World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

by **PotatoFarmers** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 9:02 am

(OOC Note: The actual "trouble" is real. Google apparently crashed my worksheet on their server side to prevent me from making any automated data import from the Group 9's spreadsheet, which led to troubles on the overall tally and fantasy point tally. I have reported it to Google, so I will wait for their reply before we see what to do next.)

Remember the time Sporting Daily worked together with PFBC to launch a microsite? If you have forgotten you can have a look here to jog your memory about that advertisement they published. Anyways, that was weeks ago. Barely a month after the site was launched, some unexpected trouble happened to collaborative effort between PFBC and Sporting Daily.
It begun on Christmas Eve, which was 2 days after Poafmersia played their last match against Nephara in the World Cup Qualifiers. The web management team received feedback that their overall tally table was not working and that Group 9 teams were off the charts. "What the hell happened to the database storing all the data?" asked a senior programmer, Jessica. "Really the database seems to be corrupt."
"But Jess, the Group 9 individual page is still working!" replied one of the webpage designers, Mokiast. "You cannot be serious about a corrupt database, can you?"
"Who has been entering the data all this while?"
"Our side? The Daily only provide data and report, while our web correspondents mange the side."
"Eh isn't it just a function call error?" said Jatisi, another senior programmer. "I checked the site logs, it seems that the lookup has some problems."
"But I can't fix it. Server logs keep telling me internal server problems even though I tried to reset the website and restart the lookup program. The same data cannot be loaded," replied Jessica. "That is not a simple call error, no?"
Pretty soon the entire IT department showed up and an emergency meeting was called. Many people tried different solutions but the data did not show up in the combined page. Confused, they called up experts outside of PFBC, but as it was the holiday period, response was slow.

by **Vdara** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 9:12 am

Wahey, we lost! Again!

The VdarArena was host to one of the angriest games of the tournament, where fans of Vdara specifically boo’d, jeered and threw stuff at Hapilopperian centreback Nate Ellis.
Fans have not forgotten Ellis’ actions during their first encounter, when he clotheslined Vdaran forward Alexis Fotellis and made a rude gesture towards him. Unluckily for him, however, neither had Alexis.

The match report is as follows:
3: Fotellis skips past Ellis, rolls the ball to his left, skips to the left and shoots, but his shot flies into the safe hands of Rod Hughes.
4: Hapilopper has scored! A nice pass from Fernie Fairburn went straight to the attacker who scored a world class 35-yarder that went straight past Metrakis! 1-0.
6: It’s 2 in 2! Hapilopper make it 2-0, but the goal has deflected off Xeniadis! What a cock-up! Metrakis was poised in the correct position, but a Xeniadis deflection sent it to the right of Metrakis’ hands!
9: It’s Ellis receiving a yellow card here, a horrible tackle on Fotellis. Free kick given, the fans are absolutely filling the stadium with boos for Ellis.
10: Fotellis is through here, he does a nice flick of the ball into the air AND HE HITS IT ON THE VOLLEY- and he’s hit the bar.
14: Lazelis is through, but he’s fired a shot straight into the side netting.
19: Fotellis and Ellis are exchanging looks here. Ellis is being his usual self and making dumb gestures towards Fotellis, while Fotellis just has a look of fury on his face. This could boil over.
21: Lazelis is through here, he crosses it into the box from the left... and it’s a goal! Straight over the keeper from the cross and into the net! Unintentional, but a goal nonetheless!
23: Hapilopper are mugging Vdara’s defenders off well here, Erickson is through, he crosses it into the box... and it’s over the line and out for a goal kick.
24: Karalas recieves a yellow card for... I don’t know, actually. It was Xeniadis who committed the foul, but the referee has given it to Karalas? Mad.
33: Erickson takes a shot, but it hits the post and it’s out for a goal kick.
37: The fans are really angry at Ellis, and it shows. Whenever he gets the ball, he’s boo’d. Whenever he goes into a tackle, he’s boo’d. Whenever he’s on the pitch, which is all the time, he’s boo’d. What a spectacle we have here at the VdarArena!
40: Vlahiades is through, he’s crossed the ball to Fotellis- and Ellis has saved it! The players are appealing for handball, but the referee says play on! The fans and Fotellis are raging! That was a certain goal and it’s Nate Ellis who’s saved it! He isn’t even the goalkeeper!
42: Fotellis has a face of rage here. He can’t take his eyes off Nate Ellis, and we can see why. Being fouled by him in the last matchup, and now he’s fouled him again and saved his shot? This isn’t on. He cannot be happy.
45: Fairburn has exceptionally skilled past Laskarilis here, but his shot has been saved by Metrakis, and with that, the referee has blown for half time!

The Dressing Room
Fotellis: “That bastard! That fuckface! That halfwit! He’s done for when we get back on the pitch, I swear on my life!”
Moustakakos: “I agree! No mercy for Ellis! Let Fotellis have his way with him!”
Sideropoulos: “Usually, as your manager, I’d tell you to be more level headed, but I don’t give a shit this time! Fotellis, fuck him up!”
Loud cheers are heard from the dressing room.

There’s a tense atmosphere as the teams come back out for half time.
Fans are still booing Ellis, they know that it should be 2-2.

46: Lazelis is through early in the second half, but Ellis has tackled him, badly! That should be a penalty, but again, the referee says play on! Hang on, what’s this? Fotellis is running over from the right side of the pitch, straight towards Nate Ellis! I think he’s had enough.

At that point, Alexis Fotellis leapt into the air, a battle cry emanating from his mouth. His feet were high up in the air, and he was hurtling towards Ellis at high speed. Within a second, Fotellis’ studs came into contact with Ellis’ nose, and a loud cheer started to ring around the stadium. Ellis went to ground, clutching his nose in agony. Fotellis also went to ground, but came back up immediately. This time, the referee saw what he did. It’s a straight red card for Alexis Fotellis, and he’s given a standing ovation by the Vdaran fans. However, Ellis is a tough cookie, and his nose being in agony hasn’t stopped him from continuing the match. He looks furious as he gets back on his feet, but in all honesty, nobody, even his teammates, seem to care.

52: Ellis is trying to get back at the Vdaran fans, and he’s almost scored, but the shot is saved by Moustakakos, who was subbed on at half time in place of Metrakis.
54: It’s Bobby East who has the ball in the box, but he’s fluffed the shot and it trickles out for a goal kick.
59: Hapilopper are really pummelling Vdara here, attack after attack. However, I don’t think it’s out of retaliation for what happened to Ellis, heh.
60: Xeniadis is far forward, he can’t shoot for anything, and it showed after that horrific shot flew away, and its went out not for a goal kick, but a throw-in! He has his head in his hands, and rightly so. Fotellis is smiling from the dressing room, he’s watching it from there.
61: Pardakis must be tired of seeing the Hapilopper attack, they just keep coming! Mind you, they don’t always score, but there’s always the danger that they could!
77: Theres not been much action for a while, and the fans are getting bored. Hapilopper’s fans are putting on a good show though, and they’re great entertainment when the match gets boring.
82: Man, this match really has gotten boring. Would be worse without the fans, though. This is a first for us.
89: Vdara has a last ditch effort to make it a draw, but it goes wide.
90: The ref has blown for full time. 2-1 to Hapilopper. All credit to them, well, all credit to all the players EXCEPT Nate Ellis.

As the players leave the pitch, the fans jeer Ellis harshly. They despise him. They loathe him. He is Vdaran public enemy number one.
No smiles here.

by **Hapilopper** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 9:25 am

The VdarArena, Vdara
World Cup 84 Qualifying Match 11: Hapilopper v. Vdara
The Haps, inspired by Dom Probst’s open letter to the fans of the HNFT, realized that the best way to get off on the right foot was to take three more points off Vdara, the unranked-but-yet-strong side making its debut in international competition. They needed those three points if they were going to stay in contention for qualifying, not to mention some lucky breaks in other matches going on throughout the day.

Fans watching Venerable’s streaming service watched matches throughout the day leading up to the Hapilopper-Vdara tilt, and looked for that kind of lucky break. They also watched, with interest, Wreckeria take on Mareibat in a daytime match at Patrick Stadium in Halsted and actually cheered the Wreckerians’ fourth win of the qualifying stage. This team was beating expectations.

Throughout the day, they were also receiving reports from Vdara about the team, specifically about Nathan Ellis, the team’s controversial defenseman, who was involved in a violent incident with Vdaran striker Alexis Fotellis during the two teams’ first match at the start of qualifying. Ellis clotheslined Fotellis, then delivered a horn gesture. Vdarans interpreted this gesture as Satanic, and he was burned in effigy in the streets of Vdara. Ellis explained that his gesture wasn’t Satanic, it was a reference to a favorite pro wrestler (OOC: true.)

Regardless, the HNFT saw fit to put a police escort around Ellis at all times in Vdara, to make sure nobody would try anything crazy before he got to the VdarArena. Six members of the Hapilopper City Police Department’s Secret Criminal Undermining Movement (SCUM) Unit, in plainclothes, were assigned to travel with, and stay in the presence of, Nate at all times, until he went into the locker room of the VdarArena for the match. Other SCUM Unit members were tasked with watching the stands in case anyone tried anything on him during the match.

Regardless of what they did, something did happen to Nate. But at least it happened on the football pitch, and at least he could come home. It was just after the halftime break, and Nate had already pissed off the Vdarans and Fotellis on a couple of occasions earlier in the match. He reveled in the role of villain, and loved the idea of getting under the skin of the Vdarans. But perhaps he was taking it a bit too far. In the 46th minute, just after a pretty cynical tackle on Chirstoforos Lazelis, Nate got a taste of his own medicine.

Nate Ellis turned around just in time to see a raging Alexis Fotellis, and worse, Fotellis’ foot rushing towards his face with all due speed. He barely had time to shout “oh shit” before Fotellis’ foot made contact with his nose, sending him to the turf with extreme prejudice. If it was any other player, the rest of the HNFT would have charged at Fotellis and beat the hell out of him. But this was Nathan Ellis, one of the dirtiest players in international football. He had clotheslined Fotellis in the last meeting between the two national teams and nailed him in the 9th minute (“for shits and giggles,” he later said on social media). He had suplexed players, cheap-shotted them and bragged about it. Hell, he had even gotten into a physical altercation with his goalkeeper during this qualifying stage. Consequently, the Haps stood back and just let it happen.

The fans in the VdarArena were in ecstasy. Nathan had been made out to be a devil amongst the more religious fanbase, and had even been burned in effigy. They had felt he had gotten what he deserved, and when he came up, his face covered in blood from the kick to the face, the fans loved it even more. For a bit, he looked like a drunk man on a moonshine binge the way he was staggering, but he regained his composure and returned to the play. Fotellis was given a straight red, but it was clear that everyone knew that he had given Nate what he had deserved.

For the most part, it was pretty much agreed that he had gotten what he deserved. Even Venerable’s announcers, Jon Arnold and Harold Kellner, said as much on live TV.

“Well, I hate to say it, Jon, but you live by the sword and you die by the sword,” Harold said. “And I also hate to say it, but it’s not as if Nate is that clean of a player. Didn’t he lay down a cheap shot on Fotellis during their last match?”

“Yeah, he did, and it’s safe to say they’re even now,” Jon responded. “I will say, it’s not often that Nathan Ellis gets a piece of his own medicine, and these fans in Vdara are loving it, to say the least. I would suspect that fans of different teams in both Hapilopper and Nephara are pretty pleased with it as well, as Nate has cheap-shotted a few people in both of those nations.”

Ellis, of course, had been playing for a Nepharim side this past season, where he had involved himself in a few unfortunate situations.

Nathan would play for the rest of the match, in spite of his injuries. His nose was broken and he had lost a couple of teeth in the skirmish. He was a bloody mess, but you know, he had this coming. He shouldn’t have clotheslined Alexis Fotellis in that first match. It netted him injuries that would take him out of the next match against Darmen.

The doctors rushed to Nathan’s aid after the match. There was a bit of blood pooled around his locker. The other players got back to their lockers, spotted Nathan being tended to, and some of them chuckled. Nathan was less than pleased that he had not been backed up on this by his teammates, but the fact was, this was a matter between Nathan Ellis and Alexis Fotellis. The Haps didn’t want to get involved and escalate the matter when, to be frank, there was no benefit in them escalating the matter at all. If another Hapiloppian player had responded by leveling Fotellis, it likely would have snowballed to an all-out brawl, the kind of thing the Haps were not looking to get into as they were trying to qualify for the World Cup.

Besides, all of the players realized that Nate had gotten what he deserved.

With Nate Ellis on the sideline, Donnie Armistead, typically a great bench player, would make his first start for the national team as the team went up against Darmen in a battle for second place in the group, and that second transfer spot to the World Cup proper. Group leaders (and likely winners) Equestria had knocked off Darmen during the match day, 2-1, which meant the Darmenis and the Haps were at 23 points each. The winner of that match would take 2nd place in the group.

Luckily for Hapilopper, the match was going to be held at Capital Stadium, that 50-year old madhouse just off the West River in Hapilopper City. The home fans knew when to get loud and crazy, and next week promised to be one of the loudest nights in the history of Hapiloppian sport. The stakes were high. Enormously high. Everyone who was someone went out of their way to try to find tickets for the event. Sports stars, political figures, performers of stage and screen, you name it, they were doing what it took to get a ticket to what was going to be one of the biggest nights in Hapiloppian sport.

by **Mattijana** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 9:31 am

The Halfway Stage: Can Mattijana Qualify?

MFO SPORT

With 10 games down and another 10 to go, the World Cup Qualifying season has just reached it's halfway break with plenty to ponder from around the multiverse. There's been a lot of football played already in this marathon cycle and there's plenty more to come, but already teams have caught the eye for the right, and indeed wrong, reasons.

