AOCAF LVII || Everything Thread

by **Equestrian States** » Sat Nov 24, 2018 7:39 pm

AOCAF Cup 57: Group Stage Preview
Equestrians Favorites in an Unremarkable Group E
by Steve McNotapony

The multiverse's longest-running and most prestigious regional hoofball tournament, the AOCAF Cup is arguably the most-coveted trophy in international hoofball outside of the three WCC-sanctioned events. Some of the multiverse's most storied teams compete for the chance to be crowned champions of Atlantian Oceania: Valanora, Starblaydia, Audioslavia, and Vilita & Turori among others. The 57th edition of the AOCAF Cup will see the Vilitans attempt to defend their title and add to their growing trophy case as defending regional and world champions, while others like the Vanorians, Farves, Cosumarites, Mrii, and Equestrians hope to dethrone the holders and claim the title for their own. There are 28 teams in the group stage this year, but only 16 will emerge from the group stage and advance to the knockout rounds. Who will those teams be? Let's take a look at the groups for some predictions.

Group A: Mriin (8), Ko-oren (15), Semarland (16), Freeport (31)
There's no shortage of familiar faces in Group A, between the Mrii hosts, Ko-orenites, and Freeporters. The hosts will be the obvious favorites to win the group, but the Ko-orenites can't be underestimated by anyone. The Dragonflies reached the quarterfinals of the last AOCAF, upsetting the Ponies in the second round before falling to the Reavers, and also made the knockout rounds in the most recent World Cup. They're a team on the rise and will likely continue their recent run of success here. Semarland and Freeport aren't nearly as easy to predict, though it wouldn't be a huge surprise if one of them managed to nick one of the third-place spots in the knockouts with a bit of luck.

Group B: Farfadillis (3), Tropicorp (11), Saint Émelie (23), Geisenfried (39)
Farfadillis crashed out of the 81st World Cup in the group stage, but don't expect that to happen here where they should be expected to cruise through to the second round with ease. Tropicorp were a Pot 1 team last time around, but have dropped in the rankings after being sent packing in the group stage of the last AOCAF. Saint Émelie and Geisenfried are teams which might make some noise in future editions, but don't quite have what it takes to close the gap in quality with the top two teams in Group B this cycle.

Group C: Vilita & Turori (1), Starblaydia (9), Demot (19), Euran Oceania Territories (39)
Defending champions Vilita & Turori and semifinalists Starblaydia will be the favorites in Group C, the former the early favorite among bookies to hoist the trophy at Haven and the latter hoping to rebound after a disappointing World Cup. Demot did manage to reach the knockouts last time around, but were predictably taken apart by Valanora in the second round. They'll have a difficult time matching that result this year unless they can upset either the Vilitans or Starblaydis. Meanwhile, the Euran colonials will be lucky to get even a point in Group B and will almost certainly be flying home after their third match barring a miracle.

Group D: Eshan (6), Qasden (12), Baker Park (18), Novo Calania (27)
Eshan and Qasden are the top two ranked teams in Group D, but my pick to finish atop the group table is Baker Park. The Echanis and Qads were unimpressive at the last World Cup, while Baker Park has been anything but lately. The Bees will continue their meteoric ascent here. I think the Echanis take the group's second spot, while the poor Calanians will likely head home without a point.

Group E: Equestrian States (7), Sultanate of Oontaz (14), Siovanija & Teusland (22), Busoga Islands (43)
Group E is something of a mixed bag. The Ponies, of course, have their eyes set on claiming their first major title and will be disappointed with anything less than winning the group outright. The Sultanate of Oontaz and Siovanija & Teusland are both strong middle-of-the-pack contenders, but neither can really be expected to do much better than to make it out of the group. The Busogans are certainly better than their rank would suggest, but are rightfully seeded as a Pot 4 team and would be incredibly lucky to make it out of the group stage.

Group F: Valanora (2), Banija (10), Audioslavia (24), Lochario (UR)
The Group of Death. Valanora will be favored to win Group F, but you can't count out either Banija or Audioslavia from the conversation. The Banijans have been one of the most impressive young teams in the last couple cycles and the Audioslavians are always a team to watch. On talent, this group should provide three teams to the knockout rounds, but might well cannibalize itself and only send two sides. Debutants Lochario, meanwhile, are going to get fucking shelled. A good tournament for them would consist of keeping a match close.

Group G: Cosumar (5), 95X (13), Saltstead (21), Northwest Kalactin (UR)
Group G is similar to Group F in that the top seed, Cosumar, is an expected title-contender joined by 95X and Saltstead, two mid-tier teams with the potential to make a knockout run but unlikely to feature in the title conversation. Northwest Kalactin probably won't do much of anything and should be expected to bow out in the group stage. In the end, I think Cosumar and Saltstead will advance, but 95X could easily take that second spot and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

by **Mriin** » Sat Nov 24, 2018 7:42 pm

Cutoff || MD1
May the odds be in your favor.

Group A
Mriin 3–1 Semarland || @Haven, Maal || Scorinated by Qusmo
Ko-oren 2–0 Freeport || @the Forge, Maal

. Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                     1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Mriin                       1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3 Freeport                    1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
4 Semarland                   1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Group B
Geisenfried 2–2 Farfadillis || @Public Park, Andü
Saint Emelie 0–1 Tropicorp || @Aerodrome, Kallen

. Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tropicorp                   1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
2 Farfadillis                 1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
  Geisenfried                 1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4 Saint Emelie                1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group C
Euran Oceania Territories 0–0 Starblaydia || @Wyvernscrest, Northbrush
Demot 1–3 Vilita & Turori || @Seagate, Easthold

. Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita & Turori             1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2 Euran Oceania Territories   1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
  Starblaydia                 1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
4 Demot                       1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0

Group D
Baker Park 2–1 Qasden || @Ritual Theatre, Prei
Eshan 5–0 Novo Calania || @Cliffside, Prei || Scorinated by Qusmo

. Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshan                       1   1  0  0    5   0  +5    3
2 Baker Park                  1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Qasden                      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Novo Calania                1   0  0  1    0   5  −5    0

Group E
Equestrian States 1–1 Oontaz Dert Li Ng || @Gold Field, Vidial
Busoga Islands 1–2 Siovanija and Teusland || @the Pub, Vidial

. Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland      1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Equestrian States           1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Oontaz Dert Li Ng           1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Busoga Islands              1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group F
Valanora 2–1 Banija || @Butcher’s Den, Bruul
Lochario 3–3 Audioslavia || @Railyard, Bruul

. Group F                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                    1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Audioslavia                 1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
  Lochario                    1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
4 Banija                      1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group G
Northwest Kalactin 0–1 95X || @Iron Alley, Hosingr
Saltstead 1–2 Cosumar || @Dockside, Hosingr

. Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 95X                         1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
2 Cosumar                     1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Northwest Kalactin          1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
4 Saltstead                   1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

by **Ko-oren** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 1:49 am

Juliasterinthen announced his 23-man squad at the KFA headquarters in Maethoru, Mayara. Ahead of his announcement, there was a lot of discussion about his handling of the WC81 strike, and the seven players involved. As the campaign turned into the most successful qualification and tournament in Ko-orenite history, the seven players had less and less of a leg to stand on. Meanwhile, several players left the Ko-orenite Top League for contracts in foreign competitions, and some exciting talent has shown up for their clubs last season. Juliasterinthen has proven that he's a supporter of young talent in his WC80 and WC81 selections.

In the light of all that, his selection of goalkeepers was remarkable in how unremarkable it was. Theshendan will again defend the goal, with Doolan and Cholmondeley sitting behind him. Even though they've been together as a group for a while now, they will still be some of the younger goalkeeping groups in the tournament, at an average 24,67 years of age.

The process was different for the most important of lines, the defence. Most of the players involved in the strike, play as defenders, so Juliasterinthen had some housekeeping and reforming to do. Following his move to Nephara, Dalton further cemented his status as starting right-back, and it's hard to imagine any other player there. Dalton often excels at being a great pro, though takes very little interest in teaching his teammates. The centrebacks are even younger now with Van Schelven (20), Spillett (20), and a sole veteran in Varela (33). Van Schelven is a crucial player for his Straudum already, especially with the players departing the club. Spillett is new at this stage but has learned the trade from the best at Cirelbourne. Varela isn't new to the NT even though he earned his first call-up at age 31, and he'll be looked at for some experience and coaching. On the left, Brogley was called to the team, a new face on the NT at age 31, who will have to step up to stay in front of the rapidly developing Escoffier. The bench will consist of Gicquel, Mizuno (a duo that is already heralded as the future of the back line), Bing, Parrott (two new players, with Parrott being without a club at the time of the announcement), and the aforementioned Escoffier. The latter recently completed a move to a foreign club, North Spire HC.

There was some turnover in midfield, but Juliasterinthen chose experience over unproven talent here. Yokota is still the defensive midfielder as he has been for much of the last decade, Calros Mira (30) was selected as 'switchboard', who has to send passes all across the field connecting any combination of teammates, and Longchambon is again the attacking midfielder, still displaying the creativity and pace that have earned him the spot in the first place. Two new players on the bench: Janoreirinthen and De Villepin, with Dominique as a substitute like in previous campaigns. Between the 6 midfielders, there's some balance: pacy Longchambon, defensive Yokota, and accurate Mira, backed up by clever De Villepin, solid Dominique, and box-to-box Janoreirinthen.

Three out of four forwards have been replaced as well. Vaugrenard keeps his spot as Maethoru SC's scoring prodigy. Tsuchida is up front to remind us of ancient legend Shirebeshi. On the bench are Turner (of recent Cirelbourne fame) and Throgmorton. If you've never heard of Throgmorton, there's a reason: he's only 19 and he's never played competitively in the Ko-orenite pyramid. He was taken by Rakun Biological Institute in Kita-Hinode's youth system and is waiting for his big break over there.

Straudum and Cirelbourne, which normally send a few defenders to the NT, see their influence diminished with just one defender each. Bruncester, that other defence-first club, have three defenders on the squad as they kept their team largely intact through the volatile transfer period. A record 4 players are employed by foreign teams, and marquee teams Maethoru and Katashi-Kanatsu both supply a few players as well.

by **The Authoritarian Republic of Lochario** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 11:08 am

LOCHARIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

Nickname: Ginger Tigers
Ranking : 93rd
Style Modifier: - 3
Coach: Cinga Munrich Maryloupe
Assistant Coach : Jeremy Farash
Goalkeeper Coach : Rodin Đukanović
Striker Coach : Goran Asmiranović

The Ginger Tigers are up for another tournament which will make this team prepared for the future challenges. Our team is getting ready for the great matches in Mriin.

Squad :
https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/5bfa ... 2e24ac85cf

Substitutes: Age
DC A. Kolashkov. 32
AMC R. Soiyd. 20
DL. F. Fashi. 25
ST. O. Maggini. 27
ST. G. Klinnin. 29
DR. O. Dayek. 24
DMC. E. Vogashi. 30
AMC. I. Huppa. 21

Kits: http://imgur.com/5z1jkyj

by **Banija** » Sun Nov 25, 2018 4:08 pm

Members of the Lukiiko standing for the annual State of the Nation address

Kizza Makoni stood before the Lukiiko, as everybody's hands thunderously applauded. By tradition, members of the Royal Family did not enter the Lukiiko- separation of powers and the like. But outside of that, everybody who was anybody politically was in that chamber. All 500 elected members of the Lukiiko, the High Court was represented by its Chief Justice, and the Patriarch of Herzegovina, who was the head of the state church, the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was there as well. He was there to give the State of the Nation address- a tradition, an annual one that has an equivalent in many countries, and that most politicians absolutely love.

Per tradition, of course, a number of foreign government officials were invited to the State of the Nation address, something that was started to ensure that there was unity between the elected chambers of Banija's government and foreign leaders, even if, constitutionally, the monarch was responsible for conducting the country's foreign policy. Naturally, of course, with Mutebi really taking the reigns during the war, that tradition was receding- but this State of the Nation address invitation list still stayed.

"I would like to start this speech by saying hello to the Right Honourable elected members of this great body. I would also like to say hello to the Honourable Chief Justice, as well as saying hello to His Holiness, the Patriarch of Herzegovina. Two great men, representing two of Banija's most important institutions- our judiciary. Our judiciary has been so important, as we have pursued justice against those who have wronged the Banijan people. And, of course, the Patriarch of Herzegovina, our good shepherd on Earth, who leads our great church." And there was a big round of applause.

"I would like to also thank the foreign emissaries who have accepted my personal invitation, to witness this showcase of Banijan constitutional democracy. Marcus Cornwall, the Minister for Atlantian Affairs from Eura, is joining us today. Anatoli Paskalev, the Minister for Regional Affairs from Siovanija & Teusland, is here as well. And last, but certainly not least, Aleksander del Valle, Saltstead's Foreign Minister, is here as well. All three are here. These are nations that our country has deep bonds with. Siovanija & Teusland, one of our neighbors within this neighborhood of Atlantian Oceania, is an important strategic partner for Banija. A nation like Saltstead, in AO, is a nation that we can grow our own partnership and bonds with. And lastly, Eura, a nation from the far abroad, from Esportiva, Eura is a nation that we have great potential to partner with for the long-term. We can look beyond our region and develop relationships, bonds for our people and that are mutually beneficial to both countries. Thank you all, once again, for joining us tonight." And the Lukiiko once again erupted into thunderous applause for the three foreign government officials.

