World Cup 69 RP Thread

[Yttribia]

Fans of both the Buyanese and Watfordian national teams had went to the now famous home of Yttribian football known as Le Nid Violet, in the capital of Fontvieille, to watch their squads battle it out for the Beltane Cup, a friendly tournament between the teams which had participated in the fifty-fourth Baptism of Fire. There were various Yttribians in attendance, seeing as they thought "Hey, at least it's football. And besides, it's a pretty good match." Needless to say, it was, as the match went to kicks from the penalty mark after one-hundred and twenty minutes of solid play between both teams, as the Buyanese team won in front of the 81,800 fans in attendance at that match. However, despite the cheery and happy attitude of the stadium, there was one person who desperately wanted this competition to end.

Porter Augustin, Supreme Administrator of the Confederation, had recently finished watching the match for the Beltane Cup, which took place in Yttribia. Granted, he was extremely disappointed with their performance in this friendly competition that was billed as "The One That They'll Win It All" among football fans from across the nation. With that loss, he had lost most hope for building a strong team in the future. Despite their relative success in the tenth edition of the Campionato Esportiva, the nation bowing out in the Quarter-Finals of this tournament was extremely disappointing. He shook each Buyanese hand, as they made their way to the VIP press section. He put on his best fake smile as he awarded the trophy to the victorious squad, and slowly began to slither his way back home.

He was extremely disappointed in the squad. No doubt about it. He wondered how he could make the nation better and better when it came to football. He thought of diverting money from the government in order to help train, produce, and create quality players, but his associates would be pissed off. He knew their squad was good enough to achieve several victories, I mean, the team beat both Ruentenbach and Mizuyuki in the last time the Ravens took on nations for friendlies, but then again, they lost again New North Aqmuland. And the fact that their run in Campionato Esportiva brought the team hope of their oncoming success in their future, already establishing themselves somewhat in Esportivan football. However, he himself, as well as the entire nation, would rather have themselves making the finals of the World Cup in several cycles time. That is their dream, and if that dream won't be able to be fulfilled, then what use was there to achieve in the first place?

However, while Augustin did enjoy the idea of ruling in the world of sport, he much rather preferred that the Confederation ruled in general. With political turmoil in Byfugland (OOC: This can be described as Byfugland's removal from the Esportivan map) leading to the demise of the nation itself, he wanted to show the region, and eventually, the multiverse that they were no laughing matter, in either sport or in general. As soon as all of the general emotion of the Beltane Cup was done, with the spotlight off of the country, he began to fabricate, and eventually establish, changes.

Radical changes.

His personal subway car, one which carried executives of the Corvax Party around the city had arrived underneath the Fontvieille Metro's station at Le Nid Violet. As Augustin took the train home, he looked throughout the Basic Code, and saw the preamble and first article which began the Basic Code. Slowly, he began to break up the Basic Code, one which held the nation together for several hundred years.

BASIC CODE OF YTTRIBIA

Preamble
With the knowledge of the grand responsibilities on them, Knowing the determination of a united and peaceful Esportiva as an equal nation, the Yttribian people, within all achievable power, have come to adopt the Basic Code. Yttribians throughout the five regions of Obersinn, Fresnosa, Vauchell, Urellia, Penedès, as well as those residing in the Fontvieille Capital District have achieved the unity and freedom of self-determination as a single, united, Yttribian nation. Therefore, the Basic Code applies to all of the Yttribian people.

I. Basic Rights
Article One
(1) Under no circumstances shall human dignity be violated. This shall be upheld and protected by the Government, both National and Regional.
(2) All Yttribians, shall be granted the right to speak, convene, report, and pray in whatever manner they chose to desire, without facing consequences from the Government, National or Regional.
(3) Under the Basic Code, and any other Regional Code, shall all persons be equal before the law.
(4) Both men and women shall be given equal rights, with both Regional and National Governments promoting the implementations of equal rights for both men and women, and will begin, and continue to eliminate and current disadvantages for both men and women.
(5) No one, under any circumstances, shall be discriminated and/or disfavored on the basis of their gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, race, native tongue, or homeland or origin.

He laughed as he read the first article of the Basic Code. As the Senior Administrator of Yttribia, when it came to writing up laws, he had an extremely simple policy on his Junior Administrators. When one of them disagreed on an idea he proposed, one of two things would happened to the Junior Administrator opposed to said law. Either they would be forced to shamefully resign due to "personal matters," followed by their untimely death, allegedly accidental, or send them to one of the sprawling labor camps, popping up like popcorn kernels on a hot stove.

He stumbled around to find a laptop that was always kept inside the train car, one which he valued deeply. As he finally found the laptop under his seat, he pulled it out and set it on the table in front of him. He opened up his word processor, as he began to type up a new draft for the Basic Code on a simple, yet highly effective word processor, aligning Yttribia with the rest of the Corvidae nations.

I. The Nation and Its People
Article I
(1) The Yttribian Confederation is an atheist nation, banning all religious organizations, and promoting the nation's sciences, in order to create an effective nation, free from all theocratic, fundamentalist, ideologies.
(2) The people of Yttribia are one, ignoring any boundaries caused by race, or language. Yttribians must adhere to the policy and ideology of the Corvax Party, the sole, legal party in the nation.
(3) All power is vested in the Council, formed by six Administrators from each region. Five of these Administrators are to be Junior Administrators, assisting the Supreme Administrator. The Supreme Administrator serves as the Head of State for the nation, representing its people in all affairs.
(4) Under no circumstances shall there be any misinforming about Corvax affairs by the press, nor shall there be a breaking of ideology by citizens of the Yttribian Confederation.
(5) All articles in the Old Basic Law shall be suspended until further notice. All governing power is placed under each Administrator

He finished typing up the first article, and might be the only article at the time for the newly revised Basic Code. He then emailed the new article to his Junior Administrators, while waiting for a response from them. While he was on it, he took out his highly encrypted mobile phone, and rang up the University of Fontvieille's Nuclear Sciences and Engineering Department. After several rings, Augustin cleared up his voice, and spoke clearly to the woman on the other side of the line, Director Jacqueline Reyes.

"Excuse me, Director Reyes? This is Supreme Administrator Porter Augustin, calling to ask you about important business."

His smooth voice caught Jacqueline off-guard, mainly because she wasn't expecting the nation's leader to call him at this time. However, with no hesitance, she answered.

"G-good evening Administrator Augustin. Is there anything in which I can be assistance of at this time of night?"

"Yes, Director. We've had some of our own scientists investigating the Southern Part of Esportiva, which we believe to not be under control of any other nation, and realized that there happened to be uranium. And we're considering to build weapons. However, we need to determine how much uranium is located there, and whether or not there's enough to produce several of these weapons. So, the Government is asking you to supply some of your best scientists down south for the next month or two, in order to conduct research. Is this understood?"

"Y-yes Sir."

"Excellent. I'd like a profile of them on my desk within two days. Thank you."

Augustin hung up on the Director, as he began to read the newspaper, and read up on the latest happenings across the Corvidae nations. Just then, one of the waitresses came into the train car, holding a tea cup on top of a plate, filled with steaming hot Earl Grey tea. As she set it on the table in front of Augustin, he read up on the sinking of the Crispy Pringle, the denunciation from Rüntenbach, and more. He sighed as he put aside the newspaper and sipped his tea, as the train car rumbled its way home.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Room 769, Spiritair Building, Montreal

Four executives of Routes and Operations Department of Spiritair, Antti Salonen, Seong Jin Park, Lana De Haan and Andre Cousteaux, were talking in one of their sub-Executive Group meetings. For those who don't know, Spiritair's a major international airline based in Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Owning 342 planes and around 289 routes, it has three main bases/airports in Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec; Yzerberg, Vaugania; and Fontvieille, Yttribia. So it's like a three-headed dragon.

That being said, they're in their normal meeting room at 5 in the morning, after being woken from their sleep by a text message from Antti Salonen. Feeling that it's something important or desperate, the rest quickly arrived at their old room, at 5:30 in the morning. Already Antti was there, drinking his cup of coffee.

Antti Salonen- Morning SJ. What's with a meeting this early?

Seong Jin Park- Ladies and gentlemen. I have a good news.

(Seong Jin hands Antti, Andre and Lana a newspaper article headlined 'Quebecois companies earns rights to build 8 hockey complexes, 2 major stadiums in Gregoryigodistan'. It basically talks of how there's a compromise between Gregoryisgodistan and Quebec over the Aeroquebec bombing, in exchange of major construction contracts in Gregoryisgodistan, a $1 billion(Quebecois dollars) of compensation to the families of victims and a temporary transfer of a Pervert Chaser in exchange of not attacking GGS)

Lana de Haan- Impressive, considering the bad blood boiling between them.

Andre Cousteaux- Agreed, Lana. That package deal's just...massive.

Antti Salonen- Mmhm.

Seong Jin Park- After reading this, what do you think about the possibility of establishing a flight to Gregoryisgodistan, Antti?

Antti Salonen- I consider this as a wonderful idea, Seong Jin. Greglord Air’s already infamous for its extremely poor service and safety procedures, yet people are taking it because it’s the only legit way to travel to Gregoryisgodistan. I mean, look at their first class product! It's out of fashion and the meals are sub-standard!

Seong Jin Park- Indeed, but considering what happened to Aeroquebec, will the RAC give us the slots?

Andre Cousteaux- Of course. Quebec holds no hostility with Gregoryisgodistan, it won’t be the matter. Royal Aviation Commission (RAC) will surely grant the flight slots, for now there is demand involving 20,000 construction workers there. Besides, there is always a good deal of passengers wanting to fly to the nation for either sport competitions or for small but growing numbers, tourism.

Lana de Haas- Are you sure about tourism, Andre? Of course there’s demand, but Gregoryisgodistan is certainly not a desirable tourist destination for most.

Andre Cousteaux- Yes, but that’s for most people, not all. Besides, tourism traffic is not going to be the one that’s going to determine the feasibility of the flight. It’s more with transportation of domestic workers and construction materials.

Antti Salonen- But that's not going to be enough to guarantee a passenger flight, without some sort of additional capabilities on cargo.

Seong Jin Park- What about using a Combi we have it stored on Regimbault(OOC: This is referring to Montreal Charles Merton Regimbault International Airport)?

Seong Jin Park- Sounds good by me. How about 4 times weekly flight, using Boeing 747-400 Combi?

Lana de Haas- Sure. I'd recommend the addition of a supplementary cargo flight though. Transporting food and other necessary amenities for the 20,000 workers and other foreigners entering the nation will be a simple pain in the ass without having a cargo flight as well.

Andre Cousteaux- Are you sure having a Combi into the service would be a good option?

Lana de Haas- Didn't we already agree that the demand is not as high as it'd be with our recently-started flights, Andre? -400 Combi will do enough, with 1,056 passengers, per week, one way. Besides, we already need to have more than just a cargo flight to meet the demands for necessities.

Antti Salonen- Alright then. It looks like we have the new route planned out.... Just need to get a Combi from Aeroquebec. I heard that they're planning to sell couple of them after the bombing, so all looks quite good....
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A brand new flight to San Salvador

Diane Martel, Staff Writer of Spiritair
MONTREAL, ROYAL KINGDOM OF QUEBEC- Spiritair’s proud to announce the upcoming launch of the brand-new flight, from Montreal Sir. Charles Merton Regimbault International Airport to San Salvador Airport.
As a longtime operator to its Fontvieille hub, with its presence and network in Esportiva constantly growing, we have always felt that one part of the puzzle’s missing, and that’s that of the Guayabalese market. With the latest addition of San Salvador as the 45th destination from Montreal to Esportiva, the airline put itself in a stronger position for the years ahead.

The airline will be using the brand new Boeing 777-200ER, with its aircraft being configurated with the newest of 8 seats in our brand new first class, 28 seats in business class, and 212 for the Economy Class……

To read more, please press click the headline…

[Jeru FC]

Princess Melody on the "Sex in Jeruselem" TV show

Melody:

Hello, welcome to another exciting episode of Sex in Jeruselem! I'm the host Princess Melody Song Dallas of Jeruselem, or just Princess Melody to most people. On today's show, we talk about the relationship between football and sex. It is an interesting stat that in world cup years, there's more children produced than the other three in the cycle in Jeruselem. I got no idea why but we explore this topic anyway. We talk to the good people in the Jeruselem and those perverts in the Jeru FC team. Firstly we speak to Sex Research expert Professor Dorothy Dix about the relationship between this baby surge and the world cup.

...

Melody: Professor, there seems to be this interesting baby boom during a world cup year. You've seen the stats, why would this be?
Dorothy: It's an interesting thing, at first I though it was just one of those blips but it seems to be a real thing going in Jeruselem
Melody: Do you have any idea why is actually happens
Dorothy: It might be people settle down at home to watch the game instead of going out or doing something else outside the family home
Melody: So it makes people stay at home
Dorothy: Yes, if Mum and Dad stay at home more then they have more time to make more children

Melody: But not everyone stays at home to watch a football game, it might apply to families but what about single people?
Dorothy: Well, single people are more socially active and a football game is a social occasion
Melody: So for those party animals like me, you might meet more people
Dorothy: Singles have more spare time to party and Jeruselemites like their world cup parties
Melody: So, more drinking and socialising and ... more sex
Dorothy: Likely thing to happen, given how younger people behave

Melody: So the world cup is like a social glue during the year where people get together and are more likely to form relationships
Dorothy: Yes, it is notable most Dallas children get created around the world cup year.
Melody: Nah, we're all year breeders. We don't need a reason.
Dorothy: In general that is
Melody: Are you saying, the world cup is responsible for a lot of people out there being born
Dorothy: Indirectly, but yes

Melody: So it's not the cup itself but the fact people get together and get a bit carried away with a drink in hand
Dorothy: The football isn't the cause, it's just something to watch
Melody: Is the effect more noticible if we get further into the finals?
Dorothy: Yes, the longer the campaign - the more noticible the effect is
Melody: What about the Cup of Harmony?
Dorothy: That seems to be less of a factor

Melody: If say Jeru FC stopped playing the cup, would things be any different?
Dorothy: Research suggests not many watch Jeru FC unless they make the finals
Melody: Very interesting research indeed
Dorothy: In most circles, it seems make sense if you look at it
Melody: My research says your grandmother was a Dallas
Dorothy: Yes, one of your other relatives. She was a bit weird but highly intelligent actually

Melody: So you can thank her for your intellect.
Dorothy: I guess I can
Melody: Is your job all stats, or you also have to watch people ... having sex
Dorothy: Yes, it's part of the job. Doesn't bother me, at all really. It's just a job
Melody: Maybe that's from ya granny
Dorothy: She did have 5 children so I guess all this sex business is a bit normal

[The Royal Barangay]

NEWS
Libertad's Mogya office in tatters, 19 dead
by Romnick Plata

MOGYA, NOMADIA, TRB - The Libertad Sportswear's Mogya Office and Factory were rocked by a series of explosions, killing nineteen people, all of whom are employees of the sportswear company. The incident happened at lunchtime, when most of the employees are on a scheduled lunch break when suddenly a series of loud bangs were heard in the vicinity of the plant. The explosion destroyed the factory of the company, along with extensive damage to the office of the branch. The office in Mogya is the third largest plant of the company, and is the main hub for football kits,

With questions being asked on who might be the perpetrators in this heinous crime, reports surfaced that the Gregoryisgodistani government claimed responsibility for the explosions. It was known that the said nation tendered an order to the company to supply its football kits for the 69th World Cup, however, with the placement of the Royal Barangay in the particular nation's enemy list, the company has been rumored to be hesitant in fulfilling the said order.

Should it be proven that Gregory was the one who ordered the attack, Antonio de Palma, the CEO of Libertad would not hesitate to cancel the production altogether. De Palma also ordered tighter security at the other branches of Libertad in order to prevent such things from happening again. However, he said that he will still acknowledge orders for pending clients and asks them for some patience with regards to it.

Libertad is currently the kit provider for all teams playing in the Liga Maharlika, and is currently providing the kits for sports teams of The Royal Barangay, with the exception of football which the KPMB has a contract with Kirola to produce the Agilang Dilaw kits. The manufacturer made its CE debut at the tenth edition, providing the kits for Raussland. The said nation will also compete in the World Cup Qualifiers. The company is currently making the kits for some national teams, however, production is halted for reasons unknown even before the incident happened.

OOC: As you all know, my PC crashed during my hosting of the WCoH. As a result, I had to make a fresh install of Windows, and as a result, most of the fonts I used for my storefront were all gone. As a result, I had to stop receiving orders from future clients, and all the work for those with pending offers were all halted, because of it, and along with some personal issues recently. I hope to come back as soon as I can.

[United Eastedge]

Group Draw Review
Aelley City, United Eastedge

---

Feels like just yesterday, the entire country was celebrating the historic achievement. Who would have imagined that United Eastedge would be the champion of the Baptism of Fire? Yep, it was a short time of celebration after that night that will be remembered by all. But now, it is time to keep dreaming in order to look more achievements. But what's next? Well, that's a goo question. The Qualifiers for the incoming World Cup 69 that is going to be held in Apox and The Holy Empire, are just around the corner, and the goal is to make the Finals in the first attempt. United Eastedge was drawn in the Group 24, sharing it with nothing more and nothing less than Free Swiss States, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gorod, Audioslavia, Kernansquillec, Buyan, Lojal, and Maklohi Vai. Definitely, seems to be a hard group that surely will be filled of excitement from the beginning to the end. Curiously, it counts with three national teams that won the Baptism of Fire ever.

It is a matter of days to see how the navies perform against world power teams in association football. Although is not that important as the World Cup Qualifiers are, the Confederations Cup is the next tournament in which United Eastedge will participate facing some of the best teams of the world. However, we are not here to talk about the said tournament yet. The navies, after being champions of the Baptism of Fire 56, are ranked in the 190th place of the world, with 2,45 KPB Points, being the 6th team with the highest rank of the Group 24. Just Free Swiss States and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gorod are below the navies. But, that's not a problem for the team guided by Masson due to their current emotional status, which is very good, and above all, the 35 players are willing to try out everything, regardless of the team they face to. But, let's take a look to the details of each one of them...

Free Swiss States: Well, they have been absent in the last 5 World Cup Cycles. Their last participation was back in the World Cup 63, which was held in the nations of Aguazul and Turori, but they didn't make the Finals after a bad performance in the Qualifiers. They are currently ranked in the 358th place of the world with 0 KPB points, but their experience will be something important for those six points that will be at stake against the navies. It is expected that the navies will win in both encounters against them, though.

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gorod: It is the first World Cup Cycle for them. They entered the Baptism of Fire 56 looking for success, and they achieved it, at least in the group stage after finishing in the third place. Unfortunately, they were eliminated in the Round of 32 against one the best teams of the tournament, Cata Larga. They are ranked in the 258th place of the world with just 1 KPB point, being the 7th team with the highest rank of the Group 24. The last encounter between the navies and them was in favor of the second ones, defeating the navies 2-1 on a friendly match before the Baptism of Fire. Nonetheless, it is expected that the navies will win both games against them with difficulties, specially when they visit Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gorod.

Audioslavia: Well, what can we say about the champions of the World Cups 63 and 64? Definitely, they will be the winners of the group due to their experience and the talent of their players. In the last World Cup, held in Free Republics and Legalese, they qualified for the Finals after defeating Sameba. 4-1 in the group winners' side of the playoffs. Audioslavia advanced to the Round of 16 after finishing the group stage in second place, but unfortunately, they were eliminated by Osarius. The two-times world champions are currently ranked 3rd of the world with nothing more and nothing less than 42.59 KPB points, being the favorite team to win the Group 24 of the current Qualifiers. Definitely, it is expected that they will win both encounters against the team led by Masson.

Kernansquillec: They were without participations a World Cup Cycle since their historic qualification for the World Cup 57, which was held in Cafundeu and Sarzonia. They qualified for that World Cup after performing a formidable Qualifying Stage, finishing in the second place of their group. Nonetheless, Kernansquillec was scarcely eliminated in the group stage with a record of 1-0-2. In the World Cup 68, they were scarcely eliminated in the Qualifying Stage, finishing third of their group and failing to reach the playoffs. They are currently ranked 106th of the world with 7.43 KPB points and it is the team which United Eastedge will face in their debut. It is expected that Kernansquillec will win the first game against the navies, but in the second one they will draw.

Buyan: If Audioslavia doesn't win the group, they'll do it. Buyan is a strong team, characterized by being champions of the Baptism of Fire 54. They hit the Finals in the last World Cup, finishing the group stage of the Qualifying Stage in second place. They eliminated Thatius in the First Playoff and Equestrian States in the second one. And, they were finally eliminated in the group stage of the Finals, finishing it in the last place with a record of 1-0-2. They are currently ranked 40th of the world with 20.03 KPB Points being the 2nd team with the highest rank of the Group 24. It is expected that Buyan will defeat United Eastedge in both times they will collide.

Lojal: There is not a large history in Lojal's participations in World Cup Committeee Sanctioned Events, but their debut was back in the Baptism of Fire 55. However, they performed a bad Qualifying Stage in the World Cup 68, being eliminated in the group stage after finishing it in 8th and last place with a record of 3-1-10. They are currently ranked 179th of the world with 3.11 KPB Points, being the 5th team with the highest rank of the Group 24. It is expected that United Eastege will defeat Lojal in bothe encounters of the stage,

Maklohi Vai: Is a pity what happened with this team in the past World Cup. They were scarcely eliminated in the group stage of the qualifiers, finishing placed in 3rd place, as well as failing to hit the playoffs. Maklohi Vai is a strong that surely will be one of the teams strugglig to make the Finals this time. Their young but efficient team is currently ranked 62nd of the world with 13.90 KPB Points, being the 3rd team with the highest rank of the Group 24 below Audioslavia and Buyan. It is expected they to win the first game against the navies in their stadium and a draw when they visit the team led by Masson.

