qusay and Olaf Bernard.

"I was actually suprised I scored from that far out," said Qusay. "When Fabio passed to me in the middle, I looked over to Olaf, but no pass there. So I turned and picked my spot in the lower left corner, and it went in past the keep."

"It feels good to get on the board. Now we can start worrying about these next four games," said Captain Regulus Clemente.

Play was back and forth throughout the entire first half, with Odinex not getting any shots on goal. After the second half kick-off, The "Blue Thunder" found their groove. In the 52nd minute, Wheland got a pass from Clemente, and sent a through ball up the left line. Fabio ran it down and passed it to Demetrius Qusay. Qusay took a step and then sent a rocket at the lower left of the goal, and it skipped into the back of the net. The team went crazy.
After that, the team went more defensive. In the 61st minute the youngster James Albin came in for Marcel Adlai. Albin set up in the back next to Clemente, which made the formation a 4-2-2-2. In the 81st minute, after a Kryosis corner, Qusay received the ball and bolted up the right side. He sent a through ball into the middle where Bernard took it and sprinted towards the keeper. When he hit the 18, he chipped the ball up and over the out-coming goalie. It bounced once and slowly moved into the net. The victory had been assured. Odinex look to move higher in the ranks after the next game, as now they know they have the talent to play internationally.

[Tonarius]

After a great display Vijay, especially in the second half, and one of the best matches of the group yet, the hosts and Vijay fans are ecstatic!Players like Dwayne Lightfoot and Wrede particularly impressed in this match, as well as Tonarius's world-famous goalkeeper, Lucius Boari (though he wasn't able to stop everything from the dominating Vijay attackers). Unfortunately, the Emperor of Tonarius isn't taking this second loss in a row so well... he is always a bit hard on the team but he really blew his top this time. Just read the following RP of what happened right after the final whistle and you'll know what I mean...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the match against Vijay, in the Tonarius locker-room:

Filip the Great: "I can't believe you guys! I just couldn't believe what I was watching out there! What were you guys thinking?!"

Right-back and experienced team captain Mihai Laloia responds:
"Cmon coach, we gave it our best but we can't always win... plus, after their first two goals they started playing ultra-defensively and had 3 or 4 guys covering our mids and forwards, like Bozzarelli and Molandino!"

Filip the Great: "We can't always win? We haven't even drawn a single game yet! Even with four games left, we have to start acting a lot more disciplined. You guys are going to have to train very hard after every one of these matches, no matter if the cost will be fatigue, we have a lot of talented subs to replace you. So work hard to keep your spot or you can leave straight away!"

*Filip the Great leaves the room in frustration*

Daniel Stacey, First-Team and Assistant Coach: "I agree, our next match will be critical. We must be prepared to play an attacking game in order to score goals and pressure the Negative Katanan defense. If we're up by two or more, I think we can switch to a more defensive style and also resort to time wasting and substitutions near the end for tired players. Also, keep your morale up guys! I know Filip the Great can be tough sometimes -- ok, all the time -- but he's just worried because it's one of his first times managing the national team in such a prestigious tournament, we can't let him and our country down. So just get some good training done, concentrate on the task at hand, go to bed early tonight, and you should be fine."

Mihai Laloia (C), Daniel Stacey, and the rest of the team (in unison):
"Vivus Tonarius! To love and conquer is to share a passion among nations!"

*They all walk off and out of the stadium in Hallmark City, joking around with each other, but knowing they will have to recuperate and start producing much better results and hope no more bad surprises happen in the campaign.*
---------------------------------------------
The loss was 4-2.

[Zarbli]

(OOC: sorry guys, I accidently deleted the content of this post :\

It was not that important though, just the rooster for the match agains UNY)

[Quintessence of Dust]

Host Announcement

Tomorrow afternoon, a national political protest has been scheduled to reform Quintessence of Dust's electoral laws. Although it is sure to be a peaceful protest, we will be unable to secure the requisite numbers of police to ensure crowd control unless those needed on duty at football games are released early. As such, all games kick off in the morning, to finish at 1000 UTC.