"Of course, it has almost been a year now, but I must say it- what a World Cup, right?" And the Lukiiko, once again, applauded as there were cheers. Makoni was making sure to look into the camera for those watching on television. "We had one of the greatest challenges a nation can face- hosting a World Cup, after disaster. The drought devastated our nation- it literally broke us apart, with the Islands deciding to chart their own course. We saw not so great actions taken by my predecessor in the name of this great country. And we went to war- Banijans died, and it was a failure. Then, of course, we bid to host the World Cup. Were we ready?"

"Yes, of course we were ready." He continued. "We put on a great World Cup, one of the best and biggest in living memory. With our great partners from the Federation of Free Republics, we co-hosted a festival of nations, the world's largest sporting tournament, right here, on home soil. There are lots of thanks that should be given- but if I thanked every single person who was integral to putting this one, we'd go on and on. So there are just a few people whose name I will speak. Adama Sowe, the RBSA Chairman, whose vision and drive to bring this tournament to Banijans to make this happen. And, of course, President Bennett from Eshan, who led his nation to invest in ours financially, enough so that we could make this happen. Neither are here, tonight, but thank you to them both." ANd the Lukiiko applauded thunderously.

Of course, like any politician would when they have an audience like a full session of the Legislature, with all the pomp and festivities and publicity with it, he bragged about his own accomplishments. About how his government ensured that the tournament ran smoothly, without any problems. About how his government ensured that the World Cup left a lasting legacy not only for the world, but for Banijans to enjoy and benefit from long after the teams left. About how his government was investing in higher education. About how his government was investing in Banija's slums, in our urban areas.

He went on, talking about various issues, and then he came to the final, and his biggest issue. He had a small pause, and he knew- this could be the most important moment of his own political career. Make or break- he was going to challenge Banija. Would the country rise to his challenge? "When we ran for office, when the CRU garnered Banija's first ever single party majority-" this was interrupted by cheers from the MPs in his own party, while predictably met with silence from the rest of the chamber "We promised to run on the ability to strengthen this country. To make it better for workers. To make the country more equal for all people- for Mormons and non-Mormons, men and women, natives and immigrants, and to ensure that there is unity between the motherland and our sons and daughters who live abroad."

"We have done that. And we going to take more steps forward to do just that. For the first time, I am going to introduce a proposal, at this very moment, to the Banijan public, that will do exactly those things. That will strengthen our country. That will make us a more equal place, a better place, allowing us to get stronger so that we can take our seat at the big boys table." He then sighed. He had to be very careful about how he worded this. "We have run on a message of gender equality. In most other nations, the idea of gender inequality is abhorrent to all people. I believe that to be true among the Banijan people as well- however, it is not reflected in our laws."

"We want to ensure that, legally, Banijan women are actually treated equally under the law and in society, as our constitution says we should. That does not happen right now. I want to talk about one law, in particular- the one that is known by many different names, but commonly referred to as the Law on Gender Segregation in Sports. This is one of the most important sporting laws in our country. You know, we watch the World Cup, and we see nations that don't care about gender. Many nations that go in with both men and women. We see the Cocoabo for Turori. We saw men and women both taking the field in the World Cup Final, in FFR. We saw a team of all women, Cassadaigua. What is in common with these nations? What do the big boys of the sport, like Eura, like Brenecia, like Nephara, like the Equestrian States, like Vilita, like Turori, all have in common?

There are no legal artificial[*] limits on who their managers can choose for their own national teams. Why does our government place restrictions on our own national teams? It only hampers us, and weakens our teams for the long run. And something far more important is at stake than simple sporting competitiveness- we are talking about justice. We have strong, female athletes going to play abroad, and yet we have none here? Is it because they are not capable? No. Is it because they are denied the opportunity to play, not even by the clubs, but they are denied by their own government. We are a nation of laws, and that law much change."

Makoni's eyes scanned the Lukiiko. He was proud that his legislators had kept the proposal so quiet- this was clearly a shock to most people in the room. But a bomb was coming. "So I am going to the Lukiiko, to propose a change- if there is a majority in the Lukiiko, and I am confident that there will be, we will pass these changes. The ban on women playing with men in professional sports settings will absolutely be eliminated. It is unnecessary, it is ridiculous, and it must go. Those who have the courage to vote for this proposal will be on the right side of history here.

Instead, for professional sports, individual sporting bodies will have to vote individually on whether or not to integrate their competitions. Each body will have the freedom to choose to do so- we are not imposing on them. However, the idea that they should be banned by the government, if they feel like doing so, is absolutely ridiculous. This government will no longer be in the way of sports leagues trying to achieve parity. This is something that is demanded on us by the Banijan people- they want an equal society, they want an equal playing field for all, and we are going to make sure that this government is a force for that good, rather than a restraint on that."

He took a quick glance to his right- the opposition legislators were certainly not enjoying this. He could see one or two of them visibly fuming. He took a quick glance at the Patriarch on his left- and the Patriarch was expressionless. Of course, he was supposed to be expressionless at this speech, so there was no read on him. It was unlikely the Patriarch would support this proposal- but at least not having his vocal opposition would do wonders for his ability to get this through the Lukiiko.

"Our Government, at the start of business in two days time, will be bringing this proposal to the floor. And we expect very vigorous debate on this topic- however, we do expect this to pass. This is just one more step towards achieving justice and true equality within the Kingdom of Banija." The applause here was weak. It seemed as if most of the opposition would unite against his proposal- not shocking, of course. But there were quite a few members of his own party that were not applauding as well- a worrying sign. But he had to show confidence. IF he didn't, of course, the proposal, and his career, would go down in flames.

"Thank you, to everybody, for listening to and watching this speech. Our nation has made incredible progress, and we expect to look forward into the future, taking it in stride and moving so that our future can be better than our past. Thank you all, and have a great night!"

Makoni left the chamber, shaking hands with many members of his own party, as he left the building. Who knows what's going to happen? But this was the first shot- he knew that he'd be in the fight of his life. He went off, smiling, anticipating the debate that was going to engulf Banija certainly for the next few weeks at least- should men and women play professional sports together?

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Lily Froelich: "And those are the headlines, now back to the second hour of the Weekend Sports Show, on the National Radio Overnight."

Leslie Van Horn: "Thanks a lot, Lily. Here with my work husband, Gary Sexton, I'm Leslie Van Horn and we are here for another hour of the Weekend Sports Show."

GS: "Oh now I'm a work husband?"
LVH: "Well yeah, that's what my husband called you the other day. He said we'd been doing this long enough that we properly qualified as work husband and wife."

GS: "I hope Amy has gone to bed by now."

LVH: (laughs) "I think Amy knows full well that she and I are the only two women alive who understand you completely."

GS: "My mom might have something to say about that I'm sure."

LVH: "You forget, I know your mom and she's not nearly as attuned to her son as she was 20 years ago. (laughs)

GS: "I realize that this a sport for you, but I think we might want to shift the discussion towards actual sport that everyone else might be interested in."

LVH: "Luckily, we have the successful opening match for the Baker Park National Team at the AO Championships in Mriin to discuss. I seem to remember you wondering the other day if this team the FAC sent was actually expected to get results or were they just using this as an evaluation."

GS: "And you said that I was always underestimating Pam Scott, Yes. All of that happened, like clockwork."

LVH: "In all seriousness Gary, we saw during the qualifying for the World Cup that we have enough players--maybe more than enough, at this stage of their careers--in the main player pool to have two really competitive squads. The fact that Pam brought in some of those players who just missed out on the final roster, but who have produced for her before, I think says a lot about how she looks at the approach to this tournament."

GS: "And of course you're right on the mark in summing that up. The last AOCAF was not a failure for the FAC--we could've advanced to the knockout round with some luck. Pam brought half of the roster from the last tourney back this time, so she has confidence and belief in them."

LVH: "So if we look back on the match itself, a solid performance from the midfield, with good use of ball movement to get one goal and a seriously ridiculous counter attack for the winner."

GS: "I know you're partial to those quick change of possession counters, I was thinking about you when they got that goal. Patton is such a great finisher in space, it's terrible she plays the position that's stacked with great talent."

LVH: "I agree, I think she would be fantastic in the slot forward role, but I don't know if she's ever been tried there. Maybe her passing isn't quite good enough compared to others."

GS: "Yeah, you see Sotolongo's goal, and his workrate and vision, and then they have Ian Coverstone sitting there waiting for his turn, and then you have Bozeman and who else that plays there..."

LVH: "Annabeth"
GS: "Yeah. It's like an embarrassment of riches. But it also sort of hurts all of them as a group."

LVH: "uh-oh. Busted, Gary. Hello Amy, welcome to the show."

Amy Sexton: (via phone) "Hiya Les. Honey? We've been through this before. If Les says for you to do something, you know that is the same as me telling you. You remember that right?"

(LVH stifling laughter off mic)

GS: "Since you're up, could I get a breakfast fryup when I get home?"

AS: "Um. No. Goodnight Honey, Goodnight Les, love ya!"

LVH: "Love ya too Amy. So Gary, you'll be hitting the bun shop on your way home, but back to what were discussing. Next up is Eshan, do you think Pam will try to rotate some of the others into the lineup? There doesn't seem to be same razor thin margin for error like there was last time, a loss and a draw could still possibly get them through."

GS: "I do think Coverstone and Eddie Wagner will come in. As for the rest, it's anyone's guess."

LVH: "And with that said, let's take a quick break. This is National Radio Overnight, from Belle Haven"

Lineup vs Eshan
Gordon; Stephens, Monaghan, Hutchins; Yeomans, Miller, Callum, Ismail; Coverstone; Wagner, Patton

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:29 am

”Let’s have a look at the lineups now, the Goldhorns are going with the 4-4-2 and it’s the usual suspects here, Venev in goal, Lyubomir Dimitrov and Lutz Daschner at left and right back respectively, but there’s a big change at centre back, Karl-Heinz Jager earning his first cap today beside Raphael Klopfer. What do you make of the young defender, Hans?”

“Well, Heinrich, I like this move from Hughes. This game is a fresh start for the team, and what a better way to announce that then by bringing Jager into the side. It’s a perfect chance for him to show just how good he is, and just how bright a future he’s got. “

“In midfield, it’s Von Bergen, Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov, Romanov, and up front, Kynev and Ribbeck….”

The Republic Broadcasting Corporation’s cameras were trained on the Goldhorns warming up at The Pub in Vidial, Mriin. Lots of anticipation for this one, the opener of the AOCAF. It was an opportunity to right past wrongs, with the 10 game winless run coming to mind. It was also an opportunity to write new beginnings, with both the opening of the tournament and the start of the Gavin Hughes’ era on display tonight. And for one Karl-Heinz Jager, all this now seemed to rest on his shoulders.

Karl-Heinz was the type of person to take that sort of pressure in his stride. He didn’t allow things to get under his skin, knowing he had the ability to overcome. At the same time, he wasn’t cocky, and his quiet confidence was respected by teammates and coaches alike. He couldn’t deny on this day, however, that there were certainly quite a few butterflies in his stomach.

Karl-Heinz Jager was jogging along with Thorsten Kramer now. The two young players had forged quite a friendship, hitting it off instantly. They’d attended the same high school in Stelburg, but were not in the same class, Kramer being 3 years older. Both came through Teussen’s academy, but hadn’t met until an offseason golf tournament. The two became quite close friends, and were rooming together at the base camp in Mriin. Fans were filing into the seats, now, and Kramer turned to his friend:

“You nervous, then, Karl?”

Jager couldn’t help laugh at the comment, giving away his feelings before he even answered. “Just a bit,” he responded with a grin.

“Ah, you’ll be fine. Better get used to it, though, I think you’ll be with us for a while,” replied Kramer.

Raphael Klopfer, Jager’s partner at centre back for the match, and a leader in the squad, came over to the two.

“You’d better not be nervous, Jager,” Klopfer was grinning as he joked with the rookie, “You don’t want me yelling at you out there.”

Jager smiled back, and the group continued the warm-up before heading back down the tunnel for the final pre-match preparations in the dressing room. Time seemed to slow down for Jager as he listened to the manager’s talk, then as the players took their position in the tunnel. Here it was, time to get going. The grand moment had finally arrived, and the players began the walk onto the field. Take in the experience, his mom had told him on the phone when he’d called to tell them the news. He knew his parents were somewhere in the crowd of 27,000 at The Pub, and he scanned the sea of black, blue and gold trying to find them.

In that sea was hundreds of flags and banners, with several place names adorning them. Marzig, Trkev, Posenford, even little Truiselwald was represented. Suddenly, the announcement began, signalling the national anthems. Busoga Islands’ anthem rang out first, welcomed with enthusiasm by their players and supporters. Then, it was time for High Mountain Skies, the anthem of Jager’s own land. He’d sung it so many times in school, but this time was just a bit different. As the closing bars rang out, one last pre-match thought entered his head: take this opportunity.

”And here we are, ready for kick-off now, the referee blows his whistle and we’re underway here in Mriin, it’s Kynev back for…….

