Runner Cup 3 - Everything Thread

[Dainer]

THE DAINERI NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
(or a reasonable facsimile thereof)

UNIFORM


FORMATION
4-1-4-1

STARTERS

Number Position Name      Team
1      [GK]     Kakana    Marvel Team
2      [CB]     Sarumna   Minigoleada
3      [CB]     Sardini   Catarro
4      [WB]     Dalton    Acropolis
6      [WB]     Bezerro   Minigoleada
5      [DM]     Pioyt     Raoni
7      [CM/OM]  Kantemir  Minigoleada (CAPTAIN)
8      [SB/OM]  Maddox    Sun Coast
10     [SS/CF]  Catapimba Xistrumbigonça
11     [SS]     Perez     Crystal
9      [CF]     Zig       Amaritu.

RESERVES

Number Position Name           Team
12     [GK]     Smolenyak      Tarruço
23     [GK]     Fusilli        Ragaman
13     [CB]     Kakatua        Trevas
14     [CB]     Oderfla        Telestar
15     [CB]     Rohan          Shitrom
16     [WB]     Jotacá         Urboyts
17     [WB]     Cavallo        Éclaireurs
18     [CM/OM]  Sasera         Marvel Team
19     [OM]     Pablo Tostinez Adda
20     [WF]     Marcelo        Conga
21     [SS]     Marek          Conga
22     [CF]     Bolagato       Telestar

STYLE
+3

RP PERMISSIONS
Everything but deaths and career-ending injuries.

[Kitsunia-Deesse]

KITSUNIA-DEESSE'S RUNNER CUP 3 ROSTER
LES GUERRIERS

Returning to another Runner Cup, les Guerriers belive that this tournament could be a good place to showcase their skills. Obviously, they want the title and will hit anyone on their way out.

STARTERS
Num.	Pos.	Name				Species		Team
01	GK	Sophie PLEBONESQUETEU		Kitsune		Platform Moon Rotoms [Eastern Sunrise Islands]
02	LB	Daphné LILIAN			BassWulf	Wolfenstade Ehrgeiz
03	CB	Oironi XABANAXASPATRUA		Xatu		McDuck Football [Duckota] (Captain)
04	CB	Lione ZARASTRUSESC		Kitsune		Avenida Victoria [Farfadillis]
05	RB	Isabel DOMINIQUE		Kitsune		Ayeville Pikachus [Northern Sunrise Islands]
06	DM	Angia SAINT-JACQUES		Bravian		Stilwater Saints [Northern Sunrise Islands]
07	CM	Joan-Marie BRONANTURT		Basswulf	Wolfenstade Ehrgeiz
08	CM	Michél PETIT			Kitsune		Scoltland City [Crystal Empire]
09	OM	Ann Marie LILLEVÉRE		Óscean		Rimouski Sous-Marina
10	CF	Fantina ZIROME			Kitsune		Canterlot Stars [Equestrian States]
11	CF	LOUISE SIOUX			Kitsune		Bonanza Saints
BENCH
12	GK	Pierre LA SALLE			Kitsune		Mowling Arcanines [Northern Sunrise Islands]
13	LB	Évrard GEORGES-DU-BARRY		Basswulf	Avalon United
14	CB	Felix VULPINART			Kitsune		Bellemont Ruritain
15	CB	Malin RAVIOUSE			Kitsune		Wolfenstade Ehrgeiz
16	RB	Manfred BONCHARD		Kitsune		Bonanza Saints
17	DM	Antón LA MISER			Kitsune		Selyne City Athenians [Northern Sunrise Islands]
18	CM	Yami PREFESSÉUR			Kitsune		Orange Mecánique
19	CM	Fortuna LILINOIS		Kitsune		Montagnard Novabern
20	OM	Anastasie BEAULIEU		Kitsune		Avalon United
21	CF	ELISE SIOUX			Kitsune		Cápitale Legión
22	CF	Lucile MORGANE			Kitsune		Afonse Battalion [Northern Sunrise Islands]
23	CF	Caresse ROSSIGNOL		Kitsune		Amy Roselias [Northern Sunrise Islands]
24	CF	Mahaut ROXANE			Kitsune		Boston Yellow Scarves [Northern Sunrise Islands]
25	LB	Émilie SALOMÉ			Bravian		Guerriers Aztèques
26	CB	Domitille CAROLE		Óscean		Serebii Arceus
27	CB	Diéter LANGNUSSBAUM		Basswulf	Guerriers Aztèques
28	RB	Allie MONESTRAFASTEU		Kitsune		Cápitale Legión
29	DM	Charmaine CHARTIER		Kitsune		Avalon United
30	CM	Silke KUNZEPROMÌSS		Basswulf	Fortune Métropolites
31	CM	Arridano AUTHIER		Kitsune		San Jose Sharpedoes [Northern Sunrise Islands]
32	GK	Jenna MATHIEU			Kitsune		Cápitale Legión
33	OM	Véronique MARCHESSEAULT		Kitsune		Thunchester Noctowls [Northern Sunrise Islands]
34	CB	Karolin ZIMMERBAER		Basswulf	Santerbourg Frontière
35	CB	Brie DUFOUR			Kitsune		Carnival City Samba [Northern Sunrise Islands]
36	CM	Bradamate FRAPPIER		Kitsune		Avalon United
37	DM	Scottéry WHOINE			Bravian		Cápitale Soeurs
--	COACH	La Déesse XI, CLARE		Kitsune		NONE				Style: +1

RP PERMISSIONS
Don't kill or injure them for too long. Cards are fine, zanny goals are even better.

[Crystal Ponies]

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

RUNNER CUP 3 PREVIEW: GROUP B

PONYVILLE, Equestrian States - In just a few hours, the Crystal Empire will kick off its Runner Cup campaign here in Ponyville against Cata Larga in front of what is expected to be a friendly crowd dominated by equine fans. Most supporters of the Crystal Knights remain optimistic - as always - about the Crystal Empire's chances of making an impression in this tournament, and the team's first match (against the lowest ranked team in Group B) should be an excellent indicator for what fans will see in the next couple weeks.

But before any hoofball is actually played, let's take a quick look at the Crystal Knights' group stage opponents...

#144 - Cata Larga
The lowest-ranked team in the group and one of the lower-ranked teams in the tournament field, Cata Larga has yet to announce an official roster for the tournament and as such could prove somewhat unpredictable. Will they line up in a 4-4-2? a 3-5-2? a 0-0-10? Who knows? However, if anything, we should be able to power past Cata Larga on skill and determination alone, though the friendly crowds should also give us a bit of a boost.

#120 - Timbermunich
On paper, the Crystal Empire is definitely better than Timbermunich when it comes to hoofball. But the matches aren't played on paper, and that may prove damning for our beloved Crystal Knights. The Hardwoods (as their team is called) are a side that relies on strength and brute force more than precision and accuracy like our own team, which will certainly create an interesting contrast when the two teams face each other. Still, a draw or win should be expected, and if the Crystal Empire can earn three points against both Timbermunich and Cata Larga in their first two matches, they'll be almost certainly assured a spot in the next round.

#75 - Lymantatia
Finally, in a match which could potentially decide the winner of Group B, the Crystal Empire will take on Lymantatia. The only player the Crystal Knights will really need to worry about here will be Jacques Bressler, the free-scoring Lymantatian who often is hailed as the only reason this team is any good at all. Shut down Bressler and the Crystal Empire will surely claim at least a share of the spoils in this match.

[Equestrian States]

RUNNER CUP III
MATCH DAY 1 RESULTS

Group A

Equestrian States 4–2 New North Aqmuland
at Star Stadium in Canterlot

Schiavonia 1–1 Wolfenia
at the Equestria Dome in Canterlot

Group B

Crystal Empire 3–1 Cata Larga
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville

Timbermunich 0–0 Lymantatia
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale

Group C

Eastfield Lodge 3–2 Kazamatsuri
at Wild Grounds in Everfree

Jeckland 2–1 Miley World
at Shady Grove in Whitetail

Group D

Boring Paradise 2–1 Monkeykind
at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan

Itanpavia 1–0 Kernansquillec
at Derby Field in Manehattan

Group E

Mangolana 3–0 The Saint James Islands
at HarmonyLink Field in Seaddle

Dainer 2–2 Super-Llamaland
at Pony Lands Park in Manechester

Group F

Darvale 5–3 Kandorith
at the Maple Bowl in Trottawa

Patistan 4–4 Semarland
at Ironworks Park in Stalliongrad

Group G

The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 2–2 Olastor
at Filly Financial Stadium in Fillydelphia

Kitsunia-Deesse 3–3 Jeru FC
at Birminghoof Field in Birminghoof

Group H

Nassau Hessen 2–0 United Commonwealth of Ayrshire
at Apple Orchard Park in Appleoosa

Gloriax 1–2 McKleigh
at Salt Lick Stadium in Salt Lick City

[Jeru FC]

At Birminghoof Field in Birminghoof, Equestrian States. Princess Amy and Dream Lord after a 3-3 draw ...

Amy: Hey, you lot defend like ... grandfathers
DL: Really?
Amy: Yes, you're supposed to stop them attacking instead of waiting for them to attack first
DL: We aren't exactly young anymore
Amy: Yes but you aren't exactly Dad's army either
DL: People call us Dad's Army

Amy: Because you defend like Dad's Army
DL: But our opponent was stronger, faster and betterer
Amy: But if you can score 3 goals against them, surely you can defend betterer then
DL: I suppose ...
Amy: Aren't you lot supposed to be retired?
DL: Yes but I guess that didn't happen

Amy: So are you lot going be around next World Cup
DL: No, we're gonna be retired after this one
Amy: Thank God for that
DL: Why?
Amy: We need a new generation, we can't have grandpas playing football
DL: We're not that old

Amy: I dunno
DL: I guess we are long overdue to be replaced
Amy: Nevermind that
DL: I guess retirement should be good
Amy: So where you to you retire to?
DL: Special projects

Amy: Doing special stuff
DL: Whatever that is
Amy: Special projects is the drug testing section
DL: Yeah, we get free drugs?
Amy: Yes, you get lots of free drugs
DL: I'm looking forward to retirement

Amy: I only know this because hubby knows what that section does
DL: We love our drugs
Amy: Experiment stuff that could kill you drugs
DL: Well, we're used to experimenting on ourselves
Amy: OK, good luck there
DL: Well, sounds like a job for Jeru FC!

Amy: Well you could be stronger better and bigger you could also be deader
DL: I'm surprised we're still alive
Amy: That too, given you clear minefields for a living
DL: We do have a few accidents doing that
Amy: Hopefully I get a proper team next cup
DL: We're proper, properly drugged up

[The Saint James Islands]

National Anthem to play before matches: In Plenty and In Time of Need
Style Modifier: +e rounded to two decimal places, please  
Should my opponent RP first, he/she may do the following:
    =================================
    Choose My Goalscorers: Yes
    Godmod Goalscoring Events: No
    Injure Players: Yes (Please TG me if you've more than two or are going to end someone's career, though)
    Godmod Injury Events: No
    Red Card Players: TG me first, please
    Yellow Card Players: Yes, just please don't go overboard
    Godmod Other Events: Sure, why not?  Just no death please. Or maiming.
    =================================
    If I haven't posted a starting eleven for a particular game, please assume that the standard eleven are
being used. You can feel free to make substitutions, so long as they are defender for defender, midfielder for
midfielder, forward for forward.

La Fèdèracion Futballista das Isolas Santo-Jacovo
Pré Patrio, Pré Juogo



Line-up for the Runner Cup
Saint James Islands Men's National Football Team

Roster and Formation of the Men's National Team

Les Oiseaux are known to be a very offensive team, subscribing to the philosophy of "the best defence is a good offence." The team tends to start a 3-4-3 formation in games, though the Saint Jamesian playing style calls for the ability to fluidly switch between offence and defence as needed. Players dubbed "left/right forwards/defenders" by the team would usually be considered centre players by other nations, and these players can switch between posts on their third of the field or even fall back when necessary. Defensive players do play slightly farther out to allow more coverage on offensive players, but the Saint Jamesian strategy is to keep possession no deeper than the midfield so as to not have to resort to a defence in the back. In the case that Les Oiseaux needs to cover an effective offensive team, the Islanders will typically shift to a more orthodox 5-3-2 strategy, with two midfielders falling back to the defensive line and a forward falling back to the midfield.

