World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

by **95X** » Thu Dec 12, 2019 11:35 pm

Bo Foureleven woke up in an unfamiliar, featureless room. While lying on a bed, four scantily-clad women walked in and tried to get cozy with him.

“I’m married,” Bo declined, while trying to keep them at arms’ length.

“It doesn’t matter,” one whispered.

“Where’s Eleven?” Bo demanded.

“It doesn’t matter,” the same woman replied.

“Yes it does!” Bo raised his voice. “Leave me alone, or at least tell me where I am!”

The women blankly stared at Bo. They weren’t anticipating the question.

“You are with four women who are here to care for you,” the same woman said.

“I can take care of myself!” Bo got angry. “I would never harm a woman, but I will not be held against my will!”

Bo charged for the exit and quickly left through the door. He found himself in a long hallway of nearly identical doors with strange symbols on them. He also saw someone familiar and picked him up by the front of his shirt, with his back against the wall.

“Where am I? Where’s Eleven?” Bo demanded.

“I didn’t create this,” Jason Ninetyfivex replied.

A door at the end of the hallway opened, and an entire group of cute, barely-dressed women emerge.

“Hey, what are you cuties doing here?” the women asked in unison.

“None of you exist!” Ninetyfivex informed them, causing them to drop to the ground. Most 95Xers cannot accept they exist only within a computer simulation, these were no exception.

“They’ll be fine after they’re reset,” Ninetyfivex reassured Bo. “There’s got to be a way out of here, if you let me down I’m sure we’ll find it.”

“One more question!” Bo angrily asked. “Why are you and my wife so close?”

Ninetyfivex gave him a two-word response that caused Bo to let him down and overall ease up on him.

“You could have told me sooner,” Bo thought of Eleven’s quirks and realized he’d been mistaken. “I can understand why you’d be friends now.”

“It’s something in common I don’t like to talk about,” Ninetyfivex replied and that was that.

The two start looking for an exit door, when they hear a voice Ninetyfivex finds familiar. He looked in the direction of the voice, it was someone who looked familiar to him. Bo knew this person was rumored to exist.

“Hi!” Ninetyfivex said, as the person smiled intently. They have a private conversation where Ninetyfivex determines they only look like a certain person!

“Do you know a way out of here?” Ninetyfivex asked them.

“Yeah, follow me,” they replied.

As they leave, Ninetyfivex turned to them and said, “thanks, tell Sarah this was a seven out of ten only because I was fooled for a few moments.”

Ninetyfivex and Bo walked away briskly.

“How did you know that wasn’t the real one?” Bo asked.

Ninetyfivex explained, and went on to explain to Bo that his daughter, Sarah Foureleven, knew from birth that she exists within a computer simulation and can, in fact, see the code in the same way that regular humans see light waves. They begin their journey from where they are to 95X.

by **Drawkland** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:12 am

E L I T E ...

"Wow, this is a nice bourbon. Which brand is this?" the woman asked.

"This is a rare variant Seven Stills recipe," the bartender replied, "Very expensive, but it's what the club owner likes. He goes down to the distillery every so often and orders a few barrels. And I mean the actual barrels, because it's a private select type deal. They had him choose from this wide range of wood types back in the day to curate a flavor to his liking, and so every so often he goes to make sure they're using wood up to his standard. Usually we don't serve it but because of the event he said we could bring a couple bottles out. Good luck trying to get this anywhere else."

The woman chuckled. "I didn't know DISC had the budget to rent a place like this for just a pre-cycle party."

"Eh, they don't. The Eleven themselves requested and reserved the place. They come here all the time. Well, all the time that they're feeling fancy. Usually I assume they just hit a pub in midtown rather than slick all the way to the busiest part of downtown and deal with this whole hubbub. I tell ya, it's a nightmare round here most weekends. Even the Iconored* rush is pretty bad. At least this club doesn't get too busy thanks to the high class, it's just everything around it is such a hive-"

"Oh hey Cam! Didn't see you were here!" Katie Madison strode up to the woman standing at the bar. Cam knew it was rude for Katie to come and interrupt the bartender, she was secretly relieved. The guy instantly started rambling as soon as she'd ask a simple question. Still, she wasn't sure the relief of not having to talk to him anymore was outweighed by the dread of having to deal with Katie now.

"Hi Katie!" Cam said with hopefully disguised mock enthusiasm. "I think I got here too early. Didn't see anybody from the old Corps, or even the Guys. Just some boring DISC lackeys."

"So tragic!" Katie replied, clearly joking. "Is Nicole not coming? I've noticed you two have become real tight after the gang got broken up."

"Yeah, it was all happenstance really, us hanging out more often. She isn't coming, I don't think she was able to get a flight in time and didn't find this event important enough to bother coming. I don't blame her. I'm only here because I'm only a couple hours away and I had nothing to do this weekend." Cam started to float away from the bar and more towards the lounge area. It really was a high-class place, with a big window overlooking part of downtown Sadeg. Further to the right one could see Spartan Veteran Stadium close by.

"Awww, that's too bad for her," Katie frowned. "I didn't have that problem though, and I decided to go here on a whim yesterday."

"Not all of us have Madison Money, unfortunately," Cam sighed sarcastically. Her intent was anything but sarcastic, though.

"Hm. Turning a little green, are you Cam? Jealousy's bad for your complexion, you know."

"I made it out here just fine. My friend's decisions are none of my business. Or yours."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're the one who brought up money in this conversation, right?" Katie asked oh-so-innocently.

"I think I know now why Nicole didn't want to come."

Presently, the head of DISC Harvey Flantar clinked his glass at the small stage on the far side of the lounge. The catfight between Cam and Katie was halted.

"Attention everyone, attention please! I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to our Kick Corps, the Elite Eleven!" As he made the announcement, the doors to the lounge swung open, and the 11 men strode in. Tall (even for Drawkians), brazen, fit, and attractive, they looked like a troop of demigods had decided to inhabit this corner of the world, and had just claimed it their own. Katie stood with a faint tinge of disgust on her face as she watched them walk in and greet the people near them.

"I hate those stupid beautiful bastards," she hissed.

"At least we agree on something," Cam replied. Her phone buzzed, and she looked to see what it was. A text message appeared, from Sarah Arrowsword. She responded in turn.

Hey Cam, are you at the party thing?

Yeah, are you coming?

Yeah I'm here

Did the dudes already clear the door area?

I came into the hallway right after them and didnt want to accidentally walk in with them

Would've just been weird

I totally get it

Yeah they're mingling about now

Cool thanks

Cam looked up from her phone to the door and watched as Sarah slipped through. Clearly she wasn't wanting to have a high profile here. She peered about the room until she spotted Cam just outside the lounge area. By now Katie had grown bored and wandered off to somewhere else. Sarah made a beeline over to Cam.

"I'm honestly so glad you're here. I lost a bet with Andrew and so I had to come."

"You had a bet with your brother ... and the wager was that you had to go to a DISC party?" Cam asked, confused. "What was the bet even on?"

"Not important. Actually, this is really convenient that you're here, and not just because right now the only alternative seems to be Katie Madison to talk to. I mean you in particular."

"Why me?" Cam was now confused for a different reason. She and Sarah had been on the NT at the same time, sure, but they never really talked much. The texts Sarah had just sent were the first ones in months, and the last ones were a basic congratulations because Cam had won an award at the end of the domestic season. The fact that Sarah wanted to talk to her in particular was weird.

"This is a bit of a weird story, but basically all the defenders from the classic Corps lineup get together and spend a weekend out like once a year. More often than that, actually, now that we got dissolved and everything. Or collectively fired. Whichever you prefer. Anyway, I was talking to Nicole while we were waiting in line at a cafe while the others were off somewhere else in the plaza when she mentioned the two of you had learned something really weird about the Eleven during the IAC. And then she didn't tell me anything else! She just said she didn't feel like talking about it. This feels really dorky but it's lowkey been eating at me for weeks."

"She didn't tell you anything?" Cam asked, curious now.

"Not a damn thing. Just that it was something weird Ellzidan had told you."

"Wow, it's like whatever thing that makes Ellzidan give information in the most cryptic way possible infected her. We can't shut up about it whenever we're together now. It's been eating at us and we even know what the deal is. Kinda. Sorta. Actually we really have no idea what the truth is."

"Truth about what?" Sarah pleaded.

Cam hesitated and made sure nobody else was in earshot. She leaned in towards Sarah before talking in a lower tone. "Essentially the Eleven have something weird about them. Something mythical and almost a little bit sinister. Feels like something right out of an Early Drawkian History textbook."

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?" Sarah murmured back.

"I want to, but it just feels .... weird to do it here. I mean, come on, they're probably 40 feet away from us right now."

"You're afraid they'll hear you or something?"

"Well, no ... actually, yes, I guess .... I don't know, just the way Ellzidan described it was odd. I feel like it would not be the best idea to talk about it right here."

"Well if it isn't the most prolific defender and striker in all of Drawkland!" a voice came from behind Sarah's back. There stood Septimus Xander, one of the Elite Eleven, with his arms in the air and a cheeky grin on his face.

"Oh, uh, hey there!" Cam said, more than a little frazzled from the sudden interjection.

"And you are?" Sarah asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Of course! Where are my manners?" Septimus brought his hand down for a handshake. "I am Septimus Xander, number 7 of the Elite Eleven. I play goalkeeper, left field, tight end, outside linebacker, power forward, and every other position under the sun. I know it's hard to tell us apart on the pitch, court, or field, but you can always look for the dreads and beads." Both girls, being polite, shook hands with him and he gave a mock bow before standing straight up again.

"That's clearly been rehearsed a million times," Sarah chuckled.

"Yeah ..." Cam added, suddenly having an idea. "How many years have you had that bio chambered exactly?"

"Oh, a pretty long time. If you'll excuse me, I think somebody over there is calling my name. Ciao!"

Sarah and Cam looked at each other with a meaningful glance. Sarah was clearly put off and Cam nodded slightly.

"I think that's the first time I've ever talked to any of them in person." Sarah shook her head. "I can see what you two meant by weird."

Cam looked over Sarah's shoulder at the guys scattered across the room socializing. "Where are you staying tonight? I might just fill you in on the details once this dies down."

by **Brenecia** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:10 am

Monika Lindbeck was first to awake after the world exploded.
She squinted, blinked, opened up her ears with her little finger. Instinct already had her pistol to hand. Good.
She swallowed, and had her hearing back. Now she could hear the shots peppering the bus. Bus? Yeah. Campaign bus for Bardsley. Who was she? Right. Nephara's agent here. Got to protect Bardsley, got to get out of this unidentified, got to get out of this unscathed. In that order.
She heard shell casings clink and clatter on the floor.
Take stock.
By the door; one of her men, Maher, putting bursts downrange. The other one, Coleman, looked to have caved open one of the windows and was shooting from there. They were repurposed military, veterans of Sameba. This was what they were here for.
The civilians were cowering. As expected. Weren't many of them. A couple were down, it didn't look good for them. They weren't Lindbeck's priority.
Coleman barked out something that Lindbeck vaguely processed as enemy threats flanking them. Lindbeck staggered to her feet. Her brain felt like it had been pounded to mush against her skull.
Her pistol was reassuringly heavy.
Glass shattered.
Lindbeck glanced over. Monaghan - who? - right, the security chief, the official one, the one actually meant to be here. Limping heavily. Carrying one of those... those... glass-breaking emergency things. This was definitely an emergency. She hammered open the rear. Bardsley - Bardsley! - was huddled down by her.
Monaghan shouted something at Lindbeck, who nodded with a vague understanding. She'd killed more than she'd fought. She was a cloak and dagger type.
Coleman cried out and fell. Lindbeck and Monaghan made a break for it, hauling Bardsley with them.
Monaghan took the corner of the bus, glanced around, squeezed a couple of shots off. She shouted something at Bardsley. Bardsley looked to Lindbeck. Lindbeck blinked.
Bardsley backhanded her.
"Fucking get it together!" she screamed. "Something blew up under the bus, and now we're-"
Lindbeck looked past her. Saw a row of cars. Not ideal, but it would do. And she heard sirens. "I understand. But this might be the safest place for us right now."
"What?"
"I said, this--"
The sirens came closer. Tyres screeched, gunfire rang out. Monaghan leapt onto Bardsley and wrestled her down, and grunted as a stray bullet raked open the back of her vest.
Lindbeck caught herself praying.
It was over. Soon enough. Monaghan rolled onto her back and grunted. "Get her to safety," she forced out. Or something close enough to it.
Maher hooked a leg over the windowsill and hopped down.
"Coleman?"
"He'll live. But the cops are here."
"Right. Fuck. We need to get out of here. Take Bardsley, follow me, look like we're meant to be here."
"But Lars-"
"One Nepharim bodyguard isn't suspicious. Three is a pattern. He'll be fine. We need to go."
They hauled Bardsley - she was some way north of sixty, she was reliving some bad old times, she was a husk - to her feet, dragged her to the closing ring of iron. Lindbeck flashed an elegant fake badge at the first officer she saw and dumped the leader of the LDR on her, melting into the crowd while the luckless plodder gawped. They were out on the first plane to Brinemouth.
Just another Wednesday in Twin Saints.