For once, Mattijana are on the right end of the spectrum, making a change from the years of misery and/or mediocrity that have come before. The Marmots sit second in group 14, just 3 points behind leaders and 1st seeds Vilita.

Here's a look at the highlights so far.

Mattijana Going Well:

Zala Stefanidi looked as under-pressure as every other Mattijanan manager coming into the campaign, but has finally managed to cement her best lineup and style to good effect.

Defensive organisation has improved hugely under the former Shalkar manager, facilitating vital 1-0 victories over rivals Krytenia and Zwanzug. They are the teams Mattijana have to be beating if they are to take hold of a qualifying berth.

Rikard Illicic appears to have found some form at centre-back, whilst youngster Ana Sevastova has swapped in well when required, with the defensive sweeper that mystified so many people during the cup of harmony seemingly dropped for good. The counter-attacking tactics that the Marmots have employed have also suited the midfield duo of Marko Hojbjerg and Katarina Jakupovic, who showed their dominance in the 5-1 thrashing of Tamgu on matchday 11.

Those in charge of the national side at a higher level probably always knew the left-field appointment of Stefanidi would take some time to bed in, but their radical move could be paying off. The side have taken their highest halfway points tally of any qualifying campaign and have themselves in a promising position. They will need to keep their rivals at bay, as well as continuing to put away the lesser teams, a challenge that has been a real problem in previous attempts at reaching the big time, but they have looked in much better shape than ever before, despite many expecting this to be a truly 'transitional' cycle.

Best Team: Audioslavia

Only two teams are unbeaten from their first 10 games and Audioslavia have taken the biggest points tally of those two sides, the other being Nephara. They dropped points only to Newmanistan, drawing 2-2 at home and winning their remaining 9 games in group 1, one that contains dangerous opposition in Sargossa and Brusseldorf, as well as the rockets.

They haven't been the most free-scoring side, as is traditional, but have only let in 8 across their first 10 matchdays, the fourth-lowest total, but joint lowest amongst sides at the top of their group. They haven't necessarily been scintillating, but they have been cool, calm and clinical.

Biggest dissapointment: Cosumar

A number of teams deserve an honourable mention in this category. Lochario, the Busoga Islands and Indusse are amongst the teams who have failed to push on from promising world cup cycles last time out, whilst Qasden, Filindostan and Savojarna are all certainly underachieving, but the title is ultimately edged by Cosumar.
Cosumar are second seeds in their group, but are situated at the top of pot 2 and looked like fairly dead-certs to qualify in a group containing a few banana skins, but no-one who looked like mounting a prolonged qualification challenge.
Despite that, they currently sit 5th in group 4, 8 points adrift of 95X in second and with a lot of work to do if they are to make the finals, something that fans have become used to in recent times. A 5-0 defeat to Turori was the real low point for the team, but they have also suffered defeats to all their qualification rivals and a couple of frustrating draws, shipping nearly two goals a game on average along the way.

They still have 10 games left to turn it around, but with 95X, Sajnur and a stoic Saintland side all in determined form, it will be a real battle.

Surprise Package: Ziwana

On the flipside, there are numerous teams punching above their weight. Saintland are one of them, despite scoring only 7 goals so far, whilst Schottia have made a superb comeback, however for sheer unexpectedness, Ziwana top the charts.

Ranked 204th in the world, the debutants have lost just once in 10 games and have taken 17 points along the way, more than consolidating their quarter-final performance in the BoF. The Akambuku, managed by Harry Ngonamo, have played some stylish football along the way too, scoring 27 to counteract a somewhat leaky defence.

They will need to work even harder to hold onto their position, but co-hosts Baker Park managed it and Ziwana have a great chance to get themselves on the exclusive list of first-time qualifiers.

Craziest Game?

It's a wild scoreline that makes a 5-4 look mundane, but that's what happened when Casta Marina hosted Banija on matchday 8. The hosts scored 4, but still looked like they got a thrashing.

Favourites Banija raced into a 4-0 lead pretty effortlessly as Gitonga Kahara ran riot, but then found themselves pegged back to 4-3 before half time as the hosts somehow rallied. A nervier, and probably more heated, team talk than expected obviously ensued in the Banijan dressing room, inspiring the visitors to go on another scoring spree for a 7-3 lead.
Casta Marina nicked another one back as the 5th seeds took their foot off the gas, but the world number 301s ran out of steam and went on to concede 9.

by **Busoga Islands** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:18 am

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Big match looms at Lakiska City Cricket Park as the Busoga Islands prepare to host Chromatika

Ibrahim Fatah(#17) celebrates scoring the lone goal against Northwest Kalactin in 1-0 victory

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLAND- Towards the end of the 1st half of qualifying, the goals for the Busoga Islands seemed to be slipping out of their grasp. Chromatika was on a roll, and with the Main Nation Ministry recovering in their form, the Islanders experienced a downturn in their form, and in turn, in their fortunes as well. After Matchday 8, the Busoga Islanders were just 1 point off the pace being set by Chromatika for the 2nd World Cup Qualifying spot. Plenty of time left in the campaign at that point, of course, but it is only natural to want to take a look at how things are turning out in the table. The Busoga Islands were in a solid place, and they were setting themselves up to go toe to toe with Chromatika to be the other team to get to World Cup 84 out of Group 7, behind a strong Mriin squad that looked 2 steps ahead of everybody else in the group. And we had just played a strong game, in a strategy where an overtly aggressive al-Shareef picked off basically every single cross swung in throughout the game. We had a lot of hope. But sports are unpredictable. That's why we love them, right? And that's why we all enjoy these long Qualification campaigns. All sorts of things can happen. Who can get mad?

That's when things started to take a downward turn for the Busoga Islands. We paid a visit to Kavagrad, who was 5 points behind us in the table, although only 1 pot behind us, and we were not strong or creative enough, losing by a score of 1-0 in a tough, scrappy away game. It was a tough loss, the first of the campaign. It put us 4 points behind both Chromatika and Mriin, points that we might need later on, considering we have home games left against both Chromatika and the Main Nation Ministry, including a very important trip to Maal in the second half of the World Cup Qualfication campaign. But then, things went from bad to worse. This is a team that is built around the strength of its defense. The Busoga Islands may not light up the scoreboard, but they will always defend well. Then, we had a terrible defensive showing at home, against Lons, and we dropped our 2nd straight, falling by 4 goals to 3. And it was even worse, as we were trailing 4 to 1 with 80 minutes gone, and two late goals just made it interesting. We were dominated on our home field by Lons, and many thought that the World Cup dream was gone for the Busoga Islands. We did not have the consistency, and as the Main Nation Ministry passed us in the table, we found ourselves 7 points behind the pace being set by both Mriin and Chromatika.

But of course, at that point, there was still plenty of games left to be played. Still in the 1st half, you don't want to panic about the standings just yet- but still, a 7 point gap is quite a bit, especially when the teams above you are in the kind of form they are in. A trip to last place Plane of Possibility was able to stop the Islander free fall, as a 2-1 victory away from home got them back on track. And yet, still- a 7 point gap between the Islanders and the group's pace setters. The Main Nation Ministry, who struggled mightily to start World Cup Qualifying, suddenly on a red hot pace themselves, being the only team to defeat the table topping Mriin side. But with so many games left, there was hope, as long as the Busoga Islanders could perform. And to open Matchday 12, the Main Nation Ministry paid a visit to Chromatik City, and grinded out a tough, 1-0 win over the group's 2nd place side. And just like that, while Chromatika still has their lead, this group has the potential to be opened up again.

That gave the Busoga Islands the chance to close the gap to 4, with Chromatika's trip to the Islander capitol, Lakiska, looming. But for that to be given some serious meaning, the Islanders would have to take care of business on the Gold Coast. A trip to Northwest Kalactin was not, and would never be easy. Even if we made easy work of them at home to open the campaign, that did not mean anything in this context. We came in search of three points, and Northwest Kalactin was going to try their absolute best to prevent us from getting there. The first half was an extremely boring half between the two sides, as both teams were content to sit back, and neither really forced the issue. There were some diagonal runs by Northwest Kalactanian players that were threatening, but ultimately, they could not put good efforts on the frame of goal. With the game at 0-0 going into halftime, Starfire needed to spark up her players.

They came out in the second half, far more aggressive. Knowing how the game was going, it was likely that one goal would decide it. The Busoga Islands started to build some sustained pressure. A header by Thakshak off of a corner kick was saved by a sprawling home goalkeeper, who just barely kept the shot out. A free kick in the 55th minute by Kamu Jacobs bent wickedly towards the near post, and froze the goalkeeper, but missed the frame of the goal by mere inches, as the visiting fan section had almost thought they had scored. The teams were getting more aggressive in their runs, and Northwest Kalactin tried to counter. They had beaten the Islander defense on a perfect through ball, leaving a striker through on goal, one on one with the goalkeeper in the 62nd minute, but al-Shareef came up with a massive save to keep the Kalactanians out of the back of the net, and the score level at 0-0.

It would be the 75th minute where the deadlock would finally be broken. It was a great play. The Islanders were passing the ball around, around 40 yards from goal. The back line was being held just in front of the 18. Ibrahim Fatah, who was towards the sideline, started to make a sideways jog towards the middle of the field. And then, of course, he broke up field, turning it into a diagonal run. Vyomaang Yuval, who had entered the game for Jarju just a few minutes before, chipped the ball over the head of the defenders, and it went to the penalty. The run was perfectly timed- Fatah was onside, and he was in on goal. But of course, he would have a tough finish. He brought the ball down and then immediately fired on goal, a hard shot to the upper corner. The goalkeeper did not have a chance. The score was 1-0 to the visitors, and Fatah ran off to the corner to celebrate with the bench, as the visiting fan section lost their minds.

The Busoga Islands would hold on for the 1-0 victory, suffocating the Northwest Kalactin attack. And now, that sets up this large game against Chromatika. They are still pacing the other contenders for the second spot in the World Cup, three points ahead of the Main Nation Ministry, and four points ahead of the Busoga Islands. A Chromatika win here in Lakiska would put us 7 points behind them, and most likely, knock us out of the race for a berth in the World Cup Finals. A draw would keep things as they are, for us, though give the Main Nation Ministry another opportunity to continue their race back up the table. But a win? Well, that has the potential to really blow things up. If we and the Main Nation Ministry both win on this matchday, then it will create a bottleneck for that second spot. You could potentially have 3 teams separated by just one single point for that second place spot. That would make things extremely interesting the rest of the way in this Qualification group.

That's why this game is so big. It is moved to Lakiska City Cricket Park, because of the magnitude and stakes. The atmosphere is expected to be both electric and deafening. Delbin Kasekende, the Islander who was the Banijan goalkeeper when the Kadongo Kamu upset then World #4 Chromatika, has been announced to be attending the match. There are rumors that the retiring President himself, Ebrahim Razav, might attend the match in person. Regardless, it will be an electric match. And you can imagine Starfire will certainly try and mix things up to do what she can to earn all three points on this matchday.

by **Bears Armed** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:29 am

Bears Armed vs. Appalachian Nation
Venue: Wimbley Stadium.
Score: 5-2.

Goals
Bears Armed (5): Kuthbearrh (#10) @ 06’ (assist: O Redbank [#21]); Brent (#11) @ 17’ (assist: White [#13]); Brent (#11) @ 42’ (assist: 0 Sarrndale [#5]); 0 Sarrndale (#5) @ 52’ (assist: Brent [#11]); Brent (#N) @ 79’ (assist: Bruin [#6]).
Appalachian Nation (2): Robert (#5) ’39 (assist: Bubba [#10]); Cleetus (#N) @ 62’ (assist: Robert [#5]).

Red Cards
(none)

Substitutions due to Injury
(none)

_______________________________________ _______________________________________

Location: Team manager’s office, Wimbley Stadium
Time: one day after the game above

_______________________________________

(Urrsarra Northgate [manager]) “Hokay, so now we have to travel to the Five Cities , hwhose team we found so confusingly “anonymous” hwhen they came here at this stage during the first half of the qualifiers. Let’s hope that their players are more hrrecognisable hwhile they’re on their own soil instead.
“And on thatsubject, Helene, you have got our passage there sorted out now, hrright?.”

(Helene Bosanquet [Routemaster]) “Hrrwong.
“My apologies, madame managere, but that nation… It does not exist!”

(Urrsarra) “Hwhat?!”

(Helene) “The supposed nation of ‘Five Cities’ does not exist, truly. All that the information now available to me from any source says is that there was a nation of that name but that it ceased to exist — as far as our version of Reality is concerned, anyhows — shortly before the very first match in the first half of these qualifiers. Maybe that was just a matter of its government undergoing total collapse but, as the geographers whom I consulted can no longer even tell me where it was located, maybe it has somehow passed completely out of the set of ‘Realities’ to which we still ’ave access. I continue to search, but I can make no promises.”

(Judith Gold [Depute Manager [Admin.]) “And if we admit that our team can’t get there to play, but the W-C-C is determined to count that nation as still extant for the purposes of this tournament, then — even if there are no complaints from the footballing authorities of those Five Cities themselves — that could be counted as an automatic loss by the Belles… by three goals to zero, isn’t that the rule?” ⁽¹⁾

(Urrsarra) “Ayyuh, it is. Fleas-and-fur-loss! You keep looking for information, Helene, and you help her with this Judith as well: top priority! … And I’ll ask around internationally myself, to smell hwhether any foreign managers hwhom I’ve met can help urrs with this too.” ⁽²⁾

Suddenly there is a multi-coloured burst of lights in one corner of the room, up near the ceiling, and a raven (who is around the upper end of the size scale for “natural” ravens) appears there. It flies down, and perches on the back of an unoccupied chair.

