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PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:51 am
by Starblaydia
Starblaydi RP Permissions Box wrote:OOC Information:

The Starblaydia national football team are a Featured Article on NSwiki. If you've never bothered to read it, have a skim through it now, as it'll tell you more about the team, their style, culture, fans, and history than I can ever write in a roster post. Thanks.

I Give My Opponent Permission
(and actively encourage them) To:
====================
Choose My Scorers
GodMod Any Goalscoring Events
Red & Yellow Card Players (Within reason, they're not remotely a dirty side)
GodMod Other Events for Humorous Intent
====================

Notes:
1) The best starting eleven are numbered 1-11 and are in bold
2) I actively encourage that if you RP first you pick my scorers (if any).
3) * Denotes female player, † denotes Elf player, ^ denotes Dwarf player.
4) Some players have their own NSwiki articles, and those are
linked.
5) Before each match, in between national anthems and kick-off, the entire 23-man squad (even any Elves, though perhaps with less passion than most) will perform the Raiigar, Starblaydia's traditional war-dance.

Image
Starblaydia's DBC24 Roster
Now let slip the dogs of war!

Staff
FrJ. Father Juan the Fifth Takilan, Manager, 86
42 Caps, 8 Goals (9 Caps, 1 Goal at Under-21 level)
If a team he inspires can win the Cup of Harmony, then why the hell not a full time coaching job for a World Cup winner (in the 47th edition) who was most famous for scoring in a rout against Rejistania for the Under-21s? So he may be old, but when he was around, Starblaydia were awesome.

Goalkeepers
1. Luis Maximiano, GK, 20 - Corinthian Spirits
12. Dean Prinns, GK, 17 - Hecia
19. Thierry Gaultier, GK, 14 - Iskara Daii

Defenders
2. David Callaghan, RB/LB, 20 - Sporting Salicus
3. Azestella Ajhabekk*, C/LB, 21 - Arcticala Inlet (Vilita)
5. Pablo Del Astra, CB, 21 - Penningworth United
6. Damon Kussek, CB, 21 - Jhanna City
13. Havana Loeb, CB/LB, 17 - Tuncastle Rovers
14. Jiino Perestan, CB, 20 - Beverington Hawks
20. Gendo Roshanak, RB, 15 - Malta Lines

Midfielders
4. Fussito Rodah, C/DM, 21 - Nidola United
7. Sergio Di Bradini, Captain, R/CM, 21 - Iskara Daii
11. Levi Anatanavic, A/LM, 20 - Iskara Daii
15. Ezekiel Stark, DM, 16 - Hallad Reavers
16. Matt Lorenzo, RM, 17 - Paricone Athletic FC
21. Rodundo, C/AM, 13 - Tournet Wednesday Athletic Town
22. Brazadar Khurnos^, R/LM, 13 - Karak Ungor Chiefs

Forwards
8. Jenji Marino, SC/AM, 20 - Cedrus Soundgardia
9. Lena Kochanska*, SC, 20 - Iskara Daii
10. Vincenzo Natrionne, SC, 17 - Vecchio Victors
17. Antonio Calamari, SC/LW, 17 - FC Farça
18. Eric Lee, SC, 16 - Hippion Heartland
23. Oswald Butcher, 13 , SC - Lavingrad Wanderers

Home And Away Kits
Kits created by:
Image
ImageImage
Starblaydia's traditional all-white Home kit, and the all-purple Away kit with a touch of gold, both with five gold stars - representing their record-setting five World Championships - above the Starblaydi Football Association logo.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:39 am
by Kiryu-shi
To one Dr. Archibald D. Peterson,
esteemed Professor of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics,
Kawauchi University


We hope to find you in good health and emotionally sound. We have been following your career with great interest over the past couple of years, and we wish to offer you an opportunity to come speak with us at some point soon.

Of particular interest is your detailed analysis spanning over several publications of the musculature of the ideal physical human body, a subject that we believe is an opportunity for both our organization, the nation at large, and your career. As you are likely aware, our nation has recently been well represented in international football, sending a team to the previous World Cup, where they made it past the group stage into the round of sixteen. Unfortunately, the team was not able to hold up to the high level of competition, and we burned out, quite spectacularly, in that match against Gyatso-kai. More recently, we have sent a team to Starblaydia to compete in the Under-21 championship tournament entitled the Di Bradini Cup. We have been disappointed with their showing, however, and we are looking to see if we can establish some new leadership for the upcoming AOCAF tournament. We believe you may be of some use in that regard.

If you are not aware, the Kiryu-shi Under-21 football team recently played a match against the Robothings of Vilita and Turori. While our nation was eventually victorious, scoring two improbable goals in the second half to win our first match of the group stages, we were impressed by the highly technical knowledge of robotics displayed by the engineers from various firms of Vilita. In utilizing an all-robot team, our opponents demonstrated that there exists technology that is sufficient to play a fair and balanced game of football against traditionally human adversaries. We were particularly interested in the DuPontBot, an attacking robot that seeks to emulate the style and success of Serge DuPont, who has put together two strong matches thus far and converted the first goal of the match by launching a shot past our defenders and keeper early in the match.

While we do acknowledge that the robots are not perfect, as notably demonstrated by the difficulty of their BaledrokadrokaBot in staying on the pitch, we see this as a potential development in the way that football is conceptualized, and we would like to be a part of this movement. While we aren’t convinced by the long-term viability of robots, as demonstrated by the ways in which they seemed to become a little bit more predictable as the match went on, culminating in goals from both Andrew Sato and Yasuhiro Arai, both of whom followed very particular and similar patterns when attacking the robot defenders, we do think that technology will inevitably play a role in the development of our national team.

This brings us to our interest in you. We believe that with the training our team currently possesses, enhancements to build the perfect musculature within an existing human body, will create a virtually indefensible team, capable of dominating every football match. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to start following international football. It is our recommendation that you travel with the Kiryu-shi national squad later this year to the AOCAF tournament, where you will be one of the coaches for the team. While we do not yet have the funding to start our enhanced physiology program, we hope that you will be a valuable asset for our team and our nation.

Including in this package is a video of the recent Kiryu-shi - Vilita & Turori match. We have edited it for you for ease of comprehension, including detailed analyses and explanations for various events. We’d like you to especially attention to the physical characteristics of both teams to identify the capabilities in which they are most adept or have an advantage over the other. Our long term goals will include you being able to help lead an international caliber football team, develop a comprehensive regiment to develop talented players into unstoppable football forces, and for you to represent our nation to the entire world. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance, and, please, we would be honored to host you sometime in the next ten to twelve days.

Thank you for your time,
The Kasakake University Committee on International Affairs
Kasakake University
Premier Kiryu-shi Governance

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 2:51 pm
by Taeshan
Taeshan
Cyborg Holland

2
2

Martin
Nifterick

Provyay
Meiren

Parker
de Venne

Forrestor
Rameckers

Street
Geelens

Fasnacht
Aaren

Tlumach
Alders

Krieder
Neinfeld

Llana
Schorel

Murgatroyd
de Seer

Pantoum
Player 11




Subs: Baines for Street 45' [TAE], McCoy for Llana 45', McAndrews for Tlumach 86'


Goals: Neinfeld 17' [CYH], Schorel 29' [CYH], Pantoum 71' [TAE], Baines 81' [TAE]




In the end a 2-2 tie was probably the best result the Knights could have hoped for in the match against Cyborg Holland. Early on the men from Cyborg Holland provided some attacking and proved to be more of the stronger side, and showed a certain level of play that was better than anything the Knights could do against them. They certainly could not pretend to be as good as they should have been.

