Di Bradini Cup 48/U21WC69 Everything Thread

[Springmont]

Palmworth Greytoole Ave. Walkabout

A: PFD Museum, Alcock Mansion, Pine Ave. Located in the old Palmworth Fire Department (PFD) building which is almost 50 years old. The PFD Museum displays all the equipment and vehicles used by the Palmworth Fire Department from the time it was established until now. Visitors can buy books and souvenirs at the visitor booth.

B: Grand Mahayana Temple, 551-1, Greytoole Ave. The Grand Mahayana Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Palmworth. It is famous for its Buddhist monuments with a height of 16ft and is decorated with lotus flower objects.

C: Fexstone Mall, Robert & Robert Building, Greytoole Cross, is one of the most pleasant bookstores in Palmworth. In the event that you like bookstores the Fexstone Mall is worth going to. The bookstore features a gigantic choice of books interior an interesting store design.

D: Grassfair Square Market. Crestlar Ave. Grassfair Square Market is one of the largest organic markets in Palworth. You can explore the various stalls available selling organically grown crops, and freshly processed fresh bread. Open every morning except Monday.

MD4: VS. Chromatika
Art Dempsey (C)
Roman Park, Jesse Sosa, Lowell Blevins, Leroy Treyham
James Mejia, Nestor Darkclouds, Johnson Jordan Hicks
Prince Reyes, Igor Parax, Lorenzo Leibfried

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Weekend 2020
U21's face Stars needing full points
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

Following the hard fought 1-0 defeat to Kita-Hinode on matchday 3 at the DiBradini Cup, the Commonwealth Under-21 National Team now find themselves under the gun if they are to progress to the last 16 of the competition.

They will face off against Group E leaders Sarzonia in Gladerial knowing that only a win will enable them to remain in contention for one of the two places in the knockout stage.

The offensive output through the first two matches was checked by the Hinodejin defensive effort, producing only 6 totals shots, with only 2 requiring the attention of the keeper; clean sheets carried the day in the other pair of group contests as well.

The dual nature of the makeup of this squad--only four players on the roster are in their final appearance at the U21 Championship, while the core is made up of the squad that won the SWC 9/Under 18 Championship--means that there is an absence of mature leadership, but it's also one of the most experienced groups in terms of youth caps, as well as being probably the most talented squad that the FAC have sent.

Liam Sullivan was cagey about how the staff have elected to approach the match in light of the circumstances. "I honestly don't know if we need to turn the entire lineup over based on performance. We didn't play poorly, we were just held to a standstill by an equally talented side who took advantage of the opportunity to get their goal. In prepping for Sarzonia, we've seen the areas that we want to put emphasis on. At this level, you find the talent level isn't the 'X' factor, it's where you can play to your strengths."

[Valladares]

THE METROPOLIS HERALD
Metropolis, Friday, July 24^th, 2020

HOME | IN THE CAPITAL | DOMESTIC | ELECTIONS 2020 | RUSHMORE | INTERNATIONAL | ECONOMICS | SPORT | TODAY'S LIFE

DI BRADINI CUP | Valladares and Nephara share the spoils in hard-fought match

WEXAX, VALANORA (VAP) — A late goal by Gabriel Riveros helped the Valladar national under-21 football team rescue a point against its counterpart from Nephara, while also managing to stay on top of Group H of the Di Bradini Cup with 7 points (ahead of Nephara on goal difference) and increasing their unbeaten streak to three games. The Nepharim side looked orderly in defense and clinical in offense, but failed to endure the Valladar onslaught in the final minutes of the match and thus had to settle for a draw with the Mininacional.

