World Cup 78 - Roleplay Thread

[Chromatika]

Chromatika 3-0 Free Republics
Lineup vs. Free Republics: Ria; Ilya - Stef - Damjana; Etienne - Harbin - Sybil - Buric; Niro - Victoriane (C) - Dragana. Subs: Morningstar -> Ilya ('51), Andisori -> Niro ('71), Kelly -> Etienne ('81)
Goals vs. Free Republics: Victoriane '15 assisted by Sybill; Victoriane '24 assisted by Niro; Victoriane '35 assisted by Harbin. Player of the Match: Kaytlyn Victoriane (3 goals)

The Chromatik Bench played a flawless game against the Free Republics in Chromatik City, garnering a three-nil victory behind a solid performance from Mia Ria and Kaytlyn Victoriane, who contributed a hat trick before halftime to provide the final margin.

The Republicans could get no form of offense going, the Chromatik defense absorbing all their forays like a sponge; Laure Etienne and Danko Buric both played a bit more further back, allowing Terisa Harbin and Sandra Sybill to play the role of true midfielders and push the ball up. This didn't take away from the offensive firepower of the Chromatiks, however, as Victoriane showed why she should be a starter in most offenses with a beautiful hat trick, all scored in a different fashion: the first, a header when she streaked in front of the goal to deftly finish a long strike from Sybill; the second, a right-footed shot from twenty meters out, left corner; and the third, a ground ball that caught the keeper unawares for the final margin.

Pundits have said that Parker should switch to a two-top system to utilize both Andisori and Victoriane, but he refuses to budge, believing in the system and not just the players:

"Sure, Keira and Kaytlyn are both great players, and so is Nioli by the way, but the reason that they get the chances they do is because of the system. Simply changing things up to add another attacker on the board won't do much. In fact, it will likely detract from the game that we are playing. No, I think it's best if we continue the way that we currently have things."

Both Andisori and Victoriane seem happy enough about the arrangement, but then, winning makes everything easier.

The Chromatiks will head to Damukuni for what will be their toughest test; a win there would almost guarantee a perfect qualification. Parker will be sending out the Starting XI - and expected to sub out Ellen, Antonio, and Kelly as the game requires.

Lineup @ Damukuni: Nier; Morningstar - Aart - Ellen; Kelly (C) - Montague - Hellion - Liam; Rien - Andisori - Antonio.

[Spaam]

Sehelin Scores In Quakmybush

A late goal to Merlara Sehelin has kept alive Spaam's chances of topping Group 2 in Quakmybush. The two World Cup veterans were engaged in a physical match, with Spaam on a four game winning streak and looking to maintain their lead over the top seeds Gregoryisgodistan. While there were no red cards, a number of players received yellows, including Spaam's James Moreira and Dorrak Vallen, with the latter racking up his second in as many games to earn himself a suspension from his next game against the troublesome Allahakbarium.

The first half saw both teams keep the ball largely in the midfield, with few shots on goal from either end. Spaam's star strikers Sehelin and Alan Belmore were marked heavily, and unable to make any significant breaks, while the visitors aimed to tire out the home team with frequent passing. The best chance of the half saw Oridul Inasys give away a corner, which Quakmybush almost converted if Inasys hadn't managed to scramble to gather the ball just before the line. The home captain requested a video referral, but it was ruled that the referee's on-field decision correct.

The second half saw the game start to swing in Spaam's way, as their superior midfield took the lion's share of the possession, opening up the way for their forwards to create chances. However, the Quakmybush defense stayed strong, with their keeper having an excellent game to stop everything that came his way. With regular time almost up, it looked like they would steal a draw, but a crucial stumble from their right wing defender saw Merlara Sehelin pounce on the loose ball, who struck true. The home team tried to rally, but there wasn't enough time, and Spaam scored the crucial win.

 Quakmybush 0
 Spaam      1
     (Sehelin 88')

Qualifying Wrapup

Group 1
 Tumbra              
 San Jose Guayabal
 Abanhfleft

Tumbra is on top, but face a bye in their next game, while San Jose Guayabal and Abanhfleft both have two games in hand. All three teams are favourites to win their remaining matches, which means San Jose Guayabal and Tumbra look like they will go through, while Abanhfleft will miss by a single point. However, any stumble by any of the three teams will most likely see their season over.

Group 2
 Spaam        
 Gregoryisgodistan

Defense has been key in Group 2, with two of the three best defensive teams on top. Spaam has had a dream season, dropping only one match against ancient foes Krytenia, and defeating top seeds Gregoryisgodistan twice. Spaam and Gregoryisgodistan have already wrapped up qualification, and should finish that way, with Spaam's five point buffer surely too much to surmount.

Group 3
 Audioslavia    
 Tinhampton
 Osarius
 Coldfield

Group 3 is a tight contest, with four team still in the hunt. Audioslavia and Tinhampton are on top, but both have byes coming up, while Osarius and Coldfield still have two games in had. Excitingly, Osarius plays Tinhampton in the next round, with Audioslavia going up against Coldfield in the following. Whoever loses the Osarius vs Tinhampton game will almost certainly be bundled out, while a draw will most likely see Tinhampton lose out on goal difference. Meanwhile, Audioslavia is only a mathematical chance of not qualifying and can afford to lose to Coldfield, while Coldfield need Osarius to beat Tinhampton, but somehow lose to the Kiaser Colonies, and hope that the goal difference go their way.

Group 4
 Eura
 Flardania

Eura and Flardania have wrapped up qualifying in an otherwise exciting Group 4, with Flardania having an extra game to play, should top the group unless they manage to lose one of their final games.

Group 5
 Chromatika
 Damukuni

The first of the groups that has been completely decided, Chromatika have been one of the top two teams in the multiverse during qualifying, two games from having a perfect season. Meanwhile, Damukuni has done enough to wrap up second position, thanks to their shellacking of Jeckland and the Free Republic's capitulation to Chromatika.

Group 6
 Mriin
 Farfadillis
 Barunia

Mriin have performed brilliantly in qualifying to wrap up their spot in the World Cup, but the final position is up in the air. Mriin play Farfadillis next round in a game that might decide things, as if the unbeaten Farfadillis win, their spot will also be assured. Barunia are favourites to win their next two games, but need Farfadillis to go winless in the next two matches, and, barring some big results, lose at least one of them. The second seeds will probably miss out, however, with most critics backing Farfadillis to still top the group.

Group 7
 Semarland
 Valanora

The top two seeds of Group 7 have had an almost identical season and are practically impossible to separate. They have both sewn up qualifying, and whoever has the best of the next two game will top the group.

Group 8
 Jeruselem
 Valladares
 Electrum

Group 8 is very close, with the top three seeds still in the hunt, and any combination possible to go through. Electrum have an extra game in hand to the top two (who both have upcoming byes), while Valladares only need to beat the winless New Lusitania and the Algarves to clinch a spot in the World Cup. This group will probably go down to the last round, when Jeruselem host Electrum. An Electrum win should see Jeruselem just miss out, while any other result should see Jeruselem make it. However, if either Valladares or Electrum fail to win their easy matches, they will almost certainly fail to qualify.

Group 9
 Nova Anglicana
 Turori
 Ceni

Everyone is looking forward to next round's match between Ceni and Turori as it could decide the group. A win to Turori will see them qualify, a draw will see Turori probably qualify as long as they don't lose an easy match against the Joaquin States, while a win to Ceni will mean the group will probably be decided by goal difference in the final matchday. Meanwhile if Nova Anglicana win their last game against Tomikosan, they will qualify, while anything else means they will need results to go their way.

Group 10
 Pasarga
 Drawkland
 Red Blackiland

Group 10 is another close one, with all three top seeds needing to ensure they win their final games. Pasarga is in first position, but have an upcoming bye that effectively makes this a one point game. If all results go as expected, Pasarga and Drawkland will go through, but if any team drops a game, then chances are they would have kissed their qualification chances goodbye.

Group 11
 Vilita
 Ethane
 Garifunya

Vilita has unsurprisingly sewn up qualification and, barring a miracle, will finish in the top position. Garifunya face Vilita in their final match, and almost certainly needs to beat them to make it through. All Ethane needs to do, on the other hand, is win at least one of their final two games and they should qualify.

Group 12
 Starblaydia    
 Sargossa
 Nephara
 Darmen

Group 12 is everyone's favourite group, unless their nation is in Group 12. Top seeds Nephara have had an underwhelming season, which has only played into everyone else's hands, while Sargossa has had a dream run, and is on the cusp of a historic World Cup berth. Starblaydia play Nephara and Darmen in their next two games, Sargossa play St. Saratoga and Tveidalen, Nephara play Yuezhou in their other game, and Darmen play Makongo. Starblaydia has almost certainly qualified, unless they lose both their final games by large margins, and Nephara completely reverse their fortunes. This means that it is the second spot that everyone is fighting for, and it all depends on Sargossa. Should Sargossa win both their games, or even win and draw, they will qualify. If they win one and lose one, then Nephara will have to win both theirs and hope goal difference goes their way to get ahead. If Sargossa draws both their final games, then Nephara can qualify if they win both the matches, otherwise Darmen could also sneak through with two wins. Otherwise, in the unlikely case that Sargossa don't gain more than one point in their final two games, then everything gets thrown out the window and it will go down to the final round. In any case, Starblaydia and Sargossa are still favourites to make it through, in that order.

Group 13
 The Holy Empire
 Eshan
 Acronius

The Holy Empire has already qualified and, barring a miracle, literally, will qualify in first position. There is only one point separating Eshan and Acronius, but the latter will be facing the monks in the final round, so unless there are some surprises, it will be Eshan going through in the other spot.

Group 14
 Brenecia
 Qasden
 Port Christopher
 Savojarna
 Tobiasia

Everyone has been playing attention to Group 12, but Group 14 is the closest one, with four teams vying to join Brenecia in qualifying, who has sewn up first position. Qasden are currently in second, but only have one game left to the others' two. Tobiasia need to win their final two games to qualify, and hope the game between Port Christopher and Savojarna goes their way. If Port Christopher beat Savojarna then they will be favourite to make it through, otherwise Qasden will probably make it. In any case, any team that loses a game will almost certainly be ruled out.

Group 15
 Schottia
 Super-Llamaland
 New Gazi
 Kaboomlandia

Schottia has had a perfect season so far and is favourites to win all sixteen of their matches. The second qualifying position should go to Super-Llamaland especially if their either win at least one game or draw both. New Gazi and Kaboomlandia need to win both their final games and hope that Super-Llamaland only gain one point in the final two matches to qualify.

[Abanhfleft]

This time I don't have much time for a match report so here's part six of that submarine accident story that I made earlier. Hope that will see me through. I really would have liked to RP that game against Bongo Johnson but that will have to come later.

Sand as Red as Blood, Part Six

Pridnestrovian submarine K-312
Somewhere off the coast of Atlantian Oceania

It had been one of the tensest moments onboard the K-312 ever since the crisis first started on the submarine. Two crewmen, Senior Warrant Officer Galina Ginigina and Seaman First Class Yelizaveta Nevsky, had been accidentally trapped inside the submarine's missile compartment after a hasty evacuation of the compartment, which had been flooding at an accelerated pace after a large explosion punched a large hole through the submarine's hull and caused massive flooding in the compartment and the rest of the submarine. The two women had survived the flooding and the submarine's emergency ascent to the surface but then the rest of the crew had to make a decision to evacuate the two women after Nevsky detected a cloud of toxic fumes produced by a reaction between leaking missile fuel and seawater approaching their position. Captain First Rank Tanya Nikitova Kalinina, commanding officer of the K-312, had made the decision to unseal the missile compartment, at least until as far as Ginigina and Nevsky were able to get out of the compartment and into the relative safety of the control room and the rest of the submarine. Kalinina had allowed the seal between the control room and the missile compartment to be raised, at least for the time that it took Ginigina and Nevsky to get out of the missile compartment and into the control room. After informing the two women of her decision, Kalinina ordered the compartment unsealed, and the crew inside the control room braced themselves from the inevitable flood of water from the compartment into their own room which was flooded up to the ankles. The water surged in from the missile compartment at almost the same time that Ginigina and Nevsky almost literally threw themselves through the now-open hatch. Once both of them were safely in the control room, Kalinina ordered the hatch closed once again and the torrent of water slowly shut off until it was reduced to a mere trickle which eventually ended as well.

"Well, now that the fun part is over," Kalinina muttered as the ship's doctor checked on the two crewmen, "now let's deal with where we are. Yasila, check that the missile compartment is now well and truly empty this time. Once you've confirmed that, we'll seal the compartment. No one is allowed to go in or out of the missile compartment until such time that it is absolutely necessary. Make sure that this rule is strictly enforced, Yasila. The last thing we need is those fumes making their way around the ship, not when we're already on the surface."

"Yes, Comrade Captain," the missile officer said, taking a small group of able-bodied crewmen back towards the missile compartment to perform one last inspection before the compartment was sealed for the final time. Once this was done, Kalinina walked over to the navigator's station and leaned over her shoulder to look at the maps laid out on her station. "Sofia, have you found out where we are now?"

Captain Lieutenant Sofia Alekseyevna Barzilovich looked up at the captain and laid out one of her maps for Kalinina to see. "Yes, Comrade Captain," she replied, "but I don't think that you or anyone else will like it."

"Oh? Why do you say that, Sofia?" Kalinina asked.

"Based on our latest GPS ping as well as some of my own calculations, I believe we are now ten miles away from the Red Sand Islands."

"The Red Sand Islands?" Kalinina repeated. "Why does that name seem familiar to me?"

"Don't let the name fool you, Captain," Barzilovich said. "The Red Sand Islands actually happen to have some of the whitest sand beaches in the world. It just so happens that the locals are very fiercely territorial, to put it mildly, and they've made it very clear that they won't tolerate anyone else other than themselves ruling over themselves. They will not hesitate to turn their sands red with blood if ever any foreigner tried to set foot on their islands and claim it for another country. Politically, the Sultanate of Oontaz lays claim to these islands but obviously the claim cannot be exercised physically, not since the 1970s when the Oontazniks were fired upon by the natives over the main island of the Red Sand Islands. And the Fleftics apparently once had battle plans for an invasion of the Red Sand Islands in the 60s but they never really went ahead with it, as you can see. And now, Captain, there are rumors that a strong leader has taken over the leadership of the main island and declared an 'Emirate of the Red Sand' with him as the Emir, of course. But we're nowhere near the main island so we have nothing to worry about if we do make the decision to evacuate the sub as the island we're nearest to is uninhabited the last time anyone checked."

"You don't sound too confident, Sofia," Kalinina said.

"Well, the last time anyone checked for signs of habitation over the rest of the Red Sand Islands was back in 2000, over twenty years ago," Barzilovich said. "Someone could very well have gone over there and settled during those twenty years."

"Captain," Captain Lieutenant Yasila Moiseyevna Vroyev called out as she and her team of crewmen returned from inspecting the missile compartment. "Yes, what is it, Yasila?" Kalinina asked her.

"We've finished our inspections," Vroyev said. "We've found two bodies near silo eight. I think they were the two watching over the silo when the first explosion happened. The explosion got them both immediately. The only good thing is that they both went quickly."

"What about the fumes?" Kalinina asked.

"We can keep them contained for the time but our best bet is to get out of this sub as soon as we can."

