World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

by **Free Republics** » Sun May 13, 2018 10:10 am

News Magazine

Saintland War: East Makes Massive Gains
By: Gustavo Li Fonti

The stalemate in the Saintland War seems to have ended abruptly. The Battle of Royal Forest had seen both sides digging in and hiding behind fortifications. For weeks, casualties had been light on both sides and the fighting had seemingly slowed to a halt. Neither side seemed to be sufficiently confident to launch an offensive and push back their enemies. Then, a large number of eastern reinforcements arrived yesterday, surrounding the western forces on all sides. After intense fighting and heavy losses on both sides, the remnants of West Saintland's primary army surrendered to East Sanctii forces led by General Lucius Tuccius. The origin of these reinforcements is currently unknown but News Magazine has learned that a large fleet of ships recently arrived at St. Augustinus harbor. The origin of the men on these ships is currently unknown but reports indicate that they may have been sent by a foreign power to assist the east's campaign to reunify Saintland.

East Saintland is now reporting that they have "liberated" all of Saintland except for the western capital of St. Petrus. Late last night, Prime Minister Leva Fadius gave a speech which aired on all of the West Sanctii television networks. She declared that "While many have suggested that it is time to surrender, I can assure you that Saintland will never surrender to the misogynistic terrorists! We will retreat behind our walls. We will defend our capital and we will defeat those who seek to enslave the superior sex to the weaker sex!" News Magazine has confirmed that western forces have surrounded St. Petrus and have begun a siege of the city. According to our sources in the east, they are hopeful that victory is imminent and that their kingdom shall soon know peace and unity under patriarchy.

We will have further information on this breaking news story as soon as it becomes available.

Gustavo Li Fonti is a 20-year veteran reporter, who specializes in foreign news. He has worked for many newspapers over his career including the Republica Post, the New City Times and the Petrograd Tribune. He is a well-known and widely respected journalist who was recruited by Admiral Theriault to be our lead foreign correspondent.

As the East Sanctii forces were routing their foes, with the help of Salvation Circle reinforcements, Soccer General Rule Theriault's team found themselves in a fight with Ceyesca at the IslandDome in Falatulu. Starting Republican keeper Stig Roivas had partied heavily the night before, showing up for the match in an intoxicated state. Nonetheless, Theriault still put him on the pitch and disaster struck quickly. Ceyesca's strikers, whose identities were unknown to anybody outside of Ceyesca, scored twice in the first 10 minutes to put the Free Republics in a massive hole. After the second goal, an irate Theriault removed his keeper and replaced him with backup Taras Sergeyev. Sergeyev would go on to amass 8 saves on the day and hold the visitors scoreless for the remainder of the match.

As the first half progressed, it seemed that Ceyesca had an answer for everything the Republicans tried to do offensively as everybody affiliated with Republican National Soccer Team, LLC became increasingly frustrated with the way that this match was going. As they headed into the tunnel for halftime, Ceyesca was clinging to a 2-0 lead. Across the Free Republics, channels were being changed on televisions and many fans left the stadium at halftime to beat the rush home. Soccer General Rule Theriault berated his team at halftime as the final score came in from the Silver Beach-Aggrey-Fynn Land match. In mid-speech, the Freedom Sports app played the alert on several dozen phones simultaneously. Theriault checked his phone, saw what had happened and informed his team that they now controlled their own destiny:

"Silver Beach 1, Aggrey-Fynn Land 1. Final score. As of this very moment, you control your own destiny. All you have to do to make it back to the World Cup is win. This is now, for all intents and purposes, a knockout round match and we're down 2 goals to none. Do you want to go down like this, squandering your chance to qualify for consecutive World Cups, or are you going to go out, play like Republicans and beat this bottom of the group team?"

Theriault ended his speech right there and nobody bothered to answer his question verbally. Moments later, the teams stepped onto the pitch for the second half. Within 2 minutes, the Republicans had secured a corner kick off of a Johnny Smith shot. Lecha Arsanukayev placed the corner perfectly for Kalervo Peltola, who headed it into the back of the net. Around the hour mark, the Republicans equalized after a Ceyesca defender tripped Love Holm in the scoring area, in full view of the referee. This defender was shown a red card and Johnny Smith stepped up to place a penalty kick in the back of the net. Suddenly, the Republicans had tied the match.

The third Republican goal would come just minutes later. As the clock entered the 64th minute, Love Holm took a shot at the net, which was saved by the keeper. Usman Eldarkhanov delivered a perfect bicycle kick to catch the ball on the rebound and put it in the net as the remaining crowd went wild. The Free Republics now had the lead.

For the remainder of the match, the Republican momentum appeared to subside as Ceyesca put constant pressure upon Taras Sergeyev and the Republican defenders. Toward the end of the match, Andreas Hansen came on as a substitute for Peltola. As the clock entered the 90th minute, Ceyesca took a shot at goal, which was caught by Sergeyev and tossed right to the feet of Jake Reed, who had come on for Vaclav Urbanek. Reed kicked the ball straight across the pitch behind the defense for a quick counter-attack as Hansen made a break for it. Hansen was able to outrun all of the defenders, attain possession and make a move for the goal. The backup Republican striker launched as powerful of a shot as he could straight at the hands of Ceyesca's keeper, who dropped the ball, which rolled over the line for the fourth Republican goal. After a few uneventful minutes of soccer, the Free Republics officially had a 4-2 victory and were now back in 3rd place. Now, all that remained on their schedule was a visit to The Macabees for what was now, in all likelihood, another must-win match...

by **Schottia** » Sun May 13, 2018 10:25 am

SBCNEWS Online...
Football special - The Road to The Equestrian States and Starblaydia. Part Three

After getting the "Businessperson like" performance he asked for at the start of the campaign, Lionel Mah's side were in a strong position going into the home stretch. A couple more wins would likely be enough to secure a return to the tournament proper, but until that point, the Quebecois would be demanding every ounce from all of his players.

Going into the game with Loynn, Schottia announced three additional call-ups for the final push, with Mah clearly keen to fine tune the playing pool ahead of the trip to the Atlantian Oceania in the summer. Twenty-eight-year-old Pasargan League winner, John Ferry, could be in line to win his first cap at any level, as his form with Baskita clearly caught the eye. The central-midfielder spent his entire youth career with Sporting Solsholm in Semarland, but failed to make much impact, opting to leave when the nation lost it's UICA accreditation, having only made a handful of starts. Pasarga, however, seems to be a place where a decent player can get chances, and this strong, solid passer of the ball has finally tasted some success. Of all the fresh call-ups, Ava Rose Donaldson is the one that arguably needs the least introduction, as the daughter of assistant manager and former skipper, Colin, has been on the radar since the she was old enough to kick a ball. With her energetic style of play, and her ability to cut defences open, the 20-year-old has obviously been compared to Dilon Bánach and Evelyn Conjure. After a highly decorated youth career with Project Olimpo in the All-Hinodejin Youth League, Donaldson made the switch to TL-East side, Northampton, where the first team football has clearly helped her development. Finally, Kara Ciogach is a young striker who has been making a big impression at A-League side, Sothern Stars, since her move from the Handon Ladies youth set-up. The 20-year-old who has been tipped for a DBC call-up next year might be a bit of a surprise inclusion here, but we know that Brenecian football has been a happy hunting ground for Lionel Mah in the past. The only question mark hanging over Ciogach is her stature, as the pocket-sized striker is undoubtedly capable of sticking the ball in the net. However, she is used to playing in a classic "little and large" strike-force, and with Schottia, may need to learn to cope without the "large" in a one-up-front system.

How much the new recruits feature in the next five matches will be dependent on a number of factors. Obviously Lionel Mah will be looking closely at how they perform in training, but should their teammates wrap up qualification early, then it could very well persuade the manager to take a few selection risks.

Schottia 6–1 Loynn
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Ingold, Paul, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure (Morham), Stenberg, Coultan, Vaught (Del Arro), Avelione, Martel-Burns (Renshaw)
Goals: Vaught, Coultan, Martel-Burns, Del Arro (2), Renshaw

Schottia moved to within one win of securing qualification this week, with a convincing 6-1 victory at home to Lyonn. Camila Soria Luna and Steven Rexmont moved to the bench for this match, with Jack Avelione returning to the starting eleven, and Isaiah Vaught preferred to Rexmont on the left. Lionel Mah's changes seemed to have an instant effect with Tir Snake Strike attacker, Vaught, skipping the challenge of Eliott Leavitt before leaving the keeper with no chance as he blasted home inside the far post. While Patrick Day's were side still reeling, Schottia pressed the advantage, with Kim Coultan and Corinne Martel-Burns both scoring in quick succession to stretch their lead. Cazadores Cathair skipper, Matt Ingold, has had a very good campaign, and the left back was probably Schottia's best attacking threat in the first half. Loynn came out of the blocks strongly after the restart, and pulled a goal back straight off the bat, thanks to a header from Barnyt FC forward, Jonny Nash. At home, however, there was no way Schottia were going to throw away the points, and they hit the side from Brodesia with a late flourish. Substitute Rachel Del Arro struck twice on the break away, while Ross Renshaw showed his striker instincts to prod home a deep cross from Line Stenberg.

Crystalline Caverns 0–3 Schottia
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Paul, Souter, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, Bánach (Stenberg), Alan, Del Arro (Vaught), Soria Luna, Martel-Burns (Avelione)
Goals: Conjure, Soria Luna, Vaught

The trip to Crystalline Caverns was an exercise in nerve holding, as Schottia hoped to join Brenecia in booking their flights for the tournament proper. On form Matt Ingold was a miss for this one, with Paul Doig taking his place at left back. Rachel Del Arro's double against Loynn was enough to earn her a start, and Camila Soria Luna also made her return, replacing young Jack Avelione. With their defensive set up, Schottia's opponents took some breaking down at home. In the opening twenty minutes, a wayward header from Corinne Martel-Burns was the best the Auks could come up as Clovis Terrano was little tested. The travelling support inside the Tempest Nook didn't have to wait long however, as Evelyn Conjure rounded off a crisp passing move with a strike into the bottom corner. In the second half, Soria Luna held off Josceline Arik at the end of a mazy run to slip the ball home for two; and TL-East star, Isaiah Vaught made it two goals in two games, as he headed in a Dilon Bánach corner with ten minutes left on the clock.

Schottia 1–1 Mattijana
Line-up: Lorrey, Corrello, Ingold, Campbell, M.Ünterhausen, Bronte (Ferry), Artîn, Coultan, Avelione (Alexandersson), Soria Luna, Lennox (Wedderburn)
Goals: Lennox

Schottia rung in the changes for the visit of Mattijana, with Lionel Mah taking the opportunity to blood a few of the fringe players ahead the big decision as to who gets a seat on the plane. While Artîn, Corrello, Bronte, and Lennox are not considered first team regulars, they were hardly strangers to top-level football, so it is a bit of a surprise that the Auks struggled quite so much. Credit to Mattijana though, they seem to be a side capable of raising their game, and once they learn to do that consistently, they will be a real threat. Dusan Vukoja's side certainly made things difficult for Schottia on home turf, and that's something that hasn't happened often in recent years. Keeper, Ed Lorrey was called upon to make a fingertips save from Daniella Alaba after nineteen minutes, and Schottia were lucky not to concede a penalty, after Artîn appeared to have manhandled Sophia Velezia in the box. Jessica Lennox was looking increasingly isolated in attack, as Schottia failed to find the killer pass. A long-range effort from Jack Avelione, which nearly dipped in under the crossbar, was the best Schottia had to show for their efforts in the first half. As soon as things got underway in the second 45, Schottia were in serious danger of losing their first qualifier since World Cup 77 as midfield enforcer, Jago Adrianov, put Mattijana ahead. Mars Alexandersson and John Ferry were introduced to the proceedings, which succeeded in adding a bit of urgency to the home side’s play after what had been a sluggish start to the second half. Indeed it was a cutting through pass from the Lammerton attacker, that found Lennox in space for the equaliser. Despite pressing hard in the closing stages, Schottia were unable to find the important second goal, with Mattijana picking up a deserved point.

Schottia 12–2 Lynchberg
Line-up: Lorrey, Hordern, Ingold, Carlin, M.Ünterhausen, Donaldson, Bánach (Ferry), Addison, Avelione (Renshaw), Alexandersson, Martel-Burns (Ciogach)
Goals: Carlin, Martel-Burns (5), Donaldson, Alexandersson (2), Renshaw, Ciogach (2)

Schottia might have been at home to bottom ranked side, Lynchberg, but Lionel Mah wasn't taking too many chances after the moral sapping 1-1 draw with Mattijana. There was, however, a debut start for Ava Rose Donaldson - and while there might have been accusations of nepotism when the line-up was announced - she proved her doubters wrong with an assured performance. Any fears Schottia fans might have had quickly disappeared in this match, as Grant Carlin headed home a Matt Ingold corner after only four minutes, to take the prospect of an upset of the cards. Whatever the criticism you might levy against Corinne Martel-Burns, you cannot take away the fact that she is one of the great goal scorers in the game, and the $40 million striker fired in a first half hattrick as Schottia looked like they were going to score with every attack. Donaldson, who had a direct hand in one Martel-Burns' goals, got in on the act herself, as a sweeping strike gave the Northampton midfielder a memorable debut. With the scores at 5-0 going into the break, there was always the danger that the hosts might drop the intensity, and that's exactly what happened. An incisive Lynchberg breakaway, just as the match entered stoppage time, found the Schottic defence flatfooted before pulling one back. John Ferry came on at half time, and the Baskita midfielder could have been playing in his carpet slippers, such was the ease with which he played. The 28-year-old did his chances of booking a seat on the plane no harm at all, with a performance where he controlled the tempo of the game. Martel-Burns and Mars Alexandersson scored another two each, as Schottia went 9-1 up with half an hour left on the clock. The fight might have been out of Lynchberg by that stage, but they remarkably found the back of the net again, as they scored the eleventh goal in what was fast becoming an incredible match. In the final half hour Schottia changed things around up front, with the introduction of Ross Renshaw and Kara Ciogach. It was an unfamiliar formation for Lionel Mah, but with the team in the ascendency, the duo netted three between them. It looked like a system both were comfortable with, and they combined to good effect, with Sothern Stars girl, Ciogach, scoring a debut double.

It was Schottia's biggest competitive win, and they achieved it with that was arguably not their strongest eleven. That said, the likes of Alexandersson, Ferry, Donaldson, and Addison can hardly be considered second-rate player, and Lionel Mah is going to have big decisions to make before finalising his squad of 23. The likes of Conjure and Soria Luna will obviously walk straight back into the team, but when it comes to making up bench, will the manager be tempted to go for a player like Ferry, who has already proven what he can do on the biggest stage domestically.

by **Mattijana** » Sun May 13, 2018 12:15 pm

Mattijana Nick Another Point From Schottia, so What's the Problem?

Mattijana yesterday claimed an excellent away point against Schottia, the group's top seeds and in fact the World number ones. They also repeated their feat in the home tie, but this time scored first, before a second-half equaliser from Schottia pegged them back for a 1-1 draw. Jago Adrianov this time provided the goal, emulating Marko Hojbjerg in the first leg.

