Baptism of Fire 34 (for WC47) RP/Roster/Scores Thread

[Delaclava]

How many times in the tournament can we change our style mod?

[Liventia]

How many times in the tournament can we change our style mod?

OOC: Most hosts won't allow you to do so at all, only the very lenient will allow you one. We're not going to be doing that for this tournament though.

[Delaclava]

Okay, I'll go with a -1.

[Isselmere]

Here's the Isselmere-Nieland national football team list; sorry, no kit as of yet.

Style: -2
Tending towards a fair yet physical style of play, technically not always the best but with clinical passing, mostly defensive but with some offensive skill.

Manager and coaches
James Potherington - Manager - 48
Henrik Gunnarsson - Assistant Manager - 52
Albert Stewart - Goalkeeping coach - 45
Tryggvi Malmkvist - Defence coach - 43
Mark Leifsson - Midfield coach - 38
Angus mab Lloic - Striker coach - 37

Formation: 4-4-2

Starting line-up
1 - Adalbjart Felsingborin - GK - 6' 4" - 28
2 - Egil Thorvaldsson - LB - 5' 11" - 26 - left-footed
3 - Kevin Huang - RB - 6' - 28
4 - Angus mab Costin - CB - 6' 2" - 27 (captain)
5 - Sylvester Morrison - CB - 6' 1" - 25
6 - Keith Bogue - RM - 6' 2" - 24
7 - Gunnar Arnásson - LM - 6' 2" - 23 - left-footed
8 - Magnus Björnssund - CM (attacking) - 6' - 26
9 - Mark Dunston - CM (defending) - 6' 1" - 25
10 - Owen Claesburgh - ST - 6' 3" - 26
11 - Robert Cohen - ST - 5' 11" - 23 - left-footed

Substitutes
12 - Colum mab Wercus - CB - 6' 4" - 27
13 - Brian Stewart - LB - 6' 1" - 25
16 - Daniel Norton - CM - 6' 2" - 24
17 - Peter Watson - LM - 6' 2" - 22
20 - Neton mab Druist - ST - 6' 3" - left-footed
21 - Nicholas Wexburgh - ST - 6' 1"
22 - Clive Greveley - GK - 6' 2" - 26

Reserves
14 - Karl Örtssund - RB - 6' 1" - 21
15 - Lewis Henthorpe - CM - 5' 11" - 29
18 - Henry Wainwright - CB - 6' 2" - 23
19 - Neil Fremont - RM - 5' 10" - 26
23 - Lewis Houghton - GK - 6' 3" - 29
24 - Harvey Ashton - ST - 5' 9" - 22
25 - Matthew Jarrow - CF/CM (attacking) - 6' 2" - 27

Conditions
Select my scorers - yes
Give out yellow cards to my players - yes
Give out red cards to my players - within reason, yes
RP injuries to my players - again, within reason, yes
Godmod injuries - as above, yes
Godmod scoring events - so long as it's amusing, yes
Godmod other events - if it's somewhat realistic (food poisoning, being kept awake by odd occurrences, etc.), yes

[Neumandia]

Ah. I notice I was not placed in a group. Either that or I just couldn't find it after reading through it six times.

[Delaclava]

I checked with a find on page. Neumandia wasn't placed in a group.

[Starblaydia]

OOC: This is why Neumandia isn't on the list:

If you need to you can get rid of Neumandia, my puppet.

Now, if there's any more OOC questions or comments, could they be placed in the World Cup Discussion Thread, please. Many thanks.

[Delaclava]

OOC: This is why Neumandia isn't on the list:

If you need to you can get rid of Neumandia, my puppet.

Now, if there's any more OOC questions or comments, could they be placed in the World Cup Discussion Thread, please. Many thanks.

Glad to know the people here are so helpful and not snobbish at all. *cough*.

[Euro-Trash]

Style Modifier: -2

Head Coach Alphonse Amaury plays with a style centered around having the ball in his court. Our team, the Euro-Trash Mohawks, play using complex and pre-designed plays involving precise timing and lots of close passing to try and obtain breakaways where our speedy offense (mainly Bridger) beats the usually small 3 man defense to face goal keepers in 1-on-1 matches. We choose a 3-3-4 formation ot enphazise our style of play.