This is my IC way of saying that owing to certain events in the UK, I will be attending a rally on Saturday afternoon, and thus cutoff and scorination will be moved 3 hours earlier. I am sorry if this inconveniences anyone.

[Inabi]

SPORTS
Shutout, Inabi Stands Victorious Once More! 3-0: by Park Dong-Min

---

RAHLIA, QUINTESSENCE OF DUST- Once again, the Inabian National Football Team was able to claim victory on the soccer field. Pumped up by their victory from last night's game, the Inabian team was eager to bring another victory to their name. They did not disappoint. Right from the start of the first half, each player pushed themselves to the brink of their limitations. With this amount of effort that they showed, they were able to quickly put in a goal on the sixteenth minute mark. Only one of the three goals that were soon to follow. The defensive play was equally spectacular, goalkeeper Shin Young-Ho stopping a Sentient Nuke's goal chance. All in all, it was another fantastic display of skill by the Inabi team.

Head Coach Jae Kwang-Sun, once again, talked about strategy before the game. It was relatively the same thing that he said during the first game. But of course, if a strategy works, why change it? After finishing off with a last few bits of advice, he made sure to reprimand Kim Il-Sung due to his yellow card in the last game. A reminder to him so that he doesn't do anything that he might regret after the game. In my expert opinion, I would say it was more of a threat. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the Head Coach was heard saying, "Keep your ----ing --- out of trouble or I'll shove thi-, hey, who the hell are you supposed to be?! Get the ---- out of here!" My correspondent was then promptly hit on the head with a wooden stool.

That aside, the team started out a-blazing. Once the first half started, the defense was on them almost instantaneously. The defenders placed a crushing pressure on the opposing team's offense, leaving them unable to gain a foothold on Inabi's side of the field. Kang Min-Woo was able to trip up one of the opposing players, steal the ball, and pass back to Kim Il-Sung. The opposing players then backed off, possibly trying to establish their defensive perimeter before Inabi mounted an attack. Il-Sung moved quickly, however, and dashed down the field with the ball.

Being able to confuse and dribble past two defenders, Il-Sung passed to Baek Chong-Gug in the corner. Putting it up straight in the air, right by the goal, it was headed in by Yeom Keon-Hoon. The fantastic play put Inabian fans in the crowd into an absolute fervor.

The fancy footwork by Il-Sung may have possibly angered the Sentient Nukes, as they launched a full assault right after the goal. Pushing past the rows of Inabian players, some that even had their backs turned, they headed straight for the goal. They shot the ball right in front of the goal... and Shin Young-Ho catches it right in the corner! The fantastic stop leaves the Sentient Nuke's players speachless, but they still run back to establish their defense.

The ball went to Lee Chi-Woo, who passes it around with a few of the defenders before kicking a long pass to Kim Il-Sung. Determined to make up for letting his anger get the best of him, he goes with the basics and plays cautiously. He really didn't want to make a mistake. Eventually, he spots a chance and dashes past a defender. He passes in to Yeom Keon-Hoon who strikes it into the opposing team's net for another goal! This play ends the first half and leaves the Inabi fans and players ecstatic.

Starting out with a 2-0 lead in the second half, the Inabian players were feeling pretty high of themselves. They let themselves loose and played a bit fancier then they normally would if they were behind. Popping signature moves left and right, and perhaps a little sloppily, they started to almost toy around with their opponents. Their fun was ended abruptly, however, after the ball went to the team captain. He yelled at the team to, "Get it together" and "What the hell do you think this is, a joke?" The Inabian team nodded their heads and got back into the game.

Nearing the end of the game, Baek Chong-Gug was able to get another goal in, ending the game at 3-0. A complete shutout by the Inabi defense and a few great plays by the Inabi offense. Now, the Inabian National Football Team is 2-0 in the Pineapple group, tied for first with Rick Roll Land. Every Inabi football fan is awaiting the next day when the two 2-0 teams face off.

Two undefeated teams will go in, only one will come out still undefeated.

