World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[Bliuji]

Baptism of fire 70, looked good for Bliuji. It felt as if the team chemistry was on point. The defense was playing better than expected even Bliuji's goalkeeper was giving a great preformance as well. The bof gave fans hope that Bliuji had a chance at qualifying for the world cup. But with time running out fans, as well as staff are doubtfull. Fact of the matter is the teams that Bliuji is going up against have more talent than the current roster we have now. A meeting held in downtown Prussia talked about the future of Bliuji's soccer team. Management discussed about recruiting some players from the u18 team as well as starting a youth program to develop highly skilled players. We know the staff is quite disapointed but the fans are as well. The only thing Bliuji can hope for now is to recruit better players to get ready for future competition.

[Main Nation Ministry]

Hearts of Ash

Chapter 5: Gossip

While I was dealing with the shit back at the suburbs, there was this one prick named Vic Fauxman who was trying to dig some stuff about me. After I was talking with Brad over some issues, I went home where I just down a bottle of grape juice. Now, the relationship with me and Charlie wasn't revealed to the fans or the public. Everyone assumes that Charlie just works for me, but about some people already knew. However, I was guessing that around that time things were getting tense, since some guy died back in South Covello and there was that fire the Leader set. I would have immediately understood that Vic was doing it, just to get his job back, but he just wanted to get dirt about me.

So a day after I talked to Brad, my other ex-boyfriend Colin was at the bar with a new girlfriend, where Vic had found him, because Colin was doing some stuff of his own. Even though I was a musician, Colin did make a bit of a name of himself by getting involved with some acting classes or whatever. I didn't check track of any movies in the nation. I usually just torrent some of them from other nations, since some were good than the propaganda crap that had some movies starring the Leader himself. I didn't get a chance to meet with his new girlfriend either. Though, it would have been extremely awkward.

For some people confused, I have about 2 ex-boyfriends. One which is Colin, who we both decided to go for the whole "friendzone" routine. Then, there's that bitch Brad, who I immediately dumped because-

Damn it..

Anyways, Vic was doing an interview with Colin, where both of them just ran into each other at the bar. Vic was running an independent outlet of his own on a blog, so he asked him some random shit, until Vic tried to ask him about his personal life.

"So where did this idea about acting came from?" Vic asked him, having a notepad to write down some stuff, though Vic only was interested in the juicy bits. "Well I told some acting classes after I graduated from the educational facility, where I was in several commercials. It was usually for several things like the Leader action figure and what not." Colin said, casually.
"And what about your roles in some movies?"
"I ended up as an extra, but I started taking supporting roles. Things are looking up to me actually. We're going to be in the studio this year for a drama movie, but not much stuff since I don't want to cramp my schedule full to it's extent."
"Any celebrities you met during your time of acting?"
"Well, I met the Leader. He's a celebrity. Ryuu Taichi was a stuntman. I did meet with Jessica Madden a couple of times."
"Jessica Madden, you say?" Vic was intrigued, where he pressed Colin for more information.

I would have been ok that Colin mentioned he was an ex-boyfriend. Had it ended like that, Vic wouldn't have been involved with this mess. But Vic was interested in more.

"What can you tell me about Jessica Madden?"
"I think she's a successful musician. Her and her band are doing good. We were together for a bit."
"Together? As a couple?"
"Well. Only during high school. But we just friends now. I don't know how she's doing right now. Maybe she's with a new boyfriend. Someone who can make her happy for the least."
"You know, if she's with a new boyfriend?"
"Not that I know. But she's probably doesn't want to talk about it."

Colin would have probably handled it well, if he found out that I was dating Charlie. He probably ask me, but I give me an answer and he would have agreed. Now, Vic Fauxman wanted to dig into things more. And even though he did know about a secret of mine, I think Vic just wanted to know who I was with. But, we need to talk a little something about Charlie first.

Now Charlie wanted to cheer me up and what not, but I didn't realize how screwed up her actual life was. I mean, my life is fucked up also, but Charlie had really a fucked up past. I didn't learn it, until Charlie explained it to me after we dealt with Henry. I can't really explain it, but I was told that some of my fans usually follow the "never meet your heroes" rule. And even though I know Charlie has some innocence, I think I encounter one with her when it comes to "never meet your heroes".

---

Henry Cotterie checked the statue near her bedside. For a few months now, he has been getting some extra money, where he practically has been slowly turning into a billionaire in chips. His wife Diana has been caring to him even as it was pass by his 50th birthday. 50 years old, he thought. Half a life in front of you. He went downstairs with the chips that appeared near the statue and used his cane to walk slowly down the stairs. He had gotten rid of the birdhouse, since it gave him some bad memories. But now that the past was behind him, he was planning on living as happy as he can.

Heading to the library, he went to see what there is to read, since it was a quiet day. It wasn't until he noticed a familiar book hammered between several door stoppers was when he decided to pull it out. It didn't have a title on the side, but he recognized it on the front, when he saw the lettering. "Class of XXXX Yearbook". The year was the book was faded away, but Henry remembered the year well. Curious, he decided to look at the book for the while. While skimming some pages, Henry recognized himself and-

"Shit!" Henry immediately closed the book, as he started to remember something. "Henry? Is everything alright?" Diana called from the dining room. "It's fine, dear!" Henry called back, as he tried to hide the book in a much secretive part of his bookcase.

[Port Ember]

Port Ember Times

The Tridents struggling in World Cup Qualifiers

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

Port Ember's national football team - The Tridents, are having a struggling period in the World Cup 83 Qualifier run, and the far fetched dream of qualifying has been laid to rest.

This realisation came when the second half of thd playoffs commenced with the team's 7th match, against Footballing giants Chromatika, losing against them with a final score of 3-1. This was follwed up with a 3-3 draw against Competetive Solitaire.

Port Ember has fallen from their long held 3rd spot on the table to the fourth spot, trailing 8 full points behind Table Leader Qusmo, who has played one less match compared to Port Ember.

The team's loyal supporters and the nation as a whole have expressed sadness with the current form and results of the team who have all held the dream of qualifying for the world cup in their first ever attempt, with the reality finally settling in.

The staff of Port Ember Times hopes that the Tridents atleasts learns from their remaining matches and gains valuable experience, with which to grow in future - and hopefully manage to reach the next World Cup in future.

Article written by Erica Davies

Port Ember Times

The Tridents prepares to face off against San José Guayabal

Pre Match Analysis & Interview

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

Port Ember will face off against San José Guayabal in their ninth match of the World Cup Qualifier run this Monday, to be played at their opponent's homegroud in
San José Guayabal.

Previously, Port Ember managed to beat San José Guayabal at the Waterstad International Stadium with a final score of 1 - 0.

Team Stats Analysis

San José Guayabal:

This team has played 8 matches so far as part of the World Cup Qualifier Run, in which they have won two, drawn two and lost five matches.

This team is currently unranked on the world rankings, however the team posseses a long footballing history and impressive infrastructure. For the qualifier run they have scored a total of 10 goals and allowed 21 goals to be scored against them.

Port Ember:

This team has played 8 matches so far as part of the World Cup Qualifier Run, in which they have won two, drawn three and lost three matches.

The Tridents is currently ranked as the 186th best team in the world. They have scored a total of 16 goals, and allowed 19 goals to be scored against them.

From a pure statistics point of view, Port Ember is the favourites for this match, when taking world ranking, current form, table position, goals scored and allowed into consideration. Although being thd favourites, its still not bound to be an easy match.

Team Analysis - Port Ember

Offense: The technical offensive skills of the team is on suberb form. The chemistry between their starting striker duo and their midfield creates amazing attacking oppertunities. Also their signature 'Bait Ambush' tactic is still a highly effective tactic, proven to be effective at this level of football.

Midfield: Traditionally the strongest component of this team, under command of the amazing Reddington.

Defence: The backline has once agaim recovered and is looking like a strong and proper element for this team.

Goalkeeping: Analysts have nothing but praise for Peter Smith the starting goalie. The young man is a legend in the making.

Substitutes: The team has a impressive line-up of substitutes, whom have received field time recently, adding possible depth to the team when needed. The extra attention they have received from the assistant coach is sure to play a important role as well.

Team Morale & Cohesion: The 4 year youth program is paying off dividends, as the team has excellent cohesion and on-the-field chemistry. The team is however having a tough season and might effect their morale.

Current Form: The team is not on great form currently and will surely be looking for a chance to turn things around.

Typical Gameplan: Their typical system of tiring out and frustrating their opponents in an attempt to pull their 'Bait Ambush' is a risky play which can easily go wrong and concede a goal. However when it works, it is highly effective, and so far this is still effective on this level so far.

Starting Line-Ups

Port Ember

Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith.

Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards.

Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee.

Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn.

Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#18): Ray Reddington.

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard.

Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain

Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Steve Rogers.

Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult.

Central Forward (CF)(#22): Danny Nicovic.

The line up returns to the original line up.

Team Kit

Port Ember have announced that they will play with their primary kit in their upcoming match.

Pre Match Interview with Port Emberian Coach - Stuart Baxter

Erica Davies: Morning Coach. So the unlikely dream of reaching the world cup has suffered a soft death. Will this effect the morale of the team for the remaining matches?

Stuart Baxter: Morning Erica. I agree that indeed we could have done better so far, but we could have done worse as well. We are indeed facing teams with centuries worth of experiemce compared to us. But I feel that we have learned a lot so far, and its helping us forge a better team as a whole, and is going to help us build football into an actual and strong sport back home. And no it will not have a negative impact on the team, as we came here for the sole purpose of learning from the best teams in the world, whether we win or lose. We will continue to do so.

Erica Davies: Are you worried about the next game?

Stuart Baxter: Actually not at all. Our opponents are indeed an formiddable and ancient team, but we have managed to beat them before. Also with no more expectations of actually reaching the WC, we have been released from all the stress and pressure, and can focus solely on the ball, without the previous bells and whistles.

Erica Davies: So for the next game, any changes in your gameplan, based on your opponents play?

Stuart Baxter: Indeed actually. It is not a large change, rather a few improvements to our play. And we will also hammer on a few weaknesses we have noticed from the opposition.

Erica Davies: Good awnser! Lastly, prediction for the upcoming match?

Stuart Baxter: I know our opponents are footballing giants, so we will be going out with guns blazing. Even if things needs to get physical, we are bringing our A Game!

[Turori]

Snapshot: Corporations & Groups that may look for World Cup Partnership

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:: twii.tur

twii.tur is a short message communication service based in Turori allowing users to exchange content of 140 characters or less. The service originated as a way to allow officials to receive alerts and key information such as incoming weather notifications, major events and the ability to stay coordinated during a time of crisis but was under-utilized and doubts were raised as to whether the overhead of the infrastructure was worthwhile to maintain.

As capabilities of interconnected and handheld communication devices improved, the Turorian Weather & Information Interchange (Twii) was adapted into a public facing service where users could sign up to create their own twii nodes where users would sign up to a twii group to receive all the twii messages delivered by members of that group.

Ultimately, as demand grew, a fully public release of twii came at the connected location twii.tur where all users can participate in the public twii, selecting which messages to receive by adding individual users, groups or topics to their twii.tur feed.

twii.tur rose to internationstatal popularity during the World Cup 80 as the Official Feed for Angry Fans to Yell at Each Other Partner of EqueStar World Cup 80; or more commonly as the Official Messaging & Communication Partner which is a role that twii.tur is looking to reprise in continuing its sporting involvement for World Cup 81.

