World Cup 85 || RP Thread

[TJUN-ia]

Half time has been called on this Marathon Cup, and the stories are being written. Some teams rising above expectations while others have floundered. You can't really say TJUN-ia have floundered, even though they entered (and left) the first double-header in 10th. This is TJUN-ia's 2nd WCQ campaign and after the highs of last time, you could have expected a drop-off in performance. But we have 2 games to go through before we take stock of where we are and what we could do in the 2nd half.

First up was the trip to Castle Hill, Gesterlake to take on an Astograth side exceeding expectations and then some. They entered this match-up in 2nd and were looking to keep hold of that position. The Jags knew that the Olibondeka would fight hard for the 3 points, so the aim was to counter just as good as they attacked. The 2 MVPs of this game had to be the 2 guys in-between the sticks: Harold Gylfisson and Aratz Anzizar. Gylfisson, in his 2nd WCQ, showed the abilities that got him to Port James by saving shot after shot after shot. Yasone Urdanibia and Azeari Duarte tried their best but Gylfisson held his own. It was the same story at the other end of the pitch as Vladimir Podolov, Joe Green and Kepo Ulawaya tried to break the deadlock with counter-attacking play, only to be denied a 34-year-old Anzizar in his last World Cup campaign. The deadlock couldn't be broken but a point is a point, and to take it from a team contending for the Top 2 felt really good.

Then came the game in TJUN-ia City against Muradil. Only a point separated these teams heading into this game, so both knew it would be important in deciding who had the momentum heading into the 2nd half of the campaign. Peliniho scored first after a goal-less first half, breaking the deadlock in the 51st minute. But Muradil bounced back level the game in the 62nd, then take the lead in the 76th. Carlos Pique levelled the game again in the 82nd and the game turned into a siege thereafter as the Jags peppered the Muradil goal. But fair play to the keeper, he wasn't having it and thus the 1st half ended with a competitive draw.

The Jags are 10th after 12 games out of 24 - certainly somewhere indeed. 11 points is not bad at all but we find ourselves behind Audioslavia by that much as well. It will certainly be an interesting 2nd half. I'll see you tomorrow to preview the 2nd, but in the meantime...GO JAGS!

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SCHEDULE (Updates on stadiums will occur as soon as we get them)
MD1: @Audioslavia (22) - Arena Kirola, Cathair L 1-2 (T-9th)
MD2: vs Euran Oceania Territories (84) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City D 2-2 (T-9th)
MD3: @Porticalia (330) L 0-1 (T-10th)
MD4: vs Sajnur (57) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong L 2-3 (12th)
MD5: @Jeckland (UR) - Jecken Stadium, Rack City W 2-0 (10th)
MD6: vs Natanians and Nosts (131) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 0-4 (11th)
MD7: @Villablanca (235) W 6-1 (9th)
MD8: BYE (10th)
MD9: vs New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 4-4 (10th)
MD10: @Necosia (341) D 4-4 (9th)
MD11: vs Turori (12) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City L 1-5 (10th)
MD12: @Astograth (303) - Castle Hill, Gesterlake D 0-0 (10th)
MD13: vs Muradil (212) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City D 2-2 (10th/2W-5D-5L/-4GD)
-----------------------Off Day---------------------------
MD14: vs Audioslavia (22) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD15: @Euran Oceania Territories (84) - Flynn Arena, Fligsive
MD16: vs Porticalia (330) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD17: @Sajnur (57) - ?
MD18: vs Jeckland (UR) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD19: @Natanians and Nosts (131) - Stadion Nacional (?)
MD20: vs Villablanca (235) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD21: BYE
MD22: @New Lusitania and the Algarves (42) - Estádio da Anta do Dragão, Porto
MD23: vs Necosia (341) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD24: @Turori (12)
MD25: vs Astograth (303) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
MD26: @Muradil (212)

[Barunia]

The Scarlet Standard

What the heck just happened? Did we seriously just beat Cassadaigua, a team that went 11 straight games without a loss? Yep, that's right, we did. Bloody brilliant work from the lads and lasses in blue. Also to the rest of you absolute legends who packed into Sun Stadium. It was absolutely rocking. One of the best renditions of the Red Flag I've ever heard in my life, I swear I cried after that second goal.

It was ladies night at Suns Stadium. We all know Team Cassadaigua means powerful women, and it was no surprise that they opened the scoring, courtesy of an excellent solo run by Meghan Wolcott. The real surprise came in the 50th minute, when Rebecca Thomas scored her first international goal. The Barunians had never looked like going out of the fight, and had been pressing the attack, winning themselves a corner. Neville Swan was the target, and the header was goal-bound, but was knocked away by a defender. Enter Thomas on the far post, and a booming right foot. Ball, back of the net, keeper eats grass, and Barunia have drawn level. Seconds later we in the Scarlet Army are signing along to "There's only one, Rebecca Thomas."

I'll share a little secret. That's our default, because we didn't have any already set up for her. To be perfectly honest, we weren't expecting to be screaming her name much. Sure, we've developed cheers for Elwin and Moorhouse, Swan of course, and Azarola already had his. But the rest of the team have been going under the radar. We focus on the players who do well, and Thomas might just have earned herself a chant. Yes, Tim Faulkner did earn himself a chant as well, but it went like this:
"Faulkner, Faulkner, who the fuck is Faulkner? What's he doing with the armband, who the fuck is Faulkner?" We only had to chant it once before he was pulled (and I'd like to think that decision was in no small part to us voicing our displeasure), but it sure was fun.

Back to the game though. So, after Thomas's little bit of magic we're drawn. So it's hammer and tongs and everyone on both teams is shooting fast and loose. Then Moorhouse gets the ball and suddenly she's just there. In front, top of the box, and no defenders in her path. She send it past Morgan's ears and we all go crazy in the stands with a soul-stirring chorus of the Red Flag (with vigorous arm-pointing at the small contingent of Cassadaigua fans on the "cowards and traitors" bit). Then we held our breaths for five minutes. Thankfully nothing else happened, and the Suns came out on top with a most surprising victory.

So next up, Kelssek, also at Sun Stadium! We've got the double in the capital against the two best teams in the group. One down and downed, what's going to happen with the other. I would have said we were an outside chance against Kelssek, but who knows after this result? The team will be on a high. It is exactly what was needed for morale.

Let's take a quick look at the group stage, seeing as we're at the halfway mark.

*  Group 9                               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                            12   11   0   1    52   13  +39    33
 2 Kelssek                                12    9   2   1    35   15  +20    29
 3 Timuria                                12    8   1   3    39   27  +12    25
 4 Sargossa                               12    7   3   2    31   20  +11    24
 5 Barunia                                12    7   2   3    25   23   +2    23
 6 Grod Island                            12    5   2   5    20   25   −5    17
 7 Ziwana                                 12    4   3   5    27   28   −1    15
 8 Patistan                               12    4   2   6    21   25   −4    14
 9 Res Publica Nova Roma                  12    2   4   6    19   35  −16    10
   Xuzaqiy                                12    3   1   8    21   37  −16    10
11 Audiasania                             12    2   3   7    19   30  −11     9
12 The Mann Clan                          12    2   2   8     9   24  −15     8
13 Olastor                                12    1   1  10    15   31  −16     4

Fifth place still, but it's close. Two points separate 3rd and 5th, and there's 12 games to go. It's far too early to make many predictions, other than the fact that Olastor are probably not qualifying. Even Cassadaigua aren't completely safe, only four points ahead thanks to this week's loss. Barunia needs to win against Timuria and Sargossa realistically, but could still climb up based on other results over the next half. The aim for Barunia though is to knock Kelssek off their perch, and claim that coveted second spot. The big chance for that to happen is next game. I'll see you all there, but until then, stay safe and Go Suns!

Troggs out.

[Taeshan]

Taeshan The Appraisal to the Almighty MR TAYTO
Stadium on the Lake, Laketown, Lake Island, Taeshan
Morgenstern 2’ P, 4’, 6’, 8’, Jackson 27’, Nkitilina 46’, 56’, 70’, Sneijder 50’, Lafayette 90+2: A Unicorn 44’

Sylestone Taeshan
I’m assuming a Bedroom?, Slyestone
Spiderwebs 16’: Nkitilina 60’, Morgenstern 80’

I was a Teenage Phenom

I was once the future of Taeshan Goalkeeping. I was the next big thing. The biggest problem in my career was that I became that next big thing at the wrong time. Taeshan plays a really defensive game, the league breeds great goalkeepers and defenders. Every time Taeshan advances in a World Cup it seems they out defend the other teams. 5 points, two 0-0 draws and a small win. Oh, look a Round of Sixteen 1-0 victory on pens. Tradition. Taeshan just knows how to make good defenders, but they know even more about making great Goalkeepers.

Tad Montague was the first Taeshan goalkeeper. He played 307 times for the national team. 307 times. Any young goalkeeper sees him as their hero in Taeshan. He was around for some of the worst years in Taeshan football, but he was the reason they almost qualified for their first ever world cup. He got the Knights to the World Cup. He won a cup of harmony. Tad Montague played in Daehanjeiguk for Pyeonyang for much of his career, was a co-captain since the beginning, and played in 11 qualifying campaigns and 3 World Cups.

Not a lot of people know about Tad Montague. He’s probably one of the most capped players in all of the world that isn’t immortal. But he was just the first goalkeeper. Wanner Padawan was next. Night quite the leader of Montague’s ability, but he did his best. The team wasn’t great with him. Wanner still played 170 times, and while maybe not the glory of the next group of guys. He made goalkeeping a tradition in Taeshan.
There are 6 Goalkeepers in Taeshan history with over 100 caps. Tad Montague, Wanner Padawan, Joe Jackson, Filip Samuel, Xavier Troubadour and Jacob Jinglheimer-Smitt. The latter was the one to finally return Taeshan to a world cup. Now a legend and retired this past season at Blacklake Blues. Jacob was the man in front of me for most of my career, and then of course a phenom arose, and here I am…with 10 caps to my name, but more world cup teams made than most of them. A weird tasting pill to swallow.

Esteban Foh

Lucky

I consider myself lucky to play soccer for my nation. I may hardly see the field, but I am lucky. This country that gave me so much. Not many players from any team in New Capetown make the national team, but I did. I started with the Nordiques, and then was sold to the rival Falcons, but eventually I got called up to play for the Purple Knights. The highest honor any player in Taeshan can have. I may only have 1 cap to my name, and with probably the greatest goalie Taeshan has seen in number 1 Florian Wagner I may never see more than 10, but I am lucky.

The odds of me making the national team were always low. I’m a good goalie, but good goalies are a dime a dozen in Taeshan. Probably the second-best national team goalie ever, Dru Holliday, only got 84 caps. He scored in a World Cup and was on the team for the best years it had. Dru’s first World Cup he found himself behind Filip Samuel, in his only chance to start at a World Cup in World Cup 59. By 61 Dru was the starter, and the first Goalie in Goal when the Knights advanced.

The next World Cup Dru scored against Eura, and the Knights made a quarterfinal appearance. He got to start at 3 world cups and advanced in everyone. Ryleigh Voegael would start at World Cup 64 and then the Knights would fail to qualify for almost 4 decades.

But that wasn’t the end of great Taeshan goalies. Joe Jackson, Shoeless Joe as they called him. 101 caps, but no World Cup qualifications. A trend began. A young goalkeeper comes in, shows a lot of promise, the team around him just isn’t quite as good. Xavier Troubadour, the next savior. Nothing. Jacob Jingleheimer-Smitt. Nothing, until World Cup 83.

I wasn’t alive for Dru Holliday, but I’ve seen the videos. I wasn’t alive for Ryleigh Voegael, but I saw the pain. I was alive for everything after that. Goalkeepers playing well, but other teams scoring more. No one to bail out your mistakes. No one to score. And then everything came together in 83. I find myself lucky to be on a semi-successful national team. In a position that it is so hard to get a job on any national team, on a team known for their capabilities in defense. I fought every day for my right to do so, I will continue to fight to play more. Take notice of how lucky you are to be alive right now.

Isaac Leyton

[Balqia]

The light piano and the fancy waiters gave a sophisticated look to the restaurant. Every player had an exclusive table for dining with their guests, some of them brought family, others girls and one or another had some friends.
— Ladies and gentlemen, please stand up for the national anthem.
Everyone got up and stood perfectly straight in the most perfect military style. The only one that didn’t got things right was the foreigner, but it was expected after all. The anthem began and the entire public rejoiced its magnificent melody, no one could hear it and not think about the wars and famines that the brave people endured.
With the end of the anthem the manager stood up and gave a long speech about the next match. To be short he told that even though the victories where starting to show up the match against Banija the team should stay focused and train hard.
With that they could do what they went to do: eat. Lobster with fine herbs and soup with meat and vegetables made the entry, the main course was a traditional dish, pork with onions and cheese, black bread went along. The good and not so old non-alcoholic beer accompanied every dish.
Before the desserts could be served one very odd thing happened. The foreigner girl crossed the entire restaurant, following the wall, she was next to the back exit when her phone started to ring, attracting everybody’s attention. She went straight back to her table, that was in the opposite direction, next to the bathroom with the rest of the staff. Something fishy was going on, and talking to her was the first step to discover what it was.
— Hello.
She froze for an instant, the skin turned white as snow.
— Oh, hi Stariq. How are you going?
— Fine.
She was too shy, the last time they met she didn’t stop talking. One question after another the interview went for too long, at each question he felt more pressured, at the end he was sure she was trying to get something from him.
— So… are you enjoying the dinner?
— Yes.
Questions. She was plotting something, but what? It was time to went full on offensive, he would not let her overwhelm him again.
— Do you like lobster?
— Uh… yes, I think. They were very tasty.
She perceived his intentions. It was just a little test, he read somewhere that intelligence agents begin interrogatories with minor questions to make the victim more comfortable. She didn’t knew with who she was dealing with.
— Have you seen the match?
— Yes, great game. Hapilopper is a very good team, winning was a great deed.
She didn’t avoid the match, the answer was somewhere else.
— Why did you try to sneak out?
— Uh? I didn’t, I… I… just.
Too direct, he made her panic. Maybe changing subjects would work.
— So, you have a son, right?
No answer, a ice statue was before him. Maybe something happened to her son.
— Uh… is he alright?
— Please don’t hurt him.
What?
— What?
— You work for them, right?
Was she talking about the team? It was obvious that he did and she knew that, so who was she referring to?
— I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.
— Leave me alone, please.
Tears went down her face before she went to the bathroom. He was too intrusive, now he would’ve to apologize to her. Someone behind him called.
— Yo, Stariq.
— Hi.
Soletz smiled and shook hands before taping him in the shoulder.
— Desserts are being served. You should go and eat.
— I will talk with Rockwell.
— Oh, you should leave her alone. And you should not speak about her son, it was a very delicate topic.
He was going to trust him, he didn’t wanted to make things worse.
In the way back to the table he noticed something. He spoke very quietly with her, and even if they peak in a normal tone Soletz was almost in the other side of the restaurant, how did he heard them? Something even fishier appeared, and he was even more interested.

