aroundthehorn.mrn | Mriin Domestic Sports

by **Mriin** » Sun Nov 19, 2017 12:52 pm

This here thread is for recording the sportsball achievements of those plying their trades in Mriin's local clubs. This space to be improved later! (and some proper league posts will appear below shortly!)

by **Mriin** » Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:51 pm

Mriin National League - Season 2 Preview

And we're back! The MNL looks like it might finally be approaching something resembling a stable structure, shifting away from the controversial geography-based divisions from Season 1. The new system will be much more typical if you're familiar with other leagues around the world, utilizing wholly separate large divisions that double-round-robin around the country. Alongside some teams folding and quite a few new teams being incorporated, the season will shortly be starting for the 16-team Premier Division and the 10-team Lower Division. In this article we'll be looking at all the Premier teams, going over some high-level strategy and even a little history--context is important, especially in these early years where the backgrounds of players and owners have a heavy effect on the team as a whole.

Premier Division -- Top Contenders
The best of the best, these teams are proven quantities that have put up consistent results in the various attempts at incorporated leagues as well as during showmatches that kept them sharp in the various downtimes.

Premier Division -- Middle of the Pack
These are solid teams that have shown they're serious about the game, but for one reason or another aren't at the level of the above group quite yet. Some more experience, a better sense of team unity, or maybe even a key acquisition could easily propel these teams into serious contention. On the flipside, a bad run of form for these teams could quickly put them in an unrecoverable position at the bottom of the table.

Premier Division -- Unknown Quantities
Expansion teams that came with the new league restructure, many expect the relegation slots will be taken by two of these teams, and I don't necessarily disagree. There's the potential for surprises, but they seem better set up to be contenders a few seasons down the line after doing their time in the basement and Lower Division.

by **Mriin** » Sun Nov 19, 2017 4:51 pm

Mriin National League - Season 2 Review

Week 10

Premier Division Standings
    Team                  P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Harbor                10  8  1  1  20   6  +14  25
  2 Maal Angels           10  6  3  1  13   4   +9  21
  3 Bruul Skewers         10  6  2  2  16  12   +4  20
  4 Vidial Alchemists     10  6  1  3  18  12   +6  19
  5 Laneia                10  5  2  3  14  18   -4  17
  6 Maal Dæmons           10  5  1  4  23  14   +9  16
  7 Easthold Royals       10  5  1  4  14  10   +4  16
  8 AFC Hosingr           10  5  1  4   8   7   +1  16
  9 Westhold Royals       10  4  3  3  14  11   +3  15
 10 Mont Prei             10  2  3  5   9  14   -5   9
 11 Reyn Wanderers        10  2  3  5  13  19   -6   9
 12 Seastone Royals       10  2  3  5   7  14   -7   9
 13 Andü Volunteers       10  2  3  5   9  19  -10   9
 14 Wyvernscrest          10  1  5  4   8  13   -5   8
 15 Prei Dragonriders     10  2  2  6  11  19   -8   8
 16 Wyrmstone             10  2  0  8   4   9   -5   6

A third of the way into the season, and there's a fair few surprises to be had! Harbor has been in an excellent run of form to start off with, their defense making me eat my words having the second-fewest goals allowed so far (in addition to the second-most scored). A 4-0 blasting of the Alchemists in week four set the tone, with their only major slipups were a 2-0 loss in Bruul (wherein Lazaar Mohn got sent off shortly into the second half for "giving Maxii a taste of her own medicine") and a 1-all draw at a Laneia side that has been impressing. Both Harbor and Laneia registered their own 2-0 victories over a floundering AFC, who's fans have been up in arms after shocking losses to Wyrmstone and Mont Prei, especially as the weeks went on and they showed themselves to firmly be bottom-half sides. At least they have some company--Westhold is also severely underperforming a point behind them, suffering from a glut of draws and, you guessed it, a loss to Laneia. I think it's something to do with the Dryads' strange formation, and how it matches up with other strategies--as they got absolutely steamrolled by the Alchemists and Easthold, 5-0 and 3-1 respectively. But then to take six points off projected top four teams, and even taking two points off current top three teams? There may be something to the woodland ways.

Lower Division Standings
    Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Gryst Brewers         10  7  2  1  11   3   +8  23
  2 Ashfell               10  5  4  1  11   6   +5  19
  3 AC Mariina             10  5  3  2  13  11   +2  18
  4 Kaalen                10  4  4  2  16  13   +3  16
  5 Andü United           10  4  3  3  13  10   +3  15
  6 Evyr Thespians        10  2  5  3  14  14   +0  11
  7 AFC Vendiir           10  2  5  3   8   9   -1  11
  8 Centre Bruul          10  3  2  5   8  11   -3  11
  9 Vidial SC             10  2  1  7   9  15   -6   7
 10 Maal PhiloFC          10  0  3  7   0  11  -11   3

The Brewers were expected to have the edge in the second division, and they are indeed the current front-runners over halfway into their season. I'd expect them to keep up form and see it through, but the second spot is much tighter--newcomers Ashell and AC Marina putting up strong performances, but Kaalen and United are on their tails.

Week 20

Premier Division Standings

    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Harbor                 20  14  2   4  42  18  +24  44
  2 Maal Angels            20  12  6   2  21   6  +15  42
  3 Westhold Royals        20  12  4   4  34  16  +18  40
  4 Vidial Alchemists      20  11  5   4  36  19  +17  38
  5 Easthold Royals        20  10  4   6  31  20  +11  34
  6 Maal Dæmons            20   9  5   6  35  24  +11  32
  7 Laneia                 20   8  4   8  26  30   -4  28
  8 AFC Hosingr            20   7  6   7  15  16   -1  27
  9 Bruul Skewers          20   8  3   9  24  29   -5  27
 10 Wyvernscrest           20   6  7   7  23  28   -5  25
 11 Mont Prei              20   5  8   7  24  28   -4  23
 12 Seastone Royals        20   6  4  10  19  27   -8  22
 13 Reyn Wanderers         20   4  6  10  23  37  -14  18
 14 Andü Volunteers        20   4  6  10  21  40  -19  18
 15 Wyrmstone              20   3  3  14  10  28  -18  12
 16 Prei Dragonriders      20   2  5  13  16  34  -18  11

Westhold is back! They straightened up and went 8-1-1 over the middle weeks, getting a handle on their play and getting the expected wins over the mid-table teams. Their only loss was to an also on-point Angels in Haven, who are tying more than one wants to but are still just two points shy of first. Harbor are still putting up impressive numbers (4-1s, 4-0s, and 5-0s abound) but have looked far more mortal, with losses in Seastone, Vidial, and most painfully at Dockside to a Dæmons side that is basically just playing spoiler. Easthold have surprisingly climbed up into fifth; considering they're supposed to be in a rebuilding phase, I'm sure Daii is very happy with her team. Laneia have cemented themselves in a strange position of being giant killers that flounder against the bottom half of the table; they've taken points off the Angels, Dæmons, and the still-flopping Hosingr, but ended up losing several heartbreakers at Mistpetal. Seastone's Leon Araan finding a brace in the last ten minutes to finish 1-2, a crazy game where the Vols find a messy injury time corner to put them atop 3-4, and the Alchemists dodging a draw with a miraculous Ara Klein save in the closing minutes.

Hosingr still can't catch a break and stay stuck in 8th. Their weeks eleven to fourteen were strong ones taking draws with teams like Vidial and the Angels, but then their defense started to slip and letting in goals against the likes of Seastone and Wyrmstone (at home!) that they really shouldn't. Although interestingly enough, the Skewers have been in freefall and are now tied with Hosingr--they were hit by the injury bug around week twelve, and it seemed the failure that came of that set off a few of the more volatile players. Maxii Girou and even keeper Kaara Iarrow both missed games on cards, making it difficult for the thin reserves to keep up. Towards the bottom, it's become pretty clear that Wyrmstone and the Dragonriders are going to be relegated--Wyrmstone expectedly, Prei less so. That note I made on the Dragonriders being weak to counterattacks has proved ruinous, as the various defensive formations from the Angels to Laneia to Bruul have left them hanging out to dry. The Volunteers and Wanderers are still in range to be overtaken and relegated, and indeed are the two weakest defenses in the league, but seem to have a fairly good grasp on what they're doing and just happen to fail hard when they do fail.

Lower Division Standings

   Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Ashfell                18  11  5   2  22  10  +12  38
 2 AC Mariina              18   9  6   3  24  18   +6  33
 3 Gryst Brewers          18   9  4   5  21  14   +7  31
 4 Kaalen                 18   8  5   5  28  22   +6  29
 5 Andü United            18   7  7   4  26  18   +8  28
 6 Centre Bruul           18   6  5   7  16  18   -2  23
 7 AFC Vendiir            18   5  7   6  18  20   -2  22
 8 Vidial SC              18   7  1  10  20  24   -4  22
 9 Evyr Thespians         18   3  7   8  28  32   -4  16
10 Maal PhiloFC           18   0  3  15   1  28  -27   3

The Brewers blew it! Absolutely destroyed on the final day four to one at home by Kaalen, while Mariina toppled Vendiir to leapfrog them. And Ashfell just went on an absolute tear to finish five points clear.
So it will be the two newcomers to the Lower Division who will immediately be joining the Premier Division for Season 3.

Week 29

Premier Division Standings

    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Harbor                 29  20   4   5  59  25  +34  64
  2 Westhold Royals        29  18   7   4  51  21  +30  61
  3 Maal Angels            29  16   9   4  28  11  +17  57
  4 Vidial Alchemists      29  15   9   5  55  32  +23  54
  5 Maal Dæmons            29  13   8   8  53  35  +18  47
  6 Mont Prei              29  11   9   9  39  35   +4  42
  7 Easthold Royals        29  11   8  10  37  29   +8  41
  8 Laneia                 29  11   6  12  36  40   -4  39
  9 Seastone Royals        29  10   8  11  33  35   -2  38
 10 Bruul Skewers          29  10   8  11  37  40   -3  38
 11 Wyvernscrest           29   8  10  11  38  47   -9  34
 12 AFC Hosingr            29   7  12  10  21  25   -4  33
 13 Andü Volunteers        29   5  10  14  27  55  -28  25
 14 Reyn Wanderers         29   5   9  15  29  60  -31  24
 15 Prei Dragonriders      29   5   7  17  27  48  -21  22
 16 Wyrmstone              29   3   4  22  11  43  -32  13

The Harbor bandwagon is swelling as they maintain their spot atop the standings while AFC sinks further. I finally started seeing more Harbor jerseys in Hosingr right after the week twenty-one games, in which Harbor utterly vaporized the Wanderers 0-6 in Reyn at the same time AFC was losing to Mont Prei in Iron Alley. Before we get to the exciting things, the mid-table shuffles: Easthold cools off, but still maintains a very respectable seventh, behind a resurgent Mont Prei. Laneia continues to technically overperform but slip slightly, finally losing to the likes of the Angels, Westhold, and Harbor. Bruul and Wyvernscrest are just solidly mediocre.

And now, for important numbers! Well, first of all, Wyrmstone has just had a miserable season, and it might take a while longer for them to find their team chemistry than I anticipated. For the second relegation spot three teams are on the bubble; notably, even though the Dragonriders have the least points, they have by far the best goal differential of the bottom teams. So a win for the Riders and either a loss for the Volunteers or a draw for the Wanderers would put the latter out on differential; but to have any chance the Riders have to win their final game.

At the top, there's two races in a similar must-win-must-lose situation: Westhold are three points behind Harbor for the title and four back on differential, while the Alchemists are three behind the Angels for the final non-cup Globe Cup spot with a superior differential. Any major slipups from the teams at the top will cost them dearly, although I suspect things are likely going to stay the same after the final day. But then I thought the Brewers were for sure being promoted, so what do I know?

Week 30

AFC Hosingr 0-1 Westhold Royals
Prei Dragonriders 0-2 Maal Angels
Reyn Wanderers 2-2 Vidial Alchemists
Andü Volunteers 1-1 Mont Prei
Wyrmstone 0-1 Bruul Skewers
Wyvernscrest 0-0 Harbor
Easthold Royals 3-0 Maal Dæmons
Seastone Royals 2-1 Laneia

And finally, it seems I was right about something. The Angels secure their place with a win over the Dragonriders, dooming the latter to relegation, and Harbor play the only boring football of their entire season to hold Wyverncrest nil-all to secure their first title. Awards time!

Premier Division Standings

    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Harbor                 30  20   5   5  59  25  +34  65  CC
  2 Westhold Royals        30  19   7   4  52  21  +31  64  GC
  3 Maal Angels            30  17   9   4  30  11  +19  60  GC
  4 Vidial Alchemists      30  15  10   5  57  34  +23  55
  5 Maal Dæmons            30  13   8   9  53  38  +15  47
  6 Easthold Royals        30  12   8  10  40  29  +11  44
  7 Mont Prei              30  11  10   9  40  36   +4  43
  8 Seastone Royals        30  11   8  11  35  36   -1  41
  9 Bruul Skewers          30  11   8  11  38  40   -2  41
 10 Laneia                 30  11   6  13  37  42   -5  39
 11 Wyvernscrest           30   8  11  11  38  47   -9  35
 12 AFC Hosingr            30   7  12  11  21  26   -5  33
 13 Andü Volunteers        30   5  11  14  28  56  -28  26
 14 Reyn Wanderers         30   5  10  15  31  62  -31  25
 15 Prei Dragonriders      30   5   7  18  27  50  -23  22  Relegated
 16 Wyrmstone              30   3   4  23  11  44  -33  13  Relegated

Gilded Hoof (top scorer)
Tali'raia, Westhold Royals - 26 goals

Gilded Horn (most valuable player)
Lasser Rei, Harbor

Team of the Year
Owner: Jan Kaplan (HAR)
Keeper: Zilia Hawsorn (ANG)
Backs: Meryn Valent (ANG) - Besiir Ayl (WHR) - Kalia Tolsii (HAR) - Pia Levaani (EHR) 
Midfield: Balon Yaad (MPR) - Maela'tazal (LAN) - Hilda Iarrow (DAE)
Forwards: Lasser Rei (HAR) - Tali'raia (WHR) - Izi Kaan (ALC)

MNL Cup

First Play-in Round
Maal PhiloFC 1-1 Vidial SC (1-1 agg)
Vidial SC 2-0 Maal PhiloFC (3-1 agg)

Second Play-in Round
Centre Bruul 3-0 Vidial SC (3-0 agg)
Vidial SC 0-1 Centre Bruul (0-4 agg)

First Round
Wyvernscrest 1-2 Wyrmstone (1-2 agg)
Wyrmstone 1-1 Wyvernscrest (3-2 agg)

Andü Volunteers 2-1 AC Mariina (2-1 agg)
AC Mariina 2-2 Andü Volunteers (3-4 agg)

Laneia 5-0 Centre Bruul (5-0 agg)
Centre Bruul 0-4 Laneia (0-9 agg)

Harbor 4-0 Ashfell (4-0 agg)
Ashfell 1-3 Harbor (1-7 agg)

AFC Vendiir 1-0 Gryst Brewers (1-0 agg)
Gryst Brewers 1-0 AFC Vendiir (1-0 AET, 1-1 agg, 1-2 PKs)

Evyr Thespians 2-2 Kaalen (2-2 agg)
Kaalen 5-1 Evyr Thespians (7-3 agg)

Easthold Royals 4-1 Bruul Skewers (4-1 agg)
Bruul Skewers 3-0 Easthold Royals (4-4 agg) (Bruul Skewers wins on away goals rule)

Prei Dragonriders 4-1 Reyn Wanderers (4-1 agg)
Reyn Wanderers 1-1 Prei Dragonriders (2-5 agg)

Second Round
Westhold Royals 0-1 Bruul Skewers (0-1 agg)
Bruul Skewers 1-1 Westhold Royals (2-1 agg)

Mont Prei 5-1 Maal Dæmons (5-1 agg)
Maal Dæmons 0-1 Mont Prei (1-6 agg)

Laneia 2-1 Vidial Alchemists (2-1 agg)
Vidial Alchemists 2-1 Laneia (2-2 AET, 3-4 agg)

Harbor 2-0 Andü Volunteers (2-0 agg)
Andü Volunteers 1-3 Harbor (1-5 agg)

AFC Hosingr 1-1 Kaalen (1-1 agg)
Kaalen 1-3 AFC Hosingr (2-4 agg)

Seastone Royals 1-1 Wyrmstone (1-1 agg)
Wyrmstone 1-2 Seastone Royals (2-3 agg)

AFC Vendiir 1-0 Prei Dragonriders (1-0 agg)
Prei Dragonriders 1-0 AFC Vendiir (1-0 AET, 1-1 agg, 1-3 PKs)

Maal Angels 1-1 Andü United (1-1 agg)
Andü United 0-2 Maal Angels (1-3 agg)

Quarter Finals
Bruul Skewers 2-1 Mont Prei (2-1 agg)
Mont Prei 0-1 Bruul Skewers (1-3 agg)

Laneia 1-2 Harbor (1-2 agg)
Harbor 6-0 Laneia (8-1 agg)

AFC Hosingr 1-1 Seastone Royals (1-1 agg)
Seastone Royals 0-2 AFC Hosingr (1-3 agg)

AFC Vendiir 0-1 Maal Angels (0-1 agg)
Maal Angels 2-0 AFC Vendiir (3-0 agg)

Semi Finals
Bruul Skewers 3-0 Harbor (3-0 agg)

AFC Hosingr 0-2 Maal Angels (0-2 agg)

MNL Cup Final
Bruul Skewers 0-2 Maal Angels (0-2 agg)

Harbor was laying waste to everything in their path, including the plucky Laneia side that themselves wasted Centre Bruul and booted out the Alchemists, but was finally overcome by a Skewers team that was taking out their frustrations from their poor league season (and getting away with it). But the Angels mowed down two AFCs in a row and were able to quell the Skewers for their first Cup! And, as the Angels are already in the Globe Cup, this means the Alchemists gain entry as the next-placed team in the League.

by **Mriin** » Sun Jan 28, 2018 5:54 pm

Mriin National League - Season 3 Preview

Premier Division -- Top Contenders
The best of the best, these teams are proven quantities that are expected to fight for the championship.

Premier Division -- Middle of the Pack
These are solid teams that have shown they're serious about the game, but for one reason or another aren't at the level of the above group quite yet. Some more experience, a better sense of team unity, or maybe even a key acquisition could easily propel these teams into serious contention. On the flipside, a particularly bad run of form for these teams could quickly put them in an unrecoverable position at the bottom of the table.

Premier Division -- Rearguard
And finally there's the teams that are expected to populate the bottom of the division. Whether it's a lack of experience, cohesion, or just talent, they have trouble keeping up, and will likely be fighting to stay up.

by **Mriin** » Mon Jan 29, 2018 11:41 pm

Mriin National League - Season 3 - Part 1

As the first balls are kicked for the cycle, it’s clear some teams are still cold from the offseason. The Alchemists drub Easthold, Portia Taani and Izi Kaan teaming up to break them down throughout the game. Meanwhile, Westhold annihilates the Wanderers oh-four, and that’s an ill omen for a Wanderers team that had the town worried already. United technically upset Wyvernscrest, but it’s hard to get stirred up about that. What I can get excited for is the circus of terrible play that was Vols 4, Kaalen 4--someone forgot to invite the backs to training camp, I guess.

And the new season is off with a bang! The reigning champions, in their own stadium, get out-raced in an action-packed opener. Easthold shook off the thrashing they just took in the Cup and jumped ahead with two messy goals from early scrums, Martiin Predo and Kana Monei each taking advantage of Harbor’s slow start. Things were brought even before the half with a brace from Lasser Rei, as he’s wont to do nowadays, and with Lazaar Mohn adding a third with a stunning header things were looking up for the hosts. At least until Tia Mor caught fire and rifled home an equalizer practically from Iron Alley; even as far out as it was Vania Aer barely had time to react. However, she did have time to react as time was winding down and Monei lofted a high shot; she just plain misjudged it.

Elsewhere in the league, the Skewers and Wyvernscrest ended a riot of a game down two players each and eight goals. If that’s not ideal football then I don’t know what is. The Vols stunned the Alchemists away, on the back of some handy defending and Uula Vol making two slick solo runs, and Hosingr seem to still be in a funk as they can’t find any purchase against a sickly looking Wanderers.

Whoof, Harbor were not happy with that, and took out their frustrations on a different extremely young team. The Dæmons were all over the place, except in the spots to actually prevent goals. A brace to Lazaar Mohn and one each to the rest of their front line in a complete demolishment, with the first four unanswered--Mako Silanii’s consolation made a nice highlight clip, practically bending the shot around Klia Tolsii, but couldn’t feel emptier.

Easthold can’t keep up their initial form--probably to be expected--as they drop to a tight Mont Prei at Seagate. Westhold and the Angels are off to solid starts beating up low-end sides, and the Alchemists grab their first win in a worryingly close affair with Wyvernscrest. Ashfell manage to notch their first Premier win over an increasingly desperate looking Wanderers, in a much less balanced game than the scoreline suggests.

Harbor can’t stop having interesting games, it seems--not that that’s a particularly good thing for their standings. An unsteady back-and-forth with the Skewers had them trading tit-for-tat until Maxii Girou made an audacious tackle on Viana Ion, going for her second goal, and… wasn’t called on it, despite Ion going down hard. She’d stay in the game despite being clearly rattled--perhaps a sign that Kaplan doesn’t have very much confidence in his bench? Either way, that call (or rather, lackthereof) took the wind out of Harbor’s sails, and Jaal Reben eventually found his second off a tired defense for the win.

Hosingr is worryingly winless in three, a still-packed Iron Alley witnessing a game where Kostin Bermant moved haven and earth to keep it a one-goal deficit as Easthold’s youth ran circles around his outfielders. Baruut Jaiso converted a Malia Yonen cross in injury time to rob the Angels of two points, with Zilia Hawsorn commenting after the fact: “I honestly just didn’t expect him to be able to turn on it that quickly. I can’t get complacent just because I’m not playing against the Holy Empire this time.” Mariina are just a step (or, well, week) behind Ashfell in getting their first win, a solid display against the Vols showing the value Levaan Yng brings by solidifying their midfield.

Rest in peace, sweet Wanderers. Good haven, what happened? Westhold notches just under half their squad finding at least one goal as they go on to find seven unanswered, and the Wanderers look up a creek without a paddle. The Dæmons run over the Dragonriders to move on without a worry, while Wyvernscrest’s Betia Honen dribbles right past United’s keeper twice to secure their passage. The excitable Vols-Kaalen first leg is matched with a rather pedestrian home victory for the latter, disappointingly featuring actual defending.