Anyway they fought back from behind to end up tying the game, meaning they will only have to tie against Northern Sunrise Islands in the final game to advance. That will be easier said than done though. The Knights sit atop the group tied with Cyborg Holland, and the NSI sit third a point behind. Dorian and Sonya the Knights first competition was eliminated losing to the NSI on the last matchday and falling to 0 points.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:06 pm
by Northern Sunrise Islands
DI BRADINI CUP 24
Marills throw more cold water at Dorian and Sonya
Another week of DBC action as the Silverlands recieved the Fireflies of Dorian and Sonya against the Marills of Northern Sunrise Islands for another match of Group D and, well, what an upset. Northern Sunrise Islands managed to pull a victory of the Fireflies by 2-1. The match didn't even start yet as Gabriel Curva opened up the score. Some minutes later, Pikachu scored to get the difference even higher. The game followed a calm play until it ended. For some reason, however, the score said 2-1. Of course, the Marills felt slightly pissed off due to what they consider to have been, technical issues. Anyways, that is still a win, the first victory of Northern Sunrise Islands in the Di Bradini Cup. And it came in a nice time, as the Marills needed a victory to stay afloat at the tournament for the last matchday. However, their victory came at the expense of the Fireflies, who are now eliminated of the tournament. Next stop, one-time champions of the DBC, Taeshan, back at the Victory Park for one last dance.
NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS
DORIAN AND SONYA

0
1

Image
Waters
Mithdilinil

Tachibana
Narnariel

LeRoux
Galatadal

Kovalchek
Runrairyl

Gabriel Curva
Aeranae

David Curva
Dlarraithir

Luana
Lothaina Mithdragthar

Pikachu
Feldiril

Sophistis
Lúthaina Mithdragthar

Cristinho
Malynniel

Angst
Roloelwa


Goals: Gabriel Curva [NSI] 3', Pikachu [NSI] 35'
- Also, an unknown goal from Dorian and Sonya.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 3:50 pm
by Starblaydia
OOC: Due to not being by my computer in 48 hours time, the 2nd Round will be delayed by an extra 24 hours until Thursday evening. Plenty of time for extra RP!

Image
Matchday Three
Scores & Final Tables

Group A
Starblaydia 1-1 Free Swiss States
Pasarga 2-2 Mesoland

Group A
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Free Swiss States 3 2 1 0 4 1 +3 7
2 Starblaydia 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1 5
3 Mesoland 3 0 2 1 3 5 −2 2
4 Pasarga 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2 1


Group B
Kinitaria 1-0 Lymantatia
Blouman Empire 1-2 Slembana

Group B
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Slembana 3 2 1 0 6 4 +2 7
2 Kinitaria 3 2 0 1 3 2 +1 6
3 Lymantatia 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 4
4 Blouman Empire 3 0 0 3 3 6 −3 0


Group C
Estope 0-2 Farfadillis
Michael VII 0-1 Mytannion

Group C
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Farfadillis 3 3 0 0 6 2 +4 9
2 Mytannion 3 2 0 1 4 2 +2 6
3 Michael VII 3 1 0 2 3 3 0 3
4 Estope 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0


Group D
Northern Sunrise Islands 2-2 Taeshan
Cyborg Holland 1-0 Dorian and Sonya

Group D
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Cyborg Holland 3 2 1 0 4 2 +2 7
2 Taeshan 3 1 2 0 5 4 +1 5
3 Northern Sunrise Islands 3 1 1 1 4 4 0 4
4 Dorian and Sonya 3 0 0 3 1 4 −3 0


Group E
Vilita & Turori 1-0 Licentiapacisterra
Ko-oren 1-2 Kiryu-shi

Group E
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Kiryu-shi 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6*
2 Vilita & Turori 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6*
3 Ko-oren 3 1 0 2 6 7 −1 3
4 Licentiapacisterra 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3


* Kiryu-shi over Vilita & Turori on Head-to-Head results


Group F
Geisenfried 2-0 Yesopalitha
Equestrian States 1-0 19th Century Beards

Group F
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Geisenfried 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 7
2 Equestrian States 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7
3 Yesopalitha 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
4 19th Century Beards 3 0 0 3 1 6 −5 0


Group G
Nopspri 2-2 Saugeais
Thatius 2-1 Carpathia and Ruthenia

Group G
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 Thatius 3 2 1 0 5 3 +2 7
2 Saugeais 3 1 2 0 6 4 +2 5
3 Carpathia and Ruthenia 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 3
4 Nopspri 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1


Group H
Polar Islandstates 1-2 High Heels
Boring Paradise 2-2 Union Isle

Group H
Pld W D L F A D Pts

1 High Heels 3 3 0 0 7 2 +5 9
2 Boring Paradise 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4
3 Union Isle 3 0 2 1 4 6 −2 2
4 Polar Islandstates 3 0 1 2 4 6 −2 1


Second Round Fixtures
Match 2R1: Free Swiss States v Kinitaria at Montepool Bayside Stadium, Montepool - Montepool Waves (32,000)
Match 2R2: Farfadillis v Taeshan at Hallad City Stadium, Hallad City - Hallad Reavers (49,000)
Match 2R3: Slembana v Mytannion at Victory Park, Vecchio - Vecchio Victors (48,000)
Match 2R4: Cyborg Holland v Starblaydia at Nemyan National Stadium, Hecia - Hecia (27,000)
Match 2R5: Kiryu-shi v Equestrian States at Jaffacake Memorial Arena, Cedrus - Cedrus Soundgardia (33,000)
Match 2R6: Thatius v Boring Paradise at Ectar Traxx Stadium, Foxchester - Foxchester Raiders (28,000)
Match 2R7: Geisenfried v Saugeais at Bekkside Arena, Tabeck - Tabeck FC (33,000)
Match 2R8: High Heels v Vilita & Turori at The White Tower, Yanataurë - Telecontarë (18,000)

PostPosted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 4:12 pm
by Polar Islandstates
[OOC: Okay, so I missed the final cut-off, c'est la vie.]

Kohev Küngas-Vaga sank to his knees. Final whistle. Game over.

Vadim and Wojciech might have put the Chicks ahead, but the opposition had come back into it, and Kohev's own performance hadn't been great. He might not have been at fault for Brady Yuki's first, but for the second? Oh, he'd have nightmares...

A dummy. A throw-in, and a dummy from Yuki had wrong-footed a bout four Chicks players, Kohev included. He couldn't shoulder the entire blame, no, but a quick one-two with Hunter meant he was able to slam his second past a hopeless Jakub Ipsen from just the same position that it was normally Kohev's job to patrol. He was not looking forward to analysing that particular segment of tape in training the following day, that's for sure.

What he did have going for him, at least, was the way he'd roused the players to regain their composure. They'd done their best, they'd hammered the Union Isle defence for the last twenty minutes, they'd rained in shot after shot after shot. Ultimately, they'd failed.

Kohev looked at Jean-Eric as he picked himself up off the floor to start the whole shaking hands routine, their looks said it all. They knew what this result meant. A win against the reigning champions was now required. A good win, at that, and to rely on Union Isle beating Boring Paradise as well - just, not as large a win as the Chicks needed to record over High Heels. Begrudgingly, he shook Brady Yuki's hand as he came to terms with the fact that progression, whilst still mathematically possible, was now unlikely, and with van der Riise, that meant only one thing - rotation. Personal experience might now be prioritised over team results, and with Otto Zhdanov yet to feature this tournament, Kohev started mentally preparing himself for a last match on the bench.