Here's our roster, players are labeled by position and starters and reserves are labeled in their position descriptions:

Name, First Name, Last Number Position

Strikers

Roger Bridger 7 Right Striker
Norris Seward 91 Center Striker
Ned Prosper 37 Left Striker
Delbert Royston 11 Backup Left Striker
Pstephen Bailey 41 Backup Center Striker
Aster Raven 13 Backup Right Striker

Midfielders

Sammy Lavern 73 Right Midfielder
Cystennin Ethelbert 77 Center Midfielder
Delmar Alfie 55 Left Midfielder
Jayson Brodie 36 Backup Left Midfielder
Blaine Scott 51 Backup Center Midfielder
Wolfe Sefton 8 Backup Center Midfielder
Wallace Brendon 43 Backup Right Midfielder

Defenders

Rufus Ashton 60 Right Defense
Mitchell Lester 47 Center Right Defense
Dunstan Lindy 23 Center Left Defense
Deacon Hamon 86 Left Defense
Derek Ste 99 Backup Right Defense
Darren Bertie 23 Backup Center Right Defense
Buster Rainard 31 Backup Center Left Defense
Eurig Tanner 21 Backup Left Defense

Goal Keepers

Ralph Alwyn 0 Goal Keeper
Gregoir Lorren 0 Backup Goal Keeper

Conditions under which my opponent may Role-Play before me:

Select My Scorers- Yes

Distribute Yellow/Red Cards To Players: Yes

Role-Play And God-Mod Injuries To My Players: Minor, Yes. However, Major Injuries Should Be Asked About Before Posted

God-Mod Socring And Other Events: Again, As Long As It's Within Reason

I will post my uniforms when I recieve them from Ediraf.

[Liventia]

OOC: This is why Neumandia isn't on the list:

If you need to you can get rid of Neumandia, my puppet.

Now, if there's any more OOC questions or comments, could they be placed in the World Cup Discussion Thread, please. Many thanks.

Glad to know the people here are so helpful and not snobbish at all. *cough*.

OOC: It's a simple request from the WCC President. This is an in-character RP thread; OOC responses should from now on either accompany an IC roleplay or be posted in the DT.

[Al-Merika]

MAFF Website Special Double-Article
al-Merika's Group, Schedule Announced

Part 1 of our special double-article on the opening of the Baptism of Fire:

FORT BOSTON, BOSTOPIA - al-Merika's national football team was today drawn in what some commentators are calling a 'Group of Death', owing to the number of teams who are already participating in the international football scene - which includes the ourselves.

Sargossa and Queer Poco el Mono Ara already have experience on the international scene by participating in the Under-21 World Cup, while the international club competitions' entrants have representation here. The TakilQuip Champions' Cup and Globe Cup are the pinnacle of league football, with only the best of each country being allowed entry.

Thankfully, five of the eleven starters - as well as, of course, Warriors and Merikan Head Coach Kaleel - in the Merikan squad have this experienceas they represent the past two seasons' league champions: the New Tabari Raiders and the New Susa Warriors.

Initial opponents Parthenon will also provide a stern test for al-Merika's fledgling football team, though Coach Kaleel is confident the Merikan players - for whom there are currently no injury or fitness concerns - will do their country proud:

"They say there are no easy games at international level and I'm sure we're going to find that out against Parthenon. The guys have been training hard ready for their first test; they're representing the Moon, Stars and Stripes, so they'll be giving one hundred percent for the ninety minutes, leaving everything out on the field."

Group E
Sargossa
al-Merika
Queer Poco el Mono Ara
Vaarshire
Parthenon

Merikan Schedule
Matchday One: al-Merika Vs Parthenon
Matchday Two: Sargossa Vs al-Merika
Matchday Three: Bye match
Matchday Four: al-Merika Vs Queer Poco el Mono Ara
Matchday Five: Vaarshire Vs al-Merika


And now, onto Part 2 of our special double-article on the opening of the Baptism of Fire:

OREAN, LIVENTIA - Group E sees al-Merika travel to Liventia, holders of two former World Cup trophies from when they went by the name of Liverpool England. This nation has a lot of footballing history, though today seems to have taken much more of a backseat in the international game as the influence of the once-powerful Heartland region has slowly declined.

Merikan fans have already started arriving in Liventia, mostly via the capital, Orean, which is the centre for all things Liventian. Pretty much to a man they are wearing replica jerseys of the national team kit, showing just what sort of support the team have.

Perhaps inspired by the team's designated international code, 'RAM', many of them are carrying unofficial banners and flags with a picture of a ram on them: a nickname for the team already?

Whatever the possible name, Merikan fans are ready to cheer their team all the way and attempt to make themselves into a 'twelfth man' to support the eleven players on the pitch.

"It's awesome," said Ziad of Khemul, "we're here to play, here to win, al-Merika all the way! Go Taloquan! Come on al-Merika!"

"With God's help," said Benazir of Khezbaijar, "we can do well and take the title! Let's go Rams!"