No major changes have occurred for most of the team, though Intan Petera (/inˈtan pɛˈtɛ.ɹa/) and Marco Léses (/ˈmaɾ.ko ˈlø.zes/) have had their numbers reversed from the World Cup campaign. The most major change is the departure of Mani de la Cruz from the team, with Corona Christiana forward Jan-Nikläs Rosenkränts (/jɑn niˈklæs ʀɔsɛnˈkʀænts/) brought on from the under-21 team to replace him in the "Triad". Mikaere Raia (/mi.kaˈɛ.ɹɛ ɹaˈi.a/) shifts to the centre to cover Mani's old position, while George Kostas remains in the starting Triad. Neama Iokua (/nɛˈa.ma i.ʌˈkɯ.a/) remains to sub for Kostas, while Stéphane Delacroix now subs for Rosenkränts instead of Raia.

Players in green are the usual starting eleven. The name that will appear on each player's kit is in CAPITALS.
No	Pos	Name			DoB (Age)		Caps	Goals	Club
 1	GK	Gulyèlmo DESSANTOS	 2 Jul 1985 (age 29)	82	 1	Royal Martecabras
13	GK	INTAN Petera		14 Sep 1992 (age 21)	 9	 0	Ticomaça Nacional
23	GK	Marco LÉSES		28 Feb 1983 (age 31)	23	 0	AFC Amerigo (MCH)

 5	LB	Thomas THEODORIDIS	 7 Jul 1988 (age 26)	58	 1	United Philibiscostal
 8	CB	Joncarlo GABRIELOS	 2 Feb 1987 (age 27)	24	 3	Ri Ignacio
10	RB	Jimmy KENDAL		10 Aug 1983 (age 31)	36	 2	United Philibiscostal
12	RB	Victor MASON		 3 Feb 1991 (age 23)	40	 2	Westminster City
19	CB	Marvin SESSIONS		 6 Jul 1990 (age 24)	47	 3	FC Kingsmouth
20	LB	Mikara UIRA		14 Mar 1984 (age 30)	63	 3	Royal Martecabras
21	CB	Tobias WILMER		27 Dec 1991 (age 22)	19	 2	Royal Martecabras

 3	RM	Karl ANGLESEY		19 Apr 1990 (age 24)	19	 8	Westminster City
 4	CM	Thom BARNETT		 6 May 1989 (age 25)	27	 5	Tyrone Athletic
 2	CM	Yves BERCÉE		10 Aug 1984 (age 30)	75	11	United Philibiscostal
 7	LM	KAI Eko			 9 May 1993 (age 21)	27	 1	Uniti Takatori
14	RM	Louis-Pierre MATINGNON	 7 Apr 1986 (age 28)	73	 9	Christiana City (MCH)
15	CM	Mighèl NUNOS		 9 Jun 1990 (age 24)	 7	 3	FC Kingsmouth
16	LM	William PARNELL		 6 May 1991 (age 23)	 2	 0	FC Lamalas
22	CM	Angèlo ZAPATERO		13 Oct 1985 (age 28)	75	13	Roial Peimau

 6	RF	Stéphane DELACROIX	14 Nov 1983 (age 30)	45	12	United Philibiscostal
 9	LF	NEAMA Iokua		22 Mar 1991 (age 23)	15	 5	FC Kingsmouth
11	LF	George KOSTAS		 4 Oct 1989 (age 24)	45	13	Inter Bayoneta
17	CF	Mikaere RAIA		28 Jun 1988 (age 26)	41	14	Uniti Takatori
18	RF	Jan-Nikläs ROSENKRÄNTS	21 Aug 1994 (age 20)	 0	 0	Corona Christiana

Staff
Coach:				Jean-Baptiste ARCHAMBAULT
Assistant Manager:	 	Jonmanuèl DE RÒSAS
Strength and Fitness Coach:	Lorne ABBOTT
Equipment Manager:		Sean O'CONNOR
Medical Lead:			Angèlino D'INACI
Physical Trainer:		Matthias RAPTIS
Physical Therapist:		Karani ANAKONI
Player Roles
Captain:			Yves BERCÉE
Assistant captain:		Angèlo ZAPATERO
Penalties:			Mikaere RAIA
Left corner kicks:		George KOSTAS
Right corner kicks:		Jan-Nikläs ROSENKRÄNTS
Free kicks:			KAI Eko

From left to right: home, away and keeper

[Kandorith]

No End To The State of Affairs?

The Runner Cup, the last hope for the Kandorese team to prove themselves. After losing their way towards qualifying for the World Cup, Yúan's team seems to be unable to snatch a win in the Runner Cup too. With a devastating 5 to 3 defeat, Kandorith is looking out of shape and almost laughable. Yúan promised to bring the glory back to the Kandorese football, instead it is seeping away further and further into a depression; with all consequences included.


Even though the team has suffered many defeats now, the atmosphere is still rather uplifting. The team is ensured they will start performing again and head coach Yúan ensured the media that the bad times for the Kandorese football end here and now. A bold statement for sure, if that promise will hold ground; will be tested in this Runner Cup.


"I know that it seems rough we are not in the World Cup and could not accept the invitation to the Cup of Harmony, which is a large hit to our team and an even larger hit for our loyal fans from across the nation and sometimes even across the entire world." Yúan said calmly. "But I can ensure both the media and the fans, we will start performing this Runner Cup, I will make sure the team comes back together as one and shows the world the spirit of Kandorese football. We came here not only to play football, we came here with the goal of revitalizing the Kandorese status in football and to win back the pride, glory and respect of our nation as a football playing nation." He pridefully exclaimed, before leaving the press room.


After several interviews with the players it is clear, the players still believe in Yúan; they also believe greatly in their ability to overcome the bumps in the road. Even Méng exclaimed; "I don't know what happened during the qualifiers. We were doing so well and suddenly everything just seemed to collapse." he said. "We started to get overwhelmed, we didn't play as explosively as we normally did. Much easier teams to play against were the best of us, not by playing better football; but by simply outscoring us and out maneuvering us. The captain and the coach already said, football is not about making it nice or beautiful. It's about who scores the most goals in the end, that is the philosophy we live by now and that is the philosophy we want to execute perfectly on the pitch." Méng said calmly.


Without a doubt, there's still fight left in the Red Dragons, a philosophy change and training changes have made the players review their roles and styles of play. If it will be enough is yet to be seen, we only know the Dragons are back in the game when it comes to mentality. The fans and the nation's prayers are with you Red Dragons, Jiayou Kanyúo!

[The Saint James Islands]

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---

a century of excellence | 1 september 2014

---

disappointing loss opens runner cup for les oiseaux
last place strikes yet again as national team chokes

runner cup group e
harmonylink field, seaddle (02:30 SJST)

GK - blank
LB - gutierrez
LC - marks
RC - showers
RB - fernandez
LM - sterling
CM - clucke
CM - hanks
RM - tutor
ST - bungle
ST - belfort (c)

dessantos - GK
mason - RB
sessions - CB
theodoridis - LB
matingon - RM
bercée (c) - CM
zapatero - CM
kai - LM
rosenkränts - RF
raia - CF
kostas - LF

mangolana          .
7' (p) shaun belfort
65', 74' rudy bungle

7
5
0
1
8
0
0
1
56%
.saint james islands



4
3
3
3
4
0
0
2
44%
3 - 0
full time


shots
on target
fouls
offsides
corner kicks
yellow cards
red cards
saves
possession

Seaddle, Equestrian States - With a sad World Cup campaign behind the team, the Runner Cup provides a second, and last, chance at glory for the national side. Yet somehow, the team managed to screw it up yet again.

Jonmanuèl de Ròsas ceded the manager's post to his assistant Jean-Baptiste Archambault, a brilliant tactician who has been credited with getting the national team to this point, at least. But the loss of Mani de la Cruz to the Nova Anglican team Springs FC has punched a large hole in the "Triad". Now Mikaere Raia and George Kostas pick up the slack with under-21 veteran Jan-Nikläs Rosenkränts. But so far, it hasn't worked out well for the team.

After the blustering of the national anthem, things would only go south for the Islanders against Mangolana. With Thomas Theodoridis quickly ceding a penalty to Shaun Belfort after a foul on Rudy Bungle, Mangolana scored a seventh minute penalty to take an early lead. The devastation continued as Rosenkränts put a shot past keeper John Blank at the half-hour mark, but was ruled offside and his goal disallowed. Without an equaliser to bring Les Oiseaux back into the game, the team needed to fight back in the second half. However, the midfield melted down spectacularly, allowing Mangolana to get the ball up to Belfort and Bungle. Bungle then effectively put the ball past Gulyèlmo Dessantos in the 65th and 74th minutes, while the Triad on the other end struggled with their passing, letting the Mangolana defence deny the Islanders a scoring opportunity. With a three-nil loss, the Saint James Islands goes back to a familiar position at the bottom of the table and now desperately needs a win to stay alive.

"i still have faith in the team"
Facing number 12 Super-Llamaland next, Les Oiseaux need a miracle straight from heaven itself to stay alive. A draw will almost certainly send the team packing for home, while two wins will likely secure the team a coveted knock-out stage berth. All is not lost, but don't get your hopes up too high. With Mangolana being the lowest ranked and least formidable of the competition the team has to face, there isn't much hope if Les Oiseaux lose to them.

Archambault has refused to change the line-up, especially after Rosenkränts's lousy footwork cost the team many opportunities. "Jan-Nikläs needs a chance," said the team manager. "He's new to the team and that chemistry that Mani had with Mikaere and George won't be there from the start. Give it time." Unfortunately for Archambault, the team doesn't have much time left if they want to stay in the competition.

---

for your reading pleasure

• Isaac Feld finishes up visit to Michillies ▶
• Alicia Wolf admits to gambling on gymnastics ▶
• Francese nuclear plant explodes ▶
• Fu Wen, Jacob Connors take "Ice Bucket Challenge" ▶

comments
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Athena Karamanlis 6▲ 48▼
Really UCN? There are children dying from dehydration in Kofeiya and Magane and you have to glorify Fu Wen for dumping a bucket of clean water on his head? Congrats on the asshattery, you jerks.

James wan Marksson 7▲ 13▼
Why do I see this ending badly...

Alessandra Desangelos 143▲ 8▼
@Athena Karamanlis: 1) What does this have to do with the Runner Cup and 2) why do you have to suck the fun out of everything?

Jacques-Marie Blanchard 42▲ 13▼
I have a lot of confidence in Rosenkrants. The kid is absolutely brilliant and he just had some nerves today. He'll get back into that form he had for the ISJ-U21 in no time at all.

Kai Maraka 45▲ 8▼
@Jacques-Marie Blanchard: We'll see how Rosenkränts does on the national side. He's brilliant with La Corona and was masterful with the under-21s, but I could see him struggling with the amount of focus put on the offence by the national side. He's more used to playing for defensive teams and he needs to get comfortable with the Raia and Kostas, who've been playing with each other for a couple of years now. I think he'll grow into it and find his rhythm eventually, though.

[Super-Llamaland]

Tigers Open with Draw Against Dainer

It was the Dainer NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)s who managed a plucky, exciting draw against our very own Tigers in Manechester last Tuesday as the two teams drew two to two. Bogdan Antolescu, in his first tournament game (his first international being a draw of the same scoreline against the White Wolves of San José Guayabal), looked solid, playing his typical "double diamond" 1-3-4-2 formation against the 4-1-4-1 of Dainer, but in the end the Tigers couldn't get past Dainer's midfielders enough times to really threaten the third goal.

Things got out to a quick start as the Tigers quickly began to push forwards, with Anthony Player a huge part of the transition play that marked the first few minutes as both sides settled in. Dainer for their part fell back, with the wing-backs Dalton and Bezerro shutting down the Llamaneans' midfielders and strikers' barrage, while Kakana, minding the Danieri net, seemed alert and formidable, swatting a perfect Eden Powell header over the crossbar in the ninth.

It was Rohan to push the counterattack as the Daineri, woken up by the Llamanean attacks, ran forwards. The defense was forced to give way by a steady, beating rhythm of passes, the laid-back playmaker Sasera controlling the tempo and the captain Kantemir adding energy to the wingers in a beautiful, coordinated attack. It seemed inevitable a goal would come, and come it did, Kantemir's through clearing Ryan Reagan and Perez smashing it by McNeal with the left. One-nil Dainer, fifteenth minute.

The Tigers went on a frantic counterattack, perhaps not the best idea but certainly one to repel the Dainer attack. Fan-scaring through passes from both sides were exchanged, but McNeal of the Tigers and Kakana of the Daineri were, with some defensive help, more than capable of scooping them up or kicking them back to sender.