"All right," Kalinina said. She then turned to Barzilovich and said, "Looks like we will be dropping off at that island after all."

[Sargossa]

Brham, Darmen.

“Señor Emparán, please excuse me. I don't feel particularly well, and I think I need to leave before I feel worse. I hope you enjoy the rest of the match.”

Gregorio Emparán had been so engrossed in the contest unfolding in front of him that it took him a moment to realise that he’d been addressed by his opposite number. He turned to the Darmeni president. He had to admit that Tor Tong Lee didn’t look particularly happy with life.

“Certainly. I hope you feel better soon.”

He watched President Lee and his security detail disappear out of the rear of the box in which they sat. A young aide leaned over from the row behind to whisper in Emparán’s ear.

“It’s highly disrespectful to be abandoned by your host on a state visit. Should I raise it with the Darmeni Office of Protocol?”

“Wind your neck in”, Emparán silenced the aid with a glare. “This isn’t just some football match to him. That man is a Darmeni football legend, he’s entitled to feel it more than most.”

And feeling it, he probably was, in a first half that had been entirely dominated by the visiting Sargossans. The Corsairs were already a goal to the good in this crucial World Cup qualifier and, but for their profligacy in the attacking third, could already be out of sight. Suddenly a flurry of activity swept through the VIP section as security personnel engaged in an urgent conversation, before a group of them disappeared. Emparán could see that the activity was making his own bodyguards a little twitchy. He indicated with a movement of his head for one of his detail to find out what was going on. He returned several moments later.

“Well?”

“A security alert sir, down in the concourse. The Darmenis are checking it now but it does appear to be a hoax.”

“Fine.” He noticed something in his bodyguard’s eyes. “Is there something else?”

“Well . . . it seems . . . it seems that they can’t find President Lee. They’ve lost him.”

“Lost? He’s not a set of keys. How can . . .”, he trailed off as a huge gasp ran through the stands. “I think he may have been found.”

Down on the pitch Darmen’s state president had donned the famous all-green strip and had seemingly substituted himself into the match. And any casual viewer who wondered whether this was this the vein folly of a former great, unable to let go of past glories, was put firmly in their place as Lee rolled back the years and went on a mazy dribble, which was only ended by a last-ditch challenge from Álvaro Duarte. A challenge which prompted the president’s security team to race onto the pitch, along with the Darmeni physios, only to be waved off again by Tor Tong Lee himself. This was no brief cameo, he was on for the duration.

Had it been the plot of a big budget movie the president would have surely scored the goals to turn the match around and put his nation firmly back in contention for a place at the World Cup finals in Cosumar and Bonesea. And certainly, although the pace had left him, the exquisite touch and speed of thought were there in spades. His prodding and probing turned the flow of the match on its head. Suddenly it was the All-Greens striding forward, suddenly Sargossa were on the back foot. But this was no movie. The Darmenis poured forward but the Corsairs defence, unbeaten in the previous two games, held out for a crucial three points.

The major outcome of the Sargossan victory was to knock second seeds Mercedini clean out of contention. But wins on the night for both Starblaydia and Nephara ensured Group 12 would stay a four horse race with two games to go. Starblaydia lead the way on 32 points, Sargossa sit in second on 29, Nephara have 26 and Darmen lurk a single point further back. The tension is palpable. And will only ratchet up further when big guns Nephara and Starblaydia collide in the next round of matches. Sargossa have, on paper at least, the much easier prospect of hosting St. Saratoga at Daroca’s Estadio Bolero.

“I’m sure I can find some excuse to be there”, Emparán joked after agreeing to address the media. “I like to think I’m a man who can think on his feet. Plus I have access to a private jet which tends to help.” He was then asked about the appearance on the pitch of Tor Tong Lee and whether he considered it ‘presidential’. “If I did it? No, not in the slightest. But then I don’t have President Lee’s first touch. Look, he literally came to his nation’s aid in a time of need. What more can you want from a leader. I imagine there’s a lot of proud Darmenis out there tonight.”

[Tinhampton]

The (disorganised but) Collected Works of Aidan Thornton
08 October 1909-28 May 1987. Seen by many as Tinhampton's "greatest" poet, and arguably its only famous one.
Daylight Robbery
A poem about the robbery of the Tor Hill Gallery in the summer of 1973, and the subsequent holding of 8 hostages
fun fact: this poem was concocted in the weekend after the end of the siege

---

08/1973

It was just another glorious day
As the sun rose over New Tor Way
Some time around six-thirty or so
And the museum preparing to open its doors

Within half an hour, a queue could be seen
Ranging from the unwashed to the posh and clean
All awaiting that July day's exhibit
One by another artist that I know

For once, everything seemed to make sense
As people came from here, thereforth and hence
To marvel at the wonders of the artist I speak of
And they did so for another good four hours

And then no less than six men came out from the side,
rushing up there as if they were a distant tide,
A good few dozen shots fired, no less than three were killed
And at the end of the damn thing... raiding

...yes, raiding, that activity most controversial
And you could hardly call these events a premier "role reversal"
For these men were skilled in their art, and in disguise
No less than twenty pictures stolen, including all of the artist's

Some of the men returned to the car, planning to ship---
To ship them to the gang's headquarters, never mind their shtick
Their aim was to hold them up, tell the owners to pay up
I was told in the region of two million dollars all in all

And I remember they got them back, but not sans echec
For the other men were keeping eight hostages in check
"That'll be another million," one of them replied
And there, the hostages all there, screaming for their lives

Fearful of their future, if they would live or die
Preferring not to think, and sometimes even to cry
For, if any man come across them, they'd quickly be shot dead
By one of the captors, unrelentless in their pursuits

And so, three weeks later, the situation was then defused
Thanks to two score policemen, their weapons excellently used
The captors were aroused, their hostages set free
And now, the criminals face jail

But that's that, to be fair - for now, I'll conclude
The captors were evil; rights they did protrude
And never again shall we forget - so we'll remember
About the Gallery Siege, and the joy that it brought.

---

---

WORLD CUP 77: HOW CAN THE MINERS STILL QUALIFY?

With our rag-tag team of surgeons, dinnerladies and accountants still in World Cup contention, how can we make it through?

---

The unlikely lads (and lasses) of Tinhampton, as you ought to be aware, have more than excelled this World Cup cycle, pulling off a shock victory over Audioslavia's top-seeded Bulls in the process - however, their place is largely under threat by the Firebirds of Osarius (and, lesserly, by Coldfield). Here's how things are going down among the teams who can still qualify:

   Group 3                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia                           15   10   2   3    31   13  +18    32
 2 Tinhampton                            15    9   4   2    24   18   +6    31
 3 Osarius                               14    9   1   4    36   18  +18    28
 4 Coldfield                             14    7   4   3    40   28  +12    25

Now, these results have come abound largely due to Audioslavia's win over Kyrjasmark, as well as our unexpected and widely-criticised draw over unranked Gim. Osarius go against Tinhampton as well as Audioslavia pitting their wits against Coldfield; the Firebirds also entertain the Kiaser Colonies in the last round, whilst Coldfield face off against Kyrjasmark beforehand. So, what can happen, and how can it happen?

Matchday 17, the one on our doorstep, is utterly crucial - our final showdown against Osarius on home turf. A victory will send Tinhampton through, but this is easier said than done, not least providing for a 4-0 annihilation last time around. Failure can - very literally - only mean that the Firebirds all-but punch their tickets to Cosumar and Bonesea (unless the Kiaser Colonies win by a laughably big scoreline). A similar story is in stock if we end up drawing, with Osarius only needing victory in their final match to pull them through.

Coldfield, due to the official prioritisation of goal difference, is still in with a shot, but they have three main prerequisites - hope that we lose against Osarius, hope that Osarius themselves lose to the Kiaser Colonies, win both of their games, and do this whilst aiming to overturn a six-goal deficit (maybe more).

Audioslavia, meanwhile, have virtually assured passage to the greatest stage on earth, but there can be a quirk that could result in their eventual elimination (much to our delight). Regardless of how Coldfield turn out against Kyrjasmark, if Osarius draw against the Miners, win against the Kiaser Colonies, and hope that Coldfield defeat the Audioslavian visitors, the Firebirds' superior goal difference and goal-scoring rates will see both them and Tinhampton through at the expense of the Bulls. The real crunch match, in effect, will be between us and Osarius - but will we strike it lucky, or will the tension go down to the wire on the final day? Margaret shall reveal everything soon...

[Port Christopher]

It hasn't been the easiest of campaigns for Port Christopher and their manager Jim Reid, and you don't need to carry out any top journalistic analysis to work that one out. But then again, should we really be that surprised. A small, crowded island, with no culture of developing young players, and a median age of forty-nine, was always going to struggle on the world stage. If that weren't enough, they have spent the last five years embroiled in a bloody internal dispute which has torn the FA in two, and resulted in the team playing their home matches on a man-made island in international waters. While (as we pointed out at the start of qualifying) there is much to be optimistic about, the territory also has to be realistic about what they can and can't achieve with their limited resources.

Port Christopher's back-to-back qualifications should arguably be seen as more of an achievement than they are; with Reid given much more credit. Some of the results they’ve achieved under this management team are quite incredible, with draws against Valanora, Audioslavia, and Brenecia. One thing they have been able to do extremely well is stick to their game plan, while focusing on what they can do, as opposed to trying to do what they can't. They don't have many world-beaters in their squad, and some of the individuals occupying the lower squad numbers are a little suspect, but they do have some wily old foxes, and some dogged defenders.

Fans have been very wound up about the erratic and inconsistent results, but in truth we have always had those. Maybe the passage of time has meant that people simply forgot just how much of a struggle our last two (albeit successful) qualification campaigns have been. Had it not been for that freak victory of Eshan then there is every chance we wouldn't be here having this conversation. Four years ago there was a lot of pressure on Port Christopher's WCC accreditation, and there is no doubt that things might have been very different without that unexpected success. While their are many side that play solely in their respective regional competitions, none of them really carry the same prestige that comes with a KPB ranking.

While we've just spent the last three paragraphs telling Port Christopher fans not to worry too much, it would be crazy to suggest there was no cause for concern. Compared to the previous cycle, the Christopheran defence have been very poor, with Lara Dixon in particular making some high profile errors. Although conceding sixteen goals in fourteen games isn't exactly poor, for a team who rely so heavily upon keeping matches tight, it's bordering on a disaster. During WC-77 Mike Campbell was close to untouchable at the back, and while he can hardly be blamed for what has been happening, the Sea Lions desperately need him back at 100 percent again with some more superhuman defending. Tomas Nazario Silva being drafted in for the match with Yesopalitha seems to have made a bit of a difference, but it has also left them lacking a punch in the centre of the pitch.

Qualification for a remarkable third World Cup on the bounce is still very much possible, and our fate is, importantly, still in our own hands. The final game of the group sees Port Christopher take on Savojarna at home, in what will likely be boom or bust. Of course Jim Reid's players have the quality to win that match, but they are going to have to pull their socks up and iron out the mistakes.

[Starblaydia]

Part One: Takeaway
Part Two: Duchess
Part Three: Fidget
Part Four: Torque
Part Five: Omen
Part Six: Leap
Part Seven: Screams
Part Eight: Iota
Part Nine: Death
Part Ten: Wrong
Part Eleven: Happy
Part Twelve: Together

OOC: As content warnings appear to be a thing, this one gets a little steamy in paragraph four. Not explicit or excessive, but it's there.

If you ever want to invade Starblaydia, do it while the football's on. Essentially the whole nation stops, sits down, and watches the national team when they go about their business, and doesn't start again until the post-match analysis is over. Utility companies know this, and brace themselves for the inevitable strains on power, as billions of people open the fridge and put the kettle on at half time, or when a couple of billion people all decide that half time is absolutely the best time to go to the bathroom and the country's entire water and sewerage network is used at once thanks to the flushing of a billion cisterns simultaneously.

The roads are empty, the ISP's bandwidth usage is extremely low and the sports bars, of which there are many, are full. Something else that's always full, especially during the broadcast of an away match, is the Lord-Protector's palace. The match against Yuezhou was no exception, as the must-win climax of Group Twelve was reaching peak excitement levels. But, during this half time, the Lord-Protector was nowhere to be seen. He was always there, at the right-hand side of the biggest, most comfortable couch in prime position for the enormous, small cinema-sized screen that his gatherings watched the matches on. It was deliberately placed so that people could sit on the floor in front of him, sit on the arm of the couch to the side of him and lean over from the back for maximum viewing potential, and maximum photo opportunity potential from the strategically and discreetly placed photographer who sat in the shadows in the corner of the room, waiting for the best shots of the Lord-Protector and his guests looking suitably excited, despairing, nervous or jubilant, as per the story of the game told by the journalists afterwards.

But this time, as Joshua Bentley made it Four-One to Starblaydia in the opening minutes of the second half to calm any and all nerves, the picture of the goal celebration did not include the Lord-Protector. Nor did it include his daughter, Korra. This would not be the photograph that got released and used to illustrate the nation's jubilation, because most of the faces were not famous enough, or were not supposed to be famous.

At this moment, Korra - secretly known for real name of Viannor by only an intensely guarded inner circle of just a few names - was in her small personal office, a windowless room in the depths of the Praetoran Palace. The drab, near-featureless office was lit, now, only by the intense light from the blue-white screen of a smartphone, charging on a side table. Korra was perched on the edge of her desk; her shoes were on the floor, her jeans cast off inside-out beside them. Her legs were wrapped tightly around the waist of Julius Starblayde, the Lord-Protector of Starblaydia, her arms around his shoulders as she buried her face into the soft flesh on the side of his neck. Julius was straining, sweat forming on his brow, as he tried to hold the desk steady as she whispered sinful deeds in his ear. It was taking longer than she expected and with her preternatural hearing she could hear the commentary, distorted slightly as the wall blocked out some of the sound. She was sure Julius could not hear it, though, he never had before.

"...Zapotowski, powerful tackle on Guo, knocks the ball free..

...collected by Kilgallon, Starblaydia's leader away from home...

...a one-two with Matranga, great movement, Killgallon moving up...

...he's already scored one, does he want another?...

...simple to Nauglamír, driving on through the centre, legs pumping hard...

...penetrates into the box, can he...

...cuts back to Bentley, round Jin, blasts it home! It's four..."

The commentator reached a crescendo, the party in the lounge room screamed and cheered, the crowd on the television went wild, and Viannor tensed every one of her muscles, holding on to Julius tight as he groaned heavily. It was almost funny to her, but she had something else in mind.

At the opportune moment, as she almost crushed him with her vampiric strength, Viannor exposed and sunk her fangs into the meat of Julius' shoulder. She began to drink him in, his hot blood filling her mouth with the unmistakable taste of iron. It was only a short feast, to drain him no more than a session of blood donation would a normal person. Enough, just enough to leave him weak and dizzy. As ever, though, Viannor was greedy. The blood of the House of Starblayde was evidently potent, keeping them alive for so long with such vigour. It was almost, though it couldn't be, she thought, Elven in its taste. It reminded her, briefly, of the blood of Faelynn Raynor, the daughter of Valanora's ruler. The moment stuck with her long enough to take just a little too much from Julius.