Siovanija and Teusland 2-1 Busoga Islands

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-4-2): Venev; L. Dimitrov (Kleinmann 61’), Klopfer, Jager, Daschner; von Bergen (Leistner 74’), V. Dimitrov, Kramer, Romanov; Kynev (Dinev 80’), Ribbeck
Goals: Ivo Romanov 26’, Michael Ribbeck 88’
Match Report: It was by no means the greatest performance of all time from the Goldhorns, but everyone will be happy to see the team return to winning ways today. Ivo Romanov started the scoring in the first half, taking a shot from just outside the box that beat the keeper to the bottom left corner. Siovanija and Teusland were dominant in the first half, but could not finish many of their chances. That left room for a great performance from the Busoga Islands in the second half to possibly earn an upset, and they would draw level in the 60th minute. Now, the Goldhorns needed to dig deep and stand up in the face of adversity to come away with a win here, and so they earned a corner in the 88th minute. Ivo Romanov swung in a ball that was met by the head of Karl-Heinz Jager, making his debut in the match. Jager’s header was stopped by the keeper, but the ball then fell in the path of Michael Ribbeck. Ribbeck blasted it in to open his account this tournament, and give the Goldhorns the win. Several milestones in this one to go over, in addition to Jager’s first cap, Raphael Klopfer and Lutz Daschner both had their 50th caps, and Paulus Leistner was on his 40th cap. Jager looked strong on his debut, and will likely be a key figure in this team for years to come. Elsewhere in Group E, the Sultanate of Oontaz managed a 1-1 draw with the Equestrian States. Siovanija and Teusland’s next match is with Oontaz, and the match has major implications for qualification from Group E.

by **Audioslavia** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:10 pm

I surveyed the scene. Not good. Those Lochario bastards had gotten themselves a three-zip lead and had dug in. They’ll tell you that we’d gotten our tactics all wrong, but they are the problem. They are the reason we’d been transported to this dimension in the first place. They could all go straight to hell. Truth is, it was a set up. The game was rigged from the start. The intel we’d gotten told us that Lochario were a crack team of elite cyber bikers intent on destruction. When a soccer team had showed up, dressed head to heel in candy striped uniforms, we knew we’d been had. We’d fielded a team of the meanest soldiers in the galaxy. Crack shots, sure, but no match for a squad of the region’s finest soccer stars. Three zip. We’d been played. But they.. they hadn’t reckoned on me.

This match. This match needed some steel.

Rick Steel.

Boss man gave me the nod. I took off my shades and stubbed out my cigar. I ripped my leather jacket from my shoulders and got off my harley davidson, throwing the cigar on the floor and looking into the middle distance before finally hopping down off of the Blackhawk helicopter. I dived from the aircraft carrier and swam towards the stadium.

When I arrived I went straight inta action, picking up the ball on halfway. The man in black blew his whistle. Damn. I wasn’t supposed to use my hands. I’d have to do this the old fashioned way. I’d have to use my head.

The next time the ball came to me, I knew what to do. Waist high, fast as a bullet, I used my elite kung fu training to stoop and strike the ball with my head, the way master had shown me. The header ricocheted off of the crossbar and down into the net, resulting in a fiery explosion that would have killed millions if Marty Van Damme hadn’t been on hand to jump on the explosion before it hit. Marty exploded into a billion pieces. The price you pay for freedom. He’ll be missed. But he was just doing his job.

Minute seveny five and the ball comes to me again. Lochario want to close me down, wrestle this ball off of me, but they’re hesitant. I guess when you see an opponent blown to bits in front of you you start to second guess yourself. I aint got time for that. Without touching the ball, I lifted it into the air with my psychokinetic capabilities taught to me by master and hit it with my head once more. This time I was more clever. As soon as that ball crossed the line, i swerved it up through the net and into the sky where it exploded with the force of seventeen supernovae, lighting up the night.

The ref gave me a yellow card. Bastard. I’ll give him a yellow face.

Seconds later it was three-three, as fragments from the supernova had a minor effect on the scoreboard, changing our score from a ‘2’ to a ‘3’. Yeah. You just got scored on by incandescent plasma .Them’s the breaks.

Thanks to a superpotent psychotropic toxin that we’d laced our opponent’s oranges with that only kicked in from minute 76, nobody in the Lochario team noticed the phantom goal. The stadium took a quarter-hour to rebuild. The ref blew his whistle before we could go for victory. 3-3. A tie. This reality would live to see another day.

We boarded the chopper and flew back into the sunset knowing that the real enemy was just two games away.

by **Euran Oceania Territories** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:45 pm

EURAN OCEANIA TERRITORIES
"The Expats"

AOCAF LVII Squad

National Introduction

Kit: Blue with combination livery of Euran gold and Syndicatian white. Alternative kit is the same colours are Syndicatian or "Revolutionaries" green.
Stadium: Flynn Arena, 96,500
Style Mod: +4

The Incorporated States of Euran Oceania Territories is a parliamentary federal dominion of Eura, formed of the Euran zone of the former Inevitable Syndicate and the Whittorian Islands. It has a population of just under ten million people which is quickly rising, making it a beacon of diversity home to Syndicatians, Whittorian refugees, Euran migrants and others. It has possibly the world's largest artificial crater, which dominates the landscape west of what is now New Fligsive, the capital of this new entity. Its home stadium is the The Flynn Arena, where Eura beat Polar Islandstates 4-2 in the famous 66th World Cup final. Few would have predicted that the colours of red, blue and gold would become permanent there but its happened, and the stadium is now back in good condition after an expensive refit to return it to the 96,500 capacity it held previously. Previously a wooden stadium, the current iteration of the Flynn Arena was rebuilt after a great fire destroyed the stadium during a game between Fligsive FC and Magnaeus City. Nowadays, it's a little more robust, having been the subject of many refurbishment projects over the years. The stadium was easily reachable on the Fligsive Metro before the violent overthrow of the Corvidae regime and the associated disaster in Fligsive. It now sports a combination of the old paint job as well as Euran blue and gold while the local club Fligsive FC are still in existence despite drawing lower crowds after the Mertagne exodus, though they do not play in the hastily cobbled together amateur EOTLeague.

Euran Oceania Territories formed a national football team not long after the founding of the political entity, a project conjured up by the Euran government Ministry of Sport to imbue a sense of cohesion among the diverse population of EOT. They played a series of friendlies against other "Eurasphere" sides from Endemia and Rushmore in a lengthy state subsidised tour. Their first games were defeats against Daera, Itor and the Ferguson Islands, before an unexpected 4-3 victory against Helving, despite their Euraleague star Scott Barnes scoring a hattrick. They then entered the 50th AOCAF full of excitement despite having a mostly amateur team, including serving military personnel, but were promptly demolished in the group stages by several teams. Now, with the citizenship laws relaxed to allow the growth of the Territories, the "Underdogs" as they have come to call themselves are suddenly confident that they might be able to pull off a shock or two. Their first manager was of top class pedigree - Tolgus Tregajorran, a footballing hero in Apox who is also well known on the international scene.

Tregajorran managed to persuade some former Apoxian internationals, playing in Eura and with no international allegiance following the temporary dismemberment of Apoxian professional football, to sign the relevant papers and make the surprise switch to EOT, as well as Euran's and other international exiles. After several years of bit part competition EOT competed in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time and in turn the Baptism of Fire, after the Sameban national team withdrew from the Endemian International Sporting Agreement and international football. They performed poorly at the Baptism of Fire, going out at the group stage, but put on a respectable showing in their qualifying group for the 80th World Cup. Tregajorran's unexpected departure and a chaotic period followed, ending with the controversial appointment of Euran footballing legend and cult icon Skorji Oslograd halfway through World Cup 81 qualifying. Immediately applying his "Skorjiball" approach - best summarised as an extremely aggressive and fluid attacking game interrupted sporadically by the manager doing something inappropriate - the team secured some noteworthy results but remains very much an underdog competitor. Oslograd's dream is to turn them into the living embodiment of "the way of the warrior" and to qualify for the World Cup. But this AOCAF is the first tournament where his able to demonstrate his own approach to the game in full. The personnel have not changed much, but the tactics have.

The Squad
Shirt number. Name - Age - Position - Caps - Goals - Club (Nation)

Goalkeepers

1. Bart Jones - 33 - GK - Burdoc Ridge (Audioslavia)
13. Tammy Barton - 26 - GK - Fligsive FC

Little change here. But wait for it.

Defenders

2. Timwise Gerduns - 26 - RB - Revolutionaries (Eura)
5. Kurt Strong - 27 - CB - Revolutionaries (Eura)
6. Alex Charlton - 32 - CB - Brigham (Eura)
3. Ewan May - 32 - LB - Lemmitania State FC (Audioslavia)
15. Jack Ream - 25 - RB - Fligsive FC
19. Danny Lawrence - 28 - CB - Ulsa Rovers (Eura)
21. Jesus Moreno - 26 - LB - Arrowsmith (Eura)
23. Freddie Law - 24 - CB - Foxhampton (Eura)
25. Jason Potts - 19 - CB - Ulsa (Eura)
26 - Marvin Walsh - 19 - RB - Holdenberg City (Eura)

The conventional flat back four is gone, replaced normally by the strongest available trio of Gerduns (playing slightly out of position), Strong and Charlton as a treble of centrebacks. Their strength is, well, physical strength. Their weakness is a dearth of pace. Oslograd may choose abruptly to replace his sluggish generation of defenders with the younger generation waiting to go on the bench. But for now he will likely put a lot of faith in the starting defenders, two of whom are regular Champions Cup competitors. If he opts to use fullbacks, May and Walsh start.

Midfielders

4. Samuel Freeman - 30 - CM - Farrenton Athletic (Eura)
7. Peter Chadwick - 29 - CAM - Holdenberg City (Eura)
8. Willem Ajax - 31 - CM - Bastion (Eura)
11. Kasey Fuller - 19 - LW - Bastion (Eura)
16. Louie McKenzie - 28 - AM - Callodown (Eura)
17. Edward Pollard - 30 - LM - Lajuno (Eura)
20. Joel Conway - 22 - RW - Creed United (Nephara)
22. Peter Brooks - 26 - CM - AFC Whittorians
24. George Richards - 21 - CDM - Pascal Mashu (Hinode)
26. Mark Little - 23 - RW - Fligsive FC

The real strength of EOT in their early years has been their midfield but its no secret that the much vaunted first team players are all around the 30 year old mark. Oslograd's arrival permits controversial change. Freeman and Ajax (Oslograd's former teammate) retain their places as a holding two. In front of them is an attacking three led by Chadwick down the middle deployed far forward of his usual position, Oslograd clearly rating his attacking capabilities. Edward Pollard is controversially dropped for talented favourite Kasey Fuller. Joel Conway comes in on the right wing, perhaps their second best young midfield prospect. Needless to say Oslograd does not rate players from the local EOTLeague and will use them sparingly if at all.

Forwards

9. Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier - 24 - ST - Farrenton Athletic (Eura)
10. Tom Duffy - 26 - CF - RGS Athletic (Eastfield Lodge)
14. Garret Ramsey - 23 - ST - Harkdown (Eura)
12. Paul Hooper - 23 - ST - Fligsive FC
18. Ulysses Zimmer - 27 - ST - Hornchurch (Eura)

Inexplicably EOT have a Champions Cup winning starting striker among their ranks. Tom Duffy's unanticipated glory with RGS Athletic has made him an undroppable centreforward despite his arguably modest talents. But Zimmer and Hooper are unquestionably down the pecking order in the new front two which features Le Tonnelier, a fan favourite with a rebellious personality and noticeable beer gut, and Oslograd's pet - sorry, we mean prodigy - Garret Ramsey as the first choice substitute. This is Ramsey's third national team. Yes, you read that correctly.

Preferred starting lineup
Formation is...good lord, who knows. Really depends what side of bed Oslograd wakes up on. But the absolute madman will likely play a 3-4-3 of sorts, but really its more like a 3-2-5. If they are losing and need to score, they tend to stick with that. If they need to defend a lead Oslograd tends to be rather all or nothing, and will throw on the most defensive formation possible and short notice.

GK - 1. B Jones
RCB - 2. T Gerduns
CB - 5. K Strong
LCB - 6. A Charlton
RCM - 4. S Freeman
LCM - 8. W Ajax
RW - 20. J Conway
CAM/T - 7. P Chadwick
LW - 11. K Fuller
RS - 10. T Duffy
LS - 9. P-L Le Tonnelier

Responsibilities

Manager: Skorji Oslograd
Head Coach: Skorji Oslograd
Father figure: Skorji Oslograd
Spiritual guru: Skorji Oslograd
Sexual counsel: Skorji Oslograd
Chosen One: Garret Ramsey
Captain: Alex Charlton
Vice captain: Tom Duffy
Free kicks: Peter Chadwick (Direct right foot), Willem Ajax (DIrect left foot), Samuel Freeman (Indirect)
Corners: Peter Chadwick (Right inswinging), Willem Ajax (Left inswinging)
Penalties: 1. Peter Chadwick 2. Tom Duffy 3. Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier 4. Samuel Freeman 5. Willem Ajax. All other penalties will be taken by Skorji Oslograd himself unless officials prevent him doing so.
Most likely to be found down the pub: Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier

I Give To My Opponent The Permission To:
=================================
Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y. Le T will score bangers only. Ramsey will score flukes only. Most own goals likely to be the fault of the plucky but unlucky Timwise Gerduns.
Injure Players: Y, however I'll decide the severity. As for your own players, with Oslograd as manager. EOT players will deliver career ending injuries on command.
Godmod Injury Events: Y, however I'll decide the severity.
Red Card Players: Y
Yellow Card Players: Y
Godmod Other Events: Yes, but give me some warning/ask for advice unless its Skorji Oslograd doing something absolutely batshit in which case go for it. I reserve the right to contradict you in this case because he is a man who can bend reality with his sublime words after all. This is an unorthodox team who are not wholly professional, so feel free to be creative.
=================================

by **Equestrian States** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:00 pm

-UNITED LEAGUE - TRANSFER RUMORS-
Five Potential Banijan Gender Barrier Breakers
Five potential female players in the United League who could break the gender barrier in Banija
by Newswire

With Banijan Katikkiro Kizza Makoni's recent proposal to allow the integration of Banijan professional sports leagues, several rumors connecting Banijan and Busogan female hoofballers in the United League to clubs back in the Banijan Soccer League have popped up. Let's take a look at five of those players who could be among the first women to play professional hoofball in Banija if the proposal is adopted.