(this raven) “I bring a message of importance to you.
“RAVEN himself has noted the problems that you might face in reaching certain of the nations to which your team must travel, and has decided to aid you in this matter. He has set the paths to those lands within my mind, so that I can guide your flying machines properly to them — aye, and properly back home again, too — and sends word that He himself will arrange that you be protected from any malign influences that might be involved in those nations’ disappearance from your ‘Reality’ or that might otherwise seek to beset you during those times beyond the borders of this land.”

(Your view of this discussion, as an observer from beyond the ‘Fourth Wall’, fades to black…)

_______________________________________

OOC Footnotes

1. That was the rule for missing a match in RL, last that I heard, anyway...

2. How did the other nations’ teams that were supposed to play ‘away’ games in the Five Cities (or, for that matter, in Ouna either) find the place? Would any of the OOC players behind those nations care to comment? (If so then please either RP your replies to Urrsarra or TG me OOC…)

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:39 am

TJUN-ia Update: Revenge of the Purple Knights

You know the drill by know. We had our chances but could never punish the opposition. Taeshan took advantage and walked away with all 3 points.

7th Place, 14 points back from the Purple Knights. It would take a miracle foe David Seems' men to make qualify on the fist time of asking. We host the Free Republics next. Group leaders, dominant in every way, The Jaguars are praying for mercy. But...we'll see.

by **Flavovespia** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:44 am

Flavovespia 1–2 Squornshelan Remnant States

Flavovespia’s winning run came to an end, as Squornshelan Remnant States defeated them in St Astons. The hosts were hopeful of getting points out of the game, following the 0-0 against their opponents to kick off the campaign, but ultimately fell short on the day.

Flavovespia maintained the 4-2-2-2 that Crawford was keen to deploy, having won their last 2 games with it. It was a change for the visitors since the last matchup with Flavovespia. Heldir Zaman, their new manager in the dugout, saw them play a more attacking 4-4-2, than the 4-3-3 of Bethany Donnell. Both teams lined up in their home kits, yellow vs red and black for this encounter.

The early exchanged initially seemed quite balanced, but it only took 13 minutes for there to be a goal in this contest. Targetman Zoban Ajao held off Tony Gardner, and flicked the ball into the path of Lyzolda Petrov. Petrov took a touch to knock it past Mark James, and leave her one on one with David Meehan. Her shot went beyond the reach of Meehan, and just inside the post, it couldn’t have been placed much better. 0-1 to Squornshelan Remnant States, who got the opening goal, and a much greater chance for a win.

Flavovespia tried to battle their way back into the game, although found the defence of their opponents to be tough. Much like their first game of the qualifiers, the defenders weren’t afraid to put in some strong tackles when needed. The Flavovespian crowd, already holding memories of Daley’s blow to the head in the opener, met several of these tackles with boos. That said Flavovespia weren’t afraid to get stuck in, with Petrov being fouled a few times to prevent runs into space. Henrik Jensen seemed especially keen to get stuck in.

Flavovespia’s closest attempt at an equaliser came in the 40th minute. David Michael swung the ball in, towards Sharratt and Daley. Stovar Krieven punched it away, but only as far as Steven Hall. Hall, under pressure got their first and unleashed a fierce driven shot. However he got just a bit too much on the ball, as it grazed the top of the crossbar and continued over the net. It was 0-1 at the end of the half. Squornshelan Remnant States were edging the game, but it was not over at all.

The second half saw Flavovespia push forward to try and get and equaliser, but not with too much urgency initially. Squornshelan Remnant States however, seemed relatively content to absorb much of the pressure, and were able to control the play in the midfield, leaving King and Jensen to struggle. The latter, already booked, was subbed off for Alan Holt in the first change of the game.

Flavovespians were excited when they saw Scott Coleman running down the touchline to warm up, and in the 70th minute, the moment many had been anticipating finally game. The fourth official held up the number board, a red #9 and a green #10 signified the return of Scott Coleman to the national side, after an injury layoff of several matchdays. One of the nation’s top strikers was back on the pitch for the side.

It didn’t do much good however, in the 77th minute. Petrov made another good run, and hit a drilled shot towards goal. Meehan got enough to deflect it away from goal initially. Vrenz Tambura however, was fastest to the loose ball, running in from the right. His shot was hit towards the near post, and flew past Meehan. 0-2 now to the visitors, who surely saw this game as theirs now.

Flavovespia however, gave themselves hope 7 minutes later. An ambitious long ball forward from James King was flicked on by Marc Sharratt towards the box. It was none other than Scott Coleman who got their first, and hit a strong shot beyond the reach of Stovar Krieven and into the back of the net. The #10 was back in business, and the crowd were cheering him on, as Flavovespia hunted for an equaliser.

However, despite the hopes of Flavovespia, no equaliser was forthcoming. Heldir Zaman set his team up to play a defensive, containing setup for the final few minutes, and the hosts simply couldn’t break through. There was no more shots on target, and the game would finish 1-2.

Flavovespia fall to 9th in the standings after the loss to Squornshelan Remnant States. The next 2 games are against overperformers Ziwana (A) and Mitra and Soma (H). With Only 9 points between 2nd and 2nd from bottom, there is a lot still to play for in Group 8. There’s an expectation at least one of the next 2 needs to be a win, to try and get Flavovespia back at least into the midtable area.

Post Match Interviews

Richard Crawford on the loss “It’s disappointing to lose. They’re a strong side, despite their position in the table, and I think we just didn’t execute well enough to keep them at bay. Hopefully the team respond and we do differently against the overachievers.”

Richard Crawford on the physical nature of the game “It’s the way some teams play. No use complaining excessively about it, I’ve seen it on both sides before. A bit more restraints from my team today, but they’ll respond differently next time”

Richard Crawford on the next few games “Ziwana are doing great, and I’m sure many neutrals hope they get to the World Cup. Obviously however we want to win every game, and I hope my team are up to the task, as they absolutely can’t be underestimated”

Scott Coleman on his return “Sadly we lost, which is a bit of a shame. But it’s good to get back out there, back on the scoresheet, and I hope I can add more goals to this campaign. The other strikers are also great players, there’s a good bit of competition up front”

Steven Hall on Flavovespia’s position “9th is hard to look it, but we can’t ignore it. We do need to find wins, or at least draws, despite how tough our next few games are with 2 overperformers. The lads have the talent and desire to get results, we just need to put it all together”.

A History of Football in Flavovespia

Part 11

Many were wondering with the new rankings, could anyone outside the Big 3 of the Tri Series actually make it to the top? Some thought it would be impossible, and would require a trifecta of local league win, and winning both cups to do so, a remarkable feat if even doable.

The 51BU Inter City Cup saw all of the Big 3 get knocked out before the Quarter Finals, with Havermilly responsible for 2 of those upsets. Remarkably, it was the Big 3 sides of St Astons City and then Waldster who were at home when those happened. Havermilly themselves reached the final, but it was Carston Green, eventual winners of the Western Association that season, who would go on to defeat Havermilly 0-2 in the final. The Gold Cup saw semi final matchups of Waldster vs Binclestead Wood and Carston Green vs Hadford Hill. Both went to penalties, and it was the non Big 3 sides who won out. With a potential triple on the final, Carston Green were taken to penalties, but held on to win the Gold Cup. Of the 100 rankers, 73 put them #1, and at the end of the year, they were named best in the nation. It was a great honour for manager Joshua Anderson, who lifted the Gold Cup as a player and now a manager, and he cemented his legacy as the finest footballing figure of all of Carston Green.

The Gold Cup also saw another change to its format starting in 51BU. This time the winners of Round 3 would continue to have a home tie in Round 3, but the losers of Round 3 would have a winning tie in Round 2. Any other teams in the 5 professional leagues not already allocated a place would be allocated to Round 1. This meant 55, or even 57 places in the case of the years 50BU and 49BU, were now taken up by professionals, meaning few amateur sides made it into Round 1 proper. This frustrated many non-league sides. Robin Rovers, Finchley & Forrester FC and Leabury Casuals all reached the Top 50 of The National Rankings, yet had to go through qualifying matches even to reach Round 1.

The Waldster League expanded to 16 teams in 50BU, with the addition of Marely Park and Alstone. The latter was a somewhat controversial move, as they were outside the original area for acceptance to the league, but in an extraordinary committee meeting, were granted a place anyway. Nevertheless, this expansion didn’t last. 2 years later, and Garden Ash and Marely Park left the Waldster League, citing costs to keep going as a professional side.

A few other prominent names left the national scene in this era. In 49BU, St Astons Rovers, who had spent much to try and establish themselves as a prominent side, and as close as equal to St Astons City, the much larger side in the region of St Astons, were in a debt crisis. Faced with no realistic way to pay for all their players, many left throughout the season, and the team collapsed at the end of the year. Ironically Slaton, a small town at the time in the St Astons region who had achieved local success and occasionally national attention would be their replacement. In 47BU Denman Factory, the last of the factory teams still going at national level, also resigned from the Waldster League. The factory owners could no longer afford to keep running a club at the level of expense needed now to be professional. Whilst it wasn’t major footballing news outside of Waldster and the surrounding areas, it represented the end of an era in the eyes of some. Finally in 46BU Calhead Rangers and Baxlee Blues also dropped out of the Eastern Alliance, further reducing that league to 12 teams.

It’s easy to see this era as being dominated by the Big 3, and the collapse of the amateur game. However with the rise of the Inter City Cup, the Gold Cup still going strong, and the increasing professionalism and attendances of the other 4 leagues, this was not a bad era of football. The 50BU Gold Cup final was a classic 2-1 AET between Galling Rangers and Stanmorn, 2 close rivals in the Waldster League. The same year, Binclestead Wood upset Hadford Hill to win the Inter City Cup. Abbots Lunsel would reach the Gold Cup final 3 times in a row starting in 49BU, winning the first 2 of those. 49BU also saw no Big 3 side in any of the cup finals. Growing rivalries in all the leagues made the era exciting for those who did go to games. Nevertheless, the 40’s BU was a decade that would see one of the biggest changes for a long time in football in the nation.

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 12:26 pm

Kairothletes: the anticlimax

To make a long story short, we went ahead and used a generic inverter on WC77 to flip it back to the original timeline, then played the WC36' patch for trelisua, and the "relatively modern" inverter to flip WC69' back. But then we realized we already had an impossible entanglement between Gasandar on one hand, and Susanna and Sâálvó on the other; Gasandar has the WC41' patch in play, so that needs to be resolved before we can get back to Zwangzug's true history in WC42 and WC34. However, Susanna and Sâálvó have the WC74' patch in play, so that needs to be resolved before we can restore Kirola, since Gasandar needs the true WC64. So there's no way to get a perfect win. We could keep playing just to see how many we get, but some of us have late-December festivities and travel plans that make it unfeasible to transport the timeline. So maybe we'll start a new game someday. Or maybe not!

The Kerlagrad Courier

Willow blasts federation in parting tirade

Upon the conclusion of Zwangzug's 3-1 victory over Fetra, Tavish Willow surprised many by announcing that he was stepping down immediately as manager. "And let me be clear, this isn't some passive-aggressive thing where they told me to quit or else they'd fire me ignomiously," he clarified. "In fact, the cowards at the federation don't have it in them to fire anyone ignomiously, which is really too bad."

While conceding that a lot of the advice he wanted to give them involved crude metaphors involving (masculine) anatomy which he considered inappropriate for a modern, diverse sport, Willow was unsparing in his analysis of his superiors. "I mean, come on, you know how to do transfers and sign up-and-coming players from teams like Yttribia and Newmanistan and places. You got the domestic league up to eleventh in the [somewhat anachronistic] UICA rankings, for bleep's sake. And you don't have the intestinal fortitude to sack me after getting walked-over by Ancherion?"

"Four-nil, for crying out loud," he muttered.

Willow has expressed openness to managing abroad, but preferably somewhere where "they actually hold your feet to the fire. I mean, in light of recent events, there shouldn't actually be a shortage of vacancies, you know?" His predecessor at Keppal Cosmos, Claude Pare-Achel, recently accepted a position at Chromatik City College University.

A brief statement from the association amounted to thanking Willow for his leadership in the impressive qualification last cycle, wishing him the best, and announcing that they would consider a wide range of applicants for the vacancy after this cycle or, should circumstances permit, between the end of qualifiers and the Cup of Harmony. "There was a bunch of other wimpy nonsense," Willow summarized. "Though I like their hedginess about failing to qualify. As if they could possibly believe they'll make the finals on current form."

Willow was able to depart on a high note, with Zwangzug seeing off Fetra 3-1 behind goals from Maron Sayle-Bren, Jaclyn Burkhart, and Kurt Uehara at the Stelladome. The federation is expected to appoint an interim imminently.

*

Superficially, he looked like Joel. If Joel had been several decades older and burying a Tropicorp FC scarf deep in his pockets so that only the orange fringes protruded. But he had Joel's serious demeanor, his Bigtopian complexion, his broad, callused hands.

"Aftuhnoon," he said, his northeastern accent thick.

"Oh, no," said Sydney.

by **Trolleborg** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:38 pm

It’s pointless to deny, that many people in both Trolleborg and Abanhfleft were eagerly awaiting whether Aiden Troger would carry out his intention to invite a girl played in opposite team on a date, and what he will do.

Reality has surpassed many bold expectations. Immediately upon completion of match between our teams, which ended in completely undeserved win for Trolleborg solely due to an unexpected stroke of luck, Troger showed himself up next to the attacking midfielder of the guests Elene Liner and turned to her with some words, which was not heard by public. Immediately after that, the fans on the stands opposite raised the multicolored plates, which all together formed huge inscription “You’re beautiful”, and after a few seconds another set of plates, so that a giant flaming heart appeared on the stand, and after another few seconds the third set appeared, which made inscription “Have some coffee together? ” The rest of the audience burst into loud applause and roaring their approval. Even the national leader, himself not alien to large-scale gestures, is seen approvingly clapping. We can, however, only guess what will happen next.

by **Savojarna** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:03 pm

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Savojarna’s darkest hour: A half-way retrospective

OOC: This article has been IC'ly published before the match against Schottia, i.e. in the half-way break.

