AOCAF 50 :: Atlantian Oceania's Golden Championship

[Cosumar]

Senturk leads Cosumar to 4-1 win over Tallaga la Falla to stay atop group

L O N G G E Y L I N -- Gethin Ramsey's side continued its winning ways with a commanding 4-1 attacking display against Tallaga la Falla after sitting out with a bye on Matchday two. Ole Öhman, Mauricio Sigler and Anders Engström each netted their firsts of the tournament, but plenty of the credit should go to Aziz Senturk who assisted on the first three goals and was also involved in the fourth.

At Longgeylin Park, the club home of sometimes-national-team defender Jukka Lindroos, a healthy contingent of Cosumar supporters was on its feet within five minutes as Öhman finished off a quick break to make it 1-0. The Tallaga la Falla defense was caught napping in the back and granted Aziz Senturk acres of space to play the streaking Öhman in on goal. All the Sabrefell Athletic man had to do was lift it past the goalkeeper.

The early goal seemed to settle the Vanquishers down...but perhaps a little bit too much. Tallaga la Falla gradually carved a foothold in the game and nearly equalized in the 25th minute when a well-worked play off a short corner led to Joaquima Salut Tomàs blazing a header over the crossbar.

Twelve minutes before the break, however, another great sequence of team play led to a second goal and a 2-0 lead for Cosumar. Vareza Na'Noni ripped the ball off Bartomeu Chimo Sala and quickly played it up ahead to Engström in the hole. The captain stopped, pivoted and slid the ball over to a surging Senturk. The Maximum Rovers man then produced a brilliant first-time flick into the path of Mauricio Sigler down the left. Once again, the exquisite work of Senturk made life easy for the finisher - Sigler simply pummeled the ball low into the corner for his first of two goals on the night.

Cosumar briefly seemed set to cruise the rest of the way to an easy win, but more lax set-piece defending threatened to derail the plan. Just two minutes after Sigler's goal, Tallaga la Falla's Roger Òscar Romà rose highter than Jacob Pandan to glance a header past Jakk Winterfyll at the near post. Another two minutes later and Guifré Gonçal Vivas nearly made it 2-2 with a bending free kick from the right, kept out at the last second by a desperate Winterfyll leaping save.

Up to the intermission, the game culminated into an entertaining two-way affair - both sides going after it and looking dangerous in the final third. It was just a matter of which defense would bend and break under the pressure in the second half.

Displeased by the first half's ineffective defense, Ramsey replaced Pandan with previously uncapped Torbjörn Jorgensen during the break. Though only 20, his big-game experience in the Harlighet Ligan, LigAnaia and Champions' Cup helped him stay cool and steady in his first taste of the international level. As he did many a time for Real Azuris and FC Jansberg over the last two years, Jorgensen immediately fortified the interior defense. By contrast, the comparative inexperience of the hardworking Tallaga la Falla side in major competitions started to show.

The Vanquishers seized the lion's share of the possession in the early stages of the second half. Senturk was unlucky to see one of his trademark long-range efforts sail inches wide after taking a deflection. After the ensuing corner, Alexander Soarhaven played a neat one-two with Na'Noni and the left back's sizzling ball across the face of goal missed Ace Newman's outstretched boot by the slimmest of margins. Öhman and Sigler on the wings started constantly asking serious questions of Tallaga la Falla's wide holding midfielders (a function of their peculiar 2-3-1-4).

Nevertheless, the dagger goal eluded Cosumar and Itadaki Sakazuchi's underdogs nearly nabbed an equalizer against all odds in the 65th minute. Júlia Assumpció Vivas launched an ambitious shot from over 20 yards out that swerved on-target and left Jakk Winterfyll frozen. Fortunately, it slammed off the left post and was cleared by Sheldon Serra. It would only be a temporary glimmer of hope for Tallaga la Falla, as Cosumar's two-goal lead was restored a few minutes later.

Unsurprisingly, Senturk was creator once again, threading a ball of delightful vision through to meet Engström's intelligent run. Captain Andy produced an equally classy finish, drawing the keeper in before expertly chipping it over him into the net.

With approximately twenty minutes remaining, Tallaga la Falla flung numbers forward to try to get themselves back in the game, but in doing so they opened up even more spaces for our players to exploit. With Senturk in bona-fide "boss mode" controlling the midfield (as he so eloquently called it in his post-match interview), that was a recipe for disaster.

Öhman forced Júlia-Anna Agramunt into a couple of saves in the 75th and 78th minutes, the latter of which a particularly clever overhead kick. Eventually, Gethin Ramsey accepted that 3-1 was good enough and switched to 4-5-1 to see it through, replacing striker Engström with defensively-competent midfielder Denton Tapp (his first international cap) to help hold down the fort.

Finally, the Cosumarites would at long last get that fourth goal in stoppage time as Mauricio Sigler tapped in a close-range finish off Vareza Na'Noni's pull-back. And who was it that found Na'Noni's run through the box? Senturk of course.

Sparked by what was quite possibly the finest game of Aziz Senturk's career, the win keeps Cosumar level with Audioslavia at the top of Group C with six points. The Vanquishers, though, have a game up on the Bulls from their bye week. It's hard to see the Audioslavs dropping any points against their remaining opponents, however, so Cosumar needs to win against Eshan on Matchday four to maintain its current favorable position. Despite being ranked lower than Tallaga la Falla, the Echani team will probably be a bigger challenge. With a dynamic attacking front led by the likes of Antonio Mulcair and Marco van Ciavatinni, they will be no walk in the park. Look for the Vanquishers to try to expose their vulnerable defense in a high-scoring match.

---

Cosumar Goal-Scorers Tally (5 GF)
Mauricio Sigler (2)
Ole Öhman (1)
Ace Newman (1)
Anders Engström (1)

Cosumar Assists Tally
Aziz Senturk (3)
Ole Öhman (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)

Substitute Appearances Tally
Maynard Gorham (1)
Tomasso Tenebrosa (1)
Tiffany Elam (1)
Denton Tapp (1)
Torbjörn Jorgensen (1)

Cosumar's AOCAF 50
Matchday 1: Audioslavia 0-1 Cosumar (@ Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita)
Matchday 2: Bye
Matchday 3: Cosumar 4-1 Tallaga la Falla (@ Lonngeylin Park, Lonngeylin, Vilita)
Matchday 4: Eshan vs. Cosumar (@ Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori)
Matchday 5: Cosumar vs. Kingdom of Corelia (@ Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita)

Green: Victory
Blue: Draw
Red: Defeat
Home team listed first

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
Where Titans Dare

Lonngeylin Coliseum, the home stadium of Jungle Strike FC who is perhaps the most decorated and popular club in all of Vilita and Turori, will be the site of the titanic clash that will decide the fate of Group B. The Marauders had hoped to have already sealed up their progression from the group and perhaps even the group title before this pivotal clash on the fourth matchday, given that they will have a bye on the fifth matchday and will be unable to effect the results beyond this match. While the first two matches both went completely as expected for the side, their match against Oontaz Dert Li Ng was ultimately an exhibition of frustration and futility as the Marauders were denied time and time again by the defensive efforts of their opponents, leaving them with only a draw at the end of the day and without having secured their spot in the next round.

That result now leaves the fate of Group B to this match between the Aces of Krytenia and our very own Marauders, though Greater Watford has a keen eye on the match as well as they still entertain the notion of being able to win the group or progress out of it. There are some who would say that the Marauders and Aces are rivals, though I am not sure that you can find that sentiment among the squads themselves, with only a single match between the two sides in recent memory, where Krytenia inexplicably qualified for World Cup 72 despite having missed several cycles and then somehow making their way into the knockouts. However, their miracle run would be stopped by our own side as we rode the home support to a resurgence of our own. Though our defeat of the island territory of Keyne Island eleven to nil still rubs many a Krytenian quite raw.

Both sides have been in a good form in the AOCAF thus far, though Krytenia has already had their bye day and is sitting on just two matches played, though with two matches won. A win for the Aces will secure their progression into the knockouts and give life to Greater Watford's hopes of making it through with a win in their last matchday. The Aces play a very similar style to the Marauders, in that they are an offensive force with the exemplary talented Valcrunion leading their attack, as well as the stout Wexax United keeper of Heaton guarding the posts. Their defense has been quite formidable, with just the single goal conceded in their two matches, though it is worth noting that the Marauders have only conceded a single goal in their three matches. Suffice to say, the Aces are talented and are eager to prove why they were made cofavorites for the group.

The Marauders will be hoping that lady luck will have returned to their side for the match, after three shots in the previous match met the woodwork but failed to cross the line and be counted for a goal. There is a sort of dread feeling around the camp as they prepare for the match, knowing full well that despite those two victories to start the group out, they are very much in danger of not making it to the next round of the tournament. It would be quite the shock if that were to happen but it is a reality that the Marauders are facing should they fail to defeat the aces. The offense will need to continue on and not try to win the game single handily, as it performs at its finest when everyone is up in the attack and working as a cohesive unit. While there is many skilled individuals in the side, it is the teamwork that produces their best efforts, being able to work off one another and be in positions for the rest of the attack can take advantage of.

The team knows that a failure to advance would be considered a massive disappoint to the side and the entire nation as a whole, as they were expected to get to the knockouts at the very least, while a Quarterfinal appearance is the goal that many fans believed was easily obtainable given the strength of the squad that was sent to Vilita and Turori. That goal is not one that was ambitious, as the VSC did send a very strong squad to the AOCAF in hopes of a strong showing and even a potential chance at another regional title. If the squad fails to beat Krytenia and then is eliminated on their bye day, expect massive overhaul for the squad, though the managerial situation would be unlikely to change given the nature of the contract the manager has. Yet all that is needed to avoid such unpleasantness is one win against another of the regions' titans and one that Valanora has the edge over. The answer is whether or not this squad has the wherewithal to overcome this dread feeling and perform to ability or if the frustration of System Karelia is too much to overcome in such a short amount of time.

[Western Sunrise Islands]

"Still can't believe we played that poorly." yelled Allan Texugo on his bed. "And I still can't believe you didn't let me play!" He was sitting on the hotel's bed with an ice pack over his wrist. "I mean, come on! Úrsula slaps me once for jokes, I complain of wrist pains and you make me sit this out just because?"

Ayumi sighed. "I can't let you go on and play if you have a hand injury. They still count." She then took off the bag of ice from his wrist. "Feeling better?"

"DUH! I was feeling better for hours now! Could've easily gone there and beat those pidgeottos out." Allan shot back, rising from his bed. "Coach, I'll go try to kick some ball on that court nearby. Feeling like I could use a break." He walked a couple of steps out of the room, before coming back. "Also, I assume you gonna need me to beat Demot out. Gonna need some training then."

---

The Corsair forward walked by the streets of the neighbourhood where their hotel was at. An unusually cold afternoon, in fact, him covered by an old WSIFC Jolteon hoodie, hands on pockets and a headphone covering his ears booming some random music. He kept the football on front of his feet, somehow managing to conduct the object via the streets. Now Texugo wasn't exactly fully convinced of being a star, but he did believe himself to be good enough to be a star among the peers of that weird Western Sunrisian squad. Nothing enough to beat the likes of Alcouin, Felipe Ebenezer and Allejo but still good enough to maybe get Kike out. Finally, he walked past the entrance of a nearly untouched football court in the middle of a park. Well, not nearly untouched at the moment when considering the five hulking men playing basketball.

"Would you mind if I tried a couple of shots?" asked Texugo, a slim, short tanned Sunrisian on front of those giants. He could only hear laughter, however. "Does a Western Sunrisian get no respect on these parts?" Laughter continued. "You're just pricks, then?"

Silence.

"Say that again." one of them muttered, coldly.

"You're just idiotic pricks." Allan put one foot behind the ball, preparing for the worst. When he saw one of the guys try to lodge a hard punch to his jaw, he rolled to the left, dragging the ball with his right foot, dodging the attack with class. That didn't cool the attacker, who then tried to lodge another punch. Texugo rose the ball over the giant, before landing a hard ball shot to the commoner's gut. One of them knocked out, the remaining four went after him. Allan simply answered with the same treatment, egging them on before finally hitting a good enough strike to take them all down. A sly smile formed over his face. "And that's why you don't mess with a Sunrisian."

His cockyness however would slip away as soon as he noticed a siren ringing nearby, getting closer even. The Westerner fled from the scene, ball on hands, feet dashing as far as possible from the scene. The group would later point out that the one guy that knocked them out had a Jolteon hoodie, but the whole name Jolteon seemed rather foreigner and investigation didn't go further.

---

Poof. Poof.

Allan had finally arrived back at the hotel, gasping from all the running. Finally, he took a deep breath, straightened his coat before hearing some conversation on the main hall. He quickly hid behind a tree.

"That's bollocks! I didn't hit Allan!" yelled Úrsula, sitting in front of the manager.

"You didn't?" asked Ayumi, looking at her with intrigue.

"I did not!

Silence went on for a couple of minutes as both stared at each other before Úrsula briefly saw something moving behind the tree.

"...Oh, hi, Allan."

[Demot]

"Do you think any of the other leaders of the region still have their dragons that the Queen sent them all those decades ago? I know for certain that Starblaydia seemed intent on hatching the eggs and raising them to adulthood, but I can't seem to recall any of the other regional leaders making a fuss about them one way or another."

"I don't know, it's been what, sixty years since the Queen sent those eggs to the various rulers of the nations at that time? How many of those leaders are still leading their nation, how many are still alive? Even a better question, how many would know the requirements for hatching a dragon egg and then raising the resulting dragon into its adulthood? I think we would have heard of far more wild dragon attacks and scandals in others capitals and courts had any of them besides Starblaydia been successful."

"Shame, those eggs were quite the precious commodity to be so callously forgotten about or tossed aside. I suppose the Queen knew what she doing in giving away those eggs in a gesture of good faith to our regional neighbors, it just seems a shame that those creatures are like as not to never see the light of day, forever entombed in those eggs."

"Perhaps one day the other nations will realize the gift that they will have been given and how to hatch those eggs, though perhaps it is for the best since there are few enough dragon tamers in Demot to keep the population under control. Can you imagine how few there must be outside our little realm and the havoc wild dragons could bring?"

"Like that which the Dynamo caused on the World Cup upon their arrival."

"Quite like that, shame they never did actually win it, finishing second twice. Ah well, such is life I suppose."

[Tropicorp]

Techies Hold Out for Draw, Collect Valuable Data

Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: One of the biggest question marks in the minds of the Tropicorp team ahead of their AOCAF 50 scientific research campaign was whether or not the data they gathered would be any good. Prior to deciding to field their own team in the competition, Tropicorp's Research & Development division had approached the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cat Things to see if they would be willing to wear some of the technology-laden clothing on their behalf, while adding two or three researchers from Tropicorp to the squad in order to aid in data collection. Vilita & Turori politely refused the offer, and the Tropicorp Techies were born. Their fear, naturally, was that the data that would be gathered with the Scientists & Engineers on the pitch would be of a lower quality - and thereby a lower scientifically significance than the data might have been if they were able to collect it from a top performing nation. While the Tropicorp team is mostly made up of those 'athletically inclined' of the Tropicorp Research & Development department - many of the Tropicorp Recreational League players stepped forward for the role, they still held no aspirations of being able to keep pace with the international talent they would be matched up against.

Their suspicions were fully confirmed from the word go against Mertagne where they Techies weren't even sniffing the goal - and were barely able to muster an offensive opportunity. The only thing working in favor of Tropicorp was the fact that the Mertagne squad was not match ready and they were using their opening match against Tropicorp to set themselves up for the rest of the competition.

But, with a team full of scientists and researchers, the Techies quickly got analytical and determined what areas they would be able to exploit their own abilities to produce goal scoring chances to attempt to keep themselves in the game even while being out-talented from a perspective of natural skills on the ball. Their efforts were rewarded with a goal following a 'trick play' style training ground free kick against Semarland. The odd goal against Semarland was celebrated internally and gave the Techies more confidence that they could improve their data collection in the next match. Returning home to Tropicorp Park, the Techies came out flying against a Farfadavillain team that wholly underestimated the Tropicorp team in their match preparations, and it showed in the relatively weak lineup La Vherderoja put forth. In a stunner, Tropicorp twice responded to the Farfufu goals and held on for an unlikely 2-2 draw.

The Tropicorp team have a well-placed bye day on Matchday 4 so they can return to their laboratory and research stations and analyze the data collected in the first three games and developing a plan for whatever key pieces of data they are missing and would like to focus on in what will likely be their final match of the competition, back at Tropicorp Park on matchday 5 against Geisenfried.

---

[Vilita and Turori]

Matchday 4

On this (Match)Day in AOCAF History... While Matchday 3's have been full of intrigue and high scorelines, and there have been a plethora of interesting Matchday 5's which we will find out about in the not-to-distant future, Matchday 4 has historically been somewhat less... historical.