[Paradystopia]

Announsement from th'Offyses ov th'Paradystopi Surgeyon Genneralle

---

Cheilitis is an ailment which will affect most people in their lifetimes. Luckily, prevention is a fairly simple affair and in the name of moral decency, the Paradystopi Medical Bureau has chosen to broadcast this factsheet globally in the hope that very few nations will suffer during this upcoming 'Cuppe fo Chappes' (or Cup for Chaps, in the older Paradystopi form). As to why the Hoellie Empyr and their co-host Aapocks have chosen to title the tournament thusly, we have been unable to ascertain though we wish to state, on the record, that we thoroughly disprove of the intentional infliction of dry, inflamed lips and trust the international community will support us in our efforts to make this not a 'Cuppe fo Chappes', but one for soft, kissable lips without the slightest hint of a chap.

As i write this, Lipschitz Lyppe Shyt^tm; Paradystopia's largest manufacturer of face creams and balms is working overtime to supply the necessary quantities required for our national team's campaign to thwart this heinous scheme of the two World Cup finals hosts and to ensure the wellbeing of our populace. Orders can be made online at the companies online store or by e-mailing your order to orders@lipschitz.org.pdt. However, for the concerned citizen of a frugal disposition I have supplied some basic home remedies to ensure you can keep the chaps at bay.

1.) Dog Faeces.
It may seem very odd to suggest that canine detritus could stem the advancement of this ailment but it is a tried and tested home remedy in (some of the more rural* parts of) Paradystopia. The crux of it is that licking your lips is one of the worst things you can do when your lips are chapped as enzymes in the saliva further exacerbate the damage to your already fragile layers of skin. If your lips are smeared in dung, you're unlikely to lick them. Another common mistake amongst sufferers is to pick at patches of peeling skin and this is just as bad for the health of your lips. Again, if there's a layer of shyte between your fingers and your lips, you find yourself dissuaded from picking at them.

2.) Homemade Balms
If the first option doesn't appeal to you, you can make your own balms and creams to soothe any discomfort. One such simple recipe is written below.

2 Partes ov Oyle y'Koekoenut (2 parts Coconut Oil)
to 1 Partes ov Beezwaks (to 1 part Beeswax)

Myks thorollie, then aplye to th'affeckted aerye
(Mix thoroughly, then apply to the affected area)

Most natural oils should work in place of coconut, though we don't recommend crude oil or any of it's derivatives.

3.) Drink plenty of water
The main cause of chapped lips is dehydration. Keep yourself hydrated. Simple.

Hopefully, by adhering to one or more of these options we can, as a community, give a big middle finger to the Hoellie Empyr and Aapocks and their 'Cup for Chaps' by stopping damaged lips in it's tracks and for good!**

* For rural, read 'backwards'

---

** Please be aware that badly chapped lips can also be a symptom of a sexually transmitted illness so if in doubt, check with your doctor. I also wouldn't recommend engaging in any activities of a sexual nature with any Aapocksians or inhabitants of the Hoellie Empyr ... just in case ...

[Felix]

Previously

Santa Maria, Felix

The Generalissimo pressed the intercom button, "General Bolesław Zabek," Lazzaro Passerini started, "Come on in." A minute later General Bolesław Zabek came in to the Presidential office where Lazzaro was located. Zabek saluted his superior and sat down. Lazzaro soon began to talk, "So I heard your sources in the FIA found out who those 40,000 new troops are." Zabek nodded, "They are the Free Felixians." Lazzaro chuckled, "Really? Wow, that's just crazy." He paused then looked at him, "Wait, there is something more?" Zabek nervously nodded, "Yes, sir... We have reports that a foreign force is in Felix and it might be from Quebec."

"Quebec?" Lazzaro responded and Zabek quickly nodded. Lazzaro cursed out in the air and stood up and looked at the window thinking of something, "Alright, Let me ask you this. How is the front?" Zabek quickly responded, "We have managed to be in the outskirts of Indos, the fall of the city should be imminent." Lazzaro smiled, "Good, good." He paused, "Alright, I want you to follow me to the FIA so we can talk to the FIA head, I want to handle this Quebec issue personally."

Two Hours Later

"Hello Generalissimo, I am Carlton Thurstan, Director of the FIA." Lazzaro shook Thurstan's hand, "Hello Mr. Thurstan, I want to talk about the news regarding Quebec." Thurstan nodded, "Ah yes, the Quebecois. Follow me." Carlton guided Lazzaro and Bolesław deeper into FIA offices where they would eventually be in a private office guarded by elite FIA agents. Carlton, Lazzaro and Bolesław sat down. Carlton started first, "Alright we know that the Quebecois have troops here in Felix. Problem is we don't know how many."

Lazzaro began to speak but was interrupted by Carlton, "I'm not finished. We can send some spies in the area so we can figure out how many of these bastards are there. Now I have a plan. Right now the Quebecois government doesn't know that we know they have troops here. I am thinking we can tell them we do know with a attack on their passenger airlines." Lazzaro was interested, "Really? I like the sound of that." Carlton grinned, "Yeah. We can put a bomb in Sangti International and then hear news outlets around the world how shocked and saddened they are from the bombing."

Lazzaro grinned as well imagining the reaction, "Alright, let's do that. Send however many FIA agents you need and bomb that plane. As for the spies for finding out how many Quebecois... Do want you need to do." Lazzaro shook the hand of Carlton and told General Zabek to follow him out. After a while they got out to the open and told Zabek the following orders, "I want you to shell Indos to the ground. Then when that happens send a all out offensive to knock out the troops. You got that?" General Zabek nodded, "Sir, yes, sir."

Outside Indos, Felix

General Miguel Bolívar was screaming into this radio set, "We are sustaining heavy casualties! We need to fall back now! Ordering a full retreat. Lt. General Josimbo Verka tell your Kaji friends that they should fall back too, Indos is lost. I am in informing General Förstner." A highly disturbed Miguel wasn't sure what to do next, he was never in this position before his first military foray was a victory, but a massive attack that has yielded heavy losses is something he has never handled before.

Still, Miguel Bolívar tried to keep composure and did as he made the call in the middle of heavy shelling, "Hello? Yes, this Miguel. I need to talk to General Förstner. Code is 10486. Thank you." Pauses, "Hello Gilbert. Look I have really bad news in the Indos front. Kaji Resistance and our forces are taking heavy casualties we are giving up Indos and we are trying to organize a type of organized retreat and protect Kaji refugees." On the other line Gilbert responded, "Alright, we are doing some operations in northern Felix, we can't assist you. As much I hate to say it we just need to go."

Miguel Bolívar in an attempt not to waste crucial minutes agrees and hangs up the phone. Miguel then contacts his Kaji Lt. General Josimbo Verka and tells him that they need to organize a full fledged retreat instead of a clear yes sir Verka objected, "Look, I know you want to limit our casualties, but I have to support my Kaji brothers. Now I am asking if I can have 2,000 men to join in the vanguard defense. We can slow them down enough for you and my Kaji people to escape. General Mejuvi is dedicating 12,000 troops." Miguel Bolívar scratches his head, "Alright, but if things get too tough I want to get out of there. I can't afford to lose you."

Weeks Later

Sangti International Airport, The Royal Barangay

"Heh, did you hear the reports in Indos?" asked one agent, "No." Replied the other. The first agent waited for a plane to takeoff then continued, "The Free Felixian scum and the Kaji Home Army have retreated out of Indos." The second agent shrugged, "Good for us then." The first agent sighed, "Common Jordan, why are you in such a shitty mood?" Jordan shrugged, "Look, I don't want to talk about it Chris." Chris chuckled, "Alright, alright." The airplane they were suppose to blow up landed and Chris smiled, "Looks like our target has arrived." Jordan nodded and in a sad tone said, "Let's do this then."

They put their disguises on, they looked like your average baggage men. Chris had a suitcase with the C4 with a timer not yet set Jordan on the other hand was keeping watch while his partner was setting the timer for 2 hours plenty of time to blow up over the skies of SJG and cause massive shock to the multiversal press. While Chris was setting up Jordan had time to think he looked at the window where people were waiting for their already doomed flight. He couldn't look.

Meanwhile Chris finished setting up the timer. Someone tapped Chris's shoulder it was some random baggage man telling him that there are more bags coming. Chris nodded and told him to send the bags quickly. Chris then yelled at Jordan to come over here and help him out with the baggage Chris then looked at Jordan, "What the hell is wrong with you? Focus! Instead of looking at the enemy guard my ass so I don't have an idiot baggage man tell me what to do!" Jordan nodded, "Sorry, sorry."

After 30 minutes of loading the bags they nodded and began to left. Jordan was very sad, he couldn't believe he was about to be an assistant to a crime this big, Chris talking interrupted his thoughts, "Hey, we are going to change in the employee room. We have fake passes and everything, alright?" Jordan nodded. They soon arrived inside the airport and Chris began to change his clothes. Jordan was right behind him but then overheard a man with his child talking about their flight to SJG.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry honey we are almost there. No we didn't miss the flight it's about to take off." Jordan got in their way, "Sir?" The man looked at him, "Yes?" Jordan sighed, "Look, don't go to this flight. Please." Jordan walked away and the man and son were left confused. Jordan got in the dressing room changed clothes and Jordan and his partner, Chris left the area. Minutes later the fated flight began it's take off procedures and after the all clear they were off. It would be the last time anyone saw the flight intact.

As for the son and father, clearly disturbed by the man's warning did not take the flight instead they cancelled their ticket and booked a different one at a different flight. Hours later, while they were waiting the television screens popped up showing breaking news of a missing airplane, the same one they were suppose to fly in. At the same time Chris and Jordan received word on what happened on the radio. They knew their mission was successful and Chris sent a message to their FIA boss informing them of their success. Word would soon come to the Generalissimo, the ruler of Felix simply smiled.

To be continued...

[Torisakia]

Raiden: The Thunder

Chapter 2: Lucas

Another World Cup for the Torisakia team, haven't had much international success, but this time was to be different. The team had proved themselves through a series of friendlies, including a lop-sided 13-6 win over Gonzalez Isle. As far as Lucas van Zandvoort was concerned, he didn't mind if the team won or lost, he was just glad to get free trips to other nations. Lucas had been one of the frontrunners on the team for a while, pretty much ever since he was selected to be on the team years ago. He had become close friends with other frontrunner Johnny Kelso, a star player on the team and in the nation.

In the past few months, Lucas had heard that Johnny found himself another relationship. He knew that Johnny had been dating former president Johnson Crandall's 20-year-old niece for years, but didn't know that they broke up. Lucas wasn't the one to get his nose in other people's business, as he didn't like when people did it to him, but he was curious to hear about Johnny's knew relationship. Most of the other guys on the team knew about it, but he seemed to be left out of it. Conveniently, Lucas and Johnny lived in the same apartment building, so it wouldn't be hard to find him and ask him about it.

It was around 2 AM in the morning on a Saturday, and Lucas was awake, mainly due to being very nocturnal, and was leaving his apartment to go out and buy more whey protein. As he headed down the breezeway, he passed by Johnny's apartment. Strangely, his front door was cracked open, and he could hear Johnny talking inside. Lucas stood there for a minute, curious to know why the door was open, and more importantly, why Johnny was up so late at night.

"There are rules that come along with all of this," he heard Johnny say, he concluded that Johnny was on the phone with someone.

"Rule number one, the human who's name is written in the notebook shall die,"

Lucas made a strange face, what notebook was he talking about? And why was he saying it could kill people? Lucas became even more interested in the conversation and lurked behind the front door to continue hearing.

"Rule number two, the note will not take effect unless you have the person's face in your mind when writing their name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected,"

"Rule number three, If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. Rule number four, if you do not specify the cause of death, the person will simply die of a heart attack,"

Lucas then wondered, is it really possibly for some notebook to do all of this? Lucas wanted to believe it, but then shrugged it off as Johnny talking to a friend of his about some video game or something. So he decided to stop eavesdropping and go about, as he stood up to walk, he heard Johnny mention another rule.

"Since you're the one using the notebook, you can neither go to Heaven nor Hell,"

Lucas knew he had heard that somewhere before, and then he remembered, Kiraism. A growing religion in Torisakia where people worship a god named Kira, who's ultimate goal is to create a new and peaceful world. Lucas was indifferent about it, but did find it very interesting about their beliefs and whatnot. He thought, is Johnny a Pisamiku¹? Maybe, or Johnny could be talking to a friend about Kiraism. He decided to keep on listening just to listen, and because the supermarkets didn't open for another 10 minutes.

"Now that you know the rules of this notebook, are you willing to do Kira's bidding and help create a new world, Cassidy McKenzie?"

Lucas knew who Cassidy McKenzie was, she's a star hockey player in Torisakia who was on the national ice hockey team and was playing in an international invitational in some nation called Quebec. Lucas then thought that Johnny was pulling some kind of prank, but he knew that Johnny was more mature than that. Could this be real? Could Johnny have something to do with Kiraism?

"Your first target will be Jessica Holbrook, she's a non-believer of Kiraism. You must rid her and her evil vibes she has brought upon our world by Lawliet, you must kill her or be killed yourself," Johnny said, in a serious tone as he ended his call.

Lucas now started to worry. Would this affect how Johnny played? No, a better question was, will this affect him? Lucas wasn't much of a religious guy, but was Johnny this serious about it? Does he actually wield the power given to him by Kira? Before he walked off, Lucas heard Johnny speak again, but in a wicked voice

"Now that I have Cassidy on my side, I can kill off people on another team, while I kill off people on my team, starting with Lucas,"

To be continued...

---

¹A Pisamiku is the name of a person who is a follower and disciple of Kira under the Kiraism religion.

[Jeckland]

GROUP 1 - AN OVERVIEW

So, the qualifying draw for the World Cup has been made, and it looks a taller order than last time, that's for sure. Let's have a look at our opponents, team by team.

NORTHERN SUNRISE ISLANDS

KPB: 26.53 | Rank: 23rd | Seed: 1st

---

This dangerous outfit are the top seeds in this group, and should be able to finish that way provided they play at 100% and use their vast international experience.
LAST TIME
After coming top of Group 19 on 34 points, four clear of second placed Kinitaria, they played out a home draw against Cassadaigua before beating them 2-1 on their own turf to qualify. One goal losses to Audioslavia and Super-Llamaland put them out of Group B with a game to play, but a 2-0 win against The Holy Empire helped them finish third in their group, a respectable result.
OUR PREDICTION
First place in the group. Might struggle a bit against Mizuyuki, but should have enough to see them safely through.

MIZUYUKI

KPB: 21.64 | Rank: 37th | Seed: 2nd

---

This side is shooting towards the summit of world football at alarming pace. They should be able to challenge Northern Sunrise Islands and go for qualification.
LAST TIME
After missing out on a group winner's berth by a single point to Neu Eugilion in Group 13, they defeated Kalumba with a 1-0 away win and a 1-1 home draw to move into the second playoff round. There, both sides won 3-2 away before two extra time goals from Osairus meant Mizuyuki crashed out on their own turf in extra time. Football is a cruel cruel game.
OUR PREDICTION
Second. Won't quite have enough to usurp the top seeds, but shouldn't be in danger from below.

THATIUS

KPB: 14.00 | Rank: 61st | Seed: 3rd

---

A strong third seed, this team will be out to prove they have what it takes to upset the two above them, but will have to be wary of threats below.
LAST TIME
Cruised through Group 21 in third place, their 30 points ten clear of fourth. Beaten twice by Buyan to go out at the first playoff stage.
OUR PREDICTION
Fourth. Bold perhaps, but we feel this side hasn't got a lot more to give.

HOPNATION

KPB: 9.43 | Rank: 93rd | Seed: 4th

---

This side are one of the real up and coming teams in the multiverse, and are one to watch out for.
LAST TIME
Fifth on 18 points in a very difficult Group 2, but eleven adrift of the playoffs.
OUR PREDICTION
Third. This exciting new side look like one to upset the apple cart.

JECKLAND

KPB: 6.24 | Rank: 123rd | Seed: 5th

---

This is us, the Spuds. Hoping to increase our rank with a strong performance in a tough group, we must surprised those above and look out for those below
LAST TIME
Fifth place, 12 off the playoffs, in a fairly weak group 24. Didn't do much anyone didn't expect us to.
OUR PREDICTION
Sorry Jecklanders, but our lack of experience and ability will leave us fifth again.

EVRAIM

KPB: 1.50 | Rank: 226th | Seed: 6th

---

A promising young nation with a strong performance in the BoF.
OUR PREDICTION
A good looking side should be able to stay away from the bottom and come sixth.

JECATRIA

KPB: 0.91 | Rank: 265th | Seed: 7th

---

These chumps had it better with us, their fluky sucess will surely have run out by now.
OUR PREDICITION
Eigth. They're just bad.

TRYIENNE

KPB: 0.00 | Rank: 358th | Seed: 8th

---

Coming back from the wilderness, surely they can't be worse than Jecatria?
OUR PREDICITON
Seventh.

[Jeckland]

The Midpoint – Part One

Billy felt tingly.

A warm sensation, spreading from his fingertips to his toes, a pleasant one too. Billy stretched his arms and opened his eyes, and almost fell back asleep in shock.

He was no longer in bed. The floor was no longer a floor. It was a layer of a solid white substance which resembled a cloud, but more milky in colour. The celing, or sky, or whatever it was, was a shimmering pale purple. There was nothing else in the area apart from a wooden door, connected to nothing. Billy was confused and alarmed, but thought no harm could be done by opening the door. So he stood up and began to walk towards the door, his feet sinking ever so slightly into the floor as he went. He reached the door, put his hand on the cool brass handle and swung it open.

And it was a horrific sight, ten of the most strange creatures he had ever seen. Billy sunk to the floor and covered his head with his arms, oh god I wish they were human, please-

“Why are you hiding like that?” said a deep voice.

Billy slowly drew up his head. The ten creatures were now humans.

“What the – how did you do that?”

“I did not do that Billy”

“But you were some weird alien thingy! And how do you know my name?”

“I know all about you Billy. And I didn’t do that, you did.”

Billy was stunned into silence.

The deep voice spoke again, with an authority that made Billy stop, look and listen.

“You must have a million questions Billy, so I will try my best to answer those that I deem important. My name is Mfuglyfib Ala Bala Joo Squeemy Jeemy. I am the leader of this place. In this place, a representative from each nation of the multiverse is selected by The Machine. This representative will travel here every night during sleep. In this area, anything you wish will come true. So, for example, if you wished I would drop dead, it would happen. You are however immortal in mind in here, so I would simply wish to be back alive and tada. You are the new representative for Jeckland, since the old one died.”

Billy sat, mouth wide open in pure shock.

“Welcome to The Midpoint Billy.”

[Red Blackiland]

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

R.I.P. Consul Gilbert Savard
by: Alexander Ehrlichmann

Consul Gilbert Savard (Coalition of Moderates) passed away today, in a Republica hospital. The Senior Consul of the Free Republics suffered a stroke while watching the finals of the 4 Continents tournament with his family at his Republica home several days ago. He spent the past several days in a coma, but his condition took a turn for the worse this morning and within an hour, he was no longer of this world.

His fellow Consul Venicio Piazza issued a statement, stating that "Gilbert was a great man who truly cared about the well-being of our Federation. I am saddened by his death and extend my condolences to his family. I call for a week-long period of mourning for the Late Consul Gilbert Savard and ask that everybody put aside their political differences for this time, out of respect for his memory." I can only second that request.

Consul Savard was elected 7 years ago. At the time, his victory was considered an upset. I will leave it up to historians to determine the legacy of Consul Savard, but I will say that our nation owes the Consul a debt of gratitude for his years of service in our highest offices. May he rest in peace.

Alexander Ehrlichmann is a political campaign correspondent for News Magazine. As long as he can remember, Alexander has been fascinated by the news. As a boy, he insisted that his parents subscribe to News Magazine because he wanted to know what was happening in the world. In high school, Alexander started his own school newspaper, independent of his high school, which reported on serious issues that the school's approved newspaper would not touch. Attending the University of Amoltopia, Baseton campus, Alexander majored in journalism and graduated at the top of his class. He was hired by News Magazine straight out of college a few years ago to report on the news in his home Republic of Amolotopia. After impressing the editor, he was assigned to cover the most recent Consul election campaign. Now, he is News Magazine's lead correspondent in Republica, when there is no election campaign to cover.

---

Sporting World

We Are the Best in the Multiverse
by: Rule Theriault

It is almost time for yet another edition of the World Cup and I know what you are thinking. Oh no, not again, you say. How will those conniving foreigners hold us down this time, you ask. Well, let me tell you right now that this year will be different. This year, will NOT be held down by anybody, no matter what kind of nonsense the World Cup Committee or any of the 193 inferior nations decide to throw at us this time around. We are simply that good. In the past, we expected fair treatment from the World Cup Committee and our opponents. When we were, inevitably, placed into Group of Death after Group of Death, when we had everything stacked against us, we let them get into our heads. Repeatedly, we have fallen short. The most recent example of this was the World Cup Final last year when our conniving co-hosts decided to make us travel to a stadium full of rabid Vilitans rather than allowing us to retain the home field advantage that we had rightfully earned. Despite this, I should have had the team prepared to play a team that we would normally beat 9 times out of 10, at their place. Instead, my focus in the days leading up to the final was on the conspiracy against us and how our own co-hosts were out to rob us of our rightful World Cup title. Because of my failure to keep myself focused, I failed to keep my team focused and we lost. That will not happen again.

