85th Cup of Harmony [rosters/RPs/results]

by **Eura** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:34 pm

CUP OF HARMONY 85 – GROUP 7 MATCHDAY 1
Sargossa 2-0 Eura
Scorers:
n/a
Lineup:
1. T Hammond
2. A Mason
4. J Menard
5. M Hart
3. L Almwood
6. J Gates (sub Champion 74)
8. O Vincent (sub Clarke 74)
12. D Barnes (sub Coffey 69)
7. A Woodman (sub West 80)
9. A Sharp
14. K Archer (sub Holden 62)

emplor.eur/main/sport/football
SARGOSSANS MANIFEST MERSON MISERY
Eura slump to opening day defeat at Cup of Harmony

Euran fans travelling to southeast Graintfjall for the Cup of Harmony had little to celebrate as they watched their side go down limply to a Pablo Alarcón brace.

In just his second game in charge, interim manager Glen Merson deployed a “strong” line-up (if there is such a thing these days) against a traditional Euran regional rival in both sport and other arenas. Unfortunately, Eura’s underwhelming record against the Corsairs was worsened by this performance, with Eura off the pace from the word go. 13 minutes was all it took for Alarcón to stroke home a delightful opener after a perfectly weighted diagonal ball from Orlando Segovia dropped perfectly for Alarcón to finish.

Tom Hammond’s continued shakiness dealing with set pieces was ruthlessly exposed shortly afterwards as he flailed at a corner that almost went in directly, before being cleared off the line by stalwart Jack Menard. The 1830 Cathair centreback must wish he was born into a different generation of Euran footballers – once again he proved to be the only consistent member of a backline that on paper should be formidable, but in practice comes undone all too often.

Eura managed to string together a couple of spells of possession and pressure towards the break but without creating any meaningful chances before a killer blow in first half stoppage time, Alarcón getting luckier this time as an instinctive, flashing drive from outside the area clipped Lucy Almwood’s heel and deflected under Hammond’s outstretched left leg. One of Eura’s most talented ever left backs looks set to end her international career with a back catalogue of disappointment, and this episode won’t have given her any silver linings to remember fondly.

It was a particularly disappointing evening for Oscar Vincent who looked as if he couldn’t wait for the domestic season to return. The midfielder exchanged what appeared to be strong and possibly quite petulant words with Merson as he was hauled off in the 74th minute, replaced by club teammate and international debutant Roy Champion. Champion and another newbie, Owen Holden, put in tidy performances after both coming off the bench, but this was barely anything to celebrate on yet another evening to forget for the once great Euran national team.

Pundits such as former Euran international Kris Campbell, whose new column for the Emplor starts tomorrow, now expect Merson to make major changes to the side for the next game, including a return to the starting line-up for Owen James and Sophie Singh. But the significance of these switches seems almost irrelevant in the shadow of the major reforms being discussed as the government’s review into Euran football continues apace.

Gold League clubs have held a secretive summit with Minister of Sport Peter Lake, and reports from inside that meeting suggest Lake gave club owners a dressing down like they have never seen before. Social Party insiders claim Lake rebuked the ownership class of the Euran footballing elite for harvesting massive profits without increasing investment in the grassroots game, even claiming that some clubs still hadn’t repaid government loans for the state-backed stadium expansion programme instituted decades ago.

by **Graintfjall** » Tue Mar 14, 2023 4:59 pm

Logo made by Qasden.

RP cutoff for MD2

Please note that from now on, all cutoffs will be at 2359 UTC i.e. the back end of the former "window".

Group 1
Cap Nord 4–4 Saint Eleanor*
Valentine Z 3–2 Aleirave
Lozho 1–1 Eshialand

  Group 1                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand                          2   1  1  0    4   1  +3    4
2 Cap Nord                           2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
3 Valentine Z                        2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
4 Saint Eleanor                      2   0  2  0    8   8   0    2
5 Aleirave                           2   0  1  1    6   7  −1    1
  Lozho                              2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group 2
Cassadaigua 0–0 Trolleborg
Elmyia 2–4 HUElavia
West Barack and East Obama 0–0 Saterun

  Group 2                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cassadaigua                        2   1  1  0    4   1  +3    4
2 HUElavia                           2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Saterun                            2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
  Trolleborg                         2   0  2  0    0   0   0    2
5 Elmyia                             2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1
6 West Barack and East Obama         2   0  1  1    1   4  −3    1

Group 3
Fort McKinley 0–1 Mytanija
Patriotlandia 0–2 Darmen
Poafmersia 2–1 Krytenia

  Group 3                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mytanija                           2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
2 Poafmersia                         2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Krytenia                           2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Darmen                             2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
5 Fort McKinley                      2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
6 Patriotlandia                      2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group 4
Oberour Ar Moro 1–1 Mertagne
Stevencousin 0–0 Ceni
Eraman 0–1 Naixi

  Group 4                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mertagne                           2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
2 Naixi                              2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Eraman                             2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Stevencousin                       2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
5 Oberour Ar Moro                    2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
6 Ceni                               2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1

Group 5
Ile de Richelieu 4–5 Qasden
Sendhang 2–1 Audioslavia
Ziwana 2–2 Baggieland

  Group 5                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Qasden                             2   2  0  0    6   4  +2    6
  Sendhang                           2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
3 Ile de Richelieu                   2   1  0  1    7   7   0    3
4 Baggieland                         2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
  Ziwana                             2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
6 Audioslavia                        2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0

Group 6
Cardenao 0–1 Acastanha
Saperetia 2–3 Independent Athletes from Quebec
Aeragny 1–1 Xanneria

  Group 6                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Independent Athletes from Quebec   2   2  0  0    7   4  +3    6
2 Aeragny                            2   1  1  0    5   3  +2    4
3 Acastanha                          2   1  0  1    3   4  −1    3
4 Xanneria                           2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
5 Saperetia                          2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1
6 Cardenao                           2   0  0  2    2   5  −3    0

Group 7
Kimi-suomi 4–5 Eura
Estorvipa and Estorpiva 0–1 Sargossa
Brookstation 1–0 Kirungabi

  Group 7                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Brookstation                       2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
  Sargossa                           2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
3 Eura                               2   1  0  1    5   6  −1    3
4 Estorvipa and Estorpiva            2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
  Kirungabi                          2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
6 Kimi-suomi                         2   0  0  2    4   7  −3    0

Group 8
Gnejs 2–1 New Gelderland
Srubnaya culture 0–5 Drawkland
Atheara 0–0 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom

  Group 8                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                          2   1  1  0    9   4  +5    4
2 Atheara                            2   1  1  0    2   0  +2    4
3 Gnejs                              2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
4 Srubnaya culture                   2   1  0  1    3   7  −4    3
5 New Gelderland                     2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1
  Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom          2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1

* This result mildly spooked me. I have no idea the odds to two successive 4-4 draws but I imagine they're pretty low. I have checked the file over, and I quickly ran a test simulation in which I could find nothing wrong. It appears to be a genuine random chance.

by **Elmyia** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 12:55 am

The Overlap
Elmyia are still mid - But here's what Porras is trying

So what have we learnt, two competitive games into the Porras era? Well, for all his Cup of Harmony expertise, Elmyia are effectively eliminated from the Cup of Harmony already. With a defeat against HUElavia, it would take a lot going in their direction to crack the top 2 now. Secondly, we have seen a far more ambitious Elmyia in attack, although this has started to cause problems at the other end. Let's dig into it.

As Rafa Benitez once said, 'football is like a short blanket. If I cover my head, I uncover my feet, and vice versa'. Beyond the obvious jokes about Peter Crouch, this has been clear here for Elmyia. The problem was one of a lack of bite, a difficulty going forward against teams of stripes and struggling to bag results as a consequence. Porras has come in and pulled the blanket down (or up, the metaphor is unclear), Elmyia now have much more going forward, but at the expense of uncovering the defence.

Massi had always built safety into his plans. He prefered to attack through counters alone, committing the centre-forwards and wingers, with the central midfielders holding their positions to provide a structure if they lost the ball. Porras has said bollocks to that. Now they play in a 4-3-3, and barring three players, everyone else has been picked for their attacking intent. Galli and Depel flanked the midfield against HUElavia, both focused on moving play rapidly upfield, Galli through her dribbling and Depel through ambitious forward passes. The full-backs spent a lot of time as well going beyond the wingers to try and swing in crosses. This was great when it worked, Elmyia looked confident going forward, but they often found HUElavia running into vacated space going the other way.

Top coaches committed to an attacking way of life tend to do two things that Porras hasn't. The first is having better players, which in fairness is out of Porras' control. Elmyia have one world class player, Froggatt, who has the ability to turn a defence inside-out, other than her there's a combination of the young and promising and honest experienced battlers. The second thing is they usually set up an in possession structure that can cover against counter-attacks, and that also manages the level of risk with passing.

Top international and national sides tend to have either a 3-2 or 2-3 structure at the back in possession. This can be composed in multiple ways, but 5 players provides ample cover against quick breaks. At times, Elmyia had at most three players back, Freschi, Savalas and Simmons covering the full pitch. They sat tight, centrally and this was really making the best of a bad situation. Two HUElavia goals came directly from these situations, with Navarro-Hamada backing up the front three to overwhelm the three. Most of the time, one of the full-backs, or maybe Galli, would hold back, but given such license to express themselves there were plenty of occassions where all three were focused on bombing forward, rather than providing cover.

The second issue Elmyia seemed to have was the hurried nature of their passing. Galli, Depel, Beresford and Katsouranis were all guilty of this, playing far too direct and aggressive, losing possession and putting their own team under pressure. It's unclear whether this was part of a deliberate plan to move forward at pace, or if it was an unhappy side effect of trying to instill the new attacking style. Against the 4-3-3 of HUElavia, Elmyia frequently lost the ball with the midfielders screening the passing lanes into the front three effectively. Elmyia's two goals came, instead, from beating isolated full-backs, and largely Froggatt's own brilliance, bagging herself a goal and an assist. Rossi also bagged a goal to add to his paltry pre-existing total.

What for Elmyia moving forward? Fortunately, both of these problems can be dealt with through work on the training ground. One big upside is individual players look increasingly confident trying things out, this is probably the right lineup to take forward for now. With time, the defence and the midfield will build the understanding of when to hold back and when to go. Porras having time to focus on the possession structure as well should improve the fluidity of the passing and allow the players to pick the correct option moving forward.

Having been dispatched by HUElavia, the next game against Cassadaigua might prove a bloodbath. A team that, in all honesty, should be in the main event, they put West Barack and East Obama to the sword with ease, before Trolleborg held them to a 0-0 draw. This uneven form might give Elmyia some hope, but they're facing an attacking side with a similar formation with significantly more savoir-faire. I'd expect goals, I also expect Elmyia to get turned over.

Elmyia 			2 - 4 		HUElavia
 Froggatt (27')			 Rossi-Rigoni (22', 56')
 Rossi (66')				 Hwangbo (90+2')
					 Amezcua (63')
Assists:
Depel (27')				Navarro-Hamada (22', 90+2')
Froggatt (66')				Couto (56')
					Aveiro (63')

1.  Butler
2.  Katsouranis 
14. Savalas 
4.  Freschi
17. Beresford  (Scoular 60')
19. Galli  (Hightower 60')
6.  Simmons  
16. Depel 
23. Rossi 
20. Whittingham 
11. Froggatt  

Bench: 
3.  Grosso
5.  Scoular  60'
7.  Beluigi
8.  Speight 
12. Silver 
13. Awfield 
21. Beaugemont 
22. Hightower  60'

by **Stevencousin** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:45 am

Want to find an interesting port? Here are 3 ~~4 hipster cafes~~ hotels and resorts to make you dizzy in Cassaholm! (Part 3)
LocalSpotStar

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5

1. WildDoor Cassaholm
The facilities and services provided by WildDoor Cassaholm ensure guests' enjoyable stay. Send pictures and answer your emails anytime, with the hotel's free Wi-Fi internet access. If you come by car, you will definitely appreciate the free parking in the hotel area. The hotel provides front desk services such as safety deposit boxes and luggage storage for guest convenience. In-room amenities such as daily housekeeping and room service make staying here a good choice. The hotel is a completely non-smoking area, thus ensuring a clean air environment. Smoking is restricted to designated areas only for the health and well-being of all guests and staff. Rooms at WildDoor Cassaholm are designed with guests in mind. Enjoy your stay even more at the hotel knowing that some select rooms include air conditioning, linen service, and blackout curtains. Rooms at WildDoor Cassaholm come in a variety of layout options including rooms with balconies or terraces and exotic living rooms. Start your vacation days in the best possible way. Start each morning with breakfast at the accommodation. Don't let hunger ruin your vacation! The on-site restaurant provides convenient and delicious dining options. WildDoor Cassaholm is ready to meet your specific needs. A wide variety of dishes including nutritious and rare are offered for guests with dietary restrictions. The recreational facilities at WildDoor Cassaholm are designed for escape and relaxation. Warm up in the sauna. Burn off your vacation calories with a quick trip to the hotel's fitness facility. Have fun with friends or family, or meet new people in the shared lounge and TV. Oh yes, WildDeck Casino is on the roof level offering a 360˚ view around southeast Cassaholm.