[Valipac]

Group draw completed, Valipac prpares for LeDouchland

Fans celebrate the Valipacian draw

Thousands of Valipacians lined the streets of downtown Lagrina today in anticipation of the Baptism of Fire group draw. Massive televisions were placed outside the buildings downtown, and the streets were flooded with people excited to be a part of the Valipacian effort. As loud as the people were, when the draw began, the crowd fell completely silent. No one whispered when groups A, B, and C filled with no sign of Valipac. As the draw for Group D began to close, at last the name of Valipac was sounded in Fort Boston. Cheers erupted in the streets, as the people were more than happy to see their team in a tournament, much less one with the prestige of the Baptism of Fire. The overall feeling of the draw was by and large happy, although much of the youth's excitement could have originated from the name of another country in Group D, LeDoucheland. The final group and match schedule is as follows.

Group D
South Wienda
Drie-Bene
LeDoucheland
Valipac
Unreal229

On the first match day, Valipac will open it's campaign against LeDoucheland. The match is the second of the day, and should begin around the time most Valipacian get off work. On the second match day, the Valipacians drew a bye. This should benefit them, as it will allow them to look back on the first game and make the proper adjustments without being thrust immediately into a new game. On the third match day, Valipac will take on the squad from Unreal in the last match of the day again. On the fourth match day, Valipac will play South Wienda in the first match of the day. Set your DVRs or skip out on work after lunch because this should be starting around 1 local time. The final game will be played against Drie-Bene in the first match of the day on match day six. After the culmination of the first six match days, the top two teams from each group will advance to a tournament style bracket. Even if Valipac was to finish third, there is a possibility that they could still advance, were they to finish as the best or second best third place finisher in the tournament. The advancing teams will play out the rest of the games until the final winner is determined. All games will be played on Valipac Sports Now as well as online at http://www.vsn.tv/watch_online.php.

As Valipac was drawn in Group D, they have the luxury of playing in Bostopia. For those that don't know, nudity is common in Bostopia, so reconsider any plans you might have to take the kids to a game or two. We would encourage those that have extra time while in Bostopia to check out Rugball while they are there. Rugball, an interesting combination of football (both types) rugby, and even some basketball, has become more and more famous over the years, and is starting to catch on in certain areas of Valipac. If you are looking to visit a few beaches during your stay, then you should head over the East Isle, whereas those looking for a more historic adventure should look to the West Isle and cities like Fort Boston. Don't forget what you're there to see, however, and stay loud and proud for Valipac. We've received no official word from event organizers regarding bonfires and other fire-hazards in the stands such as fireworks, so refrain from using them at this time. Most of all, have fun watching the national team play their hearts out.

Now, Valipac prepares to face LeDouchland. LeDouchland is expected to be a tough challenge, but nothing Valipac can't handle. Manager Terry Scott has said that the game will "serve as a good measuring stick. It will really allow us to judge how far we have come and what we need to do to improve." Valipac hopes to set the tone for the whole tournament with a win. As a wise man once said, "You can't win them all if you don't win the first one." Here's to Valipac getting the first win.

Sean Frasier
Senior Sports Editor

[Liventia]

Host announcement

This is the RP cutoff for Matchday 1. Roleplays posted after this cutoff will count towards the next matchday.

[Midlauthia]

Aggies Drawn in Group G

First up: P00ter

Midlauthians pick up the pieces after a full night of celebration following the group draw

Millions watched live on HavenSport and tens of thousands packed city squares in Rhodeston, Ayllon, Iffagen and Rosario (to name a few) as the group draw for the 34th Baptism of Fire was announced. After nearly an hour of painful anxiety, the Aggies finally heard their name called in Group G, along with the nations of Krytak, Aukera, P00t3r, Gillenor and Isselmere-Nieland. After an hour of peaceful celebration, rioting broke out across Rosario and other cities along the Franberrian border. The Rosario Police Department reported around 100 arrests and 50 injuries over the course of the night, as cameramen and news crews caught tequila-fueled car flippings and burnings live on camera. The rioting ended shortly before sunrise and before the national guard had to be called in.

Matchday one will feature a night match against P00t3r, with the Aggies in their away colors. It hasn't yet been made clear by hosts Liventia how many tickets will be available for fans of each nation or the stadium capacity, but we expect these announcements to be made quite soon. Matchday two will see the Aggies again in away colors facing off against Isslemere-Nieland in what is expected to be a mid morning match. Isslemere-Nieland has so far been the only nation which manager Jimmy Satterfield has been able to acquire a scouting report and game tape for. Said Satterfield of the Isselmeri squad "They're gonna be real hard to drop goals on. They're aren't incredibly big, but they play hard and extremely physical. They really remind me a lot of ourselves, only a little more defensively minded."

On the third day the Aggies will be in their red and navy home colors to face Gillenor in another night match in Liventia. Moving onto matchday four, the Aggies face still yet another unknown in Krytak, expect to see the Aggies in their third butternut uniforms in this afternoon match. Completing the first cycle on matchday five the Aggies will square off against Aeukera in their home colors. After a one day break, the cycle will be repeated to matchday 10 with uniforms being alternated from the first rotation.