After being announced as the Official Global Messaging & Communications Partner for World Cup 81, twii.tur upgraded with a slow of new features for its ever-growing user base in time for the including the !quickbang feature which would allow users to automatically add to their own feeds the updates and scores from matches and teams they were following during the World Cup 81 finals. Following World Cup 81 the feature was rolled out for assorted sporting, news and other categorical associations with some beginning to wonder if there were even too many !quickbangs around.

twii.tur has leveraged its past World Cup partnerships to grow from a small locally used Turorian information sharing service to one of the multiverses most prominent messaging and communication services and, along with Cocoa-bo, one of the most successful and well known Turorian entities in the global market. Now, with World Cup 83 being held wholly in Atlantian Oceania, twii.tur will likely be looking to appeal to its core user-base by maintaining its relationship with the sporting competition that helped the company grow to the size and user-base that it has today.

---

:: Cocoabo Park

Cocoabo Park is the publically accessible portion of the Cocoabo Forest, itself a joint venture between the Cocoabo Preservation Society, Tropicorp and the Island Emirate of Turori to Preserve, Study, Highlight and in some cases improve the existence and appreciation of Turori's Native Cocoabo.

While the Cocoabo Forest itself is a vast land where Cocoabo flocks are allowed to roam free, at Cocoabo Park visitors from around the multiverse are treated to intimate tours, close encounters and educational experiences all with the Cocoabo at the center. With limited on site lodging and a fully equipped village at the entrance area to the Park, visitors could spend days at Cocoabo Park without even venturing on one of the Park's tours into its different Cocoabo training enclosures or even further into the Cocoabo Forest.

In addition to the commercially driven aspect of the Park, and as a critical part of the relationship with the Cocoabo Preservation Society, the Park also serves as a hub for the team of Scientists and Researchers from both the Cocoabo Preservation Society and Tropicorp many of whom reside full time at the park. While the Cocoabo Preservation Society led efforts are more focused on passive studying and preservation, the Tropicorp team lead the CEEP - the Cocoabo Enrichment & Enhancement Project out of the Park. Beyond just researching and understanding the Cocoabo Genome, the CEEP team are tasked with focused training and enrichment activities to hyper-focus Cocoabo to hone their talents and skills and bring them to the forefront. One of the most popular enclosures on a tour of Cocoabo Park is the CEEP's sporting enclosure where Cocoabo can be found participating in activities such as Footsport and even on a lucky day, Motorsport.

Turori's National Cocoabo Squad can trace its origins to the CEEP project at Cocoabo Park and are still based and trained out of Cocoabo Park when not on the road representing Turori in competition. Cocoabo Park has been involved as a Sponsor of the World Cup in the past as the official Educational Resort of the World Cup 81 in Banija and the Free Republics.

Since then, Cocoabo Park has further opened its doors to the sporting multiverse with the first ever Cocoabo Preservation 300K Stock Car race held at the Cocoabo Park Circuit in the Cocoabo Forest. Cocoabo Park remains the home of Turori's National Cocoabo Squad who, while they will not be competing at World Cup 83 in Banija and Equestria, continue to hone their skills in matches including a recent victory over Chromatika at the Cocoabo Park Arena.

---

:: Cocoa-Bo Eatery

Cocoa-bo, an establishment taking its name directly from the beloved national animal of Turori, started as a small dessert shop in Kionao. However, it was only after they added cocoa topped drinks to their menu that their popularity started to soar. As more and more patrons scooped up their cocoa flavored pick-me-ups, demand for the Cocoa-bo product skyrocketed and soon new franchised locations were popping up all throughout Turori, becoming the premier delectables shop in the Island Emirate. Shifting to more of a social 'hang-out' then just a casual place to drop in, get a dessert, and leave, the new locations started adding small foods such as Bagels for the morning, Soups and Sandwiches for Lunch or Dinner and Salads for the entire day.

Cocoa-bo has been one of the most aggressive Vilitan or Turorian brick and mortar establishments to expand outside of the Vilitan Cove. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and Cocoa-bo has opened temporary locations during major internationstatal events such as the World Cup Finals with past locations appearing in Drawkland and Cosumar. Cocoa-bo has opened a new permanent presence in South Covello, Starblaydia, the Equestrian States and more. The company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. Cocoa-bo are also the kit sponsor for Mliona-Lpaka AFC in the Vilitan League.

Cocoa-bo have blossomed in expansion to many nearby countries and would look to continue their tradition of setting up pop-up locations at each World Cup venue in addition to the permanent establishments already located in both Equestria and Banija. If selected to reprise their role as the Official Delectable Partner for World Cup 83, Cocoa-bo will strive to provide a welcoming environment where fans of all nations can set aside their differences on the pitch to share their love of delicious delectables. While Cocoa-bo still has some work to do to establish a foothold inside Banija, there is likely to be no shortage of demand in Equestria as the hoofball-loving nation is one of the Top 5 consumers of Cocoa-bo product.

While an operated independently, Cocoa-bo is a wholly owned subsidiary of the CoCoCo Logistics and Holdings mega conglomerate. Cocoa-bo leverages the CoCoCo supply chain logistics to transport some of its most close-held ingredients from their sources believed to be the Inura Forest region of Turori to Cocoa-bo storefronts throughout the multiverse.

---

:: Inura Extracts

Perhaps looking to build off the success of the addictive Cocoa-bo product line, one grassroots trend amongst Turorians has begun to package itself in a way to take advantage of the craze through Inura Extracts, LLC. Claiming to specialize in all natural plant extracts source directly from the Inura Forest region of Turori, Inura Extracts has begun distributing everything from Aromatics and Spices to Dietary Supplements under the Inura Extracts moniker. While Cocoa-bo has claimed no direct relationship with the company, Inura Extracts have certainly not made any attempts to distance themselves from rumors that they are sourcing their extracts from the same sources the local beverage and delectable phenoms Cocoa-bo and the Vilisorma Beverage Company, makers of Vilaye Energy Drink, collect the raw material for their own product lines. Others, however, have suggested that the Inura Extracts company and its product line are just a hoax looking to make a quick buck off trendy nutritional swings throughout the Vilitan Cove region. With World Cup 83 on the horizon, however, Inura Extracts may attempt to shed some of the skepticism surrounding its products by taking them outside of Turori and presenting them to the multiverse as it descends on Banija and Equestria for the World Cup 83 Finals.

---

[Jeruselem]

In Jeruselem, after drawing 2-2 with ladder leaders Vilita ... Queen Chloe and her daughter in-law Princess Bianca

Chloe: Hey, how come we can lose 2-1 to Vartugia but draw 2-2 with Vilita?
Bianca: I can't explain that, it's not we're really bad. We've lost to Vilita 1-0 last time so we're not terrible or incapable.
Chloe: Yes, we are capable but we've had two wins in 8 games.
Bianca: Yeah, we have ability to win ... we just don't
Chloe: Now we're like 8 points behind the top 2. I really don't think we can qualify
Bianca: We still have the 2nd best defense in the group

Chloe: And equal worst offense ...
Bianca: We can still qualify, given some kind of luck.
Chloe: We'd need to win all our remaining games and hope the top 2 drop points
Bianca: Hey at least won't be last
Chloe: I'm sure we can manage that one
Bianca: Moron finally scored goal today, only took him like ... 8 games.

Chloe: You did a good job, keeping Vilita to 2 goals. They score that and more most of the time
Bianca: We could have actually bloody won too
Chloe: Yes if we had finished off that last shot
Bianca: I guess draw against the number one seed in the cup is a good result
Chloe: I guess it is, in context. A win would have been much better.
Bianca: Don't look at me, it's not my job to score goals.

Chloe: My sister is retiring from touring after this cup, she's staying on at Naked News but no more tours of the world.
Bianca: Young Kate is taking over?
Chloe: Of course. Unless you want a new job when you retire.
Bianca: No no no, I'm no good at that. I'm not very diplomatic and you have to deal with idiots and be nice to them.
Chloe: So what you going to do?
Bianca: A job where I can shout abuse at people for a living and get paid for it.

Chloe: Football coach, just the job!
Bianca: That one is too much hard work
Chloe: It sure is ... ask me about it
Bianca: I could just work in a football club, you know doing the training stuff
Chloe: We own a football club.
Bianca: I know, I play over there.

Chloe: Say where is moron?
Bianca: He's just making an ass of himself on TV, with Naked News with Kate.
Chloe: She's used to his ass-ery.
Bianca: I guess she's getting used to the job she's taking over
Chloe: She'll be fine
Bianca: Having a day off today?

Chloe: I'm the uber ruler of universe, I make my own holidays.
Bianca: No meetings on cup days?
Chloe: It's my work hours, if you want decision ... join the queue
Bianca: You've met my business man brother haven't you?
Chloe: Oh yes, him. Always talking himself up, and doesn't mention you.
Bianca: Well, he looks down of them stupid sports people with no real skills.

Chloe: I was stupid sports person! Well one in management ...
Bianca: That's a different kind of sports person
Chloe: I guess it is ...
Bianca: He's made a fortune in the shadow banking industry, he's good at stealing peoples money.
Chloe: You can tell someone is a banker, it's easy.
Bianca: Well, he never let me borrow money.

Chloe: Really?
Bianca: But I don't need his money now! I'm really rich now.
Chloe: There you go, there's more than one way to get rich. Marry someone rich.
Bianca: I sound like Gold Digger
Chloe: Heh, my son could have married far worse from out there.
Bianca: I guess I don't trade on my looks alone. I just look ordinary compared to you lot.

[Tamgu]

HAN TEKRAN FOUND DEAD

The news has just come in, Han Tekran has been found dead in Şansery, Pritoria. His autopsy report tells he has been dead for 18 hours, shot from the back of his head with a Yolt 1191 handgun. The local police is investigating if he has comitted suicide or been murdered, there is no clear answer to that right now. This has shocked the team and his family, so much so we couldn't get any words from Miss Tekran, Mr. tekran or Lala Tekran because they just couldn't stop crying. Takra Resak has talked to the press about the situation: "We were all shocked when he went missing, and now this... He was a great man, sometimes a little troubled, but he was a good friend of mine. We not only lost a teammate but lost a friend, or should i say family member. We are upset about this obviously, but we cannot let this hurt our performances. It's what he would've wanted."

RIP Han Tekran 1988-2019
Born on April 28 1988 in Pritoria, Tekran was the first child of two. He was raised in Pritoria's streets, playing with his friends. Since his childhood, he had been a huge fan of Pritoria Igno and always went to their matches with his father, whenever possible. In school he was a brilliant student, had straight 8's in all of his classes. He however, didn't want to pursue higher education. His dream was to play for his club PISK. So at the age of 13, right before highschool he went into the academy of PISK. His talent in football was quickly noticed and he got his first professional 1st team start at the age of 16 years 5 months and 6 days, in September 3rd, 2004. He became PISK's captain in 2007, won 3 championships and played for 9 years before leaving it for Palerna in the Yucatian League. He has participated in Gorania Tourne 2009, 2013 and 2017 with the National Team.


Tamgu, PISK and Palerna have retired the number 14 shirt.
Tamgu is waiting for permission to fill in his space from the football association.

