WC 82 RP Thread

[Brusseldorf]

Tonight's guests: Michael Reno, Lisa Connolly, Craig Foster, and Simon Achiveal

 
 
 
Olivia Giroud (Host): Welcome to this Special Mid-qualification edition of Sidelines, the talk show that talks Football! Tonight we are joined by some of the most recognisable faces in Brusseldorfen football, plus a few special individuals who work behind the scenes to make it all tick!
Joining us on the panel tonight, Lisa Connolly, Sports correspondent for the Casablanca Herald. To her right, Michael Reno, sports commentator and comedian. And to my left we have panel regular, sports historian Simon Achiveal. And finally, the man of the hour, the Head Coach of Los Alrededores himself! Let’s have a big welcome for our guests!

Crowd cheers and applauds

(Host): So. We’ve reached the halfway mark of the Qualifiers. Craig. How are things in the home camp?

Craig Foster: Well. Wow.

A few crowd members cheer and whistle

Michael Reno: You sound surprised Craig!

Crowd and panel laugh

Craig: Honestly I’m bewildered. Not at the team’s performances, though it goes without saying that they have been incredible. Really just bewildered at how much we’ve done in such a short period of time, and how much support we’ve received. I couldn’t have sat here 10 days ago, true to myself, and told you that we’d have this status already. It’s just been incredible.

 

Antony Providence put on an incredible performance against Eastfield Lodge

 
Lisa Connolly: Well you did say that you’d focus on the football, you seemed very confident with your style of play.

Craig: Oh, for sure. I mean that is part and parcel of the pre-world cup confidence building. We are minnows on the world stage - You have to do it. I think we did it rather well, got everyone on the same page. And I think most people understood what I set out to do and why.

Michael: Sex sells.

Craig: Damnit. He’s found me out!

Crowd laughs, Michael winks

Craig: Yeah that’s exactly it, I wanted to play sexy football, and sexy football we’ve delivered. Who would have known that an incredible string of results would have followed! We’ve pulled out all stops and just gone for it. I’m so proud of the team. I’m proud of each of them individually and I’m proud of their team ethic. Solid victories, thrilling draws and taking the fight to some of the best Footballing nations. What more can you ask for?! As a manager it’s just been incredible to watch them overcome the hurdles, and grow as a team.

Simon Achiveal: I know you had some skeptics, worried that your focus wouldn’t deliver goals. So I applaud your work.

Craig: Look at the end of the day, it’s a hard ask for la lass y los lads^†. This is their job. This is their livelihood. For me to come in and ask them to play nicer-looking football, I think in other countries I might have been fired straight away! But this group of amazing people, I think they understand that football is much larger than just results. I came here to make Brusseldorf a footballing nation again. Results might do that, but you can’t stand on results. If you pick a style, if you make it your own, you develop a culture and a mantra. That stands on its own. You can build off of that.

Simon: As a historian I have to say that you’ve definitely figured it out. Arguably lack of culture was the reason why football basically disappeared in recent times, folks in the audience will remember the string of bad results that just crippled the football industry. And it was basically just that, an industry. Without results, it failed. Craig, what you’ve done is nothing short of incredible. You’ve already begun to develop a culture; children out in the streets, football on TV, football in the local parks, freestylers in the malls. It's truly a revolution, and I hope to see it succeed.

(Host): Well culture is certainly paramount, so I’d like to hear what the people in the stands have been thinking?

Lisa: Look, I do interviews with the fans occasionally, and the response is great, but my favourite responses are always from my daughter. She was lucky enough to go and see two of the home games. Both of those games, her hero, Andrea Zidane, has scored. Personally I think it’s wonderful, she’s 9 years old and that’s when role models are really important. And here you have a girl, a short girl, in the national team as a defender and she’s shutting down opposition attackers twice her size and even scoring goals.

 

Andrea Zidane is third on the scoresheet, with four goals to her name

 
(Host): I think you could say that’s a good metaphor for the whole team!

Lisa: Underdogs for sure! And my daughter absolutely adores her, she’s got two Los Alrededores shirts, she’s got one of mine from way back in the ‘88 Final against Pacifican, and she’s got her own one that has ‘Zidane’ on the back. That one’s her favourite, I have to take it off her to make sure it gets washed! Andrea Zidane is becoming a household name, and my daughter loves watching highlights from Meknes al Morocco, on YouTube, just so she can see more of her play.

Michael: Certainly you can tell up in the box that the passion is there. I'm not sure how much you get to see Craig, but from the box we can take it all in. Everytime Los Alrededores score, the fans go mental. They absolutely lose it! I think twelfth man is an understatement. Fennec Stadia has been packed since day one. I'd say you've got 55,000 players on the pitch there. Nothing compares.

(Host): I think we can all agree that the family up in the stands has been absolutely incredible, but let's hear it first hand. Please give a warm welcome to Los Alrededores Number 9, it's Brusseldorf's own sweetheart - Teddy Wolfenden!

Crowd absolutely loses it, several young girls in the front row faint, one middle aged man screams "Teddy I love you!"

 

The chosen one of Los Alrededores, Teddy Wolfenden

 
Teddy Wolfenden: Hello there!
 
 
 
 
The show cut to an ad break. Just as it was getting good, goddamnit. Harry got up and put the kettle on. Tomorrow was the real test. After that first 5-0 drubbing that put Los Alrededores in their place, they had made a surprise comeback. But with two very strong teams in the top spots, and a close battle below, Los Alrededores were going to have to keep up the miracles. Harry glanced back at the TV whilst he set down the tea leaves. Teddy was on the screen, promoting Living Football. C'mon Teddy he thought.

 
 
 
 
 
Here's how the group sits at the Mid-qualification break:

   Group 3                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                   9    7   2   0    38   17  +21    23
 2 Qasden                            9    7   1   1    29   14  +15    22
 3 Eastfield Lodge                   9    4   3   2    17   13   +4    15
 4 Brusseldorf                       9    4   3   2    22   21   +1    15
 5 Libertas Omnium Maximus           9    3   1   5    15   22   −7    10
 6 Dritten Asopie                    9    2   3   4    17   23   −6     9
 7 Acapais                           9    2   2   5    21   24   −3     8
 8 Santa Regada                      9    1   4   4    16   20   −4     7
 9 Quakmybush                        9    1   4   4    15   23   −8     7
10 Sulsuland                         9    2   1   6    13   26  −13     7

The Match Schedule is as follows:

March 10th:  Brusseldorf               0-5           The Holy Empire
March 11th:  Libertas Omnium Maximus   3-3               Brusseldorf
March 12th:  Brusseldorf               3-1            Dritten Asopie
March 13th:  Eastfield Lodge           1-2               Brusseldorf
March 14th:  Brusseldorf               4-2                 Sulsuland
March 15th:  Brusseldorf               3-3                   Acapais
March 16th:  Santa Regada              1-3               Brusseldorf
March 17th:  Brusseldorf               3-3                Quakmybush
March 18th:  Qasden                    2-1               Brusseldorf
March 19th:  Mid-qualifying Break
March 20th:  The Holy Empire           vs                Brusseldorf
March 21st:  Brusseldorf               vs    Libertas Omnium Maximus
March 22nd:  Dritten Asopie            vs                Brusseldorf
March 23rd:  Brusseldorf               vs            Eastfield Lodge
March 24th:  Sulsuland                 vs                Brusseldorf
March 25th:  Acapais                   vs                Brusseldorf
March 26th:  Brusseldorf               vs               Santa Regada
March 27th:  Quakmybush                vs                Brusseldorf
March 28th:  Brusseldorf               vs                     Qasden

 

 
 † 'La lass y los lads' is a Spanish-English hybrid for describing Los Alrededores. Directly translates to 'The woman and the men'

[Polkopia]

Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 (Part 1) • Chapter 4 (Part 2) • Chapter 5 (Part 1)

05. Anton (Part 2)

Despite how impossible this task seemed, Anton knew better than to complain - especially in front of a khočnik. Without mustering so much as a complaint, Anton grabbed his basket and headed out to the fields. He picked a spot that had already been dug up in some areas so that he wouldn't have to struggle to claw his way through the hard-packed earth. As he began digging, his hands already started to ache as the cold winds of a Polkopian autumn froze his hands and made every movement of his hands all the more difficult.

As he continued to kneel down and dig through the soil, he looked around the field and saw the very distant figure of Khočnik Martil as he supervised a laborer in another part of the field. He noticed too that there were men on horseback who made their way around the field and reported directly back to the khočnik. There was one of these men twenty meters in front of him, though his back was turned toward Anton. He knew better than to make direct eye contact with one of his superiors, so he kept his eyes trained on the earth below him and ran his palms back and forth atop the soil in order to dig up what lay underneath.

"Faster now, you fucking useless rat!"

"Move your ass, we haven't got all day!"

"I'll cut off a finger for myself if I don't see a quicker pace from you!"

These were only some of the demeaning threats that came from the khočnik. The men on horseback proved to be more silent, but their direct reports to Khočnik Martil brought about a new wave of threats and commands.

"I'm sick of these fuckin' pigs givin' us commands like they better than us, you know?" Anton heard the stranger's voice from over his shoulder. He turned over and saw an older man with a cap on his hands and knees, facing the opposite direction of Anton.

Anton sighed before turning back and continuing his work.

"What, youn't in agreement with me? Hah! That's fine, boy, you can live as a sheep for your life but I've seen better than this. I've only been here for three days and itn't taking me long to figure out that somethin' not quite right here."

Every now and then, when Mur'kumska suffered heavy casualties due to a plague, poor conditions, or some other factor, the village received a shipment of new peasants from other communes nearby in order to replenish the lost numbers. There had been a delivery of fifteen new peasants to join those at Mur'kumska three days ago, although there hadn't been any real need for this, as Mur'kumska hadn't suffered any heavy losses recently. Anton assumed that this man had been one of those fifteen.

Hours passed, and Anton repeated the motion of filling up his basket, bringing it to the granary where he dumped his basket into a cart, before assuming the same position as before. Every time he made his way to the field, he made sure to situate himself as far from the khočnik as possible. At one point, as he was in the process of digging, he heard a stranger approach him and he saw a pair of heavy leather boots in the corner of his eye.

"What is your name, boy?" Anton heard the gruff voice of Khočnik Martil over his shoulder.

"Anton, sir." Anton did not slow his pace and kept his eyes focused on the soil beneath him.

"And how many baskets have you up until now?"

"Eleven, sir."

"Are you lying to me?

"No, sir."

Anton the khočnik scoff and he held his breath, waiting for some sort of blow to be dealt, but none came. Anton heard the soil crumple underneath Khočnik Martil's feet as he left Anton to his work, and Anton let out a huge sigh of relief.

[Darmen]

OOC: If anyone wants/needs me to change their lineups, please let me know.

Cobrio 2-2 Darmen
@ Tukari Kaita National Stadium, Camaron
CBR: Cruz - Cooper, Johnson (Dabiri 80'), Armstrong (c), Spence - Picard, Fontaine (Dusang 68'), Ekeh - Lofuko, Warrington, Delfour (Dupré 74')
DAR: Campo - Virgo, Abbey, Lyne (Maddox 64') - Goldschmidt - Ó Cuilinn, Cardoso, Butler (Pickle 72'), Freud - Firmin (Lucanus 74'), Russell

GOALS
C-D
0-1 Russell 17'
1-1 Warrington 23'
2-1 Ekeh 63'
2-2 Lucanus 82'
Darmen 5-3 Balqia
@ Estadio Monumental Ernesto Chavarría, Rogerton
DAR: Abram - Wilkie, Krämer, Spalding - Ramírez (Good 77') - Armbruster, Svendsen, McNeil, Stafford - Lucanus (Hurst 73'), Blackwood (Borde 73')
BAL: Kalniq - M. Janus, Kuld, Tiriq, A. Kalta (Stravo 79') - Kruma - Egliti, Ptolq (Zvenqik 79') - B. Faj, Qalti (Putiniq 73'), Matiq

GOALS
D-B
1-0 Blackwood 10'
2-0 Lucanus   20'
2-1 B. Faj    38'
3-1 McNeil    45'
4-1 Svendsen  63'
4-2 Matiq     68'
5-2 Borde     78'
5-3 Zvenqik   87'
Eura 0-0 Darmen
@ Bastion Arena, Bastion
EUR: Belgrave - Burns, Hopkins, Murray, Haines - Wyatt (Miller 74'), Gravesen (Wright 74') - Woakes (Bevan 67') - Bond, Jones, Sharp
DAR: Abram - Wilkie (Espinosa 74'), Coghlan, Spalding - Ramírez - Mac Pharlain, Svendsen, Byrnes, Freud (St. John 71') - Hurst, Russell (Borde 65')

GOALS
E-D
0-0 Yawns & Snores
Darmen 1-0 Apox
@ City Stadium, Scott City
DAR: Campo - Virgo, Abbey, Maddox (Spalding 73') - Goldschmidt - Ó Cuilinn, Winton (Svendsen 73'), Butler, Stafford - Lucanus (Hurst 61'), Blackwood
APX: Spitfire - Redmond (du Plessis 72'), Jekyll, Scott, Fox - Palmisano, Townsend (Koyaanisqatsi 72'), Menheniot - Quintero (Arrowsmith 62'), Blake-Tatum, Ephraim-Garza

GOALS
D-A
1-0 Blackwood 64'

Darmen reaches halfway point on top of Group Six
Undefeated in last nine matches

Any worries All Greens' supporters may have had after the poor Copa Rushmori 31 campaign, or the hiccups of the pre-qualifying friendlies with Equestrian States and Banija, or the shaky start to qualifying, have by now disappeared. Darmen has navigated the first half of qualifying matches with a 6-2-1 record, its lone loss a surprising defeat to Skarten, and its two draws coming against Taeshan and Cobrio. The 2-2 draw with Cobrio, which it should be noted happened away from home for the All Greens, was followed by a 5-3 home victory against newcomers Balqia.