It was a beautiful run up the side from Alex Cartwright, twisting and making back-and-forth passes by the Danieri defense before stepping back for an open shot to the right of the penalty box. He nailed the shot, but the ball crashed discordantly off the crossbar and over a perplexed Cartwright's head. Sardini did well to command the ball and send a pass to Catapimba up the middle. Reagan and Catapimba collided, but the Dainer squad forced a corner-kick. Kantemir, taking the corner, took the return pass from Bezerro and used his left to smack a shot off the right post, where, in the thirty-third minute, Zig slid by Ryan Reagan to tap the ball through McNeal's legs. Two-nil.

And it remained that way going into the half, where a frustrated Antonlescu decided to bring in Alex Bale for the ineffective Jordan Valdevic. Things shifted, Bale's versatility boosting the defense and letting the Tigers push the tempo. It was also Bale in the fifty-third to steal a short-pass to Maddox off a corner-kick, and his through-pass between the sprinting center-back Sarumna and his wingback counterpart Dalton reached the young star Alex Cartwright. Cartwright sprinted by both of them, feinted past a diving Kakuna, and calmly slotted the ball into the net. Two-one.

But the Daineri team managed to stay back, parking the bus enough for the Tigers to not get through. Antonlescu, desperate for a goal with a quarter hour to play, brought in the striker Masters for the center-back Agudieres, flipping the switch and turning the Tigers into a 3-4-3. Dainer, for their part, removed the deadly striker Zig for the center-back Rohan and took out the poorly-playing wingback Dalton for his speedier counterpart in Cavallo around the seventieth minute.

The Llamaneans controlled the midfield with a fluid passing game, similar to Dainer in the first half, and with eight to play, Wiggins' pass hit Ford, who sprinted down the left flank, sucking in defenders, before lofting a cross over the leaping Cavallo. Kakuna ran out to grab it, and so did Cartwright.

Things went downhill from there for both parties involved. Cartwright leapt in the air, left cleat in front to catch the ball. Kakuna stayed earthbound, bringing a forearm up to block Cartwright and swinging another to deflect the spinning football. Cartwright knocked the agile keeper over, cleating him in the leg, and landed facefirst in the pitch, hurting his neck. The ball, for its part, bounced off Kakuna's arm, and a running Peter Masters dove by Cavallo to slap it past the two and in. Two-all.

The two were replaced, Tobias Dickenson getting his first cap for Cartwright and Fusilli subbing in for Kakuna. But from there on, neither team got anything going, ending the contest two-all.

The Tigers look towards Saint James Islands, who suffered a crippling three-nil loss at the hands of Mangolana. A loss will severely set back and possibly eliminate either team, but the Llamaneans have the favored hand.

Bogdan Antonlescu is reportedly "trying out" a 4-2-3-1 formation, which would look like so:

----------------------------McNeal---------------------------
---Bale---------Agudieres---------Reagan---------Nelson---
--------Sturgeon---------------------------Wiggins--------------
---Powell---------------Ford----------------Dickinson--------
----------------------------Masters---------------------------

First off the Bench: GK Finch, RB Appel, DM Valdevic, DF Gray, ST Ferguson, CM Player

It's certainly a new-look formation against the midfield-oriented Saint James Islands, and perhaps a 3-5-2 would've better taken advantage of their abundance of quality midfielders. Tobias Dickinson and Alex Bale, fine off the bench against Dainer, will get their first starts, while the removal of Jordan Valdevic and Anthony Player may be foreboding for the pair, who played poorly. Alex Cartwright's injury may be an opportunity for Peter Masters and Eden Powell, as well as the capable teenager Aidan Ferguson off the bench.

[Kitsunia-Deesse]

"We tied with Jeruselem, La Déesse." said Viola, on a serious tone. Considered the coach of the national team, La Déesse never was physically on the field, leaving the manager position to a "puppet" of sorts, which she controlled via her mind. Sadly, the puppet's connection was never too accurate. "What should we tell to the players?"

"I think we should just give them a hug." answered Clare, the holy leader of the Holy Kitsunian Empire. "Jeru FC is supposed to be a big team, right? A team with some relevance of sorts. And they're more successful than us. So a draw is reasonable." Viola smiled, taking note of it. "That shall be done. Oh, there's another thing." said Viola, raising up a little letter. "The High Council wants to form political parties." The words quickly turned Clare's smile on an angered frown. "BUT I'M TRYING MY BEST! THEY DON'T LIKE ME?". Clare angrily rose up her left arm, almost on a motion that would turn the High Council on a bunch of dolls, before being stopped by Viola. "They still respect you, La Déesse. But they want some sort of freedom to pick their own decisions such as economy and so on."

"B-b-but-" Clare slowly broke on tears, before Viola hugged her. "Now, now... don't cry, Clare... They still like you and will still have you as their leader. But they want to solve a couple of things." Viola clarified to her, smiling. "You'll still be our leader, but they'll have a small congress to do things that they don't exactly need your powers to, such as what subjects the children will study at school and how exactly will the Holy Fluffy Day be celebrated." Clare smiled briefly, still under tears. "D-d-does that mean I'll finally be able to go to school?". Viola smiled, looking at the Holy Leader. "Sure." said Viola, I'll send you to the school where my niece studies at.

---

Two days later.

Class 1-D
École Municipale Jean-Pierre Lazare
Glore, Cápitale

A huge amount of side chatting was suddenly stopped when an orange with green marks small kitsune entered the room. With a large smile and a La Déesse doll on her hands, the small Kitsune nodded, happy. "Now, class. Bow to the leader of Kitsunia-Deesse and your new classmate... Glore." After learning the name of each student, Glore quickly sat to the left of a cutesy Kitsune who couldn't help but not stare at her. "You're Nicole, right?" asked Glore, putting her doll on top of the table. "Viola-sama's niece?". Nicole smiled, waving a La Déesse doll. "Oui, that's me! I'm here to help you around the school... After class, I'll show you how this place works."

[Dainer]

Dainer's "National Team": a breakdown

Let's be frank here, people. This team we have is nowhere near ideal. For all our pride in being efficient and hard-working, we can't organize a national team for shit. We really need to start working out the problems that lead us to field underpowered teams, compared to the capacity of our clubs. But hey, baby steps. For all people who might be unfamiliar with Daineri football and interested in learning more (all the two of you), and for the ones who still wonder how this team works, we're going to offer a detailed breakdown - the players, the tactics and the circumstances that led us to Equestrian States.

By the way, thanks to the Equestrians for receiving us so well.

Without further ado, here goes nothing.

THE COUNTRY
Dainer is an island nation, located in Futurnia. Its closest neighbors are Tiki Lodge, Cloud Spires, Space Dragonites, Megamania and Wavericka. With nearly 2 million km² in area, it's practically a subcontinent of its own. It has a population of 40 million, heavily concentrated in some major cities. The climate is tropical to subtropical, with a hot southwestern region that's home to a massive rainforest, an eastern plain and a dry northwest behind the massif of the Caveirairas mountains, that almost splits the island in two.

It was created as an union of several countries and territories after a revolution toppled most of their governments, weakened from decades of petty conflicts. Today, the Commonwealth comprises the entirety of Dainer Island, along with a few small overseas rocks. It's divided into four member-states and two autonomous territories.

They're a diverse people, reflecting a history consisting of multiple lines of settlers, conquerors and immigrants. In contrast to some places, heterogeneity is dearly valued in Dainer. They do not consider themselves a melting pot - an expression that often carries an undercurrent of erasure - but rather a smorgasbord, a mix where you can still see the parts.

It's a popular tourist destination, featuring innumerable protected areas where dragons can be seen in the wild, historical cities like Urdu and Addeci, and the modern architectural marvels of Acropolis. They also pride themselves in their extremely effective public transportation system, which has become sort of an attraction of its own, like an amusement park ride that gets you anywhere within the country in no time flat.

THE PLAYERS
Now to the meat of this article. Let's review the players one by one.

KAKANA - Goalkeeper (Marvel Team)
She rose to prominence as Korriga's keeper during their early UICA era successes, it was then that her speed and footwork made her a perfect compliment to Liu Keng Bem. She didn't quite get the acclaim of some of her peers, but she's still a solid choice and has won national titles with two different clubs.

SARUMNA - Centre-back (Minigoleada)
Barely out of the youth teams, she gets called to the national team. Maybe this is a confidence vote on a promising young player, maybe it's because their other options just suck that much. Still, she's got some cunning and usually captained her teams so far, maybe she can do it.

SARDINI - Centre-back (Catarro)
Eh... seriously. There isn't much I can say about this player. He's just... there, having had a couple ordinary seasons with Catarro so far. Let's hope he's not a screw-up in the making.

DALTON - Wing-back (Acropolis)
Now we're talking! Dalton is a smart and lively wing-back with experience in playing midfield positions that gives him that playmaking edge. Mind you, there's plenty of much better options in Dainer, but at least he's actually good.

BEZERRO - Wing-back (Minigoleada)
One of Isper's severely underachieving young team, he immediately made an impact at Minigoleada, showing that the problem may really lie with Tio Bobô's tactics or the management. Now with a national title under his wing, he hopes to put his ridiculously powerful left foot to the service of the White Dragons. If he could score one of those 40-meter free kicks again, now that would help.

PIOYT - defensive midfielder (Raoni)
Sincerely, he might as well be the best holding midfielder in Dainer. He was spectacular in Jenipapa a couple seasons back, and I think he's still got it in him. He can mark, he can pass, he can score, he can cover. I am a fan of his style and believe he shouldn't be stuck in a third-tier team.

KANTEMIR - attacking midfielder (Minigoleada)
No-nonsense guy, both in life and in football. Great free kicks. Experienced (or aging, if you're a detractor). Strong. He was one of the highlights of a boring Sport Wios lineup, then made a much needed move to Minigoleada, where he won two national titles.

MADDOX - attacking midfielder (Sun Coast)
Oh, look who's back. He was already called twice in recent times, and here he comes to the national team again. Former right-back turned midfielder when Sun Coast sold all their good frontmen, the foul-mouthed, brash and opinionated (in other words, ideal Daineri) player has been quite comfortable in the position. He's expected to be quick and direct in getting the ball to attack, and forceful in marking.

CATAPIMBA - striker (Xistrumbigonça)
What can be said about this player? He was a protagonist in Estrela D'Alva's dominating treble and double crown, at the time surely the best center-forward the country had to offer. Strong, decisive, long range master, a threat whenever he got near the ball. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to help Xistrumbigonça's fortunes rise just yet, and I don't even know if he's got the spark... in fact, I don't even know why is he playing second striker.

PEREZ - striker (Crystal)
I predict this young guy is going to be our salvation in attack. He's fast. Not just ordinary fast. He's really fast, Blast Processing fast. He's the nightmare of every offside line. He's got a pretty powerful shot, too, but really, his main function is going to be getting opposing defenders tired trying to catch up with him.

ZIG - center-forward (Amaritu)
Okay, when your other option is freakin' Bolagato, I guess having this nobody in front is sort of a workable option. Let's hope he can head a ball once in a while.

THE TACTICS

While it's listed as 4-1-4-1, it's just a slight adaptation of the classic Daineri 4-3-3 with the attacking midfielders further to the side. When defending, the team crowds the midfield and tries to retake possession as soon as possible, while in attack the second strikers make incisive runs looking to score.

The reserve attackers play in reversed positions from the starters, with Marcelo and Marek being wingers, and Sasera/Pablo being playmakers with a bit more flair and suited for a middle position. The idea is that substitutions can be made to strengthen a particular area or further widen the attack by putting both wingers on.

STRONG POINTS
- Goalkeeper. We could have brought in Germânia, but this is fine.
- Attacking from the sides.
- Reasonably good midfield players, with good tactical options on the bench.
- Catapimba.

WEAK POINTS
- Defence. We could have brought better people.
- Center-forwards. They suck. There's no way going around it.
- The national team management.

[Darvale]

---

---

WHAT THE HELL?
An inexperienced, amateur Darvalian side somehow beats group favorites Kandorith 5-3 in the Runner Cup
Article by Ramon Goldstein | Sports Category | Posted 1/9/2014 at 8:15 pm

---

Manager Hugo Simmons smiling shortly after the match

The Maple Bowl, Trottawa, EQUESTRIAN STATES - The title says it. What the hell? An amateur Darvalian side, with absolutely no experience internationally, somehow beat Kandorith, the highest ranked team in Group F (which is, for those of you that do not know, the group Darvale was placed in for the Runner Cup) - by a score of 5 to 3. The success of this match is largely accredited to Hugo Simmons, manager of the regular national team, that made the trip to Equestrian States to lead the 22 amateur football players representing Darvale in the Runner Cup 3. A detailed match report of Darvale's opening game in the Runner Cup can be found below.