The first ever AOCAF Cup consisted of just 8 teams in two groups of four, meaning that the Group Stage only had 3 matchdays. The fourth day of matches was actually the Semi-Final round where the first ever AOCAF finalists, NEWI Cefn Druids and Vilita, were determined.

In the midst of the age of Pacitalia, the then three-time defending AOCAF champions were stunned by bottom-side Kos in a 3-3 draw during AOCAF 33 in Kagdazka and Pashujebu. The two points dropped to Kos would eventually make all the difference between Pacitalia qualifying atop Group 2 and where they ultimately ended up, one point back in third place and failing to advance to the Knockout Rounds despite being the tournaments most prolific team throughout the 6-game group phase, having put the ball in the net 18 times. The 3 AOCAF's that Pacitalia had won in a row tied the record set by NEWI Cefn Druids in AOCAF's 1-3 but it could have been a record all to Pacitalia's own if not for the Matchday 4 draw. Pacitalia would rebound to win 3 of the next 4 AOCAF's ensuring that the "30's" were truly the age of Pacitalia.

The most Prolific individual Matchday 4 in history, however, had to be during AOCAF 39 in Valanora. The rivalry between Vilita & Turori and 95X, which will soon see another chapter written on Matchday 5 of AOCAF 50, hit one of its memorable moments as the Eel-Cat Things thumped table-topping 95X for seven goals in a 7-0 rout. The scoreline was matched in Group D as former World Cup Champions Dorian and Sonya beat San Potato by the same scoreline. And while they were out done by their rivals on the day, World Cup Champion Audioslavia's 6-0 victory over Hutt River would secure their place in the knockout rounds, which they would eventually sweep to claim their third AOCAF title in four seasons.



Group A
Osarius [5] Starblaydia [0]
Tivali Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra, Vilita
Schiavonia [2] Demot [2]
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

---Group A----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Osarius                  4  4  0  0 17-4   +13  12 Q
 2- Western Sunrise Islands  3  2  0  1  5-5    +0   6 Q
 3- Demot                    3  0  2  1  4-6    -2   2
 4- Schiavonia               3  0  1  2  4-9    -5   1
 5- Starblaydia              3  0  1  2  0-6    -6   1

Group B
Valanora [3] Krytenia [3]
Lonngeylin Coliseum, Lonngeylin, Vilita
Greater Watford [2] New West Guiana [5]
Click Here to choose the venue

---Group B----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Valanora                 4  2  2  0  9-4    +5   8 Q
 2- Krytenia                 3  2  1  0  8-4    +4   7 Q
 3- New West Guiana          3  1  0  2  6-9    -3   3
 4- Greater Watford          3  1  0  2  5-8    -3   3
 5- Oontaz Dert Li Ng        3  0  1  2  0-3    -3   1

Group C
Eshan [4] Cosumar [5]
Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori
Kingdom of Corelia [0] Tallaga la Falla [4]
Click Here to choose the venue

---Group C----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Cosumar                  3  3  0  0 10-5    +5   9 Q
 2- Audioslavia              3  2  0  1  7-2    +5   6
 3- Eshan                    4  1  1  2 13-11   +2   4
 4- Tallaga la Falla         3  1  1  1  7-6    +1   4
 5- Kingdom of Corelia       3  0  0  3  2-15  -13   0 E

Group D
Farfadillis [1] Mertagne [0]
Click Here to choose the venue
Semarland [4] Geisenfried [1]
Iobabao Legendary Park, Mliona, Turori

---Group D----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Semarland                3  3  0  0 10-2    +8   9 Q
 2- Farfadillis              4  2  1  1  8-6    +2   7 Q
 3- Mertagne                 3  1  0  2  4-3    +3   3
 4- Geisenfried              3  1  0  2  4-10   -6   3
 5- Tropicorp                3  0  1  2  3-8    -5   1

Group E
Ko-oren [1] Royal Kingdom of Quebec [2]
Click Here to choose the venue
Lindmark [1] Euran Oceania Territories [1]
Click Here to choose the venue

---Group E----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Royal Kingdom of Quebec  3  3  0  0  9-2    +7   9 Q
 2- Ko-oren                  4  2  1  1 13-5    +8   7
 3- Chromatika               3  1  1  1  6-5    +1   4
 4- Lindmark                 3  0  1  2  5-9    -4   1
 5- Euran Oceania Territo... 3  0  1  2  1-13   -12  1

Group F
Iskandervale [1] Vilita & Turori [4]
Eels Park, Eelandii, Turori
95X [4] Legalese [1]
Click Here to choose the venue

---Group F----              P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Vilita & Turori          3  3  0  0 11-2    +9   9 Q
 2- 95X                      3  3  0  0  9-1    +8   9 Q
 3- Iskandervale             4  1  1  2  4-8    -4   4
 4- Legalese                 3  0  1  2  2-9    -7   1
 5- Equestrian States        3  0  0  3  2-8    -6   0 E

Teams in Green have ensured their place in the Knockout phase by clinching a place in the top 2 of their group. Teams in Red have been eliminated as they can not accrue enough points to reach at least 3rd place in their group, where they would be eligible to one of (4) places in the knockout round available to 3rd-placed finishers.

[Osarius]

         Osarius   5-0   Starblaydia
 Constantini 12'
      Watson 35'
    Crespo 45'+1
     Johnson 78'
      Pearce 83'

OSR: Hart; Simpson, Constantini, Monteforte, Dillon; Gentile, Bailey, Drummond; 
     Samuels (Pearce 72), Crespo (Saunders 72), Watson (Johnson 72)

Samantha Pearce's audacious forty yard half-volley was the highlight in an utterly one-sided game last night. The Real Jraxville playmaker capitalised on a positioning error, following some good work from Aaliyah Johnson to close down the Starblaydi goalkeeper -- who looked decidedly unfamiliar; prompting claims that the eleven players in purple might not quite be the genuine article. The 'keeper's hurried clearance was shanked, and fell nicely to Pearce some forty yards out before he'd had a chance to get back in position. A quick glance up, and seeing the goal unguarded, Pearce calmly struck a half-volley, which swerved gracefully into the top corner furthest from the marooned man in... erm... not maroon [could have gone with mauve I suppose - Ed.]. "Probably the best goal I've ever scored," beamed the midfielder post-match. "Doubt I'll ever top it either." That Osarius were already four goals up, with less than ten minutes to play at the time should not diminish the goal at all. Certainly the manager did not let it. "She's been great every time we've called on her, and if she's going to pull off stuff like that... even if only every now and then... well..." Robinson said. "We've got some tough decisions to make in the coming months, I think."

Scoring had opened through Hastmead Diamante's highly-rated centre back, Demetrio Constantini -- who is still, remarkably, yet to receive a booking in professional football -- after the towering defender rose highest to nod home Ryan Watson's floated corner in the twelfth minute. Watson himself would double the lead in the thirty-fifth, ghosting behind the left back to collect a clever through pass from Rachel Dillon into the right channel. A quick body feint and the winger had stroked a shot carefully across goal and into the top left corner from some twenty-five yards out. "His accuracy is becoming frighteningly good." Remarked Osarius attacking coach Roque Urbina. "I saw his grandfather play, and he's at that level, if not above it. And he's going to keep improving." On the stroke of half-time, Esteban Crespo effectively put the game out of reach, slotting home a third for Osarius after an incisive Daniele Gentile pass from deep in midfield. The play sliced through the Starblaydi ranks, evading no less than four players. "I don't think anyone expected it to get through except Esteban and maybe Daniele..." Robinson commented. "It was really strange. Nobody really seemed to react."

Azarai Robinson admitted post-match that he saw the game as effectively over at half-time, but held off on making changes just in case. "Like I said before, we know Starblaydia. You can't count them out. Even when they're having a really off day and look like they're not even really in the game at all. You just can't risk it." He finally made changes in the seventy-second minute, using all three substitutions to change to a 4-4-2 diamond system that he has favoured in the past. "It was a good time to try something different," he explains, matter-of-factly. Removing all of his front three, and bringing in Pearce, Saunders and Johnson, Robinson installed Pearce as the team's 'metronome' and moved Gentile into a more proactive role. "I've seen Samantha do this for Jraxville, and they've just had a great season." Robinson explained. "Daniele has the ability to cause problems if you let him go up, so I did. Between him and Luther, we could keep the pressure off Samantha." He wasn't wrong. Within minutes, Pearce had picked out the tall frame of Ashley Saunders on the edge of the box with a lobbed pass. Saunders nodded the pass down for his Utica teammate Alan Drummond, who touched it into the path of Aaliyah Johnson. Four-nil.

The fifth would come five minutes later, and formally announced the arrival of Samantha Pearce onto the senior international stage. She's already impressed at underage level, twice captaining an Osarian U18 side in the Norhalne Invitational -- winning once, and finishing runners up the second time -- and at club level, where she captains Real Jraxville, despite having only just turned twenty last month. "Samantha is a gift. Comparisons to Ayanna Barca-Carthy aren't as farfetched as some have suggested, and we're doing everything we can to keep her with us. It's been a while since Jraxville have had a player of her quality that we can build a team around." Gushed her manager at club level, Rouzel Donovan, who insists he wouldn't sell his star midfielder. "If I had to sell? I'd ask for at least fifty million, and even then I'd think twice before accepting." He added, when pressed.

The Firebirds have now completed all four group stage matches, and will have the luxury of simply observing their likely opposition in the next round, something Azarai Robinson will no doubt be deploying his scouting team to do. "Preparation is key," he nodded sagely. "We need to have a plan for any possibility."

[Legalese]

Legalese National Team

Squad Number - POS - NAME (AGE) - CLUB
1 - G - Morrissey Beaudine (36) - Comunas Cougars
2 - D C - Cody Polka (32) - Bobs Towing
3 - D RLC - Trey Bailie (31) - Centralis 90 (TCU)
4 - D C - Reuben Limage (32) - Mar Sara (PAS)
5 - D C - Dylan Stocks (33) - New Cloudsdale Colonists (EQS)
6 - M RLC - Damien Ester (31) - Coastal United
7 - M L - Gaius Goldrich (31) - Comunas Cougars
8 - M C - Allen Moala (31) - Blades ex Magnaeus (TCU)
9 - F C - Samuel Derivan (31) - Comunas Cougars
10 - F C - Gus Tokkesdal (31) - Bobs Towing
11 - F RLC - Servius Broberg (31) - Century Mertagne (TCU)
12 - D RLC - Danny Steins (31) - Bekknia FC
13 - F C - Jacob Wyss (31) - LC Capitals
14 - M L - Brayden Champy (31) - Bobs Towing
15 - M RC - Cathal Lotridge (31) - Draig Goch
15 - F R - Quintus Oxboro (34) - Tyrellia Titans
16 - M L - Ardal Miners (35) - Comunas Cougars
17 - D L - Tyler Astolfi (37) - Rye's Landing FC
18 - M RLC - Callum Shont (31) - Iskara Daii (STB)
19 - M R - Colton Meo (32) - SC Laivanrakentajas (AUD)
20 - F C - Merrick Ziko (31) - SC Laivanrakentajas (AUD)
21 - D C - Matthew Lyness (31) - Tyrellia Titans
22 - G - Luis Eisenzimmer (33) - The Knights of Tiberia
23 - G - Andrew Maisenbacher (37) - Bobs Towing

Generally speaking, the starting eleven will be those with the kit numbers 1-11.

RP Permissions: Please feel free to use however you wish, short of full-on death.

The Kits, courtesy of Kirola:

[Western Sunrise Islands]

"Care to explain what the hell are we doing?" asked Allan, again on his hoodie, sitting on the bench to the side of Ayumi. The manager simply looked back at the players kicking the ball around with a cheerful tune playing on the background. She also happened to have a couple of old CDs to her side of all varied sorts. She simply shrugged, before looking back at him.

"Have you seen how we played against Osarius? It was ugly. Plus..." She shifted her eyes to the side, picking up one of the CDs. "Didn't you guys complain about my harsh training sessions? Assumed trying some improv before we play Demot on a game that only matters for them would be pretty useful." She then put one of her hands on her chin, smirking a bit. "And it seemed like a funny idea. Though it could also make us play more... Sunrisian, I guess."

The forward was obviously displeased by the whole idea, assuming the manager decided to act like a goof for no reason besides to smirk on the players' complaints. "Look, if you wanted us to stop complaining, you could've just told us to stop complaining. It's not like we wouldn't obey..." He then stared at one of the CD box covers, looking surprised. "...DANAE? What the hell would that even help on?"

The one who used to be a Pokémon Trainer giggled, curving herself forward as she stared back at the field. "Hahahahahahaha... It's the Punishment one. If we weren't qualified yet, I'd make you all train while this CD played over and over." She then looked to the side before giving Allan another CD, this one with a weird butterfly design. "Or the Best of WorldVision one. Seriously, these are almost interchangeably poor. Back in Roppongi, we'd buy these as gifts for April Fools, just to throw people off."

Allan sighed. "Don't remind me of that thing." The manager shown some curiosity about the line, but before she could ask, Allan simply looked down and answered, with no qualms. "I dreamt of being a musician way back. For some reason, our lands were still testing the whole Gateway technology that got us on this dimension." He sighed. "And then they decided to test it first with actual footage of any current event. First one we got was a WorldVision special." A shrug. "Once that ended, we almost gave up. Then we caught a glimpse of a football match. They say every country got a different game. We, for one, got Eggman Empire versus..."

---

"Slembana with the ball. Currently 1-0 for the Eggman Empire at the harsh, nearly 0 degree Celsius artificial pitch laid on this magnificent Final Fortress Stadium!" said one voice said on the television on the main hall of the Texugo family's house. The entire family was there, Mr. and Mrs. Texugo, aunt Anna Cláudia, grandfather Marcos and the three children: Giuseppe, Antonieta and the youngest of the three Allan. The day was May 12th, a key day to those on the entire dimension as they would finally develop the gateway to a new land, where the final, prophetic Northern Sunrise Islands were at. After enduring the horrible WorldVision fiasco, they were granted with different football games they had no control over. Allan himself was impressed with the giant machines playing the plucky Esportivan side but nothing could compare to the skimpy forward they had in place. "And the crowd is almost silent! It's quite surprising, really." Another voice then gave a comeback to the line with "Y'know, Josh. On space, no one can hear you."

It was clear the home crowd, mostly a bunch of robots with weird, off-key chants weren't really thrilled with the Afra Birds trying to beat their home team, even if, for all matters taken under account, their team was by far the one with the less excuses to even be considered available for a World Cup Qualifier, what with it being one human and a ton of robots instead of an actual country. Still, the Eggman Empire was playing their theoretical heart out. "X-Prototype with the ball. Dashes through Follin Maxet with ease, nearly knocking the opponent down. Ball passed to Egg Hammer, who hammers it back to X-Prototype. The fallen Slembanan argues with the referee about racism for some reason while an offensive wave of the robots lay waste to Slembana's defence, it's impressive, Jake!" X-Prototype then passed to SCR-GP, that robot in particular almost having a free way to the goal before a wrench hitting one of the robot's legs took it down. The referee had seen James Bareman taking the bot down, but decided to only call for a free kick. Protest came from the bench, of course. "Josh, what a ruthless challenge. Good thing they are robots, though!"

E-777, also known as Lucky Lucky had the chance of the day right about there. A solid free kick opportunity near the net, robots trying to cheer as loud as they could on the crowd. No surprises at Lucky Lucky converted it beautifully, leading to even more complaints from the Slembanan squad and the good couple of Slembanans that managed to make the trip and somehow get Eggman to allow them in.

---

"And that game made you become a football player?" she asked.

"Yeah. But not because of that shot."

---

"Kylx has the ball! Could it be a goal for Slembana?"

Val Kylx dashed his way by the robots, seemingly nothing to stop him. He could already see the net shaking even. Sure, it took too long for him and they were still 0-2 on the scoreboard but surely the best Slembanan player ever could take the game back to where he assumed it belong. That was when he noticed two things. One, a massive robot only known as Egg Bot, stood in front of him. Granted surpassing that thing was easy, but the other thing that caught his eye shook his senses. A yelow fox-like doll hanging near the bar. It had red eyes and a blinking red ball over it. Kylx squealed after seeing the doll, causing him to shoot the ball hard. It managed to hit the head of the Eggbot, hit the top bar, the goalie Kiki managed to slap it to the side, then hit the doll. The doll simply flipped the ball under its legs, shooting it back towards the field. It was then that it reached one of the least appropriate places ever.

CRACK

Kylx fell down on the floor, his hands over his shorts, screaming in agony. A rotund gentleman on the top of the field laughed beyond his limits while the Slembanan football team on its entirety stared at their hero on his worst moment ever: crying over an egg crack. "And quite possibly the worst injury possible, Jake. Right on the Lower Countries." The commentator, Josh, was legitimately laughing to tears, accompanied by the narrator just as much. The reaction was more or less the same on the Texugo's home. Aside from Allan, of course.