Anselm Croker was an unremarkable-looking man on the small side of average, the lean side of average and the old side of average. He was also Chief of the Nepharim Security Intelligence Agency, or NSIA, also on his fourth cigarette of the day and also very, very tired.
Across his antique mahogany desk was Lindbeck, an ambitious, driven and highly capable sociopath who was nevertheless attached to the fiasco in Brenecia that was the League for Democratic Revival.
"And fiasco is not a word I use lightly."
"Sir," said Lindbeck urgently, "we all know it was deeply important to support a legitimate political alternative to--"
"I am aware. But look at this!" Croker tapped the screen of the laptop, turned to face them both. Currently, it was showing live coverage of a comfortable win for the Conservative People's Party, one in defiance of polls that had suggested the LDR could seriously challenge them for power. Certainly, the nominal opposition - the Progressives, offshoots of Nephara's own Progressive Democrats - were incapable of doing so.
"Sir, the LDR were on track to win."
"Until the incident that very nearly exposed our involvement."
"Yeah. That incident." Lindbeck sighed, and pinched her temple. She'd nearly died, they all had, but worse? It had put national security back on the agenda. After one of their political candidates had nearly been assassinated in the streets of the hemi-rural shithole that was Twin Saints, nobody felt complacent anymore, and the school of thought that Ward had been a necessary but temporary scourge for the nation best ushered quietly out of office had been suffocated in its cradle. And that school of thought was the basis of LDR support.
"People should have seen through it," Lindbeck muttered. "Ward can't just get away with taking out hits on her opponents."
There was a third agent present, leaning on a wall. Cassandra Howell's features were sharp, her demeanor entrancingly arrogant and her accent unplaceable. "Ward didn't order it."
"What? There's no way-"
"Which of us ran a ring of agents under the ring-kissers' noses for two years? Me. Oh, and who had that compromised when suspicions were raised and a purge saw two of them disappeared? Also me. So, thanks, for that."
"Cassandra," warned Croker. Howell shrugged.
"Can you really guarantee Ward didn't order this?" Lindbeck demanded.
"Not with absolute certainty. But we had a stranglehold over the usual channels. Ward is loud. She may have known about it. But there is an inner circle we never came close to infiltrating. What I wouldn't give for another shot..."
"Later," said Croker, wearily. Life at home didn't agree with Howell. She was getting restless. Croker was tempted to send her into occupied Sameba, which wouldn't have been a waste... but Howell knew Brenecia, and the current climate. They just needed to keep their heads down for a bit.
"Ward seemed sincere, in any case," Croker added. The other two agents stared at him. "No, genuinely. For the most part, she is honest, she has said what she means. She seemed genuinely affronted that a politician, even a rival, would be attacked by her hated partisans."
"Her secret police see ghosts everywhere," muttered Lindbeck. "There'll be more disappearances."
"Not hers," said Howell.
"Eh?"
'They aren't her secret police. She funds them, but delegates. There will be more disappearances, though." Howell smiled wryly, and glanced back towards Croker. "It's enough to tempt me to... I want to wash our hands and send in boots on the ground and just establish an occupying junta. Take a leaf out of the book up north, eh, Chief?"
Croker sighed. "Noted, Howell. I might even let you get a look up close there. But for now, official policy is we lay off, keep our heads low and leave Ward enough rope to hang herself."
"Oh, she'll do that, alright," said Lindbeck grimly. "But how many will she take down with her?"

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 1
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cass Farrell (Northern Union), 12 - Opal Cairncross (Marketville, EUR), 20 - Scanlan Pritchard (Marque)
Defenders: 2 - Keziah Broxham (Mallox, COS), 3 - Gethin Quill (Revolutionaries, EUR), 5 - Garrett Horgan (Northern Union), 6 - Keane Mathers (Northern Stallions), 18 - Sorcha Lonergan (Northern Union), 19 - Eliwulf Tambor (Northern Union), 22 - Chadwick Beath (CA Paulinthal, PAS)
Midfielders: 4 - Keziah Locke (Duke of the North, PAS), 8 - Elysse Matheson (Hornchurch, EUR), 13 - Corby Wheeler (Goldstaff City, COS), 14 - Claire Ruskin (Kingsgrove), 21 - Riona Parker (Rozelle United), 23 - Ronan Fallon (Newrook City, NPH)
Forwards: 7 - Lauren Cheney (Kingsgrove), 9 - Mhacha White (Centre for Excellence, APX), 10 - Kara Ciogach (Southern Star), 11 - Cathal Keynes (Lajuno, EUR), 15 - Cail Coghlan (Pikemouth), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (North Hall), 17 - Creidne Lindauer (Kingsgrove)

SCHEDULE
Atlantic Republic vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Terre Septentrionale
Casta Marina vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Banija
Abanhfleft vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Trolleborg
Crystalline Caverns vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Brigantii
Sarzonia vs. Brenecia
[Bye]
Brenecia vs. Sherpa Empire
Brenecia vs. Atlantic Republic
Terre Septentrionale vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Casta Marina
Banija vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Abanhfleft
Trolleborg vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Crystalline Caverns
Brigantii vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Sarzonia
[Bye]
Sherpa Empire vs. Brenecia

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:12 am

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

BETTER TO BE DISAPPOINTED NOW THAN LATER

Hello guys, and welcome back to another edition of The Football Fallacies with me, your gay Irishman Graham O'Doherty. A new cycle of World Cup qualification is upon us once again and, without looking at the other groups out there, I am firmly of the belief that we are in one of the worst groups possible. Not only are we in Group 2 with three rivals (three!) but we also have quite a number of unknown quantities that are sure to make our day on the pitch feel really sucky indeed. Oh, where to start, where to start...

Let's start off with the one name everyone immediately recognized once the groups had been finalized. Yes, I'm talking about none other than Brenecia. We've got history with those bastards, we have. Not really sure what kind of history we actually have though. I think we may have knocked them out in the playoffs for the World Cup finals. Maybe. I'll have to check that. Oh, my God. That was way back in World Cup 73? God, how many years is that? We were still the up-and-comers back then, and now we're the apathetic midfield jammers while Brenecia are still (near) the top of the pops. I don't know if they're still smarting after that defeat after all these years or if they've moved on, like we certainly haven't. It's one of the very few achievements that this football team of ours has ever achieved, and damned if we as fans are ever going to let go of something like that so quickly and so cheaply. But Brenecia can afford to forget about it and rebuild and move on. They've known successes more than we peasants can ever imagine. They've got bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

Next up is Banija, one of the two hosts of the previous World Cup. Ah, I remember the time when Banija were still an up-and-coming power in football. Yeah, sure, they're a powerhouse in lacrosse before they decided to dip their toes in international football, but man those were some good games of soccer we played back then. Back then they were the ones in the mid-forties if I remember correctly and we were somewhere in the twenties. I'm talking about ranks here, of course. Now Banija are the fifth-best side in the multiverse and we... well, we've regressed. Back down to rank number 42. Now some of the more juvenile-minded out there are probably sniggering at the sight of that number. I know what it means, but I'm not about to let my blog become a platform for marijuana sales. But I digress. Banija are now one of the best sides in the multiverse while we have gone backwards. I know that Abanhfleft and Banija may be friends in geopolitical terms but in footballing terms, we have to really have a go at them if we want to get back among the elite.

And then there's Terre Septentrionale. I know what you're thinking right now, guys and gals. Isn't that just the Alpine Union under another name? Apparently not. Everything about Terre Septentrionale that's the same as with the Alpine Union is just coincidence, plain and simple. Their flags are the same? Coincidence. They've got practically the same players, not just the names but the weights and heights and personalities too? Nope, still a coincidence. But what is most definitely not a coincidence is the scuffle that occurred between our under-18 team and their under-18 team which saw two of our players get sent off in a 1-0 loss in extra time. The Terre Septentrionale federation had some very sharp words for the SFA along with the hopes that our players could be reined in more but I think they need not worry. All the parties responsible for the fight have been suspended from Fleftic football for a whole month, I think. But I think we should all remember that even though Terre Septentrionale looks like the Alpine Union, speaks like the Alpine Union, plays like the Alpine Union, and is basically like the Alpine Union, they're not the Alpine Union. They're Terre Septentrionale, a totally completely different nation altogether. Sorry for getting a little bold back there but I thought it was warranted. You can never know when someone is going to take things too far.

Now that that's our three main rivals in the group taken care of, let's take a look at some of the rest. Crystalline Caverns. Why does that name seem familiar to me? I don't know. Must have seen them playing somewhere and their name just stuck. But then there's Trolleborg. Baptism of Fire winners Trolleborg. That alone should tell you that they've got potential. They've got potential to be a banana peel for us, or they've got potential to be a one-and-done; that is, a nation that participates in just one World Cup cycle and then disappears off the face of the multiverse before the next one rolls around. You know what I'm talking about. But thankfully Trolleborg don't appear to be headed that way. Not so thankfully is the fact that they're our first opponents, and they're really raring to sink their teeth into actual multiversal football. I sense good tidings in the offing for Trolleborg, but I really do hope that we're nowhere near any of their good tidings.

And that's the look of our group. The Sherpa Empire is another side to look out for but other than them, I've mentioned all of the teams we should be on the lookout for. A word of advice though: don't expect too much out of this group. Better to get that disappointment right now and out of the way so that we can't sink any further. Just a helpful thought. XOXO from Graham....

by **Squornshelous** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:21 am

Human Nature, Chapter 2
Chapter 1

Holmgren lightly tossed a reader pad onto Melkochuk's desk. It slid, nearly tipping off the front before Melkochuk caught it, glaring up at his assistant. On the pad, a headline blared from the top of the Football Federation's news site.

"Squornshelous 4-0 Audioslavia," Holmgren read aloud, "Red and Black victorious in commemorative friendly." He shook his head. "They've outdone themselves this time."

"Oh come now Markkus. You should know by now that we can't simply publish a report of our footballers taking a beating, or that our technology has failed us. The public holds the team in such high esteem, and after all, the Ministry is an arm . . ."

"The Ministry is an Arm of the State and the national team inspires faith in the government. Spare me the claptrap Chief Undersecretary. We're not going to be able to keep a lid on something this big for long. If we aren't the ones to break the story, we're not in control of the narrative. We should be publishing our success putting together a team in the face of such adversity, not pure fantasy."

"Markkus you do so wrong our friends downstairs. The Department of Information Management are quite, hmm, well-practiced at this sort of thing," Melkochuk raised a hand to forestall further protest. "Now, now Markkus, you're a very capable man, it's why I keep you around, but for once try to think of me as something other than a pompous, incompetent, lecherous bag of wind." Melkochuk let a beat of silence pass before continuing. "I think you fail to appreciate the potential volatility of this turn of events. This nation was nearly destroyed by adverse fortunes in sport, and the unfettered pot-stirring of the media. You may recall your history classes, hmm? It was a mistake, and it shall not be repeated." Melkochuk brought his hands across his middle, intertwining his fingers. "Yes, the news will get out, but it will do so at a time, and in a manner of our choosing. The populace must be eased into the idea that our return may be less than triumphant. They must be maneuvered, you see? There shall be anger, of course, but we shall choose its direction."

Holmgren waited, still unimpressed, to be sure Melkochuk was finished pontificating, "And what direction is that?"

"Need to know, Markkus my dear. Only rest assured that not everyone who outranks you is a complete fool."

"I don't . . ."

"Yes you do Markkus, but see, all is forgiven. Your competence makes your insolence tolerable, so long as you know when to stop."

In other words, head down, shut up, do your job. Holmgren seethed at the callous manipulation of what he was coming to think of as his team. I built this team, and they'll do better than they have any right to under the circumstances, and no one will ever know.

"Will that be all then Markkus?" A threat hung in Melkochuk's tone.

"Yes Chief Undersecretary. I'll continue with the logistical arrangements for the Poafmersian delegation's arrival. There's apparently some holdup in visa processing for their manager. I may have to grease some palms across town."