This time around, the World Cup Committee has awarded the World Cup to Apox, an Esportivan minnow that didn't even qualify for the World Cup last year, and the Holy Empire, a bunch of monks who used to be great, but are just mediocre these days. I mean, at least the Archregimancy's actually won something more recently than 7 years ago! Then again, Esportiva has never really won anything of significance either, unless you consider international baseball tournaments to be significant. Everybody knows that the best baseball players in the entire multiverse were competing in the recent 4 Continents tournament and that we will see them compete once more in a few months at this year's World Series. International baseball is something that Esportivans do, so it really isn't much of a surprise that our little colony in Esportiva will soon be the center of the international baseball world, as if anybody in the FFR actually cares about a bunch of foreigners playing baseball badly.

Returning to the point of my column today, this year's World Cup hosts have decided to engage in a little of what some would call "plagiarism" by copying the qualifying format from last year's World Cup. Once again, we will see 24 groups of 8 battling it out for 30 spots in the World Cup. Unfortunately, we actually have to compete in it, this time around. Fortunately, the hosts have decided to allow 12 of the group winners to qualify straight through, so we will not have the nonsense known as the Playoffs foisted upon us. Mark my words, we will win this group and we will finish with the best qualifying record out of any of the 192 nations that have to compete in the traveling circus that we call World Cup Qualification. I guarantee it.

So, what are the identities of our 7 hapless opponents? Well, it is time to find out. Our first opponent will be New South Aqmuland. Yes, you are reading that right. There is actually a New South Aqmuland and they are currently tied for 156th in the most recent KPB Poll. They debuted at last year's BoF, where they went 3-0-1 but still failed to advance due to a tiebreaker. New Wolfopolis and some minnow with a nonsensical name advanced ahead of them. In World Cup Qualifying a year ago, they limped to a 3-4-7 record, which was good enough for 6th. They only beat out 2 nations who were so terrible that they haven't even bothered to return to this year's World Cup (somebody has to disappear to make room for all of the new BoF nations). We will be facing them at the Alex Tomlinson Memorial Stadium in Barkersville, Amolotopia. As I mentioned in a previous Sporting World column, we terminated our contract with Nicholls Enterprises Stadium because of the company's rather bizarre actions as of late. While I wish we could visit Baseton, their loss is Barkersville's gain. If Nicholls Enterprises wishes to do business with the National Team in the future, I recommend that they stop engaging in partisan politics and that they stop funding terrorist organizations.

Second on our schedule is Hutt River, the most formidable opponent that we will face in this group. They are currently ranked 76th. Hutt River debuted 11 years ago, in the BoF. They had the misfortune of drawing Yesopalitha and the Armed Bears in their group. The Armed Bears were a second team of bears, separate from the Bears Armed team, that used to compete in the World Cup. Yesopalitha was a nation that had the potential to be great, or so many observers believed, becoming a regular in the World Cup until their sudden disappearance 4 years ago. Hutt River managed to win 3 out of 5 matches in this group, but that was just good enough for 3rd place and elimination from the BoF. They went a mediocre 6-3-7 in their debut qualifying campaign, setting the tone for their future. That was not good enough for a Cup of Harmony invite.

Embarrassed by their poor performance in their first World Cup, they sat out the following year's World Cup before returning in World Cup 60. They performed slightly better in their second attempt (6-4-4), but still finished a mediocre 4th in an 8 team group. Granted, they were in the same group as Eura and the Holy Empire (the 2 best teams in the multiverse, at that time), but they also finished behind some minnow called Orlkjestad. I am not making that up. This time around, the Cup of Harmony hosts took sympathy on them and gave them an invite. They even managed a victory against New West Guiana, but finished third in their group and did not advance. The following year, they took a step back, going just 6-2-8 and finishing 5th in their group. Granted, they were in the same group as Krytenia, Cosumar and some ponies who somehow developed the ability to talk, but they couldn't even finish ahead of Bitternea, whoever they were. Unsurprisingly, after such a poor qualifying performance, they weren't even invited to the Cup of Losers.

The following year was a bigger embarrassment for Hutt River. A disastrous 4-4-6 qualifying campaign placed them 6th in an 8 team group. But, the Cup of Harmony hosts still invited them and they managed to put up a respectable performance, winning 2 of their 4 matches and drawing the other 2. Unfortunately for Hutt River, they finished in a 3 way tie and ended up the odd team out of the Cup of Harmony. World Cup 63 saw their respectable play continue. Hutt River went 11-2-5 in qualifying 6 years ago and even had a chance of making it into the playoffs going into the final day. However, they drew Mapletish on the final day and finished in a 3-way tie with Mapletish and those shady Legalites. The tiebreaker went to Mapletish, who won the first leg of their playoff before squandering the second. Hutt River hosted the Cup of Harmony that year (along with Taeshan), but mysteriously did not even bother to invite themselves to their own tournament. Why would you turn down an opportunity to possibly win a trophy, on your home turf? I just don't understand it.

Well, they returned for World Cup 64 and were, once again, in contention on the final day. However, they were beaten by a better Barunia team at home, finishing 9-3-6 and 4 points out of first. Karditan won and finished at 33 points. The winner of that group was Taeshan, the other co-host of the previous year's Cup of Harmony. While they finished 5th, this was actually a respectable performance, once again. At the Cup of Harmony that year, they drew the same group as Turori and Saintland. Predictably, those nations advanced, in that particular order. Hutt River finished 1-1-1, with a draw against the Sanctii and a victory over Mangolana, a team that actually qualified for a World Cup a few years ago, if I'm not mistaken. Unfortunately for Hutt River, their run of respectable performances came to a screeching halt 4 years ago in World Cup 65. In a Group of Death situation, they went 6-6-6, finishing 6th and edging out Aels (a nation famous for upsetting Felix in the finals of BoF 52 and nothing else) by just a point. In the same group as Legalese, Starblaydia, Lemmitania, Krytenia and Zwangzug, they just didn't stand a chance. There was no Cup of Harmony berth for them, that year.

3 years ago, Hutt River was in the same qualifying group with the Esportivan host of this year's World Cup. Mapletish, unsurprisingly, dominated that 6-team group, winning 9 games and drawing just 1. Apox finished a distant second, with Hutt River a point behind Apox. Apparently, Falcus and the Vasin-Savard government invited them to the Cup of Harmony and they ended up in Falcus. Speaking of Consul Savard, I want to extend my condolences to his family for their loss. Now is not a time for politics, in our Federation. For those wondering, Senator Emeritus Vasin was recently elected the new Vice President of the World Bowl Assembly, after the Karditani President stepped down and was replaced by the then-Vice President (some talking pony, I believe). Well, anyway, Hutt River win 1 game, lost to Eastfield Lodge, Taeshan and Gregoryisgodistan and finished tied for the bottom of their group. That was followed up by a 5-3-8 performance in World Cup 67 qualifying and no Cup of Harmony spot. Then, out of nowhere, they managed to go 7-4-3 in Qualifying last year, finishing third in their group and advance for the first time ever in a WCC-sanctioned event. Their playoff opponent, The Archregimancy, crushed them by a 5 goals to 1 aggregate in the First Round, ending their qualifying hopes once again. But, at least they actually advanced. Even that was not good enough for a spot in the Cup of Harmony. Hutt River comes into this World Cup hoping to build on their success from last year. We will play them at the Soccer Palace in Petrograd on the second matchday of Qualifying.

Third on our schedule is San Jose Guayabal, a minnow who lucked into a spot in last year's World Cup and was unceremoniously sent packing by your National Soccer Team. Inexplicably, they are now ranked 35th in the KPB poll and must have bribed the voters to get that high. They made their debut in the BoF 3 short years ago, where a 1-2-2 record was good enough for just 4th place, behind such forgettable minnows as the Crystal Umpire (OOC: Actually the Crystal Empire. The misspelling was intentional.), Picts and Marcos Dynamite. They finished 5th in a 6-team group with a record of 3 wins and 7 defeats. In the CoH, they ended up in Falcus and managed to go 1-2-1, good enough to beat out Brenecia, but only good enough for 4th in a 5 team group. 2 years ago, they were a distant 4th at 8-4-4 while the Vegans and Quebecois moved on from their group and Taeshan went to the CoH. That really isn't anything worth talking about but, to their credit, they finished above the rest of the minnows. In the CoH, they somehow managed an upset against Mangolana, but finished last in their group anyways. Clearly, they're just another mediocrity.

Then came Qualifying a year ago. Drawing an extremely weak group that included Eura, 3 other Esportivan minnows and some complete walkovers, they finished 9-3-2, good enough for second place. In the first round of the playoffs, they somehow dominated Filopines en route to a 6-2 aggregate victory, but then again they were playing Filopines. What was more startling was their 5-4 aggregate shocker against the Archregimancy, who apparently lose matches when they try to win them and win matches when they try to lose them. Somehow, these Sinderella wannabes were in the World Cup. Once they arrived, they immediately stunned Cassadaigua by a 2-0 margin, a defeat so embarrassing that the Dagan ladies decided to stop entering the World Cup because of it. Predictably, the Sideburnese (I think they call themselves the Nepharius or something like that these days) beat them and then we had a 3-2 lead against them, and the ball, at the very end of our match on the third matchday of the actual World Cup. For the sake of an easier Round of 16 matchup (Felix rather than Valladares), I ordered the ball kicked into our own net and they got a draw. For some bizarre reason, they act like we didn't beat them decisively last year, but I guarantee that we will rectify that, on 2 occasions. While we, actually, have to visit them on the first leg, I hope everybody in Falkamore, Nejax will be out at Olden Stadium to give them a good, old-fashioned, Nejax Welcome when they arrive for the return leg. If anybody in that minnow of a nation is reading this, I have some advice for you: Don't Mess With Nejax!

Our 4th opponent will be Czarch, ranked 209th in the KPB poll. In the BoF, they went 4-2-0 in the group stage in one of the more difficult groups, which also included eventual runners-up the Fallenmark Islands. They managed 2 knockout round victories in Ruetenbach, but Vunishia knocked them out in the Quarterfinals. How that will translate to the World Cup is anybody's guess, but if you live in the Wortana, Keronama area, you will be able to see them at the MilanesiDome.

5th up for us will be a return to the infamous Sarian to face their team of Punks who are famous for stealing victories by having key players (and even coaches!) from opposing teams arrested at halftime on trumped up charges. 2 years ago, Sarian managed 6 consecutive wins against one of the worst BoF fields ever until they ran into Buyan in the finals. Buyan took them to penalties and beat them on penalties. When the World Cup arrived, they ended up in the Group of Death, where they stole a draw against the Indispensable Nation with the most disgustingly underhanded tactics that I have ever seen in my life. Then, we beat them decisively on the return leg. When it was all said and done, they were 4-5-7, 7th in the group and only beat out the pathetically awful KungYo and Preiva teams. In the Cup of Harmony 2 years ago, they were defeated in both of their matches. Last year, a 6-4-4 finish in an extremely weak group was not good enough to even make the playoffs. In the CoH, they would manage to pick up a meaningless win against a Zwangzug team that probably didn't even try, but they did not even come close to advancing.

As a soccer team, the Sarian is a total joke and their 87th ranking in the current KPB poll is probably too high. However, one must take precautions when traveling to play them, in their nation. Therefore, every single Republican player, Republican coach and even every single member of our new Cheerleading Team will be traveling to away games, armed with the best weapons that our Patriotic Gun Manufacturers can provide. We will also be traveling with a massive security detail, designed to keep us safe. We will play in the Sarian first, but we will host them at the IslandDome in the Islands of Falatulu on the return leg. Trust me, if they try any stunts this time around, I can make their visit to Falatulu especially unfriendly for them. However, if they behave themselves, they might be able to have some fun during their stay in the Pleasure Capitol of the Free Republics.

By the way, did I mention our new Cheerleading Team? In honor of World Cup 68, there are 68 Republican cheerleaders. Each lady will travel everywhere that the National Team travels. I can now announce that, for the first 68 goals that the Republican National Team scores during this World Cup, the corresponding numbered cheerleader will celebrate with the goalscorer. This also applies to opposing players who score own goals. The Cheerleaders will also have the responsibility of getting the crowd into the match, gaining neutral support for the Best Team in the Multiverse and the responsibility of motivating the players. By the way, it has been conclusively and scientifically proven that players who engage in pleasure perform better on the pitch. That is simply an undeniable fact.

Returning to the discussion of our, rather hapless, opposition, we will face a country known as Miley World on the 6th matchday of Qualifying. Miley World previously managed a 5-6-5 record in their only Qualifying attempt. However, that was 12 years ago. In the BoF, prior to that Qualifying attempt, they went 4-1-1 in group stage, advanced and made it as far as the Quarterfinals (misleadingly labeled the "Semifinals" by the hosts at the time), where they fell to eventual champions Tamarindia, then called the Golden Tamarind. Miley World was invited to the CoH, where they went 1-2-1, good enough for second place in their group. In a Play-In, they were defeated by Kalumba and disappeared for 12 years. Recently, they returned, but nobody truly knows whether they are even going to be mediocre in their return. You can see them at the Gem of the Oceans Stadium in Republica. Of course, they are not ranked in the KPB poll at the present time.

Our final opponent will be Ekoz, who finished 1-2-3 in the BoF, at the very bottom of their group. Ekoz is currently ranked 315th in the KPB polls. We will play them on the road the first time around. If you live in the Albertope, Roxawa area, you can see them at the Church of Saintland Stadium on the final day of World Cup Qualifying. Yes, the second half of the schedule is, once again, a repeat of the first half with the home and away teams reversed. Why doesn't anybody ever change that up?

There you have it: A relatively easy group, with no credible opposition for your Indispensable Nation. This is a far cry from the Groups of Death that we have seen in past Qualifying campaigns. I guess breaking down that Glass Ceiling was worth something, after all. I want to thank the World Cup Committee and the organizers in Apox and the Holy Empire for an easy draw. Remember to book your tickets to the World Cup, everybody. It'll be a Cold Day in Hell before we finish anywhere but first in this group. When we get to the actual World Cup, just remember that we are the Best in the Multiverse and we are going to prove it. Mark my words.

Rule Theriault is the manager for the FFR's National Soccer Team. Over the past few years, Theriault has taken a very young team and turned them into one of the best national teams in the multiverse. They were the runners-up in World Cup 68 in rather controversial fashion and now seek to finish their unfinished business.

[San Jose Guayabal]

OOC: I wrote something bad or the information isn't accurate?, please TG me or contact me on IRC.

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You are in: El nacional > sports > Road to Apox and THE WC 69.

NEWS
- SJG and his new WC adventure.
- Groupmates analysis and venues chosen in SJG
- National team and his friendlies, results and everything.

Wrote by: Lourdes Amador
Follow on Feisbuc as: @Lama11
Wrote at 16/07/2047, 21:39.

SJG and his new WC adventure.

It's been some time since SJG embarked on his adventure last in the World Cup Qualifiers, where despite being in a tough group with rivals including former champions WC as was the case with Eura and also the presence a heavy weight such as the Licentian Isles, despite that SJG managed to sneak into the play-offs, where we beat Filopines in comfortable fashion to later confront The Archregimancy, in what was a series suffered where SJG achieved a key visitor draw and then a win at SJG suffered enough to where we qualified for the first time to the big event of The Multiverse football.

Already in the WC 68 Finals, SJG managed a decent participation including our first victory in the history of the toilet in our debut, after a defeat against Nephara and to close with a flourish an excellent turnout at the time of SJG is achieved draw against the co-hosts and then second in the tournament the Free Republics, where SJG had a chance to win and thus progress to better instances of the WC, but unfortunately could not be due to the combination of results.

This time, San Jose Guayabal comes with better personality, mood and even more experience than before to face the best in the qualifiers for the WC 69, which say beforehand that it will not be easy but nothing impossible to Whereas perform.

SJG has better ranking now: A very important factor is the Ranking, it helps to determine a situation of status of force to a national team, as well as being an accurate parameter of talented national team after WC Qualifiers makes an excellent one months ago, SJG is now at position 35 of the raninkgs, a big leap in quality compared to past editions where we made ridiculous, and not be so today we say it with all the security and certainty as possible.

More experience for the players: In short this is a key point and by the SJG workforce, as it has players with three cycles of experience and they know very well how are such situations, which called must be kept under control and avoid problems.

Following this same point, note that even though SJG has not increased movement regarding the transfer of players between various leagues, creating stability in their professional relationships, which benefit in performance as professional players on the court.

SJG and football leagues: Ultimately football in San José Guayabal has been evolving as a system, equipment and infrastructure, which stands out because it is very recent because the Baptism of Fire 56 is hosted in conjunction with Schiavonia and has shown us how to host events of this magnitude and how to manage the safety of the fans.

As for the professionalization of football leagues, this has been an arduous and difficult process which has been discovered in various abnormalities or inconvenience how to operate and manage the finances of our league, even with its quality standards which had not been improved so purposely by previous managers, considering that there are now more professional, builds confidence and certainty as to the reinforcements of the players of the current national team, despite being far from the time of retirement because of his youth is important to have contingency plans in advance for any unforeseen situation.

After reviewing these factors, it is also important to review some of our recent past, we refer to Campionato Esportiva a compeición where not include normalment and gradually loses the interest of football fans SJG for very strange reasons and to some ridiculous and meaningless point.

In the group stage, where we could not advance to the next round to be surprised by the novice Armakistan with a 2-2 draw, which literally fell SJG morale after defeats that appeared for the national team, that was once humliation of Albaie with 5-3 that for many meant a shame, after that SJG managed to find a good course after beating Kirigiri-no-Mikoto with a score of 6-0 and then Yveltal for 3-0, before being defeated by German American States or better known now as allies nestros Rüntenbach by the score of 3-0.

Despite this desilucionante campaign, the mood at the fans of the national team of SJG remain higher due to return to the competition where guayabalenses come together in a same passion and sympathize team as one is against rival that is, so no one doubts that SJG achieve enhance a good adventure at this stage of the WC 69 Qualifiers so we can qualify for the WC Finals for the second time in a row, something that is actually very possible to rivals who have which we detail below.

Groupmates analysis and venues chosen in SJG.

Yesterday at night, in a drawing made ​​in Dwile, the capital of the nation of Apox all of us could see the way that SJG will have to find the second successive qualification to participate in the WC Finals, this time it was favored by the ranking, the second highest ranked team in the group, but being located as the third seed in the group where we will face rivals with great power and luck and even fledgling national teams.

Free Republics: MD3 and MD 10

Oh, what a pleasant surprise we have in this group, by far the most superior rival group if we look at the rankings and probably the luckiest group. After his outstanding campaign in the previous WC in which by the way were the co-hosts, managed to surprise fans of the multiverse to sneak in a "surprise" or even according to analysts in an "undeserved" the final match, where Vilita was defeated by 4-2.

Now players led by Rule Theriault (aka: Minnow) seek to achieve further classification to WC Finals and achieve the long-awaited championship they literally escaped his hands and in his own territory, well they say that "no one is a prophet in their land."

As for the strategy of this team is obviously offensive to opt for the use of 3-1-2-1-3, which allows you to have a team with balance from midfield onwards and with a relatively young team and wanting to glory, especially its two stars, Faredin Pozenel and the key of the team while leader Kyle Bolton, so it definitely will not be an easy team to anything which SJG will have to play.

As for the record against this team, SJG has only met once a Free Republics, the time was in the group stage of the WC Finals 68, where in a tight duel SJG left the chance to advance to round of 16 for 3-3 draw against this team, with Free Republics showed very weak on the defensive end, so make good use SJG should clear these weaknesses to overcome.

Definitely Free Republics will have serious problems in visiting San Jose Guayabal, the first reason is that the stadium where this match will be played will be in Vladivostok-Alianza, by far the hottest city in the entire SJG and interestingly in summer, where temperatures can reach 45 °C in a normal day in the city, the match will be played at three in the afternoon, so it is expected to be a game which will reign a sunny climate and intense as it is hot and humid that the temperature will be above 42 °C at that point in the afternoon.

The second reason is the pressure of the fans at the stadium, the largest in capacity in SJG where always reigns a hostile environment for the opponent and where fans do not stop supporting SJG.

And the third reason, and perhaps the most challenging will improvise to the government's decision to SJG, that based on a decision taken in the Politburo has decided to declare Rule Theriault as "Persona Non Grata", due to his controversial statements in which treats against nations of Esportiva, including Our Glorious Nation as "scum" or "minnow" for what has turned an order indicating that Rule Theriault will be received in SJG due to the inappropriate behavior except to issue a public apology and commit not to make that kind of low-level actions against our nation and our region in particular, and a curiously note, the videogame called "Enslave Rule Theriault" is a trending among the videogame sales, even more after the group draw, he game made by a Québécois company told us that they "are doing a lot of money with that".

Following with polemical issues caused by a "noob" and also a "minnow scum" called Rule Theriault, its main commentator that all he do is make him a potential candidate to work in a third-class-circus has stated that SJG is a "minnow" again, causing the government of our nation ratifies his status of "Persona Non Grata" and follow up the prohibition not to get our nation, and that will not be received kindly, since according to the head of the KGB, Luis Sambueza said that if it comes to our nation will be arrested and sent to a Gulag where he later be tortured for defamation for the dignity of our nation.