The match started, with the Darvalians playing in a rather uncommon 4 - 2 - 4 formation, and the Kandorese starting in a much more common 4 - 4 - 2 diamond formation. The Darvalian defense had a few scares early on, but managed to hold the line. However, the ice was broken in the eighth minute. Young 21 year old Kandorese star striker Méng Zeijí was the one who scored. Atasuki Eguchi, right-wing midfielder of the Kandorese team, crossed the ball into the danger zone, allowing Méng Zeijí to capitalize on the opportunity, beautifully dolphin-diving forward to head the ball into the net, past Darvalian goalkeeper Kieran Faulkner. 1-0 in the eighth minute.

However, the amateur Darvalian side managed to put one back just eleven minutes after the Méng Zeijí opened the scoreline. Willis Finchley, central-midfielder of the Darvalian side, set up Spencer Campbell, Darvalian left winger, on a splendid run, dribbling past Kandorese defenders Xian Ximen and Jin Zexi, allowing Campbell to go straight up to the goal, only to swiftly pass the ball to Darvalian striker Brett Cole after the former faked a shot. Cole scored into an open goal, due to the fact that Kandorese goalkeeper Wú Shinsen had dived where he thought Campbell would have shot the ball. A relieving Darvalian equalizer in the 19th minute changes the score to 1-1.

This relief, however, would be short-lived. The Kandorese managed to put another goal past Kieran Faulkner. This time, it was the Kandorese's other striker, Iichi Fuji, who scored. It was yet again Atasuki Eguchi who provided the assist, dribbling past Darvalian defenders John Evans and Micah Harrington, and sharply passing the ball into the box, where Iichi Fuji nicely tucked the ball into the goal. 2-1 for Kandorith in the 32nd minute.

Matters were made even worse for the Darvalians when Méng Zeijí put in Kandorith's third goal of the game - in the second minute of additional time of the first half. Controversy about the goal spread like wildfire around the stadium - after a few Darvalian players started issuing complaints to the referee, arguing that the ball went into the goal after the half-time whistle blew, although the referee vehemently denied this, stating that the ball crossed the goal-line before the whistle. Tensions between the two sides rose, and, unfortunately, ended in Kandorese JieJie knocking Darvalian goalkeeper Kieran Faulkner out cold. Faulkner was transported off the pitch on a stretcher, and was replaced by Elias Byrd.

Miraculously, however, the Darvalians did the impossible. After the break, there was something special, something new about the Darvalians. The defense wasn't making any more errors, becoming solid walls for Méng Zeijí and Iichi Fuji, who were now unable to pass the Darvalian defenders, Finchley and Rowe were giving out splendid passes to the offense, which was gathering a numerous tally of on-target shots now. The constant pressure the Darvalians were applying onto the Kandorese was finally awarded in the 60th minute.

Ryan Keane, the Darvalian team's right striker, was the one who scored. David Rowe, a Darvalian central midfielder, made a splendid, long pass to Keane, who, apparently attempted to cross the ball. However, in an unlikely turn of events, Keane's cross bounced off the leg of Kandorese defender Mitsuharu Eri. Kandorese goalkeeper Wú Shinsen, completely off guard, did not even see the deflected ball fly into the back of the net after touching Eri. 3-2 in the 60th minute.

The Darvalians, slightly more motivated after Keane's goal, somehow managed to equalize once more. This time, it was Brett Cole, a central striker of the national team, that scored. Willis Finchley, a Darvalian central-midfielder, took a long shot from outside the box. The ball came amazingly close to entering the net, but Kandorese goalkeeper Wú Shinsen somehow managed to get a touch on the ball, causing it to hit the post instead of going into the net. By some shred of luck, however, Brett Cole was exactly where the ball went to after hitting the post, and, onside and unmarked, the Darvalian fired the ball home. A 3-3 equalizer in the 72nd minute.

And it still wasn't over. It was Spencer Campbell, one of the two Darvalian wingers, that scored his second goal of the match. After Roman Saxsmith, a Darvalian central striker, was dangerously fouled just outside the box by Kandorese defender Xian Ximen, the referee awarded the Darvalians a free kick. Spencer Campbell was to take it. Magnificently, to an awestruck stadium, Campbell graciously chipped the ball, that just barely scraped the top-right corner of the goalpost, and entered the net. The coup de grace, delivered by Campbell in the 84th minute.

But the Darvalians still had another, last goal to score. This time, it was Roman Saxsmith, a Darvalian central striker, that scored. Saxsmith, unable to produce a goal, took his frustration out on the Kandorese defense. Saxsmith rouletted Xian Ximen, rainbow kicked Jin Zexi, double-tapped Mitsuharu Eri, then faked a shot at goal in front of Kandorese goalkeeper Wú Shinsen, allowing the former to pass the latter and score into an open goal. To the awe of everyone, the Darvalians included, the Darvalians had made an unbelievable comeback after first losing 3-1, then winning 5-3.

The Darvalians, now dubbed "The Comeback Kids", will face a strong Patistani side in their next match which is due to happen on the 2nd of September.

[Timbermunich]

Timbermunich Soccer Squad
Hardwoods Player Profiles
Part 2 - Midfielders

Starting Midfielders

Great Dead-Eye Darrin

– Club Team – 
 Zorg FC Phynix –  HopNation
– Position – 
Right Midfielder

Darrin like most Greats got his nick name, Dead-Eye, for being exceptional at something. In his case it is his ability to hit anything with his ax from nearly any distance; be it a hair stuck to a log at fifty feet, or a fly off the rear of a TimberStag at fifty yards, he can hit it with no harm coming to anything in the near vicinity. Darrin is the grandson of Great Battle and was handed down his greatness from his father and grandfather. He has always been good with an ax even when he was a youngster with only a haft to hurl around (children are not allowed ax heads until they are at least 12 years old, of if they are in lessons which require a full ax). He was caught on a number of occasions tormenting his siblings, mostly his sisters, by bouncing the haft off of a near by tree just above or next to a siblings head. He would even throw it so close that their hair would often get brushed by the haft as it spun past. Because of this he could often be found sitting alone next to the house, back to the yard with his face in the corner as a punishment. As he got older this skill would prove to be very handy as it was often used impress other kids, especially girls, who would challenge him to knock teacher’s cups from their desks while presenting a lesson on the board. This too got him into his share of trouble, but he enjoyed the attention it got him from his classmates. Around the age of 17 he would actually use this skill to save a young boy from a falling tree. He was helping clear some underbrush from around his home with his father when a nearby tree was being felled. As the tree was swinging to the ground they saw the boy running around trying to catch a TimberToad that was hopping around. Darrin hurled his haft at the half way point of the trees trunk and where they boy was running, the haft stuck heal first into the ground and the shoulder stuck straight up catching the falling tree before it struck the boy. Seeing as the haft was made from the original felled TimberOak it did not break and the boys life was saved, to this day Darrin carries the headless haft with him for those just in case moments. He now patrols the Timbermunich Forest using his throwing skill to collect items stuck high in the tree tops, as well as saving the unfortunate animals and people from falling objects. He even stops by schools and lesson areas to put on small shows for the children throughout Timbermunich.

Darrin plays at the right mid position and is equal in his attacking and defending responsibilities. He is a great all around player with exceptional endurance and passing accuracy. He is often the player that can pick out and precisely pass the ball to an open teammate half way across the field and land the ball directly in the stride of that player. Because of this his coaches have him take all corner kicks no matter which side of the field they are on as well as any longer ranged free kick, the ones that aren’t within range for a direct shot. The one area of his game that isn’t superb is his shooting, which you would think with how precise his passing is he would be a good shooter. But that is not the case as he tends to overpower his shots causing his accuracy to decrease greatly.

Great Wicked Warren

– Club Team –
56ers –  Schovenia
– Position –
Center Midfielder

Great Wicked Warren is the pinnacle of the team and is a true commander of the field. The teams’ captain is also one of the first people to join a team outside of Timbermunich, this was due in part to his exceptional play and desire to get better. He is great on the ball and is rarely dispossessed easily maintaining possession in challenging situations. He has good field vision, great stamina and fitness, as well as a shot no keeper wants to be in front of when it is on it’s mark. His leadership on and off the field is second to none and is a great student of the game as he is constantly looking for ways to improve himself and his teams. The coaching staff would love to have 11 players on the field just like Warren and all of them enjoy his coach ability and his lighthearted joking that keeps the team grounded.

Warren is one person that when you hear his full title you think he may be a bit evil, but that is not the case at all. The wicked in his name is because he is “wicked good” with his ax and his ability to fell trees is second to none. But his skill was not an instant success, he had to work and develop his ax skills over many years. He was found to have the greatness when he was in his early thirties, one of the latest of all greats. He was living in a small hut outside of TimberOak Grove and worked as a smith who specialized in wagon/cart parts. He had good hammer skills and was exceptional at hitting small pins held within his tongs. He was once seen developing axel pins with his eyes closed just to prove he could do it to one of his friends. Then one day he was requested to create new wheels for a food cart which was to be delivered to Vegetalista, which was a rather ordinary order but in this case it needed to be done in three days. He had no parts ready and needed to craft everything. He asked one of the woodcrafters in TimberOak Grove to provide him with the wood for the main parts of the cart, but on the second day a fire claimed all of the wood parts before they could be delivered to Warren. When he was given the news he was worried that he would not finish the cart in time and then not be asked to work on such tasks anymore, which would put him out of business completely. He however didn’t give up, instead he grabbed an old ax he had in his shop and went to his backyard to try and get his own wood for the project. With his first swing he actually missed the trunk of a tree completely and spun him self around and fell to the ground. He stood up, dusted himself off and swung again this time splintering the base of the tree and down it came with that one swing. He didn’t know how many trees he would need for the project and continued to chop down trees, all with a single swing, until his yard was clear of trees. The noise of all the chopping caught the attention of Great One-Arm Willy as he was headed home that afternoon. He stopped and went into the backyard of Warren to see him felling the trees with one swing. As he watched he was amazed at the power within Warren and as the last tree fell he walked over to say something to him and the ax head of Great One-Arm Willy began to pulse and illuminate like it did with those individuals that contained the greatness. Seeing this he spoke with Warren, called for Great Battle, and then helped him with the logs. Great One-Arm Willy was so amazed by their find of someone at his age with the greatness that he sent Warren back into his shop to rest while he himself crafted the boards for the cart. Great One-Arm Willy and Great Battle even helped him assemble the cart so he would be done in time for the deadline. After that, which was Warren’s last cart ever made, Warren was invited to the Heart of the Grove to live and help produce parts for the Heart Canopy which was now under construction. To which Warren eagerly accepted and packed his things to move right away.

Great Dirty Doug

– Club Team –
None, Timbermunich only has the National Team
– Position –
Left Midfielder

Doug is the teams left midfielder and he does an excellent job fulfilling that roll. He has boundless energy and never seems to tire when on the field. He is a precision passer and can hit almost any target at any time. However his ball control skills still need some work as his first touch often leads him into trouble, so he tries to pass the ball using that first touch rather than controlling it and then doing something with it. His teammates enjoy having him around as he pushes them at training sessions to be better than they are and he is often found well after training has ended working on his touch so he can get better.