Pulling her head away, the two puncture wounds still flowed with blood, but she had the trick for that. Still wrapped tightly around him, Viannor bit into her own wrist, breaking the skin and causing her own blood to flow. Quickly, she held her wrist over Julius' wound, and squeezed her own with her other hand. Her blood dripped out in a thick crimson stream, falling onto the holes she had punctured in his shoulder. Within seconds, his wounds had healed to nothing more than an imperfection in his skin. That was an old trick, using the regenerative powers of vampire blood to heal and disguise the victim's wound from all but the most dedicated of searches. Not enough blood to fill his body and kick-start the transformation process into a real vampire, but enough to mask her deeds. Her own wrist would heal shortly, too, and she sucked her remaining blood from the self-inflicted wound. Viannor unwrapped herself from Julius, leaning back on her arms.

"That sounded like four-one," she said with a mischievous grin on her face, "you ought to be getting back."

"I..." Julius; eyes were glazed slightly, his face pale. "Yeah."

Fumbling with his belt like a drunken man coming back from the bathroom, Julius half-staggered out of Viannor's - Korra's - office, through the corridors and rooms of the palace, to take his rightful place on the couch. Korra joined him around twenty minutes later, loudly talking about important business on her now fully-charged phone.

When the fifth goal went in as Anra Kolmkal fired in at the near post from a tight angle, the photographer was there to catch the moment of jubilation. The picture of happy, smiling faces of gleeful Starblaydi fans shared to media outlets the next day included Korra Starblayde, sitting next to her father as she threw two fists into the air, her legs folded underneath her as she bounced into the air. The picture of Julius Starblayde, however, was of a sweaty, pale-skinned old man, who had the hunched shoulders and pushed-forward face of a senior citizen who was trying desperately to look like they were enjoying a conversation they couldn't hear or even understand, eyes not knowing what they should be focused on.

It did not go unnoticed.

[Drawkland]

IAROCAV
The immortal leader of Drawkland is one of the most famous figures of Sonnel. Indeed, Iarocav may be one of the most influential people to ever grace the multiverse, at least his corner of it. Leading Drawkland to its inception, through many wars, and to where it stands today, the nation would likely be lost to time without his efforts protecting it, through political, spiritual, and metaphysical strife.
Only decades away from his 5000th birthday, Iarocav's dreams are populated by him having faint visions of the future or reliving memories of his past. During the 78th World Cup, for whatever reason,
the First Drawkian begins to relive his childhood and ascent to the leadership of Drawkland, way back in the more ancient times. What follows is an account of these dreams.

It had been 2 days since Iarocav's defeat of Vulpaduc. His next match, against Jackifipon (whoever that was), was set to be later in that afternoon. For now though, he was sitting in the library, alone with Charlolad. With Taykonna occupied for all the daylight hours, and Iarocav mainly focused on keeping in shape, overseeing of the library was delegated to Charlolad. Not that it was a huge deal, after all, it's not like anybody really visited the place all that often. So that's where she was for the past 5 or so days.

After a little bit of silence, Charlolad spoke up suddenly. "Why are you doing this? Do you really care about being the king?"
Iarocav looked over at her and then thought to himself for a moment. "I really don't know ... I guess when Taykonna first dug up the book the whole tournament sounded fun. It sounded like something I could compete in. And of course I just said that I'd do it on the fly, and I guess the thought stuck with me."
"What will you even do if you win?" she asked, "Do you really have the necessary skills to be a king?"
"Taykonna and Redonak have taught me very much," Iarocav replied simply, "I think it's enough. I'm sure that Sirvatal left instructions or has assistants that would help. After all, who here really knows what it's like to be king besides him and those close to him?"
"I can't argue against that," sighed Charlolad, "I'd just hate to see you get hurt. I never know what's happening, holed up in here."
"You don't have to be, though. When's the last occasion somebody other than us 3 were even in this building?"
"Not in a long time."
"Exactly. You should come and watch my match today. Taykonna won't mind, and it'll help put your heart at ease."
"Unless you get injured or killed."
"That won't happen. I promise you."

Iarocav's match was set to be the last one of the day, and due to some matches going over and the inexact nature of the scheduling, it was nearly sundown when Iarocav was dressed and in the tunnel under the wooden arena. He looked up, through the cracks of the planks making the bleachers, and saw pink and orange streaks through the sky. He'd read a book in the library once that had drawings and descriptions of two suns. Taykonna had posited that it's only viewable from certain areas. Iarocav would sometimes look out at the sun during the sunset and sometimes, see a tiny, darker, ball of light accompanying it.

He snapped out of his trance when he looked forward again and saw Redonak beckoning. He quickly half-jogged out to the center of the arena. Across from him was another man, slightly taller, and clearly only a few years older than him. Just like last time, the herald strode out to a tower window and began his announcement after a ditty on his bugle.
"Now we shall witness the next match in the first round of the Sadeg Coronation Tournament, the last bout of the day. This battle shall pit Jackifipon, solider in the Sadeg Military, versus Iarocav, Corporal of Patrol 89 in Sadeg.
The winner of this round shall go on to face Gongarda, the winner of the previous matchup. Major Redonak, are the subjects ready?"
Redonak, clearly fatigued from having to stand up and do this all day, saluted as both soldiers gave nods. It was going faster now that everyone knew what they were doing. "Begin at the bell tone!"
cried the herald, clearly happy he was almost done for the day. Iarocav took a moment to look around the arena. There were definitely more people than last time. He looked behind him, looking for Charlolad and finding her, close enough to see clearly but far enough to not be right on the edge of the wall. He smiled slightly, put on his helmet, and turned back to size up his opponent again.

The bell rang out loud and clear and the match began. Jackifipon, as noted earlier, was slightly taller than Iarocav, and more brawny. Iarocav had never heard of him, he being a random foot soldier apparently, but he seemed to have a strong body. However, he didn't move to make a first strike. Iarocav started stepping slowly to his left, making his opponent to the same. They both started a sort of rotation around the center of the arena, not making a move towards each other. Iarocav figured that he was more of a counter-based attacker, and was trying to come up with a good, safe, first strike. And then he did. He swiped his sword half-heartedly across his body. He didn't make a concerted effort to bridge the gap and actually hit the man, but his opponent still hopped back slightly. Iarocav was slightly surprised that he'd managed to catch him off guard a little, and so he pressed forward again. This time, Jackifipon flicked his sword and deflected Iarocav's swing.

Iarocav thought back to his lessons on fencing that he'd received from Redonak. He lunged forward and swung up with his sword to hit against Jackifipon's helmet. His foe dodged it, the attack barely missing, but he brought his sword around anyway to hit Iarocav's sword away. Iarocav went again, swinging from his right side, to which Jackifipon simply knocked it far enough away with his sword to avoid hitting his chestplate. Iarocav stepped back a little. Was he not going to actually try to fight him? Was he simply going to bide his time the entire match, hoping Iarocav would tire out? Iarocav knew he would be unlikely to tire himself. The morning runs had made his endurance and stamina incredible, despite sacrificing some in strength. It was clear that Iarocav was going to have to be rather offensive and unorthodox to get his foe on the ground.

Jackifipon decided then to give a half-hearted swing of his own, which Iarocav knocked away. Continuing his body's momentum, Iarocav swiveled slightly and delivered a kick to Jackifipon's side. His opponent buckled and stumbled a few steps, and Iarocav charged towards him. He sent a combo of swings, all of which were barely deflected. Iarocav drove his opponent close to the wall, and on his last strike, he lowered his head and rammed him into the wall, punching out with his arms. He hoped to disarm him with the sudden blow, but it didn't work. Still, Iarocav brought the hilt of his sword into the side of Jackifipon's head. The slightly older man was shocked by this and flailed out with his arms, knocking Iarocav over with an unexpected blow to the helmet. Iarocav rolled away, a bit shook, but nothing major. This sudden action lit up the crowd, who started gasping and getting talkative. Iarocav thought he recognized one of the gasps in the crowd. He knew who it was. He had to be more careful.

But it was clear that careful, fighting against careful, wouldn't end the match. He watched Jackifipon walk off of the wall and reorient himself. Iarocav had spent too long thinking, and now his opponent was ready again. Iarocav was still going to give him hell, though. He lowered himself again, going for another trucking move, hoping to those above that he'd have enough weight and momentum to knock his larger opponent over. He saw, with a fleeting glimpse through his helmet's eye hole, that Jackifipon had brought his sword up with both hands above his head. He was planning to strike Iarocav in the head or back as he came in. At the last second, Iarocav instinctively dove into a roll, bowling into Jackifipon's legs and bringing him down. Iarocav didn't get out of the roll smoothly, as he was wearing armor, but he did get up before his opponent, who'd landed flat on his stomach. He then quickly rolled over and got back up before Iarocav could get to him, and he brandished his sword wildly to force Iarocav to step off.

The crowd was continuing to be more interested. The sky had darkened now, and some aides appeared to be around the arena, lighting torches. It wasn't dark yet, and the sun was probably still above the horizon, but in the shade it was starting to get hard to see. It was now or never. The match couldn't go on all night. Iarocav needed to end it then. He had to think of a way to quickly disarm Jackifipon and get him down before he could react. Blows to the head could be disorienting, but he was unlikely to score another one now that he might be more prepared for it. He also was too quick to deflect a shot rather than block or avoid it, making a direct hand strike to disarm also unlikely. He needed to get something from a distance where he couldn't simply knock it away. Then it hit him.
A memory, of a time when Redonak was teaching him about sword types and their strengths and weaknesses. Iarocav thought about the sword in his hand. It was rather light, and weighted slightly in the hilt. He remembered messing around with swords like this, trying to throw them reliably at a target just for fun. He wasn't ever very good at it, but if he could get it close, it would be highly effective.

Jackifipon continued to just stand across from Iarocav, holding his sword in his right hand, by his side. Iarocav knew it was a hefty gambit. If he missed, he was unarmed. But knowing his opponent,
he could probably still manage. If he hit, he'd have a massive advantage, especially if he hit his target. The right hand. Iarocav drew his arm back, and took a quick few steps forward. Jackifipon stepped back a little, his hand coming up in a more guarded position with his sword. Iarocav stopped suddenly, planted his feet, and swung his arm forward and away. The sword flew out of his hands,
spun twice, and struck Jackifipon's forearm right as he started to flinch from the unexpected attack. Iarocav rushed forward, watching his opponent's sword drop to the ground next to his. Iarocav delivered a hard punch to Jackifipon's helmet, and followed with another punch. This knocked him to the ground, and Iarocav quickly dropped down to grab both swords off the ground. While his opponent swung wildly with his hands and legs to make Iarocav step off, Iarocav ran around to his other side. He waited for the right moment, and then plunged both swords in an X surrounding Jackifipon's neck. Iarocav turned to look at the tower, stepping on his foe's right arm. The bell came swifter this time, two tones and it was finished.

Iarocav took the swords out of the ground, dropped Jackifipon's at his side, and sheathed his own. "Iarocav has won the match and will advance to the next round, held in a day's time." came the herald's call from the tower, and most everyone in the crowd got up to go home. By now it was almost dark. Iarocav took off his helmet and strode over to the tunnel. Charlolad was there, at the edge of the stands now, waiting for him.
"Was that satisfactory for your standards?" Iarocav asked with a small mocking bow.
"Oh dear, I feel so much pressure that entire time. I'm not sure I can do this again."
"Well, you can decide tomorrow if you'd like to come again. I'll be here," he said simply.
"Please don't get hurt," she replied quietly, and Iarocav bowed again, then exiting through the tunnel. The world seemed to fade away then as he began walking home to the barracks ...

---

Iarocav woke up, in his house. Meliauden had already woken, and was starting to get dressed. Iarocav grinned when he saw her.
"Was it another battle? Exciting dream?"
"Very much so," Iarocav replied, rolling out of bed to get dressed himself. A few minutes later, they walked out of the bedroom to go to their kitchen.
"It was the one with Jackifipon. I remember how conservatively he'd fought. One of the reasons I love aggression in sports, that fight was too easy."
"Too easy? Are you kidding me?" chuckled Meliauden as she began making some sort of coffee mocha in their machine.
"Well come on. I didn't even have to try. I did do a sword throw though."
"Oh, is that where that stupid idea started with you? You've put us in more than enough jams thinking that would work."
"You're just jealous of that one time in Katrasen that I totally whacked that guy with a throw," Iarocav said, getting out his tablet.
"That was once. What are you, 2 for 87 now? Not even baseball players could be happy with that average."
"I'm sure the Base Corps would be, seeing how they've performed lately. Damn Eleven making us look bad. At least the Kick Corps is on the cusp of qualification, what's the situation after this last set of games?"
"Check the news article releases, I'm sure you'll find something," she shrugged.
"Hmmm ... looks like Pasarga out on front after beating Red Blackiland. Looks like now all we have to do is hold serve against Kaido away and the Boomer Republic at home."
"I'll prepare the Heimlich Maneuver for you."
"Thanks. Huh, according to this article, Drawkland is a vast wasteland of death? And it's because of bye days? I'd believe it. I ought to sign whatever treaty they're talking about."

[Turori]

Cocoabo Face Must-Win Ceni Clash
Cocoabo Take Down Group leaders but Citizens hold Upper Hand

For a more complete backstory regarding Cocoabo Forest please visit the Historical Record on the Atlantian Oceania Forum

Eels Park, Eelandii, Turori :: It was the most important match to date for the Cocoabo Squad. In front of the home crowd at Eels Park in Eelandii the Cocoabo Squad were up against Nova Anglicana, a team that the Citizen Squad had failed to defeat in Round 3 and a team that now found themselves atop the Group 9 table.

Going into the match, Nova Anglicana were 5 points ahead of Turori. If the Cocoabo Squad failed, Nova Anglicana would be virtually out of reach; 8 points ahead with 3 games to play. But, if they Cocoabo Squad could defeat Nova Anglicana; then the Turori National Team would be just two points behind Nova Anglicana - Two points off the top spot in Group 9 and they would be there with a game in hand. From this point forth, the Turori National Team controlled their own destiny. Two wins from Cocoabo Squad, and Two wins from Citizen Squad, and the Turori National Team would win the group and punch their ticket to the World Cup Finals in Cosumar and Bonesea.

Defeat, however, would mean Turori lose control of their destiny entirely, and would need assistance from other nations just to qualify with a final group positioning in the Top 2.

When the match kicked off things took a turn for the worse as it was Nova Anglicana who opened the scoring at Eels Park putting the Cocoabo Squad in a 0-1 hole. Still down by a goal at half time, the Cocoabo had a breather and came out in good form, quickly scoring an equalizer to level the score. 15 minutes later, they had the lead through a brilliant strike from Cocoabo #91. It was a massive result for the Cocoabo Squad and for the Turori National Team who now clawed within two points of the leaders with a game in hand. The Citizen Squad followed up with their own Round 7 victory on the road at Tomikoson, maintaining the status quo and the point spread across the three front runners and eliminating Tomikoson from the race to the World Cup Finals altogether.

