World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

by **Pasarga** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:25 am

Torgos Tribune ~ A Jager of Chance

World Cup Qualifying, it is the months of stress and galore in equal measures as footballers from across the known world(s) attempt to qualify for the oldest and most prestigious tournament known to sentientkind. For fans of the Wanderers, it has been more stress than glamour as of late, with the Wanderers having had to stress about their qualification fortunes in the last two qualifying cycles, with there even being a point last World Cup cycle that it looked like for the first time in twenty years that the Wanderers were going to miss out on the tournament altogether. Fortunately the results started to come the right way for our national team and the twin powers of Ingþór "Thor" Auðbjörnsson and Jörg Feierabend were able top focus their tremendous talents to get the Wanderers over the finish line and into the Finals once more. However with such struggles, it became apparent that even the likes of the mighty Thor need more assistance than what was currently being offered to the imposing Zozi striker, with Mór Császár finally relenting and including the driven Alexander Jager in his pool of players for the upcoming Qualifying cycle.

However this summer is one of major bumps in fortune for the striker, as having already established his pedigree at the U21 level in leading the Young Wanderers to another DBC title, but also on the domestic level having been Dwile Warriors driving force for the last two seasons. With the ANL seemingly about to be busted up once more for financial regularities, Jager took his moment of glory to turn it into a move up in the club level, joining Eura's Revolutionaries for a staggering nineteen million dollar transfer fee, joining fellow national team player Jürgen Eisenhower in Revolutionaries roster. A lot will be asked of the young, ambitious striker with the club in UICA play and the national team looking for a better strike partner to pair up with Thor, and if the CA Paulinthal academy product can continue down the line of development that he already has, he should live up to all what has and will be asked of him and perhaps even a bit more with the sort of grab the world attitude that the young lad has.

Mór Császár knew that he needed to bleed in some of the fringe players from the qualifying pool and set up a Pre Qualifying friendly in Cosumar, with Cosumar being one of the best teams in the world right now so it would be a good test to the state the team was in following the disappoint last World Cup and Copa Rushmori. To say that the match against the Vanquishers was a wake up call to the squad would be an understatement, with the Wanderers fortunate enough to have come away with the conciliatory goal against the superior side on the day, with the final scoreline being a flattering three to one for Cosumar. A few bright spots from the match was the play of Kati Szöllôsy and Mücahit Aardenburg, both who came on to start the second half and combined together to get the Wanderers goal, while Wolfgang Wefel was in particular a very disappointing performance, as he was given the opportunity to impress and get his starting position back but ultimately likely hurt his chances of even remaining as the first centerback off the bench with the performance he gave in.

Traveling away to Soltsteed to begin the qualifying campaign was going to be a tricky process, with the midfields engaged in a deadlock for the better part of an hour. It seemed that the home side was content to make things muddled up in the middle and prevent the Wanderers' technical players from being able to showcase their skills, an effective tactic to be sure as it seemed as if the team was starting to become frustrated and unhinged as a result. Sloppy play and several reckless fouls showed just how efficient that Soltsteed's tactic was proving to be against the Wanderers' more possession styled play, until the breakthrough finally came as Alexander Kárpáty was able to shoulder barge through his marker to latch onto Feierabend's through ball, with the Mallox striker showing the lethal finishing that helped him earn back to back golden boots in Cosumar and a league title. While far from being pretty or very convincing, it was the three points that the Wanderers will no doubt need to get off to a good start to this challenging qualifying campaign, though with the side now drawing two all at the Stade de Torgos with Thor getting both goals against Dunnes, perhaps there is cause for concern.

by **Kita-Hinode** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:16 am

Name's Qasden, the region's prodigy and soon to be World Champion... hopefully. Now, usually, I enjoy my weekends resting and training but... my father has this tendency of leaving his class of students to me and my Custardy Brother, Chrom. And I guess today's no different... but there's something really odd about today, I just feel it.

Qasden rubbed her eyes, staring through the window that showed the gym Sunrise had established to teach young trainers.
She couldn't believe her eyes, in all fairness.
[Qasden] - It's his sister? Oh, Lord Arceus, not another one.
Kitsunia walked behind her, noticing as well the unusual sight.
[Kitsunia] - Huh. So that's that boy's sister, then?
[Qasden] - You've seen her before, mom?
[Kitsunia] - Not at all, it's just as new to me.
[Qasden] - Maybe she's here to say her brother decided to quit Pokémon battling, that'd be fun.
[Kitsunia] - Qasden!
[Qasden] - Oh, mom, please. You and I both know that he's spoiled rotten. Do you really want to see who his big sister is?
[Kitsunia] - ...I guess. But in all fairness, we can't exactly say she's as bad. Besides, remember, he said he wanted to be good to reach his sister's standards. Maybe she's actually good.
Qasden rolled her eyes, sighing.
Kitsunia simply gave her a hug and a kiss to her forehead.
[Kitsunia] - Just promise me you'll play nice.
[Qasden] - Fine, just because you asked, mom.
[Kitsunia] - Anyway, you better go get Chrom from out of bed, your father went out early.
[Qasden] - Huh. Any reason?
[Kitsunia] - He said he was going to get something for the students.
Kitsunia shrugged, going back to her and Sunrise's room, leaving Qasden to ponder.

[Qasden] - Custardy Brother, mom-
She blinked, finding Chrom to be immersed in a pile of books.
[Chrom] - Yes, Qas?
[Qasden] - Uh... I thought you were still sleeping.
[Chrom] - Hm. Didn't Sunrise tell you about what happened last night?
[Qasden] - Uh... N-not at all.
[Chrom] - Heh. He left us in charge of teaching his students. I'm teaching them about moves...
[Qasden] - ...I'm gonna have to help them train moves then?
[Chrom] - Yup.
She groaned.
[Chrom] - But I thought you liked doing that.
[Qasden] - Yes... But have you seen who's there?
[Chrom] - I thought you and Lucas solved your problems after you kicked him in-
[Qasden] - Not him!
[Chrom] - So?
[Qasden] - Katsu's sister is here!
[Chrom] - I thought we called him Hinode now.
[Qasden] - Screw that. He's Katsu and will always be that.
[Chrom] - Actually, she's the reason why your father isn't around.
[Qasden] - What?
[Chrom] - He said she was going to help him with a little something in exchange for him teaching her and two of your schoolmates.
[Qasden] - ...The Moonstars?
[Chrom] - Jolyne and Han-Myeong. It's a long story, to be honest. Just don't push it too much, it's their first day.

Qasden looked at her class, a group of young trainers that were to train their Pokémon under her supervision.
Among those, she could tell faces that had been there since day one and others that were more new to things.
She could tell Lucas, who looked to the side, nervous after a brief incident between the two.
And then he saw the three new students.
Han-Myeong waved. He had always been the more sympathetic one of the bunch, though considering he was, in a way, her rival's butler, being cordial was to be expected and she didn't know if he was serious about it or not.
Jolyne flashed a smile, sitting by his side. She was one of the Moonstars, Katsu's little mooks. That instantly made them enemies most of the time, which made her skeptical of the foreigner.
And then, there was the third one. Her name was apparently Satomi and she tried to dress as common as possible as so not to stand out who she really was.
She decided to ignore those thoughts, focusing on the class... finally reaching the three new students.
[Qasden] - So, I believe you came here with your own Pokémon already?
The three nodded.
Han-Myeong unveiled his Pokémon first, a Froakie.
[Han-Myeong] - He's a bit small right now, but I'm sure he'll become good with a good bit of training.
Jolyne went after, sending out her Fennekin... who promptly leaped on top of her, sitting on her waist.
[Jolyne] - U-uh... she's a bit selfish... but we'll turn out fine for boss' sake.
Satomi looked at the other two, somewhat nervous until finally picking her ball and, by accident, pressing the middle button, sending out a Rowlet.
The Rowlet chose to lay on her shoulder, unusual for his species, who tend to avoid the light.
[Satomi] - We'll gladly learn anything you have to teach, miss Qasden.
Qasden smirked.
[Qasden] - Then let's begin!

by **Banija** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:20 am

OOC: What does Katikkiro mean? What does Kabaka mean? What is the Lukiiko? Look at my sig!

The Banijan Post
Covering All of Banija, All of our News, All of the Time

Large-Scale protests on the Busoga Islands as Inspector General leak accuses Katikkiro of 'gross negligence' in management of foreign aid

Protestors demanding the resignation of the Katikkiro on the Buosga Islands

BUSUKUMA- For the first time since the beginning of the drought crisis, Banija has seen some serious amounts of large-scale, vocal, and visible discontent among the general population for the handling of the drought crisis by the Banijan government. Now, of course, many Banijans understand the position they are in- they are a large, largely poor and rural country, and water being prioritized to Banija's primary port cities- Herzegovina City, Istria, and Busukuma. However, with the drought crisis worsening- not by the drought getting worse, as no levels have been upgraded, but simply by virtue of the drought not getting better- discontent was bound to be seen from the population.

The cause of unrest? A leak from the Office of the Inspector General of the Ministry of Agriculture, the ministry that is responsible for a lot of the response to the crisis. The leak consisted of the following. "... The government has made a mockery of a response to this crisis, and the Lukiiko is entirely unaware. The direct control of the office of the Katikkiro of the handling of foreign aid from the government of the Equestrian States might be infringing on the rights of the Kabaka to conduct foreign affairs, and regardless, various areas- especially the Busoga Islands- are being grossly undersupplied, even with the few supplies we do have.... Whether or not the motivation is political, there is no evidence, but we could do much better..". Or, essentially, the Banijan government is being accused of withholding aid to the Busoga Islands in favor of better supplying regions on the mainland, and in particular doing this with foreign aid that is sent Banija's way- especially aid from the largest current donor during this crisis, the Equestrian States.

The leak, of course, caused a massive uproar within Banija, but especially from the Busoga Islands. While some regional premiers spoke about how aid must not be cut to their own regions, Ebrahim Razav called for the resignation of Matthias Mutebi. "The Katikkiro has failed the citizens of Banija. Even if we are not Mormon, even if we are on the islands, we are Banijan citizens just as much as somebody from Ankole, or Kitara. Busukuma has the responsibility of administering aid to respond to the crisis- and they are not doing their jobs. Mr. Katikkiro, there are two options for you- either do your job, or resign and let somebody else do it."

The response around the Busoga Islands, was predictably angry. There were large-scale, though mostly peaceful protests on the islands. The cities of Dukuma and Lakiska, the major cities on the North and South Island, respectively, saw the largest protests. Between those two cities, there was an estimated 100,000 protestors against the central government- the largest such protests that Banija has seen, since the independence movement in 1906. Many schools on the islands, including the Islamic University of Busoga, closed for the day to allow students to take part in protests. Protestors called for the resignation of the Katikkiro, and even down with the government

Across the Busoga Islands however, there was limited unrest at more than a few food distribution centers. Interestingly enough, there was anger among Busogans on the mainland, including, and especially, in Istria, Banija's largest city. Many people in a Busogan quarter of the neighborhood draped red flags from their doors, and the city's mosques hung black flags in place of the Banijan flag. There was even a short-lived protest in Downtown Istria, that was quickly and violently broken up by National Police in the area, with 47 people being taken into custody.