2. NewOxygen Hotel
You'll be sure to see most of the sights in Parliament Creek, Cassaholm when you stay at the NewOxygen Hotel, right in the heart of the city center near all the famous landmarks. Take your time to enjoy the sun, surf, and all that goes with it while staying at the NewOxygen Hotel, just 3 miles from Parliament Cross Beach. At NewOxygen Hotel, guests are sure to enjoy a stress-free stay. Free internet access is available within the hotel area to keep you connected throughout your stay. The hotel provides a taxi service to help you find anything you want in Parliament Creek, Cassaholm. For guests arriving by car, parking is provided free of charge. You'll have no problem planning your day and transportation needs with front desk services that include concierge services, safety deposit boxes, and luggage storage. You can bring a few clothes to NewOxygen Hotel because the hotel's dry cleaning and laundry services keep your clothes clean. Just want to relax? Services provided such as daily housekeeping and room service allow you to make the most of your time at NewOxygen Hotel. For health reasons, smoking is not allowed anywhere in the hotel area. this is your chance to explore all that Parliament Creek has to offer. Whatever you might want to buy on your trip to Parliament Creek, chances are you'll find it at Sir Markus Mall located 1.4 km away. You will definitely want to visit the Museum of Parliament located just 490 m away, one of the most sought-after pictures by anyone visiting Parliament Creek.

3. BlackBadger Inn
If you're holidaying in Cassaholm, one place that offers exclusive accommodation is BlackBadger, known as BlackB to the locals. Strategically located at the intersection of Waltermore Street and Colonel Arbits Street in Cassaholm, this hotel has 195 contemporary design rooms with free WiFi. It is only a 5-minute drive from the city's business and shopping districts. Just a 5-minute walk to the FedLine 3 MRT train station via the connecting bridge from the hotel to discover what Cassaholm has to offer. Accessible to famous tourist attractions such as Merques History Tower, AquaFest Hall, Smitz Central, National Art Museum, CassaMart, Lombardi Street, and New Casborn Street. 5-minute walk to Manterio Portrait Museum and accessible to/from Cassaholm International Airport. Located within a 10 km radius of popular tourist attractions, shopping districts and business hubs, and the foodie haven of Cassaholm.

85th Cup of Harmony

MD	MATCH                                     STADIUM                            SCORER
MD2	Stevencousin 0–0 Ceni                     Readymann Ground, Fixmouth         Ceni: - | Stevencousin:-

by **Cassadaigua** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:49 am

Next in line after Byers? Plus a game summary,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

With the news of Brittany Byers stepping down as the manager of the Cassadagan senior team, though leaving the door open to possibly coach the junior level teams, there will obviously be a lot of speculation as to who the next manager of the team will be. I am going to look through the candidates in a bit but first I want to thank everyone for all of the well wishes that I received after announcing my own retirement. Again, it has been a joy to have covered so many international tournaments and I hope all of you have gotten some enjoyment from reading my pieces even with all of the spelling or grammar mistakes that I might made and the editors allow to go into print or online anyway. Many of you have offered suggestions of where I could go to spend my retirement, and I do appreciate them, but I have made out a list of the countries that I enjoyed going to more than others and all of the sights that I can experience. Something that is high on my list is going back to Sonnel but taking the slow route in order to get there. Where I am right now, Graintfjall, is a nice place too but it gets awfully cold here. Anyway, enough about me! Let's take a moment to talk about the potential successors to Brittany Byers.

Let us begin by talking about international candidates. After all, it was a man from Peisandros, Alexander Pappas, who led up to our championships in World Cup 50 and 51. CASE will be monitoring what happens internationally, but they are unlikely to take any "up and coming names" from another nation. Instead, what they will be looking for is someone who has been to the World Cup consistently and may have been let go recently, or a top assistant from an established, long time power. Tactically, it would be helpful for the candidate if they would thrive in an offensively (but not excessively so) minded system, since that would play to the current strengths of the team. It would be helpful, but not required for the person to have experience managing female players, but if they do not have said experience, that they are willing and fully comfortable to work with that type of roster. CASE will probably be looking for candidates, but if there is anyone out there that feels that they are a great candidate for this position, they should reach out to the CASE offices via the usual means of contact.

If CASE opts to keep the manager Cassadagan, the easiest name to insert into the role would be Hannah Shanley as she is the assistant to Brittany Byers right now while gaining significant experience managing junior teams from time to time. Byers herself was the assistant to Stephanie Sweeney when she was named into the head role, so there is plenty of precedent out there for the promotion of assistants. However, many speculate that any decision on Shanley will give us a bigger clue as to whether or not Byers personally wanted to resign for herself, or if it was a forced resignation behind the scenes to allow her to save face from being called "fired". If Shanley does get the role, then CASE is telling us that they are fine with the status quo and with what Byers had done to this point. If it is not that woman who has served as Brittany's main assistant since World Cup 85, then the suspicion will only grow that they may have sacked Byers if she didn't resign. There would be further logic to retaining Shanley, as the manager of Starksville United since they are also the club side of Lexi McGregor, a player who figures to be the go-to player on this roster as a goal scorer for a significant amount of time. On the flip side, some think that is a negative, since Shanley could be too loyal to McGregor (something that could get in the way of players like Chloe Anderson, Rachel Boldin, and Carly Patterson at least for the next World Cup). Hannah has also been criticized within the CSL for being too "soft" on problematic players, and being in charge of a team that takes an above average amount of undisciplined fouls on the pitch. Perhaps, that is the personnel that she has, but it is something to consider. It may be best for Hannah to remain an assistant, and it is possible that CASE opts to bring her back in that regard. Whether or not Shanley accepts continuing on in that role is another story.

Jessica Tolson, the manager of Victoriaville South End is a very logical replacement. Jessica has attained plenty of international coaching experience, and has often been seen as the national #3 on the list, behind Byers and Shanley. Tolson has managed Di Bradini and RTC Cup teams, and has also been the assistant to Byers in both the World Cup and the Copa Rushmori. With Victoriaville South End, she has become famous for getting players to fully play to their potential and even overachieve. Every year, it seems like the club is not as strong as other national powerhouses, but yet they always seem to be contending for a CSL championship and once, they did get that title. Working against Tolson is that right now, her and Stephanie Sweeney (CASE President) seem to be in disagreement over certain elements of the team, and that is seen as the reason as to why she was not brought back often as a second assistant. Unfortunately for Jessica, I do believe that will work against her in this process.

Kelsey Nicholson, the manager of Brattleboro FC, is another person that should be considered. It would not be the first time that Nicholson succeeded Byers, as when Brittany resigned from Brattleboro FC to focus on the senior team, Nicholson moved to the club (from Brattleboro Westside). It would also create a very interesting scenario where Byers would have her old position just sitting there waiting for her to jump right on back too, assuming Nicholson would also step down. Kelsey had kept Brattleboro FC a power in the CSL, and while it certainly helps that she is backed with a lot of money, she did oversee a successful rebuild of the program during her tenure. But what makes her a little intriguing is that she always has been one to follow the international market, and was one of the most outspoken people to convince CASE to get involved with IFCF play years ago. She's remained very active with this side in the international market, and has had success getting quality players to transfer to her side. Kelsey, at this time, does not have any international managing experience.

Another candidate would be Amanda Bowman, the manager of Concord Heights City. She, too, has seen a rebuild of an CSL powerhouse over the years and has had a couple opportunities to serve as an assistant to Brittany Byers. She also has had one opportunity to manage an RTC Cup team. Therefore, we know that she is on the CASE radar for such a position. However, I do not think she is the best person for the job. That RTC team that she managed was unsuccessful and considered uninspired by some. In recent years, Concord Heights City has been a little inconsistent, so I think she might have missed the boat by a couple of cycles. If this was after World Cup 90 or 91, I think Bowman has a greater chance, but right now, I am not sold on her. Regardless, this is a name that you will hear tossed around alot.

Brooke Sutter, a former World Cup fullback and captain has done well in a short period of time with Starksville Coastal. While the program has a lot to do, they have gone from being nearly relegated before her arrival to being a team that can at least think about qualifying into an IFCF position during the second half of the season. The program is building, and there has been a consistent effort to get people from the international market. Likely because of the current status of Coastal, they have not had success with their bigger bid attempts, but that's not the fault of Sutter. Coastal right now has three players on the World Cup roster, and that will only help with the decision, although one of them (Kriedel) figures to be in her last tour of duty with the team. Otherwise, there are two defenders: 27-year old Madison Rutland (a current starter), and 22-year old Tiffany Brown (not a starter yet, but one that gets frequent action) who are familiar with Sutter. They also play a similar style that Sutter played back in the day. That helped them in the CSL, and would only help them in the World Cup. A big argument against Brooke Sutter is that she is a defensive minded manager, and would likely want to shift to a more defensive style. That might not be the best formula for success right now with the offensive makeup of the team. Brooke is younger then those mentioned above her on this list, and does not have any international managing experience as of yet. My personal opinion is that if CASE opted to not bring back Hannah Shanley in any capacity, that Sutter would be better as the assistant to a new manager, rather than being the head person, right now.

Other people that may have their name in ring are: Grande Mountain's Rachel Morrow, Rutland FC's Chelsea Blake, and Northbury FC's Rachel Mendoza. Who do I think it will be? Honestly, I think CASE is very intrigued by bringing in someone from another nation, but whoever it is, I believe Brooke Sutter will be their assistant.

There is a game to talk about, and that is against Trolleborg. In the previous article, I asked if we should adopt the nickname "Lillies" as an alternative to "Fillies", as inspired by a typo in Trolleborg publication. This poll was offered on the Concord Heights Times App (which if you have not downloaded yet, you are really missing out: do that today!) The result was 63% against it becoming a secondary nickname. So, we thank TTV for their suggestion, but I don't think it's gonna stick in Cassadaigua. Personally, I kind of liked it, but I am retiring, so I can't force it on anyone.

As for the game, let's begin by talking about the goals. Okay, we're done with that. Yes, as you know the game ended in a 0-0 draw in our second game of qualifying at Sanktjakobvöllur in Korsbach. It wasn't without any excitement though, especially if you like watching midfielders battle for possession that portion of the field. That said, if we're winning or playing even in the midfield against a team like Trolleborg, we can probably consider that a positive. Morgan Rosenblatt did play a solid game, though once again Kaitlin Millikan was substituted in for her at halftime. If you were wondering, there is no distant relationship between Trolleborg starting keeper Morten Kerr and our own substitute keeper, Cynthia Kerr. It is too bad that Cynthia was not the starter for this match, as it would have been a classic Kerr vs Kerr 0-0 result. Instead, it was Stacie Thornton as the Fillies starting keeper, and both her and the opposing Kerr made the stops that they needed to make. But in all honestly, the great play of the defense in front of them prevented us from seeing any highlight reel saves from either. As the perceived top two teams in this group, a draw isn't the end of the world for either, especially with the game coming this early in the tournament.

Up next for the pink and black is Saterun.

by **Brookstation** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 11:45 am

UNFORGETTABLE MATCHDAYS

I|II|III|IV|V|VI|VII|VIII

WHEN GLORY FINALLY FILLED THE STREETS OF HALEBID

The final of the Harrison Shield that year not only crowned a champion who had come so close to glory so many times over the last decade, but will also be largely remembered for being one of the Harrison Shield’s best finals.

It was in the very stadium where Halebid Warriors had lost their dreams of a Harrison Shield victory twelve years prior, this time, Brereton Kehl left the stadium astounded with the Shield finally in his hands. Finally, Halebid had done it and not let themselves down in the finals of the biggest stage. The finals were going to be interesting, for the fact that both the teams had given their best throughout the tournament. The warriors had definitely performed very well in that particular edition and they found themselves with their strongest lineup in generations but many have seemed to forgotten that the Colin Tredwell led Dreamland side had already put Kehl’s team to the sword in the group stage.

This would be Tredwell’s last season, playing in the cyan and yellow kits. With their full squad ready to light up the night, Dreamland weren’t going to play a gentle match that night. Both the teams had come prepared. Having recovered from the defeat in the group stage, Halebid’s star man Theodore Theopile was back in the team’s lineup, having already played a crucial role in Halebid’s win against Space Coast. Defeating Other side of Paradise, would be a great riddance and the win sent them straight into the finals with high hopes.