However the result also marks the team's 8th draw of the qualifying cycle, the most out of anyone in group 12 and second-most of anyone, 3 behind Northwest Kalactin's impressively dour total of 11.

So if Mattijana are good enough to take a couple of points off the World Champions, why are they only 6th in their group, with just 3 wins to their name and behind the likes of lower-ranked Loynn and Maryloupe?

Performances against the 3 top sides have not been the issue. From their 5 matches against higher-ranked oppostion this cycle, Mattijana have taken 6 points with just one defeat, a 3-1 loss to Super-Llamaland. In that, they have beaten Cassadaigua and been the only side to take points from Schottia. A side with the ability to do that should surely not be in the lower-half of the table.

But they are, and Dusan Vukoja probably has his side's form against lower-ranked sides to blame. Of their 10 matches against the 6 teams below Mattijana, they have claimed 11 points, including only two wins, pretty shocking given the lineups facing them.

So just why have Mattijana looked well-set against the big boys, but come up short against everyone else?

Complacency?

The first thing to look at with a team struggling against lesser-teams is complacency. Having proved themselves against top-ranked teams, it can be all-to-easy to switch off against others, particularly defensively, such is the mentally intense nature of a qualifying campaign.

Mattijana's early defeats to Maryloupe and Loynn could well be a product of this. They followed a win against Cassadaigua, Mattijana's first of the cycle. Having said that, maintaining complacency after a number of poor results against relatively mediocre opposition is very tricky and probably doesn't explain some of the most reason dissapointments, especially against the same opposition.

Style?

Mattijana's tactics could perhaps be to blame, particularly in defense. Against Schottia and Cassadaigua, Mattijana sat back late in the game, got players behind the ball and looked to hit out on the counter attack. That meant they didn't leave gaps at the back for quality players to exploit, therefore conceding fewer goals.
Against lesser-ranked sides, the opposition have been the ones sitting back, forcing Mattijana to have long periods in possession and throw more players forward. That has left them exposed at the back to the counter attack and they have been punished on too many occasions.

Playing attacking football, particularly in getting forward against lesser teams, is not something Mattijana should be prepared to stop doing, indeed it had certainly proved more promising than Matej Ljubanik's conservative style of management. Yet Mattijana will need to sure up their defence, particularly against counter attacks, in coming tournaments.

Inconsistency?

Inconsistency has been a frustratingly regular theme of Mattijana's qualifying cycle and it is true that they have produced some moments of brilliance, mainly against Schottia, including Marko Hojbjerg's equaliser and Lucija Handanovič's superb save from a deflected shot in the first fixture, as well as Adrianov's piledriver in the second. Some of their goals haven't been bad either, such as Jessika Struna's individual brilliance during the 2-2 draw against Tomure and Mathilde Lekariša's volley against Vangaziland.

Unfortunately they have also produced moments of horrific mediocrity, including the 6 goals they shipped over the two Loynn matches and a shocking 3-0 defeat to Maryloupe early on.

Whilst it is true that aome performances have been notably better than others, it seems like more than coincidence that their worse performances have come against lower opposition and their best have come against the top-ranked sides.

Mattijana finish their campaign against Tomure at the Stadijo Dinamov tomorrow and are most likely to finish 6th in group 12.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Sun May 13, 2018 1:38 pm

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

EDITORIALS

World Cup 80’s Qualifiers are drawing towards conclusion, with Siovanija and Teusland having but one match remaining. This is also our final edition of editorials from members of the team, and we thought we’d wrap up with national team manager Apostol Manevski.

When the lads take to the field at the Nationalstadion to take on Abristan, it’ll be the last match of the World Cup for us. We aren’t going to qualify, but I don’t think anyone expected that of us. It will also be my last match in charge of the national side.

The journey started about a year ago now. I was sitting at home, when I received a phone call. On the other end was Hans Lieger, Chairman of the United Football Association. “Apostol, can you be in Borograd for a meeting at noon tomorrow?” I said of course, and Hans thanked me. He didn’t, however, give me any idea of what we were going to discuss. The drive from Chernovets to Borograd takes about 2 hours, and I spent the whole trip wondering what this could possibly be about.

When I entered the boardroom at the Hotel Republika, I was met with a who’s who of UFA big shots. A few politicians as well, in fact Bogdan Karamishev, Minister of Sport, was seated beside Lieger at the head of the table. “Apostol, take a seat. We’ve been discussing fielding a national team to compete in the World Cup qualifiers. Your thoughts?” Of course, I thought it was a great idea. It had been rumoured for a long time, and it seemed a natural next step from the professionalization of the game in our country with the Republikaliga’s creation.

After the meeting concluded, Hans Lieger pulled me aside. He said that he would be interested in knowing how I would feel about being named manager of the national team. I told him that I would have to think about it, and he was quite understanding. It was a massive decision to make. Would I have to resign as Energija Chernovets manager? At the time we were competing to win the league title, and I didn’t want to leave at our peak. If not, could I balance the duties of club and country? The matches would not interfere, but it would still be a heavy workload. About a week after the Borograd meeting, I called Hans Lieger.

Our conversation lasted about two hours, and he proposed a deal that I felt would be a great fit for both the national team and myself. I would be manager for the Baptism of Fire and World Cup Qualifiers, and then hand off the job to Alan Dzekov. Alan was at the time a highly-regarded up and coming manager, who was interviewed by almost every major Siovanijan Republikaliga club. The UFA thought he was a little too young to be immediately named manager, and proposed he serve as my assistant throughout the campaign. I happily agreed, and phoned up Alan soon after.

I’ve gotten to know Alan really well over the past year, and we hit it off from that first conversation. We spent hours talking on the phone that day about our views on football, and what players we thought would be good for the national team set-up. I knew at that moment I was making the right move, and Alan would make a great manager for the team.

Our first training session before the Baptism of Fire was really good. I had been worried beforehand, because I didn’t really know many of the players besides the Energija contingent. Of course I had seen them play, and knew their styles, but had never really met them. However, everyone seemed to click right away, and buy into our style. I was impressed with how quickly the team came together, and at the end of that training session I knew this team was capable of something.

Since then, we’ve played 24 matches. 11 wins, 6 draws and 7 losses. Some of the most special, and also most disappointing, moments of my career have come through those 24 games. Our 4-2 win over Mriin, a huge victory for us over a top 20 team in the world away. The 4-0 win over Aji No Moto to open qualifiers, or our first-ever match, a 3-1 win over The Cereal Isle at the Baptism of Fire. On the other side of things, our 3-1 loss to the Commonwealth of Baker Park in the Baptism of Fire Quarterfinals, always difficult to lose an elimination match, or the 3-1 loss away to the American Eastern States, stick out as matches I’ll wonder what we could have done better.

One more game is left for us to go, against Abristan. We had a bit of a slump after that Mriin result, with 3 straight losses afterwards. We were back on track against Kalumba, though, upsetting them 1-0 away from home. We’ll be fired up to round out the campaign with a good result, and set ourselves up for future tournaments.

Squad selection for the last two matches was as normal. Usually, I let Alan handle the call-ups. I watch pretty much every match I can in the Republikaliga, but of course I have my own club to worry about as well. I know Alan’s looking ahead a bit, wanting to give some newer players an introduction into the squad now. So, Nikola Karapetrov, the Olympia centre-back, and Michael Ribbeck, Stahlberg’s starman, joined the team. Everyone has had a zip in training this week, and I know the lads were quite happy about the Kalumba result. We want one more win to end out the campaign.

It should be a great match to watch. You might see some new players earn their first caps. Perhaps a new hero or two will be born. I’ll make my exit as well, hopefully at the final whistle of a win from the lads. I have faith that Alan will do a great job at the helm.

The lads have a long road to continue on, and I think the future is very bright. I hope I have been able to lay down the foundation for that future.

Apostol Manevski is a football manager, currently managing Energija Chernovets of the Republikaliga and the Siovanija and Teusland national football team. The final match of qualifying will be his last as well, with Alan Dzekov taking over as manager on a 5-year contract. Siovanija and Teusland take on Abristan at the Nationalstadion in that final matchday of World Cup Qualifiers.

Siovanija and Teusland 1-0 Kalumba

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Venev; Kleinmann (L. Dimitrov 77’), Pingov, Klopfer, Daschner; Kramer (Brotzmann 63’), Kostov; Geschke, V. Dimitrov, Romanov; Dinev (Kra. Kynev 77’)
Goals: Alexander Geschke 25’
Match Notes: A quality result away from home from Siovanija and Teusland. The Goldhorns were all over Kalumba early in the match, and Alexander Geschke gave the team a lead with a decent effort from close range. The back line was impeccable, and the Goldhorns put an end to a 3-game losing streak with a victory.

Siovanija and Teusland 1-2 American Eastern States

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Venev; L. Dimitrov, Licht (Dinev 64’), Klopfer, Helmke (Daschner 72’); Antonov, Kramer; Leistner, Stern, Holz (Romanov 64’); Kra. Kynev
Goals: Jurgen Stern 12’
Match Notes: Siovanija and Teusland went 1-0 up early over the American Eastern States, however it was overall a poor performance and the side looked shaky throughout the first half. The AES scored in the 51’ and 60’, and went ahead of a Goldhorns side who truly did not deserve points in the match.

Siovanija and Teusland 2-6 Chromatika

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Zhelyaskov; Kleinmann (L. Dimitrov 72’), Pingov, Klopfer, Daschner; Kramer, Kostov (Antonov 46’); Geschke (Leistner 54’), V. Dimitrov, Romanov; Dinev
Goals: Thorsten Kramer 37’, Miroslav Dinev 64’
Match Notes: Perhaps the most difficult match of the Qualifiers, a date with 7th in the world Chromatika away. The Goldhorns came out valiantly, but quickly tired and seemed off the pace for much of the match. Down 4-1 at halftime, Miroslav Dinev’s goal in the 64th minute came in the middle of two Chromatik goals to see the Goldhorns fall 6-2, the worst-ever defeat for the national team.

Siovanija and Teusland 0-1 Cosneolta

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-2-3-1): Venev; Kleinmann, Licht (Aberbach 82’), Klopfer, Daschner; Kramer, Brotzmann (Antonov 46’); Leistner (Geschke 61’), V. Dimitrov, Romanov; Dinev
Match Notes: Coming in off the high of a 4-2 win away to Mriin, it was a large drop-off in quality from Siovanija and Teusland at home against Cosneolta. The visitors defended well, and the Goldhorns failed to break down the back line. Cosneolta scored in the first half, and forced the Goldhorns to chase them the rest of the match. In the end, the visitors left the Nationalstadion with all 3 points.

by **Banija** » Sun May 13, 2018 1:45 pm

Mujaguzo Palace, Busukuma, Banija - Continuation of previous meeting with The Leader of the Main Nation Ministry

Kabaka Albert III read the letter, in shock. He read it four times over, as his guest watched him read the letter. Was this actually a thing? Were Banijan politics devolving so much, that the Katikkiro had seriously suggested writing to another foreign country, without his own approval, of course, and suggested the assasination of an elected official? This was madness. A lot was going through his head- shock, that Matthias Mutebi was seriously capable of such an act.

"Sir..." Started Kabaka Albert III. How was he going to talk about this? What was he going to say? "Sir, the Katikkiro has taken some... Very rash actions. The sinking of the Harmony International aid ship from the Equestrian States was startling, shocking, and frankly, absolutely disgusting. Who has heard of sinking an unescorted aid ship? It was a shocking move here at home, and has caused much controversy in our own political system. However, the man somehow maintains the confidence of the Lukiiko. How he has maintained the confidence of the Lukiiko through all this? I am not sure. He needs to be reigned in, and it seems as if the Lukiiko isn't going to be the one to do it, it will fall to the Royal Family- and as the head of that family, as the Kabaka, that will fall to me."

"Now, repeat those options that you laid out again?" And The Leader repeated his suggestions for how to deal with this situation. "I cannot allow the Katikkiro to kill the Premier. The Kingdom, more so than anyone realises in the Lukiiko, or possibly in the country at-large, is in serious danger of splitting. The Busoga Islands have never had a clean fit within Banija, and though they absolutely should be part of this country, as they have been an integral for nearly 200 years, the islands have always been... Different. Their ethnicity, their faith... But of course, they could not survive on their own as a country. How could they? Two small islands, in a region full of superpowers? If they were not a part of Banija, they'd surely be conquered by some other nation. Therefore... We have to ensure that they remain a part of this country." He stood up, and began to pace around the room. He was on his own train of thought now.

"The death of the Premier of the Busoga Islands might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. I do not want the Katikkiro to die, as fool he is, he is still the elected leader of this country. But Ebrahim Razav.. He has divided this country upon itself. That said, he isn't exactly wrong about what he has been saying. The Katikkiro's decision to route all aid into Banija via the Port of Istria has been something that was extremely controversial, and clearly wrong. Now, of course, I have the authority, thanks to the state of emergency happening on the Busoga Islands, to take direct authority over the Busoga Islands. Now, whether or not I have the direct constitutional authority to dismiss the Lukiiko if they still maintain confidence in the Katikkiro is a constitutional question... But it is clear, that these are extraordinary times, and these extraordinary times, call for extraordinary measures. We must take action to ensure the safety of my people."

Albert III went back to his chair, and sat down. "Sir, thank you for this letter." Said Kabaka Albert III. "I am going to call a meeting of the Royal Council- the adult members of the Royal House, to ensure unity within the Royal Family. These are extraordinary times- you understand that I have to ensure the unity of the family behind my goals. Because, of course, if anything goes wrong... Who knows what will become of this country? That chair belongs to me, and I do not intend to leave it anytime soon. But, we will take decisive action. I intend to go to the Lukiiko directly to ensure that all foreign aid is allowed to enter the country. This crisis has gone on for far too long- the country is falling apart, people are starving, and heck, people are dying. We need to ensure that this country can stand and survive this crisis, and live to fight another day, united."

"Thank you, Sir, for your visit." Said Kabaka Albert III. "I am taking this directly to the Royal Council. We will stop this foolishness." The Kabaka then stood up. "I thank you very much for the delliverance of this letter- your own personal friendship, and the friendship of your nation, has always been much appreciated by the Kingdom of Banija." He then left the room, as his chief of staff entered the room and explained to The Leader that he was welcome to stay in the Palace as a guest of His Majesty for as long as he wanted, or, of course, he could be flown out of the country if he so choosed.

Nezrouch, South Island, Busoga Islands

Ebrahim Razav, the Premier of the Busoga Islands, was moving around the South Island. He was staying on the western edge of the islands. Far less populous, and allowed him to observe what was going on in the Terrenean Sea. There was a lot of sounds coming from the distance, and he had stayed up to try and figure out what was going on. It sounded like fireworks, but of course, they obviously weren't fireworks. Who would be shooting off fireworks in the middle of the damned ocean? Sound would carry across the water, especially since it was a clear night, no storms or clouds, or anything of that sort, in sight. He was unsure of what was going on, and Ebrahim Razav had every intention of finding out.