It is hard to know how people will react to these protests. Matthias Mutebi, however, was defiant. "I am the duly elected Katikkiro of this country- my opponents have to accept that my election was the will of the people, whom I must represent. I am certainly not going anywhere. I will encourage Busogans to not take to the streets, and especially condemn those who tried to disturb the harmony in a mulitcultural city like Istria with ethnic violence. Banijans getting violent will not solve anything, and putting faith into this government will be rewarded." The Katikkiro did not directly address the allegations that have been exposed via the leak.

We'll have to wait and see if the government in Busukuma can handle the currents going through the Busoga Islands right now. With the current balance of power on the islands, there is always a strain of more radical elements within those movements- though who feel that the Busoga Islands should be an independent state. While still small, they will surely be emboldened if this mass anger against Busukuma in general, and the current Katikkiro, Matthias Mutebi, in particular, continues to persist in large quantities. And we expect that will continue, with Mutebi's refusal to even address the allegations in these most recent statements.

by **Qusmo** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:25 am

The visitor’s locker room had been completely cleared out except for Rilan-Jerat Nev when they buried their face in a towel. Their team had just wallopped the reigning Baptism of Fire champions 4-0, but they still didn’t feel quite right. Ever since the first match day, when their getting called offside twice nearly cost their team two points - & certainly cost them the honour of being their national team’s first-ever goalscorer - they had been focussed on one thing, & one thing only: getting on the scoresheet in Norfolk Woodlands. They had failed in that mission.

They had failed in a particularly humiliating way, too. With Qusmo already ahead 1-0 & the momentum clearly on their side in the thirty-second minute, they had started their run too early. They buried the ball in the back of the net, & they felt release from all the demons that plagued them since that match in Qanz. As they started to sprint over to the corner flag for a triumphant celebration, they spotted something else fluttering in the breeze: the linesperson raised their flag to call Rilan-Jerat offside. Again.

As far as they knew, there wasn’t a single radio in the entire radio, but they could still hear what they knew would be coming from Morning Sport the next day. They’d be torn apart for that performance. Their partner in the attack scored - the first hat trick in the national team’s history, in fact, & all within the first hour of play. Even their substitute was able to score in the half hour they were on the pitch. In ninety minutes of play, Rilan-Jerat got nothing.

Rilan-Jerat knew their worth. They had proven it in Pug Qusmyra. They had established themselves as the best & star player on a team that qualified for the UICA Globe Cup. There was a reason they were picked for the national team training camp, then for the final roster, & finally to be a part of their national team’s starting XI in both its qualifying matches to date. Rilan-Jerat could do it. Rilan-Jerat could score. The only question was: Why didn’t they, then?

Rilan-Jerat inched towards the showers with the towel still draped over their head.

“Welcome to Morning Sport. Today, we get to talk about another victory. In this one, the Qusma team surprised all of us & actually played half-decently for once. Let’s remember, however, before we get too excited about the results or the table, that we’ve only played two matches - & both against nations that haven’t even attempted to qualify for a World Cup before.”

“Qusmo will have to keep winning in Qanz against Gopnikea in match day three. Gopnikea is another team which has never entered World Cup qualification before; in fact, they didn’t play a single match before this qualification campaign, & they still haven’t won a single match. Scratch that - they still haven’t taken a single point from any of their matches. They’re unranked, & they’re coming off a four-goal loss at home. Of all the eighteen qualifying matches, this should be the easiest for Qusmo. They’re playing Gopnikea, & they’re playing Gopnikea at home. Anything less than a resounding victory will be an utter disgrace to the country.”

“So even if Qusmo come out of match day three with nine points, remember that there’s still fifteen match days left to go, & they won’t have played a single team with previous World Cup qualifier experience, much less previous World Cup proper, experience at that point. Match day four is when we’ll see the real Qusmo come out, & I’ll stand by what I’ve been saying all along: that match will not be pretty. Even so, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be riding nine points into Tumbra. Don’t get me wrong - there should be a guarantee. For any halfway decent team, there would be a guarantee. But Qusmo still isn’t playing well enough to have any true success.”

“Forzu-Ralox Kal makes one cross & they’re hailed as a master. Well, guess what? They’ve still botched more crosses than they’ve made on the international stage. They’re still a liability. They’re still a bad player. A centre back makes a single clearance & suddenly people proclaim that they’re multiversal class. Well, guess what? They’re not. Despite what the scoreline says, we still haven’t played at a high level. If Gopnikea comes out playing good football, I could certainly see them holding us to a single point - or maybe even none at all.”

“The fact is, Avarn-Oxolt Ban’s crew can’t get comfortable near the top of the table. They’re going to come down soon. & they can’t overlook Gopnikea, or they might come down really soon. They can’t let their emotions control them, or let themselves glide on happy thoughts on the non-failures of the past two matches. You need look no further than Rilan-Jerat Nev for that. The kid’s not fit for international football. They got called back for offside three times in two matches, for crying out loud! They don’t have discipline, & they don’t have the ability to steel down & win a match for Qusmo. Avarn-Oxolt needs to take them out immediately. But, then again, that’s just a fraction of the changes Qusmo needs to make to be competitive at all - & that starts with replacing Avarn-Oxolt themself. If they don’t beat Gopnikea by a multigoal margin, Fuzpon Qusma will need to fire Avarn-Oxolt immediately. & I doubt that Qusmo will get that kind of win in Qanz.”

by **Mercedini** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:32 am

High On Life
Chapter III
Chapter I | Chapter II

The rain pattered onto the metal roof of the train station as Ben looked for signage to guide him to his next destination. Announcements over the tanoy came thick and fast, with the announcements first in Mercedinian then in English, cut through the sound of the footsteps of men and women making journey's of their own. Ben finally found what he was looking for under the 'Transport Connections' banners, with various arrows and maps guiding him to the Acoflosa International Tram, which would take him from the station to the airport departures terminal for free with a valid flight ticket.

Ben weaved his way through the tunnels along with the rest of the hordes of people looking to get their connection. Thankfully, the tram came every minute of so, giving the queues of people before him a chance to offload before the platform filled back up again. Ben got on the first tram available to him, trying to fit in the quickly filling carriage with his luggage.

Shortly after the doors closed, the tram began to move from the stop and back toward the direction whence it came. Ben tried to avoid eye contact with the other passengers as the train rattle long on the scenic track, giving the passengers a view of the city streets as it approached the airport terminal, he made sure to grab his belongings in plenty of time to make sure he wasn't holding anyone up when leaving the carriage. The doors opened and out poured vast swathes of people looking to catch their flights.

Ben took his time to let people past before he made his way to the departures terminal. It was one long escalator ride to the terminal, giving Ben a chance to watch the faces pass by who were all making their own journeys in one way or another. The monotony on the metal escalators was broken by a large and colourful 'I Love AIA' sign which greeted all of the prospective travellers as they reached the top of the escalator.