He looked around him. If these were to be his last minutes on the green, green grass of Starblaydia, he was going to milk it - and so he went on a mini lap of honour for himself, clapping those fans that had made the trip as he did so. He shook his head as he did so.

That bloody dummy...

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:22 am
by Slembana
The Slembana Times: Into the round of 16 of the Di Bradini Cup

By Peter Whiteman, chief football reporter at the Hallad City Stadium, Hallad City, Starblaydia (attendance 47,654)

We are into the round of 16 0f the 24th Di Bradini Cup - beating Blouman Empire 2-1 in our final group game, condemning the Bloumanies to their third successive defeat in the tournament, and topping our group. We will face Mytannion in the round of 16.

We took the lead after 3 minutes, when Val Kylx scored a brilliant back-post diving header from a Prince Latifa cross. This was Kylx's third goal of the tournament, in just 3 games. Jordan Valfox hit the post in the 6th minute, before Blouman Empire's star striker curled wide. Blouman Empire had a good spell after that, and equalized in the 15th minute, when their right-winger got the ball. The player hit a low curling shot, which trundled in past our goalkeeper, Kevin Banks.

We were rocked by the goal, and the Bloumanies almost equalized in the 29th minute, only for great goalkeeping from Banks to deny them. Kylx, Valfox, Jyvx Dagens, and Oliver van der Young came close for us in the 16 minutes between the 29th minute and half-time.

Not much happened in the second half until the 79th minute, when Blouman Empire had a defender sent off. As we were now playing against 10 men, we had a clear advantage in the game, and a Valfox bicycle kick in the last minute gave us a 2-1 win.

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:22 pm
by High Heels
From the journal of 18-year-old starting keeper Kaisa Cuban, now a professional with Sporting Boulder:

Lot's of people blog, but today I'm glad I just write the old-fashioned way. If I was putting this on the computer it'd be different.

The record says we had 9 points and a +5 differential. That's really good. But the match I spent with Coach Lyndi watching and analyzing has me thinking even more about the team. And I just don't know if our back line is ready for this. I couldn't ever say that in public, but my faithful journal doesn't blab. (Thanks.) The press would be all over the "rift" and questioning my character for shifting blame on goals to the defenders. That wouldn't be true; if they score and I'm in the nets I own it.

What makes me nervous is our next opponent, Vilita and Turori. I got used to elfs years ago, and even eel-kittens (but I still go Eww). There have been other "unusual" entries across time. But they have a team of Robothings, mechanical people or bots. They're programmed in the style of great players of the past. The programmers are still working through some bugs making things unpredictable. I worry that some key matchups in front of our goal don't look promising.

But I'm a keeper, it's my job to worry. And anticipate.

Some big news back home, the Great Flag Contest is over. The winner has a high-heeled shoe in it, no surprise. I'll try to draw a picture in the margin. It doesn't have to be good, it's just for us. Second and third place went to flags with towers, most entries had one, the other, or both. It was kind of funny not having an official flaggy flag before, especially when we won. But now we do. I wonder if we'll play in red-and-white strips in the future?

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 12:45 pm
by Free Swiss States
"Who would have seen this coming?" Icheliu said. He grinned at everyone. "Facing the team of the first-ever international transfer to Switzerland in the first youth world cup where we've played. Has a certain irony, doesn't it?"

Tolmeki leaned back. His legs ached. The game against Starblaydia had easily been the hardest one of the tournament. Not because of the fact they were hosts, or even because they were better, but because it felt like the rest of the team, knowing they had qualified, had eased off a little bit. They had barely salvaged a draw. That had been a game they could have won.

"I can't believe it, we're going to face Milan Beskid!" Lukas Robel said, from across the room. "I can't believe I'm going to get to play him!" Robel was only 17, and Tolmeki guessed it was only natural that he have a sense of hero worship regarding the MVP of the Swiss League. Dolosovek snorted. "Trust me, I've done it," he said. "It is not that great an experience."

"Actually... I wanted to say something about that," Pierré Benlizar said. The room fell silent. No one had heard Pierré ever actually initiate a conversation before. "How we gonna take down ol' Jesus with cleats?"

"Take... down?" Lifa Eries asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean like take him out," Pierré said nonchalantly. "I dunno, I reckon a nice swipe at the back of the leg oughtta do it. When the ref ain't looking or something. Or accidentally step on him if he falls or something."

"You're deficient," Lifa said. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get us kicked out of the tournament? You can't play like that!"

"Oh, yeah?" Pierré said. "I see you. You play on the same team as Beskid, I forgot. It would suck for you if he got a little injury, wouldn't it? You'd be outta luck."

"Shut up, Benlizar," Tolmeki said. Pierré turned around to look at him. "Oh, Tolmeki's in on it too!" he said. "Now I'm convinced there only doing it for their own sakes! Little bastards, caring more about their salaries than the fate of the team. I shouldn't have been surprised."

Tolmeki breathed heavily. "I'm playing for an international team, dumbass." he said.

"Yeah... but you played for Charlemagne three years, didn'tya? How 'bout that? You're buttbuddies with ol' Nicholas Jayet, aren't ya?"

Tolmeki leaped out of his seat and grabbed Pierré by the neck. Swinging him around, he sent him flying across the room. Pierré rolled to a stop and got to his feet. "You're going to pay for that, asshole!" he shouted.

"What. Is going on here." said a voice. Tolmeki and Benlizar both turned to look at Daniel Artémis, who was standing at the doorway.

"FIghting? I should tell coach to send you both home. Right now." He stood there for several seconds, his face completely blank. "I'm giving you one more chance. I don't care what or why. One more problem and you're both on an airplane heading to Geneve. That's all."

He turned and exited the room.

Benlizar gave Tolmeki a look. There was a long pause. Then he said, "Goddamn monks."

"Yeah," Tolmeki said. "Goddamn monks."

They both sat back down again.

Eries looked at them both, and shook his head. "Alright, I don't understand you two."

He paused, then continued. "We can't worry about Beskid. We know he's good. But they know we know he's good. He could just as easily bait us out and then make a pass when we try to move on him. And I've played with him. I'm on his team. Daniel has as good a shot as him, maybe better. He's not invincible."

"But he has moves," Enzo said.

"Sure," said Lifa. "But nothing we can't stop. We have to play it like a regular game. Just another damn match."

PostPosted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:02 pm
by Thatius
Frederikstadt Herald

International Edition


The fate of Thatius' future success in soccer comes only from the younger generation, those who will soon step into the shoes of the older, more experienced players. Eventually the stars like Novak Prakusya and Marko Voloski will have to retire, and newer, less-experienced players will have to take their place.

If the results from the 24th Di Bradini Cup are a predictor of any sorts, it seems that Thatius might not fare that bad at all. They exit the group stage amassing two wins, one against Carpathia & Ruthenia, the other against Nopspri, meanwhile drawing Saugeais as well.

Thanks to a last minute goal by seventeen year-old Derek Christensen, the Thatian team will advance to the knockout rounds. In the 86th minute, young Christensen found the back of the net with a stunning header into the back of the goal, passing Carpathia & Ruthenia's goalie. As the youngest player on the Thatian U-21 team, Christensen made history as the youngest player to ever school a goal in the Di Bradini Cup, surpassing David Vila's achievement by 9 months.

Not to be forgotten, Nick de Costa, one of the older members of the team, supported Thatius' lead early on, with a goal in the first half. However, that lead was cut when Carpathia & Ruthenia managed to score a goal of their own. De Costa, 21, made his debut on the Thatian U-21 this year, and has plenty to look forward to. He was recently called up to train with the Thatian National Soccer Team (as are many who participate in the Di Bradini Cup) and might have a future as a starter on the national team. Others, too, look very promising. Christensen, Altanović, and Cjemović all had strong overall performances that gave Thatius the win it needed.

