Baptism of Fire 60 - Everything Thread

[Valladares]

WC/BoF Signups • Host Bid • WC Discussion Thread
Eura Info • Valladares Info

Welcome to the sixty edition of the Baptism of Fire, hosted by the Euran Football Association and the Asociación Valladar de Fútbol! This tournament marks the beginning of the seventy-third cycle of the NationStates World Cup, where we will be welcoming 32 nations that are about to compete in their first WCC competition ever!

This prestigious competition is one of three competitions making up the World Cup cycle, along with the World Cup and the Cup of Harmony (which is an invitational tournament for nations that fail to make it to the WC proper), and entry into it is reserved to teams that have not entered the World Cup before, and as such, do not have a KPB ranking (i.e. NS Sports equivalent of the FIFA rankings). Therefore, this competition is where those teams gain their first KPB points and begin their long road to World Cup success, making the BoF a very important warming-up for the World Cup.

Given the unique nature of the Baptism of Fire, being the only WCC competition with all entrants lacking any rank points, all 32 teams that will be travelling to the Rushmori continent of Terranea will start on an equal footing and therefore will have the same odds to go on to win the competition. However, there are two determining factors that will help you fulfill that goal: the first one is called roleplay (or RP). RP well and RP often and your chances to win will certainly increase! The other one is none other than luck, because in NS Sports things won't always go your way, and Margaret, NS Sports' "official" Goddess of Randomness will be constantly visiting us looking for people to reward or punish (yes, that too) as she deems appropriate.

This thread will be the place where you should post everything in-character (IC) related to the tournament, that is, your rosters and roleplays, and also the place where the hosts will be posting their nation info, stadiums, and of course, the results. Out-of-character notes, comments, observations, etc (including tags and placeholders of any sort) should not be posted here and should instead go to the World Cup Discussion Thread (linked above) or to the hosts via telegram.

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Group Draw (Groups A to D to be played in Eura; Groups E to H to be played in Valladares)

Group A
Thaldor
Aeqamustopia
Cruenatia
Hot Skitty on Wailord Action

Group B
Estelar
Googolsia
Witty Penguins
New Gelderland

Group C
Emirate of Akbarstan
Burthnas
Saaksvala
Banija

Group D
Minecraft Miners
Natanians and Nosts
Scottopian Isles
Chromatika

Group E
Damukuni
The Lee Islands
Shtiar Bakal
Dreamplanet

Group F
Wazekia
Armeia
Banguela
Eshan

Group G
Freedom Utopia 100
Transpadana
Fluvique
Copper Cuprum

Group H
Gim
Herberland
Knalland
Warbern

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Tournament Schedule

Groups A-D will be scorinated between 12-1 AM BST (23:00-00:00 UTC). Groups E-H will be scorinated between 6-7 PM EDT (22:00-23:00 UTC).

Group Stage
Monday, September 28th: Matchday 1 - 1v4, 2v3
Tuesday, September 29th: Matchday 2 - 3v1, 2v4
Wednesday, September 30th: Matchday 3 - 1v2, 3v4

Knockout Stage
Friday, October 2nd: Round of 16 - 1Av2B, 1Cv2D, 1Bv2A, 1Dv2C, 1Ev2F, 1Gv2H, 1Fv2E, 1Hv2G
Sunday, October 4th: Quarterfinals - R1vR2, R3vR4, R5vR6, R7vR8
Tuesday, October 6th: Semifinals - QF1vQF2, QF3vQF4
Wednesday, October 7th: Third Place Play-off
Thursday, October 8th: Final

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New to NS Sports? Here are some tips for you.

First of all, if you are new to the NS Sports forum, you really should read the Guide to Sports Roleplaying. This guide presents you a general idea on what to do and how tournaments in NS Sports work. In case you have any additional questions, feel free to ask on the Discussion Thread (again, linked above) or send one of the hosts a telegram.

Now that you have already taken that step, you should start thinking in a roster for your team. A roster is -in its simplest form- a list of the 11 players in your starting lineup, their positions, manager/head coach, and also the players in your bench or reserves. Some participants often include some other information aimed at enriching the RPing experience and opportunities, for example, additional information on their players, coaching staff, their backgrounds, clubs, style of play, strenghts and weaknesses and anything else deemed to be of interest or anything you want others to know about your team. There is no limit regarding the number of players you can include in your roster, and there's no gender- or species-based restriction of any sort, either, with several past World Cup champions and other established nations currently competing or having competed with all-male, all-female, mixed-gender teams, teams comprised by monks, and also teams made up of elves, sentient bears and ponies, among several others.

Next up, you may want to include a style modifier for your team in your roster. A style modifier is a number ranging from -5 to +5 which will be inputted into the scorinator and will also serve to give others an idea of your style of play. Teams with negative style modifiers tend to be more defense-focused and will concede (on average) fewer goals at the cost of having more trouble at scoring goals. On the other hand, if your team is more offense-focused, then you should choose a positive style mod. Teams that play offensively tend to score more goals on average...but also tend to concede more goals in return. For those of you who would rather a more balanced style, a neutral style mod of 0 is also available. Teams will also be assigned a style mod of 0 if they don't state a style modifier.

Okay, so you already have a list of players and have chosen a style mod for your team. Good. Now pay attention to this part, because this is one of the most important things to include in your roster as it will have an effect on your opponents' RPs. Ladies and gentlemen, now we present to you the RP Permissions Box:

Code: Select all

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes/No
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No

The box above will be the tool enabling you to tell your opponents what you are willing to allow them to do, as well as what you are not allowing them to do. Please copy and paste it somewhere into your roster indicating your preferences as well as any restrictions for every option. Now let's review the meaning of each of these options:

Choose my goalscorers allows your opponents to choose which player(s) score your team's goal(s), should they RP the match before you do. Almost everyone allows this option since the most common form of roleplay in this forum is the traditional match summary/report, and it would be really difficult to write one of those without identifying the goalscorers. Godmod scoring events enables your opponents to RP goals that are scored in an unrealistic way or not likely to happen in reality.

The RP injuries to my players option is pretty self-explanatory: it allows your opponents to injure your players. However, most participants who allow others to injure their players will also set restrictions on the severity and causes of those injuries, thus retaining some extent of control on how badly injured their player is and future consequences and impacts of that injury on their teams. Just like "Godmod scoring events" for unlikely/unrealistic goals, Godmod injuries to my players refers to your opponents RPing injuries on your players but caused in less common and/or unrealistic ways. This option is generally used for more drastic injuries than those of the standard injury option, ranging from rendering your players unable to play the remainder of the tournament, ending their careers, or even killing them. That causes this option to be restricted by most players.

Yellow cards and red cards are an important part of the game, as yellow cards are handed out to players who aren't following the rules of the game as a warning, with red cards being handed out either after a second yellow card or as a result of a particularly severe violation of the rules or unsportsmanlike behaviour. Those players that are shown a red card are sent off the field, forcing their team to continue the remainder of the match with less players. Basically, if you choose "yes" to any or both of those options, you are allowing your opponents to enact such disciplinary actions against your players in their RPs. However, you can also set limits on the number of those cards if your players are less prone to carrying out actions that cause them to be booked and/or sent off.

Finally, Godmod other events refers to other unrealistic and/or unlikely events not related with goals or injuries. This can include from severe weather conditions, events by fans in the stands, to the opening of a portal to another dimension at the center of the pitch in the middle of the match. There are several things that can fall into this option, therefore you might deem it appropriate to set some limits for your opponents.

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The Terranean Challenge

As a part of the celebrations of the upcoming Baptism of Fire in Valladares and Eura, all competing nations are being invited to write and submit an in-character roleplay (it doesn't have to be very extensive) on one of more of their national team players or coach. The players/coach in the best-written of these RPs will be selected to join the Eleven of Fire, which is going to be a sort of an all-stars team or "Team of the Tournament" with the best players the newest nations joining the World Cup have to offer. This team will be playing a selection of the best players of the national teams of both Eura and Valladares, who will be teaming up in a Terranean XI or "Terranean Combine", in a charity match dubbed as the Terranean Challenge which is to be played after the tournament is over.

It is to be noted that there is no obligation to write one of these RPs, and that selection of teams, coaches, and formations will be decided by the hosts depending on the number of players submitted for consideration.

EDIT - The Terranean Challenge has been cancelled due to a lack of entries.

[Valladares]

Welcome to Valladares!

Map of Valladares (Mainland)

The United Kingdom of Valladares is proud to welcome 16 nations from all over the multiverse who will be competing in their first WCC event ever for the 60th edition of this respectable and prestigious sporting festival called Baptism of Fire, which is coming to this fair land located in eastern Rushmore for the first time. We hope that the delegations of those 16 teams that were drawn into the Valladar section of the tournament (i.e. groups E through H) will enjoy their stay in this country.

Overview

Valladares is a country located in the region of Rushmore (yes, we had already said it), comprised of two bigger chunks of territory and the City of Junín, which is an enclave on the shores of the Endemien Ocean, which allow the country's "mainland" to have access to the sea through the Fontvielle-Junín railway. The "two bigger chunks of territory" are the Mainland, located in the Terranea continent, where the capital city Metropolis, as well as the country's most important cities and most of the country's population are located; and the Westlands, which is a state located in the Terramidia continent.

The land that is now the Valladar mainland was inhabited for millennia by various Aboriginal peoples, among them the Valladar and Astine peoples, who established their city-states on opposite banks of the Danubio river. Those tribes were decimated by both diseases and colonization processes carried on by Europeans, mainly Spaniard, Portuguese, and French colonizers and missionaries, who also introduced Catholicism into what would became the Valladar mainland. "Puerto Esperanza", nowadays called Westporte, is recognized as the oldest city in the country, having been founded in 1580 by Spaniard explorer Sebastian Cortés. Beginning in the late 16th century, Spanish colonial expeditions explored and settled the eastern region of the Great Inland Sea and the lower course of the Danubio river, establishing the Colony of Río Danubio in 1654, splitting the region into the colonies of Valladares, Iliria, Eterna, and Valle Danubio and starting a 227-year colonial rule that ended with the Second Valladar Uprising and the subsequent War of Independence, and followed up by the Declaration of Independence, signed on October 8, 1881. The Valladar federation was later strengthened by reunification with the Iliria (current Chiquito and Foix states) and Eterna states during the years 1890-1900. Eventually, the reunification of the Valladar states was achieved after the conquest of the city of Tallinberg (now Carloburgo) on March 17, 1909 and the proclamation of the Royal Constitution on July 1, 1910.

Valladares is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with King Charles V as its head of state. Four languages are official at the federal level as a result of the colonization processes underwent by European powers during the Colony era. Its advanced economy is one of the largest in Rushmore, built on and mainly relying upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed trade networks. Valladares's recent opening to its regional neighbours (mainly on the sports and diplomacy fields) has helped the nation establish cordial relationships with most of them and has had a significant impact on its economy and culture, although the latter can be questioned due to the fact that its natural social heterogeneity, which was forged through history, makes it difficult to establish a "unified" Valladar culture.

Geography

The geography of Valladares is characterized by its two different regions with their unique characteristics: the Mainland and the Westlands. The former is dominated by the Ituyán mountain range which runs from south to north passing through the nation and separating the country from the rest of the Terranea continent. Valladares's highest mountain, Monte Blanco, is located in this mountain range, near Eterna City and rises up to 4,789 meters above sea level. The Danubio river flows through the nation from south to north, first going through the eastern plains and the capital city Metropolis, then turning westwards and passing through the Ituyán range between the cities of Angostura and Araracuara in the east and Maldonado and Columbus to the west, in the region known as the Cañón del Danubio (Danube Canyon) and then the Danubio valley in the Eterna, Antioquia, and Canalave states. The Ituyán mountains contain some of the country's biggest urban centres: Carloburgo, Eterna City, Campo Grande, and Pradera, however, the capital city Metropolis, along with the entire Foix state and its capital Bezieres and the entire Canalave state and the cities of Canalave and Westporte are located in the plains to the east and the Danubio valley to the west. Peaks in the Ituyán mountain range in the southern half of Valladares (Mountbatten state) reach 3,200 meters above sea level (10,498 feet), while in the northern half (Chiquito and Eterna states) they exceed 4,700 meters above sea level (15,419 feet).

On the other half, the Westlands region is generally hilly to the south and west with a coastal region to the north and east, where the capital city of Edmonton is located. The tallest peak of this region is Mount Rockefeller, which reaches a height of 2,276 meters above sea level (7,467 feet). The population in this region is concentrated in the coastal plains, with 55% of the state's inhabitants living in the cities of Edmonton and Adelaide.

Travel Advice

So, are you still interested in travelling to this nation to support your national team in their first WCC event ever? Well, if the answer to this question is "yes", then here we have some tips for you to make sure your stay will not be an unpleasant experience for both you and us:

1. While the Valladar Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually requires most tourists from non-Rushmore nations to have a visa (usually handed on arrival) to enter the country, fans will only need to show their ticket for a Baptism of Fire match (as well as their passport) in order to enter the nation. Tickets for group stage matches being played in Valladares will be sold and handed over by the competing football associations, tickets from the round of 16 onwards will only be sold and handed over in Valladares.

2. As the official name of the nation might suggest, Valladares is a United Kingdom, with (currently) two Kings as its Heads of State who are very beloved throughout the country and also seen as a symbol of unity by all citizens irrespective of state and/or mother tongue. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to insult, slander, defame them and/or any member of the Royal Family, create and/or spread any and all kinds of rumour involving both them and the Royal Family and/or orchestrate and perform any and all kinds of attack against them and/or any member of the Royal Family. Should you are found doing any of the actions mentioned above, you will be arrested, charged with lese majeste, and taken to a trial with the Kings themselves as judges, who shall decide an appropriate punishment as they please. This punishment also includes deportation if the offender is a foreigner, of course.

3. The most spoken language by Valladars during daily life is Spanish, though English will be the main language spoken in parts of the Mountbatten and Eterna states, as well as French in the Foix state, and Portuguese in the Chiquito state. While locals will definitely appreciate that you make an effort to make yourself be understood when seeking help, they will not appreciate at all to see foreigners "butchering" their native languages. So our advice is this one: If you are not fluent in Spanish, French, or Portuguese, do not try to speak any of those languages: that will do nothing but irritate your interlocutor.

4. The rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are fully guaranteed as long as you do not try to abuse of them by doing any of the things described in the second recommendation.

5. Smoking is forbidden at all public places (including stadiums). However, hotels are already implementing "smoking zones" where you can smoke at pleasure alongside other smokers without disrupting the lungs of non-smokers.

6. Valladares uses the Point (PT$) as its national currency, it is one of the Rushmore's strongest currencies with a current exchange rate of NS$1.68 to 1 Point. The Point is divided into 100 Centavos. We strongly advise that you exchange your local currency into Points or NSD as soon as you enter the country, because most shops and businesses will be reluctant to accept other currency than the Point or the Standard Dollar. Credit card holders should not have much of a problem, though.

7. National Parks in Valladares are very well preserved thanks to a strong environmental legislation, and as a result, they are visited by people from all over the multiverse who marvel at the beauty of the landscapes and the variety of wildlife found there. In order to keep their natural beauty intact, it is strictly forbidden to: camp on open field, lit bonfires, litter the ground, and extract any natural resource from them (whether plants or animals). Tours will always be led by two people: the park guide and a member of the Environmental Police, who will be watching over the group and making sure that none of these prohibitions is breached. Those who fail to comply with the rules will be sent to jail for 3 days, fined, and forced to make some "compensatory work" (such as planting trees or cleaning up streets) before they leave the country.