Ben was surprised at the lack of people in the airport for what time it was, with most of the check-in desks closed for the time being with only a number of budget airlines keeping their check-in desks open for the stragglers of their respective flights. Ben had a quick glance at the check-in board to find his flight to Cenial on the nation's flagship carrier VolareMercedini. It was a short walk to the check-in desk, with a woman in company clothing greeting him with a smile as he approached the check-in desk.

~~~

World Cup 80 Qualification MD2
Mercedini 0-3 Farfadillis @ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Starting XI: Hovek • Aznelik - Ossun - Dosic - Catessic • Crasic - Kraljic - Nymark - Presic • Dostalok - Chillotov

It was the biggest match of the qualification schedule for the Mercedinian fans, but it wasn't meant to be for the Golden Eagles as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 at the Sports City Stadium by the world number three and runaway group favourite Farfadillis in a packed stadium in the capital of Mercedini. The experience of the visitors combined with the individual class of the Farf team proved too much in the end, in a win which dampened the hopes of the Mercedinian fans, putting an early L on the board in a qualification group where only the group winner is guaranteed of a spot in the World Cup, with second and third entering a playoff for the final spot from the group.

The loss gives Mercedini a 1-0-1 record after two games, putting the team in blue and black into mid-table, but it's still early days in the tournament with seven matches still to go in the first half. With the biggest team now out of the way for the rest of the half and the next couple of match days against low or unranked sides, there is still hope that Mercedini can claw themselves back into the group following a disappointing result at the hands of the group favourites.

Mercedini will once again be on the road, this time to unranked Austenesia with the team and the fans hoping for an instant return to form when the two teams meet in match day three. It is unclear which team Lyndainium will put out, with many expecting the Cenian manager to make a series of changes to rest key players for more important matches down the line.

by **Farfadillis** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:46 am

"Cheer up, we're almost there. Though I can't promise it will be any better when you get out of the van."

Zsolgar had always been a bit... ignorant. He'd never really paid attention in History, nor in Geography. Not even in PE. He dropped out of school very early and paid no attention to things that did not fall into the categories Football and Girls. Obviously, he had never learned anything about the place where he'd live for the foreseeable future. A teenage "rebel" from Szoirsia would never find out about the Rulandese state's many hardships throughout history, nor its current strife, without paying attention to the teacher or the news. As a result, Zsolgar Zsase was confused when he was told there were no planes to Ruland, even more confused when he found out his parents couldn't take him to Ruland themselves, and immensely confused when he was picked up by a van that looked run-down and like it couldn't get him out of the city, let alone take him all the way to Ruland. Imagine his surprise when he realized he had four bodyguards that were very heavily armed.

The van was dusty and the road filled with bumps. His bodyguards spoke Farf with too thick an accent for him to understand fully. Except for one guy, Sùrwâs, who had introduced himself as his "personal cultural advisor". They didn't speak much, though. Zsolgar was not in the mood.

When he stepped out, a slight stench filled his nostrils. It seemed like Ruland had a very arid climate, much like Szoirsia - not like Zsolgar would be able to tell climates apart with his education, though. He looked around, to scan his surroundings. He coughed a bit because of the smog. He wasn't sure whether he was in a city of in a slum.

"Well, we're here. Come with me, we're going to the club's headquarters. We'll give you a rundown of things there."

The walk couldn't have been scarier for an impressionable young man like him. Kids not older than fourteen carrying firearms. About half of the people walking barefoot. The trash inundating the streets. Not a single house half as good-looking as the worst one he'd seen until that point. Zsolgar had never had much money. Indeed, he was one of the poorer kids at school. But right then, right there, he felt like a noble. He received many uneasy stares, mostly from those who couldn't tell who he was. He got some more curious looks and a few smiles, presumably from Mâ Âlâmëómë fans who could tell what he was doing there. Sùrwâs was dressed up quite well but got no weird looks. Maybe it was his assault rifle, but he seemed to inspire respect, not fear.

He turned one last corner and saw a big sign that said "Mâ Âlâmëómë". Not flashy at all, only the club's crest next to the name and some dirt on it. They entered the... bar? Zsolgar was confused. The club's headquarters appeared to be a bar, much like any other, just bigger. Nothing like René Skaé's much less modest headquarters. Five rather old men were together drinking whatever they were drinking in one of the tables on a corner. Sùrwâs gestured towards them.

"That's the club's board. They'd like to meet you. Sit with them, no need to introduce yourself. They know who you are." Sùrwâs' tone was monotonous to the point of scariness.

He obeyed his "personal cultural advisor" and sat next to the five men. They all turned to him and began introducing themselves. Rëféérô Jükâàrsé, Hüý Fôns, Fôs Dü Lîwfâl, Sötsín Dürsésé and Mölërs Turstün were their names. Apparently. No fucking way Zsolgar would remember all those sounds.

"Just call us Rëf, Hüý, Fôs, Söts and Möl." Sötsín said. He was the only one he already knew about, since he was the club's president. "There's no need for you to remember our names, anyway, so don't worry." Söt leaned in. "But I do suggest that you get used to remembering Rulandese names. Forgetting an acquaintance's name is taken as a great offense in this place." His accent-less Farf was striking. He sounded almost Ferdullaelan.

"Alright, Söts... ín? Dürsésé?" He muttered nervously.

"Yes! A quick-learner, how fantastic. See, Möl? I told you this kid would be less trouble than Walter. He'll fit right in with time, no doubt." Söts elbowed Möl slightly with a cheery smirk. He was very visibly drunk. He looked at his drink, then handed it to Zsolgar. "Here, down it."

Zsase timidly looked at it, but his survival instinct kicked in and he downed it. No trouble, really. He was a pretty heavy drinker, after all. He quickly identified the drink as being a mixture of rum and a cola drink. Söts served him another round.

"Do you like it?" Söts asked with genuine curiosity. Zsolgar stared at his empty eyes for a moment or two, then nodded. "A quick-learner with great taste! Fôs, you've been spot on with this transfer." Fôs only nodded respectfully, in spite of his drunk state. "A toast! I propose a toast! To Fôs' fantastic eye for transfers, to Zsolgar Zsase's talent and..." He looked around for a second. "And to a free Ruland!" He shouted, but in Rulandese. Of course the Szoirzian kid in front of him understood nothing.

Immediately, everyone in the bar raised their glasses. So did Zsolgar, a split-second later. Söts eyed him with a very slight hint of disdain, then everyone downed their drinks. "Líbërë Rülândéá. It's just rum and cola, but that's what we call it." Zsolgar was too uncomfortable to show his typical lack of interest in learning things.

"It's a symbol of our struggles. It's a tribute to our fallen men, fallen women and fallen children. It unites us in our suffering." Söts' stern face looked like one that had seen many things. Far too many things. "And it also inspires us to fight for a better future."

At this point, Fôs' supposedly-brilliant new signing was sweating profusely. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit of an optimist." He eyed him a bit. "And, in this drunken state, sometimes I forget to take my time with things. I've handed you a Líbërë Rülândéá without even knowing your opinion on my people's struggles."

For a second, Zsolgar Zsase remembered something. In high school, when he was about to drop out, his teacher had tried to teach him something about Rulandese independence. He didn't remember a single thing, of course not, but he did remember enough to know what was happening.

"So tell me, Zsolgar Auguste, are you with us or against us?" The whole bar was looking at them. Nobody needed to have a doctorate in Farf politology to answer that question correctly.

"With you." Zsase replied nervously. "With you, the Rulandese." He added, for good measure.

A huge grin invaded Söts' face. He immediately hugged him. "Splendid! Simply splendid!" He asked the waiter for another round of Líbërë Rülândéá. "Then let us drink once more. To celebrate the signing of Zsolgar Zsase, talented footballer, intelligent young kid and pro-Ruland non-Rulandese man!" Everyone on the bar drank with them.

It's safe to say he had expected something different when he chose to sign for Mâ Âlâmëómë, the richest and most successful club in all of Farfadillis.

by **Mriin** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:54 am

aroundthehorn.mrn

What's in an Anthem? World Cup Wonderings

I know for a lot of our readership, the national anthems that play before a match just serve as an announcement that the match itself will be starting soon. But as things got underway in Haven, I listened to Abristan's anthem, and got to wondering what the nation of Abristan was up to. What was did their anthem say about their nation? Would it give me any clues why the once promising young FA had gone quiet this cycle? How did it match up to our own?

And that thought lead me to wondering, how the hell did we even end up with our anthem? Oh, I suppose I should warn: This article isn't going to be much about the football itself, so for those of you that only care about how balls end up in nets: Vahn opened scoring for us, Tali'raia added on, then our backs collectively went a bit fucky and let the visitors equalize. None to fear though, as Polandre came out of the woodwork to put as ahead with a goal of her own, before Silanii came off the bench for Rei and stuck in the insurance goal. And now that that's over with, the interesting bits:

The Mriin national anthem is an odd one, because it's mostly just a brassy tune. Get a couple of trumpet players and a tuba and you've basically got all you need; where's all the meaningful lyrics waxing poetic about what it means to be Of This Nation, what our values are, all the gobbledegook you find in most other anthems? Well, I did some digging into the history of it all, and it's interesting--how would you guess a national anthem even gets set to begin with? Well, it seems nobody else had thought much of it either, as it was just about thirty years ago one was officially established. But because of the quirks of Mriinian government, the wide-net referendums would be useless for a thing as artistic and subjective as an anthem--as complicated and messy as policy debates can get, it still usually boils down to "pick one of these clearly enumerated options." Not so with music. What style should it be, what should it be saying, how long should it be, there's so many variables that couldn't be effectively deduced through our normal channels. And that's where I found out about a unique institution of our government--what essentially boils down to a "Vote of Who Gives a Fuck", in which for one reason or another a decision is handed from the parliamentary to the old Dragon houses of Westhold, Seastone, and Easthold to bicker over and come up with their own decision. The houses largely don't have any actual power left, but I suppose throwing them the occasional decision like this helps make them feel relevant, which is a nice sentiment.

So, what happens when you point a couple of ancient dragons in the direction of music? They seemed to have a fondness for the brass blasts their guards would use to herald events around the castle grounds, with a heavy emphasis on high-pitch horn melodies. I do have to say, giving the tune a listen-through with this knowledge does impart a feeling of flying, an exhilerhating, high-speed trip high above the ocean; reminds me of that one time I went hang gliding, and is very apropos of the dragons who designed it. And hey, now you can say you've learned your new thing for the day!

by **Mattijana** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:56 am

World Cup Qualifying: Mattijana Suffer Late Defeat To Vangaziland, But Take Thrilling Win Against Cassadaigua

MFO SPORT

Vangaziland 2
1 Mattijana

Vonoss (41)
Struna (77)

Oskolde (88)

Mattijana suffered defeat in their opening match of World Cup 80 Qualification as a late goal from Oskolde gave Vangaziland the three points at home to a bitterly disappointed Mattijanan side.

The first of four Esportivan derby matches for Dusan Vukoja's side would always be a tough start, but Mattijana thought they had snatched a point when winger Jessika Struna tucked home Sophia Velezia's excellent cross with 13 minutes of normal time to go. Their opponents, ranked 35 places below Mattijana, hit back late in the game however and managed to hold out for a famous victory.