Others on the team are already veterans of the national team. Jason Petković, the captain and perhaps the most experienced player on the team, can be seen as the star on the team. While he didn't score any goals, he kept the team together through his leadership and athletic ability. Petković is one of the youngest players on the national team, and because he was so young, he still qualified to compete on Thatius' team in the Di Bradini Cup. Jeremy Jezdić, the goalie for the U-21 team, is also the back-up goalie on the national team for Novak Prakusya, and Kevin Seedorf has had some experience in bigger tournaments.

Looking forward, Thatius will play second-place finisher of Group H, Boring Paradise, who amassed a 1-1-1 record in group play, losing to High Heels, beating Polar Islandstates, and tying Union Isle. It will be interesting, seeing as neither team has ever played each other, but it is quite possible that Thatius advances to the Quarterfinals.

Previously, Thatius has lost in the next round after the group stage to Saugeais (DBC23), Aels (DBC22), and Pasarga (DBC20). The Junior Firebirds are looking to break that losing streak and earn a Quarterfinals berth for the first time in their history.

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:12 am
by Vilita
Image



At a hotel in Yanataurë...

20 Year Old Arcticala Inlet goalkeeper Aranora Jaded, traveling on stand by with the Vilita & Turori Under-21 Squad out of concerns that the goalkeeping aspect of the Robothings system would be both the most difficult to master, and, easiest to remove and replace with a regular citizen, was hanging around at a hotel in Yanataurë, the location of Vilita & Turori's Second Round matchup in the 24th Di Bradini Cup.

Vilita & Turori earned that spot after MbidzoBot scored a goal in the 2nd minute to make the difference in the 1-0 victory over Licentiapacisterra on the final matchday. The result saw the Group E table literally flipped on its head as Kiryu-shi finished on top on account of their earlier victory against Vilita & Turori's Robothings. For their second round matchup, the Robothings were drawn against defending Di Bradini Cup champions High Heels at The White Tower, home of Telecontarë.

While at the hotel, Jaded happened across a young lady who introduced herself as "Kaisa". Aranora exchanged pleasantries and the two struck up a conversation where he found out that Kaisa was also a goalkeeper, playing for the Fifty-Story Arcology of High Heels, located within Paripana on the opposite side of Atlantian Oceania.

Upon learning about Kaisa's affiliation with High Heels, Jaded went on a mini-diatribe showing an apparent distaste for the inevitable infestation that infected innumerable female closets around the multiverse.

"Look, this is what tell this to girls whenever they talk to me about their shoes." Jaded introduced his rant, "Guys like me - and really, most of the guys I know, couldn't give a crap what you have on your feet, from a sense of fashion. It doesn't need to match. It doesn't need to look good, it doesn't need a bell or a whistle or a peacock feather or a red bow - no one is even going to look, so long as it doesn't make you look ridiculous, no one is going to notice. I guess shoes are just a talking point between girls, and I'm sure the shoe industry relies on that. I've never met a guy who openly cared, or really even noticed a girls shoes. That includes myself."

Kaisa, clearly caught off guard by this out of the blue rant from Jaded, had a bit of an astonished look on her face. However, before she could utter a single word, Jaded continued.

"You know, shoes are meant for protecting your feet, keeping them comfortable and such. Heels especially are the worst - especially the high ones. In fact, there are many reasons why you should not wear heels, are you aware of them all?"

Befuddled and shocked, Kaisa could only mutter a simple "umm no" before Jaded continued with his rant.

"How about foot pain? Thats like, the opposite of the point of wearing shoes. Sprains, Fractures... Deformities - do you want a hammertoe or a bunion just because you want to make yourself appear 2 or 3 inches taller and have a fancy bow on your foot? And what happens if a bear is chasing you? How are you going to run with those heels on? You realize there is like a 1 in 10 chance you'll be playing against Bears when you guys get drawn into your World Cup 62 Qualifying Group. I bet you hadn't thought of that yet had you?"

Having recovered a bit, Kaisa interuppted Jaded.

"Look buddy, I get it. You don't like Heels. Well guess what. This Heel-Wearing lady is gonna kick butt on the field tomorrow while you are sitting in the stands watching some Robothing play in your place. What kind of man can't even get selected for their own Under-21 squad when they are practically uncontested for the spot? I'd say see you on the pitch, but I guess... well I won't."

* click * click * click * echoed as Kaisa strutted away ...

* click *
* click *
*click *
*click *





Vilita & Turori Robothings v. Licentiapacisterra ::
[GK] CorsiBot, [D] AdikaBot, [D] AhatBot, [D] AlianaBot, [DMC] RatuvaBot, [ML] KeckerBot, [MC] BaledrokadrokaBot, [MC] MitarokaBot, [MR] NerniBot, [FC] BandaBot, [FC] MbidzoBot
BENCH::
[FC] DuPontBot, [FC] VellaBot, [M] StottBott, [M] DogbéBot, [U] ÖstlingBot, [D] OllirgBot, [GK] IssahBot

Vilita & Turori Goalscorers v. Licentiapacisterra :: [i]
[2'] MbidzoBot


Vilita & Turori Substitutions v. Licentiapacisterra ::
(45) - MitarokaBot >>> VellaBot
(64) - MbidzoBot >>> DuPontBot
(64) - RatuvaBot >>> StottBott


(For Future Statistical Reference)
GK :: CorsiBot 5

D :: AdikaBot 6
D :: AhatBot 8
D :: AlianaBot 8

DMC :: RatuvaBot 7

ML :: KeckerBot 7
MC :: BaledrokadrokaBot 7
MC :: MitarokaBot 6
MR :: NerniBot 9

FC :: BandaBot 7
FC :: MbidzoBot 7

Vilitan Subs Bench:
FC :: DuPontBot 5
FC :: VellaBot 6
M :: StottBott 5
M :: DogbéBot DNP
U :: ÖstlingBot DNP
D :: OllirgBot DNP
GK :: IssahBot DNP

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:52 am
by Farfadillis
He was sitting there, watching his team against the weakest of the group. Estope had lost both previous games and Farfadillis had won them, so he expected a win.

The match started well for Farfadillis, taking the ball, creating chances. O'rosso was inspired, he constantly fed Johans, Dandalleion and, this time, Tenian with perfect passes. He was the leader of the attack. Tuzzio played a different role, he played more as a striker. He waited for passes from Dandellion and Tenian. He also tried to create opportunities himself, but less often. On the 20th minute, when possesion was 76-24 for Farfadillis, Estope's defense couldn't stop the Farf attack anymore. O'rosso took the ball, looked around to see any possible pass and saw Dandalleion running through the left flank, he gave him a through ball between 2 Estopean players. Dandalleion was soon marked by an Estopean defender, but he played a smart move, he one-touch crossed with his left foot a cross to Johans who headed him the ball back, an unexpected move from Johans, even for Dandalleion, who quickly reacted and took the ball inside the box, with no angle to shoot. He saw Tenian coming from the other side, and quickly gave him an aerial pass. Tenian, upon seeing Dandalleion's pass, volleyed and sent the ball towards the right post of the goalkeeper, who just saw as the ball hit the post violently and entered the goal. Farfadillis had scored the 1st goal of the match, but it was no surprise. Farfadillis continued with their possesion style. It seemed to work wonders, when compared to their counterattacking style. Farfadillis had many more chances before going to Half Time, but they were stopped by the Estopean goalkeeper, Zack Mead. After Half Time, Farfadillis continued playing the same way. But now, with Tuzzio more inspired. That's how, after a lot of Farf chances missed or stopped, on the 79th minute, Peperuzzo cleared a ball, just when Estope was attacking after a lot of time of hiding in their half, Tuzzio ran for it faster than the Estopeans, the clearance had been powerful, the ball had already entered the box, Zack Mead was already in front of him, when he chipped it perfectly, one-touch chipped, the ball entered on the upper-right corner of the goalkeeper, slowly. After that, Farfadillis wouldn't attack anymore, they would just hold the ball until the match finished. Matino, the manager, was finally getting some results, but with the U-21 team.