CB -

Marie Sonko - 27 y/o -

Everfree Forest HC (UHA United League)
Arguably the most obvious name to break the gender barrier in Banijan hoofball, Marie Sonko is not only a key player for an Equestrian UICA contender, but a starter for the Busoga Islands national team which never excluded female players to start with. Sonko started in most of Everfree Forest's matches last season and helped to guide the club to a Globe Cup berth and a sixth place finish that represents the club's best season in years. A defender in her prime, Marie Sonko would be a likely starter for any club in the BSL and will surely feature in more than a few transfer rumors in the coming weeks.

CM -

Channeh Jarju - 25 y/o -

Canterlot Stars (UHA United League)
A versatile presence in the Canterlot Stars midfield, Channeh Jarju isn't a starter for the Stars, but frequently makes appearances off the bench. She also is a Busogan international, so her name is already well known by local followers of the BSL. However, if Jermaine Poole is sold by the Stars this window as expected, Channeh might opt to remain with Canterlot next season as she'd likely be first in line to take the Equestrian international's spot in the lineup. If not, a move back home to the BSL would be a logical move for her as she enters the prime of her career.

AM -

Yari Conateh - 30 y/o -

Stalliongrad HC (UHA United League)
If the BSL integrates, Yari Conateh might not only be the first woman to play in the league but also possibly the first to play for the Kadongo Kamu at the international level. Conateh is already a starter for the Banijan national women's team and is a regular for Stalliongrad, so it's not hard to imagine her taking Nweke Obasee or Marbue Owusu's place on the Banijan national team bench. A move to a BSL club would make that even more likely.

LB -

Halima Kargbo - 29 y/o -

Manehattan Dragons (UHA Second League)
With the Manehattan Dragons' relegation last season, Halima Kargbo is expected to be sold by the Dragons to a first tier club regardless of if the BSL integrates or not. Halima was one of the Dragons' better players last season and her ability to join the attack and provide pinpoint crosses makes her a useful player to have. Bookies currently have Crystal Guard as favorites to land her signature, but the potential integration of the BSL could change that.

RB -

Musakuta Njie - 28 y/o -

Mareseilles HC (UHA Second League)
One of the top defenders in the Second League with Mareseilles, Musakuta Njie hasn't yet made an appearance in a top tier league, but mostly because her club hasn't been willing to sell her for anything less than her full value. With Mareseilles failing to win promotion last season and her under contract for just one more season, Njie is going to push hard for a move to a club in the top flight, and it's hard to imagine she'd not be on some BSL sides' wishlists if the league should integrate.

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:04 pm

Aron Riise picks up where he left off in AOCAF-opening win

H O S I N G R -- Deep in the "Forgotten City" of Mriin, Aron Riise ensured last night that he won't soon become the Forgotten Man of the Cosumarite striker pool. The Helfin-bred striker, still adjusting to his new life in Eura, scored his third international goal in as many caps to set Cosumar on the path to a 2-1 win over Saltstead.

If memory of Riise's exciting debut at the end of World Cup 81 Qualifying had been dulled or overshadowed by the team's subsequent no-show in Free Republics, this performance served as a needed refresher. By handing Riise the MD1 start despite

In team training prior to MD1, man
of the hour Aron Riise attempts to skip past
a challenge by a Stig Söderquist sporting a new
heavily-bearded look.

leaving him out of the World Cup last year, Alexander Pearce showed the young striker that he believes in him. Riise repaid him with an opening goal in the 51st minute that visibly lifted weight off the team and manager's shoulders ensuing their tensest AOCAF camp in recent memory.

Newly-minted Brinemouth star Bryger Tidesson, perhaps energized similarly by a recent move, set up Riise's headed goal with a perfect cross from the right before placing a masterful backheel into the path of Romikk Valgard just two minutes later for the more senior striker to slot home across the face of goal with his left foot.

Although 2-0 was probably a flattering scoreline considering the surprising quality that Saltstead had exhibited to that point, holding their own in possession and successfully breaking down most Cosumarite attacks, the referee could have also easily given the Vanquishers a chance to make it 3-0. Both Tidesson and Isla Sibučić went down convincingly in the box during a particularly chaotic stretch between the 65th and 75th minutes.

As it was, she likely saw their spills as products of their youthful exuberance and frustration with repeatedly losing possession as they charged forward, opening themselves up to Saltstead counters. That's how the Group G rivals got their goal in stoppage time, in fact, but it was too little too late.

Next up on MD2 is 95X, expected to be Cosumar's primary challengers for advancement. The match will be held a quick jaunt across Hosingr at the Iron Alley.

Expect Pearce to mix up his roster again, perhaps angling more tactical in his approach to account for the offensive quality of 95X. Keep an eye on whether he starts Riise again, or whether Vega Zeale-Riddick might replace him as she did at the hour mark against Saltstead. It's also possible that Crawford City FC fans could see an international debut for local girl Arden Lemons.

by Julie Nicholson
Courier Sports Editor

by **Mriin** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:07 pm

Cutoff || MD2
Nothing like a traditional war chant to get the blood flowing!

Group A
Semarland 1–0 Freeport || @Haven, Maal
Mriin 2–0 Ko-oren || @the Forge, Maal || Scorinated by Qusmo

. Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mriin                       2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6  Q
2 Ko-oren                     2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
3 Semarland                   2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
4 Freeport                    2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

Group B
Farfadillis 3–0 Tropicorp || @Public Park, Andü
Geisenfried 2–4 Saint Emelie || @Aerodrome, Kaalen

. Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis                 2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 Tropicorp                   2   1  0  1    1   3  −2    3
3 Saint Emelie                2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
4 Geisenfried                 2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1

Group C
Starblaydia 3–3 Vilita & Turori || @Seagate, Easthold
Euran Oceania Territories 3–2 Demot || @Wyrmstone, Southbrush

. Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita & Turori             2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
2 Euran Oceania Territories   2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Starblaydia                 2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 Demot                       2   0  0  2    3   6  −3    0

Group D
Qasden 0–2 Novo Calania || @Ritual Theatre, Prei || Scorinated by Qusmo
Baker Park 4–1 Eshan || @Cliffside, Prei

. Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                  2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Eshan                       2   1  0  1    6   4  +2    3
3 Novo Calania                2   1  0  1    2   5  −3    3
4 Qasden                      2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group E
Oontaz Dert Li Ng 2–2 Siovanija and Teusland || @the Pub, Vidial
Equestrian States 0–0 Busoga Islands || @Flâneur, Vidial

. Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland      2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
2 Equestrian States           2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
3 Oontaz Dert Li Ng           2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 Busoga Islands              2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group F
Banija 3–0 Audioslavia || @Butcher's Den, Bruul
Valanora 3–0 Lochario || @Rolling Stones, Reyn

. Group F                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                    2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6  Q
2 Banija                      2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
3 Audioslavia                 2   0  1  1    3   6  −3    1
  Lochario                    2   0  1  1    3   6  −3    1

Group G
95X 1–2 Cosumar || @Iron Alley, Hosingr
Northwest Kalactin 0–2 Saltstead || @Dockside, Hosingr

. Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cosumar                     2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6  Q
2 Saltstead                   2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
3 95X                         2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Northwest Kalactin          2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

by **Busoga Islands** » Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:17 pm

Busoga Islands National Team

Information
Country code: BUS
Denonym: Busogans/Busoga Islanders/Islanders(Busoga Islanders is the formal term; many Banijans call them Busogans, while locals refer to themselves simply as Islanders, which will be the terminology used by the journalists of this country)
Association: Busoga Islander Soccer Association(BISA)
Manager: Starfire (Pegasus - female), 46 years old, native of the Equestrian States. Starfire is a manager who excels at getting the most out of whatever she's given, regularly keeping the Ponyville Galaxy from relegation with a keen eye for tactics and seemingly boundless optimism that keeps spirits up in the locker room. Starfire was Moon Dust's long-time student as an assistant coach at Ponyville United and pundits tend to think more highly of the pegasus than her club's place in the table might suggest. She has been largely popular so far as the Islander manager- even with a poor AOCAF outing, winning all three group games was seen as a positive and even with their early knockout loss to the Freeport Isles, BISA has given her an extension to coach through the World Cup 82 cycle- she was originally under contract through the end of the World Cup 81 cycle.
Senior Assistant Manager: Yamma Mbye. 36 years old, doubles as the new executive director of the Busoga Islands Regional Youth Academy. Spent the twilight of her professional career when she was part of a wave of Banijan female players that went to the Equestrian States, playing for the Manetreal Impact. Just announcing her retirement from the playing scene at 36, she was hired quickly by Starfire to be the Assistant Manager, and they had a good working relationship at the latest AOCAF. She said that connections they shared within the Equestrian States, as well as her own connections in the Busoga Islands, would allow her to be an 'invaluable asset' for the transition.
Captain: Delbin Kasekende
Alternate Captain: Robel Abeselome
Home Kits: Red
Away Kits: Black
Alternate: White

RP Permissions
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
RP Injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod other events: Yes
Style modifier: +1

Do whatever you want besides godmodding the actual goals(I prefer the actual goals to be real). If anybody dies, please TG me who so I can replace them.

http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=gx95t

Roster for AOCAF LVII

Starters: 4-4-2 diamond.
The six professional clubs on the Busoga Islands are all part of the Banijan soccer pyramid.
Players who have previously received call up to the Banijan national team when the Islands were part of Banija are italicized.
Players who do not play within the Banijan soccer pyramid are bolded.
BSL = Banijan Soccer League, the top-flight for Banija & the Busoga Islands.
GK #1 Delbin Kasekende. 36 years old. Plays for Herzegovina City FC in the BSL. Captain. Male.
RB #2 Berihu Abeselome. 29 years old. Plays for Crystopolis City in the Crystal Empire. Plays in the United League, the top-flight of the United Hoofball Association. Brother of Robel Abeselome. Male.
CB #5 Marie Sonko. 27 years old. Plays for Everfree Forest HC in the Equestrian States. Plays in the United League. Female.
CB #3 Negus Kebede. 32 years old. Plays for the Lwanga Lions in the BSL. Male.
LB #4 Naaji al-Azam. 24 years old. Plays for Jaribga Soccer Club in the Northwestern League. Male.
CDM #6 Channeh Jarju. 25 years old. Plays for the Canterlot Stars in the Equestrian States. Plays in the United League. Female.
RM #7 Upanshu Paramartha. 22 years old. Plays for Rukunbi FC in the BSL. Male.
LM #11 Mutsuhito Barbarossa. 32 years old. Plays for Rukunbi FC in the BSL. Male.
CAM #10 Shakeel el-Salih. 26 years old. Plays for the Tezirbu Foxes in the Northwestern League. Male.
ST #9 Ikshu Amitabh. 22 years old. Plays for Kitara Athletic Association in the BSL. Male.
ST #12 Kadi Sanneh. 32 years old. Plays for Equestrians Outcasts HC in the Equestrian States. Plays in the United League. Female.
Bench
GK #35 Hibbaan al-Shareef. 25 years old. Plays for Jaribga Soccer Club in the Northwestern League. Male.
GK #23 Mantek Ranwa. 24 years old. Plays for Koszagard City in the Northwestern League. Male.
RB #16 Yashpal Gopaal. 21 years old. Plays for the Isipongo Flash in the BSL. Male.
CB #18 Mohan Thakshak. 23 years old. Plays for Dukuma Sporting Club in the BSL. Male.
CB #19 Filije Kolley. 26 years old. Plays for the Busembe Timberwolves in the BSL. Male.
LB #14 Naaji al-Azam. 24 years old. Plays for Jaribga Soccer Club in the Northwestern League. Male.
CM #6 Vyomaang Yuval. 22 years old. Plays for Dukuma Sporting Club in the BSL. Male.
RM #17 Yoosuf al-Zakaria. 29 years old. Plays for the Tripoli Foresters in the Northwestern League. Male.
LM #20 Madhav Oojam. 22 years old. Plays for the Busembe Timberwolves in the BSL. Male.
CAM #15 Fara Turay. 26 years old. Plays for Fillydelphia Union in the Equestrian States. Plays in the Second League, the second tier of the United Hoofball Association. Male.
ST #21 Girum Mikias. 33 years old. Plays for Dukuma SC in the BSL. Male.
ST #25 Darmal Chughtai. 32 years old. Plays for the Tripoli Foresters in the Northwestern League. Male.

Notes:
- Our free kicks are taken by Mutsuhito Barbarossa.
- Our penalty kicks are taken by Kadi Sanneh.
- In terms of substitutions, anybody is OK to substitute off the pitch besides the Abeselome brothers, and Delbin Kasekende. Those three are the core of the team with international experience, and are the team's seasoned leaders.
-

Select Player Biographies

1. GK Delbin Kasekende

Delbin Kasekende used to be the permanent number one for the Banijan national team, tending the net for the entirety of the World Cup 79 cycle and the entirety of the World Cup 80 cycle. The veteran goalkeeper has won back-to-back gold glove campaigns with Herzegovina City FC, including captaining Herzegovina City FC to an undefeated season in last season's title run, winning his first professional trophy at the club level. He toiled a long time for Dukuma SC, his hometown and boyhood club. He is a native of Dukuma, Busoga Islands. Dukuma SC has long been ridiculed as the worst club in the BSL, finishing in last place in three out of six seasons of BSL play. Two seasons ago, he began switching to Herzegovina City FC to chase after a much-deserved title he clearly wasn't winning in Banija, and did so.