Six goals scored across six games, twelve scored in the other two. Ten of those by just half the teams in those ties! Harbor is riding a ridiculous sine curve, hitting a second high point as they put the Alchemists to blast. Even an inspired pair of goals courtesy of Portia Taani and Ara Klein don’t amount to anything as they’re scored at 2-0 and 4-1 respectively, Lazaar Mohn nailing a hat trick to jump forward as an early Gilded Hoof candidate. And that’s despite teammate Lasser Rei beating most other strikers! The other blasting was a similarly wildly inconsistent Easthold setting Ashfell aflame, the latter’s defense clearly not cut out for Premier-level play.

Hosingr manage to stop the bleeding a bit as they manage to keep the Dæmons under wraps long enough for acquisition Leia Tengiir to finally justify her fee, with a smooth-as-silk chip shot sailing over a woefully overextended Dinii Eduun. Laneia have had a solid if unremarkable start to the season, but the normally serene Mistpetal Grove was agitated after they capitulated to a late winner from Wanderer’s veteran Korlin Nemaan, very (very) slightly balming the sting of their utter thrashing in the Cup.

A sixth of the way through the season, and Westhold remains a perfect five-oh-oh following a silly match with the dryads. Reminiscent of their seven goals against the Wanderers, it’s an evenly spread across much of the squad, with even centreback Besiir Ayl getting his first of the season. It seems like Kantal has the elite intel on the dryads, as their six defenders didn’t seem like they could do anything to stop the onslaught other than uncharacteristically dive forward and try to trade blows… which only worked about half the time. Not a winning formula.

Harbor continue their win-loss alternations, though a loss in Haven is never really a surprise. Hosingr and the Alchemists both convert at home, in their typical styles, and are looking more solid as the weeks roll by. Wyvernscrest pull out some magic to embarrass the Vols in Andü, which leaves them in the cella--wait, what? The Dæmons are in last? How’d that happen?

The most exciting tie of the week ends up being a lower-table clash, where the Wanderers seem to pass off their funk onto a flailing Dæmons squad. It’s not like the Wanderers suddenly became defensive masterminds overnight--the Dæmons’ five forwards got plenty of chances. They just… flubbed all of them. It was incredible to watch Sonia Maier dive less and less aggressively for each shot as they missed high, wide, or sometimes both. Eventually the Wanderers managed to ham fist in an actually winner on the other side, centre mid Korbin Kels being in the right place at the right time to nudge a deflected corner in.

Harbor keep the pattern up, but beating Mariina at home is hardly anything to write home about. Westhold keep their perfect record up, while surprisingly their closest competition are both the other Royals. Easthold took notes of West’s domination of Laneia to put in a similar, scaled-down effort, while Seastone mop up the mopey Vols to round up three softball wins alongside their three hard-fought draws with elite sides.

All aboard the sine wave! Harbor coming crashing back down against the Vols, who seem to put together their first real team performance since they scalped the Alchemists in week 1. This time it’s Matel Jaaz who steps up to convert excellent a pair of excellent setups: a pinpoint out-cutting cross from Leo Devor, and a sneaky cutback pass from Uula Vol inside the box. Meanwhile Lidor Vol between the posts proved (mostly) up to the challenge, managing to keep Lazaar Mohn goalless for the first time this season. It was Viana Ion who’d keep the game in reach with an expertly-placed free kick, catching both the wall and Lidor looking the wrong way.

Westhold stay on top with a convincing win in the West-East derby, while the Dæmons finally leave sixteenth… through a wild four-four draw with Laneia, getting them to three points and letting them edge Mariina on goals for. Certainly not going to plan for Maal’s other half after their best professional performance last cycle. In the battle of defensive will--both teams entering with three conceded each--the Angels take the better of it, Mari Lavoi getting expertly fed two formation-splitting passes courtesy of Revan Mor’s sharp eye.

OOC: Cut short due to lateness. Next post should catch up to MD20.

Premier Division Standings

    Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Westhold Royals        7  7  0  0  17   5  +12  21
  2 Maal Angels            7  4  3  0   9   3   +6  15
  3 Seastone Royals        7  4  3  0  13   8   +5  15
  4 Mont Prei              7  4  2  1   8   7   +1  14
  5 Easthold Royals        7  4  1  2  17  10   +7  13
  6 Bruul Skewers          7  4  1  2  12   9   +3  13
  7 Vidial Alchemists      7  3  2  2  16  15   +1  11
  8 Harbor                 7  3  0  4  19  14   +5   9
  9 AFC Hosingr            7  2  3  2   4   5   -1   9
 10 Reyn Wanderers         7  2  2  3   7   9   -2   8
 11 Wyvernscrest           7  2  1  4  13  13   +0   7
 12 Andü Volunteers        7  2  0  5   5  12   -7   6
 13 Laneia                 7  1  2  4  12  19   -7   5
 14 Ashfell                7  1  1  5   5  14   -9   4
 15 Maal Dæmons            7  0  3  4   9  16   -7   3
 16 AC Mariina             7  1  0  6   2   9   -7   3

Lower Division Standings

   Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Wyrmstone              7  5  1  1   7   3  +4  16
 2 Evyr Thespians         7  3  2  2  18  14  +4  11
 3 Vidial SC              7  3  2  2  11  12  -1  11
 4 AFC Vendiir            7  2  4  1   6   2  +4  10
 5 Gryst Brewers          7  2  4  1   4   3  +1  10
 6 Kallen                 7  1  5  1   8   8  +0   8
 7 Centre Bruul           7  2  1  4   4   5  -1   7
 8 Maal PhiloFC           7  1  4  2   5   8  -3   7
 9 Andü United            7  1  3  3   7  11  -4   6
10 Prei Dragonriders      7  0  4  3   7  11  -4   4

by **Mriin** » Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:55 pm

Mriin National League - Season 3 - Part 2

A string of surprise results in the second round; Vendiir defend their right to a bye (having made the quarters last cycle) by summarily containing a lost Dæmons, playing possibly the worst football they’ve ever managed. The home field is strong for Laneia and Wyvernscrest, taking narrow victories from slow Hosingr and a competent Mont who are just lacking the finishing touch. Less so is the atmosphere in Haven, where Ashfell somehow manage to choke out the Angels for nigh on ninety minutes, Mari Lavoi only managing to pull the draw on the back of an ill-conceived and ill-timed challenge from Ashfell’s keeper, Ionia Maat. That was an awkward post-game conference.

Oh, and Seastone scored three on Gold Field. Leon Araan was running circles around the Alchemists’ defense all day; might this be the season all three Royals play up their names?

And Westhold finally drop points! In one of the lesser Royal Derbies, to boot--between this and them beating up the Alchemists in the Cup (who also got embarrassed at home again, this time by losing to the Wanderers), Seastone seems to be stating their intent that they’re not to be taken lighter than their counterparts. Kristof Yeluuc was the hero of the day, keeping Westhold’s playmaker Mosen Tavers from properly setting up their lethal strikers, and eventually spotting the gap that he’d setup Leon Araan with to take the lead.

Harbor finally break their up-and-down streak, but unfortunately it’s with an extra down. Their wingers are playing tired and ragged; you know something’s wrong when Wyvernscrest is outpacing you, and it looks Harbor’s lack of depth is seriously coming to bite them. Easthold stay close to the top by putting away a properly miserable Dæmons; not even an extra showing of fan support at Haven seems to be able to snap the youngn’s out of the funk they’re in, and Lazaar is not the sort of owner who patiently fixes personnel issues. I’d say things stand to get worse for them before they get better, but I’m not sure they can actually get worse.

And a sudden reversal of fortunes! Harbor bounce back to put away a surging Seastone oh-three, Lasser Rei and Vania Ion playing like they heard me talking shit and had something to say about that. Hosingr collapse in Andü, another game where they just can’t find the goals and a momentary slipup undoes a match worth of excellent defending. More surprsingly, the Wanderers claim their second scalp in a row by handing the Angels their first loss of the season--and are in 8th. I’ve watched over their games and I’m still not actually sure why what they’re doing is working, but it is!

The Dæmons are still without a proper win, but drawing Westhold at least feels like their first win of the year… even if the standings don’t reflect that. And the Alchemists bounce back in Mistpetal, taking advantage of the dryads still being sore from their (victorious) Bruul visit.

!!!Ternary Update!!!

Premier Division Standings

    Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Westhold Royals       10  8  1  1  19   7  +12  25
  2 Maal Angels           10  6  3  1  15   4  +11  21
  3 Mont Prei             10  6  3  1  15   9   +6  21
  4 Seastone Royals       10  5  3  2  14  14   +0  18
  5 Easthold Royals       10  5  2  3  20  13   +7  17
  6 Bruul Skewers         10  5  2  3  18  14   +4  17
  7 Vidial Alchemists     10  5  2  3  21  18   +3  17
  8 Wyvernscrest          10  4  2  4  18  16   +2  14
  9 Reyn Wanderers        10  4  2  4   9  11   -2  14
 10 Harbor                10  4  0  6  23  17   +6  12
 11 AFC Hosingr           10  3  3  4   7   8   -1  12
 12 Andü Volunteers       10  3  1  6   8  16   -8  10
 13 AC Mariina            10  3  0  7   7  11   -4   9
 14 Laneia                10  2  2  6  16  28  -12   8
 15 Ashfell               10  1  2  7   6  20  -14   5
 16 Maal Dæmons           10  0  4  6  11  21  -10   4

Lower Division Standings

   Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Wyrmstone             10  7  2  1   9   3  +6  23
 2 Gryst Brewers         10  4  4  2   9   6  +3  16
 3 AFC Vendiir           10  3  5  2   8   4  +4  14
 4 Vidial SC             10  4  2  4  13  14  -1  14
 5 Kallen                10  3  5  2  13  14  -1  14
 6 Prei Dragonriders     10  3  4  3  14  13  +1  13
 7 Evyr Thespians        10  3  3  4  20  20  +0  12
 8 Andü United           10  2  5  3   8  11  -3  11
 9 Centre Bruul          10  2  2  6   4   7  -3   8
10 Maal PhiloFC          10  1  4  5   6  12  -6   7

A quick look at the Lower Division, who’re just over halfway through their season: Wyrmstone are fighting back hard to make up for their abject failure in the Premier, while the Dragonriders have fallen into mediocrity following their mediocre failure in the Premier. The Brewers are looking good for the second promotion spot, but I put my faith in them last year and got burned, though really the race is still wide-open in the middle of the pack.

Back in the Premier, Westhold make their boldest move for the title yet by taking Harbor down in one of the minor Hosingr derbies. Harbor are actually pulling a fairly good impression of classical Dæmons teams, the leading-the-league-in-goals-but-a-wet-blanket-defense-leaves-them-in-the-middle-of-the-table aethstetic. The Angels are still but four points behind, and averaging under half a goal conceded per game--and jump out of the cellar for goals for by ramming four through a Laneia that’s struggling much more than anticipated. Might be their wonky formation has been found out much faster than Mia’nal was hoping for, and I’m not sure they have it in them to make the sort of mid-season transition to stop the bleeding (do dryads even have blood?).

Mont Prei are surprisingly joint-second, largely on the back of consistency--they’re beating the teams they should beat, and losing to the teams they should lose to, but as an above-average side to begin with that’s already put them ahead of the mid table chaos the rest of the league is embroiled in. Harbor’s regression is concerning, Hosingr’s lack of progression is worrying, and the Dæmons being dead last is honestly shocking.

“I’m not sure they can actually get worse” -me, talking about the Dæmons. Yeah, getting flattened oh-four at home is probably worse. A sad day for Maal in general, as the Angels get yanked back towards the midtable scrum by Kana Monei breaking their line twice, and things get even more dirtied as Hosingr and Harbor pull up while pulling Mont and Seastone down. If someone else doesn’t find their stride soon, Westhold might walk away with the title while everyone fights for Globe Cup scraps.

Holy Derby Day! Of course the one match the Dæmons decide to show up to is the Haven Derby. They struck out to an early lead with the ol’ Ten Forwards Technique catching off an Angels squad expecting them to roll over as they had against… pretty much everyone else. Hilda Iarrow found purchase in the box to beat Zilia Hawsorn straight up three minutes in, and five minutes later Morea Zozetua flung himself into a crowd following a deflect Mako Silanii shot and managed to only hit the ball, bouncing it at just an odd enough angle that none of the defenders could hook it away. But the Angels certainly weren’t go to roll over, and a sneaky slide from Mizia Thuun interrupted the next Dæmon all-in--with leftback Meryn Valent finding the ball in free space and basically taking it down the length of the field himself, forcing Dinii Eduun to range out early. He didn’t mess up the chip, and it was back to a one-goal game after an action-packed dozen minutes. That’d it stay for nearly an hour, though, as the Dæmons recognized the counterattack was the most lethal part of the rivals; which might be why Mari Lavoi wasn’t tightly guarded as Revan Mor sent in a booming cross, a strong header bringing the game level. The game would wind down with both team flailing at the other trying to get a cheeky winner in, but no real quality chances could get set up with both teams more focused on not losing. This still leaves the Dæmons in last, by the way.

And then the major Hosingr Derby comes around, with everyone thinking Hosingr might finally be able to snatch their pride back. Nope. Harbor’s defense might be a sieve, but Hosingr’s offense is a rubber eraser, and one good strike from Lazaar Mohn sets the visitors ahead; but in the end, both teams still have quite a hole to dig themselves out of.

Baruut Jaiso has been impressing in Wyvernscrest, who have joined the midtable scrum at the expense of the Wanderers thanks to his brace. The Angels dropping points have opened up joint-second to Easthold and the Alchemists, the latter finally finding their groove, to be… a whole eight points behind Westhold. Yikes.

The Angels manage to avoid embarrassment by snagging Ashfell on the away leg, while Hosingr can’t even threaten Saefi’xalin through Laneia’s six defenders (someone give them the memo everyone else has on the dryads). Westhold just need to not lose by four and accidentally win by one anyway, and Mont continues their mini-skid as Wyvernscrest rides their mini-streak. The Alchemists decide to rest a fair chunk of their starters, as it’d take quite a game to progress and they’re in a position to contest the title should Westhold eventually slip. And then the big news: the Dæmons won a game! And then even won the overtime forced by an aggregate tie! By two! It took playing against a Lower Division side, but hey, it’s something.

Well, Mizzet sure looks like a genius now. Giving up your Cup hopes is never going to be a popular move, but putting away Westhold in Arbor is a pretty good payoff for that, and suddenly the gap at the top ain’t so wide no more. The match was actually looking to be a scoreless draw through the first forty-five, but Alchemist captain Joren Kreuger orchestrated a precise strike to start off the second half that capped off with Portia Taani beating Besiir Ayl and Mara Solaani one after the other to open scoring. Mosen Tavers was not to be outdone, and struck back almost immediately with a nearly identical play--with Tali’raia sliding past Vernan Quill and burying the ball in the top-right corner. The respective defenders recovered well, and the strikers found themselves pressured back vigorously; but a distant Krueger shot in added time managed to force a corner, and then Kreuger--master set piece taker--managed to curve it directly in, the madman.

Harbor lose to Ashfell. At home. By two. I don’t even know anymore. Nearly as nonsensical, Laneia explode in Wyvernscrest, stopping the latter’s momentum hard as Maela’tazal and Zoha’nudal split four goals in the most dominant performance they’ve put forth yet; there may be life in Laneia yet. And hell, the Dæmons finally have a league win--it just took hosting one of the promoted sides, and even then their five forwards only find one goal.

...I’m just going to start ignoring Harbor, honestly. They’re not playing football, football just happens to them. Elsewhere, Hosingr is mired in tenth again, but can still play spoiler, keeping Westhold to just one point. The Angels lock down the Alchemists in Haven, uncharacteristically hard-hitting defending from Mizia Thuun rattling Mizzet’s minions long enough for Mari Lavoi to put away the winner. And then there were three scoreless draws, which we’ve seen very few of up to this point this season. Yawn.

Westhold drop another home match to a direct rival! The Angels are at their top form now, it seems, locking down some of the most dangerous goalscoerers in the league and making it look easy. With Easthold taking the minor Royal Derby, there’s one point separating each team from first to fifth, with an apparently reignited Harbor lurking four points further in sixth. Things got real competitive real quick, here at the halfway point. And the Dæmons have finally left the cellar! The two relegation spots are now occupied by both promotions teams, though their senior is still only a point above.

Welp. Harbor are up to a +15 goal differential in their last three games, and this time it was away to a strong Easthold side. Who knows what Kaplan’s putting in the fish, but this second wind they’re experiencing is incredible. The Dæmons manage to string together two in a row, albeit still not in the exciting fashion they’d like, and the rest of the matchups shake out about as you’d expect… though it’s sad how well Hosingr have settled into their tenth-place persona.

The dryads bring their full strength to bear in one of the craziest games Mistpetal may ever see! A blow-for-blow affair sees Zoha’nudal notch a hat trick, each answered in kind by kinswoman Tali’raia, all messy redirects or tap-ins that happen to end up at their… stumps, I guess? But the deciding factor would be Ashal’anore, who’d been very quiet for Laneia this season so far. And had been throughout much of the match, truth be told--which might be why her cover slipped just enough for Maela’tazal to set her up, and she pinned it past Mara Solaani without a bit of hesitation. If she can find chances like that more often, Laneia might be able to start climbing out of the bottom half!

The Dæmons continue their strangely pedestrian run of good form. Has Lazaar finally given up and told his team to… play sensibly? I shudder to think of such a possibility, but they clean up in Bruul either way. Seastone rides the token Leon Araan goal to get a leg up on Wyvernscrest, while the Angels haven’t given up a goal in six weeks. That’s pretty good, if you didn’t know.

Alright, Harbor, we get it. Surprisingly, it’s Uula Vol who finally manages to break Zilia Hawsorn’s extended clean sheet, a cutting shot from a shallow angle just getting past Hawsorn’s fingers, good for a point in Haven. The monks have quietly been putting together a high-quality season, solidly outpacing an Easthold side short on breath in the high mountain air, while Wyvernscrest abandons reason in Vidial and manages to equal the Alchemists’ offense. But for the exciting bit of week seventeen: the penultimate Lower Division standings!

Mriin Lower Division Standings

   Team                    P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Wyrmstone              17 10  5  2  16   6  +10  35
 2 Gryst Brewers          17  7  6  4  14  11   +3  27
 3 Prei Dragonriders      17  7  5  5  22  19   +3  26
 4 Evyr Thespians         17  6  6  5  32  29   +3  24
 5 Kallen                 17  6  6  5  20  20   +0  24
 6 AFC Vendiir            17  5  7  5  15  11   +4  22
 7 Vidial SC              17  6  3  8  19  25   -6  21
 8 Andü United            17  4  8  5  15  18   -3  20
 9 Centre Bruul           17  5  4  8  11  13   -2  19
10 Maal PhiloFC           17  1  6 10   8  20  -12   9

Wyrmstone have very safely secured their return to the top flight, but the second slot is still somewhat open. The Brewers are win-and-in, while the Dragonriders can make do with a Brewers loss and a draw (or better); the Thepsians and Kallen both need to win while the Brewers lose and the Dragonriders don’t win, and Kallen particularly needs some combination of winning big and/or the Brewers losing big as well. I want to believe the Brewers can do it this season.

+23.

Oh my haven they actually blew it. Facing PhiloFC at home and not only do the Brewers lose, they lose by two to make sure it’s extra insulting. The Dragonriders win, so that’s it--both teams sent down are going back up. And from the looks of things in the Premier, both teams that went up might end up going down… unless the Dæmons go back to completely shitting the bed.

And it finally comes to an end. The Alchemists, desperate to make up ground in the title race, finally put a stop to Harbor’s insane rate of goals with a home fixture that sees them score early on a Joren Kreuger free kick followed by shifting to a 5-5-0. Seastone is purely playing spoiler at this point, and force another draw the Angels really don’t want, while Mont continues to just reliably, mathematically overcome every midtable team, now popping into second with the Angel’s draw. And… well, Laneia are making it clear they don’t even want to be considered in the relegation discussion. Leave it to Reyn to wander into that.

!!!Ternary Update!!!

Premier Division Standings

    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Westhold Royals        20  13  3   4  34  18  +16  42
  2 Maal Angels            20  11  7   2  28  13  +15  40
  3 Mont Prei              20  12  4   4  23  12  +11  40
  4 Vidial Alchemists      20  12  3   5  40  25  +15  39
  5 Easthold Royals        20  10  5   5  33  25   +8  35
  6 Harbor                 20  11  1   8  54  26  +28  34
  7 Seastone Royals        20   8  5   7  22  26   -4  29
  8 Wyvernscrest           20   8  4   8  31  34   -3  28
  9 Bruul Skewers          20   7  4   9  27  27   +0  25
 10 AFC Hosingr            20   6  6   8  13  15   -2  24
 11 Andü Volunteers        20   6  6   8  18  25   -7  24
 12 Laneia                 20   7  3  10  36  45   -9  24
 13 Maal Dæmons            20   4  7   9  22  36  -14  19
 14 Reyn Wanderers         20   5  4  11  17  37  -20  19
 15 Ashfell                20   2  6  12  12  29  -17  12
 16 AC Mariina             20   3  2  15  12  29  -17  11

I tell you what, I was not expecting to see “Laneia 4-3 Westhold Royals” this season. Nevermind seeing it twice. And they’re playing each other again next week, Cup Quarters second leg! Things were spread a little more evenly this time, with Zoha’nudal and Tali’raia only managing braces, yet Ashal’anore gave the Royalty flashbacks by finding another inexplicable crack well after the scoring flurry calmed down. The dryads might not be doing much in the standings, but leaving the current leaders empty-handed definitely has an impact.

Despite Harbor’s insane goal frenzy around the halfway point, they’re still on the outside looking in with their monstrous +28 differential, and a draw with the Angels isn’t enough to be hopeful of their title aspirations. Eight points back with ten games to go certainly isn’t insurmountable, but I don’t think this current Harbor squad has the sort of consistency that sort of leap would need--much the same can be said of Easthold a point above. Meanwhile, the Angels take that point and--with the Alchemists putting Mont in their place--the top four teams are all within three points. Considering how this season has gone, I think it’ll come down more to who drops less points than who makes the biggest plays--which means we may actually see a Mont Prei championship, as weird as that is to say.