He then wrote about what he thought about each individual player:

Player Analysis:


Joan Raguzzelli:

Showed security, kept the clean sheet today, but because he just needed to stop one shot, on the other matches, the goals he received weren't excatly his fault, one of them was a penlty which he stopped. Firm candidate to be called, on the future, for the national team.

Rating: 8/10


Illi Setentriona:


Has shown good leadership as the captain, he played above average on all games, he's on of the most important players both for the attack and for the defense. Today, he didn't do much, as he wasn't needed at any time due to various reasons. I'd say he's a a firm candidate to be called, but I've already called him for the Cup of Harmony.

Rating: 9/10


Juan Andres Peperuzzo:


Not shining, he's been unimportant in all matches, one goal was his fault, and the reason why Nessi had to foul that player the other match was because of a gross error from him. Won't be called for the national team, for now,. However, he'll keep his position as a starter.

Rating: 6/10


Cundo Nessi:


Really solid, he commited a penalty, but he certainly had no other option. He's controlled every single left winger and perfeectly. I'll certainly call him for the AOCAF.

Rating: 9/10


Frion Wanderis:


I don't think I need to write anything about him, he's along with Mêndêlöíndçêl the one in charge of stealing the ball and givinig us poession, and they've both done it prefectly so far.

Rating: 9/10


Yurpá Mêndêlöíndçêl:


Just as above, but more energetic and less precise when passing the ball. Still, really an asset. He seems to always be confident and is by far the most hardworking player of the team. He's even more hardworking than in the national team, maybe, one member of the national team is bad with him? Who knows....

Rating: 9/10


Friekder Dandalleion:


Perfect performance. Simply perfect, he's joined every attack and collaborated with defending, he's missed almost no pass, has assisted players and has been near to scoring. He's been performing much better than I thought, I thought he'd be down after losing that Swamp Soccer final against Mashiki. Happily, his performance has been seen unaffected.

Rating: 10/10


Rancisc Tenian:


Horrible at defending, but compensated it completely by being one of the best, if not the best, player of the attack. He's fed Johans and Fu with through balls and even scored an impressive volley today. Rancisc has improved a lot since the Cup of Harmony.

Rating: 10/10


Ichi Tuzzio:


For a moment I thought he wouldn't recover his form, he had been playing worse than ever (still one of the best players of the team) but he showed today he can perform just as before. That goal was magical, beautiful, wonderful, unbelievable.

Rating: 7/10


Matí O'rosso:


The leader of the attack, as always. He's started most, if not all, of our chances. He hasn't got any threatening free kicks yet, but when he does, I wouldn't be surprised if he scored.

Rating: 9/10


Septimus Johans:


Has been inspired lately, assiting with his head, his heel, scoring from a cross. He's been performing well, I wouldn't like to be in Fu's position, playing really well but worse than the one you fight against for the position.

Rating: 10/10


Yolo Fu:


The only substitute I'm going to write about, as he's been the one who stood out upon entering the field. He scored an important penalty for us and an important and an important last minute goal, but thanks to Johans. He's one step away from getting a place on the starting line-up, but he hasn't got as much good performances as Johans yet.

Rating: 8/10

PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:43 pm
by Kiryu-shi
To the esteemed individuals who make up
The Kasakake University Committee on International Affairs

We are writing to you to address concerns we have over one of the most important diplomatic ventures of our time: Kiryu-shi’s participation in international football. Of particular interest is the current iteration of the Di Bradini Cup, the tournament in Starblaydia in which our nation’s Under-21 football team has made it to the round of sixteen. We understand that your committee has taken a leadership role in the future of the international football program, and we wish to be able to contribute to the decision making-process of your committee.

We’d like to address several of the clear inadequacies that we have been observing from the coach of the Kiryu-shi squad, one J.J. Erickson. As an organization that is committed to education and the teaching method, we have been able to identify several aspects of his coaching and decision making that leads us to suspect that he is not bringing forth the true potential of the Kiryu-shi football team, and, while it may be too late for this tournament, we would like to recommend that he have absolutely nothing to do with the national team from the time the Di Bradini tournament is over.

Take, for example, the most recent Kiryu-shi match against a team from the nation of Ko-oren. The match should have been over quickly, and by a large margin. The Kiryu-shi team, who had struggled in two previous matches with one loss and one win, looked as strong as they have ever looked. Lilly Yume scored the first goal in just the eighth minute, taking control of a stray ball on the right side and scoring just like that. While her performance was extraordinary, it clearly wasn’t helped by any of J.J. Erickson’s supposed tactical knowledge, as it was almost completely an individual effort. The second goal, which came six minutes later on another incredible individual effort by Enéh d’Erdélyi, who scored from some distance after she was fed the ball from the Kiryu-shi midfield. Her goal was another example of a young player using their own skill and motivation to stay in the moment and represent the nation well in a difficult situation.

Clearly, after just under fifteen minutes of play, Kiryu-shi’s mental strength and superior ability had put them in a position to win, and win big. This was particularly important, as we understand, because winning by a large margin would increase the probability that Kiryu-shi would finish group play in first position.

And yet, the final scoreline reads 2-1. Not indicative of any sort of superior or dominating performance, indeed, suggestive of the idea that our young players just barely managed to squeak out a win. So what happened?

While those with experience with football may point to abstract ideas such as “formation” or some such nonsense, we have clearly identified the root of the problem. It boils down to a simple fact: J.J. Erickson is not fit to be an educator. It was clear from the moment the second goal went in. Let us remember that Enéh d'Erdélyi is sixteen years old, playing in one of the biggest games of her life, and she has scored a goal. How does Erickson react? Does he call out a few words of encouraging advise? Does he jump up and down, pumping his fist? Does he perform an elaborate and carefully scripted dance mocking the efforts of the Ko-orenites while simultaneously boosting his own player’s confidence? No. His reaction to the goal, which was shown on national television, was to turn away from the field and look down at a stack of papers, all while talking to one of his bench players. There are two things to take away from this. The first, and the most obvious and important thing, is that Erickson simply does not possess the proper disposition to be a coach representing the nation. Any leader of youth needs to project confidence and admiration to their pupils. His role was simple: bolster the confidence of his young star, making her feel like a star. Players will naturally reflect the confidence level of their coach, and Erickson’s dismissive physical appearance no doubt shook poor Enéh d’Erdélyi’s confidence to her core, likely explaining why she scored no more goals throughout the rest of the match.

The second observation, and a problem that will no doubt persist throughout Erickson’s coaching tenure, is the fact that he was talking with one of the back-up players during the time when he should have been celebrating the goal. This points to the obvious fact that he give undue adulation onto these backups and substitutes, attention he should be fostering on the stars of the program. The fact that they aren’t starting points to the clear fact that even he acknowledges that they are inferior players, and yet he is giving some of his precious attention to them. His starters and stars no doubt recognize that. After going through the trouble of scoring twice at the beginning of the match to get his positive attention, he instead continues to talk to those reserves. And then, to add insult to injury, he puts in three substitutes during the second half! What an insult! We, of course, don’t think we have to write out just the kind of harm that can do the the mental space of the entire starting squad.