Darmen has also faced off against two opponents in friendlies during the halfway break: highly ranked regional rivals Eura and co-hosts of the upcoming World Cup Apox. Darmen's match with the Eurans turned out to be a snooze fest, as both sides came out with rotated sides who seemed more concerned about the possession stat than scoring goals. Darmen's match with Apox was only slightly more exciting, as both sides faced each other with their full strength lineups, but kept each other at bay for most of the match, limiting offensive chances and keeping the ball in the middle third for much of the match. Craig Blackwood's 64th minute goal was the lone breakthrough, coming after some tactical changes made by manager Godefroy Abascal.

The path forward for Darmen still won't be easy. The four teams at the top of the Group Six table; Darmen, Free Republics, Taeshan and the Macabees, are all within three points of each other. Fifth and sixth placed Cobrio and Skarten are further back on eleven points, but neither of them can be counted out just yet, especially the dangerous Cobrio side. If Darmen can navigate the first three matches of the second half of qualifying without dropping any points, the All Greens will be well on their way towards finishing in the top two positions. But any dropped points against the Macabees or Taeshan at home, and certainly against Skarten on the road, will be of some concern to the Darmenis. After that, it would appear that Darmen's only remaining tough matchup would be its road match against the Free Republics, but if Darmen can separate itself from the rest of the pack before then, the result of that match might not matter as much. Abascal might even be free to tinker with the 4-2-3-1.

Lineup vs. The Macabees
Campo - Virgo, Abbey, Spalding - Goldschmidt - Ó Cuilinn, Winton, Butler, Stafford - Hurst, Blackwood
(SUBS Abram, Coghlan, Maddox, Mac Pharlain, Svendsen, Freud, Lucanus)

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

A Grand Tour of the Confederacy

Megabrantis: Cosmopolitan Heartland
Part 1: Sivolvia
Part 2: Han Dold
Part 3: Molvania
For the eighth match of qualifying, the Black-and-Reds will host group favorites Pasarga at Megabrantid Financial Field in the Confederacy's largest city: Megabrantis. This gleaming metropolis is the state capital of Brantisvogan, the core of the Confederacy which also contains the national capital of Chalesm.

Geography
Megabrantis comprises the mainly flat interior of the western Confederacy, sharing borders with all six of the other states. Its only coastline is a relatively narrow stretch in the far west of the state where it extends between Han Dold and Sivolvia to reach the sea. Arkintoofle, on its eponymous bay is the busiest port in the confederacy, and the westernmost major city in Megabrantis. Far inland, the land rises gradually into the heavily eroded highlands along the Molvanian border, while in the north, the border with Flania is formed by the upper reaches of the Han River. While most of the major cities are found further to the South, Hensha is located on the Brantid side of the Han river, not far from the border with Han Dold, and Golgafrincham sits on Long Lake, just a few dozen miles from the Molvanian border. To the south and west, the land slowly falls away into gently rolling country divided by numerous rivers, many of which have been dammed or otherwise exploited for hydropower. Much of the native forests of the region were felled in the early modern period as demand for farmland and lumber grew. The same extent of land is no longer necessary with the advent of modern farming technologies, and some areas have been allowed to return to woodland. It is not unusual, however, to stumble over stone walls marking the boundaries of old fields when hiking through a Brantid forest. The biggest impacts upon the landscape, however, are of human manufacture. The Brantid Corridor (also called the Arkintoofle VIltvodle Axis or AVA) is a term sometimes used to describe the coalescing megalopolis stretching from Arkintoofle on the coast across the southern parts of Megabrantis to Viltvodle near the Algolian border. Along this line, the great cities (from west to east) of Arkintoofle, Flamarion, Brantisvogan, Chalesm, and Viltvodle have gradually grown outward over the decades to the point that their suburbs have begun to merge. This urban region is the unquestioned center of population, media, industry, and finance for the entire Confederacy.

History
The earliest written reference to the inhabitants of what is now Megabrantis is a reference from the Annals of Faraj I, a bronze-age King of Jaglan, precursor state to the Kingdom of Algolia. The entry describes a victory won by Faraj over "the Brantid tribe of the northern plains." Like Molvania, Megabrantis was disunited for much of its history, with petty kingdoms based in the various major cities competing for territory and influence, united only by language. The southeastern parts of the state were, at various times, tributaries to the Kings of Jaglan and Algolia. Though many rulers of the various city states of the south tried with verying success to bring their neighbors under their sway, thee unification of Megabrantis did not begin in earnest until the early modern era. The ruling families of the southern cities frequently intermarried to cement alliances, but were usually careful to avoid letting any one family consolidate too many claims to the rule of other cities. Unfortunately for these carefully laid plans, a plague swept through Megabrantis in the seventeenth century, laying many rulers and their closest heirs to rest. In the wake of the plague, Flamarion was ruled by a regency council for its 6-year-old Duke, but Brantisvogan and Chalesm were under the control of a single couple. Neither Riistar Daril of Brantisvogan and Telara Pasun of Chalesm had been particular high in their respective lines of succession, but the ravages of the plague (perhaps helped along by assassins) left them in power with their heir set to inherit both cities. They promptly organized a coup in Flamarion which saw them both added to the regency council, giving them effective control of the city, and simultaneously signed a secret pact with Algolia promising not to interfere in the event of war with Viltvodle. Algolia promptly laid siege to Viltvodle, and the Daril-Pasun dynasty's only remaining rival in the region was Arkintoofle. The conquest of that city would not be completed until years later, and while there were certainly setbacks along the way, by the time they died, their son Eptas inherited not a personal union of Chalesm and Brantisvogan, but a new nation-state by the name of Megabrantis. He and his successors would continue to expand their territory, mostly to the north, and Megabrantis reached its full extent just in time to be invaded by the Imperium, which had already established footholds in Han Dold and Sivolvia, and had an alliance with Algolia. Having overextended its military and emptied its treasury, Megabrantis was unable to must sufficient defense to fend off the attack, and articles of surrender and annexation were signed less than two years after the beginning of hostilities. As the seat of the Imperial Viceroy, Megabrantis was the main battleground during the civil war, and was wracked by near constant guerrilla and terrorist activity. Certain older neighborhoods, particularly of Brantisvogan, Chalesm, and Arkintoofle still bear the scars of the war, but for the most part, the memory is beginning to fade along with the physical evidence.

Culture
Megabrantis is the most diverse state in the Confederacy, with many residents having their family origins in the other states, or in other countries. Megabrantis also has by far the largest concentration of ethnic Squornshelans in the Confederacy, a relic of its status as seat of the Imperial Viceroy. This diversity has at times led to tensions. During the years of the Imperium, Squornshelans naturally had an advantage with regard to advancement, and still occupy a disproportionate number of executive and government positions. Progressive employment and housing policies and regulations did much to even the playing field in the aftermath of the Civil War, but Brantid society is now divided between those who continue to support those policies as the best way to continue to promote income equality and a fair market, and those who insist that they are no longer necessary, and give an advantage to minority groups based on ethnicity. Despite the perception of some of the public that Megabrantis as a whole has a achieved an ethnically harmonious, integrated society, the fact is that many cities are still fairly segregated by neighborhood, with minority groups, particularly Molvanians, Sivolvians, and Flanians generally living in lower income areas than Brantids, Squornshelans, and Algolians. As home to many of the major broadcasting and printing corporations, Megabrantis has a disproportionate influence on media in the Confederacy, particularly news television. Brantids, whether consciously or unconsciously, often have a tendency to view their state as rather directly identified with the Confederacy itself, something which does tend to brew resentment of Branid hegemony in the other states. Regarding food, the cities of Megabrantis are home to nearly every form of food imaginable, and while particular cities have trademark dishes, there is not really a unified Brantid cuisine.

Getting There and Getting Around
Megabrantis has several major airports and extensive and well-maintained modern transport infrastructure. While renting a car will still provide maximum convenience in the countryside, it is not strictly necessary in the larger cities, which are all served by light rail systems. The intercity rail system for both passengers and freight in Megabrantis is robust to the extent that a football club originally founded by employees of one railway company, Brantid Railways, competes today in League 1 of the SCFA.

[Starblaydia]

Turn Around, Bright Eyes
Can Fëanáro get Qualifying back on track?

What on earth is going on with Starblaydia's World Cup Qualifying campaign so far? Pundits, fans and even players are completely bemused as to quite what is happening to this much-heralded Starblaydia side. They're a team who have steadily climbed the ranks since their low-point of just scraping into the top 50 in the world, and made it to Pot One of two consecutive Qualifying Draws as one of the top sixteen teams who need to go through the process. They're a match for anybody, on their day, but in the last nine matches they've only managed to win four of them, coming up already with as many draws and more losses than the whole of their previous campaign, trying to make it to Banija and the Free Republics for the 81st World Cup. That side, containing many of the same players, managed a seven game winning streak within a twelve match unbeaten run to finish off Qualifying and make it through in style. This current team will have to pull something equally as extraordinary out of the bag if they're to keep their string of Consecutive world Cup appearances going. Let's first look at the Group 14 table, and how they've got themselves into this mess in the first place.

The Listless Start
A full and rocking Stadii Di Bradini saw Filindostan come to visit on the opening match day, but Starblaydia completely failed to get out of the blocks against a side that they really should be beating if they want to be putting down a marker for the automatic spots for qualification. But no, it wasn't to be, as they ground out a one-all draw. That wasn't the worst of starts, of course, but not too encouraging to begin with. A routine away win in Omerica, where Starblaydia were the ones taking out the trash, helped settle the nerves a bit, but then came the first major blow: a home loss to Cassadaigua. Everyone knew that the Dagans would be Starblaydia's toughest test in this group and it was unfortunate that they'd have to play their two closest rivals in the opening three matches. Starblaydia had the benefit of being at home, however, and spectacularly failed to capitalise on that fact. One point from six against Cassadaigua and Filindostan tells its own story, one that's even worse when you consider that Filindostan immediately went on a three game losing streak after their solitary point against the team in white. Four points from nine, with youngster Sutter McCloud yet to register on the scoresheet,
and Starblaydia were rooted to the middle of their group, already five points behind the two leading teams.

The Fly in the Champagne
Four games in a row, two away and two at home, against the teams expected to finish solidly in the bottom half of the table come the end of this campaign. After not exactly cruising to a reasonable 2-0 away in Abristan - the current 'best of the rest' side who are just two points behind Starblaydia's own total of 15 - it finally looked like the five times World Champions were back in business when they annihilated North Quadana 4-1 in the Stadii Di Bradini. An even larger scoreline of 5-1 over Britaen would come next, inspired by Mezna Rayyen's return to the Starting XI. But, and there's often a but, in between those two home demolitions was the 1-0 loss away in Tiiwark. Barely a shot on target and none to actively threaten the scoreline, Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side had shot themselves in the foot right when they needed - and indeed expected - their points the most.

The Sluggish Middle
Right when you need to have your form on the up, have your confidence high and the wind at your back as you head in to the two crucial away matches against the teams who are closest to you on paper, the last thing you need are two draws. Draws are killers in a league format, as although you have the vague psychological life preserver of getting a point for your troubles, your rivals can race away by two points at a time and you end up feeling like they're totally untouchable. This is what happened against both The Sherpa Empire and the surprise packages of this group, Polkopia. This has left Starblaydia three points adrift of the automatic qualification spots and five away from the top of the group. Filindostan even managed to sneak ahead of Starblaydia as their five game winning stream continued, picking up as many points in those matches as Starblaydia have managed in the entire first half of Qualifying.