Halebid’s progress would’ve seen incredible had it not been for the pretty similar achievements of Regiis Dreamland. The team’s performance was no less spectacular, and their semi-final win over arch rivals, Dreamland City would be especially impressive. But the finals seemed to pose a problem for Regiis Dreamland, thanks to quite a few injuries while their counterparts headed into the field with their best squad possible. Andrew Cooper had already missed the semi-finals following an injury while Peter Babic had developed serious medical conditions. Kevin Horvath had to shuffle his lineup and despite the conditions, he played the unfit Cooper. The absence of Ross Dowrick also meant that the defense was left under the leadership of Bret Hughes. Dowrick had picked up a yellow card quickly into the semi-finals, which caused his unfortunate absence on the field. Leigh was brought in as a replacement for Dowrick but the presence of the inexperienced Leigh meant a change in Dreamland’s formation from the original 4-3-3 to the much questioned 3-4-3.

The first half saw very little efforts from either side although the talent showed by the players on the pitch couldn’t be denied. Just within a few minutes after the first half hour, Paul Wark worked a swift corner into the box, which could’ve called for trouble had it not been deflected by Dreamland to offer Michael Roche some space.

However, Wark would be careful in doing his job and quickly regain possession, before crossing it to the extreme corner of the box. Theopile had spotted the ball from the distance and knowing his footwork very well, he made an immediate run towards the goal. The Dreamland defence would beat Theopile, leaving his attempt folly.

J Asha Hambu had read the plan and ran forward to get a touch at the ball in play with a firm shot but Hambu would leave out a cry of anguish after Roche had once again managed to prevent the ball from slipping in. Even if they were not ahead on goals, Halebid were clearly ahead in the game. But at the same time, Dreamland were not ready to surrender at any cost. The attacks had been a rare sight in a game dominated by both side’s defense. It would actually be a surprise for a team to prise a goal out of an attempt but that was what happened minutes after restart.

An early free kick by Hambu had been cleared perfectly by Roche but perhaps Roche’s ill luck would finally begin to reveal itself after Halebid’s next attempt. A precious mistake by Leigh placed the ball in John Powell’s possession who dribbled the ball, feeding the prodigy Alexander Cust in the box. This was the youngster’s first season for the senior side, having played a vital role against Other side of Paradise and Scroton. A stunning shot by the prodigy would set his standards way higher than Brereton Kehl could ever imagine. Powell’s cross in the box seemed controversial because it aligned in line with the Dreamland defense but Cust had carefully observed the trajectory of the ball, his eyes never looking at any other direction. The ball found his left foot at the corner of the penalty box after which he detonated a powerful shot towards the top right corner of the goalpost to smash the ball over Roche’s head. Roche went flying in an attempt to punch the ball out of the way, while the crowd marvelled at the sudden transformation of Roche into Superman but the glory of the shot was much greater, great enough to suppress the efforts of Roche. No one could have ever guessed the shot and there was only one boy who could craft it.

Regiis Dreamland still had time to fight back. The fight started soon as Tredwell struck the post. Just a few minutes later, Jones found himself almost unmarked in the Halebid region. It was the brilliance of the Halebid goalkeeper, who instinctively ran towards Jones and posed a great challenge. Unfortunately for Halebid, the efforts would only lead to a penalty awarded to the opposition. Luck really seemed to be in Halebid’s favour that day. Colin Tredwell ,the man who was renowned for his perfection shot low and the goalkeeper was able to guess it properly. The ball went straight into the hands of Halebid and so did the Shield. After several years of trying and failing repeatedly, Halebid had finally sowed the fruit of their hard labour.

MORE FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME :
Twin Premier League to get dissolved after half a decade
The BFL resumes once again: Here's what to expect
Browne's men buckle up for the decider against Sargossa

by **Acastanha** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 6:36 pm

Asking for Referendum

It has been around more than a decade, the issue of Ocidental Province or known as Ketampi by the local revolve in Acastanha. The issue about the province's plan to become the third republic within the federation. The plan is arise by 2 facts. First, the majority of Ocidental province are from ethnic Ketampi which is differ than the rest of Palidas Republic where they are part of it. Palidas is mostly of Lusitar ethnic. The second fact is the position and/or location of Ocidental province which is cut off from the rest of Palidas by Tabeirakan Province which is part of Arra Republic. The first solution arise was to integrate Ocidental/Ketampi with Arra. But this plan was rejected by the majority of Palidas parliament members. They refused it on the ground that it would make Arra Republic become too large. That is why the idea to established the third republic arise as the second solution. But after the plan was introduce about a decade ago, no progress have been made.

The plan to established the third republic based on Ocidental/Ketampi Province have been in a limbo. The parliament of Palidas seems to forgotten the plan. It was rarely discuss or even mentioned during the parliament session. It become somewhat forgotten. But it is not forgotten by the people of Ocidental/Ketampi. During 2022 general election, 2 Ocidental/Ketampi local parties voiced their mission to open the way for the realization of the plan. The parties gets a lot of support from local people and win the majority in the province. And with the sworn of the new parliament members, it is time for them to make their promise a reality.

Beginning of the new term, politicians and MPs from Ocidental/Ketampi have lobbied the other MPs for the issue to be brought in the first Palidas parliamentary session. And their effort came true after the issue is discuss for the first time. Salahuddin Saleh, leader of Parte Ketampi Jaya and vice speaker of Palidas Parliament, stated that this is a step further for the realization of the people's dream. Saleh force the parliament to give permission for the province to held a binding referendum over the issue.

"We have submit our proposal. It will be discuss further next week. Hopefully the majority will agree so we can plan the referendum as soon as possible. We hope that we can officiate this change before the next general election. But who knows. We still need to bring this up to the Grand Council so it can be officially recognized. Just after that we can proceed with local election to elect our own parliament and president. It still a long way to go but we hope that this glimpse of hope will become brighter.

Salahuddin Saleh

Currently, the petition to held a binding referendum about the establishment of Ketampi Republic is being discuss in Palidas parliament. The first session which was held this monday was only brought the issue forward which followed by the petition addressing by Salahuddin Saleh. The petition was accepted by the parliament and it will be discuss further next week. Saleh hopes that the petition can be pass without the needs of a voting. But if the voting is needed, Saleh and the other MPs from Ketampi will have to lobbied other MPs to support the petition. "Whichever the way is, we will work hard for this to come true," say Salahuddin Saleh.

by **Eshialand** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:01 pm

A Road to be Travelled
Lozho 1-1 Eshialand

"Okay... a bit of a stumble..." Coach Morgan told his team after their second game in the Cup of Harmony, "but we're alright, right?"

After a game such as their one against Valentine Z, their fans' reactions to the draw against Lozho was a resounding meh. Sure, a draw was okay, and Cap Nord becoming the second team to draw Saint Eleanor 4-4 in as many EXT games meant that Eshialand was actually still tied for the top of the group, but against a last-seeded team in their BoF cycle, on-lookers at home were probably looking for a bit more than one goal and one point. As for the team?

"I think we're doin' okay..." Lucas Meilling, the lone Eshian goalscorer in the game, told his coach, "yeah, it's a little slip-up, but like... we still played well."

The team nodded in agreement at his statement, which definitely seemed to capture the squad's general sentiment. There was a lot more soccer left to play here, and as long as they played their best and had fun doing it, no matter how tough their opponents may be, they'd be satisfied. Speaking of opponents... their next matches would definitely be some interesting ones...

First up, Cap Nord. Thanks to the circumstances of the first two matchdays, the winner of this -- should there be one, that is -- would take sole first place in the group. After that? Eshian Derby, Eshian Derby... the chanting was already getting louder. And then? Their finale would be against defending Cup of Harmony champions Saint Eleanor, who had a bit of a rocky start which sent them down to 4th in the group after two games... but it's only been two games, and realistically they were going to the knockouts.

With each game holding more weight than ever before, even if the team didn't really care too much about results, Coach Morgan still was going to focus on drilling his team... with the old guard's retirements looming, this could be their last good shot to go a decent way into the Cup of Harmony... deep down inside, Kenny wanted to see his team... his family... on top of the world once more, as unlikely as it might seem.

"Let's go get it against Cap Nord..."

by **Baggieland** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 7:25 pm

by **Saint Eleanor** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:34 pm

Just in from the Hakejoki Play Park in Hakejoki, Háttmark - Saint Eleanor superfan Matt Jenkins from Wellington district presents his observations from...

~~World Cup~~ ~~Cup of Harmony 44~~ Cup of Harmony 85 - Group 4 1, ~~fourth~~ second game
Cap Nord 4 (goals - ROHAN WILLIAMS 17, 48 and 69. Plus some random motherfucker at something like the hour mark)
Saint Eleanor 4 (goals - Dekky again 24, Jess Martin 33 and 80, The Most Gracious Princess Sylvia... 92? Dunno how far into stoppage time)

BEST MOMENT: I refuse to select a "best moment" in good conscience from a match where we were so bad we came out of it with the worst defensive record of any team in the competition. That is not The Eleanorian Way and I hope we get a few new defenders soon now that Liam West's going to collapse his own national team career as planned. If you want a bad faith selection, it would probably be the fact we had enough courage to muster ANYTHING after the LEGENDARY ROHAN WILLIAMS got number three. He is an absolute legend of the Capnordic game, I tell you this now. Maybe it was the spare collective rage we had from Sam refusing to take him out.

WORST MOMENT: Our defence wasn't "wasn't focused enough." They were FUCKING SHIT. YOU DO NOT CONCEDE FOUR GOALS IN THREE OF THE FOUR GAMES YOU PLAY IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMING SECOND IN YOUR WORLD CUP GROUP AND EXPECT TO KEEP YOUR JOB. NOT EVEN YOU, EXANDRA. THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD ABOLISH THE SYSTEM OF LETTING THIRD-PLACED TEAMS INTO THE PLAYOFFS AND, OH, I DUNNO, JUST LET THEM MAKE THE WORLD CUP AUTOMATICALLY. IT'LL MAKE THE EXPANSIONISTS AT CASE HAPPY.

CoH TITLE DEFENCE HAPPENING-O-METER: Not happening. Give Bridget the captaincy immediately. Install her as co-manager too if we end up losing the next couple; it'll be 444% worth it. (See? Not blaming Priscilla for any of this. She's been through so much these past few years that she's much more optimistic about this than anyone else has any right to be. Even you, Bobby McRather.)

"...this is the first Cup of Harmony I have ever played in. With enough good fortune, it might well be my last - or, indeed, the last that the children and grandchildren of this generation of Eleanorians will remember us playing in." - Launceston, after the Cup of Harmony last-sixteen game

"I'm still confident we can get moving, make the World Cup, hopefully book our tickets to the last sixteen for the first time - and from there, who knows? And what's not to say we can't break out of the doom loop?" - Launceston, before World Cup qualifying began

"Oh my life. Where do I start?" - Launceston, when asked to identify where Saint Eleanor went wrong in their playoff first leg

The World's Most Talented Footballer
Episode II. Not IV. Sorry, Saint Eleanor fans.

9:58am - Monday 5th July 2004

Never, ever underestimate the ability of Esther Launceston to make things go to plan. Especially not for herself. The fact she completed the mile-and-a-half walk to Northern Records' headquarters all by herself - without her husband complaining like she did the last time she resisted the temptation to give the old C7 a run-out - perhaps added more to this.

The reception was a small, intimate place more fitting of her local GP surgery - nice, clean, orderly, all pristine white and colony-era pastel green, nobody threatening to kill people - than the ones up in Bramblewood a mile-and-a-bit from her home in the other direction: decrepit, ghastly, only given a superficial makeover after the War, the only prisons in the country you're allowed to escape from.

Seven minutes past. Huh.

What happens to you when you don't bring a watch but the reception area still has a clock. Anyway, it either must have looked like the previous auditionee had walked out through some other door she was a few hours away from being shown or they were just flat-out late. Shame on them. Maybe they should hire Esther as a permanent employee... oh no.

"Hello. You must be here for an audition or you're a lost member of staff. Can I ask to see your ID, please?"

He was about to stare menacingly at her - perhaps even give her a tense prod about the matter - when a deep voice called from out back. "Noooo. I can vouch for her; she was at the dry cleaners the other day."

Both of them gave up, although a completely unrelated member of security staff chose to comply anyway. Hilarious. Esther chose instead to glance at the other man who was lingering around the reception. "Morning, Esther; you're here on time. There are some people who don't even turn up for their audition at all. I'm Stephen--"

"That's my husband, funnily enough."

"No, I'm not your husband; my beard's too thick and I went to school up in Blackwood."

Slight smile. Typical. Eleanorians always do something like that when they find something funny in polite company.

"Anyway, I was meaning to ask - what were you getting done at the dry cleaners?"

"Nifty little dress. I have an event I need to go to in a few days."

"SEFA meeting?"

"I'm not commenting further on that!"

"Anyway... you look casual enough right now that people think you're on their side when they see you. Before you ask me 'why can't everyone else have a go?' like you did Mavvy, our lead PR manager, it's because you are objectively relatable. You play for a successful club in the single most chronically underachieving nation in world football, you're in the press for all the right reasons and..."