This year’s World Cup Qualification campaign marks a decidedly low point in the history of Savojar football, with the team stuck in ninth place at half-way point and having witnessed the first mid-campaign manager change in its history. But not all is bad in the Northlights’ year, and we are looking back at a campaign with many downs, but also some promising ups. From here on out, Savojarna are likely to focus their attention on putting on a show to be invited to the Cup of Harmony, and on introducing some new talent to the international stage. With the SFS having seen a recent re-surge in popularity, the domestic league is once again a promising pool of players to support a much-needed rebuild especially in mid-field to support the jacked Savojar offence, which has been one of the high points of this cursed campaign. While the group is tight - fourth-placed Jeruselem are only four points ahead of Savojarna - qualification has likely sailed, as the second place is fifteen points away from the Northlights.

How did we get into this mess? The points lost were clearly the ones at the start of the qualifying. A loss in Taeshan was always a possibility, and while we had hoped to be able to take points off the Free Republics in Sjoedrhavn, the side was very much prepared for the possibility that this charge would fail. But what really hurt was the defeat against Geektopia - a repeat offender after their fateful victory over Savojarna in the most recent RUWC - and the draws against TJUN-ia, Galar and developing rivals Schottia, who are having a great campaign so far. The string of failures has caused the team to lose their faith in its coach, Olaf Jurtanen, whose authoritarian coaching style did the rest to knock out the last bit of support he had in the locker room. With a loss to Balqia that effectively gutted the hopes of Savojarna to catch up in time, the SFFB pulled the trigger and had to remove a coach in the middle of the season, bringing on triple SFS champion Rune Zackrisson. Criticism of the move had been restricted, although many had been disappointed to hear Lise Asbeck proclaim that she would never work for the SFFB again, stating that “too many bridges had been burned in the dissolution of the women’s team”, not the least thanks to the SFFB using its leverage to retain Asbeck’s long-time companion Mikaela Rangren as national team assistant coach despite not offering Asbeck any position in the organisation. “Dropping me out of the organisation despite an ongoing contract just like that hurt, but I can understand it. But robbing me of my assistant coach and more or less forcing her to serve her contract or receive no compensation whatsoever, that was when I felt disrespected by the SFFB”, she said in an interview with SavojarSport.sj following Jurtanen’s dismissal.

With Zackrisson came new wind and new stability. Transforming the 4-2-2-2 of old, which never seemed to quite work in its organisation, into his preferred 4-2-3-1, the new manager sent a powerful signal to not be scared of smashing old structures as he removed the Captain, Perttu Karjanen, from the starting lineup. He said that he was brought on by the SFFB to give the national team his face, and that he would not coach a side that he could not form to his tactical views, and his style of football did not support more than one central striker. At the same time, Zackrisson managed to avoid conflict in the locker room, giving Karjanen an important role as a joker and not trying to touch his position as a locker room leader. In an interview following the Taeshan game, Perttu Karjanen voiced his full support for the manager: “I know I am getting older, and my playstyle is difficult to incorporate into his vision of football. Rune was very respectful, and I am aware that he doesn’t think less of me as a footballer. Freya also had an incredible season, she is the SFS top scorer and I think that she is a deserving centre-forward. Playing only twenty minutes or so per game is sad, of course. I am a footballer, I always want to play, but it’s also nice to know I can go all out on the pitch and not worry about stamina. The coach is the boss, and I support his decision if it helps this amazing team”.

The addition of Lenka Otalainen in mid-field has proven to make the Savojars notably less predictable, as the old pattern of choosing a side and prodding from the flanks was switched up. Having a true number ten, Otalainen gave Savojarna new abilities to attack through the middle. Against the Free Republics, we saw the power of this approach as the finally healthy Krister Voynov and Mikhail Jashkin pulled open the defence, but contrary to earlier days where the mid-fielders were constrained to choosing either of them or looking for the strikers in the box, they now can utilise that space much more effectively, which leaves all of the incredibly talented Savojar forwards more time and room to shine. It also has shown to take weight off Niklas Hoyberg, whose defensive qualities have already notably contributed to the strengthening of the Savojar defence. Linne Kjaer, Savojarna’s defensive organiser, already said: “I think that it can always happen that we get three goals against a team like the Republicans, but in general, the defensive area is much more stable because it’s simpler. Rune asks us to do very basic things, close the area, push a bit to the side with the ball, but don’t do too complicated setups. I feel like Jurtanen’s plans were always great on paper, but they kind of crumbled on the field because we’d run into each other, leave open spaces and all that. We’d not get three goals against TJUN-ia anymore, I think”. Indeed, the changes seem to have worked for the backs.

The stand-outs

Savojarna’s expected leaders have largely stepped up after the change in leadership at the sidelines, and some others have delivered. But the stand-outs among their ranks have largely been missing, leading to an issue with production as well as defensive stability. Perhaps the biggest standout has been Lenka Otalainen, who has profoundly transformed Savojarna’s offensive zone play since obtaining a place in the starting XI under Rune Zackrisson. The playmaker has been an organising force if there has ever been one, and is here to stay to give much more power and cohesion to a shaky line. Among the core players, the only other standout has been Freya Sigurdsdottir, who seems to be unable to not play a key role in whatever team she plays. Sigurdsdottir played a dominant role especially when the rest of the team was having its low times, but has unfortunately not been able to carry Savojarna on her own given the often low quality of passes she has received. Nonetheless, as one of the few to consistently deliver the SFS VI top scorer deserves an honourable mention.

Among the players who have only been used sporadically, there have been a few players out-performing the expectations, although they have all not been able to truly transform Savojarna’s play. In Nahkistan, with the qualification hopes already less than low, Zackrisson gave a first chance to Aleksandra Virulainen and was repaid by the 20 year old SFS 2 keeper with a clean sheet. Virulainen is clearly not yet ready to lead the Savojar defence, but poses an exciting promise to the future. The same can be said about Roman Forsberg, who made the step from bench player to defensive leader with surprising ease when Omark had gotten injured in training before the Jeruselem match. Forsberg, who had previously never played a match as a NT starter, played through the entire game with surprising calmness. His defensive partner Linne Kjaer said after the match: “I expected that I’d have to take up some more of the creative and organising part - ordering midfielders, building the game, all of that. But Roman was amazing, he acted as if he had been in this team for years. I was really unsure at first, a bit shaky, but I quickly noticed I could just trust him to take care of his side. I think he’s really promising in that regard”.

Further up front, Pal Traustason could prove that he has developed in Cosumar by serving as a respectable replacement or partner for Joonas Andersson, but the biggest standout must have been Steinar Aarsoy. The 23 year old has replaced superstar Krister Voynov following Groen’s somewhat disappointing performance during the first days, and proved to be a brilliant dribbler and passer. While Aarsoy could not provide the threat of Voynov, his crossing has been remarkable and he has earned himself a place on the bench as Voynov returned. With the Russian only one year older, the left winger position seems to be locked in for years, but Aarsoy has considerable skill in terms of being a second winger to take weight off Voynov or provide more variety. Unfortunately, few of the SFS’s high scorers that had been called up have convinced so far, although Ryberg’s second spring in his long career adds to the depth of Savojarna’s offensive line, and Markus Mellin showed a good game against Nahkistan. But neither have delivered a convincing argument to become regulars in the squad, and remain behind other players.

The disappointments

It seems harsh to call Krister Voynov a disappointment as he was injured for a total of six games so far, but it shows that his form is not ideal and he cannot play the role that is expected by him to the point that he was benched most recently against Jeruselem in the first half. While he was part of the attack that led to the 1-1, he had once again not been fully convincing, and some critics argued that the match against the Free Republics had been Krister Voynov’s only truly good match. With few things still at stake, Zackrisson may consider playing Aarsoy or Vindjammer in this position. His counterpart Jashkin has been somewhat disappointing in the sense that he has been decidedly conventional. With the two wingers mainly thriving off their lack of predictability, the Russian has been surprisingly tame, sticking to the sidelines somewhat uncomfortably especially in the beginning of the campaign. The switch to Zackrisson seems to only somewhat have helped him, as he still seems a bit insecure with Otalainen next to him, but there are shockingly few alternatives as neither Grivoshenko nor Mertonen have provided that special something. This has led Savojarna’s right wing stuffed with players who can be solid, but little creative force, despite Jurtanen’s system relying on creative wingers. Under Zackrisson, the impact of those issues has been considerably lessened as Otalainen takes control of creativity.

The other major disappointment was Nick Hoyman, who seems to have lost his connection to the game with the amount of space he had in front of him under Jurtanen. Often being caught out of place, he was a major contributor along with the uncharacteristically unstable Simon Omark to the Savojar defensive weakness. The problem has been solved under Zackrisson as he made the zones in mid-field smaller and simplified the game, but he has also experimented considerably more with other combinations and seems to have pivoted towards using Maersk or Traustason in the defensive position.

The outlook

With Schottia and Geektopia coming up, Savojarna face two teams that are uncomfortable opposition and will likely field highly competitive teams. Zackrisson will try to emphasise defensive stability, which has been a major weakness so far. His rotation will not be too massive, although we expect the team to change somewhat.

Lineup vs. Schottia (4-3-3):
Petrova - Jensen, Kjaer, Forsberg, Nurkanen - Andersson, Otalainen, Traustason - Aarsoy, Sigurdsdottir, Jashkin

Lineup vs. Geektopia (4-3-3):
Petrova - Jensen, Kjaer, Omark, Nurkanen - Andersson, Otalainen, Maersk - Voynov, Sigurdsdottir, Jashkin

by **Geektopia** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 2:45 pm

Geektivities
*Be cool, be woke.

GKTA's New Tactic

From now until their end, Geektopia and their national team will undergo an Attacking Pass Formation. For defense, no one really has a clue. What this means is they will have a rigid, outstretched formation ranging in a 0, 1, 2, 3 to an 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. See, these are kind of like android drag patterns, except that each node represents a player in their own position. You also have to have a balanced 3-4-3, 3-3-4, or 4-3-3 formation to accurately execute this tactic. No 5-3-2s or whatever the like.

The Geektopian board and its coach have chosen the defensive approach to have 4 defenders perched at the bottom. See, a 3x3 grid pattern has to have 9 individual nodes but the rule in football is to have 10 players besides the goalkeeper. With that, the coach has assigned the center of the defensive row to represent 2 players. If a left midfielder passes to the center, they're probably passing to the center-defensive player that is closest to them, which means they pass to the left center defensive player. It's all very hard to explain.

Lines connecting from one node to another signify a pass, and if a node is passed over twice, it signifies a long ball to the other node. The positives include equal distribution, teamwork, formations differ from every game, etc. The negatives are quite reasonable: The players have to lead passes to a shot from the same player up front every given moment, which makes it predictable and repetitive.

These formations often loop from the last variable to the first.

Introducing the Substitutes!
If anyone is worn out or can't throw long balls or pass wide as they should, the substitutes play a part in being there for the breakaway.
Lyric Westen
| #12 | GK | 29 years old | Born May 18, 1997 | 6'2, 180 pounds |
Proficient at clearing and goal-kicking to defenders, midfielders, and attackers, but only if the main goalkeeper is having a bad day.
Altherr
| #48 | DF | 24 years old | Born May 25, 1995 | 6'4 1/2, 210 pounds |
Proficient at giving long balls to attackers

Brantley Ence
| #70 | DF | 26 years old | Born February 23, 1993 | 6'1, 196 pounds |
Proficient at passing long to the right
Rocky Keithly
| #20 | MF | 24 years old | Born November 10, 1995 | 5'10, 148 pounds |
Proficient at passing diagonally to the right

Kolby Wamboldt
| #23 | MF | 25 years old | Born November 3, 1994 | 5'11 1/2, 165 pounds |
Proficient at passing diagonally to the left
Ira Tuckerman
| #21 | FW | 31 years old | Born May 12, 1988 | 6'0, 198 pounds |
Good at giving long balls to defenders from either direction

Gordon Zacek
| #24 | FW | 31 years old | Born April 18, 1988 | 5'9, 178 pounds |
Good at giving diagonal passes from either direction
Formation of the MD: 4-0-3-6-5-7-8-1

by **Free Republics** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:18 pm

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Hello and welcome to Sister Polus's Thoughts. I am Sister Maria Polus of the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality. Today, I am broadcasting live from San Hacienda in the Malifornia Charter Society. My lawsuit against South Covello has proceeded into the discovery phase as the pie-tosser and the piemaker have both chosen to defend the case. I will not comment further on pending litigation but I will say for the record that I disagree with the judge's decision to reject my motion for a default judgment against the government of South Covello for its flagrant interference with a live television broadcast in the Free Republics. However, the judge did rule that I have standing to sue all of the defendants in Republican Federation Court and agreed to issue subpoenas to South Covellan government officials which have been mailed to South Covello.

In other next, RSFBC recently gave an hour of air time to a mad man from the Main Nation Ministry who was so upset at some pornography that was published by some sleazy gossip rag that he burned down O'Reilly Tower. While I understand his disgust with pornography, burning down buildings is utterly unacceptable and the man should have been arrested on the spot. I don't care if he's the leader of the Main Nation Ministry. He should be in jail for arson and terrorism.