[Mount Shavano]

"...then Clark can cross over behind Herron, without an offside call, and be open for a pass and shot. We should be able to take advantage of Kilburn's inexperience." Landry capped the marker he had been using to diagram a set piece play on the board. "David, I want you to get inside Klinetob's head. He has a notoriously short temper, so if you can shut him down he may get frustrated and do something stupid. Follow him around the field and lock him out completely. Flowers and Rimes can handle the zone defense by themselves."

"Remember, the offside trap will work well against an aggressive team like the Zombiees. Employ it if you see a good opportunity. Also, try to keep the pace up. Our two blowout victories have let us get plenty of rotational guys in to play so we should be fresher. The Zombiees are likely to play right into our hands, since Football* Weekly rated them an aggressive, high tempo +2 in style. Gametime is only hours away, stay loose."

*OOC: In Mount Shavano it is considered a four-letter word to refer to soccer as football. The only, odd, exceptions are FC, which is treated as a word not an acronym, and proper nouns referring to international publications that use the uncouth term.

To Jack Beade

I have a bottle of San Juan '62 that says you folks give up a goal before we do.

-John Landry

[Unitopolis]

Starting Line-Up (4-2-1-3)

GK: Jason Paul
LB: Séan Flawsley
CB: Eric Aldé
CB: Yutre Garu (C)
RB: Emile Fallopius
LW: Giuseppe Joliano '50
CAM: Ernie Milestone (Jack Clancers '45)
RW: Vladimir Denzostropok
F: Coreninho MoM '34, '44
F: Rob Van Muir '88
F: Niall Hunt

Substitutes
GK: Martin Budsaja
CB: Joseph Olombo
RB: Séamus O'Mathruaigh
CM: Jack Clancers (Ernie Milestone '45)
F: Patrick Higgins


A fine performance from the Unitopolis football team put them top of Plum Group, ahead of St. Timothys isles by goal difference alone. Emile Fallopius' knee injury was healed so the FC Bartrend man started ahead of Séamus O'Máthruaigh. Kenil Hutsa had to return home to attend his father's funeral, so Ernie Milestone was brought in as a central attacking midfielder.

Central midfield seemed to be Unitopolis' weak point for the first ten minutes, as a Toy Toy attack looked close to going in and tested Jason Paul in the Unitopolis goal. However, the team soon found their shooting boots and Giuseppe Joliano, Rob Van Muir and even Séan Flawsely all had close shots. Unitopolis had to wait until after the half hour mark for the first goal, a long Eric Aldé ball found Niall Hunt, who's ball across the six yard box found Corenhinho, who just had to tap it in for his second goal of the tournament.

Ten minutes later the Athletico man had a second goal, as he pounced on a rebound from a Ernie Milestone shot. At half-time, with Unitopolis cruising, Jack Beade felt confident enough to take Ernie Milestone off for Jack Clancers, and change the formation to a 4-1-2-3, with Giuseppe Joliano and Vladimir Denzostropok playing in more forward roles. They didn't have to wait long for more involvement, with a 50th minute Joliano cut inside wrong-footing the Toy-Toyan defence, leaving the path open for him to shoot, leaving the Toy-Toyan goalkeeper shocked.

Denzostropok nearly had a goal aswell, but his curling effort struck the bar. Unitopolis had to wait until the 88th minute for their final goal, a clever Jack Clancers - Giuseppe Joliano - Coreninho move allowed Rob Van Muir to break free in the box, and the 28 year old didn't miss from 10 yards out.

Manager Jack Beade was "delighted with the result", and he told us; "Yeah of course i was desperate for us to show the world what we can do and i think that was a pretty good demonstration. it's our second clean sheet, and the only other team to be able to say that are Mount Shavano, so it's great news."