8. Fan groups will be allowed to bring with them their drums and flags to the nine stadiums that are going to host matches in the competition. However, flares are not allowed because of safety regulations. In addition to this, the National Police will reserve to itself the right to arrest (and eventually deport) any and all troublemakers within the foreign fanbases. The following events will generate the Police to take action: provoking and/or offensive chants towards other fanbases or groups of people, fights between fanbases from different nations on streets and other public places, insulting banners, etc.

9. The City of Junín is a closed city and as such, it is off-limits to foreigners, however, arrangements with the Royal Government for its opening for the tournament were made by the Valladar Football Association and the Junín Municipality, and as a result the City will be opened temporarily albeit with some restrictions: a) only citizens from nations playing BoF games there will be allowed entry, and b) those foreigners allowed entry may not remain in Juninese territory for longer than 24 hours or will find themselves facing deportation.

Moving Around

Travelling into Valladares is usually done by airplane, though Juninese citizens should not have much of a problem as they can get easily into the "mainland" via rail. The main gateway for foreigners entering the nation is Stanford-Miller International Airport, located in the town of Villena, in the District of Metropolis. From there, you can book flights to most of the main cities in the nation (including the Westlands), and seven of the other eight venues for the competition (except Fontvielle, which is a short train or car ride from the national capital). Access to the Westlands from the Valladar mainland is possible through Charles V International Airport in Edmonton and Adelaide's Flanders Airport, both with daily flights from Metropolis served by ValAir, Western Airlines, and other minor carriers. Valladares's railroad network is (even though it is mainly concentrated on the mainland) one of Rushmore's most advanced, extensive, and best maintained networks, linking virtually every important city and town in the nation and offering a fast and quality service, which is served by high-speed trains (or TAVs, as they are known locally). National highways are also very well maintained and also link the most important cities, allowing automobiles to move easily from city to city, while most state capitals also have their own mass transportation systems, Metropolis being an example with commuter trains linking it to its neighbouring cities and towns, an underground metro, and a BRT (bus rapid transit) system.

Venues and Stadiums

Map of Valladares with six of the nine venues to be used in the tournament
Map of the Westlands
Junín & Valladares

Nine venues in nine cities were selected by the Valladar Football Association to host the tournament, of which only one was renovated for the competition while three others will be displaying brand-new stadiums, and the other five were already in line with the requirements to host the tournament. The venues were mostly chosen on the basis of the Baptism of Fire mostly seen as a test for the intermediate cities and their hosting capacity in preparation of a World Cup bid in the future, therefore the cities that will host matches in the Valladar half of the competition will be: Fontvielle, Columbus, Maldonado, Pradera, Valencia, two cities in the Westlands: Edmonton and Adelaide's Hoxford suburb, Metropolis (which will only host the third-place playoff), and the City of Junín as a surprise inclusion. All of the host stadiums have state-of-the-art facilities and other modern amenities to improve fan experience and make this competition an enjoyable experience for players and fans alike, while the host cities have also prepared their most famous tourist attractions in order to leave a mark on every fan coming to this nation.

Group E

Fontvielle
The city of Fontvielle is known as the Industrial Capital of Valladares, hosting over 100 factories as well as being the cradle and heart of the Valladar labor movement. It is located to the south of Valladares, a short distance south of the national capital Metropolis, on the opposite bank of the Danube river. However, Fontvielle is best-known multiversally for being the home of 11-time Liga-1 champions and 2-time UICA Champions' Cup winners Fontvielle Impact, who are themselves tightly linked to the city's labourer background as they were born as a football team for the workers of the Tamount dairy factory. Fontvielle is also home to one-time Liga-1 champions Olympique de Fontvielle, who are not as blue-collar as their bigger and more successful neighbours, but have been related to the Valladar national railways for a long time. Aside from the factories and the stadiums, there's no much to visit in Fontvielle, although the Parc de l'Eau, an amusement park, and the historic Place du Centre stand as important landmarks in the city.

Stadium: Stade de la Frontière (41,378 seats)

The Stade de la Frontière, home to Valladar powerhouses Fontvielle Impact will be the venue for Baptism of Fire action in the Foix state. Located to the south of Fontvielle, this stadium underwent some remodeling works to prepare it for the tenth Copa Rushmori, which included an increase of its capacity from 36,500 to 41,378 seats. Thanks to this upgrading works, more VIP boxes were installed and more restaurants in which dishes prepared with Tamount cheeses or milk are the main attraction. However, its latest attraction is a 5-star, 8-storey hotel located in the southwestern corner of the stadium. This stadium will host the following 3 Group E matches and the Valladar regional final aka Baptism of Fire semifinal:

GS MD1: Damukuni vs. Dreamplanet
GS MD2: Shtiar Bakal vs. Damukuni
GS MD3: Damukuni vs. The Lee Islands
Semifinal: QF3 vs. QF4 (SF2)

Junín
The City of Junín is the ninth and newest Valladar state. Located in the Rushmori Far East on the shores of the Endemien Ocean, it serves as Valladares' only gateway to the eastern seas and its Overseas Territories. Ever since the citizens of the City voted for union with the United Kingdom of Valladares, and because of its strategic military importance (being the main headquarters for the IX Division of the Valladar Royal Army, the Royal Air Force, and the Royal Navy), it has been a closed city by the Royal Government, where foreigners are usually not allowed entry. The city has, however, thrived thanks to its position as Valladares' comercial outpost on the Endemien Ocean and the constant trade between the nation and its Overseas Territories. Junín has also been blessed by nature thanks to its location on a hill over the ocean, with the "Ciudad Vieja" (Old City) being built on its top and foothills, and also thanks to "La Portada", which is a natural arch located on the ocean and welcoming all ships coming to the city. Junín's main professional team is Deportivo Junín, who currently compete in the Valladar Liga-1, although current champions Marinos Metropolis are a very popular club in the City.

Stadium: Arena Junín (43,394 seats)

It's big, it's underused, it's the marvellous Arena Junín which will be welcoming Junín's first international event ever! Located at the ocean's edge in the zone known as "Península" (which is an actual peninsula that also houses "La Colina" and the Old City), this stadium was recently built to replace Estadio Camilo Mazuera López (Camal) as Deportivo Junín's home stadium and includes 125 VIP seats, distributed between executive suites and skyboxes, two video screens (one at each end) with an area of 120m² each, Wi-Fi connectability in all of its 43,394 seats, among other things. The whole Arena Junín complex also includes a basketball/volleyball court, a gym, a chapel, an events center, bars, stores, and a parking building for 2,500 cars. This stadium will host four matches, which will be:

GS MD1: The Lee Islands vs. Shtiar Bakal
GS MD2: The Lee Islands vs. Dreamplanet
GS MD3: Shtiar Bakal vs. Dreamplanet
Round of 16: E1 vs. F2 (R5)

Group F

Columbus
Columbus is the second most important city of the Mountbatten state, and also the former capital of Valladares, located in the middle of the Danube River Canyon and facing the nearby city of Maldonado in the Chiquito state, with whom it forms a conurbation. Columbus is best known as the "Cradle of Freedom", given that the decisive Battle of Siete Ríos was fought near the city on September 5th, 1881 and also because the Declaration of Independence was signed there on October 8th that same year. Columbus' most important landmarks (other than the typical hot and dry climate for a canyon) are the Battle of Siete Ríos Memorial, located in the nearby suburb of Siete Ríos and visited by thousands of people every year, the "Palacio Quemado", former Viceroyal residence burnt down during the Valladar revolts in the late 19th century and restored after Valladar independence, and the Puente Ladino, first bridge built over the Danube river and still in use, communicating Columbus and its sister city of Maldonado at the other bank of the river. This city is also football-mad, with its most important clubs being FC Columbus and Patriotas FC, both currently competing in the Liga-2, Valladares' second tier.

Stadium: Estadio Parque Armenia (35,250 seats)

Estadio Parque Armenia is one of three new stadiums built before the competition and will replace the old Danube Canyon Stadium, whose infrastructure is obsolete for international tournaments such as the WCC ones and is constantly flooded by the Danube river and its traditional flash floods. Designed and built to seat 35,250 people in its comfortable seats, it is located in the Armenia neighbourhood to the south of the city and will start serving as home stadium for both FC Columbus and Patriotas FC when the tournament is over. This stadium will host three group stage matches from Group F as well as one of the quarterfinals:

GS MD1: Wazekia vs. Eshan
GS MD2: Banguela vs. Wazekia
GS MD3: Wazekia vs. Armeia
Quarterfinal: R5 vs. R6 (QF3)

Maldonado
Maldonado is the second most important city of the Chiquito state, and is a "sister city" to Columbus with which it has formed a conurbation, the Metropolitan Area of the Danube Canyon or AMCAD. This bustling city is renowned all over Valladares for its Carnival, held in May every two years as well as for being home to the second biggest zoo of Valladares, the Zoológico de São Caetano, which houses 1,100 animals in its 12 hectares. Maldonado does also have its representatives in professional football, with Pumas Maldonado being the city's most important team, and unfortunately for them, one of Valladares' best-known "yo-yo teams", constantly moving up and down between Liga-1 and Liga-2 every season.

Stadium: Estádio do Maldonado (20,546 seats)

Estádio do Maldonado is owned by the Maldonado Municipality and is used by the local football clubs Pumas and Universitario de Maldonado for their home matches. This stadium underwent some remodeling works in preparation for the Baptism of Fire, with the installation of a new LCD screen in the Norte gallery and seats being also installed all over the stadium, reducing its capacity of 23,000 to 20,546. Group F's alternate venue will host 3 Group F matches as well as a Round of 16 match:

GS MD1: Armeia vs. Banguela
GS MD2: Armeia vs. Eshan
GS MD3: Banguela vs. Eshan
Round of 16: F1 vs. E2 (R7)

Group G

Pradera
Pradera is the capital city of the Antioquia state (west of Valladares' mainland) and the eighth most populous city in Valladares. This city, located on the northern bank of the Parce river and nested in the Western Mountains, is known for its temperate climate and for its proximity to the town of Talamonte, which houses Valladares' main coal mines and is located some kilometres to the west. Pradera is, after Carloburgo, the second major cultural and economic hub in the western Valladar mainland, and like Fontvielle in the Foix state, has a reputation as a working class city. Pradera is home to Pradera FC, who have been Valladar champions once and have been one of the most consistent sides in the Valladar Liga-1 in recent times, contending for qualification for UICA tournaments every season.

Stadium: Estadio de la Montaña (43,174 seats)

The Estadio de la Montaña is another stadium that will be having its own "Baptism of Fire" with this competition. Located on the banks of the Parce river, and owned by local club Pradera FC (who will start playing their games there after the tournament), it was a much-needed home for the "Verdiblancos", who until now had been playing in the state-owned Estadio Gobernador Villa, with capacity for 25,572 people and rendered too small for Pradera's growing fanbase with no possibilities of expansion due to its location in a residential sector. This shiny new stadium has a capacity for 43,174 people and will be the first stadium in Valladares to use solar power as its roof and facade were equipped with a photovoltaic system. In addition to this, it has also got two executive towers in the stadium's western side. These towers offer a restaurant and offices for the club, its main supporters group, and other local companies. It will host half of Group G matches and one of the quarterfinal matches:

GS MD1: Freedom Utopia 100 vs. Copper Cuprum
GS MD2: Fluvique vs. Freedom Utopia 100
GS MD3: Freedom Utopia 100 vs. Transpadana
Quarterfinal: R7 vs. R8 (QF4)

Valencia
The city of Valencia is the second most important city of the Antioquia state, and is located on the banks of the Danubio river between the cities of Slateport and Canalave. Valencia is one of Valladares' oldest cities and will be celebrating the 300th anniversary of its foundation during the tournament, so both inhabitants and visitors will be treated to big parties and celebrations as the Baptism of Fire will be fully integrated into the agenda of festivities. However, unlike Pradera's climate, which is mild and comfortable because of its altitude, Valencia's climate is hot, sunny, and humid (though not so as Canalave's), with temperatures averaging 30 degrees Celsius (86°F), this due to its location in the Danubio lowlands.

Stadium: Estadio Tricentenario (30,150 seats)

Being the last one in the list of new stadiums for the tournament, Estadio Tricentenario is, as its name suggests, a tribute to Valencia's 300 years of history, and will receive all of Valencia FC's home games after the tournament is over. Located in the eastern outskirts of the city, and with a capacity of 30,150 seats, this stadium includes a retractable roof to protect players, fans, and naturally, the pitch from inclement weather when needed, and its distinctive form makes it instantly recognizable when viewed from a distance. This stadium also has a unique system to recycle and treat sewage waters and its floodlights are designed to be powered with solar energy, thus taking advantage of the city's own weather patterns, Valencia being one of the cities with the most hours of sunshine per year in Valladares. This jewel will host three Group G matches, as well as a Round of 16 match:

GS MD1: Transpadana vs. Fluvique
GS MD2: Transpadana vs. Copper Cuprum
GS MD3: Fluvique vs. Copper Cuprum
Round of 16: G1 vs. H2 (R6)

Group H

Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Westlands state and also its cultural, social, and economic hub. It is home to dozens of galleries and museums, ranging from historical sculptures to major art museums, one of those being the Western Museum, one of the most renowned museums in the country. Edmonton, like the rest of the Westlands state, is known for having a colder climate than anywhere else in Valladares, however, its kind people willing to receive their guests with a smile can be warming enough. This city is the place where one-time Liga-1 champions Edmonton United hail from, however, the Monties are currently in Liga-2 struggling to return to their most glorious times.

Stadium: Albert Field (20,000 seats)

Baptism of Fire matches in this city will be played at the picturesque Albert Field, able to seat 20,000 people and home to Edmonton United and its fanbase, one of the most loyal ones in the nation. Their loyalty has been demonstrated even with the club's decline, with 20,000 passionate fans always filling up the stadium while the Monties navigate the second tier. That unconditional love for their team creates a warm enough environment to dissipate the eternal cold present in this beautiful city all year long. Three Group H matches are going to be played here, along with a Round of 16 match:

GS MD1: Gim vs. Warbern
GS MD2: Knalland vs. Gim
GS MD3: Gim vs. Herberland
Round of 16: H1 vs. G2 (R8)

Hoxford
Hoxford isn't actually a big city, but a suburb of nearby Adelaide, which is the second most important city in the Westlands state. Adelaide is known for its multiple sporting and cultural events, which have given it the motto of "Cultural Capital of the Westlands", its food and beverages, especially beer considering that Breydell's Brewery, one of Valladares' biggest breweries is based in the city, more exactly in Hoxford. But mostly, Adelaide is renowned for its liveability and high life quality, as it has been ranked as the "Most Liveable City in Valladares" by five straight years. Adelaide's (actually Hoxford's) main representative in Valladar professional football are Hoxford Rovers, who don't really draw permanent sellouts in Westlands Stadium, like Edmonton United do in their city, but do have a very devout and passionate fanbase.