Now for the fun portion of the group draw review show here on HavenSport, as our staff fearlessly predicts the outcome of Group G, despite only haven seen game footage of one other team.

Predicted Group G Final Standings

1. Midlauthia lets face it, we all WANT our Aggies to finish first but will they? The answer, simply, is a resounding yes from all our experts here. This isn't Haven Cup II anymore, there are a multitude of new faces to the squad and even more importantly say some, a new manager with new tactics and new energy.
2.Isselmere-Nieland should be the only threat to an Aggie first place finish in Group G. Physical, tough and well coached, it could be a dogfight between us.
3. Krytak here simply because the staff liked their name the most
4. Aeukera here simply because the staff liked their name a bit
5. Gillenor here simply because their name isn't worse than P00t3r
6. P00t3r here simply because the staff doesn't like their name

Now as the days wind down until the Aggies face off in their first NSWC sanctioned event, its our duty as the leading sports network across Midlauthia to release the following public service announcement from Midlauthian Sports Federation president, Allen Sitterle:

"I'd like to remind all Midlauthians traveling to Liventia to remain curious of our hosts at all times, unless they insult our team or people in general. Please feel free to use any profane language in chanting in the stadium or outside of it, in fact anything short of violence is acceptable. Remember that if you aren't standing and yelling during the match, it is the duty of those sitting beside you to beat you until you comply. Thanks, and have a great Baptism of Fire experience"

[Midlauthia]

Host announcement

This is the RP cutoff for Matchday 1. Roleplays posted after this cutoff will count towards the next matchday.

May I humbly request mine be counted before the cutoff?

[Liventia]

OOC: Okie, you certainly may request such, but I don't budge from cutoffs, and the wording of my cutoff was precise to say anything posted after would not count. It's still going to be counted towards MD2, and you have the roster bonus over your opponent, so I'm going to have to say no. If it was an elimination match I'd probably agree, but not on MD1.

Matchday One scores
Group A
Carbonergro 0-0 Toyur
Zerdonian 0-1 Euro-Trash

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Euro-Trash                 1   1   0   0    1    0    1    3
   2  Toyur                      1   0   1   0    0    0    0    1
   3  Carbonergro                1   0   1   0    0    0    0    1
   4  Gargorina                  0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0
   5  Zerdonian                  1   0   0   1    0    1   -1    0

Group B
Upper Orange 1-0 Elesdee
Fson 3-0 Lanceo

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Fson                       1   1   0   0    3    0    3    3
   2  Upper Orange               1   1   0   0    1    0    1    3
   3  Swilatia                   0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0
   4  Elesdee                    1   0   0   1    0    1   -1    0
   5  Lanceo                     1   0   0   1    0    3   -3    0

Group C
Valladares 1-3 Maciea
Delaclava 1-1 Penthoria

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Maciea                     1   1   0   0    3    1    2    3
   2  Penthoria                  1   0   1   0    1    1    0    1
   3  Delaclava                  1   0   1   0    1    1    0    1
   4  The Babbage Islands        0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0
   5  Valladares                 1   0   0   1    1    3   -2    0

Group D
Drie-Bene 1-3 Unreal229
LeDoucheland 2-2 Valipac

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Unreal229                  1   1   0   0    3    1    2    3
   2  Valipac                    1   0   1   0    2    2    0    1
   3  LeDoucheland               1   0   1   0    2    2    0    1
   4  South Wienda               0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0
   5  Drie-Bene                  1   0   0   1    1    3   -2    0

Group E
al-Merika 1-2 Parthenon
Queer Poco el Mono Ara 1-1 Vaarshire

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Parthenon                  1   1   0   0    2    1    1    3
   2  Vaarshire                  1   0   1   0    1    1    0    1
   3  Queer Poco el Mono Ara     1   0   1   0    1    1    0    1
   4  Sargossa                   0   0   0   0    0    0    0    0
   5  al-Merika                  1   0   0   1    1    2   -1    0

Group F
Gallartium 2-1 Sibirsky
Barbana 0-2 WaffenBrightonburg
46566 1-0 Western Mediterranean

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  WaffenBrightonburg         1   1   0   0    2    0    2    3
   2  Gallartium                 1   1   0   0    2    1    1    3
   3  46566                      1   1   0   0    1    0    1    3
   4  Sibirsky                   1   0   0   1    1    2   -1    0
   5  Western Mediterranean      1   0   0   1    0    1   -1    0
   6  Barbana                    1   0   0   1    0    2   -2    0

Group G
Krytak 1-4 Isselmere-Nieland
Aeukera 0-2 Gillenor
P00t3r 2-2 Midlauthia

Code: Select all

  Pos Team                       P   W   D   L   GF   GA   GD  Pts
   1  Isselmere-Nieland          1   1   0   0    4    1    3    3
   2  Gillenor                   1   1   0   0    2    0    2    3
   3  P00t3r                     1   0   1   0    2    2    0    1
   4  Midlauthia                 1   0   1   0    2    2    0    1
   5  Aeukera                    1   0   0   1    0    2   -2    0
   6  Krytak                     1   0   0   1    1    4   -3    0

[Toyur]

Toyurska Sportnyhet

Bears start Baptism of Fire with Drab Draw
by Anders Alfven

Bostonia(TP) - The Toyur national football squad began their first international tournament in the nation of Bostopia, and played to a 0-0 draw.