Unitopolis 4 - 0 Toy-Toy: Corenhinho '34, '44, Joliano '50, Van Muir '88
Man of the Match: Corenhinho
UTN Sports - Baptism of Fire

[Unitopolis]

The Unitopolis defenders ran another lap of the training pitch; "Boss, when can we stop?" asked Séamus O'Mathruaigh, one of the younger players on the team. "Never!" replied Jack Beade harshly. "At least, not until i'm drinking a fine bottle of vintage with John Landry's fingerprints on it!" He turned around with a glint in his eye for his parting line; "i want the Pope to be more likely to score than our opposition!"

[Undeadzombiee]

Everyone walked to their lockers in silence. Not because they lost, but because they had only just then realized the significance of the game. It was a huge win, and one that they would owe any deep runs in this tourney to.

“I want to reflect on what this win means to Undeadzombiee, before I discuss the game,” said Johnsom. “You all played amazing, and fixed all of our problems, and with the quick schedule we are on, I think that is quite an accomplishment.

‘But that isn’t the most important thing about the game. The biggest thing to me is that Undeadzombiee finally has a reputable success in international play. Most of our fans, if they were listening to this, would point out that we had a number or wins in both the Warkus, and the Toiletdonian competitions. I, and the record books, don’t count those, as they weren’t WC-sponsored.

‘Our soccer program has come a long way. You guys have a passion for a game that many countries can’t match. You played games not because your parents made you join a league, but because you wanted to. In anyone else’s eyes, you were idiots playing a stupid game, wasting time that could be used helping solve crises, or helping your education. We didn’t have any professional or even youth football leagues. All we had was Officeball, and American Football.

‘But you, and only you, lit the way. You helped for the Zombiee league, and helped establish this very team. The ones that weren’t athletically gifted, yet still had a passion for the game, not only did you help make the pill that has tremendously help us mature as a sporting nation, but almost all of you are trainers of some sort or another in this very room.

‘Many people outside, consider themselves maniacs, or true supporters, or original fan base, but only you guys deserved to be called that. You saw the our team mature and develop, and stuck with it as you waited four long years to play a match. And this is the payoff.

‘This next game, it will determine if you will make it to the Round of Sixteen. Mount Shavano is a dangerous foe, and average winning 4-0. If we are to win, we will need to play even better than this game, and with the energy of a pickup game, one where it didn’t matter what you were going to do afterwards, because right now, you were experiencing the magic of football. And you didn’t care if you spent your life on the streets, as long as you could find a good match. This is your match. This will be the determining factor. Even though we will still have three games left, this is the most important match. So go out there, and play as if this is the world, and the only thing that matters is this game!”

[Senzymnia]

"Okay, let's pick the teams," Carlos Pereira said. He was the captain of the Senzymnian football team, and a great player as well. The striker scored both goals in the 2-2 tie against Kazzoria and the lone goal in the 1-1 tie against Dimoniquid. Senzymnia had to get a convincing win against...meh, it didn't matter. They'd all forget after a few rounds anyway.

"All right, we'll have you and me as captains," Rebecca Laurence said. Rebecca was the leader of the girls, in essence. Senzymnia had four female starters and two bench players, out of the Scarlet Lions' fifteen total players. Rebecca was also very skilled; she was the center halfback, and set up a lot of plays; she, in fact, got three assists in the games.

"Okay," Carlos said, "I'll take...Robert." The goalkeper Warckle walked over to his side. Not only had Warckle made twelve saves in two games, he could also hold a lot of alcohol.

"Brenda and Sandy," Rebecca returned.

"Jack and Claudius."

"Maura and Lindsay."

"Michael and Ben."

"Lisa and Wyland."

"That leaves me with Jake and Shaun." And the game started. The rules: Every minute, one player from each team takes a shot of gujani, which is pure fermented cherry juice, and contains 70% ABV. The teams may choose which player takes the shot on each turn; no order must be determined, and a team could utilize a strategy where a player would not have to drink at all.

This is the strategy that Carlos was using. He was going to go from weakest player to strongest. Rebecca's strategy was to divide up the shots.

After 14 minutes, Carlos' team lost their first player. Shaun was going first, and passed out immediately after his 14th shot. Each person on Rebecca's team had two shots and, obviously, were still going strong.