Note that Rule Theriault led a message saying, "Do not Mess With Nejax" and we respond to this message with the following.

We don' care and we don't fear your second-world fancy city of Nejax, if you go to that place is in order to beat his team second, let's get to win, we go to war, we will fight for every ball until the last millisecond of the party and a once and for all we're going to give a lesson, we will show who is the best. Furthermore I invite you to prepare yourselves, Vladivostok-Alianza will wait for you quietly at first but the climate of our city will made you fail! and to finish this, we will ignore you from now because we consider that a bunch of "Cheap Republicans" doesn't matter because they don't exist.

Predictions: Definitively this won't be easy for both sides who are the main candidates to fight for the first place of the group and the qualification for the WC Finals, SJG can snatch a win of 1-0, 2-1 or even 3-2 but in Free Republics, the business will be different and more difficult for Guayabalense interests, maybe a 3-1 loss will happen in FFR, so will be three points for each team.

Hutt River: MD4 and MD 11

Well, this may not be of the strongest teams in the group, but it is undoubtedly one of the candidates to fight for third in the group, which will provide the opportunity to go to the playoffs to qualify for the WC.

While his last qualifiers were not the best that they could have asked, this team of Hutt River is able to do things properly, especially in a group where you have a little chance to battle the third place so should not wait for a simple machine which will defeat easily, none of that because this team can get us into some trouble but trust that SJG has what it takes in terms of quality to avoid such problems.

This team does not even know what their stadium venue for the match against SJG even what their capital. What we do know of the qualities of this team, playing with a blistering 4-2-4, using the attack and defense, but also providing a certain kind of balance to the midfield and defense, being Pherick Kermode their main offensive reference, being the top scorer of the national team of Hutt River.

Speaking of history between SJG and Hutt River, has not been given any of these so far, but a team well known SJG and certainly a friendly country has experience with this nation, it is Alianza Albos, who faced Hutt River twice in the 67 WC Qualifiers, which were defeated 4-2 in Hutt River and in La Popular, where he managed an agonizing 1-1 draw. As seen above this is a team that likes to keep the ball possion safely and enjoy the good attack against the opponent.

A newly refurbished Estadio Oscar Alberto Quiteño will have the chance to host a party SJG in international competition, this time will be for the Match day 11 wherein Hutt River will have to withstand the pressure of just over 112,000 fans of SJG that will support the team until the last second of the game, besides having a bit against the chill factor in Santa Ana, where he currently is 10 ° C, considering the fact that the match will be played at 8:30 PM, indicating that will be a comfortable game for players of SJG, usually a week before traveling to each host city to acclimatize and adapt to the local environment.

Prediction: This won't be an easy match series, but nothing impossible for SJG who can win at Santa Ana by a comfortable difference of a 2-0 or even a 4-1, but in Hutt River things will be different because we have little no nothing of knowledge about their venue and his climate, in the worst case maybe a tie by 1-1 or 2-2 can be good, in case of a win it could be by the minimum difference like 1-0 or 2-1, we will have four or six points here but honestly I think we could win the six points

Czarch: MD6 and MD 13

A nation that is new about football but at least known enough to know what we face is if Czarch, a team that performed well in the Baptism of Fire 56 organized by Schiavonia and SJG, where will appreciate a display of good football during the aforementioned tournament.

We know that despite being new to the environment, also have good potential for the game, through a 3-1-4-2 or in more common terms, a typical 4-4-2, neutral trends and well was balanced to attack any team and defend well, having a playing style very similar to ours, is no match to some complicated measure due to similaritud of both systems, which will surely lead to the game only to focus on the middle field, where the fight for some midfielders oportundad taking the ball to make a quick attack.

This is a team that the seat of his matches is also unknown and also the characteristics of the climate in this place, despite that SJG players should go with a mindset ready to be able to play in the environment of the country and thus good way to play.

Now for the second consecutive time, fans of SJG in the remote eastern town of Yucuaiquín have the opportunity to take the national team in their home stadium, which has been highlighting interesting matches SJG's victory in an interesting game whose final score was 2-1 against Filopines, a result that allowed SJG advance to the next round of WC Playoffs.

This time the opponent will Czarch, which definitely can be adapted to the climate of this city, a moderate climate with a maximum of 30 °C, the game will be played on matchday 6 at 7:00 PM, where mild weather is forecast to about 24 °C.

Prediction: Despite being rookies, Czarch could be some kind of opposition for SJG in this Qualifiers but not a major issue, some 2-0 victories in Yucuaiquín and in Czarch could be enough for SJG, who will have the six points in their pockets.

The Sarian: MD7 and MD 14

One candidate fighting for third place in the group and qualify for the playoffs is The Sarian, a team which does not know for no reason and even become one of the teams which have faced more often in our history.

The Sarian is already in his third World Cup cycle, after having qualified twice to the Cup of Harmony and was no longer considered irrelevant or Esportiva team. In view of the recent events in football terms we can say that is the candidate with more chances to qualify for the Playoffs WC.

The Islanders already have a history in terms of friendly football matches against SJG, something that stands out to have been four games between the teams, resulting in a perfect record for SJG, with four wins in their favor, the most recent was a close and The hotly contested 4-3 Home Covert, in The Sarian with two goals from Rodolfo Zelaya and two by Leonidas Bregoo.

As to where play SJG his party on land of The Sarian, the game will be in Lavington, on the outskirts of the capital of The Sarian, a place that is characterized by a temperate climate and not unpleasant, the disadvantage in this case can be the time difference between us and The Sarian, which is a difference of -2 hours between SJG and The Sarian, so adapt to the local clock will be a key factor SJG.

The Sarian has a good style of play with the typical 4-4-2, with a good tendency to look for goals early in the game, with front referents as Ross Horn, playing on Avenida Principal of Farfadillis, plus good defender Isaiah Bernad, who has a good air game.

In the game against The Sarian in the matchday 14, SJG will have some motivation to play in historic Barrio El Niño because of the recent history written there, such as the classification of SJG to previous WC Finals with an agonizing 3-2 win against The Archregimancy.

123,000 fans are those who sympathize with SJG throughout the match, followers Meléndez region tend to be even more hostile than SJG Mainland fans. Importantly, Melendez has a moderate climate, which rarely exceeds 22 ° C despite being located on an island, the match will be played at 7:30 PM.

Predictions: this will be really tough for SJG NT, considering the talent of the Sarianese squad, but he perfect record will stay running, SJG will beat The Sarian by 3-1 in Lavington and maybe a 2-0 in Meléndez will be good for SJG interests.

Miley World: MD1 and MD 8

A "rival" who comes to the WC again after a hiatus of almost eleven cups after prolonged rest, Miley World National Team returns to the international scene with the idea of ​​returning to show their potential and silence certain voices of some soccer analysts nations with low quality call them "newb".

Not much was known of Miley World to its new appearance in the world of football, this team has proven to be very happy and motivated enough to beat tough opponents may sound in the style of David and Goliath, but that can happen, well say around here that "Those who persevere, reach" and is something not impossible to beat a tough opponent.

Ranking currently lacking, but that's not a big factor to be on the court, it will always be 11 players who fight against 11 other seeking taste the sweetness of victory.

With a balanced style of play 3-5-2, which in effect gives them stability in their defensive end and in midfield, especially with the help of Ross Wallace, the average team principal camper who gets to use the speed in defensive plays or in attacks.

San Jose Guayabal played at Estadio Azteca in the city of Zacatlán, a stadium which tends to be friendly for both teams, the local and the visitor because of the good culture of its inhabitants and fans.

Ultimately SJG has everything going for it in this state due to the fact of playing at altitude, over 3,600 meters above sea level, because of that, SJG provide therapy in hyperbaric beds players of Miley World to not sitting with health problems during the game and prevent a possible disaster.

The reason why this venue was chosen is because it was time for The Roblar had again a venue for the national team, considering the historical and social importance of the city, which ultimately will become the Roblar a place of celebration and carnival. The weather there is cold in nature, reaching -30°C, but considering that the stadium is covered and has its heating, climate reaches a balmy 10°C. The game will be played at the opening matchday at 9:30 PM.

Prediction: This won't be an easy team to beat but some courage from SJG will help, a 4-0 in El Roblar will be interesting to ee and a tight 1-0 in Zacatlán will be better, so we will ge the six points.

Ekoz and New South Aqmuland: MD2 and MD 9 - MD 5 and MD 12

Little or nothing is known of these two rivals, including two who definitivment will not be standing up for victims of finishing in last place in the playoffs, and possibly quite negative for both record.

We can not say anything about his style of play or his talents, due to the limited information we have about them, we can just venture to say the venues and predictions.

Neryungri host its first match of the national team, a new stadium will be released against Ekoz in Matchday 12 match to be played at 10:00 PM on a pleasant climate.

The Estadio Cuscatlán will host the fifth game, interestingly this time will not be the first for reasons of improving th bathrooms, therefore the seat of the capital will host this exciting match under tropical temperature of 26 ° C at 7:45 PM .

Predictions: Both series will be easy, SJG will have the six points in each one, a total of 12 points are interesting if we got this chance properly.

Overall scenario.

After making a brief analysis of the various teams in Group 8 of the WCQ, we can say that SJG has good chances of oder classified in the worst case as second place in the group with a record of 10-2-2, summand thirty-two points as a conservative prediction, the worst will be a 8-4-2 where one would add 28 points and perhaps as we could finish as third in the group, which is very unlikely due to our current performance.

As for the best perspective from an optimistic point SJG can get 12-1-1, totaling 37 of 42 points available, which could secure a place among the top 14 teams and thus ensure direct qualification to qualify so directly to the WC Finals for the second time.

The only obstacle to this is to try to get good results against Free Republics, who is certainly the team to beat in the group and also the opponent to which we must overcome to ensure success in this WCQ where only the top 14 to win their group quipos may move directly to the next stage so therefore SJG should strive and make a good campaign as it did in the previous edition and if possible even better than the last.

National team and his friendlies, results and everything.

Now in order for the WCQ, the team led by Mathias Paatelainen decided to start training earlier than usual, beginning three months before the draws for the WCQ been given, in a fit where they dedicated an entire month to improve the appearance physical players through work gym or hiking through the mountains, the national team began to take shape, then played warm up games among themselves to start will take a bit of pace on the ball, in addition to training where he gave priority to strategies of dribbling and other technical tricks of the players.

In the third month of training, Paatelainen decided to request to the Federation Guayabalense Football a series of friendly matches either in different countries or country, giving priority to those games will be played at SJG, except they were before large nations in the field of football.

The rivals that we will talk now are: Super-Llamaland and Eura.

SJG vs Super-Llamaland

To release the newly built stadium "The 56" in Ramirez, in context of the Baptism of Fire 56 which was conducted in Schiavonia and SJG, it was decided to open it in a friendly match against the national team of super-Llamaland, a rival upmarket to our brand new stadium in good shape before the big event that would come after that game.

Before a capacity crowd of 136,000 people, SJG came out with what will surely be his starting lineup for much of the campaign and start to show off their new uniforms made by the company Audioslavian of Kirola Sportswear, while Super-Llamaland beginning to prove its key pieces for the match, because it would not be as friendly due to the talent of both teams.

At twenty minutes, Rodolfo Zelaya took the ball to gestate a counterattack, giving pass to Jonathan Fana, who gave the ball to the area and focused Rodolfo Zelaya failed to finish and score the first goal, while Sean Fraser on a similar play in 32 minutes, no mistake and beat the goalie of the opposing team and to travpes the typical downward header that left the keeper no chance.

It looked that SJG was doing a good job, physically fit and forcefulness unaa good time to attack the opponent but a small oversight cost equalizer for Super-Llamaland striker Jacob Brennaman opposing team scored the 1-1 44 minutes, beating a razante Henry Hernandez shot to the lower right of the goal defended by Hernández angle, so the first half ended with a 1-1 draw, leaving some uncertainty as SJG showed some nervous in defense.

Mathias Paatelainen put Mathias Passarelli as a replacement for James Moreira in the central area of defense, while Leonidas Bregoo was replaced by Oliver Abrego, the player of 1830 Cathair of Audioslavia, due to a small muscular pain Bregoo, so Paatelainen opted not to risk it and send to the bench Bregoo desscanse and then check to be held in the hospital and to prevent further problems with his right leg.

Since the actions of the second half, SJG was even more offensive than the first time and better on defense, showing his best side of the field 70 and 80 minutes, which scored two goals between.

The first goal was Oliver Abrego, who scored from the penalty spot 72 minutes after receiving an obstruction in a clear run on goal by last man defending Super-Llamaland, who only received a yellow card for the action taken .

Six minutes later, 78 minutes, Jonathan Faña scoring again after a long period of not doing so this time was through a counterattack and after a series of dribbling defenders which allowed Faña stay in a good position to shoot at the goal without any problem pulling straight to the goal. Sentencing and the 3-1 final whistle, which left a good image of the game that SJG was doing very good considering it was just the first game of their series of friendlies.

Eura vs SJG

This game was definitely unexpected for most football fans in our nation, the opponent is already known by many, Eura. The team to which we drew 2-2 at SJG but which struck us so far is the worst rout in our history, that painful 2-6 in Bastion, the capital of Eura.

Repitiría history, both nations would play in friendly matches Bastion, Eura play with his team B while SJG play with their team owners, except Bregoo Leonidas, who was still recovering from the pain in the muscle of the right leg and was replaced by Oliver Abrego.

Eura started the game as we all we imagined, dangerous approaches Charlie Brady, who in minuto15, slammed a ball into the crossbar of the goal of Henry Hernandez, reviving fears of a repeat another 2-6.

Rodolfo Zelaya took care to calm the panic in the 26th minute to take the ball off the chest and right leg and beat Carl Brommis, Eura goalkeeper. Thus SJG was put in 1-0, which was not expected to happen even if it was against Eura's B team.

SJG showed tranquility of Zelaya after the goal, taking the ball in midfield and avoiding making mistakes near the edge of the goal area of Henry Hernandez and thus prevent Eura had opportunities.

I finish the first half of the match with the score 1-0 in favor of SJG, Eura was beating in their own stadium, but in a friendly match at least the ghost had disappeared 2-6.

The coach did not make any substitution for his team but emphasized that the strategic order to remain in the defense and to avoid making mistakes in front of the box or in the center of the court, in addition to asking that they had forcefully when attacked Eura defense.

Actions already in the second half, SJG showed slightly stronger than in the first half, due to the strategic command Paatelainen order for their players and so avoid problems on defense. Rodolfo Zelaya missed another opportunity after 59 minutes, this was a backlash where vz may have shot straight to the goal of Brommis, but a timely reaction of Gareth Dawkinsprevented Zelaya to score the second goal of the match.

Now to conclude 87 minutes, Árbol Saucedo managed to score 2-0 in favor of SJG, this time it was through a free-kick that left goalkeeper Brommis and made SJG that managed to beat Eura in a friendly match visitor status, a party that showed that SJG can make a good qualifying campaign and thus qualify for the WC Finals for the second time.

With that friendlies finished we can say that SJG wants to do a good qualification campaign and has the skills to beat teams like FFR because FFR is a complete joke if we talk about politeness to talk and diplomacy to do relationships with another countries. In fact SJG has all the things in his favour to do a good work in this group and achieve qualification to the WC Finals twice and in a row, we hope that.

Let's go SJG Pura vida!

[Barunia]

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World Cup 69 Preview: Suns set to shine in Group 15
Article by Kitty Smith, chief editor kittyS@baruniainsports.com.bu

Barunia will go into World Cup qualifying as top seeds in Group 15, and will look to qualify outright with a top place finish in a group that includes 3 debutants and only two teams in the top 50.

So who are these teams that Barunia will have to go through on their way to the World Cup? And who do BiS think will be coming with them in 2nd spot? Let's find out.

Group 15

Zwangzug

Rank: 36 | First WCQ App.: 33 | WC Finals: 11

Ah, Zwangzug. The team that made headlines after being eliminated from the last World Cup due to the controversial format. They went unbeaten in qualifiers that World Cup, and had qualified for the last two editions. If anything, this current crop of players are equally a match for the legends that led the country to nine consecutive World Cups between 34 and 42, in the last one finishing as runner-ups. This will be Barunia's biggest challenge. Rank doesn't tell the full story here, so that 22 place difference won't count for much.
Prediction: 2nd

New Wolfopolis

Rank:144 | First WCQ App.: 68 | WC Finals: 0

A team that burst on to the scene last cup, New Wolfopolis are a team that show a lot of promise. Unfortunately, they seem to be very hit and miss, either winning or losing (they failed to get a single draw last qualifiers). We'll expect to see some more wins from this slightly defensive side, but don't expect miracles.
Prediction: 3rd

Dawnhaven

Rank: 284 | First WCQ App.: 69 | WC Finals: 0

The first of the debutants, Dawnhaven hail from the renowned sporting region of Atlantian Oceania. Wether that sporting pedigree will help them here is anybody's guess, but they pulled off a markedly average 2-2-2 in the recent Baptism of Fire. As they haven't bothered to provide any media with details about their team, who knows what they'll produce on the pitch.
Prediction: 7th

Estope

Rank: 60 | First WCQ App.: 62 | WC Finals: 0

1-0-9. No, that's not Estope's record, that's their formation. Yes that's right, 9 forwards and a lone defender. Perhaps the directors have gotten desperate after failing to qualify from seven attempts. The strategy might look good on paper, but it will only work as an intimidation tactic against inexperienced defenders. Expect plenty of goals in any game involving them, but our guess is most will be going in to their net.
Prediction: 4th

Barunia

Rank: 14 | First WCQ App.: 64 | WC Finals: 2

Our very own Suns are top seeds here, and will look to qualify and make it past the Round of Sixteen, where they fell to Pasarga last World Cup. There are only two new players on the Suns' roster, and the new formation of 4-2-4 should provide plenty of goal-scoring opportunities while still leaving our own goal well-guarded. A good team, a good coach, and a winning strategy; World Cup 69, here we come!
Prediction: 1st

Star United States

Rank: 101 | First WCQ App.: 66 | WC Finals: 0

Star United States are one of those teams. The team no one ranked higher expects to lose against, but no one ranked lower expects to win against. They play solid, conventional football (they're using a 3-4-3 formation), but that will only get them so far.
Prediction: 5th

The Blaatschapen

Rank: 355 | First WCQ App.: 69 | WC Finals: 0

Another debutant, The Blaatschapen is the lowest ranked side in Group 15, a massive 71 places lower than the next lowest rank (Dawnhaven). They had a disastrous Baptism of Fire, scoring just one point and letting in more than twice as many goals as they scored (14 and 6, respectively). There is no indication that this run of form will end any time soon, and don't expect to see this team anywhere near the top come the end of qualifying.
Prediction: 8th

Vunishia

Rank: 206 | First WCQ App.: 69 | WC Finals: 0

Vunishia is another team making their first qualifiers appearance. They made an impression in the Baptism of Fire, finishing in fourth place. Their 3-5-2 formation is only loosely adhered to, with the midfield deliberately stacked for that reason. Interestingly, most players are not proper professionals but have been drawn from other sports to make up the team of 23. Plucky, but this lack of experience will almost certainly let them down and it will be a few years before we see them be a real threat.
Prediction: 6th

The Suns Schedule for WC 69
MD1: Dawnhaven vs Barunia @ TBD
MD2: Barunia vs Estope @ United Stadium, Porthaven
MD3: Star United States vs Barunia @ Star Stadium, City of Star
MD4: Vunishia vs Barunia @ TBD
MD5: Barunia vs The Blaatschapen @ Northport SC, Northport-San Baptiste
MD6: Zwangzug vs Barunia @ Wayr Stadium, Rackham Range
MD7: Barunia vs New Wolfopolis @ Memorial Stadium, Edwardton

MD8: Barunia vs Dawnhaven @ Blackrock Stadium, Newland
MD9: Estope vs Barunia @ Inzer-Bare Stadium, Twin Brooks
MD10: Barunia vs Star United States @ United Stadium, Porthaven
MD11: Barunia vs Vunishia @ Northport SC, Northport-San Baptiste
MD12: The Blaatschapen vs Barunia @ TBD
MD13: Barunia vs Zwangzug @ Memorial Stadium, Edwardton
MD14: New Wolfopolis vs Barunia @ Campana Bowl at Lupinia Pavillion, Lupinia

Ed. Note: While every effort has been made to verify all facts, no guarantee is given as to the accuracy of any information contained within this article.

[Jeruselem]

The Jeruselem team at a Vietnamese restaurant in Jeruselem

Princess Amy: Say coach, this is funny place to be having lunch
Jayden Bella: One of our opponents is Vietnam, so we have to see what the food is like over there
Princess Amy: I've been over there ya know
Jayden Bella: Some of the team is new, they haven't travelled like you have
Princess Amy: I suppose
Jayden Bella: why do we have two menus?

Princess Amy: One is for people who eat safe food and the other is for crazy people
Jayden Bella: Better stick to safe option then
Princess Amy: Not into duck egg fetus?
Jayden Bella: Say what, sounds disgusting!
Princess Amy: OK, I guess that's off the menu.
Jayden Bella: Everyone choose a dish but not from that menu please

Princess Amy: Just make sure to choose, real chicken not fake chicken
Jayden Bella: What you mean chicken isn't chicken?
Princess Amy: Well, sometimes the chicken isn't chicken over there ...
Jayden Bella: OK, I'll have to watch that
Princess Amy: It's OK here, you can't serve cat or dog as chicken
Jayden Bella: I don't fancy eating cat or dog

Princess Amy: Neither do I
Jayden Bella: I guess I have to travel more
Princess Amy: Don't worry coach, you will now
Jayden Bella: What's the fish like here?
Princess Amy: Mostly likely to be catfish, like those over there
Jayden Bella: I see, what's it taste like?
Princess Amy: It's OK here, but the real catfish taste like ... well ... mud

Jayden Bella: Oh yes, they are bottom feeders
Princess Amy: It's OK, better than other stuff like you could eat.
Jayden Bella: I'll stick to noodles then
Princess Amy: Well, I think for people like you yes ...