As for his name and the dirty part, well let’s just say he is often in need of a shower. Not that he is the smelly kid; he just finds a way to find any sort of mud puddle even if it hasn’t rained in a good number of days. Before becoming a great he was a planter in the Vegetal Region and we are pretty sure this started the dirty trend. At the development of the fields and clearing of all the trees in Vegetal there wasn’t much ground cover, so it was easy for one to get dirty. As for his task of being a planter he was often found on his hands and knees putting seeds into the rows created by the plows. He was extremely efficient in this as he would place a seed with each hand, one after the other, then cover them up as he moved forward with his legs. On days when the air was dry and rain was scarce he would be found with a dust cloud around him as he moved along a row, covering himself in dirt. He was faster than any of the other planters due to his style and was quickly promoted to lead planter when he was just 19 years old. He like some of the other greats had to be found with the greatness and soon after his 20th birthday he was planting, trying to finish up a field before a storm rolled in. As he was finishing up the last row, after all other planters had been called off of the field; he got caught in an extreme down poor. He continued to cover the last of his seeds and then got up to head back to the safe zone but as he walked he began to sink into the soil. The more he moved the faster he sank so he just stopped, the rain continued to fall and he slowly got sucked down. When the rain finally stopped he was up to his neck in mud and no one knew he was still out there as everyone thought that all planters were safely in the shelter of the safe zone. When they looked out they all saw the field was finished and thus decided to go home for the day, but Doug was still out there buried in the mud. Doug would be stuck there for two days as the other planters moved on to other fields in the region, it wasn’t until the completion of another field on that second day that they noticed he was not stirring up dust as the fields dried out. When they finally found him the dirt around him had become has hard as stone and they were unable to get him out so they sent for Nat, who called for Great Battle to assist in getting Doug out. They dug around him and lifted a solid mass of cement like dirt from the ground which contained Doug. Unsure of how to get him out safely they started to try and chisel the hard dirt, but it broke three chisels within ten minutes of them starting. Doug was still in good spirits and after getting some water in him he started to give some suggestions on how to get him out, but none seemed to be a good idea as no one wanted to hurt Doug. Finally, after another twelve hours of being in the mud cement Doug told Great Battle to just hit it with his ax as that would surely break the mud up. Great Battle did not want to do this as it would definitely cause problems to Doug from the shock-wave, but Doug insisted that it was the only way. So Great Battle did it, he struck the mud block and it shattered into a thousand pieces and created a hug dust cloud. Once the dust settle Doug was found standing in the middle un harmed and without a single scratch on him, he simple dusted himself off and then shook Great Battles hand. At that point as he reached for Great Battles hand the ax head lit up and sparked wildly and Doug was found to contain the greatness.

[Jeckland]

SPUDS BEAT SMILERS

The Jeckland National Football team today began their Runner Cup campaign in winning fashion, with a 2-1 win over Miley World at Shady Grove in the Equestrian States. Both sets of fans were out in full force, and there was an air of excitement in the air pre-match. Both sets of fans cheered loudly as the teams came out, Barker leading the yellow Jeckland and Wallace the white Miley World.

The roar was huge as Jeckland kicked the game off, and the confidence of the fans seemed to rub off on the Jeckish players. The passed the ball around confidently for the first five minutes, with Hermanez and Roper linking up nicely on the left. Seven minutes in Jeckland created the first real chance of the game. After pinging the ball around the edge of the box for a while, Cole fed the ball to Long who was inside the area. He twisted and turned to get away from Garcia, but his eventual shot was easily saved by Dodo. Jeckland continued to dominate possession, with Micah Hoonas the next to have a crack, his 25-yard drive sailing harmlessly over the bar. Meanwhile at the other end Vladimir was causing some trouble for O'Neill. After 14 minutes he wrong-footed the right back, but the ensuing shot was no problem for Evans to save. Barker then picked up the ball and launched a Jeckland counter attack. Hermanez ran on to his ball before relasing Roper on the left. His cross was met by the head of King, but Dodo made a smart diving stop to his left. The next ten minutes saw little in the shape of chances, rather the buil up to an inevitable breakthrough. Jeckland started to take the game by the scruff of the neck, pushing the Smilers further and further back into their own half. Roper and Henriques saw a lot of the ball as Jeckland tried to expose the flaws in the 3-5-2 formation, and the latter was the assister for the 32rd minute opener. Receiving the ball on the right, he cut back in and ran across the edge of the box, slipping the ball onto King's right foot twelve yards out. The 30 year old coolly struck the ball into the bottom right corner, then ran over to celebrate in front of the ecstatic Jeckish fans. However, this goal seems to galvanise the Smilers. With Paul Evans bellowing form the technical area, they started to hold onto to possesion, with Vladimir once again looking like making something happen. He skinned O'Neill before shooting wide, but he played no part in the Smilers equaliser. Cole conceded possesion with a sloppy pass in midefield, and captain Wallace was the interceptor. He ran at the area before giving the ball to Johnstone on his right, who drove the ball home from the corner of the box. The rest of the half passed without much event, Jeckland disappointed to have let the lead slip against a weaker opponent.

The Smilers made thier first change at half time, with Durand making way for Viard. Jeckland, unchanged at the break, started the second half as they did the first - on the front foot. They nearly had something to show for it within two minutes of the start. Harnett palyed the ball to Roper on the halfway line. The young winger preceeded to go on a mazy run, jinking past Viard and Zezinho before shooting narrowly wide of the far post. Cole had a shot blocked, and the pressure was mounting. Jeckland had to be wary at the back though, with Wallace once again winning the ball in midfield. This time he played it to Dedieu, who had his shot easily saved by Evans. Jeckland remained on top and in the 59th minute, they got their reward. Henriques' cross came off Garcia's shin for a Jeckish corner. Hoonas swung it in and Cole met it with his head to score Jeckland's second goal. Miley World were unable to produce the reply they had come up with after the first Jeckland goal, with Dedieu the only palayer to have a shot in the next ten minute. The strike in question was from 20 yard and straight at Evans, who caught it comfortably. Jeckland were now sitting back and soaking up Miley World pressure, though a swift counter-attacking move which saw the ball played from Barker to O'Neill, Hoonas, Roper, Hoonas again, Hermanez and finally Long saw his stinging shot bounce out off the post. Miley World were unable to breach the defensive shiled Jeckland had created around the penalty area, with long shots from Wallace and substitue Gigmac both going way over. In stoppage time, Gigmac got a better chance, but the stiiker tried to be clever and round the keeper Evans, who swiped the ball from his feet. The full time whislte blew soon later and Jeckland had got off to a winning start.

In the other game in Group C, Eastfiled Lodge ran out expected 3-2 winners over Kazamatsuir. The top seeds are Jeckland's next opponent. It will be a tough game, but any points will put Jeckland in a good poition to qualify from this group. You can watch the game live on Jeckland Sports 1, along with the best pre and post match coverage.

[Crystal Ponies]

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

CRYSTAL EMPIRE STARTS RUNNER CUP IN STYLE

Crystal Empire - 3
Crystal Arrow '5 (Sapphire Rose)
Fleur de Verre '26 (Amber Waves)
Sapphire Rose '45+1 (Arctic Lily)

Cata Larga - 1
Unknown '82 (Unknown)

PONYVILLE, Equestrian States - In what can only be described as a rout, the Crystal Knights put on a spectacular display of hoofball prowess last night against their mysterious opponents from the nation of Cata Larga.

Although there were some concerns prior to kickoff that the Crystal Empire was not prepared to face an opponent that has adamantly refused to make any details - and we mean any - about their team to the public, or even their opponents. Fortunately, it seems these worries were unnecessary as Crystal Arrow started the Knights' scoring with a brilliant bit of hoofwork that left his marker in the dust and allowed him to score a remarkably easy goal in a one-on-one against the Cata Larga goalkeeper to put the Crystal Empire in front in just the 5th minute.

In the 26th minute, Fleur de Verre would double her team's lead, heading home a cross from Ponyville United teammate Amber Waves, much to the delight of the locals, who wore the purple of their club with pride alongside fans from the Crystal Empire. Though Cata Larga attempted to pull themselves back into the match late in the first half, their aggressive approach left them horribly exposed in the back and a lightning-quick counterattack spearheaded by Sapphire Rose and Arctic Lily cemented the Crystal Knights' lead further with an injury time goal putting the team ahead 3-0 with no end in sight for the misery of the minuscule contingent of Cata Larga supporters.

With a three-goal lead, manager Shining Armor decided to pull a couple of his starters and instructed the team to sit back and wrap up the three points without taking any stupid risks. This led to a rather dull second half, and although Cata Larga got one by Starshine in the closing minutes of the match, it was all over.

Next up for the Crystal Empire will be Timbermunich, who are expected to present a tough challenge to the Crystal Knights with their aggressive and physical approach poised to contrast with the precision and grace that the Crystalline side prefers. A win for the Crystal Empire would ensure the team a berth in the second round, though a draw would also leave them in excellent position to advance after their win against Cata Larga.

[Equestrian States]

Pearly White: "We're here to win, but also to learn"
by Steve McNotapony

CANTERLOT - Speaking at her post-match press conference following the Ponies' 4-2 victory in their Runner Cup opener against New North Aqmuland, Pearly White explained her team's goals for the tournament.

"While we're certainly disappointed to have missed out on the World Cup and Cup of Harmony, our job is to look to the future not to lament the past. Our showings in friendlies against Northern Sunrise Islands and Audioslavia as well as at the Cup of Champions were a good indicator of what our team is capable of, and without the WCC events on our schedule, it's important that we keep our momentum and cohesion as a team. The Runner Cup, though hardly where we want to be playing in the future offers us a chance to keep playing well in a tournament with some other well-respected teams and could serve as an excellent springboard for success in the coming years.

As for what we want to get out of this: we want to win, but we also want to learn from our experiences. Fortunately, we also have our fans out en masse to support us here at the Runner Cup, and with them at our backs I have no doubt that lifting the trophy is a sensible goal for us. Our team is one that bristles with talent at every position and we have some real world-class players out there like Gentle Breeze, Rainbow Blitz, and Pristina Shine who I know would like nothing more than to win some silverware for the fans."

The Ponies' next match will see them take on Schiavonia, where a win would see the hosts clinch a spot in the second round, where they might potentially face their fellow Pony Landers from the Crystal Empire should the Knights finish second in their own group.

[Equestrian States]

RUNNER CUP III
MATCH DAY 2 RESULTS

Group A

New North Aqmuland 1-0 Wolfenia
at Star Stadium in Canterlot

Equestrian States 2-0 Schiavonia
at the Equestria Dome in Canterlot

  Group A                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Equestrian States        2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6   Q
2  New North Aqmuland       2   1  0  1    3   4  -1    3
3  Wolfenia                 2   0  1  1    1   2  -1    1
4  Schiavonia               2   0  1  1    1   3  -2    1

Group B

Cata Larga 0-1 Lymantatia
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville

Crystal Empire 1-1 Timbermunich
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale

  Group B                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Crystal Empire           2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
2  Lymantatia               2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3  Timbermunich             2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
4  Cata Larga               2   0  0  2    1   4  -3    0   E

Group C

Kazamatsuri 1-0 Miley World
at Wild Grounds in Everfree

Eastfield Lodge 2-0 Jeckland
at Shady Grove in Whitetail

  Group C                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Eastfield Lodge          2   2  0  0    5   2  +3    6   Q
2  Kazamatsuri              2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3  Jeckland                 2   1  0  1    2   3  -1    3
4  Miley World              2   0  0  2    1   3  -2    0   E

Group D

Monkeykind 1-0 Kernansquillec
at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan

Boring Paradise 1-1 Itanpavia
at Derby Field in Manehattan

  Group D                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Boring Paradise          2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
2  Itanpavia                2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3  Monkeykind               2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4  Kernansquillec           2   0  0  2    0   2  -2    0   E

Group E

The Saint James Islands 1-1 Super-Llamaland
at HarmonyLink Field in Seaddle

Mangolana 2-2 Dainer
at Pony Lands Park in Manechester

  Group E                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Mangolana                2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2  Dainer                   2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
3  Super-Llamaland          2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4  Saint James Islands      2   0  1  1    1   4  -3    1

Group F

Kandorith 5-3 Semarland
at the Maple Bowl in Trottawa

Darvale 2-0 Patistan
at Ironworks Park in Stalliongrad

  Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Darvale                  2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6   Q
2  Kandorith                2   1  0  1    8   8   0    3
3  Semarland                2   0  1  1    7   9  -2    1
4  Patistan                 2   0  1  1    4   6  -2    1

Group G

Olastor 2-3 Jeru FC
at Filly Financial Stadium in Fillydelphia

The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis 1-2 Kitsunia-Deesse
at Birminghoof Field in Birminghoof

  Group G                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Jeru FC                  2   1  1  0    6   5  +1    4
2  Kitsunia-Deesse          2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
3  Olastor                  2   0  1  1    4   5  -1    1
4  Zackalantis              2   0  1  1    3   4  -1    1

Group H

United Commonwealth of Ayrshire 2-4 McKleigh
at Apple Orchard Park in Appleoosa

Nassau Hessen 1-2 Gloriax
at Salt Lick Stadium in Salt Lick City

  Group H                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  McKleigh                 2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2  Gloriax                  2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3  Nassau Hessen            2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
4  Ayrshire                 2   0  0  2    2   6  -4    0

[Jeru FC]

At Filly Financial Stadium in Fillydelphia, Princess Amy and Dream Lord with Dream Lord after a 3-2 win

Amy: That's a lot better, but we could still not let in few goals
DL: 2 is less then 3
Amy: So I'm expecting you lot to conceded 1 goal next game
DL: Err, no
Amy: At least we're moving forward
DL: Yes, we're making progress ... sort of ... maybe

Amy: Yes well, I fully expect better
DL: Say, has your iCloud account been hacked recently?
Amy: Oh that, well probably.
DL: I found some juicy new stuff on the Internets
Amy: I'm not bothered, people have been me naked before
DL: Oh yes, you don't wear clothes on Naked News

Amy: The really juicy stuff isn't on iCloud
DL: Why is that?
Amy: I have to get people to pay for subscription to my web site, they need special content
DL: Yes, you got some pretty grubby stuff there
Amy: I assume you're subcriber
DL: Of course, we need to keep up with Joneses

Amy: It's pretty bad a cloud service is vulnerable to brute force attacks
DL: It's pretty sloppy security, really
Amy: I only use it for a backup system really
DL: If you got the tools, you can get into any system
Amy: So what do you do in your spare time then?
DL: I do research

Amy: Into what? Making drugs?
DL: I can't say, I might get into trouble
Amy: You're always in trouble
DL: Legally I mean
Amy: I don't want know
DL: I guess you don't

Amy: I'd wish you lot really work more on ya football than your extracircular activities
DL: But football is so boring compared to other things
Amy: Like naked women?
DL: Yes, that makes life real exciting
Amy: I suppose you could be doing worse things
DL: Like plotting to take over the universe

Amy: Something like that
DL: That would require hard work
Amy: Something you lot are allergic to
DL: It's too much hard work, hard work is
Amy: Explains a lot about ya football then
DL: I guess it does. Oh, do you mind signing a few photos?