"Chronically underachieving. Look at what the Holy Empire did and please - please - tell me we didn't deserve to qualify while they didn't deserve to get melted down by Brenecia. If we were performing 100% of the time in qualifying instead of 98%, we'd be in the top ten. If we can start performing 99% of the time right now, we'll be in the top ten by 2008 - well ahead of SEFA schedule."

"...you've spent five minutes in the Northern Records hype house and you're already at it with the lucky girl syndrome. Props, bae. SEFA schedule?"

"Obscure whitepaper they issued a few years ago. You wouldn't understand it. Everybody else is thinking it's a convenient fantasy from the days when making the World Cup and getting one point out of twenty-one every cycle was a realistic aim. I'll have to ask again: don't you think asking somebody who was more confident than almost everyone else about World Cup qualification to perform a song about why Saint Eleanor should win a competition designed for people who can't qualify for the World Cup is a good idea?"

"That's the same question as 'why can't everyone else have a go?'. Don't worry; you'll do a good job. Before we start, however: I know we already know all this, but could you please explain a bit more about yourself - who you are, what you're famous for and so on? I don't want an absolute tome of details - just what you think people should know about you."

"I'm Esther Launceston and, as you say, I play for Athletic and the national team. I was mostly brought up by my mum, who presents the weather on Channel 4, after she broke up with my dad, who works for small-business HR. With that said, my dad took me to church every Sunday and it's something I still haven't given up on. I was good at a lot of subjects at school, mostly because I prepared very well for the School Certificates, although my passions always lied in the creative arts and I would be working in that area if I wasn't playing football. Perhaps even as a professional singer! While some people think I'm a bit conservative as a player, I won't try to judge myself on that, although I try and make friends with as many other people on the team as I can wherever I may find myself. And as you also tried to say, I have a lovely husband called Stephen; I'd really like to have children with him some day. Or one child, at least."

"......ooooooooof. That voice is going to need a bit of touching up in post-production."

"Oh, my."

"Yes, we know you think it doesn't need any curing. And I'm aware that some of our best artists don't require it; they're grittier, not grottier, you should note, and are singing for people in their broader area or their relative situation. Working class folk who want to get out - of their financial situation, of their place, of their other personal struggles, maybe. We have a big enough retail and hospitality industry here that it out-employs everybody, including the Army. Don't get me started on Unemployment Benefit, either. But you're singing for a whole bunch of audiences - people who want to win the Cup of Harmony, now and in the future."

"Wait... near-infinite global appeal?"

"I can't guarantee Tikariot. Heavy metal is in so many places over there that I'd consider getting the place lead poisoning treatment first. People in many other countries in SAREIMA - nice little bit of terminology I picked up from the Tumbrans once - think the general musical and rhythmic styling we've set out here is going to be catchy enough for them to listen. A nice singalong without objectionable or incomprehensible lyrics about breakup and love and divorce and sex. Good Lord, you'll be surprised at how many of them talk about that."

"Do I get any say at all in the matter or am I a talking head perfectly positioned to enable Northern Records to get a number-one single in as many countries as they can? I don't mind either way; that's what football and, yes, being surrounded by the Army does to you."

"We'd expect you to be a performing artist, although we'll take on board any concerns we may have. This is a one-off single while you focus on your football career. It'll very much be autopilot, although you'll be drafted in to do a couple of other related things in the coming week before we drop the track on Saturday. Quick turnaround, I know, but it's the Cup of Harmony."

"That sounds neat."

"Shall we get started, then? Oh, that expression's just too obvious. Come on."

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:20 pm

Top of the Terraces
Offensive woes inspire lyricism by Oberour fans

By Grace le Meur

Dominic Mourge woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He turned over and almost fell out of his bed, reaching for a notepad and pen. He started writing in the dark, but then went to find a light so he could write.

What he wrote down was this:

Where has all the offense gone?
For all this passing?
Where has all the offense gone?
Long time ago?
Where has all the offense gone?
Dragoons kicked them never once.
Oh, when will they ever score?
Oh, when will they ever score?

"I just stared at it," said Mourge. "And then my next thought was: Someone else had come up with this already because it was just too perfect."

Oberours love chanting and singing at football matches. They'll sing a little, four lines of "Another Dead End in Regium", or a lot, like with the four verses of "The Highest Judge of All". And among the most dedicated ultras, there's always a hunt for a new tune.

Some stick around (the crowd bouncing while singing "I can feel it, I can feel it coming, the beginning of the twist") some don't ("He looks good: Jak Feu-l'Arde" hasn't had much purchase since Feu-l'Arde aged out of the national team long lists). But there's always room in the Oberour songbook. Dominic Mourge is one fan who is on the hunt for more material.

His greatest success previously was getting "They drive me crazy, like no one else. They drive me crazy and I can't help myself" in a weak rotation for when the Dragoons were being frustrating. But the blurry scraw he saw that night had so much potential. So much he doubted himself.

"I could picture going on the message board," Mourge imagined, "and writing this and getting blasted for taking some well known song." Not that blatant theft is uncommon. Watching the listless 1-1 draw versus Mertagne Oberour fans utilized the well-worn classic "Let's pretend, let's pretend, let's pretend we scored a goal (Sarcastic cheering)" heard in stadiums across the globe. But "Where has all the offense gone?" felt different. A rewrite of a well-known folk song seemed like easy pickings.

"Ultimately," says Mourge, "I just had to go for it. First of all, our offense really is lacking. If you think of the most negative style of play as a -5, and the most offensive style of play to be a +5, the Dragoons have always wanted to be a +5. But they're struggling to score more than a goal a game."

Through World Cup qualifying and the Cup of Harmony the Dragoons scored one goal or less 13 times, and scored two goals or more 11 times. And even then they scored three goals or more only six times.

"I would get it if we were drawing 4-4 and losing 3-4 more often. But losing 1-2 or drawing 1-1? Any team could do that. We want a few more goals," says Mourge. So he put his composition out for public consideration. And it went well online. If the Dragoons are having issues in front of goal against Naixi, Mourge's rewrite might be sung by the Oberour fan contingent.

by **Gnejs** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 4:55 am

The streets and boroughs of Port Kejm

Port Kejm is the capital and most populous city of The Prosaic Union. It constitutes both a county and a municipality, and it is the country's center of political power. The city houses the government and most central state administrative bodies, in addition to Folktinget (parliament), the Supreme Court and the head offices of the Union’s biggest sports associations.

The City (municipality and county) is governed according to a parliamentary governance model, where the executive power is led by the City Government, consisting of eight members and led by a City Government Leader. Elections are held every four years, resulting in a City Council with 101 representatives, from which the City Government springs. A mayor is appointed by the City Council and is the City's foremost representative.

Port Kejm is divided into 21 boroughs, often grouped into four distinct districts. Each borough is governed politically by a Borough Committee of 15 members (appointed by the City Council). The boroughs' tasks are mainly related to care services in homes and institutions, nurseries, child protection, preventive health services, local environment measures and some social services, including the allocation of financial social assistance. The boroughs have their own administrations, which prepare matters for the borough politicians and implement their decisions.

This series will give you a cursory introduction to the different boroughs of the city, a glimpse at some historically and culturally significant streets and structures, and perhaps a story or two. We’ll begin by looking at the government quarters and what remains of the old Meridian, and then move west to the lush borough of Storängen, perhaps mostly known for its footballing ties.

Districts and Boroughs

Staden (The City)

1. Kejm
2. Holmporten

3. Meridian
This centrally located borough houses many government buildings, within what is usually called the Meridian Quarter. Both the Prime Minister’s Office and all the ministries are located here, along with the Supreme Court. It stands out in the city, because it is largely made up of large and uncharacteristically “modern” office blocks. Up until the 1950s and 1960s, most government buildings were spread out and housed in remodeled and rebuilt old villas all over Port Kejm, whereas the area making up what is today the Meridian Borough was mainly residential with small and irregularly built – and rundown – wooden houses. An extensive urban renewal project was initiated in the late 1950’s and most of the old houses, shops and other structures were torn down to make way for the new Meridian Quarter. The structures towering here today are built in the Brutalist tradition and are often chided and criticized for being ugly (although they have also gotten praise from both domestic and foreign architects for their clever interconnectedness and functionality).

Parts of the “old” Meridian remain in the northwestern parts, neighboring the borough of Tullin (also known for its quaint wooden architecture). At the bottom of a hillside and adjacent to Tullinparken there is a large cluster of old, small and rickety houses in the style of pre-1950’s Meridian. The houses have all been extensively refurbished and are popular among students (Port Kejm University owns a sizeable share of the houses), and among them is a slightly larger structure painted in moss green colors. This is one of the oldest Meridian houses still in existence. During the late 1880’s, the poet Oskar Johansson inherited the house and used it as meeting ground for many of the era’s great artists, arranging monthly aesthetic soirées with musical or literary entertainment. Johansson’s home was a beautiful setting for these popular evenings, adorned as it was with copper engravings, paintings, stylish furniture, and a set of disturbing marble sculptures of questionable origin. Johansson was perceived by his contemporaries as the “last romantic” and rumors has it that he demanded to be buried under the floorboards of the house salon.

4. Tullin
5. Hornskogen
6. Stockviken
7. Lillängen
8. Dalen
9. Våler

Södra och Västra Malmen (The South- and Westside)
10. Ekviken

11. Storängen
Storängen is a largely residential borough of medium (west) to low-income (east) households, dotted with tiny forests, parks and lakes. The borough lies west of the city center, and represents the last major settlement before a larger forested area starts. It is bordered by the boroughs Ekviken to the south and Lillängen and Dalen to the east. The northwest of Storängen is home to an old pagan temple celebrated for its complete scheme of wall-paintings by the late medieval artist Emmanuel Desperantos. Detached housing is predominant in the western part of the borough, whereas a more urban-area type settlement of multiple storied apartments buildings and student blocks merge together with the city towards the east. The borough has a fairly large share of municipal flats

The local sports association Storängens IF was founded in the late 19th century and maintain activities in a wide range of sports. They are mostly known for their football team, which is considered one of the “Old” Union clubs. They have been a more or less consistent feature in the top tier of Union football – Allgnejsan – since the inaugural season in 1924 and have won it on several occasions. Their training grounds and facilities – named Storängens IP – is located centrally in the borough and the association has one of the Union’s largest youth academies (with a main emphasis is on producing durable and technical players). The team do not play their Allgnejsan (and more recently ICFC) matches at Storängen IP, but rather at the larger Kejm Park, located in the eastern borough of Klara. Many Storängen fans resent this (Klara and Kejm Park being the “home” of rival club Kejm BK), but Storängen IP was relegated from top tier matches in the 1970’s due to security concerns (there are talks about having it upgraded). The current head coach for Union’s national team – The Dandelions – Bjørnstjerne Eriksen was born and raised in Storängen. Ironically, he has never been involved with Storängens IF, rather making a name for himself coaching northern teams like Gressbakken BK and Finntorp IK.

Norra Malmen (The Northside)
12. Sofiatoppen
13. Haga
14. Mariannelund
15. Wivalla
16. Backa

Östra Malmen och Öarna (The Eastside and Islands)
17. Stora Grönland
18. Lilla Grönland
19. Strandbergen
20. Klara
21. Kejms Holmar

by **Audioslavia** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 6:02 am

IMPRISONING WORTHY BROADSHEET SPORTS JOURNALISM BEHIND A PAYWALL SINCE 22XX, IT'S

Cup of Discord
Morale at all-time low - Alaba's peg 'looking shoogly'
"Favourites" could be mathematically eliminated on matchday three
References to Large Avian Animals That Can Break Your Arm banned From dressing room

Outplayed by Qasden, struggling to find an eventual equaliser against Sendhang and then beaten by an instant reinstatement of their opponents' lead, humiliated on a 'world stage' not only by calling it the 'world stage' in the first place, Audioslavia's national team are in crisis once again - its standing on the world stage at its lowest ebb for a century.

"Low ebbs" for the national team have admittedly been few and far between. A talented yet naive side missed out on World Cup 5, yet qualified for the two tournaments around it in what is admittedly a very different footballing landscape, and then went on to qualify for the next 24 in a row. World Cup 37 was very poor, sure, but this was a rag-tag bunch of no-names from just one underpopulated section of Audioslavia, managed by Jeremy Jaffacake, so that that team accounts for two of Audioslavia's worst ever results, and thus far their worst ever Cup of Harmony performance, is not entirely unexpected. World Cups 59-62 saw no qualifications, sure, but the side brought home a regional title and the Baptism of Fire trophy and, in any case, won World Cup 63. The Bulls declined to enter World Cup 79, breaking a run of sixteen consecutive qualifications, and missed out on World Cup 80 after an embarrassing home defeat to Abanhfleft, but at least qualified for the next ten tournaments.