15 more minutes, Jake was out too. After four shots, except for five for Maura, no one was out, but a little shaky.

After an hour had elapsed, on the sixtieth shot, Michael and Ben were also passed out. In preparations for the next one, however, Lisa slumped over.

In the next seventeen minutes, Rebecca's players dropped off one by one. The team lost everyone but for Rebecca herself, Brenda and Wyland. Carlos lost Jack. It was three against three. It was Claudius' turn to pick up the baton for Carlos' team.

For some reason, Claudius couldn't do it. He had been known to hold up to twenty-five shots in a game, but after five he was down for the count. Rebecca, Brenda, and Wyland seemed to be showing less stupor. But it was Carlos' turn next.

It took twenty minutes for Carlos to be gone, at which point Brenda and Wyland were also out. It remained John against Rebecca. It actually turned out that they had a bet amongst themselves. They had been dating for two months - unbeknownst to everyone else - and the bet tonight was that whoever lost had to pay for dinner.

"Bring it," John said, rolling his eyes. He held 20 consistently, and Rebecca had already had about 15.

Rebecca smiled as the red liquid passed through her lips.

[Quintessence of Dust]

MD3 cutoff

Persimmon Group

Tonarius 3-0 Negative Katana
Vjiay 3-0 Khytenna

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Vjiay                      3   2   1   0    8    3    5    7
   2  Khytenna                   3   1   1   1    2    4   -2    4
   3  Tonarius                   3   1   0   2    5    5    0    3
   4  Negative Katana            3   0   2   1    2    5   -3    2

Almond Group

Dennisov 1-2 Hillpiece
Zenethj 1-2 Vyknov

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Dennisov                   3   2   0   1    5    3    2    6
   2  Hillpiece                  3   2   0   1    5    5    0    6
   3  Zenethj                    3   1   0   2    6    6    0    3
   4  Vyknov                     3   1   0   2    3    5   -2    3

Fig Group

Western Cuba 1-2 South Norwega
The Shinnian Islands 0-0 Hassett

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Hassett                    3   2   1   0    8    2    6    7
   2  South Norwega              3   2   0   1    6    6    0    6
   3  The Shinnian Islands       3   1   1   1    5    3    2    4
   4  Western Cuba               3   0   0   3    2   10   -8    0

Pineapple Group

Inabi 3-0 Rick Roll Land
Sentient Nukes 0-1 Sierra Apathia

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Inabi                      3   3   0   0   11    2    9    9
   2  Rick Roll Land             3   2   0   1    4    4    0    6
   3  Sierra Apathia             3   1   0   2    3    7   -4    3
   4  Sentient Nukes             3   0   0   3    1    6   -5    0

Pear Group

Upper North Yorkshire 1-3 Zarbli
Undeadzombiee 0-2 Mount Shavano

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Mount Shavano              3   3   0   0   10    0   10    9
   2  Zarbli                     3   2   0   1    6    6    0    6
   3  Undeadzombiee              3   1   0   2    4    5   -1    3
   4  Upper North Yorkshire      3   0   0   3    1   10   -9    0

Plum Group

Emothica 2-0 Toy Toy
St Timothy Isles 0-2 Unitopolis

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Unitopolis                 3   3   0   0    7    0    7    9
   2  St Timothy Isles           3   2   0   1    4    3    1    6
   3  Emothica                   3   1   0   2    2    2    0    3
   4  Toy Toy                    3   0   0   3    1    9   -8    0

Elderberry Group

Senzymnia 0-0 Parilisa
Dimoniquid 2-0 Kazzoria

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Dimoniquid                 3   2   1   0    5    1    4    7
   2  Kazzoria                   3   1   1   1    5    4    1    4
   3  Senzymnia                  3   0   3   0    2    2    0    3
   4  Parilisa                   3   0   1   2    0    5   -5    1

Gooseberry Group

Odinex 0-0 Aluetiva
Kryosis 2-0 St Paul's Isle

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Kryosis                    3   2   0   1    7    4    3    6
   2  St Paul's Isle             3   2   0   1    5    4    1    6
   3  Odinex                     3   1   1   1    2    2    0    4
   4  Aluetiva                   3   0   1   2    4    8   -4    1