With both sides coming off two victories in their first two games of the competition, and looking to get a third one in order to take a crucial step towards qualification for the next stage, the game was expected to be a back-and-forth affair with both teams pressing for a victory from kickoff, however, it turned out to be far from an entertaining game as both sides took their respective defensive cautions and made it hard for the other to get close to the opposing goal. Especially Nephara, who were aware they were facing a team which boasted sharp weapons up front in the form of strikers Riveros and Iván Valenzuela as well as playmaker Adrien Trolli, which had scored eight goals in their first two outings, and opted to press Trolli hard in order to nullify both Valladar strikers and prevent them from receiving the ball and making real goal chances. Conversely, the Mininacional used its side defenders and midfielders to block the Nepharim advances through the wings and force their players to attempt something through the middle of the field, where most plays ended dying in the feet of William Alonso or any of the Valladar centrebacks. In such scenario, the first half was largely uneventful with just a couple of chances being generated per team and the stalemate stood in place until halftime.

The second half was more interesting to watch as both sides decided to put their previous caution aside and risk more in offense, with which both Steven Piatti in Valladares and Katerina Olexander in Nephara finally got to do some work to defend their goals. Valladar manager Claudio Londero took further risks by replacing a gloomy Adrien Trolli with Eterna Stars striker Caleb Bentley after the 55th minute mark, thus mutating the team's tactical system to a 4-3-3 with which he hoped to find a gap in the solid Nepharim defense. However, it would be Nephara the ones who would strike first, after a corner kick taken by Thalassa Fletcher ended up finding Alois Chiliarch's head and beating Fontvielle Impact goalie Piatti in the 64th minute to give the Nepharim the lead in the match. As expected, the goal caused an instant reaction in the Valladar players, who began pushing for an equalizer with more decision than order but kept crashing against the solid Nepharim defense, which at that point of the game were waiting for the right time to start a counterattack to kill the game off. However, the Valladar equalizer ended up being scored in a counterattack born out of an interception by Danny Barrichelli, who wasted no time in passing the ball to the speedy Bentley, who had already shown glimpses of his counterattacking ability in the match against Waisnor, who in turn assisted fellow striker Gabriel Riveros, who scored his fourth goal of the tournament and rescued a point for Valladares in the 90th minute.

The draw keeps things on top of Group H of this Di Bradini Cup edition as they were before this match, with Valladares and Nephara topping the group with 7 points each, and Mriin currently in third and trailing both sides by three points. The fourth rival for the Mininacional in the competition will be Megistos, who are currently penultimate with 3 points and will need to win at Rose Gardens in Kareen in order to keep their chances intact until the last day of group play. Meanwhile, a win for Valladares there will leave the Valladars all but qualified for the next stage, hoping for a Mrii trip-up against Waisnor to clinch the berth with one match in hand.

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[Mriin]

"You know?"

Geraard looked up from his tablet, where'd he'd been aimlessly scrolling through report after report of their nil-all draw with the Savojars. None of them could make it interesting, either. "Know what?"

Änja Lenox, a low-level MNL bureaucrat and a mistake Geraard keeps making, chuckled from the other side of the hotel room. "When are we going to get a few half-satyrs on the team?"

He gave her a sidelong glance. "Why're you asking now? We're two games past playing Nephara."

"Been watching some more of their games. That Clevinger lass is impressive. Why ain't we seen one be a Reaver yet?"

"There's a lot of socio-political reasons that I don't really want to get into right n-"

"Isn't that the same shit the council threw at you tryna get humans on the team?"

"It's not the same thing, it-"

"It absolutely is the same thing, Gerii. I know you're better than that kinda crap."

"If you want to know why, it's cause half-satyrs have a fuck of a time getting the training they need to get to a high level. We've got all the resources in the world for satyrs, and we can pull in experts from other nations for the humans that wanna get serious. Who's the authority on what exercises half-satyrs should be doing? What their diets should be? The sports science just ain't there."

"Didn't stop the Nepharim from getting some up to snuff, clearly."

"That's a thing with the, the fuckin', you know, regional differences. The East Sea breed they've got have the tools to play a lot more like a satyr, so they can look at tapes of Solara or Reina or whoever the fuck and get the gist of it. Trying to figure out how to make hooves useful when you can't just dig in and bowl any given person over at a moment's notice is something else entirely."