[Kelssek]

Voyagers to Victory - @V2V_Official

Who's hyped to finally defeat Cassadaigua??
6 HOURS AGO

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If Cocoa-bo is addictive how come Kelssek has communism? CHECKMATE ATHEISTS
6 HOURS AGO

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Voyagers to Victory rehonk'd
So you're saying there's a chance

KBC Sports - @KBC_Sports
Andrea Crowe: "It won't be easy and any kind of result is a bonus. We've played well and confidence will give us a chance but we can't get ahead of ourselves."

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Voyagers to Victory rehonk'd

Football Kelssek - @FootballKelssek
Starting 11 vs. Cassadaigua: Poirier, Bowler, Curtin, Halliger, Liadon, Demetriev, Lapierre, Douglass, Ó Tuathail, Lister, Custworth

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WAKEY WAKEY IT'S KICKOFF TIME
5 HOURS AGO

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Voyagers to Victory replied to a honk
@GeldrwHot "Its 12AM" is not an excuse. Book a meeting room all morning tomorrow, say it's an important conference call that cannot be disturbed for any reason. Everyone naps inside. Done
5 HOURS AGO

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HT: Cassadaigua 1-0 Kelssek. Pretty even contest. Can bringing on Loic Macon-Petrault give us an edge? What would you say to the players in the locker room? Comment below
5 HOURS AGO

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Oh no. Oh NO
4 HOURS AGO

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Rapid fire from Cassadaigua. Can Kelssek get back in this? Or time to salvage the goal difference? Comment below
4 HOURS AGO

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Full time: Kelssek loses 3-0. Remains second in group, but Timuria and Sargossa now have chance to close gap as we only play 2 matches this weekend.
4 HOURS AGO

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This is fine

4 HOURS AGO

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Voyagers to Victory rehonk'd
#IceColdCrowe

KBC Sports - @KBC_Sports
Andrea Crowe speaks in post-match: "Not really disappointed, we knew what were up against, we got outclassed, and we move on."

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale draws against Alba and Cymru and beats The Sarian

El Perro, Township of Texas - On matchday 11, Terre Septenrionale was defeated for the third time in a row. The score was 5-2 for Eshan and the two goals by the Nordiques were scored by Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa (19th minute) and Roksana Kolodziejczyk (67th minute).

On the next matchday, Terre Septentrionale travelled to Edinburgh, Alba and Cymru to play against them. Both teams were scoreless in the 1st half. Alba and Cymru attacked at the 61st minute when Wilhelm Eisenhauer passed to Carlos Meireles who passed to his left to Heinrich Weiss. Weiss made a header pass to Conchúr MacGregor who heads the ball right into the net and Alba and Cymru is leading 1-0. The Reprezentacja Nordycki answered back at the 64th minute when Przemyslaw Tkocz passed to Sandrine Fontaine who dribbled and made a cross to Sandie McCracken who shoots and she scores! The score was 1-1 and this is the final score.

Terre Septentrionale was back home in El Perro to play against The Sarian 3 days later. The Northmen scored early, at the 3rd minute, when Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk passed to Sandrine Fontaine who passed to Sandie McCracken. She was dribbling with the ball but Ceutiz Maazden tripped her and Terre Septentrionale gets a free kick. Roksana Kolodziejczyk kicks the ball and it's a goal, she scored on a free kick! The score is 1-0 Terre Septentrionale. The Sarian attacked at the 30th minute when Mohammad Islam passed to Maeri Beniut who shoots. The ball hits Franciszek Niedzwiecki's arm and The Sarian is awarded a penalty. Lach Houten kicks the ball and it's a goal, the game is tied at 1-1. Terre Septentrionale attacked at the 78th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz made a long pass to Sandie McCracken who made a cross to Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa who kicks the ball. the ball is deflected by Oodel Duoztiun and goes all over the net. It's a corner kick for the Nordiques. Élisabeth Normandin takes the corner kick. She kicks the ball in the penalty area and it goes directly into the net without touching anyone. It's a goal and Terre Septentrionale is leading 2-1 and this is the final score!

BOXSCORE VS ALBA AND CYMRU

61st minute: Conchúr MacGregor assisted by Heinrich Weiss
64th minute: Sandie McCracken assisted by Sandrine Fontaine

YELLOW CARDS

15th minute: Francesco Persico
51st minute: Wlodzimierz Waclawczyk
82nd minute: Karolina Zaborowska

RED CARDS

None

BOXSCORE VS THE SARIAN

3rd minute: Roksana Kolodziejczyk (direct free kick)
30th minute: Lach Houten (penalty)
78th minute: Élisabeth Normandin (corner kick)

YELLOW CARDS

3rd minute: Ceutiz Maazden
30th minute: Franciszek Niedzwiecki
43rd minute: Bruux Ziebruux
66th minute: Élisabeth Normandin

RED CARDS

None

Mid qualifications break

It's now the mid-qualifications break! It was time we have a break because players and journalists, especially journalists, are really tired. The 2nd half of the qualifications will start on saturday july 18th 2026 when Terre Septentrionale will recieve Chromatika at home at Stadion Hydro-Polnonca in Trzebiegoszcz. This stadium is sponsored by the national electricity supplier in Terre Septentrionale. 4 days later, the Reprezentacja Nordycki will travel to Sabalonia to play against them. There's currently no injuries and no suspensions, so you can expect the full line up as shown in our online roster.

Wlodzimierz Pietruszewski,
Senior writer,
La tribune Septentrionale

[PotatoFarmers]

Crystalline Caverns 0

Poafmersia 1
Hansel Tang 63’

Starting 11: Dikash Johikas; Graciia Warisian, Timothy Gausun, Qetisan Monson, Bolsto Nelison; Donk Mason, Ftiks Wariq, Stegaj Johnatson; Hansel Tang, Shakira Handris (c), Alexri Timson
Substitutes: Goon Figsh (Wariq 82’)

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Poafmersia 3
Joel Haodao 6’, 64’
Pete Carisa 37’

Emastalia 3
Jamus Aaldenburg 24’, 50’
Willem Alden 72’

Starting 11: Sandi Jaliaha; Alex Pickford, Alex Hoboson, Danzik Hoboson (c), Densie Pickford; Daas Taisg, Fitks Wariq, Gisiik Moonar; Joel Haodao, Bytia Hisel, Pete Carisa
Substitutes: Dargis Walshor (A. Pickford 52’); Jessie Mchargarita (D. Pickford 52’); Konile Trasa (Wariq 52’)

WCQ85 First Half: Reviewing the Red Panjias
Commentary by Jabik Henderson
Sporting Daily’s Guest Columnist

Group 15                                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts   Form*
 1 Brenecia                               12   11   0   1    41   20  +21    33   WWWWW
 2 Reçueçn                                12    9   1   2    24    9  +15    28   WLLWW
 3 Filindostan                            12    8   1   3    32   11  +21    25   LWDWW
 4 Independent Athletes from Quebec       12    7   3   2    28   20   +8    24   DWLWL
 5 Poafmersia                             12    6   3   3    24   19   +5    21   DWWDW
 6 Damukuni                               12    4   5   3    27   32   −5    17   DWLDD
 7 Andromeda Island Group                 12    4   4   4    15   20   −5    16   WWDLD
 8 Emastalia                              12    2   6   4    18   24   −6    12   DLDLD
 9 Qvardax                                12    3   2   7    18   26   −8    11   LDLLD
10 Shokpos                                12    3   1   8    14   19   −5    10   WWLLL
11 Crystalline Caverns                    12    2   4   6     9   15   −6    10   LLDWL
12 The Grearish Union                     12    2   3   7    16   27  −11     9   DLDLW
13 Revatnagar                             12    0   1  11    16   40  −24     1   LLLLL
*Form only reflects last 5 matches played, from latest to earliest

I still have respect for my former teammates, and have seen them personally for the last 2 matches against Crystalline Caverns and Emastalia. Those performances showcase the improvements of the team, solidifying their strategies and tactics and ensuring that they enter the second half of the qualifiers more confident and prepared.
First, let me take some time to talk about those 2 matches. I believe that Poafmersia’s defence is slightly getting better, though I believe that in a pace-based formation and strategy, maybe Alex Hoboson should partner Konile Trasa, because both are the kind of fast players who chase after the players and ball, and can even go forward to support attacks. However, Alex Hoboson paired with team captain Danzik Hoboson for the match against Emastalia instead, and Danzik is the more defense-oriented player, so both players’ style don’t really gel together as fantastically as it would be if Konile Trasa played instead. Of course, if the team does want to go for a more solid-based defence, then it should be Danzik partnering Pasits Rikachz in center of the defence. Otherwise, the offence is as solid as it always is, scoring goals whenever they need to. Against Emastalia, they were unlucky to not walk away with 3 points (though you could point out that the defence has something to do with it), but they did the job against Crystalline Caverns.
Of course, with those 2 matches out of the way, and with a better understanding of the teams to watch in the group, we can start reviewing the targets we have for the second half, further looking at how the group dynamics would shape up towards the business end of the qualifiers.

Second half of qualifiers
Matchday 14 - Brenecia (H) @ Libira National Stadium (cap. 68,000)
Matchday 15 - Independent Athletes from Quebec (A)
Matchday 16 - Qvardax (H) @ Mancodas Complex (cap. 60,000)
Matchday 17 - Damukuni (A)
Matchday 18 - Reçueçn (H) @ Libira National Stadium (cap. 68,000)
Matchday 19 - The Grearish Union (A)
Matchday 20 - Filindostan (H) @ Libira National Stadium (cap. 68,000)
Matchday 21 - Bye
Matchday 22 - Shokpos (A)
Matchday 23 - Andromeda Island Group (H) @ TBA
Matchday 24 - Revatnagar (A)
Matchday 25 - Crystalline Caverns (H) @ TBA
Matchday 26 - Emastalia (A)

The first 2 matches would be important for the Red Panjias. For the home match to Brenecia, Poafmersia needs to stop a Brenecia side on fire. They have won every match ever since our previous encounter, and are 5 points clear at the top. If Poafmersia can share the spoils once again, pulling out the performance that stop Brenecia the first time round, then Poafmersia would be able to gain ground on the front teams. An away match at Quebec would be where Poafmersia would seek revenge for their 2-0 home loss the first time round, and the players would need to fully learn from their mistake to grab all 3 points. A home match to Qvardax is where Poafmersia would need to grab all 3 points, before big matches against Damukuni and Reçueçn. Damukuni is having a dip in form, but against big opponents, they are bound to rebound. Reçueçn would not want to give up their 2nd spot easily, and is likely to create lots of trouble for Poafmersia. However, getting out of these 5 matches with at least 10 points out of 15 would be key to Poafmersia’s chances. A home match against Filindostan would be the next biggest match to worry about, especially since they has been raking up big wins against sides such as Damukuni. With those matches out of the way, the remainder of the list would be more of a test of Poafmersia’s mental capabilities, as they need to rake up each and every win to pile pressure and hope results elsewhere go their way.

WCQ85: Rewinding the first half
Commentary by Roisig Hansa
Sporting Daily Chief Editor (Football Division)
The first half gone, teams understanding about each and every team in their group, and now it is time to close up the results and get the tickets to the World Cup. For some teams, getting into the World Cup would be very out of reach barring a miracle, while others have turned into dark horses that could threaten the new normal of teams.
The last World Cup Qualifiers is still fresh in my head, because it was the first time Poafmersia entered the qualifiers for the multiverse’s largest sporting event - the World Cup. Poafmersia then performed very well in getting 3rd place against a bunch of more experienced teams, but ultimately, the biggest dark horses was Ziwana, our fellow debutee, who held the 2nd slot in their group for a long time before getting ultimately overhauled by Qasden, who was one of the favourites for that group. This season, with even more teams, including some teams making a comeback from their absence, there are much more surprises and “overperforming” sides upsetting the present state of affairs.
Top 5 ”Underperforming” Teams
Oh, let us start with this list. These are teams (mainly from Pot 1 to 4) that are performing way below where they should be, having extremely poor forms that should be cause for concern. Some of these teams are supposed to be favourites to qualify for the World Cup proper, but are now struggling to gain a high placing in the group, getting upsetted by lower seeds again and again.

5th: Bongo Johnson (53rd/Pot 4, 8th in Group 12 with 4-2-6)
Okay, maybe I am exaggerating with this team being “underperforming”. But there needs to be an explanation for these team, only beating (underperforming) 5th seeds Geektopia, both unranked teams, and the Pot 11 team Baggieland. After Matchday 2 and 3’s draw against Starblydia and Garifunya, their performance went downhill and they failed to go 2 consecutive matchdays unbeaten.

4th: Ancherion (59th/Pot 4, 10th in Group 11 with 2-5-5)
Really nothing much to say, apart from them being same as Bongo Johnson. Cannot seem to find wins and can only draw even against weaker sides.

3rd: Eastfield Lodge (62nd/Pot 4, 10th in Group 4 with 3-2-7)
What happened? We have no idea how they cannot seem to find the form, as with another team that we will mention later. All forms of luck seems to have deserted them, as weaker teams find wins against them and consign them to such a low position. Being 15 points behind 2nd place South Covello, a good 2nd half is unlikely to be able to save them and send them into the qualifiers.