At the far end of the table, the Dæmons just manage to overcome Ashfell in Haven in a heartbreaker for the ashen. That point swing puts the Dæmons even with the Wanderers well above the bottom two, and things are looking grim for the promotees.

by **Mriin** » Wed Jan 31, 2018 8:19 pm

Mriin National League - Season 3 - Part 3

Alas, the it wasn’t in the cards for the dyrads. Westhold’s defense is much sounder at home, Zoha’nudal suffocated out the entire game while Ashal’anore goes back to blending into the woodwork--this time not popping out for a dramatic goal. That said, they didn’t need any dramatic goal--a nil-all scoreline would still see them through to the semis. But to add insult to injury, it’s of course Tali’raia who comes through with a clutch bullet that Seafi’xalin couldn’t handle, and they’re through on away goals.

The Skewers impress--for the first time this season--after dropping their home leg, their defensive pair of Muuna Kentar and Maxii Girou seemingly all over the field. And the Dæmons, not proficient and playing on the back hoof, let Jaal Reben run wild in their back line, a brace from him ensuring extra time won’t be needed to see the Skewers to their second semifinal in a row. Seastone clean up a jaded Wyvernscrest, and the Angels successfully repel Harbor for the nintey minutes required to get through.

Looks like Westhold may have stretched themselves thin in the Cup, surprisingly dropping a game to a visiting Wyvernscrest. I guess the Wyverns were a bit more rested as they effectively weren’t playing football for the second half of their Cup game? Strange, but you certainly couldn’t hold it against Baruut Jaiso--he cleanly broke away from his coverage and delivered a clinical shot into the upper part of the net. I doubt anyone short of Zilia Hawsorn could have saved that ball.

That said, Westhold barely lose any ground as the monks and the Angels fight to a draw in Haven, both teams repeatedly finding the bar in a frustrating showing that could have put another team in first for the first time since week two. Even the Alchemists join the fun by getting hosed in Hosingr, who’re starting to look like a bogey team for them despite falling by the wayside in the standings. With Easthold skimming through Mistpetal and Harbor catching a third wind in Mariina, that’s now six teams within five points of the lead. And at the bottom, Ashfell finally pull a win off a mid-table side, which with the Wanderers getting embarrassed at home by a furious Dæmons squad suddenly adds some spice to the second relegation spot.

The other leg of the major Royals Derby comes, and Westhold says “this is ours.” They pull out all the stops as Tali’raia lights on fire, drilling home three unanswered in the first twenty minutes. And when Easthold tries to mount a comeback, their first real chance coming just before the halftime whistle, Besiir Ayl cuts off a pass meant for Kana Monei and mashes it up to Baaris Feyn, who adds a fourth for good measure after a long run.

The rest of the day is fairly routine wins across the board, save the Angels showing they know how to handle Hosingr better than the Alchs.

And there it is! For the first time basically all season, someone other than Westhold holds the top spot.

It’s Mont Prei.

I didn’t see it coming, either. Nor did I see Westhold capitulating in a minor Royal Derby at home after trashing Easthold, who--with their loss to the Dæmons today--are actually now tied with Seastone, in (a sad, but expected) joint-sixth. Harbor seem to be catching fire again at the right time, a second straight five-goal slaughter putting them right up against the Globe Cup spots, while the Mari Lavoi strangely can’t find a winner for the Angels in Ashfell (who are now just three points behind the Wanderers and safety).

Every time Mont takes my attention, all I see is Joraar Suund and Leon Genovii grinding mid-table teams to dust. It’s so boring to watch but has been so effective this season; I really hope this isn’t going to start a trend.

The Dæmons manage to hold Westhold in Haven, and suddenly the long-time leaders are in fifth, four points out of first. With Ashfell beating their fellow bottom-dweller, they’ve officially passed up the Wanderers (on goal differential). Both Easthold and Seastone effectively have their hopes for international play dashed with the Skewers brutalizing the earlier and Harbor having a rare subdued win over the latter, both tough fixtures on the road.

Good haven, what is this? Seastone spoil Mont, Harbor outmuscle Westhold in Arbor, and Mariina scores four without winning. Now that Angels and Alchemists are joint-leaders, the Angels on top by virtue of head-to-head because they both have a +19 differential! And Harbor have fully recovered from their torrid first half to be in proper contention to defend their title! Here’s a peek at the top 5:

Maal Angels 51
Vidial Alchemists 51
Mont Prei 50
Harbor 49
Westhold Royals 46

With Seastone leapfrogging Easthold for sixth, but ten points back with fifteen points to play for is too much. While Harbor has been firing on all cylinders in the second half, it seems like it’s particularly their AM Kieran Vong that’s been the biggest difference; he’s a key point in their formation for turning on both strikers and both wingers, and with the channel opening up as he’s gotten into stride the goals have come flowing. On the other hand, Tali’raia and Baaris Feyn--two very prolific scorers--have suddenly dried up for Westhold at the worst time. They’re certainly not out yet, but after a season of dominance this would be a hugely disappointing path to follow.

With all the teams clashing on neutral islands--Westhold v Bruul in Haven, Seastone v Maal in Iron Alley--there were some interesting combinations we could see through to the final. A Royal Derby in a Cup final? A rematch of last cycle’s Cup final? Two title contenders, or two teams with nothing else to play for? The money was certainly on Westhold and the Angels, but both games started off on the other hoof. Westhold pressed high early, but a crushing tackle from Geraard Tavol--a clean one, as he always does, but a brutal one nonetheless--nearly took Baaris Feyn off his hooves, and the blitzing counterattack ended with Jaal Reben slamming it in not ten minutes in. Over in Hosingr, Kristof Yeluuc showed one of the flashes of brilliance that have been cropping up more often lately, which have a direct correlation to Seastone’s success. He even guided this one in himself, a long ball that cleaved between Angels covering the pass and just curved past Zilia Hawsorn’s outstretched hand.

But while the Skewers bullied around Westhold’s already-struggling, the Angels immediately took back control of the game, with Revan Mor finding a tap-in equalizer during a corner mosh thirty minutes in. They’d keep pressing for the lead throughout pretty much the entire match, but Seastone actually have one of the more competent defenses in the league--headlined by Elli Contras and Vizia Norn, who put in a lot of work interrupting passing plays the Angels aren’t very well-versed in--and it seemed like they were going to push things to overtime, where they could get a momentum reset. But then Mari Lavoi, as one does as a talisman, found the line to bring things to an on-time ending; taking a short pass that nobody could mess up and trotting past her cover the old-fashioned way. Between that and Bruul’s chokehold maintaining, even through a jeering double booking for Maxii Girou with ten minutes to go, we’ll surprisingly have a rematch of the last final.

Who did this? Who put Bruul against Westhold two weeks in a row? And the Skewers come away with it both times! Utter insanity, Westhold have slipped into virtually unwinnable territory, and need both the Angels and the monks to keep slipping--as they both did today, to harbor and Easthold, respectively--to even have a shot at the Globe Cup. Meanwhile, the Alchemists dismantled a safe but eminently disappointing Dæmons to lurch into the lead.

Vidial Alchemists 54
Harbor 52
Maal Angels 51
Mont Prei 50
Westhold Royals 46

Nobody move. That’s what the league said today. Bruul fancied themselves playing super-spoiler, taking two games off Westhold and now turning current numero uno Vidial inside out in the Butcher’s Den, but lo and behold everyone else in the title race lost or drew! A draw was definitely not what Westhold wanted, but the monks will be happy to have gotten that point on the road to keep within a win of the top.

Meanwhile, the Dæmons have effectively redeemed their entire season by taking the Haven Derby by storm and hitting the Angels with a blow when it hurts them the most, vicious incisions from Mako Silanii and Uugueth Tilanii slicing through their defense like a hot knife, rending Mari Lavoi’s typical token goal not enough. And at the bottom, Ashfell manage to pick up the rare point at Seagate--only to hear that the Wanderers did even better in Wyvernscrest, keeping them in danger by three points.

Vidial Alchemists 54
Harbor 52
Maal Angels 51
Mont Prei 51
Westhold Royals 47

“We really don’t want to get relegated,” I’m sure Renz told her team. “We have to win some games if we’re going to stay in the Premier, so get out there and give it to them!” Them being Harbor, in this case, having cinderella’d their way back to the top while outscoring their opponents by a monstrous forty-three goals. Well, it’s forty-one now, as they suddenly hit a snag in their form reminiscent of their swingy start. That Yvan Kaar--not even one of Ashfell’s better players!--knocked in two is… just staggering, really. Even so, they’re still behind the Wanderers on differential--something else has gotta give if they’re going to avoid relegation.

And to Harbor’s delight, the Alchemists also stumble! Westhold find their form again to steal the day in Vidial; with Mont beating Hosingr it’s most likely too late for them to find the title, but international play is still on the table. And the Angels are the next to be Skewered, in Haven! It’s strange to see Bruul trotting out their full team with nothing to play for in the league and the Cup final coming up. Especially as spoiling everyone is spoiling no-one, so… if they lose the Angels rematch in a fortnight because of this, we might finally see Kresh’s head roll (as should have happened years ago, for separate reasons). The Dæmons seem to be reinvigorated from their derby win, and promptly tear poor relegated Mariina to absolute shreds--each of the five strikers scores, and then somehow keeper Dinii Eduun got one in, at least according to the match report--I can’t imagine anyone was actually watching two teams with nothing to play for at this point.

Vidial Alchemists 54
Mont Prei 54
Harbor 52
Maal Angels 51
Westhold Royals 50

For only the fourth time this season, Hosingr score more than one goal. And through that draw, Westhold are officially out of the title race. It’s hard to call it collapse, as all their losses did come to quality opposition--but they also dropped an inordinate amount of points at home. Is the pressure of playing in front of Arbor’s wealthy, powerful patrons putting them through the wringer? Kantal will have to do some digging this offseason to figure out what happened to their chance to take it all. Another high-paced draw found the Alchs and Angels deadlocked at two a piece come full time, leaving the Angels effectively out of the title race as Harbor cranks out yet ANOTHER five-goal game, their differential (back up to forty-three now) insurmountable by anyone. Incredibly, after that yo-yo start that streaked them into deep middle-pack, they’re a win from a guaranteed title defense. The competition is down to the even-on-points Alchemists, and Mont Prei a point back.

Oh yeah, Mont. I’m sure Renz gave Ashfell another pep talk, and… they did it again. On the road this time! Although Prei is Ashfell’s nearest neighbor, I doubt that curried any favor with the home fans as Yvan Kaar has a second breakout game, another brace over a title-contending to shunt the Wanderers into the second relegation slot in their stead. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried. Hell, Mariina even beat the Skewers, who are finally resting their A team for next week’s Cup final, so the Wanderers could even fall into last. That doesn’t do anything, but it still hurts, yaknow?

Harbor 55
Vidial Alchemists 55
Mont Prei 54

And Kresh pays for his arrogance. Sure, the Angels have been fielding full strength teams throughout basically the entire season--but they’re also the most professional, most enduring outfit Mriin has to offer. The Skewers are not. That’s shown immediately as they try their typical rough play, and… just get juked. They play slow, they play tired, and the Angels can sit back after Mari Lavoi straight up runs a circle around Maxii Girou for the game’s sole score. Iron Alley was half empty by the time the final whistle blew; a lame-duck way for the Cup to end, but the Angels will be ecstatic to know they get a Globe Cup berth no matter the result next week.

They’ve done it. Tenth a third of the way, Sixth two-thirds--after an absurd win streak--and Harbor are champions two cycles in a row. Laneia put up what fight they could, Zoha’nudal even putting them in the lead to start things off, alley-ooping an indirect kick from Maela’tazal directly past Vania Aer. Harbor responded by pulling their wingers in and driving directly down the middle twice, crushing the dryads’ wide back line, finishing touches from Lazaar Mohn and Lasser Rei more formalities than anything. And then, just to make everything nice and sure, when Laneia pull their outbacks in, Rei catches a long ball on the wing and bombs through, catching just enough panic attention to let Mohn get in receiving position for the booming cross that would put the game, and the championship, away.

Vidial struggle in Mariina, but pull through--to nothing. Mont amusingly stumbles and can’t beat the relegated Wanderers, letting the Angels jump into third with a demoralizing final blow to Westhold’s ego, but they’re still through to the Globe Cup as the Angels are in on Cup grounds. But, good haven, this season--everyone thought Harbor had actually regressed, but two separate streaks of 4+ goal wins will do wonders. Seventy-nine total goals. Outscored opponents by forty-damn-five. That’s over double the next best, the Alchs’ 21! And with only a single draw, it was a total war season.

Premier Division Standings

    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Harbor                 30  19  1  10  79  34  +45  58  Champions CC
  2 Vidial Alchemists      30  18  4   8  55  34  +21  58  GC
  3 Maal Angels            30  15 10   5  39  21  +18  55  GC CwC
  4 Mont Prei              30  16  7   7  35  21  +14  55  GC
  5 Westhold Royals        30  15  6   9  44  30  +14  51
  6 Easthold Royals        30  14  5  11  43  45   -2  47
  7 Seastone Royals        30  13  7  10  31  32   -1  46
  8 Wyvernscrest           30  13  4  13  46  48   -2  43
  9 Bruul Skewers          30  12  6  12  42  37   +5  42
 10 AFC Hosingr            30  11  9  10  23  21   +2  42
 11 Maal Dæmons            30  10  9  11  48  51   -3  39
 12 Laneia                 30  10  3  17  48  63  -15  33
 13 Andü Volunteers        30   8  8  14  30  45  -15  32
 14 Ashfell                30   6  8  16  19  37  -18  26
 15 Reyn Wanderers         30   6  6  18  31  64  -33  24  Relegated
 16 AC Mariina             30   6  3  21  24  54  -30  21  Relegated

Lower Division Standings

   Team                    P   W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Wyrmstone              18  11  5  2  17   6  +11  38  SBCC Promoted
 2 Prei Dragonriders      18   8  5  5  23  19   +4  29  SBCC Promoted
 3 Evyr Thespians         18   7  6  5  36  31   +5  27  SBCC
 4 Gryst Brewers          18   7  6  5  14  13   +1  27
 5 Kallen                 18   6  6  6  20  21   -1  24
 6 Andü United            18   5  8  5  17  18   -1  23
 7 AFC Vendiir            18   5  7  6  17  15   +2  22
 8 Vidial SC              18   6  3  9  19  26   -7  21
 9 Centre Bruul           18   5  4  9  11  15   -4  19
10 Maal PhiloFC           18   2  6 10  10  20  -10  12

by **Mriin** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 11:12 pm

Cotler's Gambit: Is Foreign Talent the Future?

AFC Hosingr's head honcho finally blew her gasket this offseason! As my friends in the industry have lead me to believe, it's impressive that things lasted even as long as it did. But after two seasons of, by Cotler's standards, abject failure--back-to-back tenth place finishes--the camel's back has broken and the floodgates have been opened. Owners around the league have been quite tepid about signing players from abroad even after the MNL officially allowed international transfers, with only a handful of other teams forking over any money for a player each. Hosingr, on the other hand, will have a completely new look. Four new players from across the multiverse will be making up a brand new front-half, trying to spark some life in an offense that was listless even when the team was doing well. Here's a quick rundown of the new faces you'll be seeing at Iron Alley:

Jamelão, the jovial Daineri centre. Despite a reputation as a hardass that didn't make her fortune making friends, Cotler seems to have conceded that that's no way to run a football team. When you're trying to sync up with the same people day in and day out, morale is a major player in a team's success, and scrounging up this peppy youth seems to be a stab at creating a more fun environment. I can't really tell you much about how he'll do on the field--hell, this is probably the first time I've thought of Dainer since our wacky 3-3 draws in qualifiers a few years back--but I'm always glad to see someone actually looking to have fun in this damn game.

Sugar Wing, the quick Equestrian pegasus. There were plenty of 'lolhooves' jokes going around when we ended up locking horns (heh) with the Equestrians in the AOCAF, but we certainly couldn't come out of that thinking anything other than they know how to play some good hoofball in spite of their reputation. Wing is a dynamic presence on the right flank (heh), much lighter on her hooves than most any satyr you'll come across but with the raw speed dryads tend to lack. Her technical play leaves something to be desired, but she's young--just seventeen, same as Jamelão, so plenty of time to work things out. I'm a little surprised at how young Cotler cut with these additions; hopefully the patience is there to let them develop and build a rapport.

Atherton Telfair, the, uh, wizened Cosumarite coming fresh off a long career among the Nepharim. The tall (well, for a human) striker was never a force to be reckoned with during that tenure, but managed to make some good with a scrappy Parhessia United side after many had written him off for a flunky. He once even got a stone’s throw from the Iron Boot! But, all things said, that’s not the most impressive resume for a striker. So in his thirty-fifth year (that’s quite old for a human player) he’s taking a vacation to the minnows of the MNL. With his legs likely to be on the way out, nevermind the typical athletic advantages satyrs tend to have, Telfair will surely need to leverage all the tactical and technical acumen he’s accumulated over the years. And if he can pass some of that off to the locals, all the better--Mriinian football at the moment is really quite brusque and ugly right now, even to the point that someone who spent their career in Nephara can teach them a thing or two about not solving everything with a body check.

Shayna Nephara, reportedly the first ever Drawkian-Nepharim hybrid! Not actually, of course (can Drawks even crossbreed with humans?), that’s apparently just one of those weird inexplicable things the multiverse throws at us. She’s a Drawk through and through, able to match the average satyr keeper eye-to-eye and liking to put balls in nets. She didn’t perform terribly well for the Ellstrund Roots last cycle, but then neither did Leia Tengiir who was shipped off to Sonnel in exchange. Not the most blockbuster of moves, sure, but you know what? Sometimes a change of scenery is all you really need to put the pieces together.

Now, is all that going to actually pay off? Cotler clearly wants some sort of result from this, but there’s a lot of variables at play. Concerns over just raw performance are there, with two very young players and a quite old player; while Nephara might not be a very high ceiling player, at least she has a lead on her cohorts in how high her floor is. And, of course, there’s going to be very little time for this team to gel--players plucked from vastly different cultures across the multiverse are going to have to suddenly jive and play some good football from the word ‘go’.

But there’s upside, too. Styles of play wildly different from what Mriinians are used to could be coaxed out by these foreign personalities, which can easily be exploited to keep even strong opponents off-guard. While their floors might be low, the ceilings are high, as well--if Telfair keeps his pace up and the midfielders find their stride, that’s a potent (if cobbled together) offense. And, of course, they have the rocks at the back. While Hosingr have been floundering in mediocrity they still put up defensive stats that paralleled the Angels; Maas Halder (snarky smartass that he is) and Pel Klein are the most reliable defensive duo the league has, and Kostin Bermat has largely gone unnoticed behind Zilia Hawsorne’s stardom despite being very nearly (if not at) her caliber of keeper. Put that together with a handful of players that can actually score goals? Shit, they might even have a title contention in them.

Might.

It’s not like everyone else sat on their hands, as well. No-one went as deep as Cotler, but already-top sides shoring up specific weak points can be even scarier. Rae Shackleton, former captain of the Apoxian Oldem Knights, was having issues finding starting time even while they still had the armband. So a shuffle over to Harbor was in the cards, looking to shore up the sieve the back-to-back champs have in their rear on the occasional bad day.

And the Angels, in a similar vein to the ironworkers, looked to supplement their stellar defense with foreign offensive pieces--but instead of slapping together an entirely new front line, they opted to spend a shitload (twelve fucking million scales) on one very good attacking midfielder who’ll better be able to support their already quality talisman in Mari Lavoi. That attacking midfielder is one… Kubunga, I believe it’s spelled, a dual national of some nation I’ve never heard of (Bengeli? Bengali? Benghazi?) and Ceni. He’s a real battler, and the added physicality a little further upfield might be just what the Angels need to grasp that elusive championship, while his occasional incisive drive into the box seems custom-made for a dramatic cup finish as they go for the three-peat there.

The other big move to watch this season was Rochford Kantal apparently having enough of Tali’raia during Westhold’s skid in the second half that saw them choke a sizeable lead at the top right out of the Globe Cup spots. She’s been shipped back home to Laneia and not much brought in to replace her, a call to the academy when the academy is still in its infancy. Barris Feyn is still a quality striker, don’t get me wrong, and they have solid pieces throughout the lineup--but I can’t help and feel losing the dryad’s stellar finishing is going to end up hurting them severely. And Laneia? I can’t even begin to guess. They’ve been the league’s wildest team by far, throwing down excellent games against top sides one week and capitulating to relegation fodder the next. Will the consistency of a talent like Tali’raia be the key to their consistency as a whole, or will their sporadic wins just end up being by seven goals when she can just run rampant?

by **Mriin** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 2:11 am

Mriin National League - Season 4 - Part 1

Highlight: Centre Bruul play at a level far outstripping their normal stature, taking the fight to the dryads and pulling out a fun, scrappy two-one away win. Gotta respect that. If they keep this up, maybe they've got a promotion run in them?

Lowlight: The rarely-seen Vidial derby is just a complete slaughter. Six different Alchemist outfielders get on the scorecard!

Highlight: Harbor implode at home?! Their title defense started shakily last cycle, sure, but Easthold's defense held tight against the league's most potent offense. And then Kana Monei managed to shake off Rae Shackleton and lay in the winner, to make things worse! Not the greatest debut for the Apoxian, but a player of their caliber should be able to adjust well given some time.

Lowlight: The freshly re-promoted Dragonriders absolutely steal three points in Arbor, and my fears that Westhold's finishing would suffer are already painfully validated. They flubbed away several excellent chances due to poor greedy shots from the midfielders, and Barys Feyn struggling under the weight of being The Goal Guy--his one conversation not enough.

Highlight: The Alchemists and Wyvernscrest go nuts, baring their horns and not letting up a high-octane offense the game through. A goal apiece for both side's trio of strikers, with the decisive blow being wingback Vernan Quill making a cheeky run up the right side and one-touching a defense splitting pass from Joren Kreuger into the (in)side netting.

Lowlight: Harbor are shut out yet again, this time by the Dæmons of all teams! Mako Silanii's brace was perfunctory at that point, as wunderkid Lasser Rei just does not seem to have found his stride early in the season. Without his pace on the wings the Harbor offense just doesn't pressure effectively.

Highlight: New-look Hosingr are off to a strong start, having scored seven in three while only conceding one. Sugar Wing has been running defenses ragged, with Atherton Telfair producing an excellent level of final touches.

Lowlight: Now Harbor certainly hasn't had the easiest of schedules to start off with, but... these are all solidly midtable teams that they should at the very least be competitive with, even away. But the headless Skewers--being player-managed by captain Geraard Tavol after ex-owner Rone Kresh was finally run out of town (for many more reasons than the football, but the football was a convenient excuse)--just skewered them, Jaal Reben dancing around defenders in ways I haven't seen since he was a stud in the amatuer leagues.