"As always Markkus, my resources are at your disposal. I hope you'll continue to use them well."

by **Busoga Islands** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:11 pm

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Busoga Islands prime for tough World Cup 84 Qualification Campaign

Busoga Islander fans at Orange Field for a pre World Cup Qualification friendly

DUKUMA, NORTH ISLAND- The domestic season is over. Dukuma SC's bid to get back to the Banijan Soccer League has failed, falling in the BSL Promotion Playoff Semifinals. Lakiska SC has finished 10th, in the top half of the table, in the BSL. The other Islander teams had middling, even poor, performances. But the league season is over. International play is back, and World Cup 84 Qualifying is upon us. The Busoga Islands look to have something to prove out here. This small nation, a nation of not much more than 6 million, without its own domestic league, trying to do all it can to legitimately stun the multiverse- take what we can get, win some games, and if things break right, potentially be booking flights to Baker Park or Cassadaigua around this time next year?

The Busoga Islands, considering our own resources and limitations, especially population wise, are actually in a good place in the world. There are nations that have a similar population to us, like Silver Beach, that have no courage, that won't even try to participate in WCC competitions against all the odds- but that's not where we want to be. We want our players to be playing against the world's best, playing on the biggest stages, playing with the biggest stakes. We all know what happened in World Cup 83 Qualifying. Against all the odds, this nation survived a group with Vilita, Jeruselem, and other nations much higher than us in the rankings, and actually finished in 2nd place to make it to the World Cup 83 Qualification Playoffs. And we weren't simply there as window dressing. The playoffs were not the goal. Starfire built a squad that was good enough to compete in those playoffs, and even though they dropped their opening match against the Main Nation Ministry, a matchday 2 victory over Ethane gave them life. They had a winner take all, do or die match on the final matchday against Chromatika.

This one was going to be for all the marbles. Busoga Island v. Chromatika. Any result for Chromatika would do. But the Busoga Islands did not have that luxury. They would need to win, and they would need some help from Ethane against Main Nation Ministry, to put themselves into the World Cup Finals. And the two sides delivered an absolutely brilliant game. They got the help they needed. Briefly, fans were going wild with the thought that they could be playing in the World Cup, as they even took a 2-0 lead. But unfortunately, Chromatika eventually showed its greater ability, its greater strength, and put away the Busoga Islanders. They came back, from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 lead, and the game eventually drew at 3-3. The Busoga Islands were so very close to the World Cup Finals, and yet, so very far. Interestingly enough, two of the three teams from our playoff group, Main Nation Ministry and Chromatika, are in our World Cup 84 Qualification group- making for some interesting rivalry potential.

Since then, it has not been the greatest of journeys. They stumbled out of the group stages of both the ensuing Cup of Harmony and AOCAF LIX, but Starfire is still projecting confidence heading into this campaign. "Teams from across the multiverse, the big teams, do not want to face us." She told reporters in a press conference. "This may be a small nation, and we may not have the biggest stadia, but we are certainly one of the toughest Pot 4 teams to play against. We are organized, we play together, we sacrifice for the good of the team and the good of the country, and we are a tough out. We went toe to toe against Vilita, at the height of their dynasty, for three consecutive games across two World Cup Qualification campaigns, before they finally took us to the cleaners at the end of the last World Cup Qualification campaign. This team is not an easy out. Even if we are not ranked high, we will still be a challenge for all of our opponents."

Being a tough out is where this team is right now. That is not a bad thing- not when the country is as small as this one, and we are the smallest in a neighborhood with giants. There are 3 teams in our subregion that are in the top 8(Equestria, Banija, and Valanora), so the quality of football high is extremely high. Not to mention, Siovanija & Teusland is rising, and Hapilopper has exploded onto the scene. That takes us to our pre World Cup Qualification friendlies. First, we took a trip to Hapilopper to play the former Baptism of Fire champions, and we were felled, 2-0. That's how it goes sometimes. The team that is a popular pick to qualify from Pot 4 to the Finals, they were the better side on the day, and of course, it was just a friendly. But still. A pair of evenly matched teams from the Glorious Southwest, with the hosts scoring twice in the second half.

The other away game for the Busoga Islands also ended in a loss, as they fell, 2-1, to Terre Septentrionale. At the Stade Chien Géant in Prevost, the Busoga Islands played a better game than they did against Hapilopper. It was an evenly matched game, as it was level for much of the match, but ultimately, the Islanders couldn't prevent Banija's group mates from getting a victory here. Of course, in a friendly, it is about process over result, but it was a much better road performance. Still, there will be some slight concern. The Busoga Islands, if they want to finish above their pot, need to be able to take points away from home. While these were two tough opponents, the ability to grind out a draw in this group will be crucial, especially on the road. Chromatika beat us to go to the last World Cup, the Main Nation Ministry beat us and then won the Cup of Harmony. This group will likely go all the way down to the wire.

The two home games went much better. At Lakiska City Field, the Busoga Islands played against Iskandervale. in the high scoring game, the Busoga Islands ran away with it, in a 7-3 victory. It was a wild affair- 10 goals between the teams. The defending was sloppy on both sides. But the Islanders did triumph without much trouble, and the offense was at a high gear. There are new starters in a lot of places, but yet, it all went well. And lastly, a 3-1 victory over HUElavia here in Dukuma ended it. Our first match, of course, is against Northwest Kalactin. They've been away for a little bit, but they are back at it. The Islanders, of course, will be favored, considering the 150 or so spots between us. But then the first big game looms. The Busoga Islands paying a visit to Chromatika. Considering the two nations are in the same region, and the stakes that they've had in prior matchups, this is certainly a big game. It will be circled on the calendar.

We can't overlook Northwest Kalactin. We may have our eyes on the finals, but we are not good enough to overlook teams just because they are lower in the table. The Equestrias, the Turoris, the Vilitas of the world can do that. Not a team that has never been to the World Cup, nor has ever qualified for the knockout stages of any major tournament. But here is where all the fans are looking- the gargantuan Capitalizt Dome, that seats 144,000. We should enter that game with three points in hand, if everything is on schedule. Can our boys earn a key point in the hostile, loud environment in Chromatik City? It will be an entertaining one. That will be the first of quite a few big games during this marathon qualifying campaign. We'll talk more about that, of course, after we play our home opener against Northwest Kalactin.

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 12:26 pm

Kevin Connelly's routine through the qualifying stage at AOCAF was usually pretty relaxed. He would go over defensive match ups and last-minute adjustments with the back three and the two defensive-minded midfielders usually in Sarzonia's starting 11.

He would have his conversation with Bryan Ostrom, who spent a majority of his time with the offensive players while handing the various other administrative tasks that come with being a manager of a football side. The walk from the dressing room to the pitch was usually the chance Connelly had to clear his mind of other distractions.

This time, however, the walk from the visitors dressing room at Stadion Krapinska in Kukljica seemed to be the longest one of his career.

This time, he had a lot more on his mind than defensive adjustments, and not just because he was now the manager. He usually walked to the right of Ostrom as the two members of Sarzonia's managerial team walked toward the pitch. This time, he looked over to his right and saw a man he barely knew, although he was someone with the right lineage for Sarzonia's footballing tradition.

He had other things on his mind, like trying not to ugly-cry during the moment of silence that Katarina Perišić, the director of stadium operations at Stadion Krapinska approved at his behest. He and Ostrom may not have been the closest of friends, but they were certainly drawing closer after an AOCAF that drew the attention of regional football talking heads since the Junior Stars didn't embarrass themselves even though they were outmatched by facing senior national teams match in and match out. They began to understand each other a bit more than they did when Ostrom first met Connelly.

Connelly thought about all the players who would be sitting with a grief counselor the day after the match. He'd canceled the physical practice that usually followed in favour of allowing his players the chance to sort through their grief over the sudden loss of their manager. He also arranged for an appointment with a grief counselor on his own.

Meanwhile, he strained to hear the announcement coming over the public address system and realised it was no use when he heard the announcement in Polish. A few seconds later, he then heard a different language, this one French. As the team emerged from the tunnel and began to walk toward the centre of the pitch, he heard the new announcement in English.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we ask that you please rise and bow your heads. Earlier this week, Sarzonia's national team manager Bryan Ostrom committed suicide in his hotel room in the days before World Cup qualifying. We ask that you join us in a moment of silence to commemorate the life of Mr. Ostrom."

Connelly drew in his breath and exhaled, closing his eyes tightly in a bid to avoid bursting into tears.

It didn't work.

Fuck he thought, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a facial tissue to wipe the tears from his face. Had he looked around at his players, he would have seen that nine tenths of the rest of the team was also crying. Only assistant manager Kevin Wilson's eyes were dry, but even his eyes were somewhat glassy. He didn't know Ostrom at all and he barely knew these players, but he could easily imagine the grief that accompanies losing someone they looked up to.

As the team found their way to the visiting bench, several players chose to sit down to compose their thoughts instead of running last-minute drills. The Nepharan referee walked over to Connelly and put her right hand on his right shoulder.

"Coach? You gonna be OK?"

"Yeah," Connelly said reflexively, even though he could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't believe him. Fortunately, she chose to focus on the task she came over for, to go over the starting 11 and the eligible substitutes, plus ground rules for the stadium.

"Best of luck, Coach," she said, adding an extra quick squeeze to Connelly's shoulder before she jogged out to the centre of the pitch.

As the teams began to assemble on the pitch, Connelly suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. All the thoughts about preparing for the World Cup and facing the grief of losing a friend in the prime of his life would soon be pushed aside for 90 minutes of relief.

And with that, the eighty-fourth edition of the World Cup began on a sombre note.

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:41 pm

Hearts of Memories

Chapter 1: Another Day, Another..

Ugghh.. How am I supposed to start this story, knowing that those two on the bed. Knowing the two were attracted to each other like rabbits, I can't just explain what they did last night. Well.. I can show some stuff..

The sun shined onto the bedroom, as Charlie woke up on Jessica's bed. Her bra and underwater were still on, which was good, since she barely remembered what happened last night. Though as long as she still had her undergarments, she was good. Charlie was about to get up, until she realized that Jessica was sleeping beside her. Jessica had her bra and underwater on also, and her messy blond hair was around her, as she slept. Charlie figured it was another night together, though Charlie made sure that Jessica was comfortable by pulling the covers over her. Charlie grabbed her clothes to get dressed and went downstairs to prepare herself some breakfast. That was when the phone in her pocket started to vibrate. Charlie checked the caller ID. Alistair. What did he want?

"Hello?" Charlie said, as Alistair was on the other line.
"Charlie? Are you there? I was wondering about you, since Lisa is planning on coming from Hell. You planning on doing another World Cup party?" Alistair asked Charlie.
"Not that I know of. I think they doing it at Masami's house, but Jessica wants to stay home to try to get some music stuff done. Plus, it's a hassle setting stuff up."
"Well, everyone still wants to party somewhere. You coming?"
"Can't. I was planning on helping Jessica with some stuff."
"Stuff?" Alistair let out a little laugh, though he continued.

"You two been somewhat together a lot. You joining her band?"
"Uhhh.. I mean I was in WorldVision."
"Look, you should at least chill with some of us more. I know you're friends with Jessica, because some of us want to see you, as well. Pay us a visit for once!"
"Alright, Alistair. But not right now. I just woke up."
"Do what you got to do, Charlie."
"I will, Alistair."
"Bye."
"Bye." Charlie hung up her cell phone and took a sigh. Alistair wasn't really wrong. She should pay him a visit. Though, she had some stuff she wanted to do with Jessica. That was when, there was a knock at the door. Curious, Charlie opened it to see Vic Fauxman standing at the door. "Hello?"
"Is Jessica Madden around? I was planning on having an interview with her." Vic said, flashing a smile. However, Charlie saw that he was being sleazy.

"Uhhh.. Jessica isn't available for interviews." Charlie said, where she tried to close the door, but Vic put his foot in the way. "You sure she isn't around? I can ask for an interview from you."
"Not interested.." Charlie said, getting frustrated. "I just want an interview from someone. Papers these days aren't selling good as they had been." Vic tried to explain, though Charlie wasn't having it. "If you want an interview, you just got to wait. Plus, I don't think Jessica is in the mood for an interview."
"Figures. There been nothing interesting happening in Main Nation Ministry, you know."
"Doubt it."
"By the way, I noticed that birdhouse at the porch, is it something popular?" Vic said, where Charlie had taken note of the birdhouse that Jessica had set up in the front of her house.