He was in line to take the armband for the Banijan national team after Kiggwe Mavuto's retirement from the national side. Goalkeeping, of course, in World Cup 80, he had an excellent tournament and got rave reviews. But, of course, matters at home took quite a turn, with drought and ensuring war with the Equestrian States leading towards full independence for the Busoga Islands. And, like a number of players, after BISA and the RBSA negotiated an agreement, many players, like himself, had decisions to make- which country would they represent?

The eyes of the sporting world within the country were on him. With Toyuwa Okafor choosing to play for Banija, and Berihu Abeselome choosing to switch his allegiance to the Busoga Islands, it was Kasekende who faced all the pressure. Which would he choose? And after struggling, he chose to go home, to the Busoga Islands. He's received a lot of pushback for that decision at Herzegovina City FC, of course- whose fans are known for being right-wing and nationalistic. He ended up finishing the previous season, however, without much incident at club for his decision. But, of course, he holds the distinction of being one of few players to start in a Globe Cup match, a Champions Cup match, a World Cup Qualifier, a Cup of Harmony match, a World Cup Finals match, and a Baptism of Fire match. Decorated for club and two countries. What a career, right? He's probably one of the only players ever to play in a World Cup Finals match before he played in a Baptism of Fire match- though that is due, of course, to the unique circumstances of his nation. He takes the armband for the second, and what looks to be his final, World Cup cycle starting with this tournament.

2. RB Berihu Abeselome

The other member of Banija's first ever World Cup team who is on this side, being on the roster, though on the bench, for the World Cup 80 Finals, he lost his starting spot halfway through qualifying, when Banija's new manager came in and redid the entire back line. Of course, the new look backline worked wonders, as they helped lead Banija on a 10 game competitive undefeated run en route to their first ever appearance at a World Cup, World Cup 80.

He's spent the majority of his professional career playing in the Crystal Empire, starting for Crystalopolis City, regarded by many as the class of the United League. He was an obvious choice to be one of the key players on this squad- Starfire has seen him play, up close, as she has managed Ponyville Galaxy. He is the youngest of the three who are expected to be leaders, and after a cycle, he will, naturally, be expected to take the armband from Delbin Kasekende when he eventually retires.

He will be a threat, and a force, for the team. He has seemingly endless amounts of energy- meaning that he can turn defense into offense quickly, and will be prone to look for the counter-attack. And, of course, he has some experience, playing for a national team, and playing in the World Cup. Expect him to be part of the emotional heartbeat of this squad as they enter their second ever AOCAF, looking to shock the world.

by **Novo Calania** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:25 am

Dune Striders

With the nation once known as Ibex redeveloping and beginning to integrate both sets of its former occupants, the Novo Calanian delegation for AOCAF Cup LVII combines Ibexi and Eiveces (Catalan-Krytenian settlers). The combination of hoof and foot should, they hope, lead to a development of the team to more than a token delegation, much as the new nation's investment in its natural and mineral resources is giving them at least some notability within the region.

Formation: 5-3-2
Style: -3
Pos  Name            Species Age Gender
GK   Nadyn           Ibex    14  M
GK   Oriol Bardem    Human   24  M
LB   Harzon          Zebra   24  M
LB   Carles Boix     Human   24  M
CB   Alfar           Ibex    16  M
CB   Vezina          Ibex    16  F
CB   Andreu Oller    Human   19  M
CB   Jordi Mateu     Human   25  M
CB   Illan           Llama   27  M
RB   Contess         Ibex    20  F
RB   Aleix Junqueras Human   28  M
LM   Makto           Ibex    15  M
LM   Joan Mas        Human   23  M
CM   Azucena         Impala  ??  F
CM   Pau Vidal       Human   27  M
RM   Villarmo        Llama   25  M
RM   Oriol Llobet    Human   24  M
LF   Quiton          Ibex    14  M
LF   Lluis Pujol     Human   27  M
RF   Pharis          Ibex    17  F
RF   Pasqual Roig    Human   30  M

The main point of interest for the team at this competition is less how they will perform, but more whether they can combine their talents. Points, will, if we're honest, be a bonus.

Permissions: Yes.

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:58 am

The problem with AOCAF is that all of a sudden it's there, and before you know it, two matchdays have passed and some nations are looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers already. About the KFA's position on friendlies: maybe we should consider playing some warm-up matches, so we can get used to the national team and get hype in time.

The three other nations in our group are Mriin, the hosts, Freeport, the team from AOCAF LVI, and Semarland, the absent. In fact, Mriin have already secured a place in the second round along with Valanora and Cosumar, and the hosts got there through us (2-0 loss). We've got Freeport's number so after an AOCAF LVI 2-1 win, we've now beaten them 2-0 in LVII. And that means that there is a final decider to be sure of the second round, by winning over or drawing Semarland... but there's not much to mention about Semarland. They've won 1-0 over Freeport, but lost 3-1 to Mriin, so by all accounts we've got the smallest of edges over them. A loss might be enough to advance as even some third-placed teams can go to the next round, but that's not really a chance we would like to take.

The Foam Sword of Damocles

The head coach of the national team of Ko-oren is both a cushy and a dangerous job. Most of the year you're not out in the open, and you can visit Top League matches and talk about your favourite pastime a lot. The rest of the year, however, you're sweating bullets on the sideline in Ko-oren or abroad as every single result matters. It's always been part of the head coach job that every single poor result means immediate scrutiny of decisions of the past and present, and having to detail a path for the future as to avoid any future loss. With the Dragonflies, nobody cares if you win or not, just DON'T LOSE. Since time immemorial, that was translated into a 5-4-1 or 5-3-2, featuring immensely tactical players with good mental strength, so that you never concede, and if you do, that you can force a last minute 1-1. It may be boring by foreign standards, but if you never lose, you're going to win a World Cup or AOCAF someday.

Despite the pressure to deliver non-losses immediately, and despite the exaggerated reactions to every single loss, and despite the endless debates about who to select, who to ditch and how to react to whatever happens to the team, head coaches are rarely fired. Not that there aren't many coaches to take that place, it's just that the KFA and even the media, when it comes down to it, prefer having a familiar face on the bench rather than having a new head coach every year.

Juliasterinthen has faced more angry mobs than his predecessor, Antonescu. Over the exodus of the golden generation, over the players to take their place, over the poor results in the World Cup, over missing the AOCAF a few times, over having seven players on your 23-player squad flat out refusing to play. Still, Juliasterinthen is still there, still playing his 5-3-2. Around him, he's changed goalkeepers a few times, he's had to reshuffle the back line countless times, and has fielded a different midfield every single tournament. The strikers, however, are even less secure. Between Vaugrenard, Tsuchida, Throgmorton, and Turner, only one of them has previous tournament experience, and the previous set of four were together for one full World Cup. Before then, during last AOCAF, there were five strikers on the team, none of which made it to this edition of the Regional.

Sure, there is pressure on the head coach, but let's not pretend like there's always something bending or breaking. The sword of Damocles hanging over Juliasterinthen has proven to be a foam sword rather than a metal one. The sword has dropped a few times but never so much as left a scratch.

by **Saint Emelie** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:37 pm

AOCAF 57: Insulaires Sweep Aside Geisenfried to Keep Knockout Hopes Alive

Saint Émelie 4-2 Geisenfried

-Katjanovic 14, 67
-Trion 34
-Laurent 81

Saint Émelie won their second match of the AOCAF to stay in the running for a place in the round of 16 as a brace from Sara Katjanovic and goals from Dominic Trion and Mathilde Laurent sealed a relatively comfortable win for Amélie Martín's side.

Katjanovic is the only professional footballer in the lineup for Saint Émelie and the Savafluss striker got her side off the mark after 14 minutes when she collected a pass from Simon Pelletiér on the edge of the box, turned her marker and rifled into the roof of the Geisenfried net.

Saint Émelie continued to have the better of posession and territory and Katjanovic should have added a second 5 minutes later when she sent a free header over the bar from 10 yards out. Les Insulaires did add a second after 34 minutes via a similar route however as a floating cross from Florence Caseille picked out Trion at the back post, the big Stade Barbotteau forward nodding into the top corner.
Frustratingly however, Geisenfried pulled a goal back against the run of play when an errant pass from Daniel Bouchard allowed an oppositions striker to nip in behind the Saint Émelie back line and tuck a neat finish past Hubért Joubert.

Despite halving the deficit moments before half time, Geisenfried showed few second-half signs of getting an equaliser and it was Katjanovic who struck first after the break as she latched onto the end of a low cross from winger Mathilde Laurent and poked past the Geisenfried keeper to restore her team's two goal lead.

Geisenfried once again kept themselves in the match as a midfielder pulled a fine low shot into the bottom corner after 75 minutes, but Laurent sealed the win 6 minutes later as she cut inside and magnificently curled a right-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.

The result puts Saint Émelie level on points with Tropicorp, but behind them on head-to-head record after the Quasi government body's 1-0 win in the opening match. Les Insulaires must therefore at least better Tropicorp's result on the final mathday to progress, whilst a win for both sides would guarantee both a place in the final 16 at the expense of Farfadillis, the group's top seeds and Saint Émelie's opponents on matchday 3.

Group B table after 2 matchdays:

. Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis                 2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 Tropicorp                   2   1  0  1    1   3  −2    3
3 Saint Emelie                2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
4 Geisenfried                 2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1

More Venue Complaints From Saint Émelie FA

The footballing authority in Saint Émelie has no quibbles with moaning about venues and after the dangerous state of Rulund in Farfadillis saw a Saint Émilean Baptism of Fire match moved to it at the last minute, it is the other end of the spectrum that has this time angered them.

All of Les Insulaires' matches are being held in Kaalen, a suburb of Maal, the capital city of Mriin. Whilst the location is certainly safe, it's reputation as one of the most up-market areas of the country means that many Saint Émelie supporters have been priced out. Whilst the most dedicated have forked out many months wages or slept rough in the area, many have simply been unable to afford the trip abroad.

Whilst one match in the area is perhaps unavoidable, to be forced to play all 3 group matches at the local Aerodrome stadium fails to consider the economic circumstances of those in one of the region's least developed nations.

This is dissapointing for many of the national team's firm followers who were unable to make it to an important event in the nation's footballing history.

by **Tropicorp** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:09 pm

Maal, Mriin :: Two matches into the AOCAF LVII Group Stage and the Tropicorp Techies are looking good to advance to the knockout round of the competition despite having suffered a defeat to #3 side in the region Farfadillis.

With one game to play in the group stage, Tropicorp will square off with Geisenfried knowing that a victory would be enough to send them through to the Round of 16 regardless of the result in the other match between Saint Emelie and Farfadillis. The Farves were surprisingly held to a draw on the opening matchday by Geisenfried before rebounding with a convincing 3-0 victory over the Techies at Public Park in Andü.

Tropicorp had been off to a good start mainly thanks to the strong goalkeeping from their club domestic goalkeeper Hanauma Ranbomahi who kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory over Saint Emelie. That result could prove invaluable as Tropicorp currently hold the tiebreaker over Saint Emelie by virtue of that victory. However, the only scenario which would see that tiebreaker used to determine advancement to the knockout round would be if both Matchday 3 fixtures: Farfadillis v. Saint Emelie at the Aerodrome and Tropicorp v. Geisenfried at Public Park; ended each in a draw resulting in the status quo being maintained in regards to the Group B table.

Of course, the Techies won't be looking to get too far ahead of themselves but the Geisenfried of the modern era has shown very little fight and will likely have already punched their tickets home with pride after stealing a point from former AOCAF Champions Farfadillis on the opening matchday of the Group Stage. Geisenfried can only advance to the knockout round with a win over Tropicorp and a Farfadilis victory over Saint Emelie. For Tropicorp, while the prospect of an extra match - or more through the knockout rounds is very enticing to the Tropicorp Scientists it will depend on the performances of the field players who have converted just one single goal over the opening two matches of competition. If they can put the ball in the net on Matchday 3, however, they should have a chance to do it all over again in the Round of 16.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 12:17 pm

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

Late Edition -- Sports

Goldhorns Earn Character Draw

Siovanija and Teusland’s national football team finds themselves at the top of Group E at AOCAF LVII, thanks to a draw with the Sultanate of Oontaz.

Having opened up the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Busoga Islands, Siovanija and Teusland had reason to be both confident and concerned going into the match with Oontaz. The Goldhorns going into the match were already familiar with the stadium, The Pub being the site of the contest. There seemed to be a buzz in training after the opener as well, and it seemed as if the players could not wait to play the match. At the same time, however, Oontaz had just managed to earn a draw with group top seeds Equestrian States, and are a team with much more experience than the Goldhorns.

Only one change was made to Gavin Hughes’ starting eleven for the match, with Nikola Karapetrov entering the lineup in place of Karl-Heinz Jager. “It’s not a comment on Karl-Heinz at all, as he played really well against Busoga. He’s got a long future with this team. But Nikola is also deserving of his chances, and today he’s getting one,” commented Hughes. Hughes also encouraged some of his players in the squad who did not perhaps have the best game of their careers against the Busoga Islands: “Look, it’s tough to come into a new atmosphere and perform well right off the bat, but I’ve got confidence in all of these players. Someone asked, well, you subbed Krasimir (Kynev) off last match, so why is he starting? Krasimir’s a great player, and I have full confidence that he’ll be back on top form today.”

Hopes that the Goldhorns would start off the match flying, however, dissipated quickly early on. Several attacks were simply stymied by the solid defending of Oontaz. Lutz von Bergen in particular was shut down early on, and even Ivo Romanov had difficulty getting things started. At the same time, the Goldhorns were a little shaky at the back. Lyubomir Dimitrov misplaced a pass that led to a great shot from Eduardo Estevez, who was unlucky not to score.