The Bears looked nervous in their first major international competition, and defensive manager Erik Larsson set out to contain opponents Carbonegro with an even more defensive 4-5-1 formation, with striker Viktor Eklund on the bench and club teammate Gustav Jakubsson taking his place. Jakubsson played a defensive midfield role along with captain Mattias Sjodin, and the Bears, in their away white and green kit, attempted to play a possession game to limit the damage. Unfortunately for all involved, neither side had much attacking impetus, and scoring chances were at a minimum.

The first came in the 36th minute when left back Mikael Lilja was turned around by a Carbonegrean winger and had to stab the ball out past the end line for a corner kick. Bears keeper Anders Eriksson failed to come off his line to claim the relatively routine corner, and the volley from the opponents was cleared away by Paul Olafsson. The Bears responded at the end of the first half when lone striker Magnus Gustavsson got clear of the Carbonegro defenders but couldn't put a shot past the keeper from a poor angle. The half ended 0-0, many fans having been awoken by the sound of the half-time whistle.

The second half started out as poorly as the first, and each team traded one or two wildly off-target shots before Larsson took off Jakubsson and inserted Viktor Eklund back into his formation and the Bears' traditional 4-4-2 formation. It provided the Bears with a few chances, and neither team looked anything like scoring for the 90+ minutes. The game ended 0-0.

The Bears next opponent is Zerdonian, who went down 1-0 to current group leaders Euro-Trash, and about whom little is known, with the team not having released a media guide. The game can be caught on TSTV3.

[Swilatia]

Gazeta Swilajska
English Version

Baptism of Fire Starts, Swilatia in Group B

The first matches of of the Baptism of Fire tournament were played last night in Bostopia and Liventia. In Group B, into which Swilatia was drawn, Fson won 3-1 against Lanceo, and Upper Orange won 1-0 in their match against Elesdee. Swilatia's first match, however, will not take place until the second matchday, giving Swilatians extra time to try and predict how their team will perform in the tournament.

The Swilatian team's first match will be against Upper Orange, who have won their first match. This does not however mean, that the Swilatian team have no chance to win. In today's match, Upper Orange, as mentioned before, have only managed to score one goal, and Elesdee did not score a single goal. A repeat performance of this is not expected, as our team will not let the match end with zero points, or only one point for Swilatia. The Upper Orange team will also have to work harder, as one goal will not be enough for them to win this match.

So, if Swilatia win this match, as we predicted, this will place us second in the group, behind Fson, who have last night's match, and will most likely also win their next match against Elesdee. Swilatia's second match, against Fson may be more difficult, if Swilatia can win against Upper Orange, there should be no problem winning the last two matches, with the teams Lanceo and Elesdee, which both lost their first match.

Though the opinion of a Swilatian newspaper will obviously be biased towards such a predection, there is a good chance that Swilatia will go on to the next stage of the tournament, if not finish first in the group. Whichever ticket they take, the other ticket to the second round will most likely go to the team from Fson. Third and fourth place will go to Upper Orange and Lanceo, in either order, and Elesedee

[Fson]

will post my reply to game 2morrow.

[Midlauthia]

Ayllon Daily Record

Aggies Stumble Out of the Gate

By Daniel Lowder

It was a disappointing effort today in Liventia, the hopes and expectations of a magical Baptism of Fire run have been slightly rocked as the Aggies came out with little energy and sleepwalked through the first half against P00t3r, as the mysterious team in home colors put two quick goals up on a lackluster back four. The lack of effort was evident in the first minute at Kristian Heijtinga made a lazy tackle at a P00t3r striker just outside of the box, earned himself a yellow card and surrendered a free kick. Pander was able to get a hand on it but couldn't keep it clear and a P00t3r winger was able to get another cross in after the rebound, but the shot was well wide to Pander's right.

More real danger came in the fifteenth minute as a Joe-Ben Watson pass was intercepted near midfield, igniting a P00t3r attack that ended in Eric Bennett nimbly deflecting a shot from just outside the box for the third P00t3r corner of the match. A poorly placed corner resulted in a chance for a counterattack, but another poorly placed Watson pass sent the ball sailing past the touchline near midfield.

