Torgos Tribune ~ Onward March
Eura defeated, Patistan defeated, and yet the Young Wanderers let two points slip away to Polaaskan, keeping them from all but securing their advancement through the first three games of this preliminary round. Perhaps the worry of a potential civil war back at home kept the young men and women from being able to focus, with little expectation in the way of resistance from Polaaskan, but it was definitely a case of two points dropped for our side, with having the lead up until the last ten minutes. Inèz van Stiphout continues to impress at the forward spot and it can easily be seen why Canterlot Royals if Equestrian States was quick to pick her up when her name was on the market. She will be a name to look out for in the years to come, though with several good strikers currently about, one has to wonder if she will get much of a chance to break fully into the full national team or be kept on the outside.
The disappointment of a draw aside, the Wanderers are still in great position when it comes to advancing out of the group, having a game in hand on Allied Omaha with them and Yttribia still to play, the two squads ahead of them in the standings. Yttribia will be boyued by their defeat of Eura, which surely marks the end of their hopes of advancing from the preliminary group, while Allied Omaha is pulling off victories like a magician pulls rabbits out of their hat. Which is to say, I believe it to be nothing but smoke and mirrors and that when the two sides do face off against one another, that our young lads and lasses will show these upstarts just what high level international football is, albeit on the youth stage.
If the Wanderers can come out of these next two matches with three to six points, then they will have it made as they get Furellum as their last match to worry about, which is looking more and more like it will be more or less a walkover given their results thus far. Yet the problem will be keeping these youngsters concerned with the task at hand and not worrying about the politics of the nation nor what might be if the results go their way. As it stands, the Yttribia attack looks poised to shred through our defenses, having grabbed seven goals thus far into the tournament, the same amount that Allied Omaha has but with one fewer game played. Björgvin Guðbjörnsson will have to rise to the occasion and keep the team and the entire backline in order to try and stymie that powerful attack. Can the young Baskita defender prove his mettle once again, after keeping the side well shaped against Eura or will the side suffer their first defeat?