Stadium: Westlands Stadium (17,000 seats)

Westlands Stadium, located in the Adelaide suburb of Hoxford, will be the second venue for Group H. Being an all-seater stadium with capacity for 17,000 people and home to the Hoxford Rovers, currently playing in the Valladar Liga-2, Westlands Stadium is not as luxurious or comfortable as other BoF venues, but the Organizing Committee is sure that Group H teams and their officials and fans will eventually be able to find its charm. It will only host 3 Group H games:

GS MD1: Herberland vs. Knalland
GS MD2: Herberland vs. Warbern
GS MD3: Knalland vs. Warbern

Metropolis
The city of Metropolis is the national capital of Valladares, being located at the confluence of the Danubio and Chorrillo rivers. Along with the suburbs of Cerro, Villena, Swangard, Géneve, and Chateau, it is part of the District of Metropolis, one of the nine Valladar states, although the Greater Metropolis conurbation includes the entire District of Metropolis as well as parts of the Mountbatten, Foix, and Chiquito states. Being the federal capital of Valladares, it hosts the executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet), legislative (Royal Parliament and National Assembly), and judicial (High Court) powers as well as several important national companies. Football is the main sport in the city, as Metropolis is home to 11 professional teams, with the most important ones being Metropolis Alligators, current Liga-1 champs and UICA Champions' Cup winners Marinos Metropolis, Nacional, and Bohemians Metropolis (all of them playing in the Valladar Liga-1, the main professional football league in the nation). However, not everything in the city is sport, as the city also houses several famous art galleries, museums, theathers and monuments. The Metropolis Zoo, located in the south of the city, in the Córdoba neighbourhood, is also a recommended place to visit.

Stadium: City of Metropolis Stadium (47,825 seats)

City of Metropolis Stadium is an all-seater football stadium, located in the district of Poblado (one of the wealthy districts of the city), to the southeast of Metropolis, and was built in 1953 for the VI Juegos Nacionales de Valladares, held in Metropolis. This stadium serves as host for Club Nacional, three-time Valladar Liga-1 champions, and was the most important stadium in the city before the Metropolis Dome and the National Stadium were built and opened (despite its decades of decline and neglect). It was rated by the Valladar Football Association (VFA) as an A-Class Stadium, the second highest rating given by the VFA to any stadium in Valladares, after the Top Stadium rating (which has only been awarded so far to the National Stadium in Metropolis, White Meadow Arena in Carloburgo, and the Stade de Foix-Jules Picot in Bezieres), and was also recently expanded and refurbished with the addition of new bars, restaurants and corporate entertainment areas. This stadium will only host the following match:

3PPO: Loser Match SF1 vs. Loser Match SF2

[Eura]

A Profile of the of Eura

Welcome to the United Federation of Eura, which gladly embraces sixteen nations (some from afar and some from close by) to its shores. For the first time eastern Rushmore is playing host to this prestigious tournament which has been the starting point for all great nations for most of the footballing past of the multiverse, including the host nations teams.

About Eura

The United Federation of Eura is a very large parliamentary democracy located in south eastern Rushmore, home to just over three billion citizens and the Rushmore delegation for the World Assembly. Eura became a unified state of six regions after centuries of civil wars some three centuries ago, developing a strong national identity with a distinct Euran-Anglophone culture originating from the region of Endemia. Sat on the coast of the Endemian ocean, Eura is hedged between several countries of note including Electrum, Sameba and Rhodesiah, and for many years has formed a focal point of Terranean civilisation.

Like Valladares, the land that now makes up Eura was formerly settled by various peoples, who were mostly displaced many years ago. The majority of Euran's come from the region of Endemia out to the east, having migrated over several thousand years ago and quickly colonising the area, during the "Endemian Golden Age" of the ancient period. Although Eura did not exist for some time as a unified state or culture the term "Eura" became popular for fluctuating proportions of the eastern Terranean landmass two thousand years ago. Eventually a number of states and empires formed, grew and then fell in the area, the most famous being the long dead Braetheon Empire and the medieval to industrial era Kingdom of Bastion. Finally, after a number of brutal wars and disturbances, most important among them the First Endemian War and the Euran Civil War, the Euran Commonwealth formed and a couple of hundred years later, it became the United Federation. Since then Eura has evolved into a federal parliamentary democracy and Rushmore’s military-industrial powerhouse, due to its strong industrial economy, massive military expenditure and power projection capabilities, large population and involvement in numerous overseas adventures. It also has a series of overseas territories known colloquially as the “Eurasphere”, in Rushmore, Endemia and Atlantian Oceania.

It is well known for its rivalry and hostility to its northern neighbour Sameba, the isolated “Seventh Region” of Endemian Rushmore.The stereotype of Euran’s assigned by foreigners is usually that of a homogenous, culturally uninteresting horde, who are zealously patriotic and have a socialistic tendency to accept low pay and high taxation. Despite this mostly untrue characterisation, Euran culture has found success and popularity abroad in many forms, especially in cinema and sport, and the country itself has become a hugely popular destination for foreign business and tourists who come to see its heaving megacities, beautiful mountains, magnificent castles and towering industrial complexes. Euran’s have gained a more positive reputation in recent years as an industrious and hardworking people, and the state a positive reputation for decisive if sometimes forceful regional leadership, while they have had their eyes opened to foreign cultures to an unprecedented extent.

Government and geography

As stated previously Eura is a federal parliamentary democracy, and a big one at that. Its population of three billion citizens, over two thirds of whom can vote, normally participate in elections every five years, and are currently ruled by a majority government of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Michael Judge. For the duration of this tournament the government and local metropolitan councils of Eura's various megacities shall have the final say on many aspects of the tournament in Eura, but the Euran Football Association will run the Euran half of the tournament in conjunction with their Valladar partners, the police and security services, as well as various sponsors and the clubs providing the stadiums for the tournament.

Eura is geographically a very large nation, underrepresented in its size by the stretching of surrounding nations on most maps, but is nevertheless densely populated and has immensely large urban centres, some of which (especially the capital Bastion) are more populous than many Rushmori countries, requiring a great deal of high rise and underground accommodation. Eura is historically split into six regions, hence the six stars on its flag; the Borderlands of the furthest west of the country, Callodonia which occupies the near west and some of the north and is the smallest region, the Heartlands and Bastion Metropole which occupy the centre of the country, the South, the northwest to northeast region of the Holden, and finally the eastern Reach region, where Eura's only coastline lies.

Eura's mountainous neighbour Austroslovakia lies on the Askoy, or Ituyan in Valladares, mountain range to the west. Consequently the very western borders of Eura are very high and snow capped with a steep incline going down to the east, with the range that is mostly over the border topping out at the peak of Grazpike, a 14,659ft (4,468m) high infamously dangerous mountain visible for hundreds of miles. Eura does have more mountains in the north along the eastern half of the border with Szavoda and part of the western reaches of the border with Sameba, which are difficult to traverse and at their centre have several mountains which stand well above the others. At the point where the three countries meet borders, the line on the map is perforated almost exactly by the peak of one of Endemia's greatest geological aberrations, the area's only 8,000m+ peak, Garranor (27,221ft/8,297m). Referred to in the earliest Euran folklore as the summit of heaven, its name descends from old Holden dialect and translates as something approximate to "endless".

For the most part however Eura is a landscape of intermediate proportions for the most amateur of climbers, not flat but no more than hilly in most places. Its north western regions are the most notably bumpy and home to much of Eura's immense wealth in natural resources, and are heavily urbanised, while Eura's centre is almost entirely urbanised and the confluence of the Holden and other rivers is surrounded by Bastion's satellite settlements. It is arguably at its most rural and natural in the south near the border with Electrum, where gargantuan farms meet only a small part of Eura's food needs, and are in close proximity to Brigham and Spartangrad, two more megacities. The east is the flattest and warmest region and generally the driest, its most notable cities being the cultural and economic hub of DIrectus and Falourr, the naval port whose authorities boast is "big enough and deep enough to fit every vessel, its captain, and the captains mother!". The wettest part of Eura is no doubt its border with Sameba and the most northeasterly areas, the cutoff in climate between that area and the rest of the eastern Reach being severe. Spanning the border is the infamous and heavily militarised "Danger Zone", the border no visitor should go near unless they're going to Oakstone, or fancy walking through heath and long grass to step on some landmines.

Transport, travel and advice for both

Stadium information and schedules for Eura

(Information on each Euran stadium to come on Saturday night.)

MD1: 1v4, 2v3
MD2: 3v1, 2v4
MD3: 1v2, 3v4

Group A
Thaldor
Aeqamustopia
Cruenatia
Hot Skitty on Wailord Action (Abbreviated to HSWA below)

Stadiums – North Group
Benedict Lane (Holdenberg, Holdenberg, 74,869)
Pignot Stadium (Farrenton Athletic, Farrenton, 70,000)

MD1: Thaldor v HSWA @ Pignot Stadium, Aegamustopia v Cruenatia @ Benedict Lane
MD2: Cruenatia v Thaldor @ Benedict Lane, Aegamustopia v HSWA @ Pignot Stadium
MD3: Thaldor v Aegamustopia @ Pignot Stadium, Cruenatia v HSWA @ Benedict Lane

Group B
Estelar
Googolsia
Witty Penguins
New Gelderland

Stadiums – West Group
Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia (Workers Union, Callodown, 80,000)
Troutbridge (Ulsa, Ulsa, 97,460)

MD1: Estelar v New Gelderland @ Troutbridge, Googolsia v Witty Penguins @ Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia
MD2: Witty Penguins v Estelar @ Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia, Googolsia v New Gelderland @ Troutbridge
MD3: Estelar v Googolsia @ Troutbridge, Witty Penguins v New Gelderland @ Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia

Group C
Emirate of Akbarstan
Burthnas
Saaksvala
Banija

Stadiums – East Group
The Oak House (Oakstone, Oakstone, 82,402)
Castle Road (Directus, Directus, 95,000)

MD1: Emirate of Akbarstan v Banija @ Castle Road, Burthnas v Saaksvala @ The Oak House
MD2: Saaksvala v Emirate of Akbarstan @ The Oak House, Burthnas v Banija @ Castle Road
MD3: Emirate of Akbarstan v Burthnas @ Castle Road, Saaksvala v Banija @ The Oak House

Group D
Minecraft Miners
Natanians and Nosts
Scottopian Isles
Chromatika

Stadiums – South Group
Olympic Stadium (Spartangrad, Spartangrad, 104,773)
Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Revolutionaries, Brigham, 107,000)

MD1: Minecraft Miners v Chromatika @ Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium, Natanians and Nosts v Scottopian Isles @ Olympic Stadium
MD2: Scottopian Isles v Minecraft Miners @ Olympic Stadium, Natanians and Nosts v Chromatika @ Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium
MD3: Minecraft Miners v Natanians and Nosts @ Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium, Scottopian Isles v Chromatika @ Olympic Stadium

Round of 16

Group A winner vs Group B runner up @ Workers Athletic Achievement Stadia (Workers Union, Callodown, 80,000)
Group B winner vs Group A runner up @ Castle Road (Directus, Directus, 95,000)
Group C winner vs Group D runner up @ Benedict Lane (Holdenberg, Holdenberg, 74,869)
Group D winner vs Group C runner up @ The Oak House (Oakstone, Oakstone, 82,402)

Quarter Finals

Ro16 1 winner vs Ro16 2 winner @ Olympic Stadium (Spartangrad, Spartangrad, 104,773)
Ro16 3 winner vs Ro16 4 winner @ Troutbridge (Ulsa, Ulsa, 97,460)

Semi Finals

QF 1 winner vs QF 2 winner @ Sasky Rising Memorial Stadium (Revolutionaries, Brigham, 107,000)

Final and Terranean Challenge

Both games will be played at the Bastion Arena (Bastion, Bastion, 110,000)

[Armeia]

You'll see what I mean by air disaster in the RP I'm about to post.
Because of the Emperor's Cup and the recent air disaster involving Lionesses FC, Armeia will field it's U-21 team along with one player from women's side Gunnery Football Club, a longtime affiliate of the teams Lions and Lionesses.

SPORTERNAV PRESENTS: THE NORDIQUES

STARTING ELEVEN
GOALKEEPER - 20 year old Lionesses keeper Anke Vira... One of the few survivors of the crash, she has everything to prove after leading the team to relegation last season. Can also play striker. It's unknown if she'll sign for Gunnery or not after Lionesses lost most of it's roster.

LEFT BACK - Most famous for attempting to take her own life by overdosing after giving up the penalty that sent Armeia home, Valeriane Carin somehow managed to recover and sign a one year contract with Lionesses. Somehow she survived the crash and is a sure starter next season.

CENTER BACK - The infamous yet loved center back from the U-18 team returns. 19 year old Gregor Borg is one of the brightest youth players at Atlas and now he returns to his national team spot. A top physical prospect, he's a good stopper and marker even though he fouls too much.

CENTER BACK - Tris Rijker, an imposing two way centerback from Gunnery. 25, the team captain and the one with the highest match rating average last season.

RIGHT BACK - Less here for marking and more for his skill with assisting goals, seventeen year old Boom Redman wanted to play winger but this was the only way he could find his way into the squad. He can outrun anybody on this team, including Denzel Falk, and he's quite knowledgeable tactically. Signed for Sporting Center City one month ago, expected to lead the new ownership's process in turning the team around.

ADVANCED PLAYMAKER - Denzel Falk is back in the squad from the U-18 World Cup, after a great performance where he led the team in assists. His performance helped him sign for Dor Frio, and now he may compete for a captain spot now that he's older and wiser at 18 years of age.

HOLDING MIDFIELDER - Don't let his 5'9 height and lack of high speed fool you. Lenart Ross is incredibly dangerous on the offensive side of the game. He lurks around looking for the ball and when he gets it, he always seems to know who to pass it to for an assist. Recently turning 18, he's trying to go for a bigger role on the team.

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER - Tyra Halloway had a drop in performance but had a resurgence to keep her spot in the midfield. Expect tons of back and forth play with Ross and Falk in the tiki taka scheme.

LEFT WINGER - AFC Center City goalkeeper/winger Pandora Reimfeller gets to start here. 19, she played at at very high level for Vandals at the second half of the season, but she 'accidentally' signed for AFC CC when she was highly drunk in a bar. Her alcoholism may cost her a place in the starting eleven later on, as it did in the U-21 World Cup.

RIGHT WINGER - The 19 year old sister of senior team and R.C Lions star Milan Toure, Reina Toure is playing angry after being transferred to AFC CC against her will by her old squad, Hawks United. So skillful that she reportedly sprained Tyra Halloway's ankle in training with an elastico last season, Toure may be one of the best youth prospects to play in the women's league in Armeia.

CENTER FIELDER - Completing the strikerless formation is 16 year old Draga Schraeder, who's playing her usual position, false nine. A poacher by heart, Schraeder can steal possession and put goals in from the edge of the box with high shot power and good accuracy. Her twin, Bianka, also plays for the team. She signed for Olympique Imguem this season, along with her boyfriend Marc-Andre Zupan.

RESERVES

GK - Augustus Lenz, 17, played incredibly for R.C Lions in the second half of their back to back title campaign but he tore his ACL in a fight with teammate Irene Dreschler during the Sporting World Cup. He then lost his spot as a starter, his girlfriend, and possibly his role with Lions, now he's fighting to get back in the starting XI.

CB - Leonne Warner, an eighteen year old from the SWC squad. Moving to CB in hopes of playing more.

CB - Marc-Andre Zupan, who would be starting if Rijker wasn't in the squad. Quick but also tough, and a team enforcer.

WB/CB - Viktor Holzer, a 16 year old also from that squad. Didn't play much but shows promise with Kyang, worth calling up.