[Nephara]

Nephara 9 - 3 Ethane
(4-4-2) 12 - Mercator; 2 - Kielseng, 5 - Thorn, 6 - Steelhenge, 3 - Close; 13 - Saroszi, 4 - Shone, 21 - Moxham (8 - Klein 60'), 11 - Strongbow; 9 - Hawke (c), 10 - Metzger (17 - Bastable 76')
Goals: Hawke 13' 27', Moxham 18' 45+1' 57', Strongbow 31', Metzger 52', Shone 68', Klein 81'

Some days warrant cliches. This was one of them. It was, to burn away at the first of the reader's patience, a funny old game.
Ask pretty much any Ethane fan on the eve of the game how they'd feel about going 2-0 up within ten minutes on Nepharim soil, and the result would almost certainly be positive. 2-0 up within ten minutes is exceptional.
But the strange thing about that is that 2-0 after ninety minutes, though far less noteworthy, is much better. After all, that exceptional start still leaves plenty of game happening for events to turn.
So it went.

The reader left off with Daniella Strauss having the time of her life. About fifteen to twenty minutes later, Strauss was quite fervently wishing that the ground would swallow her up. What happened in between? Did the Cormorants sing the anthem that badly out of tune? Well, yes, but that wasn't why.
The why had come from the two main threats of the Red Kites, the two young guns growing into their careers, Kyle Ford with a blistering shot that stung Mercator's palms, the Eastweald goalkeeper uncharacteristically able only to claw it straight to Lukas Cole, who gratefully accepted the gift three minutes into the game. In the ninth, Cole played provider when a long ball into the box from Montoya was, fatefully, inexplicably, allowed to bounce by Steelhenge, who had an error in her - Cole stole in and struck the ball across, meeting Ford in his stride, and the young winger went for goal. The strike deflected heavily, clipping off the luckless Steelhenge's heel en route to goal, leaving Mercator stumbling uselessly too far to the right. Ford took credit, and rightfully, but it was a hell of a way to start the match.
Hence Strauss' failing mood. Bryony Johansen, behind her, channeled her aggression into kicking over an impressive pyramid of First Wind, sending fluorescent bottles scattering across the sidelines.
Four minutes later, it was time for the Nepharim right flank to fire back; Monako Saroszi offered their riposte with a powerful, drilled cross that Hawke chested down and stabbed instinctively past Shepard, no Ethani defender coming close. Metzger raced past them all, grabbed the ball from the net, sprinted to the halfway mark.
Five minutes later, Hawke held up play stemming from a slick, direct passing move, before Chimera Moxham raced past; Hawke slid her the ball, almost lateral, rugby-style. A single touch to take her measure, a second to smash it past Shepard, who got fingers to it and nothing more on its way past him. And... suddenly the comeback was not only on, but it had happened before anyone had blinked. Strauss' heart had just about returned to normal by the time Shone wrested possession from the distinguished but sluggish Underwood, fought across him to tap the ball to Moxham for Moxham to rifle the ball down to Metzger, who centred for strike partner Hawke to drag out a leg and drag past Shepard, battling shoulder-to-shoulder with Crawford and, evidently, winning.
That was... 3-2? Wait, no, Strongbow smashed one on the fly and saw it fly past Shepard. 4-2. 5-2 when Moxham drove a strike beyond the beleagured goalkeeper on the edge of half-time, just when he'd thought things were safe after repelling efforts from Metzger and Saroszi. Ethane's wingers and forwards were terrifying, that was well-documented, but their spine was soft.

Perhaps one could level that accusation at Nephara's own. But that was an error.
The gold standard of Nepharim central midfields was, for most, Ashdown and Rainsford. Stately, lean, intelligent Northwesterners - peas from a pod, and both had exceptional passing ranges. Ashdown just had an eye for goal, a near-incomparable vision for splitting defences, while Rainsford had an edge to her, the desire to stop attacks in their tracks and restart them on her side. Neither was fast.
Like Ashdown, Moxham really wasn't one for defensive yards, but it wasn't for want of pace. She was one for dazzling her way past four men and dinking the ball over the goalkeeper to make it 7-2, after setting up Metzger minutes prior for the sixth. She ran, but forward.
And she could do this because Tawny Shone was there. Shone was not the greatest player Nephara had ever had in a great tradition of defensive midfielders, and she was not infallible. When she failed, a missed tackle leaving the lively substitute Zavala able to find Montoya to find the net to make it 7-3, leaving some nominal hope for a comeback.
But what she was was a brilliant and unapologetic water-carrier. Her task wasn't to link attack and defence, that was more a role for the enterprising fullbacks; her role was to kill anyone who got past the Apox-reminiscent trident of Moxham, Saroszi and Strongbow, and immediately get the ball to Moxham, Saroszi or Strongbow. It would have been stifling to Rainsford, a waste of her talents... and while Ashdown could sit behind with her, that would've meant shackling Moxham. Hell; it would've been stifling to Rowland. Shone didn't care. She was here to kick people for the good of the nation, and seemed almost as surprised as anyone when the ball fell to her on the edge of the box from Crawford's scuffed clearance, and when her enterprising shot just snuck past Shepard to make it 8-3.
By then, Moxham had been taken off to a standing ovation. She had a hat-trick, all in the first hour.
The more Ashdownian Rusalka Klein, her club teammate - more used to playing alongside her than replacing her - made it nine a while later, cutting through the shellshock that had seemed to envelop both sides for a while.
It was a senseless, crazy game. It felt like a relic of the early days, not a match between two capable, fairly sane national teams, both of which had been in the top eight just two years prior. But it did make one thing certain; with the right timing and circumstance, 2-0 was, in fact, the most dangerous scoreline of all.

[Flavovespia]

Flavovespia 0–1 Ko-oren

Flavovespia fell to another 1-goal loss by Ko-oren, as the visitors pushed on to get the automatic World Cup qualifying place. The hosts looked strong, and it was difficult at times to see the difference in official rankings between the sides, but the good form of the visitors eventually paid dividends.

Coming off the back of their draw to Eura, the hosts were keen to come up another shock result. They got the first shot on target, a low curling effort from Andrew Mason, but watched carefully into the arms of the Ko-oren keeper. A positive start for Flavovespia, but Ko-oren's defensive prowess would prove to be difficult to get through with any sort of regularity.

Ko-oren were keen to defend, and their chances were more about quality than quantity. Nevertheless, a few efforts in the first stages of the games came close, and drew good saves and blocks from the Flavovespian defence. This game early on was looking likely to be a low scoring affair.

For Ko-oren, the breakthrough came late in the first half, after 38 minutes. Maximilien Longchambon got clear of the midfield, and charged at the Flavovespia defence. A through ball got between John Calvert and Mark James, and Mata Vaugrenard drilled a shot past Harrington, beating him on pace as his shot was arrowed across goal and into the net. 1-0 to the visitors, and despite another good effort for Flavovespia with a Steven Hall long shot flashing just over the crossbar, that was the half-time score.

Coming into the second half, Ko-oren were keen to simply keep their 1-0 lead, and not commit forward. Knowing a win keeps them ahead of Eura, the Dragonflies seem to be focusing on not conceding, instead of scoring. Andrew Mason, Scott Coleman and Steven Hall looked sharp up front, but the three Ko-oren centre backs looked to have the ability to cut out the best of chances, with good positioning and challenges.

Nick Cole gambled on 66 minutes by taking out Ronald Maddox, and bringing on Charles Winward, the left midfielder at the left wing-back position. Sadly for the hosts, he looked to be struggling to track back, and seemed to be unable to match Lionel Dalton down the flank. Henrik Jensen then nearly saw red, with an unnecessary lunge on Longchambon. The Ko-oren attacking midfielder got up quickly with no sign of injury, which may have saved the somewhat hot-headed Flavovespian from an early shower. Cole had seen enough, and put on Jordaan Wolfson to avoid a sending off.

As the minutes ticked on, the chances for Flavovespia were few and far between, despite the efforts of the hosts. Mason was replaced by Ramon Martin, returning to the field after several matches on the bench. He got on the end of a cross in the 84th minute, but Minne van Schelven did enough to keep him from getting his header close to the danger zone. A second attempt at a header a few minutes later saw Martin tumble to the ground and appeals for a penalty went up. There was no interest from the referee, and the video referee confirmed they saw nothing in it, Martin appearing to almost be going down before the cross even went in.

0-1 it finished in the end. Flavovespia would have wanted something from the game, but in reality Ko-oren always had them in check defensively, and Flavovespia couldn't do much against some individual brilliance from the group leaders. After the bye week, Group M has really changed. Ko-oren lead on 20, but Dreamplanet are 2nd on 14, and Eura are winless in 4 and on 13. Freeport on 11 and Torisakia on 9 are next up, followed by Flavovespia on 6, with hopes of a Top 3 or 4 place depending on the next 3 games. Western Bjornaic are still without points, conceding another 7 against Freeport in their last game, and now have little to play for but pride.

Domestic News

After much speculation from the moment the season ended, Waldster have found their new striker, and it is 24 year old John Lawler, now formerly of Butterfield Rovers FC. The final fee is £28m, not quite the £30m benchmark many expected it to hit. Waldster manager Nathan Kent said of the signing “It’s a great move for us and for John, he’ll be a great success here and will score plenty of goals for us”.

After his breakout years during Butterfield Rovers’ 2nd and 3rd places a few years back, many suspected Lawler could be a start striker of the Super League. He faded a little in 24 and 25AU, but strong performances last season, meant he was on the radar of the big sides. Narrowly missing out on a national team spot, Lawler will hope impressive performances at his new club will put him on the radar.

With 2 big sales, it’s a surprise to see Butterfield Rovers not more active in the transfer market. However rumours are circulating that Butterfield are seeking to build a new stadium of at least 20’000, ideally 25’000 or more, to replace the ageing 12822 seater Fire Park that they currently play in. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but if they have another season away from relegation fears, it could happen.

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with Graham O'Doherty

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME

Hello guys, and welcome back to another edition of The Football Fallacies with me, your gay Irishman Graham O'Doherty. So, our topic for today is exactly what I have described in the title. Now, unless you've been living under a rock for all this time (how did you manage to learn how to operate an Internet by the way?) you will have known that Abanhfleft has a new manager. Yes, Ranulph Bustamante is gone; long live Ignatius Braun. The SFA brought in Braun with the aim that he would help shore up Abanhfleft's defense. And yet what was the result of Abanhfleft's latest qualifying match? 3-2. Yes, it's a win for us, but we still shipped two goals under a manager with a reputation for running a tight ship.

Compare and contrast this game with the one we played against Ancherion at home all those months ago. We won that particular game 4-3. Anyone with half an eye would immediately notice the improvement between the goals we let in between the two games. Sure, it's just one goal, but imagine if we had conceded three in this game. That would have meant we would have only gotten a draw instead of a win, and I know that that wouldn't have been good enough for fans, and this is taking into consideration the fact that this is Iggy Braun's first game! Yes, I know Braun prefers to be called by his full name but Ignatius is just so damn hard to type and to say so from now on, he's Iggy B to me.

Okay, back to the story. We improved on defense, that's for sure. Conceding two goals as opposed to three is certainly an improvement, at least as far as the Fleftic national team is concerned. But then we look at the goals scored, and there we see the concern that the fans have had ever since Iggy B was announced as our new manager. As you all know, defensive football does not equal many goals, or at least that's how it goes over here in Abanhfleft. And Iggy B's Sheriff Tiraspol teams weren't exactly known for their style and flair, if you get my drift. And I know that football's very much a game of chances where sometimes you'll get a lot of chances and other times one chance is all you'll need or ever get. But we had lots of chances in both games against Ancherion, that's for sure. We just happened to convert less chances (or fewer chances?) in the away leg than in the home leg. Home court advantage and all that, some might say. Kareem Dagen and Vitaly Zima the usual suspects, and Di Bradini Cup standout (easy to say when your teammates are busy effing up our chances in that particular tournament) Mustafa Bensoussan added a late goal of his own in injury time, but Ancherion also scored during the time added on to the time added on by Bensoussan's goal and celebration. You know, the usual football stuff.