Qualifying so far:

MD     Opponent           Score  Goalscorers
01  H  Filindostan         1-1   Cole
02  @  Omerica             3-0   Sato, Cole, Apelles
03  H  Cassadaigua         2-3   Capodanno, Sato
04  @  Abristan            2-0   McCloud, Rayyen
05  H  North Quadana       4-1   Cole, McCloud, Krakowski, Kaufman
06  @  Tiiwark             0-1   None
07  H  Britaen             5-1   Rayyen (2), McCloud, Cole, Apelles
08  @  The Sherpa Empire   1-1   McCloud
09  H  Polkopia            2-2   Cole, Dashwood

It's totally possible, given the relatively thin margins, that win here and and unexpected loss there will be the key to deciding this group. It so often is with the team in white with purple trim. It's been, essentially, forever since they cruised through a qualifying group, and the nature of international football now makes that an increasingly unlikely proposition going forward. But what is causing this blip in Starblaydia's otherwise upward trend in fortunes, and how can it be rectified? Let's examine the popular arguments around it:

You'll Win Nothin' with Kids
'Too many inexperienced players' is the most often cited issue. Teenagers Sutter McCloud and Arkady Krakowski were handed starting berths, while players like Theodore Sigismund, Amari Olarion and Tupu Alofa had only a handful of caps between them. Even the captain herself is only twenty-four. This is a youthful Starblaydi side of the like that hasn't been seen in generations and, sometimes, it seems like they're playing that way. But look again, these teenagers have just won the Under-18 World Cup. Sutter McCloud, after a slow start, has racked up a goal every two games and is only bettered by stalwart Adam Cole, who has a five goal tally so far. The likes of Cole, Mezna Rayyen, Austin Dashwood, Sterling Renshow and Capodanno all have over thirty appearances for their country to their name already. Rayyen, from the bench, has three goals in five games, only just ahead of eighteen year old Calindra Apelles with two goals in four and thirteen years her junior. The kids are performing; they may not be world beaters quite yet, but they've all been fairly solid in their play. It's not their fault; the kids are alright.

Too Much History, a.k.a. Choking
Sometimes it's hard to live up to the ghosts of the past. Glorious, untouchable ghosts of glittering trophies who forged the five stars that sit on the breast and weigh so heavily on the shoulders of those who would seek to fill the shoes of past greats. Some teams get around this problem by retiring numbers, as if to say 'there is no greater thing that a future wearer of this shirt could accomplish'. Starblaydia, on the other hand, has always challenged its players to meet the expectations of the past and blaze new trails of new accomplishments with the victories of the distant past as a foundation to build on, rather than a stone to be dragged down by. Starblaydi players are informed by their shirt number, their bar to meet, their mission to achieve. Starblaydia's national motto, translated to Honour, Glory, Blood is a challenge. The Raiigar is the acknowledgement of a challenge, both a path for it's singers to walk and a gauntlet to be picked up by the opposition. Five stars on the shirt is a challenge, RAWRCRUSH is a challenge, the guff spouted by Audioslavian news outlets are a challenge, Krytenia's very existence is a challenge and this is nothing new for Starblaydia, the SFA, the coach or the players. Skip.

Fëanáro's Out of Touch
They say she's old-fashioned and that the modern game has left her strategy and tactics dead in the water.Of course she's old-fashioned, the woman is over four thousand years old at this point, and won the World Cup twice when your great-great-grandfather was in nappies and the World Cup might as well not even have been in colour, never mind HD. What we've learned from Ázëwyn Fëanáro over the years is that she's smart, adaptable and continually keeping up with football trends. She's not wedded to the 'traditional' Starblaydi 4-4-2 Diamond, as we all know how well that was working out for Starblaydia during the septuagenarian editions of the World Cup (hint: badly). Short answer: she's fine. Thank u, next.

This Defence is Terrible
Sami Viiprui plays in Velestria. Theodore Sigismund is only 24 and had precisely eight appearances before these qualifiers. Tupu Alofa is somehow a 31 year old veteran yet has only 17 caps to his name. This is not a back three for the ages, certainly, but they have Viola Capodanno protecting them, playing for arguably the best club team in the world, alongside Austin Dashwood. In goal there's Amari Ollarion, who did as well as pretty much any Starblaydi goalkeeper has ever done at club level with a solid run into the Globe Cup Knockouts with Corinthian Spirits. Starblaydia's defence is the 10th-strongest in the entire Qualifiers after nine games, despite them being one of the more attack-minded sides of the 150 who have entered. The numbers don't lie, Starblaydia's defence is not terrible. Sure, they concede on average a goal every game, but in 1714 matches, that's what Starblaydia have consistently done in their sixty-three World Cups of involvement. Played 1714, scored 3639, conceded 1901. This is entirely average for Starblaydia, and with a trophy cabinet that most other national teams would kill for, 'average for Starblaydia' is everyone else's 'pretty good'.

...show more content...
Sutter McCloud hasn't scored 37 goals in 0.65 matches. Viola Capodanno's highlight reel includes times where she challenged for the ball and didn't quite get it under control. Amari Ollarion cannot dive from one post to the other in a single bound. Mezna Rayyen cannot sprint from one goal line to the other in eight steps over three seconds. Alan Eccleston is not (quite) fifty feet tall. They're a football team, with their strengths and their weaknesses just list any other football team. They're drawn from across a football-obssessed nation with a gargantuan history and enough funding to turn the raw talent into shining diamonds. But there are a lot of other nations out there with well-funded, well-promoted and long-standing football talent programs, some also based on decades or even centuries of success across multiple sports. It's all one giant arms race, and Starblaydia are competing to a decent standard in it.

From here, Starblaydia's path can go two ways. They can, ideally, clamber back up the table into either first or second place with a string of results that only need to be slightly better than their rivals. They'll learn from the experience, or not, and go to the World Cup and put all this frustration and heartache behind them. Or, they'll continue to stink up Group 14 and end up being the great white whale in the Cup of Harmony when everyone wants to play Captain Ahab, and even the possibility of lifting that trophy will not calm the nerves or soothe the egos. Fëanáro's team needs to start winning consistently, and start winning soon, otherwise they'll find both their confidence and their KPB ranking taking a hit which could take a decade or more to recover from.

[Oberour Ar Moro]

Oberour Ar Moro 4-2 Kevagaria
@ Parade Grounds, Regium

Goals
7': Taran Bele, Oberour Ar Moro
20': Taran Bele, Oberour Ar Moro
26': Ruran l'Ermite, Oberour Ar Moro
43': Drev Brébeuf, Oberour Ar Moro
50': Kevagaria
58': Kevagaria

Oberour Starting XI
GK Raphael Friquan
LB Gwion du Bourc-la-Reyne
RB Raphael au Cinge
SW Drev Brébeuf
SW Annaneg Chaumeeur
LM Roparzh Ricouart
RM Ruran l’Ermite
CM Jerian Pellier
LW Jakou Chirot
RW Ruran l'Ermite
ST Taran Bele

Oberour Substitutes
62' Out: Raphael au Cinge; In: Acacius Thibault
68' Out: Taran Bele; In: Nycollas Mauranghas
81' Out: Drev Brébeuf; In: Doenerth Deylaud

Eighty-Second World Cup Qualification Schedule
WIN DRAW LOSS

MD1: Overour Ar Moro 2-2 Eura
MD2: Drawkland 5-4 Oberour Ar Moro
MD3: Oberour Ar Moro 1-1 Lochario
MD4: Rakivland 4-4 Oberour Ar Moro
MD5: Oberour Ar Moro 3-0 TigerSharkistan
MD6: Audioslavia 2-2 Oberour Ar Moro
MD7: Oberour Ar Moro 5-2 San Rocca
MD8: Darkmania 3-4 Oberour Ar Moro
MD9: Oberour Ar Moro 4-2 Kevagaria
MD10: Eura (7-2-0) v. Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1)
MD11: Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1) v. Drawkland (5-2-2)
MD12: Lochario (3-3-3) v. Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1)
MD13: Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1) v. Rakivland (1-4-4)
MD14: TigerSharkistan (2-1-6) v. Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1)
MD15: Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1) v. Audioslavia (7-1-1)
MD16: San Rocca (0-2-7) v. Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1)
MD17: Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1) v. Darkmania (4-1-4)
MD18: Kevagaria (1-2-6) v. Oberour Ar Moro (4-4-1)

[Kandorith]

Shinonome Kyoai - International
_________________________________

Defeat Leaves Sour Taste

After renewed hope Kandorith faces yet another painful defeat. Confused people look towards Moriyase for explanation. The recent unnecessary defeat is another painful one caused by a defense with increasing difficulties.

[Banija]

Part VI

Kabaka - King
Luguba - Queen Consort
Sarauniya - Queen Mother
Isebantu - Crown Prince
Omugabe/Omugaba - Prince/Princess
Omulangira/Kyabazinga - Duke/Duchess
Kagere/Kiweewa - Lord/Lady
Katikkiro - Prime Minister
Waziri - Foreign Minister
Lukiiko- Parliament
Kiongozi- Leader of the Opposition

The Scene is set at Mujaguzo Palace in Busukuma, National Capitol Region, Banija

Kabaka Mwanga, freshly crowned, was sitting at Mujaguzo Palace. The festivities had largely ended around his corornation- the Is had been dotted, the Ts had been crossed. All of the formalities- from the meeting of the Royal Council, to the funeral, to the ceremony of the coronation itself, had all happened. And now, of course, he sat in the chair that he had been born to sit on- the throne. Doing so in tragedy, of course, but such was the expectation when you were born into this position. The death of your father was the opportunity for yourself, like it or not, and here he was. He had convened a smaller meeting today with just four others, to discuss the all important oil discoveries in the Northeast, in Entebbe, Hangaza, where his father had passed.

Andrew Mavuto, of course, the man who found the oil, was here. One other person here was his mother- Iriama, the Sarauniya. How would their relationship be? It was hard to tell, but he trusted his mother- how would that go? Another was the Minister for Public Resources, Alanso Mantobo- a representative of the Katikkiro’s, and, of course, his ministry responsible for a lot of the approval and permit process. And lastly, of course, his younger brother, Omugabe Basamula. He wanted his oldest daughter here too, Omugaba Immaculate, but she was being sent to Eshan today. A memorial service would be held before the Eshan v. Banija World Cup Qualifier kicked off the 2nd half of World Cup Qualification, and with it, of course, what an opportunity to hold a joint memorial ceremony for the Kabaka and the Echani Foreign Minister. But they were to report on what was going on.

“OK, my friends, let’s get down to business.” Said the Kabaka. “I need to be updated on what exactly is going on with these oil fields. I have not had an opportunity to be properly briefed since the whole thing started, and with my father’s..” He stopped, his voice slightly breaking. But he quickly regained his composure, and kept speaking. “Well, we have been busy over the last couple of weeks. Funeral, coronation, I was in Qusmo, and all of that. I need to know everything that is going on- from how much we got, to how we’re going to drill.”

Andrew Mavuto stood up. He had not planned on this, of course. HE wanted to work on cultivating a relationship with Kabaka Albert III, the previous monarch and head of state, to ensure that they could work out something. Now, of course, a curveball had been thrown at him- New Kabaka. Still, he owed it to himself to make the most of the new situation. “Your Majesty, I just wanted to thank you for inviting me here.” He said. “As I told your father, this is an opportunity that is large, and fantastic, for the people of Banija. It has the ability to enrich this nation. With the money possible from oil revenues, we can move our nation forward to developed, first world status. You see all the economic development, those massive buildings, those beautiful roads, when you go abroad? That is all possible right here, in Banija.”

“And, of course, we have a number of options to get the financial assistance necessary to actually start drilling- though, of course, with the word spreading, the opportunities are growing. While we don’t have a numerical estimate on the number of barrels of oil, it is, indeed, said to be a ‘significant amount’ by my engineers- enough to make us major players in the global oil industry, to make us a major oil supplier. And, as far as we can tell, none of these deposits cross the Geisenfred border- which means Banija has the sole and undisputed right to all of this oil. It is, indeed, a good thing.

However, we have many options. I have spoken my preferred one to your father, and like I said, we need the ability to create a consortium- a company that is going to be able to drill. I proposed a public company- Owned 30% by myself and my company, 30% by the Banijan Government, and 30% by some investors that I can guarantee you the ability to corral from Eshan. 9% of the company will be owned by the public, in terms of stock sold on the Rosaria Stock Exchange, while the last 1% would be owned by the regional government. This gives the Banijan people a direct stake in the company, which would exempt it from taxes- but with that stake, profits can be directly put into government coffers, for the benefit of the people.”

It was here, where Omugabe Basamula intervened. “Your Majesty, my good brother.” He said. He was normally the quiet type- but of course, with the death of his father and his brother rising to the throne, that meant he was going to be named Omulangira soon. Hadn’t been done yet, of course, as the Kabaka had not officially changed the royal titles of others upon his ascession to the throne, but it wasn’t long coming. But with that, of course, came that change of status. He was gaining influence, with his generation now in charge, as his brother was Kabaka. He had even served on the World Cup 81 host committee. Known as an eccentric personality, he had almost started a diplomatic spat with South Covello during the last World Cup, but, of course, here he was. “I think that deciding on the investment plan like that would be too soon. We have plenty of allies who would be willing to invest into our country. Have we really thought this out, and considered all of our options?”