CAM/W - Samantha Leroux, who was one of the most anticipated youth prospects before taking a knee to the head and becoming amnesiac for a short time before being cut from Hawks United. She went to the Cora City Jokers of the street league and made a comeback, being named the league MVP last year at 20 years of age.

W - Katarina Dana Bonner, the ex vice captain. Eighteen, her breakup with Isa Tangemen caused a sharp decline in her career, and she lost her spot as vice captain. A dispute between her and Tangemen caused Tangemen to be shunned by the rest of the team during the Sporting World Cup, now the tables have been turned, and there's only a couple players who will even speak to Katarina off the pitch now.

W - Joseph Sven Martin, from Bastille FC. Eighteen and looking to beat out Pandora Reimfeller to play on the wing.

ST - The only true striker on the team is Bianka Schraeder. Draga Schraeder's identical twin, Bianka is two minutes younger. Plays for AC Kawajiri in Kirishima, and she used to date Augustus Lenz before she began dating goalkeeper Isa Tangemen.

STAFF

MANAGER - Brandon Tjaeder, the ex Hawks United manager. Now he's at Southeastern, but he gained infamy throughout the league when he impregnated star striker Kameron Hamsik, causing her to miss the early weeks of the season and maybe costing Hawks the title. A tactical genius who was the assistant of the U-18 team, this is his second time managing a national team. Led Armeia to the round of 16 after winning their group in the De Bradini Cup.

ASSISTANT - Holly Jonasson, the last Southeastern manager. Brought in to help teach the squad the tiki taka style they'll be playing.

STYLE MODIFIER: +3.5

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
    Choose my goalscorers: Yes
    Godmod scoring events: Yes
    RP injuries to my players: Yes
    Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
    Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
    Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
    Godmod other events: Yes

[Armeia]

AirLoftus Flight 414

Imgeum, Kirishima

"I don't think the flight is supposed to be this rough," sighed twenty year old goalkeeper Anke Vira. She, like all the others on this flight, played for Lionesses, who were on their way to Imgeum for a friendly match against the Cora City Jokers that would be happening the day before the Armeia vs Acronius match in the Emperor's Cup. The national team wanted Lionesses manager Carli Cray to be the assistant for the national team, after Mara Fuller switched from coaching to playing, which was why the match had been rescheduled here.

"Stop worrying, we'll be fine," muttered teammate Alakare Abbey. "You panic every time there's turbulence."

"Because I've seen stuff happen on the news... I hate these freaking flights, some day we're going to be the next news story about a downed flight," replied Anke.

They were interrupted when a voice came over the announcement system. The voice of the pilot. "This is your pilot speaking... We're having some trouble controlling the plane, but we'll be making a landing shortly. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for more turbulence."

"I told you!" shouted Anke. "You guys never believe me when I say that flights aren't safe, and now look at what's happening!"

"Quiet down," replied Carli, from another part of the plane. "They would have told us if we were going to crash."

The players could see the airport but the plane was very shaky, there was a mechanical problem going on and the pilots were having much trouble keeping it under control. For some reason it kept veering to the right and they couldn't stop it. Anke was panicking by now, and the others were looking very worried. The pilots could be heard shouting some things in the cabin, and everyone exchanged scared looks. They were going to miss the runway, veering wide right and hitting the pavement wing first.

"We'll have to have a crash landing because of mechanical errors, please brace for impact and follow the coming instructions..." announced the co-pilot.

"We're all going to die," muttered Anke, and everyone believed her.

---

Smoke. Alakare woke up to the smell of smoke, to the smell of burning. Burning metal and burning flesh. "Where the hell am I...?" she muttered, and then she realized. She was on the flight, after it had crashed. Oh shit... I have to get out of here.

Alakare unbuckled her seat belt and realized that everything on the right side of the plane was on fire. The left side hadn't been caught in the flames as badly, but the back had taken a lot of damage too. Alakare crawled out of her seat and to the front exit, where the door was still locked. Some others had gotten out, judging by who was still inside and who wasn't, but how? They must have left through the back exit before an explosion destroyed that area.

The door... I need to get to the door.

The heat was clouding Alakare's thoughts, making it hard to function. But she knew she needed to get to the door and get out. She reached for the door handle, fumbling with it and tugging on it, trying to get it to move. Finally, the door swung open and a blast of cold air hit Alakare's face as she leapt out of the plane and onto the pavement, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Ala! Are you okay? I thought you were coming with us, you must have passed out," asked Anke, who was nearby on the ground, with four others who had escaped the crash.

But Alakare wasn't okay. She tried to get up and walk towards Anke, but she fell down after a couple steps and threw up. Partially she was sick from the exposure to the heat inside the plane, but more than that, she felt sick after seeing the charred bodies of her teammates and friends. "They're dead, Anke, they're all dead... Devon, Cris, Joanna, Mia, all of them... How can I be okay at a time like this?"

"Not everyone is dead," said Anke, moving to comfort her teammate. "Katarina got out, so did Val, and a couple others. We'll get through this, Ala. I don't know how, or when, but Lionesses always bounces back."

However it was too late for Anke to do much to calm Alakare down. By the time she reached her, the younger player had already passed out.

"I can't help but think that I failed everyone," sighed Anke, crouching on the pavement. "Joanna, I could have got her out if I stayed back for a little bit longer, now she's gone because of my selfishness."

"Anke, that's not being fair," replied Katarina Dana Bonner, a winger who was the best player on the team last year. "Everything could have blown up, you were right to leave when you did. You got me and Val out of there, don't feel too bad."

"Yeah... But me and Joanna had gotten through so much. Fighting in the child militias in the Long War, coming up through Gunnery to make the first team... It's going to be strange not having her as my best friend," sighed Anke.

"Hey! At least you were only best friends with her! Me and Cris were actually engaged," said Lauren Jezek, a defender who had survived. She was in tears, and she seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"It'll be okay," started Anke, taking the role as the one to comfort everyone, but Lauren cut her off.

"It's not okay!" shouted Lauren, reaching to her waistband and pulling out a 22 caliber pistol. "I can't live without her!"

Before Anke could say anything, Lauren put the pistol to her own head and pulled the trigger.

"Can this day get any worse?" asked Anke, looking between Lauren's body and Katarina.

As she said that, what was left of the plane went up in flames, meaning nobody else would be escaping. "I suppose I spoke too soon..."

[Damukuni]

<< All Story Arcs | Next Post >>

Nation Name: Damukuni
Trigramme: DKI
Manager: Imazaki Shofune
Senior Captain: Wisdom Tracey (The senior captain shall assume sole responsibility for all captains' duties for international competition purposes.)
Style Mod: 0 (none)

STARTING XI

NUM	NAME	AGE	M/F	POS
00	Jayne Patrick	26	F	GK
1	Yūko Sato	32	F	FB
2	Yumi Wakahisa	27	F	FB
3	Cara Jakeman	21	F	FB
5	Tyrell Rupertson	31	M	FB
8	Ryoichi Himura	30	M	MID
13	Chika Nakahara	33	M	MID
21	Wisdom Tracey	20	F	MID
34	Gabe Ackerman	30	M	MID
55	Takara Sawachika	20	F	S
89	Kyōsuke Matsushita	29	M	S

SUBSTITUTIONS

NUM	NAME	AGE	M/F	POS
4	Morumi Hataya	27	M	GK
6	Britney Ann Takedashita	22	F	FB
10	Takahashi Shizumi	30	M	FB
12	Nicole Statham	29	F	MID
14	Milburn Rose	25	M	MID
16	Joni Butler	24	F	S

FORMATION MAP

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes (no career-ending injuries)
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Only one per game without TG'ing first
Godmod other events: No killing staff; you may kill 1 player, but not Jayne Patrick, Wisdom Tracey, or Joni Butler

[Burthnas]

Savage Fires Clamor Burthnas After the Nation is Entered in the Baptism of Fire Tournament
by: Jonathan O'Dere

Shortly after Burthnas was officially drawn and entered into the 60th Baptism of Fire tournament, ravage fires soon began to violently burn the nation's glittering new football stadiums and fields. A group of extremists and sports enthusiasts known as the 'Burthnas Fire Baptists' has claimed responsibility for the dozens of fires that are enroaching all parts of the nation. According to their leader, the group is "spreading the spirit, pride, and joy of the Baptism of Fire tournament throughout the nation."

In other news, the Burthnian National Football Team rosters have been leaked. More information will be released soon.

[Fluvique]

The foxes departed to Valladares with a multitude in the Airport.

The Cook boys departed to Valladares this morning and received the goodbye of thousand, which followed the team from the Royal Association training center to the King Faust Airport.

Before the start of the trip, Paul Kelly tweeted a photo of the 23 players inside the plan with the words: "Thanks to all for the support!! #SupportTheFoxes". The same picture was utilized by Paul Di Angello, who added: "United for a dream".
On his late day at Mevosa, the players ate pasta with the Royal Association members and some family, plus the presence of the musician Andy Kelpper and the painter Sascha. After the lunch and a distended moment, the delegation was received for the Queen Eugenie at the White Palace, for the official salutation. The players are flying now in the plane that Fluviquean Airways put at disposal of the Association, and which is painted with images of the team.

The international debut of the Fluviquean senior team is almost here. But, at same time, far from home. The 60th Baptism of Fire will be hosted in Valladares and our supporters will have to travel a long route to reach the stands. Is expected around 7.600 fluviqueans in the first stage and, if the team reach the next round, the number will increase. The Royal Government and the local police are working close and together to stop the violent fans and control the access to the stadiums. However, the true fans will make a party on every match without wrong behaviours.

Alfred Cook picked 23 players for the tournament, probably the best of the best in the First Division, in this dream of have a good performance on the debut. As is painted at one of the sides of the Fluviquean Airways plane, paraphrasing the National Anthem, "glorious let us be".

Nation: Kingdom of Fluvique
NS Code: FLU
Nickname(s): The white foxes
Kits:


Goalkeepers:

1: Andy Paribas
Age: 28. Club: Sportif
12: Agustin Gorrion
Age: 30. Club: Mevosa FC
21: William Murray
Age: 20. Club: Defenseurs

Defenders:

2: Rodrigo De La Mesea
Age: 23. Club: Mevosa FC
3: Gabriel Varelovsky
Age: 29. Club: Mevosa FC
4: Paul Kelly
Age: 22. Club: Betham FC
15: Mark Augsburg
Age: 33. Club: Betham FC
16: Martin Sampson
Age: 24. Club: Defenseurs
17: Frederik Dengels
Age: 25. Club: Defenseurs
23: Jake Bass
Age: 29. Club: Sportif

Midfielders:

5: Henry Mhago
Age: 27. Club: Mevosa FC
6: Brian Forest
Age: 31. Club: Saint Matthew
7: Paul Di Angello
Age: 26. Club: Alankanter Central
8: Lucas Topolsky
Age: 28. Club: Fluviquean Juniors
10: Sam Gonza (C)
Age: 27. Club: Alkanter FC
11: Max Williams
Age: 27. Club: Alkanter FC
13: John White
Age: 23. Club: Betham FC
14: Emmanuel Battle
Age: 32. Club: Betham FC
19: Ricky Bertens
Age: 19. Club: Aztus FC

Fowards:

9: Adam Wilde
Age: 29. Club: Betham FC
18: Bernard Pullian
Age: 20. Club: Mevosa FC
20: FEDE
Age: 27. Club: Defenseurs
22: Nick Auze
Age: 22. Club: Geneva Juniors

Staff:

- Alfred Cook - Manager - 55
- Stephan Wife - Assistant Manager - 54
- Angel Santander - Goalkeeping Coach - 47
– Billy Buchley - Fitness Coach - 41
- Barney Evans - Coach - 38
- Andy Palmery - Coach - 44
- Gabriel Barn - Physio - 51
- Danny Ferry - Physio - 34


Starting XI


My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

[Cruenatia]

Nation Name: Cruenatia
Trigramme: CRN
Style Mod: +4

Manager: Franklin Auguste
Asistant Manager: Jake Spender ---Striker for Atlantic SC---
Captain: Justin Jones

Starting XI:
GK: Louie Davidson ( Atlantic FC )
LB David Wright ( Neptune City )
CB James Smith ( Zhedeira United )
CB Josh Tamien ( Wolf Pack FC )
RB Michael D. Luis ( Wolf Pack FC )
DMC Jamie Mcsherry ( Sapphire City )
LM Lucas Drakston ( Wolf Pack FC )
RM Damien Wilkson ( Atlantic FC )
CAM Freddy Chavez ( Westwood City )
ST Justin Jones ( Wolf Pack FC) ---Captain---
ST Calvin Smith ( Sapphire City)

Subs:

GK: Evan White (Neptune FC)
CB: Desmond Delshanti (Zhedeira United)
RB: Aaron Piscataway ( Golden City Raptors)
Mid: Rasheed Almerion (Charlston United)
Mid: Devon Hall ( Neptune City)
ST: Antonio Faria ( Westwood City)
ST: Lance Donahue (Wolf Pack FC)

http://startingeleven.co.uk/user-formation/63241

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes but minor Injuries only.
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: No
Hand out red cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No

The Terranean Challenge:
The Following is footage from Football 24/7's short documentary on Wolf Pack FC Striker, Justin Jones in preparation for the Baptism of Fire Tournament
David Wellings: At 23 years young, he is called the most ambitious player to ever step onto the pitch. It took him all of two years to become a household name across Cruenatia. Against the judgement of some of the other late-night football critics, he was made the Captain of the international team by Franklin Auguste, who has more faith in his abilities than anyone. I am of course speaking about the hottest player in Cruenatia right now, Justin Jones. Some say we've had our eye on him since his performances in the U21 Domestic Leagues.
---
Leandro Dinallo Coach of the U21 Firebirds Team

Leandro Dinallo: Oh man, Back when Justin was only 16. We had him at Center mid, even though he was mainly used to playing up as a forward. He just smiled and said he was just happy to play. We had a 19 year old Steven Lombardi and a 20 year old Kyle Svexen in the striker positions at the time. We subbed Justin in during a match against the Gladiators when we were down 2-0 late in the first half. As soon as he stepped onto the field, it's like things just happened. He scored the first goal for us and set up Kyle for a goal right before the half. By the end of the match, he proved to be way to good for his age and right then and there I knew I had someone special on my Squad. 2 years later he was Captain of the most dominate U21 Team in Cruenatia, Alongside a young Jake Spender and Freddie Chavez.
---

David Wellings: He averaged about 18 goals and 9 assists a season during his years in the U21 Leagues. He even set the record for most goals scored in a single season with 22 goals. on his 21st birthday, he was flooded with offers from several quality teams in the CFA. Wolf Pack FC being the biggest team on the list.
---

Wolf Pack FC Manager, Kyle Watkins.

Kyle Watkins: When I saw the kid play in the U21 Leagues, I was impressed. Admittedly, I thought he was probably just fairing well against the other youngsters and wouldn't be able to perform against the older, more established players in the CFA. However, at the end of the season, a few U21 teams face off against a few CFA teams and... My God was I wrong. The Firebirds came to Wolf Pack FC in Sapinta in front of 150,000 die hard Wolf Pack FC fans and beat us 4-3. The winning goal being scored but Jones in the 89' from a 32 yard free kick. I'm still blown away by how they performed, but It was obvious the center piece to the team was Jones and he led his team very, very well. I've been working with him for a few years now and I can say there's just something about how he plays that just brings out the best in his team mates. He doesn't just know the game, he takes the time to know his team mates. That's just a level of dedication you don't see much of these days, but he makes that effort and it pays off immensely.