A few minutes after that, Viktor Venev had managed to make a brilliant stop on Estevez at the near post and the ball went out for an Oontaz corner. A good ball was swung in, and after the Goldhorn defenders had made a mess of their markings, Zulifiqui controlled and shot into the bottom left corner, giving Oontaz a 1-0 lead. It was, to be honest, a shambolic display of defending from Siovanija and Teusland, and Viktor Venev was furious at his defenders afterwards.

The defenders managed to sort themselves out for most of the remaining time in the first half, but one small lapse in mentality near the end of the half would put the Goldhorns 2-0 down. A goal kick from Venev was not exactly quality, and went out of play for an Oontaz throw. Oontaz built quickly from this opportunity, and Marcus Portensio blasted down the right side. His cross was decent, but was directly in the path of Nikola Karapetrov. Karapetrov, however, failed to clear the ball and instead Eduardo Estevez powered a header past Venev. 2-0 going into halftime, and nothing was going right for the Goldhorns at all.

At halftime, Paulus Leistner was brought on for Lutz von Bergen, who had struggled all match. The change put some life into the Goldhorn attack on the left side, which in the opening minutes of the second half seemed to inspire new life into the collective unit. Thorsten Kramer had looked off the pace in the first half, but now was causing danger any time he touched the ball. Ivo Romanov was once again threatening in every approach, and for the first time all match the forwards Ribbeck and Kynev were getting some service. Though down 2-0, it was clear the Goldhorns had not yet given up.

The Goldhorns struck gold just 14 minutes into the second half. Lutz Daschner blazed down the wing, before sending the ball back a bit for Thorsten Kramer. Kramer made a quick run before laying off for Romanov, who used his pace to burst into the box. He was running out of time, however, and before he could be closed down played a ball across the goal which was met by an eager Krasimir Kynev. Kynev, knowing the momentum was with his side, refrained from celebrating and immediately returned the ball to the halfway line to get back underway.

The next twenty minutes were, however, frustrating for the Goldhorns. The national side continued to burst forward, but now simply could not put the ball in the goal. Michael Ribbeck skied a very, very clear-cut chance to his great frustration, while an ambitious shot from Thorsten Kramer outside the box was tipped over by Oontaz keeper Karim Ansarifarid. Time was running out, and another goal was absolutely necessary for Siovanija and Teusland here. A substitution came in the form of Dietmar Kleinmann for Lyubomir Dimitrov, adding a bit more pace from the wings. 10 minutes remained in the match, and a hero was needed.

Stepping up for the Goldhorns was Michael Ribbeck. Ivo Romanov was making another run into the box when he was fouled by Honesto Campanilla, who earned a yellow card for what was a risky challenge to make. Thorsten Kramer and Ivo Romanov stood over the free kick, before Romanov eventually hit in a ball intended as a cross. The initial ball was met by the head of Raphael Klopfer and went towards the back post, where Ribbeck was waiting. Perfectly positioned, Ribbeck was able to knock in his second of the tournament to even up the score.

Karl-Heinz Jager was brought on for Nikola Karapetrov to both waste some time making the substitution and add to the backline in the final minutes, and though the Goldhorns did push forward to attempt one more winning goal, they weren’t exactly unhappy to draw either. The whistle thus rang out on a draw that felt much closer to a win for Siovanija and Teusland, especially considering other results.

“Obviously that first half display was unacceptable, but the lads showed brilliant character in the second half and I think we’re all pretty happy to take that point against a team above us in the rankings with some history here,” commented Gavin Hughes. The result leaves Siovanija and Teusland top of Group E on 4 points with 1 match remaining to be played.

That match would be, of course, the match with the Equestrian States. Pre-tournament, there was a hope that perhaps the Equestrians would qualify with such ease in their first two matches that they would ‘go easy’ on the Goldhorns here and perhaps we could get a point to aid in qualification. Unfortunately, the Equestrians need a win here just as badly as Siovanija and Teusland in order to advance. This due, of course, to their draws with both Oontaz and the 0-0 draw with the Busoga Islands at the same time as the Goldhorns’ draw with Oontaz.

“It’s 90 very, very important minutes, but we’ve played and succeeded under pressure in situations like this before,” commented Raphael Klopfer. Just last AOCAF, the Goldhorns had managed to defeat Qasden 4-2 on the final day of matches to secure qualification. A win or a draw would see the Goldhorns advance. At the same time, a draw between the Busoga Islands and Oontaz would also see the Goldhorns through. Group E’s final matchday is sure to be filled with excitement, as all 4 teams still have the capacity to qualify for the knockout rounds.

One of the most important matches in Siovanija and Teusland’s football history is coming up, as the Goldhorns seek to upset the odds and advance from Group E. We’ll be here to cover every minute of the action.

Siovanija and Teusland 2-2 Sultanate of Oontaz

Siovanija and Teusland XI (4-4-2): Venev; L. Dimitrov (Kleinmann 72’) , Klopfer (c), Karapetrov (Jager 87’), Daschner; von Bergen (Leistner 46’), V. Dimitrov, Kramer, Romanov; Kynev, Ribbeck
Goals: Krasimir Kynev 59’, Michael Ribbeck 85’
Match Report: Two very different halves, each dominated by one team, sees the Goldhorns and Oontaz split the points at The Pub. A late equalizer from Michael Ribbeck secured the draw for Siovanija and Teusland, despite some errors in the first half having put them down 2-0. Next up, the Goldhorns face regional number 7 Equestrian States in a battle for qualification from Group E. That match will be played at 60,000 seat Gold Field, a fitting site for what should be a great match to watch.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Bees sting Eshan, look for sweep of group
by Kristian Barnard
The Daily Mail Staff Soccer Writer

Reporting from Prei, Mriin:

The Commonwealth National Team inched closer to another successful group stage at a major tournament, as they defeated Eshan 4-1, and need only a point to finish atop Group D in the AOCAF Championship.

Manager Pamela Scott rolled out a practically new lineup from the one that defeated Qasden on day 1, and with a change of faces came a subtle shift tactically. The midfield played far more narrow than is usual for BP sides and coupled with less forward pressure on the backs, there came wave upon wave of counter attacking runs to beat the offside trap, which provided 16 scoring chances for Baker Park which resulted in 12 shots on frame.

Both Derion Hutchins and Scott Miller made their debuts with the senior team, and they both contributed to the first goal of the match; Hutchins made a cross field pass that Miller slid to Trent Yeomans on left wing, then took the return and found Ian Coverstone breaking through the line perfectly, who laid off for Eddie Wagner. The New Bremen striker's shot skidded on its way to the keeper, who bobbled the save and Coverstone was there to clean up; the men from Westphalia County's two biggest clubs and rivals had a good laugh and it was 1-0 after 12 minutes.

Wagner had another chance go by the wayside when strike partner Sabrina Patton fed him a nifty slice off the outside of her foot, but his shot missed the left post by inches. Sunish Ismail fired over the bar from 24 yards just a few minutes later, and Daisy Callum had another long range blast palmed away at the last second. With 15 minutes until half, Eshan were struggling to cope with the pace of both the Bees and the speed of the artificial pitch.

Yeomans made another series of passes with Miller, and when he crossed into the box, Patton scored what could possibly be the goal of tourney, a right footed volley to the near upper corner. 2-0 and a period of bright Eshani play led up to the break.

Baker Park picked up where it left off as the second half got underway, Callum finding Eddie Wagner again open and again unable to get the ball past the keeper. Defender Leslie Monaghan took off on a 35 yard run with the ball and played off to Miller cutting behind her, then made a foray into the box and by sheer luck found the ball at her feet again, deftly lobbing the final touch into the net.

Now at 3-0, changes were made in the Eshan lineup. There was not much of dent made into the possession stats over the next 20 minutes or so, but sometimes it only takes a brief moment to get back in the match. Following a corner, the Commonwealth defense was under pressure in its own 18, a hopeful shot on goal finding the arm of Monaghan, and the referee pointed at the spot without hesitation. The replay was not really convincing, but Monaghan saw yellow, and after a drawn out discussion, Coverstone joined in the notebook for overzealous dissent. The penalty converted, the lead was down to 2 goals and still 18 minutes to go.

Scott then looked to close up shop, Logan Ramsey replacing Miller and Kris Day on for Coverstone, both subs taking up spots in defense as Monaghan was shifted into midfield and it was a surreal image to see a 4-4-2 played by a Commonwealth side.

Jessica LeClair earned her first cap as a sub for Patton with 8 minutes to go, and then entered the record book 3 minutes later when she made a sublime break behind the defense and made no mistake with her finish to the far post, becoming only the fourth woman in FAC history to score on her debut, and the first to do it off the bench.

At the final whistle, following the handshakes the squad upheld a long time tradition by spraying LeClair with their drink bottles for scoring her first national team goal.

Lineup vs Novo Calania
Wyatt; McMahaon, Ramsey, Foreman; Miller, Hayes, Mason, Navarro; Sotolongo; Jones, Wagner

by **Equestrian States** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:50 pm

-TRANSFER NEWS-
Confirmed: Aarón Aiza Sold to Hondo FC for $7 Million
Coveted Equestrian international heads to Valanora after four-club bidding war
by Newswire

Just a few years ago, Aarón Aiza's once-promising career was stalling as he played meaningless games for the Canterlot Stars who were drifting further and further from their status as one of the United League's elite and could only watch as he was passed by several players in the national team's crowded midfield depth chart, threatening to leave him out of the World Cup qualifying squad altogether. Aarón Aiza staked everything on a move to Herzegovina City in the upstart Banijan Soccer League, hoping the fresh challenge in a newer league would help propel him back into the national team conversation. Three seasons later, there's no questioning that the move was an incredible success.

Aarón Aiza has not only established himself as the best player in one of the multiverse's quickest-rising leagues, but has managed to seize a spot in the Equestrian national team's starting lineup. He's won two cups and a league title with Herzegovina City, made it to the group stage of the Champions' Cup, and has never finished worse than second in league MVP voting. He's scored 64 league goals and notched 50 assists. Herzegovina City were understandably reluctant to transfer list him this window, doing so despite the extremely vocal protests of their supporters groups and a viral social media campaign which hoped to keep the midfielder in Herzegovina.

However, with rumored big-money offers from prominent clubs across the multiverse, manager Brian Emerson was forced to concede that Aarón Aiza could only achieve his ambitious personal goals elsewhere and after a long transfer saga it seems that we finally have an answer as to where Aiza will play next season: Hondo FC in the prestigious Vanorian Premiership. It took $7 million NSD to secure Aarón Aiza's signature, but the defending Vanorian champions have got their man in the end. With his club future dealt with, Aarón Aiza will now turn all of his attention to the national team as they chase glory in the AOCAF Cup.

Last.fm · by **Cosumar** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:01 pm

Bryger Tidesson coordinates epic Tutu prank for Alfred's first cap

by Blix Krellquist
Special Features Writer

H O S I N G R -- With his Vanquishers clinching Group G advancement with a game to spare after defeating 95X, noted rotator Alexander Pearce will likely give several of the AOCAF roster's "reserve" players a run-out on Matchday 3... reportedly including a senior debut for defender Alfred Tidesson. A hapless Northwest Kalactin side that has failed to record a point or even a goal thus far presents an ideal opportunity to get Tidesson and other newcomers some confidence-building minutes.

But Bryger Tidesson, who has assisted three of Cosumar's four goals here in Mriin, isn't worried about his brother's "confidence". If anything, he thinks it needs to be knocked down a peg or three. The Brinemouth superstar is proud of his one-year-younger brother, but "Alf" - as he calls him endearingly - is still his "little bro". It would be antithetical for Bryger to let him have anything too easily. That's why he enlisted former Real Azuris teammates in the squad Stig Söderquist, who scored the winner against 95X, and Hidalgo Antúnes to help him pull off an "extra little piece of hazing". One that is hilariously cruel yet also oddly heartwarming.

It all goes back to the Tidessons' childhood home just outside Samotath, well before their parents sacrificed it to relocate their family of seven practically next-door to Azuris' "El Faro" football academy.

Like many brothers close in age, Bryger and Alfred fought both physically and verbally throughout their upbringing. Spars that Bryger almost always won. In fact, Bryger could be quite the ruthless little sociopath. He fondly recalls a time, aged five, that he made four-year-old Alf cry on the first morning of Vintermåne, which his little brother had been eagerly looking forward to for months. He arrived in Alfred's room at 6 a.m. to "warn" him that his presents would comprise of nothing but pink tutus, which he would be expected to wear out in the Samotath cold for the traditional outdoor holiday ceremonies all week long. Mr. and Mrs. Tidesson awoke to the sound of little Alf's wailing and rushed to his room only to find that his cries were of humiliation, rather than pain, at Bryger waltzing around Alfred's bed like a tutu'd ballerina from The Nutcracker -- perfect form on his pirouettes and all.

The priceless scene became a treasured Tidesson Family home video, and an annual running joke between Bryger and Alfred every Vintermåne since. Without fail, Alfred would be about to open his first gift of the year... and Bryger would interject to rib him - with a wink and a twinkle in his eye - that a pink tutu is all that awaits inside. Alfred would shake his head, roll his eyes and proceed to open his new Laborious Hawk jersey (or whatever it was that year). Though the first incident clearly traumatized him, Alfred gradually became more good-natured about the gag. Especially since the dreaded Pink Tutu never actually materialized.

Until now.

Because this AOCAF (and Alfred's potential debut) aligned perfectly on the calendar with Cosumarite Vintermåne this year, the elder statesman of the Tidesson family had the brilliant idea of combining his long-running Pink Tutu joke with the age-old tradition of pulling pranks on national team rookies during their first camp.