While we acknowledge that the Kiryu-shi youth team has had some success this tournament, we strongly maintain that this success has come in spite of this Erickson character, a fact that needs to be avoided in future matches. There definitely exists the remote possibility that Kiryu-shi will win another match in this tournament, as they are playing a very odd team from the Equestrian States in their first knock-out match, so we encourage you to look beyond any scoreline and look for the true relationship between Erickson and his players. We assure you, you will be shocked.

We hope you take these observations into careful consideration in the near future. We understand that you will be submitting a recommendation regarding the coaching staff for the upcoming AOCAF tournament, and we are firmly committed to helping that cause. If you were not previously aware, one member of our committee is also involved with one of the national committees on international affairs. Thus, we can only strongly recommend that you strongly consider our critiques, and we would encourage a meeting to discuss some other issues we have with the national football program as a whole.

Thank you for your time,
Representatives of the

SAKURAGI UNIVERSITY Pedagogical Committee


postscript
Purely out of concern, we would suggest that given the upcoming match against the Equestrian States, if you have an opportunity to contact J.J. Erickson, you inform him of this advice:
Preliminary research conducted by one of our committee members shows that these creatures called horses, of which many members of the Equestrian States team are related to, are startled by sudden movement and eye contact, and may very well be inclined to kicking opponent’s shins or even stampeding them to an untimely death.

As not much information is known about the supposedly “equestrian” beings, we encourage the utmost carefulness when playing against them, for they may be incredibly dangerous.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:42 am
by High Heels
From the journal of 18-year-old starting keeper Kaisa Cuban, now a professional with Sporting Boulder:

Wow. That's all I can say. I met what I thought was a nice guy in town. Aranora Jaded, he turned out to be backup keeper for Vilita and Turori, our next opponents. We were chatting only briefly when I told him I was from High Heels. Boy did it all change. Rant time! On and on and on, not ragging on High Heels the country but about wearing the shoes! Guys don't really care although marketers do, they're hard on your feet, you can't run from bears in them, whatever. He says guys don't notice what's on your feet . . . my question is was he even paying attention to anything else?

Image


Maybe next time I'll say I'm from Högklackat and see if they catch on . . .

I was rude, I admit it. But I'm not very sorry, at least not yet.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:12 pm
by Taeshan
Taeshan
Northern Sunrise Islands

2
2

Martin
Waters

Provyay
Tachibana

Parker
LeRoux

Forrestor
Kovalchek

Street
G. Curva

Fasnacht
D. Curva

Tlumach
Luana

Krieder
Pikachu

Llana
Sophistis

Murgatroyd
Cristinho

Pantoum
Angst




Subs:Fawkes for Murgatroyd 45 [TAE], Twinn for Luana 45' [NSI], Brady for Pikachu 77' [NSI], Garnet for Cristinho 85' [NSI], Gabriel Gorzon for Karl Llana 87' {TAE] and McAndrews for Pantoum 90' [TAE]


Goals: Sophistis 29' [NSI], Pantoum 35' [TAE], Pantoum 50' [TAE], and Cristinho 87' [NSI]




It was an interesting match, in the end it proved to be much the same as the previous one for the Knights. They came, they saw, they ended the day on level terms with their opponents. The Northern Sunrise Islands team needed a win to advance and the Knights held them, in the end a late charge capped by Cristinho's 87th minute goal scared the Knights for a bit, but in reality when they got the ball after the final kickoff it was all but over.

Some sad news was had before halftime, a change will be made before the next game against Farfadillis. Marshall Murgatroyd awkwardly landed on his ankle during an header attempt and seems to have broken it and most likely will be out for the coming weeks. Much the same happened the time the Knights ended up winning the U21 cup when Brian Ibrahim went down in his first game in the Knights return to the Di Bradini cup. The Knights gathered around their fallen comrade, and one hopes they can do something like this as they move on into the coming weeks.

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:23 pm
by Starblaydia
"...without further ado: Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the landmark twentieth Starblaydi entry into the World Cup Hall of Fame..."

Everyone knew who it was going to be, the information had been strategically leaked long ago, before the 61sh World Cup Qualifiers had even begun, never mind the Finals themselves. It was all designed to surge Starblaydi national pride, to really get some backing behind the national team and, of course, the nation itself. Starblaydia qualifying for the Cup itself had sealed the deal, if such a thing had even been necessary. Rocketing back up to around 50th in the world rankings was the icing on the cake. It was working.

What had happened next, however, had not gone to plan. Valanora had equalled Starblaydia's until-then record of five World Championships. They'd moved back to being the best team in the world, with every intention and ability to go on and win another, to become the greatest team in the history of the world outright. How could that be turned to a Starblaydi advantage? So long the team at the top, the much-maligned Starblaydi national ego had just taken a massive battering from which, if the wrong words were said, it would might recover.

"...a captain of Jhanna City and Starblaydia at both Under-21 and Senior level, though a Runners-Up medal would be his highest honour. He made 72 appearances for his country, scoring on twenty occasions. He won Liga Starblaydia and the Tiberius Cup, lifting that particular trophy a little more vehemently than any club Captain before him. We saw him shed tears on the pitch at the AOCAF Cup 30 Final, and today we celebrate him as the President of the Starblaydi Football Association. Today, though, he becomes a World Cup Hall of Famer. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Julius Starblayde!"

The crowd erupted. Julius would never know, but some people even clapped and stood up watching at home. He took in the applause, waved to the studio audience and generally allowed himself to soak up the moment. Even as the little brother of the Lord-Protector, Julius rarely got this sort of ovation.

"Now." Chorus said inside his head. She was with him, and he was confident.

"Nick Matranga." Julius began as the applause began to fade, quickly vanished as he spoke. "Simeone Di Bradini. Jerome Montefalcon. Nunzio Gre. Cherry Garcia. Menecrates. Khim Azanulbizarn. Jacqueline Maitland. David Bedford. Jae Chang-hwa. Leandro Perheira. Jaime Oberlander. Diamontii Di Bradini. Lex Panarii. Caleb Westwood. Batou Nakamura. Jaime Kuu. Tuomas Hindenburg. Ázëwyn Fëanáro." he let the names sink in for a few moments, then smiled softly, "if the people - the fans - of Starblaydi football think I am worthy of being included as the twentieth name to that list, then I am truly humbled and grateful."

Applause once again rang out. What could have felt like a list of the dead was turned into a triumphant roll call of glory to stir the Starblaydi soul.

"I come before you tonight not to celebrate this honour for myself, though I must confess my heart leapt upon hearing it. I come before you to issue a rallying cry. To every man, woman and child in Starblaydia now, and in the next hundred years. It is twenty-one sixty-one and, before the next century dawns, I want Starblaydia to have won a sixth World Championship. I'm sure all of you here do, too, but I find myself in the priviliged position of being able to do something about it.

"As has been demonstrated in our Qualification for the 2058 World Cup in Valanora and Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, we have assembled a group of players who can provide the foundation for yet another generation of success. A second Golden Generation of world domination. Our distinctive brand of purple once reigned supreme and unchallenged over global football. Now our acheivements have been equalled by our friends and rivals, the Vanorians. I have heard with my own ears people saying that our time is over, how we can never again conquer the world. To them I say 'Where was that attitude in the twentieth century?' Where was that attitude when the likes of Nikola Lazerevski, Simeone Di Bradini and Ryan Garry took to the field for the first time?