P00t3r finally took advantage of their chances in the twenty fifth minute, some nifty dribbling around the edge of the box and a single pass set up a P00t3r striker for a quick flick into the top left of the net from about 10 yards out. Terry Holthausen took verbal abuse from Pander for loosing his man so easily in the box, but many in the audience were quick to blame Pander for not reaching the shot. The chances for the Aggies would start in the thirty fourth minute, Andreas Brodin took off on a great run down the middle and received a beautiful touch pass from Jewnínho, but his shot from 20 yards out slammed off the top of the left post and out for a goal kick.

The final action of the first half came in the forty-first minute, a red card to Joe Ben-Watson for a high tackle in the box, giving P00t3r an penalty kick, which with Pander going the wrong way, was easily converted. The Aggies left the pitch to a chorus of boes from their own fans, shocked to be down to an opponent 2-0 after only 45 minutes of play. More so, only one shot on goal and only two shots, 37% possession and two cards. In fact, I heard several fans remarking that they should probably "get drunk as shit" to be able to stand the second half.

However the second half was not the nightmare many fans where anticipating. Though shorthanded, the Aggies came out aggressively and earned two early shots on goal, from Brodin and Freiburger in the fiftieth and fifty first minutes respectively. The best Aggie passing of the day resulted in a chance for a one on one for Freiburger in the sixtieth minute, but a P00t3r defender decided that was not in order and earned a red card for his take down from behind inside the box. Jewnínho converted on the resulting penalty kick, and the great one became the first Midlauthian to score in NSWC sponsored competition.

Now down just 2-1 and both sides a man down, shots were flowing in the second half from both sides, however being on target was not required. A plethora of bad misses from each side resulted in both managers scratching their heads, each believing the match should be theirs. However it was not meant to be for either side, as Andreas Brodin converted a Daniel Evans set up, blasting a shot from 22 yards out into the upper right corner, effectively sealing the game as a draw in the 89th minute. The team left the pitch in good spirits, and many fans seemed reassured, lets just hope that we get a second half effort every time.

Midlauthia 2 - 2 P00t3r
(Jewnínho 61pk, Brodin 89) (xx striker 25 xx captain 41pk)

[Sargossa]

The Island Chronicle


Baptism of Fire Special


If the Di Bradini Cup going on right now in Starblaydia was the starter then the main course had very much arrived. It’s not that we haven’t been enjoying the Under-21 championship, far from it but it’s certainly this Baptism of Fire tournament that the last two years of preparation has been geared towards. And finally we’re here. Maybe the side is a little different than expected and certainly no-one picked the coach appointment but here we are regardless.

The squad selected by coach Christian Salazar unsurprisingly draws heavily from SuperLiga champions Ciudad Soluca. In fact five Ciudad players, six if you include goalkeeper Tejera who is expected to sign for the champions after the tournament, are included in the first choice starting eleven. Interestingly only one player from runner’s up El Nacional, the experienced Mario Quiñónez, is included in the first eleven. Although he does captain the side.

Tactically Salazar is expected to deploy the traditional back five with the three powerful centrebacks adsorbing the pressure and then the onus placed on fallbacks Calderón and Díaz García to provide counterattacking options down the flanks. Quiñónez will act as a midfield destroyer allowing Gallego and surprise pick García Fernández, after some wonderful performances at the Di Bradini, to support the goal happy front two of Fariás and Batista. On the bench it’s the Soluca based duo of the wily Patiño and hugely talented Cobían who look the most dangerous of the impact subs. Ricardo Moraes has a wand of a left foot if needed and fellow lefty Herráez, another surprise inclusion, showed last season to be one of the coolest finishers in the country despite playing for relegated Daroca Marinos.

The Corsairs, as we should get used to calling them, come into this tournament quietly confident of their own chances following an impressive debut showing from SuperLiga clubs in the global cups and the Under-21 side’s excellent run in the Di Bradini Cup. “You can’t come into this kind of tournament not believing you can win it.” Football Federation of Sargossa (FFS) Vice President Rafael Barragán said. “But we certainly wouldn’t consider ourselves one of the favourites by any means. Yes we think our early exposure to international competitions through the TakilQuip Champions Cup and Globe Cup and later in the Di Bradini has given us an advantage not many others here will enjoy but there’s still a couple of sides definitely worth avoiding.” When asked exactly who they were he continued, “well Queer Poco el Mono Ara have been gaining a lot of support of late and have been tipped to win this whole thing so they would be good to avoid as would al-Merika who like us have blooded their players in the global cups.”