And then there's this team. Three World Cups in a row missed. The side have, at least, done better in qualifying than that 59-62 team and have won the same amount of trophies, with one Cup of Harmony and one regional title coming Audioslavia's way, but whereas that team were starting from zero and overachieved, this current side have fallen from grace. Bronze medalists in cycles 88 and 89, a first round exit in cycle 90, the side have now finished 4th, 3rd and 2nd in consecutive qualifying groups, missing the playoffs entirely once and taking only two draws and two defeats in our four playoff games.

On the whole, the gap between expectation and reality has never been wider.

Despite a much-improved qualifying performance, the chances are Alaba will have sent this team backwards in the rankings and backwards in the mind's eye of the public, by the time this cycle ends. In order for his side to make the second round now, three big wins from three big games is the minimum requirement, and even then they'll need one of Qasden or Sendhang to score no more than three more points over this period.

Alaba says neither he nor his side have given up, but leaks from within the Audioslavia camp tell of a tired and increasingly belligerent squad who have failed entirely to deal with the pressure put on them to save yet another manager's career with a heroic minor tournament run. The Archer Flat generation of Audioslavia's national team may well have run its course, especially with the centre-half having criticised Alaba's face, hair and foreign-ness on social media recently.

Ager Alaba may not be Audioslavian, but his nation, Astograth, has historic links with the Bulls. Prior to Audioslavia's World Cup 59 comeback, the Astograthians donned the claret and green stripes of Audioslavia to play in a friendly tournament, seeking to invoke the spirit of the famous losers. They did just that, by not doing very well at all, but in doing so had summoned the Bulls from their long slumber.

Should Alaba be forced out, there are increasingly few Audioslavians who might take the reigns for the national team, with Mozi's Alessandro Juliana perhaps best placed to take over. The strength of the National League in recent seasons may have been a boom for Audioslavian club football, but the influx of foreign talent, both on the field and next to it, has made the national team look thinner and thinner. Players like Marc-Antoine Trigintillion and Hernan Mata-Curie may perform well for the national team, but they struggle to hold down a spot for their club, and the lack of game-time has shown when, in the dying minutes of games for the national team, they lack the strength or the nous to drag their team from the brink.

Swan-era Audioslavia is thoroughly over, with manager Alaba so sick of hearing about the glass cygnet that he's banned talk of it in Audioslavia's camp. Whether it ever helped the Bulls, or whether First Minister Wilbur Hawes affected it by dropping it so carelessly, nobody knows. Or, in Alaba's case, cares. For him and his side, it's back to basics. It's One Game At A Time. It's A Game Of Two Halves. Ziwana come next for Alaba's Bulls. Realistically, only a big win, and likely a Qasden victory over Senhang, will give the side a glimmer of hope. At best, we'll be three points behind with two games to play. At worst, this might be the last week of Ager Alaba's association with the nation of Audioslavia.

by **Atheara** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:29 am

Whisking Away, Beginning Fades

On the bench, watching the team play their heart out all for and because of him. It felt so different, so weird that there was this drive because you were soon to be gone from their eyes for a time. He didn't know how to take that in, considering that for most of his career he was often the one on the pitch and playing his heart out for those who watch him and for those who believe in him. The near time for retirement never hit so hard for Mugel Krygorf. The score between Atheara and Zeta Reka was currently 0 - 0, and the match was tight as ever. Both teams were doing their best to try and score a goal to perhaps get a point, but based on how everything is going perhaps this match will be a draw. But maybe there is time, it's only the 70th minute still.

So many memories he held in his heart, as he watches his younger brother play it out by catching a cross from the near corner. He did many things on that same green field, no matter where it was. Whether it was in his home country for former club and country, at Farfadillis for current club, at another nation for an away game or for a tournament such as this... He's done a lot. Yet as time passed he felt as if so little has happened, despite so much. He still wants to do so much more, to make more memories and moments not only for himself yet for others. But nature is still nature (Despite the fact that some can deny and bend the rules of nature and fate), as he just cannot keep up. Being frail by age and trying to play at Atheara's level of intensity was a no.

But he knows what he plans for the future. Mugel Krygorf knows what his future will be, whether he will be successful in doing so or not. A managerial career, perhaps it was time he became the director of the team off the field. He knows that he wants to still dedicate his heart and time for the team, so perhaps that would be the best choice. He may no longer be able to create memories on the field, but perhaps he can create them off of it. The end product is the same, the difference is the process. There's still so much that he can do and he is confident that he can and will do as much as possible. Taking a few breaths in and out after thinking about all of that, he sees his manager pointing to him and signalling a few things.

He's getting on the pitch, a substitution. 72nd minute, 18 or so minutes to do what he does best in this game.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 8:27 am

Our opening game in the Cup of Harmony didn't go to plan at all and now, kukaan ei todellakaan tiedä missä kohtalomme on. The Huuhkajat suffered at the hands of Brookstation on the opening day and everyone knew that things would be tough the rest of the way due to the competitive nature of this entire competition. It never makes sense that we can do so well in WCQ or the AOCAF, but not the Cup of Harmony and Esko Laaksonen knew that this pain in this specific tournament is certainly a problem that will have to be solved in due course. But this next game was going to be tough...and everyone knew it.

New Skoðarhüb in Estdal would host our expected execution at the hands of Eura, a former WC Champion on multiple occasions now under the interim leadership of Glen Merson in a 4-2-2-2 set-up. We expected a deadly performance from these titans of the sport but in the end, we would actually only end up being 1 step behind in a 9-goal thriller. Their 5 goals were all showcases of their class overall, with both Sophie Singh and Owen James getting braces and the 5th going to substitute Kate Archer, but we managed to score 4 in response thanks to Valtteri Nordström, Kimi Airo, Tero Salo and Jyrki Bottas in a performance that showed our overall resolve in this tough situation. We still lost, but 5-4 paints a different picture to 5-0 or any other losing scoreline.

We are 2-0 but with 3 games to go, we certainly aren't legally dead just yet. We will play one of the 1-point teams ahead of us in the form of Kirungabi, who play a defensive 4-4-2 under Cyril Kamembe - which certainly sounds like a team who thrives on the counter and holds a good defensive line. We need points and fast...but can we get them against this hard team to crack? NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Darmen** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 9:35 am

Lee Completes Move To Alara

SCOTT CITY - Marianne Lee has completed a deal to move from Scott City FC to Ko-orenite side Advance Alara. Alara, who finished ninth in last season's Top League, will pay a $13 million transfer fee for Lee. She will join Vinnie Ó Madaidhín (Aminey CS) and Kerri West (Katashi Azula) to become one of three Darmenis playing in Ko-oren's top flight. Unlike Ó Madaidhín and West however, Lee and Alara will not be participating in IFCF competition this season, something she would have done if she remained with Darmeni champions Scott City FC for their Champions League campaign.

While neither Marianne, nor her grandfather and former Scott City FC manager Tor Tong Lee, have commented about the state of their personal relationship, sources close to the two, speaking on condition of anonymity, say that the relationship between the two Lee's has grown frostier since Marianne announced her intention to move away from Scott City FC. The 71 year old Tor Tong Lee has clearly been frustrated by the constant questions asked of him about the situation, going so far as to cancel every press conference he was to appear at until Scott City FC's first match of the new season.

Meanwhile, Marianne will need to continue her focus on the current tournament at hand, the Cup of Harmony in Græntfjall. While Darmen's opening match ended in a disappointing 3-0 loss to Mytanija, the All Greens bounced back in their second match to secure Léon Deasmhumhain's first victory as national team manager with a 2-0 win over Patriotlandia. Although Marianne is scoreless in the tournament so far, with the goals in the Patriotlandia match having been scored by Lennox Travers and Marianne's former Scott City FC teammate Kennard Hale, she has played well as the central member of Darmen's front three, creating several chances for her teammates and putting the opposition under pressure. Darmen will now play Poafmersia, with Lee hoping to put her name on the scoresheet to further her standing as one of Darmen's finest footballers.

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 10:01 am

BARACK OBAMA'S NEXT TOP MIDFIELDER: THE FINAL FINALS

Our Second Episode!

Welcome to the second episode of Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder: The Final Finals! The talent show for these five lucky people to display their talents in the middle of the park!

Today will be extra special: for the first time, we will see all five of our Final Finals contestants on stage to prove why they should be West Barack and East Obama's Next Top Midfielder! Who will prevail? Who will be sent to jail? Find out in this episode! Please welcome back... Kemarbama Huth, Jacques Obamaheinz, Obamadysseus Falcon[b], [b]Catherine Obamazine and Lester Obamaham!

Colonel Kemarbama Huth was a sniper in the Glorious Obama Armed Forces. Known for his pinpoint precision, the 33 year-old Huth racked up many kills of enemy soldiers, unpatriots, and terrorists in his many campaigns. After an honourable discharge from active duty, Huth has been focused on getting a football career off the ground ever since the West Barack and East Obama National Football Team was established. Several of his football videos have gone viral, especially the 'Scoring from 1km Away (Not Fake)' one which has received over eighty million views at this point in writing. But now, he's ready to make the step up and become Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder! Kemarbama advanced to the Final Finals with an impressive kick of a football all the way to the Moon.

Jacques Obamaheinz* is a renowned hiker and mountain climber. Most recently, he scaled Mount Volbamra, a challenging peak of a dormant volcano at one of the most remote parts of the Terjunian Isles. With immense stamina and impeccable calves, Obamaheinz is perfect for the role of a midfielder who can run around the whole pitch and pull the strings. His impressive use of rocket boots to evade capture allowed him to advance to the Final Finals.

Catherine Obamazine is already a better athlete than most on the current West Barack and East Obama national team: her prowess as a swimmer for the Obamen has made her excellent at kicking. Known for holding the national record in 100m butterfly kick, Obamazine's speediness will be useful in sparking crucial counterattacks. Her skill in utilising the rainbow flick wowed the judges into giving her the Golden Buzzer and advancing her straight to the Final Finals.

Obamadysseus Falcon is well-known in West Barack and East Obama for his film and music critic channel Deesus' Thesis. Widely recognised as one of the greatest critics of Obaman pop culture, Falcon is well-known and well-regarded for his trash talking and aggression, including an incident in which he destroyed his entire TV set because it took too long to turn on. With his mental state perfect for the role of a ball-winning midfielder who dominates anyone who tries to get past him, Falcon certainly has the potential to become Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder. His impressive defeat of Chuck Obamafinakis in a boxing match gave the judges all the evidence they needed that this strong and resilient player was a must for the Final Finals.

Lester Obamaham is a well-known participant in the food competition circles. He currently holds the national records for most hot dogs consumed in 15 and 30 minutes, cheeseburgers consumed in 30 minutes, and mint chocolate chip Slurpees drunk in 6 minutes (world record holder). With Obamaham bulking very hard, he can absolutely dominate in midfield, with his strength and power allowing him to break up opposing attacks and launch counters. His stamina also ensures that he can last the whole 90 minutes without sweating a single drop, making him ideal for a box-to-box role. Lester advanced to the Final Finals through a special episode, in which both his opponents were disqualified for cheating after the 200-metre dash with handcuffed legs race was abandoned.

*: Due to a printing error, Jacques Obamaheinz was accidentally listed as Karl Obamaheinz in previous episodes. We apologise for the confusion.

Master of Ceremonies: Please welcome our contestants to the stage!

[audience applaud loudly as the contestants walk onto stage]

Sergei: Welcome back everyone! How is everyone doing?

Catherine: I'm pumped! Pretty excited for what's about to happen.

Jacques: Attention everybody!

Sergei: Oh jeez.

Wolfgang: How did he get a loudspeaker on the sta-

Jacques: Firstly, thank you to DJ Momo and Sergei for inviting me back on to spread my message. Using this dreadful platform, which legs any random old joe to join something as prestigious as the national team, to spread my message is pretty great and I am grateful for that. Did you know that the government has agents infiltrating national teams? No one even notices because the bar to join the national team is so low due to the government's moronic policies.

Sergei: I think that's enough.

Jacques: I am not Jacques Obamaheinz. I am not Jake Obamaheimer. I am Jake Oppenheimer, and I have a conscience. And my conscience tells me to be free. It tells me that this ban on team sports is immoral and destroying our nation. It tells me to tear down this awful cult of personality around this dictator and enact something better.

Voice over PA: Sir, I have a clean shot, but he keeps moving across the stage so it's hard to aim. What do I do?

[everyone, including Jacques, goes silent. Sergei quickly withdraws his earpiece]

Jacques: Oops! Trying to kill me on television? That's really naughty. Maybe as naughty as Obama's usage of illegal cholera-inducing weapons to weaken enemy teams. Maybe as naughty as Obama's framing of a loddamn rapper as an international terrorist to cover up their crimes. Maybe as naughty as trying to cover up the Sons of Bi-

[A loud 'Bang!' is heard. Jacques is knocked backwards as blood gushes from his arm.