"It's supposed to be a gift."
"I saw someone throwing out a birdhouse of the same color, as I was driving by once. At some large mansion not far from here. You sure you didn't convince Central Services of the Waste Department to fetch it out as a gift." Vic said, where Charlie immediately shut the door, letting out a heavier sigh.

Charlie didn't know what to do. She getting pressure from both sides, where she needed to find a way to support Jessica and her demon friends. Charlie looked out the window to see that Vic was leaving the front of the house. As long, as no one was bothering Jessica and Charlie, maybe things would be fine.

by **Flavovespia** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 2:27 pm

World Cup Qualifying Fantasy Football

Our previous article gave you an overview of how the World Cup Qualifying competition works. You pick 15 teams, 1 in each group with a maximum total KPB score of 200, and points are awarded based on results and half-way and final positions. The FFD editorial team have come up with their collective choice. Note this isn’t necessarily our favourite pick in each group, but the best overall combination we have.

Without further ado, here is our selection:

1 Audioslavia 26,53

One of the groups the FFD think is worth going for a premium pick. Audioslavia are one of the historic teams in the world and Atlantian Oceania. The have a good chance of taking the first spot ahead of Sargossa in our mind. Brusseldorf or Newmanistan may be possible cheaper picks in this group, but it isn’t a group where there looks to be good low ranked sides.

2 Sarzonia 0

The first unranked side we’ve chosen. Despite the tragic and untimely death of their manager Bryan Ostrom, the team looked relatively impressive in the most recent AOCAF Cup, despite their low ranking. We favour them to pick up some points in the qualifiers, and with no cost, are a good choice. Trolleborg, the most recent Baptism of Fire winners, may also make a good choice in this group.

3 Mercedini 22,42

One of the groups that seemingly divided consensus. Ultimately Mercedini was the pick by us, we believe they have enough in them to make it to the World Cup, ahead of some of the Pot 3-5 teams in the group. However it was one of the toughest groups to pick, as a case could be made for a lot of teams in Group 3.

4 Sajnur 9,94

Although Turori and Cosumar look like the likely 2 qualifiers, Sajnur seem like a Pot 5 team who could go further than 5th in this group. 95X and Devonta were ahead of them in the pots, but we fancy Sajnur to take some points off of them. This may be a group however where a premium pick is considered, or the lower ranked Pink Floyd FC or Guadalajara, which was mooted by some.

5 Nephara 32,8

Another one of the premium picks. With quite a high divide between Pot 2 The Macabees and Pot 3 Siovanija & Teusland, this is where we see opportunity in putting lots of KPB points into a selection. However anyone angling for an upset may see good value in Siovanija & Teusland, or the likes of Bolgano or Poafmersia, with how close the middle of that group seems.

6 Hapilopper 10,42

Hard to look beyond Hapilopper here. They won the Baptism of Fire in the last cycle and then nearly went to the World Cup. The most recent AOCAF Cup was probably disappointing to them, but we feel this is the best vale pick in the group. Hapilopper look like a team that could soon join the big names within a few cycles. Equestria may be an option for those wanting an expensive, but somewhat “guaranteed” points pick.

7 Lons 5

Another group that gave us a lot to think about. With quite a close collection of teams in the upper echelons, Lons is the pick for this group. From Pot 6, we believe they’ll at least match that, and could go better, especially if the higher ranked sides begin to cannibalise each other in terms of results. A higher ranked side may be an option here if you’re confident of their results.

8 Squornshelan Remnant States 18,42

Obviously we all hope Flavovespia do well. However, we just didn’t want to pile on the pressure by putting us as a pick, although many at home will do so. Instead the pick is Squornshelan Remnant States. Pot 3, but a team we believe could make it into the World Cup proper. However there’s a lot of teams that have potential in this group, so it is hard to pick from.

9 Bears Armed 0

Another group we went for an unranked nation. Bears Armed looked good in the past, and with their return, we could see them get some wins and draws, which could prove very valuable given the team costs nothing to back. There’s a few teams like Lisander that could be potentially good middling picks, but at 0 points, Bears Armed is too good of an offer to reject.

10 Wreckeria 0

Another 0 point nation that has shown some promise. Wreckeria’s group looks quite kind to them in our minds, and we believe this could get them some wins and draws. Enough to get up to the Top 6? Possibly a tall ask, but we wouldn’t rule it out. Any of the Top 3 could potentially be a good pick at a premium cost, depending on how you rate Pot 4 Freeport.

11 Jeruselem 13,65

One of the more expensive picks, but one in what is looking like a competitive group. A later pick ultimately here, so this was a bit of a compromise. Jeruselem have made both the World Cup and Cup of Harmony recently. Last cycle seemed like a bit of a blip, so they’ll certainly want to make amends. A difficult group to pick for though.

12 Timuria 9,99

Timuria are one of the “new kids on the block”, but aside from some difficulties in the AOCAF Cup, they’ve shown an impressive presence. Although they’re Pot 5 in their group with some strong opponents in the higher pots, we think they can rack up points against the smaller nations, and maybe take a few big scalps as well. Drawkland, Pasarga and Polkopia may be tempting picks here.

13 Mkabia 0

Another zero KBP point pick. A group that looks quite open in the middle of the pack, we think Mkabia has value here, to pick up some surprise points. This wasn’t the easiest group to pick, and even fellow unranked Andromeda Island Group or surprise package Reçueçn from the last World Cup are also possibilities to do well.

14 Zwangzug 19,39

In a group with such a gap between Pot 1 and Pot 2 teams, it might be a surprise to see Zwangzug selected from Pot 2. However this is because Vilita, as great as they are, were too much of an expense to us. Meanwhile we do think Zwangzug could keep out Krytenia for that 2nd place spot and get the points they need against the lower ranked sides in the group.

15 Ko-oren 29,66

Ko-oren sometimes struggle in tournaments proper, but the last World Cup they were in our qualifying group, and came through with a 1st place finish in that group. Not a team to be underestimated, and even if Pot 1 Apox give them trouble, Ko-oren should have no problem making it to the World Cup, and that is why they are selected here. Other choices we considered are at the ends in terms of ranks, Apox, ZSepratists or Tarchusland.

As well as our own predictions, the FFD invited some special guests to give their verdicts. These are: Former national team striker back in the Greater Waldster days, Ignacio Peréz. FRED (Football Result Extensive Deriver), our finest AI results predictor. Retired former Kings Lunsel manager Albert Henderson, aged 70. In a battle of generations, Jonny Harrington, aged 7, son of Apsbrooke and former Flavovespia goalkeeper Conor Harrington. And finally, a pure random number generator. Here are their picks:

Code: Select all: OOC: The detailed selection is my entry for the true competition. Mannetti, Henderson and FRED are 3 other possible somewhat serious attempts at combinations purely for IC RP purposes. Jonny Harrington and random number generator are "joke" entries IC

by **Port Ember** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:27 pm

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The 'Dragons' prepares to face off against Ouna in the opening match of the World Cup 84 Qualifier Stint

Pre Match Analysis & Interview

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

The road to World Cup 84 is about to officially be underway as the opening match to the football season creeps closer.

Port Ember's national team will square off against Ouna in their first match of the World Cup 84 Qualification Season, to be played at one of the designated cup stadiums of Ouna.

This match marks the first time that these two teams will meet on the football field, and surpsingly, Port Ember is for once not tagged as the underdogs.

Team Stats Analysis

Ouna:

This team is ranked as the 132th best team in the world and has a long footballing history and posesses a strong and developed football culture and infrastructure. They are rumoured to be fielding a team with a sensible mixture of youthful and experienced veteran players, giving them a excellent and well rounded mixture of youthfull passion and technical skils. Their domestic league has created many talented and expetienced players in recent times.

They are entering this match as the match underdogs, ranking 46 spots lower on the international rankings when compared to Port Ember.

This is the first match to be played for the season, thus no table stats are available.

Port Ember:

This team is ranked as the 86th best team in the world currently and has proven to be a formiddable and adaptable new team on the international field.

This is only the second international season in which Port Ember is partaking, and they have managed to jump to their current ranking in only that short period. The international sports media have regularly called this team the 'Dark Horse' of the group due to them making a name for themselves so quickly.

This is the first match to be played for the season, thus no table stats are available.

From a pure statistics point of view, Port Ember is entering this match as the strong favourites. However both sides feels as if they have something to prove and will thus go out swinging for the fences.

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. The midfield has so far always been a dangerous element to its oponents, acting as an attacking defence and sets up the front line well with attacking oppertunities.

Defence: The backline has struggled in the last season, but management has promised that this aspect had improved during training.

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: Since its the second season that the players are playing together, combined with a hardliner 4 year youth program, the team is sure to display excellent cohesion and on-the-field chemistry.

Current Form: Unobserved due to this being the first match of the season.

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.

Team Analysis - Ouna

Offense: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Midfield: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Defence: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Goalkeeping: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Substitutes: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Team Morale & Cohesion: Unobserved due to now roster being available currently.

Current Form: Unobserved due to this being the first match of the season.

Typical Gameplan: Unobserved due to this being the first match of the season.

General Remarks

Port Ember enters this match as solod favourites, and seems to be in excellent form. The Dragons are sure to gou out full throtle in order to kick off this season on the right notes.

Starting Line-Ups

Port Ember

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

Goalkeeper (GK)(#12): Jack Allwick.

Goalkeeper (GK)(#13): Trevor Carson.

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

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

Center Back (CB)(#14): Bruno Martins.

Center Back (CB)(#15): Victor White.

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

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

Full Back (LB)(#16): Theo Hermandez.

Full Back (RB)(#17): George Lindsey.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#18): William Carvello.

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

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#19): Liam Grimshaw.

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

Wide Midfield (LM)(#20): Fraser Murray.

Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford

Wide Midfield (RM)(#21): John Swift.

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

Central Forward (CF)(#22): Ryan Bowman.

Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic.

Central Forward (CF)(#23): Jason Status.

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 second ever season for Port Ember has finally arrived!

Stuart Baxter: Morning Erica, good to still have you as our main journalist link with The Times! Indeed it did, and we are really excited. In the previous season whe had many hard lessons to learn, but we learned 'em! Last season we entered the international football world with nothing to our names, yet we took the world by storm. Even the big names in football now knows our nsme! I believe we can use our passionn of last season, combined with our new experience - to some exciting and devestating results!

Erica Davies: So coach, you are going into the next match as the game favourites - a rare occurance. How does this make you feel?

Coach Baxter: Well Erica, honestly, no different than every match we have ever played. We have ALWAYS been the underdogs, so we were forced to work harder than anyone else on the field. That will still be the case, no matter what any critic writes.

Erica Davies: Are you worried about the next game?

Stuart Baxter: I wont say that I am worried no. Look Ouna is a hell of a team - they have years of experience over us. But that makes me excited., it gives us a chance to prove ourselves against the greatest teams in the world, and just makes us a better team at the end of the day.

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 answer! Lastly, prediction for the upcoming match?

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

by **Mattijana** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 3:52 pm

Mattijana Prepare for Decisive World Cup Campaign as Trouble Brews

MFO SPORT

Mattijana's World Cup 84 qualifying campaign gets underway tonight at the Stadijo Dinamov against Alenburg with the game in it's most tumultuous state in years.

The resignation of Dusan Vukoja after the national team narrowly missed out on qualification for the World Cup 83 playoffs was the moment that sparked a huge shakeup in Mattijanan football, with FK Shalkar boss Zala Stefanidi appointed as an outside replacement and numerous changes at board level.
Results seemed to suffer on the pitch as a result, with the team stuttering to it's worst Campionato Esportiva result in 6 editions, already after an abysmal Cup of Harmony. Even more worryingly, the number of people playing and watching the sport back home have dwindled from an already fragile starting point.

As a result, a seemingly innocuous opening fixture against a team ranked nearly 100 places lower than the Marmots has suddenly gained a lot of interest, and will be used as a predictor of how the team will fare over it's longest campaign to date.