Ebrahim Razav was walking alongside his own Chief of Staff, Bilal Razani. "Bilal, what is going on out there?" Said Ebrahim Razav. "At this time of night, there is a ton of sound carrying from across the water. It sounds like explosions, it sounds like people are firing upon one another. Do you think there is a battle? Would Mutebi really be so stupid, so absolutely insane, to actually fire upon Equestrian ships again? Does he know the military power that Omugaba Candance of the Equestrian States controls? Our armies would be wiped out in seconds."

"Maybe the Commonwealth of Baker Park is attempting to re-establish their position alongside the Banijan border." Said Bilal Razani. "They were livid at the Royal Navy's attempt to scare them off of the 12 mile territorial limit. Would the Royal Navy rage so hard to enforce that border? Man, Matthias Mutebi disgusts. The distance he would go to simply help his pride? As our own people suffer? If he were here right now...."

"But he's not here right now!" Said Ebrahim Razav. "Trust me Bilal, I'd probably strangle him with my own bare hands if I had the chance. Unfortunately, I don't. He's the sitting Katikkiro. The entire Lukiiko is a bunch of traitors, if you ask me. All 500 members. But we have to focus on our own next action. We have that declaration of independence ready, but we need to convene the Parliament. I'm not even sure if we could convene a full meeting of the cabinet, if I am to be quite honest with you. People are scattered across these islands, hiding. The Katikkiro and his emergency government has absolutely lost their minds. We need to have a chance to actually release this damned document. It's clear that this arrangement, where we are subservient to the whims of the government of the day in Busukuma, simply isn't working for the Busoga Islands anymore."

They continued arguing about their current situation. How they got into the situation, where they were, and what they should do. As they did it, and they did not notice it, but the background noise stopped. They were able to see three ships approaching the harbor over the horizon- with the Equestrian flag waving high from the middle ship, and the two ships to the side, a clear variant of the Equestrian flag. They both stood on the beach, stunned. "What the heck is going on?" Said Bilal. "Did the Katikkiro actually let aid through, to go directly through to these islands?"

"There's no way." Said Ebrahim Razav, still looking into the distance. "Let's go to the dock, anyways. Even though we have no power, I am still the Premier of these islands. They'll have to give us answers on what the heck is going on." And they ran to the loading dock at the harbor, where the ships decided to dock. It was another hour before all three ships were properly docked, and one pony got off of one of the ships. "You know, someone is going to get off this ship and talk to us right?" Said Ebrahim Razav, speaking to Bilal. "What do I do? Do I shake the pony's hoof? Just keep my hands to myself? You know, I've never seen anything like this in my entire life..."

Just then, the ships undocked. Three ponies stepped off of the ship, and by the positioning of them, it was clear who was in charge. They walked up to the harbor loading dock. They said something undistinguishable to the man in charge, who walked into the room to grab his superior, until he saw Ebrahim Razav. "Mr. Razav?" Said the man, looking surprised to see the Premier. "It is an honor that you came here to visit us on thi s night. The rightful Governor of these islands. Please, come down here. Someone would like to speak to you."

They walked down the steps, and outside, and walked up to the ponies. One stepped forward and began to speak. "My name is Captain Lightning Twister, of the Equestrian Royal Navy. It has been my responsibility to escort this Harmony International aid ship from the Equestrian States to the Port of Nezrouch, which is where we are. Unfortunately, we encountered resistance from the Royal Navy, but we were able to arrive with minimal damage to our ships and supplies, without any casualties and only one injury, one that is considered minor by our own military standards. I have been informed by my own superiors that you are not complicit with your nation-state's actions against our country, and therefore you have my own respect."

"We will be delivering aid on these islands, via this port. It is, of course, geographically closest to the Equestrian States, and the port workers have been adept at sneaking in aid. We wish you and your people the best of luck, sir." She finished.

"Thank you so much for what you have done for the people of this coun- I mean, the people of these islands." Said Ebrahim Razav. "Please relay my own personal thanks to yourself, and your government. Is it Que- no, to Princess Candace." With that, his spirits were lifted. The Equestrian States had been able to bust through whatever the Royal Navy had preventing aid to be delivered via port to Nezrouch. Maybe there was hope, as the skies simply refused to bless them with rain. He turned around, walking away. Something was going on, but of course, there was a chance that the islanders, who losses had reached the six figures because of this, would be able to survive this crisis.

They went back to the safe house they kept in the city. With the Equestrian Royal Navy here with the Harmony International ship, he felt increasingly confident of his own safety. And then, of course, there was a knock on the door. Who was here? His security guard went to answer the door, and let the man here. "Who is here to grace, my presence, sir?"

"Sir, this is a man from the Main Nation Ministry. He says that he is here to help you and this government." Said the Security guard.

"Who? He's from the Main Nation Ministry.. But how did he find us? Well... He's here, right? Let him in." Said Ebrahim Razav. "I want to meet him myself. I wonder what he has to say..."

by **Banija** » Sun May 13, 2018 2:52 pm

The scene is set at Mujaguzo Palace. It is a meeting of the Royal Council of the House of Katende- or, by a simpler name, a meeting of the adult members of the Royal Family. These do not happen often, only in times of crisis- and they are indeed in a time of crisis, with the situation in the country going from bad to worse. The Chair of the meeting, of course, is His Majesty, Kabaka Albert III. Also in attendance today are Isebantu Mwanga, Omugabe Basamula, Omulangira Balikudembe, Kagere Asuman, Omugaba Immaculate, Kyabazinga Olivia of Herzegovina, Kyabazinga Aria, Sarauniya Mateke, and Luguba Iriama. This take place three days after this RP, as well as the day after this RP, but one day before MD17.

It was a full meeting of the council. Who would've thought that Kabaka Albert III would have had to call one of these during his time atop the throne? Banija was facing its biggest crisis since the country's independence in 1906-The drought, which had cost nearly 100,000 lives on the Busoga Islands alone, as the seemingly never-ending drought quickly turned to famine. The region, of course, turning nearly ungovernable since the near constant state of rioting seemed like the country might have a legitimate chance of splitting. Not to mention, the Katikkiro had seemed to have completely gone off the rails. Attacking two much stronger Navies than Banija's on consecutive nights, with both attempts ending in embarrassment for the Banijan government. International pressure was building to do something about the Katikkiro, who, somehow, has been able to maintain the confidence of the Lukiiko and remain in his job. The drums of war had been sounded, as Equestrian forces were moving towards the Busoga Islands.

"These are dark times for this country." Kabaka Albert III began. All eyes in the room, of course, were on him. "The drought is killing us. The Katikkiro has absolutely bungled up the response to exactly what is going on with these islands. The Banijan immigrant community in the Equestrian States has called for the removal of Matthias Mutebi as Katikkiro. We've launched attacks on both the Commonwealth of Baker Park and the Equestrian Royal Navy, starting fights and battles that we have absolutely no chance of winning- nor do we have any reason to fight. We need to figure out how to fix this mess, and fast. Ultimately, we are the Royal Family. We have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of Banija's citizens, and we need to figure out how to ensure that. First, we must all be completely appraised of the situation." The monarch looked around the room, glancing at each person sitting. All eyes were on him. "Mwanga, my son." Started the Kabaka. "Update everyone on the situation with the Commonwealth of Baker Park."

"Ok, your Majesty." Said Isebantu Mwanga. He then rose. "Just yesterday, the Baker Park Navy attempted to re-establish position in the sea, just outside the 12 mile territorial limit- which, of course, they have a right to be, as they were not enacting a blockade on Banija. Of course, it might be more accurate that the Katikkiro was blockad-" He stopped, midword, at the glare of Albert III. And then he continued. "My apologies, let me stay on track. Anyways, the Baker Park Navy was going to re-establish position. That said, it seemed as if there was a terrorist attack aimed at these ships from the Commonwealth of Baker Park. According to evidence from the Commonwealth of Baker Park, they stopped a ship, loaded with explosives, from approaching their boat. While these were not soldiers themselves, they not only had military grade weapons, but they had actual explosives from our army's arsenal- specifically, from Busukuma. I've had my men check this, and sure enough, our inventory of explosives is indeed off."

The Isebantu continued. "I have received a strongly worded letter from the Prime Minister herself, whose name is Rebecca Schoenlein." Everyone in the room nodded. With this crisis, they had all familiarized themselves about her. "A formal complaint- about Banijan military security, about the Banijan military attempting to attack Baker Park ships in open, internatinal waters. Furthermore, public opinion in the Commonweatlh of Baker Park, and in Atlantian Oceania at-large, is turning heavily against our country. There is public video of the capture of these people, and the weaponry they have carries the unmistakable signature of products produced and owned by the Armed Forces of our nation."

The Isebantu sat down, finished. "That is what is happening with the Commonwealth of Baker Park. I assured the Prime Minister that there would be a full investigation into this matter.. But frankly, your Majesty, things do not look good. This crisis has seen our country's government take a beating. Of course, the Kabaka has largely been spared- this is being driven by the Katikkiro himself, and he is taking a beating. If we aren't careful, the drums of war are going to be sounded in Baker Park, and considering the reaction of our immediate neighbors, like the Equestrian States, we'll have foreign troops in our backyard in a week."

The room sat in silence, for nearly four full minutes. The room was heavy. They all knew what they were playing with. They weren't simply playing with fire- they were playing with fire and gasoline in the same hand. One small mistake, and the whole situation could explode. Finally, the Kabaka broke the room's silence. "Ok, Omugabe Basamula. Update your family about what's going on with the Equestrian States. Is this country about to fall apart?"

"Thank you, your Majesty." Said Omugabe Basamula, as he rose. "The situation with the Equestrian States is dire. As all of you know, we have recently engaged with ships from the Equestrian Royal Navy, attempting to deliver aid, in defiance of Mutebi, directly to Nezrouch. It was a disaster. We lost two submarines, a frigate, and two naval warplanes. There was only one Banijan survivor, by the name of Lt. Nyongo. I myself was fully briefed by him directly. One Harmony International ship was escorted by a cruiser and a destroyer, both of the Equestrian Royal Navy. Captain Mabonga, at the center of the last sinking, was also at the center of this sinking. He led the squadron patrolling territorial waters, directing all ships to Istria. He verbally engaged the Equestrian Royal Navy, and they refused to turn around. After the Royal Navy began to engage, they were quickly routed by Equestrian forces, who managed to then establish a foothold in Nezrouch."

The Omugabe then continued. "The Harmony International ship docked, and was able to successfully deliver the intended aid to the islands. Omugaba Candace delivered an ultimatum to the Katikkiro, who naturally refused to give in to any demands, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Equestrian Naval ships from Banijan waters. Her Majesty the Omugaba, of course, objected. Naturally, this meant that hostilities had to start. From what we can tell, the Equestrians have a large, naval task force, en route towards Banija. From what we can tell, there is no coordination with the Commonwealth of Baker Park, yet, though that is certainly a possibility. From what we can see, even aircraft carriers are coming over- the Kingdom of Banija should expect a full-blown military confrontation unless we meet the Equestrian's demands."

The room was in shock. War? With the Equestrian States? There's no way that the Kingdom of Banija could win such an engagement.

"Wait, somebody remind me." Said Kabaka Albert III. "If the Kingdom of Banija is in a state of war, I am the Commander-In-Chief, correct? It is time for the Constitution to play its part. I have the backbone for this, it is clear that we need decisive action. I have been informed, by The Leader himself, of the Main Nation Ministry, that the Katikkiro was attempting to enlist his help to kill off Ebrahim Razav. Traitor though he is." And the Kabaka passed around copies of the letter that was handed to him by The Leader at their meeting a few days earlier. Each person was reading the letter, and they were all in shock, reading it.

"How do we know this letter is legit?" Said Omugaba Immaculate. "How can we be sure?"

"My daughter, my people vetted this letter inside and out." Said Kabaka Albert III. "This is a legit letter. This was sent, and was signed, by Matthias Mutebi himself. We have an insane fool atop our country. We need to take decisive action, and I have just the right idea. We don't even need to get the Guardian Council involved, by doing this a little bit too early. If the Lukiiko declares war, I become the Commander-In-Chief, correct? But we should not wait for that. We have the Guardian Council, with a 5 person majority, who will allow us to do just that. I will contact the bishops myself- they must be as concerned as we are for the future of this country. Here is my plan..." And he proceeded to tell them what he was going to do to take, and quickly consolidate, power in Banija as he removed the country's elected government. he dismissed each member of the council, each with their own objective. Except for, of course, his mother and his wife, who would stay with him at the Palace.

Isebantu Mwanga knew what his own task was going to be. He began to pen a letter...

by **Razenthuria** » Sun May 13, 2018 3:42 pm

It Draws Near
An end to a dreary qualification and the seems crack within Razenthuria's internationals

The Eurans were weird. They'd managed to escape with a nil-nil draw against Razenthuria. OF course, these weren't the real-real Eurans, they were the off-brands - the EUran Oceania Territories and they did Euran-like things I suppose. Of course, I wouldn't know I'm but a humble narrator.

"Yes Flint, I'm here - of course, behind me you see the backdrop of Flynn Arena where a nil-nil draw has just taken place-

"OFF!", Efrom Heartland scrambled into the room - punching a table and setting A-For-ASHKAM cereal pebbles flying thru the room. "We need to win this last game, this is our final chance to get some momentum going - man, Fermen's been here and done us well in the second half of the cycle, he's the reason we've even managed to get those wins, because Goddard's ass is finally out. Now, we have to look forward and monopolize where we left off fam."

"I hear you Efrom, but c'mon, I was out ther stopping shots, and the defense was solid - y'all gotta generate those scores", Easton Thomas is heard from the back of the room, rolling his eyes.

A tense stare from Victor Parks to Heartland results in Heartland nodding and sitting down - Parks, who has captain the side for the past two cycles is also the true leader of the squad, usually quiet, he seems to want to speak today. "Brothers, I will not be here much longer; I've hit the wrong side of 30 - but, I still want to see the Campianto Esportiva and play in a Cup of Harmony, there is much left to do for this team and I would very much like to see us playing in these tournaments. We will have one more match against 95X, win that and we should be in."

Adam Fermen, the caretaker-manager who had lead Razenthuria for much of the second half of the qualification cycle entered the room, "Men, lets go, this game is going to be huge, beat them and we'll essentially have redeemed ourselves after this terrible cycle. There is so much we can gather from this, let us go - we have a chance here my friends."

[ Practice begins ]

The heavy sweat ripped off the players as they run their exercise, 95X had taken the team apart previously - what was it? 2-nil; 3-nil? Whatever the case, the Razen were looking to walk away unscathed and get a win or at least a good draw against the side and get the fuck out of qualification, which had been draining on the team. As of course, the question as to who was to be the new manager ahead of the Cup of Harmony was to be answered - would Fermen be given the reigns to the national team or would the RFA turn towards another man to lead the side? It was rumored that the Qas native, Zachary Sols had interviewed with the RFA but had turned down an official position, leaving the question still wide open. Fermen was not of course the first choice to manage the national team, given his pedigree wouldn't be nearly as capable in the long run, but a leadership was needed, begging the question of who the answer truly was.