"It simply did not exist. They did not whimper when faced with Dance 2 Revolution before they beat them 5-1. They didn't cower against Tanah Burung before beating them to get into the 17th World Cup. They were the ones who laid the foundations for Menecrates and Giovanni Lopez to show the 'best team in the world' what it meant to be Starblaydi, when White and Purple defeated Orange and Blue in Kaza Progressa, or when David Bedford really did have the number of the Bedistanis in the Paladin Dome.

"Today we have Juan Torres, Lena Kochanska, Sergio Di Bradini, Grant Hansen and Azestella Ajhabekk. We have Frederico Blassii and Jordan Johanssen. They are the names we will look back on in the future and say, 'they laid our foundations once more'. These players are building a legacy that we cannot fail to live up to. We must not fail. Now Starblaydia are the Venators, the Rapaii, with our target before our eyes. We need only reach out and take it. To every Starblaydi I say this:

"Wear the white, wear the purple. Stand beside me, now and we can all work together to restore the national pride and show the world that we are the best at whatever we turn our hands to. Our songs are stronger and out feet are faster. Our minds sharper and our hands more dextrous. Starblaydia is the greatest nation in the history of the world and, though others would claim our place, we must do everything in our power to show that this is how it is meant to be.

"It is not our destiny, nor our fate. It is our birthright.

"Starblaydia, are you with me?"

The roar, in both the studio and in billions of homes around the nation, would have been enough to shake the foundations of the heavens.

"Well done, Julius." Chorus was smiling, he just knew it.



OOC: This is your RP Cut-off

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 1:34 pm
by Starblaydia
Image
Second Round Scores
Super Sixteen Becomes... Excellent(?) Eight!

Match 2R1: Free Swiss States 1-0 Kinitaria
Match 2R2: Farfadillis 0-2 Taeshan
Match 2R3: Slembana 2-1 Mytannion (AET, FT 1-1)
Match 2R4: Cyborg Holland 1-3 Starblaydia
Match 2R5: Kiryu-shi 2-2 Equestrian States (AET, FT 2-2, Kiryu-shi wins 4-2 on penalties)
Match 2R6: Thatius 2-1 Boring Paradise
Match 2R7: Geisenfried 1-0 Saugeais
Match 2R8: High Heels 2-2 Vilita & Turori (AET, FT 1-1, Vilita & Turori win 5-4 on penalties)

Quarter-Final Fixtures
Match QF1: Free Swiss States v Taeshan at Foundation Road, Jhanna - Iskara Daii (75,000)
Match QF2: Slembana v Starblaydia at Silverlands, Corinth - Corinthian Spirits (65,000)
Match QF3: Kiryu-shi v Thatius at Sports Hall, Karak D'Ragh - Karak Ungor Chiefs (60,000)
Match QF4: Geisenfried v Vilita & Turori at Jhanna City Recreational Ground, Jhanna, - Jhanna City (51,000)

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 2:14 pm
by High Heels
From the journal of 18-year-old starting keeper Kaisa Cuban, now a professional with Sporting Boulder:

I let one too many through, and now we go home.

Oh, it was epic enough. It's not every day you can stop six penalty kicks -- one in regulation and five during the shootout -- and lose. It was 120 minutes plus stoppages plus ten rounds of kicks from the mark. It was a lot of nail-biting. It was even a draw in the official records. And I made my own spot kick too!

But we still go home. I would wish the bots well, but I don't know if their programming would understand . . .

PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 3:20 pm
by Blouman Empire
OOC: I would like to apologize for not participating in this tournament. I was unaware that Bears Armed had pulled out and I had taken that place. Hence my lack of RP, had I known I was now in this tournament I would have participated.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:25 am
by Slembana
The Slembana Times: Last-gasp Kylx goal secures progression into DBC quarter-finals

By Peter Whiteman, chief football reporter at Victory Park, Vecchio, Starblaydia (attendance 45,823)

A last-minute goal from Val Kylx has secured our progression into the quarter-finals of the Di Bradini Cup, the tournament for international under-21 football teams. Our victims were Mytannion, a nation from the region of Rushmore (which is a big rival of the region we are in, Esportiva). Kylx tapped in after a chipped ball from Jyvx Dagens, which twisted through the air in loops, found its way to the striker. This goal was scored in stoppage time at the end of extra-time.

In the first-half, Kylx, Dagens, Jordan Valfox, and Oliver van der Young all had good shots at goal, until Valfox curled home via the underside of the crossbar in the 35th minute. This goal was fully deserved, as the game was going our way up until Valfox opened the scoring for us. Mytannion hadn't even got a shot when Valfox opened the scoring. They finally got a shot in on 44 minutes, when a low shot from their star striker, Felix Kaestner, was palmed round the post by our goalkeeper, Kevin Banks.

Our dominance continued into the second half, so it was a huge surprise when Kaestner volleyed home in the 66th minute to make it 1-1. This goal shocked us, but we thankfully held on until the final whistle blew, sending the game to extra time, where Kylx scored his 4th goal of the tournament to win us the game late in the day. As a reward for beating the Mytanars, we will face hosts Starblaydia in the quarter-finals.

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:06 pm
by Free Swiss States
When the truth is found
To be lies


"Through the ball, boys. You're on top of it. There is the game and then there is the level that is deeper than the game. You're a level deeper than that."

And all the joy
Within you dies


"There's going to be a point in time where you think you can't win this game. It won't be physical, because you've trained physical. Physically... you can finish. But you're going to reach a point where you don't want to bring it anymore. Some voice inside you is going to say 'stop.' That's when you say no. Over and over again."

Don't you want somebody to love?
Don't you need somebody to love?
Wouldn't you love somebody to love?
You better find somebody to love


"I'll play the through ball here. You're both going to run for it. That's the basics. Then Benlizar splits off. They'll expect him to take it, if they're there, if they're on that level. But we'll have Tolmeki take it. They're going to come up to block him, then..."

When the garden flowers
Baby, are dead, yes
And your mind, your mind
Is so full of red


WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THERE IT IS! TAKE IT!

Don't you want somebody to love?
Don't you need somebody to love?
Wouldn't you love somebody to love?
You better find somebody to love


"TOLMEKI'S GOING TO PLAY IT AHEAD. COLLISION. DANIEL TAKES IT. HE'LL BE GUARDED HE PASSES BACKWARDS TOLMEKI YOU'RE BIGGER YOU'LL GET UP FIRST ITS UP TO YOU YOU NEED TO SHOOT"

...
...
...


YOU DID IT! YOU BASTARD! YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! WE PULLED IT OFF! WE GODDAMN PULLED IT OFF!

PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 7:46 pm
by Taeshan
Taeshan
Farfadillis

2
0

Martin
Raguzzelli

Provyay
Setentriona

Parker
Peperuzzo

Forrestor
Nessi

Street
Wanderis

Fasnacht
Mêndêlöíndçêl

Tlumach
Dandalleion

Krieder
Tenian

Llana
Tuzzio

Shrew
O'rosso

Montenegro
Johans




Subs:Pantoum for Llana 47' [TAE], Faujeau for Fasnacht 52' [TAE], Mathers for Montenegro 69' [TAE], Fu for Tenian 80' [FDS] and Fellay for Dandalleion 85' [FDS]


Goals: Shrew 7' [TAE] and Faujeau 57' [TAE]




In a game where star striker Marshall Murgatroyd was already ruled out with a sprained ankle Purple Knights manager Alexandre Giroux decided to pull a fast one on the Farfadillis manager and also keep Tyler Pantoum, the Knights striker, off the starting lineup and help keep him ready if necessary for a late push. Giroux's gamble worked as the striking partnership of Bradley Shrew and Paul Montenegro proved very feisty and scary early on and led to Shrew's seventh minute goal, that in the end proved to be all that the Knights really needed to win the day.