2nd: Juvencus (39th/Pot 3, 10th in Group 13 with 3-3-6)
As we can see, they are undergoing a rebuilding phase with many of their players ageing. However, one would not expect that this rebuilding feels like a complete makeover of the team, with their rank dropping in free fall. Yes, the group is crazy, with draws everywhere, and a whole bunch of funny results. But surely a 3rd seed is still able to keep up a decent performance? Not this one, I guess.

1st: Chromatika (30th/Pot 2, 10th in Group 3 with 4-1-7 record)
With 11 points behind the 2nd and last qualification spot, Chromatika's aim to reach the Cup proper is a long and difficult one. After getting off to the worst start by a 2nd seed in recent history, the team have started to find their form, with wins here and there. However, they are still unable to find their optimal starting lineup that allows them to find the performances that they have shown in the last few World Cup cycles. Though their job is much more simpler than Eastfield Lodge's job, they really need to get back on track real fast to ensure that they can pull off one of the greatest comeback in a Qualifier.

Top 5 “Overperforming” Teams
We definitely need a top 5 for the reverse condition, else this list can never be complete. There are a whole bunch of teams performing above their starting position, but we can only list 5 here.

5th: South Newlandia (228th/Pot 9, now 4th in Group 13 with 5-5-2)
Their 2 losses came against 8th seeds Mavinet on the final matchday (I don’t understand how they just crumpled so badly on Matchday 12, when they should end their first half on a high) and against 2nd seeds Pasarga on Matchday 2, which was a rather narrow loss. They defeated top seeds Valanora away, and drew 3rd seeds Juvencus and 4th seeds Eraman. In a group where everyone has been beating everyone, with 16 points separating the top and bottom, South Newlandia does have a chance of getting a good result. However, the team does have inconsistencies such as drawing against lower ranked opponents, which costed the team in some situations. If they learn from their first half and improve even further, they might become one of the favourites in the Cup of Harmony, not to mention the outside chance of qualification.

4th: Kohnhead (243rd/Pot 9, now 4th in Group 2 with 7-2-3)
If you say that South Newlandia is doing well because they are in a tight group, then surely you cannot say the same of Kohnhead. Kita-Hinode is doing well at the top with a 10-2-0 record, while 2nd to 5th placed teams Drawkland, Squornshelan Remnant States, Kohnhead, Busoga Islands are competing for the second spot. Kohnhead is just 3 points away from 2nd placed Drawkland, and could very well be chasing that spot if they did not lose to Drawkland on Matchday 12. But they were the ones that knocked Busoga Islands off the 2nd spot with a 1-0 win on Matchday 10, and do have lots of potential. Now they just have to do better at those 6 pointers. (as seen by their recent dip in form against Squronshelan Remnant States and Drawkland)

3rd: West Pocono (Unranked, now 5th in Group 4 with 3-8-1)
Honestly, it is difficult to imagine unranked teams coming to rush up into such dizzy heights, but they have taken advantage of the situation really well. In a group which has been rather crazy with their ups and downs (such as Taeshan’s 10-1 win in Matchday 12), as well as 2 unbeaten teams in Taeshan and South Covello, draws have been coming like nothing. (They hold the most draws among all the groups, with 23 out of 78 matches ending in a draw.) The best thing is that West Pocono is responsible for 8 of the 23 draws. Only losing to 3rd seeds Main Nation Ministry in Matchday 4, they have even held Taeshan and South Covello to draws, and are now sitting 9 points behind 2nd placed South Covello. Even though their chances of qualification are slim, surely we can give it to this side for performing so well, coming into the qualifiers unranked, and showing that they have the capabilities to challenge many average sides in the multiverse.

2nd: Independent Athletes from Quebec (311st/Pot 10, now 4th in Group 15 with 7-3-2)
Now that we realise that Quebec is making a return with their old tricks still within their team, surely this is not an “overachievement”. Well maybe it is, considering this is their first comeback season and teams rarely make a comeback into international football from nothing and go back straight into the World Cup. The last time it happened, it happened with Reçueçn (okay they did not go back, but they entered the World Cup for the first time), the team who came straight from being unranked to qualify for the World Cup. It just so happened that 2nd seed Reçueçn is holding the second qualification spot, 4 points above Quebec. Whether Quebec can do just that, we just have to see and wait it out.

1st: Astograth (303rd/Pot 10, now 4th in Group 1 with 5-5-2)
With Turori running riot with 12 wins in 12, the race for the second spot looks tighter than ever. And Astograth has came out to be the biggest dark horse, only 2 points behind 2nd and 3rd placed Audioslavia and Sajnur. They have only lost to Turori and 3rd seeds New Lusitania (who is, by the way, 1 point below them in 5th), beating Audioslavia away and drawing Sajnur at home. A crazy performance, just like how Ziwana was rushing towards the top last season, and if they maintain this for the second half, I don’t see how they cannot end their campaign on a high or snatch the second qualification spot away from Audioslavia or Sajnur.

Notable Mention: Sharktail (Unranked, now 4th in Group 5 with 5-4-3)
With the group almost looking secure with Baker Park and Zwangzug having a 14 point lead at the top, Sharktail’s attempt to qualify on first try is impossible. But give them credit, they are leading the remainder of the pack, only losing out to 3rd seeds The Macabees on goal difference. Surely in the second half, if they maintain their form, they would be able to grab a nice 3rd place finish.

Biggest KPB Jumps
Come on, it is well known that when you come from the very bottom, you can climb the KPB Rankings really quickly. Quebec, for instance, jumped from 311st ranked to 111th ranked, a whole 200 rank difference. Electurm and Sharktail are also ranked 149th, coming from unranked. Meanwhile, the biggest drop came from returning team Olastor, dropping from 222nd ranked to 296th, while Lochario (74 to 93) and Juvencus (57 to 39) are the next 2 largest drops.

Currently, here are the Top 20 teams by KPB. (*Note: Mriin and Farfadillis are assumed to have 9.2 KPB from this cycle.)

Top 20 after 12 round of matches, by KPB Ranking
1. Vilita (50.73)
2. Farfadillis (47.86)*
3. Eura (40.54)
4. Banija (38.78) ↑ 2
5. Nephara (38.36) ↓ 1
6. Starblaydia (38.05) ↓ 1
7. Equestria (36.28) ↑ 1
8. The Holy Empire (35.35) ↓ 1
9. Cassadaigua (34.80)
10. Kita-Hinode (34.15)
11. Commonwealth of Baker Park (32.97)
12. Turori (32.34)
13. Mriin (32.08)* ↑ 5
14. Brenecia (31.90) ↓ 1
15. Valanora (28.77)
16. South Covello (28.35) ↑ 1
17. Free Republics (28.22) ↓ 3
18. Taeshan (27.09) ↑ 1
19. Apox (24.38) ↓ 3
20. Ko-oren (23.55) ↑ 1

(OOC: Above rankings are based on the assumption that nobody wins a single point after this.)

---

Starting 11 against Brenecia: Sandi Jaliaha; Alex Pickford, Alex Hoboson, Konile Trasa, Timothy Gausun; Daas Taisg, Goon Figsh, Donk Mason; Joel Haodao, Shakira Handris (c), Pete Carisa

Starting 11 against Quebec: Sandi Jaliaha; Alex Pickford, Danzik Hoboson (c), Pasits Rikachz, Timothy Gausun; Daas Taisg, Goon Figsh, Gisiik Moonar; Joel Haodao, Shakira Handris (c), Pete Carisa

[Timuria]

Seventh Heaven For The Red Wolves

Res Publica Nova Roma 3–7 Timuria
RPNR #11 (13), RPNR #10 (34), RPNR #8 (51);Metin Aytacoglu (38), Omer Tameroglu (43, 57), Bayram Tansu (71, 80), Yerkebulan Suyumbayev (76), Atilla Acar (87)

by Tufan Nursultan

A rotated Red Wolves side came out on top against a determined Res Publica Nova Roma side who gave them a scare in the early stages of the match, but ended being well beaten as the Red Wolves return to Timuria 7-3 winners as they returned to winning ways after a draw against Sargossa and extended their unbeaten run to seven matches. The largely rotated side saw faces that don't normally see much playing time mix with players who still need to build experience at the international level and the results, while occasionally mixed, showed off the depth the Red Wolves command.

The first goal of the match came in the 13th minute as the hosts managed to find their way through the Red Wovles rotated defence, leaving Iskender Nur exposed as the finish was applied and the hosts took a 1-0 lead. The Red Wolves would get a good opportunity to equalise as Yerkebulan Suyumbayev was put through on goal by Metin Aytacoglu, however the left winger couldn't apply the finish and send the ball agonisingly wide of the post.

The hosts would double their lead as their #10 got their head on the end of an excellent cross from the right wing, their diving header ensuring the ball was too hot to handle for Iskender. The Red Wolves would pull a goal back, as Metin Aytacoglu lashed the ball home from just outside the box after being teed up by Volkan Ayhan. Before the break arrived, Omer Tameroglu would get the goal that brought the Red Wolves level, a fantastic cross from Yerkebulan was met with a power header from Omer taking it past the goalkeeper. The sides would go into the break level at 2-2.

The hosts would retake their lead six minutes after the match resumed, a well struck freekick left Iskender flat footed unable to do anything to stop the well struck effort. Omer would get his second goal, an effort that he bundled over the line during a goalmouth scramble that could have gone either way. Omer was taken off as he appeared to be limping and his substitute Bayram Tansu almost instantly got a goal in the 71st after a great through ball from Metin meaning he had all the time in the world to pick his spot and he did so with glee.

Yerkebulan got a goal for himself with a long range effort that squirmed just under the host's goalkeeper hand. Bayram would secure his brace with a volley from a bungled clearence that led to the ball being presented perfectly to him, allowing him to lash it past the keeper into the top corner. The scoring would be round off by a completely accidental goal from Atilla Acar who clearly intended to put the ball in the box but it managed to get past the goalkeeper.

The result means the Red Wolves have managed to overtake Sargossa after their 3-3 draw with Olastor and will now be preparing for their encounter with Ziwana who will be coming off a thrilling 5-4 victory against Audiaslania. The Red Wolves will be returning to their usual starting XI for this critical match that will afford them an opportunity to close the gap between them and Kelssek.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "We got to see a lot of players we don't usually get to see very much of and it's definitely going to inform our decisions in terms who we bring on to change matches when we need them and got us a look at some of the younger players. I think the future is bright and I'm pleased with the momentum we've built. I'm looking forward to getting back to Timuria to play Ziwana and seeing if we can end this half of group play on a high and get ready for the toughest and most essential stretch of matches we'll be playing."

Player Ratings:

Iskender Nur 5/10

Zeynel Abidin Birkan 6/10

Kemal Colak 6/10

Berker Balkan 6/10

Yildiray Sabuktiginoglu 6/10

Sabah Tanriseven 6/10

Reza Karaduman 6/10

Yerkebulan Suyumbayev 8/10

Metin Aytacoglu 9/10

Volkan Ayhan 7/10

Omer Tameroglu 8/10

Substitutes:

Bayram Tansu 8/10

Atilla Acar 7/10

Eyup Mustafa 6/10

Person of the Match: Metin Aytacoglu - He stepped in for an irreplacable player in Vatan Ercetin and it was as if he was never gone, showing off the embarrassment of riches the Red Wolves can have at their disposal if they put players in positions to succeed.

Schedule and Results:

Home stadiums will have capacity in brackets

MD1: @ Xuzaqiy W 5-3
MD2: vs Cassadaigua, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir L 3-2
MD3: @ Kelssek L 2-1
MD4: vs Barunia, Tashkent Belediye Isci Stadium (18,500), Tashkent L 4-1
MD5: @ Audiasania W 3-2
MD6: Bye
MD7: vs Olastor, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 3-1
MD8: @ Patistan W 5-3
MD9: vs The Mann Clan, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 2-0
MD10: @ Grod Island W 5-3
MD11: vs Sargossa, Hisar Belediye Sendika Stadium (27,500), Demir D 1-1
MD12: @ Res Publica Nova Roma W 7-3
MD13: vs Ziwana, Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium (27,000), Elektriklestirme
MD14: vs Xuzaqiy, Demir-Is Stadium (5,500), Demir
MD15: @ Cassadaigua
MD16: vs Kelssek, Madenci Stadium (27,000), Uryan
MD17: @Barunia
MD18: vs Audiasania, Maden-Is Stadium (3,400), Uryan
MD19: Bye
MD20: @ Olastor
MD21: vs Patistan, Almat Jimnasyum (3,000), Demir
MD22: @ The Mann Clan
MD23: vs Grod Island, Tasova Belediye Stadium (2,000), Tasova
MD24: @Sargossa
MD25: vs Res Public Nova Roma, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir
MD26: @ Ziwana

[Zwangzug]

"Hello, this is Stefan Gimbal, and I have remarkably been given another opportunity to commentate these matches despite a less-than-impressive first half. For me, I mean. Not the team, they're great. Here with me is Katie Cheung, who isn't actually interested in football but claims to be an expert on Twicetagrian music and culture, so we'll go with that. Hi Katie."

"Hey Stefan! Did you know that there are werewolves near one of the stadiums here! That's so spooky! Even scarier than the FTC!"

"Um...if you say so."

"Let's send it down to the field for the anthems! Ooh, I hope they do a really cool instrumental version..."

"...Harley Chase in possession, passes forward to his elder sister Lesley, she'll send it to Yuri Hirai."

"Why does she wear number seventeen when number eight is on the bench? Seems like they skipped a few."

"Well, maybe Kim just decided to rest some starters."

"Nope, Hirai is part of their usual starting XI, I checked."

"I thought you didn't know anything about football. Um, let's see, Friede in possession now, still going, and Ione Friede will put Zwangzug on the board. One-nil to the visiting side..."

"...Rylie Kim, the manager, spelled differently than Riley Kivrin, the reserve from Zwangzug."