At least until Josh delivered his best line. "An Eggman Omelette to the Infirmary, Jake! No, wait, Kylx already got that covered!"

---

"So when I saw that this was their best player, I thought I could do a better job than him anyway." Allan shrugged. "Granted I'm not as rich, but still, I'll get there." Ayumi just sighed, thinking that her best striker so happened to have joined the sport over a match including one of the most ridiculed countries ever. And the Eggman Empire.

[Chromatika]

Kionao Minor Field, Kionao, Big Island, Turori - It had been a hard-fought game between both sides, the Chromatik defense matched up against the the equally good Unionite defense. Neither offense was getting anything going, all throughout the first half. Nikolai Thorben and Claudia Macedo were both having exemplary performances, with their defenses helping them immensely. Rien's speed and Antonio's pace were being neutralized, while Audrey Leroux wasn't getting much of a look in goal at all. It was anyone's game at this point, and Meagan Kelly knew it.

Playing at Kionao Minor Field, where she had completed her first season at Kionao Locals, was interesting, especially for her national team and not for her club side. Kionao Locals had finished atop the Declasse Division and were getting promoted to the Stellar Division next season; their home record of 8-3-2 had helped immensely. She knew it well, and had some nice memories, but now was the time to set that aside and focus on the game at hand.

Disaster struck for the Chromatiks ten minutes into the second half on a cross from Emeline Millet that found Audrey Leroux right in front of the box. Leroux was able to find the back of the net, faking Thorben out. With the steel wall of a defense that the Unionites had guarding Macedo, an equalizer would be very hard to come up with.

For the next twenty minutes, it was so. Then, things changed. Kelly was getting the ball to Rien when he was fouled hard by de Jong. Hellion went to take the free kick. Meagan could see the same familiar glint in Rachel's eye, the same kind that she had had many times in her Chromatik career to date.

With one graceful touch of her left foot, Hellion sent the ball straight ahead. After a few seconds, it started to curve, and dip, toward the left corner. Macedo leaped for it, her glove fingertips nearly touching the ball. Then, at the last possible moment, the ball dipped a minuscule amount, just under Macedo's hand. They had equalized, and now it was back to the grind of defense vs. defense.

The rest of the game was relatively boring, both defenses clamping down to the style of play that they employed. It may have been a 1-1 draw, but the result was an important one. The Chromatiks will either need to thrash Euran Oceania Territories by a wide margin while Ko-oren loses to take second place; otherwise, it is in a good spot to finish third, and among the most points for third-place finishers, which would guarantee at least an entry to the Round of 16. The Round of 16 would be a good result for this squad, as the rest of Atlantian Oceania has much more footballing history and power than the Chromatiks, for now.

[Vilita and Turori]

A Brief Story of the interesting relationship between Vilita & Turori

While most citizens of the multiverse have long been accustom to the idea of the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cat things playing as a unified entity in regional competition, some might be surprised to learn that it wasn't always that way.

Others might question why the two nations would enter a unified team at the regional level, but not at the international level where they might be best able to take advantage of their pooled national talents against the best nations in the multiverse.

All very good questions.

The Tropics of Vilita got their start in international competition during World Cup 13. There was no such thing as a Baptism of Fire Cup back in those days so the flames came in the form of the group stage for the Jungle Cats. After Vilkaous warned of a Vilitan threat, many defeats would pile up for Vilita. Then came the breakthrough.

Having witnessed the glimmer of success from their much larger neighbors opening World up campaign, followed by Vilita's triumph in the Cup of Tardy following World Cup 13, the Cup of Harmony following World Cup 14 and the runner-up finish in the 3rd Under-21 World Cup, the little Island Emirate, part of the Vilitan Colonial lands, decided they could not sit in the shadows any more.

The Turori Eels were born prior to World Cup 15 and, along with fellow Atlantian Oceanian nation Krytenia, participated in the first continuous running of the Baptism of Fire Cup as we all know it today.

Instantly tasting success, the entire Nation of Turori was buoyed by their sports team. They had put the little-known nation on the map. But there was one place where Turori was not seeing any success. The AOCAF Cup.

With the format of World Cup Qualifying being as it is, it was always going to be highly unlikely for the Turori Eels to actually get drawn against the Vilita Jungle Cats. On the contrary, when the first AOCAF Cup got underway in Krytenia, there were just 8 competing nations. Two groups of four. The odds of Vilita and Turori playing each other were exactly 50-50. Two goals a piece from Serge DuPont, Nerni and Mbidzo led the Jungle Cats on a 6-1 rout of their little colonial offspring. No one in Turori was happy about this. On the International stage, Turori was progressing quickly. Champions of the Eagles Cup and qualifying for the World Cup 17 finals, Turori had quickly established themselves as an international sporting power.

Except when they played Vilita. During AOCAF III, Turori were once again paired up with Vilita, and once again the Jungle Cats quickly erased all the positive memories of the Eels recent triumph, this time, replacing the joyful memories of Eagles Cup glory with the bitter taste of 2-1 and 3-0 defeats in the AOCAF Cup.

Even as Turori's international standing rose, the Jungle Cats were always one step in front of them. Turori's best ever AOCAF performance, AOCAF 6 in Cockbill Street saw the Eels finish in third place. They were once again one step behind their rivals Vilita who defeated Starblaydia to win the AOCAF Cup for the first time.

...To Be Continued...

---

[Tropicorp]

Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: After collecting digital reams of quality data during their unpredictable 2-2 draw with Farfadillis on Matchday 3, the team of Tropicorp Scientists, Engineers and Researchers spent their bye day doing something very different than any of the other teams were doing on their AOCAF day off.

The Tropicorp Techies were back to work at their normal jobs, sitting at their desks and pouring through data. In fact, many of them went straight to their labs at the conclusion of the Farfadillis game to get a head start on crunching the numbers. It was no coincidence that the Tropicorp team requested their Matchday 3 and Matchday 5 fixtures to be held locally at Tropicorp Park in Tropicoast, providing them easy access to their laboratories over the day off.

The plan all along was to use the bye day to take a first glance at the data gathered over the first three matchdays so that the Researchers could put together a plan for collecting any missing pieces of information - filling any gaps that they think they didn't have enough data on to continue on with their development. Now, the plan was in full force. The only thing the Tropicorp Techies had on their mind was sifting through the data and figuring out what else they had to do against Geisenfried - from a scientific perspective. In fact, most of the Techies were probably even unaware of the fact that a victory on the final matchday against Geisenfried could theoretically see the Tropicorp Team with a chance to advance to the Knockout Round.

As a result of their Matchday 3 draw with Farfadillis, Tropicorp found themselves two points out of the third position in Group D. At the conclusion of Matchday 4, all of the teams that finish in the top 2 of their group will advance to the knockout round in addition to 4 of the 6 teams that finish in the third places. While Tropicorp were unlikely to be in the top 2 of third placed teams, they could still reach the third spot with a win over Geisenfried and some help from Semarland, who would play Mertagne on the final matchday.

While they would likely welcome the opportunity for more matchdays to get more data, the Tropicorp team is the least experienced team in the tournament and there is no expectation amongst them that they will be competing for advancement. In fact, if somehow the Tropicorp team did advance to the knockout phase, many of the Scientists, Engineers and Researchers would have conflicts with their pre-arranged testing and travel schedules and the knockout round match fixtures.

In addition to the data collection taking place at Tropicorp Park, Tropicorp Sports representatives will be on hand to take clearance orders of the widely popular TCp-X1 ball. The clearance pricing will only be available on two more occasions, on Matchday 5 when Tropicorp take on Geisenfried and again one final opportunity when Tropicorp Park plays host to one of the 4 AOCAF quarter final fixtures.

---

[Cosumar]

Cosumar, Eshan explode for nine goals in first-ever meeting, Na'Noni the difference

A L M I N T O R A -- Cosumar's AOCAF tour of "The Cove" finally took them to Turori on Matchday 4, where an ascending Eshan side lied in wait hoping to surprise the undefeated Vanquishers. They very nearly did, taking an early 2-0 lead, but the favored northeastern Atlantians were able to charge back to win 5-4. Cosumar's attack has been hotter than a Vilitan beach in summertime so far, totaling ten goals in three matches.

This sizzling form can be attributed largely to Mauricio Sigler, who continues to shine in the wake of his move to Euran club Holdenberg. Mere days after contributing half of the four goals piled on tiny Tallaga la Falla, the winger notched another brace against Eshan. He scored the first two Cosumarite goals of the game to cancel out the early deficit, spurring the frenetic second half that ensued.

In an AOCAF that has seen high scores all around, the nine shared by Cosumar and Eshan at Almintora National Stadium topped the chart. The win also guarantees that Cosumar will advance to the Round of 16. If they can take care of the lowly Kingdom of Corelia on Matchday 5, head coach Gethin Ramsey will have also achieved the first undefeated group stage for Cosumar in AOCAF history.

Despite the accolades, Ramsey wasn't all sunshine and rainbows following his team's win.

"Concede four goals and you will lose 99% of the time," Ramsey said. "For that to happen to us against an opponent that only scored once in AOCAF 49... it is inexcusable. That said, the Republic of Eshan has gotten a lot stronger in the short time they've been involved in international football, especially on the attacking side. Eshan has everything it needs to become even stronger and develop their game even more. It's a country that has the potential to be very competitive in the future. We got a taste of it today and were lucky to get all three points."

With 13 goals in 4 games, Eshan has found the back of the net at a rate only slightly less prolific than Cosumar's. A far cry from the one goal last time in their debut. They didn't have to wait long for their first goal in this game.

On just the second real sequence of the match, Dex Temple collected a loose ball near the penalty spot and swiveled to find prodigy teenager Marco van Ciavatinni, a product of Eshan's heavy recent investment in the game, just a few yards away. With remarkable composure for his age, van Ciavatinni laid a ball back out to the top of the box for fellow forward Antonio Mulcair. The Echani vice captain's first-time shot trickled into the back of the net past the outstretched arms of Jakk Winterfyll. The goal didn't seem to register for the Cosumarites, but the reality of the dogfight they were in finally seemed to hit home with Samper Markovic's sensational volley off a free kick that put Eshan up 2-0.

But instead of looking shellshocked, the Vanquishers dug in and called upon the fighting spirit that lent them their nickname. In the 42nd minute, Mauricio Sigler was harassing Echani defender Francesco Di Nolfo in his own third and eventually stripped him of the ball. No one between him and the goal. Easy 13-yard curler around the keeper. He picked up right where he left off after half time, slamming a penalty down the middle after Temple bowled over Jacob Pandan inside the area. Tied 2-2, it was then in the next fifteen minutes that the offensive fireworks really went off.

Cosumar
22 shots (12 on-target)
41% Possession, 81% pass accuracy
9 corners, 3 offsides
8 fouls, 1 yellow (Soarhaven)

Eshan
17 shots (11 on-target)
59% Possession, 74% pass accuracy
3 corners, 2 offsides
7 fouls, 3 yellows (Smith,Temple,Markovic)

Cosumar - 5
Sigler 41'
Sigler 53'
Soarhaven 58'
Engström 63'
Na'Noni 78'

Eshan - 4
Mulcair 1'
Markovic 20'
Villaview 61'
Albom 67'

Cosumar Subs
Branch 77'
Lilley 81'

Mauricio Sigler removes his headband and celebrates after scoring the equalizing penalty in the 53rd minute.

Cosumar pulled ahead moments later on an absolute stunner from Alexander Soarhaven. Looking increasingly comfortable barreling forward in his new role at left back, the newly-christened Violence Chariots man ran onto a loose ball 26-yards from goal and smashed a venomous left-footed shot that streaked past Demarcus Jones and pounded the back of the net. Even the Almintora neutrals were audibly impressed.

It would be a short-lived lead however, as Eshan responded to make it 3-3 in the 62nd minute. Jean-Marie Bentacur dropped a free kick straight onto the head of Willian Luc Villaview, who redirected the service into the goal with ease. Only two minutes later, Cosumar matched it yet again to reclaim a 4-3 lead. It was Anders Engström who stepped up this time, tapping home the finish after Jones' parried save of Ace Newman's shot went straight into his path. Emphatic Cosumarite celebrations ensued. Any delusions that the beloved captain had just delivered a winner were squashed only another few minutes later, however. Eshan left back Luke Albom was the unlikely scorer, matching the earlier brilliance of his positional counterpart from Cosumar with a finish that found the roof of the net from a near-impossible end-line angle on the left.

Knotted up at 4-4 after 67 minutes, the party of back-and-forth goals finally tapered off. After 75 minutes, the match seemed to be winding down to a draw. But Cosumar would deal one last parting blow with twelve minutes remaining to escape with their advancement-clinching three points. Of course, it had to be Vareza Na'Noni.

The versatile midfielder, who is nearing a decade of service to the Cosumar National Team and is considered among the best Vloo players of all-time, has enjoyed the most distinguished year of his career at age 32. After scoring a decisive goal to win Avenida Principal the domestic title in Farfadillis, he went on to deliver further monster performances to win the UICA Globe Cup - only the second Cosumarite to lift that particular trophy. Here, he simply rose up to meet Engström's driven free kick into the box with pinpoint timing, seeing the ball low into the corner of the goal with a whip of his neck and a prod of his horns. It was perfect - poor Jones had no chance - and capped the scoreline at 5-4.

"It's what I do. I give my all for my team and my teammates. Especially when it's needed most," Na'Noni said post-match. "Sometimes that means pouring every ounce of fight into my defending, sometimes it means constantly probing for the right pass, and sometimes it means doing the dirty work and scoring the goal myself. That's something I'm always happy to do, whether it's against Eshan or Avenida Leal."

While Cosumar have clinched advancement, they have not yet won the group. To do so, they will need to get at least a point from the Kingdom of Corelia at the monolithic Lunar Park tomorrow. The valiant Echanis, meanwhile, can only sit back and recover from this exhausting encounter during their bye and hope the chips fall their way to advance as a 3rd-place team.

---

Cosumar Goal-Scorers Tally (10 GF)
Mauricio Sigler (4)
Anders Engström (2)
Ole Öhman (1)
Ace Newman (1)
Alexander Soarhaven (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)

Cosumar Assists Tally
Aziz Senturk (3)
Ole Öhman (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)
Jacob Pandan (1)
Alexander Soarhaven (1)
Ace Newman (1)

Substitute Appearances Tally
Maynard Gorham (1)
Tomasso Tenebrosa (1)
Tiffany Elam (1)
Denton Tapp (1)
Torbjörn Jorgensen (1)
Tevin Lilley (1)
Matt Branch (1)

Cosumar's AOCAF 50
Matchday 1: Audioslavia 0-1 Cosumar (@ Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita)
Matchday 2: Bye
Matchday 3: Cosumar 4-1 Tallaga la Falla (@ Lonngeylin Park, Lonngeylin, Vilita)
Matchday 4: Eshan 4-5 Cosumar (@ Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori)
Matchday 5: Cosumar vs. Kingdom of Corelia (@ Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita)
Round of 16: TBD

Green: Victory
Blue: Draw
Red: Defeat
Home team listed first

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Leonardo, Part II

After the Royal Kingdom of Quebec's 2-1 victory over their Ko-orenite rivals, the team celebrated the historic victory by doing many things. Like usual, Hazel van Robben would get her 2 metre bong ready and smoke it with Jason Dhanda the manager, and brought her apprentice....she meant the latest St.John's Arsenal in form of Corinne Martel-Burns. For the others, they had other things to do: Most of the squad celebrated the victory by partying on the streets their stadium's situated right next to. There they would drink their nights away, partying and playing balls, and may even come back to their hotel rooms with a company or even wake up somewhere else rather! Either way, it was assured that the Grim Reapers would be out and not be back for a while, with one exception.

Leonardo Conavacio.

Once the media conference ended he left the stadium with Claire Hanson. With the night still early, they knew what to do and grabbed the cab back to the stadium. Before Leonardo knew it series of events have passed him by so quickly: they began making out in cab, before taking a quick walk to the hotel under the watching eyes of many locals. Once back in the room, they crashed right into the bed as their lips touched again and with greater intimacy- as expected. Soon they would be engaging in acts that had kids upstairs woke up from sleep and had to play 3 more hours of CoD or GTA: Montreal before going back to bed. It would not last long though, however, as they would just go on and talk for a bit further exhaustion caused them decide on just cuddling for a while before going to bed for the night.

Lying on bed, with their arms around each other, he looked at her in a lovingly gaze. Her hair, long and soft layers of dirty blonde, tickled him a bit. Feeling warm and sheltered, Leonardo realised how lucky he was to be around a woman named Claire Hanson. Long struggling for an understanding being, she came from the place she did not expect and helped him find faith in humanity for once. With their minds and bodies meeting each other, the brushes of her presence left strokes of positive light on his life and it showed with their grunts, moans and of course signs of faith in each other as Hazel would so call it as. It's something that Hazel often sighed at herself for; she remembered how at times she would feel giddy over rumours of her dating Leonardo back in the day, which were not really true but she wished it to be true anyway. Hazel knew that's not something she could provide, and Leonardo understood- for it was only somebody patient or understanding (not that Hazel's an idiot, but you know her temper) with interest like hers who could really be with him in the end.