----

David Wellings: Justin has won the Golden Boot two years in a row so far, only losing out his debut year by 4 goals to Jake Spender. He, however, won the Rookie of the Year award, and Player of the Year awards the following year. It takes a very well structured Defense to stand against Justin when he's playing to his potential.

---

Kevin Miyala, Center back for Neptune City.

Kevin Miyala: Ohhh man, whenever we have to face a team with a dangerous striker or something, Coach likes to make the back line practice a little more. When we have to face Wolf Pack FC, however, he drills us HARD. Like, hours after the rest of the squad leaves, except for maybe a few forwards. And even with all the extra preparations, we are never really ready to face them. More specifically, Jones. A lot of Strikers get predictable during a match, like you get a feel for how they are approaching the game, but not him. He'll run up one way and decide to shoot, then do the exact same thing and pass. Then try it again then double back and cross. You just can't get a feel for him, ya know?

---

David Wellings: To those who know him, and work with him. They understand that he is a very caring team mate. Always there to lend a hand and support his fellow mates.

---

Lucas Drakston, Midfielder for WolfPack FC and Cruenatia International.

Lucas Drakston: Jay has helped my career almost as much as my agent has it feels like. I'm a few years his elder, yet he saw something in me that I hadn't seen in myself. I was a sub, benching most matches. Only really going on if someone was hurt or tired. Jay would stay with me after practice some days and help me better myself. At first it was just nice getting some extra practice in, but I didn't think any thing of it. Until, apparently, Jay had talked Watkins into starting me one match. A real chance to show off what I can do. Jay ends up setting me up for a few shots, and I sink in a beautiful shot from just outside the box. It was definitely the start of something special as it was my first goal in ages. Next thing I know i'm starting almost every week and really it's all thanks to Jay. He really cares about his mates and we all are very happy to have him as Captain.

---

David Wellings: Justin and the rest of the Cruenatian International Football Squad is looking forward to starting the Baptism of Fire tournament. With any luck, they can bring home a bit of prestige and show just how good Cruenatia really is. Thank you for tuning in, I've been David Wellings. Stay tuned for more Football 24/7 right here on CRN Sports.

[Thaldor]

The Thaldorian Rooster for the Baptism of Fire # 60
Goalkeepers
# 1 Eric Johanson, 23 years old from FC Nordenhagen, not much discussion about him on this squad. Played 4 seasons so far, 2 Sverigan Championships, Vice-Champion in the Thaldorian Championship in 2014. Voted as the most valuable Goalkeeper in 2012, 2013 and 2014 notable for his presence in the game.
#12 Dimitri Kasimirov, 26 years old from Dynamo Varangia, good keeper with 8 seasons experience and a reputation of one of the toughest players in the squad, good a bad reputation after causing 10 penalties within the 2014 season, granted he hold 8 of 10 but still this was the major reason he was replaced by Johanson, still the better keeper for games against teams who has some kind of reputation and excellent for penaltie shootouts with a quote of 60 defended penalties out of 65.
#22 Christopher Walters, 19 years old, from Royal Albion promising but inexperienced goalkeeper who is mainly in the squad to get experience and additional training. Son of Duke Charles Walters who is also sponsoring the club Royal Albion by a high sum.

Defenders
Left Defenders
#2 Emanuel Baelaris, 22 years old from FC Nordenhagen, fast, intelligent player with the highest assist score in Sverigas history. His Injury 2014 was a major cause for the defeat in the last game against Dynamo Varangia. Again no discussion about his place in this squad.
#16 Gunter Reichmann, 22 from Borussia Numerus, more defensive then Baelaris and therefore not settled in the start formation. Borussia played a decent season but not much more then that, partly because he played not at the top of his form.
Inner Defenders
#3 Gustav Helm, 25 years old from Borusia Numerus is nicknamed 'the fortress' for his ability to block nearly all attacks against him. He might be not the brightest player and not a good technician but he's certainly well suited for his spot in the defense.
#5 Stanislav Petrov, 24 years old from Dynamo Varangia, like Helm he is one of the tougher boys with 6.2 feet also the largest one in the team. He proved himself in the Final of the last season with a quote of 82 % victories against his counterpart.
#4 Dimitri Mikalewitsch, 23 years old from Spartak Varangia, one of the most intelligent players in the team with a good eye for the flow of the game. He's one of the Co-Captains and Captain of Spartak Varangia afer the retirement of Viktor Orlov. Can be a bit arrogant at times.
#15 Alexei Zarewitsch, 26 from Spartak Varangia, son of a noble family who decided to opt for sport instead of a live as a priest. Together with Mikalewitsch the best inner defense in the Thaldorian League circuit.
Right Defenders
#6 Alexander Hammilton, 22 years old from Royal Albion, intelligent player who works better with Helm and Petrov. He's best suited for games against better teams where size doesn't matter that much.
#17 Rupert Bourke, 18 years old from Eintracht Bravoria, young talent that get his first international experience.
Middlefielders:
Right side
#7 Thomas Münzer, 24 years old from Eintracht Bravaria, a workhorse with the pace of a lightning. Most situations went over his position and while he is good he is also a team player. It is rumored that he will play for Dynamo Varangia next season, marking it one of the most important deals of the off season.
#18 Milan Markovic, 28 years old from Dynamo Varangia, seasoned player with a lot of experience. He's an old school player, mainly delivering balls towards the striker line but not much more. He's good at it but not good enough for the new intelligent strategy Coach Gudmunson developed. Got a Contract for Borussia Numeria next season.
Central Side
#8 Andre Cassionetta, 23 years old from Inter Geneva, offensive youngstar from La Serrinisima, good enough to be noticed in his second season. While Inter Geneva was defeated in the quarterfinals he has a splendid future.
# 9 Thomas Potrenko from Sparta Varangia, Cassionettas defensive counterpart. The 24 years old player is famed for his game control without the ball. He's a strategist, a leader and he's one of the co-captains. One of the fairest players to both with only one foul in the last season.
#19 Lasse Torson, from FC Nordenhagen, Cassionettas repclamenent, the 26 year old offensive middlefielder got a decent season, failing to make it a good season against the fortress of Varangia. Not much of a striker but more a creativity player. Against teams with low defense he will most likely replace Cassionetta.
#20 Tobias Neureuther from Eintracht Bavaria, defensive player, to small to be a defender, to much of a defender to be a good defensive Middlefielder. That's how most critics are viewing the 18 years old player. He need to find his way and it is his hope that the nomination from Gudmunsen will help him with that.
Left Side
#13 Alonso Gardora, 25 from FC Nordenhagen, Andorans most valued Player, playing a very good season it was out of question that he would named for the squad. It was no surprise either that he's in the starting formation. Gardora is the quintessence of Gudmunsons dream, a fast player who can score goals but is modest enough to make assists if that suits the team better. He will be most likely the most recognized player on the field.
# 14 Diego Martinez, 19 years old from Eintracht Bavaria, another young player who will mostly be used in the group stage to get experience.
Strikers:
#10 Jakub Svoboda from Dynamo Varangia, the 23 years old striker had the season of his life, 50 goals in 30 games is a statistic difficult to beat. His nomination was no surprise either. He's one of the smaller players and one of the best technicians in the team.
#11 Mirko Vacek from FC Nordenhagen, the 26 years old former partner of Svoboda is transfered to Nordenhagen this off-season. He's the more experienced counterpart and while Svoboda shoot more goals, Vacek is more a specialist for Standards. Still 30 goals aren't that bad either.
#21 Yoshi Kobyashi, 19 years old, again a young player who proved to be promising, one of the few talented players from the Kingdom of Kazushima. Dominated the league there in the last season and will be transfered to Nordenhagen this year.

Coach:
Erik Gudmunson, 54. Former Coach of the FC Nordenhagen, his nomination 3 years ago was the end of an Era for the Club who won 10 championships in a row under his reign. He's a visionaire and he detest 'ordinary' training methods.
Style + 3.0 very offensive, very fast
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes/No
Godmod scoring events: Yes/No
RP injuries to my players: Yes/No to an extent that I don't need to default games.
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes/No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes/No
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes/No
Godmod other events: Yes/No

[Natanians and Nosts]

Natanians and Nosts Roster for the BoF LX

# name position age height club

starters:1-11 reserves:12-23

1	João Foster	       goalkeeper	20	1,95	C.C. Blue Warriors
2	Rato Ret	        r. wingback	20	1,80	Notrina Lat F.C.
3	Rômulo Amúlio Silva	centre back	25	1,80	C.C. Blue Warriors
4	Mihai Júlio da Silva	centre back	23	1,83	The N. Blue Lions
5	John Karl Foster	d. midfielder	28	1,85	Guitarrist United
6	Laço Tralto	        l. wingback	20	1,80	Notrina Lat F.C.
7	Lucas Lucius Vit	a. midfielder	23	1,83	C.C. Blue Warriors
8	Mihail Heitor Fostar	d. midfielder	17	1,93	The S. Blue Lions
9	Ion Cáius Ademélsson	centre-forward	20	1,75	Rodion F.C.
10	Gabriel Ápio Silva	  striker	19	1,73	The S. Blue Lions
11	Natan Nínnio Gonçalo  	  striker	20	1,77	The N. Blue Lions
12	Xosé Foslio Probo	goalkeeper	22	1,90	S.C. N-City
13	Gheorghe Caius Fostar	centre back	18	1,84	T-natanicus F.C.
14	Caeso York	        wingback	26	1,72	F.C. N. Light
15	Marcos Tarquínio Ivanov	centre back	18	1,88	N-City F.C.
16	Jean Júnio Stinco	l. wingback	25	1,70	Guitarrist United
17	Pierre Taylor Bouvier	a. midfielder	32	1,85	Guitarrist United
18	Austin Mihai Munteănu	d. midfielder	18	1,81	The N. Blue Lions
19	Johann C. Mureșan-Antonescu	d. midfielder	31	1,82	The S. Blue Lions
20	Numa Nínnio North	  striker	18	1,77	The N. Blue Lions
21	Logan North    	          striker	18	1,95	The N. Blue Lions
22	Magnus Enderssen	goalkeeper	21	2,20	Ibrox Athletical (Scottopia)
23	Ion Claudiu t'Brāhinni	    striker	17	1,92	Notrina Lat F.C.

captain's name is in blue

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: No
godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: No
godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes (only one per match)
Hand out red cards to my players: No
godmod other events: No

[Witty Penguins]

THE UNITIA CITY TIMES

High hopes for Penguinish side in Baptism of Fire

25 September 2015

The Penguinish football squad flew off to Eura earlier this week, in preparation for the 60th Baptism of Fire tournament.

Last month Nathan Washington, Chairman of the Penguinish Football Federation, announced the 22-man squad that will be representing the Arctic Union in its first ever international tournament. Les Dehart, of FC Unitia, was selected to captain the team. Speaking to press last week, Head Coach Richard Peak said that his team will give their all to make a strong start in international football.

"They're a determined bunch," he said.

"They want to make this a memorable start, but for the right reasons of course."

"I have confidence to believe that they will do well."

The Penguinites will play their first group match on Monday, against Googolsia.

- - - - - -

Excerpts from Sports Weekly, 11 September 2015

BN: Good evening, and welcome to this week's edition of Sports Weekly. I'm Barry Newman, and I'm joined tonight by Richard Peak, head coach for the Penguinish football team and winner of the 2013 PFF Manager of the Year award. How are you?

RP: Yep, good thanks Barry.

BN: Alright, so the Penguinish men's football team will be heading off in a couple of weeks time to compete in the 60th Baptism of Fire. It's a pretty big moment for Penguinish football, isn't it?

RP: Certainly is. Football has been quite, I guess you could say under-developed for quite some time here in the Arctic Union. This is the first year we've ever had a national team, and the first time that a team, national or regional, play overseas. So yeah, a very big moment.

BN: Even though football has been around for years here, why do you think its only now that the Football Federation actually mustered a national team?

RP: Well as a nation, we've generally kept to ourselves over the past few years, particularly in sport. Football, ice hockey, all of that was just at the regional level. But this year we've seen quite considerable change in our government, who's become to be more open towards other nations. And sport has followed in its footsteps, as we can see. Its not just football: we had some tennis players competing overseas for the first time this year, and I heard that one of our regional ice hockey teams might be playing in a league in another country later this year.

BN: So in the Baptism of Fire, what will the Penguinish side be facing?

RP: The Baptism of Fire is like a Baby World Cup, of sorts. It's for new teams only, like us, who have not competed in the World Cup before. There aren't any top teams here, so the opposition should be reasonably equal to our team's ability.

BN: But after this, it's the World Cup Qualifiers, which the team is also playing in. So the Baptism of Fire is more-or-less a warmup to the big event?

RP: Exactly. It's a taster for the real thing really. The team will get some good experience in the Baptism of Fire, which will help them in the World Cup if they qualify. That's when they'll actually face the top teams, so it's very helpful to get this experience.

...

BN: So let's get to the line-up. So you've got Les Dehart, of FC Unitia as the captain. What made you choose him to lead the BoF team?

RP: Les is a strong leader. He captained the Ravenheart FC side when he was with them last year, and his ability to lead definitely shined during that time. He knows how to keep the team together and working to their best, and he's one of the most experienced in the first eleven. He was more-or-less the obvious choice for me.

...

BN: You also have Klaus Gunther, the 23 year-old striker from the Ross City Raiders, who is the sole striker in the first eleven.

RP: He's got a good pair of legs on him, that one. He's quick with the ball, and demonstrated with the Raiders that he can make some great shots at the goal.

...

BN: Well thanks for being on the show, Richard. All the best for the tournament - I'm sure the whole nation will be right behind the team.

RP: Thanks Barry.

BN: And that concludes this weeks edition of Sports Weekly. Enjoy your weekend folks, and see you next week.

- - - - - -

Team information



Official Uniform



Team Formation



The Squad

FIRST ELEVEN:
GK 01 Oliver JOHNSON, 21
DF 02 Roman GARLEY, 22
DF 03 Gary STRATHMORE, 20
DF 18 Floyd HOWARD, 29
DF 04 Levi COBB, 27
MF 06 Jamie WALTER, 26
MF 07 Ben KNIGHT, 28
AL 14 Harry WHITFIELD, 24
AC 08 Lesley DEHART (c), 26
AR 15 Troy CORNET, 18
FW 09 Klaus GÜNTHER, 23

SUBSTITUTES:
GK 22 Marion FRASER, 25
DF 19 Allan BLACK, 24
MF 23 Julian THORPE, 21
AM 12 Pierre FORT, 27
FW 20 Matthew MARTINEZ, 19

RESERVES:
GK 24 Timothy BARKLEY, 28
DF 31 Jonathon RAMONE, 30
DF 17 Simon CARSON, 19
MF 05 Roger YORICK, 26
AL 26 Ricardo FERNADO, 25
FW 36 Stuart DAWSON, 23

HEAD COACH: Richard Peak



My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, max of 1, no major injuries
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, max of 1
Godmod other events: No

[Emirate of Akbarstan]

The Akbarstani National Foootball Team joins the fray!
STARTING ELEVEN:
GOALKEEPER - Mashal Ghaffari

LEFT BACK - Hishaam Saber

CENTRE BACK - Ameer Sham

CENTRE BACK - Azmi Rashed

RIGHT BACK - Zameel Usman

ADVANCED PLAYMAKER - Awad Hammad

HOLDING MIDFIELDER - Mansoor Javid

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER - Sulaimaan Saad

LEFT WINGER - Abdul Razzaaq Sultana

RIGHT WINGER - Abdul Hakeem Radwan

CENTRE FIELDER - Azhaar Ghani

RESERVES

GK - Muammar Shehata

CB - Mubarak Vaziri

CB - Jamaal Masri

WB/CB - Fateen Farah

CAM/W - Nadheer Shahin

W - Waseem Dajani

W - Ayyoob Muhammad

ST - Jaasir Hossain

STAFF

MANAGER - Quraish Salman

ASSISTANT - Maajid Mansouri

STYLE MODIFIER: -4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: No
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, max 1
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, max 1
Godmod other events: No

[Googolsia]

Googolsian National Team
Welcome to the Googolsian National Team (Trigram GGL)! They're hyped-up and excited for their first foray into international soccer, and the coaches have hand-picked the best players from Googolsia's Carl's Jr. Premier League, to get together the greatest football team Googolsia has ever seen!