So, like I said, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Iggy B was brought in to stop us from leaking goals and yet we still continue leaking said goals. He was not brought in to shore up our offense, which didn't appear to be a problem at all back then, but now everyone is concerned that the goals are going to dry up. Oh, well. What can you do? Unless you, dear reader, are actually Kareem Dagen or Vitaly Zima or Bensoussan or whoever else is on the team. If you guys are reading my blog, please score more goals. I'm not going to say try because there is only do or do not. No try at all. Unless we're talking about rugby, in which case then there must be tries all the time. And now I've gone completely off the rails. I need a break to reset myself. Oh, crap. I've just revealed myself to be an Irish bot. Top o' the morning, fellow humans! XOXO from Graham...

[The Macabees]

THE WITCH EMELIE, X
Previous: I, II. III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX


The streets were chock full of celebrating fans waving flags and banners, yelling and shouting, drinking and smoking. The Golden Throne had won against the most difficult opponent in their group, the runner-ups of the last World Cup, the mighty Turori, and the ecstasy of the event was manifested by the wildness of the people on the street. Through this throng struggled Dario and Janis as they made their way to Je'Jemiah, the great central train station of Beda Fromm. They could see it above the bobbing heads of the people, its great bronzed steel archway giving shape to its façade, behind which extended the rest of the building.

It took some time for them to push their way through. When they finally made it, a woman's voice was gently announcing arriving and departing trains. Her drone was perpetual. The station was as busy as the streets outside, although that was usual. This was, after all, the most important station in all of the great city of Beda Fromm, itself one of the largest and most important cities of the Golden Throne.

Janis said, "Wait here."

She disappeared for some time. Dario leaned back against the tiled wall, resting his head and closing his eyes for a moment. What had driven him to run with this madwoman? There was a ring in his mind, product of the alcohol that was wearing off. Maybe that's why he was running. Because there was nothing he had behind him to keep it tethered anymore.

Janis returned after a few minutes, two tickets in hand. Smiling, she said, "We leave in thirty minutes. We leave to never come back! Isn't that exciting?" Dario nodded and she went on. "I can't believe this is happening. And with you! Would you like some breakfast?" She looked around for a café.

"I'm okay," he answered. He was clutching his stomach.

Frowning, she asked, "Do you feel alright?"

"Just nervous," replied Dario. "Butterflies is all."

"Don't worry," she reassured him. "We'll be in Targul Frumos before you know it."



Ineke had taken the wheel and overridden the AI, something only security personnel like her and the rich could do. Speeding down the highway, every other vehicle looked a blur to them. They were in a hurry, for Janis Mariko had run. Their first stop was Dario Gertona's apartment, where they expected information on her whereabouts. But, Dario hadn't answered. They waited there for two hours before a neighbor appeared, and when asked this neighbor admitted to seeing Dario and a girl leaving the building. The girl must have been Janis, of course. They were on the run together.

Had they committed the crime together? That was the thought racing through her head as they rushed past all other traffic. Leender was sitting in the passenger's seat next to her, clutching his leg with one hand. Nowadays, most people weren't accustomed to this style of driving, even security officers like them. He looked at her.

"What?" she asked.

The investigator answered, "Going fast enough?"

"If they manage to leave the city, we may never find them," she said back to him.

"How do you know where they are?" he asked. His point was valid, they had little information to go on.

She thought for a moment. Then, "If you had to leave Beda Fromm all of a sudden, how would you do it? You either take a plane, a train, or a bus, right? I figure we have 50/50 chances. Actually, our chances are better than that because we also know that they're both unemployed as of a few days ago. If I wanted to escape on the cheap, then, I'd take a train or a bus. If that's the case, I'd leave from Je'Jemiah, where I have the best chance of getting a ticket for the platform that's leaving the soonest. That's my thinking, anyway."

"Makes sense," he said. "Let's assume you're right. Let's assume that they're at Je'Jemiah, or were there. Actually, that's my point. When did they leave his apartment? Did they go anywhere afterward? Have they already left the city? It just seems to me that, any way you look at it, we're on a wild goose chase."

"Maybe so," replied Ineke. "Even so, we have people on that and we can change course if need be. While the team figures out their whereabouts, we'll give chase the old fashioned way. We've got nothing to lose."

He nodded. "Fair enough."

As they approached the station, she turned on the car's sirens to force people out of their way. Still, they moved lethargically, too preoccupied with the celebrations to pay attention to the security officer trying to part the crowd. Regardless, slowly but surely the vehicle pushed its way through. She didn't bother parking it, leaving it in the middle of the street that took them right up to the entrance of the building.

"Let's go, hurry," she said. Leender was quick on her heels.



"Last chance to board AR-K-8970, last chance to board AR-K-8970, with destination to Targul Frumos," said the computerized female voice over the intercom.

Janis and Dario were already waiting inside. She was sipping on the coffee she bought at the café. He was looking out the glass window next to him, thinking about something. His eyes were still red. Maybe he was thinking about the sleep he needed to get or whether he'd have to get up at some point to throw up. He wasn't feeling very well at all.

He turned to look at her. He asked, "Did you kill them?"

"What does that matter?" she replied.



"There, there it is," said Ineke, pointing at the train labeled AR-K-8970. "If they're still here, my guess is that they're on that train."

"You stop it, I'll confirm with the system admins to see if someone by the name of Janis Mariko or Dario Gertona purchased train tickets today," said Leender. He deviated before she could consent.

She pushed people out of her way as she approached the train. It had dozens of carriages and they could be on any one of them if they were on this train at all. Did she even have the authority to stop it? Here, security officers didn't have the same authority as police officers had in other countries. They weren't agents of the state, simply private contractors paid through insurances that worked with the imperial and local justice systems. And she didn't have a warrant or anything else to lend her the authority she needed. Resolved, she decided to try anyway.

But, before she got to the conductor, the train lurched forward. Moving slowly, it started its way down the track toward the end of the tunnel, where a bright light shone through from the outside. Hurrying, she began waving her arms and shouting for the conductor to stop, but nothing.

As it passed her by, she looked into the windows and there she saw two familiar faces.

"They're on this train," said Leender, who ran up behind her, breathless.

With a frustrated face, she said, "I know."



"Hey, isn't that the detective woman?" asked Janis.

Dario nodded vigorously. If he felt sick before, he felt even worse now. Janis waved the two figures outside on the platform away and said, "Well, they're not getting us now."

But, his mind was elsewhere. "Did you kill them?" he asked again.

She was silent for a long moment. Finally, she answered, "I went to Klasos' apartment to kill him, yes..."

[Polkopia]

Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 (Part 1) • Chapter 4 (Part 2) • Chapter 5 (Part 1) • Chapter 5 (Part 2) • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 (1) (2) (3) (4) • Chapter 10 (1)

The following passages are taken directly from Polkopian author, Yakub Orvin's novel, Pelyučidnost', in which he describes the novel as a sort of a revitalization of the "golden age" of Polkopian literature dating back to the 18th century. By releasing the novel to the public, Orvin hopes to grow his international fanbase, as well as showcase the "hidden treasure" of Polkopian literature to the multiverse.

---

10. Amaraas (Part 2)

“While we’re on the matter of peasants and the matters taking place in our villages,” King Daarius continued, “I’ve heard troubling reports from Politvoe and surrounding communes about a terrible sickness. Lord Diga, already your commune has suffered three casualties and there are reports of many more infected. Politvoe has suffered almost fifty casualties already, and I fear for Metimou’s grain output for the upcoming harvest.”

The room fell dead silent and the only thing that was audible was Mikhail’s pen scratching against the surface of his paper. Everybody around the room trained their eyes on Amaraas, the only lord in the room who owned land in Metimou, who could only look back at the other lords.

“I think,” Grand Duke Sentrov spoke up after pondering for some time, “I think the best course of action if to quarantine these villages. Do not permit anybody to step foot outside of the land which has been reserved for Politvoe and…” The Grand Duke paused. “Forgive me Lord Diga but I’m afraid I’ve found myself unable to remember the name of your communes.”

“Restograd and Ektenko.” Amaraas answered gruffly.

“Right, so I believe it would be, not only in the region’s best interest, but the interest of all the Polkopias that this land is fenced off and effectively cut off by civilization. The villagers who are healthy must, sadly, remain inside these parameters until the epidemic has taken its last life.”

Again, the room fell silent as everybody considered all possible options.

“Or,” began Lord Eremenko, “we could make use of Peeto’s greatest doctors and see what there is to be done about this. It’s a great waste of manpower to let human lives be taken so easily and every effort should be taken in order to ensure the productivity of Metimou isn’t hindered. Metimou currently produces over half of Polkopia’s entire grain supplies. Such a loss of production would wreck absolute havoc on Polkopia and its people.”

“You’re talking about risking the lives some of the most-skilled workers in all of Polkopia, Lord Eremenko.” Grand Duke Sentrov said, “And for what? For the hypothetical notion that every peasant’s life will be saved? My lord I have to ask, have you ever bared witness to an epidemic of sizable proportion?”

Lord Eremenko only sighed before answering firmly. “No, I have not.”

The Grand Duke spoke grimly, never taking his gray eyes off of Lord Eremenko as he spoke, “I was in Valinkova thirty years ago when the Great Plague struck. I saw men, women, and children alike hobbled over themselves in the street, covered in welts and blisters that were so unimaginably large and grotesque, eventually succumbing to the disease and dying after many days of immense pain. The suffering was great, let me tell you, and it was a pity to watch, but in the midst of the crisis fear began to take over the populace and fear, sir, is the most dangerous human emotion if not properly contained. In the time I spent in Valinkova during the Plague, I bore witness to such pandemonium which is only ever capable from man. Homes were burned and citizens were killed of course, but the extent to which man went to hunt down and steal from, maim, and murder their neighbors was inconceivable. I pity the villagers in their state of extreme suffering, believe me my Lord, I pity them as much as you do, and whilst I fear for our grain supply, I do not think exposing our greatest doctors to such devastation will be for the benefit of Polkopia.”

The entire room was dead silent and not even the sound of Mikhail’s pen was heard. Everybody remained silent for a period of time that extended far beyond normalcy.

King Daarius broke the silence and cleared his throat. “Thank you to both Gregori Ivanović and Martin Dmitrievich for your input. Given the gravity of the situation at hand, I believe the best option will be to go ahead and quarantine the villages and remove anybody from importance from the premises. We’ll take account of the casualties once the matter is over. In regards to the grain situation, we’ll allocate more coin so that we may import the supplies from our allies to the east. Mikhail, I trust you’ll see to it that the necessary funds should be properly arranged?”

Mikhail stopped writing for a moment. “If it is the will of your Holiness, then it shall be done.” Mikhail bowed and returned to scribbling notes.

"Lord Diga, please see to it that Lord Borvin is informed of my decree and I'd like for the both of you to work together in order to ensure that everything is carried out in a swift manner. No peasants are to work the fields and not a single soul is permitted to enter or leave the village itself. See to it that walls are constructed and if they have already been, see to it that they're reinforced so that any there may not exist a way to slip out undetected."

"As you wish, my King." Amaraas answered obediently.

"Now if there's nothing else!" The King stood up and the lords around the table followed suit. The King walked out the door, followed by Mikhail, and then the rest of the men in the room. The Grand Duke patted Amaraas's shoulder as he passed him before exiting through the doorway and Amaraas was subsequently left all alone in the room.