He also knew that he was lucky situation-wise, compared to the wretch that he called of Gary Corsie. When they first got together after a long-story-short, one pleasant meeting turned bedroom encounter, he was just six months into his 4-year contract with Alianza FC. Shortly after the rumours and media reports came of him in liaisons with then-Alianza physiotherapist, the team was in their full solidarity to defend him. He remembered how Mikael Mannisenmäki, the team manager, did their best to ward off the paparazzis while the teammates, under the command of eternal Albo in Frederic Beauchemin, stayed no different on being respectful and supportive on whatever the choice Leonardo took. They did not comment on whatever the state the team could possibly enter and decided to be more observant about what this could possibly mean to both Claire and himself. So, after a brief period of awkwardness the team, knowing that there hasn't been any noticeable change in treatments given to other players, simply did not give a damn about it no more and moved on like usual.

Perhaps in that he knew that the attitudes of people in the organisations involved for their cases contrasted drastically, and really led to different results. Alianza FC after all was a first-class organisation in dealing with matters of that nature, which he really appreciated after years of dealing with those pestering folks he played with and out of in Blacklake and Manechester. Mouth battles were fun, yeah, but they got pretty tiring after a while. Conavacio was willing to settle down and be more committed to what's expected of him. That's what he received from Alianza FC, and in turn he rewarded them with success and maturity as the team continued on post-Beauchemin days. By staying mum and protective of their player, they were able to give Conavacio a chance to develop as a player.

The likewise could also be said for their relationship. In a brief turmoil when those reports came out, they were able to wither the storm through the support of the Albo family. And now, three years later, they were well settled into their relationship, and though she has moved on from her run in Alianza FC to position in Schottian junior national teams, they did their best to meet and kindle their fires of love whenever possible. The team would provide Leonardo a separate room whenever she was there, and occasionally some additional time off practices. The latter obviously came with a separate condition that he do an extra hour of training under Frederic Beauchemin the day after, but that's no problem for the 26-year old anyway, whose work ethic already's at world-class level.

He then shelved aside the thoughts and just enjoyed being with Claire with their bodies meeting on a slow synchronisation of their heartbeat. Everything was going perfectly again, with their eyes meeting and tongues swapping once more in a tangle that seemed to have its own rhythm on the other hand. For now, the world was theirs, and it seemed peaceful and good for once.

Unfortunately for both of them, a quick knock disrupted their silence. The knock immediately broke them of the synchro, as they looked at the window.

'Should I go and check who's outside?' Claire said, on a slightly pissed tone of her voice, a contrast from her soft Handon accent.

Leonardo quickly waved once. 'Nah, I'll make a quick check. Probably some kids still up right now.'

He walked outside, only to find one body lying on ground right next to him. Holy shit, Leonardo thought to himself as he looked at a slightly rigid, white-haired being right in front of him. As a somebody who'd always chill in the team medical room for chats with some of teammates under rehabilitation, he clearly knew the guy: it was Dr. Leonard Henriksen, the team doctor.

Oh oh.

[Oontaz Dert Li Ng]

Reorganization, Part Two

General Santos General Hospital
General Santos City, Sao Paulo do Sarangani, Oontaz Dert Li Ng

Juan Dominador Macaspac stood beside a yellow Hummer as he watched another man walking out of the entrance of the General Santos General Hospital in crutches. The man was wearing a Santos FC training jacket and beige cargo shorts. A cast surrounded the entirety of his lower right leg. The man then saw Ador beside the Hummer, and he lifted up his left hand to wave.

"How's the leg doing, Magoo?" Ador asked.

"Could be doing better, but I could be doing worse too," Magomedun "Magoo" Mangudadatu replied. "It's like learning how to walk again."

"Hey, thanks for letting me take a ride with you," Mangudadatu told Macaspac as the latter helped the former get into the Hummer. Once Magoo had gotten into the car, Ador walked over to the driver's side and got in.

"It's no big deal," Ador said in reply to Magoo's statement. "It's the least that I can do for my strike partner."

"Oh, yes, about that," Magoo said as Ador pulled out of the parking lot of the hospital. "How's the title challenge gone? I assume we crashed out some time ago, maybe a week or two after my injury."

"Actually, Santos won its twenty-seventh title," Ador replied. "We missed you on the field, Magoo, we really did. But not as much as when we had our new Amazonestan signing in the midfield in your usual CAM role."

"Leonardo Rosalez," Magoo said. "I bet the manager's feeling really smart about signing him now, isn't he?" There had been a lot of criticism about the signing of Amazonestan central attacking midfielder Leonardo Rosalez during the January transfer window for a princely and for the time obscene amount of 30 million NS dollars. There were rumors that the price was supposed to have been 40 million NSD, but the manager was a shrewd negotiator and managed to get the price down, but people still thought that it was a bit of a stupid move for him because he still had a perfectly healthy Magomedun Mangudadatu at CAM. Then Magoo had his terrible accident, and Rosalez had filled in Mangudadatu's role in the team very nicely, and had even been instrumental in leading Santos to their record 27th top flight title.

"Now I don't know what to feel, to be honest," Magoo said. "I mean, I'm happy that we won the title once again, but I'm saddened by the fact that I wasn't there for the final push. But it's also great to know that we've got someone in the team who could step up when needed. But he also had to step up because of me and my injury, and I don't know how to react to that."

"It always has to be about you, doesn't it?" Ador said with a smile. Magoo Mangudadatu wasn't very egotistical or narcissistic, but he always had a way with words that made it seem as if everything was always about him. It had made him one of the media's favorite sportspeople, and the only good thing about it was that he had the skill to back up his talk.

"How's the case going?" Ador asked. Both Mangudadatu and the driver of the truck that had crushed his motorcycle and his leg against the highway island had filed cases against each other, both accusing the other of being the one responsible for the accident. Magoo had claimed that the driver of the truck was riding too close to him in an attempt to switch lanes, while the trucker had claimed that Mangudadatu had tried to speed past his truck just as he attempted to switch lanes. It was a common problem in Oontaz Dert Li Ng, especially in the southern part of the Mayin Islands, and the people had just learned to deal with it.

"Like all cases go," Mangudadatu replied. "There's nothing happening, and it looks like the trucking company would rather go with the out-of-court settlement. But with the new anti-corruption thing happening in Parliament right now, the court might go after the company hard. I could be looking at a payoff of 35 million NSD! I'm about to be worth more than your new golden boy Leonardo, yeah?"

"You're lucky we won the title, boy, or else you're going to get your head handed to you by the fans," Ador said. Santos fans were generally very defensive of their club heroes, and wouldn't take criticism of a newfound hero like Leonardo Rosalez lightly, even though it may have come from one of their own players.

"I'm a year younger than Rosalez, Ador," Magoo shot back. "And I've also been in this league since I was a kid. Rosalez barely even knew about us until after the Baptism of Fire and the World Cup. Let's just see about the fans trying to call for my head, and let's see them handle no titles."

"You know, maybe that's what's wrong with the club right now," Ador said. "We and the fans have gotten so used with winning titles that as soon as it looks like we're not gonna win it, they go all up in arms and call for anyone's head. It's a bit shameful, really. And now that I'm retiring..."

"How's that working out for you?" Magoo asked.

"I'm still getting used to it," Ador replied. "I still wake up at six in the morning to start my daily run. I eat pasta for lunch every Saturday. And I still play around with my old ball, trying to score penalties and free kicks in my back garden."

"Have you talked to someone about your post-retirement syndrome?" Magoo asked.

"I've talked to some people," Ador said. "They say that this kind of thing is normal; that when the body gets used to doing something for over twenty years, it's going to be very hard to readjust. But I don't mind. I like keeping fit like this anyway. It's just like exercise."

"Do you have any plans after your retirement? Are you going to manage a club or what?"

"I don't know, man," Ador said, shaking his head. "I mean, I'd like to become a manager, but I spent so much time training with the team and playing for the team that I didn't have a lot of time left to get my coaching badges. It's a shame, really, because I could be managing any club that I want right now if I had gotten my badges in time. I'll probably have to stick around the Estadio for a little longer, get that badge. Hopefully I could get started with a pro team, but I wouldn't mind a youth team if that's what's available."

They finally arrived at the Estadio General Virgiliano Santos dos Santos, the home ground of Santos FC. Ador got out of the Hummer first and helped Mangudadatu get out of his seat. "What are we doing here, anyway?" Magoo asked Ador.

"Since my contract doesn't end until midnight tomorrow, the guys thought that they should hold my despedida now, and they asked me to invite you."

"How thoughtful of them," Magoo observed as he limped to the stadium with Ador's help. As the latter helped him towards the club offices, Mangudadatu noticed that the hallways were unusually dark. "Is there another brownout going on?" he asked. In Oontaz, what would normally be considered a blackout was called a brownout.

"Not exactly," Ador said a little bit mysteriously, which aroused Magoo's interest.

"Wait, what--" But Mangudadatu was unable to finish his sentence, as the hallway's lights suddenly lit up, and a bunch of people appeared from the offices lining the hallway and shouted, "Welcome back, Magoo!"

"Diyos ko naman po!" Magoo shouted. "You really had me going there, Ador!" he said to Macaspac as their Santos teammates and staffers walked over to them. "I really thought this was just your going-away party!"

"What did I tell you, Magoo?" Ador said. "The club loves you. Even though we've got an Amazonestan in your place now, when you're healed up, you're more than welcome to come back."

"Now I know you're just playing with me," Magoo said. One of the kids from the youth teams walked over to the two of them with a cake. "It's not even my birthday," Magoo said. "And I'm not one year old, you know."

"The one is for the one month since your accident," Ador told Magoo. "It means that you're a survivor of that accident for a month now. And it's also for me, because this is the last day of me being a player for Santos. Tomorrow, I'll be just another regular guy!"

Ador let Magoo blow the candle just because if he did it, the other one would complain about it. But just as they were about to take a bite from their slices of the cake, they noticed that there was some kind of commotion going on with the players and staffers in front of them. The guys were beginning to kneel down, which the two of them thought was strange.

"Guys, we're not the Sultan," Ador said. "There's no need to kneel down before us."

"Definitely, you are not the Sultan," a familiar deep voice said behind them. "But I am."

Ador and Magoo turned around to see none other than Sultan Kudarat Oontaz walking up to them. His Janissaries were standing just behind him, ready to guard His Royal Highness with their lives and their bodies if need be.

Magoo scrambled to kneel down before the Sultan despite his cast and crutches. Ador, being from the Catholic southern part of the Mayin Islands, bowed from the waist down. But the Sultan stopped Magoo from kneeling down. "Surely Allah will understand that one of my subjects in such a poor condition like you does not have to kneel down before his Sultan," Sultan Kudarat said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Magoo said. "You are most kind and benevolent, like Allah."

"Oh, do not compare me to Allah, Magomedun," the Sultan said. "Nothing is comparable to Allah, peace be upon Him." The Sultan then turned to Ador and said, "You are Juan Dominador Macaspac, yes?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ador replied.

"And I believe that you are now retired from playing football, yes?"

"The Sultan is correct, Your Majesty."

"Do you plan to be a manager after this?"

"I had plans, yes, Your Majesty."

"How would you feel about being the manager of the national team, Mr. Macaspac?" the Sultan asked.

---

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AOCAF 50: OONTAZ DERT LI NG VS VALANORA
By Abdulmecid Macasaysayan


Oontaznik and Valanoran players fight for the ball in their AOCAF Cup match. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Oliver Hassanal)

TIVALI, VILITA - Oontaz Dert Li Ng earned their first point in AOCAF competition after keeping Valanora to a frustrating draw.

Vanorian star Laborious Hawk was kept quiet by the industrious Oontaznik midfield of Abu Nayef Ismailuddin and Timothy San Marcelino, but the Dwile Warriors midfielder almost opened the scoring with a sneaky attempt past Makhdoum Macaraig and Septimio Barranquillano.

For the Oontazniks, their attacking partnership of Karimabdul Dimaintindihan and Eduardo Estevez were wasteful with the handful of chances that they got against the steadfast Vanorians, but Estevez will feel himself unlucky after seeing his twenty-yard shot bounce off of the underside of the bar and back into play.

For Vanorian fans and neutrals hoping to watch a good game of football with a high score, the resulting match between the two sides could be accurately described as boring, with a few bits of excitement here and there.

Oontaz's defensive mentality ensured at least a point in this match, but their defensive conditioning also hindered them from taking advantage of their opponents' frustration.

With a bye day for Oontaz coming up, manager Juan Dominador Macaspac will be looking to analyze his options coming into the last matchday, hoping that there may be a chance for his team to advance as one of the best third-placed teams.

Oontaz Dert Li Ng manager Ador Macaspac: "To earn a point against Valanora will feel very much an achievement for the boys. We've been unlucky to be on the losing end of things before, and to be even with one of the best teams in the region, if not the multiverse, is a creditable achievement."

On his team's chances of making a third-place finish: "All is not lost. There is still time to get to third place. Of course, we need the results to go our, but that is to be expected for a team in our situation. We'll work with what we have, and hope that we can do enough to do something about it."

OONTAZ DERT LI NG 0 - 0 VALANORA

VALANORA
GK: 01 Galadirdren
RB: 02 Aldamiel
CB: 03 Toraandal (Culiththir - 70')
LB: 04 Lardireil
RM: 21 va Drake (Omasas - 61')
RCM: 07 Soldarian
LCM: 06 Haerear
LM: 08 Lithvathar
CAM: 10 Hawk █
CF: 09 Fresco (Kevatanian - 86')
CF: 11 Tathtauré

OONTAZ DERT LI NG
GK: 01 Barranquillano
RB: 25 Opulencia
RCB: 03 Macaraig
LCB: 49 Campanilla █
LB: 15 Portencio (Sarimanok - 89')
DM: 05 San Marcelino
CM: 07 Abu Nayef
RM: 77 Zulfikar
CAM: 20 Dimaintindihan (Hagonoy - 75')
LM: 75 Zulfiqli
ST: 23 Estevez (Abcede - 60' █)

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 48%
Valanora: 52%
Shots
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 8 (3 on target)
Valanora: 12 (7 on target)
Corners
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 4
Valanora: 7
Fouls
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 20
Valanora: 10

[Vilita and Turori]

Matchday 5

On this (Match)Day in AOCAF History... As was the case during this very AOCAF, the Golden Edition, AOCAF 50 - Matchday 5 has often been a day of elimination - or qualification, depending on which side of the cut line a nation fell.

One of the most famous 'falls' occured during AOCAF 17. Hosts Krytenia were top of their group heading into Matchday 5 and looking good to make a run to claim their first ever AOCAF title. All they had to do was walk not lose on Matchday 5 or have other results go their way and they would be sailing through to the knockout stages. Instead, however, the home fans at Isserson Stadium in Everton City were given a far more devastating scenario. The 0-2 defeat to Myrtannia not only knocked Krytenia off the top of the table, it knocked them straight out of the knockout rounds as well and the hosts had to sit on the sidelines and watch as Lamoni, a team which ironically secured its first ever AOCAF match victory against Krytenia, would go on to claim their first ever AOCAF title on Krytenian soil.

AOCAF 18 saw a positive story of a different sort on Matchday 5. Although they were long eliminated from advancing to the knockout rounds, a debutant nation called 95X had conceded a whopping 14 goals in their first 4 games. Somehow, however, they were able to tighten things up for their final match of the campaign and only lost by a single goal in a 1-0 scoreline.

Finally, there was AOCAF 34. Otherwise known as the Casaran AOCAF. Heading into the final Matchday, Matchday 5, Nellietopia were sitting in 4th in the overall table all alone on 9 points. As a result of the way the Casaran system works, however, they had to play a team ahead of them - Andossa Se Mitrin Vega. Meanwhile, Kagdazka and Pazhujebu, at that point on 7 points and one place behind Nellietopia, got to play Inis Na Dun who were placed behind them on equal points. The result, of course, was obvious. Nellietopia were defeated 7-3 by Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and fell out of the Top 6 while Kagdazka and Pazhujebu put 6 goals past Inis Na Dun to leapfrog up into the 4th spot, easily advancing. Matchday 5 of AOCAF 34 is memorable that it was the last time we saw the Casaran system in action.