Alfred Tidesson glares at reporters as he hides the Tutu half of his all-pink outfit behind the podium at this morning's pre-MD3 press conference in Hosingr.

Defenders' Coach Artis Thomas, due to a combination of the defensive failure at World Cup 81 and the collective inexperience of the defenders currently called in (less than 50 caps between the eight of them), has been holding extra defense-focused sessions for the back line after the end of each full-team training at this AOCAF. So, this morning, while Alfred stayed on the pitch with the likes of Horatius Chaumancer to work on shape and partnerships, Bryger and Söderquist and Antúnes hurried back to the dressing room and got to work.

Before long, gone were all of Alfred's clothes, even his undergarments.

Gone were all of Alfred's shoes.

Even his bag and other personal belongings...gone.

But the veteran Azurian trio didn't stop with the usual "empty locker" prank. While Söderquist ferried Alfred's belongings outside to hide in his car, Bryger pulled a trove of Vintermåne decorations from his own locker and began to decorate Alfred's entire area. The centerpiece of it all, sitting expectantly in the center of the locker... a lavish-looking gift box that read "to my dear brother in honor of becoming a man, a Dragon, a Vanquisher. May this be a Vintermåne you always remember."

Inside the box? That's where Antúnes came in. The most fashion-savvy of the three, he was charged with finding the perfect Pink Tutu outfit. The one he ended up going with, designed by teammate Vega Zeale-Riddick herself for her VZR-brand fashion line, was a real beauty. Tights of 100% Starblaydi silk, a pink tutu of most ornate and ostentatious frills, and a matching pink shirt with magenta polka-dots.

Glorious.

Once the preparations were complete, they kicked back on the dressing room bench with a few bottles of Vintermåne ale and waited to surprise Bryger's long-suffering little brother. Suprised he would indeed be.

Today, Alfred Tidesson is one of the most physical and battle-hardened center backs in the Härlighet Ligan (thanks in large part to Bryger toughening him up over the years) just starting to scratch the surface of what he can do, but even still, he couldn't hide the sheer stomach-turning horror on his now-stubble-covered face when he approached his locker after this morning's training.

"It was the exact same face as when he was four," Bryger said with a satisfied grin.

With Bryger, Stig and Hidalgo surrounding him on all sides, his normal clothes gone, and the entire team looking on and cheering, Alfred Tidesson had no choice but grin-and-bear-it. With some difficulty and a bright red face, he slowly put on the mythical Pink Tutu and trudged outside uncomfortably for the post-training presser with the rest of the team. But, aside from the occasional pull or scratch of the too-tight tights, he never acknowledged the fantastical get-up or broke from his stoic, all-business persona during the interview.

Northwest Kalactin, beware the Vanquisher in Tights.

by **Mriin** » Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:03 pm

Cutoff || MD3
Hope you brought sunblock, 'cause it's really beating down today.

Group A
Ko-oren 0–1 Semarland || @the Forge, Maal
Freeport 1–3 Mriin || @Haven, Maal || Scorinated by Mytanija

. Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mriin                       3   3  0  0    8   2  +6    9
2 Semarland                   3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6
3 Ko-oren                     3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3
4 Freeport                    3   0  0  3    1   6  −5    0

Group B
Saint Emelie 4–1 Farfadillis || @Aerodrome, Kaalen
Tropicorp 1–0 Geisenfried || @Public Park, Andü

. Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tropicorp                   3   2  0  1    2   3  −1    6
2 Saint Emelie                3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6
3 Farfadillis                 3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
4 Geisenfried                 3   0  1  2    4   7  −3    1

Group C
Demot 2–2 Starblaydia || @Wyrmstone, Southbrush
Vilita & Turori 4–2 Euran Oceania Territories || @Wyvernscrest, Northbrush

. Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita & Turori             3   2  1  0   10   6  +4    7
2 Euran Oceania Territories   3   1  1  1    5   6  −1    4
3 Starblaydia                 3   0  3  0    5   5   0    3
4 Demot                       3   0  1  2    5   8  −3    1

Group D
Eshan 4–3 Qasden || @Cliffside, Prei
Novo Calania 0–1 Baker Park || @Ritual Theatre, Prei || Scorinated by Mytanija

. Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                  3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Eshan                       3   2  0  1   10   7  +3    6
3 Novo Calania                3   1  0  2    2   6  −4    3
4 Qasden                      3   0  0  3    4   8  −4    0

Group E
Busoga Islands 1–1 Oontaz Dert Li Ng || @Flâneur, Vidial
Siovanija and Teusland 2–3 Equestrian States || @Gold Field, Vidial

. Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Equestrian States           3   1  2  0    4   3  +1    5
2 Siovanija and Teusland      3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
3 Oontaz Dert Li Ng           3   0  3  0    4   4   0    3
4 Busoga Islands              3   0  2  1    2   3  −1    2

Group F
Lochario 0–0 Banija || @Rolling Stones, Reyn
Audioslavia 3–2 Valanora || @Railyard, Bruul

. Group F                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                    3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
2 Banija                      3   1  1  1    4   2  +2    4
3 Audioslavia                 3   1  1  1    6   8  −2    4
4 Lochario                    3   0  2  1    3   6  −3    2

Group G
Saltstead 2–2 95X || @Dockside, Hosingr
Cosumar 2–1 Northwest Kalactin || @Iron Alley, Hosingr

. Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cosumar                     3   3  0  0    6   3  +3    9
2 Saltstead                   3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
3 95X                         3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
4 Northwest Kalactin          3   0  0  3    1   5  −4    0

Third Place Teams

3 95X                         3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
3 Farfadillis                 3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
3 Audioslavia                 3   1  1  1    6   8  −2    4
3 Oontaz Dert Li Ng           3   0  3  0    4   4   0    3
3 Starblaydia                 3   0  3  0    5   5   0    3
3 Ko-oren                     3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3
3 Novo Calania                3   1  0  2    2   6  −4    3

Knockouts Reseeding

1 Mriin                       3   3  0  0    8   2  +6    9
1 Baker Park                  3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
1 Cosumar                     3   3  0  0    6   3  +3    9
1 Vilita & Turori             3   2  1  0   10   6  +4    7
1 Valanora                    3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
1 Tropicorp                   3   2  0  1    2   3  −1    6
1 Equestrian States           3   1  2  0    4   3  +1    5

2 Saint Emelie                3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6
2 Eshan                       3   2  0  1   10   7  +3    6
2 Semarland                   3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6
2 Banija                      3   1  1  1    4   2  +2    4
2 Saltstead                   3   1  1  1    5   4  +1    4
2 Siovanija and Teusland      3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4
2 Euran Oceania Territories   3   1  1  1    5   6  −1    4

3 95X                         3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
3 Farfadillis                 3   1  1  1    6   6   0    4

Eightfinal Pairings
EF1: Mriin v Farfadillis || @Haven, Maal
EF2: Saint Emelie v Eshan || @Public Park, Andü
EF3: Vilita & Turori v Siovanija and Teusland || @Wyvernscrest, Northbrush
EF4: Valanora v Saltstead || @Aerodrome, Kaalen

EF5: Baker Park v 95X || @Flâneur, Vidial
EF6: Equestrian States v Semarland || @Butcher’s Den, Bruul
EF7: Cosumar v Euran Oceania Territories || @Iron Alley, Hosingr
EF8: Tropicorp v Banija || @Dockside, Hosingr

Future Rounds
QF1: EF1 v EF2 || @Haven, Maal
QF2: EF3 v EF4 || @Seagate, Easthold
QF3: EF5 v EF6 || @Gold Field, Vidial
QF4: EF7 v EF8 || @Dockside, Hosingr

SF1: QF1 v QF2 || @Haven, Maal
SF2: QF3 v QF4 || @Iron Alley, Hosingr

3PPO || @Iron Alley, Hosingr
Final || @Haven, Maal

by **Saint Emelie** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 3:02 pm

La Poste D'Émelie

AOCAF 57: Insulaires thrash Farves to Make Last 16

Saint Émelie 4-1 Farfadillis

-Holsteiner 8'

-Pelletiér 15'
-Katjanovic 39' (pen), 85'
-Caseille 71'

Saint Émelie recorded a remarkable victory over bitter rivals Farfadillis to seal their progress to the AOCAF round of 16 in Mriin. Sara Katjanovic recorded her second brace of the tournament whilst Simon Pelletiér and Florence Caseille also found the back of the net in a performance that manager Amélie Martín praised as her side's best yet.
Having only kept their slim qualification hopes alive with a 4-2 win over group whipping boys Geisenfried, things looked pretty bleak for Les Insulaires when striker Oskar Holsteiner picked up a pass from Somuele der Pros, turned his marker and fired a low shot past Hubért Joubert.

Despite the ominous signs however, Saint Émelie were resurgent and responded to going behind with an equaliser just 7 minutes later. Florence Caseille's cross from the right was headed away, albeit unconvincingly by Mârtín Básá, Pelletiér latching onto the loose ball ahead of the Farf defenders and blasting a half-volley past Íüé Tgô in the Farf goal.

Whilst there could be no arguing with the emphatic nature of Pelletiér's finish, Saint Émelie took the lead in apparently more controversial circumstances. Caseille stepped inside of Mârtín Básá just inside the penalty area when the Farf left-back clearly tripped the Saint Émelie winger. The referee pointed to the spot straight away, however many of the Farf team and their fans took issue at the decision, with those on field remonstrating with the officials. Eventually, they were forced to accept the decision and Sara Katjanovic, the only professional player in the Saint Émelie team, made no mistake from 12 yards.
Martín's side survived a nervy moment just before the break when a long shot from midfielder Somuele der Pros crashed off the crossbar and fell to the feet of Groaré Sasca, the striker poking unconvincingly over the bar with Joubert still on the ground.

Despite that, Saint Émelie only pulled away after half time and doubled their lead when Katjanovic turned provider, dragging a low cross through the 6 yard box which evaded everyone but the onrushing Caseille, the winger rewarded for her fine performance with a tap in at the back post.
Despite Farfadillis trying to get back in the game, Saint Émelie were by far the more incisive team and got a 4th before the final whistle when Katjanovic flicked home a free-header at the near post from substitute Tomas Cousineau's cross.

Underwhelming Farf Performance Leaves Çötàvíê under pressure

Farfadillis' usual attacking style was heavily blunted by some very loose attacking play with the front players at times looking totally disconnected. At the back they also looked shaky with the 3-player defence being stretched all over the park by Les Insulaire's direct forward play.

In the presence of Alex Téran, president of the FFFF (Frequently Failing Farf Footballers), who was expecting to see his team wrap up another win, the Farves instead had to settle for one of the two places in the last 16 reserved to the two teams jammy enough to be the best third-placed sides in the tournament. This means they will have to take on hosts Mriin in the round of 16, a match that based upon this performance, they will probably lose. With many already questioning whether manager Tíbürçìó Çötàvíê has lost his sanity, Téran may be forced to make changes to the Farfadillis management regardless of whether he can be bothered to do so. For the most disorganised football association in the multiverse let alone the region, this may be a struggle.

Martín delighted with historic victory

Although Saint Émelie's dramatic debut victory against Vilita & Turori in the last edition of the AOCAF was a more dramatic occasion, Saint Émelie manager Amélie Martín said that this match was the most accomplished of her team's international performances so far. Clearly satisfied with getting the upper hand over her rivals, she praised the team for its "professional response to pressure" and "impressive tempo", going as far as to say that this was the team's "best performance to date."

Les Insulaires will now face Eshan in their first AOCAF knockout match at the Public Park in Andü after the Mriin FA apparently took on board the Saint Émilean FA's criticism about the price of living in the team's group stage venue of Kaalen. 6th seeds Eshan finished second in group D after wins against Qasden and Novo Calania, but a loss to group winners Baker Park. Meanwhile, Farfadillis face a tougher task against hosts, 8th seeds and group A winners Mriin who won all three of their group stage matches.

by **Banija** » Thu Nov 29, 2018 10:37 pm

Kizza Makoni stood before the Lukiiko. He had briefly glossed over the newspapers- the Kadongo Kamu, by the skin of their teeth, had made their way into the ROund of 16 of the regional championships, after a surprising 0-0 draw with Lochario. A dominant victory over Audioslavia, while failing to score against the team that was supposed to be the easy victory in the group, the Banijans were fortunate to find a spot in the Round of 16. But here they were, as the second seed.

The match, of course, was tonight. Playing against none other than Tropicorp, for the right to make their third straight AOCAF quarterfinal, which would be a feat in and of itself. Naturally, of course, Makoni needed to face the Lukiiko. His day job as the Katikkiro of Banija, of course. How angry were legislators? Well, he'd find out. He stood for question as he saw the Speaker call on the first hand.

"Mr. Speaker!" Yelled the angry legislator. This man represented a district in the far North, in rural Moravica, just at Banija's northern border. One of Banija's most conservative areas, he knew what this guy was going to say before he started. "Our Katikkiro- the dearly elected- is a disgrace to this house!" Members of the People's Protection Movement, the center-right party that got hit hard during the last two election cycles, cheered. "He speaks of 'progressivism', and he speaks of 'catching up' to other nations. What exactly are we trying to catch up to? A bunch of people who protest eating back staple foods, like goat?" And many on the opposition benches applauded.

"The Law on Gender and Sports in Banija is the law of this great land. Why? Because we understand- men and women are different. If other countries don't understand that, well, then that's their problem. But us? Never! We are not a country that compromises our values. We hosted a World Cup, and our bishops featured prominently. Our churches opened their doors, our museums opened their hearts. We welcomed the world to Banija. Nobody complained. Why? Because they respect our traditions. This a legacy move by the Katikkiro, plain and simple. This legacy deserves where his career should go, Mr. Speaker, and that is in the bin."