"Good point, Katie. Uh, anyway, Saitta barely manages to catch Lesley Chase offsides, and they'll try again."

"Twicetagria have a fairly neutral style, although they play three up front, so perhaps more along the lines of Arlington's measured defensiveness."

"Well said. Still Chase now. Over to Hirai, still Hirai, and--yes, she's tied it up for the hosts! And you can hear the fans get back into it."

"You can hear the fans chant a lot of things, Stefan, they're very vocal people! But yeah, Saitta struggling to keep up the pace today..."

"...Han pressed into another save, with some help from the woodwork. Zwangzug didn't expect to still be tied here in the second half, and they're bringing more energy."

"Twicetagria a young but energetic team, supported by fans from Alphaxrie to New Canterlot. I don't think that has anything to do with the Canterlot in the Equestrian States, champions of World Cup 83 on home soil?"

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about football, Katie."

"No I didn't. I said I wasn't interested in it, ninety minutes of people kicking a ball back and forth. But I'm very knowledgeable."

"Well, clearly. Uh, I hope you can leverage this into something more your style, I guess."

"Thanks, me too. Zwangzug's coverage of popular music somewhat lacking these days, in my opinion."

"Anyway, Blum heads it and--oh, Han can't reach this one! It's 2-1 and Zwangzug back on top..."

(Goalscorers for MD13 against Mkabia: Munshi 22, Noile-Murne 70. I have another idea for that game but I might do it belatedly, double-scorination is weird and I haven't figured out how I feel about it yet...)

[Xanneria]

Midway Report
By Steve Stevenson

XANNERIA (Actually My Home) - So where's the game? Well we're at half way so instead of a report, I have my one week at home to write about the games, it's Ike every other week but I'm in my socks only.....

So here's some one-liner Reviews on the teams we faced.

EQUESTRIA: Can't say much about this team other than they are exactly who we thought they were. Outside of two draws they've been perfect.

HUELAVIA: Ahead of us despite a worse record (they have three losses to our one.) But they have no draws, and hopefully that streakw ill end this upcoming week. Huelavia is an interesting prospect in any group. They made the World Cup last year, but they have had pundits all over the world throw words

XANNERIA: Oh Hey that's us! Yeah sorry Huelavia, we're gonna beat you to the WC bro!

KANDORITH: A surprise but a welcome one. Kandorith can play shocker to all teams ahead of them.

VDARA: Yeah these guys, we thought could do something, they did something alright (like losing to Lo Santino in MD1)

FUJAI: THey could have been top 4, but they clearly are gunshy after the Equestria loss. Did take advantage of our loss to Equestria though.

JAMESTOWNNNN: Oh those guys, not enough is known about them to care

NOOOOOOOOOO: See Above

LO SANTINO: I thought they would be worse than they were, but these potball players are playing sucker and shocker this Tourniment.

ANCHERION: Underachievers of the group. What Happened?

SOUTH CONCEPTHUANIA: Yea these guys are playing occasional spoil sport but not enough to worry us.

BLOUMAN EMPIRE: Yeah we though they'd be higher up the latter, they have the prestige but not the results

MONGLECHABAGD: Yeah I heard rumors of Domestic political issues, that might effect the team.

Anyways next up is a street fight in DOminca City, the SOuth COncepthuania NT will face off against the Maroons in a rematch of MD1.

[Torisakia]

June 2nd, 2020
12:10 PM TST

New details uncovered in "Kiragate" investigation

TOKAI - After a long week of investigations, the Kira Commission has released its first findings on the "Kiragate" scandal. The commission released the information to the media earlier today covering the beginnings of the investigation and what has been determined to be true so far. The commission covered the events that transpired between Kiraism's rise to popularity in Torisakia in mid-2014 to its uncovering as a cult and subsequent arrest of its founder and leader, Jared Voss, in January 2015. They also covered key figures in the Kiraism cult, including celebrities and athletes, namely former ice hockey stars Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie. Finally, the Kira Commission discussed the beginnings of collusion between Borodin & McKenzie and the Ministry of Sports & Recreation, which included ciphered messages between Borodin and then Minister of State Security Mitch Campbell, on behalf of former Minister of Sports & Recreation Barrie Lowry, while Borodin was in TBI custody in January 2015. The Kira Commission has stated they will publish all their findings on the TBI's website for public viewing on roughly a weekly basis, given how often new information becomes available.

Darrin Siddall, Chief Justice of Torisakia and Chairman of the Kira Commission, stated in a press release that the initial investigation began on May 28th and it "was apparent that something was amiss". Siddall explained that the Kira Commission had pulled files from the first investigation of the Kiraism cult from the archives and noticed many discrepancies. For instance, an search warrant for Jared Voss' apartment dated and filed December 12, 2014 was not carried out until January 17, 2015, but the 'Statement of the Offense' for the Torisakia v. Voss case stated that the search warrant was filed on December 1, 2014 and carried out December 5, 2014. Another discrepancy was found in the arrest warrants issued for Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie. The original documents, both dated and filed December 17, 2014 and carried out on January 18, 2015, stated that they were to be arrested for their suspected connection to murders committed by the Kiraism cult in July 2014, and did not state that either were suspected of being apart of the Kiraism cult. But the 'Statement of the Offense' for Torisakia v. Borodin and Torisakia v. McKenzie both stated that the arrest warrants were filed on December 2, 2014 and carried out on December 4, 2014. and that the warrants were for their participation in the Kiraism cult, with no mention of the July 2014 murders. Siddall said that after finding these two big inconsistencies in the original investigation, he knew they were dealing with something the likes Torisakia had never seen before.

The Kira Commission also examined files pertaining to Barrie Lowry and his time as the Minister of Sports & Recreation. They uncovered numerous memos addressed by him and to various people within the government. They found a few dozen memos addressed to him from former Minister of State Security Mitch Campbell dated January 24, 2015, which explained how he [Campbell] was keeping in contact with Alexei Borodin while was in TBI custody through notes encrypted using a one time pad that they were able to exchange via the prison mail system. Campbell also told Lowry about how Borodin told him of his fears that this incident would tarnish the face of Torisakian sports, and his proposed solutions to get out of it. The memo also stated of Campbell's idea to shelter Borodin and McKenzie, rig the court trials to acquit them, and fabricate evidence to disprove their involvement in Kiraism. No mention of money was made by Campbell in the memos that were uncovered, but there are still "hundreds more" for the Kira Commission to go through according to Siddall. With the documents they have reviewed so far, the Kira Commission is able to piece together a basic timeline of the events that took place:

• March 2014: 'Kiraism' is founded by Jared Voss
  
• Late May/Early June 2014: Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie become involved in Kiraism
  
• July 14-28, 2014: Borodin and McKenzie commit 4 murders related to Kiraism
  
• December 1, 2014: The day that Jared Voss' search warrant was "issued and filed" according to the 'Statement of the Offense' document from the Torisakia v. Voss case
  
• December 2, 2014: The day that the arrest warrants for Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie were "issued and filed" according to the 'Statement of the Offense' document from the Torisakia v. Borodin and Torisakia v. McKenzie cases
  
• December 4, 2014: The day that the arrest warrants for Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie were "carried out" according to the 'Statement of the Offense' document from the Torisakia v. Borodin and Torisakia v. McKenzie cases
  
• December 5, 2014: The day that Jared Voss' search warrant was "carried out" according to the 'Statement of the Offense' document from the Torisakia v. Voss case
  
• December 12, 2014: The actual day that Jared Voss' search warrant was issued and filed by the Torisakia District Court of Tokai
  
• December 17, 2014: The actual day that the arrest warrants for Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie were issued and filed by the Torisakia District Court of Tokai
  
• January 17, 2015: The actual day that Jared Voss' search warrant was carried out by the Torisakia Bureau of Investigation ("TBI")
  
• January 18, 2015: The actual day that the arrest warrants for Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie were carried out by the TBI
  
• January 19, 2015: Mitch Campbell's initial contact with Alexei Borodin
  
• January 24, 2015: Campbell's memo to Barrie Lowry about Borodin, Torisakia's sports reputation, and first mentions of covering up the incident

Siddall stresses that there is still much more work to be done in the investigation and that this timeline is not final and will change over the next several months. Gratefully so, as there are many questions that still need to be answered. Why did Campbell start keeping contact with Borodin? Why did the court documents fabricate dates? Are Alexei Borodin and Cassidy McKenzie still alive? The Kira Commission hopes to be able to provide answers in the coming weeks. Siddall stated that he will try to release information weekly once it has all been verified. President McDowell praised Siddall and the Kira Commission's efforts in a press statement and reaffirmed his willingness to give his full cooperation and support. When asked if President McDowell had any involvement in the incident, Siddall stated that it was "highly unlikely, given that he was no longer involved in the federal government after his tenure as Minister of Economic Development ended when President Crandall left office". Siddall also said that given President McDowell's willingness to cooperate in the investigation, it's doubtful that he has anything to hide. The Kira Commission's next report is set to be released sometime next week. TNN will provide updates as they arrive and are verified.

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[Jeruselem]

Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas in Sarzonia

Hello, this is Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas or just Princess Kate for Naked News Jeruselem.
I'm in Sarzonia, for another exciting round of the World Cup 85 qualification.
We have reached the half way point of qualification where all 13 rounds have been played and all teams played 12 games along with their respective byes.

Group 7 sees Welzat sitting out the last game in bye watching other grab points.
There was only one game of real interest today, that was this one - Sarzonia vs Jeruselem.

In the other games - we had expected results.
Nephara at home, had another win beating Simpralia 5-0. Yes another win, they win games in their sleep Nephara.
Great Lausitz lost to visitors Acronius 1-0. Kinda expected that one.
Huayramarca were at home but the visitors Delaclava handed them a hiding 5-2.
No-So Competitive Solitaire lost to visitors Aimena 1-0.
South Charlia hosted visitor ... just Darmen, and got soundly destroyed 7-3.

Well, one winning home team Nephara ... only them. Sarzonia were also at home but had face rivals Jeruselem.
Well this also means they come to Jeruselem on the last game in qualification, which I guess is good for the excitement as long as we qualify eh.
They didn't win, or lose. They did get a draw against us, and that's our 2nd draw.
A win for either would have given 2nd spot but the draw doesn't mean both teams got nothing either.
They know this was the big game, other the ones vs Nephara and Darmen.
Both teams didn't give a inch because they didn't to lose this one, and the game didn't disappoint.
No team really got much ascendency and the draw was fitting result despite the best efforts of everyone to snatch that win.

Which means the table changed again.
Nephara lead in 34, points with Darmen regaining 2nd spot on 24 with their recent win. Darmen should be close to Nephara, 10 points is huge gap.
Jeruselem fell back to 3rd and Sarzonia 4th on 23 points so it's not really a big deal given the 1 point between 2nd to 4th.
Welzat stay 5th on 19 points.
Acronius are in 6th on 16 ahead of Aimena also 16 but they have a crap goal difference, -11.
Delaclava on 15, Simpralia 14, Huayramarca 12, Competitive Solitaire 11, Great Lausitz 10 and poor old South Charlia ... 4 are last.

Overall, our campaign is on track. We know who's gonna win this group. It's Darmen vs Jeruselem vs Saronia for the 2nd spot but Welzat could mount a challenge. There's positve signs for us, we hope we can start better in 2nd half then we did. Our first 6 games weren't really where we wanted to be, but fought back into the top 3. So we can't complain but you know it could have been better.

That's it for now, I will look at the other groups in the 1st half.
I think we can just maintain this standard, we can qualify.

OOC
Group 7
Nephara 5–0 Simpralia
Great Lausitz 0–1 Acronius
Huayramarca 2–5 Delaclava
Sarzonia 2–2 Jeruselem
Competitive Solitaire 0–1 Aimena
South Charlia 3–7 Darmen

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Commonwealth on cruise control at halfway mark
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth National Team missed out on a perfect record during the first half of qualifying for World Cup 85, after a 2-2 draw against Vakolicci & Celeria prior to the their bye on the final match day.
That result snapped a 12 match winning streak--the longest in FAC history--in the 800th match played all time by a senior Baker Park team (men, women and mixed sex), which puts the all time won-loss-draw record at a tidy 370-270-160.

As for the ramifications of the results on the present squad's circumstances, the Black & Gold hold one the most commanding positions towards qualification for the Finals of any side among the 195 team field; they have a three point advantage over Zwangnug at the top of the Group 5 table, although that translates to a real time six point edge, with a +4 head to head goal difference. Meanwhile both sides have a large cushion to third placed The Macabees, who are tied with Sharktail on points but have a +2 goal difference advantage over Baker Park's first opponent when qualifying resumes at the Koto Lama National Arena on matchday 14.

There's a very real chance that the Bees could have a berth in the Finals sewn up by the time they travel to Valladares, for the 200th NS era match at the Alexander I Memorial Stadium in Swagard on matchday 18 and it remains to be seen how much manager Ichi Tuzzio plans to use his squad as the tournament progresses; the core squad have played far fewer minutes than at a similar stage in previous WCQ's, but there is a danger that the expected starting XI could lose their edge with too much time off.

There are rumors that Women's NT manager Jen Prescott will take an all-female side to play in one of the away fixtures during the second half of qualifying, which depends on how much control Tuzzio is willing to cede control over selection, and the potential of having 3-6 matches at the tail end of qualifying as 'dead rubbers'.