Group 9                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nova Anglicana                        15   11   2   2    33   17  +16    35
 2 Turori                                14   10   3   1    37   18  +19    33
 3 Ceni                                  14    9   3   2    32   13  +19    30
 4 Tomikosan                             14    7   3   4    23   15   +8    24
 5 Elgenstad                             14    5   2   7    14   13   +1    17
 6 Yttribia                              14    4   4   6    23   26   -3    16
 7 Astograth                             14    2   5   7    12   25  -13    11
 8 Joaquin States                        14    1   5   8     4   22  -18     8
 9 Miloscia                              15    1   1  13    10   39  -29     4

Despite the massive victory over Nova Anglicana in Round 7, the Cocoabo Squad was in a hole. While they clawed points back against Nova Anglicana where the Citizen Squad had previously faltered, defeat in Round 5 to Elgenstad had put the Cocoabo Squad in a 3 point deficit to their Citizen counterparts. Now they were just one point behind, but there was just one round to play. If the Cocoabo Squad could not defeat Ceni in Round 8, not only did they risk not being selected to represent the Turori National Team in post World Cup 78 Qualifying competition, but they also risked the Turori National Team missing the World Cup entirely. At the very least, the Cocoabo Squad had to muster a draw to keep hope alive for both reaching the World Cup Finals, and, for being the ones to represent the Turori National Team in those World Cup Finals.

Citizen Team Schedule:
[D] MD1 @ Elgenstad
[W] MD3 @ Yttribia
[D] MD6 @ Nova Anglicana
[W] MD8 @ Ceni
------------------------------------------------------
[W] MD11 @ Miloscia
[W] MD14 @ Astograth
[W] MD16 @ Tomikoson
MD18 @ Joaquin States

Cocoabo Team Schedule:
[W] MD2 v. Miloscia (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
[D] MD5 v. Astograth (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
[W] MD7 v. Tomikoson (Eels Park, Eelandii)
[W] MD9 v. Joaquin States (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
------------------------------------------------------
[L] MD10 v. Elgenstad (Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Forest)
[W] MD12 v. Yttribia (Eels Park, Eelandii)
[W] MD15 v. Nova Anglicana (Eels Park, Eelandii)
MD17 v. Ceni (Eels Park, Eelandii)

It would be the Cocoabo Team up first at Eels Park in Eelandii as they square off against an underperforming Ceni squad with a place in the World Cup Finals on the line. Victorious and the Turori National Team would be headed to the World Cup Finals in Cosumar and Bonesea. Defeat and the odds of making the World Cup Finals decrease to slim at best. Only a draw would leave all scenarios in play entering the final matchday.

Through 7 of 8 Rounds:

The easiest path to the World Cup Finals for the Turori National Team of course victory over Ceni on Matchday 17. Such a result would propel the Eels to the top of the Group 9 table and, at least temporarily, propel the Cocoabo Squad above the Citizen Squad in the standings table for the rights to represent the Turori National Team moving forward.

Still, however, it would depend on the result of the Citizen Squad to close out the campaign in the Joaquin States - a Joaquin States team that has won just one match and scored only 4 goals all campaign long; though has climbed off the bottom of the table to bypass Moliscia who has racked up a staggering 13 defeats despite a more impressive haul of 10 goals scored.

Whatever happens in the final Round, it has proven to be an epic battle between Citizens and Cocoabo - a battle which most certainly will not be settled by the results of this qualification campaign. Neither squad has vastly out performed the other. Neither squad has suffered an inability to maintain composure throughout the course of the campaign. The Cocoabo Squad's defeat to Elgenstad the lone black mark on an otherwise strong campaign for both squads that has put the Turori National Team right into the thick of the battle heading into the final round of matches.

Starting Lineup v. Nova Anglicana:
Pos :: Identification  : Home (Goals)
GK  :: ( Cocoabo #86 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #58 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #57 ) : Cocoabo Forest
DEF :: ( Cocoabo #53 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #61 ) : Cocoabo Forest 
MID :: ( Cocoabo #64 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #46 ) : Cocoabo Forest
MID :: ( Cocoabo #62 ) : Cocoabo Forest
AMC :: ( Cocoabo #72 ) : Cocoabo Forest
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #91 ) : Cocoabo Forest (68' )
FOR :: ( Cocoabo #99 ) : Cocoabo Forest (47' )

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union crushes Kosovakia!

Kosovakia - (NAP) The union of Socialist Alpine Republics is eliminated from the World Cup but is still playing to get a higher rank and recieve an invitation to the Cup of Harmony. They travelled to Kosovakia yesterday and beat them 6-2! At the 7th minute, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbled and made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores! 1-0 Alpine Union! At the 16th minute, Sascha Welzmüller passed the ball to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbled and passed to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski. Zbigniew Zajaczkowski shoots but Goalkeeper #1 touches the ball and it goes behin the net, it's a corner kick! Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz kicks the ball onto the field and Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz bicycle kicks the ball into the net and the Bisons are up 2-0! Just after the goal, at the face off circle, Player #10 passes the ball to Player #11 who passed to Player #7 who passes to Player #10 but Zbigniew Zajaczkowski intercepts the pass. Zbigniew Zajaczkowski dribbles and dribbles and passes to Jean-François Kleineheismann who dribbles and kicks the ball, he scores and the Alpines are leading 3-0! At the 19th minute, Krzysztof Januszkiewicz makes a long pass to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbles and makes a short pass to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores, 4-0 Bisons and 3 goals in 4 minutes! At the 34th minute, Sascha Welzmüller passed the ball to Amelia Zalwowska who passed to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbles and passed to Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz who makes a cross to Amelia Zalwowska who heads the ball right into the net and the Reprezentacja Alpejski are leading 5-0! The score remains the same until the halftime.

At the the 62nd minute, Player #8 passed to Player #11 and he's tackled by Bartosz Strzyzowski in the penalty area. He's hurt. Bartosz Strzyzowski recieves a yellow card and it's a penalty kick for Kosovakia. Player #10 kicks and it's a goal. 5-1 Alpine Union. 2 minutes later, Player #6 passed to Player #9 who makes a header pass to Player #11 who wasn't hurt finally who heads the ball into the net and the score is 5-2 Bisons. Coach Wlodzimierz Jastrzebowski is pissed at his defense and makes two changes. Both Zbigniew Zajaczkowski and Jean-François Kleineheismann are out and they're replaced with Tearlach MacEachthighearna and Sabrina Hartmann. The formation changes from a 3-5-2 to a 5-5-0. At the 77th minute, Player #9 passed to Player #10 but Tearlach MacEachthighearna blocks the pass! Player #11 takes the loose ball and shoots but Krzysztof Januszkiewicz blocks the shot! Sabrina Hartmann takes the loose ball and passed to Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz who dribbled and dribbled and passed to Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz who shoots and scores, 6-2 Reprezentacja Alpejski and this is the final score!

The Alpine union is still 4th in group 8 with 21 points in 14 games. Our two remaining games are at home against Cosneolta and on the road against New Lusitania and the Algarves, which we both can beat. We're already eliminated so most people in our nation have turned their eyes to Valladares, Jeruselem and Electrum who are battling for the first two places and a ticket to the World Cup. All three has won their last games. Jeruselem and Valladares still have a bye left while Electrum still has their two games remaining. Here's the standings after 14 or 15 games:

Group 8
Cosneolta 3–4 Valladares
Kosovakia 2–6 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics
Electrum 2–1 Kecrazia
Jeruselem 5–2 Scottopian Isles

   Group 8                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Jeruselem                             15   11   3   1    37   15  +22    36
 2 Valladares                            15   11   1   3    43   23  +20    34
 3 Electrum                              14   10   1   3    32   15  +17    31
 4 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics   14    6   3   5    27   22   +5    21
 5 Kecrazia                              14    5   3   6    13   16   −3    18
 6 Cosneolta                             14    4   4   6    16   21   −5    16
 7 Scottopian Isles                      14    4   1   9    21   34  −13    13
 8 Kosovakia                             14    4   1   9    16   31  −15    13
 9 New Lusitania and the Algarves        14    0   1  13     2   30  −28     1

Remaining schedule (Electrum in dark blue, Valladares in green and the Princesses in Pink)

Matchday 17
Scottopian Isles vs Electrum
Valladares vs New Lusitania and the Algarves
Bye: Jeruselem

Matchday 18
Electrum vs Jeruselem
Bye: Valladares

Our prediction:
Electrum wins against Scottopian Isles
Valladares wins against New Lusitania and the Algarves
Electrum draws against Jeruselem

   Group 8                              Pld    W   D   L     Pts 
 1 Jeruselem                             16   11   4   1     37
 2 Valladares                            16   12   1   3     37
 3 Electrum                              16   11   2   3     35

Valladares is almost certain to advance because they're playing against New Lusitania and the Algarves. The Electrum/Jeruselem game on matchday 18 will decide who, between them, also advance.

Editor's Note: Our journalist forgot to add the boxscore in his article but who needs a boxscore anyway? Just read the article!

[Vilita]

It was one of the biggest sports weekends of the season in the Tropics of Vilita and for once, the defending World Cup Champion Vilita Jungle Cats were not the focus of all the attention.

With the Vilita National Team having moved on to the Turoki Island portion of its Qualification Campaign - bring the World Cup 77 Trophy and its final two matches of the World Cup 78 Qualification Campaign to the Island situated halfway between the main Island of Vilita and the Calanian mainland, all attention on the main island was instead focused to Rockii Coast where the World Grand Prix 2 Championship Season was set to kick off its inaugural race weekend at the famed Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course.

With the Vilita National Team's World Cup 78 qualification nearly a formality at this stage in the game, even remote viewers had other more exciting options on the docket such as the opening days of the Games of the XII Olympiad in Novonaya & Provinsk.

Of Course, there Colonial Field in Sile and the Turoki National Stadium in Turoki City were still almost certainly going to be sold out for the appearance of Vilita's World Cup 77 Championship team in person and the World Cup Trophy. But outside of the heart of Turoki Island, the Jungle Cats were a mere afterthought on this weekend of sport.

Things got started off strongly for Vilitan interests as Inifalala Moamura and Alyfalala Moamura (VLT) took home the gold medal in the Women's Synchronized 10m Springboard event, besting the Vanorian duo of Ainlinnya Vanelwa and Halatolthaxa Birsume in the Final round at the Islasi Rostrovistre Sen Provinsk by a score of 366.38 to 348.79. The Vilitan Union duo was a class above the rest throughout the final round and picked up the Vilitan Union's first medal of the games. The fact that it was being the best possible color - the Gold Medal, just made the accomplishment that much sweeter for the Moamura sisters.

Unfortunately, however, that was all the medals that the Vilitans would claim in the opening weekend. There were some promising leads as Ricta Blika advanced the final of the Mens 200m Freestyle and Nuraziimi Kumarola advanced to the finals of the Mens 100m Backstroke at the Provinsk Staso Vilistruyave.

Akreeta Volacani had the worst possible experience at the Olympics - performing extremely well but not well enough to advance to the final in the Women's 10m Air Pistol event. Despite putting up a personal best score of 97 in the final round, the 383 points was one short of making the cutoff for the top 8. It was a different story for teammate Kyuai Jyaouti who snuck into the top 8 by virtue of a perfect final round and a total qualifying score of 596. Unfortunately, despite putting up the second best score in the Final - 103.6; Jyaouti's slow start in qualifying ultimately meant he would finish the competition 7th and outside the podium placement.

In Team sports, the Vilitan Union Women's Basketball team picked up a dominating 88-58 victory to start off their Division A play against Taeshan. Fellow Atlantian Oceanian's Qasden set a high standard however with their 79-42 thrashing of Cosumar. While the Men's Water Polo team also got the best of Cosumar to start off their Olympics with an 8-4 victory in Division B at the Water Palace of Provinsk.

In Men's Footsport, the defending Olympic Gold Medal winning Vilitan Union squad were held to a tough goalless draw by the Bongo Johnson Squad at the Elakroveri Competition Bowl in Soveri. They will now be looking to claim victories over Kriegiersien and Electrum in order to continue their Gold Medal defense in the knockout rounds.

But the Olympics were turned off the moment the Race in Rockii Coast began and the entire nation tuned in to see if Juracai Klianiota could become the first Vilitan Driver to claim a checkered flag at the Vilitan Mountain Challenge Course. Driving for the Novikov Racing team, Klianiota would be starting on the outside pole position next to another driver with local connections; Cocoabo #23 driving for the Tropicorp Engineering team.

Unfortunately for all parties involved, Klianiota's quest for success ended on the very first lap. A collision with fellow driver Armo Lehto set off a chain reaction incident collecting 6 drivers including Rebecca Darlington and Gorria Bildostegi as well as clipping the rear of the Tropicorp Engineering machine of Cocoabo #23 who was forced to pit for repairs in a major setback for the hopes of a local driver winning the event. While there was some mild success as Tropicorp Engineering's other driver, Cesaro Whittaker, did end up on the podium, many viewers ultimately did turn off the race early and switch over to coverage of the Vilita National Team's World Cup 78 Qualifying match in Sameba. By the time most viewers tuned in, the Jungle Cats had already roared out to a 2-0 advantage. While the homeside would fight back, in the end it would not be enough as the Vilitan National Team would win the match 5-2, officially securing their place in the World Cup 78 Finals and ensure that their title defense, and Champions Tour, would continue on to Cosumar & Bonesea.

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[Valladares]

The National Kickoff
The Online Home of Valladar Football!

A Win Away From Cosumar/Bonesea

By: Alan Rosero

The beautiful thing that is life and its sudden twists! Not too long ago, the Valladar national football team were in a really compromising situation in Group 8 of World Cup qualifying: struggling in third place of their group, behind Jeruselem and Electrum, and out of World Cup qualifying spots. There was even a moment when the point gap with Jeruselem was four points, and the fact of being the only team in their group to not play on the last MD was making people even more hopeless about our chances. But suddenly, the situation for the Valladars improved, with two wins in a row over Kosovakia and now Cosneolta, while Jeruselem has started dropping points and Electrum keeps trying to stay afloat even though things look really bleak for them. And to compensate for the potential damage to be generated for being the first team to play all their games in the group, MD 18 has a crucial meeting between both of Valladares' contenders for the two WC qualifying berths...which means Valladares will be assured of a ticket to the finals should La Nacional manage to beat New Lusitania and the Algarves in Swangard! What a great chance!

Anyways, Valladares took another crucial step to reach the proper WC with a new victory, this time a less comfortable and more hard-fought one against a Cosneolta side that offered stiff opposition despite the defeat at their own home. Unlike the 6-2 demolition of Kosovakia in Swangard, where Valladares kept control of the match at all times, in Cosneolta the team had to come from behind twice: the hosts surprised the Valladars by opening the scoreboard after 12 minutes in an interesting exhibition of collective play that caught the Valladar defense plus Alexander Roudet off-guard. This obviously meant bad news for us since this result would leave the Princesses out of reach for us, and a win for Electrum against Kecrazia (which eventually happened) would put both Rushmori sides tied in points and Electrum with the advantage in virtue of still having one game in hand. But the Valladars reacted, and a combination by Abel Brücke and Carlos Alberto Sáez ended with the latter pushing the ball into the back of the Cosneoltan net for the equalizer in the 29th minute. This goal made Cosneolta get back to attack, and five minutes later the home side regained the lead by successfully capitalizing a corner kick, and taking advantage of the lack of communication between team captain Roudet and vice-captain Patrick Courtois. With Valladares down again, Jayson Dhanda chose to bring forward his first substitution of the game, taking Pedrinho (who was having a poor performance) out and sending in Adam Pinto, who gave the NT more speed and imagination up front, and helped equalize the game after delivering an assist to Frank Rozenthal in the 41st minute. With the game tied 2-2, we went to halftime.