Amy: Are you selling them?
DL: Err, yes
Amy: Well, I'm supposed to get a cut
DL: Err, I guess you do
Amy: Do I have clothes on?
DL: Err, no

Amy: Well, I expect a bigger cut from those then
DL: Err, OK I guess
Amy: I won't sign anything unless I get something out of it
DL: I guess that's fair

[Kandorith]

Return of The Dragons

  Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
   1  Darvale                  2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6   
2  Kandorith                2   1  0  1    8   8   0    3
3  Semarland                2   0  1  1    7   9  -2    1
4  Patistan                 2   0  1  1    4   6  -2    1

An amazing display of skill from a very motivated team. Kandorith managed to beat Semarland with 5 goals to 3. It seems the Red Dragons are back in shape again and will start performing in their usual style again. Did coach Yúan's speech give them back their confidence, or perhaps it was divine intervention after the many prayers from all across the nation. No one can tell, all people can tell is, the party broke lose in central Xíangzhou after the impressive victory.


The whole team showed what football means to the Kandorese and how it is played domestically, a team which is fully 'home grown' is sinking it's teeth into football. As previous the many critics of the Kandorese playstyle are convinced Kandorith can and most likely will build on this success; as they have done so in the past. The Kandorese teams throughout history have been known to need a little start up push before they start performing at top level. With this victory in the bag the defeat against Darvale seems a distant memory, almost.


"The defeat against Darvale was demotivating indeed, but we have won back the confidence of our fans, which completely refueled the team." Méng said. "As soon as I hit the first ball into the net, I knew it was going to be a great match; the game flowed like never before and the results are now here. Defensively we still need some work; the coach did emphasize on that, which will most likely be the spotlight of the coming training." according to a very pleased Méng, the top scorer for Kandorith.


Coach Yúan's team seems to be back on track, will they make the cut and will they perform as the team is supposed to? the coming matches will tell, and even more likely everything depends on the coming match against Patistan. Coach Yúan already said he was not worried about Patistan. "Patistan is a tough team, that is true. But then again, you should never underestimate your opponent" he said. "I greatly respect Patistan and their style of football, but I think we have the edge here. We're a quicker and more versatile team and one of the greatest boosts to us, is the nation being connected to our rise and fall. We don't just play football, the nation plays football with us and we represent the entire nation's glory." he added pridefully.


Encouraging almost glorious words from the young coach. The Kandorese team is preparing heavily to represent the nation after a disappointing World Cup qualifying round, they might have won back the fan's confidence; now they have to conquer the fans' hearts again. Jiayou Kanyúo!

[Super-Llamaland]

Tigers Draw...Again, Win Against Mangolana Required

So, how'd that 4-2-3-1 work out for ya, Bogdan?

Certainly not well. The Tigers managed only a single goal against an upstart Saint James Islands, certainly happy for a point off the tournament twelfth seed, and despite having the upper hand for most of the match, were unable to break away for more. While the defense was solid and Henry McNeal did a magnificent job in the net, the offense was just unable to get much going without star striker Alex Cartwright and suffered accordingly.

The Tigers aren't in too bad of a spot after the one-all draw, sharing the second spot with Dainer, who also has two points after a crucial draw against Mangolana, who has four points and the lead after pummeling the Saint James Isles, the very team we failed to pick three off today, three-nil. It's still anyone's game and any team could make it out, and as such things should be intense.

Anyways, to the game!

---

Seaddle, Equestrian States: Super-Llamaland Tigers v. The Saint James Islands

To be honest, drunk me, around the twentieth minute, noticed how fluidly the Tigers with their new 4-2-3-1 genius and boasted loudly to all of the St. James Islands fans present (there were none. It was downtown Vargas, ferchrissake.) that the Tigers were going to win six-nil.

Heh. Aheh.

Aheheheheheheh.

Anyways, the Tigers legitimately looked like the far better team for the first twenty. The front line was fluid and connected, Wiggins and Sturgeon were fantastic playmakers despite being slotted into defensive midfield, and the attacking midfielders were sublime: the trifecta of Eden Powell, Alex Ford, and Tobias Dickenson all looked on top of things and like a team, unlike the "let's-all-run-to-the-goal-and-whine-when-the-one-playmaker-doesn't-pass-to-us" WC 69 team, and, arguably the team that played the first game at the Cup against Dainer.

A goal seemed natural, and Alex Ford's flopping job, was, sadly, what appeared to get it done. Theodoridis, the tall left-back, knocked the ball out from beneath Ford, who proceeded to pretend that his legs had been swept out with the spinning football. One yellow card later, it was Peter Masters to take the penalty kick, but his shot banged off the crossbar and Theodoridis covered to clear the ball.

Still, the wave-style offense, powered by Sturgeon and Wiggins in the back and no shortage of jostling in the front, kept at it, and in the seventeenth, Wiggins found a gap on the right side between Theodoridis and the center-back Sessions and promptly abandoned the Tigers' fluid passing game, opting instead to kick it through the gap and rush by it. The defenders were caught out in front, and the right-halfback ran it to the goal before banging a shot off Dessantos in the net. The ball bounced off, giving Peter Masters easy pickings for his first goal of the tournament, a thunderous retort into the corner.

The Tigers continued to dominate, but towards the end of the first half, the U-21 sensation Rosenkränts took a beautiful through pass from Eko and snuck around the left flank of the rapidly retreating defense. The striker feinted past Ryan Reagan to open up some room, and, with his left foot, smashed one off the right post and past a diving McNeal.

The second half started unusually, with the Islands swapping the ineffective George Kostas for Neama Iokua. The change seemed to work, and the deadly combination of Rosenkränts, Iokua, and Raia was just too much for the Tigers to mount an effective counterattack. Multiple times one of the three would take a deadly kick at the ball, but each time McNeal was ready.

Slightly more sober by now, I acknowledged that the score was one-all and muttered something. But when the Islands kept pushing, a loss began looking more and more likely.

When we held out for a draw, I was annoyed but pleasantly surprised. Oh well. Here's to next time.

[Timbermunich]

Timbermunich Soccer Squad
Hardwoods Player Profiles
Part 3 - Defenders

Starting Defenders

Great Norman

– Club Team – 
None, Timbermunich only has the National Team
– Position – 
Right Back

Great Norman is a very physical back who has excellent speed and is rarely beat in a foot race. He is good in the air but could use some improvement in that area as well. Norman has exceptional one on one skill and because of his speed is a great back that is hard to get past. He is very uncomfortable when pressured into the middle of the field and prefers to stay out wide to cover any possible crossing situation. Overall he is an acceptable back with some room to improve.

Norman was destined to be a great, especially since he is one of Great Battles sons. He is rather normal, well as normal as normal is really. Besides having the greatness since birth he hasn’t done anything to exciting, sure he was able to chop down a tree with a single blow when he was three but compared to his siblings he hasn’t been in the spot light. He’s very laid back, easy going, and fun to be around. One thing that does set him apart would be his interest in the human body and its ability to do the things it does. Because of this he helped propel the Timbermunich Medical Center to where it is today and he helped develop the Joint Center (portion of the TMC that specializes in joint replacement and repair). From the time he was just 14 years old he studied everything he could about the body. He would travel with his father throughout Timbermunich and he would study the motion mechanics of anyone they came across. He published his first findings when he was 17 and shortly after he left Timbermunich to study and get his medical degree. Once he accomplished this he returned to Timbermunich and along with a handful of the village medicine men started the first clinic and surgical center, which eventually became the Timbermunich Medical Center. Though he no longer is involved with the center and lives solely in the Heart of the Grove he does often go there to watch the advances the current doctors have made. He also will help in any joint replacement surgery if asked.

Great Battle

– Club Team –
 Crew of Gypsum SC –  HopNation
– Position –
Center Back

Great Battle is the core of the four backs and keeps them well organized. He is great in the air, has good 1v1 skill, and superb field awareness. His only real downfall as a center back is his speed, sure he is quick footed and skilled on the ball but his overall pace seems to struggle at times. Thankfully he has a couple other backs next to him that are extremely fast and if he does happen to get beat they are there to quickly step in and recover for him. With his communication and field awareness Great Battle gets his defensive unit in good positions to help limit the amount of opportunities that the opponents might have. He is also the best passer out of the four starting backs, because of this he is often a focal point to start the forward progress of their attack.

For more details on Great Battle please review the documents contained here.

Great Battle is the heart of Timbermunich, he is the first “Great” along with Great One-Arm Willy as they were both found to contain the greatness during a storm that knocked over a tree and caused Willy to loose his arm. He was the visionary that saw where Timbermunich was headed after he and Willy found the TimberHeart. They both were responsible for the building; at least the design and imagination behind the Heart Canopy and having all the Greats live within the Heart of the Grove. He is still involved greatly with all aspects of Timbermunich and meets regularly with the Greats and the village Elders. He is nearly 200 years old but doesn’t look a day over 40 and he has seen many good men and women come and go during his time. He truly is one of a kind, compassionate, understanding, and a great leader.

Great Felling Axe

– Club Team –
None, Timbermunich only has the National Team
– Position –
Center Back

Felling is a good back and compliments Great Battle in the center very well. He is not as good in the air as most center backs but makes up for it with his excellent positioning and field awareness. He is never found out of position and has the most blocks on the team because of it. The other aspect of his game that is really good is his communication, probably just a bit better than Great Battle’s. He along with Great Battle organizes the teams defensive efforts and keep everyone in check. If he were to improve his aerial ability and perhaps his passing just a bit he may even be a better center back than Great Battle is.