World Cup 84 Qualifying Fixtures:

MD1: Mattijana vs Alenburg, Stadijo Dinamov, Petrovijanka, 19:45 KO
MD2: Hampton Island vs Mattijana, Starlight Suites Stadium, Stafford City
MD3: Mattijana vs Ancherion, Garijo Ales Struna, Puljanka, 20:00 KO
MD4: Krytenia vs Mattijana, venue TBC
MD5: Mattijana vs Catanya, Stadijo Katarina Zafarova, Revinka, 19:30 KO
MD6: Vilita vs Mattijana, Tivoli-Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra
MD7: Bye
MD8: Mattijana vs Gopnikea, WesterStadion, WestStrand, 17:00 KO
MD9: Fetra vs Mattijana, venue TBC
MD10: Mattijana vs Zwanzug, Stadijo Nasinal, Burges, 19:45 KO
MD11: Tamgu vs Mattijana, Venue Unknown
---------
MD12: Alenburg vs Mattijana, Venue TBC
MD13: Mattijana vs Hampton Island, Stadijo Snezn, Snezn, 15:00 KO
MD14: Ancherion vs Mattijana, venue TBC
MD15: Mattijana vs Krytenia, Stadijo Nasinal, Burges, 19:45 KO
MD16: Catanya vs Mattijana, venue TBC
MD17: Mattijana vs Vilita, Stadijo Dinamov, Petrovijanka, 20:00 KO
MD18: Bye
MD19: Gopnikea vs Mattijana, Venue TBC
MD20: Mattijana vs Fetra, Stadijo Hellenas, Shalkar, 20:30 KO
MD21: Zwanzug vs Mattijana, Eagles Club, Forbridge
MD22: Mattijana vs Tamgu, Stadijo Dinamov, Mattijana, 19: 45 KO

The team itself has largely survived the chaos intact however. Katija Ljubala once again leads the line after a successful breakthrough into the first team, but it is at the back where Stefanidi has a much more difficult choice to make. Katija Burnisevic is in her last season as Mattijana captain and probably in the last international cycle of her career, whilst Rikard Illicic is still recovering from a hamstring injury that has seen him miss a large chunk of the PrvaLiga.

23 year-old Ana Sevastova therefore finds herself with the chance of an emergency call-up. The Snezn player has a distinct style and is definitely a promising prospect, but to throw her into a tough series of qualifiers, especially with the pressure the side is under, is far from the ideal situation for Stefanidi.

Stefanidi herself already finds herself under scrutiny with less than one cycle on her international CV. The Cup of Harmony, in which Mattijana failed to escape their group, and the Campionato Esportiva, where despite an excellent recent record, the team perished at the playoff stage that preceded the quarter finals, both made for pretty miserable watching and despite some promising results early on in those tournaments, it will be not long before the MFB are forced to call time on the Stefanidi experiment if results continue in a similar vein.

Alenburg themselves shouldn't pose much threat at 154th in the world, but Mattijana have suffered much more unexpected defeats with a much more settled and confident team on the pitch than this one. A win is a must this early in the campaign if it is to be a serious one and Stefanidi herself will know the importance of the game for her own ambitions with the national team. Nevertheless, it will be incredibly interesting to see how she goes about setting her team up for the game, and the gruelling fixture list behind it that will test all of Mattijana's characteristically flimsy squad depth.

Thinking rationally, we shouldn't expect much from the Marmots this cycle. The problem is they, and the state of Football in Mattijana, need a result.

by **Banija** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:53 pm

Banija drawn into tough World Cup 84 Qualification Group

Players at a training session before Banija's first World Cup Qualifier

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- At the highest levels of sport, there is nothing given. Everything you take has to be earned. And even when you get close to the pinnacle, even when you are ranked very high- the path does not get easier just because of your ranking. The Kadongo Kamu, even though we are trophyless at the senior level, will have a target on our back. Even if, the World Cup Finals started today, we would be in Pot 1 alongside the co-hosts, nothing is guaranteed about keeping that spot, or indeed, about getting into the World Cup at all. With 165 nations registering to take place, we will have 15 groups of 11. Teams will play 20 games across 22 matchdays, and the top two teams in each group will qualify directly for the Finals. There will not be any sort of World Cup Qualification Playoffs. And there will be no flukes. With so many games to play, with so many miles logged, the two teams that will emerge from each group will not ride a streak of luck, or get there through some random stroke of luck. No- with a campaign this long, only the best teams emerge. The two teams that emerge from each group, across this long, grueling campaign, will be deep, will be energized, and will be fully deserving of one of the 30 spots at World Cup 84.

And Group 2 promises to be an extremely competitive. There are two former World Champions in the group- Brenecia, who won World Cup 80 in Equestra & Starblaydia, and Sarzonia, who is our group's unranked side and are the defending champions of World Cup 22. The Lakiska SC goalkeeper, Carlton Sandt, is a backup goalkeeper on the Sarzonia senior national team. The Sarzonian U21s gave the Banijans trouble at AOCAF LIX, and although the Banijans won twice, they gave each other a pair of competitive, interesting games. They may be unranked, but with a World Cup trophy in their trophy cabinet, and the talent shown at AOCAF LIX, they will be no pushovers. Of course, there is tragedy in Sarzonia as Bryan Ostrom, the former national team manager, was reported to have committed suicide. The RBSA has confirmed that they will provide a moment of silence ahead of the Banija v. Sarzonia match on Matchday 3 in Ostrom's honor, and the Banijan national team will wear black armbands in his honor for that matchday.

Who else is in this group, other than two World Cup champions? Well, we have a fresh face off the block- Trolleborg. We've never played them in anything, and this is their first tournament. Yet, why are they to be feared? Well, you must look at what they have accomplished. This team went to Timuria & Zwangzug, came out swinging, and actually won the Baptism of Fire. The last BoF participants to qualify striaght away to the World Cup Finals was the Commonwealth of Baker Park, who will be going for it this time. Can Trolleborg imitate this tournament's co-hosts and make it to Cassadaigua and Baker Park? And still, the list of tough competition within this group grows. The Sherpa Empire is a talented squad. Terre Septentrionale is also another talented squad, one that beat the Busoga Islands in pre World Cup Qualification friendlies. There's a lot of good teams in this group. We may be in Pot 1, but we by no means have an easy path to the finals.

This is a good challenge for the squad- if we do get to the World Cup Finals, this will be a great series of tests for us. "The way for teams to get better is to play good teams, in competitive environments." Said Marcus Waters. "The goal, on the international side, is to win in major tournaments. When the stakes are high. How do we do that? By ensuring that, against the best of the best opposition, we are able to perform." There were many who were critical of the RBSA for inadequate preparation heading into AOCAF LIX, and how that led to Banija's struggles. Many pundits agreed that the Banijans played only two high-quality opponents in the leadup to the AOCAFs, Siovanija & Teusland as one and the Commonwealth of Baker Park as the other. The Kadongo Kamu had a weaker group at AOCAF LIX, and so when they played a high quality opponent in the first game of the knockout stages, they struggled mightily. Of course, There were other reasons they struggled as well. A fairly new squad- a lot of changes in this squad between World Cup 83 and AOCAF LIX. Lots of squad rotation at AOCAF LIX.

But there will be no easy ride through the group stages, like we had through those group stages. This one will be a tough race to run, all the way from start to finish. And, of course, looming in this group is Brenecia. The last time we participated in World Cup Qualifying, for World Cup 82, Brenecia and Banija were the top two seeds. Both teams dominated the proceedings in what turned out not to be the strongest of groups, and they both qualified relatively easily- Brenecia as the top seed and group winner, Banija as the 2nd seed and group runner-up. They played a pair of good games then. Banija was able to earn a point in Brenecia, though Brenecia earned all three on the return trip. That history will make this interesting. The two teams have seemingly switched spots- Banija is the Pot 1 side, and Brenecia is the pot 2. And while they, considering their rank, their history, and top to bottom talent, have to be considered the favorites, both teams will have to earn it. Terre Septentrionale, Sarzonia, Trolleborg, the Sherpa Empire, etc... None of those teams are rolling over.

The RBSA was criticized for a soft friendly schedule leading into the last AOCAFs, with the only high quality opponent being Siovanija & Teusland. But going into this World Cup Qualification campaign, the RBSA loaded up. They played Ko-oren, in a rematch of their AOCAF LIX knockout stage match, at Kabonero III Stadium in Istria. In front of a packed house, it would be Ko-oren that would triumph, once again, by that 1-0 score. IT is tough to break down their defenses, and that was shown on this day. Banija's offense, on its best day, can be electric. But the Ko-oren friendly was not its best day. Then, of course, we welcomed Valanora, a neighbor and regional giant that we have never played against at the senior level, to the Stadium of the Restoration. Considering their size and reputation, it was unsurprising that the 91,000+ Stadium of the Restoration was packed and excited for this game. They were stunned and joyful at the result- a shocking 4-1 victory. Ilman Jawara, who plays his club football in Valanora, scored twice, and Gitonga Kahara scored, alongside Namakula Kawesa.

That win, over an opponent like Valanora, is always going to give a team confidence. WE struggled in our away trip to Qasden, but we finally earned a result against Equestria. The two-time defending regional champions and the World Cup holders, the world #2, and our archrival, they've beaten us 6 times in a row, all time. In Everfree, the Banijans and the Ponies struggled out a 0-0 draw. Marcus Waters spoke about that draw. "It is not the sexiest of results, 0-0 in a friendly." Said Marcus Waters. "But to go toe to toe against a team like Equestria, when they are at the absolute height of their powers, is always a tough task. And think of the psychological effect of facing them. They are a team that we've never beaten, a team that we want to beat more than any. They are the standard in the Glorious Southwest and across all of Atlantian Oceania right now, and we played a good game against them, and got a fair result. We may be 0-6-1 against them(W-L-T), but they are the type of team that we need to compete against if we want to accomplish our goals."

Banija's first game is against the Crystalline Caverns, in the friendly confines of the Stadium of the Restoration. They could certainly be a tough opponent. While the Banijans are certain to be favored against both Brigantii and Sarzonia on Matchdays 2 and 3, this is the easiest opportunity for the Banijans to drop points before their massive showdown with Brenecia at the Kingsgarden in Rozelle. We'll have to look to get Banija's best players going early on, to see if they can find a groove early in this Qualification campaign, so that we are not forced to come from behind later on. Players like Kawesa, Ugonna, and Kahara, for them to be able to gel quickly and launch some attacks on the visitors goals. We will be favored, but at this level, nothing is guaranteed. The giant party that we call World Cup Qualifying is about to begin. 163 teams all dreaming of landing spots in Cassadaigua & Baker Park. Can we be one of 32 that actually achieve that dream?

by **Recuecn** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:58 pm

Monsieur le Ministre is an rp series that has been tracking the creation of the Reçuecian Ministry of Sport, which was a precursor to the nation's re-entry into international sport. At this point in the narrative, reading previous chapters should not be necessary to understand what is happening, since the story is now jumping between some of the first initiatives taken by the new ministry.

Mister Minister | Ch. 1 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 2 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 3 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 4 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 5 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 6 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 7 | Monsieur le Ministre
Mister Minister | Ch. 8 | Monsieur le Ministre

Before IAC 7--The building which had been designated as the headquarters for the new Ministry of Sport fit right in with all the other ministry buildings--it was fittingly grandiose, with a carved stone façade, and was located on the Reçueçn heights, in the same quarter as all the other federal buildings in the capital. This meant it was a decent distance away from the sporting heart of the city--the closest stadium was Chapel-Field House, which down next to the river. And the RNFA office was out in the suburbs with the really important stadia: National Stadium and Carl III Stadium. So it wasn't too unusual that even on days when he was supposed to be at the office, not out visiting sports centers or making an appearance somewhere, that Jean-Luc Lassalle, the young new minister of sport, would find himself outside of the ministry headquarters, attending meetings in other parts of the city.

Today he found himself grimacing as he walked into yet another nondescript office building for a meeting with the RNFA founding reps. The sun was out, shining in a deep blue sky--he was minister of sport, dammit, he should be outdoors somewhere playing a game, not cooped up in yet another office suite! But there was nothing for it. He didn't have a way out of this meeting: he had been the one who'd requested it and who would be leading the discussion.

As Jean-Luc walked into the lobby, he looked over and saw another man, slightly older than middle age, also entering the building. It was someone he recognized: Bill LaVoyard, Representative to the RNFA for Reçueçn FC. Bill grinned at him as they walked through a parallel set of double glass doors, and came over once both had passed through to shake his hand. Jean-Luc smiled back and returned the handshake with a firm grip, but was distracted by his thoughts as he tried to keep up with the small talk. He won't be grinning so much after this meeting, was all he could think.

"You know, Mr. Minister," Bill was saying, "You've got me on your side. I know that the ministry and the association got off to a rough start together, but we owe you a lot... and I'd like to think that you need us too. You can count on me."

"Thank you, thank you," Jean-Luc answered, hoping that his mental absence wasn't painfully evident. Will that still be true once I take away the association's bread and butter? This train of thought wasn't going to go anywhere positive. Enough, Jean-Luc. Save it for the meeting.