Kiwi Group

Colurada 1-1 WalesaIreland
Palatazze 4-2 Tarmeny

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Palatazze                  3   3   0   0   10    3    7    9
   2  WalesaIreland              3   1   1   1    5    4    1    4
   3  Colurada                   3   1   1   1    4    6   -2    4
   4  Tarmeny                    3   0   0   3    4   10   -6    0

Cloudberry Group

Quattrablegia 0-0 Chocolate Pencils
DRo Alba 2-1 Lovable Weirdos

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Chocolate Pencils          3   2   1   0    3    1    2    7
   2  DRo Alba                   3   1   1   1    4    4    0    4
   3  Quattrablegia              3   0   3   0    2    2    0    3
   4  Lovable Weirdos            3   0   1   2    2    4   -2    1

Second place qualification to the Round of 16 standings:

 Pos  Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  St Paul's Isle             3   2   0   1    5    4    1    6
   2  St Timothy Isles           3   2   0   1    4    3    1    6
   3  South Norwega              3   2   0   1    6    6    0    6
   4  Zarbli                     3   2   0   1    6    6    0    6
   5  Hillpiece                  3   2   0   1    5    5    0    6
   6  Rick Roll Land             3   2   0   1    4    4    0    6

[South Norwega]

SOUTH NORWEGA WIN!

The South Norwegan team today defeated Western Cuba 2-1, taking Second Place in the Fig Group. With 3 matches still to play, South Norwega and their next opponents, the Shinnian Islands seem to be battling for second place in the group, with Hassett remaining undefeated but today drawing with The Shinnian Islands. Both Captain Tony Blair and Vice-Captain Gordon Brown scored a goal each in the first half, before Western Cuba powered one through in the 84th minute, despite valiant efforts of the South Norwegan defense, and a largely dominating performance all round for the team. The Captain stated after the game that they expect a tougher match-up against the Shinnian Islands tomorrow, and hope they can pull through as they did in their last match.

[Undeadzombiee]

They walked in silent, again. But not because they had slayed, or even tied the giant. No, they had lost, and were three points out of the round of 16, and only three games to make it up. Not that the wanted to point any fingers. They all had fallen, and needed to work together to put on their wings.

Not many of them, as Johnsom came in, looked at him, fearing a glance from him would tear their last shred of hope. But the few who did were surprised. He didn’t have a red face, or look angry at all. He wasn’t exactly happy, but he had a… peaceful look on his face. He walked to the center of the room, he started talking.

“Many of you expected me to be angry, mad when I came in, and I was quite angry. But not at our team. No, I was angry at the fact that even though all of you had came in and played your best we still lost. But not at you. You came in with the energy I asked for, but unfortunately, so did Mount Shavano. They played like they wanted to prove that they belonged in first, and they did prove it.

‘This next game, if you come in with the same energy, or even half as much, we will win. I’m not saying to be overconfident, no that would destroy your energy. Just run in, start doing what you do best, and grab the win. We need this win, because otherwise, we would be nine points behind the leader. We desperately need to win this, no question about it.

‘I’m sure you don’t want to hear any more from me, but I have asked Johnson Creamer to speak to you, and here he is.”

Many players applauded the young, wide eyed boy as he walked into the center. He stood there for a few seconds, taking it all in, realizing that all of his peers would do anything to be standing in this position, win or loss.

He cleared his throat, and then spoke. “You guys, let me first say it is an honor to be here. You guys are who I have dreamed to be like, and so far this tourney has been an amazing experience. I don’t want you guys to think I enjoy losing, which I don’t, but this has been the best week of my life.

‘I never knew my parents, and didn’t lead a normal life at all. I was an outcast, a misfit. The only place I felt at home was the pitch, and as soon as I got of the pitch, everybody, even my teammates ranted how I was a ball hog.