For the second half, the Valladars seemed to have understood that they were the ones needing the win the most in this game, and thus they started taking control of the ball and exerting more pressure on the Cosneoltan defense. The siege to the host team's goalie wouldn't take long to pay off with Abel Brücke putting Valladares ahead after he recovered a rebound from a great individual action by Pinto in the 55th minute, and fifteen minutes later, Pinto himself would increase the lead for Valladares with the fourth goal for the away side, which certainly calmed Jayson Dhanda down since he hadn't stopped giving instructions and yelling from the sideline for 70 minutes. After seeing themselves with the 4-2 score, La Nacional decided to park the bus and wait for the end of the game, although they were nice enough to allow Cosneolta to score one more goal in injury time, just to decorate the final score.

So...this is how Group 8 looks after Matchday 16:

   Group 8                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Jeruselem                             15   11   3   1    37   15  +22    36
 2 Valladares                            15   11   1   3    43   23  +20    34
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 3 Electrum                              14   10   1   3    32   15  +17    31

As I was saying, Jeruselem and Valladares remain as the group's top 2 that would be qualifying for the finals, whilst Electrum are third, trailing us by 3 points, but still with an ace up their sleeve (actually it's two): Jeruselem having their bye on this date and Valladares in this one AND they playing the Princesses on the last MD. This fact also gives Valladares a unique chance to clinch qualification with a win in our last game at the National Stadium since the Jeruselem-Electrum game will mean that one of these sides won't get to 37 points and therefore will be out of the WC finals. The team coached by Jayson Dhanda suddenly went on to place themselves on the verge of qualification just when things looked bleak...however, we'll be back to purgatory (and will have to pray for Jeruselem to get us out) if we fail to beat our lowly rivals, which is something that should be avoided at any cost. Onward, Valladares!

[Red Blackiland]

Red Blackiland Sports and Off-topic Chronicles

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A Last Message

Fans in the Pasarga's away section watching the loss

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Author : Mathias Gërdorffen

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- Passengers, this is Captain Andreas Petersen on flight 3250 bound for Cruce Estrella, and I would like to inform you of the situation of the aircraft. At this moment we are in the direction of the mountains. The shock should happen at approximately sixteen and fifty minutes local time. The weather is cloudy and the room temperature is 30 degrees Fahrenheit. The right engine of the airplane is not working, which explains the slight turbulence that you must be feeling. The right wing was lost when the engine exploded, those with the window on this open side will be able to see the flames still burning, and the rudder and the rear wheels dropped when the bolts came off. At this point the stewardesses must be walking down the aisle to serve those who desire a last meal. We remind you again that you will not be allowed transfers from economy class to first class. We appreciate your preference, and wish you all a good death.

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PS: A little confusion happened in the away section, at the game Pasarga vs. Red Blackiland when the fanatic ultras of Red Blackiland came up with red flares, which were wiped out after few minutes.

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Drawkons Wise Warriors: The next game of Das SpielHaus

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Learn about the dragons in the land of Drawkland

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Group Storyline Quest #19 - Helping Hand (Seratas)

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One of Seratas' friend, a spirit, has been summoned against its will and needs his help. Travel to the Cytanar with Seratas, where the spirit is located on the eastern edge of the area. On the way there, the party will notice some bloodied corpses on the ground. Upon reaching the spirit, who has been corrupted and taken the form of a Vallsh demon, a cutscene will occur where a group of elf-mages is shown to be behind the summoning.

Drawkons - The Quest

Deal with the demon. The Insector can either kill the demon or destroy the surrounding ice pillars, which ends the battle and starts another cutscene. With either the Rift Elf-Mage or Templar-Warrior specializations it is possible to take a special dialogue option using this knowledge to more quickly disrupt the summoning circle. This results in the pillars beginning at half health. After that, it is possible to let Seratas either kill the mages he considers responsible or stop him. Either way he will temporarily leave the party. Return to Blárach to speak with Seratas and resolve the quest.

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Group Storyline Quest #20 - Better Safe Than Sorry (Seratas)

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Seratas has located a powerful rift in the Drawkland that has not yet opened, he believes it to be unique and well worth investigating. Go to the little cave in the northeast of Drawklands, light the brazier and take the torch into the cave with you, which is very dark and there is a frost rune in the last chamber with the rift. It's possible that Vallash and Angry Demons can spawn at the place, note that the enemies spawned for each individual player may or may not be the same, just kill the demons and seal the rift to complete the quest.

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Group Storyline Quest #21 - The Rift in Drawkhood

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Demon-possessed people have terrorized Drawkhood since a Fade rift appeared in the lake. There must be a way to close it. Automatically obtained when the Insector first travels to Drawkhood. This quest serves as an introduction to Drawkhood and is a significant quest plot in that area. As you approach the Village of Drawkhood, you will see demon-possessed people attacking the town gates. Help the defenders and enter the village to speak with Drawkhood's Hansa Ctebaach, Hansa Ctebaach. Ctebaach will tell you that the only way to get to the rift in the lake is to drain it using the dam controls. However, to do that you will need access to the nearby keep, which is overrun with bandits.
Approaching the keep begins the quest Capturing Singleir. You must fight through the bandits and claim the keep to proceed with this quest. Once the keep has been captured, enter the door to the left of the merchant and keep going down the path outside the keep. On the dam is the Rabaidh tavern, which houses the dam controls to drain the lake. Enter the tavern and speak to the surprised couple for some approval changes and note that a new Insection text entry is located on the top floor of the tavern. The dam controls are in a small room at the back of the tavern. Using the controls will drain the lake, but they will also disturb the southern IlleBhàin high dragon, who will fly overhead as you exit the tavern, and take up residence on the ruined building in the Adhaimh by the Drawklan National Resource State landmark. If you want to claim the landmark and close the nearby rift without fighting the dragon, make sure you do it before draining the lake. Proceed to Old Drawkhood, located northeast of the town's main gate and enter in the caves, make sure you speak to the spyrit in Drawkhood first to obtain the Orders from the Hereafter quest which is completed in the same location. You may also wish to visit the Hansa Ctebaach's Old Home north of the caves, inside the house is a chest that contains a note entitled and triggers some dialogue with your group partners. You will also find the bodies for homecoming in four different houses within this region of Drawkhood.

Drawkons - The Rift in Drawkhood

The cave leads down into some dwarven ruins. Several chests are hidden in small nooks along the way. As you progress further down, you will come to a section of cave where you will fight fight several corpses and a Vallash demon, after the fight, search to your left to find an area set back from the main cave with a chest and some bones you can examine for dialogue with your group partners. As you leave this area, climb over the rocks to your left again to find a chest containing another magic build. From this area, continue down into the dwarven ruins. A locked door on the right side of the first corridor in the ruins hides notes as well as a chest with some random loot, just past this door you will find the angry demon for the Orders from the Hereafter quest, if you accepted it before entering the caves. The fade rift is in a room on your left as you proceed into the ruins. There are two unlit torches and a supply cache right outside. Before you close the rift, have a warrior bash down the nearby wall and climb down the ladder into a room that has some loot and a piece of the Nasagah mosaic, then climb back up and head to the fade rift.
This rift is tough, particularly if you're not prepared. Unlike most rifts, it has five waves of enemies, having a elf-mage use Dispel or Cvallach using explosive spells to stop some enemies spawning in each wave is extremely helpful. Enemy levels will scale from 6 to 13 depending on your group's average level. In the first wave, four spyrits will appear. In the second, two spyrits and two Shennikkans will show up. At the third, two angry demons, two Shenikkans and two spyrits. In the fourth one, one Grand Vallash demon, two fear demons and two spyrits. In the last one, everyone from the past wave but in higher numbers. Now that the rift is closed, you can continue on through the ruins to the exit. Along the way, you will find another piece of the Nasagah mosaic on a table and an elf-mage artefact nearby. There is a chest half-hidden behind a rock outcropping nearby. As you move through the ruins, one of your group partners will query whether you're going the right way. The Insector will respond that they feel a draft, continue through the door at the back of the Room. Right after the door at the right side, there is an another chest with random loot, nearby you will find a family of four nugs that will trigger more dialogue. You can kill these nugs if you want, but note that most group partners will disapprove if you do so. Head through either of the nearby doors and up the ladder out of the caves. You'll still be in a cave at the top, but it's part of Drawkhood. Climb up the next ladder and pick up another Nasagah mosaic piece and the loot nearby. Use the lever to open the door and head outside. As you leave the cave, you will see that the sun has come out and Drawkhood looks altogether less grim, then return to the village and head to the Hansa Ctebaach's house, two villagers standing outside the house will comment that the Hansa Ctebaach has left, so look for his letter on his desk to complete the quest.

[Valanora]

Valanora Times
An Unexpected Turn

What had originally been considered a lark by the VSC, putting forth Lúthwen Falanae as a candidate for the position of World Cup Committee President, has suddenly turned into a reality, giving Valanora its' first President of the WCC despite the long tenure that the nation has had to the organization. It should be noted that Tobias Raynor had served as the Vice President of the WCC in the past, however that was only other time that a Vanorian has held a position in the upper echelons of the WCC governing body. With Lúthwen only getting the requirement of two nominations from the fellow members of the WCC, with the candidate from Bonesea receiving four, it was seen as a fairly straightforward outcome would come in the election, as the Nepharim President was also on the ballot after receiving the nomination to carry on with their tenure. The obvious outcome was going to see the candidate from Bonesea be elected as President while the Nepharim would become Vice President as incumbents usually pull a fair amount of votes even if the opposition has good standing.

That entire scenario began to fall apart just a month before voting on the position was set to begin, as the Bonesea candidate decided to decline the nomination, citing personal reasons and commitments elsewhere, though it was received with little to no fanfare. While it was unexpected, it was not the first time that a presidential candidate had decided to decline the nomination due to various reasons that might have been effecting them or projected to be effecting them during the proposed forthcoming six years of their tenure. The moment that shook the WCC and Lúthwen was that on the day before the election to decide who would be the President and who would carry out the role of Vice President, that the Nepharim candidate decided to cede the election to Lúthwen and instead take on the role as the Vice President for the upcoming tenure. Rumors had been swirling that the Nepharim President had not desired the seat after the Audioslav President had forgone his position to take on a role in the Red Ribbon Army, but the ceding of the race still came as a shock to many.

The question now on the minds of many is who is Lúthwen Falanae and how did she manage to become the most unlikely World Cup Committee President in history under the most surreal of circumstances? Lúthwen was born in Rinaldi in 10,634 A.E and has spent much of her adult life in Raynor City working as an accountant and lately as an administrator for the VSC. Her works has been good enough to earn several promotions and pay raises, however her administration tasks dealt more with the organization of the Vanorian Olympic delegations and had little at all to do with the realm of football or the WCC as a whole. However she now has a year to aquatint herself with the game and the organization before being formally sworn into the position in Aeropag upon the conclusion of the World Cup in Bonesea and Cosumar. The road ahead looks to be a difficult one, however she has had assurances from members of the WCC both within and without the region offering their assistance to help acclimatize to the role.

With the Marauders having now secured their qualification to Bonesea-Cosumar with two matches in hand, despite a bizarre loss to Sarrbia at home which has given the group lead back to Semarland despite the two sides splitting their matches, Lúthwen may have the opportunity to be sworn in after watching the Marauders lift the would be record breaking sixth trophy. The Marauders have been playing as good as any team in the world during this qualifying process, which has seen quite a fair few of the would be powers of the game being far from their usual dominant selves, though the absence of the Sunrise Islands is clearly being felt with that power gap being scrambled forth by the rest of the top teams and even those in the "mid-tier". Qualifying for the tournament was always the first goal, not looking past the group given that the side knew that both Semarland, Sarrbia, and Brigantii would have the potential to cause them trouble. However with the form that the squad has been in through this campaign and having now booked their passage, those sights can now be set higher and the race to six now on the agenda with the great rival of Starblaydia finally looking like they are returning to their once world dominating ways. That is the sort of motivation that drives at the heart of the squad, who have seen so many come and go, and yet it the team from Calania that stirs the passions quite like no other and has the Marauders ascend to even greater heights in their attempts to best the rivals.

[Soltsteed]

Aaron Cartier
@AaronFromCherrygrove

Just saw this KSFB poster outside Parc des Amis today #vandalism


RETWEETSFAVOURITES
4561,231

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Aaron Cartier
@AaronFromCherrygrove

@AaronFromCherrygrove For the benefit of our friends who don’t speak Soltsteedish: “Eten worstrollen, lösörn” = “Eat sausage roll, losers”

RETWEETSFAVOURITES
50100

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Aaron Cartier
@AaronFromCherrygrove

@AaronFromCherrygrove Not to mention that someone’s scrawled the word for “lose” over the word for “be” #WeLoseAndShallLose #accurate

RETWEETSFAVOURITES
59111

[Pasarga]

Torgos Tribune ~ Take A Breath

When the Wanderers held serve and found a way to defeat Drawkland in an eight-goal thriller in the Stade de Torgos, it seemed quite certain that the side would then be able to coast into last two games of the campaign where the last of the difficult fixtures remained. After all, having just defeated the top of the group in Drawkland was seen as a major turning point for the side, signalling that the whole struggle of the first half of the campaign was just the struggles of a side that was trying to bleed in some of the fringe and younger talent in the national pool, with the side defaulting to their experienced players in the games that they had to win like when they traveled to Red Blackiland. An Auðbjörnsson hattrick and then a goal from Kárpáty and Sigurjónsdóttir had to be signs that the squad was finally gelling at exactly right time in the campaign, with a final twenty-three players to be named for the most likely trip to the Finals in Bonesea-Cosumar becoming quite clear as the players were starting to step up to the roles and tasks asked of them.

Some concern was raised when the side traveled to Kaidō and could only find a single goal, this time in the form of second half substitute Émond Harcourt, after Auðbjörnsson was taken off with his performance looking labored as if he had been been playing too many matches lately. Given that Kaidō was at the bottom of the table, it was fair to say that the fans and squad expecting to find more than just a single goal but still a victory was had and the side had made it seven wins on the trot and were atop the table despite dropping points in three of their first five matches. The contenders for the group were apparently starting to cannibalize themselves and the Wanderers apparently had given the rest of the group a game plan on how to handle Red Blackiland, as the side had dropped points again in the time since they had been felled by the Wanderers. While not the most comfortable of scenarios, it had certainly began to look quite optimistic for all those clad in the Green, Scarlet, and Gold as well as those who were cheering them on in the dual islands.

This was furthered when the side made it eight on the trot with a brace from Jörg Feierabend as the Wanderers exacted some more revenge on their poor first half in defeating The Republic of Kaboomlandia two to nil, as the squad's defensive prowess was definitely starting to shine, the match against Drawkland not withstanding. However with both Drawkland and Red Blackiland keeping pace with the Wanderers' impetus' form, the side was not finding a way to pull away from their qualification rivals, with just a point separating first from second and three from third in the form of Drawkland. With the Wanderers still having matches with Red Blackiland and Anthor on the table, it was making for some very nervy run ins despite the imperious form that the side had found in around the halfway mark of the campaign. It had become clear to everyone in the group and outside of it that this was going to be a game of musical chairs where there was only two chairs for three participants and one worthy squad was going to be on the outside looking in when the dust settled.