Head Coach: Elias Schult
Assistant Coach: Gisbert Hutmacher
Head of Medicine: Tiedemann Császár
Head of PR: Kostadin Vann

Team Lineup: Gerard Zoltánfi - FW Albertas Ignácz - FW (CAPTAIN) Engel Kárpáthy - LM Filip Sovány - RM Lammert Müller - CM Arend Bokori - CM Mirosław Esser - LB Ljubomir Giese - RB Raimondas Messner - CB Otto Spannagel - CB Sascho Tschida - GK Reserves/Subs Cord Pasternack - FW Johan Horn - CM Cibor Jäger - RM Jenci Budny - LM Udo Brandt - LB Hristofor Antal - RB Erik Pék - GK Olivér Messmann - CB

The team will be playing in brand-new kit, specially redesigned for their entry into the international sports scene, in the national colours of Googolsia


Some housekeeping:
STYLE MODIFIER: +1

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes - But not something super serious like broken bones, just minor 1 or 2 game injuries
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes - be reasonable, tie it in with injuring one of your players or something.
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes - 1 max, only if it ties in with yellow cards condition above
Godmod other events: No

[Chromatika]

League Chromatiks 1 Results

To be RPed more in the International Domestic Soccer Newswires Thread

League Chromatiks 1     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Myana                  28   14   8   6    40   32   +8    50   Champions, Champions' Cup
2 Z'ai'ai                28   13  10   5    58   51   +7    49   Globe Cup  
3 Anomalies              28   12   6  10    44   39   +5    42   Globe Cup
4 Deprí Lanar            28   11   7  10    37   29   +8    40   Globe Cup
5 Deprí Sanar            28   10   8  10    43   46   −3    38
6 Chromatik              28   10   7  11    52   48   +4    37
7 Alnio                  28    9   6  13    54   59   −5    33   Relegation Playoffs
8 Eyrods                 28    5   4  19    47   71  −24    19   Relegated

League Chromatiks 2     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Urrheddiao             28   18   4   6    47   25  +22    58   Promoted, SBCC
2 Felswyr                28   16   5   7    43   24  +19    53   Promotion Playoffs, SBCC
3 Pria                   28   13   3  12    45   41   +4    42   SBCC
4 Umbar                  28   12   5  11    53   53    0    41   SBCC
5 Pùr                    28   10   7  11    53   52   +1    37
6 Anfanhar               28    9   6  13    42   53  −11    33
7 Wirr Tsi               28    8   4  16    27   43  −16    28
8 Tihon                  28    6   6  16    34   53  −19    24

Chromatika Anomalies National Football Team
Manager: Franscesca Larriet, Myana Islanders F (DIn)
Formation: 5-3-2
Style Modifier: -5

Starting XI
GK #4 Nikolai Thorben, Myana Islanders M (LVi)
RB #13 Severin Ilya, Depri Lanar Red Hawks M (DBl)
RCB #20 Vitor Raoul, Anomalies M (LVi)
CB #28 Luuk Aart, Myana Islanders M (MIn) CAPTAIN
LCB #11 Wildred Worensten, Anomalies M (MVi)
LB #21 Valeri Witek, Depri Lanar Red Hawks F (DBl)
RM #18 Meagan Kelly, Z'ai'ai Mountaineers F (MIn)
CM #15 Rachel Hellion, Anomalies F (MIn)
LM #29 Daniel Lucas, Myana Islanders M (DVi)
RF #7 Nioli Quren, Z'ai'ai Mountaineers M (DIn)
LF #8 Gabriella Antonio, Anomalies F (LVi)

Bench
GK #6 Halide Elise, Depri Lanar Red Hawks F (MIn)
DEF #26 Lucjusz Stef, Depri Sanar Yellow Jackets M (DVi)
DEF #30 Jan Stanimir, Chromatik Capitalizt M (DBl)
MID #27 Adam Marius, Alnio Union M (DIn)
MID #19 Anna Eunika, Eyrod Jungle Cats F (MIn)
FOR #20 Vladimir Janos, Chromatik Capitalizt M (MBl)
FOR #22 Teor Rwang, Anomalies M (LBl)

RP Permissions:
Choose Goalscorers: Y, but keep in mind most of my goals come from the Forwards
Injuries: Only minor
Cards: Yellow only, two in the group stage max
Godmodding: Absolutely no, of any kind.

---

LRd < MRd < DRd < LOr < MOr < DOr < LYl < MYl < DYl < LGr < MGr < DGr < LBl < MBl < DBl < LIn < MIn < DIn < LVi < MVi < DVi < LBz < MBz < DBz < LSi < MSi < DSi < LG < MG < DG

R < O < Y < G < B < I < V of the rainbow, and then Bronze < Silver < Gold. Red are laborers, Orange are farmers, Yellow the manufacturers, the Green the merchants. Blues, Indigo, and Violets make up the higher end of society (business, lawyers, law enforcement, etc.) while all politicians, after being sworn into office, are part of the Bronze - Silver - Gold hierarchy. The only DG of the nation is the President-Premier, although nobody calls him/her that. The official title is DG. These Color Lines are extremely strict, and it's practically unheard of of anyone of less than Blue to do anything of importance.This is the system Chromatika has been using for as long as written history has existed of the nation...

---

[Gim]

(Home)
(Away)

Jerseys of Gim

GIM

Head Coach: Kang Soo Jong
Assistant Coach: Eum Do Young
Assistant Coach: Ki Sang Min
Trigramme: GIM
Demonym: Gimian
Style Modifier: -5

---

FORWARDS

1. Heo Min Soo (29)
Height: 186cm
Weight: 81 kg

2. Choi Nam (28)
Height: 183cm
Weight: 82 kg

3. Gong Il Woo (33)
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 80 kg

---

MIDFIELDERS

1. Jin Jae Wook (25)
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 90 kg

2. Yang Joon (27)
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 88 kg

3. Choo Seung Ryong (34)
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 79 kg

4. Jang Kyung Pyo (23)
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 81 kg

---

DEFENSEMEN

1. Jeon Geon Tae (37)
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 83 kg

2. Kim Dong Jin (26)
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 86 kg

3. Son Kyu Jin (30)

Height: 194 cm
Weight: 89 kg

---

GOALKEEPERS

1. Lim Dong Yeop (26)
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 82 kg

2. Seo Gyu Cheol (28)
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 85 kg

---

SUBSTITUTIONS

1. F - Koo Wook Cheol (33)
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 88 kg

2. M – Oh Song Ha (21)
Height: 183 cm
Weight: 76 kg

3. D – Yoon Joon Ki (24)
Height: 192 cm
Weight: 88 kg

4. F – Kang Sang Yoon (23)
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 88 kg

5. F/M – Ha Seo Cheon (25)
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 87 kg

6. D – Kang Ho Min (26)
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 81 kg

---

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose My Scorers: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes
RP Injuries to My Players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to My Players: No
RP Penalties for My Players: Yes
RP Ejections for My Players: Yes
Godmod Other Events: Yes. Don't kill anyone.

[Burthnas]

WORD ON THE STREET: THE BURTHNIAN NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER IS HERE
by: James Thames (via burthnas.curved.com)
9-25-2015 EDITED 9:22 pm

Although the nation’s football federation and department of sport have been strangely solemn about about the whole ordeal, the first national team’s roster has apparently been leaked. Strangely enough, the whole thing seems like a big fat joke, with 90% of the team biologically related as Twentuplets, and the other 10% being a buffalo-elk. However, it looks pretty legit. There is a brand new look of the team that is heavily based on the logo, which is comprised of a buffalo and an elk’s head on a hexagon (representing the six traditional virtues of the Burthnian Sportsmanship Oath). Diagonal stripes and a football compliments the silhouettes of the nation's national animals. Additionally, the specially-designed kit is heavily used by the nation’s two official hues of blue, and some gold for the home jerseys. All-in-all, there are 16 players (and three - well, 2, staff members and an entire cheer squad) that will be sent to Eura tomorrow evening after the release of venue detail information. For now, the selected players are suspected to be contained on a man-made football island off the coast of Founders' Island, training every hour of every day until tomorrow evening.

See the team info and roster for yourself below:

[Burthnas]

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes; as long as it's recoverable
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes; make it entertaining if it's unrecoverable
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes; limit: 2 per match
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes; limit: 1 per match
Godmod other events: Yes; make it entertaining

STAFF (3)
[ID || Name - Position - Age]

RR || Ronald RUMP - Manager - 82
It is rumored that Ronald’s source of wisdom, confidence, and longevity is his dazzling hair, which eats a total of 3 tons of football manuals and memoirs annually. His most recent winning streak of 15 matches was only broken due to a stalker who cut a piece of his hair off mid-game.

RH || Ronald Rump’s HAIR - Assistant Manager, Head Coach, & Physio - 47
After suffering the injuries of the aforementioned incident, Rump’s hair has unfortunately been demoted to assistant manager. It also serves as a Physiotherapist, with several masters degrees in teh department.

VG || Valarie Rachel GONZALES - Physiotherapist - 56
Although she doesn’t speak much of any language, Valarie has a shame-glare that can melt rainbows and make anybody guilt-run into perfect form.

VG || Valarie Rachel GONZALES (clones x7) - Cheer Captain & Cheer Squad - 54
Scientists have managed to clone and backdate the beautiful scowls of Ms. Gonzales into the national team's personal cheer squad. Led by clone #1 (and occasionally Ms. Valarie Gonzales herself), the squad's theme of rebirth will surely inspire the crowds and motivate the team.. yes, motivate indeed...

GOALKEEPERS (2)
[# || Name - Age - Sex - Team]

1 || Nihil Unus HUNG - 24 - M - Capitol FC
With the help of Valarie, Nihil is now ironically proficient in three different languages. He has won numerous gymnastics championships, thus allowing maximum flexibility to defend the goal. However, a recent accident has left him down in the dumps.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: C - Form: A

19 || Undeviginti HUNG - 24 - F - Tropico FC
Undeviginti “iggi” Hung was once part of an undercover, secret child-spy organization, and often found far away from home. She now uses her swift reflexes to serve goalie duty. She is often found plotting to murder Rump’s hair, and was the primary suspect in the aforementioned incident with Rump’s hair.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: B - Morale: A - Form: A

DEFENDERS (5)
[# || Name - Age - Sex - Team]

3 || Tres HUNG - 24 - M -Elk-Pines FC
After a terrible accident as a child, Tres had to have his left arm amputated. He is now a national hero after becoming the youngest Junior Lieutenant in the coast guard. With his strong leadership and charisma, he leads the national team as co-captain.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: A - Form: B

4 || Quattor HUNG - 24 - M - South Bay FC
It is often said that Quattor “att” Hung and his younger sister Quinn are one in the same. The two are inseparable and have the same bulky and tough build. It is rumored that they can communicate with each other via their minds, thus being the source of their freakishly scary synchronization abilities and scarily matching facial expressions, behavior, and thoughts.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: B

5 || Quinque HUNG - 24 - F - South Bay FC
Quinque “quinn” Hung and her brother’s names are often used interchangeably. It is virtually impossible to tell the difference between the two if hair length is not counted.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: B

12 || Quodecim HUNG - 24 - F - Tropico FC
Quodecim “dicey” Hung is very dicey. She is short, fast, and you never know what she’s thinking or going to do. Her ADHD may have contributed to her hasty decision making, but in the end, she always manages to do good.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: A - Form: C

14 || Quattordecim HUNG - 24 - M - Capitol FC
Quattordecim “otto” Hung was severely obese. Through the power of sport, Otto has put his naturally stocky build to good use, easing his mind from his past. Usually.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: B

MIDFIELDERS (5)
[# || Name - Age - Sex - Team]

8 || Octo HUNG - 24 - M - Capitol FC
Octo has eight fingers on one hand. Its relation to his name is purely coincidental. Maybe. It is often said that his extra fingers give him perfect from. Another finger seemed to have been growing from Octo’s other hand after the aforementioned incident with Rump’s hair.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: A

9 || Novem HUNG - 24 - M - Elk-Pines FC
Novem, Decem and Dec were once conjoined together. After living having to live like that for 16 years, the three were finally separated, but are now closer, and happier, than ever.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: A - Form: C

10 || Decem HUNG - 24 - F - Elk-Pines FC
Decem has developed perfect precision leg-eye coordination after spending 16 years in conjoinedtivity with her brothers. Unlike her brothers however, Decem kept on developing her coordination skills after the separation, whereas Novem has become increasingly lazy.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: A

11 || Undecim HUNG - 24 - M - Elk-Pines FC
Undecim “deck” Hung was the average one of the trio, and will always be the average one. He finds joy in card tricks, though.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Form: B

15 || Quindecim HUNG - 24 - F - Aurora Borealis FC
Not much is known about Quindecim. She’s spent years hitchhiking the mountains of the nation in her mystical purple robes. Her adventures have left her with a tough skin and terrible posture due to the weight of the robes constantly being pushed against her.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: C - Morale: A - Form: B

STRIKERS (4)
[# || Name - Age - Sex - Team]

2 || Duo HUNG - 24 - M - Capitol FC
Duo was always been the black sheep of the family. His main motivation now is to prove his family wrong. With all the bottled up energy, Duo has become an remarkably aggressive player, but has learned to control it and release it by will with the help of Valerie.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: C - Morale: B - Form: B

6 || Sehk HUNG - 24 - M - Capitol FC
After disappearing into the wilderness as a child, Sehk reemerged from the great Burthnian forests after the aforementioned incident with Rump’s hair. Legend has it that Rump’s hair, in a state of panic, summoned Sehk’s wild and resilient spirit out of the wilderness to save the team future losses. Sehk has been disconnected from the outside world for 12 years.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: C - Morale: A - Form: A

7 || Buffalo ELK - ?? - M - Capitol FC
This six-legged creature posses the strength of a buffalo, and the swiftness of an elk. Found deep within the uranium mines of Burthnas, this strange hybrid of the nation's near-extinct national animal and historical national symbol has been captured and tamed through the power of football and drugs. lots and lots of drugs. He is the co-captain, along with Duo.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: A - Form: A

13 || Tredecim HUNG - 24 - F - Great Plains FC
Tredecim is the ambassador of the sponsoring gum company ‘Tredent.’ His sneaky business-person tactics has, strangely, landed him great success in his sporting career.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: C - Form: A

[Banguela]

BANGUELA

Colours - Red and black
Trigramme - BNG

Manager - Marco Freite
Captain - Helder Barbosa

Nickname - Os Gnus

Style Mod - 2

1. Joao Pinto - goalkeeper - Uniao Mpulo

At the age of 29, Joao Pinto constitutes a capital element within the iron backbone of Uniao Mpulo, without hesitation considered as one of the strongest sides across the nation. The lanky Joao Pinto is notorious for the miraculous saves he shakes out of his gloves at times but makes a gaffe every once and a while as well. Still ’A Pantera’ is an almost undisputed number one for the nation and one of the faces of this national eleven. It is the result of guarding the nets for Uniao for nine seasons in a row, growing from a young kid with a big mouth into a more forethoughtful goalkeeper who can lead a back four and earns respect from fans and opponents alike. The vice-captain of the Banguelan side should be a key player.