“Your Majesty, you yourself have worked directly well with Prime Minister Schoenlein. The Commonwealth of Baker Park is a traditional ally of Banija’s- and I am sure that there are many willing investors from that country. You could talk to her, host her on a visit, or even head over there yourself, to hammer out an agreement.”

“Your Majesty, your Royal Highness”. Said Minister Mantobo. “You must remember- the elected government, of course, should have a voice in this process. Now, I must say- there are very many an option for the option of foreign investment. We could think outside the box. Do you remember when the Euran Minister for AO affairs went to the Katikkiro’s major speech to the Lukiiko, at his invitation? A moment that not many remember, but that this government certainly has not forgotten. Your Majesty, the Prime Minister for Eura is actually in the region right now- travelling through the Atlantian Oceania territories. There are rumors, though I cannot confirm them, that they would be very interested in becoming an investor into Banijan oil as well. Should we deny them that right?”

The meeting ended up being fairly divided- but the lines were being drawn. It was Omugabe Basamula, Kabaka Mwanga’s younger brother, and, to a lesser extent, Sarauniya Iriama, who were strongly in favor of approaching Baker Park for the foreign investment required to make the dream of Banija, as an oil supplier, turn into a reality. Andrew Mavuto, of course, advocating for private investors from the Echani Republic, a land where he was so well connected in the business world. And Mantobo, of course, saying that they should branch out, and reach out to Eura.

The Kabaka ended the meeting after a while. They had gone in circles. He had to attend another meeting- one with his security team. Figure out what the hell had happened in Entebbe.

---

One Hour after the Previous Events, Situation Room, Mujaguzo Palace

Kabaka Mwanga, after his previous meeting, had to take care of some other business before he could attend his next meeting. He had not had the opportunity to write an apology to Qusmyr Qaq for his sudden leave from their meeting, now a few weeks ago. Still, of course, that needed to happen. He took advantage of the down time to write that letter to the Qusmyr Qaq. He expressed his interest in another meeting when his schedule would allow for it. Admittedly, of course, that could be a long time from now, with everything on his plate.

Regardless, Kabaka Mwanga walked into the room for his own briefing. A number of high level principals were in the room, and staff was scurrying around the room. But as he walked in, of course, everybody rose, and they bowed to the new Kabaka. He acknowledged them, and he took his seat. Still a few minutes before the meeting was supposed to start. He looked around at who was at the table. He saw the Katikkiro, to his immediate right. He saw Lt. Col. Kizza Botoro, the new head of the Royal Guard. The old head of the Royal Guard, of course, had resigned after the coronation. With the transition largely complete, and the nation trying to move forward, he’d be the subject of a vicious public inquiry- the first Banijan monarch not to die of natural causes in over 200 years.

He continued to look around. Saw a number of members of the national security establishment, the heads of various agencies- from the national police, to the federal police, to even a military representative. He waited for everyone else to be ready, and then, of course, he opened the meeting.

“OK, everybody, I need to know what is going on.” Said Kabaka Mwanga. “We’ve obviously determined this is not part of some major plot to overturn the country- but this is still crucial. What happened? How did we let my father, His Majesty Albert III, get shot from that kind of distance? Who did it? Who has been arrested?”

“Your Majesty,” began Lt Col. Botoro. He was going to continue, but then, saw a look from the Katikkiro. The Katikkiro, of course, outranked the Royal Guard Commander, so he sat back down. The Katikkiro rose.

“Your Majesty,” the Katikkiro said. “I have been fully briefed- I will tell you what is going on. We had three people who were planning to protest drilling at all in the region- their names being Kayla Labongo, Chika Uzoma, and Jioke Orji. Of course, they are not members of the Lugazi Tribe. Those people are not happy about drilling either, but of course, I will get to that.”

“Your Majesty, these people were radical environmentalists. During the Mutebi era, all three had been arrested for what were deemed political crimes, and of course, let off easily. They came to protest- but they came violently. They seem to be informally organized, and Kayla Labongo is certainly their leader. We believe that she is the one who fired the weapon to kill your father, may he rest in peace. The Royal Guard, in the ensuing firefight, killed both Uzoma and Orji, and were able to apprehend Labongo. Ms. Labongo has a history of radical political beliefs, of course, but for the time being, it is looking like she was working on her own.”

“The biggest problem, your Majesty, is that the Lugazi are said to be piping mad about any plans to drill. You know how restless that region can get- and there is a reason that martial law was not declared there in the immediate aftermath, even though that would have certainly happened almost anywhere else in the country. That could have provoked a violent reaction from the Lugazi. Many of our people have spoken with some of their leadership, and we have one quoted, though of course not publicly, that ‘the shooting should teach the country a lesson- they shall not drill on our land’. And now that this has happened, you could see opponents emboldened.”

Kabaka Mwanga then started to speak. “You know, I believe that we must have a show of strength here. We must treat Labongo with the full force of the law. The assassination of a head of state, and of a foreign diplomat, cannot be tolerated. It is not the way to conduct politics. I believe that, if we show a strong reaction against violence for political means, we can send a message- that resource, of course, belongs to all Banijans- not just the Lugazi.” His mind was racing.

“When is Labongo’s trial?” He asked.

“In the next 2 or 3 weeks. She, of course, will be tried by the Guardian Council.” Said the Katikkiro. The Guardian Council, in addition to having the ability to block laws passed by the Lukiiko, if 5 of the 6 members opposed them, was responsible for ensuring that laws, and the application of them, maintained the religious character of the country. But, of course, very rarely, were they the court of last resort. Court cases could be appealed to them, but rarely.

Of course, they could intervene whenever they wanted within the Banijan court system- but they rarely did so. But with a case like this, they could not resist. They had decided to take the case out of the hands of the justice system, and into their own. One of the big things about that? Only the Guardian Council had the ability to assign somebody the death penalty. That made it major, and with the embarrassment caused to Banija by the assassination of a diplomat, the possibility that Labongo might see the literal rope, Banija’s method of execution, was high.

“Well, of course, I cannot get involved in the deliberations of the Guardian Council.” Kabaka Mwanga replied. Which, of course, was technically true, though in reality, it was far grayer than that. Kabakas did that all the time. “But, I imagine that the public prosecution will choose to punish her to the full extent of the law.. It is only with a heavy hand, that this problem can be rooted out.”

Everyone in the room looked at him, quite a bit taken a back. Banija hadn’t executed anybody in 20 years- were they about to? Was that the new Kabaka endorsing that route? Nobody had much of a response for the Kabaka, and so, they continued the meeting, speaking on other issues. But of course, that implicit endorsement, that fateful meeting, would go on to play a major role in what would happen next…

[Lisander]

Porto Gris, March 18.

"Victor, your telephone is ringing."

"Please, honey, pick up the call. I'm busy now. I'm trying to fix something in my FootballSuperstar. Seems like this World Cup Mode have some glitch. All players are bald!"



Victor Egremont, Liath Cuain CP midfielder was busy playing in the World Cup mode of his videogame, while his wife attended the phone. Suddenly, she ran to the living room and jumped over him!

"Drop this now and talk with this man! He'll give you a better game to play."

"Silvia, are you mad? You almost break the controller!"

"Who cares! Pick the phone!"

Egremont picked up the phone and approached of his ear.

"Hello?"

"Victor Egremont? It's Andreas Fox here. Lisander national team is in need of a midfielder for the second half of qualifiers. Can you be the one?"

"Mr Fox? That Mr Fox?" He seemed to disbelief, but that was the right voice.

"Yeah, that's me. If you want to join the team, say it now, or I'll call Vittorio de Mathis!"

"NO! I say... YES! I want to join the team!"

"I'll send a car to pick you in your home. Liath Cuain was already informed. You have one hour."

"Great, I'll pack some stuff. Thank you, thank you very much, Mr Fox!"

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

2nd Half of Qualifying set to open
by Frank Armitage
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth National Team will host Nantians & Nosts at Salisbury Stadium for the 10th match in World Cup 82 qualifying, looking to carry the momentum built up over the last 6 matches before the break.

Baker Park sit 2nd in Group 9, nine points behind leaders Nephara, who have yet to lose in this tournament; they have to hope that the Cormorants have a similar run of results that the Commonwealth had in the last qualifying, when they dropped points after sweeping the 1st half of matches in the group. However, with there being no playoff among the second and third place teams for the other berths in the WC Finals, BP would only need to maintain their position to go through.

There will be only two more matches apiece for the split squad rosters, after which the final group will be determined and will play the final 5 matches. Although it hasn't been announced, it is expected that Trevor Richmond and Pam Scott will again work together on the staff for the combined team, as they did for World Cup 81.

The FAC also announced the remaining venues for the final 4 home matches: Tinhampton (MD3) at Newport City Stadium; Walenstein (MD5) at Collins Park, Oceana; Robostania (MD7) at State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield; and Blaneu (MD9) TBD, Belle Haven.

lineup vs NTN--Pelletier; Brown, D Haller, Messer; Santos, Shaw, Ohler, Whitestone; Bozeman; Jones, Agahambri

[Mriin]

aroundthehorn.mrn

2-all-all

We've just rolled over the halfway point of World Cup qualifiers and I'm happy to say the Reavers are in a solid spot. Four points above an overperforming Apl0n team that's likely to regress and with a tremendous away win over archrivals Farfadillis. But even then we're still a point behind them in second. Why's that? While we haven't lost at all, three draws can cause nearly as much damage. And interestingly--similar to the bizarrely consistent winning scorelines of 6-3, 3-6, and 6-2--every draw has been 2-2. One away to third seeds Acronius is a very understandable result, mathematically the toughest matchup we'll have throughout that doesn't involve the Farves. Our defense's inability to contain David Pascale is nothing to be shocked at; our offense's lack of pop is definitely where this game went awry. The home side's late equalizer punished us for trying to sit on a one-goal lead, something Don has rarely called for this cycle, and even Solara wasn't able to stir up that sort of three-point-magic in a measly three minutes. Less excusable but still within the realm of understandable is Beepee holding us to the same scoreline in Haven. They are a Baptism of Fire champion, and while that cycle's runners-up Baker Park have quickly outstripped the champ's success (and given us a lick in the process...) you can never count that sort of nation out.

The neatest of all--well, conceptually, it was fucking terrible to watch---was our 2-2 draw in Petroslovania. Why's that? I did some more WCC records digging as I'm wont to do, and found a very interesting tidbit from last cycle's qualifiers. Petroslovania, see, was part of a 2-2 draw back then. You might ask, "why should I care? That's a fairly common result. Way less weird than how we've seen three 6-3 and two 6-2 matches in this group so far." The kicker here is who Petroslovania drew with: Melbergia. The very same nation that graces our group this cycle! Does that really amount to anything? No, not really. But you try writing an article out of that match. I've got to work with what I'm given.

[Farfadillis]

Tuzzio fidgeted in his seat. He knew this one game against Mriin would define how the media - or what was left of it - would view him. The narrative they would run. There were three options: a lukewarm performance, which would mean the jury would still be out on his tactical changes. A good result, which would mean being hailed for his tactical genius and whatnot and a bad result, which would mean being ripped apart for not sticking entirely to the Farf way of football.

He had always thought of Farfadillis' obsession with attacking football as rather cultist. To say he had a few detractors at this point would be an understatement. Despite still sporting one of the most attacking tactical set-ups in the Multiverse, every player contributing defensively by at the very least pressing was a jarring sight for the Farf public. Watching Groaré Sasca toil endlessly to try and recover the ball incited an almost allergic reaction from the public.

The more moderate fans had been quick to point out the team was looking better overall, though. Tuzzio had always been an intelligent player, and he had taught his players a lot of things, mainly pertaining to off-the-ball movement, his specialty. He had also brought Faragó rue Cazade to the spotlight, by turning him into a key player. Faragó had been really flourishing under him. This was to nobody's surprise: Tuzzio used to play in rue Cazade's position. If anyone could shape him into a world class player, it was Ichi.

But still, only six games had gone by. All comfortable wins, overall, but against weak opposition. The two matches against Mriin would be the most important ones by far, and this was the first of them.

Ichi fielded the strongest eleven he could on that day. The one anyone would've fielded, except de Sájajo replaced Eleonóra because the Szoirsian had picked up a knock the previous matchday. They were playing at home, so at least a win was expected. A scrappy one would be enough, he reckoned, but anything less would've been unacceptable.

The crippled manager couldn't have wished for a better start to the game. In just the fourth minute, la Vherderoja bedazzled everyone with dynamic attacking movement, great technique and and fantastic teamwork to score a beautiful goal. t'Öéséné recovered the ball with a sliding tackled, passed it to Fermández, who one-twoed his way past a Mrii with Wçêíl's help, before passing the ball to Groaré Sasca. Sasca paused for a second, looked up and then passed the ball to Êns, who had dropped deeper searching for the ball. Xíxì turned around with his first touch and connected a perfect through pass with his second touch, leaving rue Cazade, who had found a pocket of space, free to score. rue Cazade placed the ball far from the keeper's reach and that was that. One-nil, four minutes in. A goal that made a whole country, or at least its remnants, dream of lifting the World Cup.