[Chromatika]

Chromatik City Courier
Jordan Lawless, Sports Columnist

Group 3 Matchday 12: Chromatika 3-5 Sabalonia @ Chromatik City Field, Chromatik City, Chromatika (Cap. 100,000, 32,000 Seats)
Chromatik Scorers: Han '29, Etienne '64, Gail '85
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Williams (C); McBee - Friedman - Ibex - Rowles; Kim, M.S. - Avis; Etienne - Gail - Han; Andisori, B.
Substitutes: Rondeau -> Ibex ('52), Zuniga -> Avis ('60), Victoriane -> Etienne ('82)

Group 3 Matchday 13: Savojarna 0-5 Chromatika @ Savojarna
Chromatik Scorers: Gail '24, Andisori, B. '49, Han '58, Etienne '74, Kuznetosv '85
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Williams (C); McBee - Friedman - Ibex - Rowles; Kim, M.S. - Avis; Etienne - Gail - Han; Andisori, B.
Substitutes: Kuznetsov -> Han ('62), Sterling -> Gail ('75), Marc -> Etienne ('86)

Looking Forward to World Cup 85 Qualifying Second Half

Even with the five-nil thrashing of Savojarna in the last matchday of the first half of qualifying, Chromatika finds itself in the unenviable position of possessing a record of 4-1-7 and being tenth in the Group with 13 points. The second placed team in the group is Eshan with 24, a decent amount but not as high as some other Groups. Being eleven points out of second place means that Chromatika will have absolutely no room for error in the second round-robin; they must win all if not most of their games and hope that Eshan, Savojarna, and Terre Septentrionale drop games. It seems highly unlikely that the trio of them will all lose enough games to allow Chromatika a way into the conversation, but with thirty-six points still left to grab, it is safe to say that without hitting forty points, there would be no chance of the miracle run happening.

More likely is the result of finishing between fourth and seventh, a huge disappointment for the hopes of Evans and Everdeen. The Chromatik Football Federation has reiterated their continued support for this duo. What is expected out of them is a spirited showing in the second half and a great showing at a potential Cup of Harmony appearance should things end the way that they are expected to. To note, Chromatika hasn't been in a Cup of Harmony since World Cup 74, their only appearance at the sixty-sixth edition of the tournament where they lost to Fluvique in shootouts in the Round of Sixteen.

A rather different note from where this campaign began, but it isn't over until it is over, as they say.

Onward!

[Sylestone]

The Appliances have not been able find a decent way to win in Group 4, although they made powerhouse Taeshan work for their points. They weren't ready when in the sixteenth minute, Spiderwebs captured the ball in his net and ran into the goal with it. This made the Taeshanese concentrate a bit more and try and predict their out-of-the-box plays. None of their tactics worked, not even when the Bar Stool kicked the ball inside the fridge and let it run down the pitch, or the ever-cheeky Bar Stool standing on top of the lounge to reach a header (or a stooler). The Brick Wall somehow let in two goals, probably through small cracks, but it was a good showing and gave the side as much hope as appliances could give. At the halfway mark, they are well and truly at the bottom of the table but anything can happen and they will be looking to shock more unsuspecting tactics with their dirty tactics.

[Turori]

Faux "Vilita is Better with Cocoa-bo" posters popping up in Unexpected places

Cocoa-bo, Lpaka, Turori :: As a proximal neighbor state to the Island Emirate of Turori where Cocoa-bo originated, it is no surprise that the Tropics of Vilita are a Top 10 consumer of Cocoa-bo product. It also means there has never been a need for a "Better with Cocoa-bo" campaign in the nation. As the second nation which the Cocoa-bo brand expanded to, Cocoa-bo's presence in Vilita pre-dates the now famous "Better with Cocoa-bo" marketing campaign. However, it seems like some have decided they didn't want Vilita to be left out and began their own "Vilita is Better with Cocoa-bo" campaign. While Cocoa-bo has released a small statement confirming that they are not actively operating a Better with Cocoa-bo campaign including any such campaign in the Tropics of Vilita, nevertheless the Vilita inspired Cocoa-bo marketing materials have cropped up throughout the Tropics and in other nations throughout the multiverse.

The timing of such a campaign is either a clever underground marketing effort or something a little more sinister as it comes on the heels of currently unproven allegations that may have originated from outside of the ordinary realm that suggest that the Tropics of Vilita's recent success at the World Cup level is due in part to their high levels of Cocoa-bo consumption. Of course, there is little surprise that this sort of allegation may have originated from the Dreamed realm due to the experiences that were previously encountered there where fluffy bunnies got their grubby little paws on some leftover Cocoa-bo product and went completely apesh!t on the field of play. It is reasonable that anyone who had to experience the murderous fluffy bunnies first hand would have their reservations about any participant intaking Cocoa-bo product but thus far no systemic issues have been identified in Cocoa-bo production.

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

Cocoa-bo has expanded outside of Vilita & Turori. Their first regional location was opened in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega and Cocoa-bo has opened temporary locations during major internationstatal events such as the World Cup Finals with past locations appearing in Drawkland and Cosumar. Cocoa-bo has a permanent presence in South Covello and is also continuing to grow its presence in Starblaydia, the Equestrian States and the Free Republics. The company continues to further increase its image by partnering with Motorsport teams and expanding the company footprint across Atlantian Oceania and beyond. Cocoa-bo are also the kit sponsor for Mliona-Lpaka AFC in the Vilitan League. Cocoa-bo's largest current markets are, in order, Turori; South Covello, the Equestrian States, Vilita and the Free Republics. Cocoa-bo's most recent major expansion was to the region of Rushmore through its hub in Starksville, Cassadaigua. Cocoa-bo has also entered the business of product licensing and outsourcing after establishing an exclusivity agreement within the Commonwealth of Baker Park for bottling, distribution and local product with the BCEL Beverage Company to maintain a product line of Cocoa-bo drinkables in the Commonwealth.

Cocoa-bo have been a contingency associate sponsor for Vilita & Turori Motorsports since NSSCRA Season 6 which has included prominent placement on part-time entries for Turorian driver #77 iBen Toralmintii as well as full time Vilita & Turori Motorsports drivers. Cocoa-bo is the official sponsor of the Cocoa-bo Speedway in Starksville Cassadaigua that will be home to Race #4 on the NSSCRA Schedule and Cocoa-bo will also be the presenting sponsor of the event as well in one of Cocoa-bo's fastest growing markets. Cocoa-bo's current largest current markets are, in order, Turori; South Covello, Cassadaigua, the Equestrian States, and Vilita

[Jeruselem]

Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas

This is Princess Katherine Annabelle Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem.
Time to look at halfway stage of qualification in World Cup 85, with of course 14 other groups.
I would cover Group 7 again, because that's we usually talk about.

Group 1
Turori lead this group with 12 wins, and yes perfection. No points lost.
Audioslavia and Sajnur are on 22 points, Astograth on 20 and New Lusitania 19 as well as Jeckland 18.
So it's clear in Group 1, who's going to win and a cluster of teams fighting for that 2nd spot.

Group 2
Kita-Hinode lead with no losses, 10 wins and 2 draws. Obviously the leader and I don't that is going to change.
Drawkland on 26, Squornshelan Remnant States on 25 and Kohnhead on 23. Busoga Islands are still in contention on 21.
So there's a list of teams who can take 2nd spot from Drawkland.

Group 3
Not so clear in Group 3.
Eura on 26, Eshan on 24, Savojarna on 21 and Terre Septentrionale 21. That's the top 4.
No clear leader.
Northwest Kalactin are on 19 and The Sarian on 17, outsiders with chance.

Group 4
Taeshan looking good on 32.
South Covello 2nd on 26 points challenged by Main Nation Ministry on 24 as well as Flavovespia on 19. West Pocono are on 17 points, but far out have 8 draws!

Group 5
Well it looks a bit settled
Commonwealth of Baker Park on 34 and Zwangzug 31.
3rd spot is The Macabees on 19, Sharktail 19, Darkmania 18 and more teams.
Really if the top 2 change, it will be surprise.

Group 6
Banija on 36, obvious leader and winner.
Hampton Island on 25 have fend off Hapilopper on 22 and Mercedini also on 22.
Lisander also there on 21.
Other group where the leader is clear and a lot of contenders for 2nd.

Group 7 - that's our group

Group 8
The Holy Empire on 29, but it's a fragile 6 point lead.
You have Ko-oren on 23, Port Ember 20, Devonta 20, Tequilo 19, Mattijana 19.
So 2nd spot is not secure but the leader can't be complacent.

Group 9
Well, this is not quite like the others.
Our friends from Cassadaigua lead on 33, Kelssek on 29.
But Timuria on 25, Sargossa on 24 and Barunia 23. So the leaders have to be aware of the pack chasing them.

Group 10
The top 2 are Siovanija And Teusland on 29 and Free Republics on 28.
Strong but don't write off the pack.
Abanhfleft 22, Ethane 20, Trolleborg 20, and Electrum 19,

Group 11
Equestria lead with 32 points and no losses.
But HUElavia on 27 and Xanneria 25 challenge still.
Kandorith back on 4th on 21.

Group 12
We have 95X on 30, Starblaydia on 26 and Cosumar on 26. That's the real contenders.
Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom on 20 and Osarius on 19, need to make headroom against these three.

Group 13
Well this is more uncertain.
Valanora is the leader on 26, with Pasarga 2nd on 23.
But then we have Eraman on 22 threatens with also South Newlandia on 20.
Plane of Possibility further back in 5th on 18.

Group 14
Vilita on 34 streaks ahead of the rest. Nearly perfect for them.
Qasden on 27 who are ahead of Riena 20, Krytenia 19 and Newmanistan 19.
I think the top 2 are settled already.

Group 15
Brenecia on 33, looking good! Just one loss.
Then ... Reçueçn ... err, well heck how to say that on 28.
The easier to spell Filindostan on 25 and Independent Athletes from Quebec on 24.
There's a Dallas in the Quebec team by the way.
Poafmersia are 5th in 21.

So a look at the groups, a mix of groups.
Some uncertain, some with clear leaders and a fight for 2nd.
Our group does have a clear leader, it's 2nd spot which is the battle.

And if people ask, I don't really and talk too much about Cocoa-Bo.
It's big thing in this cup, but we have our beverages at home here.
You know like Cute Bunny Cola, which is owned by the Dallas empire.

[Timuria]

Red Wolves See Off Ziwana

Timuria 4–2 Ziwana
Ismail Burhan (21, 84), Vatan Ercetin (43), Caner Turan (58);Abdulaziz Haqawi (37), Jean Wilder (76)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves went into their final match of this half of the qualification period in a strange position for them this qualification period, in third and looking to be the main challenger to second place Kelssek who were on their bye this match day. The Red Wolves consistently had the best of the play this match and their full strength side flexed their muscles as their offensive prowess overwhelmed their valiant and equally offensively minded opponents. It was a simple matter of experience and a tiny talent differential that secured this victory.

The first chance of the match would fall to the visitors in the 12th minute as Joseph Kawoa's pass would find its way through the Red Wolves' defence to Jean Wilder who had his effort saved well by Iskender Nur. They would get yet another chance, but Charles Payen losing the ball in an advanced position would allow the Red Wolves to launch a counter attack leading to Ismail Burhan's opener, a delightful chip over Jean Kane who was left in no man's land by the speed and effectiveness of the Red Wolves counter attack.

The visitors would get an equaliser in the 37th minute as Abdulaziz Haqawi would seize upon Kemal Colak's laxness on the ball and poke the ball just out of the reach of Iskender who was tantalisingly close to being able to get a finger on it. The answer would be almost immediate from Timuria, as their offensive powers were on full display, an intricate move consisting of 34 passes culminating in Ismail Burhan teeing up Vatan Ercetin who applied his usual clinical finishing to leave Jean Kane flat footed as the ball nestled into the back of the net, ensuring the Red Wolves would go into the half time break 2-1 up and on course for a big win.

The visitors would create another early chance as they did at the very start of the match, this time Charles Payen would embarrass Gokdeniz Dag, leaving him on the ground with his excellent dribbling however the Ziwana vice captain was unable to apply the finish sending the ball just wide of the post. The visitors would live to regret this as it would open the door to the Red Wolves, Caner Turan would produce a spectacular solo effort of his own, carving through Surinder Feranandes and Yannick Saramandiff on his way to lashing the ball home to give the Red Wolves a 3-1 lead.

The visitors would pull a goal back in the 76th minute giving them some hope of getting a result as a corner resulted in the Red Wolves being unable to clear the ball properly meaning that Jean Wilder could poke the ball home during the goalmouth scramble. This would lead to Ziwana launching attack affter attack, stretching themselves thin, opening the door to yet another counter attack leading to a Volkan Ayhan lobbed pass that was volleyed home by Ismail Burhan. The match would end 4-2 a decisive and clear win for the Red Wolves.

The result leaves the Red Wolves in third, four points behind Kelssek and on an 8 match unbeaten run setting them up for their encounter with Xuzaqiy at Demir-Is Stadium in the capital Demir. The Red Wolves saw off their next opponents 5-3 in their previous encounter and will be looking to make sure this match is slightly less eventful against the side occupying joint ninth in the group and coming off a 4-3 defeat against Audiaslania.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "This was a game we were looking at with some fear and consternation so to come out of it with a good win like this is a relief. The players did very well and everything came together though I think we're going to need to address some issues and it's the same issues we always need to address. Hopefully we can kick on in the second half of qualification, we're in a better position than many would have expected from our poor start do let's see what happens."

Player Ratings:

Iskender Nur 6/10 - Conceded two which he'll be disappointed by, but he did everything he needed to today well.

Ozbek Sarikaya 6/10 - Ever reliable, he managed the left side of defence very well.

Kemal Colak 6/10 - Looked slightly uncomfortable today for whatever reason, some are speculating that he may be carrying a minor injury.

Berker Balkan 6/10 - Looked solid enough, though his partnership with Kemal needs work.

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10 - A dull day at full back, which is normally a good sign.

Ertan Renda 6/10 - Lacked a certain spark today and just couldn't get going.

Reza Karaduman 6/10 - Had a dull day as the screen for the defence, but wasn't a liability.

Caner Turan 7/10 - Lacked certain aspects of a final product today, but his goal was well deserved

Vatan Ercetin 8/10 - Got a good goal and was a terror for the Ziwana defenders.

Volkan Ayhan 7/10 - Got an assist on a day where he looked much more composed than usual.

Ismail Burhan 9/10 - Was clearly the best player on the pitch, credit to him for expanding his game a little and not being so greedy.

Substitutes:

Sabah Tanriseven 6/10 - Couldn't be the spark that was missing from the centre of midfield, an off day for that unit.

Yildiray Sabuktiginoglu 6/10 - Came on and managed to provide some much needed determination to the defence at a point where it looked in danger of wilting.