Group A
Starblaydia [1] Schiavonia [2]
Click Here to choose the venue
Western Sunrise Islands [2] Demot [0]
Coliseum of the Inurahtii, Inura, Turori

---Group A----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Osarius                  4  4  0  0 17-4   +13  12 Q
 2- Western Sunrise Islands  4  2  0  1  7-5    +2   9 Q
 3- Schiavonia               4  1  1  2  6-10   -4   4 3rd
 4- Demot                    4  0  2  2  4-8    -2   2
 5- Starblaydia              4  0  1  3  1-8    -7   1

Group B
Krytenia [4] Greater Watford [0]
Click Here to choose the venue
Oontaz Dert Li Ng [2] New West Guiana [1]
Sporta Park, Eelandii, Turori

---Group B----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Krytenia                 4  3  1  0 12-4    +8  10 Q
 2- Valanora                 4  2  2  0  9-4    +5   8 Q
 3- Oontaz Dert Li Ng        4  1  1  2  2-4    -2   4 3rd
 4- New West Guiana          4  1  0  3  7-11   -4   3
 5- Greater Watford          4  1  0  3  5-12   -7   3

Group C
Cosumar [4] Kingdom of Corelia [0]
Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita
Audioslavia [2] Tallaga la Falla [0]
Click Here to choose the venue

---Group C----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Cosumar                  4  4  0  0 14-5    +9  12 Q
 2- Audioslavia              4  3  0  1  9-2    +5   9 Q
 3- Eshan                    4  1  1  2 13-11   +2   4 3rd
 4- Tallaga la Falla         4  1  1  2  7-8    -1   4
 5- Kingdom of Corelia       4  0  0  4  2-19  -17   0

Group D
Mertagne [1] Semarland [3]
Click Here to choose the venue
Tropicorp [4] Geisenfried [1]
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

---Group D----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Semarland                4  4  0  0 13-3    +10 12 Q
 2- Farfadillis              4  2  1  1  8-6    +2   7 Q
 3- Tropicorp                4  1  1  2  7-9    -2   4 3rd
 4- Mertagne                 4  1  0  3  5-6    -1   3 
 5- Geisenfried              4  1  0  3  5-14   -9   3

Group E
Royal Kingdom of Quebec [3] Lindmark [1]
Click Here to choose the venue
Chromatika [1] Euran Oceania Territories [0]
Lonngeylin Park, Lonngeylin, Vilita

---Group E----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Royal Kingdom of Quebec  4  4  0  0 12-3    +9  12 Q
 2- Ko-oren                  4  2  1  1 13-5    +8   7 Q
 3- Chromatika               4  2  1  1  7-5    +1   7 3rd
 4- Lindmark                 4  0  1  3  6-12   -6   1
 5- Euran Oceania Territo... 4  0  1  3  1-14   -13  1

Group F
Vilita & Turori [4] 95X [3]
Lonngeylin Coliseum, Lonngeylin, Vilita
Equestrian States [0] Legalese [1]
Iobabao Legendary Park, Mliona, Turori

---Group F----           P  W  D  L GF-GA     GD  Pts
 1- Vilita & Turori          4  4  0  0 15-5    +10 12 Q
 2- 95X                      4  3  0  1 12-5    +7   9 Q
 3- Iskandervale             4  1  1  2  4-8    -4   4 3rd
 4- Legalese                 4  1  1  2  3-9    -6   4
 5- Equestrian States        4  0  0  4  2-9    -6   0

3rd Placed Teams
 3- Chromatika               4  2  1  1  7-5    +1   7 Q
 3- Eshan                    4  1  1  2 13-11   +2   4 Q
 3- Tropicorp                4  1  1  2  7-9    -2   4 PO1
 3- Oontaz Dert Li Ng        4  1  1  2  2-4    -2   4 PO2
 3- Schiavonia               4  1  1  2  6-10   -4   4 PO2
 3- Iskandervale             4  1  1  2  4-8    -4   4 PO1

Play-Off Fixtures: To be scorinated in ~24 hours
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Playoff 1: Tropicorp v. Iskandervale

Playoff 2: Oontaz Dert Li Ng v. Schiavonia


Round of 16 Draw: To be scorinated in ~48 hours
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Osarius v. Winner of Playoff 2

Krytenia v. Audioslavia

Cosumar v. Chromatika

Semarland v. Eshan

Royal Kingdom of Quebec v. Ko-oren

Vilita & Turori v. Winner of Playoff 1

Farfadillis v. Valanora

95X v. Western Sunrise Islands

[Osarius]

With their progression to the knockout stages secured after three games, Azarai Robinson's Firebirds have had the luxury of time to prepare for their eventual opposition. Sort of. They still can't be sure who they will face.

"We're just preparing for both. Fortunately, we've faced one side already so we can use the knowledge from that." Revealed Osarius Chief Scout and former Grasshoppers Turic manager Roberto Cormega. "It's one of those weird situations where you have to be ultra careful because you're expected to win no matter what, but your preparation will be less than ideal in some ways."

It would not be ridiculous to suggest that Osarius might be hoping Schiavonia put one over on Oontaz Dert Li Ng, not least because they know they can win that matchup. "They're our brothers, no?" Said Robinson, referring to Schiavonia's status as a member of COCANEFA. "Monarchs gave us all a great story to tell this past season, too. Would be nice to see the national side get into the knockout rounds, given how long they were out in the wilderness of international football."

Of course, he was quick to clarify that he hoped there would be just one game for Schiavonia post-group-stage. "I'd look a bit silly if they got through and did us over, wouldn't I?" He said. "And no disrespect to them, but I'd expect us to win that game. We might not be top of the pile in the multiverse anymore but we're still up there. We are still a force to be reckoned with."

Despite all Robinson's talk, Cormega suspects Osarius will face the Oontaznik side in the next round. "They're tough to crack, and as much as Schiavonia like to go at you, I think they'll find it tough to break down a well-organised side like the Sultanate have." He explained. "And you have to consider players too. It seems like around half of their squad actually plays in Abanhfleft, and we saw how strong the Fleftic sides were in the MPL."

Cormega drew attention to the Oontaznik side's impressive performances against Valanora and a Valrauncion-led Krytenia in the group stages as evidence that they should not be taken too lightly in the defensive area. "Valrauncion would walk into the Osarius squad, and he had some trouble against these guys. They held off the Marauders, too. That's huge. Azarai can't take them lightly."

He was also quick to point out, however, that Schiavonia may well actually have the star power to see them through. "You've got some top players in that team, when you think about it. Cueto and Schiavone are at Jansberg, challenging for LigAnaia titles, Jones is at a strong Starblaydi side, and you've got a few in the squad from the current LigAnaia champions." Cormega noted. "If they can conjure up just one moment of magic, that might be all it takes. I'm not sure the Sultanate have enough about them at the front end to really put Schiavonia under much pressure. They've put the ball in their own net as many times as they have the opposition's, so I'm not sure where the goal threat is coming from."

Azarai Robinson confirmed, though, that he will be present for the match, gathering valuable intel. "You can never prepare too much for a football match." He said.

[Oontaz Dert Li Ng]

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OONTAZ DERT LI NG, PART TWO
THE SULTAN IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE SULTAN!

Sultan Wadi Oontaz had emerged victorious against the Kingdom of Manitogoro, defeating the pagan King Owobowale after a months-long siege. It looked as if the Oontazniks were undefeatable, and that Allah was really on their side when it comes to their conquest of the Hejazein.

And then Allah saw it fit to call Sultan Wadi back to His heavenly abode. Modern historians suspect that it was the plague that the Oontaznik besiegers had used to great effect against the citadel of Manitogoro that claimed the life of the Sultan, although it has to be said that there is both historical and anecdotal evidence that Sultan Wadi may have been suffering from a combination of tuberculosis and whooping cough even then, which may have weakened the Sultan.

With the death of Sultan Wadi came a succession crisis. Like most warrior-kings, Sultan Wadi had thought that he would live, if not forever, then for a very long time. This was the main reason why he had not bothered naming an heir from among his many sons from numerous wives and concubines. With such a large number of claimants, it was inevitable that this succession crisis would escalate into the First Oontaznik Succession War.


Sultan Wadi on his deathbed. Etching by Nasir Saif al-Islam Nasri, 1802.

Out of all the sons of the Sultan, it was Abubakar, Sultan Wadi's son with his third concubine Amirah, who would emerge as the most powerful. His rise came about through a series of smart and fortuitous decisions, starting with him being the first man into the Manitogoro citadel following the first breakthrough, which allowed him to lay claim to both the citadel itself and the surrounding city after the death of the Sultan. That was the fortuitous decision that Abubakar made on his way to becoming the most powerful of the Sultan's sons.

The smart decision was to make all of the men who had decided to side with him swear an oath of loyalty to his cause, with severe punishments for breaking the oath and betrayal. Abubakar didn't even blink when he handed out the appropriate sentence to one of his generals, Juba Yunus, who had attempted to allow infiltrators working for Abubakar's half-brother Khamis into Manitogoro. Seeing Abubakar execute even one of his top generals for breaking his oath had served to deepen his men's loyalty to him.

And when two other half-brothers, Ismail and Fares, went to Abubakar both to surrender to him and to join his cause, Abubakar didn't humiliate his brothers. At least, he didn't humiliate them too much. Abubakar did make his brothers kiss his feet in recognition of his power over them, but after that, he allowed them to swear the oath of loyalty to him, and then earn their merit in battle against their other brothers fighting for the right to the throne of the Sultan.


Ismail pays homage to his brother Abubakar. Etching by unknown artist, 1607.

Eventually, the factions began to gravitate towards two brothers, Khamis and Abubakar. Khamis was brutal and ruthless, conquering all those who stood against him and forcing his conquests to serve him or else. Meanwhile, Abubakar was more calculating with his efforts to win over supporters. Once again, his oath of loyalty to him proved key to winning over the conquered populace, and as the people watched their leaders swear fealty to Abubakar, they were inspired to do much the same.

It should be noted that the surviving works from the time were most probably either propaganda pieces or works deliberately made to put Abubakar in a positive light. New evidence has recently been discovered in Zalim Province revealing that Khamis was not as bloodthirsty as he had been portrayed and that Abubakar was not the nice and wise leader he was made out to be.

But whatever their real personalities, Khamis and Abubakar finally met on the field of battle just outside the town of Henakiya. The battle went on for an estimated fifteen hours according to current theories about the military tactics and styles of the time. By the end of those fifteen hours of battle, three thousand lay slain on the bloodied sands, among them Khamis. The court scribe Omar Khattaby wrote that Khamis had been dismounted in the early stages of the battle by Ismail and Fares, the two brothers who had gone over to Abubakar's side just before their other brothers began choosing sides. It is said that Ismail's spear pierced Khamis so powerfully that the spear went through the side of his chest and into his right arm before Fares struck the killing blow and beheaded Khamis with his scimitar. But when the head of Khamis was brought before Abubakar, instead of being happy, Abubakar reportedly cried and said that he had lost a dear and beloved brother in Khamis.


The Last Charge of Khamis Oontaz. Painting by Teodoro Valderama de Los Rios, 1896.

With Khamis dead, all of his surviving supporters and the other remaining factions that had refused to take sides quickly laid down their arms before Abubakar, who was finally proclaimed Sultan in 1486, six years after the death of Sultan Wadi. As soon as he was crowned Sultan, Abubakar named his son, Abubakar the Younger, as his heir and the next in line in the event of his death, starting the tradition of the Sultans of Oontaz Dert Li Ng declaring their heir and successor immediately after their coronation.

Under Sultan Abubakar, peace finally reigned over his realm. Trade, mostly coming through the new capital of Manitogoro, flourished and made the Sultanate the richest nation in the area. Lesser nations either submitted willfully to Oontaznik rule or were conquered by force of arms and integrated into the Sultanate. By 1531, the year of the death of Sultan Abubakar the Elder and the accession of Sultan Abubakar the Younger, the Sultanate of Oontaz occupied the entirety of the Hejazein, with a total of twenty lesser nations swearing their complete fealty and territory to the Sultanate. This was the beginning of the Golden Age of Oontaz, one of the most prosperous periods of Oontaznik history.


The Sultan Receives Emissaries from His Subject Nations. Painting by Yusuf Kabul ibn Abu-Faris, 1592.

---

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AOCAF 50: OONTAZ DERT LI NG VS NEW WEST GUIANA
By Abdulmecid Macasaysayan


Oontaz Dert Li Ng's Eduardo Estevez celebrates his first goal of the tournament against New West Guiana. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Oliver Hassanal)

EELANDII, TURORI - Oontaz Dert Li Ng gained their first ever victory in the AOCAF Cup against a disappointing New West Guiana.

Honesto Campanilla steered the ball into his own net while trying to defend a Guianan cross, but Eduardo Estevez was able to level things near the start of the second half with an excellent weighted chipped ball over the opposing keeper.

Karimabdul Dimaintindihan's free kick from 23 yards proved to be the decisive factor in the game as he converted from his attempt despite a solid five-man wall.

The stats don't lie: Oontaz Dert Li Ng has actually scored more goals against themselves than for their team, and it looked as if more of the same was going to happen for the Lions of Sand and Sea against New West Guiana.

But it looks as the team's offense is finally beginning to find their form and momentum, and both Oontaznik goals would be memorable for the fans, but for different reasons.

Estevez' chipped goal was an unexpected masterclass of trickery in a game which had been filled with more uninspired boringness and lack of creativity, so to see an Oontaznik player attempt a tough shot and actually score from it was a moment that both the fans and the Torpedo Telgrad forward will cherish.

Dimaintindihan's free kick goal was more direct and not as subtle as Estevez' chip, but sometimes brute force can open opportunities where creativity has failed.

As a third-placed team, Oontaz Dert Li Ng has qualified in a playoff against another third-placer, Schiavonia, with fomer world champions Osarius waiting for the winner at the end of the playoff at Turori's Cednia Park.

Oontaz Dert Li Ng manager Ador Macaspac: "It feels good to have finally won a game in such a prestigious tournament. Sure, we conceded early on, and once again to one of our own players, but we finally got clicking and got ourselves scoring in the right net this time, and all in all it was a good win."

On Schiavonia, their next opponent: "It's a tough matchup. But everything for us in this tournament is a tough matchup, since it's our first time. All we need to do is focus and hope for a lot of luck, but all that luck can happen in just one moment. We have our game plan, and let's see if we can win with this plan."

   OONTAZ DERT LI NG 2 - 1 NEW WEST GUIANA
       ESTEVEZ (51')       CAMPANILLA (16' og)
DIMAINTINDIHAN (74')

OONTAZ DERT LI NG
GK: 01 Barranquillano
RB: 25 Opulencia
RCB: 03 Macaraig
LCB: 49 Campanilla (Dimacatarungan - 57')
LB: 15 Portencio
DM: 05 San Marcelino
CM: 07 Abu Nayef
RM: 77 Zulfikar
CAM: 20 Dimaintindihan
LM: 75 Zulfiqli (Macalacan - 68')
ST: 23 Estevez (Abcede - 85')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 53%
New West Guiana: 47%
Shots
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 10 (4 on target)
New West Guiana: 8 (2 on target)
Corners
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 6
New West Guiana: 3
Fouls
Oontaz Dert Li Ng: 19
New West Guiana: 22

[Iskandervale]

THE ISKANDABAD TRIBUNE
They're dancing in the streets of Iskandabad tonight - here's why
Ruslan Bowyer

It's a simple fact of life as an Iskandrian that we mostly pass under the radar until people are planning holiday destinations. Some have even said that our national team is nothing but a publicity stunt.

But could a publicity stunt manage a last-gasp draw against Legalese? Could a publicity stunt beat the Equestrian States? As the knockout rounds of the tournament beckon, the possibility begins to arise - maybe Iskandervale might be taken seriously in the region someday.

Not as a major power, of course, nobody's suggesting the side's capable of that. But the IFA are making tangible forward steps, and the first sign is the professionalism of the current side.

It's not just the likes of Tanith Starbuck, one of the Nepharim third-tier's top scorers, or the Cornellians' Triffid Ramsey. In all honesty, these players are Nepharim first, though to their credit they are giving their all for the nation they are fighting for. The pride coursing through the veins of every player in the Flock is spectacular to behold.

But it's significant that the excellent performances of the likes of Kapadze, Burgundy and Samarqand last time around earned each a professional contract with a foreign club. What's just as important is that Kozak, Rzazade and Frey - none of whom played last tournament - turned professional as well.

Shukhrat Kozak was on the bench throughout last campaign, but he has been a colossus between the posts this time around, while Rzazade and Frey have glittered in cameos. Kapadze has been invulnerable in defence while Samarqand (now on the fringes of Cassandra City in Cosumar's top tier) and Starbuck have struck up a strong relationship up front.

But the semi-professional locals continue to do their part as well, and it would be astonishing if young Borrowfield in particular was not a professional by the next AOCAF. It's all playing into the IFA blueprint - build players up, send them abroad and use the money the clubs get from those purchases to professionalise them.

The implications of a professional Iskandrian side - maybe not a whole league, but with the vast expanse of COCANEFA across the region, could a sufficiently powerful Iskandrian side or two sneak into the Repechage49?

There's limits to this, of course. The nation is small, the talent pool will always be limited as a result. But - given a decade or two - maybe there's room for Iskandervale to be a respectable lower-middle power in the AOCAF, with professional club football to enjoy across the year.