However, let me be clear: The Supreme Court, the Assembly, the Senate and both of this country's wicked consuls deserve part of the responsibility for this incident because they have tolerated pornography. Many people, unfortunately, hold an absolutist view of freedom of speech that requires decent people to tolerate evils such as pornography and blasphemy. Well, I'm all for freedom of speech but freedom of speech cannot be absolute. There need to be reasonable limits such as laws against espousing hatred toward the Lord our God. Besides, filming oneself engaging in sexual immorality is not speech anymore than wearing indecent or inappropriate clothing in public is a form of speech. That is why we need a consul who will appoint strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court who will not legislate from the bench to invent imaginary "rights" such as the "right" to pornography or the "right" to run around naked in public. Freedom of speech should be limited to speech and only speech that is respectful towards people of faith just as there are already laws prohibiting false speech in some circumstances.

However, the primary topic of my program tonight is today's breaking news. Scarlett the Harlot Nicholls has signed into law a new bill lowering the voting age to 13. Speaking as somebody who has been educating teenagers for many years, this is an extremely ill-advised move. Teenagers just don't have the maturity yet to cast a ballot. Now, those of you with a secular humanist point of view are likely calling me "crazy" right now but let's consider what recently happened at a public high school in the small town of Yellow Bay, which is a famous football town. Mary Coffey was just a normal girl. She was a cheerleader and a member of the school's Home Economics club. A few months ago, she attended a party. It was the usual rowdy teenage party that you see at secular schools. At the party, Mary was gang-raped by 5 boys from the school's football team. Just yesterday, she committed suicide by hanging herself after the school announced that it would not be suspending the football players. Afterall, they have football games to win and the National Soccer Team has covered up rapes before so its perfectly fine to protect their star athletes from the consequences of their actions.

Now, you're saying that this is just one example of teenagers behaving badly. Yes but what about the recent scandal at Barjavel Academy's New City location where a dozen students died from heroin overdoses after a wild party where they took turns shooting each other up with heroin? What about the 7 students at a private school in Petrograd who recently died from binge drinking? What about the numerous teenagers who attend class drunk or high on a regular basis? What about the fact that our teenage pregnancy rate, which was already higher than any nation in Lunia, Esportiva, Rushmore or Atlantian Oceania, reached yet another all time high last year? What about the recent report about several of the National Soccer Team's cheerleaders? While teenagers as a whole are just irresponsible children in adult-like bodies who need firm guidance from older and wiser adults for their own good, Republican teenagers are probably the most immature and irresponsible in the multiverse. Part of that is due to the extreme secularism of Republican society and part of it is due to all of the wicked people encouraging parents to take the easy way out and be lenient with their children instead of setting proper boundaries and ensuring that they are punished whenever they step outside of those boundaries.

Here in Malifornia, where the Salvation Circle holds political power and where most of the population are members of the Salvation Circle who send their children to parochial schools, I am amazed at how well-behaved the children are. At Ecumenical Coalition for Morality schools, we have many children who have not been brought up within the Christian faith and thus have not been taught right from wrong. Here, all of the kids know right from wrong and they have been taught to know their place, which is to be seen and not heard unless spoken to.

However, in next year's consul election, minors will be permitted to vote unless this ill-advised law that Scarlett the Harlot just signed is repealed before election day. I do not expect it to be repealed so I am advocating that all people of faith should ensure that our children turn out to vote and vote their faith. I would highly recommend that parents and educators take advantage of absentee ballots to ensure that your kids vote the right way. I will be back after a word from my sponsors with a panel to discuss the new voting age law...

by **Banija** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:30 pm

Continuation of following storyline

Setting is Stelburg, Teusland

The Isebantu had thoroughly enjoyed Teusland since the moment he landed and had gotten off the plane, at Blauwald Airfield in Stelburg. They certainly knew how to put on a diplomatic visit in Teusland. As soon as he got off the plane, he saw a whole bunch of Banijan children who joined in to welcome him when he landed. The gesture, of course, was greatly appreciated by Isebantu Mutungi and his wife, Omugaba Namakula. And the children presenting the gifts were special indeed. One presented a flower to his wife, who received it gracefully, while the Isebantu himself was presented with a wooden carving of a goldhorn. Of course, his hosts here in Teusland explained what exactly the goldhorn was, and its significance to the country's culture. He, naturally, would ensure that this would be framed at the palace once they returned back to Busukuma.

And then, of course, came the diplomatic reception. It was a stunning reception put on by his hosts. A state dinner, as hosted by President Fleiss, where he spoke about his own bonds with the Kabaka himself. The Isebantu was a big supporter of the arts, and a history buff, something common among royal families not just in Banija, but in general. They were able to enjoy a beautiful opera. And when the Isebantu got to the summit the next morning, obviously without his wife, he allowed himself a moment to take in the history of the room. The importance of the very room where they were meeting, where the birth of the United Republics happened, was not lost on Isebantu Mutungi. And now, of course, the Isebantu finally had his time to speak.

The Banijan delegation was fairly large. Sitting across a table like this, he had prepared adequately for this. And then, of course, he rose and began to speak. "Chancellor Meier, thank you for the warm welcome you and your country have given both myself and my wife. Great things have happeend in this hall, in these chairs, at this table- a group of dedicated men and women, worked to hammer out the future for Siovanija & Teusland. A future of hope, a future of cooperation, a future of ever growing ties. Understanding and recognizing that working together, is better for the people. Let us learn from the example of your forefathers today and throughout this summit."

The Isebantu paused, and then continued. "The Kingdom of Banija has many primary objectives to come out of these talks, in different areas. We'll lay them out here, and see what your thoughts are. The first place we shall discuss, is military. As many of us know, the state of the Banijan military is.... Well, the state of the Banijan military is not as strong as it could be. WE are very grateful for the support of our allies in Belle Haven, especially, for their renewed commitment to helping us rebuild. But let us be honest here- the state of the Banijan military in general, and the Navy, specifically, has a lot of room for improvement. From the bottom up. The Kingdom has a lot of coastline to cover, and as our ports get busier thanks to the black gold boom on our soil, it is more important than ever that our country develops our ability to ensure the ability to protect commerce within our territorial seas, or 12 miles from Banijan shoreline. Let one of my delegation members, Admiral Burama Dione, go more into depth."

The Isebantu sat back, and listened to Admiral Dione. "Thank you, your Highness, for letting me speak,' Said Admiral Dione. " This is something that our country considers crucial. More military cooperation between nations within the Glorious Southwest is only something that can be a positive for everybody involved. There are multiple areas of cooperation we are looking for, especially on the Naval side. One, of course, may be ships that the Royal Banijan Navy can purchase from the United Republics, either directly or from your shipping industry, however military sales work in this country. There is a lot we need to do to improve weaponry and capability on our own side. Another, as a long-term goal, as trust continues to be built up between our nations, are officer exchange programs. We want to improve instruction at the Royal Naval Academy, and the ability for our students to learn abroad will go a long way. WE believe that this can be mutually beneficial as well- your sailors and soldiers and instructors, could operate an exchange program here as well." The Admiral continued in detail on the proposal, then he sat down and yielded to the Isebantu.

"Thank you, Admiral Dione." The Isebantu said. "Now, the second area that we want to shore up relations on, of course, is political. This, of course, is high-level government to government relations. Of course, as many know here, I am the Waziri via constitutional right- I will be in this role until God calls upon my father to go to heaven. It is an essential feature of our constitutional system, to ensure continuity within Banija's foreign policy. There are many potential areas of cooperation within the political sphere. One, simple one of course, is that we do request the ability to establish a consulate in St. Jakob, to better attend to the needs of the large Banijan community in St. Jakob. This, of course, is in addition to the embassy we already have in Borograd. We would also invite Siovanija & Teusland to establish a consulate, beyond their embassy in Busukuma, in either Istria or Herzegovina City, if they so wish."

The Isebantu paused, and then continued. "We also believe that economic relations have a lot of room for growth. Of course, the best symbol to the potential of Siovanijan & Teuslander economic cooperation with Banija has to be the glistening Stadium of the Restoration. Built on one of Banija's most important historical sites, it is a beautiful stadium built by engineers from this country. We believe that economic cooperation improving between our nations will be good for everybody in the long run. There are a number of ways that this could be done. While we would want to negotiate on behalf of our universities, the Kingdom of Banija would want to establish educational partnerships between our two nations. Or, at least, the ability to have those. We would work to assure that a number of Banijan students could study in Siovanija & Teusland on an annual basis, at both the University level and the Secondary School level. And, of course, vice versa. We could work to encourage economic investment in each of the other's nations. And work to increase trade- our ability to drill for oil improves every day, and it is a stable, long-term source of energy. Some sort of a preferred trade agreement, to encourage that back and forth economically."

"I realize that is quite a bit. But those, of course, are our own stated goals, stated objectives, for this conference. What do you think, Chancellor? Is there anything you would like to add?" The Isebantu finished. He then sat down. Of course, they had just given quite a bit of information to their counterparts, so the Isebantu asked for a quick, 10 minute break. Teams of people huddled on both sides, and the Isebantu spoke to Admiral Dione. As the 10 minutes came up, and everyone took their seats, all eyes rest on Chancellor Meier.

by **Port Ember** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 4:58 pm

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Dragons Exacts Revenge In Decimating Fashion!

Port Ember 4 - 0 Ouna

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

The Port Emberian Dragons pulled off a decimating victory against the Ouna national team, in the first match of the second half of the qualifier season, following the Holiday Break, which saw the competing teams hang up their shoes for a few days.

The second half of the qualifier season sees Port Ember facing off against all the teams they have allready faced in the first half, allowing the oppertunity to exact revenge on lost matches.This match against Ouna was exactly that - a revenge match, seeing that this side humiliated our team in their first encounter, which was also our Qualifier Opener, with a 0-2 loss.

This win has resulted in moving Port Ember to fourth place on the group table, from the 5th spot. Altough qualifying is still an unrealistic dream, this result is sure to sooth the pride of the team and the nation alike.

This home match was played at the impressive and fully packed Waterstad International Stadium, situated in the Waterstad Borough of the capital Port Ember Megalopolis; Republic of Port Ember.

The Game - Summary

This match marked the first match of the second half of the qualifier season, following the Holiday Break. Prior to the start of the match, although the Port Emberian team looked better on paper when compared to their opposition, fans and analysts alike were sceptical to the notion of a positive result owing to the struggling form of our national side - and the fact that we were beaten in our first encounter. This pessimistic views were put to bed from the moment of kickoff however.

Port Ember has a very traditional norm of playstyle - normally spending the first half in a highly defencive and counter attacking role, attempting to exhuast and frustrate their opponents, and finally going on a passionate and high octane offense on a exhuasted and frustrated opponent in the second half. Thus with Port Ember immediately going on the offense from the starting whistle, caught the opposition completely offgaurd, culminating in a world class goal from star striker Danny Nicovic as he slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net in minute 9 - sending the full house crowd into a excited frenzy.

Following the opening goal, Port Ember dominated the pitch with world class teamwork, passing and link-up play, dominating 92% of posession for the remainder of the first half. In minute 22 striker Leon Moult took a shot at goal, which the Ouna keeper managed to deflect, bouncing right to the feet of Captain Ray Reddington, who slotted it home without hesitation.

Minute 38 saw striker Leon Moult return to form as he took the ball from halfway, straight home, by outsmarting and outdribbing 4 defenders and slotting the ball omto the sticks, humiliating the opposing keeper.

The second half slowed in pace as the Dragons played a more carefull play, focussing on keeping posession away from their opponents, displaying excellent chemistry and team play. Newcomer winger Eric Tosaír destroyed the last will of the Ouna national team when he sprung to action in minute 76 and scored a brilliant and unexpected last try of the match.

The Fans

The 100 000 Port Emberian fans in attendance were back to their standard noisy and passionate antics, cheering and energising their young team. Reports of victory parties all over the capital leading well into sunrise was received.

Port Emberian Player Scores

Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith - 5/10. The 'Rock' had a quite day between the sticks, never being truly challenged.

Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards - 7/10. Josh was a solid defender, executing brilliant tackles when required for the full 90 minutes. Although not the most technical player, his physical strength and fitness got the job done in a manner which could inspire many future footballers.

Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee. 8/10. 'The Backline Prince' did what he does best for the full 90 minutes - organise and rally the backline. Surely responsible for assisting his side in picking up a Clean Sheet.

Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn - 6/10. The opposition mostly avoided the left backline for most of the match, giving Alex a peacefull match, which was not his mistake. When shots were taken into his reach, Alex managed to hold up his own.

Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce - 7/10. was a solid defender, executing brilliant tackles when required for the full 90 minutes. Although not the most technical player, his physical strength and fitness got the job done in a manner which could inspire many future footballers.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington - 9/10. Brilliant day for the Captain on the field. Never failed to exploit potentiol gaps during offences and managed to create gaps when there was none. Also scored an excellent goal. Well deserved Man of The Match Award.

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard - 7/10. Great day for Steven as he worked hard, and managed to link up well with Reddington to create counter attack oppertunities.

Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain - 6/10. Had a peacefull day as his flank was mostly left untested. The few chances he got to prove himself, he displayed solid passion and skill.

Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford - 7/10. Had a excellent field day and proved his worth as the newcomer to the team. Scored an excellent goal due to good midfield chenistry.

Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult - 7/10. Seemed to be back to his normal and brilliant form as he posed constant threats to the opposition defence. Scored an excellent goal.

Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic 8/10. Seemed to be back to his normal and brilliant form as he posed constant threats to the opposition defence. Scored an excellent goal.

Match Stats

Match: Port Ember Vs Ouna

Location: Republic of Port Ember

Result: 4 - 0 Win for Port Ember

Goals - Port Ember: Danny Nicovic; Leon Moult; Ray Reddington; Eric Tosaír

Goals - Ouna: N/A

Man of the Match - Port Ember: Ray Reddington

Aftermatch word from the Coach

"It felt good to be part of this team today. Not only did we exact a spectacular revenge on our opponents, we did so in style as the lads played their hearts out and showed the world again how far our passion and heart can take us!" Coach Baxter

Article by Erica Davies
Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Port Emberian Dragons prepares to face off against Valanora as part of the World Cup 84 Qualifier Season!