There were seven teams that had come together to originally found the RNFA, setting the groundwork for the organization that would then grow to include every professional football team in Reçueçn. Reçueçn FC, Association Genève, Heldingen, Renwyll, Zimmerich FC, Stomford, and Associated Savoie would each have a representative here today; Jean-Luc had summoned them from across the nation. Three of them were standing outside the conference room: they all shook hands with Jean-Luc and Bill as the pair arrived. The group filed into the room, taking seats around a large wooden oval table. Three more representatives were already seated, waiting. Jean-Luc held up both hands to greet them all.

"Bonjour à tous," he said. "S'il vous plait, asseyez-vous. I'm sure you're asking exactly why I've asked you here, but I think you may have a general idea. I'm very pleased with your association's cooperation with the ministry of sport so far--I know I and many others were overjoyed to have the RNFA back in operation, and the shortened season, or end of the season, was justified to get things under way as soon as possible. The nation, the ministry, and I look forward to the beginning of next season."

"But as you are aware, domestic football in Reçueçn is not the only thing the RNFA used to be responsible. And the time is approaching that preparations need to be made for Reçueçn to reenter international sporting competitions. One newer tournament I'd like to see a team sent to is the Independent Associations' Championship... but I'm getting ahead of myself."

Jonathan Avoirpieds, the rep for Associated Savoie, took advantage of Jean-Luc's self-interruption to chime in. "Merci, monsieur le ministre, we are very happy that you have such confidence in the association. You can rely on us to sort out everything for reestablishing the national team."

"Well, hang on a minute," said Jean-Luc. "That's why I've called this meeting. The association has been a valuable institution for our country, but I don't want a glorified owners' club in charge of our national team."

Jean-Luc had dropped a bombshell.

You could hear the shouts from down the hall. You could be forgiven for thinking he had just murdered someone in front of the representatives' eyes by the way they reacted. There was a general outcry, and the row would not die down right away. Only Jean-Luc himself was unperturbed. This wasn't the first time he'd been received this way by the RNFA.

"But we controlled the RNFT for years!"

"Glorified, owners' club, how dare you!"

"What will you do, coach it yourself?"

"Who the hell's supposed to be in charge, then?"

"Gentlemen, please," softly insisted Jean-Luc, trying to avoid looking Bill in the eye. Look around at each other, and think of the other teams with votes on RNFA matters, and tell me you'd be more comfortable with them in control of our country's national team. We need a non-biased entity in charge. In the terms I'm used to, this needs to be a non-partisan effort, not a multi-partisan one. You can't agree on a logo for the RNFA. How are you supposed to agree on a coaching staff?"

Bill spoke up. "With all due respect, Mr. Minister, I think everyone in the country is agreed on the coaching staff." Grunts of assent came from around the room. Jean-Luc had lost that point.

"Ok, sure. But it is the nation's responsibility to control those who represent it on the field of sport. We're already looking ahead to the XIII^th Olympic winter games, and whose responsibility do you think it is to oversee qualifications? The ministries, of course. And think. If we ever send a football team to the Summer Olympics, will the sport be the only one to get special treatment? These things need to be done consistently."

There was a moment of silence. Jean-Luc went on. "So I'm here today to ask the executive board of the RNFA to sign over control of all RNFT operations to the Ministry of Sport. I can assure you it will be in good hands."

Ben Müller, the representative for Zimmerich FC stood up. His face clearly showed his anger, but he was well collected, and spoke slowly and plainly. "You've pulled this stunt once before, Monsieur Lassalle, and we let you get away with it then. But I don't care what your precious treaty amendments say. You can't take the team away from the organization that created it, and the people of Reçueçn will back me on this. Now if you have nothing useful to say, I have a job to do back in Zimmerich." Plucking up his folder from the table, he pushed back his chair and walked out of the room.

The rest of the representatives, without a word, stood up and followed him. Bill LaVoyard was the last to go. He paused in the doorway and looked back at Jean-Luc. Jean-Luc, standing alone now in an empty room, had never felt more helpless. He couldn't tell if the look on Bill's face was pity or condescension.

"Je n'sais pas, monsieur ministre," Bill said. "I think you went too far this time."

by **Sajnur** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:15 pm

Gharici leaves international football

Aqur Katoqari

Alan Gharici announced in a press conference that he will be taking a hiatus from international football, and thus will not appear in the upcoming qualifiers for World Cup 84. The 36 year old veteran was expected to be named to the first training camp in Saqrel to prepare players for the matches against Ynyslas and Turori and was considered to serve as an experienced hand on the fringes of the squad. However, he will instead remain with FK Bazugh, and his vacant spot in the squad will now be under intense competition.

Gharici has been with the Sajnuran national team for over a decade and was the most experienced member of the squad that entered the 6th Independent Associations Cup (IAC), Sajnur's first international tournament. However, his place in the national starting XI has been taken by Kahala Murje since the cycle of World Cup 82, and he did not make himself available for selection to the squad for IAC8, with Stefan Jana and Hatu Raglan taking his place. While this resulted in speculation on his international future, he has continued to play in friendlies for Sajnur this season. The long serving centre back has not ruled out a return to the squad in the unlikely event Sajnur qualifies for the World Cup, or even for the later stages of qualifying to push Sajnur over the line, but he has ruled out appearing in a third Cup of Harmony.

With his centre back spot now open in Eliseo Marinon's training camp, several contenders have pushed for inclusion to the international setup. Along with the players that appeared in IAC8, Kabas Verjez of Rivers Roskjepa is likely to secure a spot in the squad, and likely a call up to the Ynyslas match too. However, with Marinon not revealing just how many players he will bring, others with a chance include Verjez's teammate Tassa Inatje, FK Foaspra's Zoran Vastra, and Toria Foderski of FK Khadur.

Letter to the editor

Sjovan Olitje

Knockout stages. The matches where you lose once and you're out of an entire tournament. Do or die, as some put it. So far, Sajnur's national teams have mostly died. Particularly at youth level, Sajnur have not won a knockout stage match in three attempts. Sporting World Cup 8? Seven points in three group stage matches, then a 9-4 loss to Starblaydia. Di Bradini Cup 46? Admittedly not a great group stage either. Four points. But it was enough to finish second to a Bears Armed team that would win the whole thing. Then Mriin beat us 2-1. Mriin would lose to the Bears 4-1, then to Hapilopper by the same to finish fourth. Sporting World Cup 9? Again, seven points in the group, zero in the Round of 16. This time, a 3-1 loss to Silver Beach, a country that hasn't entered senior competition since World Cup 80. Our senior team is at least a bit better, at one from two in second rounds. at IAC7, we lost to Juvencus 6-3, the Sonnel heavyweights beating our still new setup in a thriller, then at IAC8, we finally won one, and it wasn't even close. Granted, it was against Aaaaaa, but it was 6-2, and we were in a quarter final for the first time in our history. Sadly, we then came up against Recuecn, who hosted the tournament and beat us 3-2 on the way to winning it in front of their home fans. So why is it that we struggle so much in knockout stages? Is it nerves? Is it a style of play that isn't conducive to do or die matches? Are we just not good enough? Will we get better?

by **Valanora** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:39 pm

Hawk had sensed it during the AOCAF, the other elves that were still among the national team program had made their feelings known that they were starting to feel the pull away from the game. Some had felt it stronger than others, yet the five of them all agreed that they had felt the pull to leave the Marauders behind and seek new horizons. Some wondered if this was the same sort of sensation that those who had heeded The Calling had felt, to leave what they had built behind and go forth to other worlds or whatever it was that they did once the event had transpired. While there had been millions of witnesses, no one was actually sure what had transpired. To accept what many in Raynor City near the Raynor Family Manor had described was to toss out nearly everything they knew about their own history and origin, it would upset religion and the understanding of what the Vanorian elves actually were. While some might have had the capacity to accept such changes, Laborious could understand why there were thousands if not millions who could not come to fathom that new truth, if that was indeed the truth.

However he had not expected for it to be Allendren Fresco that would be the one who would have been the one to have hung up his boots first, having been the youngest of them all and the one with probably the most to prove of those still in the team. If there was one that Hawk would have picked to hang up their boots first, it would have been Faeron Soldarian. While perhaps nearly as talented as himself or Espy va Drake, he was overlooked for years upon years by fans of the national team and perhaps even a bit when he was the heart and center of Raynor City United. It was likely the latter that caused him to eventually transfer away from the club he had played his entire career at and into the wild blue yonder of what lay elsewhere, or in this case the northeast of the region and the demanding Audioslavia league. If anyone had the reason to feel jaded and in need of a rest, it was Soldarian, not to mention the fact that he came from the Soldar family, who had been one of the most important families not just in Raynor City but the entire Empire before the Calling had occurred. There was more for him to do, more life to live outside of football.

The departure of the reliable striker had sent shock waves through the team, no one quite sure what to make of it and had left the new managerial staff with a lot of questions to ask themselves about the future of the team moving forward. If Fresco could walk away, how long until the rest of the elven contingent left the team as well? It was question that had to be asked with how monumental of a shift and what a gaping hole in the formation and pool that the departure of the ever reliable Fresco had on the Marauders. For near on sixty years he had been the man leading the line, even as strike partner after striker partner was tried out and replaced because they could not deliver on the same consistency as Fresco could. When the Calling had happened, the relief on the elves who had stayed behind to see Fresco and Hawk among them was clear as day, as they were the cornerstones of the side moving forward. That shock wave lead to a questionable fringe player squad being called up against Banija for a friendly, one that saw a grimacing reminder of how shallow the pool of players was currently, as many Vanorians were still finding it difficult to adjust to life without an elven majority.

While the sun was rising on the Hatire Memorial, there was a certain amount of uncertainty in the air as the curtain was about to be raised on the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers. If ever there was a time to be standing strong and resolute in the task ahead of them, it should have been now, having had to scratch and claw their way back into the elite of the footballing world after their monumental fall near on two and a half decades before. They had expended so much energy to get back into the elite, to be now considered contenders not just for the regional title of the AOCAF, but they were many picks as a dark horse for the entirety World Cup itself. This was the time to reap what they had sowed and yet all had to acknowledge that there was a certain air of uncertainty and tension in the air. Hawk had attempted to calm some of that tension with assurances that he at least was here to stay for at least a few more years, trying to do what he should as the captain of the squad. He only hoped that it would be enough, with the first international weekend for the Qualifiers coming up at the end of the week and the true test would begin.

by **Filindostan** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:17 pm

WHAT THE TAB(LOID)S SAY

Welcome to the first edition of 'What the tabs say', where we will get the headlines from the finest of Filindostan's newspapers and tabloids. I'm your presentor for today, Tolds, and we will be providing you coverage for the entire World Cup 84 qualifying that our nation will try to qualify to for the first time. Let's get to the most intriguing of news first...

Rinoso in hot water during World Cup draw debacle from the San Marco Times
In this headline from the number three newspaper in Filindostan according to number of copies sold daily, netizens are criticizing Xavier Rinoso's appearance in the World Cup draw done overseas, in which itself was marred with controversy. An error with the pot placing of several teams caused the hosts to do a re-draw, in which we got the original draw and the official draw. The former drew the Baptism of Fire 66 champions with multiple-time World champs and number 1 team in KPB terms, Vilita, in Group 2. However, in the revised draw, the Pula Garuda were drawn with the team Vilita beat in one of the World Cup finals, South Covello, and multi-time Cup of Harmony champions Qasden, among other strong teams.

Back to Rinoso though. After he had a terrible qualifying campaign in which Filindostan finished 4th of 6 teams, and rumors that he was the reason Filindostan did not participate in the latest edition of the Campionato Esportiva, the online community felt insulted when he was Filindostan's representative during the draw, in which he was captured asleep during the original draw, and nowhere to be see in the official draw. One netizen said that "He should have put training the players on priority and give the delegation to someone from the Filindostan Football Federation.

A statement is yet to be released by the federation if they were indeed the ones to send Rinoso to the draw.

Filindostani domestic football gets a needed makeover from the Filindostan Star
After a period of hibernation, Filindostani sports are being revived one by one, starting with the football department. The FFF will create a task force to help oversee the development of the league, which will allow no foreigners for the first three seasons. The rule will help develop domestic football grow because of the decline the national team had for the past years.

The two San Marco clubs, Fortunas, and Venividicci, will headline the refurbished league, along with 12 other teams from around the archipelago. Automotive company Badai Angin, which was reported in the same tabloid as sponsoring the national team, is bidding to sponsor the league as well. We will see in the future if the league will produce world-class Filindostani players in the future.