<later>

Jayden Bella: That's one cuisine down
Princess Amy: Yes
Jayden Bella: We'd better watch what we eat overseas
Princess Amy: Yes, plenty of weird stuff people eat
Jayden Bella: I guess they think we eat weird stuff too
Princess Amy: Yes well, I guess they do

[Thatius]

FREDERIKSTADT, THATIUS

Members of the Thatian World Cup Committee scrambled around the room as the hosts of the 69th World Cup prepared to announce the groups of the qualifying draw. Hushed voices spread across the room as the broadcast for the draw popped on the television screen. The live feed flashed "Group 1" and a cold, female's voice announced the teams: "Jecataria, Mizuyuki, Thatius" - the whole room erupted in cheers as Thatius' name was called - "HopNation, Northern Sunrise Islands, Evraim, Jeckland, Tryienne." The feed continued with groups 2-24, but the Thatians in the room cared little for the rest of the teams, as they only wanted to hear what group and what teams they were going to play.

"People, I need the numbers!" shouted the leader of the room, Mr. Chris Vanderi. As Chairman of the Thatian World Cup Committee, it was his job to oversee Thatius' World Cup efforts and report to his bosses, the Thatian Soccer Federation.

"Thatius is the third-highest rank team in the group," an analyst explained. "Our biggest competitors will be Northern Sunrise Islands and Mizuyuki, both of whom we have faced in the past. Our computers tell us that we have approximately a 15% of qualifying this year."

"Dang it," muttered Chris. "Pull up our competitor's profiles, I want all of their strengths and weaknesses analyzed. Get that analysis and footage over to Djantschenko's team, ASAP."

The room's televisions fluttered with footage from the other 7 teams in the group, showing their best players and goals from the past few years. Chris had an analyst on every single one of those teams and was determined to exploit every weakness. Formations, coaching, individual player weaknesses, everything. He would leave no stone unturned in his desire to give the Thatian National Soccer Team every piece of information available. Throughout the night, he and his team worked effortlessly to deliver. However, his biggest priority was learning more about Evraim, the team Thatius would face in just two days from now at home. With a ranking of 221, Evraim is far below Thatius' rank, yet much bigger upsets have occurred in the past. They have several veteran players from World Cup 67 and some new faces from their domestic league, so Chris made a note to find information on their newest players.

The room cleared as most of the analysts and managers left for their offices in order to get their work done. Only a handful of people stayed, including Sydney van Rijk, Executive Director of Training, and James Erikovic, the Minister of Sports of Thatius. As the group sat around the table, they discussed various strategies and relayed information to the team in Korcyka, where Thatius would host its first match of World Cup Qualifying.

"The stadium preparations in Korcyka are all set," said Minister Erikovic. At thirty-two, he was the youngest of Thatius' eleven ministers, and certainly one of the nation's brightest minds. "Security measures are in place and we will have plenty of pitch-side guards to ensure that nothing happens like World Cup 64 qualifying."

"Excellent," remarked Sydney van Rijk, a woman of generally stern nature, who was more jovial as of late since her job was mostly done for now. "The training facilities in Korcyka and Kristiansond are up and running, so the team will have no problem during their break. The flights are also coordinated for their next match when they travel to Jeckland."

Suddenly, Chris noticed a knocking at the door and two men, dressed in black suits, emerged through the frame.

"Mr. Erikovic, Mr. Vanderi, this is the National Investigation Agency. Could you come with us for a moment?" The agents flashed their identity badges and beckoned the executives out the door.

Chris and James nodded, leaving Sydney and the rest of the group by themselves in the meeting room. Sydney narrowed her eyes and gave the agents a quizzical look. Why are they leaving so abruptly? Why was there no phone call? The four men walked to the exit and proceeded to the elevator room.

"What is it that you gentlemen require?" asked James, pushing the button for the lower lobby.

"Sir, we will tell you as soon as we get into our vehicle. It's a security measure that we must take."

The group rode the elevator to the bottom floor and quickly jumped in the black SUV, driving off into the distance.

[Sargossa]

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport


In Which We Take An Obligatory Look At the Group And Predict A Finish In What Looks Suspiciously Like Ranking Order


Blanco Borrayo reports from Soluca;

Why hello there. Come in, take a seat. Are you getting that exciting, tingly and slightly inappropriate feeling deep inside that can only mean another vain attempt to actually reach a World Cup is looming large? Of course you are. And you know it’s really looming large when those twenty something qualification groups are published, showing each plucky nation their route (or not) to the illustrious Finals. And the key thing at this stage is to be drawn in a group with a very low number so you needn’t scroll down too far. Hello Group 2!

Group 2
Electrum
Lymantatia
Mangolana
Timbermunich
Sargossa
Yids
United commonwealth of ayrshire
Farfadillis

There you go. Isn’t it lovely? Yes I know, you need some ranking numbers to make true sense of all this. And that lower case ‘a’ on ‘aryshire’ rather needs some work too. Et voila.

Group 2
Farfadillis (19)
Sargossa (50)
Lymantatia (79)
Mangolana (119)
Electrum (146)
Timbermunich (198)
Yids (265)
United Commonwealth of Ayrshire (358)

So now for that casual, almost derisory, look at the opposition. Which starts with the Farves, who are probably still giggling in anticipation after what looks like a more than favourable qualification draw. We’ve never actually played them, not even once. But there’s three things we can guess with a reasonable degree of assurance. They’re ranked 19th in the world, so they can probably play a bit. They’ve got those beady little eyes so synonymous with the Atlantian races. And they’re going to cut through this group like a heated blade through some kind of buttery substance. We’re next and I’m delighted to report that the post-BoF calculations saw the Corsairs move from outside the world’s top fifty (51st) into said same top fifty (50th). Which was nice.

Who’s next? Ah, Lymantatia, those singularly unique chaps with all the bright ideas and boundless enthusiasm. Just what won’t they say eh? Flying the flag for Equatoria, the Lymantatians are not quite the laughing stocks we think they probably should be. They’re third seeds for a start and they did once finish ahead of Sargossa in a qualifying campaign, beating the Corsairs in Durgos in the process. We'd rather like it if they didn't do that again. From one familiar opponent to another. Namely the proud Rushmoris of Mangolana. These chaps . . . what? Of course they are. We’ve played them in like fourteen Copas. Look at the map. There you go, Mangolana is right . . . about . . . erm . . . ok, that’s slightly unsettling. So where are they? You’re kidding? Well they always were a little beady eyed. So apparently dear reader the nation of Mangolana can now be found in Atlantian Oceania. Which will make the two demolitions they’re inevitably heading for all the sweeter.

Fear not, we do have proud Rushmoris in the form of Electrum. Proud, noble, handsome Rushmoris. Bless ‘em. They may have got themselves a fluky draw against Farías’ boys at the recent Copa Rushmori but the truth is they’re not really that good. The only thing kick-ass about them is their flag. Timbermunich, now they’re an altogether more intriguing lot. Lumberjacks apparently. But when they’re not sleeping by day, working by night and hanging around in bars while wearing a nice frock they play a bit of football. They also caught the eye at what was a competitive Baptism of Fire tournament so best not to rule them out immediately. Give it a couple of rounds of matches first. As for . . . well . . . you see there’s a school of thought around regarding that particular word and it’s offensiveness. So well play it safe and call them Y-Word. As for Y-Word, they’re shit.

Talking of which, here’s the United commonwealth of Ayrshire. Oh how they irk us. Many, many moons ago the Corsairs were led by one Brutušam Erassi, a shaven headed tactician who looked like he should be riding down from the Steppes to burn your sheep and steal your buxom daughter rather than sitting in a dugout. He led Sargossa through the qualifiers for both World Cups 59 and 60 without losing a single match. So after twenty eight qualification matches unbeaten the Corsairs travelled to minnows United commonwealth of Ayrshire and lost, heavily. To compound matters the Ayrshire lot then travelled to Maturín and somehow contrived not to lose again. Those four dropped points, in what was a tight group for World Cup 61, proved to be fatal. So vengeance will be on the cards. Surely this time we’ll get a win against them. Surely? There isn’t a nation in the whole damn tournament ranked lower than the Ayrshireans. Not one. Go and have a look. See, told you.

And predictions, based on much deliberation, studying of statistics and reading of the tarot are thus.

Group 2
Farfadillis (19)
Sargossa (50)
Lymantatia (79)
Mangolana (119)
Electrum (146)
Timbermunich (198)
Yids (265)
United Commonwealth of Ayrshire (358)

[Osarius]

((OOC: Rabastor Trophy summary, and games 3-7 of the Preparation Cycle coming later.))
The Master Plan, part 1a

Since the OFA agreed to withdraw from UICA competitions temporarily (for the second time) to focus on developing the national team, football's popularity has dropped again in Osarius. Despite having a national team who have been minutes away from a World Cup final and competed in the AOCAF Cup final recently, it has been difficult to stimulate interest. It is believed this is the result of the exodus of superstars in recent years. The nation's better players now have a tendency to leave North Cyanea in search of better competition and more trophies if not greater riches, with the hugely popular Ezio Grassi and Nathaniel Doherty now competing with each other in The Equestrian States rather than Fourge; combative defender George Spencer took his fight to Northern Sunrise Islands; the creativity of Toby Drummond was lost to SK Franz Josef City; Emanuele Riviello only recently returned from his sojourn in Mytannion.

To regenerate interest, it was proposed that the national team play friendly matches in each of Osarius' regions, featuring squads made primarily of players from local clubs, to highlight the depth of talent there is. The OFA also consider this short tour to be a sort of preparatory exercise for potential hosting of any events in future.

"We have the stadia and the infrastructure, we just want to know how might the people react, you know? We did bid on hosting the World Cuppet tournament some years back, but lost out, so we're going to start a little smaller here. See how each region reacts, see if it can return a bit of a spark to the fandom."

- Robert Cranston, OFA Head of Public Relations

There has also been talk of the OFA shifting some home games from Mount Crown Stadium this cycle, for the first time, and holding them at other venues. "Perhaps we need to give football back to the people before the people will come back to us." Alain Montblanc, Chairman of the OFA, explained. The former national team manager and World Cup Hall of Famer has overseen a period of rebirth for Osarian football, following the slight decline not long after his resignation. "It's easy to forget that while football is indeed a business and entertainment, for some fans it's much much more. We need to respect that, and they need to know we do, or they won't trust us. Without trust, there can be no love."

The seven game series kicked off this July, starting with a game during rainy season in Ikuturso, and concluded two weeks ago in Mount Crown. Jermain Lewis claims that these games have been used to identify which players he should include in his qualifying squad rotation -- including some he might not have considered otherwise -- and that the whole thing has been "an illuminating experience". It seems likely that Lewis may ask for something similar in two years' time, to prepare for another World Cup campaign. Assuming he's still around, of course.

Preparation Cycle, Game 1 @ Turic Thunderdome, Turic, Ikuturso

01 [GK] Zachariah ARNOLD      17 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
02 [RB] Warren WILKINSON      20 y/o Priesthood of Baal
03 [LB] Justin BOYLE          23 y/o Priesthood of Baal
04 [CM] Peter DONALDSON       19 y/o Yamihagi FC
05 [CB] Fabian PADRON         20 y/o Warton Villa
06 [CB] Juan Pablo RODRIGUEZ  20 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
07 [RW] Tony DALEY            22 y/o Warton Villa
08 [CM] Roberto MELENDEZ      21 y/o Bownton Wanderers
09 [ST] Diego BALLESTEROS     23 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
10 [AM] Andrea POYNTER        21 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
11 [LW] Trevor WARD           21 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
12 [GK] Chelsea MILLER        20 y/o Bownton Wanderers
13 [GK] Timothy BLACK         22 y/o Priesthood of Baal
14 [ST] Robert WILKINSON      20 y/o Priesthood of Baal
15 [DM] Joe CHAMBERLAIN       20 y/o Warton Villa
16 [CB] Clemente JACONELLI    20 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
17 [RB] Antonietta LUSITO     20 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
18 [RM] Drew JOHNSON          23 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
19 [CM] Lika FARATAMU         17 y/o Kyoshiku Island
20 [CM] Quinn LEE             19 y/o Highport Athletic
21 [LB] Keith ROBERTSON       18 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
22 [CM] Rashard MILLER        18 y/o Grasshoppers Turic
23 [ST] Sido PUDOREMU         16 y/o Kyoshiku Island

       Osarius  6–3  Mizuyuki            | Attendance: 45,868
Poynter 14, 81       Ichibashi 9         | Conditions: 28C, moderate rain
   Ward 29, 34       Tsuchimikado 19, 26 | Starting Lineups
      Daley 76                           |  * Osarius
 Pudoremu 90+5                           |  * Mizuyuki

Jermain Lewis' team kicked off their preparation cycle in fittingly spectacular fashion in the Thunderdome, as a Grasshoppers Turic heavy squad put six past a Mizuyuki side who were no doubt intent on revenge. It was the Firebirds who stopped Mizuyuki appearing at the last World Cup finals, after a thrilling playoff encounter, and though billed as a friendly, the match in Ikuturso was anything but. The heat in Turic may have been offset by the generous precipitation under different circumstances; here it seemed to make things worse.

While it is easy to argue that many fouls were the result of underestimating sliding distances on the slick pitch, and some of the game's astonishing nine goals would likely have been saved more easily on a drier day, the tempo at which both teams played suggests we were in for a highly entertaining game of flowing, attacking play punctuated often by indiscipline anyway.

The Osarius team for the day had previously earned a total of zero senior caps between them, but Turic's free-scoring attacking midfielder Andrea Poynter combined well with her teammates Ballesteros and Ward to score twice. Ward also picked up two, and another went to Villa's tireless winger Tony Daley. Osarius' final goal came right at the death, courtesy of sixteen year old Kyoshiku striker Sido Pudoremu, scoring with his first touch in international football. Defensively, there was less to be pleased with. Clemente Jaconelli in particular will be upset with his performance, as he was clearly at fault for two goals before being replaced at half time by Villa's promising, warrior-like centre back Fabian Padron; incidentally the only Osarius defender to come out of the game with any credit.

Jermain Lewis: Post-Game Notes

Add to pool for qualifying cycle:
Andrea Poynter, Diego Ballesteros, Trevor Ward, Fabian Padron, Tony Daley, Juan Pablo Rodriguez
Bright future:
Sido Pudoremu, Peter Donaldson
Monitor closely:
Clemente Jaconelli - poor day or failed to make step up from U25s adequately?
Zachariah Arnold - may struggle to overcome first half horror show
Other notes:
None

Preparation Cycle, Game 2 @ Golden Temple, Callisto, Hearthlands

01 [GK] Ruby FLETCHER       26 y/o Callisto City
02 [RB] Aina RIVERA         19 y/o Renneville United
03 [LB] Paolo BOCCHETTI     22 y/o Callisto City
04 [DM] Miguel GOMEZ        17 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
05 [CB] Kendrick O'NEILL    22 y/o Callisto City
06 [CB] Nicolas HERRERA     23 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
07 [CM] Jacob QUINN         19 y/o Junipa Athletic
08 [CM] Rodney BARNES       20 y/o FC United of San Manuel
09 [CF] Gabriella NEGRI     23 y/o FC Masaka
10 [AM] Cesar ROSAS         18 y/o FC United of San Manuel
11 [CM] Diana POWELL        23 y/o Parkchester United
12 [GK] Salvador ROSAS      22 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
13 [GK] Nicholas GRANT      17 y/o Callisto City
14 [ST] Salvatore LACCONA   19 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
15 [CB] Conchita ALEJANDRO  21 y/o FC United of San Manuel
16 [CB] Brock KANE          17 y/o Renneville United
17 [CB] Nicola PECORARO     22 y/o River Head FC
18 [RW] Lloyd BROOKS        21 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
19 [CM] Vitor ABREGO        22 y/o Rapid Hearthlands
20 [DM] Adam GRIFFITHS      29 y/o Callisto City
21 [CM] Carmen ARGUELLO     16 y/o Renneville United
22 [LW] Leonard GIBSON      21 y/o Renneville United
23 [CM] Zoe BARNES          17 y/o FC Masaka

       Osarius  1–1  Crystal Empire      | Attendance: 32,000
    Laccona 73                           | Conditions: 13C, light rain   
                                         | Starting Lineups
                                         |  * Osarius1
                                         |  * Crystal Empire (Unavailable)

¹Note the starting player is Rodney Barnes

A complete switch of the problems from the Mizuyuki game when Crystal Empire came to play. Marshalled by Ruby Fletcher, Osarius were nigh-impregnable, but could not find an opening at the other end. Highly-rated Masaka forward Gabriella Negri worked excellently with teenage prospect Cesar Rosas to create a few openings against the staunch defense of the Crystal Empire, but none of the three central midfielders behind them -- even with the imperious wonderkid Gomez seemingly controlling the game from deep -- were attack-minded enough to push on. A couple of times Rodney Barnes did, arriving late for a cutback, but his long-range shooting is certainly an aspect of his game he will be working on after failing to test the goalkeeper even once.

To their credit, Lewis' team kept their shape, remaining focused on the mission. They stuck faithfully to the plan -- although, how much of this was in fear of the gaffer and how much was in fear of Fletcher is to be debated -- no matter how many times they were denied. Even with some changes in the defensive line, the team functioned well as a unit, holding up very well against a visiting side of decent quality.

Eventually, Lewis decided to switch things up, withdrawing Rosas, Gomez and Powell. The former two were perhaps a little unlucky to be taken out, given their impressive performances -- especially when one considers they are both still teenagers -- but Powell had been fairly quiet. They were replaced by Brooks, Gibson and Laccona, as Osarius changed to a rarely-seen 4-4-2. The changes paid off soon after, with Brooks planting a cross perfectly onto the bonce of his gargantuan Rapid teammate.

If the 4-4-2 were so simply effective, however, it would not have been abandoned in Osarius, of course. Thus came the backlash. Without the controlling play of Gomez and Rosas in the middle, the visitors struck back almost immediately. Fletcher's fury -- even in this, a friendly -- so intense, Lewis made no move from his seat on the bench. When the incident was almost repeated the following minute, he took action again. Fletcher's cat-like reflexes had forced a corner, which she thumped away with the force of Wonder Woman on steroids, allowing the manager to bring in reinforcements. Adam Griffiths stepped in the bolster a now-weakened defensive unit (only Herrera of the starting four defenders remained), with Quinn stepping out.

If I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes, I may never have believed anyone telling me Jermain Lewis made a substitution that effectively killed a game. But that's what Griffiths did. He sat in the hole vacated by Gomez, and basically shut everything down. The game petered out to a draw from there for the last fifteen minutes or so.

Jermain Lewis: Post-Game Notes

Add to pool for qualifying cycle:
Gabriella Negri, Paolo Bocchetti, Salvatore Laccona, Lloyd Brooks
Bright future:
Miguel Gomez, Zoe Barnes
Monitor closely:
Brock Kane - strong, determined. reckless. might just need a calmer, more experienced head next to him
Cesar Rosas - creative, confident. seemed to get desperate after repeated failure though.
Other notes:
Abrego underused, in training similar to Sergio Estevez. Try in quals?
Pecoraro removed from bench at half time. Seemed nervous. Follow up?
Wanted to try other goalkeepers, but Ruby's influence too important. Need to find way around this.

[Farfadillis]

It was another cloudy day in the city of Ferdullaele. As usual, the Federal Council, the daft rulers of the nation, gathered to discuss matters of varying degrees of importance. The importance of this matters usually varied from negligible importance to fairly negligible importance. However, this was not one of those days. The Federal Council believed it was. For all they knew, they were discussing whether to change the flag. Somewhat important, but the flag was still a design and nothing more. It wouldn't change people's lives. Until...

"I've got a cool idea for the new flag." said one of the many members of the council. "I've been noticing an ongoing trend when it comes to the newest, slickest flags. They all carry this eagle I've got right here," he continued as he pulled out the drawing of a certain well-known eagle. No, this one was not carrying an equilateral cross with its four arms bent at ninety degrees. However, it was not one that represented freedom and well-being.

"I could swear I've seen it before." said another one. "I see nothing wrong with the idea. If other nations are doing it, then there's nothing to worry about. Plus it looks cool."

"But wait, I think this is the eagle the bad guys use in their flags," said a slightly more cultivated individual in the meeting. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"Do you consider the Inevitable Syndicate the bad guys? Or Starblaydia, for that matter? I mean, theirs is different, but fairly similar anyway," replied yet another member.

A few hours of back-and-forth discussion about whether to include the eagle or not ensued. Most of the arguments were based on whether it blended well with the design they had in mind, or whether a flying jellyfish would be a better idea. After some time, it became an argument between flag minimalists and flag embellishers. Eventually, the Federal Council Representative Monuele Arkelaos, who happened to be kind of like a president, would wake up. He was promptly informed of the situation, and decided that a vote would be the best idea to settle things.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please listen to your leader," he said aided by a handy megaphone.

"Pssht, sir, there's only men in this room," his assistant whispered.

