Cup of Harmony 49: RPs/Scores

[Civil Citizenry]

The fast, intense pace of the Cup of Harmony brings out emotions in everyone. The players, especially, suffer from nervousness and anxiety, as every game becomes ultra-critical. For Rawdon Waldo, a debutante in the tournament, the scene has proved to be too much. Earlier today, Waldo was taken by several of his teammates, with the consent of manager Wladyslaw Bashirskaya, to a mental hospital in Cotdelapoms for some quick psychological healing.

The Citiz national soccer team is currently in Cotdelapoms as they fight to stay alive in the first round of the knockout stage. However, they will be without Waldo, one of their backup forwards, for their match against Osarius in Montréal. We were able to catch up with Waldo for comment just before he was deposited at a local hospital, where he said, "O, serious? Osarius? Well, I'm just happy to be here in Charlevoix, I hear they're gonna be Olympics'd or something." It was then that John-Averill Worth, Oswald Hastings, and Parker Pollock lifted Waldo up and brought him to a waiting taxi, snickering all the while.

The loss of Waldo is clearly having an adverse effect on his teammates. Vine Hewitt, evidently a drug user and Waldo's roommate, wandered downstairs in the hotel where the team is staying, slouching in the lobby and inquiring, "Where's Waldo?" All those who were gathered burst into laughter, except for Clevon Drago, who hasn't smiled since someone tickled him when he was nine. Team prankster Pollock found a copy of a Where's Waldo book in his suitcase and cut out the Waldo in every picture, explaining it was a get-well-soon gift for his hospitalized teammate. At dinner, Roxbury Welton ordered a steak and, to a mix of grins and groans, specified that he wanted his meat "Raw."

So maybe his teammates weren't feeling so down about the situation. But Bashirskaya, the voice of reason, admitted that without him around, there would be little chance Civil Citizenry could pull off the victory. "Frankly, I don't think we'll miss him at all. He barely plays and he's a step down from our starters."

Like we said: Waldo's hospitalization could do amazing things for the team. Only the team's performance will determine that as they prepare for their game in the Stade de la rue Acadié.

Wherever that is. Only Waldo would know where.

[Rhodesiah]

Ingredients

Skinless Chicken Wings
Corn Starch
Patience
Flour
Seasogs
Hot Sauce
Cooking Oil
Socialism
Tomato Sauce
Grogg
Soy Sauce
Parmesan Cheese



Mix equal parts of Corn Starch and Flour into a large bowl. Dipping the bare chicken wings in oil first, coat fully with the flour-corn starch mix until fully coated. Take one pelt of seasogs.

Carefully place chicken wings coated in your batter in a deep fryer until desired level of crispyness is achieved. Using patience at this time is suggested, but I would suggest using some Grogg as well to aid the patience portion.

Remove from heat and allow to dry on a rack for about 2-3 minutes. Heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and place chicken wings inside for 5 minutes.

While chicken wings are in oven, add soy sauce, hot sauce and socialism to tomato sauce in a large bowl. Apply seasogs to own mouth in order to make this mixture easier.

Remove chicken wings from oven and apply your tomato-y mixture to chicken wings. Place back in oven and use patience for an additional 7-10 minutes. Feel free to use this time to go get more seasogs and grogg.

When done, tomato-y mixture should be nice and baked onto chicken wings. Apply appropriate amount of parmesan cheese and serve.



Enjoy!

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Do Ya Think I’m Sexy

Mace: She sits alone, waiting for suggestions.
He's so nervous, avoiding all the questions.
His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding.
Don't you just know exactly what they're thinking?

Jonasei: Time to get serious about making a statement. Cant afford to lose a match now.

Ombar: Just gonna continue to knock the shit out of people. Working pretty good so far

Kylek: If we just play our game we will be fine.

Mace: If you want my body and you think I'm sexy,
Come on, sugar, let me know.
If you really need me, just reach out and touch me.
Come on, honey, tell me so.

Fekelii: How did we get the tough side of the bracket? Pasarga, Erathore, Taeshan

Kymy: Have you seen the other side? Kazzoria, Valladares, CC, FSSO, Eastfield Lodge

Jonasei: There are no easy matches left for anyone. We have to earn this championship

Mace: He's acting shy, looking for an answer.
Come on, honey, let's spend the night together.
Now, hold on a minute before we go much further.
Give me a dime so I can phone my mother.
They catch a cab to his high-rise apartment.
At last he can tell her exactly what his heart meant.

Ombar: And that is why we play the way we do. Smashmouth Footy. Gotta love it

Laia: Love it. Live it. It is who we are

Jonasei: Taeshan is next. What do we know about them?

Mace: If you want my body and you think I'm sexy,
Come on, sugar, let me know.
If you really need me, just reach out and touch me.
Come on, honey, tell me so.

Kymy: A lot like us. Always on the fringe but never truly able to make that next step

Kylek: Sounds like all the sides left in this thing. I’m tired of being on the fringe

Fekelii: Then we have to up our game and learn how to be consistent against the big boys

Mace: His heart's beating like a drum,
'Cause at last he's got this girl home.
Relax, baby. Now we're all alone.

Kymy: We have to control Catamount and St James in this one. Cant let them get into rhythm

Ombar: Gonna hit em hard. Hard for them to score while on their asses

Laia: Just keep the hits legal. Cant afford to lose time to stupidity

Mace: They wake at dawn, 'cause all the birds are singing.
Two total strangers, but that ain't what they're thinking.
Outside it's cold, misty, and it's raining.
They got each other. Neither one's complaining.
He says, I'm sorry, but I'm out of milk and coffee.
Never mind, sugar. We can watch the early movie.

Jonasei: Big match tomorrow. Probably should get going

Fekelii: Yeah. Need some rest before going up against Taeshan

Kymy: See you all tomorrow then.

Mace: If you want my body and you think I'm sexy,
Come on, sugar, let me know.
If you really need me, just reach out and touch me.
Come on, honey, tell me so.

[Pasarga]

"So, what do you have to say now about the manager, huh?"

"Oh hush, we were the first seed, and the second overall seed for the entire tournament, that group stage performance is something to be expected."

"You really don't like him do you."

"No I don't. "

"Well, then maybe you have a problem."

"No I don't have the problem. I'll simply just refuse the call up for the next World Cup Qualifying."

"About that... rumor going around that the PFA may not send a team to the next World Cup."

"What?! What is this madness? No World Cup Qualifying, surely you are joking."

"No, quite serious. The PFA has said that the funding for the program is insufficient and that unless that changes in the next few months, they will have to close up shop."

"What about us? They are just going to kill our hopes and dreams over money?"

"It seems like it is a possibility."

"How utterly cruel it will be should that come to pass."

"Many nations are experiencing hardship. Starblaydia, some other S-ia nation in Atlantian Oceania, Mytannion, Delcalava, with rumors that Krytenia, Valanora, and those Cass ladies as well."

"All money related?"

"Of that, I am not entirely certain. Yet there is no denying that there seems to be a great exodus going on at the moment from the competition."

"Then indeed we should not leave, it provides the oppurtunity we need to establish ourselves as a power."