Jacques: You... bastards.... see you all next time.

[Jacques activates his rocket boots, which propels him out of the still-gaping hole in the stage ceiling]

Wolfgang: Erm.

Master of Ceremonies: Due to technical difficulties, the rest of today's episode will be cancelled. The audience may not leave their seats yet either, until they complete a short questionnaire regarding what they saw or heard today. Thanks and have a great Sunday!

by **Lozho** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 10:03 am

Lozho 0-1 Cap Nord

Williams 65'

Eshialand 1-1 Lozho

Melling 23'

Droozle 44'

LFA Presidency Results: Incumbent Drezen Secures Landslide Victory

Sponsored by MeGov Results

Ghezhan, Lozho - At the Lozhoan Football Association headquarters at 8am this morning, the MeGov Pollingbot 2017 made the grand announcement everyone had been waiting for: the confirmation of Cazy Drezen as the president of the LFA for the next four years. He defeated Zaphod 'Zico' Ziccoli 7 votes to 2 to remain in office.

As most of the assembled crowd of journalists and football aficionados let out a collective sigh of relief upon the announcement of these results, Drezen ascended to the podium to give his four-minute victory speech.

"I humbly thank all of you for entrusting me with another term in this esteemed office." Drezen said. "We can look forward to another four successful years of Lozhoan football. Commiserations to the great Zico, who was a formidable opponent and would had been a fantastic President had I not been available to serve."

Zico, on the other hand, quickly exited the LFA Headquarters with his aides as soon as his defeat was announced. As of right now, he has not responded to the Shezhen Sentinel's requests for a comment on the defeat. Rumours have it that he had been booked for a surprise appearance on the reality television show 'Barack Obama's Next Top Midfielder: The Final Finals', whilst others have claimed that he is calling his supporters to arms to start a civil war over the presidency election. Either way, expect exciting developments in this department!

by **PotatoFarmers** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 10:05 am

Poafmersia 2–1 Krytenia
Venue: Stadium of Twilight, Breiðdalsholt, Græntfjall
Goalscorers: Jackson Handris 62' (assisted by Aapeli Shea); Tessa Bjarnesen 88' (assisted by Handris)
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts; Kilikina Lee, Diamond Byan, Nacro Astro, Xenophon Robson; Michael Jackson, Sylvia Fusco, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Dagur Lawrence, Jackson Handris
Substitutes: Min Berg (Fusco 67'); Agapito Murphy (Lawrence 80'); Cindy Oriol (Astro 80')

Poafmer Times
CoH85: Lu unsatisfied with team performance as Darmen next opponent
Breiðdalsholt - A goal and an assist by Jackson Handris secured the Red Panjias' first win in the Cup of Harmony, giving them some breathing space as they head to Paschvik

Sonny Chiesa, the vice-captain of the Krytenian team, made Poafmersia conceede their first goal in the Lu Jialan era, after heading home a perfect free-kick by Owen Haller in the 27th minute, giving the Dragons an opening goal and a slim lead heading into half-time. However, just 17 mins after the restart, it was captain aapeli Shea that showed why he deserves the starting spot, lobbing the ball past 2 Krytenian defenders to find Jackson Handris, who narrowly beat the offside trap to get the ball into the box, and past the goalkeeper to equalise. Both sides spent the next 26 minutes aiming to break each other's defence, but it was Aapeli Shea and Jackson Handris again, linking up on the right side of the field to create a shot. This time, with Jackson Handris being forced too wide, she unselfishly decided to cross it to a waiting Tessa Bjarnesen, who netted in the goal to give Poafmersia the lead. That ultimately became the winner when Krytenia failed to score from a corner kick 4 minutes later, which was basically the last opportunity for an equaliser.

During the post-match press conference, Aapeli Shea was asked about not being started in the previous match and his thoughts. To that, the national team captain replied, "My performace on the field, and my leadership skills, is all that I need to show when I am given game time on the field. I will let my performance talk for itself, and let the head coach decide whether I deserve my starting spot or not." He added that the manager has been experimenting with rotations to see what was the "ideal lineup" of players. "This just goes to show how strong everyone in the team is, and ultimately, whichever partnership works will start the game."

The team manager, however, was not happy with the team's performance, adding that the performance was less that ideal. "As compared to last time, when Fort McKinley was trying to park the bus, Krytenia consistenty provided a threat to our defence. While the team nullified most of the threats, it seems that we still need some work in set piece defendng. There are still some issues that we need to iron out, ahead of our next game where we really need to take all 3 points and maintain a high goal difference." He also started a small little rant about how head-to-head record should be used as a tiebreaker ahead of goal difference, adding that unlike a league with 20 over matches, there were only 5 matches here, and it just requires teams to take more risky plays to boost their goal difference. "The players have to realise we are also fighting for goal difference as well," he added. "As such, every goal scored, and every goal conceeded, matters a lot to the team in terms of progression."

After 2 matchdays, Poafmersia currently lies second in the group with 1 win and 1 draw. The team will head to Paschvík next to play Darmen, who took their first points with a 2-0 win over Darmen in Matchday 2. A win for either side would put them in a decent position for qualification for the Round of 16, as top 2 teams qualify for the knockout stages.

by **HUElavia** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 11:09 am

Elmyia 2–4 HUElavia
(Froggatt 27', Rossi 66' | Rossi-Rigoni 22', 56', Amezcua 63', Hwangbo 90+2')
Olympik Stadion Indriði Kilíansson, Lehberg, Graintfjall

HUElavian Delight!

HUElavia storms past Elmyia in an entertaining and enjoyable game with a commanding 4-2 victory!

Entering Matchday 2, HUElavia was frustrated from the goalless draw against Trolleborg, but they knew they had to march on with their next match. Fortunately for them, they were good favorites against Elmyia, who had a draw themselves on Matchday 1. With a sold out crowd in Olympik Stadion Indriði Kilíansson, Coach Aveiro opted for some changes with Xuan starting over Aveiro and Ardance starting over Lavezzi in order to prevent suspension from yellow cards. While it was against another defensive team, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were determined to see the goals come down upon their opponents.

The opening goal came in the 22nd minute, when Navarro-Hamada was being covered by Scoular and Simmons when he gave a chip cross into the box, where Rossi-Rigoni made a run to give a falling one-time tap past Butler into the goal, making it 0-1, with Rossi-Rigoni and Navarro-Hamada celebrating together with their teammates while the HUElavians in the stands were in jubilation. In the 27th minute, a cross from Speight went into the box, where Froggatt won the ball from Curichimba to send it at point-blank past Casillas into the goal, making it 1-1 and sending joy to the Elmyians. Despite some chances from both teams, the half ended at 1-1, with more relief for Elmyia while more frustrations for HUElavia.

In the 2nd half, HUElavia went more on the offensive and the floodgates opened. In the 56th minute, Xuan was on the ball, being covered by Scoular, where she passed to her right to get Couto, where she gave a pass to her left to Rossi-Rigoni, where he gave a blistering shot with his right foot past the sprawling Butler into the goal, making it 1-2 and sending the HUElavians up with joy once more. In the 63rd minute, Aveiro (in for Xuan) was on the ball, dribbling against Scoular, where he sent a cross into the box, and up appeared Amezcua, who won the header from Grosso to head the ball down past the reach of Butler into the goal, making it 1-3, with Amezcua being mobbed by her teammates with the HUElavian fans in joy. In the 66th minute, Katsouranis was on the ball being covered by Vargas, before passing it to a covered Froggatt, before giving a backheel pass to Rossi, who gave a sliding shot past a diving Casillas into the goal, making it 2-3, with Rossi getting the ball to run back to center circle for a chance at another goal. That chance would not come, as HUElavia would clamp down on Elmyia, giving blocks and saves from Casillas to prevent another goal from coming in. In the 90+2nd minute, Whittingham was dispossessed by Ryang (in for Ardance), who gave a long ball to Navarro-Hamada, where he began to run and sprint in a counter attack, before sending a long pass to Hwangbo (in for Rossi-Rigoni), where she split past Freschi and Grosso to go one-on-one with Butler, before giving a low shot into the goal, making it 2-4 and sending the joy to the HUElavians as the bench hugged each other while Hwangbo celebrated with passion with her teammates for the game-sealing goal. At the end, HUElavia got their much needed 3 points and confidence moving forward.

With the victory, HUElavia move up to 2nd Place with 4 Points (1-1-0, +2 GD), sitting behind only Cassadaigua who has 4 Points (1-1-0, +3 GD) after a dull 0-0 draw with Trolleborg. For Matchday 3, HUElavia will get their IAC Rematch against West Barack and East Obama, who sit in 6th place with 1 Point (0-1-1, -3 GD). While the group is still very open, HUElavia knows they need to capitalize on their chances to get as many goals and wins as possible, given they may have to compete against Cassadaigua for 1st Place, while also holding off the teams below them. The team is training well and studying film as always, having a cheerful look on their faces, as they look to make the most of this tournament. The fans have been enjoying their time, with one HUElavian visitor, 27 year old Rosa Arruda de Castro from Miras, winning a drinking contest against many local people in Lehberg, which got her local fame for her win. In an interview with HBC she said "I grew up in a rowdy family and we'd host drinking competitions in our local tavern, so this is nothing for me!" At least, it seems that HUElavia is winning both on AND off the field. Here's to hoping we have a great Matchday 3 and go all out for another victory.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Cap Nord** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:12 pm

“Keep thinking, keep thinking!”

The shouts from Pazron Finchley were drowning in the whirlwind of sounds that overwhelmed Hakejoki Park. And even if some of the eleven in front of him had been able to catch any of that, there was only a limited chance that they would have been able to process it. Three more minutes, the bright orange lights of the fourth officials’ board read, and they were four too many.

In a way, it had been a fairly anticipated opening half. The Anaian favorites ruled possession and amassed the best chances. Yes, there was Rohan Williams who surprisingly netted the opener after a communication error in the back, but the expected balance of power was swiftly restored, with the Whalers mainly running to close the gaps that were exploited by the reigning Cup holders. A courageous performance by Cap Nord, but nothing more.

And then the second half, where only a small group of twenty-three men and women would ever know what Finchley shared in the locker room. Was it tactical wizardry? Maybe. Drawing back Carstensen a bit suffocated the air from the proverbial midfield lungs, with smaller pockets for Pilchard to make a difference. On the other hand, we saw Bjerkness and Williams, previously almost employed as back-up wing-backs, stick to the opposing side of the field, pestering Winchester and Davies to stay on their side and annulling the numeric advantages held. It was nothing Saint-Eleanor had not seen before, but it proved effective. Was it just the case of a great player having an exceptional day? Stats sites confirmed that Rohan Williams did not swim in possession last night, but when he had the ball, he did not seem able to do anything wrong with it. On top of that, there was an almost uncanny sharpness as demonstrated in the second goal: a minor hesitation from Bailey opened up space near the second post and the Corinthians No Longer star delivered it to the net without even looking. Or maybe it had all been bits of luck? Seasoned defender Liam West going under the ball after a slight but unnoticed push from Myrrheim, giving Theodor Bissett the opportunity to bring the Whalers in the lead. Or fiery enforcer Newbridge opting to keep the scythe in his back pocket for once, only to see Williams complete his hattrick with the outside of his right foot.

As things go in life, it probably was a combination of all three and the dire thing about it was that that magical cocktail started to go to the head, with the hangover kicking in with ten minutes to go: about the time when Jessica Martin brought Saint-Eleanor back in the game. No surprise as the pot one group had stubbornly continued what they were doing, which mainly concerned playing football at a slightly higher execution pace as the Capnordic eleven. And as engine tanks were running out, bit by bit people started to stay behind, catching a breath in the ever-shorter breaks between two waves of attack.

“You take weMexala, Pat! Troels! TROELS! The what-s-his-number? 26?”

Johannes Marzinn shouted commands, keeping a sharp eye on the corner. The shot from the second line had not been the best produced, but as a slight drizzle had made everything a bit slippery, pushing it out of bounds was the safe option with two black-and-green strikers preying in his goal area. Jess Martin was rushing to take it, as Marzinn tried to get the inventory of the substitutions in his mind: an exhausted Bjerkness and Williams had been relieved and the system formatted to a 5-3-2 to drag the result over the line.

“Miiiiiiiiine!”

It wasn’t his. Just as Johannes Marzinn wanted to put his fist against the leather, Bridget Coombe put her head against it. Luckily for the goalie, it bounced off of him and almost carelessly disappeared at the right side of the post.

“Johno, you fucking stick to her like a… Like a…”

The mind of Johannes Marzinn was even too tired to come up with something such as ‘like a stuck sticker’. How on earth could Martin be at the opposite side already to swing another cross in the box? Everyone and their uncle knew she was aiming for Pazorzal, yet the powerful striker climbed over a worn-out Troels Poulsen: just the fingertips of Johannes Marzinn to stand between a 4-4. Another corner.