In a match that will go down in history as one of the most lopsided statistical matches in favor of the side who ended up losing, the Wanderers went into Greater Vakolicci Haven and somehow were toppled by the side who had previously only two wins to their record. Despite outshooting their foes by a margin of twenty-four to two and holding over seventy percent of the possession, the Wanderers had been unable to win over a side that was supposed to be a guaranteed three points and the buffer they would need heading into the last two games. Rather than provide a buffer for the Wanderers, it felt after the final whistle had gone that this stunning result had just stolen the chances of the Wanderers of heading to the Finals despite being ranked in the top fifteen and a recent World Cup Champion with a World Cup winning manager at the helm. It was a rather gloomy three days in Torgos in the lead up to the Red Blackiland game, a game that many in the dual islands believed would go the way of the visitors and ultimately seal the Wanderers' fate this qualifying cycle.

With two goals in the first half hour, it seemed all but certain that Red Blackiland was going to capitalize on the sudden capitulation of the Wanderers and the cloud of despair that seemed to be hanging over them, taking up the second spot in the Finals alongside Drawkland who had all but sewn up their own qualification. The winds of change constantly are blowing and the sands of fate shift with the wind, thus when a very innocuous cross from Jurkovic somehow flew into the top corner of the goal just before the whistle for halftime, the side was suddenly given life heading into the break. It was obviously not an intentional shot, with Kárpáty having been at the back post as the target, however it doesn't matter much how goals are scored as long as they are counted. The Wanderers pressed from the onset of the second half and grabbed an equalizer seven minutes in, with Roland Lebrun curling in an inswinger from the top of the D from a set piece. Then in the eighty-first minute the stadium erupted into cheers as Weiss got on the end of corner at the top of the box and took a shot that pinballed off the defenders and into the back of the net. It was an unconventional goal, much like Jurkovic's, but it was a goal that sent the Wanderers on top and to the top of the group once more when the final whistle blew.

The roller coaster of emotions and results of the last month leave the Wanderers in control of their own destiny despite being on their bye day in the penultimate matchday of the qualifying campaign, knowing that they if they win their last match against Anthor, who has fallen quite off the pace that they had in the first half, then they are into the Finals. However, there is a chance that the Wanderers may already be qualified before they take the field on Sunday night, as Anthor plays Red Blackiland and should they find a way to defeat Red Blackiland, then the last game between the two sides will have only the group title riding on it. It is a good few days to just rest and try to relax, let the nerves flow out of you, and then be ready for the task ahead, while keeping one eye on the latest scores tonight. All a sportsmen ever wants is their success or failure to be in their own hands and the Wanderers have been given that, now it is time to make good on such a second chance.

[Eshan]

The Sebio Sentinel
So Close to the Finish Line

This epic World Cup qualification is, somehow, drawing to a close. From the 5-2 win against Colonial Australia to our impressive winning streak, and who in their right mind could ever forget the back-to-back 2-nil victories against the higher ranked Eastfield Lodge and The Holy Empire, this qualification campaign has certainly been a fun one for us Echani to watch. With 35 goals scored over 14 games thus far, we've scored at least two goals in every game, and we've found the net in style.

The world legend Alexio del Nieran, now in his third year as Eshan's national team manager, has managed to totally implement his free-flowing, always looking to attack, drive it down the opponents throat through aggressive offense-based possession playstyle that is the perfect blend of the Echani warrior mentality and the innate elegance of the Erathi way of playing football. It has produced a beautiful blend of football that has rocketed Eshan up the international football rankings and pushed us to second in our qualifying group this campaign. Now, with only six points left on the board, the time has come for the men to be men and separate themselves from the rest of the weak pack. Six points to play for, one point clear of Acronius. Not exactly the best points margin to be sitting on, but we really only have ourselves to blame after only managed draws to San Regada and Acronius; if we had won these two games, our qualification would be secure, even if we had only won one we still would be looking far more comfortable than we are now. Fortunately, we've gotten our toughest fixtures out of the way and have a somewhat straightforward path to the finish line. Of course, the mystical Margaret can only be trusted so much, and by that I mean not at all because she will always find a way to screw you over as we and countless other nations have discovered throughout World Cup history. Hopefully she will look on us with favor, and there are hundreds of planned rubber chicken burnings as we look for every last advantage we can gain over our competition.

How are we going to do it? How are we going to seal the deal? Do we play it cautious and safe, being responsible in our attack so we minimize chances for the opposition to score and beat us? Or do we play our usual gung-ho style of play, balls to the wall, live by the goal, die by the goal philosophy? Personally I hope it's the later. If we somehow cock this up, which, to be honest, wouldn't be the greatest surprise as Eshan seems to have the magical ability to take a perfectly good situation for itself and find a way to catastrophically implode and ruin everything, but if we do cock up and go out, I want some damn entertainment these last two games and would hate to see defensive football. But at the same time, a one point 'cushion' with six points left to play for means a helluva lot can happen to totally change the group dynamic. With all that being said, I believe we can and will close this out and ascend into victory and the World Cup. It's all or nothing for us, either we win the damn thing or it's a disappointment.

Regardless, we all know that the boys will go out there and give it their best for themselves and for us. They'll keep fighting until the final whistle to try and pull out a victory, to try and secure qualification, to try and finally lift us into the top tier of footballing nations and bring great glory to Eshan. I know they can do it, we citizens know they can do it, and the players know they can do it.

The question is, will they?

[Farfadillis]

Wínrôuge had been brilliant this last year. Farfadillis were still in a position to qualify because of him. He was arrogant, so he knew this. His cousin Çíânflöné and Jevdjevic-Hadsic had occasionally saved the team as well, but the rest of the players had been decidedly mediocre, as far as he was concerned. Yes, they were unbeaten (somehow!), but they'd dropped no less than ten point already. They hadn't been able to beat Boring Paradise in two attempts. They hadn't been able to score even once against Juvencus at home! They certainly weren't the best team in the Multiverse, as they'd been led to believe at the start of the cycle. "You got to the AOCAF Cup final with a severely weakened team, qualifying should be a breeze. Remember how easy it was last cycle?"

"All bollocks." Wínrôuge muttered to himself. Saying he was frustrated would be an understatement. Now they had to at the very least avoid a loss away from hoe against the best second seed in order to have realistic chances of qualifying. If they were gonna play like against Juvencus, Fôrté thought they might as well save themselves the embarrassment and walk off the pitch right then and there.

Tíbürçìó had decided to field a slightly modified line-up, in hopes of surprising the Barunians. Êns replaced Dü Síbírí up front, which was undoubtedly a very bold move, and Sasca replaced Jevdjevic-Hadsic in offensive midfield. Fôrté was particularly disappointed with that last decision, as he felt Ror and him formed a very effective duo. Groaré was certainly good, though, so he wasn't that worried. If anything, since Groaré hadn't had much playing time, he wasn't completely sure he'd suck like the rest of the team.

When the match started, everything went about as you'd expect. Barunia, a slightly defensive team, kept to their wits a bit, hoping to find an opening born from a Farf error on the attack. "Audioslavian tactics." Wínrôuge thought. "Well, we did beat them last World Cup..."

The first fifteen minutes helped put Fôrté's mind at ease: both Êns and Sasca were playing very well. Tíbürçìó's crazy, no doubt, but everyone knew he's still a very capable manager. Fôrté knew that more than anyone. He would've led a rebellion against any other manager with this many points at this point of qualifiers.

However, even though Farfadillis were dominating in the beginning, the Suns were the first to strike. It was a fairly simple goal: Kennedy dropped deep to get the goal, Monrazón and Söh were not properly coordinated, as a result Kennedy found some space to shoot from afar, and he made them pay for it. It was a fairly impressive goal. For a few seconds, while the Barunians celebrated, the thought that they might not qualify did cross Fôrté's mind. Just for a few seconds, but he snapped back.

But not only did he snap back. The whole team snapped back. Kennedy had scored in the twentieth minute. Farfadillis had turned the game around by the twenty-fifth minute. The Barunians didn't know what had hit them by the time they conceded the second goal.

The equalizer was scored just after the kick-off. Çíânflöné to Êns, Êns to Sasca, Sasca to Meier. Meier ran down the flank, dribbled two and got close to the box. Çíânflöné found space and Meier saw him. Facing Hook one-on-one, he passed the ball to Êns, who did not hurry up and, instead of frantically shooting at the goal cause the keeper was not there, got rid of Benitez with a feint before slotting it in.

The second goal was scored by Fôrté. Kennedy lost the ball to Söh, who sent a long pass towards Eleonóra, starting a counterattack. He was brought down dangerously close to the box. Fôrté took a deep breath, eyed the upper-left corner, and placed the ball in its roundabouts, but with a shot thunderous enough that the imprecision would not affect the end result. The stadium, which had been loud, very loud just five minutes before, was now dead silent. Fôrté took great pleasure in that.

After the second goal, with Farfadillis leading, Barunia had to adapt their approach. They needed to score now. Wínrôuge was relieved at this. Farfadillis was relatively ill-prepared to deal with counterattacking teams. However, when a team decided to try and outplay them in their own game, those were the times when they shone the most.

Or so he thought: In the last play before half time, the Barunians equalized. Miller and Kennedy combined perfectly to leave the latter one-on-one against Metz. Kennedy lobbed the ball over the Farf goalkeeper, and everyone was back at square one. The first half had been frustrating for everyone involved: for the Barunians, because they were being outplayed at home, for the Farves because they needed a result and they were not capitalizing on their superiority.

The second half saw a vigorous Barunian team, encouraged by their second goal, dominating the Farf team for the first few minutes, looking for a goal that would put them in a very good position to qualify. But the Farf defense stood strong, and it weather the storm. Nothing could get past Söh, Maes and Röènôùjýâ. Monrazón closed in on everyone who thought they could attempt a long-range shot like in their first goal. Eventually, the Barunian team got discouraged and the Farf team got back in the game. Fôrté had seen very little of the ball in the first fifteen minute of the second half. So little, that he'd not actually touched it. The Barunians were man-marking him very heavily. This would turn out to be their undoing.

In the sixty-fifth minute, while two men followed him around, Monrazón passed the ball to Sasca, who broke free of his man and left the Barunians in a dire position to defend from the onslaught. He one-twoed past the only defender left with Êns help, and then passed the ball back to him when facing Hook. Êns, once again with an empty goal at his mercy, scored his second goal of the night. That goal had been all Groaré Sasca and Xíxì Êns. Fôrté could already hear Tíbürçìó's triumphant "told you so."

Now ahead with less than a half-hour to go, Fôrté knew the Barunians would go all out, and that's what they did. As a result, Fôrté scored the fourth goal in the seventieth minute, effectively ending the game as far as he was concerned.

The Barunians left some pretty big holes in defense in search of an equalizer. As soon as Vine lost the ball to Maes, a lethal counterattack started. He passed the ball to Wçêil, who'd replaced Eleonóra. Wçêíl dribbled past McClelland and began a run towards the Barunian goal. The Barunians quickly caught up; they'd not left the defense that woefully unattended. However, Wçêíl suddenly stopped his run, looked up, and sent the ball flying across the pitch to Meier. Meier stopped the ball, and got close to the edge of the box. She feinted entering the box, but instead passes to Fôrté, who amidst the chaos had been left completely unmarked. Fôrté stopped the ball and looked up. He didn't have enough space to shoot, but the defender in front of him was not properly positioned. What's more, the defender had to watch the Çíânflöné and Êns, too. With that in mind, Wínrôuge got past him and placed the ball on the lower-left corner, slightly beyond Hook's reach. In fifteen seconds, Barunia had gone from being on the attack to retrieving the ball from the back of the net.

The rest of the match saw a solid Farf defense fend off all Barunian advances, and a Farf offense incapable of scoring a fifth goal to truly secure the result. Nonetheless, they had achieved the result they had come for. For the first time in a long while, they were all satisfied with their performances. Even Wínrôuge was satisfied with their performances.

[San Jose Guayabal]

CHAOS
Chapter 4: The life during the blackout.

After San José Guayabal was taken in that big magnet that moved the country from Esportiva to another place located in the shores of the "Never-ending Ocean", things were quite difficult during the five year period it lasted, especially in the first couple of months, where people struggled to be so far away and marginalized from the usual reality they had lived on all their lives. it was a harsh psychological impact in their lives, perhaps, some people missed dear family members or so appreciated people that wasn't able to move out to San José Guayabal on time, a five year period without watching or having any access to any communication kind is, for sure, a huge burden to deal with, even some families with people studying abroad, sons without watching their parents for that amount of time, it's matter to imagine how people was traumatized psychologically in that sense, it was a terrible and chaotic situation that could have been perfectly avoided if people would have been smarter enough to have thought the consequences of what happened in that night. That's life at his biggest expression, from happiness to shame and sadness in one night.

During the first days after being displaced, the Guayabalenses faced themselves in a big dilemma, on how to name that plot of land they have just discovered at the edge of that gigantic ocean, it was the time for one of those so-famed referenda, the issue was simple: "How do you want to name the continent?" Options were varied, from Guayabalia, San José, Nueva Guayabal, FASland or even "Alianza hasta que la muerte nos separe" Which means "Alianza fan until death sepparate us" which is a well known phrase used as chant by Alianza FC fans in their games, perhaps their second most famous chant behind the "¿Cómo no te voy a querer?" (How I won't love you?) As quite unexpected it was from media and basically anybody, the option was the one referring to Alianza FC, which won by 65%, the reason why that name won? Perhaps because it was considered as a way of national unity, a good instrument to attach people together in one of the darkest hours of San José Guayabal. That was the beginning of an avalanche of referenda that was made in order to make sure the Guayabalense nation would begin a new history, with new ideals and stronger social bonds between their inhabitants, which was possible after having clear that Gregoryisgodistan wasn't a threat anymore for the nation, which made people feel way more comfortable and happy at some point, since dealing out saudade was easy, since people was feeling way better at the beginning, at least, those were good signs of recovery.

Continuing in the matter of referenda, there were some hilarious plans on the list, that included: "Shall Alianza be a religion?", "Shall CD FAS be banned?", "Shall fans of both teams be purged and then banned?", "Shall we ask Gregoryisgodistan come with us?" and other dumb ones, although, the Gregoryisgodistan one raised suspicions among people that later were confirmed to be a gigantic fear for all the populace, what was going on? It turns that there was a network of Gregoryisgodistani spies in San José Guayabal operating at the time the country moved off, although the Gregoryisgodistani government didn't wanted to follow the ir nemesis, the spies did wanted to follow it, but it was a tragic decision. A bloody measure was taken but it was the smartest decision, especially since they were only three spies, the solution was to kill them, people decided to set them on fire and then, bye bye, problem solved, there weren't any spies left in San José Guayabal, although, we know they weren't giving any information since signals were being blocked and visiting Gregoryisgodistan back would be an impossible matter, since flights were forbidden in San José Guayabal, as well sailing outside 200 kilometers away from the coasts. The government was acting like a totalitary regime in that matter, but it was because public demand to them, people asked for it and they were up for it, and that's how democracy works.