2. Ze Mata - right defender - Uniao Mpulo

There are a few solid laws in football that are seldom broken and one of those is that you do not position guys who reach below a metre seventy as defender. Ze Mata defies that rule already 27 years with class and volume. ‘A Buldogue Negro’ will be the first one on and the last one off the training pitch and all those hours result in a very strong right back. When in defence, he has a proper tackle in his skillset along with a good insight and dedicated teamplay. Offensively, he often pops up at the wing both for a long pass or in a combination over the ground. It makes Ze Mata a polyvalent player who is beloved by fans and coaches for his positive attitude towards the group. A true key man for Uniao Mpulo, despite his size.

3. Djalma Yaba - central defender - SC Bassuto

The counterpart to his veteran fellow centre back will be Djalma Yaba, who must be considered as the strongest defender in the nation. After receiving a thorough guidance at Academica Bassuto, he was transferred to Sporting Clube Bassuto at 21 where he forms an unbreakable duo with Bada. Currently 24 years old, Djalma Yaba can account on the whole package for the modern defender: a strong header and tackler, the impressive speed of a lanky player yet powerful enough to survive the duelling. The main criticism on this gifted defender stems from his tendency to give risky passes forward – root of either a brilliant opening or a dangerous situation – and his big mouth which gets him in conflict with referees across the nation.

4. Helder Barbosa - central defender - Associaçao Bassuto

Aged 34, Helder Barbosa will carry the captain ribbon for the Banguelan side. Some would consider that more of a tactical choice, avoiding the leadership being carried out to a player of SC Bassuto or Uniao Mpulo. It would not do justice to the qualities on and off the pitch of the Associaçao defender. Helder Barbosa is quite correctly a respected centre back who can direct the play and manages to stop the attack with a combination of well-timed tackling and clever positioning. Admittedly, this makes up for his moderate velocity and turning like an ice-cream van. A gentlemen to the ref, his attitude makes him a positive example to the youth – even if his personal life catches the attention as well from time to time.

5. Luis Cangé - left defender - Atletico Ntangele

‘A tad boring’ seldom is a compliment but Luis Cangé carries that predicate with pride. The calm and reliable left back has not got too much to offer when it is about offensive initiatives but the 25-year old forms someone with the tactical discipline and insight for the manager to build on. Domestically, he is feared by the countless quick-feeted wingers that terrorize our pitches for his well-timed and correct tackles. Another way in which Luis Cangé reminds one of a government bond is the lack of risk he constitutes: the Atletico Ntangele player hardly ever picks up a yellow card and picks certainty over anything in his passing. With an eye on the low experience the Banguelans have with this level, he seems a sure pick as a starting player.

6. Nefala - defensive midfield - Uniao Mpulo

The body of an adult wardrobe, shoulders that are twice the regular size and a typical neck, it’s no wonder that they tend to call the 26-year old Nefala ‘the Ox’. A true force of nature for Uniao Mpulo, Nefala will clean up after the attacking wizards that make the crowd explode with delight. This makes this gentle giant a very important paw in the scheme of any coach as his tackling and shoulder charges, his simple passes and endless running ameliorate the whole team. It remains an open question whether the limited technique of this defensive midfield will suffice at the international level or if it will guide to several bookings. But players can be sure that Nefala won’t leave the scene until he has given all he’s got.

7. Ze Vidigal - right attacker - Uniao Mpulo

It was not so easy to compare so far due to a lack of unified competition, but newspapers on the hand of Uniao Mpulo tend to proclaim Ze Vidigal as the most dangerous striker of the nation. Often operating from the right side off the pitch, defenders tremble over his infiltrations. Quick feet and the necessary firepower generally do the trick here. At 29, Ze Vidigal is at the peak of his capacities and has grown from a scruffy type into a tabloid star with the yearly changing model by his side. High goals tally’s, nice technique, well, there has to be a downside? Ze Vidigal is not the hardest working lad in the business and many wonder how that will turn out when Banguela gets under pressure but if he’s starting seems out of the question.

8. Flavio Kanté - central midfielder - SC Bassuto

Already for more than a decade, Flavio Kanté is probably the best-known face in Banguelan football. At 32, he can already look back at several glorious moments with Sporting Clube Bassuto, a team which is built around this two-footed midfielder. O Chefe combines tons of natural charisma and leadership with a pair of brilliant feet and a vision of similar quality. His main low is a rather moderate speed, which often puts him a bit back further down the pitch although he can be a danger in front of goal due to his excellent positioning. If Flavio Kanté wants to shine at the international stage as well, he will have to ensure his role as pivot in the team, not that easy considering his sharp image as SC Bassuto star.

9. Mananga - central attacker - SC Bassuto

We’re still not entirely sure whether his manager meant it as an insult or as a compliment but he once said about Mananga that he’s “the worst footballer to score so often”. A late bloomer, only three years at the highest level with Sporting Clube Bassuto but already 29, he never earned the respect he deserves. Admittedly, his skill level is low and fans used to snicker when another attempted dribble got smothered between his clumsy legs. A grin that quickly would disappear once he fired one behind his goalie. Mananga ain’t a technical ace but compensates this with a range of physical skills which make him a difficult fellow to defend and a state of mind which is necessary for a striker - confidence in that he’ll turn that one little chance into a decisive goal.

10. Amarinho - attacking midfielder - Uniao Mpulo

Several descriptions are made, attempting to grasp him as so few defenders can. ‘The quicksilver legs’. ‘The twirling terror’. ‘The dribble of the Gods’. ‘The uncatchable one’. Uniao Mpulo fans generally just describe him as Amarinho, their beloved number ten. No Banguelan manages so well to tear apart a defence and decide a game with a clever pass, a witty back heel or a piercing shot. Hardly reaching a metre seventy-five, his reaction speed is exceptional as is his touch of the ball. Despite his rebellious image, it goes with a clever head that often thinks one step ahead. The only thing fortunate for opponents is that his stamina is limited and injuries happen more often than he’ld want. Will Amarinho star for the Banguelan national team as well at only 23?

11. Carlos Neto - left attacker - Associaçao Bassuto

With 33, Carlos Neto is one of the more senior players in the selection, but the left-footed attacker still goes strong despite the kilometres on the counter. The Associaçao Bassuto forward is one of those players who excels in nothing particular but, as a consequence, is so versatile that he finds the weak spot of most defenders. Being it either in or out the box, one better keeps an eye on Carlos Neto before he makes the nets tremble again. Will he tear up a defence and score three? Probably not, but he does his bit of the work and has an eye open for a fellow teammate. A team player on and off the pitch and that gave him the spot in the selection over more technically skilled but lazier strikers. Carlos Neto, an appreciable lad.

12. Guilhermo Marques - goalkeeper - Tshemanda Clube

It is not accidental that the 21-year old Guilhermo Marques earned himself the status of reserve goalie. Till a year ago, he used to be a noble unknown to anyone but the dedicated follower. Things changed, however, when the spot between the posts at Tshemanda Clube became wide open and the management picked up a sympathetic youngster from the province to fill that gap. The only one in the selection to reach the double metre, Guilhermo Marques is a force of nature on goal but still a lot quicker to the ground than you would expect. His moderate footwork and lack of experience at the highest level make sure that he will have to warm the bench but his dominance in the air shows promise for the future.

13. Edison Joao - central midfielder - Desportivo Mpulo

While Edison Joao is often overlooked by the big masses, this powerful midfield from Desportivo Mpulo has gained a status as cult hero for Desportivo Mpulo despite his age of 24. The reason is his grinta, his willingness to go for every ball and capacity to cover a lot of ground for ninety minutes. Do not mistake him as a simple box-to-box runner, Edison Joao has a fine pass in his left foot and often stimulates the counterattack with his dangerous infiltrations. Something that hasn’t been missed by the national manager which earned him this selection, despite his lack of calmness eye-in-eye with the goalie. It makes Edison Joao someone who will surely earn minutes against physical opponents, but no undisputed starter.

14. Jacinto Freite - central defender - Uniao Mpulo

It is an enigma to several followers of the career of Jacinto Freite how he eventually ended up as a central defender. The young version of this tall bundle of muscles was used as a targetman by numerous coaches, until a series of unexpected injuries forced the Uniao Mpulo manager to position him as defending midfield. A season lower, Jacinto Freite was pushed even a row more back. The result? A sturdy back with an impressive header, tons of horse power and a remarkable rush forward every once and a while. When dominating, as Mpulo often does, this makes him a match decider quite often but if his team is not the superior side, the lack of experience of this 28-year as pure defender becomes a bit more visible.

15. Figuerinho - defensive midfield - Vitoria de Bassuto

With Figuerinho, at 22 the biggest prodigy for the modest Vitoria de Bassuto, the manager adds a whole different type of defending midfield to his squad. A bit slim for the position, he makes up in raw power with impressive insight in the game and crucial positioning. This polite son from a former minister puts as little risk as possible in his game, but can dictate the pace and forms an unnoticed maestro with that. His impressive calm made him despite his age already captain for Vitoria, but it seems that his very poor stats in terms of assisting passes and goals so far made him less interesting for the big clubs. Nonetheless could his typical skills be very useful when time asks for it and it earned him a spot in the squad.

16. Nando Dias - left defender - Azules de Feranda

While the majority had expected Helder Quinto, the defender from Sporting Clube Bassuto in the selection, it was Nando Dias who got a letter in the mail. A surprise for the modest left back who earns his probably meagre wage for Azules de Feranda, one of the clubs in the bottom half of the Superliga. At 26, this is already the fourth club for Nando Dias, which makes him a journeyman according to Banguelan standards. Not afraid of more rough play and the author of several injuries inflicted on quick attackers, he’s a bulldozer who helps cementing your position. Notwithstanding his reputation, he’s better than expected when it comes to making a cross or finding the available player in attack, so consider him more than an assassin.

17. Chingala - left winger - SC Bassuto

It is not easy to give a specific position for Chingala, but we generally tend to categorize him as a left midfielder at 28. As a player for SC Bassuto, he usually manages to be left back and left wing at once, not afraid to make a rush into space nor go and keep an opposing attacker in control. It makes Chingala a vital player for SC and their mastermind Flavio Kanté as he is both a vacuum cleaner and an offensive option to get the ball to. His cross passes are not exceptional, but he makes up in volume for that. For someone who spends most of his time on the wing, he makes a decent winger and his control over a long pass is very strong. It all makes the calm Chingala a silent force of SC Bassuto but will he find his rhythm in a different system as well?

18. Lopes Valdo - right defender - Desportivo Mpulo

The back-up for Ze Mata comes from the neighbours of Desportivo Mpulo with the 23-year old Lopes Valdo who demonstrates that talent eventually will hit the surface. At only 17, he suddenly popped up in the first team of Mpulo FC but three years later his dream was a nightmare and his contract disbanded after disciplinary issues. After a year working in construction, Desportivo gave him a second chance at glory and hasn’t regretted so far. Lopes Valdo combines three lungs with a fine cross pass into the box. Not afraid to join the attack, he is beloved by the audience but that doesn’t make this right wing defender neglect his defensive tasks. Could work on his timing and a proper header would be fine as well, but nonetheless his career is finally back on the rails.

19. Wilson Zuela - central midfielder - Randoil Purtaruca

One of the less expected inclusions is central midfielder Wilson Zuela, a crafty fellow who earns his wage since this season for Randoil Purtaruca, the brand-new club founded for professional football by the nation’s biggest oil company. During the last few years, this 21-year old got some attention playing for Progresso Purtaruca and Zanda SC as a clearheaded number ten. The stat that might have attracted the attention is the one of his assisting passes, where Wilson Zuela shows his vision quite often. One should wonder if this doesn’t come to soon, lacking experience at the highest level so far. We will see whether his refined passing will convince the non-believers or whether his pace of execution is too slow to handle the kind of teams Banguela faces here.

20. Rui Mokanga - left attacker - Uniao Mpulo

Without any doubt the sturdiest of our present strikers, the 20-year old Rui Mokanga is discovering how quick a take-off can go in football nation. Only two years ago, he was discussing quiting football, not making enough as left attacker from the minor Clube Tengala to support his family. But out of the blue, Uniao Mpulo picked him up and after a few months with the youth squad, he got promoted. Rui Mokanga impressed there with his lethal combination of natural strength and unexpected speed of execution. Despite being over a metre ninety, his handling of the leather is fluent and infiltrations to be feared, with a proper outcome in goals. If he can sort out his heading and mature a bit more, Rui Mokanga has to potential to go far.

21. Fulco - right midfielder - Associaçao Bassuto

The easiest way in which we can characterize Fulco is by explaining how this skilled right midfielder earned his name. Just to the south of Berange, his original home town where he played for the local side for nearly a decade before switching to Associaçao Bassuto two seasons ago, there lies a range of three volcanoes. Two of them have died out but the smallest one still rumbles and whirls every once and a while. Its name? Fulco. Limited posture gets made up with fire in his legs and heart. Fulco has interesting variety in his game, infiltrating to the centre from time to time but being capable of making a move over a wing attacker. A 23-year old who will always do his bit but that does include picking up a card every now and then.

22. Arsenio Anda - right winger - SC Bassuto

Some players want to gather trophies for themselves, others main goal is to bring their club to new heights, a third category is in it for the paycheque at the end of the month. Arsenio Anda, the SC Bassuto pocket winger with the magical right foot is mainly in it to entertain the crowds. More often than not balancing on the thin line between a jester and a star player, his speedy dribbles and unexpected brain waves make him a terror for opposing backlines. The same unpredictability earned him quite a disciplinary record on and off the pitch, although the latter starts to cool down at 24. A marvellous player all agree, but the observers who take a look at the stats realise that he scores quite little for a lad who defends so little.

23. Antonio Lupapa - goalkeeper - Atletico Ntangele

The veteran of the group and someone whose presence might be more of a tribute to what once was than an actual testimony to his current quality. The Antonio Lupapo of his younger days was a raw diamond that should always have earned himself a spot in the Primero Divisao of the Homeland but the War broke his career. Antonio Lupapo’s spectacular saves, daring footwork and enthusiastic shouting and pointing made him, if not the best goalie ever in Banguela, at least the most beloved one. It remains unfortunate that the career from Antonio Lupapo will have been spend in the shadows of the shabby stadium of Atletico Ntangele instead of in front of an international audience but this call-up is a nice gift for the 37-year old third goalie.