Highlight: So much for Centre's run of form. They had a good start in the league, but... a loss to PhiloFC of all teams foreboded this collapse at home, Tali'raia flittering around their backline unimpeded for a hattrick.

Lowlight: The Alchemists' didn't blow SC out sooooo hard, but... still a blowout. And the Dæmons tear the Thespians to shreds in much the same vein.

Highlight: Harbor finally find the net! Rei makes a tight-angle blast from the wing and then converts a penalty for an early 2-0 lead on the visiting Alchs, but the wheels don't stay on for long as Krueger's methodical pushes just dump ball after ball past a hapless Vania Aer. Lazaar Mohn notches his first goal of the season in injury time, but it's too little to late as they lose 3-4. Oh and four, damn.

Lowlight: And of course as soon as I give them some praise, Hosingr can't clutch it out in Haven to show that they're really here to play. Telfair blasts the potential equalizer directly in Dinii Eduun's face, a mighty convenience for a keeper that often suffers from decision paralysis. Maxii Giroux also seemed to be off her step in the back, perhaps having overexterted herself in their display of dominance over Harbor last week? The ref was a bit confused whenever she was clearing going for Uugueth Tilanii's ankles but literally came up short.

Highlight: Okay, we can forgive even the team with the highest expectations to fall to the Angels in Haven. They at least forced Zilia Hawsorn to make some spectacular saves, but it's Hawsorn, so the sheet was kept clean. For the sole goal, Kubunga showed why they paid twelve million fucking scales for him, getting a lenient call on a rough challenge on Brenan Dier and blasting the free ball up to Mari Lavoi, who found the net against the run of play.

Lowlight: Wyrmstone-Seastone was just a turgid affair. Kristof Yeluuc is the only interesting player the Royals have, and Miilo Benia made it his mission in life to ensure Yeluuc had no interesting opportunities to speak of.

Highlight: I know, I know, Harbor finally got a win, but it was over a boring Wyrmstone side and whooooo caaaares. The ironworkers put in a fucking clinical performance in Vidial, Maas Halder and Pel Klein terrorizing the Alchemist offense and throwing a spanner into everything Don Mizzet and Krueger tried to scheme. Jamelão's nifty little chip that Shayna Nephara headed in was all they'd need.

Lowlight: The Skewers are off to a stellar start, and it seems their secret is finding the weak spot in the opposing defense and just merciless smashing it. The Dragonriders are a fine team in general, but not a deep or particularly talented one, and Nian Taa was brutally exposed as being a back that just does not have the pace to keep up with a premier striker at full. Over and over.

Highlight: It's gotta go to Hosingr again. In two straight weeks they hand the Alchs and the Angels their only losses of the young season, and both away! This performance was even more dominant, Telfair slotting a rebound under Hawsorn for the first goal she's conceded all season. Nephara would even find a second at the end of a complex series of passes in the Angel's redzone!

Whatthefucklight: Laneia has had a wonky start to the season, Tali'raia scoring a solid number of goals after (somewhat reluctantly) taking up the mantle for her people, but whew are they showing why she was reluctant about it. Some say Mistpetal Grove is a sacred place for the dryads, and if it is the Dæmons just utterly defiled it. A hatrick for Mako Silanii solidified him as 'on fire', with the casual three additional goals on top of that coming from the rest of their battalion of strikers for good measure.

Lowlight: I just have to assume Harbor is lulling everyone into a false sense of security like they did last cycle. Right? They can't actually be this bad, at some point they're just going to flip a switch and score thirty goals in six games.

Hightlight: The Maal derby comes early! The Angels manage to solidly contain the Dæmons this go around, shutting them out with both Lavoi and Kubunga contributing to the scoreline.

Lowlight: Westhold falls apart spectacularly in the larger Royal derby, throwing away a 2-0 lead in the final twenty minutes... to the tune of four allowed. If I had to point at something, I'd guess that Easthold's youth gave them the longevity to seriously compete late in the game.

Highlight: While not the most clasically enticing of the Royal derbies, Seastone-Westhold was an entertaining back-and-forth for the full time, culminating in Besiir Ayl trying to tear his hair out after commiting to protecting the pass too early and giving Yeluuc a free shot at the equalizer far too close to the goal.

Lowlight: Good thing Dæmons fans are already well-accustomed to whiplash. Getting embarassed at home like that would sting just about any other fanbase, they just accept that Vance Lazaar is a madman that'll never invest in a single defensive thought. Good on Kana Monei for taking the chance to pad her stats with four gimmee goals, though.

Highlight: With Vidial faltering in Laneia and an uncharacteristic slipup costing the Angels two points, it's Bruul's time to shine as they crush Easthold to jump atop the standings. They're firing at all cylinders across the field, sitting pretty at a league-leading +16 goal differential. We'll see if Jaal Reben can keep up this unprecedented goalscoring pace.

Lowlight: Sometimes good players mess up, it happens. I just hope Mizia Thuun doesn't take it too hard very clearly being the direct reason why the Angels walked away with a draw, completely losing her mark in Yvan Kaar during a goalbox scrum and clearing it directly back at him.

Highlight: Easthold still seems to be beholden to the inconsistency of youth, but they pulled out all the stops in Gold Field to pull a fast one on an increasingly cold-looking Alchemists side. Tia Mor proved to be the hero of the day, linking up with a so-far quiet Martiin Predo for both the equaliser and the go-ahead, with some fans now clamoring that Mizzet should have been shopping this offseason for a better set of backs.

Lowlight: Fucking RIP Wyvernscrest, good lord.

!!!Ternary Update!!!

Premier Division Standings
    Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Bruul Skewers         10  8  1  1  25   7  +18  25
  2 Maal Angels           10  7  2  1  15   4  +11  23
  3 AFC Hosingr           10  7  1  2  21   5  +16  22
  4 Vidial Alchemists     10  7  0  3  25  13  +12  21
  5 Wyrmstone             10  4  3  3   6   5   +1  15
  6 Mont Prei             10  4  3  3   9  12   -3  15
  7 Maal Dæmons           10  4  2  4  18  19   -1  14
  8 Ashfell               10  4  2  4   9  13   -4  14
  9 Westhold Royals       10  3  4  3   9   8   +1  13
 10 Easthold Royals       10  4  1  5  17  18   -1  13
 11 Laneia                10  3  3  4  14  18   -4  12
 12 Prei Dragonriders     10  3  1  6  11  21  -10  10
 13 Seastone Royals       10  2  3  5   7  11   -4   9
 14 Harbor                10  3  0  7   7  14   -7   9
 15 Wyvernscrest          10  2  1  7  11  23  -12   7
 16 Andü Volunteers       10  1  1  8   4  17  -13   4

The Skewers are the definite surprise team of the season, finishing up the first third having dropped only four points. Just a bit below are the usual suspects of the Angels and Alchemists, with AFC riding the positive tangent of their rebuild to start. After them is a distinct falloff, where a slightly overperforming Ashfell and Wyrmstone are locked with seriously regressed Mont Prei and Westhold sides--Westhold I saw some regression coming, but it seems Prei's success last season may have just been a flash in the pan after all.

And, of course, Harbor. There's still plenty of football to be played, but for the twice-defending champs to be in relegation talks? I just don't know.

Lower Division Standings
    Team                P  W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
  1 Gryst Brewers      10  6  0  4  18  12  +6  18
  2 AC Mariina         10  5  2  3  19  12  +7  17
  3 Centre Bruul       10  5  2  3  11   5  +6  17
  4 Weldsmith          10  4  5  1   8   5  +3  17
  5 Evyr Thespians     10  5  1  4  20  19  +1  16
  6 Vidial SC          10  5  1  4  11  15  -4  16
  7 Mont Reàl          10  4  2  4  18  16  +2  14
  8 Maal PhiloFC       10  4  2  4   5   9  -4  14
  9 AFC Vendiir        10  3  3  4   7   8  -1  12
 10 Andü United        10  3  1  6  10  13  -3  10
 11 Kallen             10  2  3  5   8  13  -5   9
 12 Reyn Wanderers     10  1  4  5  11  19  -8   7

Relegation absolutely blasted the Wanderer's morale, it seems, having dropped out of the premier directly into the lower's dumpster. On the other hand, just short of halfway through the lower half's season the top is incredibly tight, two points separating first from sixth including expasion team Weldsmith stacking up a ludicrous number of draws to stay in promotion talks. Methinks the rug will come out as the other teams start to figure them out, however. Mont Reàl, the other expansion team, is also just behind at 14 points, but shockingly so is Maal PhiloFC! I don't know if they found a new coach or just happened to pluck some better players off campus, but they're actually winning some games now. Crazy.

by **Mriin** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 4:24 pm

Mriin National League - Season 4 - Part 2

Highlight: Wyvernscrest put in their best performance yet, actually looking like a real team versus fellow bottom-dwellers in the Dragonriders. Malia Yonen stood out, creating two excellent chances with her corner deliveries that each lead to a goal.

Lowlight: The Alchemists continue their slide, having now lost three in a row. They did manage to contain the Dæmons to just a single goal, but it seemed to take all their effort just to accomplish that; Izi Kaan tried her damndest to set up in scoring position but the support never came through.

Highlight: And just like that, the Alchs shake off all the rust at once and destroy the Skewers! It seemed like Tavol was a bit slow the entire match; it might be that the stress of both captaining and managing might be wearing him down, and the typically stoic Bruul defense just could not stand up to a frustrated Vidial offense that finally got to let out their frustrations.

Lowlight: The Maal derby shook out just like it did in their cup pairing, Hawsorn's defense resoundly killing any momentum while Mari gets the job done at the other end. Interestingly, they'll be playing again next week for the cup second leg; if the Dæmons are ever going to strike back, that'll be the time to do it.

Highlight: The Dæmons make a show of it and take the second leg through an skillful strike from Silanii the counfounds both Meryn Valent and Hawsorn herself, who both try to slide and knock it away but come up short. But alas, it's not enough--one more goal would have seen them through on away goals, but the Angels locked everything down to ensure their three-peat dreams stay alive.

Lowlight: The Alchemists, using a heavily rotated side, play an uncharacteristically defensive 5-3-2 and look determined to kill the game in Iron Alley to keep themselves through. And that succeeds, and Hosignr's foreign legion simply can't break through.

Highlight: Ashfell continue their surprising mid-table run. There's no chance in hell they'll jostle for the Globe Cup positions, but being the premier side that was most recenetly wholly amatuer? Upper half is something to write home about.

Lowlight: The Skewers came out of their shell in the Cup to blast Mont Prei, but considering they were top of the league for once there's murmurming whether that was necessary considering they already had a hefty lead on away goals. A jaded team were more or less walked over by the visiting Angels, now looking to carve out their own lead.

Highlight: Vidial catches fire and burns Haven down, Portia Taani's brace putting them ahead of the Angels and Kreuger himself delivering the finishing blow on a penalty garnered from a frustrated Mizia Thuun scything him down.

Lowlight: Westhold's league-leading sixth draw leaves them well out of earshot, and while they also held Hosingr back it is not looking pretty for them. Feyn is not cut out to be star material, but it seems Kantal's interested have drifted away from the team, so help might be a long time coming.

Highlight: Harbor has been in the process of stabilizing, but in a much more understated way than last season; Shackleton has come through as a value add to the defense which has been doing well, but the offense still isn't firing quite on all cylinders. That said, they get the job done over Seastone, Lasser Rei and Viana Ion combining efforts and assisting each other's goals.

Lowlight: The last lower team standing, the Brewers ain't standing no more. The Alchemists, when they're on, have been very on so far. Racking up blowout after blowout, it's virtually impossible for them to not advance.

!!!Ternary Update!!!

Premier Division Standings
    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Maal Angels            20  14  2   4  25   9  +16  44
  2 Bruul Skewers          20  12  4   4  39  23  +16  40
  3 AFC Hosingr            20  11  5   4  30   9  +21  38
  4 Vidial Alchemists      20  10  3   7  39  23  +16  33
  5 Westhold Royals        20   8  6   6  18  13   +5  30
  6 Maal Dæmons            20   9  3   8  33  35   -2  30
  7 Easthold Royals        20   8  4   8  31  27   +4  28
  8 Mont Prei              20   7  6   7  22  23   -1  27
  9 Harbor                 20   8  3   9  19  21   -2  27
 10 Wyvernscrest           20   8  3   9  33  36   -3  27
 11 Wyrmstone              20   7  5   8  11  14   -3  26
 12 Laneia                 20   6  5   9  28  31   -3  23
 13 Ashfell                20   5  7   8  15  25  -10  22
 14 Seastone Royals        20   5  6   9  16  24   -8  21
 15 Prei Dragonriders      20   5  3  12  21  42  -21  18
 16 Andü Volunteers        20   2  5  13  12  37  -25  11

Westhold having been slowly climbing back a little more efficiently than Harbor, but they're still on the outside looking in. Fourteen and seventeen off the leading Angels respectively, it's going to be an uphill battle for last cycle's favorites to threaten again. Meanwhile, Wyrmstone and Ashfell have both regressed after good starts, sliding back to the bottom half, with Ashfell now even back in relegation talks. The Vols are have an absolutely torrid season and seem resigned to the bottom spot, but the second relegation spot is still wide open for the Dragonriders to yo-yo back down, for Seastone to slide into mediocrity, or even a surprsing Laneia side wasting good performances from Tali'raia--who's still near the top in goals scored on the season.
And, finally, at the tippy-top, the ANgels have a tiny bit of breathing room over the Skewers who have managed to stay the track by cleaning up lower-half teams, and neu-look Hosingr that is currently boasting the league's best goal differential at +21. The Alchemists will be hungry to stay in contention, as well, but are just a win above Westhold themselves.

Mriin Lower Division Standings
    Team                 P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 AC Mariina          20  12  3   5  42  23  +19  39
  2 Weldsmith           20   9  8   3  17  10   +7  35
  3 Gryst Brewers       20  10  4   6  30  21   +9  34
  4 Evyr Thespians      20  10  2   8  43  37   +6  32
  5 AFC Vendiir         20   8  6   6  18  17   +1  30
  6 Maal PhiloFC        20   8  5   7  15  20   -5  29
  7 Centre Bruul        20   8  3   9  17  14   +3  27
  8 Mont Reàl           20   7  5   8  33  32   +1  26
  9 Vidial SC           20   7  3  10  19  31  -12  24
 10 Reyn Wanderers      20   5  7   8  23  28   -5  22
 11 Kallen              20   4  6  10  18  26   -8  18
 12 Andü United         20   5  2  13  13  29  -16  17

Mariina are pushing hard to get back up, having a nearly insurmountable lead going into the final two days for the lower division. It'll come down to whether newcomers Weldsmith--with their eight draws, but only three losses--can hold off the perennial bridesmaids of the Brewers, who are almost surely also going to get blasted out of the cup next week. The Thespians are also in with a shout if they win two running and the previous two flop, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

by **Mriin** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:56 pm

Mriin National League - Season 4 - Part 3

Highlight: Easthold pulls out all the stops to ensure we don't see another Skewers v Angels cup matchup, with Bruul reluctantly resting a key pieces Tavol and Reben who've been stretched thin lately and have a title push to worry about. Easthold, with no such hangups, put the hoof down early and never let up. Kana Monei found the goal just three minutes in, and Martiin Predo would add a second five minutes later. In the end Easthold had nearly 70% total possession, and will see if they can pull a deep cup run out to salve over another inevitable midtable finish.

Lowlight: With the series all but decided and both sides in critical spots in the league, absolutely nobody of worth was let to start in this game. It was an ugly affair, with rumours that the Brewers brought in some mercenary amateurs to fill depth roles they simply didn't have. Unsurprisngly, some Alchemist youths ended up getting the upper hand, though it's hard to say it's deserved.

Highlight: The Angels take advantage of the Skewers and ironworkers eating some hard home losses to create a six-point cushion at the top with 15 points left in play. Easthold and Harbor both have a solid run of final form to nearly hit 40 points; they could potentially overtake the Alchemists and nab the final Globe Cup spot after all if the Angels pull the league/cup double. Or, even better, both Harbor and Easthold are in the semifinals--they could just win the cup themselves to secure qualification.

Lowlight: Westhold have only four points to show from the last five, including getting torn apart by Harbor in Arbor to the tune of 5-1; their season is officially over. Speaking of, actually Harbor just casually scored 15 in 4! It's too late in the season this time, though; a huge run of routes in the teens can get you back in title contention, but their early season skid was just too much.

Harbor continue their hot form, absolutely smoking the Alchemists in Haven as Rei seems to have finally found his stride. He accounted for two of the goals himself, and assisted Ion in a third. They've already done a good job showing they're a real team as they shot back up the table, but winning the cup would truely make the season a worthwhile followup to their championships. Meanwhile, the Angels continue the stellar form they've had all year and choke out the up-to-this-point resurgent Easthold in Iron Alley. The three-peat is very much alive, but they'll have to manage a Harbor team hungry for silverware.

Highlight: Ratios at the tippy top stay the same as everyone wins out, save Harbor, who's hard-fought draw in Prei essentially precludes them from placing in the league--the Alchs would have to fuck up horrendously in four games to blow this seven point gap.

Lowlight: Every single team in the bottom five drew. Good lord. The Vols are six points out of safety (likely fucked), while the Dragonriders are just two behind Ashfell.

Highlight: What a derby day! The Angels overcome the Dæmons with an injury-time strike from Kubunga, and their lead is increased as the Alchs make their powerplay on psuedo-neighbors Bruul with a convincing 0-2 away win. They draw even with Hosingr, who are held to a 2-2 draw in an exciting installment of the Hosingr derby, Dockside edition. With that, the top of the table is:
Angels 61 +23
Skewers 52 +16
Alchemists +28
Hosingr +20
Which is to say, the Angels win their first proper league title with any single point in the final three games, or the Skewers dropping a single point. At this point they should just be looking at completing the double by completing their cup three-peat.

At the hind end, Laneia gets bailed out by a clearly fed up Tali'raia who just does not want to get relegated. The win over the Vols effectively makes them safe, and almost surely dooms the Vols. Both Ashfell and the Dragonriders also lose to stay stagnant.

Highlight: Hah, alright, that settles it. The Angels check both boxes for their title by beating the Skewers themselves; congrats to Vicky Lavoi and the entire Angels team, who really deserve at least one proper title considering everything they've done in speading the love of football around Mriin. With victories for Hosingr and the Alchemists, there's a three-way tie for second, all at 52 and separated by gulfs of goal difference; each one will be jockeying hard for position still, as should Harbor triumph in the cup final fourth place doesn't get a Globe Cup berth.

Lowlight: Ashfell nab a point as the Dragonriders get flattened by Harbor, putting a grim forecast on the latter's chances.

Highlight: The second-place logjam continues, as the Alchemists get a fortunate break of a heavily rested Angels side that more or less rolls over for them, while the other two handle fading Westhold and Wyrmstone sides.

Lowlight: Everyone at the bottom loses, hooray! Prei are effectively eliminated unless their win and Ashfell's loss overcome a 12 goal differential difference.

Disaster! Bruul get handed the worst team in the league and blow it spectaluarly in stoppage time, Uula Vol performing a bit of spoiler therapy for her godawful season by nailing an equalizer and go ahead at 90+1' and 90+3' to put the Skewer's in fourth, as the Alchemists managed a draw and Hosingr (who also lost to the second-worst team in the league, wtf) had a much better differential. Their Globe Cup chances now rely solely on the Angels winning out in the cup.
And even with the two bottom dwellers winning and the third-to-bottom losing, a twelve point differencial swing was not in the cards. The Dragonriders are heading back down, and the Vols will be joining them.

They did it, the fucking madsatyrs.

Premier Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Maal Angels            30  21   4   5  39  15  +24  67  Champions CC CwC
  2 Vidial Alchemists      30  17   5   8  63  30  +33  56  GC
  3 AFC Hosingr            30  16   7   7  40  18  +22  55  GC
  4 Bruul Skewers          30  17   4   9  53  38  +15  55  GC
  5 Harbor                 30  13   7  10  47  32  +15  46
  6 Mont Prei              30  12   9   9  35  31   +4  45
  7 Easthold Royals        30  13   6  11  42  39   +3  45
  8 Wyvernscrest           30  12   5  13  50  49   +1  41
  9 Maal Dæmons            30  12   4  14  46  53   -7  40
 10 Wyrmstone              30   8  11  11  19  24   -5  35
 11 Laneia                 30   9   8  13  40  46   -6  35
 12 Seastone Royals        30   8  10  12  25  32   -7  34
 13 Westhold Royals        30   9   7  14  22  33  -11  34
 14 Ashfell                30   5  11  14  19  41  -22  26
 15 Prei Dragonriders      30   7   5  18  31  63  -32  26  Relegated
 16 Andü Volunteers        30   6   7  17  25  52  -27  25  Relegated

Lower Division Standings
    Team                 P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 AC Mariina          22  14  3   5  47  24  +23  45  SBCC Promoted
  2 Weldsmith           22  11  8   3  20  10  +10  41  SBCC Promoted
  3 Gryst Brewers       22  11  4   7  35  26   +9  37  SBCC
  4 Evyr Thespians      22  11  2   9  49  41   +8  35
  5 Maal PhiloFC        22   9  5   8  16  22   -6  32
  6 Mont Reàl           22   8  6   8  35  33   +2  30
  7 AFC Vendiir         22   8  6   8  19  21   -2  30
  8 Centre Bruul        22   8  3  11  19  20   -1  27
  9 Vidial SC           22   7  3  12  19  33  -14  24
 10 Andü United         22   7  2  13  16  30  -14  23
 11 Kallen              22   5  7  10  22  27   -5  22
 12 Reyn Wanderers      22   5  7  10  23  33  -10  22

by **Mriin** » Tue May 15, 2018 7:18 pm

Mriin National League - Season 4 - Accolades

Gilded Hoof Top Goalscorer
Goals | Player | Team
27 | Portia Taani | Vidial Alchemists
24 | Mari Lavoi | Maal Angels
22 | Jaal Reben | Bruul Skewers

The Alchemists turned on the afterburners this year, comfortably topping the league in nets found by a clear ten, the second-highest total yet (albeit 16 behind Harbor's insane record). Portia was the one who was at the other end of Joren Kreuger's passes most often, and despite the distraught of yet another second place table finish she deservedly takes home the Hoof. There's murmurings about why she hasn't gotten a call from the national team yet, but seeing as Don Mizzet manages both he's probably got his reasons. Mari comes shortly behind, accounting for just under half of the Angel's goals by herself yet again--though this time it felt a much tighter performance thanks to the quick repertoire she built with Kubunga. And bringing up the rear, the surprising team second to the Alchemists, is journeyman Jaal Reben with the season of his career. Having helped them to a lofty fourth place finish, it'll be interesting to see if Reben sticks around and tries to repeat this success or turns it into a move to a bigger-name club.