The last referéndum consisted on changing the national anthem, something that was agreed on by people and accepted by perhaps 91% of people, although records aren't so accurate due to government issues in said period, all of those reasons are related to technology, which was partially blocked to act due to the lack of satellites and shut down of some of those in order to don't track where San José Guayabal was, something that nobody outside San José Guayabal didn't knew until the nation once again returned to its place. Why they decided to change the anthem? The reason was simple, they considered that a new instrument of social cohesion was needed, a song reflecting the new national identity was needed, new values needed to be reflected and also a new way of thinking, a complete social revolution in all the basic aspects of life, it was the renaissance of the Guayabalense nation, where they left the fatigued values apart, rejuvenating them into something that seemed to be in a group, as a better set of values, overally speaking. The new anthem was approved by the Guayabalense Parliament unanimously, with 325 votes, and it was first sung on the San Salvador main square during the Guayabalense independence day, on September 5th. The lyrics and tune are the following:

National Anthem of the Kingdom of San José Guayabal.

Note: Click on the title and listen to the tune.

Spanish Version - Most used.

Mi tierra soleada y libre, felicidad y salvación de tu pueblo,
¡Eres cálida compañía de tus amigos!
Florece eternamente con conocimiento y creatividad,
¡Que tu gloria brille mientras haya mundo!

Tus valles dorados - amado Guayabal,
¡El espíritu valiente de tus ancestros está contigo!
Cuando el gran poder del pueblo ruge,
¡Eres la alegría del mundo!

La fe de los Guayabalenses de corazón abierto nunca murió,
¡La generación joven y libre son fuertes alas para ti!
Faro de independencia, guardián de la paz,
¡Amante de la verdad, oh, patria, florece para siempre!

Tus valles dorados - amado Guayabal,
¡El espíritu valiente de tus ancestros está contigo!
Cuando el gran poder del pueblo ruge,
¡Eres la alegría del mundo!

English Version

My sunny free land, happiness and salvation to your people,
You are a warmhearted companion to your friends, to your friends!
Flourish forever with learning and creativity,
May your glory shine as long as the world exists!

These golden valleys – dear Guayabal,
The courageous spirit of your ancestors is with you!
When the great power of the people raged,
(You did) have charmed the world!

The faith of an open-hearted Guayabalense does not die out,
The young free generation is a strong wing for you, strong wing for you!
Beacon of independence, the guardian of peace,
Lover of truth, Oh motherland, flourish forever!

These golden valleys – dear Guayabal,
The courageous spirit of your ancestors is with you!
When the great power of the people raged,
(You did) have charmed the world!

Now speaking of daily life issues rather than anthems or different laws approved during the blackout, it is important to emphasize that Football in San José Guayabal didn't stopped to be practiced, it was still being played in all the divisions and ways possible, things were running fine as always in the sport, except for a detail: The Liga Premier decided to step-out of international competitions, in a move that was shocking internationally, since it's not a matter of all days that a top-10 league internationally, leaves all competitions due to "re-structuration" and "government ban on leaving or entering the country". People didn't cared a lot about the international participation thing, in fact, they were happy because they would continue to see the games of the domestic league, especially the always so expected game of Alianza against FAS, that lost its old status of being the biggest rivalry in the multiverse, still, the magnitude of said rivalry is still present locally, although, security is stronger, in order to prevent the old fashioned ultras fights or assassinations. During the blackout, presence in the stadia were at its highest, since now people only watch Guayabalense players playing there, something that shows off how a new nationalist spirit has arise between people, some might behave xenophobically while others still act rationally, but government is taking the measures needed in order to irradicate xenophobia or any kind of displays for the time that San José Guayabal returns to normal life and normal interaction with other countries, which in part was something to fear off in case people would be resilient to interact with other nations, especially after such an episode the nation has lived on...

Another kind of social meetings or movements continued normally, elections were still held and they saw how the Conservative Party managed to win majority in all the elections, mostly because they were impulsing out a platform that promoted Guayabalense culture-related activities, in order to keep people entertained, but not only in culture things, also in social participation, interaction with government and improvement of infrastructure, without doubt, the life was being good for San Guayabal inhabitants, even at oil production, which reached it's peak at that place, because the oil reserves were 4x bigger than the ones the nation enjoyed in Esportiva, somehow, they managed to take with them all those resources and allocate them in Esportiva after a complex geological operation that will be explained in other episodes. Price of life, as it is in basic wells and food was low at the time, bonanza was all over the nation, incomes duplicated and human development reached the max, but was impossible to measure by the WA, since San José Guayabal was isolated at the time. Economically and financially speaking, the retirement was helping people hugely, but educationally, had some impacts because it's impossible to have a good education system while being isolated from the rest of the multiverse.

Remember Salma? The girl that suggested to move out San José Guayabal, she's still there and now in the Government, not as minister, but she is having an important role in order to create new technologies, a sector that has been forgotten by the government during the blackout until a year before the end of it, since the Government's goal is to create an engineering plan to move all natural resources of the plot of land that San José Guayabal has to Esportiva, in order to boost the economy and make the GDP increase three-fold for the next fiscal year, as well, trying to innovate the army, after forgetting that since war times, this time the idea is different, the purpose is to defend the new resources that San José Guayabal will have, enough amount to put the nation three or four ladders over Esportiva in a lot of aspects, especially human development, incomes, education and economy, which is important in order to preserve the Welfare State.

---

Today

After returning to Esportiva, the Guayabalenses have to deal the Gregoryisgodistani threat, now with more obvious reasons, since San José Guayabal has now more resources, specifically, three times more, which makes Gregoryisgodistan be waiting for the best moment to attack, but nothing to fear, since the Guayabalense army has reinforced a lot, to the point that the army can be eating ice-creams in the capital district one day after invading that inhumane nation, that savage land, that uncivilized folk. In the last days, actions against Gregoryisgodistani week of hate have been increasing, now, it's usual to see civilians or batallions do random shootings in Gregoryisgodistan, doing vandalism against LAG effigies, some of the latest actions were extreme, to the point that a civilian that wasn't identified managed to put two Guayabalense flags, one at the LAG's palace and one at the Main Square of Capital District, the person returned alive to San José Guayabal and identified himself as member of the far-right organization "El Tifón" (The Typhoon), which has declared a war over Gregoryisgodistani citizens, and encouraged people to attack any Gregoryisgodistani they see or do anything to annihilate them.

But, what is "El Tifón"? Who are in that group? Well, it's easy to answer since this association is a Guayabalense supremacist organization, that seeks to create a new multiversal order that can be Guayabalense-centered, also, to impose the Guayabalense culture and annihilate the impure blood from the multiverse, especially races like the Gregoryisgodistani one, which is the main target of this association, that has some background of racial assaults against Gregoryisgodistanis in the past. This association is builded up by people of all social classes, including MPs of the ruling Conservative Party, moguls like Teymuraz Samedov, footballing stars like Kevin Santos or Ricardo Costa. The group is so influential and rich that the Government and the Esportivan Union haven't doubt to put them into a blacklist of "terrorist organizations" since they consider that they have enough resources in order to launch big-scale attacks against some targeted nations or races.

The organization has called for rallies this day, as a rally of people across the border singing the Guayabalense National Anthem and then attacking Gregoryisgodistani people at 6:17 PM San Salvador time, then, promoting people to attack Gregoryisgodistani people, in order to "clean earth of filth." which is a priority before the Guayabalense nation might be infected of said filth and then suffer a collapse caused by it, hence, they consider the "need" to destroy Gregoryisgodistan in order to preserve and expand the Guayabalense culture and way of live throughout the multiverse.

[Flardania]

Opening Theme

---

Bonjour et Ohayōgozaimasu Kirishima. Welcome ladies and gentleman back once more to another World Cup 78 edition of the Kitsune Report, brought to you by the Nagatomo Sports Network (NSN), sponsored by Air Pacifica, and Pocari Surge. Here at the Kitsune Report, it's all about Kirishinan sports. With football currently taking center stage and with matchday twelve of World Cup qualifiers having been completed,135 teams continue their battle for 30 spots with 7 matchdays to go. I'm your host, the fan you can count on the most, to bring you Kitsune news, Keitaaaaaaa Woo! Without any further delay let's get grooving to some world cup football once again!

Taeshan 2–2 Kirishima Review:

With the Kitsunes having won the previous match against Heif with the marvelous score of 5-2 at the Aincrad Stadium in Akihabara, the Kitsunes were on the road to face the mighty defensive jargonaut of Taeshan. The last time the two teams met the Kitsunes squeezed out a 1-0 at the Aincrad in Akihabara. It was a test of the new system versus the ultimate challenge of a super defensive focused team. The Kitsunes came into the game seeking to remain on top of the Group as the Kitsunes strive to not only qualify for the World Cup but enter it with momentum as many feel if there is ever an opportunity to get out of a World Cup group stage, in World Cup 78 barring a group of death like World Cup 76. But considering that Eura has a bye coming up, even a draw would be acceptable as it would still keep the Kitsunes technically in the lead as they still receive points and so long as the win the next two games that seem easy on paper, they are golden. On the other hand, Taeshan like every other team in Group 4 outside of Eura, was simply playing for pride. Meaning the pressure was mostly on the Kitsunes. Seong Mi-Soo made some changes to the starting XI with Ai Takagawa in goal for Miyoko Hojo, Pandazi Papadopoulos in for Son Dae-Han, and Eizan Iwamoto in at right back for Miguel Tamayo.

The Kitsunes attempted to strike hard and fast with a shot attempt by Yabuta in the 1' minute but it was saved by Xavier Troubador. In the 4' and 6' minutes Taeshan attempted to score goals of their own but the first attempt was saved by Ai Takagawa, and the second was off-target. The Kitsunes then launch another offensive in the 25' and 26' minute but both attempts were unsuccessful. In the 28' however, Renée Guidice would follow up on her previous performance with a GOAL! to take the lead. The Kitsunes tried to double their lead but their shot in the 36' was saved by Troubador and the resulting corner would lie off-target. While the Kitsunes could not get the job done, Taeshan could and did with a goal in the 39' minute. The Kitsunes would try again in the 43' minute but the shot was off-target. Both teams entered the half with the game tied 2-2 with the shot attempts reading 7-3 in Kirishima's favor.

In the second half, Kirishima would get even more shaken up as their shot attempts in the 54' 56' and 57' minutes were all off-target. In the 59' minute the Kitsunes would have another chance on goal but it would be saved by Xavier Troubador. Finally, in the 65' minute, Koharu Miyamoto would score during a corner kick to put the Kitsunes back up 1. The Kitsunes looked like they would get away with the win but after a mistake from Papadoupulous Taeshan would score in the 92' minute to seal the deal as a draw. Final score Taeshan 2, Kirishima 2.

Seong Mi-Soo, had this to say following the match. "This was our game to win and because of it, we took a hit to our cushion and our momentum. We were a little lazy in our preparation for Taeshan. They are a serious opponent but it felt like we were underprepared and lacked the time to rectify that. To be great you need to make sacrifices. If it means having practice at 2-4 in the morning, then I guess we have no choice. While our offense allows for quantity and suppressive fire. We need to make sure our shots are quality. We need to remain focused and win out our next to the game and make sure we enter the World Cup with momentum. "

Taeshan 2           -   2 Kirishima 
M. Snavely(39' 90+2)          R.Guidice (28' )
                              K.Miyamoto (65')

Kirishima v Frejo Match Preview

Kirishima will travel home to the Dreamscape Arena in Kairaku to face Frejo. Frejo ranked 234th in the world and the Kitsunes defeated them 2-0 last time on the road. The Kitsunes will be home for the final time this cycle and need to take advantage of that. The Kitsunes have two easy opponents on paper and a win in both will solidify momentum heading into World Cup proper. Until next time, Lets Go Kitsunes!

Post by: Keita Woo

[Aggrey-Fynn Land]

Gordon's Journal
thoughts from my head
Day 176:

We tried our best, but they were simply too good for us. All we had to show for our efforts was a 3-1 drubbing. My lone goal could not save us today. As I started the long walk off the pitch, I looked towards the stands. All I saw were overjoyed Semars celebrating. They had just punched their tickets to the World Cup, and at our expense. I thought to myself, 'isn't Valanora equal to Semarland on points? Then that means that...' "Oh no," I exclaimed aloud. I stopped in my tracks, because I had just realized the implications of this game. Since Semarland had 36 points, and they qualified, and Valanora also has 36 points, then they just sewed up both qualifying spots during one matchday.

The dream was over.

I jogged over to Tanner. He asked me, "How goes it?" I said back to him, "Don't you realize what just happened here? We have no chance of qualifying anymore!" Tanner stopped to stare at me. He then said "Did anybody even consider us a contender to begin with? Did anyone give us the time of day before this competition? To the multiverse, we were just the Baptism of Fire runners-up who had a few lucky breaks. To be honest, the fact that we were able to be a threat this long is a victory to me. We just need to regroup and prepare for the Cup of Harmony." As we continued to walk, I thought about what he had just said. Aggrey-Fynn Land had really been the giant killer in the group. We had defeated teams ranked twice as high as us, and barring an unexpected loss to Mytanar Region, the only teams that were able to overcome us were the two teams headed to the World Cup. "I guess so, but we've gotta keep playing like this if we want to do well at the Cup of Harmony. There will be some good teams there. What if we get drawn against Nephara?" "Nephara isn't our biggest problem right now, man. Right now it's Valanora. We have to stay in the moment if we want success." 'In the moment', I murmured softly to myself. I started thinking again of the journey we had embarked on, and what lay ahead. "What are you doing, Gordon? We have to get to the locker room, to hear what the Grey Fox has to say." And with that, we jogged into the tunnel.

[Bonesea]

[Eura]

OOC: Continued from here.

What began as a calm morning for the Sameban Navy's two converging fleets at the Scrub Islands had turned into a tense waiting game. The airstrip on what the Euran's had called Gardener Island had been hit seemingly from nowhere by a flock of Harrier jets. Ground forces and the base's complement of light F-47 jets had virtually no time to react due to a failure of the Over The Horizon radar system on the nearby island of Potters Reef. Betrayal had been the cause of their surprise. A few dozen civilian workers maintaining the captured Euran facility had sabotaged it to prevent Sameba from using it to detect and attack merchant shipping. In the aftermath of the unexpected airstrike all of them were walked down to the beach and shot without much dignity, as was custom under the rule of the brutal Sameban military dictatorship and its political officers. Petty revenge wouldn't fix the radar though. Fleet Admiral Sergio Parzi, the commander of the nearby fleet, was displeased at the loss of a strategic asset that could not be quickly repaired, if at all. There were bigger imminent problems to deal with though. The Euran Navy had run across his forces at an unfortunate time. Luckily, or so he thought, they had not come in force. A single light aircraft carrier and three or four escorts had attacked the island before turning south west to flee. It was probable that they had got a radar track on his own massive combination of two fleets and thought best to flee for home. He knew that was not acceptable and gave chase. His decision was unknowingly a fatal one.

Jets were scrambled from his carriers. Modern ones combined with the old remaining F-47's from Gardener which had been refitted only to use dumb bombs and cannon on unarmed merchant shipping. The weather had got poorer as the day went on like it had been the night before which added to the tension. At around one in the afternoon he finally received the news that they had been waiting for from several returning jets. 'Admiral, communication from our fighters!'
'What's the news?'
'Euran light carrier, they think either the Eastweald or Pooltree, has been hit by two anti-ship missiles, a 500lb and cannon fire. It has stopped moving at the given co-ordinates. One escort sunk, two damaged and two unscathed.'
'Our losses?'
'Fourteen aircraft sir.' Parzi sighed solemnly at the news of the losses. On the face of it this was an excellent result, but in a war where the margins were not in Sameba's favour, every loss counted. 'They certainly made their mark at least. Recover any that you can. Send Zumka and some escorts to finish the carrier off with gunfire. Make sure it is filmed for the air war.' He wasn't referring to aircraft. Parzi was a card carrying member of the Republican National Party and a die hard Gartanzo supporter. He realised the importance of propaganda and would be particularly delighted at the prospect of a symbolic video recording of a ship named after the city of Pooltree getting sunk.