The expected line-up

Alternatives in case of need for an attacking or defensive scheme.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
          Choose my goalscorers: Sure
          Godmod scoring events: Please, not
          RP injuries to my players: Fine, but not beyond the scope of the tournament
          Godmod injuries to my players: Don’t
          Hand out yellow cards to my players: All right
          Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, but only one
          Godmod other events: If it’s funny

General note of advice - please read my previous RP, it should contain a line-up.
Also note that the names are "complete". It makes little sense to say "Pinto" when referring to "Joao Pinto".

[Burthnas]

SPECIAL B787 WORLD CUP LIVERY REVEALED
by:Athena Jones (via the Buffalo Today)
9-26-2015 EDITED 12:40 pm

Underneath the warm Autumn sun, just hours before the Burthnasian National Football Team is set to depart to Rushmore, a small flying machine of blue and gold shimmered in the Pacifican heat. That flying machine is Visones Airways, the national carrier's, brand new 787. The design for the livery was created as one giant comglomerate collaboration that involved hundreds of designers from across the nation. Its collage like appearance of buffaloes and elks will carry the pride of Burthnasians across the multiverse to Eura for the 60th Baptism of Fire tournament. The custom-fitted interior will carry 30 individuals to to Eura tonight from Burthswick International AIrport at 7.

The plane is Visones' first 787, and is equipped with 35 business class styled seats, a cafe with a salad bar, a lounge room, two bathrooms with a shared jaccuzi and sauna, along with a gaming/strategy room where players can strategize while playing NSWC (the game).

A similar but slightly less extravagant livery and interior will be used for special flights that will take BoF ticket holders to Eura and back for a discounted price.

After the tournament, the plane will be reused to transport players to the official 73rd World Cup in Vilitan.

[Vers-Gelderland]

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NEW GELDERLAND ROSTER FOR BAPTISM OF FIRE 60 >>>

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The New Gelderland Football Federation is proud to present its roster for the Baptism of Fire 60.

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GENERAL INFORMATION >>>

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Style: -3
Football is one of the most popular and well-known sports in New Gelderland. Most people avidly follow or play football recreationally or casually. While the Euran League is the most popular league in New Gelderland, a nascent New Gelderlish league is forming to capitalize on the talent and interest of New Gelderland. As part of the popularity of football, the New Gelderland Football Federation was more than happy to send a team to its Terranean neighbors Eura and Valladares to compete in the Baptism of Fire, and, later, the World Cup qualification matches home and away.

Stylistically, the New Gelderlish national football team tends to play somewhat defensively. When playing on the offense, in contrast, the team tends to play opportunistically, watching and waiting for opportunities rather than all-out attacking. Offensive play also tends to focus on the midfield, where Louis Rhodes is more than capable of creating opportunities for Luke Virgo and Ben Griffin. Defensively, New Gelderland is known for producing very capable goalkeepers with good reflexes and eyes on the ball. The defensive side is also known for its good combination of man-to-man tactics as well as zonal defense and its tackling and pass interception abilities. With the ball, New Gelderland will likely pass the ball around until they see an opportunity; without the ball, they will try to force the ball into the defenders, try to intercept passes, or try and tackle.

Most of New Gelderland's football roster is, surprisingly, young, despite the expectations that New Gelderland would want to field its most experienced team. However, because of the dominance of the Euran league in New Gelderland's football history and the relative lack of prominence of Gelderlish players (who have not, until yet, had the opportunity to play professionally in a football league in New Gelderland), most of the best and experienced Gelderlish players are very young. This also correlates with a very young demographic trend in the population of New Gelderland itself.

Starting XI Formation

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MANAGING STAFF >>>

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David Ross - Manager
Stephen Rutherford - Assistant manager

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ROSTER >>>

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Goalkeepers
GK Eliot Horn - 24 - Celtic Noviodunum
GK Alex Bastion-Rier - 20 - Lexington Conflagration
GK Kieran Drago - 17 - Pinnacle Project

Defense
DL Finn Killarney - 22 - Celtic Noviodunum
DL Stan Russell - 24 - Lexington Conflagration
DC Harry Landis - 21 - Vaduz Portcullis
DC Jason Rogue - 22 - Lexington Victory
DC Sofia Page-Osbourne - 21 - Eclipse New Gelderland
DC Adam Montgomery - 22 - Arrowhead Point
DR Liam Kirkpatrick - 20 - Celtic Noviodunum
DR Ernie Lewis - 27 - Lexington Conflagration

Midfield
ML Cory Morgan-Brown - 28 Eclipse New Gelderland
ML Hal Varley - 27 Olympic Nassau Bay
MC Ian Landis - 20 Lexington Victory
MC (C) Louis Rhodes - 24 Lexington Victory
MC Gavin Hawke - 25 Royal Queenstown
MC Steve Achilles - 27 Lexington Conflagration
MR Jamie Wolf - 25 Celtic Noviodunum
MR Noah Lennox - 22 Royal Queenstown

Forwards
FC Luke Virgo - 22 Lexington Victory
FC Ben Griffin - 22 Lexington Victory
FC/LW Tom Auros - 19 Olympic Nassau Bay
FC/RW Will Paris - 20 Vaduz Portcullis

RP Permissions: No killing or excessive red cards without my permission; if you want to godmod, please TG me to discuss it. Otherwise everything else is fine.

OOC: Profiles of players will be made available in my RP as part of my story arc.

[Banguela]

There is a lot I don’t like about this situation. This Baptism of Fire had been campaigned in the newspapers as the most thrilling thing to hit the nation since the declaration of independence. Which, admittedly, hadn’t been the most joyful event either, considering the wave of riots that event had fuelled. But all this was starting to get on my nerves, despite the marvellous dressing room. These white walls are hurting my eyes.

I was sick and tired of all the pumped-up babbling from the local audience. Their ridiculous admiration of anything that vaguely smelled like royalty. How they, considering it was a duel between two nations that were only known by shut-in cartographers before last week, suddenly chose the side of the Armeians as they fielded an experimental youth team after a dramatic airplane crash.

Sighing in annoyance, I found a quiet spot in the corner but what unfolded, both proverbially and literally, in the following minutes ruined what was left of my enthusiasm for the opener. In the opposite corner a few Mpulo guys were acting as if they were on a children’s party, goddamned. Bloody idiots. For some reason, Marco Freite had put his faith in these guys to defend the national colours. Their nervous giggling and lude jokes was more a testimony to their lack of maturity to get this job done. It formed a stark contrast with how the Nordiques had entered the opposite dressing room - orderly, focused and in style. And here... Oh, for f’s sake, did Amarinho just put his underwear on his head? What a moron...

“That lad is such a moron, Flavio,” a tall lad next to me voiced my thoughts with his low bass.

I merely nodded at Djalma Yaba’s remark. Last night, in the hotel room, he had given his opinion about the half-hearted decision of Marco Freite to put both Amarinho and me on the midfield.

”Bollocks. The decision is it and Marco Freite hasn’t got them.”

Djalma Yaba seldom needs a lot of words to put stuff in the right perspective. It was just nonsense to field us together. And in all honesty, not just because I think that an orchestra needs one conductor, a factory one boss and a ship one captain. Which could smoothly bring me to the ridiculous decision to make Helder Barbosa the captain - friendly lad, proper defender, gigantic pushover.

But apart from that, putting me next to Amarinho on the pitch? Well, next to... A bit behind him. He’s a clown, someone who wants to get all the attention. He will give some to his minions, that Ze Vidigal not in the least, to put it against the net but he craves the glory like a toddler wants his mum. Either he gets to shine or the side loses. That’s not the kind of attitude we can use here, right? At the toughest competition we’ve ever faced?

We need someone who adapts, who knows variations, a tactician who searches the weakness of the opposition and, like a general on the battlefield, pushes forwards the right man to pierce that hole into the defence that tilts the balance. But Chingala and Arsenio Anda, my usual lieutenants, were warming the bench and I’ld have to do with Carlos Neto, Ze Vidigal and Amarinho ahead of me. A moderate striker, a lazy bum and a show-off. God thanks that I could drop the ball in the box with Mananga - an awful player with a great attitude. Thankful lad too.

But will I have the leather to do so? Because the question remains, who will the pass go to? Will they search me or skip me? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, for hesitation, for doubts. For completely messing it up against a bunch of enthused youths carried by the crowd.

This is just dreadful. But what is even worse, worse than the line-up, the buzz, the idiot fans with flags in green and blue, the bloody toothpaste-advertisement-white walls... Worse than that was the shirt.

8. Eight, if I’ve got to spell it out. I’m not an 8, goddamned, I’m a 10.

And I should be the 10.

[Minecraft Miners]

Minecraft Miners Soccer
the Axemen

Forward: Hosni Boback
LM: Lamar Triptophan
CM: Heiko Belinski
CM: Raphaël Entemore
RM: Melville Willenholme
Sweeper: Reynaldo Trinity
LB: Pace Delnord
CB: Heiko Heidi
CB: Berker Drillhive
RB: Yuki Apostolis
GK: Bronston Christer

FW: Semen Riviera
FW: Jerrik Fitz
Mid: Paulo Davidson
Mid: Efraín Apostale
Mid: Mayeso Rory
Def: Luiz Gardens
Def: Elvan Triste
Def: Max Kliment
GK: Samuel Ansgar
GK: Edgar Valerio

Manager: Trelbin Hoplow
Assistant Manager: Freddy Kaymen
Style: -3

Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y
Injure Players: Y (No more than three games missed)
Godmod Injury Events: N
Red Card Players: Y (1 per game)
Yellow Card Players: Y (Up to 3 per game)
Godmod Other Events: Y

5-4-1

[Burthnas]

#FOLLOWTHEFLAVOR: TRADITIONAL TREDENTIAN FOOTBALL FLAVORS COMING TO AN AIRPORT NEAR YOU
by: Lucy Lu on 9-27-2015 9:15 am

Tredent, the official sponsor of Team Burthnas is proud to launch a new limited edition Football - errr, Victory flavored chewing gum in partnership with the Burthnian Football Federation. As the national team takes off this morning from our beloved nation, they plan to make several stops along the way before reaching the Rushmori nation of Eura. The primarily reason for this is to get refueled, but it is also to share the passion and spirit of the Baptism of Fire games to the poor nations who have no national team to root for. Every time our team lands in another nation, the joy will be spread via free Victory flavored gum for those who get it before we run out. A makeshift rave and fiesta will also pass through each nation for the duration of the refueling period. Although the team still doesn't where in Eura they're even supposed to be heading towards (this is an issue on the organizers behalf, which was why their flight was delayed from last night), they will at least know that they will be spreading the joy of the BoF tournament, and Tredent gum, wherever they go. Print the ticket below to remind you to root for #TeamBUR!

[Burthnas]

Baptism of Fire Broadcasting
With the Baptism of Fire Tournament opening only one day away, you may be scratching your head and wondering how on Earth you’re going to keep track of this one and a half week event. Well, the editors here at the Burthnasian National Broadcasting 5 have come to the rescue. Below is a list of official sources and broadcasters that keep you in the loop from everything to anything Team BUR or BoF related.

1.BNB5
That’s right, BNB5 is the official broadcaster of the 60th Baptism of Fire tournament held in the Rushmori nations of Eura and Valladeres. Keep up to date right here on our blog for daily match reports and live feeds, our radio and TV station for live broadcasting, or online for all of the above and much more.

2.TridentBlogs.bur
The official sponsors of the Burthnasian National Team have tranformed their boring chewing gum blog into the HQ of Team BUR. Exclusive interviews and reports are sure to be expected from the official messengers of Team BUR.

3. Parks, Stadiums, and Squares!
Tredent has also set up its sponsoring festivals and free Victory-flavored gum giveaways all over the country. Keep your eyes peeled on the nearest major park, stadium, or square that's near you so you can also join the party. Live broadcasts of Burthnas' first game will be live streamed across the nation, including at the Tredent festivals, so that wasy, you can ride the Ferris wheel while watching Burthnas score!

AVENTURES, INTERVIEWS, AND THE JOURNAL OF BUFFELELKS
by: Jodie Miller

Good evening Burthnas! This morning, was definitely a wild one, and arguably one of the most important days in Burthnasian sport history. The goodbye ceremony sponsored by Tredent was a huge success, and I (and my colleague James) now have the chance to follow the national team to Eura for their first ever international competition. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve turned from chewing gum flavor-tester to national sports journalist!

As I type right now, we have already visited the central and eastern continents of the Pacific, along with the largest city in the West Pacific. Right now, we are on our way to the South Pacific, where a special nighttime fireworks show will commence.

While contained in the giant hulk of lightweight gliding metal, I’ve managed to convince co-captain Buffalelk to share entry number one of the journal that he’s been keeping. I also got to interview him, which was awesome. Below, you can find the Q&A session we had together, along with Mr. Buffelelk’s journal entry. I (or James) will try my best to update each entry as soon as Mr. Buffelelk allows possible. But until next time, you’re just gonna wait ‘till we get to the SillyString Nation of the North Pacific.

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[b]Q: How has your experience been with your other teammates?
A: GRUNT MUMMBLE... GRUNT GRUNT GRUNT! MUMBLE. HISS!
(ughhhh... Terrible. They’re all related! It’s absurd!)

Q: Should we expect any surprises during the tournament?
A: GRUNT. GARGLE GARGLE GRUNT. MUMBLE MUMBLE.
(No. We suck. I just can’t even anymore.)

Q: Cat person -errr, bufallo or Dog buffalo?
A: GRUMBLE MUMBLE GARGLE GRUNT.
(They’re both delicious.)

Q:Who do you think will be the ones pulling the team? Dragging it down?
A: MUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMP MUMMBLE DUO SPIT DECIM SPAT ATT. GRUMBLE HISS OCTO HISS GARGLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE DECK GRUMBLE GRUMBLE, KUENDECEM RAGLE SPIT HISS GARGLE GRUMBLE MUTTER.
(I think the Duo, Decim, Quinn/Att, and my fellow co-captain will pull the team through. However, Octo's fingers are just weird, Deck is too weirdly average for international play, and Quindecim refuses to wear her jersey, opting for her thick purple robe.)

Q: How confident do you feel about a possible victory?
A: MUMBLE
(No.)

Q: What is your strategy will like?
A: GRUMBLE BALANCE MUMBLE MUMBLE OFFENSE *SPIT* MUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE "WING IT."
(we're trying to keep it balanced, though we are leaning more towards the offense. We've also decided to just wing the formations last minute)

Q: And finally, are you enjoying your free victory-flavored gum?
A: GRUNT GRUNT MUMMBLE HISS!
(It’s disgusting delicious!)

JOURNAL ENTRY #1 9-27-2015
TO-D-DAY GRUMBLE GRUMBLE MUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE EURRRAAA. GRUMBLE MUMMBLE DAES MUMMBLE GRUMMBLE GARGLE GRUMBLE HISS. HISS GRUMBLE GRUMBLE. IT SO GRUMBLE MUMBLE! GRUMMBLLEEEEE GRUMMBLLLEEEEE! HISSSSSSSS! I WAUNT GRUMMBLEEEE!!!! GRUMBLE GRUMBLE SPIT. HISS SPAT GRUMBLE GRUMBLE MUMBLE, MUMBLE HISS MUMBLE GRUMP. GARGLE GARBLE HISS. WE R GO LOSE. GRUMBLE.GRUMBLE GRUMBLE MUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE EURRRAAA. GRUMBLE MUMMBLE MUMMBLE GRUMMBLE HELP. HELP. GARGLE MUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMBLE GRUMP. HELP.