Gilded Glove Cleanest Sheet
Shutouts | Player | Team
20 | Zilia Hawsorn | Maal Angels
17 | Kostin Bermat | AFC Hosingr
13 | Dun Mekeus | Wyrmstone

Shutouts for a full two-thirds of the season? Yeah, that's pretty good. Zilia's dominance is nothing new, and it's refreshing to see that finally translate into a title. Kostin similarly got a payout for his tireless work ethic, having kept Hosingr's net clear throughout their mid-table drop; and now that the "foreigners score goals" strategy has worked out, they're tasting UICA competition again. In third we've got rookie Dun Mekeus impressing, even if most of those shutouts turned out to be nill-all draws for tenth placed Wyrmstone. But still, for joint-worst offense in the league, tenth is pretty damn good. If Dun keeps this up he can be a core piece they can build around (or make a lot of dosh selling off).

Gilded Visa Most Valuable Foreigner
Player | Position | Team
Kubunga | AM | Maal Angels (Banguela/Ceni)
Atherton Telfair | ST | AFC Hosingr (Cosumar)
Sugar Wing | RM | AFC Hosingr (Equestrian States)

The Angels suddenly have an athletic, creative player in the middle turned out to be the missing piece. While it's hard to place the credit for the Angel's record-breaking 67 point season, Kubungu is the only piece that wasn't there in previous seasons. Well worth the hefty price tag he came with, dwarfing all the other inbound transfers by roughly six times. In terms of value per scale, though, Telfair comfortably takes that crown--the octogenarian Cosumarite proved that brawn isn't all there is on the field, both providing excellent veteran leadership to a side lost at sea and still performing a very solid finishing role, knocking in a team-leading fifteen goals. Though he certainly couldn't have done that without the ample space provided by Hosingr's other acquisitions, which all seem to be of similar good value--though top among them does seem the Equestrian Wing, who picked up good defensive sense startlingly quickly from the old guard. Midfielders who have the offense/defense duality down is a noticeable sore spot among Satyr footballers, so it's very worth watching how she develops in that line.

Gilded Horn Most Valuable Leftover
Player | Position | Team
Joren Kreuger | AM | Vidial Alchemists
Pel Klein | CB | AFC Hosingr
Baruut Jaiso | ST | Wyvernscrest

Of course, the mastermind behind the Alchemists' explosive offense deserves a nod. There's even been rumors that he's shifted into a bit of a player-manager role with Don Mizzet increasingly concerned with the national team--between that and Geraard Tavol successfully piloting the Skewers into UICA places in a similar vein, I wonder if there's something to the strategy? (Geraard missed this list mostly because his actual defending left something to be desired throughout the season.) Instead, arguably the best defender in the league Pel was chosen as runner-up, largely credited as the personality that made sure the suddenly very diverse locker room stay stable and drilled them to turn around on a dime. Finally, while the young Baruut didn't quite break into the medals for goals scored due to a diverse Wyvernscrest offense (that impressively nailed exactly fifty goals on their way to a respectable eighth), the skill he's shown on the ball has been particularly impressive. I've not seen a satyr as technically skilled since Solara, and we all know how that turned out.

by **Mriin** » Sun Oct 21, 2018 10:05 pm

aintgottimeforthisshit.mrn

Hey, you. Your coworkers trying to chat you up about the MNL season that just ended? Your estranged father trying to reconnect through the common ground of sportsball, but like a normal person trying to make ends meet you couldn't be arsed to follow the thirty million games they play? We got the wrapup for you, all the big talking points summed up without the bullshit so you can carry the conversation exactly as long as you need to change the subject.

THE TABLE -- People love to talk about where who ended where, so take a good look and remember this.

Premier Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Vidial Alchemists      30  20   4   6  65  30  +35  64  Champions CC
  2 Maal Angels            30  19   7   4  41  16  +25  64  GC
  3 Harbor                 30  17   7   6  68  42  +26  58  GC
  4 AFC Hosingr            30  16   5   9  37  22  +15  53  GC CwC
  5 Maal Dæmons            30  16   5   9  55  44  +11  53  VCIAPP
  6 Bruul Skewers          30  13   7  10  49  43   +6  46
  7 Laneia                 30  13   5  12  49  55   -6  44
  8 Easthold Royals        30  10  12   8  44  31  +13  42
  9 Wyvernscrest           30  10   7  13  43  42   +1  37
 10 Mont Prei              30   9   6  15  26  38  -12  33
 11 Westhold Royals        30   8   7  15  31  38   -7  31
 12 Weldsmith              30   8   7  15  19  44  -25  31
 13 Wyrmstone              30   6  11  13  21  31  -10  29
 14 AC Mariina             30   6  10  14  33  60  -27  28
 15 Seastone Royals        30   6   8  16  24  45  -21  26  Relegated
 16 Ashfell                30   4  10  16  13  37  -24  22  Relegated

Lower Division Standings
    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Mont Reàl              22  15  3   4  29  14  +15  48  SBCC Promoted
  2 Andü Volunteers        22  14  4   4  47  27  +20  46  SBCC Promoted
  3 Gryst Brewers          22  12  4   6  31  17  +14  40  SBCC
  4 Reyn Wanderers         22  10  4   8  30  32   -2  34
  5 Andü United            22   9  4   9  27  23   +4  31
  6 Evyr Thespians         22   8  5   9  27  28   -1  29
  7 Prei Dragonriders      22   7  6   9  25  24   +1  27
  8 AFC Vendiir            22   6  9   7  18  21   -3  27
  9 Vidial SC              22   7  4  11  27  39  -12  25
 10 Centre Bruul           22   6  5  11  15  22   -7  23
 11 Kaalen                 22   4  8  10  26  36  -10  20
 12 Maal PhiloFC           22   2  8  12  11  30  -19  14

THE TEAMS -- Find your local one(s), and probably the top three and bottom three for good measure.
VIDIAL ALCHEMISTS -- ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID NO MORE
Don Mizzet, businessdragon, alchemical savant, apparent football genius finally gets his trophy after years of just being "great but not the best".
MAAL ANGELS -- WELL, FUCK
With that insurmountable goal difference meaning they could never win on tiebreakers, the Angels needed upstarts Weldsmith at least draw with the Alchemists at home. They didn't, and that was that. Still a great season by any measure, though.
HARBOR -- WE'RE STILL HERE
Extremely solid season, a big upturn from their merely solid upper-table finish from last time out. Always good to be back in the UICA spots.
AFC HOSINGR -- SLOWING SLIGHTLY
Just two less points than last season, but a much worse goal differential that suffered on both ends. Notably less goals scored and notably more goals conceded. Teething problems for their young foreign transplants, but they're still quite obviously talented and capable. Atherton Telfair feeling the effects of the human aging cycle, but I'll be damned if he ever stops trying.
MAAL DÆMONS -- WELL, FUCK PART DEUX
Both teams that call Haven home cheated out on goal difference, though the Dæmons are thanking their lucky stars that they were even in the conversation for UICA play after a thoroughly mediocre effort last season. Something seems to have scared Vance somewhat straight, he had them playing a nearly sensible 3-3-4 instead of his normal bullshit. Will that keep up or will they do their normal shit and fall back to twelfth or something in Season 6? Who knows, you won't until it's already happened anyway.
BRUUL SKEWERS -- WAIT WEREN'T WE GOOD
Not anymore, apparently. Geraard was put upon for a... what, third consecutive season as player-manager along with being a core part of the national team that's playing in World Cups? No wonder he looks so exhausted out there, and the team is stagnating around him. Something's gotta be shaken up here.
LANEIA -- WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING
Dryads are weird, you don't need me to tell you that. What's even weirder is the analytical fucks with too much time on their hands can't tell what's different in their play when they're doing kinda okay and when they're doing kinda shit. What even was this season? It's upper half, 44 points ain't bad, they got net outscored on the year. Win by a little, lose by a lot, I guess. Oh yeah, and second-most goals conceded with a back six, but it's not really a back six? I give up.
EASTHOLD ROYALS -- CAN'T NOT DRAW FOR SHIT
Easthold was the weird expiriment of all young, promising players that actually overperformed in the first few seasons, it was exciting! But now the good teams have figured them out and they can't beat the bad teams anymore. They're still pretty young, but getting to the point where they need to actually start putting up real results before it's declared a flop. They need to learn how to put games away above all else. Twelve draws, good lord.
WYVERNSCREST & WESTHOLD ROYALS -- MIDTABLE MUCK
Wyvernscrest has just enough to clearly not be a Lower team but also has absolutely nothing to be a good team. Westhold might one day be a good team again, but the turmoil of Under New Management is likely going to put that off a while.
MONT PREI -- ARE THE MONKS BORED?
We know they can play better than this, but it seems as though they're mailing it in now. Which is certainly unusual for the monks' typical temperament. Perhaps they feel an obligation to keep the team functioning since they went through the effort of starting it, but have shifted their focuses elsewhere?
WELDSMITH -- WELL(D) HEY NOW
Promoted and immediately twelfth, not bad. Second-worst goal difference in the league, so clearly some things to be sorted there, but they managed to turn some draws into wins which separated them from the chaff below.
WYRMSTONE & AC MARIINA -- HANGING ON BY A THREAD
Both teams hung on for dear life not to be sent back down, with Mariina pulling off a heroic home win against Hosingr on the final day to doom Seastone below them. Wyrmstone is still vying for the midtable mediocrity of rivals Wyvernscrest, but aren't quite there yet.
SEASTONE ROYALS -- UNPRECENDENTED COLLAPSE
Sure, they haven't been good in a season or two, but relegation? Nobody was expecting that. They'd quicker have taken Westhold's troubles to have taken them down, but any chemistry the team had had vanished into thin air, as dysfunctional as the lungs of the sulfur miners that aren't allowed into their games.
ASHFELL -- INEVITABILITY, THY NAME IS REGRESSION
Ashfell is spunky, but they just don't have the resources to maintain a competitive level of play for long. The community is bougie and spendy still tiny compared to the real cities, and the local talent pool and training facilities are extremely thin for the same reason. That they stayed up at all last season was a miracle of breakers, and now the reaper's tolls has come.

LOWER STUFF
MONT REÀL -- WHEN THINGS CLICK
The opposite of Seastone, the seemingly disfunctional team of last season suddenly had everything fall into place as they kept a tidy defense the Lower found exceptionally hard to penetrate. It'll be interesting if both the newest teams--this and Weldsmith--manage to stay up next season, possibly leveraging taking more time to enter the league and thus being more prepared.
ANDÜ VOLUNTEERS -- YO, YO, YO YOUR BOAT
Good lord that's a lot of goals. 47 in 22 games. Can y'all do that in the Premier for once? No? You're going to get sent right back down? Alright, then.
GRYST BREWERS -- STILL THE BRIDESMAID
Of the four season in the current league structure, three they've been in third for an SBCC spot but no promotion. The other they were fourth. What are y'all doing?!

CUP CONSIDERATIONS
Here's quick recap of all the cup games. For how long the thing drags on, there's not actually that much happening:

First Round
Andü United 2-3 Gryst Brewers (2-3 agg)
Gryst Brewers 0-2 Andü United (3-4 agg)
AFC Vendiir 1-0 Centre Bruul (1-0 agg)
Centre Bruul 0-2 AFC Vendiir (0-3 agg)
Maal Dæmons 2-1 Westhold Royals (2-1 agg)
Westhold Royals 1-1 Maal Dæmons (2-3 agg)
Maal PhiloFC 1-1 Andü Volunteers (1-1 agg)
Andü Volunteers 3-0 Maal PhiloFC (4-1 agg)
Wyvernscrest 3-0 Mont Prei (3-0 agg)
Mont Prei 1-1 Wyvernscrest (1-4 agg)
Reyn Wanderers 0-1 Seastone Royals (0-1 agg)
Seastone Royals 2-0 Reyn Wanderers (3-0 agg)
Kaalen 0-2 AFC Hosingr (0-2 agg)
AFC Hosingr 5-0 Kaalen (7-0 agg)
Bruul Skewers 1-0 Laneia (1-0 agg)
Laneia 0-4 Bruul Skewers (0-5 agg)
Wyrmstone 2-1 Vidial SC (2-1 agg)
Vidial SC 2-1 Wyrmstone (2-2 AET, 3-4 agg)
Ashfell 2-2 Weldsmith (2-2 agg)
Weldsmith 1-0 Ashfell (3-2 agg)
Mont Reàl 3-0 Evyr Thespians (3-0 agg)
Evyr Thespians 0-2 Mont Reàl (0-5 agg)
AC Mariina 1-0 Prei Dragonriders (1-0 agg)
Prei Dragonriders 1-2 AC Mariina (1-3 agg)

Second Round
Seastone Royals 1-0 Maal Dæmons (1-0 agg)
Maal Dæmons 1-1 Seastone Royals (1-2 agg)
Maal Angels 2-0 Andü United (2-0 agg)
Andü United 0-1 Maal Angels (0-3 agg)
AFC Hosingr 1-0 Wyvernscrest (1-0 agg)
Wyvernscrest 0-2 AFC Hosingr (0-3 agg)
Wyrmstone 0-4 Easthold Royals (0-4 agg)
Easthold Royals 2-0 Wyrmstone (6-0 agg)
Andü Volunteers 1-2 AFC Vendiir (1-2 agg)
AFC Vendiir 0-2 Andü Volunteers (2-3 agg)
Mont Reàl 1-0 Weldsmith (1-0 agg)
Weldsmith 1-1 Mont Reàl (1-2 agg)
Harbor 4-0 AC Mariina (4-0 agg)
AC Mariina 1-1 Harbor (1-5 agg)
Bruul Skewers 1-1 Vidial Alchemists (1-1 agg)
Vidial Alchemists 2-3 Bruul Skewers (3-4 agg)

Quarter Finals
Seastone Royals 1-0 Maal Angels (1-0 agg)
Maal Angels 0-1 Seastone Royals (0-2 agg)
AFC Hosingr 3-1 Easthold Royals (3-1 agg)
Easthold Royals 1-1 AFC Hosingr (2-4 agg)
Andü Volunteers 2-3 Mont Reàl (2-3 agg)
Mont Reàl 1-1 Andü Volunteers (4-3 agg)
Harbor 0-4 Bruul Skewers (0-4 agg)
Bruul Skewers 0-1 Harbor (4-1 agg)

Semifinals
Seastone Royals 0-2 AFC Hosingr
Mont Reàl 0-2 Bruul Skewers

MNL Cup Final
AFC Hosingr 3-0 Bruul Skewers

Big points: The Angels, after three consecutive cup victories, crash out unceremoniously to the flailing Seastone of all teams. Mont Reàl bought an absurdly easy series of draws to the semis to get a first-round bye in the next cup, but caved to the Skewers, making their third MNL Cup Final appearance. It's also their third loss, by the worst margin yet as Shayna Nephara, Sugar Wing, and Atherton Telfair all find purchase on a memorable night in Maal. It might very well be the last time the old Cosumarite has a chance to lift a trophy, but he did so with irreverent pride surrounded by the satyrs and Drawkian towering around him, and aside a colorful pony.

by **Mriin** » Sat Feb 02, 2019 6:12 pm

Peekin’ Through the Window
Mriin National League || Season 6

By the standard set by the MNL for the past few cycles this transfer window was absolutely blazing. Thirteen transfers involving Mrii clubs and players took place, with that figure being more than doubled when those coming and leaving on frees are counted! And there’s quite a few juicy stories to read betwixt the lines.

The Brenecian Connection
Of course, the biggest question mark on everyone’s mind was where Mara Solaani would land. After being thrust into the national team spotlight--for what was expected to be a brief reprieve for then-starter Zilia Hawsorn--she took the job by the horns and locked down her place as Don Mizzet’s go-to keeper. While still playing at the sinking ship of Westhold. Even when “Mrii keeper” can by itself serve as punchline, she clearly needed to be moved somewhere more deserving of her skills. And hoo buddy, did that move come through. Former perennial A-League champions Kingsgrove, fresh off their worst season in recent memory, claimed Mara’s contract for a smooth 4 mil as they look to splash out and right ship. Her play will likely be under close scrutiny as she takes over club legend Jack Winterfyll’s spot between the posts; should she step up, along with two more internationals and a new gaffer being tossed in the pot, we might see a return to the dominating Kingsgrove of old.

Elsewhere on those pleasant, sunny Esportivan shores, Reina Kress books a ticket out of an uncertain Chromatik future to join Malia Polandre in Marque. As the fifth Mrii to make that jump, Brenecia seems to be solidifying as a choice destination for satyrs to establish themselves as quality players. While most any would balk at the prospect of giving up Maal’s tropical climes for the dreary confines of Rozelle, there’s a definite allure to both a steady paycheck (which is something the MNL has gotten better about, but those scars run deep) and partaking in that level of play. There’s no two ways about it: The MNL just isn’t very good. They’ve finally garned enough UICA respect to get a second Champion’s Cup entry, but even that was by the skin of their teeth. Being a value pickup for a mid-table side that’ll start you in the world’s fourth-ranked league? ‘s a pretty good deal, if you ask me. It certainly helps that hooves make those windy, rainy nights in Westpike a lot more manageable.

Equestrian Cultural Exchange Programme
While top Mrii players have shown some disdain for offers from Equestrian clubs (including their vassals Crystal Empire and Freeport), there’s a strong trend of younger and older players from both sides crossing over. A few tactical acquisitions for competing clubs will be discussed below, but beyond that a great many new faces will be gracing the likes of Wyvernscrest, Westhold, and even the Dæmons to make things more lively… if not set the world on fire. Going the other way are a handful of prospects from MNL youth teams who decided the Crystal Empire would make for a better locale. Meanwhile, NT reserve Hilda Iarrow might see some UICA play with the Whitetail Foresters and the highlight of the relegated Seastone, Vizia Norn, elected to play for Ponyville Galaxy rather than trying for another spot in the Upper. There's even going to be a Mrii manager on foreign shores, shock horror! Janna Kurung, after spending some time with her career club of Hosingr and assisting Don Mizzet on the Mrii NT, has landed a spot leading the Canterlot Stars.

Alchemists: Shaken, Not Stirred
You’d think after finally clinching the title they’ve barely missed out on for years, the Alchemists would be sitting pretty and trying to repeat with the good thing they’ve got, right? Unfortunately for them, owner Don Mizzet set off their star striker in Portia Taani by refusing to call her up to the national team for some mysterious reason. Well, for the specific reason that the Mrii NT is completely oversaturated with world-class strikers, but not even inviting her to try out was an unseemly slight. She’s now off to Nephara hungry to prove herself at the peak of the footballing world (or close enough in the First Division) with the Cranequin Wanderers, and the Alchemists suddenly have to scramble. After some high-flying offers for aging big names like Aaliyah Johnson and Scheherazade Meier predictably fell through, the replacement they found is Decima--an Equestrian-Freeport dual international (and sphinx, whatever that is) who’s collected a fair amount of caps for the resurgent Equestrian NT. Hopes are high for what she might accomplish, but at an extremely hefty transfer fee and with big hooves to replace, there’s still a hint of worry. To help assuage that, an upgrade in Brenecian keeper Lachlan Kenway was brought on board. A known solid quantity, Kenway should find a strong foothold in a league where acrobatics aren’t the norm.

Under New Management
Geraard Tavol can finally let his shoulders sag, just a bit. Several seasons of leading the Skewers defense, the national team defense, and managing the Skewers’ operations in his "free" time has taken its toll--it’d be easy to mistake the 34-year-old as being in his late 40s. That seems to mostly be aesthetic, thankfully, as now that the league has finally lined up a replacement manager he’s hit the field with renewed vigor and focus. And that manager is none other than the meme herself--because of course--Emery Lineker, of Premiership infamy. At the very least her violent bent will still be an improvement over the literally murderous founder of the club, but be prepared to see Geraard’s partners in crime Maxii Girou and Muuna Kentar back to their old thuggish antics. Before the reins were given up, however, Geraard did manage two final deals: snapping up some promising Freeport prospects in keeper Night Thunder and flexible midfielder Meadow Evergreen, who could conveniently turn into the sort of creative presence that Lineker teams historically have needed to click.

And the Rest
These roleplayer acquisitions don’t have quite as much baked-in narrative, but can still easily prove to be major factors as the season goes forward. The Angels impress by landing the first Pasargan to play in the MNL in Rajih Zafir Mansour, who can provide some much need on-the-ball technicality at the back to add consistency to their already-scary counterattack. Easthold makes their first stab at the market by signing Olenna Tynesman, a veteran Brenecian striker they’re hoping will provide the same sort of leadership Atherton Telfair brought to Hosingr’s young’ns. And speaking of Cosumarites, Tali'raia has relocated from Rushmore to that island a boat ride to the northeast. Eastweald should be a pleasant fit for the forward-thinking dryad, as a place where modern luxuries and vast wilderness collide and UICA play is certainly on the table. And last but not least, Harbor looks to nail down their wings--as well as fill the gaping hole left by Lasser Rei fucking off to Osarius--with a pair of Qusmi'y. Hirom-Vanza Roz and Falax-Paliv will be the first from the curious Rushmori nation to grace the MNL and may be some of the first Qusmi'y many Mrii meet; yet both purchases definitely have that ‘rental’ feel. With the rest of the team starting to get up there in age, Harbor's window to find a third title with this core is closing sooner rather than later. One has to wonder if spending $0.7m total is anywhere near enough to keep up.

by **Mriin** » Thu Feb 07, 2019 10:33 pm

Developmental League Deploys
Mriin National League || Season 6

As football on the isles becomes more sophisticated and profitable, it's inevitable that the Powers That Be will work to imitate systems proved over the years in other nations. But as it tends to go, things shake out just a little differently when Mrii are in charge. The youth pipeline is, of course, a vital part of any nation's football ecosystem to ensure the next generation will be ready to pick up the torch and run even further. For the first few seasons of the MNL significant funding was put towards improving the state of pitches at a local level, working to foster a community around the game and pushing it as a staple at schools. But for those who wanted to make the jump to Professional Footballer, options were limited. Both big Maal teams had quickly set up academies leveraging their pre-existing brands and structure but had exacting entrance requirements. Some university teams were well-respected, but athletic scholarships were mostly just small packages for track & field prodigies--meaning that was a terribly expensive way to get into the scene. And finally, the way most would get a chance, were raw tryouts for Lower teams. Obviously that's a one-shot deal; there was no way for players to take the time to develop and advance their game.

