Furellum make their return to the Di Bradini, seen in the country as a way of moving the almost-champions of the U-15 World Cup to the nobodies of the Senior competition. A team cobbled together from junior squads of the past have made their way to Starblaydia to fight for home and glory. Or at least to hang out in shopping malls and gawp at all the technology. Either way, the FFA are just happy they made it this time, and didn't end up lost in a temporal vortex like the last team they sent to an AO country.
The Background
To the unaware, Furellum is a small island situated at the mouth of the Taaru Sea in Atlantian Oceania. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg, as it were. The vast majority of the nation sits in another dimension, accessible only through the portal at the top of the White Tower that connects the capital of Altsby with its counterpart Other Altsby. Furellum is a land soaked in magic and stalled in time, and it is common to see men flying through the air while at the same time cars are missing from the streets. Furellum's population is made up of a vast array of sentient, bipedal, anthropomorphic animals, mostly of mammalian species. Humans are relative newcomers, only appearing in the country in the last 800 years, when the country was conquered by the Kingdom of Maalvia, who maintain Furellum as a Grand Duchy to this day.
The Team
Coach: Claudiu Frey
Assistant Coach: Eliphalet Zoric
Motto: Victoria et hoc genus omne
Goalkeepers
#1 Mihails Gavrilovic
Species: Gelada Baboon
Club: Upton-on-Rode
Age: 18
Position: Starting Goalkeeper
Bio: Impressing in two U-15 World Cups, Mihails has quickly become one of the best keepers in the country, and a move to the senior team looks almost certain for this talented and experienced youngster. Naturally gifted, Mihails has an almost unstoppable energy that has him bouncing around the goal and stopping shots from any angle. His long reach and jumping distance make him tough to score against, even on a rebound.
#12 Boris Mihajlovic
Species: Rhinoceros
Club: Gallifor
Age: 19
Position: Reserve Goalkeeper
Bio: Once considered the best junior goalkeeper in the country, Mihajlovic has been surpassed by Gavrilovic and now must make do with second spot.
Defenders
#4 Thor Kokot
Species: Horse
Club: Gallifor
Age: 18
Position: Starting Right Back
Bio: One of the rising stars of the last DBC squad, Thor makes a welcome return. It is a wonder he is even here at all, as he comes from an isolated minority group living at the far edge of the Great Plains. This community, the Sliepnirians, are all horses, and marked by a life devoted to wandering and the worship of their gods. Thor still follows his people's religion and traditions, but has left his home to join Gallifor, one of the stronger sides in Furellum's league. His hero is national team captain Fyodor Iosef.
#3 Ragnar Asbjorn
Species: Polar Bear
Club: Guldisall
Age: 20
Position: Starting Centre Back
Bio: Ragnar is one of the players from the senior squad. He is big and tough, but he is also remarkably quick. He has a tendency to go in too hard and foul opposing strikers. Due to his bulk, once they're hit, they stay down, often causing Asbjorn to be yellow-carded where others might be let off with a warning.
#2 Lievin Zaboulon
Species: Otter
Club: Upton-on-Rode
Age: 20
Position: Starting Centre Back
Bio: Zaboulon, like many otters in Furellum, comes from a fishing village along the Rode river. As the middle child of eight in a working-class family, he's lived a hard life, but that only motivates him more on the pitch. Football is Lievin's life, and he is a hardworking defender with a good ability to harass opposing players and steal the ball from under their noses.
#5 Decebal Ozolinsh
Species: Brown Bear
Club: Ingridberg
Age: 16
Position: Starting Left Back
Bio: Another stalwart of the U-15 world cup, Decebal is a close-in defender, preferring to hustle an opponent for the ball rather than intercept a pass. Decebal is extremely fastidious, and hates disorder of any kind.
#14 Mladen Gabor
Species: Wolverine
Club: Straight Street
Age: 16
Position: Reserve Right Back
Bio: Banned from the U-15 team for feeding a teammate laxatives before a semi-final, Gabor is now back in the FFA's good books. Mladen brings an attacking ferocity to the team, a defender prepared to get the ball at any cost.
#15 Ion Funar
Species: Capybara
Club: Rodenia
Age:17
Position: Reserve Left Back
Bio: This is Ion's first time playing for his country. It is rare enough to find a capybara outside of the isolated waterways of the far east of the country, but Ion has fitted in well to life in the city. As a player, he is quick on the field and a good man to have when an opposing striker breaks through the line.
#16 Vidarr Stefanovich
Species: Hippopotamus
Club: Ingridberg
Age:19
Position: Reserve centre Back
Bio: Built like the proverbial house, being tackled by Vidarr really is like being hit by a ton of bricks. Or at least a ton of over-eager Furellum defender. Vidarr always wants the ball, and takes to the sport with an excitement and energy that cannot be contained.
Midfielders
#6 Levi Kolar
Species: Red Deer
Club: Little Whittling
Age: 17
Position: Starting Defensive Midfielder
Bio: A big name on the junior circuit for many years, this is Kolar's second Di Bradini cup. A cool and collected player, Kolar will need every ounce of his skill and experience as the only defensive midfielder in Furellum's line up.