The intensity of the start of the game layed down a marker for the rest and Kalactinian referee Joey Lawson had his work cut-out as tempers flared early on. Vannish defensive midfielder Philip Forsman was the first man in the book for a heavy late tackle on Marko Hojbjerg as the pair tussled for a 50-50 ball, but was surely followed by the Mattijanan as he left his foot in on the aforementioned Vangazi, crunching into his foot.

The game would become a little more civilised as it went on, but lost none of its needle. Mattijana had the bulk of the first-half possession with Vangaziland happy to try and hit out on the break. Mattijana went close when Andreas Weiss forced a good save from goalkeeper Teri Chambersen with a flicked header towards goal, but nearly conceded when a sharp break resulted in a two-on-one break. With Oskolde bearing down on goal, the striker tried to cut inside, but in doing so allowed Mattijanan captain Katija Burnisevič to get back and make a crucial block.

They failed to learn from that however, as Danny Parkerson broke free down the right hand side and whipped in a wonderful low cross to the feet of Anthony Vonoss, who sent an emphatic finish into the near-post top corner.
Mattijana pushed for an equaliser before half-time and nearly got it when Katarina Jakupovic's curling shot from the edge of the box clipped the base of the post and spun away wide.

Vangaziland held on though and with a usually free-scoring Mattijana team so far frustrated, work had to be done after the break. They had another chance a couple of minutes into the second half when Sofiane Bisrali sent in another cross, but a diving header from Andreas Weiss didn't have enough weight on it and drifted high and wide.

They did manage to finally find a way through the stubborn Vannish defence in the 77th minute though when substitute winger Sophia Velezia delivered a swinging low cross from the left, evading everyone but the arriving Jessika Struna at the back-post. The FK Revinka player mis-kicked her shot, but it flew off a shin and into the far corner despite the efforts of some last-ditch defending.

Mattijana looked like they had scrambled a draw and could have had a winner when Mathilde Lekarisa's half volley from the edge of the box forced an excellent save from Chambersen, but the hosts reacted well to the leveller and almost got back in front as a long shot dipped wide of the post. As the game petered towards a draw, it was Vangaziland that produced the moment of quality as the constantly dynamic Oskolde wriggled clear of marker Dominik Illisević and bent a finish beyond Lucija Handanovič and into the back of the net, leaving no time for a comeback.

There had earlier been controversy as the previously booked Philip Forsman helped himself to another strong tackle, this time on Jessika Struna. Despite appeals from fans and a few players for a second yellow to be administered, Joey Lawson uncharacteristically chose to keep his cards untouched and instead told Struna she had been too eager to go to ground, much to the displeasure of those in the Mattijanan dug-out. With the scores still at 1-0 to the hosts, a man advantage could have easily helped Mattijana find the space they had so far struggled to create.

Dušan Vukoja, Mattijanan head coach, after the match:

"It's a really dissapointing result for us. We came here with a lot of optimism of securing a result, but we just lacked a lot of the sharpness we needed to do that. Fair play to Vangaziland because they came here ready for the scrap and they outdid us in that respect."

On the decision not to issue a red card to Philip Forsman:

"It's a dissapointing decision for us. It's a very clumsy tackle by their player and it's not the sort of challenge you can really make on a yellow. He's come right into the back of Jess with a lot of force and I don't think there was any chance of Jess staying on her feet. I appreciate the referee didn't want to punish everything. There were certainly a lot of tackles going around and it was a good tight match, but I think that one was worthy of the card."

Mattijana 4
3 Cassadaigua

-Stadijo Dinamov, Petrovijanka. Attendance 59,955

Weiss (23)
Campos (28)

Crajasović (35)
Mattison (45+1)

Lekarisa (67)
Ranucci (56)

Hoffman (89)

Mattijana hit back from their opening match against Vangaziland to edge out Cassadaigua after a thrilling match at the Stadijo Dinamov. Mattias Hoffman's late winner sealed a 4-3 victory to put their qualifying campaign back on track after the 2-1 away loss to Vangaziland in their opening fixture.

Having made the brighter start of the two sides, Mattijana took the lead when Jessika Struna, Mattijana's sole goalscorer in the match against Vangaziland, floated in a cross for centre-forward Andreas Weiss to power into the top corner of the Cassadaigua net.

Cassadaigua responded well to going behind though and scored through striker Taylor Campos, who finished a flowing move smartly from an angle after recieving Sierra Mattison's flicked through-ball. Yet in another quick twist, Mattijana regained the advantage when Katarina Jakupovič's corner fell to Edvard Crajasović, the big centre-back stabbing home from the centre of the box.

With both sides keen to avoid conceding any more, the end to the first half was a looking more sedate. Mattijana were content to sit back and hold onto their lead, but this proved their undoing as one last Cassadaiguan attack in added time resulted in a snapshot from young midfielder Sierra Mattison deflecting off Mattijanan counterpart Marko Hojbjerg and into the bottom corner, giving Lucija Handanovič no chance.

Conceding before the break will be a habit Dušan Vukoja will want to stamp out of his team, but things worsened after half time when Cassadaigua's other striker, Hannah Ranucci, smashed in a nod down from Campos to put the visitors ahead. Staring down the barrel of a second consecutive defeat, Dušan Vukoja threw on Mattias Hoffman for Marko Hojbjerg and brought in Sophia Velezia for Sofiane Bisrali.

The pair added some additional spark for Mattijana and played a part in the equaliser when Velezia wound her way in from the wing, played a pass to the advancing Hoffman and continued her run, picking up the return pass and slotting an inch-perfect ball into the path of Mathilde Lekarisa, who turned in from the edge of the 6-yard area.

The leveller gave Mattijana the momentum going into the final 20 minutes and they could have gone ahead soon after when a shot from Lekarisa rattled the crossbar via the fingertips of goalkeeper Kristan Speller. They got their reward for increased adventure as extra time loomed when another winding run from Velezia, ended with a pull-back towards midfielder Hoffman, who swept into the bottom corner from just inside the area to hand Mattijana a crucial three points.

The result puts Mattijana up to fourth in the group and with Maryloupe leading after two routine wins and Super Llamaland suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to Tomure, Dušan Vukoja will be looking up the table rather than down it.

by **Starblaydia** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:01 pm

Matchday Three Cutoff

Reading all these RPs has been quite a shock to my system, so let's see if the MD3 RP Cutoff helps any (but Cosumar has snuck in through some 60 second time travel shennanigans).

And the scores themselves!

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:02 pm

Special World Cup panel answers YOUR top questions about Qualifying!

RAMUSOK -- Many big names in Cosumarite soccer are assembling in the capital today in anticipation of tonight's potentially group-defining clash at Crowley Memorial, with the Vanquishers set to take on primary qualification rivals Valladares. We managed to corral a few of them into our studio this morning to ask them the top three questions YOU voted for on Twitter. We spoke to two strikers-turned-managers in Sergio Vilar and Sur Arora, as well as CSBN Holo's outspoken Vanquishers pundit Denni Hassler. The transcript of the interview is below.

1. Welcome, sirs and ma'am. Great to have you here. First, the people want to talk roster. When the FSF announced the 40-man pool for Qualifying, did any egregious snubs stand out to you? What about particularly exciting inclusions to keep our eye on?

Arora: This isn't a personally biased answer at all, but I'd keep my eye on Sen Marsteller. Her attacking ability stood out to me the moment I saw her with the youth team at OAS Royal. As an assistant, I always tried to sneak her more minutes behind Constantine [Champali]'s back where I could [laughs]. I suspect her positional versatility will come in quite handy for my old friend Alex. She deserves it. But that said, there were some brutally tough exclusions in striker pool. It's hard to imagine that there isn't a place for Kevin Stabb - a two-time World Cup winner - or Xavier Wingfield, a champion in Pasarga. And then I'm really excited to see more Lorelei Neptune out wide, who I'll look forward to going up against in Nephara, even though it's disappointing that Corey [Simmons III] and Zoë [Aedelbrandt], my wingers at OAS, got left out despite their great form. Altogether, it's just a really deep pool across the board. I don't envy Alex having to make these decisions.

Vilar: I'm also gonna go with a left winger, but one who's been around a bit longer. Tamer Yilmaz. He may be 31, but he has elevated his game to a new level in the last few years. Mark these words: he has only scratched the surface of what he can do for the national team. I wouldn't be surprised to see him push Serafino for the starting spot at the World Cup. I didn't quite appreciate the quality of his touch and his technical skill until I started seeing it in-person when I took the job at Marinos. As for snubs, I was disappointed that Ahto Va'Negeja continues to be ignored by the program despite his hard work in Farfadillis. He could be a new Vareza Na'Noni for us. I'd rather see him blooded into our midfield pool than using a place on a redundant one-dimensional player like Robard Horvat.

Hassler: Everybody in Cosumar knows I'm a massive Real Azuris supporter, so my answers will surprise absolutely no one. It's bullshit that Mortimer Chisenhall got dropped completely from the right back pool. He may not have had his best club season, but he's still captain of the biggest club in Cosumar and by far our most defensively-sound fullback. Bale, Pakkanen and Swan are all too similar. Inexperienced attack-minded fullbacks. I understand not starting Mo anymore, but freezing his experience out completely? Outrage. It will be cool to be able to root for Hakki Ojala again though. I miss the petulant bastard.

2. With some friendlies and two matchdays in the books, Alexander Pearce has already utilized most of that 40-man pool. His heavy rotation policy came under some criticism after the recent draw by a "B+" side in Zwangzug. Two of you are high-profile managers yourselves. Congratulations on landing to Sabrefell Moths job, by the way, Sur. What are your thoughts on this?

Arora: I can relate to Pearce. It's a long chess match, qualifying. You want to ensure you have enough in the tank left at the end. But perhaps we underestimated the quality of Zwangzug. They're no usual unranked team.

Vilar: Here's my take. Don't start liberally rotating until you have to and have breathing room to do so. It's MD2. You should prioritize getting off to the strongest possible start. Lock up qualification early, then you can rest later. That said, the talent on the field should've still been enough to beat Zwangzug.

Hassler: I'll just say we better see a full-strength eleven tonight against Valladares. Our history in qualifying is too scarred to take anything for granted.

3. Last question will really be three questions, rapid-fire. Ready? Key to beating Valladares, score of the match, and Cosumar's final place in Group 15. Go!

Arora: Getting Romikk Valgard going. 3-1 just like the Pasarga friendly. 1st, but it will be a close three-way race with Valladares and Barunia.

Vilar: Shutting down Arango. 2-2. Trust me- there's a lot of underrated quality in Ligue-1. And we'll qualify, but through 2nd. I better be careful before people accuse me of being a Valladar turncoat...

Hassler: A raucous home advantage at Crowley! 2-1 with a Tidesson winner! And 1st place, baby!

by **The Authoritarian Republic of Lochario** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:34 pm

After another lost match,Locharian Coach has been fired
From the team!!! Atleast we scored our first world cup goals tho:D We need to train much harder on the defense and the offensive tactics!!! Fast counter attacks don't help us at all!!! I still can't believe we've lost against a team whose squad is unknown!!!!!! Can you explain how did you find their squad Starblaydia??!!!

by **South Toronto** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 12:49 pm

Chapter 3: Grilled Chicken And Fractured Soulsol

Jamal was disappointed. His side drew 0-0 against Great Chota, and the referee was obviously paid by the Chotan FA because on 4 separate occasions there should have been a penalty, all near the 70th minute. They had been cheated, but what could he do? It's not like they can automatically give 3 points to South Toronto. He got up from his bed and checked his messages. A message from Jay-Jay read: 'Meet me at PCG at 2, need 2 talk'. Jamal sighed and forced himself to get up from the extremely comfortable bed. He got hopped in the shower and changed his clothes, before setting off for PCG. Every Perry's Grilled Chicken-or PCG- was always packed, especially during the afternoon and is widely known throughout South Toronto for its cheap prices, and discounts if you visit frequently.