"Like I give a fuck." he yelled at him, with the megaphone. The entire council were perplexed. Their leader had just informed them in a very impolite way that he didn't care about their hours-long argument. Outrageous.

"I'm sorry, my fellow council members. That was not meant to you lot, but to my somewhat annoying assistant." The few men who were standing up with tomatoes to throw at Monuele swiftly sat down once again. "What I wanted to say, and thankfully thanks to some profanity I've now caught your attention, is that the only civilized way to settle this is a vote. Who is with me, I'll buy everyone a few rounds of!" Everyone cheered.

Small sheets of paper were handed out to everyone in the room to vote on the matter. Even to the janitor and the witness of a terrible crime who had mistakenly entered the wrong room. Everyone filed their votes soon enough. A few members mistook the trash can for the ballot box. They were, for some reason, next to each other. The trash can had "THIS IS A BALLOT BOX SO CAST YOUR VOTES HERE" written on it, so the confusion was a bit understandable.

The assistant started counting the votes. He was, thankfully (or maybe not, considering the outcome) one of the few in the room who could actually do simple math without being distracted by other things. He counted every single vote that had been placed. As he expected, there were less votes than usual. And some members had voted for both options. Some others had written their name on the sheet of paper. Just their name. One of the votes had a brown stain that smelled suspiciously like... you get the idea. A few had grammar mistakes. After discounting votes here and there, and re-counting, the result had been decided. He told Monuele Arkelaos the results. He then decided that wouldn't do, and wrote them in a paper so that he wouldn't forget. Cause he knew Monuele inside out. He then told him that it would be great if he could actually announce the result. Which he did.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the assistant facepalmed. "The results are in..."

Some were expectant. Others were, as usual, fast asleep.

"With a one-vote margin, winning twenty to nineteen, the winner is..." he paused. "The eagle flag! We're gonna have a flag with an eagle! Isn't that awesome or what?"

What nobody knew, however, was that two of the votes that hadn't been discounted had come from two people who didn't belong to the council.

And that's exactly how a janitor and an absent-minded eye-witness can change an entire nation.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Lord Almighty Gregory Declares Enslave Rule Theriault "must-buy"

Lord Almighty Gregory released a statement today declaring that the hit video game "Enslave Rule Theriault" will be a "must-buy" in Gregoryisgodistan. The new hit game, in which the player will control the Gregoryisgodistani military and attempt to build it up before battling the army of the Free Republics and destroying it. The Free Republics will be portrayed as pure evil, demonic and wicked. Once the Free Republics are captured, the player must capture Republican soccer coach and spouting moron Rule Theriault. As true to the name, they must enslave the moron before eventually executing him and winning the game.

Most international versions of the game include the option to play as Corvidae forces, but 3EC Entertainment will release a special version of the game that has the Corvidae option removed. (OOC: It isn't really removed, it just has had all ways to access it disabled. A hacker could discover it and play it.) Therefore, the player must play as Gregoryisgodistan.

And yes, the game is literally a must-buy. All households must buy at least one copy. Due to the very small number of gaming consoles in Gregoryisgodistan, only a PC version will be available. It will be compatible with any standard PC in Gregoryisgodistan. Additionally, some households are planning to buy more than one copy, such as if one family member is away at college or the military. Therefore, sales are estimated to be a minimum of 15.6 million copies, which is the estimated number of households in Gregoryisgodistan, and could be as high as 16 or 17 million due to individuals studying at college or serving in the military while living separate from their "household." Failure to purchase the game will be punishable by death to the entire household.

The game will be available at every store in Gregoryisgodistan. All of them are run by the government. The cost of the game will be heavily subsidized by the government, who is buying it from 3EC at discounted prices. The game will sell for 20,000 greggygodbucks (OOC: NS$ 3.22) representing approximately a 90 percent savings over the international cost. Lord Almighty Gregory has chosen to subsidize the costs as a result of his infinite love for the people of Gregoryisgodistan. To prevent foreigners from snapping up discounted copies, the discount will only be available with a valid national ID, which will also be used to verify each household owns a copy. Without presentation of valid ID, the cost will be 22,000 greggygodbucks (OOC; about NS$35.) Seeing as citizens must carry their ID documents at all times, presumably this price would only be for foreigners visiting Gregoryisgodistan. Some game collectors predict the Gregoryisgodistani version of the game will become a collector's item due to the disabling of the Corvidae option, a feature not seen in any other country. However, the only way to purchase it will be to travel to Gregoryisgodistan to buy it or to buy it from another foreigner who already bought it via various internet sites. The government has bought 25 million copies of the game from 3EC due to expected present and future sales as well as a small amount of sales to foreigners looking for collectors' items.

[Darvale]

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Prologue

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Lyndon Holmes - 10 Years Previously

*Splat, splat, splat.* The sounds of the running footsteps of a man echoed through the heavy rain of the night. He could hear distant shouts in German. The man kept on running, fearing the worst - which would be being captured by Rossanese soldiers in Rossana, who was at war with Darvale, fighting for independence. The man suddenly tripped and fell down on the mud on the ground. He immediately tried to get up, but searing pain completely engulfed his left leg as he did so. He looked at his leg and he felt like vomiting as he looked at his broken leg.

The helpless man could not even draw out his army knife as one of the Rossanese soldiers kicked it away and punched the captured man in the face. "Sir, we got him! The Darvalian soldier!" In a daze, the Darvalian soldier, pinned down by two of the three Rossanese, turned his head. Another man, dressed like the other Rossanese soldiers, but with a long winter coat and a shining sword strapped to his back, approached the Darvalian soldier at a rather casual pace, drawing a pistol. "Well, well, well. I assume you're the Darvalian bastard who blew up our transmission station, eh?", the Rossanese squad leader asked rhetorically, cocking his pistol.

"You'll never get away with this, you imperialistic PIG!", the Darvalian yelled, mustering all of his courage, which, was, really, nothing at all. For a split second, sinister flames of pure hate burned in the Rossanese squad leader's eyes, but they died out almost as quickly as they lit up. "Let me introduce myself, my name is Julian, Julian Baumgartner.", he said, ripping the Darvalian soldier's dog tag from his chest. "Holmes. Lyndon Holmes. Task Force 141.", Baumgartner said, reading Holmes' dog tag.

Baumgartner was about to say something else, but stopped when an encoded message came through his communication device. "Bravo-Romeo-India-November-Golf Hotel-India-Mike Tango-Oscar Mike-Echo." "Well, Sergeant Holmes, it appears that our time together is over." "Wh-what do you mean?", Holmes asked timidly. "You're about to become a prisoner of war, Sergeant."

Holmes was about to protest, but Baumgartner threw what appeared to be a smartphone at him. Curious, Holmes picked up the phone. "This is Vereint Platz, located in Spesdorf, Rossana.", Baumgartner explained. The camera zoom in showing a rather tense scene, showing a group of Rossanese soldiers holding several men at gunpoint.

"Look closely, Sergeant. Look at the faces of these men on their knees. Do you, by any chance, recognize them?", Baumgartner asked, a sinister grin forming on his face. Holmes suddenly gasped as his eyes widened. The men at gunpoint were his fellow squad mates. Holmes was about to witness one of his worst nightmares in real life until he suddenly bolted up straight.

Holmes did not feel the wet, cold street of New Vauxhall, Darvale, but the soft mattress of his hotel room's bed. "It was just a dream. A bad dream.", Holmes said to himself. The events of Holmes' nightmares were true - he had been captured after destroying a Rossanese transmission station and and imprisoned during The Rossanese Independence War, and Squad Ghost had been entirely compromised with the exception of him, but he didn't know why he had dreamt of something so long ago now. Holmes lay there for a few seconds, and then decided it was just a random bad dream. Then, suddenly he remembered something from the present - the group draw for the World Cup 69 had come up overnight! Holmes burst towards his desk and snatched the latest edition of The Fairbanks Daily.

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WORLD CUP 69 GROUP DRAW ANNOUNCED
Darvalian head Coach Dennis Carter says "the group will be tough"
Article by Ramon Goldstein | Sports Category | Posted 7/7/2014 at 6:12 pm

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Fairbanks, DARVALE - The time is finally here. Yes, we're talking about that same thing. That's right folks - the World Cup 69, Darvale's second world cup - is finally upon us! After a mediocre performance in the World Cup 68, and the tragic plane crash that left every member of the initial Darvalian roster dead, the Goats are going to try their luck on a fresh slab.

The group draw for the cup, which will be held in the nations of Apox and The Holy Empire, was announced earlier today, with Darvale going into Group 6, along with Ko-oren, Svengarda, Vanersholm, Semarland, Zenic, The St Iago Isles, and The Crystal Empire - a tough group according to Darvalian Head Coach Dennis Carter. We'll take a closer look at the first 3 teams.

Semarland - A rather new team, Semarland, should not be underestimated, but we think we'll be able to squeeze out a win. The Atlantian Oceania side reached the Baptism of Fire 56's Round of 16, where they were narrowly defeated by the tournament's eventual winners - United Eastedge. The Semars drew 4 times, won 1 match, and lost 1 match during the Group Stages of The Baptism of Fire, and then narrowly defeated Vanersholm - which, coincidentally, is also in Group 6, 2-1. During the Baptism of Fire, the Semars proved to attack just a little more than they defended, and played in a 4-2-3-1 formation. However, the Semars have not released an official roster for the World Cup, so their team is still shrouded in mystery. We will be facing Semarland on Matchday 1, or July 22nd.

The Crystal Empire - Unlike the rather new team of Semarland, The Crystal Empire have had plenty of experience internationally. Let's take a closer look. The Crystal Empire made their international debut at The Equestria Cup IV, where they lost 2 of their matches, against Conclespia and Skallen respectively, and drawer twice, against The Grand Pegasus Enclave and Zebrabwe respectively, leaving The Crystal Empire second last in Group A and eliminated. The Crystal Empire's next international appearance was at the Colombian Britanian Road to the World Cup. The Crystal Empire drew and lost once, against Reds and Blues respectively. Next, The Crystal Empire appeared in The Baptism of Fire 53. The Crystal Empire, unlike all of their previous international performances, shockingly won every single one of their matches in the group stages of the tournament, against Picts, San Jose Guayabal, Marcos Dynamite, Tatras, and Myeeria respectively. The Crystal Empire then eased through the Round of 16 with a 1-0 win against Alitaba. Unbelievably, The Crystal Empire went even further, narrowly beating Rabbitomia on penal ties after a goalless match, qualifying them for the semi-finals. However, The Crystal Empire lost 1-0 to the tournament's eventual winners, Welsh Cowboy, and then lost again in the 3rd Place Playoff against Southwick. The Crystal Empire's next appearance was in the prestigious World Cup 66. With 4 wins (twice against Alexanderburn, and twice against Sameba), 3 draws (twice against Catholican Catholica, once against Paradystopia), The Crystal Empire did not manage to qualify, finishing third in Group 11. The Crystal Empire then qualified for The Cup of Harmony 58, where they drew once (against Jeru FC) and lost 3 times (against Paradystopia, Estope, and Ittuributa), eliminating them in the group stages. The Crystal Empire next appeared in the World Cup 67, where they won 6 matches (twice against Star United States, twice against Alba-Caledonia, Levivania, and New North Aqmuland), drew 2 matches (against Jedi8246 and Svengarda), and lost 8 matches (twice against Zwangzug, twice against Ko-oren, Svengarda, New North Aqmuland, Jedi8246, and Levivania, with Ko-oren and Svengarda being ironically both in Group 6 of the current world cup, along with The Crystal Empire and Darvale), leaving them at 5th place in Group 5, insufficient for qualification. The Crystal Empire then appeared in The World Cup 68, where they won 6 times (against Nexxus Drako, twice against Braylandia, Gyatso-kai, and twice against Stadavrik), lost 4 times (twice against The Cabindan Free State, Barunia, and Nexxus Drako), and drew 4 times (twice against Darmen, Barunia, and Gyatso-kai), leaving them at fourth position in Group 7, once agin insufficient for qualification. The Crystal Empire last appeared in The Runner Cup 2, hosted in Ceni. The Crystal Empire won 2 matches (against Carialus and The Greater Vakolicci Haven) and drew 6 matches (twice against North Arabia, twice against McKleigh, Carialus, and The Greater Vakolicci Haven), still not enough to qualify. The last time The Crystal Empire played, they were seen with an all-out defensive slightly modified 4-4-2 formation, although details about their roster for this world cup have not been released. We will be playing The Crystal Empire on Matchday 2, on July 23rd, and we expect a draw or a loss against this formidable team.

St Iago Isles - Another newcomer to the football world, the St Iago Isles have, like Semarland, only completed one international competition to date - The Baptism of Fire 56. The St Iago Isles opened with a terrible 6-3 loss to the tournament's eventual winners - United Eastedge. The St Iago Isles then lost once more to Dawnhaven, this time by a meager 1-0. The St Iago Isles' next match was only a tiny improvement from their previous two. A 1-1 draw with Mehdonesia still didn't move them from their 7th (last) position in Group B. The St Iago Isles then lost yet again to Absurdly Polited Gentlemen, again by one goal, with the final score being 1-0. St Iago Isles then drew 1-1 again, this time to the nation of Westfield House - eliminating any chance for the former to qualify. The St Iago Isles then settled for a goalless draw against Azrea, leaving them at a final 6th (or second last) position. The St Iago Isles seem to be rather secretive about their roster, as they have not released any details regarding it. We will be playing The St Iago Isles on Matchday 3, or July 24th, where we will expect a win.

[Itanpavia]

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WORLD CUP 69 - ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
by Anders Riyax

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It's that time of year. World Cup fever has once again gripped Itanpavia - odd, considering we have little to no hope of qualifying. Why? There are many reasons to swipe the smile from the faces of Itanpavian fans everywhere. Perhaps it's best that you don't know the facts that will follow - fans of a weak stature, look away now. Here is the lowdown of the facts and figures of the 69^th World Cup.

First, the basics. Apox and the Holy Empire are the joint hosts of this, the 69^th running of the World Cup, dubbed 'the Cup for Chaps'. Perhaps the favourites are number one ranked Polar Islandstates - the Valhallan fellow members of Rushmore recently won the Copa Rushmori. Qualification has been divided into 24 groups, of which Itanpavia is in the 11th. Alongside Itanpavia in Group 11 are as follows:
Venalzio
Kitsunia-Deesse
Starblaydia
Turori
Casagrande
Sicoutimont
Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic

The 68^th World Cup was jointly held by Legalese and the Free Republics. In this World Cup, Itanpavian interest was rather low, due to the sheer lack of thought given to football in the country by citizens. Despite a failure to qualify, Itanpavia put in one or two shockers, perhaps the standout being a 3-0 win over this year's co-hosts, Apox. Tomasz, the Itanpavian captain, was by far the standout performer, and has this year been elected by fellow team members for the prestigious #37 jersey. While all this was going on, football interest in Itanpavia skyrocketed. The team came home to a shockingly large welcome by the population, and a proper management system was set up. We are, in this group, the 5th highest ranked. 5th is exactly where we ended up in our group last time. As much as we would like to think it, it is unlikely that we will finish much higher.

The lineup has been increased to a professional size of 30, with 19 reserves. This is a welcome change from the dismal team of 16, due to a complete lack of knowledge of the ins and outs of professional, international, association football. The seven bench warmers are to be announced before every game, with Dzokoveka, a hot young talent, expected by many to make a debut from the bench. Dzokoveka has been elected by fellow team members for the #56 jersey - reserved for the player who the team believe is the best non-designated starter. Other bench stars may include Shaftaq, a defender, and Guillaume, a defending mid.

Our first match is against Turori. Turori is a foreign land, the shores of which have already been reached by sportspeople of Itanpavia this year. Round 2 of the NSFC was held in Turori, with an end result being AMor Autosport's best finish as of writing. However, Turori will be ever harder to find success against in the World Cup - the Turorians are ranked 9^th in the world. Itanpavia is ranked 142^nd. Bit of a problem here. That said, maths can be a cruel mistress in football. Despite being a while away from 9^th, 33^rd is still 109 places ahead of us, and Apox were subjected to a 3-0 defeat, at only the second match for Itanpavia's national team. I swear, this Apox result is the only reason Itanpavia are still hoping...

Next are lowly Casagrande, down in the 330s on ranking. hopefully this will be no contest, and thinking otherwise is too depressing even for this article. So next is 58 rated Sicoutimont. the Sicoutians are yet to announce their official roster, yet we can expect an uphill battle. Then, Venalzio. Ranked 236^th, once again there should be no contest. Hopefully.

Then, Kitsunia-Deesse. Despite only being ranked 98^th, this team is one of the 2 teams that have an official roster announced - the other one, of course, being us. This means that, as of writing, this is the most predictable match in the group. On paper. Despite being 46 places ahead of us, Itanpavia expects. Perhaps, there is a chance of a win here.

Finally are Starblaydia and Alinghi Federal-Democratic Republic. Starblaydia are ranked a nigh-on untouchable 34^th, beaten only by Turori in this group. It seems as though this is an unwinnable battle. THere is a chance, but only as good as that of beating Turori. And come on, as much as even I want to believe that, it's really not going to happen, is it? Alinghi are last. Ranked 265^th, this should be a crushing victory. Touch wood.

[Saintland]

feministvs.co.republica

Your Feminist Soccer Team Roster for World Cup 69

Your heroines will be participating in the upcoming World Cup 69, following the withdrawal of the Puppet King's team. We will soon commence travel to West Angola, in order to compete in our World Cup opener against the 49th ranked team in the current KPB rankings. Then, we will be visiting Gregoryisgodistan and, trust us, Gregory is a God. No, he hasn't paid us any Greggygodbucks to say that.

Therefore, we announce that the same 18 heroines who represented us in World Cup 67 will, once again, be competing in this World Cup. They will be competing in the name of the Goddess, for fair and equal treatment of women in our homeland. We also wish to inform our opponents that we will be playing our home games in the city of Baseton in the Free Republics, at Nicholls Enterprises Stadium. We thank Mr. Nicholls for allowing us to play at his stadium.

We would also like to express our disgust with Rule Theriault and the Republican National Soccer Team for their disgraceful treatment of Nicholls Enterprises. Reluctantly, we must give our endorsement to "Enslave Rule Theriaut" and we call upon RepublicSoft to license it for Saint, so that the largest possible audience might get to experience it.

We look forward to competing in World Cup Qualifying, once again. May the best 30 teams qualify.

OOC: Feministvs Sanctvsterra will not actually be playing in West Angola, but they will be playing on MD2 in Gregoryisgodistan.

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World Cup 69: Qualifying Preview

(SP) It is time for the World Cup, once again. 3 months after the National Soccer Team was eliminated from World Cup 68 in the Round of 16 by the Polar Islandsates, they will return to the World Cup, once again. After a lengthy search by the World Cup Committee for a host, they once again found just a single bid. This bid was by Apox and some probably heretical schismatics that call themselves a Holy Empire. The Saintland National Team is unchanged from last edition and will now prepare to qualify for their 3rd consecutive attempt (OOC: Obviously, World Cup 67 doesn't count ICly because Feministvs Sanctvsterra competed in that edition, not Saintland.). "I still think back to that match against Polar Islandstates last World Cup and wonder what might have been. If we had only beaten them and then beaten Nephara and Free Republics, as we have on many occasions. If we had done that, it would have been us, not the Republicans playing Vilita in the final. Who knows what would have been? Could we have beaten Vilita where the Republicans could not? Could we have become the World Cup champions? But, it seems that was not what God Willed. This time around, we don't have the same margin for error that we'd usually have because we have to forfeit one of our matches, since nobody will step in to prevent us from having to play in Gregoryisamadmanistan. Therefore, we only have 13 opportunities to earn the points we need, while our rivals will have 14, except for the lunatic's slaves, who will have 3 automatic points. Despite the odds being stacked against us, I believe that, with God's Help, we can overcome and make it back to the World Cup once again." - Prince Andreas

Once again, the Qualifying format is a double round-robin group stage consisting of 24 groups of 8. This time around, the National Team was drawn into Group 19. First up for us in Group 19 is a visit to West Angola, currently ranked 49th. West Angola made their debut in BoF 45, where they finished third in Group H with a 3-1-1 record and failed to advance. A final day defeat to Cascratia ended their hopes of advancement. In their World Cup debut in the 58th edition, a 4-4-8 record was good enough for 7th place in a 9 team group, although they were tied on points with the team in 6th place. West Angola went 1-1-1 in CoH 50, managing an impressive victory against Ko-oren, but Jedi8246 advanced from the group instead of West Angola, on the goals scored tiebreaker. They improved somewhat in the 59th edition of World Cup Qualifying, going 5-2-5, but that was only good for 5th place in a 7 team group and their 2nd CoH was a disaster mitigated only by a draw. They finally came close to qualifying in World Cup 60, but 8-1-5 was good enough only for a tie on points with Stachland. Stachland went through on goal difference. Despite their improvement, they did not receive a CoH invitation.

Then, West Angola ended up in a very difficult group for World Cup 61. That group was dominated by Cassadaigua, who secured 45 points out of a possible 48. The Archregimancy battled Farfadillis for second place, edging them out by a point. Antoletia finished 4th in the group. West Angola finished 6th in that 9 team group and went just 5-4-7, a record only marginally better than their World Cup 58 record. Paradoxically, they were invited to the CoH and managed to win their group by winning 2 matches and drawing 1, including a victory against Stachland, the very team that may have cost them a spot in World Cup 60. Then, they ran into the Archregimancy in the semifinals. The Archregimancy was attempting to intentionally lose the match, but couldn't even do that right, as you'd expect from a team of heretics. Of course, you already knew that if you paid any attention to Cup of Harmony 60 several months ago. West Angola was eliminated from the Cup of Harmony.