"And those monetary issues that are threatening our own entry?"

"Money can be found and raised, the effort just needs to be made."

"Perhaps you are right."

[Osarius]

AcademyDropout.osr | Blog

So here's an interesting matchup. Civil Citizenry were one of the Pot A teams for the Cup of Harmony draw this time out, and ended up finishing below Eastfield Lodge in the group stage, meaning they will face the Firebirds (after a bit of jiggery-pokery by the organisers).

I'll put my hands up right away and confess I know little of Citiz football. Well, beyond Turic's very own Wayland Farnleigh anyway... but he's not in their squad. I've watched the highlights of their games so far and its... unorthodox. Then again, their Pazhujebi coach is probably pre-disposed to the use of unorthodox tactical systems and formations. The main realisation I made while watching them, though, is that they play a pretty solid attacking game. This should put a lot of focus on the midfield area, where Montblanc's usual system has an extra man. The problem, however, is that Roberts will be effectively isolated under such a system, having to contend with three centre backs. That out-numbering in the Citiz third will probably leave scope for one of their back three to push up into midfield, thus negating the numberical advantage the Firebirds usually enjoy, and potentially leading to a bit of a stalemate as the Osarian back four has a spare man to deal with the Citiz front three.

A potential solution to this -- and one that Montblanc has no doubt already conceived -- is to make the change to the near 4-2-4 system used against Rouge Pioneers in the opening match. Immediately, there is concern about the midfield battle and the potential for being overrun, but its not a huge concern. The system requires one centre forward (most likely Roberts) to drop into the midfield battle, likely dragging his marker out of position too, while one winger (most likely Martelli playing on the left) drops back on the flank, pulling a man out from the middle. The problem with this "solution" is that it requires a lot of attacking from fullback on at least one side, followed by immediate back-tracking. While Habib Kouli is a competent defender and is a major threat going forward, I'm not sure he's got the tactical nous to effectively play as a wingback just yet. The other option, Manraj Dhillon, is even more defensive. Reversing the sides, and using Criscito as the pseudo-wingback, with Martelli dropping back on his natural right, will potentially upset the balance in the centre, as Roberts would have to play the inside left role, whereas he is far more comfortable as an inside right, attacking the channels.

An alternate solution is to go to a 4-2-1-3 system. Push the two wide players in the attacking three from the usual system -- Martelli and Ibrahim or Simpson usually -- further forward, as bonafide wingers. Then retain Dhanda and Barca-Carthy as ball-winning, deep-lying playmakers, with either Pepito or Alessandro di Corradi directly in front to link play. The presence of three forwards will occupy all three Citiz defenders, and the wingers force the outside centre-backs to pull wide. The numerical advantage in midfield will disappear as the Firebirds' attacking midfielder gets between the lines, forcing a man to drop back to cover him. If nobody drops back, the creative link player will either be afforded time to pick apart the Citiz defence, or he will draw the player assigned to mark Roberts (assuming he is at the centre of the Osarian front three) out of defence, leaving the Greeningham man free in the middle. I know what some of you are thinking, but Roby, won't there still be three Citiz midfielders dealing with two Osarians? You're half right. However, because we have a spare man at the back -- four defenders vs three forwards -- we can afford to push another player forward when in possession. That can be either a fullback, or if Montblanc plays his apparently preferred centre back tandem of Kinsella and Romano... Conor Kinsella.

Kinsella's ability to attack from defence is often overlooked, but he is a dangerous outlet. This diagram shows his passes in Burningham City's 5-0 win over AFC Hollybrent last season (the white one is his pass to Miguel Rapinato for the latter's outstanding goal to cap off the scoring for the day). As you can see, he spends half of his time on the ball in areas usually associated with midfielders. It's not just a one-off performance either. Here is another diagram, showing Kinsella's passes and tackles against Muirford Athletic last season. Muirford are a more offensive team than Hollybrent, with much better ball retention in the midfield in particular. Kinsella was still able to push up though, and put sufficient pressure on the midfield -- though playing as a centre back himself -- to disrupt the passing rhythm of the home side.

Kinsella being given the freedom to get forward will be the key to victory against Civil Citizenry, I think. However, I'm not sure Montblanc will be willing to make such a risky call, allowing a centre back -- particularly one like Kinsella, who isn't the quickest guy -- to leave his position so much. I have no doubts over Romano's ability to effectively lock down Jackson Cedric, but he may not be particularly comfortable not having a simple outlet to his side like usual.

If Montblanc decides not to alter his system, I suspect he'll have to get the team playing very compact in the middle. The defence will practically be on the half way line for most of the match -- playing a very tight, and risky offside trap -- with the midfield just ahead, and the forward four dropping very deep to claim possession. Roberts will effectively be alone up top, with his back to goal, preparing to turn and run onto through passes for the most part. I'm not sure that's the best way to go, though. And as much as Montblanc loves to have players in specific roles and defined positions within his systems, I think he will be willing to let go of the reins a little if it will make the team more likely to win. What do you guys think? Which system should Montblanc go with? What would you do? Let me know on academydropout@osn.net.

Till next time, people!

[Polar Islandstates]

Ladies and gents, sixteen will soon become eight twelve, as the Polarian half of the round of sixteen plays itself out. Consider this your CUTOFF.

EDIT:
Scores in -

Round of Sixteen

Andossa Se Mitrin Vega 2–2 Taeshan (2–2 AET) (5–4 pen.)

Octinstine 2–3 New Montreal States

Pasarga 1–1 Saugeais (1–2 AET)

Erathore 3–0 Jedi8246

Congratulations to the victors, who advance to the quarter finals, and commiserations to the losers.
The Polarian half of the quarter final stage shall therefore be:

QF3: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega vs New Montreal States - at The Barge, Bjarnarey, Polar Islandstates
QF4: Saugeais vs Erathore - at Millerntor Arena, St Paul, Polar Islandstates

[Cotdelapoms]

Cotdelapoms side cut off!

Valladares 3-1 Kalumba
Osarius 2-0 Civil Citizenry
Kazzoria 1-2 Rhodesiah
Eastfield Lodge 0-3 FSSO

Valladares vs. Osarius- Stade de Cotdelapoms
Rhodesiah vs. FSSO- Stade de la rue Acadié

[Erathore]

---

And we're through to the quarterfinals. Definitely the best game of the tournament so far for us. Goals from Del Nieran, Celestino, and Ringëril were the product of brilliant midfield play throughout the entire game. A wonderful display of passa e posse minimized the time Jedi8246 had with the ball. We just played our game and it showed as we completed more then 800 passes. It was disgustingly beautiful.

From the get go La Furia Azule stamped their authority on the game, enjoying a five minute uninterrupted possession. It took us only 15 minute to score, when a neat exchange of 23 passes between eight different players building up to a close range tap in for Alexio Del Nieran, who has transformed from a constant goal scoring threat to more of a creator during this World Cup cycle. Jedi8246 came close to equalizing in the 28th minute when one of their strikers broke free through the defense and had a one on one with Galonloth. The elven delight managed to brush away the close range shot from the striker and send it out for a corner, which was subsequently cleared. Isidoro Nao came close to scoring in the 41st minute when his long range attempt was narrowly blocked by the goalkeeper, off the woodwork, and back into a play before being cleared by a defender. We went into halftime up, very surprisingly, by only a goal. We dominated the stats. More possession, more passes, more pass completion, more shots, more shots on target. All of them.