‘I was a ball hog, just one who was the only one on the team to understand football (soccer for Mount Shavano). I’m not bragging, the rest just dribbled through the middle and scored. My team could have been able to challenge many older teams, if my teammates had had one ounce of tactics. But we didn’t, and one day, I met a kid like me, one who was enhanced like me. He is on our team right now, and he was older, but the pill had been much weaker when he took it.

‘And one day, our teams met up, in a duel of the top two youth teams in Undeadzombiee. We were both on U-21 teams now, and I had tactical coaches, and players. So we went to defend our crown, as the best team in the league, against the mystery prodigy. I was eight, he was eighteen . We dueled a long, bruising, bleeding game, and we fought like enemies, and it was almost like a play, where the secondary characters were there to set up the scenes, but not be in them.

‘We were both passing the ball around, but his teammates could usually take the ball from us, not quickly, but as we drew nearer to the goal. After eighty minutes of war, it was still tied, zero-zero. And I dribbled the ball up to midfield, and the prodigy came to meet me. I tried a feint, he caught it. He tried another feint, I caught it.

‘The contest continued for what felt like ages, and none of the other twenty on the field dared interfere. We tried every trick in the book, and then made up some. Finally, I tried dribbled backwards, away from him, and then trying to go around him with my speed, but he anticipated it all the way, and with a few seconds left, intercepted it, dribbled down to the goal, through nine defenders, and shot it in, winning the game. The prodigy’s name is Jonas Dollings!”

Everyone looked shocked, and for a minute chattered and whispered among themselves. They couldn’t believe what Creamer had said!

“Finally, I had been defeated, and we never rose to the top again. Never even came close, at all. We fell, and cracked the top ten once. So I guess what I am trying to say is, we really need to pick up the pace, or we, we will be replaced. Whether it is foreign recruits, or enhanced people like me, we will be replaced, unless we improve.

‘Win this game, and the next, and see where we are. And then, go and kick Mount Shavano’s fancy butts!”

Every soul in the room started chanting, and if you had come in there, you would have thought it was the Mount Shavano room, they were so happy.

[Odinex]

Thor's Hammer
Odinex's Prime News Network

Odinex couldn't pounce on their oppurtunity to get 6 points and had to settle with a draw. They currently have 4 points in 3 games, behind two other teams with 6. They will be looking to redeem themselves from their loss to St. Paul's Isles when they play them again in the next match.

No goals scored made an un-exciting match for the fans. Possession was easily given away by everyone. Odinex had only 3 shots on goal, two of which were from the strong forward, Bernard. In the 69th minute, midfielder Marcel Adlai came off for the striker Haidar Kevan. Haidar played right forward for the rest of the game, and Qusay moved into the right mid spot. Clemente moved in to the center-mid position, which made the formation a 4-3-3. The extra striker wasn't enough to get the go ahead goal.

"I didn't really do a lot the entire game, and it was tough watching my team struggle out there, but we're ready for the next one and we are going to give it our all," said Odinex goalkeeper Owen Mason.

Odinex will look to earn 7, when they play St. Paul's Isles in the next mach.

[Mount Shavano]

Postgame Press Conference, Zyarn

Robert Anderson, with a broad grin on his face and a Front Range flag decor or the wall behind him, stood behind a bank of microphones.

"Mr. Anderson, how does it feel to have posted a third consecutive shutout to open the Baptism of Fire?"

"It feels great. I mean, one shutout always feels good, but three in a row on this stage is really something else. Hey, Jack, Isaac, and David, you're my new favorite people." There was a chuckle from the reporters.

"What do you think about the level of competition here? You've crushed all three teams you've faced. Would it be reasonable to say that the FRLS has a higher level of play than the Baptism of Fire?"

"Now, look here. You've put me in a difficult position. If I say yes, I diss everyone in the whole tournament. If I say no, FC Monarch is going to be talking about it all year. So, you can say whatever you want. Just remember that not all the games have been as lopsided as the score. I think the Zombiees actually out-shot us by something like 9-8, and Zarbli may not have shown up against us but they beat the Zombiees and are a team that we are approaching with a lot of respect for the rematch."