To help alleviate those problems, the MNL has mashed together another tier specifically designated for giving young players practice at a level where more is expected of them. The first two inclusions were easy: 'lil Dæmons (Maal Dæmons) and Angels Youth (Maal Angels) have been operating for several cycles, scrimming each other and any amateur teams that were putting up good results. Several other high-profile clubs followed suit, founding their own feeder teams: AFC Apprentices (AFC Hosingr), Dockhands (Harbor), and the Railhawks (Bruul Skewers) are all operating on the dime of their parent. Strangely, a deal was struck between Wyvernscrest and Wyrmstone. Putting aside their rivalry to pool resources, they've founded a shared team: the Farmhands. The idea is ostensibly to create a pipeline that can match the big spenders in how attractive it is to top prospects, but you have to imagine there's going to be some stress when it's time for a player to finally be called up. The system that's been stated is both clubs will agree on a salary to offer, and then it's up to player to choose the Wyverns or the Wyrms... and probably do their best to avoid the other town for a while.

The other half of the Developmental is comprised of university teams that are now co-opted into a pseudo-professional capacity. Several clubs that already had ties to local universities are providing scholarships in exchange for exclusive contract bargaining rights on graduation. These include the University of Alchemy (Vidial Alchemists), University of Archery (Prei Dragonriders), and University of Archaeology (Ashfell). Finally, there's two independent universities that pull scholarship money pooled from all the teams not yet represented by a youth club and have free competition on their graduating players. First is Maal PhiloFC of the University of Philosophy, who have been relegated from the Lower with the advent of a more appropriate division. The University of Architecture rounds out the 11-team league, and will be a true wildcard with absolutely no affiliation to previous MNL entities.

MATCHDAY 1
Angels Youth 1-0 Railhawks
University of Archaeology 1-1 Maal PhiloFC
'lil Dæmons 3-0 Dockhands
University of Archery 1-2 Farmhands
AFC Apprentices 0-0 University of Architecture
MATCHDAY 2
Railhawks 1-2 University of Alchemy
Dockhands 0-1 Angels Youth
Farmhands 2-0 University of Archaeology
University of Architecture 2-2 'lil Dæmons
AFC Apprentices 1-0 University of Archery
MATCHDAY 3
University of Alchemy 0-1 Maal PhiloFC
Railhawks 2-1 Dockhands
Angels Youth 1-1 University of Architecture
University of Archaeology 1-1 AFC Apprentices
'lil Dæmons 8-1 University of Archery
MATCHDAY 4
Dockhands 4-3 University of Alchemy
Farmhands 1-4 Maal PhiloFC
University of Architecture 1-0 Railhawks
University of Archery 0-1 Angels Youth
'lil Dæmons 1-0 University of Archaeology
MATCHDAY 5
University of Alchemy 1-0 Farmhands
Dockhands 3-2 University of Architecture
Maal PhiloFC 0-0 AFC Apprentices
Railhawks 2-0 University of Archery
Angels Youth 2-1 University of Archaeology
MATCHDAY 6
University of Architecture 0-3 University of Alchemy
AFC Apprentices 0-1 Farmhands
University of Archery 3-1 Dockhands
'lil Dæmons 1-1 Maal PhiloFC
University of Archaeology 1-1 Railhawks
MATCHDAY 7
University of Alchemy 2-2 AFC Apprentices
University of Architecture 2-2 University of Archery
Farmhands 2-0 'lil Dæmons
Dockhands 1-0 University of Archaeology
Maal PhiloFC 1-1 Angels Youth
MATCHDAY 8
University of Archery 6-4 University of Alchemy
'lil Dæmons 3-3 AFC Apprentices
University of Archaeology 1-0 University of Architecture
Angels Youth 1-0 Farmhands
Railhawks 1-0 Maal PhiloFC
MATCHDAY 9
University of Alchemy 2-4 'lil Dæmons
University of Archery 2-0 University of Archaeology
AFC Apprentices 1-1 Angels Youth
Farmhands 1-2 Railhawks
Dockhands 2-0 Maal PhiloFC
MATCHDAY 10
University of Archaeology 0-2 University of Alchemy
Angels Youth 1-0 'lil Dæmons
Railhawks 0-1 AFC Apprentices
Maal PhiloFC 1-0 University of Architecture
Dockhands 5-0 Farmhands
MATCHDAY 11
University of Alchemy 2-0 Angels Youth
'lil Dæmons 2-0 Railhawks
University of Archery 0-0 Maal PhiloFC
AFC Apprentices 2-2 Dockhands
University of Architecture 1-1 Farmhands
MATCHDAY 12
Railhawks 0-2 Angels Youth
Maal PhiloFC 2-0 University of Archaeology
Dockhands 0-6 'lil Dæmons
Farmhands 0-1 University of Archery
University of Architecture 0-1 AFC Apprentices
MATCHDAY 13
University of Alchemy 1-0 Railhawks
Angels Youth 1-1 Dockhands
University of Archaeology 1-2 Farmhands
'lil Dæmons 5-4 University of Architecture
University of Archery 1-1 AFC Apprentices
MATCHDAY 14
Maal PhiloFC 0-3 University of Alchemy
Dockhands 1-2 Railhawks
University of Architecture 0-0 Angels Youth
AFC Apprentices 3-0 University of Archaeology
University of Archery 1-0 'lil Dæmons
MATCHDAY 15
University of Alchemy 4-0 Dockhands
Maal PhiloFC 0-0 Farmhands
Railhawks 0-0 University of Architecture
Angels Youth 3-0 University of Archery
University of Archaeology 1-4 'lil Dæmons
MATCHDAY 16
Farmhands 3-2 University of Alchemy
University of Architecture 1-0 Dockhands
AFC Apprentices 2-0 Maal PhiloFC
University of Archery 1-1 Railhawks
University of Archaeology 0-2 Angels Youth
MATCHDAY 17
University of Alchemy 3-0 University of Architecture
Farmhands 1-1 AFC Apprentices
Dockhands 1-2 University of Archery
Maal PhiloFC 0-0 'lil Dæmons
Railhawks 1-1 University of Archaeology
MATCHDAY 18
AFC Apprentices 0-3 University of Alchemy
University of Archery 1-0 University of Architecture
'lil Dæmons 1-0 Farmhands
University of Archaeology 1-0 Dockhands
Angels Youth 1-1 Maal PhiloFC
MATCHDAY 19
University of Alchemy 1-2 University of Archery
AFC Apprentices 1-1 'lil Dæmons
University of Architecture 0-0 University of Archaeology
Farmhands 1-0 Angels Youth
Maal PhiloFC 1-1 Railhawks
MATCHDAY 20
'lil Dæmons 1-0 University of Alchemy
University of Archaeology 1-0 University of Archery
Angels Youth 0-1 AFC Apprentices
Railhawks 0-0 Farmhands
Maal PhiloFC 1-2 Dockhands
MATCHDAY 21
University of Alchemy 3-2 University of Archaeology
'lil Dæmons 0-1 Angels Youth
AFC Apprentices 1-0 Railhawks
University of Architecture 1-0 Maal PhiloFC
Farmhands 3-1 Dockhands
MATCHDAY 22
Angels Youth 2-2 University of Alchemy
Railhawks 1-8 'lil Dæmons
Maal PhiloFC 0-1 University of Archery
Dockhands 1-3 AFC Apprentices
Farmhands 0-1 University of Architecture

Developmental Division Standings
    Team                             P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 'lil Dæmons                     20  11  5   4  50  21  +29  38  YC
  2 Angels Youth                    20  10  7   3  22  12  +10  37
  3 University of Alchemy           20  11  2   7  43  28  +15  35
  4 AFC Apprentices                 20   8 10   2  25  17   +8  34
  5 University of Archery           20   9  4   7  25  29   -4  31
  6 Farmhands                       20   8  4   8  20  23   -3  28
  7 Maal PhiloFC                    20   4  9   7  14  18   -4  21
  8 Railhawks                       20   5  6   9  15  26  -11  21
  9 University of Architecture      20   4  8   8  16  24   -8  20
 10 Dockhands                       20   6  2  12  26  40  -14  20
 11 University of Archaeology       20   3  5  12  12  30  -18  14

by **Mriin** » Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:42 pm

Mriin National League || Season 6

Premier Division Standings
    Team                   P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Maal Dæmons           10  7  2  1  22   7  +15  23
  2 Maal Angels           10  7  2  1  13   3  +10  23
  3 Bruul Skewers         10  7  2  1  12   6   +6  23
  4 AFC Hosingr           10  5  5  0  19   9  +10  20
  5 Vidial Alchemists     10  5  4  1  19  13   +6  19
  6 Westhold Royals       10  5  2  3   8   7   +1  17
  7 Harbor                10  4  3  3  12  16   -4  15
  8 Laneia                10  4  2  4  16  13   +3  14
  9 AC Mariina            10  3  4  3  12  12   +0  13
 10 Andü Volunteers       10  4  1  5   9  11   -2  13
 11 Wyvernscrest          10  2  4  4  13  12   +1  10
 12 Easthold Royals       10  3  1  6  11  16   -5  10
 13 Weldsmith             10  2  2  6   6  11   -5   8
 14 Mont Reàl             10  1  2  7   8  22  -14   5
 15 Wyrmstone             10  1  1  8   2  11   -9   4
 16 Mont Prei             10  0  3  7   3  16  -13   3

!!!TERNARY UPDATE!!!
Shock at the top: The Dæmons are off to a hot start for the first time anyone can remember, edging out their rivals on goal difference for the top spot. You could say that they had a rather easy schedule for the first third of the season, but they made a hell of a statement early on in a 5-0 drubbing of Harbor in Haven. Equestrian additions Cynebald and Flank Sinatra have been a revelation for the team, bringing in veteran leadership that’s been sorely lacking as well as firming up the team’s spine. The hyper-aggressive stylings of the Dæmons in years past has left them constantly left out to dry on the break, but now that they seem to have figured out a safer, more self-aware sort of aggressive play--could this be the real deal? Or is this just a matter of the league needing to re-adjust to their antics?

Barely a jot down, also on 23 points, are Lineker’s Skewers. The gaffer has slotted in cleanly--perhaps too cleanly, in the case of an early red that lead to her also getting sent off before getting eviscerated 4-1 by Harbor at home. Outside of that aberration the defense has been in lockstep, and they even just handed the Dæmons their first loss. Sinatra learned a few painful lessons, that’s for sure.

Fifth to seventh is an interesting gaggle. The Alchemists have been suffering from shiny new striker Decima having some issues getting used to satyr keepers, repeatedly missing chances against low-end sides that caused an epidemic of 1-1 draws that should have handily been 2-1 wins if not better. Westhold have surprisingly competent, crystal pony Rococo proving to be an excellent field commander that’s helped whip the team into shape alongside interim manager Iaka Teserii. Finally, it seems that even with a Qusmi’y injection, Harbor continue in their old rollercoaster ways. Beating the Skewers and Alchemists in high-scoring affairs, getting demolished by the Dæmons and Laneia? Falax-Paliv Yet has done an admiral job trying to replace Lasser Rei’s world-class talent, and the goals are coming, but it’s going to be imperative that their defense gets their shit together and finds out how to put Hirom-Vanza Roz to productive use.

Premier Division Standings
    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Maal Angels            20  12  6   2  24   8  +16  42
  2 Maal Dæmons            20  13  2   5  45  27  +18  41
  3 Vidial Alchemists      20   9  8   3  42  28  +14  35
  4 Westhold Royals        20  10  5   5  19  13   +6  35
  5 Bruul Skewers          20  10  5   5  26  22   +4  35
  6 Harbor                 20   9  7   4  26  22   +4  34
  7 AFC Hosingr            20   8  9   3  30  17  +13  33
  8 Wyvernscrest           20   6  9   5  32  28   +4  27
  9 Easthold Royals        20   8  3   9  28  32   -4  27
 10 AC Mariina             20   6  8   6  25  24   +1  26
 11 Andü Volunteers        20   6  6   8  19  23   -4  24
 12 Laneia                 20   6  5   9  24  29   -5  23
 13 Wyrmstone              20   4  5  11   8  17   -9  17
 14 Mont Reàl              20   4  4  12  24  43  -19  16
 15 Weldsmith              20   3  6  11   9  22  -13  15
 16 Mont Prei              20   0  4  16  10  36  -26   4

!!!Ternary Update!!!
While it’s still far too early to call anything, it certainly seems like two seperate races may be forming: the fated Maal Derby for the championship (ignore the actual Derby though, the Angels took it 3-0, it was a rough watch), and extremely tight jostling to see who gets left out of UICA play in sixth and seventh. With five teams from third to seventh within two points of each other, and all being quality sides--aside from an overperforming Westhold side--it’ll be a cut-throat race to see who gets left out.

At the other end, the monks just have stopped caring. Zero wins, only four points, it’s a bit of a farce. Enough of a farce that the MNL is coming under some fire for letting a team this non-competitive even happen, but administrators assure (not incorrectly) that this was impossible to predict, and have bantered around the idea of fining the team… either way, we’ll be seeing them in the Lower for season 7. As to who will join them, both expansion teams are struggling rather predictably while a static Wyrmstone side just hasn’t done enough to see them out of the danger zone. The Vols could see themselves yo-yoing back down with a bad run of form but have been surprisingly disciplined on defense so far. Laneia is technically in the danger zone, but they always seem to skate past unscathed--just some of that dryad magic, I suppose.

Premier Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Maal Angels            30  18   9   3  38  10  +28  63  CC
  2 Maal Dæmons            30  17   6   7  57  36  +21  57  CC
  3 Westhold Royals        30  15  10   5  32  18  +14  55  GC
  4 Harbor                 30  15  10   5  38  28  +10  55  GC
  5 Bruul Skewers          30  14  10   6  37  31   +6  52  GC
  6 Vidial Alchemists      30  14   8   8  56  37  +19  50  VCI
  7 AFC Hosingr            30  13  10   7  41  24  +17  49
  8 Easthold Royals        30  14   4  12  49  45   +4  46
  9 Wyvernscrest           30   9  11  10  41  40   +1  38
 10 AC Mariina             30   9  11  10  34  41   -7  38
 11 Andü Volunteers        30   9   8  13  28  38  -10  35
 12 Laneia                 30   9   5  16  34  48  -14  32
 13 Weldsmith              30   6   9  15  16  31  -15  27
 14 Wyrmstone              30   5   8  17  15  32  -17  23
 15 Mont Reàl              30   4   8  18  30  58  -28  20  Relegated
 16 Mont Prei              30   1   9  20  16  45  -29  12  Relegated

What could have been an exciting race was pretty decisively decided on with three left to play, as the Angels complete the derby sweet in a two-oh dismantling of the Dæmons. Kubunga’s goal count against the Dæmons just this season is up to four, a proper thorn in their side. This shocking Westhold side could have actually claimed the MNL’s newly-earned second Champion’s Cup slot, especially when all odds were beaten and they took out the Angels in Haven (who had nothing to play for, but y’know), but news came in pretty quickly that the Dæmons were racking up the goals in Laneia. A brace for Morea Zozetua and another for Uugueth Tilanii would have been plenty, but then Flank Sinatra absolutely embarrassed Vaato'sijol with a sidestep the dryad probably didn’t know ponies were capable of to make it 4-1. In fourth and fifth are Harbor in the Skewers, much the same as last season: very respectable finishes, UICA play, but a deep disappointment in never really threatening the top spot without divine intervention striking the Angels down.

In sixth is what will be considered by many to be an outright failure of an Alchemists squad, but it’s hard to pin where exactly things fell apart. Decima turned out to be a perfectly good striker, but the Alchemists were built around having a properly overwhelming offense--more defensive upgrades had to be done to balance it out, as Lachlan Kenway couldn’t do it all himself between the sticks. But really, looking at the Alchemists and also Hosingr below them, one has to wonder how much luck came into play. Their +19 and +17 goal differentials are third and fourth in the league, and are significantly above the Skewers' and Harbor's--unfairly hit by the spread, or inflated from undeserved blowouts?

At the bottom of the table, it’s a double Mont relegation. With the Dragonriders eliminated from promotion contention, it’s official that all three mountain teams will be in the Lower for Season 7. There was a theoretical chance for Reàl to stay up, but it was one of those “beat a top team by 15 goals” situations. They’ll need to retool to take their approach from Lower stompers to Premier contenders, which Weldsmith seems to be catching on to a bit quicker.

Lower Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Gryst Brewers          30  17   9   4  51  23  +28  60  SBCC Promoted
  2 Reyn Wanderers         30  13  12   5  42  26  +16  51  SBCC Promoted
  3 Prei Dragonriders      30  13   9   8  44  31  +13  48  SBCC
  4 AFC Vendiir            30  10  14   6  30  23   +7  44
  5 Ashfell                30  10  10  10  24  23   +1  40
  6 Andü United            30   8  13   9  28  26   +2  37
  7 Centre Bruul           30   9  10  11  19  28   -9  37
  8 Evyr Thespians         30   9  10  11  34  44  -10  37
  9 Vidial SC              30   6  12  12  34  42   -8  30
 10 Kaalen                 30   7   8  15  28  53  -25  29
 11 Seastone Royals        30   6   7  17  19  34  -15  25

Semifinals
Andü Volunteers 1-4 Harbor
Maal Angels 2-0 AFC Hosingr

MNL Cup Final
Harbor 1-1 Maal Angels (1-2 AET)

by **Mriin** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 11:58 am

Mriin National League || Season 6 || Accolades

Gilded Hoof Top Goalscorer
Goals | Player | Team
24 | Decima | Vidial Alchemists (Equestrian States)
21 | Mari Lavoi | Maal Angels
19 | Shayna Nephara | AFC Hosingr (Drawkland)

As pyrrhic victory a victory as they come for Decima and Nephara. Shiny medals celebrating their quality contributions to the sport, spearheading teams that outscored their opponents in droves… and still manage to miss out on UICA play. At the very least Decima’s efforts won the Alchemists’ the “Entertaining Football” award and thereby a spot in the Vilitan Cove Invitational, but it’s still a hard blow for both teams that had title aspirations.

Gilded Glove Cleanest Sheet
Shutouts | Player | Team
23 | Zilia Hawsorn | Maal Angels
17 | Hurricane Gale | Westhold Royals (New Cloudsdale)
14 | Night Thunder | Bruul Skewers (Freeport)

Zilia’s dominance continues unhindered, but it seems the ponies know a thing or two about goalkeeping. Which shouldn’t be much of a surprise--after all, the best keeper in the multiverse for some three decades was an Equestrian (thanks to time shenanigans). They know how to train ‘em, but it’ll be interesting to watch Gale and Thunder to see if the league’s strikers get more accustomed to them--or vice versa.

Gilded Visa Most Valuable Foreigner
Player | Position | Team
Kubunga | AM | Maal Angels (Banguela/Ceni)
Rajih Zafir Mansour | CB | Maal Angels (Pasarga)
Rococo | CB | Westhold Royals (Crystal Empire)

While it wasn’t the Angel’s widest margin of victory, it was a statement victory over their rivals. Kubunga continues to be the cog that keeps their possession lively and creative, while Mansour took like a duck to water in the already well-disciplined defense to put together arguably the best season the MNL has seen out of a back. Rococo continues the trend of defensively-brilliant ponies, taking a Westhold defense largely considered swiss cheese and providing the leadership needed to bring it to the best level you can hope for--second to the Angels.

Gilded Horn Most Valuable Leftover
Player | Position | Team
Morea Zozetua | LW | Maal Dæmons
Uugueth Tilanii | ST | Maal Dæmons
Wehi’katal | RB | Westhold Royals

It didn’t seem right to leave any and all Dæmons out of this, but their rise to CC play was much more of a collaborative team effort than we’d really seen before rather than relying on one or two stellar players supported by a few solid jobbers. This shout-out goes to two players that have been with the Dæmons since the bad old days of the first few seasons; Zozetua and Tilanii have matured from bloodthirsty ballhawks to merely highly aggressively attacking pieces that can read the room and backpedal. Wehi’katal was a rookie dryad picked up to fill a gap on a whim, just the second dryad to play for a non-Laneia team (and the second to play for Westhold). They impressed so much that they were immediately called up to the national team--not the biggest surprise, considering how inconsistent the Reavers’ defense tends to be. If all goes well Wehi’katal will add an excellent marking game to both of his teams, a truly suffocating presence.

by **Mriin** » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:28 pm

MNL Season 7 || Preview

by **Mriin** » Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:32 am

MNL Season 7 || Review || Part 1

The smell of freshly-cut grass wafts on the breeze as football returns to the land with the ceremonial first round thumpings. Newly-promoted Wanderers neener-neener the still-lower Ashfell to the tune of three unmatched Jaiir Monsuur strikes, the Alchemists utterly dismantle a dejected Kaalen side six-oh and Wyrmstone surprises with a dominant hosting of Laneia.

Highlights:
Harbor 0-7 Maal Dæmons, MD3: Harbor come crashing to the ground with one of their trademark complete implosions for their first loss of the season. The Dæmons may now be a reasonable side unrecognizable to the beserk beast of yore, but when they get a chance to let loose? Hoo, do they let loose. Rae Shackleton looked well past his prime as Morea Zozetua ran circles around him time after time, racking up a brace from the wing while setting up Ügueth Tilanii and Flank Sinatra up for one apiece. Add in Murgen Knox bumbling one in during an inane goalmouth scrum, Bardok Kol firing one off while Vania Aer was asleep betwixt the sticks, and a truly embarrassing own goal from an exasperated Kalia Tolsi? Just an awful, ugly time all around.

Vidial Alchemists 5-0 Wyvernscrest, MD3
Maal Dæmons 1-3 Vidial Alchemists, MD4: While the Dæmons were busy beating on Harbor, the Alchs were making wyrm stew. That lead to a remarkably tasty fixture the next week, the teams that combined for twelve goals in a day going head-to-head, each heavy with title expectations. It was a tense back-and-forth affair in Haven, Izi Kaan drawing the ire of the home crowd with a… pretty blatant dive, that got rewarded for an early lead. Morea kept his hot streak up to equalize, a thunderous shot that screamed across the goal and banked in off the far post to Lachlan Kenway’s shock. The visitors didn’t let the roar of the crowd cow them, however, pressing forward and racking up chance after chance to test Dinii Eduun. They wouldn’t get a breakthrough until well into the second half, but Decima quickly followed Malia Polandre’s first goal of the season (which garnered a reluctant cheer from the crowd, what with this being her retirement tour) to put the game out of reach.