Pre Match Analysis & Interview

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Journal

The road to World Cup 84 Qualifiers is in full swing as Match Day 13 is upon the Port Emberian side.

Port Ember's national team will square off against Valanora in their twelth match of the World Cup 84 Qualification Season, to be played at the Hatire Memorial Stadium, located in the sovreign nation of ESF.

This match marks the second time that these two teams will meet on the football field, Port Ember having lost their first encounter earlier this season with a 2-4 score.

Team Stats Analysis

Valanora:

This team is currently ranked as the 8th best team in the world on the international ranking system, and posesses a legendary footballing history and a strong and developed football culture and infrastructure. The team is filled with veteran players of several international derby's.

This team is currently placed in position 1 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 30 points ammassed so far, with 10 wins and only 1 loss, scoring a total of 45 goals while allowing 11 goals to be scored against them.

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 prior to the start of this season.

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.

Even though the team has managed to build such a positive brand and reputation, their recent 3 losses in a row has severely damaged both their reputation and their chance at qualifying for the World Cup. They however have managed to end this terrible streak with four consecutive victories in four matchdays, before losing twice in a row again, followed with a draw, before their epic last victory following the Holiday Break.

This team is currently placed in position 4 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 16 points ammassed so far, scoring a total of 18 goals while allowing 19 goals to be scored against them.

From a pure statistics point of view, analysts have deemed that Valanora is the solid and absolute match favourites.

Team Analysis - Port Ember

Offense:

This team used to be known for their highly aggressive offences and legendary counter attacks, with world class strikers, yet they have only managed to score eigteen goals in their last eleven matches.

Midfield:

Traditionally the strongest component of this team, under command of the amazing Reddington. The midfield used to be a dangerous element to its oponents, acting as an attacking defence and sets up the front line well with attacking oppertunities, yet the midfield has failed to display anything special lately, although the previous three matches has hinted a glimpse of its previous glory.

Defence:

The backline is back to their old struggling ways, with eighteen goals allowed through in eleven games. However the backline managed to keep in check the total onslaught of strong offensive efforts in the previous few matches, giving a glimpse of hope.

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:

This team seems to have regained their composure and morale, standing united against any opposition.

Current Form:

L-L-L-W-W-W-W-L-L-D-W

Their three consecutive losses marked their worst losing streak to date, which they ended with four consecutive victories. This impressive streak was hampered with their last two losses and a draw. They had an excellent and revengefull comeback in their last match after the Holiday Break.

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.

Team Analysis - Valanora

Offense:

As one of the best teams on the planet currently, there is no aspect of the game in which they do not excell - offense being no exception. The gruesomely effictive 45 goals in 11 matches scored is proof of this fact.

Midfield:

As one of the best teams on the planet currently, there is no aspect of the game in which they do not excell - the midfield being no exception. The gruesomely effictive 45 goals in 11 matches scored whilst only allowing 11 to be scored is proof of this fact.

Defence:

As one of the best teams on the planet currently, there is no aspect of the game in which they do not excell - the backline being no exception. The almost unbrekable record of only allowing 11 goals to be scored in 11 games is proof of this fact.

Goalkeeping:

Analysts have nothing but praise for the starting goalie, and have proven to be a goalkeeping machine between the sticks.

Substitutes:

The team has a impressive line-up of substitutes, whom have received field time recently, adding possible depth to the team when needed.

Team Morale & Cohesion:

This team screams 'profeasional' and has the look of a unified and well oiled machine. Qualification is a given allready, and they seem to be favourites for being a major contender for the Cup proper as well.

Current Form:

W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-L-W

The stats above should say it all - with only one narrow loss so far, this team seems unbeatable.

Typical Gameplan: This team plays a solid offencive and counter attacking game, yet displays soms of the best defensive plays around when needed.

Starting Line-Ups

Port Ember

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Valanora

1 Sean Smørdal

2 Iben Fjørtoft

3 Eivind Strømmen

4 Jouri Salverda

21 Espy va Drake

6 Yuki Hatsune Image

10 Laborious Hawk

8 Ilglerdiriel Lithvathar

7 Faeron Soldarian

9 Olivia Nygård

11 Thor Møller

Team Kit

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

Pre Match Interview with Coach Stuart Baxter:

Erica Davies: Coach! Its excellent to be able to conduct these interviews again finally, after all this time of not being allowed to. Its an honour.

Coach Baxter: Thank you Erica, and its an honour to have you again. For the sake of your readers, our.. wise leadership in the PEFA forbade me to hold these interviews following our violent match against Five Cities, in the hopes of calming down the situation so to speak. Luckily, that ordeal has passed and things seems to be back to normal.

Erica Davies: Thanks for that Coach! So, you have been blasted in the media quite a bit due to a struggling season so far. Does this negative press affect the team?

Coach Baxter: -Coach chuckles- It definitely does not Erica. And honestly I say BOLLOCKS to those Nay Sayers. We have actually have not had such a terrible season! The media makes it sound as if we are crashing and burning, yet those judgemental fools forgets that this is only our second international season ever. I have never expected us to actually qualify, but grow as a team whilst obtaining experience. Our team is all under 21 years of age, competing against international veterans. We are not Gods Erica, people should start understanding the reality of the world. Besides, we are doing much better than many nations who have tried and failed to qualify over 10 times allready.

Erica Davies: Tough words Coach! Words which makes sense to me, I hope our readers will feel the same. So a 4-0 revenge result against Ouna... Wow?

Coach Baxter: -Coach chuckles again- Wow indeed! As I said in the post match interview, I am proud to be part of this team. They all played their hearts out, and we can ask for nothing more.

Erica Davies: So coach, Valanora is next. How are you feeling?

Coach Baxter: I feel good! Look in all honesty, I know we are going to lose - that team is on another level. We cannot possibly hope to mean anything against such a top class team.. But thats perfect, we have an oppertunity to play against - and learn from the best. We will only grow better and stronger as a result. But do not take this statement as a sign of predefeat - I can assure and promise you that we will give those big boys a bloody hard time. A Port Emberian dies bloody after all.

Erica Davies: Well said coach! Well thats all for today - and we as a nation hope you all the luck and fortune for tomorow!

Article by Erica Davies
Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

by **Taeshan** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:23 pm

"A 1-0 win over TJUN-ia sees revenge, but less goals than a home crowd would expect."

"Was that a question? I mean yeah I guess we've scored more on Free Republics, and this was a game towards revenge, but we only need to score one more goal than our opponents to get all the points and move closer towards qualification and that is the biggest goal."

"That surely ticks another box in your ledger, with Schottia the last I'm sure"?

"It's all fun and games to beat everyone in your group, but what does that matter if you lose to them all in the second game? Our goal is playing in Baker Park and Cassadaigua. Not beating every team. What is our Magic Number"?

"23 I think."

"So then we need to win 8 of the remaining 10 games. That is our most important goal."

"Another impressive match in goal Florian. A lot of the early talk in this qualification campaign was your youth and mistakes in goal. The Knights lead all of qualifying in Goal Differential over halfway through. What does that mean for you"?

"It's pretty awesome. Just a teenager and the goalkeeper on the side allowing the least goals in the universe. That is something that surely will be a big part of my resume."

"Next two matches are against squads who scored on you in early wins, do you think like today you can keep them from scoring in the rematch"?

"I think we've kept some really impressive sides from scoring, so some of these weaker sides can definitely lead to mistakes from our defense and I and that hasn't helped us. It's hard to always stay on, but I am learning."

"What is it like going on some of these weird road trips to places you've never heard of, let alone seen before"?

"Can't be any worse than playing in Ojian."

"Nice goal today Abriel. Wilhelm often gets the headlines, but you're the elder statesmen on the front line, how do you stay focused when others get the plaudits"?

"It's a team game. I'm a team player. One of us has to score, one of us can do the dirty wake doesn't bother me."

"You were once the hot prospect. Now others are, what advice do you have."

"Don't drink, Don't do drugs. Don't date girls from Saugeais."

by **Xanneria** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 5:37 pm

Second Half off to "a start"
By Steve Stevenson

DOMINCA CITY - Xanneria came out kicking (But then again thats the point of the game) against Five Cities in the Capital tonight. A 4-2 win over youngling Five Cities sees the team sitting in mid-pack at 5-0-6, one point behind the much ballyhooed Port Ember and upstart loudmouths Razneta. Next up is Bears Armed, but they are two weeks away. So its Paramount that we can practice and learn, as the Bears Armed team did win against us 4-3 in Xanneria. The players that looked the best were Laymore and Pete Saigon. Laymore got two goals, a Saigon got a goal and three assists. Five Cities defense was porous, but their offense looked okay with their wings looking the best and both getting goals and assisting the other.

Xanneria - 4
Laymore 33' 64'
Saigon 57'
G Hailey 80'

Five Cities - 2
LW ??? 45'
RW ??? 77'

Stadiums in COH bid announced

So with the acceptance of the CoH bid eminent, the Football Association of Xanneria, has announced the first five stadiums in the bid here's info on three of them.

MetroCom Delexue City Stadium - Alexandria City, York - MetroCom is the home of long time Omega Division team Alexandria City, it seats 52,900 and was built in 2015 (14 years ago). It's amenities include not only a stadium, but across the street is also a large convention center and basketball arena. Fans have called it one of the new titans of the new stadiums and AC's fans love it.

Pfluger Stadium(52,000) - Austin, Leitner - One of the classics, Pfluger Stadium has hosted many a game of top quality Xannerian Football. Home to longtime dynasty Austin City, the other AC has seen a surplus of success. In the last 100 home games for the Metros they have gone 63-25-12 in the W-L-D department.

Air Force Veterans Memorial Stadium (40,000) - Houston, Tacoma - Home of Tacoma 1836, a team that should be in top flight Xannerian football. This spacious 40,000 seater is known as one of the highest elevated stadiums in Xanneria.

by **South Covello** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:15 pm

From the Desk of President Luisa Benitez:

To: Scarlett Nicholls, Consul, Free Republics, Thomas Abdussamatov, Free Republics Ambassador to South Covello
CC: Elmer Frowner, South Covello Ambassador to Free Republics
CC: All of South Covello's Consulates in the Free Republics

Dear Madam Consul and Mr. Ambassador,

I am writing to you in response to several subpoenas a Republican court recently issued to myself and other South Covellan government officials. Under South Covellan law, our courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all acts committed by our government officials, both domestically and internationally. This law was passed to ensure our independent courts could prosecute government officials who commit war crimes abroad, much as the Gregist government did before. However, unlike the Gregist courts which, where they existed at all, were little more than puppet forces for the so-called Lord Almighty Gregory, our courts are completely independent of the rest of our government. As I have already explained, it would be completely inappropriate for me to interfere in the decision as to whether or not to prosecute someone, whether they be a pie thrower, a pie baker, or whoever.

Let me make it clear that our government has no secrets. Under our Freedom of Information laws, all government records and communications are public information, including this very letter and any response you may send. This is available through an online portal that can be accessed from anywhere in the Multiverse, and our Information Office can provide authentication upon request should this be necessary for it to be entered as evidence in your courts. However, I cannot and will not travel to the Free Republics to testify under oath in the trial in question, as it would violate multiple laws of our nation. First, we require a judiciary that is independent of the remainder of the government, and it would be grossly improper for me to interfere in a trial, at least one that is conducted under democratic norms. I have faith in the Republican courts ot do so, and as such I will not intervene. I am certain that the defendants in the trial have such confidence as well, or they would not have traveled to the Free Republics to fight the charges. Second, I cannot allow a precedent to be set where a foreign nation can just summon our leaders to their nation and interfere with our political process simply by issuing subpoenas and expecting us to fly over there and halt everything. Third, as I previously said, all government records and communications are already publicly available, and I do not know what more I could offer you. Therefore, this subpoena amounts to nothing more than a fishing expedition, which will not catch anything that could not be easily caught without it. Once again, if you require authentication, please contact our Information Office using the information on the internet portal. If you desire, I can expedite the request to ensure you receive said authentication in the shortest possible amount of time. This way the trial will not be unnecessarily delayed.

Thank you, please let me know if you have any questions, and as a reminder, any response you or any other party sends to this letter will also be public information.

Sincerely,

President Luisa Benitez

by **Kita-Hinode** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:31 pm

WORLD CUP 84 QUALIFIERS
Eleven games: how each Hinodejin has done so far in the World Cup Qualifiers
Written by sports journalist Ryo Takeshima.

BERINII - I've been enjoying a bit of a break from action on the western side of the Empire, but I may have been doing something in my vacations that would come off as a bit of a surprise: I actually have been rating each Hinodejin player from the start of the tournament up to now, based on how well they performed. Now, of course, in a group featuring teams of all sorts of... well, representation, I've decided to just present my numbers so far based after how well they performed in every game. I'll present my results for each of the twenty-three names that were called up officially for the qualifiers, as they're believed to be on the way to play in the World Cup proper, assuming the Empire qualifies in their group, which isn't a certainty.

Keep in mind I also tried to look internationally how Hinodejin games were commentated on, in order to give myself some different views. Alas, the only thing people talked about was the war and how someone from Xanneria was ridiculously upset about it. Go figure.