So it’s perfectly understandable why Barragán looked distinctly less than impressed at the draw in Fort Boston, Bostopia when Sargossa emerged first out in Group E, followed quickly by al-Merika and then Queer Poco el Mono Ara. A talented looking Vaarshire side and a tough team from Parthenon completed a truly hideous group. “Not exactly what we’d been hoping for” captain Mario Quiñónez admitted. “We don’t know a whole lot about these teams but we know enough to realise just getting through the group is going to be really tough. What we have managed to pick up is that Queer Poco, al-Merika and Vaarshire all like to play an attacking game so the defence and I are going to be kept plenty busy.”

Being drawn first in a five team group also meant that the squad could enjoy an extra day’s training in Liventia as they had a bye for the opening round of matches. Not ideal as it leaves the dark blues playing catch-up right from the start but it allowed FFS technical advisor Rob Kietecs, persuaded to stay on with the squad despite not be named coach as expected, to pour over the tapes of the other two group games. After those games it’s Parthenon who somewhat surprisingly lead Group E after a 2 – 1 win over al-Merika. In the other match Vaarshire held group favourites Queer Poco el Mona Ara to a 1 – 1 draw. Next up the Corsairs start their campaign against al-Merika while Parthenon will look to consolidate their position at the top against the Poconese.

[The Babbage Islands]

FORT BOSTON, Bostopia (BPA) -- A day off is just what the doctor ordered for The Babbage Islands in the Baptism of Fire soccer tournament. The Islanders will open their schedule today against Valladares, who were 3-1 losers to Maciea in first-round Group C action.

The FC Green Star contingent, including coach Mark Orr, Sr., forwards Tony Martin and Qiao Zhibang, and midfielder Art Kelly, scouted the Valladares-Maciea game. They came away impressed with the quality of play and the determined style of both sides. "I think we can attack successfully against both of these teams," said Kelly, "but we'll be working for every goal."

Meanwhile, the players from Parisian and Charleston FC made up a table of eight with four local lovelies as they caught coverage of the national gridiron side securing a quarterfinal berth at the Baptism of Iron in Arroza. Captain Magnus Svoboda of Dover City assured inquiring reporters that all team rules were observed.

After Valladares, the Islanders will face Delaclava, Penthoria, and Maciea in the following three games to round out group play.

[Delaclava]

DELACLAVA STAR

Delaclava 1 - Penthoria 1

Delaclava, for the first part of their time in international play, played teams with much experience that overmatched them, but played them well. Now, in their first test against new teams like them, they played equally well but couldn't pull out the points.

Mose Fuentes came back from injury to tie the game and Graham Torres pulled off 14 saves, leading Delaclava to a one-point tie in their quest to win Baptism of Fire.

Steve Johnson took a pass from Matt Gordon earlier in the first half to put Penthoria up 1-0, but Torres held off the rest of the barrage to preserve Delaclava's position.

Delaclava's next game will be against Maciea.

Penthoria 1 0 - 1
Delaclava 0 1 - 1

MAN OF THE MATCH - Graham Torres, GK, Delaclava. Penthoria got a lot of good shots, and it took a fantastic goalie like Torres to stop them. Kyle Tran was a good backup in the Oxen Cup, but without Torres this would have been a slam dunk win for Penthoria.

SCORING
1st Half - PEN, Steve Johnson (Matt Gordon, Vinnie Richter) 37th.
2nd Half - DEL, Mose Fuentes (Calvin Castillo, Stanley Ichtyelkov) 75th.

SHOTS - PEN 8-11-19, on goal 7-8-15. DEL 5-5-10, on goal 3-4-7. SAVES - PEN, Packard 3-3-6. DEL, Torres 6-8-14.

LINEUPS - PEN, Todd Packard; Hector Carr, Jim Edminter, Sergei Krotov (Tom Sarwillinger 67th), Tate Sharron; Vinnie Richter, Felipe Gonzalez, Jerry Ogilvie (Chucky Axelrod 67th); Matt Gordon (Jason Krueger 50th), Steve Johnson, Chris Martin. DEL, Graham Torres; Jim Molina, Calvin Pope, Devin Santana; David Ward, Jamal Pacheco, John Ewing, Mose Fuentes; Stanley Ichtyelkov, Geraldo Ayala, Calvin Castillo.