[Recuecn]

[The Sarian]

The Cappuccino Catch-up

Who's who? The 43 candidates running for President in 100 words*:
*ish

Part Three of Four

Helen Johnson (For A Nuclear Free Union)
Helen Johnson is a former Green Party councillor and long-time anti-nuclear protester. She recently made headlines by chaining herself to a barrier outside the site of the proposed new nuclear power site, claiming that The Sarian utilising nuclear power is a 'gateway' to become a nuclear-armed power. Her main message is a zero tolerance to any progression toward nuclear weapons, including nuclear power, and the building of a multilateral coalition to end nuclear power across the multiverse. However, she has faced derision for calling for a trade embargo against any states which utilize nuclear power.

Iain Jones (Sari People's Party)
Another far-right candidate, Iain Jones is attempting to differentiate himself by focusing on 'bread and butter' issues, which he says have been made 'worse' by immigration and the 'desecration' of traditional values. He has called for waiting times to be reduced in the health service, a guaranteed job for every Sari school leaver and a guaranteed GPA House within six months of applying. He has been criticised for failing to say how any of this can be achieved, and is currently polling at just 0.3%.

Borg Lawson (The Establishment)
Comedian Borg Lawson is running as the candidate for the satirical 'The Establishment' party. Hitting out against what he perceives as an 'ingrained political elite', he has proposed a manifesto which he says echos the 'corruption and moral bankruptcy' of the four main parties. Pledges include a one million imperia salary bonus for the President from every government contract, the random shooting of one poor person every morning 'for shits-and-gigs' and for journalists to sign a formal pledge of allegiance 'in the interests of transparency'.

Gerrard Lowe (National Renewal)
Gerrard Lowe has fought back against claims that he is another far-right candidate, even threatening to sue newspapers that use the term. Claiming he is a 'national conservative, pro markets and pro my country' he proposes that business rates be halved and welfare be halted after a year long period. He has also called for a 'one in, one out' immigration policy and says that only 'native born' citizens may access government support, including in healthcare. He hopes to push his old party, One Nation, to the right, though is currently polling at below 0.1%.

Johannes Lukasson (Florican)
The current frontrunner, Johannes Lukasson is the former Executive Councillor for portfolios including Finance, Foreign Affairs and Internal Security. He knows that in order to reach the Presidency, he needs to walk the fine line to attract support from the Florican Parties traditional base of the populist left and social conservatives, as well as more liberal minded leftists. His key policies are an 'emergency break' of immigration which would see a 'one in, one out' policy for three years, an expansion in the number of police officers and a raise in the minimum wage. He leads with 30% of first preferences and 54% in the two-party prefered ahead of the National Liberal Coalition.

Bernard Meadow (Committee for Better Public Transport)
The oldest candidate for President, Bernard became involved in community organising over displeasure over changes to his local bus route. Using his success in lobbying his local council as testament, he claims he can use his diplomacy and campaigning skills to 'renew the nation'. Sticking to what he knows, he pledges a re-organisation of public transport so that it 'works for local people', and for cheaper rail fares. He has also indicated support for curbs on immigration and lower taxes.

Elliot Merkel (Patriotic Socialist Party)
A further casualty of the Florican Party 'purge' of white nationalist supporters, Merkel claims to be the 'only choice' for the white, working class base which she says the Florican Party has abandoned. Merkel has joined calls for paid repatriation of Hindus and Muslims and for a 'one in, one out' immigration policy. In addition, she calls for the nationalisation of 'vital' industries and for an increase in funding for health and welfare. Our poll tracker has her on less than 0.1%.

Isaac Mornington (Union of Working Patriots)
A former member of the Communist Frontbench, Mornington left the party after failing to gain the Presidential nomination at the last election. After a few years of silence, he re-emerged as head of the Union of Working Patriots and now seeks the Presidency under that banner. Many of his policies are similar to that of the Communist Party's manifesto including commitments to mass-nationalisation and free public transport. However, Mornington also supports calls to curb immigration and says he is 'open' to the idea of voluntary, paid repatriation.

Bridgette Paulson (Progressive Democrat)
Bridgette Paulson is a school teacher in Beaumont and the Progressive Democrat candidate for President. Claiming to be a home for disaffected members of the National Liberal Coalition and Left Unity, Paulson pledges to increase spending on public services if elected. She is also pro-immigration, saying that the current debates 'demonises hardworking contributors to our country' and has also pledged to institute an audit into racial discrepancies in judicial sentencing.

Nigel Reid (Unite!)
Nigel Reid is once again the Unite! candidate after surprising pundits with an impressive campaign in the last election. The party's transport spokesperson, he is once again claiming that Left Unity has betrayed it's left-wing credentials, though his message is less perhaps less persuasive after Left Unity's pan-left coalition with the Florican Party. Reid vows to nationalise 'vital industries', promote domestic industry and increase taxes on the wealthy. He has faced criticism for a series of statements containing anti-semitic tropes.

Elizabeth Richards (National Liberal Coalition)
The Governor of New Saria province, Elizabeth Richards is the first National Liberal Presidential candidate to not stem from the Union Convention. After a disastrous debate appearance which saw many doubt her ability to win an election, she clinched the NLC nomination by the tightest of margins after all preferences had been re-distributed. She has won back some internal doubters with her manifesto, dubbed the 'most radical liberal manifesto in the history of the Union.'. Signature include a negative income tax, open-door immigration and a wealth tax.

The Cappuccino Catch-up is a daily service run by The Union newspaper, a liberal leaning paper which distributes across The Sarian. Costing just one imperia a month, the Catch-up provides short form stories straight to your inbox every morning. With exclusive content across politics, business and sport, the Cappuccino Catch-up is a must read for working professionals across the nation.

[Ancherion]

With the World Cup qualifying well under way, it hasn't really been a good start for the Ancherion team, starting with a draw at home against Axuva where Joris Fuller scored the only goal for our team, which should have been an easy win, and then we took it to Abanhfleft in which we lost a very close match in the end, Fuller scored two goals in the first half, to take the lead twice, 1-0 and 2-1. However, the opposition had replied with two goals of their own in the first 15 minutes of the second half to make it 2-3. As a response, it took until the 83rd for Salivlo to score his equalizing goal, which didn't help as Abanhfleft replied with a late goal to take away the three points. Knowing how the team had displayed a much better performance than the first game, you would expect it to carry on into our later matches.

Next match was Saciu in which we were riding on a momentum but unfortunately, all we saw was a pitiful performance and another draw with Simon Ado getting the only goal for again at the beginning of the game. The next match was when the players showed how inconsistent they really were, and came out of nowhere and secured a draw against Starblaydia in their home country, it is also on this historic day for Starblaydia that they conceded their 900th goal, but who cares about that. It was a Joris Fuller hat-trick that had caused this to happen, the team were playing phenomenal this match and would be serious contenders for automatic qualifying in the group if they played like this throughout the campaign. But that notion was shut down when the Ancherion team got demolished by Devonta, people don't want to talk about that.

We then went to Tamgu to play and won convincingly, in the current form of do well then do badly in a cycle. Fuller scored the first goal and then Sameer Jaklim Jr scored his first two goals of qualifying after coming on as a sub. We then did the same thing at Axuva again as pay back for what happened in our first match, Copeland scored the first goal from a free kick then followed by Fuller scoring within the second half. Then after that we went back home to play Abahfleft in which we unfortunately lost again in a close game where we switched to our 4-4-2 diamond formation in which Bosnar scored the opening goal and then Mamadou Kaur scored a consolation goal as we conceded three goals in between.

After these series of matches, we are currently placed 4th, where we are meant to be in terms of seeding. With a surprising turnaround in which the 2nd seed, Abanhfleft are actually behind us in the group with Devonta and Axuva in second and third respectively. Ancherion are two points of 2nd place, so it is all to play for in the remaining 5 Matchdays and 4 matches for us. Our current prediction includes 2 wins and 2 losses, which may not be enough to push Ancherion into that 2nd place position we so much want, not when we play Starblaydia and Devonta still. These two matches will decide what will happen, if we can get the upset, qualifying into the playoffs will be so close to happening.

Group T:
Abanhfleft (39), Ancherion (144), Saciu (329), Starblaydia (11), Devonta (52), Tamgu (UR), Axuva (253)

MD1: Axuva @Home Pred: Win | Actual: 1-1
MD2: Abanhfleft @Away Pred: Lose | Actual: 3-4
Break
MD3: BYE
MD4: Saciu @Home Pred: Win | Actual: 1-1
MD5: Starblaydia @Away Pred: Lose | Actual: 3-3
Break
MD6: Devonta @Home Pred: Draw | Actual: 0-3
Break
MD7: Tamgu @Away Pred: Win | Actual: 3-1
Break
MD8: Axuva @Away Pred: Win | Actual: 2-0
MD9: Abanhfleft @Home Pred: Lose | Actual: 2-3
MD10: BYE
Break
MD11: Saciu @Away Pred: Win
MD12: Starblaydia @Home Pred: Lose
Break
MD13: Devonta @Away Pred: Lose
Break
MD14: Tamgu @Home Pred: Win

[Ko-oren]

The Numbers Game - by "Lunaro" Tsukida

Things keep breaking well for this squad. Torisakia kept Eura to a draw just last week, and now the Dragonflies win 2-0 over them, a virtual 2 point-win against the same opponent. Depending on how you approach winning a group, that is. But more on that later. Meanwhile, as the Green and Blue won 2-0, Eura hosted Dreamplanet and the latter did what we couldn't do: win. 2-1. Imagine our visit there, but without that final unnecessary goal conceded. With the win, Dreamplanet leapfrogs Eura for second place, and the Dragonflies now have a 6-point lead atop Group M. Seven points over Eura, then comes Freeport and next is Torisakia. They are all very close together.

So, how do you win a group? You can approach it round-by-round or opponent-by-opponent. Both obviously give you the same table, but looking at the group is completely different. The same applies to regular league play. Let's look at these in a little more depth. Assume that there is a two-horse race like in Group M until just two-three rounds ago, with Ko-oren and Eura vying for the berth.

Round-by-round
In this approach, you look at a schedule and you just pencil in Ws, Ds and Ls after each week. After this round, we will play Dreamplanet, Eura will play Freeport. Dreamplanet is 64th with huge expectations and an immense form, so we have the tougher opponent, while Eura plays Freeport who are all but out of contention. All in all, this is a close round where the entire top 4 plays each other, so there will be teams dropping out of the race for a while. Say that we draw, and Eura wins: that means that we stay stagnant, but Eura gains 3 on us. Dreamplanet gains nothing on us, because we both get the single point.

The upside of this approach is that you look at it day-by-day. You have a realistic outlook on how long the season is, how many points you're up by, and how many points you can drop until you're overtaken. The downside is that you have zero idea of the schedule you've had. Ko-oren are up by 6 points, but we still have to play Dreamplanet, Freeport, and Eura. All three tough opponents packed in the final five rounds - yeah, you would expect us to be a little better than average given that we've mostly played the lower ranked opponents.

Opponent-by-opponent
In the OBO, for short, you look at all the common games you've played. The differences between the team's point total come from the points you've gained/lost against the same opponents, after all. The games played among each other (Eura 1-2 Dreamplanet, most notably) are the heaviest deciders of which team finishes where.