“Just hold it, guys, one last one.”

By now, the voice of Marzinn was not even carrying outside the six-yard anymore but it was not needed: everyone was piled up in it. As if they all realized they could not win a duel anymore, but they could at least physically stop the ball if they stood in its trajectory to the goal. And then…

“Short! It’s short!”

Despite possessing the cross of Martin, she passed it to Newcastle. As he saw blobs of red move out to the side where the two Saint-Eleanor players held possession, Marzinn realized what they were doing. If you can’t shoot through a block of red-shirts, your only chance is to lure them away.

“Not all, not all, not…”

His final ‘all’ would forever remain stuck in his throat. Marzinn saw it happening, the soaring pass from Martin and Hollenberg appearing in the vast no man’s land near the second post. He saw it and knew what would happen already before she put her laces through it. Against teams of this stature, you can get beaten by the oldest trick in the book.

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:19 pm

It was often said that war was ninety percent boredom and ten percent sheer terror, and although there have been moments in her life when Major Gavrina Vasilyevna Kumilyova found herself questioning this statement, today was not one of those days. At least it wasn’t one of those days yet. Kumilyova and the headquarters platoon of Company Alfa of the 21st Air Assault Regiment of the Pridnestrovian Airborne Forces were currently on board an Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane in a holding pattern thirty kilometers away from the town of Supskij, now currently under attack from the Federal Defense Forces of what was now being called the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva. Both Kirill Fedorchuk and Victor Traianescu had already announced that they were going to unite their respective governments into one state to counter the rest of the Inselberg Pact on Estorian soil, but they were still navigating through the bureaucracy and the red tape associating with uniting two governments into so their union was not yet official. Despite that, some FDF units were already putting insignia representing the so-called Federal Republic on their uniforms and equipment, but most of the FDF still used the separate insignia of the Federation of Estorvipa and the Republic of Estorpiva. The plane carrying Kumilyova and her airborne troopers was one of those still flying the colors of the Federation of Estorvipa, while the soldiers themselves still had yellow tape on their helmets and arms that marked them out as Pivan units.

The airborne troopers had boarded three Il-76s that had landed at Feuerstadt’s airport, and now they were in a holding pattern thirty kilometers away from Supskij waiting for the signal from the ground troops to commence their drop over the army base next to the town. It had been forty minutes since the Il-76s arrived at their holding point, but the battle for Supskij itself had already been raging for at least two hours before then. And throughout all the time that the Il-76s had been airborne, Major Kumilyova had been spending most of it thinking about the last time that she had been in Estoria, and in Feuerstadt in particular. Kumilyova didn’t have many good memories of Feuerstadt from the last time that she had been there, and now she was thinking about the actual last time that she had been in that place before the Federal Republic resumed hostilities with the Estorian members of the Inselberg Pact.

“I’ve just received some very disturbing news from our friends in the KGB,” Mikhail Yevgeniyevich Kutuzov (who at the time was still a major and commander of Company Alfa) told his men as night fell over a Feuerstadt that was being besieged by the combined forces of the Northern Army of the Estorvipan Commune, the Blue Skulls, and elements of the Imperial Army.

“Sir, with all due respect, what else could be more disturbing than the fact that we’ve withdrawn from almost every place that was once held by the State of Estorpiva?” Gavrina Kumilyova asked. “We’ve practically abandoned Popovgrad and Durdenville to the Communards before they even got there! And now we’re preparing to leave Feuerstadt as well. What else could be worse than that?”

“I appreciate your candor, Gavrina Vasilyevna, I really do,” Kutuzov nodded. “However, in all seriousness, I have now been told that there was a reason why we abandoned those cities as quickly as we did in the face of the northern onslaught, and that was what I was about to tell all of you before I was interrupted by Gavrina Vasilyevna here. I have just been informed by the KGB that the leadership of the State of Estorpiva is planning to align themselves with the Inselberg Pact.”

“What?!” many of Kutuzov’s men said in disbelief. “How the fuck did that happen, sir?” then-Senior Lieutenant Vyacheslav Ilyich Klimov asked his commanding officer as he and the rest struggled to process this particular piece of information.

“Sir, how in the world did those fucking Imperials manage to make contact with Denys Ihorovych and his people?” then-Junior Lieutenant Ravil Ivanovich Yanenko added. “Our security around this place was supposed to be completely airtight! How did the Imperials get in touch with Ihorovych?”

“The KGB didn’t think I needed to know that, so I can’t offer an answer to that question,” Kutuzov shrugged. “However, because of this new development, we’ve just been given a new order before we complete our withdrawal from Feuerstadt, and that is to eliminate the leaders of the State of Estorpiva.”

“Eliminate?” Kumilyova repeated. “You mean… kill them all, sir?”

“Call it whatever you want, Gavrina Vasilyevna,” Kutuzov shook his head. “The Politburo itself is the one who approved this operation. They want us to take out the leadership of the State of Estorpiva so they can’t make the deal with the Inselberg Pact, and at the same time removing their leaders from the picture will allow us to put people we’ve actually vetted into power and cementing the State’s place as our ally here in Estoria.”

“Fucking hell, man,” Klimov muttered, shaking his head. “These fucking politicians never know when to stop when they get into power!”

“Be that as it may, Vyacheslav Ilyich,” Kutuzov said, “we’ve been given our orders and it is now our duty to carry them out. Ihorovych and his cohorts should still be in the city hall planning either the defense of this place or their surrender to the Communards or the Imperials, whichever one of those reaches this place first. We’ve no time to waste, comrades. The future of the State of Estorpiva is at stake with this mission.”

The Pridnestrovians began moving towards the city hall, approaching from the rear of the building so as not to alert any of the remaining Pivan sentries still manning their places in and around the city hall. However, the troopers only made it as far as the courtyard at the back of the hall when they came across an unexpected complication in their plans. The leaders of the State of Estorpiva (Denys Ihorovych, Sara Basescu, and Luka Kovacs) were already outside, and they were surrounded by soldiers clad almost entirely in black. They were carrying weapons that looked state of the art and of Imperial origin, and while most of these soldiers had their faces covered with balaclavas and such, the main exception to this rule was the man standing in the middle of this little congregation. Pridnestrovian soldiers and intelligence officers were familiar with the identity of that man, having seen his face a multitude of times during their briefings, as it was none other than Dominik Potter, leader of the northern Blue Skulls paramilitary and a man whom Pridnestrovian agencies believed to be a full-fledged officer of the Imperial Intelligence Service of the Imperium of Rushmore. The Pridnestrovians immediately put their rifles to their shoulders upon seeing the others, and they would have tried to find cover had they not been surprised to see so many enemies on the other side of the wall, but no one pulled the trigger yet.

“Fancy seeing you here, you filthy Reds,” Potter said to the airborne troopers in almost perfect and accentless Russian. “Were you looking for these people?” he asked, pointing towards Denys Ihorovych and company behind him. “Unfortunately for you, it seems that I got to them first, and I have a feeling that your intentions for Mr. Ihorovych, Miss Basescu, and Mr. Kovacs are much more nefarious than mine.”

“Govno!” Kumilyova cried out softly even as she put the reticle of her red dot sight squarely on Potter’s chest. “What are we going to do now, sir?” she asked Kutuzov.

“Point that at Ihorovych and his friends,” Kutuzov replied. “I’ll deal with this bastard.” Kutuzov then turned his attention to Potter and said in a loud voice, “I always knew you were an Imperial through and through, Comrade Potter. Now the secret is out, and there is nowhere to hide. Are you ready to face your end, comrade?”

“Funny that you should mention the end, my communist friend,” Potter replied, now speaking in English. “I’m pretty sure that the reason why you came here tonight is to put an end to the State of Estorpiva, or at least the end of it as a nominally independent country fighting for its own destiny in the world stage.”

“Don’t act like you’re trying to save the Pivan people with this because we all know that the only reason why the Imperium wants them alive is because the State of Estorpiva is sitting on a massive reserve of oil or lithium or whatever your emperor needs at the moment,” Kutuzov shot back, still speaking in Russian.

“At least my superiors want them alive, Pridnestrovian,” Potter countered. “You’ve probably already been told by your commanders to dispose of Mr. Ihorovych and his cohorts now that they no longer toe your Politburo’s line!”

“How does he know about this operation, sir?” Vyacheslav Klimov hissed under his breath. His grip on his PKP Pecheneg machine gun was shaking due to his own nervousness, and his right index finger was twitching as it rested on the trigger guard.

“Stay calm, Vyacheslav Ilyich!” Kutuzov shot back quickly. “Potter doesn’t know anything at all. He’s just throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. He’s trying to make us make the first move.” Once again he turned his attention back to the Imperials and said, “One must first remove the weeds in his garden before he can begin planting flowers again. In this case, Comrade Potter, Comrade Ihorovych and his Pivan comrades are the weeds, and the State of Estorpiva is the garden. Denys Ihorovych and people like him who are willing to make deals with whoever promises them more weapons or more aid or whatever are the last thing that the Pivan people need to lead them through this civil war of theirs. The Pivan people do not deserve such weak-willed and vacillating leaders.”

“What the fuck is the Major doing, Gasha?” Klimov asked Kumilyova. “Why is he still talking to these bastards?”

“I don’t know, Slava, but if he wants me to shoot Ihorovych then it’s not going to happen,” Kumilyova whispered back. “I don’t have a clear shot through all of those Imperials standing around him.”

“So you finally admit it then!” Potter shouted triumphantly. “You are here to kill Mr. Ihorovych and his friends after all! Now how do you expect them to ever take your side now that they know that you will not hesitate to eliminate the whole Pivan government if they are not aligned one hundred percent with Pridnestrovia?! How will you ever hope to convince a Pivan, any Pivan, that you have nothing but their best interests in mind?”

“I’m a soldier, Comrade Potter,” Kutuzov sneered. “My job isn’t to convince anyone of anything. My job is to shoot and kill every single one of my country’s enemies, and my friend, you are one such enemy.”

“What about Denys Ihorovych then, friend?” Potter asked. “Since when did he become an enemy in your eyes? Since your comrade commanders or your respected Politburo decided that he had outlived his usefulness as your ally?”

“The Estorian people deserve to have a say in how their country will turn out at the end of this war, comrade!” Kutuzov countered. “In a just world, they will be able to do that without any outsider interference at all, but in this case, we just want to give them an option that isn’t controlled by the Imperium.”

“A most noble cause to fight for, if I do say so myself!” Potter said with a derisive laugh. “Unfortunately for you, the Emperor does not appreciate Pridnestrovia’s attempt to steer yet another country towards the failure that is communism! Estoria has been stuck in the past for so long before the north rose up in anger against Zhivkov and his repressive regime. Anouschka Belicic dragged northern Estorvipa into the 21st century kicking and screaming, and Roseanne did the same for the south through the Rose Revolution. But you communists didn’t want to be alone in the past, so you just had to come here and interfere with the natural process of things in a vain attempt to keep Estoria in the past with you!”

“Why are we still talking, Gavrina?” Klimov asked again. “Why is the Major still talking to that rat bastard? Tell him to just give me the signal and I will mow down all of these Imperials at once!”

“Hold your fire, Lieutenant!” Kumilyova hissed. “Nobody moves until the Major says so! Besides, we’re too exposed right where we are right now. Sure, you might kill Potter, or you might kill Ihorovych and his friends, but what happens to you, to all of us, after that?”

“But I don’t want to just stand here, Gasha!” Klimov said through gritted teeth. “I have to do something!”

“Trust me, Slava, I want to do something about this too!” Kumilyova shot back. “But until Major Kutuzov says something, we are all going to stay here and do nothing! And as your commanding officer, I order you to stay still!”

If she hadn’t been shifting her attention between Klimov beside her and the Imperial soldiers in front then Gavrina Kumilyova probably might not have seen it at all. But because she was not looking through her red dot sight, she managed to see something glinting in the corner of her eye. The skies were clear over Feuerstadt, and the fires from a handful of firefights in the distance were scattered on the horizon and competing for brightness with the half moon over their heads. Kumilyova tried to look for the glint again, and for one brief moment she thought she saw something, or someone, standing on the roof of the city hall. In fact, she might be the only one seeing it, and looking back at it with the benefit of both hindsight and further experience, if Kumilyova hadn’t seen that glint then it was more than probable that neither she nor anyone else in the Ilyushin with her would be around now.

“Sniper!” Kumilyova shouted, and instinctively she put her shoulder into Major Kutuzov’s midsection and tackled him down. A multitude of things happened in the moments immediately after that, starting with the sniper’s bullet passing through the air just millimeters away from both Kutuzov and Kumilyova and hitting the airborne trooper behind them squarely in the chest and ending with Vyacheslav Klimov finally pulling the trigger on his PKP and mowing down as many of the Imperial soldiers as he could. However, because of Kumilyova’s shouting, the enemy had more than enough time to react, and though Klimov managed to mow down half a dozen Imperials with his machine gun, he didn’t manage to land a hit on Dominik Potter or Denys Ihorovych or any of the other leaders of the State of Estorpiva. “Fall back! Fall back!” Kutuzov shouted as he and Kumilyova crawled on their back towards the street from which they had come even as more Imperials and their Blue Skulls allies continued to pour more lead downrange at the VDV troopers.