"RZN 7 round-the-clock news with an update, former Devontan national team manager, Christoper Tajo Mendez has been confirmed as the new national team manager for the Razenthuria senior national team - effective at the end of the World Cup 79 qualification event, he will split the time between managing both the domestic side - A.C. Stonehenge in Njiko RZN but also managing the national team..."
Fermen bursts into the room. "PRACTICE!"

| | |

_{Goal-scorers from the last match is as followed:
N/A}

by **Beepee** » Sun May 13, 2018 5:23 pm

Beepee squad prepared to go out on a whimper.

The final day of training sees Beepeean players with nothing substantial to fight for.

Despite this the team were in good spirits for the last leg of qualification.

The ultimatly dusappointing qualification process has come to an end and the Beepeean Football Association has said it will try harded by injecting more effort into future campaigns.

by **Eura** » Sun May 13, 2018 5:38 pm

PREVIOUSLY, ON "WORLD CUP 66", OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE GREATEST PIECE OF LITERATURE EURA HAS EVER WRITTEN...

After an awkward moment between Eura and Mertagne (who was Apox in the last RP but is now Mertagne because 1. the connection works better and 2. because this is a bigger retcon than the Fall of Reach Version 2, anyway fuck you), Based Mod Arch hands out some bitchin' medals to the both of them
'Mertagne, the medal for Best World Cup Hosting Performance Ever is awarded for singular acts of heroism, such as scoring a Euran World Cup win. For a World Cup host...'
A dramatic cut OUT OF NOWHERE back to NSFS zapping xkoronate back to the stone age
'...THERE CAN BE NO GREATER HERESY! Let him be an example for all who would break the World Cup Committee, and insult the divinity of Margaret!'
Can there be more of these dramatically timed cuts? You bet there can. Another hero appears at the ceremony - the daughter of the late Captain Astograth, whom bravely sacrificed themselves to the terrifying intergalactic nightmare known as "Real Life" giving Eura the chance to be the first 66 Generation-er (is that a thing?) to win the World Cup. Their name is Nephara, who definitely wasn't another character in the last one, shush
'Commander Nephara, your father's actions before his sudden inactivity were in keeping with the highest traditions of sports roleplaying. His bravery in the face of impossible odds caused by rank coasting first seeds reflect great credit upon himself, and all of his generation of roleplayers. The World Cup has lost one of its best.' Nephara accepts a medal on Astograth's behalf and sniffs, likely aware that her voice actor is going to be shitty enough to be swapped out for the next game. Meanwhile, xkoronate screams out in agony as NSFS shoves a big arse fire stick in his chest, branding him with the WCC Mark of Shame - a likeness of Val Kylx.

Anticipating a troubling plot twist, the music returns with a troubled tone and military drums
Nuhhh, nuhh wuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nuhh nuhhh nuhhhh nuhhhh nuh
We learn why - there's alarms and shit going off at the ceremony, the fam are in trouble

'Valanora, report!' A small white and blue hologram pops up, with elf ears, because some idiot let the fantasy genre in here, and has taken over the character of Eura's erstwhile computerised companion
'More detections of newbies directly off the whole Qualifying Stage.'
'Show me.' Arch watched as Valanora showed him a small collection of dispersed random results. Schottia drawing to some third or fourth seed. Damukuni bottling it against a small duck. Otherwise, nothing major. 'Fifteen newbies holding position just outside the forum.'
'This is Fleet Admiral Liventia! I am engaging the enemy.' Arch, sensing a bad case of Liventia vs Newbies, hurriedly issues fresh orders. 'Negative, Admiral! Form a defensive position around the roleplay thread. Commander Nephara, get to your keyboard, link up with the other top seeds.'
'Yes sir!'
'You have the banhammer, Elf. Soon as the newbs come in range, open up.'
'Gladly. Wait, how does this analogy/crossover work, I'm not a mod?'
'For fuck sake Valanora, don't question it! What did I tell you about that?'
'I just think the bunnies thing is a bit Ted Bundy-like, that's all.'
'Valanora!'
'Right. Yes, shoot newbs. Gladly.'

Regaining his composure as he stands next to the handsome devils Mertagne and Eura, Arch shakes his head. 'Something's not right. The newb influx that formed Esportiva was fifty times this size.'
'Sir, additional contacts. Rosterless jammy bastards out to shock RPing higher seeds and lots of 'em!'
'They're going to try and take our best RPers offline, give the shitposters a straight shot at qualification. Eura, defend this forum!' Eura stoically nodded. 'Yes sir.' He turned to Mertagne, badassery flowing through his veins. 'I need an RP idea.'
'But...you've got one. You're ripping off Halo 2 awkwardly right?'
'Inevitable, cut it out, just say your line.'
'No seriously though, its cool. I like it. Remember when we used to make all those references during the transfer windows? D-d-double kill!'
'Inevitable. Mertagne. Whatever. Fucking line.'
'Shit, sorry. Err, right this way!'

A tense period of battle goes by where Eura dukes it out with various qualifying opponents, being downed by the occasional shock but always getting back up. Then, an Australian dude - Private Chips Electrum - notices something. Being Australian, he is unable to mention this without swearing

'Fuck me mate, look at that! One of the groups has already driven off the new guys!' Valanora was immediately suspicious and contacted the most recognisable RPer of the group. 'Free Republics, what's your status, over?' Weirdly, the Republican was pretty cheerful. 'I don't believe it! I'm unbeaten in qualifying! There's no random, we've won!' Free Republics and his group promptly explode. Electrum panics. 'Bloody Nora, this is bad, real bad!' Then, another. 'Uh oh, they're leaving another group.'
'Damukuni, report!' Damukuni goes up quicker than a cock in a brothel, leaving this writer mildly aroused, and everyone reading unsure as to why I couldn't think of a better turn of phrase.
'Valanora, assessment!'
'That xplosion came from within Damukuni's group, same as Free Republics. The newbs have brought something with them. A Margaret.'
'Then they sure as hell brought one here. Eura, find it!'

Eura has to fight his way through the RP thread, blowing away the Sword Bloke and HopNation like its nobody's business. He's briefly forced with Mertagne to save Nephara from Milcahama and West Borderlands.

'I was almost qualified when they showed up.'
'Don't worry Neph, we're on it.'
'Thanks Eura, I owe you one.'
'Oh sweet, does that mean you'll end the winning streak over me? Right?'
'...no.'
'God fucking damnit.' At this point, Valanora interjects over the comms. 'Arch, the newbs have breached the playoffs. Its as we thought. They have a Margaret.'
'Chief, get to the Margaret, double time! Valanora, prioritise targets with the banhammer and fire at will!' Eura carry on while Liventia and Valanora fight bravely against the summer influx. Then, out of the blue, a whole group of morons fly right by with the Group Stages of the tournament itself in their site, raising the question of who could hope to stop them now they had bypassed Valanora and Liventia.

After cutting through a horde of bad guys such as fucking Glaser and whoever else has come and gone over the years, Eura finds the Margaret - a heavy metal box full of glowing numbers - and deactivates it just as it was set to make Sameba beat Schottia 10-1.

'How many qualifiers were left?' Eura mutters. Valanora keeps her answer deliberately vague. 'You don't want to know.'
'Arch, this is Nephara! The horde of newbs have let their guard down! I'm in position and ready for immediate assault!'
'Negative, Nephara. Not against a group that size. Not on your own.'

All seems lost, but then, curious somethings-about-to-happen violins kick in

'Sir, permission to leave the RP thread.'
'For what purpose, Eura?'
'To give the newbs back their Margaret.'
'...that doesn't make any fucking sense, Eura.'
'I mean- it- oh, whatever. I'm going to take the Margaret and fly it into that swarm of newbs, then I'm going to find the WCC and beat them to death with their own skulls. Or something. Let me get on with it. I've run out of ways to write this from here.'
'...'
'...'
'Permission granted.'

nuhhh, nuuuHHH nuuuHHHH, nuuuuHHHHHH, nuuuHHHH noooh, nooh nooooooh....

'I know what you're thinking Eura. And its crazy.'

DUNNNN DUNNNN NUH NUH NUNNN, NUNN NUNN NUNN, NA NA NUUNNNNN

'So, stay here.'
'Unfortunately for us both, I like crazy.'

Eura stares out of a window watching the World Cup burn in the fires of random. Then he oh shit is that an airlock? HE'S GOING TO DO IT THE ABSOLUTE MAD MAN

'Just one question. What if you miss?'
'I won't.'

Eura flings himself out of an airlock and flies head first, with Margaret in tow, into the swarm of newbs. He sets off the core inside the swarm as angelic choir music finishes the sick move, and then pushes off, ten points for form, watching as the mass is consumed by a mixture of results like "St Saratoga 17-21 Chiata". He flies away and is luckily stopped by Mertagne, Nephara and their pimping ride, "In Sunrise Clad". Mertagne is pleased

'You know, for a guy can't RP without someone getting inexplicably murdered, he wrote pretty good.'
'Oh god, let's not kid ourselves, this is dreadful.'
'...'
'I mean, Eura, get inside! We're taking this fight to the Discussion Thread.'

by **Chromatika** » Sun May 13, 2018 5:47 pm

Matchday 13: Luz de Libertados and St Esther 0–1 Chromatika
Goal: Han '88
Starting Lineup: Williams; McBee - de Aea - Austic; Rien - Limones - Armageddon - Haxon - Han; Sierra - Gail (C).
Substitutes: Ibex -> de Aea '52, Kristine -> Rien '78, Bird -> Sierra '83
Game Summary: Nova Williams was definitely the one who carried the team this time around, stopping all eight shots on goal and holding the ground before Han's strike yielded the team three points.
Matchday 14: Chromatika 0–1 Mriin
Starting Lineup: Ria; Morningstar - Aart - Damjana; Thorben - Sybill - Montague (C) - Hellion - Dragana; Andisori - Victoriane.
Substitutes: An -> Morningstar '49, Mora -> Sybill '66, Niro -> Dragana '81
Game Summary: This time, Mia Ria had the biggest chance ever to show her skills over Jillian Nier, but the Chromatiks were not able to break through the Mriinian defense.
Matchday 15: Chromatika 6–2 Siovanija and Teusland
Goals: Etienne '5, Mora '18, Liam '29, Andisori, B. '48, Vidal '62, Andisori, B. 81
Starting Lineup: Joy; Ruth - Ibex - Austic; Etienne - Mora - Armageddon (C) - Kuzami - Liam; Andisori, B. - Vidal.
Substitutes: Anderson -> Austic '59, Haxon -> Kuzami '71, Gail -> Vidal '80
Game Summary: Goalfest, goalfest. Domination. Good bounce back.
Matchday 16: Kalumba 1–1 Chromatika
Goal: Xe '52
Starting Lineup: Nier; McBee - Stef - Ilya; Rien - Limones - Armageddon (C) - Haxon - Xe; Gail - Sierra.
Substitutes: Ruth -> McBee '62, Mora -> Limones '79, Vidal -> Sierra '84
Game Summary: Wha- What?
Matchday 17: Chromatika 1–0 Aji No Moto
Goal: Vidal '39
Starting Lineup: Williams; An - de Aea - Ilya; Kelly, W. - Mora - Armageddon (C) - Kuzami - Han; Vidal - Andisori, B.
Substitutes: Stef -> de Aea '52, Kelly, M. -> Kelly, W. '64, Liam -> Han '79
Game Summary: Vidal is a good one, that one.

by **Vilita** » Sun May 13, 2018 6:44 pm

Jungle Cats fail to secure Finals Spot after shock defeat

Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita :: It had all the makings of a great day for the Vilita National Team. Throughout the squad, there were many interesting storylines. It was the first start of the World Cup 80 qualification campaign for Zelkki Milake, looking to make a late push for inclusion in the Jungle Cats World Cup 80 Roster by being the netminder of record for the match that punched their ticket. On the bench behind Milake was the Kiiarana City youngster Vernasa Sanamun who was just looking to make their internationstatal debut at the age of 16 years.

It was a new look attack for the Jungle Cats as well as Eastal Lunar youngster Nii'arala Milaaso got the start alongside Sipke Tarala and the Marine Coast United utility player Enzoril Alabonni who would be making their second appearance for the National Team.

While the Jungle Cats could not punch their ticket to the World Cup 80 finals without help on the night, a victory would give them one foot in the door no matter what, and if Savojarna were to drop any points against Darkmania then a victory for the Jungle Cats would mean qualification to World Cup 80.

It was a horrific start for Vilita, however as they were down 0-2 inside fifteen minutes with one goal being the fault of a perhaps out-of-form Milake who was out of position for a cheeky lob from the Norcambrian midfield, and the other the fault of midfielder Ikala Mravedii who, in passing the ball back to Milake, failed to put any weight on the ball and allowed Norcambria to steal in and round Milake who wisely allowed the goal to be scored instead of grabbing at the feet of the attacker and causing themselves a red card.

Unfortunately, the comeback that Milake was banking on in that scenario would never come. Down 0-3 at half time, the Jungle Cats made a pair of changes with Sipke Tarala being replaced by Yeaddin Owls phenom Tenziki Kulakao and the unwilling gaffer Mravedii being replaced by Jyuola Mtalata. But even the on-form touch of Kulakao couldn't generate the spark the Vilita National Team needed. Nii'arala Milaaso ultimately scored a consolation goal in the final ten minutes after being sent through by another youngster, Cednia Beach AFC prospect and Turorian defector Limu Katarakhna. It was not enough, however, and Vilita fell to Norcambria in another stunning home defeat to a low ranked side. It was a lose-lose all around as Norcambria, despite securing one of the greatest victories in the history of their international sport campaigns, were mathematically eliminated from a chance to qualify with Abanhfleft's 4-3 win over Petroslovania. For the Jungle Cats as well, it was a missed opportunity as a victory would ultimately have given them a place in the World Cup finals after Savojarna were held to a draw in Darkmania. Even has the Jungle Cats drew it would have made for a much more comfortable job on Matchday 18 as they would only need to avoid defeat to secure the Top Spot in the group. Now, however, due to their inferior head to head record against Savojarna, the only way to ensure a spot in EqueStar 80 for the Vilita Jungle Cats will be a victory on the final matchday of competition against West Angola, the 67th ranked team in the multiverse and one of the more formidable foes in the group.