The sky isn't quite the limit. But on top of a mountain? That'll do nicely.

[Vilita and Turori]

Round of 16 Play-In Matches

In Other news around the multiverse... Lamoni Today is reporting that a Dragon Egg once given to the Free Republic of Lamoni by Matriarch Elizabeth Dominier of Demot, has finally hatched. The diplomatic gift, presented by Demot to Tanya Ley then the Foreign Minister of Lamoni, was sent to Urst Island southeast of the mainland of Lamoni where it lay for a decade unhatched.

Now, however, it seems something magical - or accidental, has finally occurred to hatch the young dragon. After a workplace incident that saw the ageless egg wind up in a fireplace, the conditions were finally met and a baby dragon emerged. Read more about the story at the Lamoni Today article: Decades old "Dragon" Egg hatches, actual dragon emerges!

Playoff Scores:
Oontaz Dert Li Ng [2] Schiavonia [2] FT
Oontaz Dert Li Ng [2] Schiavonia [2] AET
Oontaz Dert Li Ng [2] Schiavonia [2] Schiavonia advances (4-5) on penalty kicks.
Cednia Park, Cednia, Turori

Tropicorp [1] Iskandervale [1] FT
Tropicorp [1] Iskandervale [2] (AET)
Jlinal Cove Complex, Jlinal, Vilita

Round of 16 Draw: To be scorinated in ~24 hours

Osarius v. Schiavonia
Arcticala Electrical Stadium, Arcticala, Vilita

Krytenia v. Audioslavia
Click Here to choose the venue (Blue Venues Only!)

Cosumar v. Chromatika
Coliseum of the Inurahtii, Inura, Turori

Semarland v. Eshan
Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori

Royal Kingdom of Quebec v. Ko-oren
National View Stadium, Morata Valley, Vilita

Vilita & Turori v. Iskandervale
Click Here to choose the venue (Blue Venues Only!)

Farfadillis v. Valanora
Colonial Field, Sile, Vilita

95X v. Western Sunrise Islands
Click Here to choose the venue (Blue Venues Only!)

[Eshan]

By some insane, bizarre miracle, the Echani national team was in to the round of 16. It was thanks to the goals we've scored, fifth most in the tournament thus far, that saw us end up being one of the higher ranked 3rd placed teams, securing our qualification without need of a playoff fixture.

The whole team had sat together, watching an entire days worth of football as one cohesive unit. They watched as the giant of Starblaydia continued to fade from the scene as they exited at the hands of Schiavonia with only two points. The 3-1 victory for Semarland was very popular among the players; the large presence of Semar's in the Echani Seria-A and the overall warm relationship between the nations lead to a sense of camaraderie and friendship with our Atlantian neighbors. The 4-3 shootout between Vilita & Turori and 95X was a great spectacle, and when the end of the day came and Eshan stood to go through above Tropicorp, Oontaz Dert Li Ng, Schiavonia, and Iskandervale.

It had been a nonstop ride of stress and baited breath as the Echani national team sat crammed into a conference center at the hotel they were staying, watching game after game and eating popcorn and enjoying the beautiful game, and when the day came to a wrap and the Echani national team qualified for the round of 16 in the most prestigious regional tournament in the multiverse, the team went crazy and headed out into town to celebrate and relieve some stress before the match against Semarland.

Semarland and Eshan shared a bright relationship, with their respective governments nice and cozy, and Semar players easily being the most prevelant minority in the Echani football league system. The two nations liked each other, but were also fierce rivals and this match had all the makings of an all time great. Both teams in decent form, no injuries, no suspensions, a knockout match, what more could you want?

Steven Dumolt lay in bed, all of his attention devoted to a small diagram of a football pitch in front of him. He was trying to figure out how lineup against a young, attacking Semar side. The young Kwame Nelson was a dangerous opponent in attack, the 19 year old had found net 11 times in 10 caps, and was sure to be the danger player on the pitch. Demba Cisse could still lock down the midfield better than anyone, and Martell Chalobah was a commanding center back who was comfortable on the ball, and excelled and shutting attacking movements the fuck down with his speed and tackling ability. It wasn't going to be easy, far from it, but Dumolt believed in his team, a team he had raised from infancy to where they were today. A team that scored one goal, one, in their first AOCAF attempt, and now, in their second, they had given regional and world powerhouses Audioslavia and Cosumar a close run for their money. Seeing that progression was exhilarating, intoxicating, and tremendously exhausting. Dumolt was strongly in his 60s, and the strain of managing both the Echani national team and defending champions Rosaria United in the Echani Seria-A was starting to take a toll.

Dumolt closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose as he took deep breaths and reflected to himself. Maybe it was time to call it a day from the national team. He still had plenty more in him, plenty of ideas, plenty of desire to keep competing and winning, but he couldn't do it for club and country any more. Besides, the team was already evolving past their humble roots as players grew in confidence, grew in brotherhood, grew in ability. Perhaps there was a better option to take the team into the future…but the time for such thoughts was not now. Now he needed to devise a winning strategy and lineup to put out against Semarland. The team had been playing well, perhaps there was no reason to change anything. So why was Dumolt staring at the space Deandre James would be occupying with a nervous knot in his stomach. His gut was telling him something, and he had long long ago learned to trust his gut. Dumolt sighed to himself, and starting writing down player names and arrows of movement, eventually ending with something like this:

---

Eshan Sporting Daily
UICA Transfer Window Roundup; We Examine The Different Comings and Goings in the Seria-A

With the UICA transfer window shut and closed, we here at Eshan Sporting Daily are going to take a look at all the ins and outs of the window. It was a pretty quiet one in Eshan, with only three transfer fee worthy incomers and six Echani players trying their luck abroad. There were quite a few free pickups by Echani clubs, mostly youth but a couple older players and one familiar face in Semar free Lamar Jokumsen.
In:

Petro Valles	DM	19	CEN	Lexington Victory	NGD	Rosaria United	11.25m╜
Jakob Larsen	ST	34	SEM	SC Kiel	                PIS	Ilagi Macroya	9.2m╜
Darwin Quinto	LB	27	AUD	Mandon United	APX Alexandria United 340k╜

Petro Valles
The anchor of a Terranean League winning midfield, Valles prefers to stop attacking moves from their start rather than when they are more advanced. He has done well to earn a spot starting for the Di Bradini Cup side that ultimately made it to the final. A fantastic purchase by Rosaria United, we see him slotting in as a rotation player alongside academy product Öztürk Ásmundr, who had a very bright start in his debut season before cooling off in the long run. Valles will have the essential task of being the first line of defense in the league champions brilliant attacking team. If he can prove up to the challenge and continue realizing his potential, the 11.25m╜ paid out will look like a bargain.

Jakob Larsen
A legend in our favorite Semarland, 34 year old Jakob Larsen has played 95 games and scored 46 goals for Semarland's national team. Forever a lethal finisher, age doesn't matter as the living legend even as he has lost the vast majority of his once remarkable athleticism. Eyes were raised over the fee, but Ilagi Macroya clearly believe that the accuracy and firepower offered by the grizzled veteran will aid them in their push for international qualification.

Darwin Quinto
An effective journeyman, Darwin Quinto brings pace and sound positional sense to the left flank of Alexandria United. The 27 year old left back brings a wealth of international club experience to the table, and will do a world of good at helping Alexandria United shore up their leaky defense.

Out:

Elrond Yorick	CM/AM	18	ESH	Club Ithinia	Matthew Rangers	USI	8.17m╜
Noah Silvio	LW/RW	28	ESH	Rosaria United	Olask Islanders	COS	10.2m╜
Augustin Markel	CM/AM	24	ESH	Sebio City	Royal QueenstownNGD	11.25m╜
Xavi Arisilde	CDM/CM	21	ESH	Parisia	Goodfeather FC	NPH	8.17m╜
Winfrid Cába	CDM/CM	21	ESH	Aeludia Football Club	FM Town	EFL	8.17m╜
Raven Daiusz	ST	26	ESH	Aeludia Football Club	Athletic MeskitáhRED	8.17m╜

Elrond Yorick
It's a real shame to see the brilliant Elrond Yorick depart for foreign shores; the elegant young man displays football in all of it's beauty, with picture perfect passes, elegant spins, and impossibly curving shots. He scored 6 goals and assisted a fantastic 15 goals, but despite his best efforts, Club Ithinia was relegated and suitors came out of the woodwork. Matthew Rangers will be a fantastic club for him to develop; the 25th best league in the world will be sure to help his development nicely. A surefire pick for the DBC team, the 18 year old has all the potential in the world.

Noah Silvio
The great jack-of-all-trades, Noah Silvio leapt at the chance to be one of the first Echani footballers abroad. After a solid season with Rosaria United where he won the title, scoring six and assisting 15, he decided he had had enough of being on the periphery of the show, overshadowed by the brilliance of Antonio Mulcair, Aldis Vereneth, and Jean-Marie Bentacur. We expect him to do well in Cosumar, where he'll have a bit more of a chance at center stage as he enters his prime. He also recently scored his first goal for the national team, so good for the man.

Augustin Markel
Now this was a bit of a surprise to…pretty much everyone really. Born and bred at Sebio City, and after leading them to second with three goals and 20 assists the last thing we expected to see was him moving away for the record fee received for an Echani player. Brilliant for club and country, the 24 year old is an extremely technically gifted magician. Markel can whisper to the ball with his feet and displayed his eagle like vision countless times over the course of the season. Seeing him depart…it's going to be interesting how Sebio City will react to having lost two of their three starting midfielders.

Xavi Arisilde
It's a bitter pill to swallow realizing that the beautiful bearded brilliance of Xavi Arisilde will no longer be gracing the Seria-A. Absolutely fantastic for Parisia in the inaugural season of the Echani Seria-A, Xavi showed he could run the show offensively while also being the first line of defense, and truly earned himself a move abroad. Everyone expected him to go to a competitive league, but when Nepharan Premiership outfit Goodfeather FC from the 2nd best league in the world came announced they had signed him for 8.17m╜, jaws dropped. That's a helluva thing to have on your resumé, we only hope Xavi Arisilde can represent Eshan well and help lead Goodfeather to international qualification.

Winfrid Cába
Another special midfield talent to depart the league, Winfrid Cába will spend the next couple of seasons covering every inch of the pitches in Eastfield Lodge. Cába's main strength comes from his ability to regain possession in the midfield and start a counter attack by charging forward with it, and we're sure he will impress his new employers as he keeps the midfield ticking along.

Raven Daiusz:
An extremely interesting football player, standing at 6'4 and with the build to match, Raven Daiusz combines the skillset of a playmaker with the physical and finishing abilities of a top level target man. A true point forward in every sense of the term, Daiusz leads the line as both the team's primary goalscorer and playmaker. Capable of setting up moves that he himself will finish, Raven Daiusz has a unique understanding of the game, and is able to brilliantly plan attacking movements that overwhelm the opponents. Fantastic purchase by Athletic Meskitáh from Red Blackiland.

Frees:

Amos Ibarra	DC	24	SEM	FC Jansberg	SEM	Parisia
Simon Lognet	GK	31	MRV	FC Nuholm	SEM	Alexandria United
Rasmus Karlsson-Monsberg	ST	18	SEM	Arkrau Klub	SEM	Real Alexandria
Leo Muller	ML	18	SEM	FC Matovallanen	SEM	Rosaria United
Jacob Amos	AMC	19	SEM	Arkrau Klub	SEM	Philosos
Obike Chukwenyelu	MC	22	SEM	Sporting Matrolvik	SEM	Monmarte
Tien Si Han	LW/CF	17	USI	Noburushiten Academy	USI	Parisia
Kai "Red Kaiser" Kyoku	OM	17	USI	Seaside Tech University	USI	Sebio City
Wolfgang Werfel	CB	18	PAS	Tanrısal	PAS	Sebio City
Roméo van't Veer	AMLR	18	PAS	Sardin United	PAS	Rosaria United
Verrill Lapierre	MC	18	PAS	Galatica	PAS	Sebio City
Stéphane Couturier	AMC	18	PAS	Hellinic Rouge	PAS	Sebio City	ESH
DeShawn Montpelier	GK	18	SEM	Semarluundik Natunol Akademik	SEM	Sebio City
Adnan Carlsson	GK	18	SEM	Semarluundik Natunol Akademik	SEM	Skoljard FC
Cedrick Mavula	DC	18	SEM	Semarluundik Natunol Akademik	SEM	Sebio City
Rasmus Silkenham	MC	18	SEM	Semarluundik Natunol Akademik	SEM	Gracemeria
Seyi Oshoffa	ST	18	SEM	Semarluundik Natunol Akademik	SEM	Gracemeria
Forsell	ST	17	DAI	Sukatora Sassa	DAI	Sebio City
Nigy	ST	16	DAI	Telestar	DAI	Sebio City
Wallace Wells	DM	19	USI	Centre for Excellence	USI	Alexandria United
Delfinho	LW	32	COS	FC York	SEM	Gracemeria	
Jošt Greiss	AMF	18	EFL	Capital Academy	EFL	Sebio City
Chaim Hogue-Hardy	ST	18	EFL	Tavernia Academy	EFL	FC Rosaria
Conrado Garfield	GK	18	EFL	Paddockia YFC	EFL	Rosaria United
Jason Santana	CM	20	SLL	N/A	SLL	FC Rosaria
Lamar Jokumsen	AMC	21	SEM	FC Jansberg	SEM	Parisia

Well, Echani clubs certainly made up for a slow transfer window by smashing and grabbing in the free transfer market, with clubs eager to uncover a diamond in the rough as well as bring a little diversity to their teams. Most notably is recently promoted outfit Gracemeria's acquisition of two young Semar talents; we'll be interested to see what their role in the clubs new future looks like.

Amos Ibarra:
A solid, ball playing defender, Amos Ibarra was snapped up almost as soon as his contract expired by Parisia. Intelligent and calm on the ball, Ibarra brings a wealth of experience from FC Jansberg. After the shakiness shown by Artur Gustave in the heart of the defense, shoring up centerback was a key priority for them. Snagging a a product of the 76th best team in the world, Parisia's acquisition of Ibarra looks to be one of the best pieces of business in the transfer window, and he looks set to be one of the top defenders in Eshan. Will instantly start for Parisia, and we look forward to seeing his play.

Simon Lognet:
A true stalwart in net for the Mrevlandian national team, Simon Lognet is an experienced keeper who will bring sensible keeping head to the sticks for Alexandria United. He doesn't quite fit the usual definition of an Echani transfer target. Creeping into his 31st year, the veteran will bring much needed leadership and less eccentricity than Hildir Garnett. Will start for Alexandria United.

Rasmus Karlsson-Monsberg:
A talented young striker, the 18 year old Rasmus Karlsson-Monsberg brings dancing feet to a strong 6'2 frame. Tall and twinkled toed, the Semar striker failed to secure a contract in his homeland and Real Alexandria were happy to snap the youngster up. To have such brilliant close ball control at that height is a special talent, and it has seen him slice through defenses using his sheer size to shield the ball from defenders. He has a great eye for the pass, although his ability to play the pass is certainly lacking. His finishing ability leaves a lot to be desired though, and Karlsson-Monsberg is far too eager to pull the trigger from distance. Plenty of training will help break that habit and drastically improve his striking; Real Alexandria is certainly the club for this to happen, with premier Echani target man Jengo Evripidis in the side to tutor him and help Rasmus Karlsson-Monsberg realize the potential Real Alexandria scouts saw.

Leo Muller:
A special young player, Semar Leo Muller loves being deployed on the left wing, where he can make use of his special way of looking at the game and unique playstyle. Leo Muller has a lethal left foot, and a great feel for dribbling the ball. Even at his young age, new employers Rosaria United have been quick to praise the 18 year old for his maturity, pace, technique, and especially his awareness and positioning. Seeing his trial, national team and Rosaria United manager Steven Dumolt noted that he seemed "impervious to pressure" with "tremendous mental strength." He's looking like he will be consistent scorer and creator of goals, finding gaps in the opposition defense and running into space. He is a very unorthodox player and you can't really predict where his lines of running will take him, but at all times he has one aim and one aim only, and that is 'how can I score a goal?".

Jacob Amos:
Brought in to supplement the brilliance of fellow Semar Lamar Jokumsen, 19 year old Jacob Amos brings a direct running style to his game. The attacking midfielder loves to pick the ball up in transition and make use of his pace and flashy dribbling ability to run right at the defensive line before delicately slipping a ball towards the forwards. We're not sure what his place in the squad will be; reports of inconsistency and a non-professional yet fun loving attitude are already surfacing, but the lad is only 19 and has plenty of time to develop a strong mental game.