Felling is a rather interesting fellow and little is known about him other than how he was found to contain the greatness. No one knows what village he grew up in or who his parents were as he was found wondering through the wilderness when he was just 6. When he was found he had very little clothing on, was covered in dirt, and had actually just been attacked by a pack of TimberHounds (wolf like creatures). It is thought that the boy was fallowing his family and just got lost in the woods, but those details are not clear as Felling does not talk much and was even thought to be mute for along time after he was found. People speculate that he was lost at the age of 3 and he somehow survived for three years before he was actually found. He was found by Great Battle and is why the boy was determined to have the greatness; otherwise it might have gone undetected if anyone else had found him. Great Battle was moving some lumber to the cold deck when he heard the yelps of the TimberHounds. Battle knew those yelps well and that they were certainly hunting something, possibly a TimberStag. Being the curious one he is Great Battle followed the sounds to see what it was and if they caught and killed what they were hunting. When Great Battle saw the first TimberHound he was completely caught off guard as the beast was injured and limping away from the other yelping animals. Still not being able to see how many there were or what their pray was Battle moved in the direction that the injured TimberHound came from, he went around a set of trees and saw two TimberHounds with their lower jaws ripped off and laying dead on top of each other. He could not believe his eyes and could not think of any other animal in Timbermunich that could have done this. Great Battle rounded another set of trees to find five more TimberHounds stalking in a circular patter around something, each would take turns lunging at the item they were moving around but they would not commit to a full attack. Moving closer yet Battle finally got a glimpse of what looked to be a young boy, he also startled one of the TimberHounds and it turned to run at him but at the last second bolted into the underbrush and vanished into the distance. The boy had blood covering both hands with even more blood splattered across his face and dripping down his legs, which could either be his own or it was from the two TimberHounds that were missing their lower jaws. Great Battle tried to moved closer but the TimberHounds yips grew louder the closer he got so he stayed back a bit, especially since the boy looked to be holding his own for now. As he moved a little to one side and near a tree to get a better view of the boy and try to figure out if he was hurt Great Battle saw a black flash from his left, it was the TimberHound that had vanished into the distance and it was on a full sprint headed directly at the boy. The boy heard it coming and turned just as it leapt over another TimberHound and grabbed the beast in mid air and then throwing it in one motion over his head and into a nearby tree. As the boy released the TimberHound there was a nauseating sound of cracking bone mixed with a bubbling muffled type yip, Great Battles eyes first followed the TimberHound as it left the boys hands but then returned to the boy as soon as the noise was heard. There in the boys hand was the lower jaw of the TimberHound, held firmly in his grip blood still dripping off of it. The boy threw it at another TimberHound and hit it in the front leg, to which the beast yelped in pain then jerked wildly from the blow then turned and limped off with it’s tail between it’s legs hopping and not using the hit leg (which sort of explained the first TimberHound Great Battle came across). Now with only three beasts left the boy made a couple lunging moves of his own which caused another of the TimberHounds to run off. The final two attacked as soon as the boy started to recoil from his lung, one from the right and one from straight on. The boy kicked and caught the beast coming straight at him under the chin, which flipped the it over landing it on it’s back. However the one on the right latched onto his arm and shook wildly, the boy didn’t even let out so much as a wimper he simply reached over with his free hand and grabbed the beast by the snout. His grip was spot on and grabbed just below the eyes, his index finger actually coming to rest on the nose side of an eye the other fingers just above it. He squeezed and the beast immediately released its’ hold on the arm, but the boy didn’t let go he kept squeezing and a second later Great Battle again head the blood curdling yelp mixed with the sound of crushing bone as the boy lifted the beast off the ground with one arm and split the animals snout just below the ridge line as it met it’s eye sockets. The animal he kicked was not moving either and the boy stood over it looking down, Great Battle could see the boy looking for life, looking to see if the chest was rising and falling with breath but it was not it too was now dead. The boy then fell to his knees and then slumped over the animal, Great Battle moved closer and could see the boy running his fingers through the beasts hair but the rest of him was completely still it was even hard for Battle to see if the boy was breathing. Great Battle reached down and touched the boy while asking if he was okay, yet still the boy was still. After another minute or two the boy stood and looked at Great Battle, tears running down his face, yet no other emotion was perceived on the young lads face. Great Battle has to this day never seen anything like it, the boy was completely unharmed, showed remorse through his eyes, but yet no other emotion could be detected. He grabbed the boy and took him back to the village, but as he picked up the boy Great Battle could feel his ax get hot. Not only was it pulsing with energy to indicate the greatness it was also becoming red hot, something he had never seen before. It was certain that this boy had the greatness so he continued to carry him back to the village where it took a couple of days to even learn the boys name. But he would be forever known as Great Felling Axe, which mostly meant he knocked things down with out an ax, mainly the TimberHounds. A rather odd title but also somewhat fitting.

Great Tomahawk Tommy

– Club Team –
None, Timbermunich only has the National Team
– Position –
Left Back

Tommy is a nice left back but he tends to slide too much. He is also very fast, has good passing, and good 1v1 body positioning so with that combination of skills he is rather hard to beat. He does however have a little trouble staying where he is supposed to and the other backs are constantly yelling at him to get into position. His aerial play is also very good and is often the first player to touch the ball on corner kicks. He is not afraid to get in the way of a shot or pass and is often the leader when it comes to setting up walls on free kicks. He is very coachable and his teammates find his dry humor somewhat funny, so he is a good player to have around when the mood needs lightened.

Tommy was 24 when he was found to have the greatness and it was during a display of his tomahawk skill, thus his great title Great Tomahawk Tommy. It was a sunny day with not a single cloud in the sky, not that you could see the sky through the part of the canopy Tommy was under. The young man was performing in front of his village during a local celebration. He had six tomahawks, one in each hand and then four more on the ground near him. He started like he did most times and did a whirling display of hand movements which propelled the axes around his body and then he would throw one high into the air. As the one tomahawk was in the air he bent down and picked up another one from the ground and then started to juggle as the initial one came down. He repeated this until he had all six moving magically in the air, tossing one and catching another in rhythmic fashion. After a couple minutes of an alternating pattern he tossed a tomahawk on its down movement into a nearby stump, which drew some cheers from the crowd. He did this with each as it came down planting on right next to the other in the stump, there was less than 1 centimeter between each tomahawk when he had them all stuck in the stump which drew greater crowd applause. He then started again, his juggling, by pulling one ax out and tossing it high into the air. But this time he would toss one high then alternate and throw one low. He continued to do this for a little bit and then started to throw them in a loop to the other side of the stage, one right after the other and they hit one by one in a different stump with each subsequent tomahawk sticking into the haft of the one before it, the crowed when crazy for this. He walked over and grabbed the last handle and pulled them all out with one pull and held them over his head; however he didn’t notice that the middle tomahawk was not seated firmly in the next ones haft and the top three fell straight down onto Tommy’s head. The three axes scalped the young man but yet there was no blood and Tommy was still standing. He looked behind him and there on the ground was all of his hair and the three tomahawks along with a thin layer of his scalp. Not understanding what had happened the crowd was silent until Tommy picked up his hair and tried to set it back on his head. They then all got up and ran way form the stage area in disbelief as the scalp sections fused back to Tommy’s head. A couple of them summoned Great One-Arm Willy and as soon as Willy arrived his ax started to glow which explained how Tommy was uninjured and able to put his part scalp back on his head, he had the greatness.

[The Saint James Islands]

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a century of excellence | 1 september 2014

---

we are still alive, folks
draw-filled day keeps saint james islands in runner cup

runner cup group e
harmonylink field, seaddle (02:30 SJST)

GK - dessantos ∎11'
LB - mason
CB - sessions
RB - theodoridis ∎9'
RM - matignon ▼73'
CM - bercée (c)
CM - zapatero ▼57'
LM - kai
RF - rosenkränts
CF - raia
LF - kostas ▼46'

LF - neama ▲46'
CM - barnett ▲57'
RM - anglesey ▲73'

mcneal - GK
nelson (c) - RB
reagan - CB
agudieres - CB
bale - LB
wiggins - RH
sturgeon - LH
dickinson - RM
ford - CM
powell - LM
masters - ST

                    
                    
                    

saint james islands
41' jan-nikläs rosenkränts




9
6
2
2
6
2
0
4
52%
super-llamaland
         17' peter masters




7
5
2
1
4
0
0
5
48%
1 - 1
full time




shots
on target
fouls
offsides
corner kicks
yellow cards
red cards
saves
possession

Seaddle, Equestrian States - Somehow, in a lineup famous across the Commonwealth for its propensity to screw up anything it possibly can, the Saint Jamesian side has managed to hold onto its Runner Cup hopes by a mere thread. With a miraculous draw against Super-Llamaland and another draw between Dainer and Mangolana at the Pony Lands Park, Manechester, Les Oiseaux hang in the competition by a mere hope and prayer.

With manager Jean-Baptiste Archambault, the tactician who brought United Philibiscostal many national accolades, stubbornly and uncharacteristically refusing to change the starting line-up from the disastrous opening game against Mangolana, Saint James Islanders everywhere were left scratching their heads. Even the Prime Minister had to comment on the odd behaviour of the national side's manager, tweeting "Archambault is out of his mind. If there was ever a time for his team-morphing tactics, it's now. #runnercup" to more than 480,000 followers.

At kick-off, it looked like Archambault was going to regret his decision to hold firm and the mood of the Les Oiseaux fans played into that fear. Super-Llamaland dominated during the first forty-five, creating scoring opportunities quickly. Gulyèlmo Dessantos was quickly called on to block a shot from Llamanean midfielder Alex Ford in the fifth minute. Disappointed by the denial of an easy shot, Ford played with fire of Thomas Theodoridis, who quickly took the ball out from between Ford's legs. After a dive by Ford, Theodoridis was booked and a penalty kick awarded to Super-Llamaland. Dessantos rushed over to the referee to protest the penalty, but only saw another booking for Les Oiseaux himself. Peter Masters went up to take the penalty in the 12th minute, but found his shot denied by the crossbar and the ball dinged away from the goal by a Theodoridis header. After the disappointing penalty failure, Super-Llamaland quickly came back. Kyle Sturgeon and Jake Wiggins fuelled the offence through the rebound, which landed not too far behind the Llamanean offence. Marvin Sessions and Theodoridis found themselves too far out and too far apart, allowing Wiggins to pass through them and take the ball to Masters, who redeemed himself from the penalty kick by converting the pass into a 17th minute goal.

As the mood soured further for the Saint James Islanders, the Llamaneans denied Les Oiseaux the opportunity to break away and attempt to level. By the 39th minute, however, Louis-Pierre Matignon, who had fallen back to aid the defensive line by this point, took the ball up to Angèlo Zapatero and captain Yves Bercée, cracking almost forty minutes of Llamanean dominance. The patience of the front line and Archambault's stubbornness paid off in spades, as Kai Eko bolted towards the Llamanean goal to pass off to Jan-Nikläs Rosenkränts, the very man blamed for the team's loss on Day 1. Rosenkränts took the pass around the Llamanean defence, feinting past Ryan Reagan before taking a shot past Henry McNeal off the right post to end the half level.

Archambault took out George Kostas at the beginning of the second half after it was discovered that he had twisted his ankle in an early attack attempt, with Neama Iokua going on in his place. Neama quickly blended into the Triad, reviving a Triad that was hobbling along after Kostas's twisted ankle. Les Oiseaux came to life and dominated the second half of the game, pushing the Llamanean defence to its very limits. With further substitutions of Thom Barnett for Zapatero and Karl Anglesey for Matignon, the midfield were able to keep the ball out of the Llamanean half and move the ball back up to the Triad. And after registering just two shots through the whole of the first half, Raia, Rosenkränts and Neama collectively had seven between them during the second half alone, matching the Llamanean shot count for the entire ninety minutes. With five shots on target, McNeil was able to boost the Llamanean stats by registering five saves and holding Super-Llamaland down for an eventual draw at the whistle.

what are the possibilities?

  group e                    pld   w  d  l   gf  ga  gd  pts
1 mangolana                    2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 dainer                       2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
3 super-llamaland              2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 saint james islands          2   0  1  1    1   4  -3    1

The Saint James Islands is still on last place. We're somehow still in the competition and just three points behind the group leaders, but what do you expect? A come-from-behind-power-through berth to the knockout stage? It's not that likely. No one has made it through or been eliminated yet and it's anyone's game to lose, but Les Oiseaux will have to hope for a wing and a prayer to take us through to the next round.

First off, the next game against Dainer is a must-win for Les Oiseaux. A draw will see the Saint James Islanders off for home on just two points, not nearly enough to overtake anyone. Next up, Mangolana must draw at the very least. A loss for Mangolana will shoot Super-Llamaland to the top of the group on five, while our four-four tie with Mangolana will be resolved against us on head-to-head results.

But if you're fearing collusion by Mangolana and Super-Llamaland to eliminate Dainer and us, don't; Mangolana will be taking a big risk if they dive against Super-Llamaland. If Les Oiseaux win against Dainer, not an unrealistic scenario given the last game, such a dirty trick could pay dividends. But if Mangolana dive and Dainer win against the Islanders, Mangolana will head to the airport alongside the very team they tried to take out. But the fundamental questions for these two teams are simple: which Les Oiseaux do they expect to see in that last game and is a knockout stage berth worth the perversion of all good sportsmanship? Super-Llamaland might have spit upon the name of fair play with that dive, but for the sake of sport, we hope Mangolana has a proper head on their shoulders. We'll see how they answer that question soon.

---

for your reading pleasure

• Britannon government coalition collapses ▶
• Ocidenia seals border with Fjallmark ▶
• SLU rules out formal coalition with DSA or NDL ▶

comments
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ndl4life 19▲ 36▼
Hennessey has to be eating his words right about now! I love it when the Alliance make idiots out of themselves.