However, things would not go well from there. For the next fifteen minutes, Farfadillis dominated Mriin in every sense. They came close to scoring three more times. All three of them could've resulted in great goals that would've been used as evidence that the Tuzzio way was the true way. Alas, the players did not score. Êns, Holsteiner and Wçêíl each missed one chance, with Holsteiner's miss particularly egregious.

After those fifteen minutes, Farfadillis seemed completely deflated. Maybe because of the combination of the morale hit that missing three goals means plus the physically-demanding tactical plan, maybe purely because they were complacent. It is purely speculation. What we know is that Mriin not only equalized, but actually turned the game around - and then scored a third for good measure - before the first half was even finished.

In the thirtieth minute, a long shot from Malia Yonen caught Tgô completely off-guard. It was a powerful shot, but he probably should've saved it. Nonetheless, Tuzzio was more of the opinion that the fault was Sasca's for not closing Malia down, leaving her plenty of space to shoot. He would voice his opinion after the game, something which wouldn't help him sway public opinion in his favour. Blaming a midfielder for not closing someone down for a shot? Inconceivable on the island.

The goal may have surprised the Farves, but it did not change the game one bit. La Vherderoja still looked very laggy and overall not really hitting their stride. Mriin, on the other hand, seemed to steadily be reaching the top of their game. Every minute that went by, Mriin became more dangerous. Eventually, the Reavers scored again. This time, a fine combination from Tali’raia and Solara Vol undid the Farf defense. Solara easily skipped past Tgô - yes, she had been left with that much space - and calmly slotted in her first goal of the night.

Just two minutes before the referee blew for half time, Solara scored a free kick. A dumb foul by Marchiondo on Polandre had led to it. At this point, Tuzzio was finding it very hard not to smash his cane on the ground.

Despite the very lackluster performance, Ichi thought it would be a good idea to point out the good things from the first half. He told his team how every attack they made in the first twenty minutes had been very well executed, regardless of whether they scored their chances. After that, though, he went on to tell them what mistakes they had made. In excruciating detail. He then gave a lot of tactical instructions. In a very overwhelming way.

He thought - he truly thought - that his team would go out and destroy Mriin on the second half, turn the game around and perhaps even thrash them. After all, he had shown them the way to the win. He had pointed out every mistake they had made, so they wouldn't commit them again... surely?

Two minutes in, Sasca again failed to close down a long shot. Malia did not score this time, instead hitting a very wayward shot. The average viewer would not have thought much of it, but Tuzzio was very much alarmed after seeing that: he realized Sasca hadn't listened to him at all.

Five minutes later, Marchiondo committed a stupid foul. Solara did not score the free kick, but Tuzzio's cane still got snapped in half.

Bajnok was overextending his position way too often. Fermández was continuously failing to account for Tia Mor's tendency to link up with her teammates. Marchiondo was tackling Polandre recklessly, despite the fact that she had landed a grand total of zero crosses that night. t'Öéséné was looking lost on the pitch, not even knowing who to mark, though he could be excused. Why? Because Sasca was almost not marking at all. Wçêíl and de Sájajo were not being as lazy as Sasca, but they were still not fulfilling their defensive quota.

What Tuzzio found most frustrating of all, was that they hadn't behaved like this against weaker opposition. Why now? Why were they looking so defensively stupid now? And, on top of that, not sharp at all on the attack?

Solara scored her third of the night after Bajnok failed to mark her on a corner kick. Tuzzio made all three substitutions in one go. Nonhagatte replaced Sasca, Wìjìnì replaced a tired Wçêíl and Siorrha'Asione replaced an invisible Holsteiner. Absolutely nothing changed. For the entire second half, Mriin utterly dominated the Farf team, to a point that got embarrassing. At the end of the day, the scoreline looked flattering to one team, and it wasn't the one you would've thought of if you'd just looked up the result after the game without having watched it.

"No wonder Tíbürçìó literally went insane managing this team." Tuzzio thought to himself as he headed down the tunnel.

[Kita-Hinode]

WORLD CUP QUALIFIER BREAK
Three ways to satisfy your drive for football during the Qualifiers' break
MASHU, SOMEI-YOSHINO - You might be pondering why exactly is the Sunrise Club's Digest posting this article as you do know fairly well that the Break is ending soon, for we shall return to the possibly the most heated qualifying cycle among the latest World Cups in what, depending on your view of the timestream, is in about a couple of days. However, we here believe that the people who read these articles are indeed, very keen on the idea of watching more sport, regardless of which sport and whether it's competitive or not. So instead of talking about more serious issues such as interstellar expansion, proper elections and whatnot, let's wind down a bit and talk about three different ways you could spend your time before World Cup Qualifier football returns.

Amateur Football Finals
It wouldn't be the start of the year if there wasn't amateur football to be watched. As the major teams take part in their preparations for the regular season, sign players, finish their scouting, get their new gear and whatnot, the amateur state leagues run their finals after playing their own seasons earlier in the year. A solid way to spend some time outside with your family and friends, tickets usually go for cheap, a mere five HC$ and you get to watch some... well, competent football. It's not uncommon for smaller teams to bring players who perform well on the state leagues, so you might also find a star or two there in the making. Who really knows with amateur football?

Amateur Football ~ the stepping stone of the sport in the Hinodejin Empire

The football videogame version of Radchester 2013
If you're from the Hinodejin Empire or just so happen to enjoy high-quality manga from any part of the Multiverse, then you might be familiar with Radchester 2013, printed by Shonen Slide (the same folks that brought artistic pieces such as Inside, action-packed mangas such as Rage of Africa and the one they're more famous for, or rather infamous for, Show More Content, Robot Lolita Maid) and penned by Margaret Rayne, one of the new big names of the current Manga wave and possibly one of the finest non-Hinodejin born writers we've ever had the opportunity to read on.

For those who aren't in any of either group, Radchester 2013 is a story that focuses on Mitch "Winnie" Winfield, a footballer that found his middling career reaching an even lower point once Kickstonians send him away to join Radchester after he came out as a homosexual in the ridiculously conservative society of Gylonhall, a fictional country that resembles Morrissey during the Troubles' years. Radchester, however, turns out to be a blessing in disguise as he finds not only his way to quality football but also the acceptance that alluded him for all those years. Radchester 2013 also found itself as being very popular for its' colourful and memorable cast of characters, including Radchester players such as the womanizer Federico Arboleya, the momma's boy Kevin Grammar, the ridiculously unlucky Shamiskiriy "Sasha" Gray and the often drunk Eddie "Keg" Knaggs, but also opponents such as Winnie's childhood friend (and often beacon of support) Beckenham Grunge's Matthew Legasse, outspoken advocate/football superstar Furringham Town's Kyle "Bunny" O'Bunney and unapologetic asshole Kickstonian's Craig Mothwood. Albeit fairly political, Radchester 2013's biggest strength came from its' rendition of football without any sort of mysticism. The realism made this one of the highest sold mangas of last year in the Hinodejin Empire and numbers appear to be similar in most of the Emirates of Futurnia region.

Video game company Minami took the opportunity to, mirroring Igaco's partnership with Megastar, reach a deal with Shonen Slide to produce games for their finest IPs, revealing their first target was indeed a game about the football manga. Now, after eight months, the game has been finally released, featuring a grand total of eight leagues with twenty teams each, all taken from bits and pieces of the manga, while Radchester's league, the Football Championship, has been reproduced with 100% fidelity to the main material. Considering the level of this release, you should be able to pick it up by a decent price, given the amount of content that both fans to the manga and total newbies can enjoy.

Radchester 2013's video game debut promises to be a smash hit

Skatermania, a refreshing look at skateboarding
If football isn't really required for your entertainment, this is a perfect chance to drop by your nearest movie theatre to watch Skatermania, a Hinodejin-North Wheatleyan co-production with a surprisingly cheap cast, directed by a newbie in Kenta Kumagai that is filmed as a faux-documentary telling the story of Ken Shirogane (played by former School Sucks star Hiro Tomoda), a Hinodejin skateboarder that was sent away by his parents to study at North Wheatley, where he ends up befriending Shakey Jake (played by North Wheatleyan character actor Kyle Reynolds) and his sister Annabelle (played by another North Wheatley in Seeiah Richards), who end up taking the rather naïve Hinodejin into a quest of adventure and awe as they rock the fictional city of Bellevue Heights while trying to get Shirogane to become a major skateboarder and pick up pieces for a ranch of their own.

The movie plays itself as a comedy with a massive tongue-in-cheek vibe that usually plays off well the misfortunes that the main trio gets through with Shirogane being the common man of the movie, which usually means he gets thrust by Shakey Jake and Annabelle into situations that he usually has to talk his way through. More often than not, Ken learns how to skate via getting in harm's way to the point where it might feel a bit repetitive, but due to some really good acting by Tomoda, the character does seem to get more and more depth at every opportunity. A must watch for skateboarding fans but also a really good movie to introduce friends to Hinodejin cinema.

Skatermania shows how insane a quest for being better at moving while using a plank of wood with wheels can get

So there you go, three ways you can get your mind off of the World Cup Break.

Or you could just sleep, you weirdo.

[95X]

The woman stands at the podium and speaks into the microphone.

"Alright, I'm Katelynn State, head coach and occasionally called manager of the 95X National Soccer Team, this is our press conference regarding our performance thus far. I'll take the first question."

An inaudible reporter identifies himself and asks the first question.

"We've carefully brought together the right amount of youth and experience, and that's why we're tied for the top of our qualifying group."

Another inaudible reporter identifies herself and asks the next question.

"The goals scored per game is a concern of mine. We've assembled perhaps the best defenders and Hills is already a world-class keeper. We have some incredible offense, dare I say that Dodongo's hot when we pass him the bomb—"

The press conference roars with laughter, "throw Dodongo the bomb" is a common chant for fans of his domestic club. In a few moments they quiet down and the question continues.

"—anyway, we're working on some more dimensions of our offensive game, turn more of those shots onto the score sheet."

Someone shouts out of turn.

"How much money are you getting from those foreigners?" he yells, as he is removed from the press conference by three security personnel.

"I'm going to answer that." State replies. "Black Hawks NFX are not a very old club, but they recruited where others didn't and have put together a fine club with quality players we wouldn't have found otherwise. I'm proud to have their participation in the Market League and their players on the 95X National Team."

"Tom Blathermore, AOSN; so how much in hush money are you receiving from them?"

State pauses, blankfaced.

"I receive no funds or other consideration from anyone, other than my pay as Head Coach of the 95X National Team."

The reporters lose their order and talk over each other, trying to change the focus of the press conference from the NT to bribery rumors.

"This press conference is over," State says into the microphone and walks out of the room.

[Bongo Johnson]

BongoBeat.net - Home for World Cup 82 and more

Bongos beating
I.S.B.J. starting eleven proving to be the winning eleven after 9 matches

The Bongos are playing some of the finest football in history as the national team jumps out of the crowd to achieve an impressive 7-0-2 record in Group 5 of the World Cup.

The road to the finals opened on a high note for the team, winning a high-scoring shootout 5-4 against a formidable Damukani team, who has ended up second in the group at 6-1-2. That win engaged a significant morale boost in the clubhouse and strengthened the bond between squadmates. Firing on all cylinders, they shut out the Euran Oceana Territories team 2-0 and won a nailbiting thriller against Freeport 2-1. Never before has an Incorporated squad won the first three games of a World Cup in a row, and the show wasn't over yet. Two more subsequent wins against Liberia and Holy Marsh gave the Incorporated States a commanding six point lead atop Group 5.

Though the team would lose two games after that, a 3-6 drubbing by Ethane and a 0-1 Ko-oren match where the offense never seemed to materialize, their spirit never wavered and they countered those two losses by winning two absolutely critical matches before the group stage break. A last second goal put the team on top against Spokane 1-0, bringing life back to the fans who wondered if the wins had come too fast and too early. And a hotly contested match was won against Siovanija and Teusland, who are fourth in the group and duking it out for a qualifying spot, when the squad won 3-1 in the final game of the first leg of the group stage.

All eyes are on the team as they head into the final stretch of the group stage - exceeding expectations and dazzling fans who would have been thrilled to go home winning only a single match. But can they keep up the momentum they gathered in the first group? Time will tell as Jean-Claude Benoit plots his way to a World Cup playoff berth.

[Saltstead]

The Walland Daily Press
Northern Saltstead’s premier news source

---

VOL. 124 NO. 079

11 SHILLINGS & 0

Proudly printed in Cherrygrove

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Six injured in attack at the Ashwell Ferdinand Torregrossa International Airport
An ultra group with far-right links has been implicated in an attack on republican supporters group members

Ashwell — A harrowing attack on departing Saltsteadish football fans in Ashwell has left six injured and the nation with difficult questions to answer.