So it was only a matter of time before we scored again. This time it was Camthalio Ringëril, scoring his seventh of the tournament. A pass from Rafa DiSantos, subbed in at halftime for Nao, gave Ringëril a brilliant through ball that left only two defenders and the keeper in his way. In a move of brilliance and skill, Ringëril pulled off an elastico to slip by both of them with one move before neatly beating the keeper with a bender to the upper right corner to make it 2-nil for Erathore. Jedi8246 had a chance to get on the board in the 71st minute when one of their players hit a ripping volley from 25 yards out. However Galonloth made a brilliant leaping one handed save to keep it 2-0.

Our last goal of the game came in the 86th minute of play when Cesc Celestino, who has been pretty quiet during this World Cup cycle, smashed a 30 yard shot that looked to be going out but dipped down into the top of the net within the last 7 feet, the last stamp of authority in a game that was dominated by us.

Our next match, in the quarterfinals, is against Baptism of Fire bidding partners Saugaies, who squeezed past Pasarga, which we predicted would happen by the way. We think it'll be a nail bitter but we see la furia azule sliding by to make it to their fourth semi final appearance in four Cup of Harmony's. Elsewhere we anticipate Andossa Se Mitrin Vega cruising past New Montreal States rather easily to make it an Erathore-Andossa Se Mitrin Vega semifinal. In Cotdelapoms, we see Osarius going against Valladares. The winner of this game will surely feature in the Cup of Harmony final. Rhodesiah plays against our rivals FSSO in the final quarterfinal game, which we expect FSSO to win.

[Valladares]

Valladares Sports Network

COUPE POMME D'OR REMATCH?

Les Gones and Osarius will battle at the Stade de Cotdelapoms for a place in the semifinals

By: Alan Rosero,
Blogger from "The National Kickoff"

WORCESTER, COTDELAPOMS (VP) - Hello again, today reporting to this humble blog while I'm heading to Albionpool by rental car. Well, so far the predictions have gone as planned and Valladares has secured a place among the eight best teams that did not qualify to the World Cup. Can we start thinking in a Cup of Harmony victory before José Marín leaves? Because I'm not sure the VFA will let him continue after those poor football exhibitions during the World Cup qualifiers. And now let's cut to the chase, Valladares defeated a tricky Kalumba in a match which could have gone either way until Yoan Gignac appeared in the second half and thundered them with two goals. That victory allows Les Gones go one step closer to the Cup of Harmony trophy, but the next rival will be one of the three toughest remaining sides: Osarius.

Abra...Kalumba?

Stade Forsythe, Worcester. Best qualifier to the second round against one of the worst second-placed teams, that could only reach the round of 16 by means of winning a play-in against Miley World. Well, what most of uninformed international newspapers said it could be a one-side affair for the valladars turned out to be an exciting nail-bitter, with most of the first half being an entertaining match played back and forth by both teams.

However, we striked first. Jefferson Ospina scored a powerful shot from 30 meters which was unstoppable for the Kalumban goalie. It was the 24th minute, Valladares was going ahead 1-0, but Kalumba reacted within five minutes and managed to score the equalizer in the 29th minutes. We had some good chances to retake the lead, as did Kalumba, but the goalies were just spectacular, specially Luis Fuentes, who is still showing why he is the best goalie in the "Mother of all domestic football leagues" (or whatever the hell it's called) aka Cafundelense Primeirona, despite his age. Time for the "half-time coffee", the match still without clear candidate to win.

With the second half, José Marín finally decided to start thinking with the head rather than with the feet, and decided to send Frank Zapata (who was doing a terrible work, his worst match with the NT so far) to the bench and Yoan Gignac to the pitch in his place. And the two-time Valladar Super League top scorer had the key to open Kalumba's padlock: within 4 minutes (65' and 67'), the Fontvielle Impact player managed to drill the rivals' until-that-moment-stiff defense, and a match which was apparently controlled by Kalumba with a 1-1 became a comfortable 3-1 lead for Valladares, with the chance to score more goals in the process. It is true that both goals lowered the level of the match, though, but that was not enough to deny "Les Gones" their deserved quarterfinal ticket.

Coupe Pomme d'Or 2.0

Now with only eight teams in contention, the thing begins to take its due importance, and Valladares will face their toughest test to date with Osarius being the rival to defeat for a place into the CoH semifinals. The scenario for this match will be kinda familiar, as the Stade de Cotdelapoms in Albionpool will be the venue for this important match. Remember that both teams have already played each other at that place, in the first Coupe Pomme d'Or final, which ended with us lifting our first trophy.

Now, time has passed, and both teams face each other with the sight set in the Cup of Harmony semifinals. It is not expected that José Marín will change drastically his team for this crucial game, although Yoan Gignac could be the novelty in the starting line-up instead of Frank Zapata, whose performance against Kalumba was far from ideal.

Keys to win this game? Score as soon as we can and score as many goals as we can. Osarius brings to this game an excellent defensive record, as they have only conceded a goal in the whole tournament, so what we will need the most is...*fanfare*...patience! Yes, patience. The guys will have to stay calm and try to exert their pressure while trying to net all the chances they have, which would be few taking into account Osarius' defensive work. Another useful advice will be trying to finally make that defensive transition from 3-2-2-3 to 5-2-3 work when we do not have the control of the ball. That will be crucial. Not giving it away and trying to keep it far away from our box. Do this literally and we'll have a berth into the semifinals, in which either Rhodesiah or FSSO will be waiting for the winner of this match. So guys, an entire nation trusts you. Make Valladares feel proud of you once again.

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Any Man of Mine

Mace: This is what a woman wants...
Any man of mine better be proud of me
Even when I'm ugly he still better love me
And I can be late for a date that's fine
But he better be on time

Ombar: If I wasn’t so damn tired after that match, I would throw something at him. This song sucks.

Kylek: I hate it when he rubs his own chest. I have no desire to see his moobs that way

Kymy: Told y’all they were a squad that was our equal. Not a direct quote of course

Mace: Any man of mine'll say it fits just right
When last year's dress is just a little too tight
And anything I do or say better be okay
When I have a bad hair day

Jonasei: I was beginning to wonder how many kicks it would take. 9 in a row collectively. Almost unheard of

Fekelii: I was beginning to think no one would miss.

Laia: I was beginning to think San would never stop one.

Mace: And if I change my mind
A million times
I wanna hear him say
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way

Sanlioch: You stand in goal and see how easy it is. My not stopping one sooner was all y’alls fault anyway

Kymy: And how I all our fault?

Sanlioch: Statistically I have a 13% chance of stopping a penalty kick if I dive one way or the other. That goes up to 29% if I just stand there.

Mace: Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine

Fekelii: So why not just stand there then?

Sanlioch: Are you kidding? If I dive and miss it’s just guessing wrong. If I stand there aand miss I don’t try hard enough. I’m no good

Kymy: He’s right. Fans would rather see a spectacular miss than a very calculated and safe one.