Well. Kaalen has never been a side to garner much respect, but when an almost entirely rotated Alchemists side eviscerates you to the tune of nine-nil, it may be time to go back to the drawing board. Fifteen-oh aggregate! What the fuck! In much less interesting matchups, Weldsmith successfully ground their match to a halt to take things on away goals, while the Skewers got a scare as Easthold managed one--but only one meant they were also through on away goals. Laneia managed a dramatic turn of fortune at home, overcoming a three goal deficit cleanly with a brace a piece for Zoha’nudal and Ashal’anore.

Highlights:
Harbor 9-0 Reyn Wanderers, MD6: The Wanderers came into the day yet to find their first Upper win in over a decade, and fair to say they weren’t going to find it in Dockside. Harbor unleashed some pent up rage, with seven different players finding their way onto the scoresheet. Octogenarian, career-sub defender Ryyp Tuurn even found his first (and, tbqh, last) goal when he got thrown into the clearly finished match.

Maal Angels 0-1 AFC Hosingr, MD7
Maal Angels 0-1 Reyn Wanderers, MD8: The Angels managing 0 points in a two-week span is nearly unheard of, nevermind with both matches at home! Hosingr put them to task with excellent possession-based play denying them any good opportunities to counter, and Shayna Nephara cleanly capitalized on a single misstep on Meryn Valent’s part to slot in the winner. The less said about the Wanderers’ first win, the better.

Wyvernscrest 0-6 Maal Dæmons, MD9
Bruul Skewers 8-0 Wyvernscrest, MD10: Oh, Wyverns. Please do literally anything but whatever it is you’re doing right now.

In the !!!Ternary Table!!!, the Skewers are out to an early lead having a few hard-fought wins in hand. The top of the pack reaches down to Westhold and a somewhat faltering Angels on 19 points, but there’s nothing particularly shocking yet.

Upper Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Bruul Skewers           10   8   1   1  33  10  +23  25
 2 Maal Dæmons             10   8   0   2  30   8  +22  24
 3 Harbor                  10   7   2   1  33  17  +16  23
 4 Vidial Alchemists       10   7   0   3  22  10  +12  21
 5 Maal Angels             10   6   1   3  11   5  +6   19
 6 Westhold Royals         10   6   1   3  12   9  +3   19
 7 Laneia                  10   5   1   4  21  19  +2   16
 8 AFC Hosingr             10   5   0   5  12  12   0   15
 9 AC Mariina              10   4   2   4  14  15  −1   14
10 Gryst Brewers           10   4   2   4  12  17  −5   14
11 Easthold Royals         10   4   1   5  15  18  −3   13
12 Andü Volunteers         10   2   1   7  8   22  −14   7
13 Reyn Wanderers          10   1   3   6  8   25  −17   6
14 Wyvernscrest            10   1   2   7  6   29  −23   5
15 Weldsmith               10   0   4   6  9   17  −8    4
16 Wyrmstone               10   0   3   7  4   17  −13   3

by **Mriin** » Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:43 am

MNL Season 7 || Review || Part 2

Hosingr manage a near-perfect repeat of their Angel handling efforts, this time merely shifted over to Iron Alley. Harbor are… Harbor, as whiplash-inducing as ever. A four goal deficit going into the second leg is typically regarded as insurmountable, but in a year of a blowouts and the opponent being the Vols… I wouldn’t count them out quite yet. Probably the most shocking result of all is how the Skewers and Alchs contrived to not score a single goal.

Highlights:
AFC Hosingr 5-1 Maal Dæmons, MD12
Maal Dæmons 10-0 Reyn Wanderers, MD13: I’m so tired.

The entirety of MD14: Holy shit no team scored more than a single goal! The Vols choking out the Dæmons at home is genuinely impressive, Hadrii Tiaant making four distinct fantastic saves to put some faith in their callup to the national team.

Merde. Harbor fuckin’ tried, and you can never take that away from them, but Matel Jaaz nodding home to shrink the deficit to three in injury time… it’s a novel way to be elimanted. Prei pops out of the second round Lower matchup in extra time to be a sacrificial lamb in the quarterfinals. Hosingr weren’t able to pull another upset in Haven, and a smooth Marii Lavoi finish in extra time sends them packing. Finally, Decima did some Decimating to ensure the Skewers wouldn’t be troubling the Angels for yet another cup rematch.

Highlights:
Maal Angels 0-1 AC Mariina, MD17
Maal Dæmons 1-4 Easthold Royals, MD17: A terrible weekend in Haven, as two eminently winnable matchups escape for both Maal sides. It seems the league at large has finally started to solve the Kubunga-Marii connection and are successfully breaking up any of the Angel’s offensive momentum--they’ve been held scoreless more than any other season already! I mean, I didn’t actually look that up, but c’mon. It’s the Angels.

Maal Dæmons 4-0 Harbor, MD18
Bruul Skewers 7-2 Harbor, MD19: I’m starting to think it’s not Harbor’s season, y’all. Kaplan has been stingy with the pocketbooks lately and that’s really showing with this sinking ship of a defense; they’re either going to need heavy-duty upgrades in the offseason, or a liquidation.

Bruul Skewers 6-2 Vidial Alchemists, MD20: ...y’know, and maybe it is the Skewer’s season. Seeing them at the top of the standings is never anything special--they’re a competent team, possess real quality, but also seem to fade away. These absolute statement wins to end the second ternary eight whole points up on second? Lineker has done something stellar with this squad, I tell you hwat.

Another !!!Ternary Table!!! shows that unprecedented lead for the Skewers, as well as the cutthroat dogfight over the second Champion’s Cup spot. Three points separating second to fifth is a salivating prospect, and with ten games to go you still can’t count out the Achs or even either of the Royals making a dark horse run--though Westhold is really showing their age, the phonominally old team sputtering into the second half and clearly shifting their focus to the UICA play they’ve already earned. The bottom is also quite embroiled, disappointing Weldsmith and Vols squads mucking about with an abject Wyrmstone and a Wanderers side with a truly hideous GD. It’s looking like the Brewers may just have what it takes to stay up now that they’ve finally made the Upper, though!

Upper Division Standings
    Team                    P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Bruul Skewers           20  15   2   3  60  21  +39  47
 2 Maal Dæmons             20  12   3   5  52  24  +28  39
 3 AFC Hosingr             20  12   2   6  31  20  +11  38
 4 Maal Angels             20  12   2   6  19   8  +11  38
 5 Harbor                  20  10   6   4  47  37  +10  36
 6 Vidial Alchemists       20  10   3   7  37  27  +10  33
 7 Easthold Royals         20  10   1   9  31  27   +4  31
 8 Westhold Royals         20   8   5   7  24  20   +4  29
 9 AC Mariina              20   8   4   8  25  27   −2  28
10 Laneia                  20   8   3   9  35  35    0  27
11 Wyvernscrest            20   6   4  10  23  40  −17  22
12 Gryst Brewers           20   6   3  11  19  38  −19  21
13 Wyrmstone               20   4   4  12  11  26  −15  16
14 Reyn Wanderers          20   3   7  10  19  47  −28  16
15 Weldsmith               20   3   6  11  16  30  −14  15
16 Andü Volunteers         20   4   3  13  14  36  −22  15

by **Mriin** » Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:51 am

MNL Season 7 || Review || Part 3

A predictable string of first round results, although Kaarina Vol sneaking one past Zilia Hawsorn and forcing the Angels to scramble for a second was novel. The Dragonriders lucked out by the grace of the bracket, dodging quality competition for the third straight round and surprisingly putting out the most watchable match for a neutral fan. Not that any of them thought to watch it, of course.

Maal Angels 0-1 Bruul Skewers, MD21: Angels 0-1 X has been a frighteningly common sight this season, and with the Skewers being on the other end of it? The title is officially the Skewers’ to lose. Meadow Evergreen has put together a fucking masterclass of a season for a twenty-year-old unicorn, jesus.

Maal Angels 0-2 Andü Volunteers, MD24: God, this is the trainwreck I can’t look away from. Some in Andü seriously questioned how hard they went into this game, however--sure, the points will help in the relegation battle, but man a deep cup appearance would be nice. And the midweek second leg against the very same Angels is looming...

Yep, the Vols fucked it.

The Dragonriders and Brewers continue playing inexplicably entertaining football, against all odds! Otalia Kasmiir orchestrated her offense wonderfully, but Haalfor Weir matched her progress hoof-to-hoof to the home team’s chagrin. Managing to perfectly mirror the first leg score to send things into extra time, and then still matching goal-for-goal! But, alas, that meant Prei had one more away goal. What a fucky scoreline.

Similar to Westhold and the Dæmons’ scoreline, which… what the fuck? Kaija Koppel had been having a rather quiet season up to that point, but bent over backwards with a hat-trick to try and become an instant hero for the Westrons. The Dæmons struck back with a much more multifaceted attack, counting goals from each of Flank Sinatra, Morea Zozetua, Ügueth Tilanii, and Kliio Skaarn to put up the ludicrous 4-4 scoreline and, somehow, becoming the second 5-5 aggregate away goals advancement of the round.

Highlights:
Andü Volunteers 0-2 Gryst Brewers, MD26: A vital six-pointer at the bottom of the table, which may very well seal the Vol’s fate while preserving the Brewers. Otalia is pulling a tremendous amount of weight on this team, to the point that there’s whispers in Gryst worrying that she might get snapped up during the transfer window. And who knows if the owners would be willing to reinvest that money into a replacement?

There’s too many instances of crab-bucketing to note here; both Royals (in the Upper) beating Harbor and the Alchs, the Angels beating Easthold, Harbor beating the Angels, the Dæmons imploding in Reyn… the only constant is the Skewers, who just keep winning. Until Hosingr just fuckin’ parks the bus as hard as they’ve ever parked it, natch.

Points:
Skewers 64
Dæmons 55
Angels 51
Alchemists 49
AFC Hosingr 46
Harbor 44
Easthold Royals 43

For as much as the Dragonriders’ run seemed much more luck than a proper dark horse, they didn’t play like that here. The prolific Dæmons found themselves cut off often and repeatedly by stellar coverage, the one free kick Ügueth managed to curl into the net was cancelled out by a thundrous blast courtesy of Haalfor. The striker had quickly ingratiated himself as a hero among the loose gaggle of fans who’d ventured out of Prei to catch this run… up until he horribly skied his shots in penalties. As did the next two of his compatriots. A horribly undignified exit for a side that honestly, truly deserved better. Knowing they’ve secured promotion for next season helps soothe the sting… a tiny, tiny, tiny bit.

In the other tie, the Angels remember who they are and where they are. Winning cup semifinals is something core to their very DNA. And now, finally, the eventuality we all knew would come some day: the Haven derby cup final. There’s no doubt the MNL will waive the neutral grounds policy in this instance, because how the hell could you not hold that in Haven?

With the Dæmons winning and the Angels losing, the earlier can book their ticket to the Champion’s Cup while blowing raspberries across the street. The fifth place slot--jostling for the third globe cut spot, considering both potential Cup winners are already qualified and thus won’t claim an extra one--is still alive, as all three of Hosingr, Harbor, and Easthold win to stay within three points of each other and nearly equivalent goal differences.

Points:
Skewers 67
Dæmons 58
Alchemists 52
Angels 51
AFC Hosingr 49
Harbor 47
Easthold Royals 46

Harbor and Mariina both flail in their final match, but it didn’t matter--Hosingr takes care of business in Reyn to secure fifth.

Upper Division Standings
    Team                    P   W  D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Bruul Skewers          30  21  5   4  79  30  +49  68  CC
  2 Maal Dæmons            30  19  4   7  78  34  +44  61  CC
  3 Vidial Alchemists      30  16  5   9  54  37  +17  53  GC
  4 Maal Angels            30  16  4  10  27  15  +12  52  GC CWC
  5 AFC Hosingr            30  16  4  10  43  33  +10  52  GC
  6 Easthold Royals        30  15  2  13  47  39   +8  47
  7 Harbor                 30  13  8   9  56  49   +7  47  VCI
  8 AC Mariina             30  12  7  11  48  45   +3  43
  9 Laneia                 30  11  5  14  46  52   -6  38
 10 Wyrmstone              30   9  7  14  20  35  -15  34
 11 Gryst Brewers          30  10  4  16  31  53  -22  34
 12 Westhold Royals        30   9  6  15  28  38  -10  33
 13 Reyn Wanderers         30   8  9  13  35  61  -26  33
 14 Wyvernscrest           30   8  8  14  40  64  -24  32
 15 Weldsmith              30   5  8  17  25  44  -19  23
 16 Andü Volunteers        30   5  8  17  24  52  -28  23

Lower Division Standings
   Team                     P   W   D   L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Prei Dragonriders       27  11  12   4  34  20  +14  45  SBCC Promoted
 2 Mont Reàl               27  11   8   8  35  26   +9  41  SBCC Promoted
 3 Evyr Thespians          27  11   8   8  39  31   +8  41  SBCC
 4 AFC Vendiir             27  11   8   8  27  25   +2  41
 5 Vidial SC               27  10  10   7  39  38   +1  40
 6 Andü United             27  10   7  10  31  30   +1  37
 7 Ashfell                 27   9   8  10  16  19   -3  35
 8 Centre Bruul            27   8   6  13  19  25   -6  30
 9 Seastone Royals         27   7   7  13  19  31  -12  28
10 Kaalen                  27   7   6  14  29  43  -14  27

Developmental Division Standings
    Team                             P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
  1 Angels Youth                    20 10  8  2  22  11  +11  38  YC
  2 'lil Dæmons                     20 10  3  7  30  20  +10  33
  3 Dockhands                       20  8  8  4  37  31   +6  32
  4 University of Alchemy           20  8  6  6  25  23   +2  30
  5 Railhawks                       20  7  9  4  18  16   +2  30
  6 AFC Apprentices                 20  6  8  6  11  11   +0  26
  7 University of Archaeology       20  7  5  8  16  20   -4  26
  8 Farmhands                       20  5  7  8  20  24   -4  22
  9 University of Architecture      20  5  5 10  25  30   -5  20
 10 Maal PhiloFC                    20  4  7  9  10  18   -8  19
 11 University of Archery           20  4  6 10  14  24  -10  18

by **Mriin** » Mon Jan 06, 2020 7:02 pm

Mriin National League || Season 7 || Accolades

Gilded Hoof Top Goalscorer
Goals | Player | Team
32 | Meadow Evergreen | Bruul Skewers (Freeport)
22 | Uugueth Tilanii | Maal Dæmons
19 | Decima | Vidial Alchemists (Equestrian States)

At a scant twenty years of age, Meadow Evergreen has repaid the trust Lineker put in her a thousand fold. Some say she just can't tell how old a pony is, but that's surely hearsay. It was an unprecedented season, breaking the goalscoring record by three and taking the title with it. If the Skewers can keep hold of her--with the advantage of the MNL already being one of the higher leagues that allows equines to compete--this could be the start of a dynasty. Uugueth happened to be the cog of the well-oiled Dæmons machine that finally lived up to expectations, but that's not to take anything away from his personal performance. He's without a doubt the beating heart of their explosive offense as well as their horn in the net. Decima continues the trend of Equestrian imports doing well, but once again will have to settle for a quality personal season while the rest of the Alchemists lacked the oomph to push for title contention.

Gilded Glove Top Keeper
Player | Team
Dun Mekeus | Wyrmstone
Zilia Hawsorn | Maal Angels
Kostin Bermat | AFC Hosingr

It's about time Mekeus got recognized for the work he's doing in Wyrmstone. While they have other good pieces defensively, a lesser keeper would still see them relegated in a blink. That mix of generallissimo that keeps otherwise wayward backs in line and the athleticism to cover their mistakes is a valuable asset. Of course, Zilia is here, but she's accompanied with consistently the best defense by a wide, wide margin. There's no doubt she's still a top class keeper as she drifts further into her thirties--perhaps helped by her choice to leave the stresses of international football behind. Finally, Kostin ends his fan-favorite career with another strong season. And has an assistant managership marked for him already!

Gilded Visa Most Valuable Foreigner
Player | Position | Team
Meadow Evergreen | ST | Bruul Skewers (Freeport)
Murgen Knox | CB | Maal Dæmons (Brenecia)
Falax-Paliv Yet | LW | Harbor Qusmo

We really can't overstate how stellar a season Evergreen had. Two awards it is! Behind her are Murgen Knox, who may have literally cut owner Vance Lazaar in the locker room at one point but hey, he lead the Dæmons to only giving up 34 goals. The Dæmons! Whatever it fuckin' takes. Falax-Paliv Yet has been notoriously invisible for several seasons with Harbor, and finally seemed have a breakthrough--rumored to be at an ultimatum from owner Jan Haplan. They brought back shades of the championship sides that had legendary attacking width--and was just enough to drag them out of trouble into a consolation prize VCI appearance.

by **Mriin** » Thu Apr 02, 2020 9:12 pm

MNL Season 8 || Preview || The Top Half

Bruul Skewers
₂₄Night Thunder

₃₃Muuna Kentar - ₃₁Maxii Girou - ₂₆August Chappelle

- ₃₄Daniel Hallison

₂₈Marak Solst - ₂₉Briir Tosaani - ₂₃Pietr Vol - ₂₆Popo Tevainen
₂₁Meadow Evergreen

- ₂₈Siviir Braum

Nickname: the Skewers, the Butchers
Home Grounds: Butcher’s Den, Bruul
Colors: Stainless Silver and Blood Red
Manager: Emery Lineker, Brazen Barker

Last Season: Champions; Cup 2nd round

Background: Bruul, at its core, is a city divided. In this case quite literally by the train tracks that run to Vidial and nearly all of their commerce travels through. When the Skewers were founded both sides were bad for their own reasons; you could either live in the poorest locale in Mriin with little hope of escape, or live a bougie life of fear under the thumb of the nation’s most transparent and violent mob boss. Rone Kresh founded the team and his cronies ‘recruited’ and ‘advertised’ on his behalf, playing up the gladiatorial ideal that was Kresh’s footballing stratagem. Once Kresh was finally brought to justice a new-look international Skewers squad rallied the community around their half of the city entered a renaissance.

Breakdown: Lineker arrived to a clubhouse full of villains and murderers and successfully honed them into a set of jack-hooved thugs who know how to get things done. Club legend Geraard Tavol decides to call it quits at the tops, and in to replace him comes one of the best foreign players to sign at a Mrii club as of yet. Mallox utilityman August Chappelle will be looking to nail down a role and make his name at the heart of the feared Skewers’ defense. At the front, Meadow Evergreen put up an absolutely astonishing season for a twenty-year-old--there’s many tipping her for a heavy sophomore slump. Regression after a season like that is inevitable, but the question is how far will it go? And of course, Reaver regular Popo Tevainen will be doing his best to run whoever matches up with him into the ground with his absurd stamina.

Maal Dæmons
₂₆Wellington Doolan

₃₆Uhlon Loft - ₂₉Murgen Knox

- ₂₆Temerys Kuuvainen
₂₆Tia Mor - ₃₄Rhyan Thiel

- ₃₁Cynebald

bre
₂₈Morea Zozetua - ₂₇Uugueth Tilanii - ₃₄Flank Sinatra

- ₂₄Kliio Skaarn

Nickname: the Dæmons
Home Grounds: Haven, seaside Maal
Colors: Black and Crimson
Owner: Vance Lazaar, Shipping Magnate
Last Season: 2nd; Cup Second Round

Background: The other half of the founding duo. The Dæmons have been barnstorming around the islands to spread the good word of football for nearing a century now, bouncing from decimating amatuer teams by twenty goals to getting shut out one-nil by their archrivals in the Angels. Incorporation didn’t do them any favors as their fortunes in the MNL varied wildly with the whims of wildcard owner Vance Lazaar. He has a penchant for overloading offense to the point of ridicule, though in recent years the other owners have managed to slap some sense into him and as a result the Dæmons have wielded more balanced teams to more consistently successful results. In terms of Maal shares, the immediate neighborhood of Haven in the old city is historically their territory, though anyone in the city who either hates defensively-minded teams or just wants to be a hipster is liable to don the black and red.

Breakdown: The big news for the Dæmons is, of course, the big goalkeeper swap. Dinii Eduun was a relatively late sale in the window, springboarding off her relative success under their less suicidally aggressive tactics. She’ll be taking on a potentially lucrative position in Brenecia minding net for Northern Stallions. In her place, they took that modest $3 million fee and combined it with leftover funds stashed from windows past to nab an even later purchase in Wellington Doolan, one of the top keepers in Ko-oren. And we all know the Ko-oronites know a thing or two about keeping a clean sheet. Noone can say Lazaar isn’t putting a genuine effort into shoring up his team’s defense. Of course, they’ve still got their murderer’s row up front--Morea Zozetua and Uugeth Tilanii have been producing for years and are just now approaching their prime. Add into that them scalping Reaver Tia Moor away from Easthold? This is an unparalleled Dæmons vintage.

Vidial Alchemists
₂₈Lachlan Kenway

₃₂Flonz-Urynt Guv

- ₃₁Aaron Paak - ₂₉Vernan Quill
₂₆Naasa Uuteni - ₂₅Kiera Weiram- ₂₉Jasko Voleimann

- ₂₈Katia Telez
₃₀Nightjar Evans - ₂₅Decima

- ₂₈Izi Kaan

Nickname: the Alchs
Home Grounds: Gold Field, University of Alchemy, Vidial
Colors: Deep Purple and Gold
Owner: Don Mizzet, UA Dean of External Affairs, Head of Medicinal Studies, Chair of the Board, Athletic Coordinator, and Alumni Exemplar [Dragon]
Manager: Joren Kreuger, Brooding Analyst
Last Season: 3rd; Cup Semifinals

Background: The University of the Alchemy has a long and storied history of producing overachievers. From business graduates to sportspeople to the eponymous alchemy program, their graduates always ensure to make a very public show of how they put in 300% effort into everything they do--even if that only leaves them 5% better off than the competition. With the exception of their football team. The extra effort there paid off tremendously, largely due to the historically low quality of Mrii football at that point in time. In the barnstorming days an appointment at Gold Field was always the most daunting prospect for the Angels, the only place where they’d be handed the L more than twice in their decades of touring. Come incorporation Don knew the talent he had in-house and was determined not to let it be poached, so a massive marketing campaign appealing to the pride of the students and faculty as the best Mriin had to offer pressured all the current players to official sign to the rebranded Alchemists squad. But Vidial is a heavily tribal city, not just between the multitudinous universities present but between old-yet-tiny football clubs that still haven’t made the jump to professionalism. The Alchs may appear to be The Vidial Squad from the outside but their domain is as pockmarked and divided as can be outside UA’s limestone spires.