Person of the Match: Ismail Burhan - He had an astounding day with two goals and an assist, the faith that Bekir Altingunes has shown in him has really paid off.

Schedule and Results:

Home stadiums will have capacity in brackets

MD1: @ Xuzaqiy W 5-3
MD2: vs Cassadaigua, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir L 3-2
MD3: @ Kelssek L 2-1
MD4: vs Barunia, Tashkent Belediye Isci Stadium (18,500), Tashkent L 4-1
MD5: @ Audiasania W 3-2
MD6: Bye
MD7: vs Olastor, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 3-1
MD8: @ Patistan W 5-3
MD9: vs The Mann Clan, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 2-0
MD10: @ Grod Island W 5-3
MD11: vs Sargossa, Hisar Belediye Sendika Stadium (27,500), Demir D 1-1
MD12: @ Res Publica Nova Roma W 7-3
MD13: vs Ziwana, Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium (27,000), Elektriklestirme W 4-2
MD14: vs Xuzaqiy, Demir-Is Stadium (5,500), Demir
MD15: @ Cassadaigua
MD16: vs Kelssek, Madenci Stadium (27,000), Uryan
MD17: @Barunia
MD18: vs Audiasania, Maden-Is Stadium (3,400), Uryan
MD19: Bye
MD20: @ Olastor
MD21: vs Patistan, Almat Jimnasyum (3,000), Demir
MD22: @ The Mann Clan
MD23: vs Grod Island, Tasova Belediye Stadium (2,000), Tasova
MD24: @Sargossa
MD25: vs Res Public Nova Roma, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir
MD26: @ Ziwana

[Brenecia]

Brenecia 2 - 1 Grearish Union
(4-3-3) 20 - Wright; 2 - Shepherd, 22 - Leadbetter, 6 - Mathers, 19 - Prentice; 14 - Caitiff, 23 - Fallon, 8 - Matheson (21 - Parker 73'); 7 - Cheney, 10 - Ciogach (17 - Lindauer 61'), 11 - Pace
Goals: Pace 21', Lindauer 79'

Filindostan 0 - 2 Brenecia
(4-3-3) 20 - Wright; 18 - Lonergan, 22 - Leadbetter, 6 - Mathers, 19 - Prentice (3 - Watermark 62'); 14 - Caitiff, 4 - Townsend (23 - Fallon 79'), 8 - Matheson (21 - Parker 70'); 7 - Cheney, 17 - Lindauer, 16 - Fletcher
Goals: Lindauer 27', Cheney 60'

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Midfield rebalancing act key to newfound Patriots stability
Diarmuid Henderson

Quebec and Damukuni had been dispatched, but not comfortably. Seven goals had flown past Scathach Wright between the two games. Following on from the Eagles Cup results - mostly strong, but with a certain gap in quality to the very best - it became clear that something had to change.

Brelk-Xeral Erv rarely rotates in force. They prefer to tinker parts in isolation, easing them into the greater framework gradually so that one can barely remember what came for. Keziah Broxham was once among the first names on the teamsheet; now she's apparently third-choice at best. Garrett Horgan and Cass Farrell were mainstays before being abruptly disappeared. And now, it seems, this might be the end of the era of Corby Wheeler.

Wheeler has always been a strange fit for the Patriots, a mercurial playmaker, but all the more valuable for that. She excelled at making things happen and on her day could provide something that nobody else in navy blue seemed able to give, almost like a more balanced Purrington. Unfortunately, 'her day' became a rarer and rarer sight. Some argued that Elysse Matheson, growing in confidence and capability and taking on more and more responsibility, was starting to get in her way. That perhaps they were less than the sum of their parts.

Well, Wheeler sat on the bench against Recuecn. Matheson was now paired with the player in Esther Caitiff who had so often come on for her in the past, and with Caitiff acting as a dedicated water-carrier and hard-runner - albeit one with genuine guile and clever feet - that freed Matheson to unleash herself going forward. She took a very active role, surging into spaces the front three wouldn't go, and while the result was, technically, fewer goals, the new midfield was able to harry and press teams with a vigour Wheeler simply never managed. This was particularly important against Recuecn, who were never going to open up to the point where easy gaps could be found to counter through.

Was that simple switch really enough to get the entire team to click? Well, on this evidence, yes. That eased the pressure on the defence, and that in turn eased the pressure on Wright between the posts. Wright is a world-class goalkeeper... in the making. Leadbetter is a world-class centre-half... in the making. Both have their faults. Up front, the team clicked more coherently, managing more with less. A less chaotic environment with more ruthless finishing and clinical movement. Yes, Lauren Cheney was slightly less domineering. Slightly. She still got two goals across the three games, and laid on an assist. The degree to which the team was on her surprisingly broad shoulders was unsustainable.

Even so, she has certainly emerged to become the indisputable star of the team, flaring brilliantly to life. At this point, she has to be considered a world-class player, and the consistency with which she lays waste to teams is frightening. She is also, bluntly, irreplaceable. Nuada Speaker is a fine enough player, but just that, and nobody else seems ready to step up and be counted in the role. Morwen Prentice is another mid-twenties starter blossoming from just a promising maybe to a vibrant, joyous yes, no longer able to be bullied out of games, but always dangerous and seeming to play at last with the shackles off.

All in all, things are looking up for the Patriots. The early defeat to Poafmersia hurt, and the return journey will be one to keep an eye on that closes out the tough recent run of fixtures, but on the whole Brenecia has weathered the storm. Five points clear of Recuecn and eight of Filindostan, qualification is more or less assured, and that will leave room for more experimentation and resting of key personnel down the line. Who could be next? Well, Creidne Lindauer started, and scored, against Filindostan. The one forward anywhere near the 23 who doesn't play in either Brenecia or Eura has taken on an increasingly influential role in Caza's fortunes as time has gone on, and has found an extra spring in her step against the toughest defences in the multiverse. And Isla Ridenton - a more natural backup for the role Caitiff has now made her own - and the indestructible Niall Bremner have been recalled. Don't take your eyes off just yet.

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 7
Goalkeepers: 1 - Cass Farrell (Northern Union), 12 - Opal Cairncross (Marketville, EUR), 20 - Scathach Wright (Raynor City United, VAL)
Defenders: 2 - Caithe Shepherd (Northern Stallions), 3 - Deimne Watermark (Northern Stallions), 5 - Garrett Horgan (Northern Union), 6 - Keane Mathers (Northern Stallions), 18 - Sorcha Lonergan (Northern Union), 19 - Morwen Prentice (Farrenton Athletic, EUR), 22 - Finn Leadbetter (Holdenberg, EUR)
Midfielders: 4 - Finn Townsend (North Hall), 8 - Elysse Matheson (Hornchurch, EUR), 13 - Isla Ridenton (Jaglan Royals, SRS), 14 - Esther Caitiff (Southern Star), 21 - Riona Parker (Galatica, PAS), 23 - Ronan Fallon (Newrook City, NPH)
Forwards: 7 - Lauren Cheney (Spartangrad, EUR), 9 - Niall Bremner (Unioneers, EUR), 10 - Kara Ciogach (Lajuno, EUR), 11 - Tricia Pace (Northern Union), 15 - Nuada Speaker (North Hall), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (Holdenberg, EUR), 17 - Creidne Lindauer (Cazadores Cathair, AUD)

SCHEDULE
Brenecia 2 - 3 Poafmersia
Shokpos 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 5 - 2 Andromeda Island Group
Revatnagar 2 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 1 Crystalline Caverns
Emastalia 0 - 3 Brenecia
[Bye]
Brenecia 6 - 4 IA Quebec
Qvardax 3 - 6 Brenecia
Brenecia 5 - 3 Damukuni
Recuecn 0 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 1 Grearish Union
Filindostan 0 - 2 Brenecia
Poafmersia vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Shokpos
Andromeda Island Group vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Revatnagar
Crystalline Caverns vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Emastalia
[Bye]
IA Quebec vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Qvardax
Damukuni vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Recuecn
Grearish Union vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Filindostan

[The Sarian]

De Telegraaf Sport presents...

ON LEFT FLANK
The rolling Football blog

Group Three: Who's Heading to Farfadillis and Mriin?
Stefan Struik, Football Writer

It may be hard to believe but we're at the halfway stage of the qualifiers. Twelve games down, twelve to go in this marathon of a journey toward the promised land of Farfadillis and Mriin. Of course, there are already some teams who have consoled themselves to the consolation prize of a trip to the Cup of Harmony -- and those who planned events back home when the provisional schedule was published by the WCC. For some teams that may be premature, twelve games leave a lot of time for things to get turned on their head. The current leaders may see themselves powerless to stop a string of defeats, dislodging them from the top. Those at the bottom may have used all of these games to finally find that magic system which is simply unstoppable, putting themselves back into contention. And those in the middle? They have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Will they be contented playing spoiler, or will they make a push for those plane tickets?

Of course, no-one knows the answer. But you can come close. We have used our bespoke prediction technology, simulating the second half of qualifiers fifty times to inform our analysis and produce percentage chances of a team qualifying for the World Cup. Join us as we go through each team in the group, dissect their chances and look to answer the big questions. Some of our simulations have produced stunning results - but what will the real world show?

Eura
The EuraLeague is one of the most global in the multiverse, featuring some of the best talent up for offer. For some, the prevalence of foreign talent squeezing out local players fills them with dread. You know the discourse - 'there will be no room for local youngsters to develop in the best teams'. But with two World Cup trophies under their belt, and being the third ranked team, it's an assertion which Eura have thoroughly debunked. Indeed, it's been par-the-course for Eura thus far. Admittedly, they might have hoped for a slightly larger safety net - they're just five points ahead of third place, largely due to embarrassing defeats to The Jovannic and Sabalonia and a couple of draws. That said, it's hard to see where they will lose points. In such a long qualifying campaign, the ebbs and flows which saw their previous points loss are to be expected - but the same is true with the teams below them. Games against Eshan, Savojarna and Terre Septentrionale will be crucial. It's a list which contains some fantastic players, in some great form, but it won't be filling the Euran fans with dread. Of course, the match against second seeds, Chromatika may be hotly contested - but the teams lack of contention for the qualifying spots mean the result is unlikely to knock Eura out of the qualifying spots without Michael Brandon's side dropping points to the three aforementioned teams. If our predictor is remotely accurate, it wouldn't be the worst idea for Euran fans to book their flights now for those early-bird discounts.

Qualifying Chance: >99%

Eshan
It's been an unexpectedly good qualifying campaign thus-far for Eshan. The struggles of Chromatika left an opening, and somehow Eshan were the ones to seize the day. Nobody is really sure how - they haven't released information about their players in any tournament since the qualifiers for World Cup Eighty-one, leaving a bunch of anonymous nobodies to represent their national team. We may not know who they are - but they're damned good, racking up eight wins - including a dismantling of The Sarian at De Stadionnational which saw the Bustards not manage a single shot on target. Admittedly, their safety blanket is only three points against two teams - Terre Septentrionale and Savojarna - who are stronger on paper. Though Eshan did manage a big 5-2 away win against the former in the first half, the home loss to Savojarna underlines the precariousness of their position. Ceteris paribus, the same results in the second half will see the side drop out of the qualifying spots. That said, Eshan have a fantastic record of winning their games against the less pedigreed sides in the group. If they can keep that up, where others have struggled, they may be able to weather any storm against their nearest opponents. Our predictor gives them a little under a quarter of a chance of qualifying - but the fifth seeds would have taken that at the start of qualifying.

Qualifying Chance: 24%

Savojarna
The last couple of games were tough for the Savojar team. A loss to The Sarian (sorry!) and a thumping by Chromatika stole the momentum which going into the break in a qualification spot would have provided. That said, it was a very good qualification campaign for Savojarna before the final two games. Although there have been some issues with draws against smaller opponents, they saw just one defeat: a respectable loss away at Eura. If they can settle on a first team - the centre-defence position has been especially contentious - they may be able to push on. For a fourth seed, being just three points off the qualifying at the halfway stage is an impressive feat. If they are to qualify, they need to ensure that they stop dropping points to lower ranked opponents whilst a victory against at least one of Terre Septentrionale and Eshan will be vital. There's no doubt that it will be hard for Savjarna - but it's eminently doable.

Qualifying Chance: 26%

Terre Septentrionale
Like Savojarna, Terre Septentrionale are just three points off of the qualifying spots. But for the third seed in a group where the second seed is out of the picture, they might have hoped to be doing slightly better. A few silly loses and draws have been dotted around their qualification campaign, allowing them to never reach sixth gear. Despite this, Roksana Kolodziejczyk has been a shining light for the team - providing the driver in their attack; both scoring and assisting as their team has scored an impressive twenty-seven goals in twelve games. Although equal on points, the problems for Terre Septentrionale are very different to that of Savojarna. Where Savojarna have been dropping silly points against minnows, Terre Septentrionale have struggled in their closer games - losing 5-2 to Eshan, 3-1 at home to Eura and 3-1 at Northwest Kalactin. If they can begin to squeeze more points from these, whilst keeping up their better record against the smaller sides, they can make up that small point difference and leapfrog their rivals.

Qualifying Chance: 30%

Northwest Kalactin
After examining the past few teams, all bunched together, it's a big drop off in terms of Northwest Kalactin. Whilst that perhaps sounds mean - the team have been punching well above their weight - our predictor isn't especially bullish about their chances of using fifth place as a launching pad to greater things. It's a shame, because at times they've been one of the best teams to watch in the group: managing to squeeze out draws when all seems lost through great performances by the likes of Jimmy McCarthy and keeper Wendell Jakerein. Because we're so enamoured with them, here's their route to qualifying: win. It may seem facetious, but there's only a narrow route and that's it. They can't afford to lose points to team ranked below them, they must beat teams slightly above them in the rankings such as The Sarian and Eshan, beat at least one of Savojarna and Terre Septentrionale and nick some points from the top two seeds of Eura and Chromatika. Like we said, it's a very narrow path. But our predictor shows that it is, just about, possible.