He left the hotel building, and strolled across the street, where PCG was. He peeked inside through the shop's windows and saw Jay-Jay sitting down by himself. Jamal pulled the door, but it was push to open, not pull to open. Some teenagers near the door laughed at Jamal, which made him feel stupid. "Yo, what did you need to talk to me about?" asked Jamal as he sat on the seat opposite Jay-Jay. "Look, I ain't want ya to get into trouble and that 'cause I know you wanna keep it clean," Jay-Jay began." But basically yeah, some guys want TWD dead 'cause they don't agree with his policies and about how he left us or the minority and jumped ships to the rich white folk. One o' them asked me to tell you to be here by 3, but I said at 2. They were gon' hurt ya, but I don't want you to be involved. Just get out of here, and quick. Go to South Covello, and in the city of Riverview. Match'll be there, and I suggest you gonow". "It's that Anti-TWD group. Isn't it?" said Jamal grimly. Jay-Jay nodded slowly, and Jamal's face went blank. "Come with me, we'll discuss this in South Covello. Kelechi tell us the teamsheet yet?" asked Jamal. "Yup, it's me, you, Jovante, Jacky and Ashley," replied Jay-Jay. "Aye bruh, I'm feelin' kinda hungry, wanna get chicken? "Okay, said Jamal, as they ordered away.

by **Tobiasia** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 1:37 pm

Tobiasia 3-2 New Lusitania and the Algraves

The atmosphere was electric in the Ark of Tobiasia, with 93,234 fans here out of 95,000 seats. The flags of both nations flew as the players entered the stadium to massive applause. The game started smoothly with a neat attack from Uzele but unfortunately she failed to beat the keeper. It wasn’t until the 42nd minute that the first goal was fired home from a Lusitanian striker, a clean shot to the top right corner past Matthews.

However, performing so well as they do under pressure, the wingers pressed forwards, drifting the play across to the Lusitanian defence. Ryans came in, pressing down on Dalot before passing in to Philips who scored with a screamer past the ageing goalkeeper Patrice to level the scores. Just 5 minutes later Fernando of Lusitania counterattacked with a sweeping run, but Zeya kicked away the ball up to Lithgow who ran it through Dalot (proving to be a defensive issue this match) and scoring with a screamer.

The play continued in a slow way for a long time, both teams losing and regaining possession in turn until disaster struck as a poor deflection from Woods landed at the feet of Breu who drove the ball home past Matthews. However just 4 minutes later Cedric slammed the ball upfield into Frank Woods of Tobiasia, who chipped the ball over Fernandos head, ran up the pitch and knocked the ball over to Uzele who slammed it into the goal in the 89th minute from 31 yards to claim the winner of the match.

Our view
Once again the defence was shocking. Yes Woods played a critical role in that last goal but he made very poor touches in this game and throughout the campaign. He should be replaced with Hitchcock at once and Matthews needs to improve too if he wants to be a world class goalkeeper. This is not how it should be! Tobiasian fans shouldn’t be on the edge of their seats for easy games like this, and the lack of defence clarity needs a lot of work.

Yet again the Tobiasian strikers show their steel. This campaign reminds me of their first Champions Cup match: a 5-2 win with a poor defence but a stunning attack. Philips is once again world class, Lithgow is improving well and Uzele really is rocking her first World Cup. Ryans too, although absent from the score sheet, played well and he should be happy with his performance.

Highscorers
•Fraser Philips: 4
•Rosa Uzele: 3
•Harry Lithgow: 2
•Lee Ryans: 1
•Sally Urtup: 1

Most assists
•Flint Eastgate: 2
•Lee Ryans: 2
•Harry Lithgow: 1
•Sally Urtup: 1
•Paul Goldsmith: 1
•Rosa Uzele: 1
•Fraser Philips: 1
•Frank Woods: 1
•Katrina Zeya: 1

by **Chromatika** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:04 pm

Matchday 2: Chromatka 4-1 American Eastern States
Goals: Vidal '34, Victoriane '48, Andisori, B. '63, Montague '82
Starting Lineup: Williams; McBee - de Aea - Austic; Kelly, W. - Mora - Armageddon - Kuzami - Han; Vidal - Victoriane (C).
Substitutes: Andisori, B. -> Vidal '52, Montague -> Mora '69, Stef -> de Aea '79
Game Summary: American Eastern States came to Chromatika for the first home match of the cycle. Though the visitors struck early, Olimpia Vidal's strike tied the match, and three more goals in the second half with bringing in Lucjusz Stef and Beaunia Andisori brought them the victory. Conceding a goal to a lower side is not the best thing, but as long as they keep scoring four per match, it shouldn't matter.
Matchday 3: Abristan 1–2 Chromatika
Goals: Sierra '29, Bird '54
Starting Lineup: Joy; An - Ibex - Ilya; Etienne (C) - Limones - Armageddon - Kuzami - Liam; Sierra - Bird.
Substitutes: Ruth -> An '52, Kelly, M. -> Etienne '69, Andisori, K. -> Sierra.
Game Summary: The tendency of the Chromatiks to let in an early goal to inferior opposition is continuing to be a problem, but the way that the team continues to come back from a goal down is rather amazing. Keira Andisori and Meagan Kelly make their first appearances as well.
Next: Chromatika vs. Luz de Libertados and St. Esther
Projected Lineup: Ria; Morningst - Stef - Ilya; Rienn - Mora - Armageddon - Kuzami - Xe; Andisori, K. (C) -Gail.

by **Union of Socialist Alpine Republics** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:11 pm

The Alpine Union beats the Euran Oceania Territories!

Zagrad, Republic of Dalmatia and Istria - (NAP) After a disappointing 0-0 draw against Savalen, the Alpine Union bounced back and beat the Euran Oceania Territories 4-2. The EOT scored first, at the 14th minute when Ajax passed the ball to Pollard who dribbled and made a header pass to Ulysses Zimmer. Zimmer heads the ball right into the net and EOT is leading 1-0. 2 minutes later, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz dribbled with the ball and passed to Amelia Zalwowska who passed on the left to Jean-François Kleineheismann. Jean-François Kleineheismann shoots but he hits the post. Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz takes the lose ball and kicks it right into the net and the game is tied at 1-1! The Alpine Union attacked again at the 31st minute when Przemyslaw Zawistowski passed to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbled and made a short pass to Jean-François Kleineheismann. Jean-François Kleineheismann made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores! the Bisons are leading 2-1. EOT attacked at the 38th minute when Chadwick passed the ball back to Ajax who passed to vice captain Tom Duffy. Duffy kicks the ball and it's a goal. The game is tied again at 2-2 and this is the score at the halftime.

The Alpine Union attacked again at the 60th minute when Sascha Welzmüller passed to Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz who dribbled and passed to Amelia Zalwowska who made a short pass to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski in the penalty area but he's tripped by Kurt Strong. Strong gets a yellow card and it's a penalty for the Alpine Union. Zbigniew Zajaczkowski is ok and he's taking the penalty himself. He shoots and he scores! The Reprezentacja Alpejski is leading 3-2! EOT is attacking again at the 86th minute when Freeman passed the ball to Pollard who dribbled and made a cross to Zimmer but Krzysztof Januszkiewicz intercepts the pass and kick the ball away in Sarah Schroffenegger's direction. Sarah Schroffenegger takes the ball and dribbles and passed to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbled and passed to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and the ball is in! The Alpine Union is leading 4-2 and this is the final score!

The Alpine Union beat EOT 4-2 and is currently second in the standings with two wins and a draw, tied with Nethertopia, and behind Valanora, who are still undefeated. The Alpines' next game is on the road in 95X at the Oceanside Stadium II. 95X currently have a 1-0-2 record and needs to play better if they wants to qualify again but in the Alpine Union, we hope they don't. The World Cup is broadcasted on SECN (Sports & Entertainment Cable Network) in the republics from the former Southern Democratic States, and on Alpsport 1 in every other republics.

BOXSCORE
14th minute: Ulysses Zimmer assisted by Edward Pollard
16th minute: Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz unassisted
31st minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Jean-François Kleineheismann
38th minute: Tom Duffy assisted by Peter Chadwick
60th minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski (penalty)
86th minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Amelia Zalwowska

YELLOW CARDS
EOT: Kurt Strong (60th)
Alpine Union: Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz (36th)

RED CARDS
EOT: None
Alpine Union: None

by **North Prarie** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 2:51 pm

MATCHDAY 1 AT THE WORLD CUP; RECAP

North Prarie vs Bostopia. 1-1 DRAW

NORTH PRARIE STARTING XI
GK: Manuel
LB: Griffith
LCB: Olson
RCB: May
RB: Mack
CDM: Schmitz
LM: Rios
CM: Tran
RM: James
ST: Miller
ST: Oliver
HAPPENINGS
NRP GOALS: Matthew Oliver
BOS GOALS: Bostopia #10
Prarie National Sports Center, Worcester, North Prarie

A semi-eventful start to North Prarie's World Cup campaign, the Loons had a win until a badly defended corner kick in the 86th minute salvaged Bostopia a draw.
Alan Willis went with the normal Prariean XI to start, except for subbing in Nick James for Erick Amerigo at right midfield, since Amerigo had a bad Baptism of Fire campaign and didn't end the Prarie Premier season on a good note.
The game started pretty uneventful, but a great counter attack from Chris Rios and Matthew Oliver in the 13th minute livened things up a bit, even though Oliver would miss wide right. The North stand, home of the 1104, was popping the entire game, while the 5,242 attending Bostopians out of the 10,000 Bostopian seats were quiet.
During a Bostopian run at goal in the 32nd minute, James Griffith would be carded for a hard tackle on the Bostopian #7 just outside the box. The Bostopians protested, saying that the tackle was inside the box and that they should be awarded a penalty, but the experienced referee, John Prado, stood his ground. The Bostopians would miss the free kick.
At halftime, it was a 0-0 stalemate. While many fans left to get food or go to the bathroom, the 1104, along with commentators on the SPSN (South Pacific Sports Network) were wondering whether this would go on, or if a side would strike for a goal.
Well, those SPSN commentators were wrong. A counterattack in the 52nd minute left Bostopian defenders for dead, and after a network of good passing on the break, Philip Tran passed it by the Bostopian keeper to Matthew Oliver, who sent the ball flying into the top-right corner of the empty net. The PNSS erupted in cheers, and they had to delay the kickoff because of 1104 smoke bombs. An enthusiastic singing of the start of S.O.B, an unofficial Prariean goal song usually sung by the Southwestern legions, accompanied the cloud of blue above the North section.
However, Bostopia would get their revenge. When Prarieans were singing the People's Song of the Prarie and preparing for the final whistle in the 86th minute, a Bostopian corner floated into the box. Unsatisfactory defense allowed the Bostopian #10 to become unmarked and head the ball into the left side of the net, just barely out of the reach of Gio Manuel. The Goldstars would try to mount a goal in the closing minutes, but a great save by the Bostopian goalkeeper stopped the attack.
After the match, head coach Allan Willis said this of his teams' late loss: "Well, it's definetly not what we would have wanted, but it shows we can play well against good teams. I hope this game's positives were a sign of things to come."

And they were a good sign of things to come. North Prarie would get a great result by drawing 2-2 on the road against 23rd ranked Eshan. However, they would come home to a 1-1 draw against unranked bottom dwellers Vietmihn. North Prarie will hit the road to Stadion Nacional in Natians and Nosts to face the 65th ranked team coming off a 3-1 away loss to shock of the tournament and group toppers Poggers. This match is sure to be a 6-pointer, as North Prarie and the Nosts sit tied in the group with 3 points each.

Go Prarie!

by **Vietmihn** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:11 pm

Vietmihn Celebrates 1-1 Against North Prarie

Vietmihnese people worldwide cheered at the end of the soccer game, happy and relieved to not be losing again. The people most relieved, however, were the Vietmihnese team.
What mattered to them, at that point, was they jobs and reputations as players, things that would get hit badly if they lost again and again, as they were doing.