Mace: Well any man of mine better disagree
When I say another woman's lookin' better than me
And when I cook him dinner and I burn it black
He better say, mmmm, I like it like that yeah

Jonasei: I understand your position and that really sucks. But at least we got the win.

Sanlioch: Yeah. I didn’t dive on the last shot

Kylek: And New Montreal States is up next, right?

Mace: And if I changed my mind
A million times
I wanna hear him say
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way

Laia: Yeah. We had them twice in the World Cup Qualifiers so we should know what they bring by now.

Kymy: We just have to go out there and execute.

Ombar: And hit em hard!

Mace: Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine

Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I like it that way

Kylek: Mace isn starting to shake his ass. About time to go

Jonasei: Yeah. Gotta make a phone call myself.

Fekelii: I hope things are going decently in Sorthern Northland.

Mace: Any man of mine better walk the line
Better show me a teasin' squeezin' pleasin' kinda time
I need a man who knows, how the story goes
He's gotta be a heartbeatin' fine treatin'
Breathtakin' earthquakin' kind
Any man of mine

Kymy: And I am tired as well. Goodnight all.

Ombar: Damn humans. Need to drink like us Dwarves.

Kylek: I will stay and drink with you. As long as we don’t watch Mace.

Mace: You gotta shimmy shake
Make the earth quake
Kick, turn, stomp, stomp, then you jump
Heel to toe, Do Si Do
'Til your boots wanna break
"Til your feet and your back ache
Keep it movin' 'til you just can't take anymore
Come on everybody on the floor
A-one two, a-three four
Hup two, hum
If you wanna be a man of mine, that's right
This is what a woman wants...

[Rhodesiah]

Drink up Yinz Bitches

I'm headed to Stade de la rue Acadié
Gettin' ready for one hell of a match to go see
I'll drink lots of grogg, and I'll have lots of fun
And I'll mess with some Socialists before it's all done!

Well in those other teams fans probably hate us ya know
Probably cause all of those "favourites" blow
Some critics from Erathore spit and throw beer
They're mad cause they're lacking in championship gear

Drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!
Let's go watch our boys tear the socialists apart!
You're in Sable country so take it to heart!
So drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!

Vandy is always as cool as can be
Even when Sarzo is screwing his team
Qualifying was shit, and the refs were a disgrace
And where were the cards when Boet's hit in the face?

Drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!
Let's go watch our boys tear the socialists apart!
You're in Sable country so take it to heart!
So drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!

Well in Montreal we'll save the socialists some beer foam
We'll hang them their asses and then send them home
And don't send Lee Sharp or Sam Needle's attack
van Buuren won't hesitate to knock all them back

Drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!
Let's go watch our boys tear the socialists apart!
You're in Sable country so take it to heart!
So drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!

Well win number 1 is sealed in our fate
One magical night in december (save the date!)
And if not this time, then it's next time for sure
Our Sables are knock-knocking on glory's door!

Drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!
Let's go watch our boys tear the socialists apart!
You're in Sable country so take it to heart!
So drink up you Sables! The game's about to start!

[Socialist States Owen]

Laser beams!

"W-what?"

LASER BEAMS, mortal.

"But..why...what laser beams?"

The God of Kerfuffle struck down the poor mortal, frustrated at how no-one understood him. The Demon of Shawaddywaddy and King of Kafow, Lord Ulbecher, called over to the frustrated young Kerfuffle. "It's ok, my boy. Come watch the mortals kick around a spherical object with me."

They sat together on their cloud, looking down at their Holymatic 800 television set. The game on was Eastfield Lodge vs FSSO at the Stade Rousseau in Outremont, Cotdelapoms. It was late in the second half and the FSSO were already 2-0 up, thanks to goals from a short and fast mortal, Lee Sharp, and a more tall mortal, Scott Daley. "How do you think they are doing Dad?", enquired young Kerfuffle.
"Just fine, son. They may be irritating, secular, slightly insane bastards but our cloud is right above the Newo mountains."
"Newo?"
"Yes." Ulbecher looked back, smiling as he remembered creating some shit. "Well son, once upon a time there was a woman called Eura, and she was damn fine. One day, she was so damn fine that Sameba tried it on with her. Unfortunately, Sameba is a volcano based state and wrecked the shit out of Eura. Eura split into lots of different bits, and one was called Newo."
"What happened to it?"
"Turns out Newo was a badass place with ice cream and everything. But the other Eurans didn't like it, so Newo was almost crushed. But in the end it won through with perseverance, dumb luck and possibly some cheat codes."
"Wow!" Exclaimed Kerfuffle. "Is that true, Dad?"
"Yes. Newoians put Newo backwards to hide their identity to rival factions, were initially socialist and were divided into several states. Then they formed into the SSO, which was done away with altogether to simply become four letters - FSSO. By this time, the mortals had cars and all that shit."
"That's awesome, Dad!"
"It sure is son. Unfortunately, this is a dream."
"Wait, wha-"

Suddenly all the colour drained from the world, and Kerfuffle woke up on the sofa. He had been watching the Eastfield Lodge v FSSO match and had somehow fell asleep. Annoyingly, he had missed two goals - but he witnessed the third in all its glory, Steven Thompson driving home from 20 yards. The FSSO were 0-3 ahead and cruising towards another Cup of Harmony fixture with some dudes called Rhodesiah. Kerfuffle didn't understanding why Rhodesiah wasn't called something cooler, like Englebert or Zimbabwe, but since he got high he stopped giving a fuck. So as he danced over the dead body of a raving lunatic, he celebrated at the prospect of FSSO progressing while the armed police outside prepared to storm in.

[New Montreal States]

The locker room was going nuts. Ed and Denny Roy were screaming at each other at the tops of their lungs. Christian Ponder, having finally escaped the media's asking him about having his first-ever international goal be a round of 16 game-winner, was headed for the showers to wash off the shaving-cream pie Antoine Long had hit him with right after the cameras had started rolling. Even the eight faceless bureaucrats who coached the team managed to seem almost human, immediately announcing that they were unanimously content with their day's efforts, only the second time they had done so. The first one had been right after their victory over Andossa Se Mitrin Vega during the second half of qualifiers. The sort of devil-may-care underdog attitude usually reserved for John Cusack movies had fallen over the locker room. The Sea Dragons were no doubt already heavy favorites in the quarterfinal, but since when did that ever win a game?

Édgar Thibault, the keeper, was the one exception to the optimism that dominated the locker room. He had been a nervous wreck since giving up the first goal to Octinstine 6 minutes into the match. And when he had just completely frozen up for a second on an Octinstine breakaway and watched the second goal coast past his flailing fingers four minutes later, he felt a chill go through his blood worse than the one that he'd felt when he stepped out of the airport terminal after landing in Polar Islandstates. Two shots, two goals. Thibault felt himself being judged by history as the biggest damn failure to ever step into the goal box for the Paladins.