Filindostani pundit criticized after not selecting the Pula Garuda in Fantasy from the San Marco Chronicle
Netizens have criticized recently retired player and current football pundit Fizzy Ramdani after she did not include Filindostan in her choices for the NS World Cup Fantasy Qualification game for the current World Cup. Instead, she chose Squornshelan Remnant States as the Group 8 representative, along with other underrated and juggernaut teams. The game limits the selection to one team per group, and the total KPB points to 200, along with other guidelines.

Filindostan will be in Group 8 for the qualification phase, and will have tough initial schedule, as they face top seeds South Covello and Qasden first before taking a bye in Matchday 3. Here is the below table for the full teams:

Group 8:
Qasden (23)
Filindostan (59)
Furby Island (UR)
Bliuji (121)
Squornshelan Remnant States (36)
Ziwana (204)
Mitra and Soma (308)
Flavovespia (146)
Mustardy (UR)
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria (74)
South Covello (3)

That's it for the first edition of 'What the tabs say', we will see you in the halfway point of qualifying for the analysis of the first half of the campaign. Thank you.

by **Cassadaigua** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:45 pm

It's time, MD1 is cutoff!

You have entered The Cursed Cup. Will you make it out?

Results

by **Brusseldorf** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:02 pm

SOUTH RISING

Militant groups occupying the border territories of the Brusseldorfen Sahara have this morning made their demands known to PM Abelt Nejem in a shocking press release. Their wishes involve the complete dissolution of any, and all hints of centralised Brusseldorfen power in the region, following claims that the Brusseldorfen government 'left them for dead' during the events now referred to as the Australialian Cataclysm. Readers will remember the devastating radioactive storm front that originated in the unknown regions of the carcass of the Southern Sahara Empire, sweeping north through Brusseldorf and causing a nationwide blackout. Groups representing Southern Brusseldorf claim that utterly nil government aid was provided to their people, despite the region bearing the brunt of the damage caused by the storm.

Displaced and angry, Southern Brusseldorfennin want autonomy

Prime Minister Nejem responded to the claims, calling them 'false' and 'misleading', recalling a significant Aid Relief effort and millions in donations being used to help the region recover, convinced that the Government had provided adequate support.
The Minister for Internal Affairs John Green faced backlash following a statement suggesting that the militant groups in question were responsible for the Aid never reaching its intended audience, though such allegations have been since discredited and publicly denounced by some militant groups.

With Abelt Nejem being considered a living saint by many, there is little chance the citizens of Brusseldorf's major population centres will dispute the PM's efforts during the Cataclysm. Those in Southern Brusseldorf hoping for self-rule will no doubt be lobbying for many years to come.

WORLD CUP STAGNATION?
Brusseldorf's national football team, Los Alrededores, has had to cancel much of their planned tour of Australialia, due to fallout from recent international events. The team was also supposed to hold a match in Southern Brusseldorf but due to regional tension the match was cancelled. No word on the release of a new jersey for the 84th World Cup, those within the FFB have hinted at the repeat of the 83rd WC jersey, whilst some have speculated that production, especially in South Brusseldorf facilities, has been delayed.

by **ZSeparatists** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:51 pm

Results:
Apox 4-3 ZSeparatists

Scorers:

[Apox] 36’ Pluto Blinkman (Assisted by James Palmisano) 1-0
[ZSeparatists] 39’ Danica Oliver (Assisted by Jovan Metzger) 1-1
[ZSeparatists] 56’ Igor Adam (Assisted by Lazar Stiles) 1-2
[ZSeparatists] 68’ Igor Adam (Unassisted) 1-3
[Apox] 69’ Eusebio Drawbridge (Unassisted) 2-3
[Apox] 84’ Marcy Blake-Tatum (Assisted by James Palmisano) 3-3
[Apox] 92’ James Palmisano (Assisted by Pluto Blinkman) 4-3
Final Score: 4-3

Injuries:
[Apox] 66’ CM Jarls Magarhatery (Out for one game)

Red Cards:
[ZSeparatists] 66’ RW Zora Tipton (Out for one game)

by **Folmara** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:04 pm

Tibesso started the broadcast with a well masked anger. The loss did mean he had to drink an extra shot after all.

“Well ladies and gentlemen we lost, what a great start. 3-1 defeat to Schiavonia put is at a 7th place starting position, only goal came from Folcard, while the Schiavonians got goals from *******, ********, and ********. I didn't swear they just didn’t disclose a lineup. Other news, the Deuronian Domestics leagues have gotten under way however we have only gotten results from Plai Nukchai, personally I’m rooting for Charoen FC, mostly because I think we could use a guy like Charoen here in Folmara. Thats really all I give a damn to say because losing sucks and I am a little bit tispy right now. Thanks folks, listen tomorrow to FRC113 for more laughs, news, and opinions society will tell you not to like, I’m Tibesso Liberowyn have a great evening everyone.”

After a sigh and leaning back in his chair, Tibesso had a few thoughts I could play better than those dipshits, I mean, Im 20, I could have a nice career in any position, wait, am I 21? I have no idea.

by **Geektopia** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:33 pm

Geektivities
*WE'RE ON TOP!!

Game Report and News
|3| - |1|
1': YC for Player 7 (NAH) and Player 8 (NAH) [] YC for Googoldeciplexithrong (GEE)
4': ⚽ Goal for Gargaxntuulheptex (GEE)
20': ⚽ Goal for Ennaeloctoldeus (GEE)
25': Substitution: Player 19 -- replaces -> Player 8 (NAH)
32': ⚽ Goal for Googolplexidudexithrex (AIM)
[HT] 3-0 [HT]
59': Goal for Player 4 (NAH)
67': Substitution: Player 20 -- replaces -> Player 9
[FT] 3-1 [FT]

The Googologist Homicide Cover-Up
Article's content redacted for explicivity [The likes of which you don't want to see]

For decades, the Googologist Church has been warning us about the societal dangers to our nation's youth. Who knew that the biggest dangers to kids came from their own sadistic pastors, who were more interested in the death of shrine boy Bigrand Tetrofaxul than the life of Sbiis Saibian (renowned googologist). The sickeningly smug numeric teachers, such as Mordecai missionary Petagross, who must've really been annoyed by a crying toddler and even had [REDACTED] against it. We've all been there, but please don't be annoyed to the point of keeping the [REDACTED] of [REDACTED] on [REDACTED] like our Googologist priests do.

by **Bliuji** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:56 pm

Following the 2-1 victory tonight over Mustardy it was a close game. Before heading into the match Bliuji totally under-estimated Mustardy and it could have costed them the game. Playing on their home turf Mustardy came out playing extremely aggressive.

First half
The first half was quite sloppy for Bliuji. They missed a lot of shots, in completed a ton of passes and just looked awful. It is difficult for the young squad playing against a team with such an aggressive play style which threw them off completely. Later in the first half Bliuji adapted to this play style and found success.

Events
In the 8th minute defender Jaquob Delannoy sauced one to midfielder Gilo Plessis who then found himself against Nikon Kotov then proceeded him to make look foolish and gave a nice through ball to forward Stan Dereumaux who showed his spectacular speed to skirt around Roman Aksakov and blasted a shot top-left for quite the finish. And it wasn't until later in the half that Bliuji overcame this by showing off skill of their own. Circling forward to the 38th minute newly added midfielder Sviatoslav Vasiliev received what was a long ball from Karp Yuriev. Finding himself on the counter attack he then made way pass three Mustardy defense-man making it look easy he released the cannon that went right over Hervé Groben's head and into the back of the net.

Second half
In the seccond half Bliuji had full control over this game. They new what they needed to do on defense to manage Mustardy's hostile playstyle. And critiqued their offensive ability to score another.

Events
Furthermore, the second half was slow for the first 10 minutes. Thing's really got energetic in the 12th minute when Jacquet Nee got a breakthrough past Vitaly aksakov. Finding himself in the box with 4 of his team mates surrounding him, a goal scoring opportunity was bound. Up against notorious Karp Yuriev, he somehow managed to find a passing lane where he crossed it to Martin Ménétries. Andriy Pyatov read that pass like a book and lept across the net to make a spectacular save; that rebounded right to the cleats of Lenoid Ozerov who quickly dashed up the field, Bliuji was now on the counter attack. Trying to move the ball forwards to Erik Belov the pass was seized by Jan-Bart Klumper, then immediatly swiped by Sviatoslav Vasiliev who transported a rocket up field to dangerous Daniel Lyskov. There was only one defender to beat from that point and he bolted around Jaquob Delannoy, now on a breakaway he soared the ball pass the goalkeeper to make it a 2-1 game. All was well for Bliuji at this point but they didn't rest. Subs were made in the 77th minute. Tim Kolesnikov got subbed on for Karp Yuriev and Carl Mackwood and Xanderikek Miles got on for Daniel Izmaylov and Daniel Lyskov. Things were looking fine until the 85th minute where Carl Mackwood turned the ball over on an offensive break. Only having Tim Kolesnikov back, that was the only defender Stan Dereumaux had to beat and that's exactly what he did. Flying pass Tim Kolesnikov he was too fast, now on a breakaway he had the last chance of the game to redeem himself and shot the ball way over the cross bar, it wasn't even close to being on net. This failed opportunity costed Mustardy from getting a draw and with the three points Bliuji gained they found themselves now in second place in group 8 after game 1 of the world cup 84 qualifiers.

Stats Bliuji
Daniel Lyskov, 1 goal
Sviatoslav Vasiliev, 1 goal

Stats Mustardy
Stan Dereumaux, 1 goal

Post game Interview brought to you by Holvah.com

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: Coach that was one hell of a game you guys just played, what was the mindset before heading into this one?

Andriy Shevchenko: We were quite nervous before heading in, just like every game we play. When walking out onto the field there wasn't much to say really. We just talked about tactics and set pieces. The important thing we can take away from this experience is that any team has the ability to beat any team. It doesn't matter that they are un-ranked we can't just keep a mindset that we are better than them just because of ranking, there's a lot more too it than that and I just think we did a good job overall.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: Why was the beginning of the game so sloppy for you guys?

Andriy Shevchenko: Like I mentioned before it's all about our emotions getting to us in the heat of the moment. Which did affect how we played drastically. But we were able to adapt as a team and overcome the downfall.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: What's your mindset for next game?

Andriy Shevchenko: We just need to play as a team. We played as a team this game and we did phenomenal we need to make sure that everyone's on the same page; which will give us the best performance in any given scenario.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: That's all for tonight coach and I'll see you tomorrow

Andriy Shevchenko: Thank you.

by **HUElavia** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 10:20 pm

HUElavia begins qualifiers with a solid victory!

HUElavia once again stops their daily routine in order to watch Los Amarillos to represent the multicultural country that is HUElavia. Contrary to the original schedule posted, HUElavia began Matchday 1 visiting The Sarian at the De Stadionnationaal, with a sold out crowd. Roughly 15% of the crowd were HUElavians who made the trip to support the team.

The match began very aggressively, with both teams trading shots in order to open the score. Petit had a wonderful one-on-one attempt against Duoztiun after receiving a wonderful pass from Rossi, which it would only narrowly miss the goal by inches. Pauwelz also nearly opened the scoreline, after sending a blistering shot that had left Ricardo standing still, only for it to narrowly go past the net. The opening goal would be scored in the 27th minute, with a foul committed by Bisop on Gallego to allow a Free-Kick to be taken. Cristiano took a few deep breaths and took the shot, which curved just enough to miss the fingertips of Duoztiun to make it 0-1, having the crowd silenced while the HUElavians present cheered. The Sarian looked deflated from that goal and continued to struggle to get some shots in before the half was whistled.

The second half came, and a notable change came, where Gonzalez was subbed off and Navarro was given a chance to get some minutes. Quickly, it proved to be a good decision, with Navarro slipping past defenders left and right and giving The Sarian defense a tough time to prevent the young winger's exploits. This is not to say that The Sarian did not have their chances, where a free kick by Buul was stopped by Ricardo who comfortably caught the shot, as well as many shots blocked by the captain Mendieta with his legs. In the 63rd minute, a pass by Rocheteau slipped past two defenders, which met the left foot of Navarro, who slid it between the legs of Duoztiun to make it 0-2, giving a comfortable lead for Los Amarillos, as well as netting his first senior goal. After the goal, another history was made, with Gallego and Petit being substituted for Ramirez and Hamada, both of the youngsters making their senior debuts as well as being the first females to play for the national football team. Both had a few shots blasted, but all went wide, having a very quiet debut. The whistle blew, and HUElavia had their first 3 points off the qualifiers.