They were all spared from the wrath of the Vietmihnese people by a 82-minute goal by Fabián Teodoro Castellano, a goal that barely made it in, but did make it in. Any and all Vietmihnese in the stadium were sure of a Vietmihnese loss, a loss that never came. After the game, Vietmihn was a mass of cheers and happiness, and morale was high once again.

The Vietmihnese coach was especially happy with this tie, heed the threat on his job by many of his superiors. It was not a victory, but it was enough to take the mind of his superiors and the Vietmihnese people off of the bad losses that they had before. It was not a perfect record, nevertheless, the people were happy with the tie, and proud of their inexperienced team.

It did not take long for anyone, including the Vietmihnese team and their fans, to realize that Vietmihn was improving on the world stage, whether it was by a small amount or not, Vietmihn treasured it.

Stories Behind the Scenes

The night of the tie, a lesser known defender, Dinh, had a problem. He began to feel symptoms of nausea. It was a minor, nevertheless, serious problem. He began to feel sick. He was quickly rushed to the team doctor, as even a minor sickness was a big deal. The doctor, who attributed it to a minor stomach illness, otherwise known as the infamous "stomach bug", stated, "he will be out through the next qualifying game."

This was not a big deal to the team, who were happy to get the under-average preforming Dinh, who let balls through his defense multiple times, leading to Vietmihnese losses. People were quite critical of him, and calls for his removal had been rising. This was an easy way to delay the technical complications that came with kicking out a member of the national team.

---

Joseph Aaron-Mason also felt a bit sick, which was alarming to the coach and the high ranking members of the soccer federation, however, he quickly recovered after a night's sleep. It seemed that the thing to blame was a slightly-sick reporter that passed the sickness on to the soccer team. The reporter was barred from reporting on the soccer team until he showed evidence of a full recovery.

Another Meeting of the Board of the Football Federation

The Vietmihnese coach stepped into the meeting room designated for it. He looked around, and although it was a quite brightly lit room, it felt -- dark... Everyone was looking at him with a face that wasn't exactly... ahem.. happy. He hesitantly smiled and sat down in his seat.

"What the hell is this," a board member asked, showing him a picture of the semi-shabby defense of the team letting a ball through.
"We let you pick good players, note the word good. Thank goodness we picked the substitutes. Your job is hanging on a thin line."
The rest of the board looked at him. Stared at him. He took a breath. "The Vietmihnese team, they're new to the World Cup, yet they tied against an actually decent team! It's not acceptable that you think that is bad."

This was a mistake to say, and the coach realized it quickly.
"Nice job telling us what's acceptable and what's not. Look at the two losses we had. It's not acceptable that YOU don't even bother to fix your team. It was... interesting.. talking with you today, you may leave now."
He stepped out of the room, and he sighed. He went out of the building, faster than he had wanted to. This season was not off to a good start.

by **Bostopia** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:16 pm

The underground made for a much nicer journey once the suitcases had gotten off. Not that it was the suitcases which were the problem, it was largely the tourists who seemed clamped to their handles which caused most of the issues, running over exposed toes or taking up more space than they really needed in the morning rush hour. The train only continued a couple of stops past the most touristy area of Port Flamerty before reaching a small business park on the seafront, so the peace was short-lived for the commuters heading there. Amongst them was a young woman who went by Laurryn, (pronounced 'Lorrin') heading to her first day working at a small firm called ‘Westing ICT’, not much older than the office space they were renting.

Laurryn looked out of the window on her right, watching the tunnel the train was in slowly getting lighter, before the train pierced the morning light and began its gradual rise above the streets, becoming an overhead railway as it got closer to the seafront. Below the train was one of the main roads to the docks, lined by old, greasy-spoon cafés and the occasional bar. The area hadn’t yet been gentrified, but as the train pulled into a stop closer to the redeveloped part of the docks, Laurryn noticed that some of the cafés had been turned into coffee shops, selling bacon batches and pretentious coffee at triple the price of their looked-down-upon counterparts. A triple ping sounded near the train doors, signifying that they were to open or close, and shortly after they had slid open, a well-suited couple around 10 years older than Laurryn stepped onto the train, one carrying a sickly smelling coffee, minding their steps a little, though this was probably to preserve the coffee rather than anything else. The other member of the couple was too busy peering into a small hand-held mirror to notice any of the people their shoulder-strapped bag had smashed off when following their partner.

The train set off again, the sea taking up more of the left-hand side window in the ensuing minute of the journey. A natural, yet computer-generated sounding voice played out of the tannoy at either end of the train 'this train is now approaching Seagate East. Seagate East is the next stop'. Laurryn's right hand tightened onto the bar above her head she had been holding onto, awaiting the inevitable lurch forward when the train started to slow down. Falling into another commuter's pretentious café latté on the way to her first day on the job wouldn't be the best of starts. The train slowed down, a little lighter than expected, her heels rising off the floor to accommodate her body’s leaning forward as the train came to a halt. Setting herself again, with an ‘excuse-me’ she stepped between a fellow passenger and the door, pressing a button next to it which sounded the triple ping and had the doors slide open.

She stepped off the train into the Port Flamerty sunshine, and once she was far enough away from the train, took stock of her surroundings to make sure that the way she was about to head was the right way.

‘This station can’t be underground-‘ a male voice said, which, while certainly startling her, was familiar to Laurryn but she couldn’t quite place it ‘-it would flood so much. What with the sea.’

Laurryn turned to face the man, getting an eyeful of the rising sun in the process. Once they had readjusted to the light, she could see it was Melvin Grannon, the man who had interviewed for the position her three weeks ago. ‘Oh! Morning Mr. Grannon-‘ Laurryn started, before being cut off. ‘Melvin’s fine.’ ‘Okay, morning Melvin. I’d say you’re right about the sea. Wouldn’t want to be stuck on a flooded carriage.’ Melvin’s face dropped, with the look of a man who had never considered this prospect while lying awake at 3AM, though now knowing what would keep him awake for a week.

‘No!’ he half-squeaked, rather as if he had imagined too much already. ‘I’ve-I’ve got to get to the office – shall we walk together?’ Melvin had come across as slightly odd in the interview, as she had noticed him writing ‘SQUID.’ in big black pen across the top of his notepad, so she did consider it the offer for a moment, but in the end decided quickly enough that making sure she was going the right way was more preferable than insulting one of the managers on the first day. ‘Yes, alright – that way we both know I’m going to the right place.’ Melvin smiled back at her, and they headed down the metal steps toward ground level.

They walked largely silently, spare for Melvin’s squeaky shoes, toward what used to be a thriving port area, which had stopped being profitable decades ago and abandoned a couple of decades after that, once Port Flamerty State Council (along with Port Flamerty City Council) realised they could no longer subsidise it and remain operational themselves. Eventually, the Isles Parliament had ‘found’ some spare money, just as it looked like the ruling party was going to suffer serious losses in local elections, and it was dished out amongst the country. Port Flamerty CC decided they would turn the abandoned area of the port into a business park for small companies specialising in ICT, and thus the new offices were built seven years ago.

‘So’ Laurryn began, doing anything to break the monotonous squeak-squeak-silence of their walk ‘I read that Westing ICT was founded not long before you moved here?’ ‘Oh yes! We used to have a nice little office not far at all from the middle of the city, but then we moved here as it was cheaper rent. All subsidised. It has caused problems though – we’ve wanted to expand the business, but we’d need more floorspace really, and we can’t add any floorspace… what with the sea.’ Marvin stared out toward the sea, his brow furrowing as if he was almost cursing it. ‘Mr. Westing asked if we could expand sideways onto some of the grass, but the Council said we couldn’t, what with the sea.’ Laurryn realised this probably wasn’t a subject worth continuing, not least because it was becoming apparently that Melvin was turning into ‘the man who doesn’t shut up.’

She changed the subject – ‘so have you seen any football lately? The national side have played a few games lately but it’s been oddly hard to find out who was playing for us, let alone who scored. It’s a shame the TV blackout has gone on this long.’ ‘Don’t like football. It’s not really a football office. Nobody really likes it. But, Mr. Westing did once ask if we could have a football pitch out the back of the office or somewhere else nearby.’ ‘Oh, really, that so-‘ Laurryn was cut off - ‘I didn’t see the point. It’s not a football office. We do work there and have to be serious, so football doesn’t really come into it, ever. But the Council said we couldn’t have a pitch anyway, what with the sea.’

Laurryn’s head swirled. She was walking to a workplace where they specialised in something she had little interest in, with a man who had little interest in anything other than the sea, apparently. Surely somebody there would like football and have a clue who had scored for Bostopia?

OOC!

Dead sorry this is late - some information for those in Group 1 as to where matches will be played - please let me know if I have any of this in the wrong order:

MD01: North Prarie 1 - 1 Bostopia
MD02: The Holy Empire 4 - 3 Bostopia
MD03: Bostopia 2 - 4 Eshan - Bostopia Stadium, Fort Boston (103,499)
MD04: Vietmihn -v- Bostopia
MD05: Bostopia -v- Natanians and Nosts - The Football Ground, Kisington (52,350)
MD06: Free Swiss States -v- Bostopia
MD07: Bostopia -v- Yuezhou - Deepbay Stadium, Port Flamerty (83,500)
MD08: Eastfield Lodge -v- Bostopia
MD09: Bostopia -v- Poggers - Brian Marne Stadium, Rolida (37,000)
MD10: Bostopia -v- North Prarie - Fort Boston Arena, Fort Boston (91,093)
MD11: Bostopia -v- The Holy Empire - Bostopia Stadium, Fort Boston (103,499)
MD12: Eshan -v- Bostopia
MD13: Bostopia -v- Vietmihn - Ranton Road, Ranton (51,431)
MD14: Natanians and Nosts -v- Bostopia
MD15: Bostopia -v- Free Swiss States - Junker Stadium, Prussingberg (67,390)
MD16: Yuezhou -v- Bostopia
MD17: Bostopia -v- Eastfield Lodge - Bostopia Stadium, Fort Boston (103,499)
MD18: Poggers -v- Bostopia

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 4:48 pm

Zwangzug's sixteen-plus World Cup qualification attempts, and twelve appearances in the tournament proper, qualify them for two additional Hall of Fame slots in addition to the three filled by legends of the original team. Have any of the second generation (WC64-69) team earned a place with the old-timers? We debate the pros and cons below.

Patricia Eliot

Pros: the only player to be a starter for all six of those cycles. A leader behind the first 1./ champions in Canbix. Also in the foreign integration of the Northern Sunrise Islands league, via Matthew City Rangers.
Cons: she was usually mentioned in the context of has recorded [almost] as many yellow cards as anyone on the team has scored goals."

Percy Eskridge

Pros: one of the few national-teamers to become a manager, at infamous Ephesian FC. Also involved in the capital's "resistance" movement.
Cons: murdered a foreign ally who was just trying to help, then got himself blown back up and in time in the Anniversary incident at the Ziggurat. Probably a no.

Sue Fleischmann

Pros: daughter of a famous coach. Held down the WCC Vice-Presidency without incident (which isn't easy).
Cons: no actual footballing experience.

Ogechi Guttuso (or Olivia Idoni)

Pros: Instrumental in Bassabook's undefeated title run. Crucial to the triumph in Eagles' Cup VI as well. Would make us look good in the all-important Narrative Foreshadowing table.
Cons: ...uh, never actually played in any WCC tournament, but you know, other than that...

Vipin Lamin

Pros: Renowned lover of pithy lists. Named to an all-tournament team of World Cup 67.
Cons: Because like nobody else nominated a defender, presumably.

Saena Mathash

Pros: okay, she was actually on the first-generation team. But her off-the-field career in revitalizing grassroots football makes her a good choice for a slot earned by both eras? And, well, the team did pretty well when she was on it.
Cons: only played one cycle. Probably not even the best at her position in the country when she did.