Fans affiliated with the republican supporter group Blåwėbrigadė (“Blue Brigade”) were attacked by three men wearing paraphernalia of the Rudswarthiėr (“Red-Black Army”), a group with links to the far-right and internationally most famous for pelting Saltsteadish national team players with sausage rolls at the sixty-fifth Baptism of Fire. The Saltsteadish National Gendarmerie have confirmed the arrest of the suspected attackers, but are currently withholding their names for legal reasons. Six people were taken to hospital with injuries, but all are in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.

The supporters were preparing to pass through security before boarding a flight to Alluersia for a World Cup qualifying match, the first since Saltstead’s undefeated run ended at the hands of Qusmo at the Mastad Kolla. A source within Loft Såutstedė stated that the attackers had purchased tickets on the flight the victims were taking, but were bumped off due to overbooking; the airline offered to put the men on the next available flight to Alluersia, but the offer was turned down. “We received a report from the front desk agent who handled the transaction,” the representative stated to the Daily Press on condition of anonymity, “who stated that she was deeply concerned for her safety due to the aggressive and angry conduct of the three men who are alleged to have attacked the Blue Brigade supporters.”

After the news of the attack broke, the Royal Saltsteadish Football Federation swiftly issued its condemnation. “The Federation is deeply disturbed by this attack. We want all Saltsteaders to feel welcome at matches of the Stallions. We are one nation with one team and one dream, regardless of our political philosophies.” The Federation confirmed its intent to press on with the match despite the circumstances, though it would request heightened security for Saltstead’s remaining home games and the Metropolitan Constabulary announced that it would enforce a police cordon between the rival supporter groups at De Nationalėpark.

The reigning King, who is ex officio President of the Royal Saltsteadish Football Federation and a noted football fan, was also quick to condemn the attack, personally posting messages of support on social media and inviting the supporters to the Royal Box at King William VII National Park for future home matches. Loft Såutstedė has announced that it will be refunding the ticket fares of the victims and providing them with free flights to and from away matches for at least the remainder of qualification.

Opening old wounds
The attack has opened old wounds and exposed the deep political divisions which still fester between royalism and republicanism, even years after the nation’s bitter civil war came to an end. As opposed to being merely a debate over substance, the divide represents a much larger debate over Saltstead’s national identity and permeates throughout Saltsteadish society, with football being one of the few arenas in which both sides widely partake. The preamble of the modern Saltsteadish constitution explicitly recognises “the diverse traditions of Saltsteadish nationhood,’’ implicitly granting legitimacy to both royalist and republican conceptions of Saltsteadish identity.

“The framers of the Constitution punted the identity question to future generations to resolve,” Royal Catherinesburg University political science professor Jorgen de Jog told the Daily Press in an interview. “This was crucial to being able to write the basic law, but no one has dared to follow up on the question and reconcile the conflicting notions of what it means to be a Saltsteader.”

“In a way, our national identity has always been self-contradictory,” Chancellor Alexander van den Hågen stated in a press conference after the attack. “We have preached the unity of our language, but we speak in very different dialects. We have preached the unity of our faith, but we have very different religious doctrines and practices. We now preach the unity of our people under our constitution, but we have vastly conflicting ideas of what our constitution means and what it means to be a Saltsteader. This is an important question, but it is not one that should be discussed in this kind of manner.”

“Only in a football crowd could this have happened.” Saltsteadish international Carle de Marħt stated on social media. “Football is unique in the way it has brought us together through great triumphs and heartbreaking grief, but it has also been a platform for zealous extremists who seek to divide us. History can be an ugly thing, but it is important for us to take to heart the need to put aside our differences and to unite as one nation, all working for the betterment of our Saltsteadish home. We have stood side-by-side on the pitch and in the stands, now we must stand side-by-side in fighting the scourge of political violence.” ❧

[Valanora]

Here Be Dragons

I'm looking for someone to Stand up.

MD10 cutoff for Groups 8-15

[Mriin]

Here Be Dragons

As things spin back up, I'm sure there'll be a lot of choice footage of all this footy.

MD10 Cutoff for Groups 1-7

[Bongo Johnson]

BongoBeat.net - Home for World Cup 82 and more

Offbeat
Own goal dooms late game momentum, 1-3 loss to Damukuni

A spinning ball off defender Jonathan Hamblett's head, off the post and into the net was the lowlight of tonight's eagerly anticipated match against Damukuni, who hopped over the Incorporated States for first place in Group 5 by a single point after the game.

Damukuni's attackers struck early, securing a goal in the 7th minute and again in the 15th. At halftime, some adjustments were made to the squad's defensive formation and the Bongos finally managed to get some offensive pressure, with Bongald lobbing a beautiful chip shot just over the keeper's head in the 68th minute. Building some steam, the team put forth a handful of attacks in the following ten minutes, but ultimately a corner kick taken by the Damukuni side was misplayed and ended up behind keeper Adam Jones, giving the opposing team a heart-crushing 3-1 lead in the 80th minute.

Skipper Jean-Claude was blunt in a conference after the game, emphasizing that the team will have to do better if they want to secure a qualifying spot.

"We will adjust our preparations for the next match as needed. This is football. We are focused on the next match."

The team will hope to bounce back in tomorrow's rematch against the Euran Oceania Territories, who are 3-1-6 in the World Cup contest so far following a win tonight against Siovanija and Teusland but have been unable to find consistent success on the pitch.

Around the group
There were an unprecedented three matches ending in a 0-0 draw tonight in Group 5. The following teams picked up a single point in their contests:

*Spokane
*Freeport
*Ethane
*Holy Marsh
*Libonesia
*Ko-oren

For Ko-oren and Ethane, the two squads closest to the top of the group, they may find themselves wishing they had been able to squeeze an additional two points out of this matchday come Round of 32. With eight matches to go and a measly 7-point gap from 1st to 5th places in the group, points are at an absolute premium for every team in Group 5.

[Zwangzug]

"I'm Emmylou Brighton, and this is Jaina McHammel! We're back for the second half of the World Cup qualifiers."

"Seems like this would be a fine time to check in with fans around the country and see how they're feeling."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to pronounce the names of the Antahbrantahstan players."

"That's as may be. Anyway, I have a link here from Nick in Twineur. He says, uh, 'blaming the manager for a poor defensive record,' stylized picture of a cranial x-ray."

"Stylized picture of what?"

"A cranial x-ray, it means, 'of the brain'--"

"I know what cranial means, what does that have to do with football."

"It's not actually typed out, it's just, like, the alternate text! So people using screen readers can access it."

"We're not using screen readers, though, we are the television broadcast."

"Oh yeah! Excellent point. Here, let me just pull it up then."

Blaming the manager for a poor defensive record (stylized picture of a cranial x-ray)

Putting all the defensive pressure onto a single player, inducing neurosis (stylized picture of a cranial x-ray, only glowing)

Playing all-out defense so that you don't have this problem (picure of a brain outlined, glowing, larger than the surrounding head)

Ephesian FC (brain glowing and sparkling with lots of rainbow lights)

"This still makes no sense."

"It's how the cool kids are communicating these days."

"What?"

"Widely-modified text copied next to common, popular images. I think some people name them after a Dr. Steven Gaspar metaphor in one of his tracts."

"Gaspar? Isn't he that edgy atheist dude?"

"Yeah, which is why I don't tend to cite these images that way, I don't think we need to give his ego any more attention."

"This still has nothing to do with the national football team."

"It's a representation for increased complexity as an imperfect proxy of intelligence. As you look down the right-hand column, you see the brains increase in size and glowiness. This means that the things on the left are going to appear more intelligent as you go down the list, but in an ironic way, suggesting that the artist is aware of the fallacies in this line of reasoning."

"What."

"So look at the first two. The fact that blaming the manager for bad results is the first suggestion means that it's not a very smart idea. That's an allusion to the recent column in the Kerlagrad Courier that threatened Tsereteli's job, but was also kind of ironic, because it's the Courier."

"Doesn't that mean this won't make a lot of sense in a week or so once everyone has forgotten about that column?"

"Yes, the youth of today prize ephemerality. Some of them even like the photos that disappear once you've sent them to your friends."

"That also makes no bleeping sense. What about the archives? What about the generations of people who toiled to preserve our World Cup history? That means nothing to them?"

"Well I don't want to generalize, but some of them, yeah."

"Well, that's absurd."

"Okay, so the second line says that a wiser approach then blaming the manager would be to put the blame on a single defensive player."

"The goalie."

"Hey, in context, that might even be an allusion to me! And the stuff I said about Sam Harris in the game against Barunia."

"Harris' death was a tragedy that killed many non-footballers on a ferry! It had nothing to do with his position."

"Just saying. Okay, next, we see the suggestion of thwarting that problem by playing in a very defensive style, so lots of players are responsible for preventing goals."

"So...it's saying...that Namiri Forest is very smart?"

"Yes. But it's a humorous image, so the designer is also implicitly critiquing them. Since many people find them insufferable as environmentalists, as well as really boring."

"How do you know it's a critique?"

"You have to understand the context of the kids these days."

"No, Jaina, I have no need to do any such thing."

"And finally, we see that Ephesian FC transcend such limitations and have, in some ways, the smartest approach for avoiding blame. But also, like a brain that is too large for their head, there are obvious problems with their plan."

"Is that a commentary on the history of the national team?"

"Probably, Emmylou."

"Well, I don't understand kids these days."

"I'm not sure they understand themselves, but don't worry, there are plenty more popular images we can talk about next time!"

(Rogawski 48, Gleason 79)

[Nephara]

Nephara 5 - 2 Astoria
(4-3-3) 20 - Ramelow; 2 - Sanger, 22 - Reinhardt, 6 - Brosch, 3 - Rouphos (19 - Katarec 77'); 21 - Kuepper, 23 - Marchant (4 - Misidjan 85'), 15 - Brandtner (8 - Chalk 77'); 7 - Skapetis, 10 - Farrell, 11 - Exarchopolous
Goals: Kuepper 7', Skapetis 23', Farrell 44', Brosch 82', Chalk 89'

THE HERALD
HALFWAY POINT QUALIFYING RETROSPECTIVE
Karin Rietveld

Nephara finds itself in the envious position of being the last team left with a perfect record. Nine games, nine wins, a faintly terrifying goal difference, and two successful systems. How did Aidan Brosque's Cormorants get there - and who did best for them along the way?

Astoria 0 - 3 Nephara
(4-4-2 / 4-1-4-1) 12 - Mercator; 18 - Kielseng, 5 - Konoval, 22 - Thorn, 19 - Vicelich; 13 - Saroszi, 23 - Shone, 21 - Moxham (15 - Rosenthal 61'), 16 - Staunton; 17 - Bastable, 10 - Metzger (4 - Rowland 83')
Goals: Metzger 13', Staunton 47', Vicelich 54'

A solid, convincing performance from Nephara to kick things off, with the two teams somewhat linked - just as the Cormorants retain a perfect record, so were Astoria the last team in the multiverse to pick up points. The strike partnership of Bastable and Metzger debuted to immediate effect, Tawny Shone looked imperious in the heart of midfield, Marisha Staunton scored a goal for once and Hesterine Mercator kept a clean sheet. And it helped keep the players fresh for...

Baker Park 2 - 3 Nephara
(4-3-3 / 4-4-2) 1 - Swoboda; 2 - Rafford, 5 - Konoval, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close; 8 - Klein (10 - Metzger 76'), 4 - Rowland (23 - Shone 76'), 21 - Moxham; 7 - Fanaiyan (13 - Saroszi 76'), 9 - Hawke, 11 - Strongbow
Goals: Strongbow 23', Moxham 81', Hawke 85'

By far the diciest affair. By far the most satisfying win. Baker Park had a stumbling start to the group, but the performances were better than the results; results have since improved, and they now sit in their rightful seeded place of second, four points over any realistic rivals. The Commonwealth went toe to toe with Nephara for the vast majority of the game, but tired in the closing stages as a triple substitution made the difference.

Nephara 6 - 3 Dreamplanet
(4-4-2) 12 - Mercator; 2 - Longship, 5 - Visser, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close (19 - Rouphos 73'); 14 - Kuepper (13 - Kranevitter 80'), 23 - Shone, 8 - Chalk, 11 - Strongbow (16 - Staunton 64'); 9 - Hawke, 10 - Metzger
Goals: Hawke 7', Kuepper 22', Metzger 30' 44', Chalk 38', Rouphos 83'

Another domineering performance with Nephara continuing to slot into 4-4-2; the Cormorants were hugely impressive against opposition that was tough up front but fragile at the back. It's fair to say that reflected in the scoreline. On the face of it, these were exceptional victories, but a perfectionist like Brosque sensed a certain lack of control in the midfield, and debutant centre-half Alcander Visser did not have the best of games. Neither did Valeri Longship, though she at least has the excuse of youth. The other two debutants, however, both scored - Malachi Chalk now cap-locked in an impressive all-round performance, Nike Rouphos impressing in a short cameo.