A second goal would come later after Pantoum joined the game in an odd midfield role as he found another sub in the shape of Grant Faujeau for the games second and final goal. It was a masterful headed goal right past a diving goalie. With the win the Knights advance to the Quarterfinals once again and face a less experienced Free Swiss States side. The game looks to be an interesting matchup and one can only guess that it will give fans their moneys worth.

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:44 pm
by Kiryu-shi
To one J.J Erickson,
Coach of the Kiryu-shi National Youth Football Team
For the 24th Di Bradini Cup,

We’re writing to you, first and foremost, to let you know that you still have our fullest support and admiration in the job you are doing in Starblaydia. While we have yet to correspond this tournament, we have been incredibly impressed by the way you navigated the potential minefield of the group stage to emerge in first, and now have made it to the final eight teams.

Your previous match, which we all saw live on television back here in Kiryu-shi, was particularly impressive. To lose a key midfielder to a red card in the 84th minute of a tie match, and to battle through four yellow cards throughout the match, and to emerge victorious against an unknown team shows, to us, great flexibility and resilience of mind. While we are incredibly sorry you were not able to have any assistant coaches during this run, we are confident that no one could represent our nation better.

We have to say, we were a bit nervous when the opponents from the Equestrian States scored two goals in the opening half, and your team looked a bit overwhelmed, to say the least. I suppose we can excuse you for not being able to adequately prepare the squad; as we all know, horses are not exactly common on this island, and it seemed as if the unicorns in particular seemed to intimidate the squad, with the general dazzling play that they tended to initiate. Even here, we could tell that the way they moved, and moved the ball, was simply not something that any of your players would be accustomed to. And when you took out Sato in favor of Oren Left, who most people back here associate with a defensive specialist, we were even more worried. There were even those among us who thought you might be conceding that this match was too much for your team. And right now, I don’t think this is a time you should be making moves that may be taken the wrong way. Not to put any undue pressure on yourself, but people around the nation are paying very close attention to your performance. Anyway, we’re very happy it worked out. Left seemed to be able to shut down their striker Archer, more or less. Or at least contain her from scoring any more goals after those first two, and his presence on the field proved invaluable after Pitri was taken out.

Speaking of Pitri, you really need to get a hold of the team in respect to fouls. I suppose you lucked out a bit, as Left can take over Pitri’s position in the upcoming match against Thatius, but you cannot be too careful. But to have so many players with a yellow card is not really good for the squad. I understand it was difficult to tackle in this past match in particular without hitting some limb or another, but just be wary, this type of perceived lack of discipline will be remembered by those who don’t want you to succeed.

On the other hand, after the events of four years ago, it will be great publicity to have gone back to Cedrus and to have won there. Good for photo ops and the like, considering the recovery there.

On top of that, the tactical shifts you made as the second half went on will play extremely well in the media. Having d'Erdélyi act as a decoy for Peterson not once but twice? Brilliant! I don’t think there was a soul in this country who would’ve predicted that Peterson would be the one to score twice in the last thirty minutes to send the match into extra time. And then reenforcing the defenders by subbing in Donnie Armice and Fassitani Pura at the end of regular time was brilliant. I can’t believe how long you waited to use your substitutions, but it worked out tremendously. And, while we all know the PKs were basically a crapshoot, the spin will likely be that our team looked disciplined there, converting all four of our chances to clinch a victory.

So, congratulations on your win. We hope your travels back to mainland Starblaydia go well, and that your next match against Thatius is a success. Winning a quarterfinal match will be building on an incredible story already, though. I assume you know this, but just in case, do you realize that with High Heels going down in Penalties that Kiryu-shi is the only team who has made the quarterfinals in both of the past to Di Bradini Cups? Well, that is good news, regardless. Even if your detractors will say that anything worse than another third place finish will represent a failure of our youth program and your leadership.

But, hope you’re having a good time out there! We look forward to your return! We aren’t going to be part of the selection committee for the AOCAF, so we’re already looking forward to the next World Cup Qualification nomination process, and we have to say we’ve liked what we’ve seen from your head coaching.

Sincerely,
Representatives of the

Sakaino Athletic and Performance Arts Committee

PostPosted: Sat Sep 22, 2012 3:29 pm
by Geisenfried
He'd been around computers for basically his entire life. Was it any surprise he knew them backwards, forwards and inside out? To him, they were practically the ultimate tool - and while he wasn't arrogant to believe he was the best, he was certainly a master at the craft. By the time he was in his college years, he started getting politically motivated, and he found a new avenue for his skills. Some might have called it less than ethical, but these were public figures, entrusted by the people to make the most important decisions for the nation. The populace had a right to know, invasion of privacy laws be damned! Or... so he thought. What he wasn't expecting was to be caught. What he was expecting even less was to get a job offer.

The job had strings attached, of course. It had actually began as 'community service', as terms of an agreement in order for all those pesky little violations he'd accrued go away. His computer access was tracked to make sure he wasn't doing anything fishy, and of course, politicians and otherwise were completely off limits. It chafed him a little bit to be so restricted, and odd to shift from the hunted to the hunter, but in time he found an strange satisfaction in the job. Furthermore, he found as he tested newer security systems and tracking breaches in older ones, he was improving at his 'job' more than he ever thought he could. By the time his service was up, he had made enough of an impression to be offered to be kept on full-time on the payroll with some of the restrictions removed - something he was quite content to accept.

Of course, because of the nature of his work, he got some strange jobs. But this so far had taken the cake, he thought, watching the clouds roll over Lake Bekk as the flight neared Starblaydia. He had never been a sports person - he knew enough of the rules, to be sure, but never really was quite as interested as everyone else seemed to be - so when he was first given the tickets to the Di Bradini quarterfinal match between Geisenfried and Vilita & Turori in Jhanna, he half assumed it was a joke. When he discovered that the entire Vilita & Turori team was robotic, his interest piqued and the offer made at least slightly more sense - he had dabbled in robotics way back when after all, but there was still something funny about it. Surely they had someone who had more experience in the field, right? Perhaps, he thought, they wanted him to hack into one of things and try and copy some of the files that made the things run - but still, without a blueprint for the robot, the programming would be relatively useless. It was only after he had been given a note just before he left that he fully understood what he was supposed to do.

But not why he was supposed to do it.



19th Century Beards 1-3 Geisenfried
Image - Kani (19', 33'), Gibson-Cook (52'), Gerhardt (73')

Geisenfried 2-0 Yesopalitha
Image - Gerhardt (23'), Duegel (57')

Geisenfried 1-0 Saugeais
Image - Kani (42')

PostPosted: Sun Sep 23, 2012 5:37 am
by Starblaydia
OOC: Sorry for the delay from last night (y'know, life), next scores will be Monday evening

Image
Quarter-Final Scores
And then there were Four

Quarter-Final Results
Match QF1: Free Swiss States 1-0 Taeshan
Match QF2: Slembana 1-2 Starblaydia
Match QF3: Kiryu-shi 2-0 Thatius
Match QF4: Geisenfried 2-2 Vilita & Turori (AET, FT 2-2, Geisenfried wins 4-3 on penalties)

Semi-Final Fixtures
Match SF1: Free Swiss States v Starblaydia at Jader Barbahlo Stadium, Jhanna - Jhanna United (96,000)
Match SF2: Kiryu-shi v Geisenfried at Iota "Big Eye" Arena, Penningworth - Penningworth United (82,000)