The VDV troopers were some of the last Pridnestrovian units to leave Feuerstadt before it was finally surrounded and occupied by the combined forces of the Northern Army, the Blue Skulls, and the Imperial Army. The fact that they were the last ones to leave wasn’t particularly distressing to the VDV; however, it was their failure to carry out their mission that really stung them on that day. Despite this, the VDV continued to fight against the combined forces of the then-newly formed Inselberg Pact until peace was finally forced upon the land via the Treaty of Kotelnirovo, which forced the cessation of all hostilities between the Pridnestrovian Armed Forces and most of the warring factions of the Estorian Civil War. Of course, despite this, Pridnestrovia still continued to attempt to get its pound of flesh from the traitorous State of Estorpiva by eliminating its leadership, and though they managed to assassinate a handful of cabinet-level ministers and deputies, the big names like Denys Ihorovych, Sara Basescu, and Luka Kovacs still managed to elude them.

Gavrina’s Kumilyova reminiscing of her previous time in Estoria was interrupted by a loud buzzing. She opened her eyes and saw that the interior of the Il-76 was now lit up in red lighting. “Desantiy, get ready!” the loadmaster shouted on the public address system. “The FDF has taken out most of the air defenses in the Supskij base. It’s now your turn to finish the job!”

The troopers stood up and started checking their gear one last time in preparation for their coming drop. Most of them had already double-checked and even triple-checked their gear before boarding and while waiting for the go signal, but due to their knowledge of their occupation and its hazards, everyone knew that one more check could very well mean the difference between success and failure or even death. Kumilyova checked her own equipment and parachute before doing the same to Vyacheslav Klimov’s gear, who did the same thing for her at the same time. Once they were done, Kumilyova looked at Klimov and asked him, “Are you nervous?”

“I’ve already done this a hundred times before, Gavrina Vasilyevna,” Klimov replied. “And I can do it at least a hundred more times after, but I will still be nervous before every single jump we’re about to make.”

“That’s good to know, Vyacheslav Ilyich,” Kumilyova nodded. “I also get nervous before every jump too.”

“Five seconds!” the loadmaster shouted as the rear doors of the Ilyushin began to swing open. “Three, two, one! Go, go, go!” he shouted as the light beside the now-open ramp turned green. Major Gavrina Vasilyevna Kumilyova looked out into the gray sky and down at the ground below, on which a battle was currently raging. She and her men were about to jump right into the thick of that battle, and there was no telling who among them was going to come out of that alive at the end of the day. It was something that she had already done many times, but the thought that this drop could always be her last was something that always popped up in Kumilyova’s mind right before moments like these. But she also knew that if she allowed herself to dwell on those thoughts that it was going to make them more prophetic than she wanted, so Kumilyova shook her head, said a short and silent prayer for herself and her men, and then she took a deep breath and jumped.

  ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 0 - 1 SARGOSSA       
                                ALCOBER (68')

by **Aleirave** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 12:41 pm

The Next Big Thing
Valentine Z 3-2 Aleirave

When an Aleiravan footballer announces their NT retirement, the selection process for their successor is... interesting.

Two such processes would kick off during this Cup of Harmony, after the team's oldest active members, Petr Enovriev and Anna Vantereva, would announce that this Cup of Harmony would be their last tournament as Seagulls. Come CAFA VI, there would be two open slots on the island's 23, and everybody wanted a piece.

AFA representatives would spend day and night watching games at the old kicking grounds outside Lahaira, the same one that had been serving as the de facto NT pitch these past three years. You never know when a game might start on that field, and the scouts must be ready. No rest for those seeking new talent, after all.

The last time a search like this had occurred, Aleirave's Next Big Thing™ was young Sergei Byalko, who... hasn't seen any playtime since coming onto the roster after CAFA V. Oh well, at least he got a kit and a paycheck, right?

The AFA's top scout, Pyotr Zakariev, had to be at the pitch at 3am to see Sergei playing by himself back in March, so he knew that finding not one, but two new players... that would be a time-intensive task. "Thank Margaret they gave us this much notice..." he muttered under his breath as he walked over to the Aleiravan pitch, "imagine if they waited until January, or worse...*"

Pyotr pulled up a lawn chair, and started watching a game going on at the pitch. A group of a dozen or so high-school age kids, playing a relatively disorganized game. "Here we go..." he said, not looking forward to the next few months of scouting.

"Haulafo... what is this?" Eshian manager Kenny Morgan asked his islander counterpart while they were having lunch in Háttmark.
"I don't know what you're talking about..." Haulafo replied, seemingly knowing nothing about the meme on Kenny's phone.
"You spread this on twii.tur, didn't you?"
"Why would I do that? Must've been a fan..."
"I--"
"Heh, we'll see which of our teams is cooler come Saturday, eh?" Haulafo left it at that.

*OOC Note: in the Eshian/Aleiravan calendar, the Cup of Harmony is in November, while the CAFA Cup kicks off in February.

by **Aeragny** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 1:04 pm

Airannia 1 - 1 Xanneria
Laxenvöllur, Mühlrich, Graentfjall
17': Jari Juups 0-1
24': -- Stéven Lédn
39': -- Dillon Hailey
45': Stéven Lédn <> Çontre Colminge
62': Gary Goppré 1-1
69': -- Sam Allbhy
70': Khriss Garyabh <> Renald Duponte
72': -- Xander Washington
77': -- Odês Victorya éys
80': -- Colton Boyd-Church
84': Gérand Brassa <> Férex Pélie

A peculiar result, as many in Airannia noted. This match was already looked forward to on account of the surprising Airannian victory over Cardenao (through a stand-out hattrick performance by Garyabh), which proved to be just the little push the media needed to genuinely cover the Cup of Harmony; rather than consider the tournament about as interesting as the provincial three-cushion billiard leagues (primarily due to its status as "one step below the real deal", as well as due to Airannian placing only in the 5th pot out of 6), the tournament is seen as a true potential avenue for success for the Drills.
The tie against Xanneria, however, was most peculiar. Perhaps its the superstition that courses through the blood of every Aerá citizen; perhaps it's the way these patterns are a lot more notable when four kingdoms' worth of analysts peer over the data... but the facts are out there - this game wasn't just a tie; it was a 1-1 tie, with each side scoring a goal 17 minutes after the start of the half, both of which came from corner kicks (though, Juups scored off a header, while Goppré kicked the ball past Jefferson jr for his contribution. Each side also received 3 yellows - moreover, 2 yellows for defenders, and 1 for a midfielder. And, once these discrepancies in the simulation were outlined, the similarity in the English names of the countries, was also not left unnoticed. Now, do note that the Airannian names are, frankly, nothing alike (Xannéry vs. Aerágny), but when you're looking for real magic fuckery, you don't tend to dwell on such details.
With a match against very highly ranked Quebec coming up, followed by a game against Acastanha, who are wholly unknown in Airannia, the Cup of Harmony would already be considered a success. But then, the true finale of the group stage of this competition is currently the most eagerly anticipated: Saperetia, who defeated the Drills during the second matchday of the Baptism of Fire with 0-2. Even if the Aerágny team doesn't progress to the elimination round (which seems to really be a pipe dream, despite the current 2nd place standing), winning that final game would be sweeter victory than winning any tournament.

by **Kirungabi** » Thu Mar 16, 2023 3:00 pm

Cup of Harmony 85 — MD2
Brookstation 1–0 Kirungabi
BRO - Robes, 61'

Kirungabi fell to Brookstation in a match of attrition on the second matchday of the 85th Cup of Harmony, ultimately conceding a single goal after a coordinated, sustained attack from the 56th ranked Brook side finally found a way past Jean-Luc Uzanabiryo to pull ahead. The defeat marks yet another fruitless match for Kirungabi in international competition against higher-ranked sides; though expected, the team's difficulty to match or outsmart "stronger" rivals on paper has been a sticking point in the squad's performances in the World Cup Qualifiers. Coach Cyril Kamembe, however, was quick to dispel speculation that the defeat had been due to a tactical mistake. "We've been doing generally okay for what is expected of a team as young, and as relatively inexperienced, as our own. Certainly, we're struggling to convert our efforts into success against more consolidated teams — maybe we need to change our training regime or culture, or study our rivals more carefully to better prepare to face different play styles and philosophies. For now, all we can do is continue to fight, continue to work hard, and maybe kick the beehive a little bit and see how we can optimize our lineup."

As the team prepares to face Kimi-suomi in the third matchday of the Cup of Harmony, Kamembe and assistant coach August Abihayimana have opted to replace Jean-Luc Uzanabiryo with Flambeau du Mugugu's Aimable Mbabazi in the starting lineup, with 34-year-old Hadrien Ubuzima slated for more frequent appearances.

Où es-tu, Enténer?
Popular Benefits of QSEX-Enténer Deal Lost in Translation

Months after the prolific deal between state-owned energy company Enténer and Quebecois arms manufacturing firm Quebec and Shingoryeo Explosives (QSEX) was signed, promising a wave of redevelopment and reconstruction destined for the erstwhile trade hub of Gusohora, any early clues of the agreement's effectiveness and impact on the common man seem to be stuck at the linehaul office. Signed in light of the Græntfjaller-hosted Convention of Rushmori Nations on Climate, Oceans and Biodiversity (CORNCOB), the investment deal touted by the President and First Lady of Kirungabi as a godsend for the neglected citizens of the south-western city has failed to produce a tangible impact on the people's everyday lives — even though it's apparent that the riches of the deal have already reached the pockets of the Kirungan Development Front and QSEX CEO Park Byeong-Joo.

The conditions of the investment deal promised a cash injection into the various Kirungabi Itangira Guhera-owned USARDUKI (Usine d'armeé du Kirungabi) factories in the city of Gusohora, to serve both as a Rushmori manufacturing hub for Quebec and Shingoryeo Explosives and new facilities for Enténer's energy solutions manufacturing activities; as such, the Quebecois consortium pledged in return to inject cash into Enténer to expand the company's productive capacity, research and development budget, and to extend the reach and output of the Kirungan energy grid across the whole territory alongside the continued production and distribution of biofuel and methane microgenerators to off-grid villages.

For the citizens of Gusohora, it was clear from the start that the deal had been signed and that the ramp-up in industrial activity was ready to come into effect, as the dirt continuation of National Route NR-1 into the city, and the treacherous, destroyed NR-1 stretch to the southwest border, were cordoned off to begin reconstruction and paving work. Additionally, the arrival of heavy manufacturing and industrial equipment via air into the city — transported by Quebecois and unregistered Karditani aircraft, contrary to Kirungabi Transport and Customs Authority (AKITRANS) regulations which outlaw foreign aircraft from landing in domestic airports — harkened the start of the reconditioning of the USARDUKI factories to their new international standard. Soon enough, however, once the newly paved asphalt and cement roads were open to the public again, the sounds of industrial machinery vanished from the streets, and the steel rods and plastic ribbons used to delimit the roadwork area were left alone flapping in the wind.

"We've been abandoned again," said a Gusohora resident who wished to remain anonymous. Pointing to the recently renovated road infrastructure in the city, the Gusohoran explained the lack of impact it would have on ordinary residents. "As you can see, QSEX and Enténer made the roads for themselves. You can go from NR-1 to the factories, the industrial center, and the airport very quickly now, but it's been raining this week and the situation is just the same for everyone else. We either can't go to work or we show up covered in mud. Nothing has changed; the road work and 'investment deal' was all for themselves."

Another anonymous, disgruntled Gusohoran echoed their neighbour's thoughts. "It's not surprising anymore. Nobody in the city was excited to hear the 'investment deal' the government signed with Quebec and Shingoryeo. It's another chapter in an endless history of abuses against Kirungabi from foreign powers — and when there's a foreign power, there's a Kirungan in Imisozi letting them in." The anonymous citizen, even despite being an employee of Enténer, accused the central government in Imisozi of neglecting the city's needs. "They come and tell you that we can have nuclear power now, that they're going to make this city an economic hub again, that they're going to rebuild with the help of the Quebecois — what have they been doing for the past 20 years? Building a brand new city in the east, rebuilding Abongereza and pumping money into hosting sport events in Imisozi, and improving dirt roads that still flood when there's a bit of rain without even touching Route 10 to Gufungura. When did they ever care about Gusohora? Never, and they still don't; they want us to be happy with a piece of road and empty promises, and they know that we can't speak up anyway even if we wanted to."

85th Cup of Harmony [rosters/RPs/results]

The World's Most Talented Footballer - Episode II

A Tight Loss, But Still A Loss

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