Pridnestrovia 0 - 6 Nephara
(4-4-2) 1 - Swoboda; 18 - Kielseng, 22 - Thorn, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close; 7 - Fanaiyan (13 - Kranevitter 71'), 4 - Rowland (c, 23 - Shone 76'), 21 - Moxham, 11 - Strongbow (vc); 9 - Hawke (17 - Bastable 61'), 10 - Metzger
Goals: Hawke 18' 38' 59', Steelhenge 21', Metzger 48', Kranevitter 90+1'

A slaughter. Pridnestrovia are a decent team, albeit one who tend to save their considerable best for the Copa Rushmori, so nobody was expecting a result quite so devastating - their new record, in fact. Which, in all fairness, is one less goal conceded than Nephara's record 7-0 defeat to Sicoutimont, back in the day - 36 years ago, in fact. But I digress. The strike partnership chalked up four goals between them, everyone did what they were supposed to, and things went perfectly to plan.

Nephara 2 - 0 Blaneu
(4-3-3) 12 - Mercator; 18 - Kielseng, 22 - Thorn, 6 - Steelhenge (c), 19 - Vicelich; 15 - Rosenthal, 23 - Shone, 21 - Moxham (8 - Klein 73'); 13 - Saroszi (14 - Kuepper 64'), 10 - Metzger, 16 - Staunton
Goals: Metzger 29', Staunton 54'

Blaneu was a duller affair, a routine 2-0 win with Nephara's pretty much universally-acknowledged second-string - just look at those numbers! Aristide Metzger continued to impress, now in a less familiar role as a lone forward - he now had five goals from the four he'd played. And even Staunton somehow scored again. 4-3-3 made its return, with Tawny Shone increasingly comfortable at the base of a three-man midfield.

Natanians and Nosts 1 - 4 Nephara
(4-3-3) 1 - Swoboda; 2 - Rafford, 5 - Konoval, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close; 8 - Klein (15 - Rosenthal 70'), 4 - Rowland, 21 - Moxham (14 - Kuepper 76'); 7 - Fanaiyan, 9 - Hawke (17 - Bastable 64'), 11 - Strongbow
Goals: Fanaiyan 14', Moxham 22', Rafford 41', Bastable 79'

A tough test was anticipated, but Nephara rolled into the break 3-0 up and never looked like losing the lead, despite dropping off somewhat in the second half. Again, 4-3-3 returned for a tough opponent. Leona Rafford was impeccable, capping off a POTM performance with a goal.

Nephara 3 - 0 Tinhampton
(4-3-3) 1 - Swoboda; 2 - Rafford, 5 - Konoval, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close (19 - Vicelich 84'); 8 - Klein (15 - Rosenthal 64'), 4 - Rowland, 21 - Moxham; 7 - Fanaiyan, 9 - Hawke (17 - Bastable 64'), 11 - Strongbow
Goals: Hawke 19', Fanaiyan 27', Moxham 74'

When Estrella Hawke took a clever through-ball from Monica Rowland into her instep and lashed it across the goalkeeper, it was her 66th goal for the national side - the new record, the new benchmark for great Cormorant forwards. Happily, it was on an occasion which warranted the record, and the rest of the team picked up the pace to secure a crushing 3-0 win over the third seeds. It was also a third game in a row with the 4-3-3 in place; three matches with just one goal conceded, and a greater level of control over the matches.

Walenstein 1 - 2 Nephara
(4-3-3) 20 - Tsattalios; 18 - Kielseng (2 - Rafford 71'), 22 - Thorn, 6 - Steelhenge, 19 - Vicelich; 15 - Rosenthal (8 - Klein 79'), 23 - Shone, 14 - Webster; 13 - Saroszi, 10 - Metzger, 16 - Staunton
Goals: Rosenthal 43', Metzger 71'

A return to the team for Apostolos Tsattalios! And wiithout a late penalty, it would've had a clean sheet at the end of it, too. The attack looked somewhat disjointed, Webster and Metzger particularly poor though they would in the event combine for the decisive second goal.

Nephara 5 - 3 Robostania
(4-4-2) 20 - Ramelow; 18 - Kielseng (2 - Sanger 67'), 5 - Theuer, 6 - Brosch, 19 - Katarec; 7 - Skapetis (23 - Kuepper 82'), 4 - Misidjan (23 - Marchant 62'), 15 - Brandtner, 16 - Deventer; 9 - Wolff, 17 - Bastable
Goals: Wolff 14', Deventer 32', Kielseng 40', Brandtner 60', Bastable 77'

On the bright side, Nephara took home a win on a day when every other home side in the group lost. As a negative, it was a complete clusterfuck. A return to the 4-4-2 was on the cards, and a return for Servet Misidjan in midfield and Ryan Theuer at the back... and it was a complete disaster, the lack of pace leading to being repeatedly gashed in the centre for pace. Fortunately, the forwards didn't let up, Erika Wolff and Kurtis Bastable both getting on the scoresheet, as well as the impressive debutant Morena Deventer. Another debutant, Catheline Marchant, also calmed things down after coming on for Misidjan after Brandtner made it 4-3. Many pros, many cons... but at least it was a win, and comfortable enough in the end.

State of the Table
Qualification is sewn up. There's eight matches to play, a ten-point buffer on third-place - that being Walenstein - and a fifteen-point buffer on the third-seeds, Tinhampton. Brosque will be looking to conclude a perfect 18-round qualification cycle, a rare sight - away against Tinhampton looks as the most likely fixture to drop points, but hosting a rejuvenated Baker Park won't be a walk in the park, either, and Dreamplanet will be eager to take revenge. Still, it's doable. Baker Park looks by far the most likely to take second place in the group, one point clear of Walenstein, six of Tinhampton.

Who Makes the Plane?
Of the fringe defensive players, a lot have dropped the ball - Alcander Visser, Valeri Longship and Leila Ramelow with unimpressive debuts, and Gabrielle Reinhardt will be hoping not to join them, tipped for a likely start against Astoria next match. That's a win for the status quo, with Leona Rafford showing few signs of slowing, and the same with captain Konoval. The traditional attacking trident of Fanaiyan, Hawke and Strongbow have been hugely impressive - well might they be, at 27, 29 and 27, in the prime of their careers. Of the fringe players, it's probably Rouphos, Marchant and Skapetis, all of whom impressed in their cameos, who have the best chance of bolting onto the plane judging by their showings thus far. Still, with the next international break being the rematches with Baker Park and Dreamplanet, the next selection of 23 will be a good indicator as to where Brosque's head's at. And indications seem to be, with a core of players coming into their prime, that now isn't the time to blood new talent; now's the time to win trophies with them.

NEPHARIM NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 7
Goalkeepers: 1 - Andreas Swoboda (Holdenberg, EUR), 12 - Hesterine Mercator (Eastweald, COS), 20 - Apostolos Tsattalios (Falourr, EUR)
Defenders: 2 - Leona Rafford (1830 Cathair, AUD), 3 - Marcin Close (Brinemouth), 5 - Dieter Konoval (KT Moreazerua, AUD, c), 6 - Dragora Steelhenge (Ramusok United, COS), 18 - Eloise Kielseng (Kingsgrove, BRE), 19 - Lux Vicelich (Sabrefell Moths), 22 - Roxelana Thorn (Revolutionaries, EUR)
Midfielders: 4 - Monica Rowland (Bastion, EUR), 8 - Rusalka Klein (Crawford City FC, COS), 14 - Marica Kuepper (Jungle Strike, VIL), 15 - Circe Rosenthal (Directus, EUR), 21 - Chimera Moxham (Crawford City FC, COS), 23 - Tawny Shone (Sabrefell Moths)
Forwards: 7 - Ishtar Fanaiyan (Eastweald, COS), 9 - Estrella Hawke (Directus, EUR), 10 - Aristide Metzger (AFC Treason), 11 - Rowena Strongbow (Directus, EUR), 13 - Monako Saroszi (Ulsa, EUR), 16 - Marisha Staunton (Crisisbless), 17 - Kurtis Bastable (Hornchurch, EUR)

SCHEDULE
Astoria 0 - 3 Nephara
Commonwealth of Baker Park 2 - 3 Nephara
Nephara 6 - 3Dreamplanet @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Pridnestrovia 0 - 6 Nephara
Nephara 2 - 0 Blaneu @ Ludd's Hammer (Stahlburg)
Natanians and Nosts 1 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 3 - 0 Tinhampton @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Walenstein 1 - 2 Nephara
Nephara 5 - 3 Robostania @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Nephara 5 - 2 Astoria @ The Iron Hill (Vermillion)
Nephara vs. Commonwealth of Baker Park @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Dreamplanet vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Pridnestrovia @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Blaneu vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Natanians and Nosts @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Tinhampton vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Walenstein @ Godswatch (Crisisbless)
Robostania vs. Nephara

[Brenecia]

Brenecia 0 - 1 Huelavia
(4-1-4-1 / 4-4-2) 20 - Farrell; 18 - Weaver, 5 - Horgan, 22 - Varney, 19 - Prentice; 23 - Redweald (17 - Bremner 68'); 15 - Garrard, 21 - Considine, 13 - Hartsdown (8 - Matheson 60'), 16 - Corvey; 10 - Ciogach (9 - Strider 78')

Brenecia 5 - 0 Alenburg
(4-1-4-1 / 4-4-2) 1 - Bruin; 2 - Marquess, 5 - Horgan, 22 - Varney, 3 - Levein; 23 - Redweald (4 - Donachie 75'); 7 - Cheney, 14 - Locke, 8 - Matheson, 11 - Fletcher (16 - Corvey 82'); 17 - Strider
Goals: Locke 9', Matheson 20' 65', Strider 36', Corvey 83'

It was all about delegation. Finding square pegs for square holes.
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Clarisse Ward got the sense that her current Commander-in-Chief of Defence, Admiral Louella Pearce, was a round peg. A languid, drawling Easterner, someone with no drive in her - and less combat experience on the ground than Ward herself.
"The situation is fine, ma'am," said Pearce blandly, facing down Ward and the Minister for Defence, Justin Paterson, with a breezy diffidence Ward wasn't much fond of. "I've done the job for eight years now. Before me, corruption was endemic, and we wasted what budget we had. We were ready for the event of a Sameban strike, and now that that hasn't come to pass-"
"You're letting things slide?"
Pearce clicked her tongue. "No."
"I've seen the state of our army, Pearce. It's dismal - a disgrace, in fact. And we can't afford to be complacent in times like this, as I'm sure you understand-"
"With the money we've had to go on-"
"I assure you, money is no issue."
"Money's always an issue," said Pearce, wearily. "I won't endorse preparations around money we don't have. And what message does it send to Nephara? Like it or not, they've got the power to sweep us off the map again, and the connections not to be blamed for it. Modernisation is one thing, but you seem to want mobilisation."
Ward almost had to laugh in disbelief. "My admiral's lecturing me about optics?"

So Pearce had to go, and Ward knew the levers to pull. Some of them were even legal.
Two months later, it was General Dorian Blackwood meeting with her in her office. An Army man. Roughly her age, at 51. A man with a relatively youthful drive, for politics, and the respect of his officers. Respect from his soldiers would have to come later.
Their conversation was much more pleasant. They agreed on all the key talking points - that recruitment needed to skyrocket, had the conditions to skyrocket (a lot of poor, un- or underemployed people with no prospects or connections) and, given advances in training and a blank cheque to fire corrupt or stagnant officers, a culture shift into a serious combat-ready force could be overseen.
"The major issue left is equipment," Blackwood conceded. "We haven't done a major upgrade since buying up Corvidae-era surplus. That might be our best bet here again, but with Corvistone being so frosty right now..."
"And we can't develop our own?"
Blackwood shook his head. "Not so easily as that. It takes time. Could be done, eventually. But we'll want to look abroad, at least in the short-term. And that best bet might still be northwest."
"Nephara? Even now?"
He shook his head. "North of that. See if we can get anything from Euran companies, now the war's over."
Oh, that? Ward liked that.
She rather fancied she liked Blackwood, too.