Khasimi McCluey

Pros: Bigtopian diversity is always nice. Connects to the intermediate years via his appearance in the Fair Play trophy with Rovers United. Helped Kurt Jouet give a famous interview via non-chronological something or other. Joint-bronze boot (?) in Astograth once.
Cons: Rovers United were terrible in that tournament, and he wasn't good enough to be called up to the first NT. Strikers are passe.

Martina Ruan

Pros: the team's first female captain. Most goals for a midfielder in the "modern" WCC era. Somehow cool enough to survive that Cup of Harmony in Kinitaria despite speaking out against their government.
Cons: ...you know what, fine. We can probably induct her, I'm bored with this.

Bridget Scroves

Pros: first coach, helped the team shockingly qualify in World Cup 66.
Cons: a lot of people helped?

An announcer from the first-generation team

Pros: They did a lot of organization of the team, you know...
Cons: square roots.

by **Ashkam** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:12 pm

Five Hundred Warriors

Chapter Four

“I advise you to not hide your feelings
Don't pretend to be okay when you're not okay
Don't pretend to be happy when you're sad
It'll only lead to your misery…”

Saki Felles had been sleeping for… How long? Had it been six hours, or eight hours, or all day? She wasn’t completely sure but she knew that her mid day nap had turned into a rest that was much longer than a simple nap. That was happening more and more these days, as the offseason came and her schedule cleared up a bit when the players of CSKA Haska didn’t have training or games to worry about. The footballers and other athletes had far less army duties than other soldiers, and Saki found herself with a lot of free time when the season wasn’t keeping her busy with other things such as training, hitting the gym, and studying film with her teammates.

Still, in past offseasons she had filled the time by going clubbing and having fun in the city with both her teammates and her army mates, who all liked to hang around the popular footballer now that she was a nationally known name. Her energetic personality on the pitch had translated well to her activities off of it and people were never bored around her, often enjoying her company and causing her to stay out late on a lot of nights where she didn’t have something happening the next day. Now, she slept quite a lot and she slept hard, not waking up or being able to take short naps anymore.

“I’m getting worried about you,” said Corey Hariri, her teammate and the one that had woken her up. He ruffled her hair, looking over her from above as she laid on the couch with her feet propped up on the far armrest. “I was waiting for you to wake up, but since it looks like you were out cold, I decided to just do it so I can talk to you. There’s something I wanted to surprise you with, today.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say much. “Hmm?”

“There’s a new restaurant downtown that serves some traditional stuff from Parika. I knew you’d want to go there so I reserved it ahead of time and we can head there in an hour,” he started, before Saki sat up and cut him off, rubbing her muscles at the same time. She was feeling a bit sore from spending as much time on the couch as she did these days. “If you’re up for it, of course.”

“You reserved something… Why?”

Corey shrugged, almost defensively. “Because I wanted to cheer up my beautiful girlfriend? Because you need to get out of the house more and because you haven’t been the same person since the season ended? I don’t think you can argue with me on that, and maybe giving you a taste of home would help you out with whatever is going on right now for you. Or at the very least, you can relax for a bit.”

Saki stood and walked past Corey dismissively, moving to the fridge and taking out leftover spare ribs, which she moved to the microwave to heat up. “I’ll just have something that’s here, you can find someone else to go out with. And if you think I’ve only been a different person since the season ended, you’re dead wrong. I was just too occupied with playing and training for you to see it. It’s a wonder how many things you can hide when you’re constantly thinking about getting better and being on time for things. Now that it’s all done for now… It’s harder to keep it in.”

“What exactly are you keeping in?” asked Corey, following Saki. “You don’t have to hide everything. I’m around to help you. There’s a club psychologist, and your teammates. The army has people that handle this kind of thing. You can talk to your Commissar about it and I’m sure he’ll have some kind of recommendation about who to go to-”

Saki slammed the microwave door shut, punching at the buttons angrily before turning to face Corey. “You don’t fucking get it, do you? If this was something that I could talk to my Commissar about, I would do it. But this country isn’t as fucking free as it says it is. It’s probably not even as free as you believe it is. Yeah I can scan my I and get a free car here, and I don’t have to pay anything for this apartment or for food from the grocery store, but at what cost? My people back home are starving because of this collectivist system. Why the fuck should I have a good life here while they fight for their lives because of something they can’t control-”

Corey put his arms around his girlfriend, embracing her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. “Are you sure this is a problem with the government? The Parika food shortages were caused by diseases and weather, not collectivism. Any system would have been devastated with what that area went through-”

“Yeah, and other systems would be able to import food from elsewhere and feed the people regardless, but we can’t do that because this is a backwards fucking nation and communism is far more important than people’s actual lives!” she shouted, before lowering her voice. It wouldn’t be good if anyone heard what she was saying, even if they only heard snippets. “In a normal country, I wouldn’t risk being killed just for saying that. I don’t know how the old Ashkam was, but I know that before communism, people could at least speak up about what they thought was wrong. And then the Tanai family just had to ruin everything to stay in power. Our entire lives are dictated by a power hungry tyrant and his desire to stay in that position-”

“Don’t bring the honorable Chairman and his family into this. They had nothing to do with the food shortages, and they aren’t tyrants for keeping us safe and keeping reactionaries from disrupting the system. Democracies have far worse living conditions than us, and capitalism has starved more people than our system. I understand that you’re angry, but your anger is misguided,” Corey tried to say, but Saki only grew angrier at his response.

“People like you are the problem. If everyone was aware of what was going on, we could change the regime in under a week. But people like you buy into the propaganda and only believe what you hear from the state news stations. They claim to be different from each other, but that’s bullshit. All of them hold the party line, and none of them show anything that really matters. How much news coverage do you think my hometown got?” she asked, not expecting an answer. “People like you still believe their every word, like fucking idiots. You still think I can talk to my Commissar about all my problems? If I had a death wish, maybe.”

Corey sighed, releasing his grip on her and pacing in a circle. He loved Saki, but she could make things difficult when she was emotional, and this certainly seemed like one of those times. “Well… I’m sorry that I can’t be the boyfriend that you want. I’m sorry for not questioning what I hear. Maybe you’re right about the government. I don’t know. It’s not often that I hear other perspectives, I don’t know what to think. But whatever is bothering you, you need to do something about it. It’s not leading you down a good path. You’re miserable all the time and you’re hardly the same person that was my teammate last season. You’re not the one that I asked to be my girlfriend.”

She turned her back, resting her hands against the fridge and leaning on it. “What if I said that girl never truly existed? That everything was a fabrication to stay out of trouble. I’m a soldier of the army in addition to being a footballer, it’s not like I can speak my mind. Well, nobody can really speak their mind, but that applies doubly to a soldier. I don’t want them to send someone to silence me. It’s easier to just shut up and put on a mask.”

“You should see a psychologist. You can get waived from the army if you’re diagnosed with clinical depression, you know. A lot of people wouldn’t be happy about it and might see it as trying to dodge your commitment, but you’re going to have haters no matter what you do. You might as well talk to someone and see if they give you the diagnosis. It won’t solve everything, but being out of the army might ease some of the pressure.”

“Yeah,” said Saki, softly. “I’m fucking sorry for everything. But living like this, and wondering every day if I’m going insane for thinking the way I do… I don’t know how much longer I can take it. I’m losing my mind. And just talking to someone isn’t going to fix it.”

by **Audioslavia** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:58 pm

"Five of them" said Desya, nodding, as if he was expecting anyone to know what on earth he was talking about.
"Five of who did what?" replied Roddy Fraser, through a mouthful of salmon. He almost succeeded in not accidentally spitting a piece out onto the tablecloth as he spoke and he almost avoided at least three people seeing him and rolling their eyes.
"Five of commentators your goal 'Kop that!' when you goal"
"Five of commentators what my goal?"
"Saying 'Kop that' when you goal" replied Desya. "Is pun they before the game so when you goal they can funny and witty"
"Aye" said Roddy. "Well it works, I suppose"

It had been a nervy one. The crowd on their back more and more during a second half full of some turgid, mistake-ridden football from both teams. Roddy Fraser had found the net on eighty-three minutes, picking himself up off the ground after a botched attempt at landing from his missed header to find the ball bobbling in front of him. He'd been around the block long enough to know instinctively, more or less, where the goal was, and had smashed the ball in that general direction as hard as he could. One nothing. The only goal of the game. The memories of chasing shadows around Sabrefell last month banished from memory for the time being, although the press had been quick to draw parallels between the Kopyk game and the Nephara one, what with Desya Kuznetsov managing to knee an opponent square in the balls for the second match in succession (this time against a player who didn't quite deserve it).

"Has that Kopyk defender retrieved his balls from your kneecap yet, Desya?" asked Roddy, flicking bits of partially masticated salmon fillet off the tablecloth as he spoke.
"He letter but I no response unless stamped addressed envelope"
"Right" said Fraser. "Great thinking, by the way. Knee the guy in the balls before he can clear it. Let Roddy score the goal. Maybe next time, though..."
Desya's ears pricked up.
"Maybe next time what?"
"Well I don't know" said Roddy, "maybe just obstruct him? Or put a cheeky arm across his chest. I don't think viciously attacking opposition testicles is something you can really get away with for long before you get a reputation"
"No" said Desya. Desya rarely minced his words, which isn't hard when you refuse to use verbs.
"Fine".

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:14 pm

The Tide

Bruce and the other men slept on the wet sand, as their heads were now coated with sand. It was the rising sun in the distance that had the desert cloaked in twilight. Bruce opened his eyes, as he no longer felt tired. It has been a half a day since the disappearance of Henry, as Bruce imagined he ended up lost and gone mad by eating sand. Bruce's own stomach grumbled. He didn't want to eat the sand, but he was curious of what his own shirt tasted like. Then he saw it.

A figure covered in shadows, as it slowly approached the soldiers carrying several things in it's hands. Bruce immediately shot up and alerted the others. "Identify yourself!" a soldier yelled at the figure, as it's true face slowly became visible up close. "Henry? You're alive? You look like shit." Bruce said, as Henry was holding two jars of mixed fruit in one hand and a med kit in the other. "Take them. Just take them! Don't let them fall in the sand!" Henry demanded for Bruce to have his hands out, as Henry fell face-first on the wet sand. He opened his shirt to reveal several wounds of what looked like an animal attack.

When it fully became morning and light was truly visible, several soldiers began tending to Henry with the medkit he had. Henry demanded to have a slice of peach from the jars, as the soldiers used it as food. "Henry, what happened out there? Come on. Was there another plane or something?" Bruce interrogated Henry, as he was being tended.

"I found a rim or something. I found an area with dry sand. Like a real desert. And all I see in the sand is all this random items. Both useful and some not. And this bloody sand cougar or something attacked me. He was like a mole. He was burrowing in the sand, visible. Then he attacked me. It costed me my knife, but I knew there were more of them also." Henry said. "Then, what happened?"