Here are the results of the first half of this WCQ, for instance. The rows are opponents, Freeport, Western Bjornaic, Flavovespia, and Torisakia. The colums are contenders. The values display the results from the contender's viewpoint. Ko-oren gained 3 points and a positive four goal difference from their encounter against Western Bjornaic, for instance. You can see that in their common matches against Freeport, Dreamplanet came out as the winners. Eura were the fat losers, with a single point where the other two got three points. Flavovespia have been kind to the Dragonflies, keeping the other two to draws. Torisakia are also dragonslayers, only surrendering a win to the Eurans. Of course there is home and away to keep track of, but as the second half of the WCQ is progressing, this table will be more and more complete.

'    KOR    EUR    DRE
FRE 3p +1  1p 0   3p +2
WB  3p +4  3p +3  3p +4
FLA 3p +1  1p 0   1p 0
TOR 1p 0   3p +2  1p 0

Dreamplanet 3–4 Eura
Ko-oren 3–2 Dreamplanet
Eura 2–2 Ko-oren

Take the above examples and the schedule for the next few rounds. Ko-oren are to play Dreamplanet, Eura will play Freeport. Eura will have to win in order to keep the pressure on given the overall record against Freeport for the contending three. Now let's add in the scores that we do have from the second half. Finished series (home and away games played) are denoted with an exclamation mark.

'     KOR    EUR    DRE
FRE  3p +1  1p 0   3p +2
WB   3p +4  3p +3 !6p +5
FLA !6p +2  1p 0   1p 0
TOR !4p +2 !4p +2  1p 0

Dreamplanet 3–4 Eura
Eura 1–2 Dreamplanet - 3 points each, 5-5 GD

Ko-oren 3–2 Dreamplanet

Eura 2–2 Ko-oren

Now you see that Ko-oren has gotten six points from their two games against Flavovespia - which is more than the other two can get following both of their first half draws. Dreamplanet put on the pressure with the Western Bjornaic win, meaning that the Dragonflies have to win their match in order to do as good or better than the rivals.

The upside of this method is that you always see how you've done against the same opponent relative to your close rivals. You know exactly what result is needed to have a net win over the rest. The downside is that it involves a lot of work and charts... And don't forget that I said that the biggest impact games are the direct ones. Eura and Dreamplanet have already met twice - and both got three points out of it. That's a neutral result: it doesn't help either team, because neither team gets an advantage over the other. In order for Dreamplanet to stay in the race, they will have to beat Ko-oren, or surrender six points to the Greenblues - which is very, very hard to cancel out through other games.

One last note on this method: you can see that Torisakia have already played two out of three big opponents. Freeport still has to face all three big ones. Torisakia have a much easier schedule left, on paper - don't be surprised if they go on a massive comeback while Freeport stalls. As you can tell, the OBO-method is my favourite.

Anyway, this was a different story for you. Not rooted in players, strategy, and team chemistry, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Next time, we'll look at Ko-oren's players to see what club team they would best fit in, and what their next step should be: the transfer window is coming up and a lot of guys have learnt all there is in our own Top League - they're ready for a foreign adventure.

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale beats Hyundai-Kia

Rzodkiewnica, Township of Katarzyna Zachodnie (West Catherine) - Terre Septentrionale made two changes to the line up during the mid-qualifications break. First, Krzysztof Pajaczkowski was back on the roster as the 5th side midfielder, which means he won't likely play because the team dresses only three side midfielders per game. Another change is the addition of a psychologist who will travel abroad with the team. According to coach Slawomir Wyrzykowski, adding a psychologist was necessary considering one of our player stalked a foreign leader, and also because the team always has good starts but sometimes lose the lead in the 2nd half.

Terre Septentrionale started off the 2nd leg on the right foot with a 1-0 win against Amurbia, thanks to a goal by Amelia Zalwowska on a corner kick. Then the Nordiques won 2-1 against Hyundai-Kia. The game against the car company started well and Terre Septentrionale attacked at the 22nd minute when Zdzislaw Brzezanczyk passed to Sarah Surprenant who passed to Amelia Zalwowska. Zalwowska gave the ball back to Surprenant who made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores! 1-0 Terre Septentrionale. The car company attacked at the 26th minute when Sun Mu Shin passed the ball to Young Chon who dribbled and made a short pass to Ki Sung Jon who shoots and scores. The game is tied at 1-1 and this is the score at the halftime.

Both teams attacked in the 2nd half but goalkeepers stopped almost everything. The only goal of the 2nd half happened at the 87th minute when Élisabeth Normandin had the ball and passed to Jedrzej Kosciukiewicz who passed to Tymoteusz Swierczewski. Swierczewski dribbled and made a short pass to Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa who was about to shoot but Jae Mi Do tripped her in the penalty area and it was a penalty for the Reprezentacja Nordycki. Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa takes the penalty, she kicks the ball and it's in! The final score is 2-1 Terre Septentrionale.

BOXSCORE
22nd minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Sarah Surprenant
26th minute: Ki Sung Jon assisted by Young Chon
87th minute: Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa (penalty)

YELLOW CARDS
40th minute: Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz
62nd minute: Zdzislaw Brzezanczyk
87th minute: Jae Mi Do

RED CARDS
None

Group W

Hyundai-Kia played well this time against Terre Septentrionale, but the Northmen were just too good for the car nation. In another game, The Macabees beat Turori 3-2, which makes the race for the 1st place interesting but it also diminishes our chances to qualify as a 2nd placed team. Darkmania won 1-0 against Pratapgadh and aren't far behind us in the standings. On matchday 10, Terre Septentrionale will travel to The Macabees for a very important game for both teams while Darkmania will receive Turori.

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski
Senior writer, La tribune septentrionale

[Taeshan]

It was a big ask to get the Knights fans to get excited for Penguinland coming to the X Island Metropark after the second half opening loss in Mytanija. The Purple Knights knew that failure abroad would be less than ideal for their qualification hopes but the truth remains if they win out they can still hold their own destiny. Both sides ended matchday 8 on equal footing with the Knights only behind on overall Goal Differential. With the rest of the field basically out of the race the two horses would head into the final bouts looking to out score, or out point each other. With Darmen remaining as a hurdle at the end of the season the race was on to get the needed victories, hurdle the remaining fixtures and score as many goals as possible to up their differentials.

For the Knights part they were once again facing a Penguinland side off of a thrilling victory over Darmen. With only 7 points to their names, the Penguinland squad was looking strong. The Knights however were riding high even after their first loss of the season, knowing they were closer to qualifying than in anyone's recent memory. Wilhelm Nkitilina proved perhaps the best he has ever been in a national team shirt with a strong performance from start to finish. The teenager got the scoring started in the 13th minute with a rocket from outside the box that showed a team not willing to compromise on winning the day, and willing to shoot and score from anywhere. He would make it a brace before the half with a strong header off of a Geoffrey Klingenberg cross.

The Knights were not done on the scoring end as Miles Snavely pounced on his second goal of the season after subbing in for Abriel Torres. The eldest member of the squad showed he still had much of his fox in the box ability making it 3-0. The Knights would have liked to score more, but as of the moment they now have a better goal differential than Mytanija catching up in one swift matchup. That said they will have to continue to capitalize on opponents mistakes and score early and often if they hope to win the group. Next up is a matter of revenge as they head to Senayan the lone team to take points from the Knights in Taeshan this tournament, and the only blip in the first half of qualifying. While the Knights kept their opponents scoreless, they also failed to score, and that match is honestly the only real failure thus far in the season considering Mytanija has been solid themselves. In other news Mytanija had their bye putting the Knights on top of the group, but with their own bye looming at the end of the campaign the Knights will have to push for the remaining fixtures to give themselves breathing room headed into the final round.

[Xanneria]

Avenged!
By Steve Stevenson

PEARLHAM, HAS - Coming off a key win to start part two of group qualifying, Xanneria took attack on a young inexperienced Koyoland squad sending them back home with a 2-1 loss. With repairs still being done ant the National, the game was moved over to Wolfram Stadium in the Pearlham suburb of Wolfram. A famous stadium in its own right and a good host. The Home of Pearlham SC, a crowd of 68,911 was announced as the stadium capacity is 70,100, third largest in Xanneria. The game was played in overcast skies that would eventually turn into a constant drizzly rain. Scoring was primarily done at the start with Koyoland's star forward getting the first goal in. Unlike the deluge in Koyoland a couple of months ago the rains held off and the Xannarian attack eventually wore down the Loyolandic defense, as with Paratan once the game got passed the seasoned Maroons took over. Unlike the game in Koyoland, the rains held off long enough for two Glenn Hailey strikes to pass the Koyolandic goalie. Hailey got a huge score when he hit one from down low and struck gold with a beautiful arching shot that could not have been placed better. His second goal fifteen minutes later saw him hit one off of the top bar of the goalpost and bounce down into the goal.

Wolfram Stadium, home of the Xannerian - Koyoland game.

When the rains come it is well known the Xannerian team struggles. But to their benefit, the team from Koyoland also had issues as the constant mist mad the grass surface a bit more slippery than if it had been puddles and waders. There was one moment where it looked like the game could have been tied. the same forward from Koyoland had broke through on the slippery pitch but even then he slipped and Evan jefferson was able to scoop up the ball and toss it away. When the game finally hit 90' it was Xanneria who dominated. Time of Possession, and scoring were all in Xannerias favor and while the rain made for an interesting issue, the Maroons conquered all and are rewarded with a 3rd place in group L. Acronius will be our next game as this game is even more pivitol than most as they are one spot a head of us in the group standings and can be overlapped if we take the win.

As for the Stadium debate, a group involving Capital FC and investors from CFC's primary sponsor Helvetica Oil and stadium presenting sponsor XanAir have put forth a proposial for a 65,000 stadium close to the heart of downtown Dominica City. The stadium if pushed forward by territorial and city government will be built in time for the qualifiers in next cycle, but it's unlikely to be prepared for the Campinato Esportiva bid. Jeb Gyjorko has stayed mum on this porposial but its only time tille he says something.

XANNERIA - 2
G.Hailey (26' 41')

KOYOLAND - 1
??? Forward (19')

[Zwangzug]

(The following, with the "d" lines scrawled in with untidy pencil, was submitted to the World Cup hosts in support of Sydney Stefred for the team of the tournament.)

Do you have what it takes to be a World Cup player of the tournament?

In a comprehensive 3-0 victory, you are most likely to be:
A. making brilliant clearances to secure the shutout
B. making brilliant shots on goal for the losers, but to no avail
C. scoring the first goal, then removed for the fans' applause
d. getting some playing time because I haven't been suspended, for a change

Your uniform number is:
A. low, because I am a defender and defenders are like that
B. whatever they give me off the rack, I'm not picky
C. high, because my predecessors have had their immortal numbers retired
d. a single digit because I'm in the starting lineup now, woooo

This World Cup's second-round qualification system is:
A. a good way to make the first stage meaningful till the end
B. a great way to showcase up-and-coming teams on the rise
C. I don't know, wake me when it's the proper
d. more chances to be sent off for making a nuisance of yourself

Franziska Schnee-Krull's inflammatory remarks are:
A. a distraction from the important business of World Cup qualification
B. an important flashpoint in the Qusmo political scene
C. Frankie who?
d. IDK as long as she can still play defense, I guess

The Holy Empire's "Beach Hunk" calendar is:
A. I guess kinda cute if you're into that kind of thing, I don't swing that way, but each to their own
B. a wonderful tribute to the complexities of beach soccer and this alternate qualifying format
C. a flash-in-the-pan amidst their team's illustrious history
d. are they the guys with the so-called time portals? yawn

Historic teams of the tournament are:
A. sadly lacking in defense
B. sadly full of people I've never heard of
C. sadly lacking in me
d. sadly, a thing that exists

Your domestic club is:
A. off to the Champions' Cup after a title-winning season
B. underrated internationally, but could be dark horses
C. underrated internationally, but have a rich domestic trophy case
d. not good at formations but oh well

If a goal is scored in stoppage time, you:
A. are sad because you didn't tackle the dude
B. celebrate jovially with your teammates
C. complain about kids these days and their taste for dramatics
d. were probably out of position but won't make a habit of it, at least not in close games.