#7 Zhenya Polzin
Species: Jungle Cat
Club: Altsby and Castle
Age: 16
Position: Starting Left Winger
Bio: Zhenya is small, agile and technically brilliant. If it wasn't for his tendency to panic when placed under pressure, he might have made an excellent striker. He is good out on the wings though, and if given enough space can create plenty of good scoring opportunities for Furellum's forwards.
#9 Adam Vukoja
Species: Human 16, CM, Human, Guldisall Jr
Club: Guldisall
Age: 18
Position: Starting Centre Midfielder
Bio: Vukoja plays for Guldisall, the university where he is currently studying the secrets of magic. Adam has dreams of one day being a wizard, but he is already a wizard with a football. Vukoja has been at the centre of Furellum junior football for years, and is assured a position on the senior squad one day if he wants it.
#8 Stepjan Albescu
Species: Gazelle
Club: City Watch
Age: 16
Position: Starting Right Winger
Bio: Stepjan is a solid, dependable player, the oldest of several brothers to play football. Little brother Rudolf has also played for Furellum in the U-15 WC, as Stepjan once did. A talented footballer in his own right, Stepjan will be dangerous on the flank with his powerful right hoof and accurate crosses.
#17 Domen Loke, 18, RM, Leopard, Felismarch
Species: Leopard
Club: Felismarch
Age: 19
Position: Reserve Right Midfielder
Bio: Another player from the last DBC, Loke has grown as a player in the last year. While quick and with enough smarts to get around defenders, Loke is also introverted and selfish. He'd rather try to beat five defenders himself then pass to a teammate. However, he has been working on that, and will see plenty of game time this cup.
#18 Mordecai Vukoja
Species: Human
Club: Other Altsby
Age: 16
Position: Reserve Centre Midfielder
Bio: No relation to Adam Vukoja, Mordecai hates it when people assume they are related. It would help of course if Mordecai had the same talent as his name sake, but he doesn't. He is however, still a dependable and solid performer on the field, and well suited to replace his more skilled namesake in a pinch.
#19 Volund Dragos
Species: Grey Wolf
Club: Other Altsby
Age: 17
Position: Reserve Left Midfielder
Bio: Volund is another new player on the scene. A perfect gentleman of the field, on the pitch he becomes a fierce and aggressive midfielder with a reckless tendency to try for long shots at goal. If that ferocity can be well managed, he'll go far.
Forwards
#10 Moisey Vaduva
Species: Markhor Goat
Club: Gallifor
Age: 21
Position: Starting Left Forward
Bio: He might look like an old veteran with his grey hair and almost floor length braided beard, but Moisey is a youngster at just 21. He should be 22, but he's been snuck into the squad on a technicality. That technicality being that after Moisey was lost with the rest of the team in a time vortex before AOCAF 43, the FFA used the same time travel magic to bring the WC67 squad forward in time to compete in WC68. This is then Moisey Vaduva from the past, a Moisey Vaduva that is 21 years of age and therefore eligible for the DBC. While he has played a more supporting role to star forward Eleazar Szczelaszczyk in the senior squad, this cup is a chance for him to shine in his own right.
#11 Ezra Szczelaszczyk
Species: Leopard
Club: White Market
Age: 18
Position: Starting Right Forward
Bio: The son of Furellum's star forward Eleazar Szczelaszczyk, Ezra is a champion in his own right. He was a key player in the 4th and 5th U-15 World Cups, where Furellum came second both times, and is set to continue the Szczelaszczyk sporting dynasty. This will no doubt annoy foreign commentators who will have to try and pronounce that surname for many years to come.
#20 Mikhail Novak
Species: Black Boar
Club: City Watch
Age: 16
Position: Reserve Centre Forward
Bio: Another former U-15 squad member, Novak is an aggressive, no-holds-barred type of player. If he can't dodge a defender, he'll go through him. While his style might be rough, he's also tenacious, and if there's an opportunity to score Mikhail will be there, swooping on the ball. He's also got a great header, his curving tusks and flat snout giving him a scoop with which to flick the ball home.
#21 Han Kaspar
Species: Wolf
Club: Little Whittling
Age: 18
Position: Reserve Left Forward
Bio: Han played alongside Ezra in the Under-15 squad, but while his companion has risen in fame, Han faded into obscurity for a few years. Now he's back on the squad, albeit in the reserves, and ready to make his presence felt. Han prefers to shoot from point blank range, and will try to get as close as possible to the goal before attempting to score.
#22 Boris Funar
Species: Stoat
Club: Upton-on-Rode
Age: 16
Position: Reserve Right Forward
Bio: A reserve on the most recent U-15 cup squad, Boris has yet to make a name for himself in junior football. He has talent enough to ensure another spot on the reserves here though, so it's possible he'll be around for a good while yet
The Kits
HomeAway
Goalkeeper
Kits made by Foroni Fabrics of BaruniaThe Strategy
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Style: -4.5
RP Permissions
No killing my players or giving them career-ending injuries. Other then that, have fun.