Breakdown: Some called S7 a return to form for the Alchs, making it up to third place. But their season was shockingly similar to the sixth-place finish from S6--two more wins, three less draws, two less goals scored, and an equal number conceded. The squad was definitely more consolidated and confident under the undivided attention of Joren Kreuger, who was officially promoted to managership after a few cycles doing most of the work as an assistant. But the feeling that their relative success was due more to their surroundings than themselves is difficult to shake. They’re certainly trying to take their fate into their own hands for S8, snapping up two quality pieces from the Terranean-Esportivan Convergence. Nightjar Evans is a pace merchant that will provide some much-needed speed and tactical prowess the team had been missing with the aging Malia Polandre. If all goes to plan, she’ll feed Jasko Voleimann so he can maraud while defenders are busy trying to keep the prolific Decima at bay. The defense still leaves many things to be desired but Lachlan Kenway is a sure pair of hands to keep things within reason.

Maal Angels
₃₄Zilia Hawsorn
₂₈Meryn Valent - ₂₈Rajih Zafir Mansour

- ₃₅Mizia Thuun - ₂₅Lyynel Hyylux
₂₃Tiamat Harvaal - ₂₃Jessica Siafik

- ₂₉Deitr Konovaal - ₂₆Olaana Tagarii
₃₁Kubunga

₃₁Mari Lavoi

Nickname: the Angels, the Halos
Home Grounds: Haven, seaside Maal
Colors: White and Gold
Owner: Vicky Lavoi, Shipping Magnate
Last Season: 4th; Cup Victory

Background: Ask any Mrii what team they support and there’s a good chance they’ll tell you the Angels. Their inclusive branding, historical and modern success, and crystal-clear reputation have given them a broad appeal for any fan too casual to be invested in their trash neighborhood team. Not that there aren’t die-hard Angels fans, of course. Even before incorporation the Havensgard fan collective would follow the team for every match across the nation and remain a vocal presence wherever they show up. They’re obnoxiously kind, too--especially irritating to the Dæmons faithful who try to rile them up and never get a payoff.

Breakdown: The Angels locker room is going to be as divided as it’s been in years, following Vicky Lavoi’s attempt to replace club legend Zilia Hawsorn and also her own sister. The bids for Mia Ria and Garret Ramsey, respectively, both fell through and were late enough in the window that options were slim-to-none. And so it’ll be that two key players who feel disrespected by management will be trotted out for a few dozen more games. What could go wrong? On the upshot, Jessica Siafik is a coup of a signing from the oft-underlooked Sajnurian league. Captain of a burgeoning national team at 23 is a good place to be, as is the heart of the Angels formation to better feed Kabugna and Mari with her excellent eye for through balls. Or just getting on the score sheet herself, as she’s wont to do.

AFC Hosingr
₂₇Sigurd Rustwyth

₂₅Alcaantra Tine - ₂₈Maas Halder - ₂₇Agate Whitespire

- ₂₂Kiora Moor
_??Ayan’abar - ₁₉Jamelão

- ₃₂Kesmith Yor - ₂₁Sugar Wing

₂₃Heron Paara - ₃₀Shayna Nephara

Nickname: the Coalhorns, the Irons
Home Grounds: Iron Alley, Hosingr
Colors: Rust Orange and Cobalt Blue
Owner: Jezabel Cotler, Steel Baron
Manager: Gareth Dawkins

Last Season: 5th; Cup Second Round
Background: Hosingr has always been the ‘third city’ to Mrii; it lacks the metropolitan pop of Maal and doesn’t have the wild architecture or uni party scene of Vidial. Instead it housed the vast majority of the Mriin’s paltry industrial sector, with the local football club being the primary source of entertainment for the hard-working and down-to-earth factory workers. Iron Alley was once a literal alley that separated the factory district with one of the largest residential districts before newer zoning laws--heavy on those pesky pollution regulations--created a bit of a dead zone nobody wanted. That is, except for Jezabel Cotler, founder of one of the local steel companies who’s never one to pass up free real estate. Noting the location as perfect for catching both those leaving first shift and those getting ready for third shift, she snapped up said local club and built the nation’s first modern football stadium on the spot. Harbor, obviously located over by the docks, had always been disregarded by the rest of Hosingr as a couple of haggard seamen playing kickabout. But following their back-to-back titles in the early years of incorporation, many casual fans flocked to the coast and a bitter rivalry brewed. The Coalhorns die-hards were not happy suddenly being the second club in THEIR city.
Breakdown: Jezabel has finally realized that, without the raw capital to burn of the Maal teams, it’s best to invest in an Actual Football Manager if she wants to field a competitive team. So in comes Gareth Dawkins, a little-known Euran who’s resume mostly consists of leading a Bronze League side but fit the description for what the Coalhorns needed. So he does as any good Euran manager does and immediately brings in two Nepharim to shore up the defense. Kostin Bermat has been a stalwart keeper for the team since its inception and looks to be set up to test out the management waters with his retirement. Sigurd Rustwyth comes in to take that spot hot off the Qusmi’y league exodus, and should do well as an excellent shot-stopper behind the organized defense. That’ll compound with picking up Agate Whitespire one a free; slight even for a human, she likely won’t be stopping many opposing strikers cold. But she plays an intelligent game; cut off enough routes and force enough off-balance shots and Rustwyth will be more than able to clean up. The foreign midfield core of Jamelão and Sugar Wing continue to chug along--jesus, they’re only 19 and 21 still? Promising local Heron Paara is trying to mesh better in his strike partnership; selfish play problems cost the team a worrying number of chances last cycle.

Easthold Royals
₂₅Dianhelo Baasit
₂₅Kenna Uurmr - ₃₃Shane Curtess

- ₂₆Tez Fioqaar - ₃₄Alex Scott

₂₂Fredrik Grein - ₂₅Brae Yboor - ₂₆Huun Tabaar
₂₅Martiin Predo - ₂₇Kana Monei - ₃₄Olenna Tynesman

Nickname: the royals (when it’s not confusing), the Warlocks
Home Grounds: Seagate, Easthold
Colors: Royal Purple and Black
Owner: Askara Daii, Old Money [Dragon]
Manager: Fiona Sylver

Last Season: 6th, Cup First Round

Background: The days of the three great castles reigning terror over the isles is long in the past, and no-one understands that better than Askara Daii and her brood in Easthold. Wise investments in renovations, opening up an array of museums and tours to the public, arts funding creating a creatives’ commune in the courtyard? Easthold has become its own functional town and tourist attraction in one. With the advent of the MNL Askara knew she’d need to get in on the action and those sweet, sweet television contracts. She made a bold move and sought out an extraordinarily young group of satyrs--all 18 or 19 at a time where most didn’t start getting first-team play until their mid-20s--to see how raising a generation together would pan out. In the end, they were… shockingly consistent, the last thing you’d expect from a team that young. Every single season they’ve finished between sixth and eighth. It’s earned them a surprisingly robust following, between the Maal hipsters who can’t stand the Dæmons’ flights of fancy and those from the farmlands who want a higher level of play than Wyrmstone or Wyvernscrest could provide (or want to pretend they’re fancy without selling out and moving to the city).

Breakdown: The Warlocks continued their incredible streak of mediocrity with a minor upswing into sixth. Keep that up and they’ll finally get IFCF play… when the MNL jumps another 19 spots in the rankings. A real change is in order, though, as Fiona Sylver comes in off the Qusmi exodus to take over the reigns. Askara certainly isn’t the type to completely cede control, but it seems the dragon’s patience has finally been stretched to its limit and a full-time manager is required for the team to take that next step. And of course it fits her MO to bring in a youth specialist like Sylver. As to transfers, it was yet another single precise veteran pickup--this time Brenecian Shane Curtess, an active and aggressive defender in spite of his age. The tip of their spear is also an aging Brenecian in Olenna Tynesman, but at this point she very explicitly has one job: to hang out near the box and sneak anything she can in. All the running is left to their wingers Martiin Predo and Kana Monei running go-between for their key midfield piece Brae Yboor. Brae will need to shoulder much more of the brunt as their other key midfield piece--Tia Mor--was stolen by the Dæmons over the offseason. She had always been the steel to Tia’s silk, but scouts insist that was merely due to opportunity--it was just what the club needed at the time. Given the spotlight it’s expected she’ll be able to step up and fill the distribution role, but the call-up Fredrik Grein… is going to take some time to mesh with the team.

Harbor
₃₁Vania Aer
₂₅Calli Kerris

- ₃₂Kalia Tolsii - ₃₃Hirom-Vanza Roz

₃₃Bardok Kol - ₂₄Brii Muuren - ₂₈Inge Wildsmith

- ₂₂Jean-Samuel Duboix

₃₁Falax-Paliv Yet

- ₃₃Viana Ion
₃₄Lazaar Mohn

Nickname: the Gulls
Home Grounds: Dockside, Hosingr
Colors: Sea Green and Wood Brown
Owner: Jan Kaplan, Fishmonger
Last Season: 7th; Cup Second Round

Background: Harbor started as a bunch of dockhands playing kickabout, but that time came and went long ago. The friendly face of local merchant Jan Kaplan--by far the least wealthy of the MNL owners’ circle, but still well-off--helped establish the young side as a real presence in Hosingr, and not to be out-done across town took a significant risk by investing in the beautiful Dockside stadium. It may be one of several stadia in the MNL to border the ocean but it’s the only one that eliminates an entire section of bleachers to give an unobstructed view of the great blue yonder. Though that obviously results in the seating being rather cramped to make up the difference. They’ve always put an attractive product onto the field, playing attacking football with an emphasis on smooth transitions and breadth in attack. Or, as the Flock would put it, “riding the wave.” Their surprise championship and defense in the early years of the MNL cemented their presence beyond the immediate docks neighborhood of Hosingr, unseating AFC as the city’s biggest club and even attracting fans from across the isles… even if they’ve struggled to produce much of anything since.

Breakdown: By far the most new-look of the traditional power sides, Harbor pulled in a whopping four new names--though only one paid for. Calli Kerris is the headline, another… attack-minded back for a squad that struggles defensively. Well. She at least has the talent to warrant that sort of playstyle, and she’ll pair nicely with their wingers to give them truly terrifying attacking width. Well, would, if Falax-Paliv Yet and Lazaar Mohn still had their pace… anyway. Bardok Kol comes in to replace the hole left by Kieran Vong’s retirement, and really is just the Dæmon’s sloppy seconds. Inge Wildsmith arrives from Nephara to put some studs in shins and create space for her midfield partner Brii Muuren. Brii is without a doubt the team’s fulcrum, her excellent eye for passing lanes being the last thing keeping Kaplan’s intended free-flowing attack going now that the rest of the squad runs like a whale in molasses. Unheralded Chromatik college grad Jean-Samuel Duboix will be there. Doing something, I’m sure. And finally, targetwoman Viana Ion will have plenty of weight on her shoulders--even with their wingers being relatively prolific, it’s often only her clutch factor that seals away the team’s points after they give up three goals on the crackback.

AC Mariina
₂₈Yonn Cawood

₃₃Saoirse Hourihane

- ₃₅Pel Klein - ₂₃Ynaara Jyyr - ₃₁Fyrcynn Gerfalcon

₃₄Levaan Yng - ₂₅Travaan Beleil - ₃₀Yuut Kalabaan
₂₇Klaark Sedru - ₃₂Maarsius Hruuk - ₂₃Dietmar Sattelmaier

Nickname: the Mariiners
Home Grounds: Pitch-by-the-Sea, Mariina
Colors: Sky blue, gold, and white. Clearly “inspired” by the Mrii NT.
Owner: Patriis Ialor, Yachtier
Last Season: 8th; Cup First Round

Background: The origin of many MNL teams can be boiled down to “wealthy patron’s plaything,” but none more accurately than Mariina. It’s a photogenic resort town popularly nearly exclusively by the richest Mrii who have a distaste for Maal’s bustle, and the Mariiners were drawn together from flashy journeymen to give the locals a reason to get out of the mansion. Despite the transparently soulless ownership and absurd prices charged by… everything, in and around the venue, that flashy play has still garnered a good amount of support by Regular Folk across Easthold.

Breakdown: That style-over-substance philosophy has always been the core behind how Patriis managed the team, which made it all the more shocking when they snuck into the top half last cycle. Throwing the ball to the wind and seeing where it would land will one day have the wind consistently in your favor, I suppose. But that taste of success seemed to spur them on, and In comes a crop of foreigners--but only, of course, suitably entertaining ones. Nepharim Yann Cawood and Dietmar Sattelmaier, Brenecians Saoirse Hourihane and Fyrcynn Gerfalcon. Pronounce them all correctly and win season tickets! No, seriously, ownership is offering that as a real contest you can enter, even if you don’t live in Mariina. Anything to make the stands look more filled out. Cawood and Hourihane are unparalleled steady hands--even the best slapstick comedians need their straight man--while Gerfalcon is an exciting option ranging forward. Anything the Mariiners can do to speed up the transition of “ball going one way” to “ball going the other way” is, to them, invaluable. In the end Settelmaier is likely the one to be worth the closest watch. The entire team is set up to rush the ball towards his noggin as fast and as many times per match as possible. And he’ll even add in another level of excitement--in the will-he-won’t-he flakiness of his finishing! This is his fifth team before he turns 24 for a reason, is what we’re saying.

by **Mriin** » Thu Apr 02, 2020 9:54 pm

MNL Season 8 || Review || Part 1

Upper                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Bruul Skewers          10    8   2   0    19    7  +12    26
 2 Maal Dæmons            10    7   1   2    28   14  +14    22
 3 Maal Angels            10    5   3   2    14    6   +8    18
 4 AFC Hosingr            10    3   7   0    12    6   +6    16
 5 Wyrmstone              10    4   3   3    10    8   +2    15
 6 Westhold Royals        10    3   5   2    18   13   +5    14
 7 Mont Reàl              10    4   2   4    11   15   −4    14
 8 Laneia                 10    3   3   4    19   18   +1    12
 9 AC Mariina             10    3   3   4    14   14    0    12
10 Harbor                 10    3   3   4    15   17   −2    12
11 Easthold Royals        10    3   2   5    14   18   −4    11
12 Prei Dragonriders      10    3   2   5     9   14   −5    11
13 Vidial Alchemists      10    3   2   5    15   22   −7    11
14 Wyvernscrest           10    2   2   6    11   17   −6     8
15 Reyn Wanderers         10    2   2   6     9   23  −14     8
16 Gryst Brewers          10    1   4   5     6   12   −6     7

!!!TERNARY UPDATE!!!
A third of the season up and gone just like that! Bruul’s title defense is going swimmingly so far, remaining one of two teams undefeated (jesus christ Hosingr has seven draws) ten matches in. Let’s take a look at a few highlights:

MD2
Wyrmstone 3-0 Vidial Alchemists
A sign of things to come for the Alchs, and a statement of intent from the Wyrms. Dashiell Shanahan made an outsized impact in his sophomore match after being quiet in their opening day loss to Harbor. Constantly probing Kreuger’s still flimsy defense lead to her feeding Mezii Fiirs twice on either side of halftime to pull ahead. And then, for good measure, Shanahan jinked past Aaron Paak herself before defeating country Lachlan Kenway to put the game away.

MD3
Harbor 5-4 Maal Dæmons
A high-paced thriller is an expectation between these squads at this point, but you still don’t show up to Dockside with nine goals in mind. And they played to stereotype, too--Harbor’s wave breaking either side of Murgen Knox and swelling past for a goal for each winger. Then the Dæmons strike back by crushing them straight down the middle, Tia Mor showing off with shockingly accurate punts that found Morea Zozetua and Uugueth Tilanii time after time. It’d be Kliio Skaarn racking up three of their goals all tallied--a cross courtesy of Morea, a well-drawn penalty courtesy of Calli Kerris earning her first yellow on Mrii soil, and stabbing a deflection in out of a ruckus to pull into the lead.
Kerris was a bit incensed by that card. And she fruitfully challenged that anger into drive rather than getting tossed on a technical; personally unhanding Morea and charging downfield before shuffling it off to Brii Muuren, who found Viana Ion’s horns to pull things even at three-all. Then halftime came. Whoof. The Dæmons struck next, a little shitter of a squirter from Cynebald that floated awkwardly into the box for fellow Equestrian Flank Sinatra to lay out for and dump past an exasperated Vania Aer. Celebrations would be cut short, because of course they would, as the Gulls struck back immediately on a lovely connection from Brii to Falax-Paliv Yet for their brace. At this point Wellington Doolan, the Ten Million Dollar Keeper, is red in the face yelling at Knox to get her shit together and the Dæmon’s physio is checking her locker to make sure there’s no shivs hidden. How this team is ever functional enough to win a game is a miracle, and there were no miracles that night. Brii just fuckin’ styles on the entire midfield, gassed and frustrated, to deliver a scooter of a pass to Bardok Kol for a shot nobody in their right minds could miss.

MD5
Reyn Wanderers 2-8 Laneia
Ashal’anore, Zoha’nudal, and Maela’tazal each put up a brace. Sonia Maier, the Wanderer’s keeper, was escorted from the stadium under tight security and the fire department was kept up well into the night.

MD9
Westhold Royals 3-0 Easthold Royals
The Longitudinal Royal Derby was something every pundit slanted heavily in favor of the Eastrons this cycle, and uh. It did not go to script. In a battle of once-somewhat-notable-but-now-firmly-over-the-hill strikers, Kaija Koppel brought down the hammer in front of Arbor’s home crowd while Olenna Tynesman was constantly cut off and stranded by an on-point Westrons defence. Twenty-one year-old Hinodijen Manami Arruti-Ueno has been a surprise bright spot for them thus far, providing stellar backtracking coverage while being slightly better than a warm body in the center moving forward--ratcheting up her fourth and fifth assists on the season.

Lower                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Andü Volunteers        10    6   2   2    16    8   +8    20
 2 Centre Bruul           10    4   3   3    11    8   +3    15
 3 Seastone Royals        10    3   5   2     7    7    0    14
 4 Ashfell                10    4   2   4    10   12   −2    14
 5 Andü United            10    3   4   3    12    9   +3    13
 6 Kaalen                 10    4   1   5    10   14   −4    13
 7 Vidial SC              10    3   3   4    14   15   −1    12
 8 AFC Vendiir            10    3   3   4     8    9   −1    12
 9 Weldsmith              10    2   5   3     7    9   −2    11
10 Evyr Thespians         10    3   2   5    13   17   −4    11

by **Mriin** » Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:50 pm

MNL Season 8 || Review || Part 2

Upper                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Bruul Skewers          20   13   5   2    34   18  +16    44
 2 Maal Dæmons            20   14   1   5    43   22  +21    43
 3 Maal Angels            20   11   5   4    27   14  +13    38
 4 AFC Hosingr            20    8   8   4    23   16   +7    32
 5 Wyrmstone              20    9   4   7    20   17   +3    31
 6 Wyvernscrest           20    8   5   7    35   31   +4    29
 7 Harbor                 20    8   4   8    35   33   +2    28
 8 AC Mariina             20    6   7   7    25   25    0    25
 9 Easthold Royals        20    7   3  10    31   32   −1    24
10 Vidial Alchemists      20    7   3  10    31   33   −2    24
11 Laneia                 20    5   7   8    34   36   −2    22
12 Gryst Brewers          20    5   7   8    24   29   −5    22
13 Reyn Wanderers         20    6   4  10    23   37  −14    22
14 Mont Reàl              20    5   7   8    20   34  −14    22
15 Westhold Royals        20    3   9   8    24   29   −5    18
16 Prei Dragonriders      20    3   5  12    14   37  −23    14

The top five doesn’t move an inch as another ten games pass! Well, not quite--Hosingr and Wyrmstone drop notably further back and likely can’t afford a single slip-up down the stretch to have a chance at Champions’ League play. Mariina are still banging on the door of making their first trip out of the country, too! Scanning down, the Alchemists are still alive by a thread, and the fanbase is apoplectic at this point. To think they’d be scrabbling for scraps! And at the business end of the league, Westhold are utterly imploding while the Dragonriders just cannot figure out how to win the Upper. Let’s cut to a few highlights:

MD13
Maal Dæmons 4-0 Mont Reàl
Easthold Royals 4-0 Prei Dragonriders
Wyvernscrest 4-0 Reyn Wanderers
A trio of home dominations that--let’s be real, these were never going to be close matches--still held bizarre parallels. Each saw one goal in the first half and three in the second, and all three had a goal scored at precisely 57 minutes--and two of the players who scored said goals, Easthold’s Brae Yboor and Wyvernscrest’s Baruut Jaiso, share a birthday! I have to consult my astrologer on this.

MD17
Vidial Alchemists 0-1 Wyrmstone
The Wyrms walked onto Gold Field with a chip on their shoulders, having lost the sorts of games they need to be winning to contend--hosting Harbor and away at Easthold. They proceeded to utterly lock out the Alchemists, the home crowd baying every time Decima was cleaned out by Lars Blacktown and the ref stood idle. The entire match crawled a dreary halt as the Alchs got antsy about pushing forward, until Fixette clumsily bucked a pass intended for Mezii Fiirs that instead deflected off a luckless Aaron Paak and went straight into the goal. A segment of Alch diehards requested refunds for their tickets, but I couldn’t get any news on what came of it.

MD19
Westhold Royals 0-2 Gryst Brewers
Gryst are clawing to try and stay out of the relegation picture; owner Vreis Trænor was quoted before facing the impressively flailing Royals: “We spent over a decade missing the chance at Upper play by inches, every fucking cycle. We’re not going back yet.” And they put those words to action, the Royals looking utterly toothless as Jaana Setendre had as much space as she could ask for to put them in a headlock. Well, a figurative headlock. Oleg Biscan would provide the literal headlock moments after the final whistle, earning a three-match suspension. Rumor has it Ketan Teniil had some choice words about his mother that didn’t go over well.

Lower                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Andü Volunteers        20   13   2   5    31   16  +15    41
 2 Centre Bruul           20   10   4   6    24   13  +11    34
 3 Ashfell                20    8   5   7    21   21    0    29
 4 Andü United            20    6   7   7    19   17   +2    25
 5 AFC Vendiir            20    6   7   7    18   19   −1    25
 6 Seastone Royals        20    6   7   7    14   18   −4    25
 7 Kaalen                 20    7   4   9    21   30   −9    25
 8 Vidial SC              20    6   6   8    23   27   −4    24
 9 Weldsmith              20    5   8   7    14   19   −5    23
10 Evyr Thespians         20    6   4  10    25   30   −5    22

Oh fuck, is Centre going to get promoted?

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