But when Ponder and Craig McDougall had taken over the midfield for the Paladins, keeping the ball out of the back third for a full nine minutes running, Thibault had taken a deep breath and pulled himself together. He decided that he'd rather be remembered for the worst five minutes of goaltending in NMS history than for the worst single match in NMS goaltending history. And when Octinstine broke out of their back third and roared down the field for a counterattack, he punched away a shot with ease, and then watched Cory Taylor clear the ball downfield. Ed caught the Octinstine defender unawares as he was fielding the clearance, and soon found himself 1-on-1 in front of the enemy net. One quick blow with his left foot and the Paladins had cut their deficit in half.

Thibault had settled down after that, and Denny Roy and young Mr. Ponder had done the rest for their side. Everything had come together for their offense, probably for the first time since WC 31, but Thibault was too busy giving thanks for not having the loss hung on his shoulders to smile along with the others. Nobody noticed him file out of the chaos early to go clear his head with some music by the visitor's gate while waiting for his teammates. Hopefully the next match would treat him a little bit better.

[Osarius]

AcademyDropout.osr | Blog

So, I was right. Kinda. The Firebirds lined up in a sort of 4-2-4 against Civil Citizenry, as I suggested Montblanc might plan to. There was a major difference though, which I had completely overlooked. And I guess this is why I'm not managing a senior side. Yet. Firstly, take a look to the right, that's the setup Montblanc sent the Firebirds out in to start the match. One player's position in particular stands out for me. Jordan Simpson.

I completely forgot he used to play left back. I've gotten so used to seeing him on the left wing for Hastmead in recent years that it completely slipped my mind that he made his breakthrough as a youngster playing left-back. Looking at the system, he was the perfect candidate for that aggressive wide defensive role the 4-2-4 requires. I had expected Kouli to be the attacking wingback-type in the proposed 4-2-4, with Martelli coming narrow on the right, and Simpson overloading as the left winger. Montblanc flipped it over though, and had Kouli playing far more defensively than he usually does -- I'll touch on that in a bit -- with Simpson playing left side of the defence, and Martelli ahead of him cutting inside. That worked out better than my proposed system in the end for two reasons. Firstly, it left the right flank open for Hamzah Ibrahim to get forward and put pressure on Thomas Quentin. The aging Citiz left-back struggled with Ibrahim's clever running and pace, as he was able to use his stronger right foot more than he has been able to on the left -- where Montblanc has fielded him in recent matches -- while Martelli could also do the same. That's the second advantage, because Martelli is a bit less like an old-school winger than Ibrahim is, and he's also right footer... he is more comfortable cutting inside from the left than he would have been bombing down the touchline. Because the system Montblanc deployed relied on him cutting inside and getting involved in the midfield battle a lot, it meant that he could focus on his stronger side, while fulfilling duties he prefers. He had an outlet through the middle in Romario Roberts, who was dropping deep out of the forward line, and also didn't have to worry too much about any attacks coming past him because he could fall back on the still impressive pace of Jordan Simpson outside him.

Simpson was actually a key player in the game, as he effectively locked down the entire left side by himself with his almost constant running. His regular excursions forward confused John Barker -- who wasn't sure whether to track Martelli or stay outside to halt Simpson -- at times, while ensuring that Klaus Rheinholt had his hands full. If we look at this diagram, we can see how Simpson helped to pin the Citiz defence back, by extension forcing the midfield to drop deeper, so as not to afford too much space "between the lines" for Roberts and di Corradi. Remembering that the blue dots are successful tackles (top half) or passes (bottom half), we see Simpson winning the ball within the Citiz half five times, two of those in the Citiz third, both giving potential to create chances for his team. Aggressive defense at its finest, perhaps. His passing chart, however, shows he didn't manage to get the ball into the box much, like he may have done as a winger. This is explained away by activities on the right flank perhaps. Because the advanced wide forward lined up on the right, its only natural that Osarius focused their attacks on that side.

Speaking of the right flank, I was impressed with Kouli's discipline. This diagram shows the difference between Kouli's distribution in the Civil Citizenry game (top half) and the 4-1 win over Sargossa earlier in the tournament (bottom half). It's clear that he got forward a lot more against the Corsairs, as is his usual role in the team. Against the Citiz side, he was far more subdued, which gave Ibrahim the freedom to push up ahead of him, knowing he was covered should he lose possession.

The middle front two was where the interesting decisions were made. Montblanc's decision to select Alessandro di Corradi to start ahead of Defante Bryant was a surprise, as di Corradi is more of an attacking midfielder than a forward. But it worked out well, as the movement of Roberts created space for the younger of Benedict di Corradi's children, and the Firewood man loves to be given space. Not to mention he is a clinical finisher. Arguably this decision is the most important one, as it is the Firewood man's experience playing as what Willem Hamel referred to as a "false ten" that served him so well. He scored both goals, the first coming from a Roberts flick on late in the first half. Barca-Carthy's long pass from deep found Roberts moving away from goal. The Greeningham man's deft flick moved the ball into the corridor between the Citiz right back and centre back, where di Corradi burst through and shot first time from 25 yards. The second was a little more elaborate, and involved an intricate weave of triangular passing patterns between Ibrahim, di Corradi, and Roberts before a pass into the right channel released di Corradi.

Next up for the Firebirds is an old foe they have never beaten outside Osarius. The last time the teams met though, was some six years ago, in the Coupe Pomme d'Or, where Valladares prevailed in a 2-0 game. Interestingly enough, the match will take place in the same stadium, but with a tactical mind like Montblanc at the helm, and many of the matured members of his Di Bradini Cup finalist teams in the current squad, things will be very different this time out. Mostly, I expect Les Gones will try to limit the Firebirds' possession on offense, which is easier said than done. Key to this result will likely be the performances of Dhanda and Barca-Carthy, though if the midfield battle looks tougher than expected, it wouldn't surprise me to see Arron N'Daw step in, and the Firebirds switch to a 4-5-1/4-3-3 flex system they've used in the past. Under such a system, the sheer pace of the Osarian forwards will be the decisive factor most likely, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the game decided by a single goal, possibly being scored off a free kick or penalty. Either way its gonna be a good one! Let me know what you think the score will be on the usual, academydropout@osn.net

Till next time, people!

((OOC: I just realised I missed an arrow showing Roberts' runs, dropping him back into the midfield... but I don't have time to change it. Ha.))

[Cotdelapoms]

Cut off for my side!

QUARTER-FINALS
FSSO 1–3 Rhodesiah
Valladares 2–2 Osarius (2–2 AET) (3–2 pen.)

Semi-Finals
Valladares vs. Rhodesiah Stade de Cotdelapoms, Albionpool

[Polar Islandstates]

Cutoff for my side!

Scores in...

Quarter Finals

Andossa Se Mitrin Vega 3–1 New Montreal States

Saugeais 3–4 Erathore

Commiserations to the losers, but the victors go on to play in the semi-final...
SF2: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega vs Erathore - at Victoria Stadium, Jan Mayen, Polar Islandstates

[Erathore]

---

Onwards to the semifinals! Yes you read that correctly. In a pretty high scoring and very intense game, La Furia Azule sneaked by Saugeais to advance to the semifinal in Jan Mayen. The first half was fairly even before a defensive breakdown for Erathore let Saugeais shoot up on the board before the midfield got into the swing of things and used passe e posse to deadly effect. For the first five minutes of the game, Erathore was in control and it looked liked it would be an easy win when brilliant moments of ball control and technical ability allowed Rolodel to sneak behind the defense and collect a through ball from Lanziano before smashing it by the keeper to make it 1-nil.