"And you don't think that's your responsibility? You were brought on find all the hidden talent we've been missing with our ass-backwards approach to football, and now you're going on about this being 'too hard.' Everyone thought getting humans into the team would be too hard, too, but ya fuckin' did that!"

Geraard sunk his head into his hands and let out a primal, all-encompassing sigh. "We... we can talk about this after the goddamn tournament. We're in a shit position right now and talkin' theoreticals ain't gonna pull us out."

Cocking her head, Änja let that hang for a moment and watched as he stood stock still. "Fine. I'll leave it be for now. But you can bet your sweet ass I'm holding you to that."

[Abanhfleft]

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

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with Graham O'Doherty

GREAT, NOW HOW ABOUT THAT CLEAN SHEET? (PART 3)

Hello guys, and welcome back to another edition of The Football Fallacies with me, your gay Irishman Graham O'Doherty, and today I bring you news from Valanora, news so terrifying and groundbreaking once you hear it, your life will never be the same again. It has been highly recommended by 10 out of 10 medical experts that you must be sitting down before you can even be considered ready to receive this terrible news. Sitting down? Comfy in your chair or bed or wherever you've chosen to sit down? All right then, here we go. The women's under-21 football of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft... has just kept a clean sheet. Yes, friends, you heard that right. Abanhfleft has finally, after many games, kept a clean sheet once again! Truly a momentous occasion worthy of celebration! Throw in a military parade down Steppy Drive while we're at it!

But throughout all of this celebration, a certain corner of my mind got to thinking. I know, I know, thinking is such a rare action nowadays, but someone's got to do it once in a while too, you know? Now this clean sheet in the Di Bradini Cup has got me thinking: is a clean sheet actually overrated nowadays? Is a good defense still part of the optimal strategy for winning titles? Or have everyone else gone down the Fleftic way of footballing and just decided that scoring more goals than the opponent is the most important thing in the game? That was quite the fun and interesting thought experiment indeed, and so I've decided to delve into the realm of past results and winners to see if my hypothesis actually holds any water at all or if, like most other times in recent memory, I have been talking out of my arse once again.

This time we'll be taking a look at the past three Di Bradini Cups to examine whether clean sheets are actually important in a title-winning campaign or if they are indeed overrated now. I've decided to take the three most recent instances of the DBC as an example because it's still quite near enough to our time to make a calculated decision about the influences of the past, and also because I'm a lazy bugger who can't be arsed to go any further back than that. Let's get started then.

Di Bradini Cup 47 (Champion: Banija)

• Chromatika 2–4 Banija
• Banija 2–3 Hapilopper
• HUElavia 0–2 Banija
• Pasarga 2–3 Banija (AET)
• Imperial Joseon 1–2 Banija
• Banija 1–0 Mavinet
• Nephara 2–4 Banija (AET)

As you can see, defense was not a particularly important part of the Banijan gameplan on their way to securing the Di Bradini Cup in the most recent edition of the tournament before this current one. Only two clean sheets out of a possible seven seems to suggest that as far back as one year ago, clean sheets in the Di Bradini Cup are already considered a tad bit overrated. Then again, there doesn't appear to be any pattern in the clean sheets Banija got in DBC 47. The first one was against a HUElavia squad that was already down and out and didn't even appear to be interested in restoring some pride in their team and nation. The HUElavians barely even troubled the Banijan defense throughout those ninety minutes, a sure sign that their minds were already on the trip back home. But it's the second clean sheet which could be argued as being quite central to the Banijan campaign to lift the trophy named after Simeone Di Bradini. Some luck definitely played its part in there; an own goal from the unfortunate Nguyen Phuoc Long sealed the fate of both teams, but apart from that both teams defenses were stellar, absolutely stellar. Abanhfleft can only dream of a team with a defense a tenth as great as what Banija and Mavinet put out there on that fateful night in Longview. But then again, that's the thing with dreams. Sometimes they do come true. Oh, to dream...