Obike Chukwenyelu:
After such a poor start the season, rescued by a brilliant run at the end of the campaign, Monmarte are looking to bring depth and talent to their team. With a midfield ravaged by injuries, signing another body in that area will be a welcome relief to their fans. A premier shuttler, Semar Obike Chukwenyelu excels at facilitating the transition of the ball from a defensive midfield to a high tempo attacking game. He won't be starting, at least not at the beginning of the season, but we will be watching the 22 year old's progress over the season.

Tien Si Han:
A real livewire with the ball at his feet, 17 year old Sunrisian Tien Si Han brings to Parisia an absolute wealth of incredible dribbling skills. Taken from the street league at a young age, the young man loves to embarrass any defenders and pulls out plenty of tricks in 1v1 situations, an area where he makes a killing. Blessed with a brilliant change of pace, Tien Si Han is a defender's absolutely worst nightmare, and when he breaks out in what is becoming a signature jog, rolling the ball forward and almost lazily stepping over it, the defense knows he is headed towards goal. If there are faults in his game, it likes in the mental area of the game. Sure, he isn't the best finisher or crosser, but he has displayed solid fundamentals and there is certainly room to improve. The biggest area of concern lies in his showmanship. Yes, it can't be denied that it's been extremely enjoyable watching this youngster train and play, but he loves to over dribble and loves to take defenders on against right after beating them. This can probably be attributed to youth, and he might be able to get away with it for another year or two, but to really become a top level player, Tien Si Han will have to learn how to pick and choose the right moments to break out his mesmerizing moves.

Kai "Red Kaiser" Kyoku:
Nicknamed the Red Kaiser for his height and his bright red hair, the 6'4 midfielder dominates the midfield in attack. He's a sort of target playmaker; a big man you can hoof the ball up towards and who will then distribute the ball outwards, a really unique player. Getting picked up by the famed academy at Sebio City means their scouts see real potential in Sunrisian Kai Kyoku.

Wolfgang Werfel:
A real man mountain even at the age of 18, Pasagran Wolfgang Werfel stands at 6'4, 193lbs and has bags of pace. Automatically one of the fastest defenders in the league, Wolfgang combines his speed with strength in the air, a great sense of intercepting, and strong mental attributes. His lack of a passing ability will somewhat hurt his success in a free flowing, complete team in Sebio City, but the passionate youngster has been brought in by Sebio to be the future hard man of their defense, and not being a dime dropping passer isn't the end of the world.

Roméo van't Veer:
Another bright young Pasagran lured to Eshan, Roméo van't Veer is a two-footed dribbler who can play on either flank. He is already quite developed for his age, decent at shooting, crossing, and passing while equipped with the right mental characteristics to look capable of progressing far onwards. Blessed with a great feel for dribbling and, more importantly, knowing when to use his tricks, Roméo looks set to flourish at the state of the art facilities at Rosaria United. He has plenty of pace, but there are concerns about his stamina and injury proneness, so Rosaria will have to play it safe to avoid hampering a world class star from developing.

Verrill Lapierre:
The third of four Pasagran youth graduates to migrate to Eshan, Verrill Lapierre is a true orchestrator in the center of the pitch. Equipped with a perfect first touch, Lapierre sets the ball up perfectly for himself every time, and looks to play a pass to any one of the options he has, even if it means creating it himself. Very shifty with the ball, Verrill Lapierre is almost an illusionist with his array of shoulder drops, ball feints, and delicates touches, and knows how to shake a defender or two to give himself some space. When off the ball, he seems to naturally create triangles with other players, and this skill alone is sure to see him succeed at Sebio City. If he can realize his potential, it shouldn't be very long until we see Lapierre directing Marco van Ciavatinni and Dex Temple out on the field.

Stéphane Couturier:
The last Pasagran to move to our beautiful country, the attacking midfielder Stéphane Couturier brings a very interesting style of football to the team. With the skillset of a more defensive midfielder, Couturier thrives when he can use his endless motor to charge around the offensive end of the field and win the ball from the defense and midfield. He's got a great eye for the pass, and it will be interesting to see how Sebio City try and develop him, and if they'll try and deploy him as a more traditional defensive midfielder or if he's unique positioning and skillset will continue to see him thrive.

DeShawn Montpelier:
If there's one thing Eshan lacks, it's strength in the goalkeeping department. With only one real strong youth prospect in Parisia's Aurélian Gautier, protection between the sticks is most certainly an area of future concern for Echani sides. 6'3 DeShawn Montpelier looks set to be a reliable goalkeeper in the future. Not a world class superstar, but still a servicable keeper. Tall and possessing quick reflexes, the Semar keeper is a brilliant keeper thanks to his physical attributes. However he is let down by his positioning quite frequently, forced into diving saves because he wasn't sure where his posts were.

Adnan Carlsson:
Another young keeper, and another damn Semar immigrant, is pretty much the exact opposite. Barely 5'11, the springy Adnan Carlsson has a fantastic sense of positioning that he relies on to provide him with easy eaves, rarely ever having to dive. A solid pickup by Skoljard FC, he'll have to undergo some training if the club hopes to replace Echani legend Pietro Tomaselli with the youngster.

Cedrick Mavula:
Another Semar >.> Fake annoyance aside, Cedrick Mavula has got some serious talent. Tall enough at 5'11, the Semar youth product has great speed and positioning and thus far appears to very rarely put a foot wrong. Even if he does, he has the physical attributes to make up for any error. A fantastic passer, Cedrick Mavula is capable of starting team movements with his pinpoint accurate long balls from the defensive line. Great at picking out the right option, Mavula could be an essential cog in Sebio City's attacking possession philosophy. We really wouldn't be surprised to see him get some gametime this season, and even starting in the next few years if he develops as predicted.

Rasmus Silkenham:
Another Rasmus from Semarland to find his way to our shores, Rasmus Silkenham was the talk of the town when he fellow Semar Seyi Oshoffa turned down Rosaria United and Sebio City respectively in favor of the recently promoted Gracemeria. Startlingly quick and given quick dancing feet by God, Silkenham is a creative force of nature in the center of midfield. Boasting creative dribbling, a keen eye for a pass, and his aforementioned speed, Rasmus Silkenham meanders around the field, dishing dimes and taking defenders to school with his silky smooth moves whenever the urge strikes him. While he struggles a bit with his consistency and his concentration, but the lack of pressure on him at Gracemeria is sure to do his development plenty of good. Will most certainly be a rotation option, and will probably get the nod to start in the latter half of the season.

Seyi Oshoffa:
Absolute class even at the age of 18, we’re really scratching our heads as to how Seyi Oshoffa slipped through the cracks. Elite speed, top level dribbling, and accurate and powerful shot Oshoffa is a Seria-A ready striker right now, and his floor is clearly higher than most players can only ever dream of their ceiling reaching. The 6’1 forward is a defense magnet, often attracting two or three defenders when he’s on the ball. Reports are that he has a fantastic determined attitude, and that the 18 year old Semar is extremely quiet but eager to learn. He is certainly going to start right off the bat for Gracemeria, and we expect him to do very very well.

Forsell:
The first of two very promising young Dainer players, Forsell is a lethal striker even though he's only 17 years old. Celebrating his debut season by collecting the silver ball for second best player in the league, Forsell time and time against displayed his elite feel for the game of football as he bagged goal after goal, with a healthy number of assists thrown in. A center-forward that plays well facing towards or away from the goal thanks to his keen finishing instinct and playmaking acumen. An absolutely sensational pickup by Sebio City, expect to see him develop into a world beater. He's already well on his way.

Nigy:
The other Dainer palyer to be snapped up by Sebio City, 16 year old striker Nigy loves to stay away from the spotlight, the perfect attitude for Sebio City. An incredibly skilled player even at his young age, Nigy can be considered the complete package for his impressive skill level in all aspects of football. Strong in the air, lethal as a finisher, good vision and passing ability, there really isn't much the 6' 16 year old can't do. We look forward to following the quick witted and sharp tongued youngster as he develops in Eshan, he'll face plenty of competition by Forsell for future playing time.

Wallace Wells:
An excellent defensive midfielder, Wallace Wells is a box-to-box midfielder who likes to start his runs from the deep of midfield. A fantastic tackler, the Sunrisian thrives off breaking down attacking moves and winning possession before scampering upfield to distribute the ball to an attacking player. He has a great passing ability, and spending time learning from Kunle Sorensen-Adetunji at Alexandria United is sure to help develop his game in the biggest of ways. Not a future world beater by any stretch of the imagination, just a good starter in the making.

Delfinho:
Perhaps looking for one last paycheck, Cosumarian Delfinho has jumped ship to the newly promoted Gracemeria FC squad. A technically gifted, very sly left winger, Delfinho has won two Harlighet Ligan titles while with Real Azuris, and was instrumental in helping the club rise from the depths of the second division to the championship celebration. It's clear that this is the main reason for Delfinho's purchase. The #7 has experience in completing exactly what it is that Gracemeria FC hopes to achieve, and that's becoming the best in the land (helped by their new financial backing of course). We're excited to see the experience the Cosumarian brings the to team, and if he can affect the club culture in a the way management is hoping.

Jošt Greiss:
Yet another extremely promising youngster snapped up by the sharp eyed scouts of Sebio City, the midfielder from Eastfield Lodge is the real deal. Extremely quick, capable of jumping into action and reaching top speed within seconds, Jošt Greiss loves to burst forward from his attacking midfield position and show up late in the box to smash a shot towards goal. Solid ball control helps the 18 year old weave his way past opponents with his pace. He'll need to work on his playmaking abilities; Greiss much prefers finishing a movement over helping construct one. Plenty of potential, the fate of his career is in no one else's hands.

Chaim Hogue-Hardy:
An absolute beast of a man, the '18 year old' stands at 6'5 and weighs in at a silly 196lbs. Chaim Hogue-Hardy is a physically intimidating target man striker who loves to bully defenses and drive the ball right towards goal, easily brushing off any opposition player that tries to get in his way. A good acquisition by FC Rosaria, Hogue-Hardy will see action right away as a rotation option.

Conrado Garfield:
A future goalkeeping great, Conrado Garfield is the complete package even at just 18 years of age. Measuring in a 6'2 184lbs, Conrado is the perfect height for a goalkeeper. Plenty of height and disproportionately long arms help him cover most of the goal, while superb diving and reflexes help him get to the ground for driven shots. Honestly, he really is above average in every single facet of goalkeeping. Extremely vocal, and brilliant at marshaling his defense and controlling his area, it wouldn't be surprising to see Conrado Garfield wearing the armband wherever this talented youngster's career takes him.

Jason Santana:
Now this is a transfer that left us all a little confused. Why the hell would you sign a recovering drug addict when you reside in one of the most drugged out nations in the world? Seriously! We love our medical marijuana, our medical cocaine, hell, sometimes it's nice to be wrapped up in a nice warm blanket of medical heroin. You see the problem here with all these drugs and a professional athlete with a drug habit; it's not that we expect him to fall off the wagon, it's just that no one will be surprised. But onto dissecting the player! A decently quick midfielder, Jason Santana survives the professional game thanks to a smart union of stamina and positional intelligence. With his admirable technical ability, Santana operates best as a sort of deep-lying playmaker/midfield engine who putters around midfield winning possession and distributing it to a more dangerous teammate. He has potential, that much can't be denied. We just hope he can keep his skeletons in the past.

Lamar Jokumsen:
Brilliant during his lone spell at Parisia, Semar Lamar Jokumsen has permanently joined the club on a free transfer and Parisian fans will undoubtedly be thrilled to see the 21 year old midfield maestro lining up in their kit next season. Excellent with the ball at his feet, Lamar Jokumsen plays best with the keys to the offense at his feet. Superb dribbling, great vision, and a brilliant way of pulling off the pass no matter how challenging the angle. Integral to the team, Jokumsen will be vital to the team's international hopes.

[Audioslavia]

War Kry
GSD Forthright on his attitude before sixth Bulls/Aces derby

When Guillermo Sanchez-Dysos was announced as the new manager of Audioslavia, following his success in leading club side AC Izotz Zubia to the UICA Champions Cup trophy, some jokes were made about the manager's 'compromised' ethnicity, and his previous attitude to the FFA and the national side.

Sanchez-Dysos's parents, Krytenian broadsheet sports journalist Rubio Sanchez and Audioslavian tabloid sports 'hack' Sue Dysos, had taken a young Guillermo to the final of World Cup 64 as a young boy, where the fledgling Guillermo would watch his predecessor Kajaxo Imaslavii win Audioslavia's second, and last, World Cup against Andossa se Mitrin Vega, much to young Guillermo's joy and, one imagines, his father's chagrin. It would be the beginning of a love-affair between Guillermo and the Audioslavian national team, but it would be a love-affair that soured after just twenty years.

Aged 20, Guillermo found himself as a young prodigy at AC Izotz Zubia, a tall, rangy striker who excelled in the air but, at least in the eyes of two national team managers, didn't quite have what it took to make it at an international level. Taken to a World Cup and an AOCAF Cup but never making it off the bench, Sanchez-Dysos lost confidence and with it his form, and would never be included in any Audioslavia squad again. GSD would become something of a journeyman, going to Montfort University's football team and then Kingsgrove before settling at Cazadores Cathair for the final years of his career. Taking a leaf out of his parents' books, though, it was probably his writing that got him the most recognition during this time. GSD was an outspoken critic of the FFA and the Audioslavian football team, and lamented on more than one occasion that, during the peak of his career, the Audioslavian national team wouldn't pick him and the Krytenian national team weren't active. "I'd don the cyan in a second" he wrote in one article. The sentence was raised as a question during his post match interview following the Cosumar game, a disappointing one-nil defeat that started his tenure on exactly the wrong foot.

"Listen, I was a younger man, back then. That's not how I feel today. I'm proud to be Audioslavian. I was proud to wear the colours and represent the nation off the field while I was a player, even if I couldn't don the claret and green on the pitch. Of course I'd have jumped at the chance to play for Krytenia when it became clear that I was person non grata at the FFA. I don't regret saying that and I won't be speaking about it again"

GSD's Audioslavia bounced back to win their next three matches - a comfortable win over Kingdom of Corelia followed by two successful defences of the city walls from aggressive TLF and Eshan sides - to set up this encounter with Krytenia - the sixth in history, and one which understandably has special significance for the manager.

"I had been hoping this match would come a bit later in my career, if I'm being honest" joked GSD in yesterday's press conference, "but it's a great story for you guys, naturally, and I hope it's a great story on the pitch, too."

Most of Audioslavia's games against the old cyan enemy have been surrounded in more narrative than you could shake a stave at, and theme of sports journalists comes up a little more than is strictly realistic. The two sides met previously back in World Cup 73, when both sides were managed not by the sons of sports journalists, but sports journalists themselves, with Jeremy Jaffacake taking the helm at the Audioslavia national team as part of his strange two-match stint as backup manager, during Rami Niblick's reign as Krytenia boss. Audioslavia won a barnstorming game 4-3 in what had been there fourth win in five games against the Krytenians. The outlier had been a 3-1 defeat in the qualifiers for World Cup 65, followed by a 2-0 win for Audioslavia in the return fixture.

Before that, one has to go back to the semi-finals of World Cup 29, in Krytenia, for the previous meeting, which Audioslavia won by three goals to two in the Issergit stadium in a famous victory. Before that, in the first ever meeting between two sides who had already formed something of a rivalry, Audioslavia beat Krytenia 1-0 thanks to a last minute own-goal by one Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips. 'Who?', you ask? Well, Jerome Jaffacake-Phillips was none other than a half Audioslavian, half Krytenian son of two sports journalists.

Funny how things work out, isn't it?

Guillermo Sanchez-Dysos will, of course, not be scoring any literal own goals this evening, but a loss to Krytenia's national team would be more than an own goal in terms of his international managerial career. Could he survive the backlash if it happened? GSD will hope he never has to find out. He will, once again, put his faith in a man who himself has a bit of a strange name, one Dragan Kryznjak (emphatically not nicknamed 'Kry' by his friends) to avoid jeapordising his international career before it's even begun.

[Cosumar]

Lilley shines in Engström's absence to keep Vanquishers rolling into Ro16

S E R A A I -- Cosumar have finished three points clear of Audioslavia at the top of AOCAF Group C with a convincing 4-0 win over the Kingdom of Corelia at Lunar Park. With Gethin Ramsey strategically resting 30-year-old superstar Anders Engström for the knockouts, replacement Tevin Lilley picked up the slack with a brace.

The Vanquishers have scored at least four goals for the third consecutive game, finishing behind only Osarius and hosts Vilita & Turori in goals scored in the group stage. Most encouraging about the result, however, might be the zero on the other end. Since conceding a quartet of goals in the wild win over Eshan, the vulnerable Cosumarite defense has been a prevalent talking point.

"We had a great defensive performance against Audioslavia at the start of the tournament but, being completely honest, a small bit of complacency might've snuck in against these teams that aren't ranked quite as high," defender Peter Svensson said. "We obviously knew we had to clean things up after the Eshan game. So in this one, we set a goal. We wanted a clean sheet. Then it was just a matter of dialing in the focus as if it was Audioslavia and getting it done. That's the mentality we have to keep as we advance and just trust the attacking players to score goals like they've been doing."

Ole Öhman opened the scoring within ten minutes against here on Matchday 5. Corelian skipper Jordan Ferro basically gifted it to him. His attempted pass across the back to fellow defender George Oliveira struck Öhman in the leg and the winger was off to the races. Jerry Bossano came out bravely, but Öhman poked it under him to the near post.

Öhman had a great night pulling the strings of the attack from the right, but it was Lilley who scored the next two goals on either side of half time. First with a superb floated header to the far post in the 29th minute off Vareza Na'Noni's chip into the box and then an easy tap-in in the 59th minute to cap off a relentless run by Mauricio Sigler. 3-0. Since moving to Rozelle, Lilley has developed a keener sense for those "right spot, right time" goals.

"Being in Brenecia has definitely helped my play," Lilley said. "It's a different game than what I experienced in Cosumar or Taeshan. Aside from my coaches at Rozelle, I think I've learned the most from adapting to new experiences, new teammates, new opponents, new styles of play. Anytime you can make a move like that and be a sponge, it broadens your horizons and helps you grow as a player. I'm the best I've ever been right now and I'm glad I showed that to everybody today."

From that point, it seemed as though the Corelians might just fold and allow Cosumar to match or exceed the five goals scored against Eshan. Sigler forced a good save from Bossano right after, and Ace Newman blazed over the bar from inside the box in the 65th minute. Moments later, substitute Denton Tapp had a great chance for his first international goal when Öhman played him through but Bossano again spoiled the moment and even saved Tapp's follow-up curler on the rebound as well.

Cosumar finally did grab a fourth goal through another substitute and first-time scorer in Matt Branch, however. In the 84th minute, the young man who continues to grow in stature at FC Jansberg smashed home the 10-yard finish after Bossano punched out Augen Wittevrongel's shot from the right.

At the final whistle, Gethin Ramsey walked onto the pitch and congratulated his players, the first Cosumarite group to go through the group stage undefeated - let alone with a perfect record. The only question now is whether they can keep on vanquishing opponents when it really matters: in elimination games.

The first test will be Chromatika. The Anomalies are another newer side to world football, but like Eshan, seem to be on an upward trajectory. Under Franscesca Larriet's defensive tactics, they fought their way to the Round of 16 of the last Cup of Harmony and a 2-1-1 record in this group stage. They advanced as the best of all the 3rd-placed teams and, as evidenced by their tough draw against Ko-oren, are unlikely to be an easy out.

---

Cosumar Goal-Scorers Tally (EDIT: Stats accurate through elimination)
Mauricio Sigler (4)
Anders Engström (4)
Ole Öhman (2)
Tevin Lilley (2)
Aziz Senturk (2)
Ace Newman (1)
Alexander Soarhaven (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)
Matt Branch (1)
Frazan Va'Goshal (1)

Cosumar Assists Tally
Aziz Senturk (4)
Vareza Na'Noni (2)
Ace Newman (2)
Ole Öhman (1)
Jacob Pandan (1)
Alexander Soarhaven (1)
Mauricio Sigler (1)
Augen Wittevrongel (1)

Substitute Appearances Tally
Tevin Lilley (3)
Denton Tapp (2)
Matt Branch (2)
Tiffany Elam (2)
Frazan Va'Goshal (2)
Augen Wittevrongel (2)
Maynard Gorham (1)
Tomasso Tenebrosa (1)
Torbjörn Jorgensen (1)
Arndu Farsgaard (1)

Cosumar's AOCAF 50
Matchday 1: Audioslavia 0-1 Cosumar (@ Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita)
Matchday 2: Bye
Matchday 3: Cosumar 4-1 Tallaga la Falla (@ Lonngeylin Park, Lonngeylin, Vilita)
Matchday 4: Eshan 4-5 Cosumar (@ Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori)
Matchday 5: Cosumar 4-0 Kingdom of Corelia (@ Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita)
Round of 16: Cosumar 2-2 (3-2 pen.) Chromatika (@ Coliseum of the Inurahtii, Inura, Turori)
Quarterfinals: Cosumar 2-2 (2-3 pen.) Valanora (@ Iobabao Legendary Park, Mliona, Turori)

Green: Victory
Blue: Draw
Red: Defeat
Home team listed first

[Western Sunrise Islands]

"Still think you shouldn't worry about playing 95X like that, coach." noted popular striker Allan Texugo as he watched the manager scribble a dozen of different tactics on the same board, quickly turning the board in a mess of lines, signs, crosses and circles. The manager was, again, trying to make sense out of everything she drew, showing some signs of nervousness. For some reason, the upcoming match remembered her of something from the past.

"It's just a hard match to predict, OK?" Ayumi answered, staring back at the Western Sunrisians. "We're playing a team that has won one of these recently, can't take it without a pinch of salt. And besides..." she stared back at the board, sighing for a brief second. "The ones with less fanfare tend to be the most dangerous."

Silence.

"The one with Foureleven? Are you F*CKING kidding me?" yelled a voice from the back. Lenin had just leaped from the bench on the back of the locker room, arms crossed. "Where's your mind at, coach? Sure they're not a thesaurus on making an entrance, but still!"

---

The arena had been well set for the Semi-Finals of the 73rd National Pokémon Championship. Four names had managed to make it all the way this year: Mindy from Green Pipes, Ninten from New Bark, Andrew from Eladard and Ayumi from Lorelei. While Mindy's rough but charming style and Andrew's heavy flight based moveset had to be taken serious just for getting to this very point, a match between Ninten and Ayumi was almost considered the final. Both had went through some of the finest competitors the National PokéArena had seen for a while. The crowd awaited to what had to be one of the best matches in this NPC.

Lights turned to the entry way. A track started to play as the large screen over the entrance showed a sort of screen with face pictures of each of the thirty two trainers that qualified. Two cursors would go over each picture, as in to show what matches were picked. The cursors ended up picking first Mindy, thus a fifteen-year old, pale skinned girl wearing a large dark coat, a white top, dark track pants and black boots, her fists on boxing stance appeared to the side with a robotic voice saying "Mindy Simmons!". The second cursor stopped at Andrew's picture, quickly adding a fourteen-year old, tanned boy with dark, short hair, wearing what looked like a get-up of an Air Force pilot. The voice answered with an also robotic note of "Andrew McNeesee!"

The two were greyed out from that screen, the cursors now again going over the remaining competitors (or rather the thirty eliminated and the two left who were pretty much guaranteed to face each other. While a nice gesture to keep the crowd entertained and robotic comments of "Ninten Dota!" and "Ayumi Koshiki!" were pretty sweet, it was all for naught. Just after that, however, the lights went pink. The screen went black, the track stopped. "Introducing our first match." Roses started to fall from the ceiling as the first entrant joined the ring.

I gave up on time, just like you said you would
There are tiny cracks of light underneath me
And you say I got it wrong
But I try hard to uncover them

The crowd could see a brunette girl go through the entrance under the screen, followed by a female Wigglytuff, a male Raichu and a male Feraligatr. She smiled, walking seemingly full of peace as the crowd cheered for her. Ayumi Koshiki, already a legend on the circuit for her rough practices and having more tricks up her sleeve than the humanly imagined, was now on the semi-finals: a first for the Lorelei-born.

I have somehow got away with everything
Anything you ever did was strictly by design
But you got it wrong
And I'll go anywhere but there

The girl then nodded to her Feraligatr. The alligator-like beast dashed towards her, lifting her on the way to the ring. Ayumi could see far and wide, still with a fair smile as the crowd seemed so cheerful of her. White smoke started to pop up from the ground, as if to represent Ayumi's flight on the skies of confidence. Surely, the toughest match had to end on her side.

And you had best believe
That you cannot build what I don't need
And I know I need to feel relief
And I know you'll never fold
But I believe nothing that I'm told
And I know I need to feel relief

I know I need to feel released
Take care to tell it just as it was
Take care to tell on me for the cause
I know I need to feel released
Take care to bury all that you can
Take care to leave a trace of a man

The three Pokémon had finally reached the PokéRing, posing to the crowd as the once-smiling Ayumi could only stare to the other entrance-way, getting focused. The thirteen-year old from Lorelei would now get to see her opponent. The famed Ninten. A whooping 98-0 run all the way from his home circuit. The guy clearly wasn't all talk. But had he ever faced someone as good as her? No.

The music stopped, the lights went back to normal, the smoke stopped to come from the ground. The clouds had been dissipated as the Hero of New Bark would finally make his entrance. She could notice a chair with an old framed picture with a rose to the side, not understanding what was up.

A riff of drums started, a suiting guitar and a fast-paced voice came to help.

That's great! It starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes, an aeroplane
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, Listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs
Dummy serve your own needs
Feed it off an knock, speed, grunt, no, strength
The Ladder start to clatter with a fear fight down, height

A dark-haired boy with a blue-and-yellow stripped shirt, blue shorts, red shoes with white socks, a red scarf and a nice backpack behind him walked to the chair. Also noticeable were three pokéballs tucked to a belt he wore. He then made a brief praying session, just a couple of words before turning back to the ring. Ninten pulled a bat from his backpack, calmly walking as the words from the song made him continue his way.

Wire in a fire representing seven games
And a government for hire at a combat site
Left her and coming in a hurry with the furies
Breathing down your neck
Team by team reporters, baffled, trumped
tethered, cropped
Look at that low plane
Fine, Then

Uh-oh. Overflow population, common food
But it'll do to save yourself, serve yourself
World serves its own needs
Listen to your heart beat
Dummy with a rapture and the reverend and the right, right
You vitriolic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched

The boy rolled inside the PokéRing, going through the ropes. He then sat at one of the turn-buckles, staring rather empty and seriously at the girl. Both simply stared each other while the song continued.

It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
(It's time I had some time alone)
And I feel fine

He smiled, pointing his bat at her. And it was then and there that one of the biggest PokéBattles in the history of the circuit started.

[Vilita and Turori]

A Brief Story of the interesting relationship between Vilita & Turori

...Continued...



Not interested in being constantly compared to their Vilitan neighbors in the press when the two nations competed head to head in the AOCAF Cup, Turorian officials privately discussed the possibility of withdrawing from AOCAF competition. The Turori Eels - with one glaring exception (World Cup 20) had consistently out-performed their Vilitan rivals in the World Cup. If it weren't for their head-to-head performances in the AOCAF Cup, Turorian officials considered, then it would be Turori and not Vilita who would be considered the best sporting nation in the Vilitan Cove.

Naturally, when the decision was finally made after AOCAF 11 that the Turori Eels were, in fact, going to forgoe entry to the Atlantian Oceania regional tournament, the reason given for skipping the tournament was something other than "Fear of further Embarassment".

No, there was another, more practical reason. The Eels were in a midst of a historic run of World Cup Quarter-Final appearances. A run which saw them advance to the Semi-Finals exactly zero times. In addition to being sick of the embarassment, the Eels wanted focus. Between competing the the World Cup Qualifying, players competing in the Vilitan League, competing in the regional tournament and other supplemental tournaments such as the Under-21, Eagles Cup and other invitationals - the Turorian players were overworked - and so were the Turorian staff.

So the decision was made. Turori would not enter the AOCAF.

On the other side of the Cove, Vilita - struggling to even win a game in the World Cup Finals, no less repeat their magical run of World Cup 20, took notice. The last thing the Jungle Cats wanted was to allow the Turorians to gain an edge. If the Turorians were busy resting up in the offseason, not competing in the AOCAF, what would that mean? While the Vilitan's were getting tired out, just to finish Runner-Up in the AOCAF yet again, the Turorians were resting and preparing for yet another World Cup campaign where they would out perform the Vilitans. Eventually, the super-trump card that was the Jungle Cats World Cup 20 title would wear off. Eventually, the fans of the Vilitan National Team would demand more.

So when the Vilita Jungle Cats were dumped out of the AOCAF 14 Round of 16 not once, but twice - first by 2-3 scoreline to Dorian and Sonya, then, by an even more embarassing 0-3 scoreline to Myrtannia, officials at the Tivali-Ring decided it was time for a change. For the first time ever, AOCAF 15 was contested without an entrant from the Vilitan cove. Both the Tropics of Vilita and the Island Emirate of Turori decided to forego entry into Atlantian Oceania's most prestigious sporting competition in favor of enhanced focus on the multiverses major competitions. It seemed like a nice plan on paper.

But the fans weren't thrilled. It turns out that when the Turori Eels decided to give up on the AOCAF, their fans were upset, but just followed the fortunes of their nearby neighbors Vilita instead. When Vilita also exited the competition, it upset both sets of fans who no longer had any native roots to root for.

So the two nations now had a problem to deal with, and both decided they would re-enter the AOCAF competition during its 16th edition, to be held in Lamoni.

There was only one problem. Having already re-focused their national efforts, neither team had a full enough roster available when considering time off scheduled in for key players. Additionally, the Turorian National Team at the time consisted entirely of specially trained Cocoabo.

So, building off the success of the Vilita & Turori motorsports effort in the Atlantian Oceania Motorsports Competition, the Vilitan Football Association agreed to allow a joint entry between the two nations.

The tournament was a special moment for the ageless debutant Kristofer Kilpter who epitomized the unification movement in Vilitan & Turorian sport. A dual national, Kilpter was selected as a trainee player in the spirit of the new agreement between the Vilitan and Turorian FA, whereby the AOCAF tournament would be used to help develop young talent of both nations, but also allow older players who wish to continue playing in the tournament to do so in a similar format to that used to determine rosters for the Olympic Games.

While the initial group draw for World Cup 16 showed only "Vilita" it was most definitely a unified team that showed up. One question that remained unanswered going into the tournament, however, was to which of the two team monikers would be adapted by the joint entry - the Jungle Cats, or the Eels?

Are they Eel-Cat Things or "Jungle Eels?"

Vilita and Turori teamed up for the first time in competitive sporting during the short-lived reign of the Rugby World Cup. While the heritage that the rugby world cup left behind was minimal at best, there was one thing that had stuck around, and that was the nickname for the joint Vilita - Turori sporting effort. A seemingly odd combination, Vilitan sporting teams had always followed the mascot of the Jungle Cat, while similar Teams of Turori went off the terra firma and into the abyss being represented by the Eel, and its derivatives, such as the Electric Eel. It is difficult to find an easy parallel between the two, and it was the Rugby World Cup where the term "Eel-Cat things" was first coined. Although it may be a semi-idiotic practice to vaguely refer to a combination mascot followed by the ultra-descriptive "things" - the name stuck throughout the entire Rugby World Cup, and was assumed as precedence, despite unknown origins or authenticity. The name, in fact, stuck so well, that it became the unofficial official mascot of any combined sporting efforts for Vilita & Turori and was once again, naturally, picked up when Vilita & Turori combined on the pitch for the first time in competition during AOCAF 16. That is, picked up by everyone but the Aurendians.

Perhaps wisely, and perhaps controversially, The Aurendians began referring to the joint effort as that of the Jungle Eels. For as long as Vilita as been in sport, it was always the jungle that was replaced if the venue had changed, and the Cat being an ever present in the national mascot. Of course, the classic Jungle Cats, followed by the Regional Cats and the Ice Cats, just to name a few. But then, of course, there was one exception. The Vilitan Under-21 squad was not referred to as the Cats, but the kittens. Originially coined, according to sources, by the Jeruselem media, the Jungle Kittens became a formidable force during the prime life of the Under-21 World Championships, quickly bursting onto the international stage with a runner-up finish to Jeruselem in the performance that put Vilita on the map as a force to be reckoned with in international sporting. Could this once again be the makings of a new force in international football?

The media reports would prove prophetic. In its first ever international competition, the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cat things would advance to the AOCAF final where they would be victorious over debutant finalist Pacitalia.

The combined Vilita & Turori entity would make the AOCAF final 3 times in its first 4 competitions far exceeding the expectations of both Football Association officials and fans alike, making the Eel-Cat things a household name and fan favorite throughout the Vilitan Cove, claiming four regional titles including back-to-back victories during AOCAF 41 & 42.

So while the Island Emirate of Turori have never beaten their rivals, The Tropics of Vilita in head to head competition. Thanks to some cunning decision making and strategic opportunities, however, a long lasting regional partnership was formed whereby Turori have not only been spared decades of disappointment and defeat at the hands of their neighbors, but strengthened relations and a championship legacy. Ever since their debut performance in AOCAF 16, the Vilita & Turori Eel-Cat Things are second only to Pacitalia in AOCAF titles.

There was some discussion ahead of AOCAF 50 that the two nations would both enter the tournament separately for the first time since AOCAF 11. However, in the end, the practicality of the existing relationship - a proving ground for young Vilitan & Turorian players to gain experience against the best players in the world on their own terms - was too important to the modern-day Vilitan and Turori National Team infrastructures to disrupt, even for a cycle.

---