West Angola returned to form in World Cup 62 Qualifying. They were still in contention for a playoff spot on the final day and even managed to beat Free South Califas, an team of anarchists (OOC: If I remember correctly, FSC was either anarchist or a particularly extreme form of democracy, but Saintland equates those 2 systems anyway.) that were somehow organized well enough to remain in contention as well. Alas, Phoenigetuzstha won their final match 4 goals to nil and finished a point ahead of West Angola's 9-1-4. In the Cup of Harmony, West Angola won their group again, with 2 wins and 2 draws in 4 matches. That put them tied with Sargossa and Hutt River, but West Angola had the better goal difference. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega would eliminate them from the CoH in the Round of 16, once again. The 63rd edition of World Cup Qualifying was more of the same, although they were eliminated on the penultimate matchday this time around, thanks to a scoreless draw against the Vakolicci. The Holy Empire won that group easily. Starblaydia finished second in the group and would go on to finish second in the World Cup finals in that edition of the tournament. West Angola finished third with 8 wins, 2 losses and 8 draws, 2 points back of a Starblaydia team that had suffered twice as many defeats. Their Cup of Harmony performance, in the 55th edition of that tournament, was their best year. Despite suffering an early defeat against Saugeais, they managed to win their other 3 group stage matches and finish second in their group. Victories over Mapletish, High Heels and Jeru FC put them into the final, which came down to penalty kicks after each team scored a regulation goal. Legalese managed to put 2 penalties into the West Angola net. West Angola did not put a single penalty in the Legalite net. Legalese won the Cup of Harmony. West Angola finished second.

World Cup 64 was a breakthrough for West Angola. In their 7th qualifying attempt, they went 13-3-2, beating out the likes of Ossidiacqua, Liventia and Alexanderburn to earn a playoff berth. Bears Armed, whom you may remember from our qualifying group last time, won that group. In the playoffs, West Angola drew Barunia. As you may remember, Barunia competed in the Liventian section of BoF 51. Neither BoF 51 host nation is among the 194 entered in this edition of the World Cup. After a 2-2 draw in the Barunia leg, West Angola crushed them 5-2 in the West Angola leg and qualified for World Cup 64 with a 7-4 aggregate score. At the World Cup, West Angola drew a seemingly impossible group and still almost made it out. A victory over Darmen and a draw with The Babbage Islands, then the number 1 ranked team in the KPB rankings, placed West Angola even on points with Darmen. However, Darmen went through, due to the use of goal differential as the first tiebreaker.

They would not repeat their success in their attempt to qualify for World Cup 65. Instead, they suffered a repeat of their World Cup 63 performance, winning 10, losing 2 and drawing 6. That allowed Sandwich Territories to sneak into the playoffs with 1 more point. Under the Acedonian system of 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw, West Angola would have made the playoffs. However, under the standard 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw system, that simply wasn't good enough. In the CoH, they would manage to pick up a victory at the expense of Sandwich Territories, who actually ended up in the same group with West Angola once again. West Angola went 2-2-0 and won their CoH group. Victories over Neo Lemmitania, the Inevitable Syndicate and the runner-up from their CoH group (Aels) put them into the finals, in another parallel to their performance 2 cycles prior. Once again, the final came down to penalties, although both Jeruselem and West Angola scored 2 regulation goals this time around. Jeruselem would put a single penalty into the net. West Angola placed 4 in the net and won the 57th Cup of Harmony, in the Equestrian States.

West Angola would ride the momentum from their CoH championship to 6 wins and 3 draws in their first 9 World Cup qualifying matches in the 66th edition, the memorable one where qualifying consisted of just 10 matches. That secured a spot in World Cup 66 and West Angola lost a meaningless match to Patistan on the final day of qualifying. This time around, however, they would leave Audioslavia with just a draw against the so-called Holy Empire to show for it. Then, World Cup 67 proved disastrous. Drawn into one of the most infamously imbalanced groups in the history of the World Cup, West Angola managed to recover from a disastrous start and finish 8-1-7, good enough for a respectable 5th place. The 4 nations that finished ahead of them were Mizuyuki, the Free Republics, Felix and Pasarga. All 4 of those nations would qualify for either World Cup 67 or 68 and 2 of those nations would reach the semi-finals of World Cup 68. Also included in that group were Vettrera and the promising up-and-comers from the Sarian. The SP hopes that the World Cup Committee conducted an investigation into how such a group could have come about in the first place. West Angola would manage 2 draws in Cup of Harmony 59, which was good enough for advancement. West Angola would defeat Legalese in the Round of 16 and ran into the Republicans in the Quarterfinals. The match was tied at 2 after regulation and came down to penalties. The Republicans scored 2 penalties, but West Angola scored 3 and moved on to the semis. Losses to Pasarga and the nation then known as the German American States left them 4th in the Cup of Harmony. While they likely hoped that World Cup 68 would see their return to the World Cup Finals, that did not happen. They went 9-3-2 in the group stage, finishing second. In the first round of the playoffs, they drew Vaugania and lost 3 goals to 1 in Vaugania. A 4-2 victory at home was just good enough to send Vaugania through to the next round of the playoffs, on away goals. Their streak of making it out of Cup of Harmony group stages ended, as well, in the 60th edition. A loss to Brenecia and draws against Apox and Electrum left them 3rd in their group and out of the Cup of Harmony earlier than they were used to.

Afterwards, we will face the nation of Gregoryisafraudistan, run by a delusional madman who thinks that he is God. Gregoryissatanasistan is, somehow, ranked 56th at the moment. Gregoryisacoconutistan debuted at BoF 53, where they finished 3rd with a 3-1-1 record. They were so inept at soccer that they couldn't even advance in a group that included New Lonopolian Empire, Riojasia, Bypass814, New Lowerlands and Szkvara. The reason why you do not recognize any of these names is because none of those nations ever accomplished anything in international sports or otherwise did anything notable at all. The SP doesn't even know where to find any of them on a map, which should tell you how significant they are. Yet, Gregoryisaloseristan couldn't even advance out of that group. In World Cup 66 qualifying, Gregoryisnotgodistan somehow managed a 5-1-4 record, good for third in their group, likely because of weak competition. Carpathia and Ruthenia just wasn't very good in that edition of the World Cup. In the Cup of Harmony, they managed just a single victory, against Hutt River, and lost to Taeshan, Eastfield Lodge and even Luzvimindia.

Gregoryisnutsistan performed slightly better in World Cup 67 qualifying, actually managing to win half of their matches, but they also drew 5 and lost 3. That was enough for a fourth place finish behind The Archregimancy, Ossidiacqua and Sargossa. Still, Gregoryiscrazyistan managed to beat out Buyan, Greater Watford, Hutt River, Alianza Albos and Olastor for that 4th position. We at the SP don't know how. They were not invited to the 59th edition of the Cup of Harmony. A few months ago, in World Cup 68, Gregoryisaloonistan was so incompetent that they couldn't even make the playoffs. Instead, they went 5-7-2 and finished 4th behind Turori, Svengard and Kericia. Surprisingly, they were invited to the Cup of Harmony. They managed to get out of the group stage only because Kinitaria had already clinched their spot in the Round of 16 going into the final day and didn't even put in any effort in their match, allowing Gregoryisamurdereristan to advance. Somehow, Gregoryisaliaristan beat Jeru FC in extra time and Kalumba on penalties. However, they never stood a chance against the Inevitable Syndicate or Farfadillis and finished 4th at the Cup of Harmony. The location of the match between Gregoryisevilistan and the Saintland National Soccer Team will be announced later. However, the Saintland National Team will gladly forfeit a soccer match, even a World Cup qualifier, just to avoid having to visit that Living Infernus of a nation.

The third match on our schedule and first home match is against West Carpathia. West Carpathia is debuting at this World Cup. After a 2-1-3 performance at the BoF, they finished 5th and failed to advance. That earned them a share of the 292nd ranking. They aren't expected to pose much of a threat to the other teams in the group and, if they have any relation to Carpathia and Ruthenia, they seem to lack a comparable talent pool. The 4th match on our schedule is against the Kytler Peninsulae, who are tied for the 213th ranking at the moment and are probably best known as the host of the upcoming Summer Olympics, which the Kingdom of Saintland will not be participating in due to King Petrus XX's decision to pull our Kingdom out of the Olympics and cancel plans for a future Olympic bid (OOC: I have either entered the Olympics or will be entering the Olympics in some form. Just not with Saintland or Free Republics, this time around. I am still considering a bid for the Winter Olympics, but if I bid, it will be with the Free Republics rather than Saintland.).

The Kytlerians made their debut back at the 44th edition of the BoF. With 5 wins and a defeat, they won their group and earned a bye past the Round of 24 and into the Round of 16. In the Round of 16, they defeated Ipeland 4-3 on penalties after 120 scoreless minutes but Seunem knocked them out in the quarterfinals, in extra time. A 7-2-7 finish in World Cup 57 qualification put them ahead of Carpathia and Ruthenia, but behind Chetkosk, Qazox, Valladares and Sargossa. Fittingly, winning as much as they lost placed them 5th in a group of 9. In the CoH, they managed a draw against Miley World and a victory over The Weegies, but finished 4th in a 5 team group. Their second World Cup qualification attempt resulted in a 7-4-5 record and a 4th place finish. Lymantatia finished 5th in that group. It did not, however, result in a spot in the Cup of Harmony. In World Cup 59, they finished 4-4-4 in a tough group that included Cassadaigua, Civil Citizenry, Eura and Karditan. That was good enough for 4th and a spot in the Cup of Harmony. After managing 2 defeats and a draw against a nation called the Cowardly Pacifists, they were out of their second CoH appearance with little to show for it.

In World Cup 60 qualifying, the Kytlerians were somewhat improved. 8 wins out of 14 matches, along with a draw and 5 defeats, placed them third, 4 points behind Vilita. Valladares won that group easily. Lymantatia finished 4th. Noteworthy was the appearance of West Spaam, likely related to the infamous nation of Spaam which, in the incident known as Spaamgate, attempted to force their own colony out of the World Cup so that Spaam, who finished behind them in qualifying and failed to qualify, could take their spot. Although they had turned the table somewhat in qualifying, the Kytler Peninsuale did not get invited to the 52nd CoH. Fittingly, they regressed to 6-4-6 in the next edition but even that wasn't enough to regain their spot in the CoH. They would miss the next 3 World Cups.

However, The Kytler Peninsulae would return in World Cup 65. There, they managed just a 5-2-11 record, finishing level on points with Tasrailia. They only finished 6th on goal difference, in a 10 team group. At the bottom of that group sat Chiata and those Vakolicci terrorists. At the top, Eura and the Licentians advanced. Jeru finished third, Eastfield Lodge fourth. Unsurprisingly, that was not good enough for a spot in the CoH. In World Cup 66, the Kytler Peninsulae managed to win 5 out of 10 qualifying matches and draw 2 other qualifiers. However, West Angola, Bears Armed and even Punum finished ahead of them. They only beat Patistan and Azabad. Azabad was az-a-bad as their name would indicate. They weren't invited to the CoH and did not enter World Cup 67 or 68.

Fifth on the schedule for the National Soccer Team is a home match against Alexanderburn. Alexanderburn, currently ranked 100th, debuted in BoF 43, where they finished 2-1-2 and advanced to the Round of 32. Chetkosk routed them 4 goals to nil in the Round of 32 and they were out of the BoF. What followed was a 1-5-8 qualifying performance in World Cup 56. That was good enough for last place in an 8 team group. Delaclava won the group with Valladares second. Sargossa and Mangolana were 6th and 7th. They did not return to the World Cup until the 60th edition. There, they managed a respectable 6-5-3 performance in a group that appears to have been rather weak. Despite their surprisingly strong qualifying performance, Alexanderburn was left out of the Cup of Harmony for the second time. They did not return until World Cup 64.

Alexanderburn's return to the World Cup in the 64th edition saw them finishing 5-1-12, 7th in a 10 team group and well behind West Angola. This time around, they were invited to the CoH, where they managed to upset Kinitaria and Slembana to earn a spot in the Round of 16. However, they lost 3 goals to nil against Turori and were out of the CoH. For the first time ever, they made a second consecutive attempt to qualify in World Cup 65. A 6-6-6 result saw them 6th in a 10 team group, but it was a relatively difficult group. Boring Paradise won. The next 4 teams were Qazox, Felix, Valladares and Estope. Definitely not an easy group. The 66th edition of qualifying was a slight step back for them, finishing 4-1-5, behind Polar Islandstates, Paradystopia and the Crystal Empire. In World Cup 67 qualifying, their record was 4-6-6 as they finished 7th in a tough group behind the Gordonopians, Heretical Empire, Mangolana, Krytenia, Furellum and HopNation. Then, they finished a distant 4th in World Cup 68 qualifying with a 5-3-6 record. They have not returned to the Cup of Harmony, since their surprisingly strong performance in the 56th edition of that tournament. They will make another attempt to qualify for the World Cup, but have yet to come close to making the playoffs, let alone qualifying.

Alundas is our 6th opponent and yet another road match for us in the first half of qualifying. They will be making their international sports debut in this World Cup (OOC: And currently have not logged on in 18 days, so...). Our final opponent is Olastor, who will be visiting Royal Stadium to conclude the first half of qualifying. They debuted at BoF 53, where they drew 2 matches and lost 3, finishing at the bottom of their group. In World Cup 66 Qualifying, they lost all 10 matches. Somehow, they returned for World Cup 67 and lost 14 more qualifying matches, but managed to draw 2 matches, against Gregoryisafalsegodistan and against Hutt River. In World Cup 68 qualifying, they finally won a match in their 33rd WCC match. They beat Qazox, a defeat so humiliating that Qazox decided to leave international sports altogether. Florgania and Taslantis later lost to Olastor in World Cup 68 qualifying and they somehow managed a nil-nil draw with Polar Islandstates, but they finished 3-1-10, ahead of only Taslantis. In the rematch, the Polarians humiliated them by a 6-0 margin. Surprisingly, Olastor is actually ranked 179th, but needless to say they have never participated in a CoH and are not a credible threat to qualify.

Therefore, it seems that there are just 3 teams in this group that have a credible chance of advancing. The Republican oddsmakers have the Saintland National Team as overwhelming favorites to win this group, with West Angola picked to finish second. GregoryisgoingtoInfernusistan is picked to finish third, but some Republicans are actually betting on them to overachieve. It is the editorial opinion of the SP that the Saintland National Team will win this group fairly easily, even though we will have to forfeit the one match. We do not expect to see Prince Andreas's team lose any other matches, especially after watching their 2-1 AET victory over Nephara in the latest edition of the Strongnesse. Let's hope that our National Team ends up in Apox and not in some Heretical Empire run by schismatics.

[San Jose Guayabal]

www.elnacional.gu/sports/highlights

You are in: El nacional > sports > Road to Apox and THE WC 69.

NEWS
- Osarius 2-5 SJG, even more good news in friendlies.
- SJG vs Miley World, the previous details
- Information about El Roblar, the host city for MD 1.

Wrote by: Lourdes Amador
Follow on Feisbuc as: @Lama11
Wrote at 20/07/2047, 10:00.

Osarius 2-5 SJG, even more good news in friendlies.

SJG even adds more good news about its performance in the face of phase qualifiers for the WC 69, this time he gave a big surprise against the national team Osarius that while being tested players and could not be used to used in their lineup, it's always a challenge to overcome, even in this way. One way to show a good game on the part of the attack but with some vulnerability in the defense of our national team, which is arduous preparation to face the national team Miley World in what will be the opening match of the WCQ in the high and snowy peaks of the Roblar so good way to start your journey in search of the second qualification to the WC Finals.

At the strategic level, Osarius play with a rather schematic and balanced lineup, using a 3-4-3 to maintain a good midfield, especially protecting the defense and trying to provide a good amount of balls to the front, a typical feature Osarius teams is its well-known front and attack, which always tends to generate ongoing opportunities for them and give little advantage over the opponent, especially because they play at home and not seek to take advantage SJG.

Meanwhile SJG-side, line-up was a bit different, for leave aside the typical 3-1-3-3 and would use an odd and very little used 5-2-1-2, something defense but would seek to test this alignment because it seeks to generate new ideas on stage as needed. Under this new tactic used in the game, Paatelainen asked his players to focus on defense but not neglect the attack, so let Sebastian Nunez as the only midfielder, but would be assisted by Leonidas Bregoo, having recovered from his sore right leg would now even more attack-minded than usual. Always the attacking trio of Faña, Zelaya and Fraser, who would as usual makers anoter goals to be maintained SJG.

After that, we conducted an interview with Mathias Paatelainen, due to changes made ​​to the equipment, so we proceeded to ask for an interview and make an appointment to talk.

"Good morning Mr. Paatelainen!" Lourdes exclaims as he shook the hand of the coach.

"Hi, how are you" Paatelainen said in effusive response.

"All right, come to ask a little of your time for an interview about the tactical system that SJG used in the match against Osarius" Lourdes said, as he adjusted his recorder.

"Excellent, comes" Paatelainen answered before the proposal Lourdes.

"Because he decided to use now 5-2-1-2 instead of using the typical 3-1-3-3 already?" Lourdes asked normally.

"Look, the idea of ​​these changes was to gain insight into the national team, to see and engage different types of play and avoid to cling to one system, it is also to see the different types of scenarios which we may face along the WCQ, because in 14 games one can experience great moments and also parts of tension and nervousness "said Paatelainen providing a superficial analysis.

"You consider that players can psychologically withstand these stressful times?" Lourdes said, sipping coconut water.

"I personally think that they are ready to handle such situations, besides the Guayabalense Football PSYCHOLOGY gives assistance with the best psychologists of our nation and thus make them mentally strong in the field as well as being strong physically, "added Paatelainen.

"You think to get a win against Osarius?" Lourdes said.

"Of course, nothing is impossible to perform with faith in God and hope to succeed," said Paatelainen.

Paatelainen said goodbye to Lourdes, who was about to have the recognition of the field where the match would be disputed.

As for the atmosphere of the fans, the fans came Osarius flooded to their stadium to support their national team to what would be an important match for SJG blanks, as to test changes in playing style.

Just 1,000 fans of SJG could make the trip to Osarius, AO. due to the remoteness of this nation with SJG also noteworthy that they were supporting 3,500 rats from Ratastan, SJG and thus supporting at least provide more support to the national team in this match.

The game started with possession in favor of Osarius, who showed an expected behavior, seeking to attack from the outset in block form, giving the midfield pressing SJG, who was a lone Sebastián Núñez receiving pressure from industry 2 players from Osarius who were Emilio and Juan Tapia, both players put pressure on Nunez and prevented him from carrying passes, Osarius had a better recovery of the ball in the first five minutes and also a better comparison possession SJG who showed some calm and somewhat timid about attacking the home team, as Rodolfo Zelaya showed few opportunities to attack the home defense.

8 minutes into the game, Emilio Tapia took the ball and carried it up three quarters of the field, giving Nunzio pass Palombo, who dribbled to a loose James Moreira that fails to give a good image in the proceedings of SJG, Palombo to finish off long distance and beat Henry Hernandez Osarius so put themselves ahead of the game, giving a notion that SJG was shown lost in the field, in addition to being uncoordinated and decentralized in pressure attackers opponents, who calmly passed the defense vulnerable SJG.

SJG beginning to show in better shape after 15 minutes, then Sebastián Núñez gained confidence and got rid of the pressure of the Tapia Brothers and so began to distribute passes to Zelaya and Fraser, who began to make better opportunities, as Sean Fraser's header on 19 elminuto party happened to a corner of John Daley, who barely moved since he was the notion that the ball would go out to the field.

23 minutes, Osarius again made a dangerous move, this time Juan Tapia snatched the ball Leonidas Bregoo and then moved down the left side of the field to provide a direct head Marianela Reyes pass, who gave a header and scored the 2-0 for Osarius, who has already put in comfortable lead in the early part of the game due to the lack of concentration of SJG players who literally wore themselves out.

Already in the middle of the first half, was clearly superior to Osarius SJG because yahabía scored two goals and had 70% of possession, while SJG to strangers peering 30% of possession, something that made Paatelainen Mathias returned to typical 3-1-3-3, who began to take immediate results.

34 minutes, Rodolfo Zelaya was fouled outside the area to the part of Diane Carthy, Zelaya decided to free tir and thus scored the 2-1 for SJG, defeating John Daley, who with a little more effort on his part he had managed to stop that shot.

45 minutes later the SJG on the score tied 2-2, this time Sean Fraser jumped and took the ball to the back of the net with his head, showing his 3-1-3-3 SJG is right to play always because of its positive results very quickly.

At halftime, Paatelainen urged his players to keep the typical 3-1-3-3 and more pressure to alatque midfield and clear was added, with a stepped pressure and area instead of a linear and avoid risks innecesrios, Paatelainen performed no substitution at halftime.

Meanwhile Osarius Substitute Alex Hamilton by Luigi Pesciano, and generate a little more pressure to SJG. Amobas teams felt the need to win the match to leave a good feeling in the fans and also to motivate if commitments before the start of the WCQ.