To the south and not so far away Parzi's opposite number was having his patience rewarded. The Sameban's had bought the plot hook line and sinker though early reports suggested the light aircraft carrier Eastweald was damaged badly and listing to port. It was expensive bait, but necessary. The ship's similar appearance to Pooltree had made it an especially lucrative target for the enemy whose force was now splitting again to make sure it was finished off before it could escape. Advancing upon the wounded ship was initially just a few Sameban escorts but now they were joined by the aging but iconic battleship Zumka. Thanks to excellent Euran intelligence gathered beforehand Admiral Torrance was aware of who his opponent was and had an idea of some of his weaknesses. He could never have anticipated however that Parzi would be this reckless so soon after a major victory. With that in mind he held back from committing everything to this attack in case the enemy had something else up their sleeve that the OSI and military intelligence had missed. As the light started to fade and Eastweald struggled to escape its would be assassin's, like a lanced knight crawling away from pikemen in the mud, a fearsome counterstrike began. Parzi's fleet was once again caught as unawares as was possible by a low flying attack over the water by long range anti-ship missiles fired from aircraft and a Blackhall class missile cruiser. That class had seen very little combat action before now but Torrance intended to change that quite dramatically.

The spectacular intervention that was now underway failed to save the Eastweald. It was struck several more times without any cameras focused on it as the Sameban commanders panicked. Out of a reflexive desire to save their battleship from another enemy group that hadn't yet been spotted, they resorted to committing more airpower against the stricken carrier to finish it off. This gave the crew more time to evacuate and the remaining vertifical takeoff and landing jets on board, as well as the helicopters, were able to flee before being destroyed. Several Sameban escorts were struck by the missile barrage and air attacks. They turned for home, or rather Gardener Island and the rest of their fleet, and became confused when issued with contrary orders to turn back again and launch an attack. Zumka retreated slowly but seemed to have been provided with a very costly shield in the form of burning destroyers and frigates. Parzi was infuriated and decided to restructure the force again into one fleet, to drive south east and find this opposing force to destroy it. At 9pm his scout aircraft got a radar track on Euran escorts sailing north to flank around the back of the islands. It seemed at the time that this might be the force that attacked. One of the much feared Blackhall class ships was among the group. His decision was finally made that this must be the main group when a General Hartson class nuclear aircraft carrier, almost certainly the Myrmidon which was known to be in the northern Endemian Ocean recently, was tracked among the group. The Sameban Navy threw its most crucial dice. Jets raced off the decks of his carriers and their missile cruisers moved into position. What they hadn't anticipated was the Euran reserve force swinging in from the south west. The biggest surprise of all came to the captain of the Zumka, who stopped sending messages to Admiral Parzi at 9:30. His ship had been torpedoed by a Euran nuclear submarine and it was not yet clear if it was still afloat.

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Lake Military Base, Gregoryisgodistan

Following the invasion of Gregoryisgodistan by a Guayabalense citizens Army, Lord Almighty Gregory knew what he had to do. Although it was never publicly announced, Gregoryisgodistan's Border Wall of Death did not cover the maritime border with San Jose Guayabal on the shores of the Lake of the Lord. Nor did it cover the island in the middle of the lake, which also belonged to Gregoryisgodistan. The reason for this was simple - Gregoryisgodistan had a major military base on the shore, on every part of it which they controlled, and another one on the island. The warships and warplanes would easily shoot down and kill any Guayabalense Navy invasion or civilian Guaya Beans.

Unfortunately, the one weakness the wall had was that it didn't go all the way up to the outer space, so the Guaya Beans had cleverly used Gregoryisgodistan's human blitzkrieg against them, and jumped in from planes and helicopters. Well, this meant war, and it was time for war.

At precisely 6:17 PM Gregoryisgodistani time, several thousand amphibious tanks departed the Lake Military Base, and several thousand more departed the Island Military Base, all bound for the coast of San Jose Guayabal. Meanwhile, thousands of fighter jets loaded with hundreds of human blitzkrieg soldiers each, all armed with machine guns, flamethrowers, and lots and lots of ammo, were launched from each base.

The first wave of human blitzkrieg soldiers arrived shortly thereafter, parachuting onto the Guayabalense side of the coast, killing everyone in sight, including beachgoing vacationers, and secured the area for the arrival of amphibious tanks later. They then proceeded further into San Jose Guayabal, causing their usual chaos, shooting anyone they came across, burning down buildings, and the like. Hundreds of thousands more Gregoryisgodistanis then proceeded to parachute in to various cities in San Jose Guayabal, laying siege to buildings and killing civilians.

At around 8:00 PM, the first wave of amphibious tanks landed on the coast, and escorted by the first wave, proceeded to the main roads of the coastal cities. As people came out to watch, they were immediately shot, set ablaze, and/or run over by the tanks. The tanks were taking over San Jose Guayabal, laying siege to the coastal cities, and proceeding further in. Later, the second, third, fourth, and fifth waves of tanks arrived, and soon the coast was completely inundated with Gregoryisgodistani tanks. The cities on the coast were close to falling, the people were being destroyed, the cities were being burned, and it was time for war.

Meanwhile, the human blitzkrieg soldiers were causing chaos further inland, as they awaited the tanks to further secure the cities. Gregoryisgodistan had the force to make San Salvador and the entire country fall in just a few short days, at which point they would invade the Royal Palace and kill Queen Margaret I with the Brownie Cutter of Death, and burn the pieces in the city square. But of course, at some point the Guayabalense Army was probably going to notice they were being invaded and put up some resistance, not to mention the citizens militia.

Eventually the Guaya government did notice they were being invaded and mobilized the military, so now the Gregoryisgodistanis were fighting trained soldiers. The fighting was going to continue long into the night and into the days to come. Would San Salvador fall? Would all the Guaya Beans become slaves to Lord Almighty Gregory? Or perhaps even executed? Would Queen Margaret I meet the Brownie Cutter of Death., That remains to be seen. But Lord Almighty Gregory was giving a speech.

Lord Almighty Gregory's Speech to the People

"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and slaves. It is Hate Week, and the Guaya Beans are showing their hatred for us as well, dropping in from planes and helicopters and vandalizing our cities and killing our people. Well, it's time for the Guaya Beans to pay, isn't it? Let's give a cheer, for we are going to make the Guaya Beans pay!"

All around Gregoryisgodistan, 75 million people chant "MAKE THEM PAY!" at the top of their lungs, screaming with pride and hate for their wicked neighbor. This continues for 10 minutes before Lord Almighty Gregory stops them.

"And indeed, we have made them pay! We have made them pay indeed! We are invading San Jose Guayabal! We have landed there from the sea and from the air! We are burning their cities to the ground, pillaging the citizens, and killing them all. And in a short time, we will reach the capital, and we will kill Queen Margaret I. How will we kill her? Say it with me. BROWNIE CUTTER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* BROWNIE CUTTER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*"

All across Gregoryisgodistan, the people chant "BROWNIE CUTTER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP* BROWNIE CUTTER! *CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP*" at the top of their lungs for a full hour, before Lord Almighty Gregory holds up his hand to stop them.

"And even as we speak, there is fighting going on in San Jose Guayabal, as our brave military heroes try to wipe the wicked Guayabalense scum from the face of the Earth. And we will do it! Yes we can, and yes we will! And we're doing it already! It is only a matter of time before our troops breach the Royal Palace, and then it's Brownie Cutter of Death for Queen Margaret, the loser. She will be destroyed! They will be destroyed! They will all be destroyed!

"Let us now give a cheer for the brave soldiers who are fighting to the death to destroy the Guaya Bean Menace, let us give a cheer for Gregoryisgodistan, and have one more hateful yell of hate!"

All across Gregoryisgodistan, people cheer, people scream, and people burn Guayabalense flags. Whenever a Guaya Bean dared enter the nation, they were almost immediately attacked by Gregoryisgodistani people, who the government had decided to arm with heavy weapons themselves so they could fight the menace within. Whenever a Guaya Bean got within sighting distance of a Gregoryisgodistani, they were immediately hit by automatic rifle fire. It would be hard for the Guaya Beans to trouble the Gregoryisgodistanis anymore. Gregoryisgodistan had been preparing for this moment for years, stockpiling weapons, tanks, and the means to distribute weapons to the people. It was war. War with the Guaya Beans. And it was time to rid the world of their Menace Moron Stuff once and for all. There was fighting in the streets on both sides of the Wall of Death, and it wasn't showing any sign of stopping. The Guaya Beans were flooding into Gregoryisgodistan, looking for citizens to kill, and the Gregoryisgodistani military was storming through San Jose Guayabal doing the same. This was war. In the homeland. It was time to kill the Guaya Beans.

[Chromatika]

Damukuni 1-1 Chromatika
Lineup vs. Damukuni: Nier; Morningstar - Aart - Ellen; Kelly (C) - Montague - Hellion - Liam; Rien - Andisori - Antonio. Subs: Victoriane -> Rien ('62), Damjana -> Ellen ('73), Sybill -> Liam ('81)
Goals vs. Damukuni: Andisori '88 assisted by Montague

When the final whistle blew, and the players started exchanging jerseys and greetings after a hard-fought match, Silian Parker let out a sigh of relief. A draw, he could take. Sure, it still took away from the perfect campaign, but for the longest time in this match, he thought the Chromatiks would lose.

After Damukuni came out swinging, pouncing on Nier time and time again, with Dietrich and Vayne running by the back three and Jones being his brilliant self. When Vayne scored the first goal, a brilliant one after running by Hellion and right before she ran into Aart, a tricky shot that Nier tried to paw away to no avail. When Endō almost made it two-nil before the half, a brilliant cross caroming off the head of Jones, only to be headed away by tall Ellen.

Indeed, it had been time for drastic change after the half. After preaching urgency and a pickup of pace during his speech, he made that a reality by changing Trenn for Kaytlyn, and then later by putting Aysu on for Zlastica to have younger legs and Sandra in for Carrol. It was Sandra's first game in left middle, but she didn't make a mess of it, the thirteen minutes she played in the position. In fact, it was she that started the game-tying run.

Trapping a goal kick from Jillian, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Alyss had noticed a gap in the Damukuni defense. They exchanged a glance, and she was able to get by Rivera before hitting a low dribbler that got to Alyss. The rest was history - Alyss and Keira's understanding of each other's tendencies had only grown since their relationship had blossomed - and to no one's surprise it was Keira who finally hit one that got past Tatsuyumi, knotting the game at one.

It had taken so much out of the Chromatiks to salvage the draw that they simply let the game run its course. Silian couldn't be too mad about that.

While he resigned himself to the post-match press conferences and answered all the questions about losing the chance to be the second team to finish perfect - Schottia managed the feat - he wished he was with Kaytlyn, composing a message to Lionel Mah of Schottia, congratulating him on the feat. But he was the Manager, and she the player. It was a shame that no Lammerton player was on the Senior Team of Schottia - she would've no doubt preferred to talk to a teammate - but she knew some people in the league, and was popular enough.

Better to drop points now than in the Proper, he told reporters, and himself, all the while knowing how important this Proper would be for him. But he'd have more time to think on that later. For now, he confirmed the lineups for the last game against Abisa.

As promised, Parker will let the Reserves have one last match this cycle, as none of them are projected to be in the Final 23 for the World Cup Proper. Halide Elise will start after recovering from her injury, and Aide Mehdizade will seek to make one last impact to show why he was signed by the Slateport Bulls.

Lineups vs. Abisa: Elise; Cameron - Colbert (C) - Lorenzo; Minke - Harbin - Berit - Buric; Baumgartner - Mehdizade - Chesser.

---

Medical Sergeant Angel vos Gannea of the Chromatik Army saluted as she entered the room and saw Colonel Erik Monett. He saluted back, taken a bit back by her beauty. She was one hell of an attractive woman, that was for sure. How Niadril el los-Hiros had kept his love for Heidi Kruzieg while training every day with that woman, or how Staff Sergeant Gerald Heraldson had stayed single, either. There was a noticeable glint in her eyes, though, that demanded attention and respect. Perhaps that was why. Here was someone who knew she was beautiful, and wasn't afraid to own up to it.

Perhaps it would be a bit insane to have both Angel and Mara in the Project at the same time. However, they needed a medic, and Angel was one of the best. She was also one loyal soldier to the Rainbow Revolution and the new government. Both her loyalty and her skillset would come very handy.

"Sit," he beckoned her to one of the other three chairs in the room. She nodded, and sat. "What's this about, Sir?" she asked.

"Here," he said, and gave her the mission brief, "I was wondering what you thought about this."

She read through the brief carefully, taking her time. If she was surprised, her face didn't show it. But then, here was someone who had dealt with los-Hiros deciding to not kill Kruzieg and Alina's decision to allow the previous DG to live. Never once had Monett heard what Angel's views on that matter were. If there was someone who was a master at hiding their true feelings, here was one.

"Seems like a worthwhile project, Sir. Have I been summoned to partake?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"It's not an order, Sergeant," he explained, "I wouldn't make you do that. You don't have to sign on unless you want to, but we need a medic, and you're probably the best out in the field..."

"What of my current assignment with General Cavani?" she inquired.

"Ah. Don't worry about that, I've spoken to him at length. He tells me that you've trained Sergeant Eddie Vickerson well enough that he should be able to handle things for a month or two," said Erik.

"Where do I report, Sir?" she said, matter-of-factly.

"That easy, eh?" he said, surprised, "You'll be stationed with me, here in Alnio. We'll gather everyone soon enough, put you through a three-day camp, and then send you out there into the Jungle."

She nodded, and asked, "Who are the other two that you've chosen?"

"Ah, well, they should be arriving any minute now," he replied, "You might be a bit surprised by them..."

As if on cue, the doors opened once again, and two people stepped into the room. Staff Sergeant Gerald Heraldson, grinning from head to toe at the sight of Angel and the Colonel, both of whom he was close to, and a woman covered from head to toe in a dark, hooded cloak.

Medical Sergeant Angel vos Gannea dropped to a knee, shocked.

"Kerri?" she asked, "Does Keira know?"

The woman laughed out loud, a jovial sound. "Of course she knows! She's so happy that I'll be there to document it all. Besides, it was about time I got back to field writing. The Rebel gets first dibs on the story, too!"

"You would say that," replied Angel.

"How do you two know each other?" said Monett, a bit surprised at the two's acquaintance.

The two looked at each other.

"Andisori," they said, in unison.

Of course, thought the Colonel. Alina and Keira did seem to rule the country at times...

The Operation felt more real now. Time to add some foreign flavor...

Operation New Hope
Miranda "Lightning" Gail - Football Player
Pierre DuPont - Chef
Didi Farrot - Shift Manager
Kelly Amerou - Student
Nick Jensen - Defense Attorney
Mara Nocturne - Special Forces, Chromatik Air Force
Jill Lia - Professor of Biology
Angel vos Gannea - Medical Specialist
Gerald Heraldson - Military Specialist
Kerri Wyse - Journalist