NAMEZONO, Myozan - Myozan was a graduate from that glorious Imperial Forces Academy where he wasn't known as a proper wall but as a goalie that would often fight for the ball on the air and even on the field if need be, which led to that legendary scene where he, as a player for the Elite Mashu High School side was left with a broken nose. Following his efforts, he was snatched up by the Cartagena Desert Foxes from Osarius but his presence in the World Cup squad is clearly based after his efforts for the team on the Campionato Esportiva. So far, on the international level, Myozan has not been spectacular but he did manage to present himself as a competent enough goalkeeper: his only failure was in the first game, where the Poltergeists found themselves incapable of laying a finger on the Holy Empire. Otherwise, a pretty competent goalkeeper but not stellar. 6/10.
KISAME, Juri - One consistent name from the Hinodejin national team, Juri has been a regular in the Hinodejin national team ever since she moved out of the Empire, playing in Eura's Workers Union. Her break-neck speed is only matched by her rabid behavior, something she probably inherited from her great-grandmother, one Juri Han-Di which mixed martial arts' fans might have an idea or two about. She has been the team's starter right-back, but has already seen herself out of three games to be replaced by either Constanze Schultheiss or a relocated Choji Matsumono-Gide. Good and consistent enough, 7/10.
VAN BRABANT, Frederic - A Western Hinodejin, which you can kind of tell by the name, van Brabant might have appeared as a bit of a surprise, considering he left in the one cycle where the Hinodejin teams avoided the Transfer Window like the plague for some reason. Currently plying his trade at Equestrian States, which means he's used to playing against creatures that are usually half his height; van Brabant has actually earned a couple of steps on his skills, serving as a good center back. Even if the Hinodejin team really isn't all that great defensively, van Brabant isn't really to be blamed for. 6/10.
FUJIWARA, Eichi - Eichi Fujiwara being in the national team is one of those calls that people still have a bit of a hard time believing, for a couple of reasons: unlike most players in the national team, Fujiwara was actually studying to be an astronaut with football on the side instead of fully practicing to be a footballer with a degree on the side. That doesn't necessarily make for worse players but it'd be understandable if he didn't develop into a good one as a result. One problem though, he did develop into a surprisingly competent defender, to the point where his mere momentum guaranteed him into the national team. Of course, good play in Timuria didn't translate to good play internationally, where his lack of experience does show at times, but he hasn't been too far behind van Brabant. Still, he's the one that was seen as a fair substitution, giving some time for Koru Simishi as well. 6/10.
KOJIMA, Raiden - The ur-example of a Hinodejin cyborg in international football, Kojima was one of the first names to leave the Empire to play professionally, as his background of a former super soldier didn't exactly help him out with career prospects inside the Empire and the Prince's Gorillaz cover band didn't exactly kick off with much success, so he found himself in a better position playing in Vilita instead. As a national team player, Kojima's high conditioning coupled with his actual cyborg durability made him by far the most resilient player of the side but it usually costs him in decision-making: he's also fairly shy and a bit naive for his own good. Played all the games so far, no surprises there. 7/10.
MATSUMONO-GIDE, Choji - When coverage of Hinodejin university football really kicked off, there were two names that made scouts water their mouths with the thoughts that they would become legends of international football. Southwestern prospect Choji Matsumono-Gide was one of those two when he joined Somei-Yoshino University, becoming one of the household names of the league when he joined and departing as a bonafide star. Weirdly enough, neither of the two found themselves at big centers of football, although Choji now has the chance of playing at a rather underrated destination in Lisander. Internationally, Choji made a good point of proving that his reputation in the University level was very much deserved: five assists, including one in the recent win against The Holy Empire shows that the Black Panther is here to stay. 9/10.
MIGUEL BENEDITO - People were very concerned when Eleanor Lingard confirmed that she would be looking into picking up players from Dreamplanet to represent the Hinodejin Empire following the rather brief war between the two: a scenery where the Hinodejin Empire, in self-defense, just went and wiped out about a fourth of a nation's entire population. And now, whoever she picked up from the country was supposed to defend the nation that fought theirs to extinction. Benedito is the more outspoken of the two that got picked up. Still rather young, he insisted that his participation on the national team was to represent his people and how they should look towards a bright future, regardless of the flag they would represent. He also requested to not face the main crowd during the anthem out of respect for the victims, a request that was politely allowed by the Empress herself. Not a bad player by any stretch but I doubt that we should be saying that poaching him up was good, considering the costs. 8/10.
METHAROM, Somporn - While not all that flashy, Metharom is another consistent player that has helped out in the field when needed. However, his lack of spark makes him a bit hard to comment too much on, which isn't to say he hasn't done his work but also fails to make him stand out, something that his name does... kind of help with but it's not enough. Still, a pretty good player in Advance Alara, apparently and hasn't done anything wrong so far. 7/10.
LUÍS SILVA - When people commented on what would happen with the Hinodejin national team following the war, some were already contemplating the thoughts of having Luís Silva play for the Empire. Surprisingly, Luís Silva proved to be very professional, not minding the circumstances and giving him all, in spite of how freaked out he was to be playing for a national team with such an unique cast. He's still a pretty good player, something that was already well stated in Dreamplanet. For the Hinodejin, he actually got a grand total of six goals so far, a pretty good mark for him, followed by his great performances. 9/10.
SAITOU, Iori - Some were definitively surprised to see Iori Saitou retain his position as the team's captain once Luís Silva was announced as a member of the Hinodejin national team, but it was a respectable choice by Lingard. Iori Saitou might not be the best player between the two but he's actually the one with the most international experience, being used to foreign football for ages now and also having been the leader of the Hinodejin team for just as long. He's a bit behind Silva in the scoring, nabbing only four goals so far in these qualifiers but he's been just as good in the actual field. 9/10.
WHITECASTLE, Cherry - The weakest link of the forward three, Whitecastle has not been amazing for either the Hinodejin Empire or her team, although she remains a national team player for tradition and also for her help in keeping spirits cool and focused. She only played five games so far, getting a single goal. 7/10.
MIZUKARA, Iona - Usually the main goalie, the Cyborg was bumped off for Namezono but the experiment so far has not yielded that many fruits as it was expected. Unlike Namezono, Mizukara is better as an actual catcher, unlike Namezono's wilder, blocking-based game. She really only played a single game, the one against Pauh Janggi, where she managed to get a clean sheet. To be fair, the opponent wasn't deemed as much of a threat as it was expected, which probably helps. A questionable 8/10, due to lack of games.
SCHULTHEISS, Constanze - Another cyborg, Constanze was snapped up during the transfer window once she graduated to a team in Cobrio. As an international player, Constanze played a single game so far, the win against Pauh Janggi where she remained a competent option but nothing better than Kisame. 6/10.
JÖNSSON, Matthias - A Mido-Hinodejin University product, Matthias too was picked up by a foreign team in the transfer window. So far, he picked a single cap against Volinovia, one of the Empire's worst results, in spite of that game being a draw. 4/10.
SIMISHI, Koru - Koru Simishi is a name more known at Apox, where he has been playing since he left the Empire. Ironically, he wasn't taken under consideration for the national team at times, which led to fans from the fellow Esportivan country complaining on the internet on how he was being massively overlooked. Simishi got two caps so far and they might actually have a point about him. 7/10.
McINTOSH, Madonna - Not that much of a surprise when called up, Madonna McIntosh played for the Williams team in the University level before being picked up by another team from an unusual market, co-hosts Commonwealth of Baker Park. That said, she remains a solid player and among the defenders who picked up a cap this season, she was probably the best of the bunch. Sadly, she played only a single game so far. 8/10.
SAKATA, Gintoki - Many fans complained about how, of all players they had to pick up that were formerly on the Imperial Forces Academy, neither of them turned out to be the guy they expected the most, Kotaro Katsura. The butt of jokes, Sakata really didn't impress in his two attempts for the Empire but that might be due to how he performs better as a midfielder instead of a center-back. 4/10.
MADDOX, Branywn - There's not much to say about Interdimensional Misei's best Hinodejin player as far as national team goes. She was picked to fill a role and so far hasn't really been used. No grade.
MUTSUGA, Pherem - Not the first Hylian to play in Hinodejin colors but probably the best one so far. A bit better than Metharom in the flashiness department, Mutsuga kept her game from the Hylian University in a way. Fittingly, she was picked over her momentum at Kelssek. Played the three games Metharom was out due to "stomach problems". 6.5/10.
SHIJO, Mara - Another name that went under the radar to Equestrian States, Shijo was improvised once as a left winger to replace Whitecastle but her talents from her games at the Equestrian league really didn't show up. Not too bad though so 5/10.
TOKEI, Ikki - Matsumono-Gide's rival and probably expected to fill up the left winger role on the World Cup proper, assuming they qualify. Played three games as a left winger (which isn't really a position he's used to) without major issues and also played offensive midfielder in that game against Quincy with his rival from uni days as a wing back. That 7-2 score just doesn't lie. 9/10.
MIKAGE, Tomoe - Formerly from Tsutsuji University, it was here that fans really started to say that Mikage was much better playing with Momozono and Mizuki. Not stellar in his two appearances, 5/10.
YOSHIHAMA, Seinosuke - Called up for his good performances for the Kanshiro Lopunnies, Seinosuke is the more experienced member of the team but also has barely seen any game time, expected mostly to be there in order to replace either goalie should they get injured or red carded. No grade.

by **Recuecn** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:43 pm

Tonight Reçueçn will be facing Geisenfried for the second and final time in this qualifying run. Their previous meeting, on the second match-day, resulted in a 2-1 defeat for the Unicorns, touching off a losing streak of 3 games from which they have struggled to recover.

"We're going to go out there and play the same game we always play," said Reçueçn Manager Jacques Tremblay at a press conference this morning. "Last time we got unlucky, made some mistakes, and paid for it with three dropped points. We obviously can't afford to drop any more points as we begin to draw near the end of qualifying and still need to work our way further up the table, but our motivation has always been the same. The boys are driven, and they're ready to go out there this evening and shut them down."

By "out there," Tremblay was referring to the Geisen stadium which will be hosting tonight's match, an away game for Reçueçn. The Geisenfried Königlich Fußball-Verband hasn't yet published what venue will be used to host the match, so the Reçuecians are getting antsy.

"I think that the lack of information we've been given is all a ploy to shake us up and get us unnerved. Icing the kicker, or whatever they call it in American Football. Well we'll show them. We're the kickers in this analogy because we'll be kicking their asses, and we'll do that in the vacuum of space if we have to. Or the Sahara Desert. Or the peaks of the Himalayas. Or wherever they finally decide to have this fucking football game--"

Franky was pulled away from our reporter by a much more restrained Gerauld Firaut. "Like the coach said, it's all the same to us. We'll be ready for them no matter what--"

"Ready to kick their asses!" Franky screamed from behind Firaut.

"Okay, that's enough, Franky. Sorry mister reporter, I think we'll have to end this interview here. Franky's gotten out of control again."

by **Squornshelous** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:56 pm

"It's had a more muted effect than we had anticipated, yes."

The representative from information management, one Nadja Jedrzov, had already begun speaking when Minster Petrov entered the virtuality. "My word," he interrupted, "has my clock run slow?"

"Just a few precursory remarks while we awaited your punctuality, Minister Petrov," Ilyana Omdahl's tone was frigid. Petrov had always been of the opinion that forcing others to wait, while leaving them unable to justify voicing any objection was the perfect way to begin any meeting.

"Please do continue then."

The presenter took a moment to gather herself, then launched into her presentation. "Since the statements by the Sarzonian government in support of Charlie King and their institution of a retaliatory tariff against Imperial coffee exports, we have begun a disinformation campaign on Sarzonian social media to attempt to discredit King and influence public opinion against the government's support of him. Some of it has been fairly on the nose, of course, infographics about the number of deaths caused by the West Squornshelan Insurrection and so on. We've also been working on spreading false rumors that King is guilty of sexual assault. Still trying to line up Sarzonians willing to stand as accusers. Unfortunately, it appears Sarzonian government IT defense departments have been given a freer rein than one would expect from a liberal democracy, and seem to be cooperating remarkably well with private IT entities there."

"What exactly do you mean Ms. Jedrzov?" High Minister Riihijarvi frowned down the length of the conference table from his accustomed seat just at the right hand of the empty chair at the head of the table.

"What I mean is what I said before Minister Petrov arrived. Our efforts have had a considerably lesser effect than predicted. The Sarzonian government has proved much more capable of decisive action against our efforts than most democracies, and for the most part, their population seems inclined to rally around King, rather than vilify him."

"So you've failed."

"Not in so many words. There is a significant minority who are ready to crucify the poor bastard, but not enough, in our opinion, to begin to influence government policy in any real way."

"So you've failed."

"I came here to present a report to this council, Minister, not to serve as a target for abuse."

She's a fiery one, Petrov couldn't help but let a smile creep onto his face, I'll have to remember that name.

"You were summoned here to appraise us of the situation. I am merely attempting to distill your presentation to its essence."

"I don't mean to offend you, Minister, but you're very quick to pass judgment when we've been at our work for less than a month. Public opinion cannot be influenced overnight, not even here in the Imperium."

"And yet the task appointed to you has not been accomplished."

"Yet. If you'd care to examine some of our work I have no doubt you'd be impressed. Some of the memes are particularly spicy." Jedrzov grinned, "It takes time to sway millions of people. Months. Years even."

"Enough excuses, you may go."

Jedrzov opened her mouth, inhaling for what would no doubt be a highly satisfying but career ending tirade against the second-most powerful person in the Imperium, when another voice cut in. It was not a loud voice, nor particularly deep. It was of midrange pitch, and slightly hoarse, as if the speaker had needed an extra few seconds to clear his throat. It had no particularly musical quality, and did not reverberate around the room, programmed as it was to replicate such effects by the thoroughgoing virtuality designer. Despite its ordinary nature, it was a voice that froze every occupant of the room to total immobility. It was instantly recognizable, and totally unexpected.

What it said was, "That is enough."