Despite the win, HUElavia sit in 4th place, after Mercedini winning by a 3-goal margin, while Schiavonia and Starblaydia both won their games 3-1, scoring one more goal than HUElavia's 2 goals. Currently, HUElavia is the only team in Group 3 to have produced a shutout (conversely, The Sarian is the only team to have been shutout from scoring), joining a list of 34 teams who currently have a shutout in the Qualifiers. This is a good sign and improvement from the defense, which has not been the strongest region in the HUElavian National Football Team over many qualifiers. HUElavia will play their next game at home, which is dependent on who the opponent will be, which the venue is already decided based on the strength of their opponent. Regardless, the stadium is expected to be sold out for the home opener, which will be attended by The President of HUElavia, as well as the major Presidential candidates for the next election. All of the country is optimistic they can get their first home win for Matchday 2.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Hapilopper** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 10:32 pm

Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
World Cup 84 Qualifier Match 1: Hapilopper v. Vdara
Up to that point, the 50-year old Capital Stadium had never been more alive than it had been that night. Fans had tailgated in the parking lots outside the stadium and partied like there was no tomorrow. Many were watching the ongoing World Cup qualifier matches taking place at that time, where-ever in the multiverse they may be. In the bars and restaurants in the Capital Stadium area, there wasn’t a seat to be had as fans checked out some of the other matches across the multiverse.

The match wasn’t for another 90 minutes, but there was a buzz around the Haps like there hadn’t been since this time last year. The senior team had taken some hits in the last year – the Cup of Harmony sucked, and the AOCAF was excruciating to even think about. But the Under-21s had kicked ass in the Di Bradini Cup and the Under-18s came *this* close to winning the Sporting World Cup. It was time for the senior team to follow suit.

In the locker room, the HNFT sat calmly at their lockers, waiting for the time to go out. Ernie Stevenson was still wearing gloves on his hands, the result of an incident involving a yard debris fire not too long ago. He peered down at his gloves and peered up at his teammates. He had an intense look on his face, but as he looked around at players like Nate Ellis, Fernie Fairburn, Auggie Burton and Rod Hughes, he couldn’t help but smile. As Fernie looked at Ernie, Ernie looked back at him and nodded his head. Nobody needed to say anything. The whole team could practically communicate with each other without audibly saying a word.

His wife, Wendy, his brother Drake and his parents, Carl and Angela, were living it up in one of the stadium’s new luxury boxes. They weren’t alone – all three drivers of Team Blue’s NSSCRA squad were there – Chris Holmes, Frank Bronson and Taylor Henderson, as well as team consultant Chet Byrd. They were all watching the monitors to see some of the other matches going on at that time. But they couldn’t hear any of the commentary or anything – all they could hear were the drums below them.

*THUD THUD THUD!*
“HEY!”
*THUD THUD THUD!*
“HAP!”
*THUD THUD THUD!*
“HEY!”
*THUD THUD THUD!*
“HAP!”

That same drumbeat could be heard in the locker rooms. The Hap players looked up and saw ceiling tiles jostle with the beat of the drums.

“One day that damn ceiling’s going to collapse in itself,” quipped Clive Blackburn, a reserve defenseman.

“Yeah, no kidding,” replied Pancakes Taggart, one of the midfielders. “One day they’ll need to build us a new stadium that’s reinforced.”

“Yeah,” Clive responded.

The Haps knew they would have the fans on their side, and they knew this was a day to kick some ass to get their qualifying campaign off to a good start. The fans wanted to see their fellow Hapiloppians raise hell, and that’s what they got. The short version of the story is that Hapilopper beat Vdara 2-1.

The long version of the story, however, tells the tale of how Nate Ellis nearly got sent off in the 29th minute for delivering a lariat clothesline to a Vdaran forward, then raising his right hand and giving the “horns” gesture. It tells how Paul Dibble took the ball from a Vdaran striker and started a charge that went to Fernie Fairburn, then to Steve Erickson, and then to Ernie Stevenson in the 34th minute to put Hapilopper on the board. It told how Vdara evened it up with a great goal in the 46th minute – and in fact, seconds after the teams came back from the halftime break, and how Murray Hunnisett got a hold of the ball in the 58th minute and never let go, running his way past anyone and everyone from Vdara and scoring the goal that put Hapilopper ahead for keeps.

The long version of the story tells how Ernie scored his goal. He was trying to find a way to top a goal referred to as “hop-skip-holy shit” by the Hapiloppian media during the past season, where, in a Leichhardt match against Belgrave, Stevenson took the ball between his feet, kangaroo-hopped over Belgrave’s goalkeeper and heel-flicked the ball into the empty net. Realizing he couldn’t top that bit of lunacy, Ernie decided he needed to show the Hapiloppians exactly what “hop-skip-holy shit” was all about, and did the same move for the home fans in Capital Stadium. It wound up getting Venerable Television’s Jon Arnold in trouble with the Hapilopper Communications Board as he referred to the move by its popular name, almost forgetting in the heat of the moment that the free-to-air rabbit-ears TV networks strictly enforced those kind of profanities on television.

The long version of the story told how Murray Hunnisett, realizing that Ernie and the other midfielders were occupied with Vdaran defenders, said “fuck it” and ran the ball right to the goal himself. Realizing the defenders were having a great time stopping any of Ernie’s offensive moves, they didn’t see Murray with the ball and only realized when it was too late that Murray was getting dangerously close to goal. The Vdaran goalie saw Murray come and thought to move one way. Unfortunately for him, Murray moved the other way, and the Hapiloppians were on their way to victory.

Hapilopper had won 2-1, probably a closer match than some had expected, but the fact was, the HNFT could have hit the gas a hell of a lot more than they did on this cloudy evening in Hapilopper City. They were saving a lot of their energies for some of the more feared teams like Equestria, Bongo Johnson and Darmen, but they had gotten their campaign off to a good start.

Speaking of Equestria and Darmen, fans looked up at that out-of-town scoreboard and looked up at the score of the match between the two nations. Throughout the match, they looked up and saw the score of that match develop, and when it was done, many of them looked at each other with very uneasy looks when they saw the score “EQUESTRIA 5-2 DARMEN.” Darmen was not a bad team – ranked 31st in the world, to be exact. But Equestria was fuckin’ monstrous. The Hapiloppians had seen that first-hand.

Drake Stevenson and some of his friends looked at each other when they saw the score. Hapilopper would have to face these… well, equestrians. At least it wasn’t for a few days. The party in the Stevenson family luxury box wasn’t over, and they tuned in to watch the Wreckeria/Mareibat match. It was there that a real surprise was coming – a familiar face, at least to the Stevenson family, would be seen in a matter of minutes.

by **Wrecker** » Fri Dec 13, 2019 10:34 pm

Mareibat Stadium, Mareibat
World Cup 84 Qualifier Match 1: Wreckeria v. Mareibat
A new era had started in Wreckeria, and it started literally seconds into their first match in 54 years. Claude Tindall, taking the kickoff to start the match, ran with it, and past Mareibat’s defenders. The clock read “0:16,” and he had fired one into the goal. If Wreckeria wanted a great start to their World Cup qualifying efforts, they sure in the hell found it. The other players, not realizing what had happened, realized they were leading 1-0 before they could look up.

It was the start Wreckeria needed, not just as a football team, but as a nation as a whole. It was a sign that Wreckeria had signed up to raise hell, and raise hell they were going to do. They were going to lift the spirits of Wreckerians who had been unsure about what their future would look like, and how their fellow Wreckerians would fare against other nations. The last time Wreckeria had gone out in international competition, they got their asses kicked. Now they were doing the ass-kicking.

In the 35th minute, Wreckeria made it 2-0 when Oliver Bloxam, taking a pass from Sig Justice, immediately fired that pass into the Mareibat goal without thinking about it. It was pretty clear that Wreckeria was the better club in the early stages of this match. But then, the momentum appeared to shift in the 41st minute, when Sig Justice took a cynical chop-block from a Mareibat midfielder, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Justice was hurt, and what had been a rousing Wreckerian romp had ground to a brisk halt.

It was clear that he was in pain as physiotherapist Gabriela Petrescu and her staff, as well as head coach Marvin Byrnes, rushed out to check on their midfielder, who had been so instrumental in that second goal. Inside a luxury box of another stadium, someone recognized Gabriela immediately.

Stevenson Family luxury box, Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper
The same time
Outside, the 66,025 seats of Capital Stadium in Hapilopper City had emptied out as fans went elsewhere to celebrate Hapilopper’s 2-1 victory over Vdara. The Stevenson family and some members of the Team Blue NSSCRA team, meanwhile, were sitting in the luxury box enjoying the Wreckeria-Mareibat match, and wouldn’t you know it, they were cheering on the Wreckerians.

The Stevenson family, who had always heard such terrible stories about Wreckeria as a whole, realized that these kids playing for the Wreckerian team were hardly the same people as those people that had waged those wars in past years. These were wide-eyed kids who just wanted to play some football and have some fun in the process. But now, midfielder Sig Justice had been taken out, and he was being tended to by the physiotherapist and her staff. Sig was obviously in a level of pain.

Chet Byrd and Carl Stevenson were standing by a television showing the match, while Drake Stevenson and Chris Holmes were helping themselves to a glass of wine at the bar. It was then that Drake was in for one hell of a shock.

“Say, she looks familiar, I think she stopped by the Team Blue Center before one of the late-season races last year, looking for your son.” Chet said. “Carl, You recognize her?”

“She used to come by the house all the time,” Carl responded. “That’s Gabriela! She was Drake’s high school sweetheart!”

Drake, overhearing Chet and Carl’s conversation, spit out his wine and turned back to them. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

“What the hell do you mean that’s Gabriela?” Drake said, pushing his way towards the television as Chet and Carl pointed.

Drake took one look at the television screen and dropped his wine glass. It sure in the hell was Gabriela, his high school sweetheart. A year and a half ago, he had seen her in an airport terminal, as she was flying back to her home country. He was flying out to a round of the World Grand Prix Championship. It was the last time the two had laid eyes on each other, and while there still might have been something between the two, it was painfully obvious that the two could not stay together. Drake had no idea that she was from Wreckeria.

Drake kept looking at the television screen. The world had ceased to exist around him. All he could see was his beloved Gabriela, having found her calling as a member of a national team’s staff. He had no way of knowing he had dropped the wine glass on Chet’s foot, and unfortunately, Chet wearing sandals, meant glass on bare foot, and that was never a pleasant conversation.

He came back to reality as Chet fired a backhand slap right to the back of his head.

“You dipshit, you dropped that wine glass on my foot!” Chet roared. “You’re cleaning that up!”

“Shit, man, I’m sorry, I’ll take care of it. Anyone have a phone number for the Wreckerian team? I need to make a phone call tomorrow.”

Mareibat Stadium, Mareibat
The same time
The rest of the match was a nail-biter for the Wreckerians. The team from Mareibat scored two goals, one in the 44th and one in the 53rd, before Claude Tindall worked his magic again in the 67th.

Claude read the defenders perfectly. A defender would move one way, and Claude moved the other way. He turned on the jets, outran his opponents and when he realized he had a good shot at goal, sent it in as hard as he could. Wreckeria led 3-2, and that’s how it ended.

It was Wreckeria’s first international victory in 54 years, and now it was time to prepare for Pauh Janggi. But as the celebrations went on in the Wreckerian locker room, someone’s phone rang. It was Dave Simmons.

“Dave Simmons, Wreckerian soccer.”

“Mr. Simmons, this is Drake Stevenson in Hapilopper. Is Gabriela Petrescu available?”

“Uh… why?”

“I’m an old friend. I’d like to catch up with her, and I don’t have her number.”

“Huh, she said a few weeks ago about having a good friend close to the Hapilopper team… you’re Ernie’s brother, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Can you please give me her phone number?”

“Sure – or hell, tell you what, I’ll tell her you wanted to talk. If she knows you as well as you say, she’ll know who I’m talking about.”

“Can you please give me her phone number? I have an old one and I think it goes to some old lady in north Hapilopper City.”

After a little bit of hand-wringing, Dave gave Drake her phone number, and Drake called the next morning. It was the start of something interesting between those two, but that’s another story for another day. That morning, all of Wreckeria had picked up Wreckerian Sports News and checked out the story that really mattered to them – Wreckeria had beat Mareibat, and had gotten their World Cup 84 qualification campaign off to a damned good start.

World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

95X WC 84 MD 0 RP

Elite, Episode 1

WC84 Pre-MD1

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