Already in the second half, Osarius started with the ball in his favor, the Tapia brothers began to generate quick counterattack and plays, limes were resolved adequately by James Moreira, beginning to improve in the second part of the game Additional Moreira gave a long pass to Leonidas Bregoo for this ceded the ball to Sean Fraser, who did what he does best, take the ball and dribble the defense, that way he approached the opponent's area and beat John you daley with a soft shot into the right corner of the bottom of the net and thus SJG was 2-3 on visitor status advantage in the 60th minute. was an important goal but still had thirty minutes of football where everything could change suddenly.

Already in the 74th minute, the ball possession showed a little more inclined towards SJG, who had much to show yet, but Osarius not far behind with their constant attacks on the goal of Hennry Hernandez.

The pressure relaxed 82 minutes, in which Leonidas Bregoo scored 2-4 for SJG through a header to the neglect of Gabrielle Harrison, who did not act quickly to stop the momentum Bregoo hop.

To end the game, scored 2-5 SJG through a long distance shot that slipped through the bottom of the goal of John Daley, the goalscorer was James Moreira, who decided to venture to attack and show that their wrongdoing and are becoming passe.

In summary SJG had a good game in the offensive area, producing 5 goals effectively, especially include the rapid reaction of the first two goals, just when it was changed to 3-1-3-3, which is efficiency and provide better control of the game to SJG, which we can say that he is prepared to face Miley World in El Roblar.

SJG vs Miley World, the previous details.

Now in view of that start the WCQ, SJG played Friendlies games that left a good image about the performance of the national team, especially in the game against Osarius, which showed that he has good talent to solve problems at points of adversity Mathias Paatelainen prepare the same lineup ever to play the game against Miley World in the city of El Roblar, which incidentally already recorded a total sale of tickets for the match.

"We think Miley World will not be a easy opponent to face anything, be tough and show opposition to us, since they avoid the bad start WCQ, like us, are looking to start as planned and avoid problems from the start, we have everything in our favor to get a result and apply everything learned in friendlies to avoid problems in the game "stated Mathias Paatelainen at the press conference after the match, which incidentally mentioned that players are already adapted to the climate and the altitude and so seek to avoid health problems.

The game against Miley World is at 19:45, and you can tune in via internet without any problem or Guaya TV channel 12.

Information about El Roblar, the host city for MD 1.

The second most important city and also the green spot in San José Guayabal, San Isidro de El Roblar. To start in a great way the work with this pretigious project created to promote culture and lifestyles in the region, the city official name is San Isidro de El Roblar due to the Holy Patron of the City St. Isidore (San Isidro in Spanish), but is well known by nationals and foreigners in the simple way of "El Roblar" due to the abundance of Oak-trees (Robles in Spanish), characterized by having a working, funny and very gay population that refer to their city as "The Gateaway to the mountains" or even "ER" apart from being nicknamed "The fortress of heights" because its elevation 2750 meters above sea ​​level being the city to greater heights of Esportiva in the category of cities with over one million inhabitants, according to the latest census this city has 2.7 million inhabitants in its metropolitan area including the cities of El Roblar Centro, Boca Negra, San Pedro, Uusimaa and Suojärvi but the proper municipality called El Roblar Centro is the main place if we talk about population and culture but all the ciy has a combination of interesting cultures besides having a rich history in terms of the events in the nation.

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History and Geography

The city now known as the name of San Isidro de El Roblar since ancient times has been in its current location , and has changed its name on several occasions but the essence of his story remains consistent over time .

Founded in 1530 by Luis Escoboza a former colonizer and explorer from the Spaniards who lived in ancient lands of Inferiore Minore came to what is now known by the name of "Viejo Roblar" (Old Roblar) the purpose of establishing a village and initiate a settlement of people to let him start his new mission to delve into the hitherto unknown "Snowy Northern Territories" due to inaccessibility and lack of resources to access to that area due to heavy weather or lack of people with phisical conditions or economic and psychological reasons.

Entire populations began to migrate to the city then known as "Las Cumbres" (The Summits) because it was believed to be situated on top of a hill but really what lay ahead was not significant due to the eternal winter fog that accompanies this region from the months of October to March, as well as being a phenomenon that is happening today with the same intensity due to current environmental policies of the city and culture of hygiene and eco friendship that has been instilled since ancient times from generation to generation. Then Escoboza with twenty climbers waited for the summer arrival, on April 25, 1531 left to the summit of Santa Marta, located just 117 kilometers of the city today's ubication, the summit reaches a height of 6,530 meters above sea level, being the fourth highest peak in San Jose Guayabal, surmounted by two mountains located in the Oblast of Piedra Labrada and the neighboring summit and also the highest peak in San Jose Guayabal, "El Nevado de San Isidro", located on the border of the San Ignacio Oblast and El Roblar Oblast, its height amounted to 8,741 meters above the sea level, discovered by Escoboza on August 14, 1531, but was not climbed due to respiratory problems that led to the death of twelve of the twenty climbers at the foot of the "Nevado" summit.

The city was ruled by Escoboza until his death in 1562, at seventy-one years old, then his son Tomás Escoboza took up his position as city councilman, his first action was to change the name to "Las Praderas" (The Meadows) because the land is mainly composed meadows, the city was growing at a great pace, by the year 1625 and was the second most populous of the former Kingdom of San Jose Guayabal city was the main cultural center of the Kingdom, where philosophers met in the city with the purpose of increase their knowledge as well as being the birthplace of Marcos Ramírez Barbosa or better known as "Ramí" lead author of medieval literature in San Jose Guayabal, was born in 1674and was characterized by splendid poems about nature and also have created the considered masterpiece of the literature of the nation, the tragicomedy of "El Gordinflón de Las Cumbres" (The Porky of the Summits) is undoubtedly a historic piece of San Jose Guayabal literature and probably the history that gave rise to the long tradition that continues today and makes El Roblar the Capital of Theatre and Music of San Jose Guayabal , the story of "El Gordinflón de Las Cumbres" It is perhaps one of the first to have been dramatized with music since the troubadours were invited and requested to accompany with music the act from the tragicomedy.

After a period of glory in terms of culture, it appeared in the shadow of death, on December 30, 1715 "Ramí" with 471 city residents residing in the Barrio El Calvario, near the Central Plaza died in a fire caused by a priest who officiated the revelation of the corpse of a person and accidentally left a candle with fire near the wall of the house of the family of the deceased, identified in basis of different stories as "Raúl" and then the fire was transmitted easily due to the ancient tradition of building houses with wood, something that helped the flames would spread more easily and while leaving a trail of grief and pain for many families, a episode marked on the retina of the history of the city, in an event dubbed "El Calvario Inferno" a stain on the history of this historic city .

After the Middle Ages, "Las Praderas" was the center of the pro Republican reform movements that sought the resignation of King Louis XII because of his performances at the Kingdom of SJG of executions or his well known "Inquisition Policy" where tortured in prisons detractors in the city multiple torture and violations of the right to life were made , highlighting the method of "La Noria" where the prisoner was tied to a wheel and was subjected to long periods of immersion in the Cosalamá River in the winter time, causing hypothermia in the tortured person and subsequent death after the torture.

In May 1792, Carlos Ruíz an originating doctor young a bourgeois family was faithful promoter of "La Reforma" (The Change) wrote "The Manifesto of Freedom", a book of one hundred pages where he wrote the advantages of being a republican, democratic and representative nation to the will of the people, besides motivating phrases to a revolution for the benefit of the people for the people, also Ernesto Márquez a Ruíz classmate at the Royal School of Health wrote the ten principles of the republican movement, which later became the pillar of the Constitution of San Jose Guayabal.

In a solemn ceremony held at the Central Square of the city on July 10, of 1792, the mayor of the time, Gastón Marroquín renamed the city as "El Roblar" this name was altered one time after this but then again be retrieved and is used today, emphasizing the peculiar tendency of the inhabitants of the region of El Roblar pf naming cities with natural elements, because of its strong environmental tradition and eco friendliness of the people, then Marroquín declared its unconditional support for the Republican cause, generating a mutiny in the Barrio San Patricio, where 2,000 people took the "Castillo de Las Mercedes" (Las Mercedes Castle) with the intention of create more freedom and spread their message as if it were literally wildfire across the country, dozens of cities followed the example of the "Roblarense" citizens and was thus Louis XII King dissolved the National Crown and instituted a meeting held at the Royal Community Room, located in front of the Cathedral of San Isidro and adjacent to the Central Plaza, exactly into the Montenegro-Álvarez Estate, where solemn agreement was reached the following statements.

Republican meeting, fragment

August 25, 1792.

Through this, we declare as the people of San José Guayabal the immediate cessation of the social repression of any kind against the freedom of collective thinking, plus the generation of the adecuated and proper conditions for a Republican State where equality is provided to all citizens and the foundations for a better future to the following the statutes of the "Republican Decalogue":

- The Republican State is our goal and all struggle to achieve the goal of the people's will must be supported to our benefit.

- People must have freedom to think in all the topics concerning to the nation and people's daily life.

- Freedom of religion is mandatory.

- The Crown must gave his money to the people damaged by the repressive moves of the King, all damage should be repaired.

- Freedom of association is available for all.

- Equality shall be promoted for all, if there's a Guayabalense, Spaniard or anybody from all the nationalities of this nation must be protected against racism.

- Save and protect our environment must be one of the main focuses for any government in the future, our homeland must stay with his beauty and clean status.

- All person born in this territory must receive the social benefits of the government because he acquires the right to be helped by the government, also any migrant should be helped in case of need.

- Government must promote and keep alive all the cultures of all the nationalities of San José Guayabal and give equal opportunities to the people who speaks different languages.

- The people, the territory and the ennvironment are the beginning and end for the State, the government must protect all his resources to keep the good life and welfare in the country.

Signed: El Roblar, August 25, 1792.

After the period of republican reform, El Roblar entered a period of rejuvenation and modernization , despite that 90% of the original buildings of the city are kept and properly maintained to give a feeling of combination between modern and ancient . During the next two hundred years saw the birth Roblar great writers and thespians as Joshua Neruda, Luis Najera, Mónico Saramago among others, in addition to continuation of the genre of tragicomedy , which remains from the city inicos and is an element that makes it a unique place in traditions, in 1845 was created the Via Crucis of Pain and Joy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who recounts the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus at Calvary, the route starts from the Central Plaza in specific from the Fountain of Zeus, a place characterized as a place of love because a large number of couples following the custom of throwing two coins while kissing near the fountain at the time of ordeal, which according legends the Lord Jesus Christ grants and privilege on the unconditional love of the couple, making the marriage for life is prolonged , then the ordeal makes its stations in Ramí Street, and ends at the Gazebo "Luis Escoboza" located in one of the highest parts of the city, which is characterized by the spectacular sunset , especially in winter or on rainy days of spring and summer, the ordeal habit up to the lookout at 8:30 pm and crucifixion occurs approximately at 8:50 pm and then finish off with the assumption into heaven at 11:30 pm, it is noteworthy that the ordeal is famous Esportiva due to its touch of reality, because those involved are devout people who pay their penance by flogging on the road to the lookout , which according to legends and customs helps to "cleanse" the sins.

In 1952, El Roblar was renamed, this time he was appointed Suojärvi because a lot of Finns who arrived in this area in order to get better life, so they established themselves as the minority with more members in the city, having a presence of 38% according to recent census of 2045 compared to 62 % of Spaniards, who by history have been most in this city, during the period of social tensions and the Third Republic, the city played an important role as a meeting between the two sides involved, where negotiated peace agreements that were often accepted by both sides and complied with by them, due to the legendary myth ibased in the idiosyncrasy that characterizes the population of the area "that if you lie so strong in El Roblar, you will receive divine punishment."

After events of strong political tension in 2012, the mayor of the time, Mario Lozano decided to change the name of Suojärvi to El Roblar, in order to preserve the name by which the city has spent much of its history in the last 250 years.

Since 2030, El Roblar has come to the fore internationally for its gastronomy and its art in paintings and handicrafts, in the dining area, there has been a mixture of different exotic dishes, being the main course "El Asado de Los Montes", a dish that includes meat and vegetables glazed with mint along with "Chaparro" indigenous alcoholic beverage containing apple, sugar cane juice, beer, mint, cauliflower, etc. . as art has stood Juan Suarez , author of abstract painting and landscaping , promoter creating crafts, sculptures and murals with colorful elements or reusable materials, and creating different museums such as the Museum of Anthropology, history Museum or the museum at the Castle arms the Mercedes or walk into history at the Central Plaza or at Hacienda Montenegro-Álvarez. Apart from start to excel in sports , especially in baseball and soccer, with teams like the Oilers Roblar in baseball and the famous as well as being internationally recognized Roblar The Alliance , one of the most consistent teams San Jose Guayabal in terms of football, plus schools across the city and the region not only encourage reading , but that starting from the seventh year of schooling, a voluntary competition creating books and stories is made, where not only school involved, but it also involved from workers, employees to captains of money , we mean the Floral Games, where according parameters, it is estimated that approximately 70 % of the total population of El Roblar participates either directly or indirectly as a contributor , generating a great literary culture in the population, as well as enriching the intellect and literary productions of the people, according to El Roblar is one of the cities where more books per capita Esportiva occur in approximately 3.75 books per capita, one of the highest amounts across the region, so it shows that the population always takes active part of the process of interaction and generation of culture.

Ubication of El Roblar in San José Guayabal

Located in the mountains of San Pedro, in the northwestern area of San Jose Guayabal , the city of El Roblar has an area of ​​2,040 sq. kilometers, is characterized by a very flat relief in the central part of the city, without But it has a very uneven relief in the north of the city, in the municipality of Boca Negra, is the highest point of the city, to 4,062 meters above sea level exactly on the lookout " Luis Escoboza " is a city ​​that is characterized by moderately severe winters due to its location in the mountains, with temperatures down to -35 ° C in a strong winter day or to -23.5 ° C which is the average temperature of the city in the winter, also characterized by heavy fog during October to March almost permanently , the maximum temperature in winter is just over 2 ° C but on average not more than -13 ° C, being a city with a pleasant climate for those who like the cold in the summer the city has rainy season , obtaining a minimum temperature of 3 ° C at night and a day extemely "Hot" a temperature of 27 °C, on average the city remains at 16 ° C, so it tends to have a moderate climate, rainfall reach 1,200 millimeters per month and as for snow up to 12 inches of snow fall, visibility in the worst case reaches 10 meters visibility at optimum day the people can have perfect visibility.

The city is surrounded by high mountains, being located on a plateau where there are about thirty lakes of public access to clear water where people can get to take a dip at the time they want, when winter season, people tend to practice fishing or skating on the lakes in the summer or even made ​​fishing boat races conducted in lakes.

Lake Chirriquí, south outskirts of El Roblar, in summer.

Historical Main Square, looking east of El Roblar

Castillo Las Mercedes, near the municipality of Boca Negra, in El Roblar

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Cultural Sights

The city of El Roblar is fortunate to have its credit a lot of cultural and historical sites that have influenced the city life and the life of the nation of San Jose Guayabal as we know it, is also city ​​is nicknamed as "The Cradle of the Nation" because of the events mentioned in the story, being probably by far the city with the greatest history in the country and is known for being the cleanest in the country, with a large quantity of dates, museums, theaters and operas, the Roblar is a perfect place where the Spanish culture, Guayabalense native culture and the Finnish culture in great shape combine to form what we know of this city.

For starters, the San Isidro Cathedral is by far the most historic part of the city , built by Manuel Franco in 1609 , is a gem of local architecture, combining Baroque and Gothic style, in addition to using its imposing facade as a symbol the greatness of the history of the city and its devotion to the Supreme Creator, with a capacity of more than 4,500 people and a convent , in addition to its facilities in the legendary Royal School for Health, better known as the Parish School of Humanities and next to it the Catholic University of El Roblar, the largest university in the region serving over 25,000 students, is a place where the science of everyday life come together with faith and devotion of people forming a set of thoughts and social beliefs on the population of El Robla , which is based predominantly Catholic, something very strange considering the rest of the country is mostly Protestant, despite that, the area of the Church is a rallying point for citizens looking to tlk each other and drink some hot coffee or gruel after the workday.

The Castillo de Las Mercedes is one of the most important points of the city, perhaps is the most important history has in the city due to the events and signatures of agreements developed in its facilities, was originally conceived as a country residence for San Jose Reyes Guayabal and then transformed into a museum of heraldry and history of the nation , in addition to the museum of the revolution inside, so its importance is great, because that facilities are constantly monitored and taken under control to give optimal treatment to the building, because the city is characterized by fully respecting its historical legacy.

The viewpoint Luis Barbosa is probably the best place for tourists who want to see a beautiful sunset from more than 4,000 meters high, an opportunity not always have that so here is restaurants, shops of souvenirs, craft shops and hotels, all this in order to provide a memorable stay for any tourist , considering that the city of El Roblar is characterized by having access to local attractions for free or relatively very low cost, so that this city is suitable for anyone from any income.

Music, theatres and literature.

As for the music, this city is known for its folk music duos of these being a lot and important part of the musical culture of the region , its main feature is the Mountain Flute , sung the songs the purest Andean style, and the city has the rock band "The Guys," which garnered a significant success in the city in addition to its flagship title track " Here I'm rocking like a snow storm a" national success in playlists San Jose Guayabal .

As for theater , classical tradition of tragicomedy is maintained in all its splendor , multiple theater companies provide entertainment in public places on weekends at night or sometimes in the days of the workweek, the functions in largest theaters in the city are infrequent, four functions are performed per week , usually the number of spectators in the functions exceeds 2,000, reaching 7,000 in outdoor functions , which are performed simultaneously in different parts of the city, access to theatrical performances is paid and costs just $ 1, or $ 0.33 GuAlSa relatively cheap unlike other countries.

In the field of literature , The Roblar is characterized by a altísim grade reading people, according to surveys families of El Roblar spend $ 500 or $ 156 GuAlSa to buy books every six months , because they believe that anyone who reads a book, is a person with a great imagination, something that the inhabitants carachterize El Roblar is to have a great, great imagination , various competitions are performed in terms of writing literary works , 70% of the total population of city ​​participates in activities , so the Roblar is characterized by a highly intellectual people.

[Zwangzug]

The Spenson Star
A new dawn...sun...star...something?

It could have been worse. Statistically...okay, it couldn't have been much worse. Off the field, let's just say, despite the coach stepping down, despite the retirements of six more players, despite all the puerile commentary from overseas to be ignored at this numerical "milestone," the previous Cup of Harmony is long since over. World Cup 69 qualification awaits, and while Zwangzug will surely be wary of getting its hopes up, while the country will surely be wary of amassing any semblance of national identity beyond "hey you over there," despite the vagaries of multiversal travel making it unclear whether much commentary will slip through from our press at all...there's some talent here. Maybe. A bit.

It could be worse. Take it on faith.

The goalkeepers hold over from last cycle. In defense, Jocelyn Chara-Fekapeu and Connor Ohme step up to the center-back positions. Chara-Fekapeu said all the right pleasantries with regards to her promotion, but Ohme remains a notoriously difficult interview and usually shirks under the camera glare, at least off the field. Tygo Beumers was a one-cycle wonder, as expected given his age and Keppal's brighter star up front, so three newcomers join the reserves; Lilavati Kanwar, Jen McFult, and Edward Ciaver-Maripov.

The retirement of Dima Novak means that Patricia Eliot will be the modern era's longest-tenured starter, the only player to start all six cycles since the team was restored. This will surely be her last tournament? One shocking non-retirement was Martina Ruan, who not only somehow made it back from the unstable government of Kinitaria, but led FTC United to a resurgent third place. So, she'll be around to captain the team again, if only because there are so few other contenders. Perhaps by next cycle Nadine Roark will be worth consideration, if only because the new manager will likely be more tolerant of her hairstyle. But more on that later.

Evan Diallo and Maya Coelho join the starting midfielders, replacing Shula Bachchan-Laum and Davi Keane-Liuprand. The latter's talent will likely be harder to replace, even if his deep-seated sportsmanship had a few...stranger moments of expressing itself. His Ephesian FC remain represented by Delia Ramos-Avea, while Blake Fures joins the Bassabook contingent. He is every bit as irascible as Ohme is reticent, so they won't lack for verbal representation...even if that might be a better decision.

Up front, Arlo Rais-Sonnen joins Ruan in the starting eleven, and young talent Taylor Sariger-Heshik finally gets his chance with the national team. Yes, "his." No doubt plenty of pundits far from the Keppal area were unsure whether this was a male or a female Taylor but...he's a striker and thus, as is most likely for Zwangzug, a he.

And then there's the bench. One can't fault Matilda Kratochvil for her performance, on the whole. Zwangzug were undefeated through the group stage of the qualifiers, with the best defense of any team. What happened after that should not be enough to blame Kratochvil for, and the authorities were perfectly happy to let her keep her position. Yet, it was enough for her to decide that the domestic circuit was more her scene.

The domestic circuit was also the scene for Reaven Laynee, onetime Champions' Cup finalist with Stirvik TU and more lately of Sporting Iturributa. She apparently developed a taste for black-and-white stripes that outlived that country's independence, and despite concerns that maybe an overqualified elderly female in the Bridget Scroves demographic was really not what the national team needed at this juncture, decided that she wanted a go in the World Cup circuit. Here we are.

Her reaction to the group draw involved, in hesitant but articulate English, digressions on solar panels, red-letter edition Bibles, and lycantrophy. Further press conferences are expected to be equally on-topic.

Zwangzug open the qualifiers at home against Vunishia; early scouting reports suggest Laynee has no plans to deviate from the (1)-4-5-1 "X" midfield formation employed by her predecessors. An emphasis on defense might be enough to counteract the mob tactics of Vunishia. Then again, maybe not.