We continued to dominate the game mercilessly until the 22nd minute or so until the Saugeais team woke up and started stringing together combinations of passes and playing good defense, limiting la furia azule to only 13 or so passes per possession before stealing the ball and pressing up field. The poorness of the defense was exemplified as they were routinely split open by Olsen and Nagato, as well as a few other of Saugeais' players. Fortunately Galonloth was playing exceptionally and managed to keep Saugeais from equalizing until the 33rd minute, when Nagato dinked the ball into the box and Olsen was there to head it powerfully into the net to make it one all. The rest of the half was spent trying to capitalize on the opportunities that came few and far between. Some good goalkeeping from Galonloth kept Saugeais from going up, whilst our shots kept going a whisker wide. The whistle blew and it was, surprisingly, 1-1 at the half.

Once again, during the first 5-10 minutes, Erathore was the dominate team, passing the ball effortlessly but not putting the ball into the net until the 55th minute. It started with Galonloth making a brilliant save after some, unsurprisingly, poor defending. He hit Lanziano with a nicely thrown ball, who then proceeded to pass the ball around the midfield, with the entire team slowly but surely moving closer to Saugeais goal. After a nice string of 31 passes, Ricardo Villa let loose with a 23 yard rocket that dipped into the top of the net to make it 2-1 in Erathore's favor.

After this we were content to pass the ball around before driving forward and taking a shot at goal before regaining possession and retaining it in the midfield to try and conserve energy and wear down the clock. However in the 65th minute, a misplaced pass from Rolodel was intercepted by Nagato around 30 yards from our own goal. Nagato proceeded to make fools out of our defense before neatly slotting the ball past Galonloth to tie the game up. Again. Now we had to take the lead. Which we did in the 69th minute of play when Alexio Del Nieran hit a 90mph stunner from 39m away that sailed into the top right corner past a keeper who had no chance at saving it. 3-2 to Erathore. Now we had to keep the lead. Which we did.

The team played their best football of the night for the remaining 20 minutes. Maximizing their time on ball whilst minimizing Saugeais' time with it. It all came to fruition in the 82nd minute, when the goalscoring delight known as Camthalio Ringëril outran Saugeais' defense before chipping the keep to make it 4-2 and to seal the deal. However Saugeais wasn't done just yet. In the 86th minute, Nagato burst into the box with unstoppable momentum. And, perhaps out of frustration for having him and the defense play so poorly all game, Barino Dino nicked Nagato and brought him down, earning him a straight red and giving Saugeais a penalty. Olsen was the man to take it. He struck it powerfully and, even though Galonloth got a hand to it, it went in to make it 4-3.

La Furia Azule was content to pass the ball amongst themselves until the ref blew his whistle. There were no Erathi players falling to their knees because they had advanced to the semifinals. We've been here before. Three times our of four tournaments. We've also lost two out of those three times. Now the team will try and make the third time the charm and beat Andossa Se Mitrin Vega to advance to the Cup of Harmony final. This is the lineup for that all important match:

------------------GALONLOTH------------------

-----MANLIO-----DEL NARAN------NERO-----

------------------LANZIANO------------------

-----ROLODEL-----NAO-----

-----DEL NIERAN(c)-----

------CESC--------RINGËRIL(vc)------VILLA--------

[Saugeais]

National Journal
SPORTS PAGE

Knights out of Cup of Harmony, Aonghusa in as manager

It definitely was a struggle for the Knights, as they went up against rivals Erathore in the quarterfinals. And it proved to be a game for the ages, but all the skill that Saugeais possessed was not enough to overcome their oppenents as they were defeated 4-3. "It was a hard fought match," said Amaechi Olsen. "But in the end, we came up short. We'd have liked to move on in this competition, but sadly that wasn't to be." Olsen scored twice in the game, with one coming off of penalties late in the second half. "It was one of those line up and quick hit, and hope it goes into the net. I knew we'd still need another to force extra time." That was the final goal in the game, as the Knights couldn't get another shot on goal for the draw. Dan Nagato scored the other goal for the Saugeais.

In the end it was all about the Erathore dominance. There kept control of the ball longer, they slid into more tackles forcing more dispossessions. Saugeais was playing with more finesse in comparison, floating passes, stylish dribbling, and bending shots were what kept them in the game. But it's becoming more and more apparent that having 3 defense linemen is not the way to go with aging backs. And with Benoit Howard adamant about that play style, it's all but assured no one will miss it once he retired today. "As you all know, I vowed to retire after this competition. And while we could've done better in this Cup, it is what it is and we can't complain. Erathore were the better team, and we can only wish them the best of luck in the rest of the tournament." Mr. Howard ended his press conference stating, "I hope that my successor will push this team to the brink, and let them know they can achieve great things in international competition. On that note, I end this press conference and officially announce I am retired."

So out with the old and in with the new. Saugeais new manager is officially Iarlaith Mag Aonghusa from the former country of Sorthern Northland. The country was sadly under internal conflict, and due to the release of nuclear artillery, has obliterated itself. The National Journal tried to reach Mr. Aonghusa for comment, but he appeared visibly distraught over the news and didn't answer any questions that were asked. Hopefully, the new Saugeais manager will regain his composure for when he meets with his team for the first time.

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

Tarzan Boy

Mace: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Fekelii: Semi-finals here we come!

Kylek: And Erathore awaits us. They have been playing very well as of late.

Kymy: This will be the toughest test for us thus far.

Mace: Jungle life
I'm far away from nowhere
On my own like Tarzan Boy

Fekelii: We never get to enjoy a solid win do we?

Jonasei: Not until we take the title. We can celebrate once we do that.

Ombar: Til then we just keep knocking the crap out of people

Mace: Hide and seek
I play along while rushing cross the forest
Monkey business on a sunny afternoon

Kymy: I did expect a better match from New Montreal States. We usually have trouble with them

Laia: Their attack ran out of gas. No legs left to finish on. They will get back to top form soon enough

Kylek: We will see them often enough in the future. Just glad to get this win now.

Mace: Jungle life
I'm living in the open
Native beat that carries on

Jonasei: So what is the plan for Erathore?

Kylek, Ombar, Laia: Hit ‘em hard and hit ‘em often.

Jonasei: Guess that answers that one. (everyone laughs)

Mace: Burning bright
A fire the blows the signal to the sky
I sit and wonder does the message get to you

Kymy: Watch Alexio Del Nieran. He has a cannon for a leg. Have to make sure we limit his open looks.

Fekelii: Camthalio Ringëril is their best attacker. Have to mark him as well.

Laia: We mark everybody. Then we hit them. When they get back up, we hit them again.

Mace: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Ombar: Few save the truly great sides can handle our physical style for 90 minutes.

Kylek: And it will be time to see how great they are. We will play our game, if that is not enough then so be it.