"I... I saw a door. Standing there without a wall. There was some sort of sign next to it. Like it was trying to invite me in."
"What did it say?"
"It only showed two words? Like it was a place. The words were...Hawthrone, Ohio."

Meanwhile, at Main Nation Ministry

"Ok, let me pose with this pool cue here." Candidate Tremain Spoonts posed with a pool cue, as several photographers from The Truth News took photos of him for the news. He was nicknamed as a "Pro-Flesh" for demanding mandatory surgery for anyone who does and doesn't need a transplant. Sadly, he had followers much to the dismay of the Leader, who was watching through a camera being held by a secret police officer disguised as a journalist. On the monitor, The Leader didn't enjoy what he was seeing.

"Sir, when should we authorize the mission?" a top government official walked in the room to ask the Leader. "Not now. We need some time and some possible evidence to have his chances dead. If we do it now, people will get suspicious. In the meantime, check on the others. They might be interfere with some other things."

The Leader didn't like how the puppet government gone down. And now he was determined to have it be in flames, so he can show the public why he needed to rule.

by **Ashkam** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:59 pm

RED CARD CAUSES ASHKAM COLLAPSE IN APOX, NATIONAL TEAM LOSES 5-4 AGAIN

APOX --- The Ashkamite national team is left stunned and confused after blowing its chance to get a second major upset in three matches. The team has played better on the road than at home so far and once again took the match to a stronger team. In this case, the favorite was 35th ranked Apox, but the team has more of a tradition behind it than an ordinary team ranked in the 30-40 range. Additionally, Apox is the second highest rated team in the group. According to most betting lines, they should have defeated the Hammerers by three or four goals, with their home crowd boosting them to a better performance. In reality, things were far closer.

Corey Hariri has remained in form and contributed another brace, scoring one goal in each half. Dan Ransom and Evgeni Hasakhan added to the scoresheet for Ashkam to contribute a total of four goals, and despite the sluggish back four, it was enough to tie the match with Apox going into the 73rd minute. That was after Ashkam had settled into a defensive posture to contain the opposition attack until the end of the match, with the goal of getting away with a point instead of going all out for a victory, but the 73rd minute was when things changed and the Hammerers lost the match in a way, even when they didn’t concede just yet.

Peter Kahvanen was sent off in that minute after making a bizarrely rough tackle that had no chance of passing the referee without being called. The lapse in focus was reflective of the defensive struggles of the last Ashkamite match, despite the team making it a public goal to improve the defending this match. Once they were down to ten men, the Ashkamite team seemed confused and struggled with positioning and one versus one battles. Several shots were cleared in the late part of the match but it only took one to get the win in the 80th minute, after Esa Jah failed to reach the ball before the opposing striker’s long shot went in just next to the post.

SKA Dar Mora striker Jai Talakesi made his debut while substituting for Corey Hariri, but failed to find the equalizer and had two shots saved in stoppage time. The match ended with Ashkam wondering where their chance at taking a point had went, after one break in concentration changed the story of the entire match and changed the outcome on the final scoreline. “It was a fucking disgrace, that’s what the end of this match was,” said manager Dren Husali, after the match was over. “We had a chance for three points and after that we had a chance for one point. We were able to hang with one of the best national teams in the world. And we blew it. What else is there to say about this? We have a lot of tape to look at before our next matches, so we’ll look at the defensive problems from here and from the Kosovakia match and see if we can find something to turn things around. But there’s no magical fixes at the highest level and it’s not looking great right now.”

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Karen Stone: "we're back here on the CommSports 2 World Cup show, just enough time to finish up the discussion of the victory over Great Chota which has pushed the National Team into sole possession of 2nd place in the group with the leaders coming to Shirley for Match Day 4. Tricia Oliphant, the ladies come through again in a big way tonight..."

TO: "we knew that Whitestone would bring a different dimension to the right side of the midfield, and Angelique Underwood showed her potential in the Baptism of Fire. Amanda Hayes, getting only her second ever international start, really showed a poise and maturity that belied her age."

Brad Engelhart: "and look at the numbers--the three of them combined won 94% of their tackles and completed almost 80% of their passes. Personally, I'd never seen Hayes play before tonight, and I thought she could've been the player of the match. She hardly put a foot wrong."

KS: "back to Jeff, your thoughts?"

Jeff Logan: "the one thing you can never get out of your head is that if they are able to work into a smooth, unimpeded buildup to full passing tempo, the Commonwealth are difficult to beat. I think Great Chota just didn't do enough homework, because frankly I didn't think that they were that out-manned physically. On paper, this was a pretty solid technical side that Trevor put on the field. Would this same side be as dangerous against a Schottia, or a Cosumar, or even the next opponent South Covello? Probably not. Not enough experience or awareness of how to handle situations. But I do think that a huge part of this lineup will be making their name in international competition pretty soon."

KS: "thanks Jeff, we will be talking to you ahead of the next match. safe travels."

JL: "thanks Karen"

KS: "Brad, final thoughts on the upcoming match against South Covello?"

BE: "well, there's a reason they are the 4th ranked team in the world. I'm sure Trevor is going to back to a much more experienced lineup, but he's going to have to finally release the grip he's held on the attacking game. I'll say they need to score the first goal and will probably need at least 3 to win."

KS: "Tricia?"

TO: "I think Trevor would be OK with a draw, but I also think that the winner is going to have to score more than 2 goals. President's Park isn't the easiest place to come into with no previous experience, all of its quirkiness and sort of primitive accommodations are something that a visitor has to get used to. I'd guess that they could get a valuable point if the tactics are spot on."

KS: "and that's all the time we have, I want to thank Brad and Tricia, and all of you who have tuned in, we'll see you again tomorrow. Good night."

Great Chota 2-4 Commonwealth
CBP--Coverstone (24'), Sandoval (47'), DiPietro (61'), Patel (83')
Pelletier: Day, Bartok, Messer; Hayes, Bozeman (Patel 76'), DiPietro, Whitestone; Underwood, Coverstone (Van den Bloom 83'), Sandoval (Schmidt 79')

att-26,000

___________________________________________________________________________________

In another part of Belle Haven, a meeting was taking place involving Prime Minster Rebecca Schoenlein and several other cabinet ministers, as they discussed the situation in Banija, where the government had to deal with the response to the crisis. The commercial relationship that had been established, as well as the newly established political ties to the Kingdom's government meant that the path to aiding humanitarian efforts was a tightrope to be maneuvered.

Chief of Security: "we have increased the number of agents on the ground, to help us get better intel on the situation. Right now the problems seem to be in the outlying areas, but the leak of the report about how the government is handling the crisis is sure to bring the discontent closer to the larger cities."

Foreign Affairs Minister: "If we are going to provide relief to the outlying areas, we are going to have to insist that we be allowed to bypass having everything routed through Busukuma. Otherwise the government will siphon off what they want to prop up areas loyal to the regime."

Prime Minister: "I think that will require a higher level contact than government to government. The King is much more powerful, and could overrule the decision, so I think a personal appeal from the Head might be our best option. Let's get some concrete numbers as to how much water and food aid might be involved to make a difference in the crisis. In the meantime, I think we should also be talking to some of the other nations in AO to see where they stand."

by **95X** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 10:35 pm

The Origin of Britny Sierra, Part One

"Britny has more to work on in her game than autocorrect does with her name. Will need to start at the bottom. Enjoys the beach in her off-time, which she has too much of."
—Transfer Window 12 Bio (nine years ago)

95X Year 67, seven years ago, the year of Soccer League X Season 25 and the final year of Xi Foureleven's playing career.

Before Xi Foureleven purchased SC Oceanside, she asked Jason Ninetyfivex to covertly seek office space under the guise of his sports agency opening a new office in Oceanside. He found the perfect location in a midrise building overlooking the ocean. As the weather was temperate and calm, after being shown the space by the real estate agent his job was done for the day. Ninetyfivex went to the beach below to enjoy some personal time, taking off his shoes and socks and exchanging them for an awkward pair of sandals. Even more awkward was how they clashed with his business-casual-is-the-best-it-gets attire. There was something refreshing about the onshore wind and incoming tide.

After a few minutes he heard a giggling sound. He turned toward the beach behind him and saw a blond woman in a green bikini lying on a beach blanket. So he walked up to her and said, "hi."

The woman was younger, had a huge smile on her face and green eyes that matched her bikini. What stood out further was her light skin wasn't tan, it was a natural bronze hue. She continued giggling after Ninetyfivex greeted her.

"Do you only giggle?" Ninetyfivex inquired.

"No, but I do giggle a lot", she replied, smiling intently.

Realizing conversation had been struck, Ninetyfivex asked if she was interested in visiting a close coffee establishment that was a favorite of his. She accepted, and Ninetyfivex went to grab a table while she put on clothes.

She walked in minutes later in a pair of shorts and a tank top, found Ninetyfivex and ordered some sort of drink with whipped topping. It was a sharp contrast to Ninetyfivex's coffee, and the two of them were equally dissimilar. As she sits down, she holds out a smartphone (which are still a luxury item in 95X) and takes a picture of herself with her drink as if it were second nature.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier," Ninetyfivex started, "I'm Jason, I was looking for a new office space overlooking the beach for my company, and I think I found it."

The woman, who now had sincere eyes and what looked like a smile, looked down at her drink.

"I know I look like I'm smiling, but I'm actually very sad", she said, "I'm a soccer player, and I didn't make tryout finals for Oceanside. This after going to a team in another country that didn't play a single game. I might have to quit soccer and do something else with my life."

"I'm sorry to hear about that," Ninetyfivex empathized. "Do you mind if I ask what else you're good at?"

"Well, I like to take pictures and put them online, I'd spend all day online if I had the chance," she stated.

Ninetyfivex realized the opportunity.

"What if I told you I'm putting together a new office staff here in Oceanside, the office overlooks the ocean, it might not be too far removed from soccer, and we could use an online media coordinator."

Her eyes light up. She's shocked.

"R-Really? Like, ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" she lost control, and this was on only a few sips of the coffee drink.

"You never told me your name," Ninetyfivex reminded.

"Britny! Britny Sierra."

The next day, Xi Foureleven was waiting for Ninetyfivex at the new office space as he arrived. He'd covered-up the true purpose of the office to Britny, but that's why she wanted to talk to him.

"Have you lost your mind?" Foureleven asked, showing him something on a computer. "This is Britny Sierra's online photo-sharing page!"

It's mostly pictures of herself with various poses and outfits, with descriptions saying nothing more than "bored", "why i haf 2 hav txt" (sic), and a few other pictures.

"Let's give her a chance," Ninetyfivex bargained, knowing it would be a while before the end of the season where Foureleven would retire and attempt to buy the team.

Things worked out. If Sierra seemed excited to get a job in the first place, imagine her surprise when she found out she was being named online media coordinator for SC Oceanside.

World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

95X WC 80 2nd RP

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