Vilita [1] - [3] Norcambria

:: Vilita Goalscorers ::
:: 82' Nii'arala Milaaso

:: Vilita Statistics ::
:: Possession: 44%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 7

:: Norcambria Statistics ::
:: Possession: 56%
:: Shots on Target: 8
:: Corner Kicks: 6

Vilita Jungle Cats Lineup v. Norcambria ::
[GK] Zelkki Milake, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Jirijii Januaa, [D.] Kwuimekii Hentetii, [ML] Ikala Mravedii, [MC] Westii Yahaya, [MC] Cavuna Aquafek, [MR] Tripate Falcon, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Sipke Tarala, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso
BENCH::
[FC] Tenziki Kulakao, [FC] Fishtii Blikala, [M] Limu Katarakhna, [M] Kamarul Zaman, [U ] Jyuola Mtalata, [D] Rintala Sekagaya, [GK] Vernasa Sanamun

Arcticala Electrical to combine Solar, Wind, Hydro

Arcticala Electrical Headquarters, Arcticala, Vilita :: The Arcticala Electrical company today have announced plans to make available a new coastal power generation structure that it will be deploying as a test case on the shores of Tropicorp and VOIA Island to harness Solar, Wind and Hydro to provide a more reliable and constant energy source for those relying on the technology particularly otherwise isolated from a main power grid. They have already demonstrated their hybrid Wind and Solar harnessing capability operating off a single structure and not requiring an increased footprint over a traditional wind-only or solar-only campaign. While some have questioned the need for such a device, Arcticala Electrical have responded that it was only a natural progression and originally being built as a demonstration of capability. Once demonstrated, if further interested parties emerged it would then become part of their regularly offered product line.

The Arcticala Electrical company is the main supplier of power in the Vilitan Cove region. Arcticala Electrical harnesses energy from many sources and prides in its renewable Wind, Hydro and Solar efforts. The company also runs a small scale Nuclear generation facility inside the Sorthern fallout zone. The facility is fully staffed by Robo-things and provides emergency power to the Vilitan Government and major cities. The pride of the Arcticala Electrical company are its advances in Solar Power which are on display prominently at the Arcticala Electrical Stadium. Outside of the Vilitan Cove region Arcticala Electrical is a leading supplier of all things electrical from the big - Grid level equipment like the hybrid Solar, Wind and Hydro system, to the power enthusiast with their line of fully mounted Solar Panels and their transportable Solar Kits and Wind Tubes allowing individual users to harness the renewable energy sources - and all the way down to the individual home user and the simplest of units; their do-it-yourself Electrical Outlets.

While their latest creation, jamming Solar, Wind and Hydro into a single platform, may only be pushing the technology space horizontally instead of drastically in the forward direction, if their tests are succesful and interest arises it is likely to spark a new marketing and outreach program that may include 'Road Show' events at major technology conferences and perhaps even sporting events like the upcoming EqueStar World Cup 80 in the Equstrian States and Starblaydia. Arcticala Electrical's large Plasma Balls are always a hit with the kids and while professionals often cite the on location expertise of the Arcticala Electrical staff as their favorite part of the events, deep down most secretly prefer Arcticala Electrical's 'spin and win' zone where random prizes including universal power adapters, sunglasses, light up key chains and sometimes even a portable solar rechargeable power brick are on offer.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Mahoney opened the box and found a couple of envelopes, and a big stack of money. There was also a cell phone, an ID card and a small folded scrap of paper with a sequence of numbers on it. One looked like a phone number and another looked like an account number of some sort.

Matt opened the envelope that had his name written on it.

Matthew,

I'm sure that by now you have maybe figured out I am not Gabriel Ndume from Busembe. Who I am really is not important at this moment, but you must completely forget you ever knew, spoke to or have even heard of Gabriel. He did not exist, and he never has. The rest of the staff in the office will know this tomorrow, and they will not give it a second thought. There are no records, no physical evidence that Gabriel Ndume ever spent 1 second in the BCEL offices.

The reason I am entrusting you with this final task is because you have been working with Jonas and his crew, and I have specific things I need to tell you as to how to handle them.

First, their boat has been stolen, and will most likely be blown up by the NSC. You are to instruct them that they are to report to the police that their boat was stolen, and they should specifically mention the man who went out with them, Wilifred Omobenubu as who they suspect of stealing it. You should do this later today. Don't mention the blowing up part, just that you have been told that the boat is missing from their berth.

Second, you must explain to them that they must also completely forget anything and everything about Gabriel. You must tell them they know no one by that name. If you must, you can tell them that the man they thought they knew as Gabriel will make sure that their Kabaka knows that they provided a huge service to him and to their nation. Jonas should burn the business card I gave him and never reveal to anyone that he ever met anyone from BCEL.

Also, you should take 500 dollars of the money in this box for yourself and give the rest of it to Jonas. Tell him there should be enough there to split among the four of them after he keeps 2000 or 3000 of it to put towards purchasing a new boat.

Third, You should remove the SIM card from the cell phone and destroy it in some way that it can never be recovered. Take hammer to it, throw it in a fire, or just hold it and destroy the phone beyond recognition & take the SIM card back to Baker Park and throw it in the first garbage can you come across.
The ID card should be put through a shredder or cut into small pieces and disposed of by dropping the remains into several trash outlets.

Once you have emptied the box, find a trash dumpster and throw it away. Take the key that unlocked it and throw it in the harbor. The other key, the other envelope and the piece of paper you should deliver personally to the next regional manager that comes from Herzegovina City. Only from there. He will be another man with a Banijan name and background. You will need to confirm his identity by asking if he knows Larry Lacewell, and he should tell you that he knows Larry well from his time in East Liverpool.

That's all of your assignment Matt. The Company is a small part of what is going on and what will happen in Banija. Whatever happens in the next 72 hours should be treated as something that is outside of the knowledge of anyone in Istria.

Good luck, and as I said, I hope we will be able to catch up again in the future.

Matt's heart was now racing and he had a sense of panic, like someone would be breaking through the door any moment. He wondered what he should do; he stared at all of the things he'd laid out on the table and tried to relate what he'd just read to the various items he was looking at.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Marie had finally seen the news video footage of the raid and noted that only three men had been taken into custody. There were only brief glimpses of the men and their faces has been partially pixellated, but Marie was certain that none of them were Jonas or the others; the physical attributes of these men were nothing like any of the crew she had seen. She was relieved that it was not any of any of "her guys', as she had taken to thinking of them since they had been aboard, that were on the boat. But if it was their boat but not the crew, then what had happened to them in the meantime?
__________________________________________________________________________________

The Prime Minister read the communication she had received from the Crown Prince, and as she normally did, made notations in the margins for reference when she set out to answer.
A knock at the door did not interrupt her train of thought. "Come". Chris McGee, the Chief of Security and his number 2, Vince Gannon entered the office. "Go ahead and sit down guys, I'm just pulling together my thoughts about what I am going to tell the Crown Prince." She scribbled a couple more lines and then set the message aside. "What have you got Chris?"
McGee handed the orange file folder across the desk to her. "Update on Piranha, the intag has been moved out and he'll be replaced in cover by another intag from Herzegovina." She opened the folder and glanced at the info. "So Vince, give me an idea how to tap dance this."

Gannon was the Deputy Chief, which was not a political post like McGee's but a career civil service job; he was the man responsible for the day to day running of the CIS, where he had been employed for 16 years, and in his 4th year as its head. "I have to give 9840 a lot of credit, he really pulled this off by the seat of his pants. He's swept up pretty thoroughly, as the only people who will implicate his cover are the three detainees. We have a completely tight deniability and backup sweeping will discredit anything they will insist on."

"The Isebantu is telling me that the royals are on the verge of taking over the government and essentially suspending democracy, if I'm reading between the lines of what he says here. What kinds of intel are we getting from our people outside of Istria?"

Gannon pointed to the folder. "I took the liberty of including a couple of opsource briefs from Busukuma and Bwubanza. The backlash from the videos is bubbling up some serious dissent from moderates and the along with the news about the Banijan Navy getting beaten back by the Equestrian States, the mood is not good for the government."

"How much of Piranha do we want to expose to the royals at a point down the road? Don't a couple of loose ends need to be tied up by them?"

"Maybe not as much as I would've thought a few days ago. Is it something we can make a decision on next week?"

The PM thought for a minute. "I think so. I'd like to be fairly open, but of course we don't want to compromise any assets. we'll come back to it. Anything else?"

McGee and Gannon looked at one another and shook their heads. "OK, thanks for the update."

___________________________________________________________________________________

Mahoney had texted Jonas and asked him to meet at the wharf, and they had arranged it for 2 pm.
Matt thought through his approach. How was he going to respond if Jonas flipped out about the boat? He needed to make sure that Jonas stayed calm and reasonable.

He saw Leonard and Jonas early and walked away from the pier to intercept them before they got too close. He thought he'd break it gently. "Hello guys, sorry to make you come down, but I need to discuss something urgent." The men looked at one another. "I'm a bit um, embarrassed, because what I'm going to discuss I don't have a lot of answers to questions you'll have after I tell you some of the things I'm about to." He started to walk along and tried to guide them in a direction away from the pier.

"This morning I had a message that I needed to go to the office. When I arrived, I was given a letter and a box. The letter told me what I'm going to tell you, so this is why I'm sorry that I don't know anything other that what it said."

They had gone about 50 feet or so. "The letter instructed me to tell you, and instructed me as well, that we are to forget that we ever met any man name Gabriel Ndume. He doesn't exist and he has vanished into thin air." Leonard's eyes grew wide and Jonas' mouth opened but no words were formed. "Yes, my reaction too. We are not to ever tell anyone that we knew or met a man by that name. I promise you, I don't know who the man that said he was Gabriel really was, although I was told that he would somehow make sure that the King and the Royal family were told of your service to the country." Now the two were really feeling confused.

"Another thing I was told was that your boat has been stolen during the night. You should go to the police and report it stolen as soon as you can, and you should make sure you tell the police that a man name Wilifred, who I think went out with you on a run? is who you believe stole it."

At this point Jonas was starting to shake. Leonard started to go back in the direction of the pier. "Wait! Leonard, please! There is something else." Leonard stopped and began to reverse his tracks, then turned again towards the pier.

Matt pulled the two large bundles of cash out of his jacket pocket. "This money is for you, to put towards buying a new boat. Whatever is leftover is yours to keep and divide amongst yourselves."

Jonas had finally gotten his wits about him enough to be able to speak. "I feel like this is not happening. Is this happening to us Leku?" Leonard was about on the verge of tears. It wasn't just that the boat was gone. But it was his family's boat. It was part of the family. It was like the pain of losing a child.

Matt ached for the two fishermen. "Guys...let me help you. I am your friend, I am worried. Please do not think I had anything to do with any of this. I was as shocked a couple of hours ago as you are now."

Jonas had a gut feeling that Matt was not being dishonest with them. He'd had the same gut feeling about Miss Marie. "Leku?" Leonard had sat straight down on the pavement and was trying to hold back sobs. "Leku, Matthew is offering to help us. Look Leku!" Jonas held out the wads of cash. Jonas reached down to try and help Leonard to his feet and Matt came quickly to his aid.

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Sun May 13, 2018 7:35 pm

Mujaguzo Palace, Busukuma, Banija

"Don't worry about me. Your offer was kind, but we have plans to stay a while at one of the hotels in Busukuma. Your offer was kind, though I wish to make a private message towards an operative of importance." The Leader said, as he let the chief of staff exit the room, so he can send a brief message. A bodyguard near the Leader gave him a phone that appeared to be modified, as it was clearly more advanced while looking more modern. The phone, however was actually a tool for handlers to send intel to undercover spies. "Setting to text-to-morse code and we are all set to go." The Leader said, using a tiny keyboard to type out a message.

"MISSION UPDATED: TARGETS ARE DISABLED. PREVENT DEATHS OF BOTH."

The Leader switched to another program on the phone to check to make sure Shell's watch was still active. It was. When all the steps were made, the Leader pushed "Send".

Nezrouch, South Island, Busoga Islands

Emmanuel Jones was exhausted, though he knew it was damn right worth it. Making sure his men were behind him, as he entered the safe house ready to face the Premier. "Ebrahim Razav. I, General Emmanuel Jones declare that you are to be under house arrest and protection for the safety of both Main Nation Ministry and Banija itself. Before you demand an explanation, let me show you something." Jones showed the Premier, the tube of paste food that was to be used for foreign aid. "This here is food. Don't let appearances fool you, this is what your citizens demand and why we giving it to them." Jones gave it to the Premier to let him have a quick sample, before having him go outside quick to show him the truck containing the food. "We brought tanks of water for the dehydrated, also."

"Now, we are here because this crisis is going to tear things into shreds and the only way to make sure that nothing goes from bad to worse is to detain you here. We understand your intentions and ways of solving a problem, but what you might do will have extreme intent and unintended consequences. So you need to understand me, if you're willingly to cooperative." Jones put his hands together, waiting for an answer from the Premier.

by **Mriin** » Sun May 13, 2018 7:57 pm

Lasser stretched out on the reclined folding chair, taking in the Maal sun. It'd been years since he'd taken some time away to just sit on a beach. Not for lack of wanting, but, well... Westhold's beaches kinda suck. So even when he had time off during the MNL season it wasn't the most enticing diversion. And these trips out to Maal with the national team were always such tight schedules, with training and press conferences and meetings back to back to back to back to back... it's hard to find the time. But that's what was such a wonderful thing, after the vengeful walloping of Garifunya in Haven, when Don called off the debrief. "You all did your parts today, there's nothing I can add. Go and relax, ignore the press; do whatever you need to do so that we can show up in Conseolta fresh as the first match."

It was nice to slow down for once. Especially a nice change of pace from the bustle of downtown Maal--he had this little strip of almost all to himself. Solara was off in the water somewhere, but he couldn't begrudge sharing since she'd shown him this spot in the first place (muttering something about how you couldn't find a place like this anywhere in Nephara). As the sea glinted orange, he wondered what his other teammates could have possibly chosen over this.

Joren, of course, was probably still diving through recordings of Cosneolta's second-half games. He was never able to wind down like everyone else did, and... that's probably why he's still Don's #1. Fits into the inane shit they expect of grad students at UA. Mari was likely at her parents', since they're local. Zilia and Hilda at some seedy dive, Vernan at some upscale restaurant, Tali at the botanical gardens, Reina hunting for street food... to each their own.

by **Drawkland** » Sun May 13, 2018 8:37 pm

I suppose if there's somebody to ask about the whole Ellzidan situation, it'd be me, right? Her temporary replacement? It's not easy having to fill her shoes ... although I'm sure you could imagine that already. When she didn't show up for the precycle camps, I was a little scared and offput. She was an icon and an idol to all of us, so her being gone without a trace was nerve-wracking. Not even Siv Foss, her closest friend on the team, knew where she was. But deep down, I was excited. Now was my real chance.

Ellzidan had laid claim to the center midfield position since the first-ever Kick Corps match. Understandable, yea. She was the most famous midfielder in Drawkian history. I mean, for more than just being a soccer player, but I digress. It sorta sucked for me I guess. I was a center midfielder all my life, so having to be relegated to playing the outside on occasion was not my idea of fun. I couldn't really complain though, because being invited to the national team at all was a true honor and everything. And really, Ellzidan wasn't exactly stretching boundaries by starting every match. She's made of stamina, she could probably play 3 full matches in a day and do the same thing tomorrow. It's not like she was starting every match and sucking. She had the same consistently good performance, day in and day out. I couldn't complain.

But then it was suddenly my time to shine. Michael Starre said I would have to play every match of qualifying that I could. He didn't know if Ellzidan would be back, nobody did. We didn't really have any other center mids since Ellzidan was the old reliable and I was there just in case. It was going to be tough, but I decided to try it. Playing every week, as hard as I could. It's been a really rough ride. This past cycle or two we've been starting to integrate more and more of a flexible lineup, but in the first cycle and a half, it was pretty much the same squad going out every match.