Jonasei: At least their defense is subject to have some mental breakdowns. That should give us chances to score.

Mace: Night tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other chance
tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other
Night tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other world

Fekelii: It will probably take at least two goals to get a win. So lets hope for those breakdowns.

Kymy: Just play like you always do. We can beat anyone that way.

Jonasei: It will be nice to get some time off after this Cup of Harmony. Been a long time since I had any real down time

Mace: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Ombar: I, for one, am headed home to spend some proper time underground. All this space y’all like is unnerving at times.

Laia: I am going to travel for a bit. Tour of Atlantian Oceania. Krytenia, Vilita, Falcania, and who knows where else.

Jonasei: Just going home to Errion Vega. Relax and more relaxing.

Mace: Jungle life
You're far away from nothing
It's all right
You won't miss home

Kymy: I have a project to work on. Something major for club football.

Fekelii: Do you ever take time off? I may see you in Vilita, Laia. Going to do some surfing myself.

Kylek: I have a skate comp in Carrington. Will probably suck as I have had little time to practice.

Mace: Take a chance
Leave everything behind you
Come and join me
Won't be sorry
It's easy to survive

Ombar: Just don’t go hurting yourself, Human. We need you back and able to play next cup.

Kylek: Didn’t know you cared, Dwarf.

Ombar: I don’t. But if you brek an arm or leg, I will break the other one for you. Got it.

Mace: Jungle life
We're living in the open
All alone like Tarzan Boy

Jonasei: Like I said. It will be nice to have some time away from all the lights.

Kymy: Let’s not forget that we have two more matches to win first.

Fekelii: I know. Anything less than a title will be a let down.

Mace: Hide and seek
We play along while rushing cross the
forest
Monkey business on a sunny afternoon

Laia: On that note I should be going. Meeting Mace to look a some film of Erathore at 4:30.

Ombar: 4:30am? Uhg. Might as well join you. We need to figure these guys out before we take the pitch.

Kylek: You guys suck. Damn it. I will be there too.

Mace: Night tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other
Chance tonight
Oh Yeah
Night tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other
Night tonight
You won't play

Jonasei: Make that four of us. Wouldn’t want to miss out on a chance to find something useful.

Fekelii: But it’s at 4:30am. You do understand that is really early, don’t you? Fine. I will be there too.

Kymy: Looks like we have a consensus. See you all at 4:30. At the least we should scare the hell out of Mace by all being there that early.

Mace: Night tonight
Gimme the other, gimme the other
Chance tonight
Oh Yeah
Night tonight
Night to night
Gimme theother, gimme the other oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

[Rhodesiah]

Ingredients:
- 1/2 Shot of Jack Daniels
- 1/2 Shot of beef au jus

[Rhodesiah]

Oosthuizen's pair leads Sables over FSSO

It was a frigid day in hell Stade de la rue Acadié as the Rhodesiah Sables faced off against the Socialists of FSSO (despite whether they like their own name or not!), and the upstart squad had much to prove against the heavy favourites. Critics, notably from Erathore, had given Rhodesiah almost no hope of winning. This was an exact mirror of the Round of 16 matchup predictions against 3rd highest seeded Kazzoria. The Sables knew that ranks are just numbers and predictions are best suited for chanting and dancing around a fire while high on jojoba berries; these little things wouldn't factor their performance or anything else standing in their way for their upcoming match against the mighty FSSO.

Early in the match Rhodesiah dominated possession, yet couldn't mount a proper attack on the FSSO defense. An early through ball to Hugo van Zyl was met with a kick so far over the goal that the Rhodesiah Rugby Association took notice. Mannetjies Gericke was in the starting lineup replacing Fiks van der Merwe who was likely playing in his final tournament before retirement, and Gericke made the most of his first cap. Orchestrating the play in front of him with the authority of a seasoned veteran, Gericke made Saugeais import Julesk Paranaya look like a schoolboy when he stripped the 29 year-old of the ball just outside the box for a narrow miss wide of the goal on a howler of a shot. The Sables were pressing but the results weren't showing.

Disaster nearly struck in the 20th minute when a lapse at midfield allowed Steven Thompson to cut right past the Rhodesiah midfield for a chance at the Sables defense. A head fake to lose Tank van Rooyen and a screamer of a shot would've sent FSSO into the lead but Mosey van Buuren was equal to the task, just barely getting a hand on the ball to keep the score level. The ball never left play and once more Rhodesiah was caught napping. Sam Needle picked up the ball in the corner and crossed it to Lee Sharp who got a head on the ball. Once more van Buuren had cut across the goal to deflect the ball over the crossbar and out of play, and his screams at his defenders were well deserved.

The Sables finally broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute when a long ball from Chum Ochse bounced curiously and got by Dennis Arnold. Oosthuizen was all alone on goalkeeper Daniel Belgrave but wasn't going to miss the goal for a second time. He fired hard and true into the far corner past a challenging Belgrave to lift the Sables up by a goal going into the half. Tensions were rising on the pitch after the goal: an exchange of words and shoves were met by both teams resulting in yellow cards for Boet Prinsloo and James McCroft.

The second half began in the same fashion the first ended. A few rough but legal slide tackles in the opening five minutes prompted the referee to issue warnings to both captains. The warning did very little to phase the Sables though, as their aggressive style of play helped pad their lead shortly after the friendly warning. A free kick was awarded just outside the FSSO 18 yard line and 6 players lined up inside the wall. Oosthuizen lined up on the far right side of the wall while Chris de Nysschen lined up the shot. de Nysschen instead layed the ball off to Franz van der Ryst just left of the wall right to a turning Oosthuizen who was home free with nobody between him and the goal, having just passed six players in so close. An easy chip sent the Sables up 2-0 and allowed Rhodesiah to breathe slightly easier.

After the second goal, Rhodesiah knew to "park the bus" in front of their goal switching to a 5-4-1 formation. The change in play eventually wore thin, and by the 80th minute the Sables were getting selfish and looking for another goal. Substitute Hannes Botha got greedy and decided he would take a run at some open space and it cost him dearly. Stripped of the ball from Steven Thompson, the FSSO midfielder sent a long lob to a running Josh Stevenson who had cheated forward past the Sables defenders. In alone, he was met by a challenging van Buuren. The shot was made and despite getting a finger to the ball, it wasn't meant to be as FSSO pulled within one.

Botha's selfishness had infuriated Mannetjies Gericke in his first cap, and for the remainder of the game played like a man possessed. Catching his second wind, Gericke picked up the ball just inside the half line and went for a short run. Given slightly too much space for the midfielder not to resist, he shot a screamer from about 30 yards out from the FSSO goal. The ball swerved mid-air and caught Daniel Belgrave by surprise, and unfortunately for the goalkeeper- into the net. The goal was the insurance Rhodesiah needed to progress to the semi-finals.