Just two days later, Blackwood got the chance to observe Fort Sutton.
The Nepharim had not been subtle. The Nepharim never were. The fortifications had been barricaded further, the great battleship Juggernaut joining Wrath, Enforcer and Rottweiler in the harbour. It had been recently renovated, too - back when times were less tense here, the fortifications were modernised to prepare for a Sameban assault that never came. What was once a skeleton crew had since been replaced by enough fresh infantry to hold the line, and those infantry had since gone back home or to help occupy Sameba, replaced by seasoned veterans. Were the unthinkable to happen... they would not go down easily, nor would the other six.
Blackwood wondered what would happen if Sammy had paid their little island a visit, after all. Nephara had been sucked into the war by way of Pravenna and Iskandervale - would they stand and fight for Brenecia, too? After all, they evidently believed their cousins were incapable of defending themselves - that was, after all, the excuse for these fortresses. The need for a base of operations in Esportiva.
The damn shame about all this was that it was the last Brenecian government that confirmed that perception in Nepharim minds. Blackwood remembered the pain and humiliation he'd felt when the last PM, Laidlaw, went to then-Margravine Fern with cap in hand, begging for help reinforcing his position and his government. He'd come away with nothing, Fern spoke publically and pointedly about how Brenecia had to learn self-sufficience, and the whole world put two and two together and realised Nephara was abandoning Brenecia.
As it happened, Brenecia could take care of its issues alone. It had proven that much. And now the tables had been turned on Nephara - and its government suddenly looked the more fragile, the anxious compromiser Pritchard in for the austere, intellectual Fern. And if Brenecia could take care of itself, why the need for the bases?
That was the dead cat that Ward had thrown on the table. There were no easy answers on either side. The difference was, the Brenecians had nothing to lose but their chains.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 6
Goalkeepers: 1 - Rostyn Calhoun (Wexax United, VAL), 12 - Lenore Drummond (Rozelle), 20 - Cass Farrell (Northern Union)
Defenders: 2 - Keziah Broxham (Mallox, COS), 3 - Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries, EUR), 5 - Cheney Heneghan (Carsby, EUR), 6 - Niko Szubanski (1830 Cathair, AUD, c), 18 - Erica Weaver (North Hall), 19 - Morwen Prentice (Crystal Fair HC, CRY), 22 - Garrett Horgan (Northern Union)
Midfielders: 4 - Roisin Staunton (Kingsgrove), 7 - Brae Crowther (Chenoworth Harriers, NPH), 8 - Elysse Matheson (Hornchurch, EUR), 11 - Cathal Keynes (Lajuno, EUR), 13 - Corby Wheeler (Goldstaff City, COS), 14 - Claire Ruskin (Kingsgrove), 15 - Lauren Cheney (Kingsgrove), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (North Hall), 21 - Falcon Case (Barbury Town, APX), 23 - Catsidhe Alweather (Eastal Lunar, VIL)
Forwards: 9 - Griffin Riordan (Klyde, COS), 10 - Kara Ciogach (Southern Star), 17 - Niall Bremner (Unioneers, EUR)

SCHEDULE
Alenburg 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 2 Xanneria
Porabasta 0 - 4 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 2 Banija
Eshan 2 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 1 Grod Island
New Peru 2 - 6 Brenecia
Geisenfried 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 0 - 1 Huelavia
Brenecia 5 - 0 Alenburg
Xanneria vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Porabasta
Banija vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Eshan
Grod Island vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. New Peru
Brenecia vs. Geisenfried
Huelavia vs. Brenecia

[The Sherpa Empire]

"Someone is here to see you," Tsewang said cheerfully.

Danu sat up to see what was going on. Behind Tsewang was a tall elegant figure in richly colored wool robes. Danu recognized him immediately. It was Jamling Ihawa! "No way..."

Ihawa pulled out a box of cigarettes and held it out to Danu. "Do you smoke?"

"No, thanks."

Ihawa popped a cigarette in his mouth, lit it, and took a drag. "The Germans say these things will give me cancer, but you know, the Germans say a lot of things."

"Uhh... Cigarettes really do cause cancer," said Danu.

Ihawa shrugged. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah, you're Jamling Ihawa. What are you doing here?"

"You have been telling people you are from another world," said Ihawa. "If that is true, then how do you recognize me?"

Danu felt suddenly uneasy. In his own world, the pitcher Jamling Ihawa never flaunted his magical prowess, and nobody knew how powerful he really was. He was more interested in baseball than magic, and he didn't want his powers to be a distraction. In this world where magic and sports could not mix... Ihawa was clearly dangerous. He had a sinister aura about him, like a Sherpa version of Goebbels or Speer. His outward friendliness didn't quite hide the deadly power that lurked beneath.

Danu swallowed nervously and explained, "In my world, you're a famous baseball player. You pitched for the Khumbu Icefall Doctors..."

"Very convenient," said Ihawa, interrupting Danu in mid-sentence. "Where are you getting your information about what sports everyone played as a kid to help you concoct these stories, and why have you gone to the trouble? You pulled the same thing with that former SS officer at the monastery, and I'm sure Kai Qiang would appreciate your faith his driving ability. He does love a good high speed chase."

"I'm not concocting stories," said Danu. "It's true! You pitched for the Icefall Doctors for, like, 20 years, but then..."

Ihawa rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap and tell me where you're getting your information," he said. "The Icefall Doctors haven't existed since before I was born, and I got kicked out of Little League when I was six because the coach said my hereditary powers were disrupting the game."

"But I..." Danu was at a loss for words. And then he had a flash of inspiration. "Wait, you're a magician, right? Do you have the power to travel between worlds?"

Ihawa started to give another sarcastic reply, but then his expression changed. "I'll be damned..."

Faisal Singh has been suspended from the Sherpa national football team after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He will be replaced by Dawa Bhadula. MLF President Urkyen Madadi said in a public statement that steroids have no place on any of the Sherpa Empire's professional sports teams.

The team doctor called each of the players over one by one to give them their steroid injections. Sarang Lotsawa had grown to hate this part of his job. When he was a stupid kid chasing a dream, he had used steroids just like everyone else, and he didn't see anything wrong with it -- but the older he got and the more he thought about what he was doing to his body, the more it bothered him. He just didn't know what he would do with his life if he wasn't playing football, and the drugs came with the job. He fantasized about punching out the team doctor and giving a rousing speech to remind everyone what sport had been before the fascists and the eugenics movement got their hands into it. His vision of the past was probably a bit idealistic and naive, but it didn't matter because he was never going to actually give the speech anyway. He didn't have the nerve.

[Balqia]

The sun was rising from the east, the city awakened, some cars started to appear in the street, some women were walking in the city, going to work or to the market. But Rigo was training for a hour now. Orsaw’s suburbs are a calm and quiet place, perfect for his daily training, his permission allowed him to go to the streets one hour before the end of the curfew, so he always enjoyed an entire hour of quiet training, with a guard or some government officer being seen sometimes.
He was sitting in a bench to rest, some people passed through him, most of them were too busy to pay attention in some stranger in sports clothing. This always guaranteed him that he could train in peace even in public places. However, when he got up to return to the exercises something pulled his shorts, not to made them fall, but to call his attention. When Rigo looked down a boy of seven, maybe eight years was standing there with a school uniform, a scholar bag and a magazine in his hand.
-You’re Rigo, the football player!- The boy voice was too loud - I saw you in the Television…-
-Calm down boy, speak lowly.- Rigo was whispering, if people recognized him a crowd will form around him and he could just escape after hours. -I am a little busy right now, so what do you think about…
-Here- the boy was showing him his magazine, it was an album of cards from the World Cup. Rigo had some of these when he was a boy, the vision of one was nostalgic -I have Kalta, and Kalniq, and Faj, bot of them. I have the coach too, he scares me. But most of all I have you.- he pointed his finger to a photo of Rigo, he was in the Right side of Matiq, as the disposition of the cards resembled the team’s formation, with the players in the bench being in the side of their field counterpart. -You are the most cool. Matiq is lame, you score more goals than him.
Rigo smiled, the boy remembered himself when he was younger. And being called most cool was without doubt a compliment he couldn’t ignore.
-Thanks, but Matiq is pretty cool too. He scored a bunch of goals.
-No! Matiq is boring. He didn’t even played the last games.
-That’s because he have some problems in his leg, otherwise he is a very good player.- Surely Sanzor was having a hard time, he will be participating in the next game, however his injury was having a high morale impact in the team.- He scored a bunch of goals too.
-In the game against Kobrio it was you to score the final goal, it was so cool.
The last goal was surely something to be proud of. The score was 3-3, and Cobrio wasn’t seeming to let Balqia advance, however Munroe opened a breach and Faj advanced with the ball, the game only had more five minutes so this was the last chance to score, he and Qalti passed the ball to one another, but when they reached the coal area Petre prefered to pass to Rigo, who was more distant of the goal, but less pressured. Janus received the ball and advanced a little, Spencer was running to block him and the goalkeeper was preparing to defend, his leg moved on his own, the time seemed to stop and he kicked it without aiming to any particular reason. At a first glance the goal was missed as the ball rose too high, however when it entered the goal and the score was announced everyone cheered.
-Yes, it was very cool. But Faj also have scored a goal, the first goal of our team was scored by him.
The first goal was surely a good move, the opponent have made two goals in the first twenty minutes and the National Team was struggling to advance. Faj managed to steal the ball from the forward and advance from the middle, he and Qalti advanced with some difficulties, they reached the goal area but the back of the Cobre recovered the ball, but their back right kicked the ball out of the field. When they recovered the ball Qalti threw it to Rigo, who advanced and passed it to Faj, Balto managed to advance and score the goal, kicking it in the moment when the goalkeeper was throwing himself to block it.
-I don’t care. Only girls like Faj, the girl from my class are always talking about marry him or Kalniq.
Janus laughed from that, surely Faj was more popular in Balqia, the internet polls always gave him the double of votes that they gave to Rigo. But now Janus was starting to doubt the accuracy of the polls in relation to the demographics that actually liked football.
-Well, I am sure that Balto wouldn’t marry any of them. But you shouldn’t analyze a player only because of his scores. Football is a collective sport, everyone is important. Aio for example is an excellent player, but he never scored a goal, that’s because his duty is to defend the goal, without him our goal will be nothing because the opponent will always score more goals than us.
The boy opened his mouth, surely receiving an advice of his idol was like when the hero of a movie talked to an old master that guided him to be able to defeat the villain.
-Wow, that was so smart. You are so cool Rigo.
-Ok, but now you must go to school, it’s getting late. Here.-Janus took the album from the boy’s hand -give me a pen.- After the boy gave him one Janus autographed his album and gave it back. -now you have the cooler album of your school. Now go on.
-Thanks Mr Rigo, you are the cooler guy of Balqia!
And with that the boy disappeared in the crowd. Janus took a while thinking about that. He was right, football isn’t about who scores more, it’s about teamwork, and now he was a step in the direction to understand that.

[Krytenia]

Alexander: Not Throwing Away His Shot
By Rami Niblick in New Hind City, Indusse

THE smell of exotic spice in the air. The distant crack of leather on willow in the local parks. The anticipation of World Cup Qualifying. One could almost be forgiven for thinking I'm describing a Saturday afternoon in Avidia. But no, this is the picturesque city of New Hind, the capital of Indusse.

...show more content...

You'll have to excuse me, I appear to have turned into a travelogue. (Not the insipid Audioslavian hotel chain, mind.)

Where was I? Ah yes. New Hind, the capital of Indusse and venue for the latest chapter in the Alexander Sampson Renaissance. On the opening day, Valrauncion's side spluttered to a draw at home to this team. Last night, though, there was no such mercy, as the Dragons toasted their erstwhile rivals.

With his place in the side well and truly restored, Roberto Juliano was in imperious form. The Avidia United man took the role of puppetmaster, pulling the strings and treating the Indusse midfield as if they were badly constructed marionettes. Aided and abetted by the maturing Hansen twins, and the glorious skills of The Coq, the centre of the park was practically annexed as Krytenian territory, and their control of possession was probably illegal as a war crime under several international treaties.

All this meant happy hunting for the Dragons' front line. Selaphiel Kennedy, the latest sensation of the famous dynasty, is already looking like a trancendent talent at the tender age of eighteen. That's also, as it happens, how many minutes it took him to put Krytenia in front, foxing Ahmad Ali with some sublime skill and leaving Stephen Luiz helpless with a surgically placed shot. The fact that the second goal didn't go to him is more down to Luiz' reflexes than anything else, as the Indusse keeper did well to parry a peach of a long range strike, only to see the ball drop to Josh Coquelin, who snaffled it home. The men in tangerine and navy had the game sewn up by half time, as Juliano himself joined the fun with a well-taken free kick after a Rajesh Krishna foul.

With the game sewn up, Krytenia relaxed a little in the second half, the sting taken out of the contest - at least for a time. The Indusse defence eventually decided that the best way to counter the Krytenian midfield annexation was to bypass it completely; this reaped rewards when the ball bounced awkwardly in front of Gareth Brannan, allowing Baskar Kumar to latch onto the ball and chip deftly over the onrushing but tragically short Marcus Washington.

Washington, though, would have his revenge. After a foul on Christopher Joel, Washington took the free-kick thirty yards out from his own goal, launching the ball forward. Luiz was caught napping, and he could only watch as the ball sailed past him and into the net, much to the surprise of both custodians. Chris Naismith took this as an affront, and decided to get himself on the scoresheet, beating a tiring Mathew John to a Coquelin through ball and smashing home to make it five. A late consolation from Ashkay Rajpoot was just that, and the points went back to Emberton.

Alex Sampson now has the astonishing record of nine points from two-and-two-thirds games in charge, and the Dragons are playing with a real spring in their step. Next up are a couple of opportunities to right some wrongs against Zeniyadh and Pratapgadh before what could be a crunch qualifier against Mercedini. Onward!

INDUSSE - 2
Kumar 58
Rajpoot 84

KRYTENIA - 5
Kennedy 18
Coquelin 23
Juliano 31
Washington 66
Naismith 75