See, in Drawkland, endurance is one of the most prized talents a player can possess. Speed, important. Fundamentals, important. Actual positional talent, all important. But a player with endurance is one that will excel in the league. That's why all the players on the original starting lineup weren't necessarily the best at their position, but the ones that could perform at their usual level day in and day out without stopping or needing long breaks. Sarah Arrowsword is probably the best currently active Drawkian player in that respect, but if Sarah was the endurance queen, Ellzidan would be the endurance goddess.

I'm sad to say that I'm really not an Ellzidan. This past cycle, having to constantly play, has been the toughest thing I've ever done. Realistically, the DLK cycle is even more grueling, as the matches are more frequent and there's tons of them. But you never have to try very hard at the national level once you're used to the international level. Sometimes you face a team that's not too elite and you don't have to play at 100%. Once you get to a stage like the World Cup though, it's a completely different ballgame. If one player on the squad doesn't go 100%, it can be a nightmare which results in a crushing defeat with huge consequences. If you halfass a random league match, the consequence is really low. There are some games where you can't mess up, and you know what those games are and you can account for it and give it your all. But the World Cup cycle, especially with the expectations now, is just a long set of all those sorts of games strung together in one shot. A gauntlet. Every game needs to be a win, or else it may be crippling in the future. We're certainly feeling that here.

It's so amazing what we've done in the past. Qualifying 3 straight times as newcomers (the third was automatically given as hosts, but even that was impressive) is no small feat. Many World Cup nations would kill to just qualify once or more than once, and we did it in our first cycle. It took lots of luck, as did out qualification the cup after, but we earned every bit of it. But now the pressure is ramping up. With these playoffs likely on the horizon, it's likely to be a total toss-up on whether we'll make it in. We always seem to choke in clutch situations against teams we're evenly matched with, or even teams that we have an edge on. Free Republics ... well that's an example that's still a little tender.

The excitement I felt at the beginning of this cycle faded quickly. Now I'm just filled with dread. We have to outplay Electrum this weekend, either by them drawing or losing while we do anything better than them. We've always been stuck with these last-matchday miracle situations, and now we're going to need that luck again. But will we have it? Will luck be on our side tonight? Only fate knows.

If worse comes to worse, though, I'm going to be worried sick. We've been acceptable this cycle, just acceptable. We've really underperformed from our true potential, and perhaps I'm apart of that. I'm no elf, I'm no Ellzidan. When we needed a clutch performance in the Independents Cup, we leaned on Ellzidan. That was one of the worst games we've ever played. She's the greatest player we have and she could do nothing when we needed it most.

So then what am I supposed to do?

"It's an exciting time for World Cup and all sports fans across Drawkland! Today, the Kick Corps takes the pitch in Lionsguard for the final match of World Cup Qualifying. This is Drawkland's last chance to get points before the tables are tallied and qualification or playoff spots are assigned. Currently tied with Drawkland on points are Electrum, former World Cup champions and Pot 1 team in the qualifying group. As Electrum has won both legs of their qualifying series against the Corps by large margins, Drawkland must be clearly ahead of them in order to claim the #1 spot in the group to qualify without worrying about potentially hazardous playoffs.

Drawkland is expected to win their match tonight, despite playing away. They play the nation of Lionsguard, a relatively quiet and unknown squad who sits at 6-2-9 for their qualifying run. They entered this cycle as newcomers, making the playoffs of Baptism of Fire 67 before flaming out in the first round to Baker Park. Oddsmakers are expecting this match to be a win for the Kick Corps, or at the very least a low-scoring draw.

However, Drawkland's game performance, whatever it may be, needs to be better than Electrum's if they want to make it automatically to the World Cup. Electrum is playing at Northwest Kalactin tonight as well. Northwest Kalactin is one cycle more experienced than Lionsguard, but sit a win behind them at 2-11-4. The amount of draws the Kalactinian squad has forced is astounding, but they're still unlikely to beat Electrum even at home. For Drawkians everywhere though, Kalactin will be in their hearts to manage an upset.

This isn't the first time Drawkian NT fans have had to send prayers on the final matchday of qualifying. In their first World Cup qualifying campaign, Drawkland had to pull off an away upset against the top-ranked team in the group, Barunia, while hoping that another team (Jeruselem) lost their match that day. In the next campaign of World Cup 78, Drawkland had an easier final matchday, a home tilt against a low-ranked Republic of Kaboomlandia, but still required that Red Blackiland falter on their match in order to make it to the promised land. Now, 2 cycles later, the Kick Corps is looking for another unlikely upset to roll in their favor. Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No.

In other news, the International Cup of 7ball committee has recently restarted talks of a new edition, targeting a start date of later this cycle. Whether or not this pans out is not known, but fans of 7ball on the multiversal scale certainly hope it will. The IMAA has also recently resurrected with similar intentions, seeking a more unified circuit than what occurred last time they held international contests ..."

by **95X** » Sun May 13, 2018 8:39 pm

Filindostan Plays Spoiler Role in Oceanside

Oceanside, 95X—The slim 95X chances of winning their World Cup Qualification Group came to a close after a 1-0 defeat to Filindostan, who was removed from qualification contention due to Damukuni's sound 4-0 tromp of Colunberra.

Bienvenido said hello to the back of the net for Filindostan in the 72nd minute, silencing the usually boisterous 95X crowd at Oceanside Stadium who uncharacteristically started filing for the exits.

"They came to town, they played a great game, and they won," General Failure said of the winning team. "As always, we'll take a look at how we can improve in future matches, our starting defenders are young and our remaining older players are taking earnest mentorship roles, this is technically a rebuilding squad. This (World Cup Qualifying) isn't just a half-season of games for us (the National Team)."

~~95X and Damukuni are set to take part in a winner-qualifies playoff match after each side's final qualification match. 95X won both previous qualification games 1-0 and 3-1, respectively.~~

by **Equestrian States** » Sun May 13, 2018 8:48 pm

Matchday Eighteen Cutoff

Who's going to punch their tickets to the finals, who's going dancing in the playoffs, and who's going home? This is your final qualifying group stage cutoff.

All is revealed.

by **Free Republics** » Mon May 14, 2018 5:52 am

Sporting World

MingleDome to host Free Republics vs Apox Playoff Match after Free Republics crush The Macabees 5-nil
By: Nova Hellstrom-Hancock

Rule Theriault's Republican National Soccer Team, LLC will be competing in the World Cup 80 playoffs following a 5 goals to nil demolition of The Macabees on their home field. For all the talk of their defensive-minded approach, the Macabee defense was completely overmatched in this match against a Republican squad that has now scored 9 unanswered goals in their last 135 minutes of soccer. While Macabee striker Enrik Nestor would secure the first shot on goal of this match, a Republican counterattack resulted in a 1v1 between Love Holm and Liam Jer'Voos, which concluded with Holm putting the ball in the back of the net for a 5th minute goal. Just moments later, a terrible pass by Kordob Veron gave Maxim Izmailov possession of the ball. This time, the Republicans utilized a slower build, advancing the ball with a series of several dozen short passes until finally Johnny Smith saw an opening. The shot was a rocket from outside of the scoring area and, fortunately for the visiting side, Jer'Voos misjudged the angle of the shot and was left with no option but to helplessly watch the ball sail into the back of the net for a 2 goals to nil Republican lead. Porbergur Lydsson would add a third Republican goal shortly before halftime on a rebound from a Love Holm shot. Jer'Voos batted the shot right at the feet of Lydsson, who placed it straight into the now-undefended net.

The early portion of the second half brought more of the same as Johnny Smith scored a second goal off of a free kick and Kalervo Peltola concluded the scoring by slipping the ball right through the keeper's legs in the 57th minute. With a 5 goal lead, Theriault decided to replace Smith, Holm and Peltola with additional defenders Jake Reed, Ignacy Wozniak and Mumadi Godina and park the bus for the remainder of the match. As what remained of the crowd showered the pitch with boos, the clock counted down toward a Republican playoff berth. Throughout the match, Soccer General Rule Theriault had been closely following the score in the Aggrey-Fynn Land vs Al-Qurija match and realized there was a strong possibility that the win might not even be necessary. However, I can confirm that he kept all knowledge of the score in the other match from his team until the final whistle sounded on their 5 goals to nil beatdown of a once-great opponent.

This sets up an exciting playoff series against Apox, who have only faced a team representing the Free Republics once in senior-level competition. That match was a Round of 16 match that took place nine years ago in Felix. Our report on that match can be found here. That match ended in a penalty shootout victory for the Republican side and was a springboard to an eventual third place finish. This time, a spot in the World Cup will be on the line as the two storied soccer nations will play a home-and-home to decide who will advance to the World Cup and who will be left hoping for an invite to Vilita, which recently won the rights to host the Cup of Harmony in a landslide vote.

I was unable to find any information on the Apox team's performance this year or even any information regarding the identity of their players. This is rather unusual and I have to assume it is part of some kind of strategy to give Apox a competitive advantage, though I have no idea why a team like Apox would adopt this tactic, which is usually utilized by minnows without much success. This seems rather out of character for one of the great soccer nations of Esportiva.

The first leg of the playoff series will be held in Latroit, Yorkoba at the MingleDome. I would be remiss if I did not mention, for the benefit of our foreign readers, that the MingleDome is sponsored by the dating app Mingle which is a popular and extremely effective way to find partners for casual sex while you're in the Free Republics. However, I would advise against using Mingle if you are looking for a serious relationship because most of the app's users are just looking for one night stands. Mingle is not geo-restricted so you may use it in your own countries as well but the vast majority of its users live in the Free Republics or are Republicans abroad. Mingle is reportedly considering applying to become the official dating app of World Cup 80. Most Republican companies, however, have decided to hold off on sponsoring this World Cup, preferring to wait for a hypothetical future World Cup hosted by the Free Republics.

Nova Hellstrom is the editor-in-chief of Sporting World, the coach for the Republican National Soccer Team, LLC Cheerleading Squad and one of the most decorated champions in the history of the (old) Republican Wrestling Conglomerate where she won the World Ladies Championship on 7 different occasions. At one time, she was a part-time international sports correspondent for Sporting World and a co-chair of the World Cup 68 Seeding Committee. She got her start covering high school soccer for the Petrograd Times before working for Sporting World. At one time, she played girls soccer for Petrograd Christian School. She was Sporting World's correspondent at the 27th Di Bradini Cup, the 52nd Baptism of Fire and during qualifying for the 65th World Cup before transitioning into a successful career as a professional wrestler. She lives in Falatulu with her ~~slave~~ husband Kieran.

St. Petrus, Saintland

The city of St. Petrus was rapidly running out of food as the siege continued into its 33rd day. Even though the writing was on the walls all over the city, Prime Minister Leva Fadius still refused to surrender. However, on this morning, Queen Gloria had finally had enough of this ruinous war. The queen dressed herself in her royal robes and walked straight out of the palace. As she walked across the city, she saw squalor and misery everywhere. She saw a civil war that had taken its toll upon her people and she saw that foreign reinforcements would not be forthcoming. At this moment, she decided that it was time to end this war.

Upon reaching the city gates, the queen personally walked to the top of the city's walls and, with a microphone in hand, began speaking to the eastern troops:

"My countrymen, please hold your fire. I come not to wage war but to make peace. For months, our nation has been ravaged by a war over a throne that I did not want in the first place. This war has brought much death, destruction and misery to our eternal and indivisible kingdom. It has turned brother against sister, mother against son and cousin against cousin. It has brought nothing but evil to this land, our land that had only known peace for a millennium. This is a massive human tragedy and one that could have been avoided if only I had stood up to my misguided prime minister sooner. It is true that, per the traditions of our ancestors, my cousin Paulus XVI is the legitimate King of Saintland. Therefore, I abdicate my throne and I recognize my cousin Paulus as the true King of Saintland. I also wish to surrender and beg for His Majesty's mercy. I urge those who fought under my banner to lay down your arms, open the city gates and recognize our rightful King Paulus XVI."

The gates of the city flew open and the eastern armies marched into the city. Within minutes, Prime Minister Fadius was placed under arrest and transported to the highest security prison in all of Saintland. The former Queen Gloria was held in the Royal Palace under military guard awaiting the arrival of King Paulus XVI, who would decide her fate. Saintland was now reunified and now there were no pretenders to the Sanctii throne...

by **South Covello** » Mon May 14, 2018 7:22 am

John Green’s Speech to the People

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today is a dark day, not just for our nation but for the whole Multiverse. Today, the principles of liberty, freedom, and equality were damaged, perhaps irrepereably, in the Kingdom of Saintland. Troops from the so-called “East” Saintland overran their friendly neighbors, the rightful claimants of the Saintland name, known to most of the world as West Saintland.

“Saintland is now once again unified, not under a free and equal democracy but under a theocratic, nightmarish kingdom run by King Paulus XVI. Our troops fought valiantly in the aid of West Saintland, but ultimately we were overpowered.

“But to those in Saintland who still seek freedom, I say this - the west will rise again! There will once again be freedom and equality throughout Saintland! And when you feel it is time to rebel, we will rush to your aid!

“To that end, I am asking the legislature to declare Saintland an Enemy of Freedom and institute certain sanctions on it effective immediately. Specifically, no supporter of the Sanctii government will be allowed into South Covello except for a few narrow purposes such as diplomacy and international events. Second, no group or organization which supports the Sanctii government is eligible for taxpayer funding. Third, we shall refuse to recognize the so-called government as legitimate and shall immediately close our embassy and recall our ambassadors. Ambassadors in our country who are supporters of the fallen government will be offered refugee status, if they decline, they shall be removed from the country immediately.

“Furthermore, I encourage the Legislarure to direct funding to Feministvs Sanctvsterra and other groups engaged or wishing to engage in rebellion against the wicked regime occupying their country. Hopefully, this allows them to more effectively engage in rebellion. Let me make this clear - King Paulus XVI is an Enemy of Freedom. And Enemies of Freedom anywhere are a threat to freedom everywhere. We will join our Sanctii brothers and sisters in fighting to overthrow this tyrant. And when the moment is right, we will be ready.

“Thank you, and may freedom ever be thy watchword.”

In shock, Rebels Second in group, to go through playoff

In an absolute shock, South Covello’s national soccer team, the Rebels, finished second in their group and will have to go through a playoff with Lislander to make it to World Cup 80. The team finished tied with Darmen with 40 points through 18 matches, but Darmen came out ahead on head-to-head. This is needless to say a deeply disappointing performance after the team’s Semifinal run last year. Although the Rebels only allowed six goals, they came at bas times, leading to a series of draws and losses against vastly inferior teams.