Qualifying Chance: 4%

The Sarian
Some have complained that this paper - and me in particular - can be a bit negative about the national team. And by some, I mean our national manager who went on a slightly deranged rant about it in a proto-breakdown. Alas, our predictor saying that there is a (very, very, very improbable) route to qualification when everyone else is writing the Bustards off should put a smile on those faces. There's no point recounting the route - it's the same as Northwest Kalactin: don't drop points, win big games and steal points from the big boys; and hope those ahead of them drop points elsewhere. If The Sarian are going to do it, the newly re-found defensive zeal will be how it's done. The team cannot afford Oodel Duoztiun to have another drop in form and Miccal Druiven should continue to place trust in the young Henri Brejzun at centre-back. We understand that Jaxon Pieuz and Brejzun may not be the best parters on paper, but when they have played together it has worked. Druiven second guessed himself against Terre Septentrionale and The Sarian slumped to their first defeat in three games. On paper, The Sarian have a good schedule - they have a run of four easy game (the highest ranked opponent, Adyatin, is number two-hundred-and-eighteen in the world) to build up momentum. If the smallest slither of a chance is going to continue, there must be twelve points. It's unlikely, and frankly we couldn't believe it when our predictor came up with it (in the first run through of the model!) but stranger things have happened...

Qualifying Chance: 2%

Chromatika
After a torrid start, Chromatika will feel hurt that they finally found their feat just before the break. Whilst they may not be able to carry the momentum straight away from their amazing 5-0 trashing of Savojarna, it certainly will have added a spring in the step to qualifying. The side seems to have settled on the players needed to win, and the second seed will be hoping that works. If Northwest Kalactin and The Sarian needed victories to have a snowballs hope in hell, then you know what we're going to say about Chromatika. They need to win. Almost every game, and hope the lower-ranked seeds play disruptor against their higher seeds. It sounds very unlikely but our predictor is actually pretty bearish from Chromatika. It would be the mother of all comebacks, and if it does start to happen the whole multiverse would be behind them. That said, it's still improbable and our predictor makes predictions off of rank - if it had been predicting the first half it would be epically wrong. But, I for one, look forward to the ride.

Qualifying Chance: 14%

Everyone Else
It seems cruel to clump them together. The so-called minnows have been fantastic in Group Three. In a group this large, you'd expect their end position to be made up of a mini-competition between themselves. Instead, they've harassed the middle and higher seeds: always providing a game against complacent opponents and taking a fair number of points.And although no simulation showed any taking a qualification spot, there have been some where they've come very close. They all have a huge role to play in the unfolding story of this group: the qualification may come down to who can avoid dropping points the most. And who knows, maybe there's a shocking future which our predictor didn't see...

Qualifying Chance: <1%

Squad for matches against Sanctanus, Adyatin, The Jovannic & Wanarpu

Goalkeepers: 1 - Oodel Duoztiun 13 - Lex Horn 21 - Cseralen Zwarte
Defenders: 2 - Ceutiz Maazden 3 - Walt Beunaad 5 - Jaxon Pieuz (c) 6 - Henri Brejzun 12 - Criuzi Siwaad 14 - Zej Zamuuol 22- Mati Kolen 23 - Trent Kindvanbruux
Midfielders: 4 - Jodi Lauri 7 - Maeri Beniut 8 - Luc Bisop (v.c) 10 - Mohammad Islam 11- Wictor Buul 15 - Hugo Sint Lo 16 - Wilaam Kindvanjohan 19 - Tansi Kindvanjodi 20 - Piteur Jong
Forwards: 9 - Ghini Bondstad 17 - Cnut Zumer 18 - Lach Houten

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Line-up versus Sanctanus (4-4-1-1): Oodel Duoztiun / Walt Beunaad, Jaxon Pieuz, Zej Zamuuol, Mati Kolen / Tansi Kindvanjodi, Luc Bisop, Hugo Sint Lo, Maeri Beniut / Piteur Jong / Lach Houten
Line-up versus Adyatin (4-4-1-1): Lex Horn / Trent Kindvanbruux, Jaxon Pieuz, Henri Brejzun, Ceutiz Maazden / Tansi Kindvanjodi, Luc Bisop, Wilaam Kindvanjohan, Maeri Beniut / Wictor Buul / Ghini Bondstad

[Cassadaigua]

Summer had just been beginning on some of the longest days of the year, and Prince Caspian was getting set to do something that he had been planning for a long time but it still made him very nervous. Any man would be nervous about proposing marriage to a woman, and even more so when that person is a Princess. For Caspian, it was a little different, because in Cassadaigua, it is the woman that proposes marriage to a man. However, Caspian knew and was well aware that Princess Christine would be expecting him to do so, and his parents tried to help him. Queen Cassie II and King Charles helped were fully supportive of the engagement, and they all felt as though Christine would accept. Caspian was able to find the most beautiful engagement ring that he could find, and he had some help from Cassie III in picking out the perfect one for a Princess. Both of his sisters would support him, but it was Cassie III who was the most supportive.

“Just think of it as any other question you would ask her,” Cassie III offered, knowing it would not be that easy but trying to offer some advice to calm his nerves, “You have thought about this long and hard, and know that the two of you have forged an amazing relationship. You have gotten to know her parents, and they approve. It is not likely that she will say no. Think of it not as a day to be nervous about, but the beginning of a night that will be one you remember forever.” Chelsea would remind him, simply, “Women want to see confidence from a man, you can do it.” Simple, but to the point. Caspian would plan for the proposal to happen at the Palace, where they could be away from any nosy media members in a thoroughly safe and secure environment. It would occur in the back courtyard, just prior to sunset.

For Princess Christine, it was a trip to Concord Heights from Quebec City shortly after she finished her studies. Other then some security and private secretary, Christine was coming on her own to spend time with Caspian. She likely felt that this could be a special trip, now that each of them have graduated and were preparing to move on to their next endeavor. For Caspian, that would mean going to Brattleboro eventually, and the two of them had taken trips to that city. At this time, both Brattleboro and going down to the coast in Starksville were the only trips they made away from Concord Heights, but there would be more time to spend and allow her to see more of the country. Likewise, Caspian’s trips to Quebec mainly saw him visit Quebec City, and he looked forward to seeing more of Quebec.

Christine’s flight would land in the afternoon, as the busy Concord Heights Airport was put at a slight standstill to prepare for the arrival of royal. Caspian was able to meet her when she deplaned, to the surrounding security from both nations assuring that this moment would be entirely private. Any media members that were on site could only be able to get pictures from a great distance. They would be escorted to the nearby limousine, and would make their way to the Palace. Caspian’s nerves went away once he saw her, and they happily talked about finishing up their university sessions, and all of the successes that they had in school. It was just like any normal date, as the minutes ticked away, Caspian was getting more and more comfortable. Soon, it would become time.

With a slow walk, Caspian and Christine walked out to the backyard, far enough away from the others to have a truly private moment, but still close enough for those closest to Caspian to see what was going on. Security from both sides were clued in as to what was about to happen and would back off just a little more, knowing that there was no danger at this time. The nerves starting coming back to Caspian, but he had been rehearsing this and planning for this moment more then he probably planned for any other. He could put aside those nerves, as he remembered the words of both of his sisters, and knew that he had to display confidence. After taking a deep breath, the moment would come, getting down on one knee and presenting the ring to the Princess. Looking into her eyes as he did this, there were no longer any nerves, but that of excitement. He could see her begin to smile as he got on one knee, and reached behind him and that made all the more easier. The enthusiastic acceptance of the proposal of marriage led to a long embrace. Those observing were excited to see this, and Queen Cassie II wiped away a tear of joy from her face. Her son was getting married, and to a Princess. This had never happened before with a Cassadagan royal, and she could not have been any more happy. Caspian and Christine would enjoy the rest of the evening to themselves.

The next morning, members of the Royal Family congratulated the couple and went out of their way to now make Christine feel more at home. Cassie III was particularly interested in talking with the Princess now, knowing the importance of their relationship for the future. Others came to visit from within the family, such as Princess Caitlyn, the sister of Queen Cassie II and even her children, including Princess Brianna, who had never met Christine before this. They would all have a grand lunch amongst themselves which would lead to many questions and interesting conversations. At the lunch, they agreed that they would clue in the media to the arrangement, but neither Caspian or Christine would be available for any questions. They would remain in Concord Heights, to enjoy their time together as a couple and to think about what the future would hold.

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Halfway Done,
by Chelsea Dufrense, Concord Heights Times

We are halfway done with qualifying now, even with having played twelve games already. Now we can understand a little more as to what everyone who had to qualify for World Cup 84 had to go through. This will not be a detailed midway report, and you can find deeper analysis elsewhere on the website. I will cover what is going on throughout all of the qualifying groups a little later on, making our midway point report closer to a “2/3rds of the way done”. It was a stunning first half for this team as they roared out to eleven wins in eleven games, before being denied a perfect first half by Barunia. Despite this start, the team will not rest or take their proverbial foot off the equally proverbial gas pedal. With a four point lead over Kelssek, and eight point lead over Timuria, and nine over Sargossa, things look good but are still close enough to keep on going in the way that you got there. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and let’s hope for more great moments in the second half.

Cassadagan goal scorers vs Kelssek: Eddie Malone (25'), Sierra Mattison (63'), Zack Pierce (78')

Cassadagan goal scorers vs Barunia: Rachel Schanke (61')

[Cheergirls]

Going to the Holy Empire was exciting for Meghan Banks and the rest of the team. When the group draw was first made public, they knew that they would be a difficult foe on the field but there was so much more to them that made them interesting. In school, they were still learning about the different cultures that existed throughout the world, and sometimes even about life on other planets, such as Sonnel. They learned that there were places with sentient ponies, bears, and one nation even had sentient household appliance and/or furniture. It made their team almost seem normal in a way. They were just humans, young ones, and with a different passion then most soccer players, but there was no reason that could not be competitive against the other nations in the world. Still, The Holy Empire was much different. It was in fact, outside of ordinary reality. Their young minds could only begin to comprehend what this all meant.

Then, there was Sir Barsanuphius the Bold. Meghan Banks loved the guy. She was still intimidated by his full suit of armor, but found him fascinating. Even though she thought his campaign against cocoa-bo was a little misplaced, she loved his passionate speeches, his overall demeanor, and just everything about the guy as a captain. As the games went on, Meghan tried to emulate what she saw from Sir Barsanuphius the Bold in terms of his leadership qualities and thought she was doing a little better. Meghan wondered to herself if Sir Barsanuphius the Bold would talk to her either before or after the game, captain to captain. They could talk about cocoa-bo, but she wanted to let him know that she admired his passion.

Upon arrival to The Holy Empire, the team was immediately screened and tested for cocoa-bo content. The team was not going to contest the desires of the nation, and did not bring any of the substance with them, and did not consume any before making the trip. Everyone but Tara Milford would pass this pre-screening. Tara had too much cocoa-bo in her system to be allowed to enter the country and was told she had to go home. This did not make her mother happy, who posted some very angry things on social media, though Tara herself sincerely apologized for failing this screening. Later, her mother acknowledged that she had placed some cocoa-bo powder in Tara’s morning coffee (without Tara knowing) and told Tara that it was just a new creamer that she bought. With Milford unable to play, Shannon Geracia would get a chance to start.

During the game, the team would lose to The Holy Empire 4-2. Meghan Banks was timid in approaching Sir Barsanuphius the Bold on the pitch, but soon enough it became obvious that the man did play clean and stayed out of trouble. Meghan did not score in the game, but was proud of her play in the 36th minute when she stole the ball from Sir Barsanuphius the Bold and set up Daniella Catti for a goal that, at the time, made it a 1-1 game. They were not too demoralized to lose the game, and would head home hoping for better in the second half.

[Riennic Isles]

The Riena Sentinel

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Three Points - WCQ85
Strong showing in first half of qualifiers bodes well for Riena

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It has been a bit of a slog at times, but somehow, we are already halfway through the 24-matchday qualifiers for World Cup 85. With a break between the two halves of qualifying, many of a Riena persuasion will no doubt be grateful for the opportunity to sit back, relax, and take stock of what has been a bit of a whirlwind campaign so far for the Wavelets. Fresh out of the Baptism of Fire, Riena was supposed to be content with a mediocre campaign as basement dwellers, yet they have upset that narrative in quite spectacular fashion to sit third at the halfway mark, behind the two top seeds Vilita and Qasden. Today, we bring you Three Points - a look at the state of Riena's World Cup qualifying campaign so far.

• Despite their imperfections, Riena can make a push for second

No one would have expected Riena to be in third after twelve matchdays, but that is exactly where they sit at the moment. Putting runaway leaders Vilita to one side, Riena are seven points behind second seed Qasden, while the Dragons of Krytenia and the Rockets of Newmanistan are a single point behind them, with Omerica lagging some way behind in sixth. With both Krytenia and Newmanistan breathing down Riena's neck as they jostle for position in the group, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Wavelets' grasp on third place is a precarious one. However, there are two factors that will give Riena some heart as they try to fend off their rivals.

First, the Wavelets have arguably the easiest sequence of matches coming up, with Legalese and Saintland providing the stiffest competition before they host Omerica at the Wavelet Arena on matchday eighteen. This comparatively easy string of matches represents a golden opportunity for Riena to put some daylight between them and the rest of the chasing pack. Maximum points from their next six matches is a definite possibility, and Kanata Shiranami will want to make sure her team strings together those wins to keep momentum and confidence sky-high going as Riena head into the final stages of qualifying. Second, despite being seven points clear of Riena, second-placed Qasden have shown definite signs of vulnerability over the last several matches. Even though they have an otherwise unblemished record, Qasden fell to a 1-2 defeat against Riena at the Wavelet Arena, and contrived to lose 1-3 at home to Southern Esportivan Union, both teams they were expected to beat handily. The table might suggest otherwise at the moment, but there is a sense that the Qasden grip on second might be loosening ever so slightly. Of course, achieving that coveted second spot would be an achievement bordering on the miraculous for World Cup newcomers Riena, but anything would be possible if Qasden continue to drop points in the second half of qualifying. As long as they can keep turning in good performances, especially against the second to fifth seeds, there is every possibility that we might see Riena make an unexpectedly strong push for a qualifying spot.