[Parthenon]

National Team Leads Baptism of Fire Group E With a 2-1 Victory
The Parthenese National Team stunned crowds in Liventia earlier this evening with a surprise 2-1 victory
over Al-Merika. Scoring the first point of the match only 18 minutes in was the legendary forward
Leonidas Agathangelos of division one contender FC Athens with an amazing header past Merikan keeper
Ardeshir Konduz. The goal was assisted off of a corner from teammate Alexis Olympos of FC Corinth.
With momentum on their side the Parthenese National team kept Al-Merika scoreless to the half. Upon
returning to the field it was all too clear that Al-Merikan Coach Bardan Kaleel's words in the locker room
prompted a second wind in the team that appeared battered and bruised during the first half. In the 64th
minute Al-Merikan captain Ardalan Hassan tied the game at 1-1 with a quick shot to lower right corner.
Keeper Nikolas Athanas of FC Thebes managed to get a hand on the ball but unfortunately the deflection wasn't
enough. Following the goal head coach Bachus Erebus substituted in the titan of defense, 6'5'' 226lb Sophus
Aesop of FC Argos to replace Kleitos Zephyr of FC Thebes. With this change in place the national team was
able to rebuild the momentum that lead them to a successful first half. In the 78th minute of the game
Parthenese captain Panther Stephanos of FC Olympia answered back at the Merikan team with a long goal
off of a throw-in from teammate Panos Okeanos of FC Delphi. The Merikan team managed to volley back
with a few good shots in the remaining minutes but were unable to make the grade and overcome the deficit.
In an interview following the game Parthenese Coach Bachus Erebus had this to say about his team's
performance and hopes for the remainder of the tournament... "We played a strong defense and it
worked to our advantage in the match, we let our success in the first half get to our heads however.
We got cocky, we need to work on that. If we can figure out a way to remain focused we should have
an excellent chance at winning the group stage as well as the tournament as a whole. Thanks to all the
fans that made the trek to beautiful Liventia and those watching at home, your support doesn't go
without notice." The Parthenese national team looks to continue its success with an upcoming match
against experienced international competitor Queer Poco el Mono Ara on day two of the group stage.
This match is also scheduled to be played in the nation of Liventia in front of a sold out crowd.

[Valipac]

Valipac concedes late goal, draws LeDoucheland

Manager Terry Scott couldn't believe what happened

The score was 2-1 and Valipac looked to be set to take a first game win into the bye with them, and then the unthinkable happened. A blunder late in stoppage time on a pass between Aidan Wyatt and Joe Alexander allowed LeDoucheland's striker to have a clear run on goal, and he capitalized. What had gone so well for Valipac had taken a horrid turn of events. The game ended in a draw, 2-2, with Valipac tied for second in the Group.

The game was relatively silent in the first half, with few chances coming from either side. It appeared that both squads were being a bit tentative, which could be expected from two teams playing in their first ever international tournament. Coming out from the break however, it was clear that the second half would be an entirely different game. Offenses dominated, and passing flourished as both teams managed to get on the board early. Valipac drew first blood on a long strike from Zachary Watts in the 50th minute. He recieved a pass from Leon King, and drilled it on goal from 30 meters out. The shot appeared to be going wide, but curled in around the bar, much to the surprise of the LeDoucheland keeper. LeDoucheland did not go long before scoring an equalizer, however. A beautiful cross was met with a superb header, and Valipacian keeper Harry Burke was not able to make it all the way across the net in time. By the 56th minute, the score was knotted at one.

Things took a turn for the better for Valipac when Charles Stone recieved a yellow card for a brutal tackle on one of LeDoucheland's midfielders. It energized the team, which had appeared to be dragging before the foul. Shortly afterwards, the ball was passed quickly upfield through a series of short touches, and in turn was given to Nicholas Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald used a fantastic Matthew's dribble to evade an oncoming defender, and was in the clear to shoot on goal. As he moved towards the net, the LeDoucheland keeper charged at him, so he pulled up and simply flicked the ball over the keeper's head and into the corner of the net. Fans of both teams erupted afterwards, applauding the superb ball-handling skills Stone had displayed. In the 72nd minute, Valipac once again led, this time by a score of 2-1.

Joe Kay came on for Alexander Marsden in the 80th minute, and came close to putting Valipac ahead by two, but was called offside on a controversial play. It was one that would come back to haunt the Valipacian squad. When the 90 minutes drew to a close, the referee announced that there would be three minutes of added time to offset injury and substitution minutes. With the game surely nearing an end, Valipac was passing the ball around, wasting time, when Wyatt made a poor pass to Alexander. The striker for LeDoucheland jumped in between the two and intercepted the ball and wasted no time racing towards the goal. It was him and the keeper, and unfortunately for Valipac, he won.

After the match, a number of Valipacian players stayed out on the pitch, staring into space in disbelief. In his post game press-conference, the usually lively Scott was unnaturally subdued. "We let this one slip away from us, plain and simple." He continued on to say that Valipac "can't focus on the what-if's or what-might-have beens regarding the offsides call, as what's done is done." He reiterated that Valipac "needs to focus on working hard in the day off to prepare for the Unreal squad," where hopefully they can "get back on track to achieving our ultimate goal, winning the tournament." It's important to remember that this is just the first game, and no matter how dismal the result may seem, there is still plenty of time to see the result turned around.

OOC: This should go for the RP bonus on Matchday 3, as I have no Match on Matchday 2