The mood around South Covello is deep disappointment, but it’s not over yet. The Rebs will be heavy favorites against Lisander, and still could make yet another deep run at World Cup 80.

by **Darmen** » Mon May 14, 2018 10:39 am

Lee wins second term as President of the Republic
Yoram Nash becomes Vice President, United Left officially joins "Grand Coalition"

President Lee appears jubilant following reelection

SCOTT CITY - On the 8th ballot of the Electoral College, President of the Republic Tor Tong Lee finally secured enough votes to maintain his mandate as President, surpassing the 1,041 votes needed to win. Second place candidate, and leader of the United Left, Yoram Nash, was immediately named by Lee as his Vice President. Former Vice President, Donald O'Donahaue has been reassigned to the Department of Foreign Affairs, where he will replace Joshua Rademacher as Foreign Affairs Secretary.

Rademacher has threatened to pull his Liberal Conservative Party out of the Movement for a New Darmen coalition, citing his unequivocal support for Darmeni membership in the Common Rushmori Community and poor working relations with President Lee as his main reason. His removal as Foreign Affairs Secretary certainly doesn't help either, and a few MND members have questioned Lee's wisdom in removing the powerful and often brash Rademacher from the Executive Cabinet. However many members of the Liberal Conservatives have stated that they wish to remain part of the MND, so a vote on membership in the coalition likely won't happen until just before the next elections, scheduled in 2045.

Executive Cabinet Appointments
Position             Appointee          Party
President            Tor Tong Lee       MND
Vice President       Yoram Nash         UL
Foreign Affairs      Donald O'Donahaue  MND
Defense              Manfred Penzig     MND
Interior             Gunter Rier        MND
Finance & Treasury   Dean Alamilla      UL
Justice              Julián Cotterill   UL
Education            Florinda Freud     MND
Labor                Philomena McNeal   UL
Health               Dianna Quinn       MND
Energy               Morten Wilmer      MND
Astronomy & Research Efraín Flores      LV
Culture & Sports     Nur al Din Lambert MND
Postal Services      Aylmer Gladwin     PP
Environment          Isabella Davis     UL
Transportation       Enfys Ness         MND
Commerce             Diggory Moore      MND
Infrastructure       Isak Martínez      UL
Telecommunications   Fife Koenig        UL

The "Grand Coalition" of Lee's MND and Nash's United Left, plus other coalition partners in the People's Party and Lista de Valladar, control a combined 130 of the 166 seats in Parliament. Lee and Nash have already confirmed their shares of the Executive Cabinet, and the appointments are expected to be guaranteed approval by party whips when Parliament meets for its two week long post-election session.

10 of the Executive Cabinet posts will remain in the hands of the MND, while the United Left will have seven. The remaining two positions will be retained by the People's Party and Lista de Valladar. The number of women who are members of the cabinet jumps from two to four, with the addition of female United Left members for Labor and Environment Secretaries.

President Lee is expected to make his first post-election national address in just over a week when Parliament opens for business. As usual, his speech is expected to be short and lack any major policy announcements. Details on policies likely won't emerge until the Cabinet appointees appear before their relevant Parliamentary Committees for their confirmation hearings. Even then, with the MND and United Left working together to approve the cabinet, it is unlikely that the appointees will face many tough questions.

Party                                   Candidate         1B   2B   3B   4B   5B   6B   7B   8B
Movement for a New Darmen               Tor Tong Lee      787  787  802  841  882  928  928  1,043
United Left                             Yoram Nash        701  701  716  716  716  716  792    792
National Civil Liberal Democratic Union Rowland McNab     218  245  245  245  245  245  245    245
Fascist & Ultranationalist Union        Evandrus O'Mooney 115  115  115  115  115  115  115
Green Party                             George Bourdillon  76   76   76   76   76   76
Royalist Party                          Maxwell Romanov    46   46   46   46   46
Lista de Valladar                       Efraín Flores      41   41   41   41
People's Party                          Aylmer Gladwin     39   39   39
Islamic Union                           Ashfaq Alfarsi     30   30
Pan-Rushmori Party                      Rochus Marston     27

by **Zwangzug** » Mon May 14, 2018 11:12 am

The Spenson Star
Midfield duo enshrined

Whoever is in charge of this kind of thing [let's go with Committee Rewarding Arbitrary People -ed] announced that midfielders Martina Ruan and Patricia Eliot, from the second incarnation of the national football team, would be inducted into the player Hall of Fame. Ruan was seen as a consensus pick, considering her proud leadership of the national team, her outspoken political views as expressed during the Cup of Harmony in Kinitaria, and her occasional goalscoring talent as an attacking midfielder.

Eliot, a defensive midfielder, was a more surprising choice in some quarters. While she was considered a starter for all six cycles of the team's run, she was known more for atypically combative encounters than her on-field performance. However, not only did she help lead Canbix to the league's first titles, she was also an important member of a Matthew City Rangers (Northern Sunrise Islands) side that has been somewhat unsung. Some theories suggest that her recognition is in part a call to celebrate the unassuming club side.

"Look, there's more than one way to be a standout performer," said current coach Makvala Tsereteli. "We should hope that the image of this country isn't just a bunch of hotshot strikers, and we should...most of us hope that it's more than innovative but abrasive defenders. There was a time when people couldn't have imagined a player like Ruan being proud of her country and leading the team. Times change, and just because one individual is rightly celebrated doesn't mean that they're the only model." Tsereteli's side comprehensively beat Kernovi to close out the World Cup 80 qualification campaign, with two goals from Misako Tsuki and another from Corianne Rogawski.

According to sources close to whoever is in charge of this kind of thing, since the decentralization of international footballing records, biographies of Ruan and Eliot "might" be written up "if we can find the energy," presumably together with their predecessors', to say nothing of the more-contemporary team's history. Suggestions that this was merely a pretext for attention-seeking behavior were poorly received.

"I'm just glad we stopped kicking this down the road," said Kendra Jover, current captain. "I mean, I think there were some people who were like, why bother, none of them will ever equal the past generation. But the game has changed, for better and for worse, and we earned these slots just like every other country. I think it's only right to give them to the players who were there then."

When asked to speculate about the current teams' chances of earning any Hall of Fame slots, Jover demured. "I mean, that depends on a lot of things, right? Whether the bigwigs who signed us up for this arbitrarily send us again, how hard it is to build on this towards qualification, whether the squad gets wiped out by a space superweapon. Not that that would happen."

by **Banija** » Mon May 14, 2018 11:58 am

Kadongo Kamu complete stunning turnaround as 9 match unbeaten streak sends Banija from the cellar to the playoffs

Kiggwe Mavuto celebrating equalizer against Ethane that sent Banija to the World Cup Qualification Playoffs

NEW SARAM, ETHANE- The national team had an almost embarrassing beginning to World Cup Qualification. Taking just 2 wins from their first 9 games, and having 5 losses, including finishing the first half of qualifying by losing four in a row, they were larely written off, not only by neutral observers, but even by the RBSA, and most of their own fans. After the fourth straight one goal loss, two of them to the pair of unranked sides that Banija shared a group with, the RBSA made the decision to show Randolf Cherry the door, halfway through his contract. Originally planned to lead the national team through the World Cup 81 cycle, sitting a point out of last place halfway through World Cup Qualifying looked like a big step backwards for this team. The defense was getting carved up, and the team was far too talented to be in that position.

Marcus Waters, the Equestrian who was hired on as the senior assistant manager at the very beginning of Randolf Cherry's time in charge of the national team, who is also the coach for Banija's men's youth national teams, was named the interim manager for the remainder of qualifying. He would be a candidate for the full-time managerial position, and five people, none of whom were Banijan, were candidates for the job. Brian Emerson, the manager who just finished Herzegovina City's 'invincible' 100 point undefeated season, and Mark Grayson, who managed their crosstown rivals, Herzegovina Phoenix, to their first-ever UICA appearance, were both interviewed, and the two primary candidates from the BSL. They also confirmed that they interviewed both Cralt-Nirlo Fox, the Assistant manager for the Filindostan national team, and Phillip Schweeper, out of Petroslovania.

After his incredible turn of fortunes for the Kadongo Kamu, however, he is emerging as the clear, odds-on favorite for the full-time position. 9 competitive matches, and he has pulled out 7 wins with a pair of draws against top 55 opponents? That is a record that he can most certainly smile about. What happened, exactly? Well, while they weren't as prolific up top as they would like, the problem certainly wasn't the front four- Okafor, Mavuto, Kahara, and Afolyana were not the problem. It was everyone behind them. The defense wasn't defending well, the midfielders were constantly getting beat, there was no flow to this team. There was clear frustrations, and something cleary needed to change on the field.

Marcus Waters brought the change that he thought was necessary. He made a drastic change on the back line- replacing three of the four starters on the back line with three home-grown, domestic based defenders. Zinnah Atieno and Alifa Diawara, the starting wingbacks for Herzegovina City FC, were named the starters going into Matchday 10, and former skipper George Wangolo was replaced by Abate Brehanu, who helped lead his own squad to a shock RBSA Cup Final. In the midfield, Daniel Asres replaced John Tewedros, who was really struggling to hold down the middle of the pitch. It gave a breath of fresh air to this team, and with a new manager, they were rejuvenated.

They started off the second half of World Cup qualification on a high note. Opening with a 3-1 home victory in Busukuma over Quakmybush, who are ranked 9 spots ahead of the Banijans in the KPB rankings, they followed that up with an extremely tough 1-0 away victory over Acapais. It was the type of tough, gritty road performance, where they had to struggle against all the odds, and yet were still capable of coming away with all three points, in the face of an extremely hostile crowd. It was a massive win for the Banijans, one that helped inspire confidence. Followed up by a win against Lazhal, and the team was climbing its way out of the hole that it dug itself in the first half of qualifying.

They had a big game, on Matchday 13, against Jeruselem, whom they were chasing for a spot in the World Cup Qualification playoffs. It was a tough, physical game- plenty of hard tackles, cards were shown, and it was a fierce, competitive matchup. However, it ended by a score of 0-0, which left Banija with points, but disappointed, as a win would have been a firm statement. However, things were not done after Banija split the spoils in that matchup. They won three in a row again- against The Liamese Empire, Xianina, and Melbergia, who were the three worst teams in Banija's World Cup Qualification group.

They entered Matchday 17 in 3rd place, with 27 points, while Jeruselem were right on their heels, with 24 points. However, Jeruselem had the head to head tiebreaker, earning victory over Banija at home while earning a draw against Banija away from home. This meant, of course, that the margin for error for the Banijans was extremely small. And, of course, the situation was getting worse at home. The drought continuing to pound the mainland and the Busoga Islands, a state of emergency declare on the Busoga Islands, rioting in that region, Banijan warships sinking foreign aid ships and engaging foreign navies, there were quite a bit of distractions to be worried about.

Because of the situation at home, Banija's final home game, on Matchday 17 against the Cocoabo of Turori, had to be moved out of the country- to Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec. There are 300,000 Banijans who live in that metropolitan area, and probably almost a million that live in the country in general. They played at the Samseongoloondongjang, which was the site of the World Cup 77 Final, or the 'Theater of Dreams' for Vilitia. This was an extremely tight affair itself. The Banijans just managed three shots on goal, and to be quite honest, the Cocoabo had a better run at it. With the majority of the possession, and more shots on target, and more possession in Banija's end, with 4 corners to one for our boys, the game looked to be headed either for a draw or a Banijan win.

That was not to be true today. It was Toyuwa Okafor, Banija's striker, who clinched the upset victory for Banija that took one massive step forward towards the playoffs. A 61st minute header off of Banija's lone corner kick, was able to ensure that the Banijans were, indeed, able to stay alive. It was an incredible victory, and as things were getting more volatile at home- war being threatened with the Equestrian States, an attempted attack on a ship of Baker Park by the Banijan Navy, the team was a single, measly point away from punching their ticket to the World Cup Qualification playoffs.

Of course, they'd have to earn this point. It wasn't against anybody- they had to earn that point away from home, at King Edward IV Stadium, against Ethane. A large contingent of travelling Banijans accompanied the team, of course, but the task was still difficult. And a loss, coupled with a Jeruselem, would see Banija finish their third straight qualification campaign in fourth place. Ethane, already through directly to the World Cup Finals, had players attempting to earn a trip to the World Cup Finals as part of Ethane's final 23. The hosts opened the scoring in their final home game of the campaign, with a Wilmer Jaurequi breakaway that saw him chip Delbin Kasekende in the 32nd minute, to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

At that point, the Banijans were worrying. They knew a loss would have the likely effect of dooming this national team, who had worked so hard, winning 7 of 8, to work their way out of the cellar and into a playoff place. However, first, they'd have to weather the storm. For the rest of the first half, and the first 20 minutes of the second half, Ethane dominated the game. It was Delbin Kasekende who kept the Banijans in it. Between the Ethane opener and the 65th minute, Kasekende made all of his 7 saves during the match. He had to be dominant in front of goal, and he did exactly that. Keeping Banija in the game until the Kadongo Kamu could get their bearings.

At that point, Marcus Waters knew that he needed to throw everything he had towards the goal of getting that point. Okonkwo Okparro came onto the field for Daniel Asres, and it was on. The game was starting to turn. Chibuzo Afolayan had a legitimate opportunity in the 72nd minute, when the back trickled back to him at the 18, but he skied his opportunity. Gitonga Kahara had an opportunity as well. Chesting the ball down about 20 yards out, he unleashed a scorching volley that left the goalkeeper standing helplessly, but he had hit the crossbar. They had to go all out for this point. They continued to push, trying for that equalizing goal.

In the 82nd minute, it was Kiggwe Mavuto who would score the biggest goal of his life. The Banijans, in the attacking third, had an opportunity where Okonkwo Okparro passed the ball to Toyuwa Okafor at the 18, who had his back towards the goal. Kiggwe Mavuto, however, made a beautiful run past him and Okafor hit him with a one touch pass, as Kiggwe Mavuto was clean through on goal. Ethane's goalkeeper came out, looking for a big stop in the one on one situation, but Mavuto buried the ball into the bottom corner, as the celebration began with Banija tying the game at 1. Neither team got a good look on goal for the rest of the match, as it finished 1-1. It turned out that Jeruselem lost as well, meaning they didn't need the point, but the team was ecstatic.

The Banijans go into the playoff as a bottom seed, and will face off against Mercedini, having not lost since Matchday 9, and winners of seven of their last nine. The RBSA announced that the home leg, or the first leg, of the tie will be played in Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec, due to safety concerns with the ticking time bomb that is Baker Park, Banija, and the Equestrian States. It is a fascinating matchup- one that we will preview as the two-legged tie. For now, celebrate this progress, as in Banija's 7th attempt to qualify for the World Cup Finals, this is the country's highest finish in the qualification group stage(3rd!), and their first ever playoff berth, which puts them just one step away from their ultimate goal- the country's first ever trip to the World Cup Finals.

by **Mercedini** » Mon May 14, 2018 1:38 pm

World Cup Playoff Preview
@ Samseongoloondongjang - Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to Mercedini Sports Daily's coverage of qualification for the 80th World Cup hosted by Starblaydia and the Equestrian States. Qualification is now done and dusted with all eighteen matches played, meaning we now know the fate of all 150 teams initially involved in qualifying. However, we haven't done with filling up the 32 spots available for the World Cup Finals, with only 17 nations confirmed for the group stage draw, with the final 15 places up for grabs with two matches standing between the thirty playoff hopefuls and the promised land. The group positions have been finalised and the playoff draw has been made, so for those not in the loop, let's see how the final match day went and who Mercedini have to face in the playoffs for the 80th World Cup.