There were shouts heard everywhere in the chamber after this inflammatory speech, as the Speaker struggled to get the House to order. He then called on another legislator, this time another social conservative, but from central Ankole. "Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this proposal. Look around you- the people do not want this move." While, of course, that was certainly debatable, there were certainly protests in many right-wing areas against this move. "Men and women were not built to play sports together. The tenant of the faith that is handed onto us from our ancestors is the Universal Call to Motherhood- the belief that the holiest call for any person is to motherhood. Holier than the priesthood. That is why mothers are so revered here in Banija. Why spoil that? Integrating our professional sports teams goes against that call. Each gender has its lane- we should not violate natural law."

More shouts were heard, as many from the opposition benches cheered while some of those from the government benches objected to those words. And, once again, the Speaker decided to recognize an opposition legislator- this one from suburban Busukuma, in the southern Kitara region. Representing a swing seat, he was a very moderate legislator- though he always liked to flex his conservative bona fides every once in a while. "Mr. Speaker, I rise against this abomination of a bill." He said. "We can invest in women's sports without this integration. Do we want somebody's wife sharing a locker room with a bunch of male athletes? It brings about temptation, for both genders. It brings about division in locker rooms. This proposal is even dividing our society. Has the Katikkiro even thought about this? This move is a distraction- distract from the failures of his government by pushing through these social issues. Let me be loud and clear- this government will be defeated on this bill."

The Speaker knew that he was facing a raucous debate- for once, the chambers of the Lukiiko were full, debating this topic heavily. Finally, someone from the government benches was allowed to speak. The Speaker was a backbencher, a freshman legislator. She was not in the cabinet- but here she was, speaking. Kizza, watching her intently, was waiting on her every word. He had never even met her personally- since becoming Katikkiro, he had been quite busy, of course, and her race was an upset victory. She won in Northeastern Istria, in the country's only legislative district where a majority of its population had citizenship elsewhere.

Because of that, of course, he was intrigued. "Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise in strong support of the Katikkiro's proposal." She said. That, of course, landed her boos from the opposition benches as she continued. "This is about doing what is right. Just think about this. Imagine being a little girl. Imagine growing up watching your heros, players like Aaron Aiza, like Chibuzo Afolayan, or Gitonga Kahara. Saying that, 'all I want to do is play soccer'. Growing up, practicing, playing as hard as you can. Seeing you're good enough to play for a living- but you cannot. Why? Because your own government says you can't. How ridiculous is that? Not everyone has the opportunity to cross the sea and play in the Equestrian States, as so many of our female athletes do. We must stand for them, the girl with a dream- pass this bill today."

An opposition legislator then stood up. The Leader of the Opposition was rising- Kizza Makoni was certainly going to lean into this speech. "This government is an abomination." He declared. No cheers there- everyone was listening to his words. "Bringing us forward this divisive issue, rather than focusing on issues that matter, are why this government has failed. Let's list them, shall we? Priority number one was to prosecute Hatabu Danso. Where is he? Living the good life in Geisenfred. The brain drain is getting worse. Now, he's out looking for good publicity in AO's rich countries to find himself a cushy job at some think tank for the rest of his days. It doesn't matter to him if this bill passes- as long as he can retire to Eshan, or Quebec, or Mriin, or any foreign country, and live the high life."

His words, of course, were stinging. A usual tactic of the Leader of the Opposition- blast Makoni, blast his motives. Makoni hated this- but the Leader of the Opposition was not done. "What kind of slippery slope are we going to be led on here if this bill passes? Are we going to have women playing gridiron?" A loud NO rang out from the opposition benches. "Are we going to have female priests and bishops? Are we going to change the law away from agnatic primogeniture? No! We will not stand for this social re-engineering of Banija. The people will not stand. This bill. Must. Fail."

The debate went back and forth, with heated arguments from the opposition benches while the opposite was true from the government benches- sound reason for the bill, and hardened emotions against it- at least, this was true in the eyes of Kizza Makoni. Whether he had a majroity was not yet known to him- too many of those on the government benches were silent, were not showing their faces, were not showing emotion. This would be the whipping effort of a lifetime- who would win? As the debate ended he went to his office. He pulled out some newspapers- how was the sports world reacting? He was about to find out...

by **Vilita and Turori** » Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:01 am

#NoShot4Demot

The Vilita and Turori Eel-Cat Things opened up their AOCAF title defending campaign against one of the cinderella stories from AOCAF 56, Demot. Demot advanced to the knockout rounds last time out where they were bested by Valanora in a highly anticipated clash. Their path to the knockout rounds seemed to get a bit tougher with the announcement of the group draw, however, with regional giants Vilita and Turori and Starblaydia drawn in the same group. Starting out against the defending regional champions was always going to be a daunting task for the former World Cup runners-up but the Dynamo held strong scoring early on through Atlantian FC's Carol Pugh to keep the match close for long stretches with Linvoi Warazil's goal for the defending champions holding the scoreline at 1-1 through the hour mark. Vilita and Turori had some inexperience on their backline with Goalkeeper Timaala Hualtia and defenders Lohani Riiyaaw and Biliki Rona'atu'i all making their debut alongside the one experienced defender Jirak Trikala. It wasn't until former Galactico Junior Player of the Season Nii'arala Milaaso broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute that the Eel-Cat Things finally broke free in the match and ultimately padded their lead and secured the victory when another starlet, Limu Katarakhna, opened their AOCAF 57 goalscoring account being in the right place to deflect a free kick past Skyhaven FC's Wesley Goulete. While it was a hard fought effort from the Dynamo, the quality eventually won out from Vilita and Turori who got their title defense off to a winning start.

Vilita & Turori [3] - [1] Demot

:: Vilita & Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 30' Linvoi Warazil
:: 73' Nii'arala Milaaso
:: 85' Limu Katarakhna

:: Vilita & Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 59%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 8

:: Demot Statistics ::
:: Possession: 41%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 4

Vilita & Turori Eel Cat Things Lineup v. Demot ::
[GK] Timaala Hualtia, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [D.] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [ML] Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MC] Limu Katarakhna, [MR] Kudii Davasarii, [FC] Kala'a Yuliizala, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Linvoi Warazil
BENCH::
[FC] Nii'arala Milaaso, [FC] Turakia Diijelhma, [M] Intikko Kuhilana, [M] Serabi Chamya, [U ] Lati'ala Giaoka, [D] Lulu Pumaziiri, [GK] Vernasa Sanamun

#PurplePeril

Vilita and Turori got to stay put on Matchday two with the highly anticipated clash between the Eel Cat Things and Starblaydia taking place in the shadow of the Easthold Castle Grounds at Seagate. It was one of the matches that would have been instantly circled by even the most foreign of neutrals and the organizing committee had little trouble selling out the allocated 50,000 tickets for the match in what was not only the most historically mouth watering matchup of the group stage, but also the highest ranked matchup of the round with the two teams having a combined ranking of 10. The next most highly ranked pairing in the Group Stages of AOCAF 57 would be the Valanora v. Banija matchup in Group F with a combined Ranking of 12 and... mildly less history between the two sides to draw in the supporters.

Luckily for those who had trekked out to the farmlands, the match did not disappoint. Vilita and Turori got off to a quick start through Marine Coast United's Enzoril Alabonni then not long after it appeared the match could become a bit of a run away as the defending champions quickly doubled their advantage through Nii'arala Milaaso who had been fed in by a long ball over the top from Rojara Tiones. The Eel Cat Things held their advantage until about the half hour mark when Starblaydia began fighting back. Their captain Marcello Di Bradini sent in a well placed free kick that found Viola Capadanno and the Starblaydi deficit had been cut in half at the half. When the match resumed, Starblaydia were once again pushing forward and in the space of 6 minutes they turned the tables on their rivals thanks to goals from Vilitan based attacking midfielder Kota Sato and the influential substitute Mercy Kaufman of the Beverington Hawks. The goals put Starblayida up 3-2 and the crowd was buzzing with the possibility of an upset and even a return to Glory for the team in Purple and White that hadn't won a major title in the lifetime of any of its current players.

Vilita and Turori would not go down without a fight, however, and Nii'arala Milaaso rescued the Eel-Cat Things breaking free in the 79th minute and chipping past an on-rushing Martin Bennett to level the scores. From then both teams settled for a point which would seemingly set them up to advance together on to the knockout rounds so long as their final group stage matches went to form.

Vilita & Turori [3] - [3] Starblaydia

:: Vilita & Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 6' Enzoril Alabonni
:: 11' Nii'arala Milaaso
:: 79' Nii'arala Milaaso

:: Vilita & Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 53%
:: Shots on Target: 5
:: Corner Kicks: 6

:: Starblaydia Statistics ::
:: Possession: 47%
:: Shots on Target: 7
:: Corner Kicks: 6

Vilita & Turori Eel Cat Things Lineup v. Starblaydia ::
[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [D.] Rojara Tiones, [ML] Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MC] Limu Katarakhna, [MC] Kudii Davasarii, [MC] Daliora Toru'u, [MR] Kentu Umaka'a, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni
BENCH::
[FC] Wiztsana Iretziia, [FC] Linvoi Warazil, [M] Lati'ala Giaoka, [M] Intikko Kuhilana, [U ] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [D] Inbekira Ajhabekk, [GK] Striitca Virahat

#EuraMovingOn

The Eel-Cat Things were sitting in good position going into their final group stage matchup against one of the regions historically worst teams - the Euran Oceania Territories. Something was different this time around, however, as the Euran Oceania Territories were level top of the group with Vilita and Turori after their stunning opening matchday draw with Starblaydia and an equally unexpected victory over Demot on Matchday 2. While the Euran's were likely still not expecting to advance to the knockout rounds on account of Starblaydia being expected to defeat Demot, it was still a position that the EOT'ers had never before been in - the final day of the AOCAF group stage and joint top of the table with a chance to move on.

The Eel-Cat Things were up 2-0 at the half thanks to goals from Enzoril Alabonni and Limu Katarakhna but seemed to take their foot off the gas at the half and the second forty-five minutes were a surprisingly closely contested affair. Vilita and Turori brought in Biliki Rona'atu'i in place of Lohani Riiyaaw on defense and the Cednia Beach AFC defender made an early mistake with their first touch that allowed Pierre-Louis Le Tonnelier a free shot on goal which was well taken to pull the Euran Oceania Territories back within one. As they had been doing throughout the tournament thus far, Nii'arala Milaaso took it upon themselves to restore the Eel Cat Things two-goal advantage but once again the Euran's would fight back this time on a corner kick with Timwise Gerduns heading past Vernasa Sanamun to set up a tense finish to the match with the Euran's feeling they needed a draw to have a chance at advancing. In the end, however, the only goal came from Rona'atu'i perhaps motivated to make amends for their earlier mistake and converting from long range with the Euran goalkeeper out of position to put the match out of reach and send Vilita and Turori through atop Group C.

Vilita & Turori [4] - [2] Euran Oceania Territories

:: Vilita & Turori Goalscorers ::
:: 21' Enzoril Alabonni
:: 24' Limu Katarakhna
:: 67' Nii'arala Milaaso
:: 84' Biliki Rona'atu'i

:: Vilita & Turori Statistics ::
:: Possession: 54%
:: Shots on Target: 10
:: Corner Kicks: 12

:: Euran Oceania Territories Statistics ::
:: Possession: 46%
:: Shots on Target: 6
:: Corner Kicks: 8

Vilita & Turori Eel Cat Things Lineup v. Euran Oceania Territories ::
[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [D.] Inbekira Ajhabekk, [D.] Rojara Tiones, [D.] Lulu Pumaziiri, [ML] Limu Katarakhna, [MC] Kudii Davasarii, [MC] Lati'ala Giaoka, [MR] Intikko Kuhilana, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Nii'arala Milaaso
BENCH::
[FC] Linvoi Warazil, [FC] Mirana Gotuai, [M] Daliora Toru'u, [M] Mbdiai Akarenaa, [U ] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [D] Amakli Inuro'o, [GK] Timaala Hualtia

. Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vilita & Turori             3   2  1  0   10   6  +4    7
2 Euran Oceania Territories   3   1  1  1    5   6  −1    4
3 Starblaydia                 3   0  3  0    5   5   0    3
4 Demot                       3   0  1  2    5   8  −3    1

Despite the defeat, the Euran Oceania Territories still advanced to the knockout rounds as unbeaten Starblaydia were held by Demot to their third consecutive draw leaving them to crash out of the competition on three points at the end of the Group Stage. It was quite unfortunate for the Euran Oceania Territories who would have been the first team eliminated on goal differential through the third place table had Starblaydia managed to defeat Demot. Instead, the Eurans finished second in the group behind Vilita and Turori and will advance to the Round of 16 where they will play Cosumar at the Iron Alley.

For the Eel-Cat Things, it will be a Round of 16 pairing against up-and-comes Siovanija and Teusland at the Wyvernscrest in Northbrush, the very same venue of their Group C matchday 3 victory over the Euran Oceania Territories, once again affording the Vilita and Turori Regional Squad the luxury of not having to travel between matches, a factor which should give them a further advantage over the 22nd ranked nation in the region. Despite the mixture of reigning World Cup, AOCAF and AO Champions League champions that make up the youthful Vilita and Turori squad in Mriin, however, they will not want to take Siovaija and Teusland lightly as the Goldhorns put up a solid fight against the Equestrian States on the final matchday of Group 3 action and will be looking to collect a signature victory for their program as they build toward the future.

AOCAF LVII || Everything Thread

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