When an old-timer goes on about how things were better in their day, you:
A. see what strategies could be adapted to the present
B. refute them with the greater energies and physiological strength of modern players
C. one-up them with tales of your homeland's superior history
d. KICK THEM IN A SENSITIVE AREA

Mostly A's: Is your name Martin Scallop? With a keen appreciation of the finer things in football, you could make a great addition to a World Cup all-star team!

Mostly B's: Well, your team might not be world-beaters yet, but you're well on your way! You might be a token pick to reflect the diverse landscape of global football.

Mostly C's: You probably are too cool for these teams anyway. We'll get off your lawn now.

Sydney, we need to talk. -Martin.

(Twoni 14, McCollins 31, Stefred 90+2)

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

PIT CREW CHALLENGE ON THE BEACH

by Brendan Geraghty, Intern

We are still here waiting to see what happened after matchday two of the World Cup. Our main host, Drawkland, has not provided us with any updates in quite some time, leaving medias of many nations struggling to find ways to report different material of what is going on in the World Cup. I have seen many media outlets prefer to talk about some other tournament, one being hosted by Banija and Equestrian States, in the meantime. Some people have written to my boss, saying that is the tournament that matters, but that is absolutely not true, and I have a calendar to show for it. Ordinarily, a calendar of “beach hunks” would not be my thing. No offense to any of the men that are posing for it, but this is something that would interest my girlfriend, and not me. However, I would prefer that my girlfriend not look at the calendar, because then I would be held to a standard of attractiveness that is not going to be happening any time, soon. Kayla, if you are reading this, I love you sweetheart. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. I was gifted a copy of the Holy Empire beach hunk calendar to prove that I am right and that our group is playing beach soccer right now. Holy Empire is in our group, and it would make sense that members of their team would need something to do during this lull of World Cup qualifying, therefore they posed for a calendar.

If that is not enough proof for you, then how about what our defending World Cup champion, Vilita is doing? A recent publication from their nation talked about the Pit Crew Challenge, which has been taking place in NSSCRA. You don’t have to be following NSSCRA to understand that this could be something fun for fans to do before a race. Why did Vilita release this information to World Cup viewers and not just NSSCRA viewers? It is quite simple, because the upcoming Tropicorp 500 is held ON THE BEACH. Therefore, the perfect correlation is to discuss this to nations involved in World Cup Qualifying ON THE BEACH. And while we wait for me games to be played, we have to find something else to do, right? So why not practice pitting race cars? This was said by Vilita, the best team in soccer right now. They are exceptional in NSSCRA too, but the undisputed best team when it comes to soccer, even if it means beach soccer, though they are not in our group.

[Balqia]

-...yet we didn’t win.
Siedoni’s voice was blatantly sad. He was talking to someone in his telephone when Liene arrived the airport, the plane to Kavagrad would take off soon, but she couldn’t miss the opportunity to collect some precious informations. She almost didn’t recognize him, but at least his voice was remarkable enough to be differentiated in the crowd.
-...No...no, I will do it, sure...sure...goodbye.
And so he went to take his plane. Liene didn’t get anything useful from him, so she returned to normality. After entering in the plane she ordered a lemonade and codfish with tomatoes, it was lunch time after all. Someone sat by her side, she turned to compliment the person and said.
-Hello mister, my name is…- wait, that wasn’t right, she recognized that face. It was Fabius Siedoni.-...Liene Kartiviq.
-It’s a honour a honour to meet a lovely girl like you.
It should be a coincidence, it happens sometimes, like when you find that old friend of yours in a coffee shop. Yet, it surely is a coincidence… right?
-I didn’t expected to find you here, I mean, you are assistant coach of the National Team.
-I had some business in Orsav, so I took this plane after the boys… If I am right we’ve met before, don’t we? In that press conference.
What? He remembered some random journalist from a press weeks ago. What a Weirdo. Ok, actually it isn’t so weird, some people have are very good remembering others faces.
-Y-yes, I don’t count that as meeting, it was more like a, I dunno, asking for directions from someone when you are lost.
-That makes a lot of sense.
-Sure…-She must ask something to change subjects before he asks something that she can’t answer.-So, we got a draw against Lavize, how lame.
-Sure, we got so happy about Valanora and now… this. At least we don’t lose, Lavize it’s actually a very competent team. Everyone underestimate them because of their ranking and their… odd performance, but everyone deserves to be respected.
-Yes, but how do you expect to pass Timuria and 95x? If we want to classify, we should at least won some more matches. We probably will tie with Kavagrad.
-Actually we are trying to win… I mean, we try to win every match, but in this case the players are confident in victory.
-And how do you expect us to win?
-Our morale is very high in the moment, if we do a good job we have a chance to win, we will put Gezan in the field, in the goal, I mean. He will surely do a good job. Laqlo changed the training for the match, so we have the the surprise effect on our side.
-I don’t think this works in football…
-Who is the coach here?
Ok, that was very rude. Good and old balqese kindness.
-Sorry. I just thought this applies more to war than to football.
-And it does, but you would be surprised if you knew how vast is the common ground between sports and war strategy.
And with that the talk ended. He ordered a bottle of water and she fall asleep, and after some hours of flight they departed, without saying goodbye. Liene found Kavagrad to be a very strange country, some people walked around holding hands, others smoked something with a funny smell, and some people were complaining about the government, surely the world out of Balqia was curious. In the hotel she finally could rest, the match was in the next day and she should prepare to infiltrate somewhere to take informations. “This assistant coach is starting to scary me” could be readed in her diary in the end of the day.

[Hapilopper]

PROBST: WE HAVE FAITH IN PERKINS
By Steve Dareman
Hapilopper Television Network
HAPILOPPER CITY – In spite of what has been an unfortunate turn of events in recent weeks for the Hapilopper National Football Team, Dom Probst, the head of the Hapilopper Football Association, told reporters this morning that no changes are expected in the coaching structure of the team.

Specifically, Probst stated that Thom Perkins would remain the head coach of the Hapilopper National Football Team, regardless of what happens.

“The fact is, we need to be realistic,” Probst said. “When we got beat by Damukuni, we got beat by a team that’s been here before, and has been doing this. This is our first World Cup cycle. When we tied with Bolgano, that result came as a direct result of bad officiating. When we got beat by Islas Aaland, they just caught us on a bad day. It’s not because Thom hasn’t been doing his job.”

In fact, Probst stated that to let Perkins go at this point would be irresponsible for him to do.

“We need to understand, Thom Perkins is the reason we’ve been as successful as we have been to start this team off,” Probst told reporters. “If we didn’t have his level-headed coaching philosophy, we might not have done as well as we did in the Baptism of Fire and in the first half of the qualifying phase. He’s brought this team together and he’s brought feuding players together. It’s a non-story. This is just a slump.”

The HNFT went undefeated during the entire Baptism of Fire tournament, winning the event outright, and won each of their first five matches before this run of bad luck set in.

Perkins told reporters after the 3-2 defeat to Islas Aaland that the blame rested entirely on his shoulders.

“We didn’t have the right gameplan, and that boils down to me,” Perkins said. “We came in preparing for one result and Islas Aaland came in with a different one. It’s not the players that weren’t doing their job. Hell, I’ll still put my players up against anyone in this sport. The fact is, is that we, and I mean, I, didn’t put the right gameplan out there for the team to execute.”

Perkins was asked about the loss of Nick Seward to a one-match suspension for the controversial red card at the end of the Bolgano match. Perkins said that the loss was definitely felt, but wasn’t the reason for the defeat.

“We needed him out there, no question about it,” he said. “The fact is, though, we’ve got capable players that more than filled his absence. We’ll be fine.”
When asked about the performances of individual players, such as Ernie Stevenson, who failed to score a goal all match, Perkins declined to comment, stating that Ernie’s failure was more on him than on Ernie himself.

“I didn’t give the team the right gameplan,” Perkins emphatically said. “End of story.”

Stevenson declined to comment about his match, referring all comments to Perkins. Stevenson looked unusually sullen after the match, and remarked on social media that he had let his entire nation down.

“I’ll try to make it up to you against Polkopia, but we’ll see,” Stevenson wrote.

While Hapilopper lost to Islas Aaland, the team is incredibly still leading Group N, but tied with Polkopia on points. Hapilopper leads on goal differential, with a +7 differential to Polkopia’s +6. In fact, the top four teams in the group, including Damukuni and Brenecia, are separated by just one point before the next match day.

Hapilopper takes on Polkopia in a crucial match tonight at Capital Stadium in Hapilopper City, where the sold-out crowd is hoping that Hapilopper will have ended its run of bad luck that has plagued the team as of late.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Die Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

Goldhorns Grab Key Point

It was a cold, windy night in Borograd at the Olimpski-Stadion, but a brave fight from Siovanija and Teusland’s national football team earned them a massive point against the Squornshelan Remnant States.

Heading into the Qualification tournament, it was well-known that the matches between the Goldhorns and the Black and Reds would have massive implications for the final table in Group H. The first contest between the two saw the Goldhorns run out 3-2 winners away, thanks to a brace from Krasimir Kynev as well as a winner from Ivo Romanov. It was a brilliant win for the Goldhorns, but one they couldn’t really build upon: it was followed by 2 straight draws and a 6-3 defeat at home to The Holy Empire.

Now, heading into the ninth matchday of World Cup Qualifiers, the status of both these teams is still unresolved. Going into the match, the Goldhorns sat 2 points ahead of their rivals for second spot in the group. The Goldhorns’ woes in the three-match winless streak had mainly stemmed from poor defensive effort: they conceded 12 goals in those three matches. Changes were made to the backline, such as the addition of Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere into the squad. Lotbiniere, a right back for 1912 Stelburg domestically, was a key figure for the national team at the Di Bradini Cup and his pace has fit in well with the senior national team. Edgar Steimle as well got a chance to prove himself and has really nailed down his place in the team. A 2-0 win away to Quakmybush was actually the first clean sheet of qualifiers for the team, and a 3-1 win on the road to Lashnakia was another solid performance at the back.

The Goldhorns would need to be in full gear, however, to take on the Black and Reds. The Confederates had only given up 7 goals in the entire campaign, 3 of those of course coming against the Goldhorns on matchday 2. So, Siovanija and Teusland’s attacking threats also needed to find their form. They’ve performed well so far in the campaign, tied for the 9th best offensive record in qualifiers with 20 total goals. Breaking down a Confederate defence that has been stingy all tournament again, however, would be a challenge.

Gavin Hughes’ squad for the match saw what has been the strongest eleven starting for the Goldhorns. Lining up in the 4-4-2, Yanko Zhelyaskov got the call in net, with the defenders in front of him being Steimle, Klopfer, Jager and Lotbiniere. Romanov, Kramer, Kostov and Kogler were named in midfield, with the duo of Ribbeck and Kynev up front. Viktor Dimitrov missed out through injury, an important omission for the Goldhorns.