   Group 13                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts   H    A     
 1 Farfadillis                       18   17   0   1    72   23  +49    51  0-3  2-4
 2 Mercedini                         18   12   2   4    44   32  +12    38
 3 New Gazi                          18   10   4   4    38   27  +11    34  3-3  3-3
 4 Acronius                          18   10   3   5    39   27  +12    33  4-2  2-3
 5 Ko-oren                           18    8   6   4    29   25   +4    30  1-0  3-1
 6 Octinstine                        18    6   2  10    33   43  −10    20  3-2  1-0
 7 Cathaldonia                       18    4   2  12    27   53  −26    14  5-4  5-2
 8 Stegosauristan                    18    4   1  13    23   42  −19    13  1-2  5-2
 9 The Sherpa Empire                 18    3   3  12    20   36  −16    12  1-0  2-0
10 Austenesia                        18    3   3  12    24   41  −17    12  2-1  2-1

Ladies and Gentlemen, there we have it. A nine goal thriller at the Sports City Staidum followed up with a suprising 3-1 victory in Ko-oren means Mercedini secured their second placed finish with a came to spare and ultimately ended up four points clear of their nearest rival New Gazi who also earned themselves a playoff berth even if they were thrashed 5-1 by runaway group winners Farfadillis in the penultimate match day. It has proven to be a rather fruitful second half to qualifying with an impressive 7-1-1 record in their final nine games to lift them up to where they are now, where they enter the playoff draw as a seeded team to play against a nation who finished in 3rd place in their respective group. As mentioned before, New Gazi will also enter the playoffs from Group 13 where they will be placed in the unseeded pot, and will likely have a harder draw as they play against a team who finished second in their group, with the pot consisting of not only teams who expceeded expectations, but top seeds who narrowly missed out of qualification such as Chromatika and Audioslavia.

Looking ahead to the draw, there wee a number of teams in the corresponding pot which would mean a decent draw for the Golden Eagles, with a number of third seeded teams and below throwing their weight around and qualifying for the playoffs, but there were also some juggernauts who had a torrid time of qualification, namely Abanhfleft and Eshan. It was a tense couple of hours as some Mercedinians had stayed up late to see who stood between them and a first World Cup Finals in three editions. Mercedini were pulled out fifth from the seeded teams, with high qualify nations all around them, was this the moment that Mercedini can finally say it isn't a mid table teams any longer?

Playoff Matchups
Nova Anglicana vs. Chromatika
Abanhfleft vs. Audioslavia
Lisander vs. South Covello
Juvencus vs. Super-Llamaland
Banija vs. Mercedini
Valladares vs. Drawkland
Eshan vs. Savojarna
Free Republics vs. Apox
Commonwealth of Baker Park vs. Qasden
Maryloupe vs. Damukuni
Kalumba vs. Turori
Soltsteed vs. Buyan
95X vs. Sargossa
New Gazi vs. Eastfield Lodge
Tumbra vs. Barunia

The draw has thrown up some very interesting fixtures for the World Cup playoffs including many fixtures featuring World Cup juggernauts of past and present. Fortunately, the Golden Eagles managed to avoid all of those and picked up Banija in their World Cup playoffs, in one of the more exciting matches for neutrals and those who want to see some fresh faces at the World Cup. Mercedini haven't qualified since World Cup 77 and have had a torrid time of qualification which saw the departure of former national team manager David Bjarnasson and saw the installation of current leader Elidyr Lyndainium who has bought better results but has never reached the heights of the World Cup 77 cycle, save for a couple of IAC finals and semi-finals, now is his chance to prove to the nature that Mercedini are finally back on an upward path back to where they were a couple of cycles ago. There's plenty to assess in the biggest match Mercedini have had in a long while, so let's have a look at who Mercedini have to face in both legs before we know whether it will be the World Cup, or the Cup of Harmony for the Golden Eagles in this cycle.

Banija, ranked 83rd before the start of Qualification and is sure to rise significantly after the great showing which saw them qualify for the play-offs in third place all the way from Pot 5, with a stellar turn of from in the second half, much like Mercedini, which saw them overcome Jerusalem and Quakmybush from higher pots to reach this stage. They will be looking for their first ever World Cup berth and look to be one to watch for the future as the nation attempts to distract critics from it's current developments closer to home, and a successful World Cup Qualification campaign will certainly go a long way to doing that.

Banija qualified with a 9-4-5 record, finishing fifth from bottom of the seeding table which allowed Mercedini's decent record to be matched up with the Pot 5 side for this playoff match-up. However, despite playing their national team, the Golden Eagles will not set foot in the nation after security concerns saw the first leg moved to a neutral venue in Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec which will prove to interesting for both travelling sets of fans. The neutral venue may ultimately benefit Mercedini as the Banijan home advantage will be significantly reduced, whereas Mercedini will have their home advantage firmly in place when the teams arrive at the Zoloroni Sports City Stadium for the return leg, which will confirm who has earned that coveted spot at the World Cup.

The match is one on the minds of those who want to see newer faces at the World Cup, with one nation absent for three editions while the other is chasing their first ever World Cup, so its will be great for whichever nation makes it through, and one nation will definitely make it through. However, there are certainly that would certainly come with the 'match of death' if said title was such a thing. Abanhfleft vs Audioslavia certainly as a feeling spectacle around it, Chromatika surprisingly being edged out of top spot an will face Nova Anglicana who have also been a regular at these World Cups before now. New Gazi will have to get past Eastfield Lodge with the Golden Eagles thankful that they managed to put distance between themselves and third place, as that will have been a tough draw for the Golden Eagles should they have slipped to third place in the rankings.

These two games could mean the difference between being considered is the highest tiers of football playing nations, and those in the realm of mediocrity who are perennial participants in the Cup of Harmony. Mercedini could be on the horizon toward something special, and I'm sure tens of thousands of Mercedinians will be watching in the stadiums with millions more watching at home. We hope you will be able to join us for this very special duo of matches and we hope you have you fingers crossed for our boys. From Montreal in Quebec, we bid you goodnight.

by **Audioslavia** » Mon May 14, 2018 4:02 pm

A FOOTBALL TOURIST'S GUIDE TO VILITA
For citizens of Abanhfleft

A well-researched and entirely accurate guide. By J. Jaffacake

So your beloved national football team are on the verge of greatness: Qualifying for the Cup of Harmony. You're probably excited, counting the days until the start of the world's second oldest and second longest-running football tournament. Your team, ranked just outside the world's top twenty, will be among the favourites to go deep into the latter stages of the competition, especially with the world's footballing heavyweights - Starblaydia, Schottia, Audioslavia and the rest - playing their football in the World Cup this year.

"But Jeremy!" I hear you cry, but only barely over the hum of the engine on my private jet going to one of Equestria or Starblaydia, "I've never heard of a 'Vilita' before? Do they speak my language? Do they have trees there? I am still in danger of 'The Colonel'?"
Well never fear, fellow human, Double-J Jeremy Jaffacake is on hand to help!

Getting to Vilita

Vilita is predominantly accessible via catapult from Turori, with the Vilitan government having banned air travel in the year 1093 due to their being entirely unconvinced by the Wright Brothers' explanation of how wings work, having decided it was witchcraft, and summarily burning all the aeroplanes that had previously landed on the island. The flight time from Almintora to Yeaddin is a nippy 18 minutes, depending on wind and how aerodynamic the passenger. Families are recommended to attach bungee ropes to one another to avoid the problem of their children flying too far away. Prevailing southerly winds may result in your landing in nearby Terrarokka. You can simply rent a car and drive back up to Yeaddin if this happens, and if you ask nicely you will be given a partial refund on the cost of your fling.

On landing, remember to tuck your arms and legs and aim for one of many enormous nets. The nation's trained customs officers will be on hand to haul you out and perform a basic immigration check by way of prodding you with a stick to make sure you're not secretly vapour.

Currency

You may want to change your local Penenks for $NSD while still in Abanhfleft as, while a Penenk is exchanged at around $3.50 in the rest of the world, in Vilita they are worth a sharp slap in the face and a demand to stop being so foreign.

In Vilita, a dollar will buy you only marginally less than a can of Vilaye, half a cheeseburger, or can be used as a bribe to discourage the locals from giving you a sharp slap in the face and a demand to stop being so foreign.

Geography

Vilita is, basically, a tropical island with two mountains in the middle and a nice valley with two names, one name in the north and a different name in the south. The environment is spectacular, with rolling green hills and rolling green forests and rolling green cities full of rolling green people.

The country is shaped sort of like a slice of mouldy pizza if it'd had a bite taken out of in the shape of a viper's head if the viper was sort of going 'murrrr' with its mouth and was wearing a backwards baseball cap. The city of Alikki-Corra, the capital, can be found just beyond the brim of the cap, with Articula, Irougil, Seraai and Tivali City surrounding it. The islands of VOIA and Turoki are to the east of the crust of Vilita.

Climate

Vilita is too hot.

Cuisine

Fishing nets are available for around nine dollars and can be used to catch fish. Fire, to cook the fish, is free for those with the ability to create it. Those wanting to wash their fish down with a refreshing drink may consider Vilaye, a local energy drink made from 'natural' extracts, or it's more refreshing alternative: seawater.

Entertainment

The Vilitan movie franchise Pirates of the Strait of Champions are an array of fair-to-middling movies based on the actions of pirates in the bit of water between Audioslavia and Legalese. Vilita, as a hot island nation of glistening turquoise seas and wide, rolling beaches, has people that understandably don't find the idea of swashbuckling carribean buccaneers particularly interesting, and so their cinema-based escapism comes in the form of gritty urbam dramas about Audioslavian and Legalite trading merchants shipping cargo from Cathair to Tyrellia.

In terms of football, Vilita has one of the oldest and most reknowned football leagues in all the multiverse. To watch top quality football in Vilita, try going into one of the nation's many sports bars and asking if they'll show the Audioslavian league on TV.

Watching the Games

You may be a little sick of football, after having had to watch your beloved side lose heavily to Audioslavia in the playoffs, especially when Roddy Fraser celebrates his hat-trick by having a lie down, like he did for Audioslavia's winner against The Cereal Isle, but have no fear, your spirits will be lifted by watching your side sneak through past the first round.

Roddy Fraser: Tranquillo

The Vilitan national stadium, the Tivali Ring Stadium, is the home of the Vilitan Jungle Cats and will most likely be used for games involving Vilita and the final of the tournament. As such, it's unlikely you'll need to know about it, but just in case you d...

"Jeremy" said Elaine. Jeremy had always hated Elaine.
Jeremy, sitting opposite, pretended not to know exactly what she was going to say.
"Yes, Elaine. What do you think? I was thinking of dropping 40,000 of these leaflets over Riuwiee on the day of the Abanhfleft vs Audioslavia game"
"You don't think this will be, y'know..." began Elaine, nudging her glasses back up her nose as she spoke, "...a bit massively offensive, not only to the Fleftic supporters, who will be angry that we're looking past them at the World Cup despite them arguably being favourites, or to the Fleftic players, who will almost certainly be shown this leaflet before they go down the tunnel to give them extra impetus to beat us, but also, well, Vilitans. Jeremy, none of this is true. The Vilitan aeronautical industry far outstrips our own, and the economies of Vilita, Abanhfleft and Audioslavia are around as strong as each other. You aren't going to..."
"Elaine, love" said Jeremy, knowing Elaine hated being called 'love', "I'm fully aware of what Vilita is and what Vilita isn't. I'm aware of what Abanhfleft is, and that the Fleftic people will, of course, have heard of Vilita and will know that this is all primarily bullshit"
"So why come to me with this?" asked Elaine, "You know I would never give the go ahead for this third-division attempt at propaganda."
"So you're saying 'no'?" asked Jeremy.
"Yes. I'm saying 'no'. I absolutely will not print this tripe let alone scatter them over the capital city of Abanhfleft before a massive football game."
"And what if I did it myself?" asked Jeremy. "Paid for the flight over the city, paid for the leaflets to be printed mysel.."
"They'd shoot the plane out of the air, probably" said Elaine, shrugging. "You'd have to get people on the ground putting the leaflets into... wait, no, I don't want to give you ideas."
Jeremy's eyes lit up.
"Can I borrow twenty of the interns next week for..."
"NO. Jeremy. Capital 'N', capital 'O'"
Jeremy smiled, nodded, and got up out of his seat.
Elaine removed her glasses and pinched her nose as he left, wondering why she'd ever hired him.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Baker Park Make Their Mark

Commonwealth to Play-Off for Spot in WC

Frank Armitage
Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Commentary from North Dajao:

At the final whistle here, the players on the bench raced at breakneck speed to join their teammates on the pitch to celebrate the Commonwealth's greatest achievement to date in soccer.

A 6-3 comprehensive victory over the team from North Dajao--the same side that had spoiled the final match of the first half of the qualifications with a stunning win at Hillsborough--meant that they would clinch the third spot in the Group 6 table, making them eligible for the home & home playoff round which will decide the final 15 teams to earn an invitation to either Starblaydia or the Equestrian States--Atlantian Oceania neighbors of the Commonwealth--for the Finals of World Cup 80.

National Team manager Trevor Richmond has largely kept a sense of sang-froid while results have gone horribly awry during the series of return matches in the second half of the qualification, which allowed both Kita-Hinode and South Toronto to threaten the BP situation which seemed firmly in control after 6 victories during the first go-round.

Richmond has been unusually frank about the choices he made in rotating several key contributors out of the setup for the back end of the competition; he made the point that if he acted solely on the basis of what was best for him, he'd have good players frozen out of the national side and a roster full of exhausted veterans that would probably not be of much use to their clubs for the first third of the domestic season.

These are extremely prescient observations from a man who--in any number of other countries would emphasize that the number one responsibility is international prestige--has a much wider view of the future of the sport in this country.

Had Baker Park fallen short, or even if this first attempt at qualifying had not gone so smoothly--see the example of our friends from Beepee, the nation that defeated us in the Baptism of Fire, they made a game effort in their group and there is no reason why we could not have fared closer to their results than what have been accomplished--it would not have meant a failure of character or skill.

It is one of the characteristics of our nation that we are not overly modest for false reasons; all of us know that we live in a strong, free country and that we have strengths and we have things that we could certainly improve upon. As we make our presence felt in Banija, trying to to save lives and be a good neighbor to a country that has been welcoming to us and our citizens, we understand that our values are maybe not right for the Banijans; we would never try to tell them otherwise.

There will be much talk from others about how far the Commonwealth has come in a short amount of time within the multiverse. We would be wise to remember that we still have a long way to go, both in soccer and in our own society.

World Cup 80 • EqueStar • Roleplay Thread

WC80 MD17 - Arcticala Electrical Hybrid Solar Mill

Kaitlyn Axelson

95X WC 80 8th RP

The Daily Mail--Baker Park's Most Read Newspaper Since 1890

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