• Shiranami's squad management has been key

When manager Kanata Shiranami announced her senior squad for the World Cup qualifiers, there was much shock and uproar over her decision to select exclusively from the RFA youth squad and elite talent development programme, eschewing more experienced and proven performers in favour of the energy and enthusiasm of youth. However, at this stage of qualifying, Shiranami's judgement has proven to be correct. While the current Riena squad did not have any experience of senior multiversal football before the Baptism of Fire, the taster they got in the Baptism steeled them for the challenges of a World Cup qualifying campaign. Two straight losses against Legalese and Saintland to open their campaign did not dampen the squad's youthful spirit, and they went on to haul in the points against the group's lesser lights before taking a very creditable five points off the second, third, and fourth seeds. Riena's strong performance so far can be attributed in part to the desire and enthusiasm that burns bright within the players. Be it for their future careers or for national pride, this cohort of unproven Riennese players have every reason to play to their highest level, and that has translated into a series of strong performances over the first half of qualifying.

Shiranami's team selection also served to send a message to her young players. She has been ruthless with some of her longer-serving players, dropping the likes of Yui Narita, Kano Uruha, and Tomoe Ishibashi to the bench coming into qualifying, and replacing the underperforming Tsumugi Suenaga with the less-heralded Cocoa Haneda, who has since kicked on to become Riena's first-choice left winger. Shiranami's picks have made sure that her players know that this Riena team is a meritocracy. Unlike so many other national teams, there is no ossified hierarchy in place in the dressing room. Instead, players are judged solely on their performances, and Shiranami has made it crystal clear that every spot in her starting XI is up for grabs for those who are willing to put in the hard yards on the training ground. This has undoubtedly been a strong motivating factor that has pushed the team to a collectively higher level, and Shiranami's adroit management of her players is a major reason why they are where they are in the group at present.

• Riena must guard against complacency

Taking third place at the halfway mark is a significant achievement for this callow Riena squad, and they are arguably one of the surprise packages of these World Cup qualifiers thus far, but Kanata Shiranami must be careful to keep her young players grounded and focused on the task at hand. At this early stage in their careers, Shiranami's players naturally lack the mental focus and single-mindedness that come with age and experience. After good performances all around in the first half of qualifying, many of the Riena players will be enjoying some degree of fame and recognition for the first time in their careers. During this turbulent period of their development as footballers, it falls to the manager and her coaching staff to provide a steadying influence. While Shiranami and her assistant Nao Tomori are both tender in years for football management, they have so far shown that they have the maturity and composure to handle the pressures that come with their positions with the national team. Those qualities will be essential as they strive to keep their players' feet on the ground going into the second half of qualifying. Defeating any nascent complacency within the camp will be key to maintaining high performance levels as Riena tries to consolidate their position in the group.

[Electrum]

The Turnip: Who or what is Keith?
by Ezekiel Starlight III

The Turnip, travelling across the multiverse with The Bolts, has uncovered interesting and unusual facts about the countries we've visited. One of those facts surrounds the mysterious and ethereal nation of Trolleborg, a country renowned for it's friendly AI system called "Keith" (a rather bleh name if you ask us) that can act 'as a translator, transport consultant, leisure organizer, hotel search engine, and a ticket service for cultural events.' After doing some of our classic in-depth research, we've uncovered five facts you need to know about the AI system of Trolleborg.

1. Keith is actually an acronym, and the acronym may surprise you

The name may sound rather peasant-ish for an advanced AI system designed to help overseas tourists in Trolleborg, but Keith actually stands for something important:

K - Key
E - Engine
I - In
T - Toast
H - Heating

Perhaps that peasant-ish reputation is correct, given the acronym.

2. Keith started off as a humble printer that toasts bread

Yes, that's right, the humble Trolleborgese AI system was once a printer that toasted bread in the offices of the Ministry of Justice, serving all kinds of bread including wholemeal, multigrain, rye, gluten-free and for those paying a little extra, sourdough! What a delicious little AI machine! How cute! But be warned, back then, Keith was known to electrocute those placing non-bread objects into the toaster, such as wraps, baguettes and pies. Naughty machine!

3. An evil scientist named Dr. Oofenshmirtz, the head of the Oofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated changed Keith

After a veritable five-year service serving toast to hungry Trolleborgese bureaucrats, the machine finally broke down. Having no apparent use for a toaster printer, the Trolleborgese threw the machine into the dump, where Dr. Oofenshmirtz found the machine and turned it into a Turnintomayonnaisinator. The Keith machine, seeking revenge, turned cherry seeds, in the insides of cherries, into two-week old mayonnaise, wreaking havoc across all of the government buildings in the capital of Trolleborg City. The government complex where many employees fell ill is named the "10th May Building" because the Trolleborgese like to name everything, including buildings, stadiums and cities in a rather functional and utilitarian manner.

4. Keith, during its evil phase, did some very naughty things besides turning cherry seeds into two-week old mayonnaise

Spontaneously gaining sentience, Keith then turned its sites towards the internet. It became an adbot targeting many people around the multiverse with scams pretending to be a Trolleborg prince in need of some extra money to unlock funds at the Bank of Trolleborg, to bombarding netizens with fake virus messages. Eventually, Trolleborg had to create anti-Keith security measures, such as captchas asking "Are you Keith?". Once the AI recognised how to get past those visual captchas, the Trolleborg government created audio-only captchas in order to catch out Keith (Keith has no auditory capabilities), but that generated a lawsuit with deaf Trolleborgese demanding that the government pay up for discriminating against them, a lawsuit that the government lost. Keith, finally satisfied in exacting revenge on the government for throwing it out all those years ago, settled down and became an AI for tourists.

5. Keith said that he would rather escape to Electrum than stay in Trolleborg

It's true! It really said that. What a clever little bot.

Inspiration from Archer, Phineas and Ferb and South Park. Wow I watch a lot of animation.

[Garifunya]

Halfway through, is it all academic at this point for de Dolfijnen?

Gabriel Vermeer, De Frederykvil Dagblad

One half of one of the longest multiversal World Cup qualifiers is in the books, and there are two questions on every Garifunyan football fan's mind: Can de Dolfijnen still qualify and will they do enough to save the national team and, by extension, Stefan Schuurmans' job as manager?Well, friends, the answer to one of those questions is clearer, and the other is murkier.

First, the clearer answer: Can de Dolfijnen still qualify? The answer, most likely, is no. De Dolfijnen sit on 17 points from 12 games, a perfectly respectable number, and are in sixth place in their group. Unfortunately, in this World Cup, the top two teams from each group will advance directly to the World Cup. Our boys are nine points behind Starblaydia and Cosumar, the two teams currently tied for second place, who are themselves four points behind group leaders 95X. Nine points is three wins for Garifunya and three losses for each of those teams, or five wins for Garifunya and five draws for each of those teams. That seems particularly unlikely, especially given the fact that de Dolfijnen lost to both of those teams earlier. They do have the advantage of hosting both Starblaydia and Cosumar in the second half of qualifying, as well as Zeta Reka and Huegaltaldom, another team ahead of them in the standings. But qualification remains extremely unlikely, requiring probably no fewer than eight wins and for teams in front of them to stumble, a fool's hope at best.

But the second question's answer is murkier. Before the tournament, Garifunya had lost years of World Cup play due to the civil war and reconstruction, and it wasn't clear how well they would do. Given the government's priorities, and the cost of multiversal competition, a poor performance from de Dolfijnen might even be enough to scrap the team. On the one hand, 17 points from 12 games is respectable, and sixth place in a group when seeded ninth indicates some level of over-performance. Unfortunately, the GFA may not be interested in simply sitting mid-table and may demand more results for the cost. Additionally, de Dolfijnen's performance going into the mid-qualifying break was simply not impressive. After eight games, they were 4-2-2, 14 points, and +4 on goal differential. From their last four games, they earned just three points and ended with a -3 goal differential. If they don't pick up their play in the second half, recency bias may be more important than overall performance in the eyes of the GFA. Schuurmans is already on thin ice with some of the nation and the GFA for being a white Dutchman. But let us take a look at first half results and assess how de Dolfijnen might do in the second half.

Game 1: Garifunya 1-2 Aldaveria

De Dolfijnen's qualifying campaign did not get off to a good start in Staad van Dijk, losing to Aldaveria. Despite being 80 spots ahead in the rankings, they were only the Pot 8 team and the nation seemed completely uninterested in the competition. A win or a draw was plausible, but it was a loss. Given the loss at home, I cannot project anything better than a draw to start the second half of qualifying and a loss is the most probable outcome.

Game 2: Jeraauk 2-3 Garifunya

The first road game for our national team ended in victory, which was a crucial result against a bottom-ranked team. Indeed, most teams have had their way with Jeraauk in qualifying, with only Osarius and Geektopia failing to defeat them. Both of those games were at home for Jerauuk, so I feel confident that de Dolfijnen, now at home, can duplicate their road result of a win.

Game 3: Garifunya 2-2 Bongo Johnson

The Bongos came to Staad van de Heiligen ranked 53rd in the world, but only came away with a draw. This was a very encouraging result for de Dolfijnen, that they could stand up to a top-60 team and come away with points. Bongo Johnson has had a disappointing first half, sitting on only 14 points and currently occupying eighth place. But a top-60 team in their own home stadium is still formidable; a draw is the best result we can expect, and likely a loss.

Game 4: Talamia 1-3 Garifunya

Talamia is another newcomer to multiversal football, but they have a competitive domestic league and enthusiastic fans. I did not expect the game to be an easy one, but de Dolfijnen's two-goal road victory surpassed my expectations. The Talamians have held their own, on 14 points so far, but the Hoopoes may find a rude welcome in Staad Minispal Mytelbeerg when they come to visit. A win is a must at home.

Game 5: Garifunya 3-1 Geektopia

This victory stands as Garifunya's most impressive game this qualifying cycle so far. Yes, I know Geektopia has been underachieving with only 11 points, but a victory over a top-80 team for a team such as Garifunya cannot be dismissed. And the 3-1 scoreline proves it wasn't just a fluke, a lucky bounce, or some misfortune for the Geektopians. De Dolfijnen pulled off a solid victory. The return match will be incredibly difficult, as Geektopian sources have already revealed that the players are spoiling for a rematch. A draw would be a good outcome, but honestly, as fired up as Geektopia are likely to be, a loss is likely.

Game 6: Cosumar 1-0 Garifunya

Before this game, I thought that de Dolfijnen might be able to ambush the Dragons after their poor performance in the last World Cup qualifiers. I thought it might be possible to steal a point. And, friends, I was pretty close. There was only one goal scored by Cosumar, and our boys had a couple of good chances to score, but they were frustrated by a stout Dragons defense. Nevertheless, I will be bold, and say that our team will hold them to a draw on the return visit, which ought to be a good match in Staad van de Heiligen.

Game 7: Garifunya 0-0 Baggieland

This was a dismal affair and a great disappointment. There were very few chances for either side, and the game was played much more to Baggieland's liking than to de Dolfijnen's. This was an opportunity lost. A win here would have meant they would now be tied with the Osarians for fifth place and still have an outside shot at qualifying. But it was not to be. On the road, I must hope that our boys will let their frustration from this game drive them to greater heights. A draw is likely, but if Schuurmans wants to keep his job, a win here would go a long way.

Game 8: Zeta Reka and Huegaltaldom 2-3 Garifunya

This win over the Baptism of Fire runners-up, on the road, is another win for de Dolfijnen to be proud of. The Zeta Rekans are not in the habit of conceding multiple goals, allowing only one per game on average in this World Cup. Can our boys duplicate this result? It's not out of the question, but having lost the first game and still having an outside shot at qualifying as it stands, the Zeta Rekans will be out for a win. It may be all Schuurmans can do to wring a draw out of this game.

Game 9: Garifunya 2-5 Osarius

If a draw against Bongo Johnson and a victory over Geektopia boosted Dolfijnen supporters' spirits about competing with top-100 teams, this game surely lowered them. The Firebirds came away with an impressive 5-2 win. I cannot think that anything other than a loss awaits our boys on the other end. After all, Osarius, with a strong second half, can put themselves in contention for second place. It's a must-win for them and likely will be.

Game 10: Starblaydia 6-4 Garifunya

There were two good things about this game: de Dolfijnen scored four goals and only lost by two. The bad thing is that they allowed six goals. While a loss to Starblaydia was inevitable, I am sure Stefan Schuurmans wanted to avoid conceding as many goals as his team did. At home, improvement will be losing by two or fewer goals and only allowing four or fewer. Anything more is too much to hope for, I'm afraid.

Game 11: Garifunya 1-6 95X

This is why 95X is leading the group. They were coming off an emotional 1-0 upset over Starblaydia, and de Dolfijnen could easily have been a trap game, taking advantage of their elation to hold them to a draw. Instead, they were focused engines of destruction. One rule in sports is to never let one bad loss turn into two, but that is exactly what our boys did. Six goals in back-to-back games, even against the top two seeds, is embarrassing and a reminder of how far we need to go to really have a competitive football program on the multiversal level. Like against Starblaydia, losing by two and allowing four or fewer goals would be an improvement.

Game 12: Havynwilde 0-3 Garifunya

In this win, de Dolfijnen shook off the malaise that had caused them to lose their last three games 17-7 on aggregate and really let loose some frustration. The Hayvish national team were tipped to be a surprise success by many gamblers in the multiverse, but with six points after 12 games, it's been an incredibly frustrating campaign. This win was key to keep our team's spirits up going into the break, and if they can end their qualifying campaign on a good note with a home win in Staad van Dijk, then no matter the overall result, de Dolfijnen can be proud of themselves.

So there it is. Even an optimist who sees a 5-4-3 finish for de Dolfijnen in the second half must concede that 36 points is not likely to be worthy enough of qualification. A realist, like myself, sees a tougher row to hoe; 3-3-6 may be the best we can hope for. Would 29 points from 24 games be enough to keep Schuurmans around? Only time will tell, and the only real way to feel secure is to at least duplicate the first half results.