Orestos Markusson 43▲ 9▼
@ndl4life: This is sports, not politics.

Jacques-Marie Blanchard 54▲ 5▼
I knew Rosenkrants would pull through for us! You give someone a change and they pull through amazingly. #rosenkrantsxkai2014

Sarah Dean 42▲ 4▼
Rosenkränts, you nutcase, I love you! La Corona were sooooo right to sign you. ^_^

Kai Maraka 45▲ 8▼
@Jacques-Marie Blanchard: You got me. He pulled it off in the most amazing way. The Rosenkränts we saw today was nothing like the Rosenkränts we saw on Day 1, but Kostas twisting his ankle is a disappointment for sure. I really wish he could play in the last group stage game, but it doesn't look like he will be able to.

[Darvale]

Over IRC (on #nssport), Vilita and New Drakonika both told me that I could use Patistan's World Cup 69 roster as a point of reference for this match report

---

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THE COMEBACK KIDS STRIKE AGAIN!
A young, amateur Darvalian side somehow qualify for the Runner Cup after defeating a strong Patistani side
Article by Ramon Goldstein | Sports Category | Posted 3/9/2014 at 8:15 pm

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Manager Hugo Simmons smiling shortly after Roman Saxsmith opened the scoreline in the 31st minute

Ironworks Park, Stalliongrad, EQUESTRIAN STATES - Oh happy days! An amateur Darvalian team, consisting of inexperienced, young recruits, have qualified Darvale for the Runner Cup 3, following up on their 5-3 win against Kandorith with a 2-0 win over Patistan. Hugo Simmons was nationally hailed for his performance so far in the Runner Cup, as well as his decision to bring in the fresh, young amateurs that are now proudly representing Darvale in the Runner Cup. We have a detailed match report below.

The match started off, with substitute goalkeeper Elias Byrd starting on the Darvalian team, replacing an injured Kieran Faulkner, the usual starting goalkeeper of this amateur Darvalian side. The Darvalian defense had a few scares early on, with strikers Zesh Rehman, James Hussam, and Zia Haq launching frequent offensive operations, but Darvalian goalkeeper Elias Byrd, with the help of defenders John Evans, Micah Harrington, Anthony Barrett, and James Berkeley, managed to hold the line.

However, in the 17th minute, Patistani midfielder Rashid Hussain produced a deep pass into the center of the Darvalian box, where Patistani forward Zesh Rehman was patiently waiting for a precious opportunity like this to come. Rehman did not fail to put the ball into the goal, chipping the ball over goalkeeper Elias Byrd, and into the net. However, Rehman, instead of celebrating, was protesting. The assistant referee had, to the relief of the Darvalians, but to the fury of the Patistanis, ruled Rehman to have been offside the moment he received the ball from Rashid Hussain. There was further protest from the Patistani side, but in the end, the protests were dispersed and the game continued.

But the first actual goal of the game came only two minutes after Zesh Rehman's offside goal. It was Roman Saxsmith, Darvalian central-striker, who opened the scoreline of the game. Willis Finchley, Darvalian central-midfielder, dribbled past midfielders Arhum Gulbaz and Abdullah Umar, as well as defender Yousuf Kerai, before chipping the ball into the center of the box, where Brett Cole, Darvalian central-striker, on-targetly fired the ball towards the goal, but, somehow, Patistani goalkeeper Shaheer Shazib managed to block the ball, but, luckily, Roman Saxsmith was there to tip the ball back into the goal. 1-0 in the 19th minute.

With renewed motivation, the Darvalians launched several attacks at the Patistani defense, who, slowly crumbling, allowed the Darvalians to penetrate deeper and deeper into the Patistani side of the pitch. However, a misfortunate turn of events in the 32nd minute came uncomfortably close to producing a Patistani equalizer. Spencer Campbell, Darvalian right winger, fired a long, on-target shot from outside the box, that nearly went into the net, but instead bounced off the post.

The force of the ball hitting the post, was so hard that the ball, with the help of an untimely (for the Darvalians) gust of wind, flew all the way from the Patistani goal, to the half-line, where Patistani forward James Hussam was patiently waiting for the ball to come. Hussam performed an excellent 1-2 pass with fellow Patistani striker Zesh Rehman, allowing the former to wind up seven meters from the goal, with only Darvalian goalkeeper Elias Byrd standing in Hussam's way to an open goal. Hussam fired the ball on-target, towards the top-right corner of the goal, but, in a mix of nervosity and randomness, goalkeeper Byrd somehow managed to just get a touch on the ball, causing it to just tip over the goal. The corner kick that ensued brought nothing, and the action that preceded the corner kick was hailed as one of Darvale's best goalkeeper saves in history.

The next action came 29 minutes later, in the 61st minute, in the second half. It would be the Darvalian goal that would seal the game, with left winger Spencer Campbell being the one that scored this time. After central striker Brett Cole was fouled just outside the Patistani box by defender Talat Hussain, the referee awarded the Darvalians a free kick. As Spencer Campbell was the Darvalian team's free kick specialist, he naturally, took the kick, and graciously fired the ball into the bottom-left corner of the net. 2-0 for the Darvalians in the 61st minute.

Not much happened after the second Darvalian goal, except for a few other Darvalian scoring opportunities, but the largest of these opportunities came in the second minute of second half additional time, which nearly allowed the Patistanis to put one back against the Darvalians. It was striker James Hussam who failed to score for his team a second team, although this time, Hussam had a plausible reason to argue with the referee. Hussam did manage to put the ball into the back of the net this time, firing the ball home from outside the box, but, however, the goal was denied, as the referee ruled that the ball had entered the net after the latter had blown the full-time whistle. This outraged the Patistanis, but the goal was finally left uncounted.

The Darvalians will be facing an upstart Semar side next, and the match will be the third time these two sides encounter on an international level. History is telling us that the Semars will win this match, but statisticians are saying that Darvale have a good chance of getting their first won against the Semars, who, first drew against Darvale 2-2, and then won against Darvale 5-3.

[Equestrian States]

Can the Ponies win the Runner Cup?
by Steve McNotapony

CANTERLOT - With their victory last night against Schiavonia, the Equestrian States national team guaranteed themselves a spot in the second round of the Runner Cup, where they've looked more than capable of finally winning a tournament in front of their own supporters.

While it still may be early in the competition, local fans and pundits alike seem convinced that the Ponies may finally shake off their usual bad luck - at least temporarily - and win their first trophy since claiming the Market Cup over ten years ago. The Equestrians are one of the highest-ranked teams in the competition and boast a number of big-name stars who are determined to put an end to their supporters' misery. Recent years have been especially difficult for Ponies fans as, despite having an extremely-talented and youthful squad, have failed to return to the multiverse's grandest stage after bowing out of the competition in the second round when it was held here in the Equestrian States.

However, with a new and ambitious manager at the helm, and star players such as Gentle Breeze, Rainbow Blitz, and Krystal all entering their prime, the Equestrians look entirely capable of reversing their fortunes in the coming years. In the short term, the Ponies are facing a tournament field here in the Runner Cup that's largely devoid of teams with more raw talent or experience in top-notch competitions, which bodes well for their chances at a title, even if it's not the most prestigious.

---

Match Report :: Match Day 2

 EQUESTRIAN STATES 2-0 SCHIAVONIA 
Apple Orchard Park (cap. 52,680) in Appleoosa, Equestrian States

Scoring:
 Pristina Shine '26 (Cloudchaser)
 Rainbow Blitz '58 (Pristina Shine)

Starting XI:
GK - Gentle Breeze
RB - Krysia Bailey
CB - Flitter
CB - Andrea Molovi
LB - Brix Hamilton
CM - Cloudchaser
CM - Apple Jack
RW - Apple Cobbler
CAM - Rainbow Blitz
LW - Krystal
ST - Pristina Shine

Substitutions:
 Rosie Tyler in for Apple Jack '45
 Jermaine Poole in for Apple Cobbler '78
 Rumble in for Flitter '78

[Equestrian States]

RUNNER CUP III
MATCH DAY 3 RESULTS

Group A

Schiavonia 2–1 New North Aqmuland
at Star Stadium in Canterlot

Wolfenia 2–4 Equestrian States
at the Equestria Dome in Canterlot

  Group A                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Equestrian States        3   3  0  0   10   4  +6    9   Q
2  Schiavonia               3   1  1  1    3   4  -1    4   Q
3  New North Aqmuland       3   1  0  2    4   6  -2    3
4  Wolfenia                 3   0  1  2    3   6  -3    1

Group B

Timbermunich 2–1 Cata Larga
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville

Lymantatia 2–3 Crystal Empire
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale

  Group B                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Crystal Empire           3   2  1  0    7   4  +3    7   Q
2  Timbermunich             3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5   Q
3  Lymantatia               3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4  Cata Larga               3   0  0  3    2   6  -4    0

Group C

Jeckland 2–3 Kazamatsuri
at Wild Grounds in Everfree

Miley World 0–1 Eastfield Lodge
at Shady Grove in Whitetail

  Group C                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Eastfield Lodge          3   3  0  0    6   2  +4    9   Q
2  Kazamatsuri              3   2  0  1    6   5  +1    6   Q
3  Jeckland                 3   1  0  2    4   6  -2    3
4  Miley World              3   0  0  3    1   4  -3    0

Group D

Itanpavia 4–2 Monkeykind
at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan

Kernansquillec 4–4 Boring Paradise
at Derby Field in Manehattan

  Group D                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Itanpavia                3   2  1  0    6   3  +3    7   Q
2  Boring Paradise          3   1  2  0    7   6  +1    5   Q
3  Monkeykind               3   1  0  2    4   6  -2    3
4  Kernansquillec           3   0  1  2    4   6  -2    1

Group E

Dainer 2–0 Saint James Islands
at HarmonyLink Field in Seaddle

Super-Llamaland 3–2 Mangolana
at Pony Lands Park in Manechester

  Group E                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Dainer                   3   1  2  0    6   4  +2    5   Q
2  Super-Llamaland          3   1  2  0    6   5  +1    5   Q
3  Mangolana                3   1  1  1    7   5  +2    4
4  Saint James Islands      3   0  1  2    1   6  -5    1
Dainer ahead of Super-Llamaland on Goal Differential

Group F

Patistan 2–4 Kandorith
at the Maple Bowl in Trottawa

Semarland 1–1 Darvale
at Ironworks Park in Stalliongrad

  Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Darvale                  3   2  1  0    8   4  +4    7   Q
2  Kandorith                3   2  0  1   12  10  +2    6   Q
3  Semarland                3   0  2  1    8  10  -2    2
4  Patistan                 3   0  1  2    6  10  -4    1

Group G

Kitsunia-Deesse 4–1 Olastor
at Filly Financial Stadium in Fillydelphia

Jeru FC 3–2 The United Kingdoms of Zackalantis
at Birminghoof Field in Birminghoof

  Group G                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Kitsunia-Deesse          3   2  1  0    9   5  +4    7   Q
2  Jeru FC                  3   2  1  0    9   7  +2    7   Q
3  Zackalantis              3   0  1  2    5   7  -2    1
4  Olastor                  3   0  1  2    5   9  -4    1
Kitsunia-Deesse ahead of Jeru FC on Goal Differential
Zackalantis ahead of Olastor on Goal Differential

Group H

Gloriax 4–1 United Commonwealth of Ayrshire
at Apple Orchard Park in Appleoosa

McKleigh 2–1 Nassau Hessen
at Salt Lick Stadium in Salt Lick City

  Group H                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  McKleigh                 3   3  0  0    8   4  +4    9   Q
2  Gloriax                  3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6   Q
3  Nassau Hessen            3   1  0  2    4   4   0    3
4  Ayrshire                 3   0  0  3    3  10  -7    0

---

ROUND OF 16 SCHEDULE

Equestrian States vs. Timbermunich
at Wild Grounds in Everfree

Eastfield Lodge vs. Boring Paradise
at the Equestria Dome in Canterlot

Crystal Empire vs. Schiavonia
at Apple Orchard Park in Appleoosa

Itanpavia vs. Kazamatsuri
at Pony Lands Park in Manechester

Dainer vs. Kandorith
at Star Stadium in Canterlot

Kitsunia-Deesse vs. Gloriax
at Shady Grove in Whitetail

Darvale vs. Super-Llamaland
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville

McKleigh vs. Jeru FC
at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan