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Eternal Harmony - Cup of Harmony 90 Everything Thread

A battle ground for the sportsmen and women of nations worldwide. [In character]

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Kanzlia
Envoy
 
Posts: 228
Founded: Mar 21, 2019
Psychotic Dictatorship

Edition 3

Postby Kanzlia » Tue Feb 04, 2025 6:14 am

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how kanzlians reacts to the Cup of Harmony hosted in the Eternal Empire
brought to you by: Centraal


This edition is hosted by: Avdrey Kristen

ImageImageImageImage
S. van Coevorden 60', 88' //


Kanzlia has the offside flag to thank in today's game as without it, the game wouldve ended 2-4! That's right, 4 goals were ruled offside, one more dubious than the rest. Sylverio van Coevorden pressing game gets him a rather embarassing goal to concede for Indusse. This is what ex-National Team striker Jan Tykis have to say about the match.

AK: "It's an honour to be speaking with the one and only Jan Tykis - thank you for sacrificing some of your time today."

JK: "No problem course"

AK: "How's Aurelitharion treating you?"

JK: "Not much is going on, busy people here I suppose"

AK: "Alright lets get going then.. do you have thoughts on the game before I get more specific?"

JK: " ' course, It was a good display I'd say, weaker than what I think this squad is capable of, but it was a good match."

JK: "I'm guessing we're gonna talk on the offsides later, so I'd like to take this time to praise Sylverio van Coevorden. Who bagged 2 goals in this game, and very deserved goals aswell, one after cutting in from the left hand side and slotting it top corner"

JK: "And his second coming after pressing Shehzad from behind which then promptly led to him scoring comfortably."

AK: "About that, do you think it was a foul?"

JK: "Gah! Course not. The ball was in play, Shehzad forgot to look behind and his defenders were yelling at him, albeit too late."

AK: "That's not the only controversy today as Indusse's 3rd offside goal was razor thin and can really be up to interpretation doesn't it?"

JK: "Unlike the other 3 ruled out goals, this one I genuinely thought went in. It's a hard decision, ultimately boiling down to VAR assistants determining how much of a players body is on or off"

AK: "You can say that, for the record Butea was offside by 2 centimeters according to VAR, tough luck"

JK: "Certainly looks like it."

AK: "And Indusses other offside goals, dont you think the defenders shouldn't just stop chasing the ball? They seem really confident with their offsides."

JK: "I agree, if it wasn't offside they would score"

AK: "Shocker"

JK: "If I were them I'd still be chasing the ball, can't be sure enough"

JK: "I'm guessing Schmidt actually trained them quite intensively"


Ding-ding! "And now... time for a little offside chat!"


AK: "Oh well thats the jingle for a shift of topic, away from sports. You have been briefed about this have you?"

JK: "Yep"

AK: "Today's topic is... food!"

AK: "Do you have a favourite food? And can you make it?"

JK: "Pie and mash love, simple as"

JK: "Of course I can make pie and mash"

AK: "Do you think that boils down to how you were raised? I think most people would ridicule that as an answer"

JK: "Dont' care what they say, I can enjoy a mash with or without the insults just fine."

JK: "Very simple nutritious filling dish, can't go wrong with that."

AK: "It doesnt seem very healthy does it? Not for an athlete. Do you eat it often?"

JK: "That's right, its not in any dietician lists. Though I still eat it often."

AK: "Every day occurence then?"

JK: "Not quite, maybe like once in two days."

AK: "Any pairings you recommend for others?"

JK:"Gin. And for this one I'd actually go for the most expensive ones you can afford."

AK: "Looks like I have ideas for dinner tonight, thank you very much. And with that Im afraid our time is up, thank you so much again Mr. Tykis for being here - good luck in Aurelitharion!"

JK: "No worries"
THE GRACIOUS STATE OF KANZLIA
Know more. (main portal) - Sports Newswire
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does not reflect personal views (ns stats and policies are not canon anyways)

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Zwangzug
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Posts: 5334
Founded: Oct 19, 2006
Left-wing Utopia

Postby Zwangzug » Tue Feb 04, 2025 4:42 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier


Zwangzug's national football team defeated the Delaclava Phoenixes, in a match oddly similar to the two sides' encounter on Matchday 4 of the World Cup 98 qualifiers. Some fans have attributed this to be evidence that our entire frame of reality is merely a complex computer simulation, while others urge caution rather than extrapolating entire metaphysical theories from the results of a football match.

In the qualifying match at Merle Park, Stephen Marcus opened the scoring for Zwangzug with a goal in the seventeenth minute. This feat would be impossible to repeat in the rematch at Mar Sara, chiefly because Marcus has retired from international play. However, Awidlyon Reed did appear to score at that same time. In this match, however, she was ruled offsides thanks to a clever sprint from Taag Johansson.

In the second half of the MD4 qualifier, Harold Carre scored for Zwangzug in minute 59. In this match, the same thing occurred.

"I mean, it's entirely possible that things like this happen all the time and we just aren't paying attention," weighed in tonsbmob. "If a fledgling country heroically throws off its oppressors and declares liberty, but goes grey and white twenty-eight days later, did it really happen?"

"I mean, this basically proves it," said armchair cosmologist wordvomit1093 on whichever microblogging platform is in vogue among terminally online people now. "Not only are we an insignificant simulacrum in the grand scheme of things, but whatever powers are occasionally looking in on us are too bored to come up with anything original for Zwangzug-Delaclava. Which, given how things have looked under Courtenay, I can't blame them."

"This is ridiculous postulating," responded the parsimonious chai_cow_sky. "There are only so many minutes in a football match, even with liberal stoppage time, and only so many players. Carre is one of our longest tenured players, and plays for an extremely attacking side, which makes it not uncommon for him to score goals. If you wait long enough, something like this is bound to happen."

"It's the same way that if you had enough primates typing on enough keyboards, eventually they would produce the works of some acclaimed playwright," explained chizhed128. "That doesn't prove anything about the nature of the universe. Mind you, the number of primates you would need is extremely vast, judging by the quality of dreck turned out by this microblogging platform."

"If history was going to repeat itself, couldn't it have happened on Matchday Eleven in the return leg?" queried disappointed fan prisencol42, before being subjected to a lot of repetitive and unnecessary explanations as to how this would not have impacted the final results of Group Sixteen.

"I mean, it's entirely possible that things like this happen all the time and we just aren't paying attention," weighed in wheelziaz9. "If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is engaged with our narrative, did it really happen?"

At press time, wheelziaz9 was explaining to many concerned and angry Namirites that no trees had actually fallen in their forest, it was just a hypothetical.
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My issues
...using the lens of athletics to illustrate national culture, provide humor, interweave international affairs, and even incorporate mathematical theory...
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Patriotlandia
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Posts: 264
Founded: Nov 17, 2021
Scandinavian Liberal Paradise

Postby Patriotlandia » Tue Feb 04, 2025 10:39 pm

Image


The Bleus in familiar territory as race for Group B lead heats up

The national team are once again the chasers in a tight group stage. Following events of the World Cup qualifying and other past events, the Patriotlandians have performed well but need to bring in a maximum of points in order to secure the top and only secured qualifying spot for the Cup of Harmony playoffs.

An important matchup with group leading Omerica is scheduled next as both teams look to break away from the pack. The Patriotlandians have a game in hand on the Omericans but have played well so far securing two wins against Saterun and Kanzlia. Both teams have showed killer instinct in the attacking third and the clash between them should prove to be entertaining for all in assistance. "On paper we couldn't be more evenly matched", said veteran Lucien Graham. "Their last game was a barnburner and really high scoring so hopefully tomorrow's game is just as full in action". The 34 year old was relegated to sub duties under former manager Jean Alexandre Carignan, but he doesn't regret the change. "I do wish I could be out there, but I'm no spring chicken anymore", he said pointing to his greying hair. "Forty and Wils have done a great job up front and I like being able to support them and bring my experience off the bench. Get that one chance to be the captain clutch at the end of the match". His dream before hanging up the boots would be an international trophy. The striker is in the top 10 scorers in the domestic Super League and a recent champion with Stade Conflans. "It's just been the one thing that is missing. Not to tout my own horn, but we have come a long way since I got on the team. Everyone is more experienced now in these types of games and it shows on the pitch".

A victory against Omerica would go a long way to secure first place but Kanzlia, the Bleus last opponent of the group stage, could still play spoilers. The team has been struggling to find their form but a 2-0 victory to Indusse could see them back to winning ways with two games left.

Interim manager Adélard Rolland explained that both matches felt like do or die to him. "We need to get in the playoff mindset already. We have to bring the aggression we've shown in the past couple of games this cycle and go for it." Asked about his future as manager, Rolland refused to indicate any ongoing discussions with the Patriotlandian Soccer Partnership and reiterated the importance of focusing on the tournament at hand.

Republic of Patriotlandia
Map of Patriotlandia
Ice Hockey:
WJHC19 Champions

Association Football:
BOF80 Quarter Finalists
WCQ97 Scored only goal against Sylestone in the group stage.

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Bohr
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Posts: 33
Founded: Jan 22, 2019
Capitalist Paradise

Postby Bohr » Wed Feb 05, 2025 4:14 am

"These fuckin' writers, man." Towson Turner got a couple nasty looks from the family sitting across from him and Cole Sargent. He had to admit that Capri was a pretty nice place; the air was fresh, the weather was perfect, and the public transport-even the ferry they were riding in, which he had expected to be ten minutes late but had showed up on the dot-was shockingly efficient. "Even when Jamie doesn't do shit all game, they still somehow find a way to blame it on us." He hated it. It was the day before the match against Milchama, which had effectively become a must-win after the 3-0 drubbing to Nova Calania. Practice had gone long, like every practice had (not that it helped), but now they had time, and Towson wanted-no, needed-to get the hell out of Capri. Cole had tagged along, more out of boredom than anything, and was quickly beginning to regret it. "Do you know why I became a striker?"

"Because you're big and have a fighter jet attached to your left foot?"

"There's no ambiguity. Now, you wouldn't know this feeling because you're not good enough, but being the striker means carrying the weight of the world on your FUCKING back." By now, the family had gotten up and looked for a seat with less crazy foreigners; Cole considered joining them before deciding that he didn't want Turner to rip his face off. "It's very simple. If you play bad, the team can't win, and if you play well enough, the team can't lose. If I pushed you off of this boat, would you die?"

"I'm a pretty good swimmer." A brief pause in the conversation ensued, as Towson looked at Cole like he was planning to test that theory. Towson finally continued.

"Yeah, it's sink or swim. Jamie swims, and swims, and swims, but you know what happened against the Tapirs? He got fuckin' cement shoes."

"Sounds like that would make you a better striker." Another look, this one more annoyed than homicidal. "You know, it would probably make your shot power better? Maybe help out with ball control? I guess it would depend on whether the cement had already dried or-"

"Orlan talks about football like it's his birthright, like this is all destiny. He says he knows who he is-that's bullshit. I figure out who I am ninety minutes at a time." Seemingly more relaxed now, Towson took a deep breath. "You want to check out Turmondale? I heard it's like the best parts of Becis."




The lights in the "home" locker room at the Rose Gardens had mostly been turned off. Towson Turner could hear faint conversation in the hallway outside. He wished he couldn't. It seemed unfathomable that anyone could talk, that anyone could even function after the loss to Milchama; he knew he couldn't. The memory hadn't faded yet-eighty-fifth minute, down a goal, needing something. A cross gets sent into the box, clatters off Goldberg's arm, the referee points to the spot. He had to take the penalty, didn't he? Wouldn't anyone else have gotten it wrong? Would anyone else have put it off the crossbar, watched it spin up, over the goal and out of sight-taking with it any chance of advancing in the group? Would anyone else have-would anyone else-would anyone-would he-the memory devolves here into bright lights and screams, mostly his own. The deep feeling of humiliation hasn't subsided-but then again, it never has, not since he tried to pick the ball up and run with it as a seven-year-old. He knows it's not his stadium, not his island, not his country, but he winds up a punch at the metal locker. He connects-he feels a sharp pain, but that subsides. Eventually, the conversations outside subside too-they know him well enough to understand how he gets after losses, they all have bits of that feeling too-and he comes out. There is always more football to play.

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Doubeia
Spokesperson
 
Posts: 122
Founded: Oct 29, 2023
Left-Leaning College State

Postby Doubeia » Wed Feb 05, 2025 6:22 am

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Commentary: Is there a recipe for international footballing success?

Doubeia's Cup of Harmony campaign is not over yet, but it has already been written off by more pessimistic fans. An optimistic win against the Ko-orenite Constellation was followed by losses against Drawkland and Dhemixia, and some social media accounts have been reporting the early exoduses of Doubeinese supporters from Valanora back home. Amidst all of the doomerist culture surrounding the Indigo Army at the moment, one question lingers in the minds of most: how achievable is major success internationally?

It would be a lie to say that Doubeia hasn't progressed. From finishing sixth in a group of nine to barely losing out on a World Cup berth, the Doubeinese teams have stepped up as a collective. However, questions will be asked of tournaments where only one of the gendered teams are entered: the Campionato Esportiva, and the Cup of Harmony. Despite Doubeia's recent emergence, in their two CE appearances they have not gotten out of the group stages, and if Doubeinese fans are an accurate indicator, it will be the same for their two COH ones as well.

It would be unfair to the two national teams to dismiss them as national frauds, but that seems to be the treatment their own supporters give them. From rabid social media threads to death threats made in the players' faces, Doubeinese fans are certainly more than entitled in their behaviour. We've seen the players deactivate their social medias, break down in front of the masses, all because of how their own fans treat them. It is an international embarrassment to see myriads of fans leaving the stand in the seventieth minute when Doubeia are just one-nil down. Why aren't we doing more to support the players? Why are we putting them down instead of lifting them up?

As it stands in the COH, if the men's team want to have a sliver of a chance at progressing, they will not only need a win against Cobrio, but pray that results elsewhere go their way not only this matchday but on the final one as well. If the boys win, the nation will celebrate it, but if they don't go through, just see how Doubeia will turn their backs on them like they did with the women's team. This entire campaign has been touted as a potential glory run for the Indigo Army, but instead of urging the men towards the trophy, all of us are quite frankly stopping them from ever reaching it.

It's fair to say that us fans are a great liability in Doubeia's chase for international glory. We leave our own people behind. We lambast them when they don't do what we want them to do. One moment we praise them, and the other we curse them. We fans do not give our players a moment's peace, and I think that's what's really harming our chances. If the support is not there, how can we expect the players to fight valiantly for a country that doesn't want them?

So, the million-dollar question: is there a recipe for international footballing success? And I will answer quite frankly: yes, and it starts with us.
The Federal Doubeinese Republic
Doubeia | Doubeinese | DOU
Capital: Queensland | Population: 101,446,076
https://nssportwiki.com/doubeia | Sporta Doubeia
Baptism of Fire 83 - Runner-ups
Campionato Esportiva 38 - Hosts

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Aleirave
Spokesperson
 
Posts: 138
Founded: Jul 08, 2021
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Aleirave » Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:26 am

Leave Legacies Behind
Oberour Ar Moro 2-4 Aleirave

So, you've just become the leaders of Aleirave after its biggest political scandal in history just ended. To do it, you had to play a gambit that made everyone hate you, and now you have to try your hardest to fix that little problem… along with all the other little problems the last eight years left behind. Now what?

“I think it's pretty clear what the first thing we have to do is.” Katya told Malako a few minutes after they took office.
“And that is?”
“Assemble Island Council, of course, what else would I do?”

The Island Council is an interesting sort of body. It serves as the island’s parliament in a sense, but they aren't directly elected by the people. Rather, they're assembled by the Governor (and in this case, the Vice-Governor as well) with the rough guideline that they have to represent the island, in a system that was designed to totally never go wrong. Totally!

Of course, it did go wrong, and in Refilene’s case, instead of tapping people who could keep him in check on the Council, he instead installed five yes-men who turned blind eyes to anything he was doing in office. After all, if the vote was unanimous, clearly five people perfectly aligned with him were representative of the island!

This would simply not do on the current council. They would have to pick five people who represented all walks of life this isle had to offer… but who could they possibly be?

For one, there was an obvious choice among the candidates who failed to get elected to office. Sergei was too incapable of doing his own job, and Refilene was too criminal, but Kalaio was always available. Was he the best politician? No, but he was popular, and always spoke for the people. Maybe adding him would help speak to the people who were still skeptical of this whole arrangement.

Another seemingly bizarre pick for this new council was Nikita Sarliev. A long time advisor for the former Governor, he was seen as one of his last unwavering allies before turning state’s evidence and testifying against him and Tony Beaujoleil. What could possibly be their motive for installing him? Getting someone with prior political experience to ease the transition? If the people of Aleirave already had questions about the new government, this only made their questions louder.

As for the other three spots… they would be tougher to decide. Luckily, however, they had some time to think about things… if they weren't couped first.



Another win by two goals, another good sign for the future… but of course, no good news in this group seemed to come without an ominous reminder of what lies ahead.

In this case, that came in the form of the score line Vetrahjart 0-1 Grand Exultia, which was a sort of good news bad news situation. The good news was that it seemed that Grand Exultia’s momentum, at least for now, was slowing down just a little. For the first time, either of the two group leaders hadn't won by multiple goals, and the Seagulls were not the first to break the trend.

As for the bad news, if Vetrahjart were doing that well in their match, it meant they were in good form headed into their next matchup… against Aleirave. It would be lying if Haulafo said he wasn't at least a little worried about that, but he did still have confidence about that match: “Yeah, Vetrahjart will be tough opponents, nobody's denying that… but one thing we've proven is that we're tougher. Nothing is going to stop us from taking the top spot when we put in the work.”

That top spot wouldn't come easily, however, as the Seagulls would need a win against Grand Exultia in order to take it, which seemed ever tougher every time they watched their game tape. A draw would be acceptable if they beat Vetrahjart by multiple goals, and given how hard MD5 would be, that was the new target for the Seagulls. “Anything to make our jobs easier later on down the line, after all.” their manager had to say. “In a format like this, it's first or nothing. That has to be the goal we shoot for.”
All my posts are IC unless I either explicitly say so or they're on NSG.

Sidenote, if I'm posting on NSG, DM me to make sure if I'm alright. Something's probably gone wrong for me.

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Ralsalin
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Posts: 35
Founded: Nov 11, 2023
Father Knows Best State

Postby Ralsalin » Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:35 am

Image


Image


THOSE PEOPLE MADE THE IMPOSSIBLE. BRAVO, 11 RALSALIEN HEROES!

Upper row, from left to right: Nikolai Gosens, Kasyan Menon, Andrejs Astafjevs, Kevin Heen, Ostap Mungain-Dehane, Dietrich von Erlaid (captain).
Lower row, from left to right: Wilhelm Meine, Viktor Aniko, Kosma Minsen-Dwarasen, Randin Kirtiman Asier, Dhidhen Tõru.


WHAT DID EVERYONE DO BEFORE THE MATCH?


Nikolai Gosens hoped that he will concede less then 3 goals.

Dhidhen Tõru was chill as fuck and tried to spend time watching TV.

Viktor Aniko played chess with Kevin Heen.

Andrejs Astafjevs tried to forget that Kanmer 9-0 Ralsalin game from 2018 again.

Aristarkh Diogen Veerman read The weather history of Rinkan. Kotarlok era (1797-1844) written by Veera Tennosaar.

Reiko Titov... Who the hell is he?

Kosma Minsen-Dwarasen spent an additional hour for training.

Mungain Sengendwara and Nikolai Tikhonov talked about some philosophical things again. I did not understand anything they talked about.

Kasyan Menon again thought about one of his favourite pictures - standings of the WC 98 qualifying group 13 after 7 matchdays, where Ralsalin was on 3rd place. This reminded him again that the impossible is possible.

Tarmo Ritsar, a 41-year old veteran goalkeeper, who acts as a motivator, wanted to feel the atmosphere of international football match again, and had a friendly wager with Seibold von Niermann.

Image


Seibold von Niermann tried to play in more defensive stile this time, hopind to concede as few goals as possible. But the first half was exactly the opposite thing von Niermann hoped for. It looked like some fever dream, as Ralsalien team, ranked 154th, outplayed 37th ranked former World Cup winner Zwangzug! Kosma Minsen-Dwarasen scored the first Ralsalien goal at 15th minutes, being assisted by Randin Kirtiman Asier. Seems like Kirtiman Asier is dangerous not only in the opponent's penaly area, but also outside of it. On the 27th minute, with the assist from Kevin Heen, always optimistic Kasyan Menon scored the second goal, being rewarded for his optimism and unwilligness to give up. 2-0, against the nation that is 117 position higher in the ranking. What the fuck happened in the first half?

In the second half, von Niermann decided to defend this unexpected score, and shortly after halfime, midfielder Andrejs Astafjevs was subbed by additional defender, Oleg Shindeberg. Zwangzug regained the initiative and control in the second half, but thanks to the defenders and Nikolai Gosens, who seems like he completely forgot his blunders in the World Cup qualification, Ralsalin managed to not concede.

Ralsalin defeated Zwangzug. Thank you, Seibold von Niermann! Thank you for making our depressive people happy!

I advice you all not to read Ralsalien newspapers, cause they are always filled with propaganda shit. But today, it is probably the time to finally read them, as football, and not the politics, will be the main theme.

COH-90. MATCHDAY 2.
Zwangzug 0-2 RALSALIN

Goals:
0-1 - Minsen-Dwarasen (Kirtiman Asier) 15'
0-2 - Menon (Heen) 27'

GK Gosens
LB Meine
CB Mungain-Dehane
CB Tõru
RB Aniko
CM Astafjevs ↓ 50'
(Shindeberg ↑ 50')
CM Heen - 1A
CM Kirtiman Asier - 1A ↓ 79'
(Veerman ↑ 79')
LW (C) von Erlaid
RW Minsen-Dwarasen - 1G
CF Menon - 1G ↓ 74'
(Blagonadeždins ↑ 74')

Reserves: Maiyenkar, Rosengarten, Suta, Gaikar, Titov, Ainwal, Tikhonov, Muktupāvels.


After the game, everyone in the team just celebrated untill the morning. The Knights can allow it to themselves, as in the third matchday they will have a bye and a time to rest after this epic fight.

For this victory, every Ralsalien player got 30,000 resorins (about 8,500 NS dollars) and Renpen & Dwanar Quartz Gold World Time watch signed by the Kanmerin Enlighted Emperor Damian I Rinmein himself (Ralsalin is a puppet state of Kanmer and about a year ago, grandmaster Dhidhen transfered almost all of his power to Kanmerin Emperor for some period, so emperor Damian is actual ruler of Ralsalin today). In addition, Kasyan Menon printed the matchday 2 standings and the statistic of the Zwangzug-Ralsalin match, to have an additional reminder, that even the impossible things could sometimes be possible.

MD4 vs. Delaclava: Gosens - Meine, Mungain-Dehane, Tõru, Aniko (VC) - Astafjevs, Heen, Kirtiman Asier - von Erlaid (C), Sengendwara, Menon.
Substitutes: Ritsar, Rosengarten, Suta, Shindeberg, Gaikar, Veerman, Ainwal, Titov, Minsen-Dwarasen, Tikhonov, Blagonadeždins, Muktupāvels
Last edited by Ralsalin on Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:56 am, edited 6 times in total.
stupid piece of bread.

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Omerica
Chargé d'Affaires
 
Posts: 465
Founded: Nov 18, 2016
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Omerica » Wed Feb 05, 2025 10:59 am

Image
|football| |basketball| |hockey| |volleyball| |rugby| |tennis| |cycling| |golf|

Cup of Harmony 90: The results every Group B team needs to advance
Two teams can secure progression on matchday four, four teams remain in contention and almost anything can still happen in Sabine and Caddonia

Caddo, Caddonia — No one ever said the Cup of Harmony couldn’t be heart-pounding and the residents of Valanora proper have been denied some proper drama as Group B approaches its denouement. Omerica’s final fixture of the group stage will doubtlessly be the nation’s most important one as the Incorrigibles’ chances of advancing to the knockout stage rest on fine margins.

After narrowly edging out Kanzlia and wasting golden opportunities against Indusse, the Incorrigibles survived a crucial and dramatic encounter with former IAC champions Saterun in Sabinal, keeping their hopes of automatic progression to the quarterfinals alive. Now they must turn their attention to Patriotlandia, who—despite being Omerica’s lowest-ranked opposition at the tournament—will be the nation’s most terrifying opponents thanks to their proven track record against IAC winners at this tournament: comprehensively despatching Indusse 6–2 in their opening fixture and taking a 1–1 draw off Saterun in their last match.

Group B                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Omerica 3 2 1 0 8 5 +3 7
2 Patriotlandia 2 1 1 0 7 3 +4 4
3 Kanzlia 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3
4 Saterun 2 0 1 1 4 6 −2 1
5 Indusse 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1

Thanks to the odd-sized groups, one team in each group sit out each matchday and Omerica drew the unfortunate position of sitting out the final matchday in Group B. However, the Inncorrigibles’ first three results put them in good standing to advance out of the extremely tricky group. Patriotlandia are currently the other favourites to go through, but with Kanzlia hot on their heels, they will be hoping for a result in Caddo to ease their nerves before that matchday five clash. For the Incorrigibles, victory in Caddo would secure top spot in the group—holding the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker over Patriotlandia—and automatic progression to the quarterfinals. Defeat would kill off any chance of winning the group; anything short of a win would leave Omerica at the mercy of results elsewhere and the Incorrigibles would be unable to do anything but wait with baited breath to discover their fate.

On the other side, victory would not immediately secure Patriotlandia top spot, with the Arrosian side needing either a Saterun victory in Sabinal or a result of their own over Kanzlia to be assured of an automatic quarterfinal place. However, regardless of the outcome in Caddo, Adélard Rolland’s side can rest assured that they have control over their own destiny, something which Red Bolton’s team can only wish they had. Victory against Kanzlia on the final day is guaranteed to secure Patriotlandia a knockout berth; a draw would be enough if Kanzlia fail to defeat Saterun. If Kanzlia and Omerica win on matchday four, the exact result Patriotlandia need will depend on their margin of defeat in Caddo.

Elsewhere in the group, Saterun will rue their defeat to Omerica, as their path to the knockout stage grows vanishingly small. The Lazarine side likely need to win their last two fixtures against Kanzlia and Indusse, but it would be for nought if Patriotlandia defeat Omerica, a result which would send the IAC 20 champions regardless of the final day results. However, if Saterun defeat Kanzlia on matchday four, the Incorrigibles will progress regardless of the result in Caddo thanks to that 5–3 win the previous matchday.

Kanzlia’s fate is wrapped up in a jungle of permutations. If the Esportivan side defeat Saterun, they will have control over their own destiny in Sabinal: if Omerica get at least a point off Patriotlandia, a draw on the final day would see Kanzlia progress; if Omerica lose, Kanzlia must win to secure progression. If Saterun defeat Kanzlia, the latter will need help from the Incorrigibles to stay alive, as a Patriotlandia win over Omerica would eliminate the Esportivan team. The nightmare scenario is a Kanzlia draw against Saterun, a Patriotlandia win over Omerica and a Kanzlia win over Patriotlandia. That combination of results would leave the fate of the group a total mystery, hinging on the exact margins and the inclusion-or-not of head-to-head goal difference as a tiebreaker.

Meanwhile, the nexus of past results and remaining fixtures leaves IAC 13 winners Indusse with no path left to the knockout stage. Any possible combination of results leaves Indusse in third place at best, with the extremely cursed format giving only group winners and runners-up a place in the knockout stage. The question now is whether Indusse have the heart left to potential spoil Saterun’s party and secure some crucial World Ranking points.

The Incorrigibles return to Caddo Park to conclude their Cup of Harmony group stage against Patriotlandia, with live coverage available on SFRD Sport. ⚜️
For your reading pleasure
▶ Omerica 5–3 Saterun: The Incorrigibles escape an all-time thriller with their Cup of Harmony chances intact
▶ Political Rumour Mill: Free State governor is milling a referendum on dissolving the republican parliament
▶ Bridgecastrain man climbing a light pole in eastern Charlescourt dies after being struck by lightning
▶ SFRD Places To Visit: West Calaverde’s The Eye reclaims its spot as Omerica’s best holiday destination

United Republican Football Federation · Fédération des Républiques unies de football
1 Avenue des Révolutionnaires
Old Charlescourt CH · 62–L74 · Vieux Charlescourt CH
United Republics of Omerica · Républiques unies de l’Omerique
Omerica 5–3 Saterun

Cup of Harmony group stage — Matchday Three
Sabinal Stadium, Sabinal, Valanora

Omerica goalscorer(s): Arrowsmith 4’ · 80’ — Staunton 28’ · 43’ — Corbinian 90’
Starting lineup (4–1–2–1–2): Lagadec (captain) — Celestijn · Laframboise · Clérisseau · Arteaga — Lémery — Monteil · Staunton — Corbinian — St Clair · Kerautret
Substitutions: Arteaga > Rees 26’ — Clérisseau > Mayor 55’ — Monteil > Wells 64’

Patriotlandia v Omerica
Cup of Harmony group stage — Matchday Four
Caddo Park, Caddo, Valanora

Starting lineup (4–1–2–1–2): Lagadec (captain) — Celestijn · Trueworthy · Clérisseau · Rees — Lémery — Monteil · Staunton — Corbinian — Arrowsmith · St Clair
Substitutes: Bain · O’Shannon — Morgans · Griffith · Laframboise · Mayor · Arteaga — Allen — Hughes · Ó Fearghaile · Wells — Elizaga — Kerautret · Ó hEachthighearna · Paixdecoeur

Last edited by Omerica on Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Drawkland
Senator
 
Posts: 4793
Founded: Aug 27, 2013
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

a hit

Postby Drawkland » Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:02 am

RAYNOR CITY, VALANORA
"Okay, I don't know why every single fan has beef with Dhemixia, and at this point I'm too afraid to ask," Nicole Warren frowned at her phone as she scrolled through her Blurbr feed. "We haven't even played them before! Right?"

"We haven't. I'd remember if we did," Cam Cross answered.

"Did the Elite Eleven play them maybe?" Sarah Arrowsword asked, looking up from her phone.

"They haven't been on the scene long enough for that." Mike Rodney, Nicole's boyfriend, answered. He was sitting with the girls in the hotel lounge in Raynor City, but only half paying attention. "Maybe one of the other national teams has beef with them. We only played Banija the one time but I remember our fans got super fired up for the game because of the football and basketball rivalries. Pretty sure that extends to college, too."

"Do Dhemixia even have a college football team?" Nicole furrowed her brow, looking to her phone.

"Maybe it has something to do with The Outbox League having some teams from there." Cam realized. "I mean, we haven't even started play there yet, but maybe that has something to do with it."

"Could be." Nicole shook her head. "I dunno, actually. I feel like I've seen this all over the place. Before TOL got announced. Not to mention there's only 4 fanbases that are actually going to care about that league, so that doesn't explain why a bunch of other Kick Corps fans are flaming all over the internet."

"Fans are weird." Sarah squinted at her screen. "What does 'Blue Sox in four' even mean?"

"Oh, that's an LPB thing," Cam replied immediately. "A lot of Dhemixians are fans of the Blue Sox because several of their national teamers play there."

"That doesn't even have anything to do with us!" Sarah exclaimed. "Why are they spamming it in the comment section of this Cup of Harmony matchday recap?"

"Maybe they're trying to troll Cam, because of the LPB team in Jaffro." Nicole turned to Cam. "Did your team play the Blue Sox in the playoffs or something?"

"No, actually." Cam hesitated for a second. "I'm pretty sure the Blue Sox didn't even make the playoffs. I've been to tons of Drawks games but the crowd didn't seem excessively rowdy whenever we played the Blue Sox."

"So it's just garden variety delusional fans. Got it." Sarah rolled her eyes. "At least we might see an actually exciting crowd in a Cup of Harmony group stage game for once. The last three cycles have felt like playing high school games until we get to the knockouts."

"No need to be rude," Nicole chided playfully. "It's the Cup of Harmony. You can only ask the fans for so much."

"We gotta get back to the World Cup." Sarah growled. "And also beat the shit out of Dhemixia, so these unmedicated fans can stop talking about socks on all of my posts."



"YES!" Ross Hunter pumped his fist as his laptop finished the boot process and pulled up a basic black-and-white console.

"You got a hit?!" Elias Keys jumped from his bed and stood behind Ross's shoulder at the hotel room desk.

"Hook, line, sinker." Ross grinned. "Never doubt me again, boy."

"Okay, so what, you're hooked into their email system?" Elias craned his neck to get a closer look at the screen.

"Yeah, I've got access to Pitt Weekly's email archive. Now let me see if I can pull up emails sent to the one that wrote the Kick Corps article. What was her name - Kathy?"

"Kayla. Kayla Paulson." Elias corrected immediately.

"That's right. Alright, now put in the search here ... to/from/cc ... earlier than the date of publication, since that's when she'd be getting the information ... later than the IAC, since that's when the supposed leak happened ..." Ross mumbled to himself as he typed in the commands to his basic console. "Aaaand go!" He tapped his enter key with a decisive click.

The console window immediately began populating with a long list of emails. Date, time, sender, recipient, subject, all spat out onto a table that continued to expand.

"Damn. This lady gets a lot of email." Elias raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You got that right. Geez, at least half of this is spam garbage." Ross crinkled his nose. "Then again, tabloid writer. These might have legitimate business purpose. Haha!"

Elias gave an exaggerated smile but didn't laugh.

"You win some a lose some. That's showbiz, baby." Ross shrugged when his joke got no response. "Alright, time to start digging. This may take awhile."

For about an hour, Ross sifted through the emails that showed up in the filter. He finally found one from Kayla's boss, who relayed the information about Sarah Arrowsword and Nicholas Kingston in a rather matter-of-fact tone. "Received this tip from a source close to the team, think this will help with your Kick Corps article?" Now Ross had to comb through the boss's emails, which was an even larger amount of mail despite the smaller time frame he could search through.

"Tell me this is it." Ross perked up in his chair, catching Eli's attention. "Tell me ... oh yes. Oh yes yes yes. This is SO it."

"Did you actually find something?" Elias sat up, moving back over to the desk.

"Check it." Ross opened the emails, which contained a link to an online drive of photos.

Camden,
I've got some photos which may help on your next issue.
Also, a little birdy told me that Sarah Arrowsword and Nicholas Kingston of Kick Corps fame may be involved with each other.
Tell whoever's writing that qualifying special to call me.
Best!
Tamara Telly

"Tamara Telly?" Elias said out loud. "Does that name sound familiar?"

"Not at all. But it is a name." Ross narrowed his eyes. "Sounds kinda made up, though. It could be a pseudonym."

"Better than nothing." Elias shrugged. "Back to trawling through social media feeds?"

"Augh!" Ross groaned. "Yeah, I think you're right. But at least this is the source of it. She could be the one that's been giving out these spy trinkets."

"She does say that 'a little birdy told her.' Could be secondhand information, just further up the chain," Elias pointed out.

"Better not be." Ross grumbled. "But it's possible. What was that username you found on the original laptop? B-something?"

"BKOHE002," Elias replied quickly. "So maybe she's the real informant. Or maybe you're right about the pseudonym. Perhaps Tamara is just her pen name to keep anonymity, and BKOHE has parts of her legal name, which obviously her actual employer would use."

"Not to mention that the birdy thing is a common phrase." Ross reasoned. "Could also be an inconspicuous way of obscuring the fact that she obtained the information from a spy transmitter rather than regular word of mouth."

"Whatever. Either way we have real leads again!" Elias replied excitedly.

"Yeah, how about you handle this round." Ross shoved the laptop away from him after saving a couple relevant files from the email server. "Mr. 'In The Hotel Room of the Stalker But Didn't Do Anything.' Carry a bit more of the load, huh?"

"Fair enough." Elias gestured for Ross to leave his seat, and he obliged. Elias sat down at the hotel room desk, cracked his knuckles, and pulled the laptop back towards himself. "And listen, I was down to wait for the perpetrator at the scene. Lerocav is the one that insisted on total stealth. Who knows? It might've prevented a much bigger disaster."

"Maybe." Ross rolled his eyes, flopping down onto the bed. "But at least it'd be over with by now."
Last edited by Drawkland on Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Valanora
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5061
Founded: Sep 03, 2007
Democratic Socialists

Postby Valanora » Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:41 am

Here on the penultimate matchday, whose journeys come to a close, who gets to fight another day? Matchday 4 Cutoff
Matchday 4

Group A
Dhemixia 4–2 The Ko-orenite Constellation
Cobrio 1–3 Doubeia

P Group A                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Dhemixia 3 2 0 1 10 7 +3 6
2 Drawkland 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6
3 Doubeia 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6
4 Cobrio 3 1 0 2 5 7 −2 3
5 The Ko-orenite Constellation 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3


Group B
Saterun 1–0 Kanzlia
Patriotlandia 2–4 Omerica

P Group B                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Omerica 4 3 1 0 12 7 +5 10 Q
2 Patriotlandia 3 1 1 1 9 7 +2 4
3 Saterun 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
4 Kanzlia 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3
5 Indusse 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1


Group C
Aleirave 4–3 Vetrahjart
Captina Island 2–3 Oberour Ar Moro

P Group C                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Grand Exultia 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6 9
2 Aleirave 3 3 0 0 10 5 +5 9
3 Oberour Ar Moro 4 2 0 2 9 12 −3 6 E
4 Vetrahjart 3 0 0 3 4 7 −3 0 E
5 Captina Island 3 0 0 3 3 8 −5 0 E


Group D
Bohr 0–1 Reçueçn
Nova Calania 0–1 Milchama

P Group D                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Reçueçn 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9
2 Milchama 4 2 0 2 3 6 −3 6
3 Nova Calania 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6
4 Eraman 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3
5 Bohr 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0 E


Group E
Zwangzug 2–1 Vaishnavaria
Ralsalin 4–2 Delaclava

P Group E                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bears Armed 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
Ralsalin 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
3 Zwangzug 3 2 0 1 3 3 0 6
4 Vaishnavaria 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3 E
5 Delaclava 4 0 0 4 6 13 −7 0 E
Last edited by Valanora on Wed Feb 05, 2025 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Zwangzug
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5334
Founded: Oct 19, 2006
Left-wing Utopia

Postby Zwangzug » Wed Feb 05, 2025 5:21 pm

"See those?" Brian nodded at the computer, where he'd pulled up yet another news article from Ralsalin celebrating the Knights' upset win. "Those are the problem, right there."

"Why are you reading their media?" Sullivan asked.

"It would probably be useful," said John. "Cut us down to size and point out how we can improve."

"Not the players themselves," Brian said. "Look, they have fancy watches. 'Quartz Gold.'"

"Yeah," said Sohini. "It's ridiculous that people spend such exorbitant sums of money for devices that tell you the time, when they already have that capacity on their phones or whatever. This kind of exploitation is why capitalism--"

Nicholas leaned forward to look at the screen. "It says it's 'World Time.' But aren't there, like, a bazillion time zones out there? How would you know which one to sync it to?"

"Guys," said Brian. "It's not the watches themselves, or the resorins. Why did they get them?"

"Because they beat us," said Callan. "Which, good for them, they deserved it, we were pants."

"You don't see the problem?"

"Of course we wouldn't have deserved fucking watches if we'd beaten them, that's why it's an upset! We don't have a team 117 places above us in the rankings to beat! You can't say every team should have an equal chance of getting a huge reward from their government for historic results, that's not how fairness works, that's not how any of this works!"

"No, I get it," said Jubilee. "I think. We're socialists, we don't get paid all that much to begin with as it is. Win or lose."

Brian nodded.

"So hypothetically, if the Ralsalin players had known this kind of reward was possible--"

"But they didn't," Gretchen said. "It was a surprise. To everyone."

"Right, but I'm saying, if they had, and they'd known that we don't have all that much money, then hypothetically, they could have approached us to be like 'if you throw the match we'll give you a cut.'"

"In which case we would have reported them to the WCC and done no such thing," said Eileen.

"Sure, you say that, but they don't know that. That's why Courtenay was always freaking out about the fantasy leagues, and the potential for us gambling."

"There's no way anyone would get away with it," said Sullivan. "What would we do, bring home a couple hundred resorins, like, 'can you convert this into real money'? Like, no?"

"But it means we should be putting ourselves on the transfer market," Brian said. "If we got paid professionally, commensurate to our actual value--"

"Which on current form," Callan interrupted, "I remind you, is fucking pants--"

"--then there wouldn't be as much of a temptation."

Narayan nodded. "It's like the espionage thing."

"The what?" said Jubilee.

"Intelligence agents are always going around, like, 'if you betray your country I will give you zillions of checks' or whatever. That's why people who have access to classified information usually get paid very good salaries by their government, so it's not as serious a threat." He blinked, noticing everyone looking at him. "In countries that have classified information, I mean."

"Okay," said Eileen. "Where are you getting this information?"

"I read books! It's not hard!"

"See, it's good Courtenay isn't here," said Jubilee. "One less thing for him to freak out about."

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Omerica
Chargé d'Affaires
 
Posts: 465
Founded: Nov 18, 2016
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Omerica » Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:36 pm

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blog? Hell hath frozen over.”
Cup of Harmony 90: All the Matchday 5 numbers crunched
By Hunter Read-Campbell

The Cup of Harmony group stage is reaching its conclusion. Forty games have been played throughout the Eternal Empire, with ten group games left to play. Five teams have completed their group stage campaigns, of whom three are headed home, one is headed to the knockout stage and one lies in limbo. Seven teams are guaranteed to play their last game shortly.

One team is directly through to the quarterfinals. Five more teams have secured places in the knockout stage. Five teams can only reach the quarterfinals via the play-in round. Ten teams have been eliminated entirely. For the last four teams, they could go straight to the quarterfinals or straight to the plane home.

So where does every team stand? Who is through, who is out and who needs what? The blog has crunched all the numbers and can give you the full rundown on matchday 5.

Group A
Final fixtures: The Ko-orenite Constellation v Cobrio (The Battleground); Drawkland v Dhemixia (Hellgate)
Group A                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Dhemixia 3 2 0 1 10 7 +3 6 X
2 Drawkland 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6 X

3 Doubeia 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6 E
4 Cobrio 3 1 0 2 5 7 −2 3 E
5 The Ko-orenite Constellation 3 1 0 2 3 6 −3 3 E

It’s a tad unfortunate that the Battleground will lay witness to a dead rubber on the final matchday, but the scheduling sometimes works out like that. Both Dhemixia and Drawkland defeated Doubeia by identical 3–1 margins earlier in the group stage and their only defeats came by a one-goal margin, so the loser of the Dhemixia v Drawkland encounter—if there is one—will emerge victorious in any head-to-head tiebreaker that may come up. That means the match at Hellgate merely decides which team goes straight to the quarterfinals and which one will have to play in. If Drawkland win, they’re straight through to the quarterfinals and Dhemixia will have to play in; all Dhemixia have to do to avoid the play-in is snag at least a draw.

Group B
Final fixtures: Kanzlia v Patriotlandia (Caddo Park); Indusse v Saterun (Sabinal Stadium)
Group B                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Omerica 4 3 1 0 12 7 +5 10 Q

2 Patriotlandia 3 1 1 1 9 7 +2 4 Z
3 Saterun 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4 Z
4 Kanzlia 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3 Z

5 Indusse 3 0 1 2 3 9 −6 1 E

Of all teams sitting out the final matchday, Omerica have done by far the best: they have topped the group and are the only team locked for the quarterfinals. Conversely, Indusse have no path to advance. The rest of the group is a right mess.

Kanzlia advance if they win and Saterun do not. Saterun advance if they win and Patriotlandia do not. If both Saterun and Patriotlandia win, Saterun must win by a margin at least four goals larger than Patriotlandia in order to go through; if Saterun win by a margin exactly three goals larger than Patriotlandia, the play-in spot will be decided by lots. In any other case, Patriotlandia go through. Smart money says the Incorrigibles will be sipping on piña coladas while this all goes down.

Group C
Final fixtures: Vetrahjart v Captina Island (The White Fortress); Grand Exultia v Aleirave (Tiradir)
Group C                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Grand Exultia 3 3 0 0 9 3 +6 9 X
2 Aleirave 3 3 0 0 10 5 +5 9 X

3 Oberour Ar Moro 4 2 0 2 9 12 −3 6 E
4 Vetrahjart 3 0 0 3 4 7 −3 0 E
5 Captina Island 3 0 0 3 3 8 −5 0 E

The maths is much more straightforward in Group C: Grand Exultia and Aleirave are each 3 points clear of Oberour Ar Moro with a game in hand, with Vetrahjart and Captina Island 9 points behind second with 3 points left to play for. That means another dead rubber at the White Fortress. Tiradir will witness the group decider, where Aleirave need a win to top the group and secure an automatic spot in the quarterfinals. If Grand Exultia can get at least a draw, they’ll go straight through to the quarterfinals.

Group D
Final fixtures: Reçueçn v Nova Calania (Hatire Memorial); Eraman v Bohr (Rose Gardens)
Group D                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Reçueçn 3 3 0 0 8 2 +6 9 X

2 Milchama 4 2 0 2 3 6 −3 6 Z
3 Nova Calania 3 2 0 1 5 2 +3 6
4 Eraman 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3 Z
5 Bohr 3 0 0 3 0 5 −5 0 E

With only one team able to catch them on points, Reçueçn are through. On the other end of the table, Bohr are out. Milchama currently sit second, but other teams will decide their destiny. The race for top spot is incredibly simple: Nova Calania claim it if they beat Reçueçn at the Hatire Memorial; otherwise, Reçueçn are straight through to the quarterfinals.

The race for second is much more interesting. Milchama will be glued to their screens, hoping Reçueçn win and Eraman do not. Eraman, on the other, have an extremely narrow path to the knockout stage: they must defeat Bohr, Reçueçn must defeat Nova Calania and their combined margin of victory must exceed 4 goals; if their combined margin of victory is exactly 4 goals, *insert Elvish screaming here*. Any other combination of results will send Nova Calania to the knockout stage.

Let’s just hope the Elvish screaming scenario does not come to pass…

Group E
Final fixtures: Vaishnavaria v Ralsalin (Artani); Bears Armed v Zwangzug (Donna Cathedral)
Group E                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Bears Armed 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
Ralsalin 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
3 Zwangzug 3 2 0 1 3 3 0 6
4 Vaishnavaria 3 1 0 2 5 6 −1 3 E
5 Delaclava 4 0 0 4 6 13 −7 0 E

Vaishnavaria and Delaclava are out, the latter bowing out having lost all four of their games. The rest of this group is absolute chaos.

For Zwangzug, the situation is clear cut: win or go out. Otherwise, Bears Armed and Ralsalin will both go through. The only way Ralsalin can be sent packing is if both they and Bears Armed lose and they lose by a larger margin; if Ralsalin and Bears Armed both lose and lose by the same margin, the team that joins Zwangzug in the knockout stage will be decided by lots.

Focusing on top spot, Zwangzug can clinch it if they win and Ralsalin do not. If Ralsalin win and Bears Armed do not, Ralsalin will top the group. If Ralsalin and Bears Armed both win, the team that wins by the larger margin will top the group. If Ralsalin and Bears Armed win by the same margin or both games end in a draw, lots will seed the two teams. In any other case, Bears Armed top the group.

Confused? Don’t worry, so are we.

Runners-up table
Group runners-up                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
C Aleirave 3 3 0 0 10 5 +5 9 X
E Ralsalin 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
A Drawkland 3 2 0 1 3 1 +2 6 X
D Milchama 4 2 0 2 3 6 −3 6 Z
B Patriotlandia 3 1 1 1 9 7 +2 4 Z

Of course, while we’ve put a lot of focus on who finishes first in each group, six teams will automatically go through to the quarterfinals: the five group winners and the runners-up with the best record. So it’s worth talking about who could top that all-important table.

What we do know is that Group A and Group B will not produce the top runners-up and that Reçueçn is the only team in Group D that can finish top of the runners-up table. If Reçueçn lose to Nova Calania, they could still secure direct advancement to quarterfinals if their defeat is sufficiently small, Grand Exultia defeat Aleirave by a large enough margin (or vice versa) and results in Group E work out: Vaishnavaria taking points off Ralsalin, a draw between Bears Armed and Zwangzug or a sufficiently small victory for Zwangzug.

In the event they and Ralsalin both win on matchday 5, Zwangzug could still get an automatic quarterfinal spot. It’s extremely unlikely though, as Grand Exultia v Aleirave would have to have a winner and the goal differences would have to swing enough for Zwangzug to overtake the Group C runners-up. And if Nova Calania defeat Reçueçn, Zwangzug’s chances of finishing atop the runners-up table get even smaller.

Most likely, the top runners-up will be one of Grand Exultia, Aleirave, Bears Armed or Ralsalin. The latter two can stake a good claim to that final automatic quarterfinal spot with sufficiently big wins in their final group fixtures: if both win by a margin of at least 2 goals, the Group E runners-up will not have to go through the play-in round. If Grand Exultia and Aleirave do not play out a draw, Bears Armed and Ralsalin will simply need to win their last group game to go through to the quarterfinals.

But don’t underestimate the chances of Group C sending two teams directly to the quarterfinals. If Reçueçn snag at least a draw, the Group C runners-up will dodge the play-in provided that Ralsalin drop points or Bears Armed and Zwangzug play out a draw.

Of course, that’s not mentioning how much room there is for goal difference shenanigans. One thing we can guarantee before a ball is kicked on matchday 5: the runners-up table will be more interesting than Group A. ◇
Other Football News:
• Patriotlandia 2–4 Omerica: Three second-half goals power the Incorrigibles to top spot in Group B
• Red Bolton hails “The Hasty Incorrigibles” and declares Cup run “a success” after finishing atop Group B
• Want to know who to thank for Omerica’s dream Cup of Harmony campaign? Thank Charity Kayode


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United Republics of Omerica · Républiques unies de l’Omerique
Patriotlandia 2–4 Omerica

Cup of Harmony group stage — Matchday Four
Caddo Park, Caddo, Valanora

Omerica goalscorer(s): St Clair 26’ — Arrowsmith 53’ · 69’ — Corbinian 71’
Starting lineup (4–1–2–1–2): Lagadec (captain) — Celestijn · Trueworthy · Clérisseau · Rees — Lémery — Monteil · Staunton — Corbinian — Arrowsmith · St Clair
Substitutions: Trueworthy > Griffith 46’ — Monteil > Hughes 68’ — St Clair > Ó hEachthighearna 80’

TLA: OME, HUClavia
iTLD: .or
Demonym: Rubbish Omerican
Every Omerica football match
This nation does not necessarily reflect my actual political views
Discontinue use if rash develops
Don’t ⬋ play ⬋ with ⬋ fire
Omerica – 27/09/2017
Any further and our feet will probably be in our stomachs
Kanoria - 27/09/2017
I for one love the reflux uniquely generated by self-gluttony of limbs, where the flesh meets the acid
Newmanistan wrote:Isn’t that what Omerica always does? Hang around to make people notice and get concerned but never actually advance?
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕
Ça va sans dire
⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕

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Grand Exultia
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Founded: Sep 24, 2021
Capitalist Paradise

Postby Grand Exultia » Thu Feb 06, 2025 3:33 am

How do you do and welcome back to another instalment of Patsy’s Pitch Perspectives, I’m your host Patsy Orchinaoff and this matchday we have something slightly different install for you.
Obviously this matchday we have a bye, a welcome break for our players to catch some rest and recharge before the big final game of the group stage so I won’t be dragging any of them out here to bother them, after three wins in three I reckon they deserve that break, don’t you?

I think a quick look at the other groups first before we dive into any deep conversations.

Group A, probably the tightest of all the groups, on paper the Kick corps of Drawkland should have been looking to qualify along with Doubeia. The final matchups of The Ko-orenite Constellation V Cobrio and Drawkland V Dhemixia means that a draw for the latter pair will guarantee both look to progress with Drawkland heading for a playoff game with Dhemixia straight through. A win for either Dhemixia or Drawkland will also open the door for other teams to sneak into contention, a Drawkland win and a Cobrio win would see Cobrio gain second place thanks to their 7 goal thriller against Dhemixia, alternatively a Dhemixia win and a Ko-orenite win and I’ve literally no idea who qualifies in second as all three of Doubeia, Drawkland and Ko-orenite have beat each other so good luck to the number crunchers of Valanora if that happens.

Group B is a bit more open and clear coming down to a three horse race for the two potential progression spots. Omerica have done all they need to guarantee top spot and can enjoy their day off watching the carnage unfold on the last matchday. The remaining three horse, so maybe it’s a four horse race…anyway, The final games of Kanzlia V Patriotlandia and Indusse V Saterun, a Patriotlandia win sees them in second place unless Saterun can beat Indusse by four more than Patriotlandia, no small feat but not impossible as Indusse were beaten 6-2 by Patriotlandia in this competition. A Kanzlia win then requires Saterun not to win for Kanzlia to progress in second.

Group C we all know very well and boy oh boy do we have one hell of a match up in the final game of the group, Grand Exultia V Aleirave, winner takes all... well top spot at least and the other will likely qualify as the best placed second team with strong goal differences but two very dominant teams who quickly set the standard and a budding rivalry that could go down in the ages, at least for the Exultians who are yet to lose to the Seagulls, more on this later.

Group D appears deceptively tight but with clear front runner in Reçueçn and a battle between Nova Calania and Milchama for second though Nova Calania just need a point against Reçueçn, that playoff spot could go to anybody. If Eraman can beat Bohr and Reçueçn beat Nova Calania we have another instance of everyone beating everyone Nova Calania beat Eraman, Eraman beat Milchama and Milchama beat Nova Calania and so Nova Calanias positive goal difference may give them the edge if I’m reading the rules right. The alternative would be a Nova Calanian win over Reçueçn which will see them take top spot and relegate Reçueçn to the second place, potentially fighting our group C second place for the final automatic qualifying spot.

And finally, Group E Bears Armed poised to win the group though harried by the underdog that won’t give up Ralsalin, I mean what a performance so far the lowest ranked team in the competition… sorry second lowest, thank you to my producer for the correction, looking to snatch a chance at the knockouts. A tasty clash of Bears Armed V Zwangzug will likely see the winner finish in the top two and the loser dropped to third, Vaishnavaria V Ralsalin is the final match to preview for the matchday and you cannot fault Ralsalins form and have to anticipate they will come through with the goods as a Ralsalin loss and draw between Bears Armed and Zwangzug still sees Ralsalin in second place thanks to their win over Zwangzug. Wins to both Bears Armed and Ralsalin will see the larger win take top spot and potentially give second place an automatic qualifying spot with 10 points.

An exciting time for sure with so much still to play for but now we’ve satisfied those with a fancy for numbers on to the main part of our show, we have with us today a special guest, I wouldn’t say a friend of mine as I’m fairly confident they don’t even like me but thanks to my agreement with GEMFA (Grand Exultian Multiversal Football Association) he is contractually obligated to appear when I demand so I present to you with no volition of his own Apollinaris Fereydemus.

“I couldn’t have put it better myself Patsy”

“Don’t worry the feeling is mutual but we have to give the people what they want don’t we?”

*Something like that* Apollinaris mutters as Patsy carries on regardless

“So what did you and the players get up to on a well deserved day off?”

“We went on a bit of a trip rather than focusing on technical training, I think they’ve earnt that much. We got the train out to Stormguard and we did some hiking on Mount Humar, no phones at all so nobody was distracted by other scores or anything, a bit of a detox if you will, I mean when do you get a better chance to connect to nature than in a nation like this?”

“No Phones? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“We had some shortwave radios to keep in touch and just in case for emergencies don’t worry. We had some extra time as well so the squad got a bit silly messing around in the Arjela”

“Did you join in the splashing?”

“Of course, I cannot expect my players to do something I won’t do”

“Fantastic, well I did want to just quickly revisit the chat we had just prior to this competition and you wanted to pick up one or two wins to give a shot at the playoffs, well that makes you look modest now doesn’t it?”

“haha yeah, it’s been a funny competition with some bigger named teams falling foul of the lesser recognised setups but we focused on ourselves, we knew what we had to do and I cannot praise the team more for the work they’ve done both on and off the pitch we really have reaped what we sowed”

“Certainly, we are now guaranteed a shot at the quarters, a few different potential paths but it is very much in our hands, how are you approaching the game against Aleirave?”

“Yes I’ve been told by every man and his dog what potential outcomes we could have and where our paths could take us and now every game is basically a knockout or at least needs to be treated as such to use a cliché. So our game against Aleirave is no different to any other, on paper they may be higher ranked but we are undefeated against them in history, a short history albeit, and we have proven we can stick it out and win silverware as we did with the Baptism so there is no reason why we couldn’t go out there get the result we need and just take each game as they come”

“Very well said. Now looking at the squad of players we can see that it is skewed more to the younger generation with just a couple of experienced heads here and there, is there a reason for this or are these players the best in form?”

“When GEMFA approached me to be the first national team manager we wanted to set up a long term plan so we knew we would be looking at the younger players with a view to getting a few cycles under their belts and then with some experience start to challenge the more established teams. I gambled a little by going so young but these players showed such promise on the domestic scene and it felt a waste not to blood them early and see where we can go. Sometimes you get a generational talent like Gimli who you just cannot look past and sometimes a player makes you stand up and take notice like Merrin, either way we have to keep our nose to the grindstone and give the players a chance when they deserve it”

“A refreshing viewpoint to be said. Do you think these youngsters will have the mental knowledge and tactical nous to be able to provide the required results when it matters against these big teams?”

“Look at what we’ve achieved so far, you tell me whether this squad has the gumption to go all the way?”

“I’m ever the optimist”

“Sure you are”

“So what’s your prediction for the Aleirave game?”

“It’s hard to predict, both teams have had great success and it will be a great game to watch for any neutral fan, a draw would probably be the best outcome for both teams giving us both the best chance at avoiding the playoffs and obviously it would be nice for us to finish the group unbeaten”

“That’s a bit of a cop out isn’t it?”

“Obviously I will set out to win, that’s literally my job but sometimes you have to consider the bigger picture and this isn’t a team to be taken lightly. We’ve got the edge with a slightly better goal difference, we were the first to not win by multiple goals but I don’t think we’ve lost our momentum against Vetrahjart as we can see by how close the game against Aleirave was so it really could go either way. Another day and we both fall foul to Vetrahjart and suddenly the group is wide openwith four teams on six points”

“I suppose that’s fair, a score prediction if you will?”

“a 2-1 win for us”

“There you have, we’re going to win 2-1 and anything less than that is all ‘big Apols’ fault” *literally dripping with sarcasm*

“Thank you Apollinaris and a bigger thank you to our sponsors…”
A 10.125 civilization, according to this index.
BOF85 Champion
Tapity Invitational Cup Winner
GCF T20 World Cup 17 Participant
Independent Associations Champs 22 Participant

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

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United States of Nova Calania
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Posts: 167
Founded: Jan 14, 2024
Compulsory Consumerist State

Postby United States of Nova Calania » Thu Feb 06, 2025 5:57 am

Image

Nova Calania's chances are slimmer


Starting XI vs Milchama @ Rose Gardens, Kareen, Valanora on matchday four
GK Bleau-Bean - LB A. McCaskill - CB Wolkowicz - CB T. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - RB N. McCaskill - DCM Fauteux-McGrath - LW M. Q. Xiong - RW S. McCaskill - ACM C. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - S Guénette-Velazquez - S Goudreau-Luneau

Kareen, Valanora - Nova Calania started off the Cup of Harmony 90 on the right foot with two wins in two matches but on matchday 4 (after a bye day on day 3), the Tapirs lost 1-0 against Milchama and our chances gets slimmer. The score at halftime was still 0-0. Milchama attacked at the 64th minute when Eve Haltenon dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Natan Ebaran who heads the ball past Serge Bleau-Bean and the score was 1-0 Milchama. This is the final score. Despite the low score, it was a highly offensive game with both sides attacking often and both goalkeepers playing the match of their life. Milchama shot 21 times including 15 shots on target. Serge Bleau-Bean blocked 14 of them and allowed just one goal. On the other hand, Nova Calania shot 19 times with 11 of them on target. Tal Shortman, who'se not so short, blocked all of them.

Nova Calania's chances are slimmer. Our final group stage match is against Reçueçn who still have a perfect 3-0 record. If we beat them, we're first and go direcly to the quarterfinals. If we draw, we're 2nd and have to play in the 1st round and if we lose, we're out. Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin injured herself trying to reach the ball on a goal kick and will miss game 5 against les licornes and Rose Van der Jagt will replace her in the starting XI. Reçueçn is an intriguing nation, they are speaking French like us and ça va parler français sur le terrain mes amis! We know little about them, they are located in the West Pacific and plays regularly at the Independents Cup, the regional tournaments for nations outside the big 5 regions. That's all we know about Reçueçn.

Game summary
64th    GOAL MILCHAMA     Natan Ebaran assisted by Eve Haltenon

Starting XI vs Reçueçn @ Hatire Memorial, Capri, Valanora
GK Bleau-Bean - LB A. McCaskill - CB Wolkowicz - CB T. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - RB N. McCaskill - DCM Fauteux-McGrath - LW Van der Jagt - RW S. McCaskill - ACM M. Q. Xiong - S Guénette-Velazquez -
S Goudreau-Luneau


Chloé Bellefleur

Abbaye de Breteuil closed for restoration


The Abbaye de Breteuil (Breteuil Abbey) will be closed for restoration starting on october 1st 2027 for almost 5 years. Targeted re-opening will be for summer 2032. The Breteuil Abbey was build by monks from the order of hockey and football who read scriptures of hockey and football teams and players, both domestic and foreign. They have a long chapter on Laborious Hawk in their holy texts! Order of hockey and football monks also make cheese in their spare time. Nova Calania is famous for it's blue cheese made by Breteuil Abbey monks. The Breteul Abbey opened for visitors 10 cycles ago and reached a visitor peak during World Cup qualifications 94 and 95 but unfortunately renovations are required and the abbey will close it's door from visitors. It's raining a lot in Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer and water is actually leaking from the top of the abbey, making restorations necessary. Restoration Jean-Jacques, specialised in restoring, have been hired to do the work, they will replace the top and the floor on all floors. Small work will also be done on stone walls and decorations. They will use the same materials that was used in the 18th century to build the abbey and work will be completed approximatively in summer 2032 if everything goes right.

Bruno Touchette

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Recuecn
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Posts: 1133
Founded: Feb 02, 2015
New York Times Democracy

Postby Recuecn » Thu Feb 06, 2025 12:16 pm

It turns out a little enthusiasm goes a long way.

The FNRF, which had been hemming and hawing for over a year, finally got its shit together just before the World Cup was supposed to start, and filled the vacant position of head manager for the équipe nationale. Without the stability of having someone in the manager spot, les licornes' performance leading up to the World Cup noticeably declined toward the tail end of qualifying. Les licornes fell to a play-off spot, narrowly lost against Katzeburg, and found themselves headed to the Cup of Harmony. It was a new low point for the team.

But with the FNRF finally confirming Hyron LeBouffe as head manager, a modicum of stability returned for the équipe nationale, and in the Cup of Harmony, things have finally been trending upward again for the team. Reçueçn is undefeated in the tournament so far, and the FNRF executives are certainly congratulating themselves on their choice of coach.

The feeling in the locker-room is a little different. The team line-up is the only thing that has remained constant throughout this process; in other words, the only thing the players have been able to regularly rely on is themselves and their teammates. Leadership from the players has stepped up. Gerauld Firaut, the team captain, has always played an active role in coaching the team as a role model, mediator, and steadying presence. Laurent Lapix, the Reçuecian wunderkind, has recently become a strategic leader, applying his unique gift for being able to read positioning. His innate understanding of tactics has always served him well, and without a regular coach, it has fallen to him to guide his teammates from the mid-field.

Having come to rely on themselves as they do, the Reçuecian players see the success that has come under LeBouffe's leadership as little more than happy coincidence. Certainly the constant revolving door of interim managers was holding the team back, and with LeBouffe and the FNRF finally staying out of the teams way, they've been able, for the first time since previous head manager Bonheur Relié was let go at the end the previous Cup of Harmony, to actually get somewhere. Of course, that is something the team gives credit to itself for. Having a manager who stays out of the way and lets you succeed is a far cry from having one whose leadership guides you to victory.

The biggest impact LeBouffe has had on the ÉNRF since his takeover is the feeling of enthusiasm he brings to the locker-room. Many of the players have felt that his constant smile and upbeat attitude seem forced. Players have said LeBouffe is "putting on a brave face", "faking it till he makes it", or creating an atmosphere of "toxic positivity". There was a feeling when the new manager arrived that the team was declining and he was burying his head in the sand. After all, no one has been able to point to any direct changes LeBouffe has made that might be responsible for les licornes' reversal of fortune.

But as Reçueçn has started to win games again, a feeling of excitement has naturally begun to return to the squad. The fanbase feels the same way. After the initial disappointment of narrowly missing out on the World Cup, a promising start in the Cup of Harmony has made a deep run seem possible, and with each successive game, more fans are tuning back in. Reçueçn is already guaranteed to play at least one knock-out game, but a victory against Nova Calania will send the nation straight to the quarterfinals. Reçueçn's only knock-out round appearance in a previous Cup of Harmony was the round of 32 in the 64-team Cup of Harmony 79.

The team is already guaranteed to have its best-ever showing in the tournament, so with up the only way left to go, LeBouffe's "faked" enthusiasm is taking hold for real.
rəswɛsən

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Kanzlia
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Posts: 228
Founded: Mar 21, 2019
Psychotic Dictatorship

Edition 4

Postby Kanzlia » Thu Feb 06, 2025 6:02 pm

Image
how kanzlians reacts to the Cup of Harmony hosted in the Eternal Empire
brought to you by: Centraal


This edition is hosted by: Avdrey Kristen

ImageImageImageImage
T. Esparza 73' //


Kanzlia suffers defeat at the hands of Saterun in their 3rd Cup of Harmony match and will be going into the final matchday in 4th place. Their hopes for qualification is possible but razor thin, relying on not only defeating Patriotlandia but hoping Saterun loses their match against Indusse. Assistant coach Pieter Tolr reflects on qualification hopes and the tournament so far.

AK: "Today we are joined by assistant coach Pieter Tolr himself. Welcome to the show Mr. Tolr"

PT: "Pleasure."

AK: "Well it doesn't look to be going very well does it?"

PT: "You can say that. It's been a tough group so far and we're not in a position we expected to be in."

AK: "What position did the team thought they'd be in at this point in the tournament?"

PT: "Well I personally thought we'd be first or second. That's clearly not it."

AK: "With qualification hopes relying on Indusse defeating Saterun, that is if Kanzlia wins against Patriotlandia of course, just how likely do you think Kanzlia will pull it through?"

PT: "We defeated Patriotlandia before, but they have been playing much better than us as of late. It'll be a tough match, probably with very slim odds."

AK: "Karl Schmidt seemingly has lost steam hasn't he?"

PT: "Who are you to talk about him? Are you his wife or something?"

AK: "Sorry that was out of line."

PT: "I'm afraid I can't continue the interview for long. There's an emergency in the training camp. Thanks for having me."

AK: "Wait what"

AK: "Can he do that?" (in the background)

Producer: "Yes duh" (in the background)

AK: "Well.. that's it for this edition. I'd like to thank Mr. Tolr for his time despite him already having left the call."

AK: "Good luck to the national team!"
THE GRACIOUS STATE OF KANZLIA
Know more. (main portal) - Sports Newswire
visit kanzlia! (tourism factbook) - About me

does not reflect personal views (ns stats and policies are not canon anyways)

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Dhemixia
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Posts: 126
Founded: Nov 05, 2022
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

what is happening

Postby Dhemixia » Thu Feb 06, 2025 7:08 pm

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)

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Chaos in Valanora


When someone says "Dhemixia" and "Winning" in the same sentence, they're pretty much always laughed out of the room. Unfortunately for them, Dhemixia is winning. A lot (for their normal levels). So much so, that they have guaranteed at least a playoff spot before even playing rivals Drawkland. In reality, the Drawkland game still counts, the winner being shipped to the quarterfinals, the loser going to the playoffs, and Dhemixia to the QFs in the event of a draw. Unfortunately for ticket scalpers, it only matters to them, as the rest of the group is as good as eliminated.

How they got here? It's not clear, but here's what's happened:

Following the bye MD which they lost to after the backups smuggled alcohol, Craig Kelly decided to teach his young squad a lesson. He thought, "If they don't want to practice, so be it, see how i feel," before cancelling all of their remaining practices. Young Dhemixians with time on their hands will be Young Dhemixians, and one thing leads to another, Drawkian social media posts are getting spammed with comments of "Blue Sox in 4", without stopping to question why they're rivals in the first place.

At first, Craig Kelly's plan "suceeds". Of course he doesn't want to lose, but they've gotta find out somehow, right? Against Cobrio, this lack of preparation shows. The defense absolutely implodes, not that there was one to begin with, but the idea of a defense was destroyed. Following Bolton's 47th minute quick equalizer, spirits were high on the Dhemixian sideline, but they were just running on fumes. Closing games has been a known problem for this Dhemixian side, and with a one goal lead after Obisana put a header top left corner in the 55th, everyone on the field knew the tank was empty. The result? A quick equalizer, followed by a late backbreaker, all caused by the Serpents letting Cobrian striker Sherwin Gilmore run rampant in space. Ignoring his two early goals in that game, Gilmore was a huge part in the comeback, fully understanding the Dhemixian 3-1-4-2 and knowing how to take advantage. After a beating like this in their first game, Doug McMahon expected this to go like every other competition, and the players to fold.

Unbeknownst to McMahon, this lit a fire in his players. As it turned out, the backups still had leftover booze, and light a fire they did. Not only are they showing up unprepared and hungover to matches, they're also committing small-scale arson, trying again to light the incorrect Raynor stadium on fire. To add a layer, it worked against Doubeia. Dhemixia needed a win in a bad way, and as it became evident that they could not do anything with their front line, Grant Clarke in the back took that personally. Clarke would find space outside the box, seeing lanes from Doubeian defenders cheating on the striker passes, and fired one in for an early lead. It didn't stop there though, as he would draw a penalty, potentially intentionally tripping over an outstretched leg, to give Marvin Bolton a chance at 2-0. No matter how hungover he is, Bolton just does not miss those. As if it wasn't already over, Clarke would strike gold a second time, and barring a late garbage time goal, the defense would surprisingly hold up with a lead.

To make it crazier, it works again against The Ko-orenite Constellation. This time, the front line was all that was working for the Dhemixians, and it was evidently all they needed. Obisana would drop back to have Bolton be a high-lying striker, setting up big counterattacks to funnel the ball downfield. The gassed Grant Clarke would find Obisana early, making the entire left side of the field miss before dishing a pass to a wide-open Bolton, making it 1-0. The Constellation would eventually find an equalizer on an unmarked corner, but a 1-1 half is how the first 45 ended. Needing to teach his players a lesson, Doug McMahon just decides to not coach anymore. Getting a hot dog from the concessions stand and stealing a beer from the near-endless backup supply, McMahon walked back to the dugout, horrified to find that it was a 2-1 game. To make things worse, Obisana would get a goal of his own just 9 minutes later, consequently at the moment when McMahon was looking back, the crowd's eruption causing him to spill his beer. To somehow make things even worse for Doug McMahon on the sideline, he ends up putting on a second pair of pants so the team wouldn't make fun of him for wetting his first pair. With a garbage time backbreaker of their own, McMahon would be utterly humiliated, as his team wins two straight games in dominating fashion, all without him coaching.

At this point, he decides to swallow his pride and return to coaching them, not a moment too soon for this team. Staring down the barrel of apparent rivals Drawkland, not only is a trip to the quarterfinals of a tournament, last done in the BoF, on the line, but so is their pride. As we get closer to the matchup, the botting intensity gets higher on sites like Blurbr. It seems like everyone in Dhemixia, including the national team themselves, are spamming "Blue Sox in 4" in the comments of Drawkian posts, only being met with "MEDS. NOW." by counter-botters from Drawkland. To believe that what wasn't a rivalry until very recently has now expanded to two realms would seem foolish, but the fact that it's happening, regardless of cause, makes it all the more legendary. As for why the rivalry started, nobody really knows. All that we know is that it exists, and all we would hope to know for certain is that Dhemixia is going to the quarterfinals.

____ - - - - - -

_______Cobrio__4 - 3_'_Dhemixia

___Gilmore 11', 44'| Bolton 24', 47'
____'____'Burke 68'| Obisana 55'
______'Williams 84'|


MotM: COB FW Sherwin Gilmore


____ - - - - - -

______Doubeia__1 - 3_'_Dhemixia

_____'_Umanov 89'| Clarke 25', 67'
_____________''__'| Bolton 51' (p)


MotM: DHE CM Grant Clarke


____ - - - - - -

The Constellation__2 - 4_'_Dhemixia

____''__Cancio 37', 85'| Bolton 18', 54'
______________''____'| Obisana 63', 90'


MotM: DHE ST Jonathan Obisana


Schedule

MD1: Bye
MD2: @ Cobrio L 3-4 (4th)
MD3: vs. Doubeia W 3-1 (3rd)
MD4: @ The Ko-orenite Constellation W 4-2 (1st)
MD5: vs. Drawkland
It's empty.

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Ralsalin
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Posts: 35
Founded: Nov 11, 2023
Father Knows Best State

Postby Ralsalin » Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:02 am

Image


A scene from the life of Rinkan

The day after the Ralsalien victory over Zwangzug, a little boy talked with his mother while walking on the streets of the Ralsalien capital:

— Mom, I want to become a footballer!
— I see, you want to make us happy like our football players did, darling?
— No, I want golden watch from the Emperor!


The sensational victory over Zwangzug have boosted a morale of a whole Order, but, most importantly, of the Ralsalien squad. Every player (maybe, except of Aivars Suta who already broke his new golden watch from the Emperor) had a wonderful mood after the game and finally believed in themselves and their strength. Even the harsh Seibold von Niermann, probably started to believe that his team now have a possibility to make the playoffs, or, in the lucky situation, even the quarterfinals. Although, he never said it in public. The morale of Ralsalien players was on at almost perfect level, and a bye on the third matchday, which gave the team few additional days of rest, helped them a lot.

The Ralsalien Order started the match with the 67th ranked Delaclava in perfect condition, and on the 17th minute Kevin Heen managed to score the first goal of the match. 8 minutes later, Tyler Amundsen equalised the score, but on the 31th minute, another goal was made by the Ralsalien captain and vice-captain. Dietrich von Erlaid delivered a corner kick in the penalty area, where Viktor Aniko scored a header, makind Ralsalin in the lead again. At the end of the first half Kasyan Menon earned a penalty kick, which was scored by Kevin Heen. This was Heen's second goal of the match. The intence and rich in goals match continued after a halftime, and shortly after a break, Jeremy Vonn scored, showing that the match for Delaclava is not over yet, 3-2. But 9 minutes later, Ralsalien captain and vice-captain made the goal again, as after a pass from Viktor Aniko, Dietrich von Erlaid finally managed to score in the Cup of Harmony, 4-2.

After the fourth Ralsalien goal, the game became less intence, as both teams became tired. Seibold von Niermann was not worrying about the match itself anymore. He was more worried about the friendly wager with Tarmo Ritsar. Let us remind, that before the match against Zwangzug, Tarmo Ritsar wanted to feel the atmosphere of an international match again and asked von Niermann for the place on the bench. Absolutely Insane Grandfather joked that he will include Ritsar in the reserves only if The Knights will secure a draw against Zwangzug, which then seemed impossible. He also jokingly sayed that if Ralsalin would somehow win against Zwangzug, then Tarmo Ritsar will even be allowed to play in the Cup of Harmony, as he thought it would never happened.

Suddenly, the impossible thing actually happened, and Ralsalin defeated Zwangzug 2-0. And so, to keep the promise, Seibold von Niermann needed to somehow put Tarmo Ritsar on the field. He thought to sub Nikolai Gosens for Tarmo in the last minutes of the game against Delaclava, to be sure that the appearance of the 41-year old veteran who never played for the national team will not worsen the situation in the match. Von Niermann also was worried that the fans and the press will not understand this strange substitution of a healthy player. But then he remembered that he has the reputation of a madman and recent sensational results probably gave him the right to do what he wants if it brings good results. And so, the coach was calm again.

But on the 89th minute, while taking a goal kick, Nikolai Gosens suffered an injury, tearing one of his muscles and being unable to continue a game. And this was the perfect chance for Siebold von Niermann, who subbed Gosens for Ritsar. The 41-year old third goalkeeper made his debut in the national team, playing for 5 last minutes of the match (the game ended at 90+4). The bad news were that the injury of Gosens would not allow him to participate in the last group match against Vasihnavaria, and Riku Maiyenkar is going to play in a goal.

RALSALIEN TEAM IN PHOTOS


Image

Kevin Heen and Viktor Aniko in action against Zwangzug. In this game, Heen also managed to show good performance, assisting Kasyan Menon in the second Ralsalien goal.


Image

Ralsalin-Delaclava. 10th minute. Kevin Heen with the ball.


Image

18th minute. The celebration of Kevin Heen after he scored the first goal of the match.


Image

59th minute. The happiness and joy of Dietrich von Erlaid. The captain of Ralsalien football team finally scored his first goal at the Cup of Harmony.


Image

62nd minute. Kasyan Menon speaks with the referee, trying to defend Ostap Mungain-Dehane, who recieved a yellow card moments before.


COH-90. MATCHDAY 4.
RALSALIN 4-2 Delaclava

Goals:
1-0 Heen 17'
1-1 Amundsen 25'
2-1 Aniko (von Erlaid) 31'
3-1 Heen (p) 42'
3-2 Vonn (Artakian) 50'
4-2 Von Erlaid (Aniko) 59'

GK Gosens ↓ 89'
(Ritsar ↑ 89')
LB Meine
CB Mungain-Dehane ↓ 70'
(Suta ↑ 70')
CB Tõru
RB Aniko - 1G, 1A
CM Astafjevs
CM Heen - 2G ↓ 76'
(Veerman ↑ 76')
CM Kirtiman Asier
LW (C) von Erlaid - 1G, 1A
RW Sengendwara
CF Menon


Reserves: Maiyenkar, Rosengarten, Shindeberg, Gaikar, Titov, Ainwal, Tikhonov, Muktupāvels.


After a match, another correspondent, Ranmeer Kaido, had an interview with Siebold von Niermann.

Image

— Mister coach, what do you feel now, looking at the group standings? The Ralsalien national team has a very good chance to advance to the playoffs.
— I know about those chances, but are they really so good?
— Yes, mister von Niermann. You see, you are tied on points with Bears Armed and one point ahead of Zwangzug. They are the only opponents who also can advance for the playoffs, and they are playing against each other in the last matchday. Even a draw against Vaishnavaria is enough for your team to advance into playoffs. And it can also secure the playoff spot even after losing! This could happen, if Bears Armed will defeat Zwangzug. Even if they will draw and our team will lose, Ralsalin is going to secure a second place thanks to the personal record against Zwangzug...
— Are you fucking drank like Heentodehain? But i don't smell any vodka from you. Wait... you are not drank. And you are probably right... But come fucking on! Even if the chances are bright, I still know my imbeciles perfectly! They can bottle everything!
— You just called your players "imbeciles" in front of almost all Ralsalien TV viewers.
— Yes, and? They are fucking used to it, and this word now is more used as a joke! Even von Erlaid sometimes jokingly calls himself "the captain of the imbeclies".


Another interestng thing was noticed about the standings of the group E. Ralsalien shares the first place of the group with Bears Armed, and both teams have a perfectly equal result. Ralsalin and Bears Armed both have 7 points, 2 wins, 8 goals scored, 4 goals conceded, and the goal difference of +4. Even head-to head match doesn't decide anything, as it ended with a draw, 2-2.

Image


FR: vs. Indusse #48 (A)         | 0-2

MD1: vs. Bears Armed #51 | 2-2 | 2nd
MD2: vs. Zwangzug #37 | 2-0 | 1st ↑
MD3: bye | 2nd ↓
MD4: vs. Delaclava #67 | 4-2 | 1st ↑
MD5: vs. Vaishnavaria #98


MD5 vs. Vaishnavaria: Maiyenkar - Meine, Shindeberg, Tõru, Aniko (VC) - Astafjevs, Heen, Kirtiman Asier - von Erlaid (C), Minsen-Dwarasen, Menon.
Substitutes: Ritsar, Rosengarten, Suta, Mungain-Dehane, Gaikar, Veerman, Ainwal, Titov, Sengendwara, Tikhonov, Blagonadeždins, Muktupāvels
Last edited by Ralsalin on Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:18 am, edited 3 times in total.
stupid piece of bread.

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Aleirave
Spokesperson
 
Posts: 138
Founded: Jul 08, 2021
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Aleirave » Fri Feb 07, 2025 9:56 am

The Final Showdown
Aleirave 4-3 Vetrahjart

A whole lot of goals were sent flying in the MD4 tilt between the Seagulls and the Käsklalas, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't enough. While Aleirave had won the match, Vetrahjart had held a third straight match to within a single goal, and now, the ball was in Grand Exultia's court on the way into Matchday 5. All they needed to do was not lose, while the Seagulls, despite their best efforts to stomp every team they faced on their way into this match, had to take the win.

Neraveke Ho'uminalu led scoring with two goals for the Islander side, and she didn't have any doubts about the team's performance when asked. "It was a wild game, for sure. Neither side's defence fared too well, but hey, that only means more opportunities for us strikers, haha."

But of course, these three wins were only just appetizers compared to what was about to come. Ever since the group was drawn, all eyes were watching what was about to unfold on MD5, as the Seagulls took their third attempt to beat the team from Grand Exultia. Their 0-1-1 record against them in qualifying had been a large catalyst for their failure to qualify out of Group 18, those five points they dropped being almost all that separated them from third place and a trip to the playoffs. (They would still be behind Reçueçn on tiebreaks, but the improved morale from not losing to Grand Exultia could well have made up that difference.)

This was very much a revenge match for them, and with everything on the line, this was all or nothing. Sure, they would be going to the playoffs anyway, but the spot in the quarterfinals and the improved seeding that would come with it could well be the difference between winning the tournament and an early crashout. First place wasn't just a possibility, it was the only possibility.

The schedule, however, was another thing working against them here. Aleirave, with their bye on MD1, had just played three matches in quick succession and were gearing up for this to be their fourth, whereas Grand Exultia had plenty of rest from having their bye on MD4. Everything, and I mean everything, seemed to be points in Grand Exultia's favour, but that wasn't going to stop Haulafo Paka'ula from thinking positively about this match. "We've had time to learn about them, you know? From losing the first match, then drawing the second... those were chances to gather experience, to figure them out. You could already tell by our [MD9] match at the Old Grounds that we learned a ton, and we're ready to put that knowledge to good use. They had the element of surprise in the early game, but they don't anymore. This is our time to shine."



riiiiing
riiiiing

“Hello?”
“Hey Coach, it’s been a while…”

The familiar voice of Katya Olayeva rang through Haulafo’s phone before the big match against Grand Exultia was set to begin. “Hey, can this wait just a little, we’re starting in like 5 minutes…”

“That’s okay, I just had something super quick to ask you. You can think about it while the team is playing, I’m not going to keep you–”
“Okay, what do you want to ask?”

“Have you ever considered a spot on the Island Council? We’ve filled in 4 of the seats, and we figured nobody knows the heart of Aleirave quite like you… you’d be a really good fit!”

“Me? Politics?” Haulafo couldn’t believe this suggestion. It sounded absolutely crazy to him, why would he ever want to be involved in that world?

“I promise, it’s not really that much work. I’ll be there to help you with the whole thing, all you really have to do is provide some input about the island and vote on a few things… you can even stay on as manager if you want. I just think there’s no better choice than you. In a way, you made the current Aleirave possible!”

“How so?”

“Just look at what happened after Tereyev was killed. In that moment, nobody thought Aleiravans and Klysevians could ever get along, except you! You were the only one who had hope, and just look at how it all turned out. It was all thanks to you.”

“Listen, I’m flattered, but…” a whistle blew, signaling that the match was set to start soon. “I really do have to go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“So you’ll think about it?”
“Maybe, maybe… but right now there’s only one thing on my mind.”
“Of course, get out there and make the island proud. Tell the team I love them!”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Haulafo said with a smile before hanging up the phone.

“Alright gang, listen up, it’s time for the show…”
All my posts are IC unless I either explicitly say so or they're on NSG.

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Bears Armed
Postmaster of the Fleet
 
Posts: 21602
Founded: Jun 01, 2006
Civil Rights Lovefest

Postby Bears Armed » Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:11 am

(Here is another entry from the diary of footballer Steffannee Bruin, although with exact dates omitted due to the difficulty of matching calendars bearing in mind differing time-flows in different nations. This specific post is from the day after this tournament’s MD4.)

Spent the day sightseeing around town, Hrrobb accompanying me, but had to go carefully: Carrying near-term foetuses might be easier for Ursines than it is for Humans, generally, but twins would be hrrather a load for anybearry. I’ll be hrreally glad hwhen they’re born.
And I’m already sure that they both want to become footballers hwhen they grow up, from the way that they kick so much… and how they kick even more hwhile I’m watching games. Fortunately playing classical music usually calms them down: They seem especially like the works of Bearroque composers like Jay Effbark or Vivendi.

Anyhows, having yesterday as a ‘bye’ for the Belles was a nice break… and probably a useful one, too, because it gave ourr girls a chance to rest before their match against the group’s top seed Zwanzug… Not that Zwanzug’s team is actually topping the group, though, of course: The team matching urrs there is the one from Ralsalin, the group’s lowest-ranked side, hwho have for true been “wresting above their weight”… and they still have a game to play, too. It could be either of urrs or even Zwanzug who end up topping the group and automatically going through to the next round, depending on how the final day of ‘group stage’ matches goes…. And if either the Belles or Ralsalin’s team doesn’t win their game then, they’d still be in contention to be the most successful runner-up from all five groups which also would take them through to the next round without needing a playoff.
I’m hoping that the Belles win their next game — and then the Cup itself, too — of course!


__________________________________________________________

OOC notes
Classical music having a calming effect on unborn children: Supported by evidence from RL, IIRC.
‘Bearroque _ roughly contemporary with RL ‘Baroque’.
‘Jay Effbark’ _ The inclusion of bird species’ names among possible forenames for Bears isn’t a new idea. The surname ‘Effbark’ originated during the time when his family was one of the few who knew the secret of how to process bark from the ‘Effbush’ (which is a conifer, and is quite closely related to the RL genus Cryptomeria) into a rather ginger-like spice. He was a member of Clan Redwood.
‘Vivendi’ _ a composer among the Ouesttree-speaking immigrants (whose language & culture had been influenced by the Human ones of Italy & southern France) who settled in south-western Bears Armed during the Bearroque period.
“wrestling above their weight” instead of the RL expression “punching above their weight is
The Confrederated Clans (and other Confrederated Bodys) of the Free Bears of Bears Armed
(includes The Ursine NorthLands) Demonym = Bear[s]; adjective = ‘Urrsish’.
Population = just under 20 million. Economy = only Thriving. Average Life expectancy = c.60 years. If the nation is classified as 'Anarchy' there still is a [strictly limited] national government... and those aren't "biker gangs", they're traditional cross-Clan 'Warrior Societies', generally respected rather than feared.
Author of some GA Resolutions, via Bears Armed Mission; subject of an SC resolution.
Factbook. We have more than 70 MAPS. Visitors' Guide.
The IDU's WA Drafting Room is open to help you.
Author of issues #429, 712, 729, 934, 1120, 1152, 1474, 1521.

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Drawkland
Senator
 
Posts: 4793
Founded: Aug 27, 2013
Inoffensive Centrist Democracy

Battle of the D

Postby Drawkland » Fri Feb 07, 2025 10:50 am

How does a rivalry form?

For many teams, it's a divisional league format that pits you against another team so frequently that you know their roster almost as well as your own. Geographic proximity is a key factor in many rivalries, especially at the national level. Sometimes it's not a team you play often, but one whose clashes with you are always on the biggest stage. Playoffs. Championships. Your biggest games come when the lights are brightest, making the result that much more impactful. In some cases, a single game or even a single play can have such a huge influence on a season that tensions boil over, creating an animosity between two otherwise innocuous opponents. Sometimes a player or coach switches sides, their traitorous ways inspiring you to despise a team you'd normally hardly care for. For newer leagues and teams, you sometimes even get behind-the-scenes agreements between executives to inorganically force a sense of rivalry between your fanbases just to make things interesting.

Those are all fairly valid reasons to have a rivalry with another team. In rare cases, there's no reason at all.

The national sports rivalry between Drawkland and Dhemixia may be the most bizarre one of all. Two fanbases online absolutely at each other's throats, constantly antagonizing each other. These clowns haven't even played a game each other at any level, in any sport. Against all odds, the Cup of Harmony matchday five clash between Drawkland and Dhemixia carries more than just playoff seeding implications. Fans at the Hellgate will be the first to ever witness this "classic."

The Battle of the D!

At least, that's what the weird fans on social media are calling it. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when this supposed rivalry first started. It was clearly earlier than the group draw for this Cup, considering the strangely big reaction from fans once the group draw for the Cup of Harmony was posted. The world's top internet scientists were conscripted to the task of finding exactly how it all began. The results were inconclusive, but there are several leading theories.

The first known interaction between Dhemixian and Drawkian fans came in college football circles, mostly thanks to the international nature of the NSCF. Peculiarly, neither Drawkland's entries (Sadeg State and Cavsar) nor Dhemixia's entry (Columbus-Prairie) have had any interaction. They're in separate conferences and have never played in out-of-conference games. None of these teams have even had particularly notable playoff runs since UCP entered the league. Both teams already have several rival teams that fans consider more important. Private investigators even confirmed there were no borderline sketchy communications between athletic department for any school. Simply put, there's no logical reason any of these fanbases should have beef.

A real breakthrough came when studying fan interactions with the Llamaphant Professional Baseball league, a multi-national domestic baseball league that garners interest from across the multiverse. Despite the fact that all but 1 of the 24 teams in the league are located in Super-Llamaland or South Newlandia, many teams have large foreign fanbases thanks to those squads pulling talent from national team rosters of World Baseball Classic participants. For Dhemixia, this team happens to be the Rüsselsheim Blue Sox, who employ 3 Dhemixians on their roster. That doesn't sound like a lot, but Dhemixian baseball isn't exactly overflowing with talent. For Drawkians the choice is much more obvious: the Jaffro Drawks, the one team outside of South Newlandia that still participates in the South Newlandian league. An older South Newlandian franchise called the Dragons decided to move from their old home, and Jaffro, a city on Drawkland's northern coast, won the bid for relocation. They, too, employ multiple of their countrymen, making fan support from Drawkians obvious.

Even then, the Drawks and the Blue Sox have very little interaction beyond the typical schedule, as they don't even play in the same division. They have no playoff interaction, as the Blue Sox missed the playoffs in the most recent season, where tensions between Dhemixian and Drawkian fans seemed to begin. The Drawks, of course, won the South Newlandian league and went on to represent them in the Multiverse Series, but that nothing to do with the Blue Sox, who finished dead last in their division. Still, the fanbases seemed to have some serious debates, mostly with the delusional Dhemixian Blue Sox fans who believed their squad would win the championship series in a sweep next year, creating the refrain "Blue Sox in Four!" The average Drawkian fan responds by demanding these Dhemixian fans take their psychiatric medication which they clearly lack.

It seems these online battles only multiplied. Similar to a viral infection, the understanding between different fanbases in the same nation was contagious. Now NSCF fans from both nations are demanding that their squads do battle in the next round of out-of-conference games. And when the Cup of Harmony draw was announced, fans from both nations were ecstatic that they could finally have something concrete to throw at their new online rivals, assuming their team actually takes care of business.

So yeah, a lot more is at stake here than just a more advantageous run in the Cup of Harmony playoffs. Bragging rights for months are on the line. An easy slam-dunk to shut down your opponent's argument. "I don't care if you're right in this debate, your team lost to us in the Cup of Harmony! Get lost!" This is truly crucial soccer coming up, folks.

The Outbox League also exists.

Funnily enough, this perfectly coincides with the founding of The Outbox League, a multi-national domestic league featuring teams from Drawkland and Dhemixia, as well as South Newlandia and Ranoria. This will surely only increase the beef between these two nations, but with the fanbases split among multiple teams (not to mention many Drawkian domestic soccer fanbases not included), it will all pale in comparison to the results of this MD5 contest.

Will the Battle of the D be conclusive, forcing a team to suffer as rawkland or hemixia? Or will this clash be inconclusive thanks to action from Drawkland and Dhrawmixia? Only time will tell.
United Dalaran wrote:Goddammit, comrade. I just knew that someday some wild, capitalist, imperialist interstellar empire will swallow our country.

CN on the RMB wrote:drawkland's leader has survived so many assassination attempts that I am fairly certain he is fidel castro in disguise
The INTERSTELLAR EMPIRE of DRAWKLAND
____________________
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Valanora
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5061
Founded: Sep 03, 2007
Democratic Socialists

Postby Valanora » Fri Feb 07, 2025 11:38 am

The end of the group stage has arrived. 10 nations get to stay in the Empire, who will they be? Matchday 5 Cutoff
Matchday 5

Group A
The Ko-orenite Constellation 1–2 Cobrio
Drawkland 0–1 Dhemixia

P Group A                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Dhemixia 4 3 0 1 11 7 +4 9 Q
2 Drawkland 4 2 0 2 3 2 +1 6* SPT
3 Doubeia 4 2 0 2 6 6 0 6*
4 Cobrio 4 2 0 2 7 8 −1 6*
5 The Ko-orenite Constellation 4 1 0 3 4 8 −4 3
*Cobrio eliminated in first round by H2H GD, Drawkland ahead on H2H


Group B
Kanzlia 5–2 Patriotlandia
Indusse 4–3 Saterun

P Group B                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Omerica 4 3 1 0 12 7 +5 10 Q
2 Kanzlia 4 2 0 2 8 5 +3 6 SPT
3 Patriotlandia 4 1 1 2 11 12 −1 4
4 Indusse 4 1 1 2 7 12 −5 4
5 Saterun 4 1 1 2 8 10 −2 4


Group C
Vetrahjart 1–1 Captina Island
Grand Exultia 1–1 Aleirave

P Group C                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Grand Exultia 4 3 1 0 10 4 +6 10* Q
2 Aleirave 4 3 1 0 11 6 +5 10* SPT
3 Oberour Ar Moro 4 2 0 2 9 12 −3 6
4 Vetrahjart 4 0 1 3 5 8 −3 1
5 Captina Island 4 0 1 3 4 9 −5 1
*Grand Exultia ahead on GD


Group D
Reçueçn 1–0 Nova Calania
Eraman 2–3 Bohr

P Group D                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Reçueçn 4 4 0 0 9 2 +7 12 Q
2 Milchama 4 2 0 2 3 6 −3 6* SPT
3 Nova Calania 4 2 0 2 5 3 +2 6*
4 Bohr 4 1 0 3 3 7 −4 3
5 Eraman 4 1 0 3 7 9 −2 3
*Milchama ahead on H2H


Group E
Vaishnavaria 0–3 Ralsalin
Bears Armed 1–3 Zwangzug

P Group E                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ralsalin 4 3 1 0 11 4 +7 10 Q
2 Zwangzug 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9 SPT
3 Bears Armed 4 2 1 1 9 7 +2 7
4 Vaishnavaria 4 1 0 3 5 9 −4 3
5 Delaclava 4 0 0 4 6 13 −7 0


Second Place Table
P Group 2nd                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
2 Aleirave 4 3 1 0 11 6 +5 10 Q
2 Zwangzug 4 3 0 1 6 4 +2 9
2 Kanzlia 4 2 0 2 8 5 +3 6
2 Drawkland 4 2 0 2 3 2 +1 6
2 Milchama 4 2 0 2 3 6 −3 6


Play-in Fixtures
Zwangzug v Milchama @ Hatire Memorial, Capri
Kanzlia v Drawkland @ Raynor Memorial, Hondo

Quarterfinal Fixtures
1. Reçueçn v 8. Zwangzug/Milchama @ Donna Cathedral, Mar Sara
4. Omerica v 5. Dhemixia @ Caddo Park, Caddo
3. Grand Exultia v 6. Aleirave @ Hellgate, Raynor City
2. Ralsalin v 7. Kanzlia/Drawkland @ Rose Gardens, Kareen
Last edited by Valanora on Fri Feb 07, 2025 12:29 pm, edited 3 times in total.
World Cup 40, 42, 43, 52, & 61 Champions
WC 47, 51, 94 (2nd), WC 34, 38, 39, 41, 44, 45, 53, 60, 67, 92 (3rd), WC 49, 58, 87, 90 (Semifinalist), WC 33, 35-37, 46, 48, 54, 55, 62, 63, 65, 72, 83, 85, 86, 88, 91 (Quarterfinalist)
WCoH VII, VIII, XVII, XXVIII, XXX, XXXII (1st), WCoH I, XXXI, XL (2nd), WCoH II, XXIX (3rd), WCoH XII (4th)
AOCAF 44, 46, 51, 53, 65, 68 Champions, AOCAF 39, 43, 55, 59, 64 Runners Up
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Zwangzug
Negotiator
 
Posts: 5334
Founded: Oct 19, 2006
Left-wing Utopia

Postby Zwangzug » Fri Feb 07, 2025 4:54 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier


When Zwangzug and the Bear-Belles crossed paths in the World Cup 96 qualifiers, it was a heartening sign that, despite our two countries' very different cultures and stylistic approaches, we could both appreciate such pastimes as Quidditch and chess. There are, of course, plenty of new faces on both sides since then, and perhaps the most noteworthy is one that most fans will not have glimpsed--that being Arra O Hara, the "invisible Wabbit" who plays in right midfield--or, really, just about wherever she wants--for the Belles. O Hara scored Bears Armed's only goal of this encounter, in minute 52. "She was somewhat challenging to mark," admitted Eileen Gainsborough. "But, you know, we'd already faced the gnomes, and she seemed to be at least...comparable to us in size, and wasn't sporting any springs in her cleats. So, really, that's about all you can ask for."

"I had no idea that the Bears had northeastern accents too!" gushed Brian Spand-Maunk. "Wabbits are weally wapid, and she was wesilient and wesourceful up and down the wight ring. Uh, wing."

"Blanche is too polite to say anything, but I could tell she was a little anxious at the possibility that O Hara might be offsides and the referee wouldn't call it," said Jubilee McGraw. "However, her kit was just as visible and vulnerable to offsides traps as anyone else's. We can't be sure she wasn't handling the ball, of course, but the ref said she just had very fine ear control. And, honestly, if anyone can be trusted on matters of ears, it's the Vanorians."

A few fans from Twineur were very eager to make the acquaintance of Krrystal Bruin, who hails from the WestWoods clan, and learn whether she was any relationship to other Westwood Bruins they had heard of from somewhere or another; Bruin, who is expecting to become a grandmother soon, showed extreme patience with the annoying tourists, but clearly had better things on her mind.

Zwangzug, it should be noted, actually won the game, largely thanks to offensive performances from players who were on that WC96 team. Spand-Maunk, who scored in both legs of the qualifiers, made the difference today with Zwangzug's second goal, in minute 40. The opening goal had come from Awidlyon Reed, who was stuck on the bench behind Stephen Marcus two cycles ago; Harold Carre, yet another player from that dominant Ephesian side, added on in stoppage time. This was enough to advance in second place behind a surprisingly dominant Ralsalin sides. In the playoff round, Zwangzug will face Milchama, who are the top-seeded team in the competition overall, but may be better known to local fans for their baseball prowess.

"Nicholas was going on about how the playoff structure was kind of weird because there were 10 teams," said Gainsborough. "And the Belles' advisor, Lovegood or something, was staring at him like she didn't know what he was talking about. So I told him to knock it off, it's not polite to gloat against a team that wasn't advancing. But only later did I realize...they use base eight, so of course '10' teams would be a very easy number to seed a playoff bracket with. Oops."
Factbook
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