And so, with the stage set at the Olimpski-Stadion, the teams headed out for the most important match of each side’s qualification campaign so far. While the fans in Borograd don’t exactly have a reputation for being the loudest in the country, they were on full song tonight and the national anthem roared through the stadium. The rain didn’t bother them at all, and the house was packed.

Siovanija and Teusland started the match with attacking intent, hoping to break down the Confederate defence early and set the tone for the match. It was hard to get anything past, however, the powerful duo of Tervi Oleb and Rudi Dalso, who stood tall for the Black and Reds. The closest the Goldhorns got in the opening 20 minutes was a smart effort from Ivo Romanov, but his shot was just wide. While the Confederates were content to defend early on, they gradually pushed forward more and grew into the game.

The Black and Reds would go 1-0 up on a quick transition. Receiving the ball after a turnover, Arlo Damot brought the ball forward. His run couldn’t be stopped by the tackle of Vladimir Kostov, and Damot played forward a long pass for Demkjo Jzvanic. Jzvanic worked his way into the box, and fired a shot that beat Zhelyaskov to the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the visitors, and it was to be an uphill climb for the Goldhorns.

Siovanija and Teusland, however, pulled back a goal to tie the match right before halftime. Vladimir Kostov carried the ball up the field, using his physicality to evade tackles and hang onto the ball, before finding Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere on the right side. The young right back used his pace to make a deep run into the attacking third, before sending a ball in that met Ivo Romanov. Romanov worked his way past Dalso, and then sent a shot sailing into the goal past the diving hand of Munib. 1-1 at half.

The Black and Reds came out for the second half a team inspired, and they had all the momentum in the early stages of the half. Arlo Damot in particular was running the show in midfield, and heavy pressure was being applied to the Goldhorn defenders. Karl-Heinz Jager was, however, showing his class and remained calm, making several important tackles to win the ball or clear it. The Goldhorns couldn’t hang on forever, however, and soon the Confederates would strike. A cross came in from Aatu Ruoho, and it was met by the head of Zoban Ajao. No chance for Zhelyaskov, and the visitors were well on their way up 2-1.

Things would get even worse for the Goldhorns before they got better. Vladimir Kostov, who had picked up a yellow in the first half for a tackle on Ajao, was booked for a second time by the referee after a hard challenge on Damot. Going down to 10 men, however, seemed to only drive the Goldhorns on. Gavin Hughes subbed off Krasimir Kynev, putting on Todor Mihailov in his place. That kept the Goldhorns’ midfield strong, and Hughes also brought on Ingolf Kruger on the left wing. Mario Kogler hadn’t been able to get much going on the night, and the hope was that Kruger’s physicality and pace could allow him to make a change. The Confederates, up a goal and a man, continued to push for another goal, but there was room left for the Goldhorns.

Siovanija and Teusland fought hard to get themselves back into the game, with a Thorsten Kramer shot being stopped by Munib and shouts for a penalty after Romanov was brought down in the box being denied. It was a sense of desperation from the Goldhorns here, knowing that they needed to get something, anything out of this match to maintain their second position in Group H.

The moment would eventually come for the Goldhorns in the closing stages of the match. Steimle held the ball, moving up the left side before finding Mihailov in the middle. Mihailov held onto the ball, searching for options, before sending a long pass forwards to Romanov. Romanov sent a quick pass across for Michael Ribbeck, who banged it in for his first of the night and the all-important goal making it 2-2.

The Black and Reds pushed hard in the final stages to get their advantage back, and they had their chances as the Goldhorns’ tired players began to fade. They couldn’t get the ball past Zhelyaskov, however, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw. No change in the standings, as the Goldhorns remain 2 points up on the Squornshelan Remnant States in second place.

Next up for Siovanija and Teusland is a trip away to New North Carolina. The Carolinans had stunned the Goldhorns by putting 3 past them at the Jezera-Stadion earlier in qualifiers during a 3-3 draw. Siovanija and Teusland will be looking to put things right this time and take a win back home with them.

We’ll have complete coverage of the remainder of World Cup Qualifiers as the Goldhorns battle the world. Come on you Goldhorns!

Match Report
Siovanija and Teusland 2-2 Squornshelan Remnant States, @ Olimpski-Stadion

Lineup: Zhelyaskov; Steimle, Klopfer, Jager, Lotbiniere (Daschner 85’); Romanov, Kramer, Kostov (sent off 61’), Kogler (Kruger 63’); Ribbeck, Kynev (Mihailov 63’)
Goals: Ivo Romanov 39’, Michael Ribbeck 82’
Stelburger Zeitung Man of the Match: Karl-Heinz Jager

[Dreamplanet]

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Dreamplanet are now in second place and could get closer to Ko-oren with a win against the Dragonflies.

Dreamplanet can finally dare to dream again as their fortunes have turned completely around, beating Eura and now Ko-oren is next, Os Tricores now have a clearer objective than ever, and with destiny in their hands, it is up to them to keep the chasing pack at bay, the chasing pack now containing 2 time world champions.

The first half was a tense affair as both goalkeepers were in fine display, Dean Sharp had two notable chances saved by Filipe Vaz, one a header and another a volley, Miguel Benedito had a 23rd minute goal ruled out for offside, being slightly ahead of Ben Hall and then he hooked a shot past Robert Griffin. Luis Silva would be next to scare Eurans with a well struck shot that was parried away by Hall, and the scores would stay tied at half time.

The second half was probably one of the best stories in Dreamplanetian football, but it all looked bleak in the 51st minute when Dean Sharp had breaken through the offside trap and hit a low shot past Filipe Vaz, Luis Silva instantly picked up his men's morale and went on to stamp his authority on the game when 11 minutes later, he dazzled through the defence and was able to lob Ben Hall for the equaliser, the next 20 minutes would be full of tense attacks and counters, however with no goal in sight, Dreamplanet looked to have forced a draw out of a must-win game, that was until Miguel Benedito kicked his way into Dreamplanetian footballing legend with the goal that put Dreamplanet in second place, his tap-in after Luis Silva's pass was the winning goal that Os Tricores needed to get to go into the play-off spots, and they got it at a crucial time.

With Dreamplanet's seismic shock win over Eura, Ko-oren are next and the team that Os Tricores must beat in order to stand a chance of topping the group, if not they will just have to hope that Eura and Freeport draw, keeping Dreamplanet in second place, it's getting tense and soon, heroes will be crowned. Whether they are wearing the Dreamplanetian red is up to the players.

Eura 1 - 2 Dreamplanet
(Dean Sharp 51' - 62' Luis Silva, 83' Miguel Benedito)
Bastion, Eura

Fixtures:
August 1st - MD1: Western Bjornaic 2-6 Dreamplanet
August 2nd - MD2: Dreamplanet 3-4 Eura 
August 4th - MD3: Ko-oren 3-2 Dreamplanet 
August 5th - MD4: Dreamplanet 1-1 Flavovespia
August 6th - MD5: Torisakia 1-1 Dreamplanet
August 9th - MD6: Bye
August 10th - MD7: Dreamplanet 4-2 Freeport
August 12th - MD8: Dreamplanet 3-2 Western Bjornaic
August 13th - MD9: Eura 1-2 Dreamplanet
August 14th - MD10: Dreamplanet vs Ko-oren
August 16th - MD11: Flavovespia vs Dreamplanet
August 17th - MD12: Torisakia vs Dreamplanet
August 19th - MD13: Bye
August 21st - MD14: Freeport vs Dreamplanet

Group M                             Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Ko-oren                            8    6   2   0    15    5  +10    20
2 Dreamplanet                        8    4   2   2    22   16   +6    14
3 Eura                               8    3   4   1    19   14   +5    13
4 Freeport                           7    3   2   2    20   14   +6    11
5 Torisakia                          8    2   3   3    14   19   −5     9
6 Flavovespia                        7    1   3   3    11   14   −3     6
7 Western Bjornaic                   8    0   0   8    10   29  −19     0

Qualified for World Cup
Qualified for Playoffs
Eliminated

[Kita-Hinode]

The doors of the metro opened on their own, revealing which station the train had arrived: Knotting. As they did, the trio of wandering trainers walked out. Marine had suggested to them that they should take the train instead of hunting Pokémon throughout the long, empty roads between the cities of Anglia. Lloyd wasn't a big fan of that notion, citing that they probably would've had a lot of fun travelling and catching Pokémon, but Ann Marie did note that the festival wouldn't be too far away and they'd get enough training in the Battle Train they took.

LM: You know, this whole battling thing isn't that hard when you get the gist of it.
AM: You'd say that. Tyrogue is a bloody beast!
LM: Hey, yours isn't half-bad either... What's the name of it again?
LL: It's a Gothita, a psychic Pokémon.
LM: A Psycho Pokémon?
AM: Psychic, you buffoon!
LM: Heh. Do you think they're well prepared for that... uh...
LL: The gym battle? Probably. She said that we should head to the Ice gym first due to type advantages, but we should pass by the PokéCenter first.

The three walked up to street level noticing that Knotting itself was pretty much freezing. Ann Marie rose an eyebrow, adjusting her scarf while Lloyd checked his phone.

LL: Ten degrees.
AM: It's pretty cold here, isn't it?
LL: Apparently, it's because the people who live here all have Ice-type pokémon.
LM: Pokémon can do all that?
LL: They're more powerful than you'd imagine, Lucas. The presence of many Pokémon of a single type can change the climate, appearance and even habits of a region, depending on how they live. Studies aren't entirely sure if the habitat attracts the Pokémon or if the Pokémon makes up the habitat but cases such as Knotting prove that the latter is very possibly the answer.

Just as they walked forward, they saw a man, probably a bit older than them, getting thrown out of what had to be a gym. He had an air of fakeness around him, dressed in rather garish colours and with a fairly douche-like haircut. Ann Marie, weirdly enough, had a bit of a blush on her face once she examined his physical appearance. They were caught by surprise, of course, but stayed there to notice another man getting out of the said gym. He was younger, smaller, wore a heavy coat, pants, snow boots and a beanie cap, his skin was ridiculously pale. The older one got up, furious, pushing him.

I: What's goin' on, Breeze? You gonna do your big bro, the Ice, like that?
B: Me don't have a big brother! Me have a jackass hanging 'round my neck and dat be you!
I: Aw, Breeze... You really gon' do me like that, Breeze?
B: Ya get dat right. Me sick of ya, git outta here before me deck ya on ye bambaclat head.
I: This ain't the last time you see me, Breeze. Remember that.

The Ice left. Breeze sighed, crossing his arms as he watched him move away... but soon he heard Lucas clearing his throat. The three trainers stood side to side, watching who they assumed to be the local Pokémon Gym leader having an argument with who probably was his brother.

LM: Uh... we don't want to stop you there but we came here for a battle.
B: Figures. Sorry 'bout dat, bredren.
AM: ...Bredren?
B: Me Breeze. Me leader of this gym y'all see here... and me not in da mood fa battle.
LM: Well... we technically have to heal our Pokémon. We can take some time out to do other things while your mood improves, sir.
B: ...Serious?
AM: We're doing what?
LM: Come on, he just had a fight with his brother. We should at least give him some time to recover before actually battling him.
LL: Plus, we could go find some Pokémon. Unless you're big into having only one for the rest of your life.
B: Dat be good idea. Me be restin' then.

Breeze left back into the gym, hiding his rather sad facial expression as a result of his quarrel with his brother.

LM: We could go find some Ice-types near the edge of the city, right?
LL: I believe so. Let's ask at the Centre.
AM: Hope he'll go down easy, we don't have a whole lot of time to spare.