"So, what's your opinion of Upper North Yorkshire?"

"They haven't played with any heart at all this whole tournament. They just look like they don't care, but if they turn it on they do have quite a bit of talent. I wouldn't want to go up against a Upper North Yorkshire team that cared." He paused. "You know what, that's wrong. That may be the way everyone talks, but they're wrong. I want to play the best games I can against the best teams I can."

"With that in mind, who do you want to face in the round of 16?"

"Let's not get hasty with the tournament seeding. We're only halfway through, and a lot could change on the backstretch. Right now, we're just focused on beating the Commies. Besides, no matter who it is, by that stage of a major international tournament they'll be one heck of a dangerous opponent."

"You have the chance to clinch your division of four this week, with a win and a Zombiee defeat of Zarbli. What do you think of your chances?"

"Do we? I don't remember seeing that. Don't assume that tiebreaker is locked up. It's been fun, gentlemen."

BOX SCORE GAME THREE
Goals by Period..........1 2 Tot
---------------------------------------------------------
Mount Shavano..........1..1..2
Undeadzombiee.........0..0..0

Mount Shavano
Pos ## Player...........................Sh SOG GS As +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------
GK 12 Anderson, Robert...............0...0...0...0...2
D 13 Flowers, Isaac....................0...0...0...0...2
D 33 Salina, David.....................0...0...0...0...2
D 14 Rimes, Jack......................0...0...0...0...2
M 11 Holmes, Raymond...............3...3...0...0...1
M 01 Hobbes, John....................1...0...0...0...2
M 23 Hobbes, Julius...................0...0...0...0...0
M 09 Watson, Front...................0...0...0...0...2
F 08 Herron, Mike.....................1...1...0...0...2
F 03 Clark, Lewis......................2...1...1...1...2
F 10 Grant, John.......................1...0...0...0...2
----RESERVES-------------------------------------------------
F 45 Travis, Jim.......................0...0...0...0...1
F 41 Smith, Frank.....................0...0...0...0...1
M 62 Jackson, George................0...0...0...0...1
M 17 Pershing, Ted....................0...0...0...0...0
M 44 Bradley, Matt....................0...0...0...0...0
D 76 Jones, George...................0...0...0...0...0
D 05 Nelson, William..................0...0...0...0...0
GK 02 Lee, Patrick.....................0...0...0...0...0
TOTALS Mount Shavano..............8...5...2...2...2

Undeadzombiee
Pos ## Player...........................Sh SOG GS As +/-
----------------------------------------------------------------
GK 00 Armour, Bruce...................0...0...0...0..-2
D 00 Hofer, Craig......................0...0...0...0..-2
D 00 Kilburn, Carl......................0...0...0...0..-2
D 00 Pagley, Tommie..................0...0...0...0..-2
M 00 Dollings, Jonas...................1...0...0...0..-2
M 00 McCullough, Russ................1...0...0...0..-2
M 00 Groeschel, Alphonse.............1...0...0...0..-2
M 00 Ennish, Santo....................1...1...0...0..-2
M 00 Dolven, Man......................1...1...0...0..-2
F 00 Klinetob, Randall.................2...1...0...0..-2
F 00 Kalen, Erich.......................2...2...0...0..-2
TOTALS Undeadzombiee..............9...5...0...0..-2

Mount Shavano
Pos ## Player MIN GA SV +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------
GK 12 Anderson, Robert..........90:00...0...5....2
GK 02 Lee, Patrick................00:00...0...0....0

Undeadzombiee
Pos ## Player MIN GA SV +/-
-----------------------------------------------------------
GK 00 Armour, Bruce..............90:00...2...3...-2

SCORING
Goal Time Team : Scorer, Assist
-----------------------------------------------------
1. 35:03 Mount Shavano : Clark, Holmes
2. 82:49 Mount Shavano : Herron, Clark

To Jack Beade

You didn't think just one game was going to do it, did you?

-John Landry

OOC: Zombiees contributed to this post.