[Valladares]

Valladares Sports Network

IT'S SEMIFINAL TIME

Les Gones edge past Osarius to secure a spot in the semifinals

By: Alan Rosero,
Blogger from "The National Kickoff"

ALBIONPOOL, COTDELAPOMS (VP) - Dramatic, thrilling, spectacular...call it like you want, but yesterday's match against Osarius was a game to remember. We hadn't seen a match like that in a while...maybe the win over Dancougar, or the draw with Cassadaigua which gave us the ticket to our first World Cup, or maybe the defeats to Bostopia and Kelssek in the Cup of Harmony editions we ended as quarterfinalists? Now, speaking about that, we have to remember that entering to extra time in the quarterfinals of this competition was our death sentence against the latter two teams, but this time we managed to push the game to the penalites and luck allowed us to be one step closer to (secondary) glory.

The Third Time was the Charm

The "Coupe Pomme d'Or rematch" was a thrilling match from beginning to end. Maybe a final in the quarterfinals, given the quality of both contenders, who had been exhibiting arguably the best football show of the tournament. As I had predicted in my previous blog, Yoan Gignac was given Frank Zapata's place in the starting lineup, and Les Gones seemed to have the upper hand for the first minutes of the game. The Firebirds (as I had also predicted) went out with the idea of cutting any connection between Cédric Lamont, Ricardinho, Tommy Taylor, and Ryan Peterson, but the transition from the 3-2-2-3 to the defensive 5-2-3 was faster than expected this time, creating lots of problems for their forwards. They had some chances, but those were quickly answered by our players the times their midfield was unable to stop them, making it a back-and-forth affair. Despite both teams' best intentions to break the stalemate, the first half ended nil-nil.

For the second half, everything was kinda similar to the first half, except for the fact that we could finally see the goals coming. José Marín's side dealt the first blow with Miguel Flórez 1 minute and 15 seconds after the second half began, bringing Valladares closer to the semifinals for the first time ever, however, Osarius answered quickly to this, and in a counterattack (started from a corner awarded to Valladares) which surprised the valladar defenders, Ibrahim scored the equalizer two minutes later. The match was still open with 40 minutes left, and both teams began to engage in a "war of attrition" as the constant transitions made by Les Gones and the switch to a 4-5-1 system made by the Firebirds allowed few chances, turning the match into a battle for the midfield. It was evident that the team making the fewest mistakes would end up winning the match, and Osarius managed to find their second goal in the 82nd minute, scored by Romario Roberts, in another counterattack. But Valladares showed, with more momentum than strategy, they weren't willing to give themselves up, and Yoan Gignac scored the equalizer in the 89th minute, which sent the game to extra time, and awakening the ghosts which afflicted the Valladars some years ago.

The extra time was not as thrilling but it also allowed us to see some interesting chances made by both teams, which were not enough to break the draw. Jefferson Ospina had two chances to score the winner but the rival goalie was aware to the striker's intentions, while Luis Fuentes began showing his conditions with two shots deflected by him. And so, penalty time. Ospina, Gignac, and Peterson scored their penalties, while Peterson missed his. Meanwhile, Luis Fuentes was the guide who lead Les Gones to qualification, stopping two shots, leaving the penalty shootout in a 3-2 win for the valladars and putting them in the semifinals.

Two obstacles remaining

Valladares, Erathore, Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, and Rhodesiah make up the semifinalists list, and the latter team will Les Gones' next rival. Let's face it, the only thing we knew about Rhodesiah until now is that their food and their cooking recipes are awful, but them, by far, have been the surprise package of the tournament, qualifying over Mangolana in the group stage, and leaving other potent sides like Kazzoria and FSSO out of contention in the knockout rounds.

The Sables will surely be a very tricky team, which could give us problems should we repeat the same mistakes committed against Osarius, so the key for this match will be scoring a goal as soon as we can. Hopefully a "first-minute shocker", that shows the inability to react normally displayed by teams like Rhodesiah in these circumstances. We also need clean sheets and a strong, virtually impenetrable wall in the defense for the moment they dare to challenge us with counterattacks, please. This is the semifinal, the last step before advancing to the final, and if we want to lift this trophy we cannot make any mistakes.

[Polar Islandstates]

So with both competitors in my half RPing, I think a nice prompt RP CUTOFF is in order.
Who will be the victors, packing their bags and jetting off to Cotdelapoms? And who will be the losers, plane tickets booked for Franz Josef City? Find out soon...

EDIT:

Semi Final

Andossa Se Mitrin Vega 2–0 Erathore

So Erathore will await the vanquished of the second semi final, and congratulations to ASMV, for moving onto the CoH final!

Third Place Play-Off -
TPPO: Rhodesiah vs Erathore - at Nasjonale Stadion, Franz Josef City, Polar Islandstates

[Cotdelapoms]

Indeed, everyone has RP'ed, so the Cotdelapomais semi-final will also be CUT-OFF!

Semi-Finals
Valladares 3–2 Rhodesiah

FINALS
Valladares vs. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega- Stade de Cotdelapoms, Albionpool

[Andossa Se Mitrin Vega]

You Oughta Know

Mace: I want you to know, that I'm happy for you
I wish nothing but the best for you both

Jonasei: One more match to go. And it is Valladares waiting.

Laia: They have been killing it. Fitting that we should face them for the title

Kylek: We cant afford to slip up in this one. A second Cup of Harmony Championship is there to be won.

Mace: An older version of me
Is she perverted like me
Would she go down on you in a theatre

Fekelii: I guess this means another early morning film study.

Kymy: Doubt it. Mace has a hot date after he gets done here.

Apaok: He still date that biker monk from Krytenia?

Mace: Does she speak eloquently
And would she have your baby
I'm sure she'd make a really excellent mother

Kymy: Nope. They broke up before the Erathore match. This is some guy from Valanora.

Ombar: He’s dating a stinky, point-eared, worthless Elf? Disgraceful.

Laia: Elves aren’t that bad.

Mace: Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you'd hold me
Until you died, till you died
But you're still alive

Jonasei: I just hope it is a good date. Practice sucks the day after he has a bad one.

Sanlioch: I just want to get this next match done. I want another clean sheet to round this thing out.

Kymy: A clean sheet will be tough to get as these guys can score. Flórez, Zapata, and Ospina are on top of their games right now.

Mace: And I'm here to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It's not fair to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know

Ombar: You know what that means. Hit ‘em hard. Then hit ‘em again. Not gonna change the way we play.

Laia: Watch yourself though. You have been close on getting cards. Don’t need to play this one a man down.

Kylek: You mean ½ a man down.

Mace: You seem very well, things look peaceful
I'm not quite as well, I thought you should know

Ombar: I got your ½ a man.

Kylek: Good. That’s what I have been saying all along.

Fekelii: Geez you two. I f we all didn’t know any better, we would think you hated each other.

Mace: Did you forget about me Mr. Duplicity
I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner
It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced
Are you thinking of me when you fuck her

Kymy: Time to get going. Practice may be later but there is still a lot to prep before we take the pitch against Valladares.

Jonasei: I might just go in early myself and go over some tape. It really helped against Erathore.

Ombar: I guess I will see you early then. Gotta get their timing so I can hit ‘em properly.

Mace: Cause the love that you gave that we made wasn't able
To make it enough for you to be open wide, no
And every time you speak her name
Does she know how you told me you'd hold me
Until you died, til you died
But you're still alive…