As one, the occupants of the room turned to face the head of the table. Unnoticed by each of them, even Riihijarvi, a figure had materialized in the chair at the head of the table. He was hunched forward with age, his skin a telltale patchwork of successive grafts. No hair remained on his head; the pinnacle of Imperial science could prolong life, but balding was yet beyond their means to prevent. He was clad in a blood red mantle, over a simple white shirt and pants. His eyes, (how many different pairs had he had by now?), were pale blue as always, and narrowed in displeasure. His mouth a flat line, thin lipped. His nose an equally thin wedge, standing out from his face like a monolith.

For the first time in decades, Emperor Girma Zeta appeared before his Council of Ministers.

Immediately, all present stood and saluted, a fist clasped over the heart. The Emperor dismissed them with a wave of a hand, "Sit, sit."

"My Emperor, I had no idea you meant to attend tonight's meeting. Had I known I would have . . ." The Emperor silenced him with one raised finger.

"You did not know because I did not wish you to know. I have observed all your meetings on this matter, and I must confess myself disappointed." The Emperor looked around the table, meeting the eyes of each person in turn. None could meet his gaze for more than a moment. None but Jedrzov, who seemed ready to fight the entire world. "Who is this Charlie King, can any of you tell me?"

A long silence lay over the table. None of them could be sure what answer the Emperor was seeking. Finally Petrov spoke, "He is a fullback for the Sarzonian national team and the Saugerties Snakes who has made comments about our nation entirely beyond his depth." His data interface implant provided him with further specifics, "24 years old, 70 kilograms, 180 cm, I could go on."

"24 years old," the Emperor again looked around the room, "a mere child." He stared down at the table before him before continuing.

"How much longer will this child live? 50 years? 100? What is 24 years in the life of a nation? What is 100? What is a century in the life of this nation?" The Emperor lifted his gaze, and found only the young Ms. Jedrzov willing to meet it. "I tell you that it is nothing. I who have ruled this Imperium since before the insurrection tell you that this insignificant child is beneath our notice. He should be beneath our notice, but you have dignified him." The steady gaze around the table shifted to a glare, "You have prolonged the life of his words far beyond what would have been had they simply been ignored. This foolishness degrades our pride."

"My Emperor," Riihijarvi hesitated, "we must defend the reputation of your Imperium. None may be permitted to impugn us, no matter how inconsequential they may seem."

"This gnat could not impugn us if he devoted his life to the cause." The contempt in the Emperor's voice was palpable. "It seems I erred in your appointment. You have grown quite wise in your own estimation. Perhaps a return to the private sector is in order for you, young Bjarni." He sighed, and for a moment a careful observer could discern the weight of responsibility, the weight of years on the man at the head of the table. "You have no sense of perspective. Does the eagle go down into the mud to fight with the crab? Neither should we busy ourselves with this nonsense. End it, tell the public whatever you must, but end this frivolity at once," He turned to Riihijarvi, "You, High Minister, may consider yourself dismissed. Do with the remainder of your days what seems best to you."

Before Riihijarvi could summon any response, he faded from view, ejected unceremoniously from the virtuality. The Emperor turned to Jedrzov for a moment. "You acquited yourself well my dear. This nation always has use for those with talent, and the will to use it. There may soon be other vacancies on this council, and I am in a mood to fill them with those who are capable, rather than those who simply appear so."

Slowly, as a breaking wave, the Emperor stood. All those left around the table rose as well. "You all are dismissed. Coordinate with one another as seems best to you to end this idiocy. I will contact candidates for the position," he gestured at the chair the High Minister had occupied, "personally."

by **Newmanistan** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:16 pm

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS CRUISE TO WIN OVER KANDORITH

by Brianne Henry,

The Rockets successfully opened up the second half of qualifying with a 2-0 win over Kandorith in Dover City, improving their record 8-1-2, and remaining tied with Sargossa for the all-important second position on the Group 1 title. Audioslavia continues to take care of business, and are leading with a record of 10-1-0. There is a seven point cushion between the tie that the Rockets and Corsairs are in, so for the time being, it looks like a three team race.

Miles Stadium in Dover City was sold out in what will be the final soccer game played at the stadium prior to it undergoing a $43.5 million renovation that will see it’s seating capacity increase by 7,500 and have the addition of 14 new luxury suites. A new hibachi restaurant will open up on the main concourse, so there will be a little something for everyone. We didn’t leave out the kids, as room for more interactive games is also anticipated. Lauren Stanford, a spokesperson familiar with the renovation plan told me that, “We have heard our fans wishing for us to modernize this stadium, and based on other improvements we have seen at other facilities, we have come to the realization that we might start being overlooked for these kind of international events if we do not do it soon. That will happen now, and while it will mean that our fans have to deal with construction for a little while, it will be worth it in the long run.”

The opponent on the field for this game was Kandorith, a nation that the Rockets had already defeated during qualifying, scoring a 1-nil victory at Empress Masumi National Stadium. If you are unfamiliar with political affairs in Kandorith, the stadium was named in honor of the recently crowned Empress of the nation. I guess we have something in common with them after all, given the stadium in our capital city is named Emperor Michael I Stadium, in honor of our first ever Emperor. It serves as a great reminder of how Empires are definitely not a thing of the past, and how we don’t have to sift through all that election drama that democracies will bore us with. They are all corrupt, anyway. An Empire ruled with a fair hand is the way to go, absolutely.

The Bushi Narehiko, as they are called, or Lotus Warrior if you want to keep it simple, came into the match looking to silence the home crowd right from the start, but the Rockets did a great job of responding to the attacks of Kandorith. After surviving this initial pressure, the game settled down and became a bit of a chess match for the first half hour of play. In the 36th minute, Newmanistan got a goal from an unlikely source as fullback Tim Marley joined the rush, and was in the right place at the right time to pounce on a rebound served up by Hideyo Kiyotada on a Jerome Beyer shot. “Coach gave me the signal to join the attack.” Marley said after the match, “Of course, I had to give him that look at first to get confirmation that he was really meaning me, because he hardly ever gives it to me. So, I hesitated to do it. That was a blessing in disguise, because that hesitation meant that once I snuck through on the left wing, I was in the perfect spot to get the rebound. The defender on that side (Munemori Miyake) was a confused for a moment on who to cover, so it worked out for me in that way, too.” The second goal of the match came in the 55th minute, by a more common name to get on the scoresheet, Brent Chapman. In the 73rd minute, Newmanistan had a potential third goal disallowed to a correctly whistled offsides call by the Vilitan official. When Kandorith had their moments in the match, the Rockets defense did a good job of allowing Ryan McNamara to not have to face any particularly challenging shots.

That is where we have it. The sky blue are continuing to play well, and get another three points. I have been asked a few times about which player I would consider the MVP of the first half of qualifying on this team. That is a tough question, because this team really is firing on all cylinders right now. You can pull out the score sheet and answer Derek Schaefer, since he currently leads the team in goals, but that scoring is quite balanced overall. You can answer goalkeeper Ryan McNamara as he has five clean sheets thus far and only has had one game where you can say that he was subpar (the 3-2 loss to Acronius). However, you can also answer Tim Marley, Adrian O’Bryan or Shawn Stoddard, the three defenders who have all seen their play noticed by international squads and sign overseas for opportunities that are realistically better then what they will have in Newmanistan.

The Rockets themselves are being noticed by more and more people, including being pinned by Rachelle Rocher, of Free Republics’ Sporting News publication to get the second spot in this group ahead of Sargossa. Otherwise, Newmanistan is continued to be labeled as being one of the best “fantasy values” in qualifying. Whatever works, but for now, it’s bye day time.

by **Chromatika** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:29 pm

MD12: Chromatika 0-1 Main Nation Ministry
Goals: None.
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Ria; Ruth - de Aea - Will - Ilya; Montague - Armageddon; Victoriane - Mora - Dragana; Andisori (C).
Substitutes: Bird -> Mora ('49), Conrad -> Dragana ('64), An -> Ruth ('72)
Projected Starting XI @ Busoga Islands: Ria; An - de Aea - Will - Ilya; Montague - Armageddon; Victoriane - Mora - Conrad; Andisori (C).

Football Part 12: vs. Main Nation Ministry

Jillian Nier, Football Correspondent

Well...

If that's how these next four matches are going to go, we're going to be in for a ride.

In a hotly, closely contested match at the Capitalist Dome, it was a late gaffe by a tackling Aoife Ruth that gave Main Nation Ministry the avenue it needed to keep both them and Busoga Islands in the running for the Group's top two playoff berths.

It's impossible to say why the team truly lost. Was it a lack of pace? Not really, the Chromatik triangle held firm for most of the match, and it's apparent that Montague and the youngster Armageddon have gotten quite better at working as a tandem together. The ball was pushed out to the sides, and then up the pitch...

Honestly, the one thing that probably was the cause was the lack of playmaking. Most shots went wide, Keira had probably the worst game of the campaign so far, and it was just a dud overall.

Busoga will be looking to capitalize. A visit to the Islands await. Ugh.

Part 11: The Cleaner

Part 12: The Rescue

The man previously stated as Mattieu D'Zarconie was being held in one of the most secure facilities in Chromatika, about a half mile below the streets of Chromatik City.

Alina Krasnikova's best had tried to crack him, but he had laughed them all off. Nothing had really worked - truth serum, a bit of rough and tumble, intensive questioning. Whomever had trained him had done it well.

That is, until an alarm started to ring.

The interrogation room started to fill up with a putrid, yellow gas that would be poisonous if any of it were to be breathed in by D'Zarconie.

As he accepted his fate as a spent pawn, his eyes saw a glowing white form descend from the low ceiling.

A white, glowing form, with four wings, was descending, hands outstretched, a protective bubble around her and around him.

"No!" she screamed authoritatively, and the gas dissipated.

"Your part in this tale is just beginning!" she said, holding his hand up.

"Be free of He who is known as Venom," she whispered into his ear.

It was as if a fog evaporated entirely from his mind. It was as if light entered his world for the first time again.

For the first time in ten years. the man known as Kiendre Alvin Jr. opened his eyes.

A minor victory had been won, a major tragedy had been averted.

Rainbow League System Preview

12. Tihon

Nickname: Tide
Fans: Waver Riders, Surfers
Location: Tihon, Urrhed Island, Chromatika
Stadium: The Tidal Wave (95,210; 25,000 Seats)
History:

Manager: Christina Applegate, 48
Formation: (4-4-2)

Background: Located on the northern half of Urrhed Island, Tihon is another fishing town, like Urrheddiao and Myana. It is also a tourist attraction due to the huge open beaches in the area. The Tidal Wave is the focal point of the city, as many Chromatik stadiums are. Breno Schmidt led the team to back-to-back titles before leaving for Urrheddiao; that's when Catheline Allister came and picked up right where he had left off, and the team has won two more titles since while establishing themselves as a top 30 team in the world. Tide have become a rather large fish in a small pond, and their fans, the "Wave Riders" as they call themselves - have gotten quite spoiled. It stands to question if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Preseason Grading: brought to you by ChromatikBet.com

Fanbase: 10/10: Tihon fans have become insanely passionate and dedicated. Probably the best fanbase in the league - as long as the success continues.
Manager: 6/10: Christina Applegate was Catheline Alister's right-hand woman. She may be all right.
Keepers: N/A: Tihon is in need of a keeper.
Defenders: N/A: Tihon is in need of defenders, though Bozena is one of the best.
Midfielders: N/A: Tihon is in need of midfielders, though Kristine is one of the best.
Strikers: N/A: Tihon is in need of strikers.
Greatest Need: When the Chromatik League disbanded, all foreign players were let go. Tihon lost most of its starts, but has retained both Bozena and Kristine, two solid pieces to build around.

Next: Umbar

by **Ziwana** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:50 pm

ZCHAT

by **Filindostan** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 8:57 pm

VeniBlogs
Blogsite by your average Venividicci Fan

At first, I was not happy for the acquisition, but for this country, I will be.

I was having my favorite dinner when news reports from the media have announced that Krisna Hendra Sudirman has been appointed as the new Filindostan manager. I was shocked, so shocked that the fork that I was holding fell to the ground. I was really surprised by the move made by the Federation to take away one of the greatest managers in Venividicci history. 'Why at this stage of the year?' was the first question I asked myself.

My team is mired in a tight battle for the title this year, with league regulations stating that only league placing will determine the title winners for this season and beyond. What that meant is that we would not be able to rely on the season ending playoffs to get the results we need, and so, we also need to take care of the players further and choose the lineups we play wisely, due to two new teams in the league, and possibly additional cup commitments. The timing for the appointment could not have been so much worse.

Now, I say that the club have been handsomely given compensation by the Federation, but where do we go to choose our next manager? The work of assistant manager Awni Makaay has been good, but we should see in the future if he can keep the club in the fight for the title. I was not happy with the timing the appointment was made, but hey, who am I to veto that move? I could only support Krisna's decision to accept the offer and hopefully steer Filindostan to the World Cup.

Another idea popped up in my mind is why the Federation gave up so quickly on Iqbal Prasetyo. He had been unspectacular, but hey, he did not have any losses in his three matches. Maybe the Federation was desperate on the Pula Garuda winning matches to keep them afloat the qualifying conversation, and did not see the situation at their qualifying group. But maybe there were some other reasons why would they not stick to the man who has been with the team since the dark era of Ethel Toh.

I believe Filindostan will be in good hands with Mr. Sudirman. In his post match conference against South Covello, he is able to identify which matches are very crucial for Filindostan's qualification - matches against Qasden, and Ziwana, both to be played at San Marco. He added that any positive result against the top seed is 'bonus' and this will have been invalidated if we do not get a result against the aforementioned teams and all others. He had losses against Fortunas when he had been manager of Venividicci, and I sometimes get upset with his attitude towards derby matches. However, he understands when that marquee matchup will be of great significance on determining the fate of his squads, and lately, he has identified it well, with the two championships he brought to the club. Hope it translates well to the national team as well.

Anyway, best of luck to Awni and the Venividicci team come end of season. Come on you Knights!

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