Di Bradini Cup 46 (Champion: Bears Armed)

• Bears Armed 4–1 Qasden
• Sajnur 1–1 Bears Armed
• Bears Armed 3–1 Greater Cebu
• Bears Armed 3–2 Mercedini (AET)
• Dreamplanet 0–1 Bears Armed
• Bears Armed 4–1 Mriin
• Pasarga 2–3 Bears Armed

Oh, Bears Armed. For a good long while you became my favorite national team outside of Abanhfleft because of how you all heroically overcame Pasarga to snatch the trophy from the hands of the Wanderers. Nothing brings a smile to my face more than seeing Pasarga, the bane of many a Fleftic youth football fan's existence, be defeated in the DBC, and in the grandest stage of them all as well. But I digress from my original topic, which is the examination of whether clean sheets are actually important in the course of winning a major footballing championship. And at the moment it appears that clean sheets have actually become overrated over the past two years, if we're going to take the past two DBCs and only the past two DBCs as admissible evidence. Not only that, but it appears that our beloved Ursines have also taken to the philosophy that scoring more goals than the opponent in football is a surefire guaranteed way of winning games. Yes, it didn't work out quite as well against Sajnur, but that's just one game out of seven. However, interestingly enough, Bears Armed's one and only clean sheet in their DBC-winning run also came at an important and quite possibly pivotal moment in the cup, namely their quarterfinal encounter with Dreamplanet. Yes, it's a clean sheet, and yes, it's just one goal to none, but last time I looked, one goal is still more than zero goals, and that still falls under the banner of "score more than the opponent and we'll win". Fite me IRL if you disagree.

Di Bradini Cup 45 (Champion: Cosumar)

• Cosumar 5–1 Lochario
• Bears Armed 2–3 Cosumar
• Cosumar 0–1 Alpine Union
• Cosumar 4–0 Juvencus
• Ko-oren 3–3 Cosumar (AET, 3–4 penalties)
• Kita-Hinode 2–2 Cosumar (AET, 1–4 penalties)
• Cosumar 2–1 Vilita and Turori (AET)

Now this one is a bit of a strange thing. Cosumar have got two clean sheets on their record in the 45th Di Bradini Cup, the tournament where they successfully defended the under-21 youth title, but if you'll notice, one of those clean sheets is actually against them. Yes, Cosumar had quite the turbulent path to retaining the Di Bradini Cup, needing at least 120 minutes to dispatch of their opponents from the quarterfinals onwards. And one can say that the Young Dragons let off on the pedal after winning their first two games, which is probably what allowed the old Alpine Union to sneak a naughty-naughty 1-0 victory over Cosumar. But the one thing that we really should take away from this sequence is: never be the team to face Cosumar in the Round of 16 when they've lost a narrow game. Juvencus learned this lesson very, very painfully indeed. Interestingly though (again), Cosumar also improved a little bit in terms of how much they let in after the ninety minutes of standard time. They conceded three goals in 90 minutes against Ko-oren and three out of five penalties in the ensuing shootout, but then the Young Dragons improved to conceding only two goals in 120 minutes and letting only one penalty past in their second consecutive shootout of the tournament, and then in the final against Vilita and Turori, they didn't concede any more goals in the additional thirty minutes. So while clean sheets aren't exactly the name of the game in Cosumar, they did get around to the idea that defense wins games. Sure, it took them three games and two penalty shootouts to realize this, but since they're the ones holding on to the Di Bradini Cup at the end of DBC 45, it all worked out in the end for them, didn't it?

Now this has been quite the interesting sojourn down recent history. Not quite as far as falling down the rabbit hole but I still learned a few things during my time. Chief among those is the fact that while clean sheets themselves might have become overrated, a good defense in combination with a good offense is still very much the key to winning championships. As if we didn't know that already! Any armchair football manager can tell you that, if you can distract them enough away from their games. It doesn't take a genius to figure this out. End result? I have once again been talking out of my arse. But that always happens whenever I open my mouth. For some reason or another, my arse decides to follow suit every time I speak my mind, and by this point I believe I've lost the will to give a damn. XOXO from Graham....

ABANHFLEFT 0 - 0 KRYTENIA
█

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 48%
Krytenia: 52%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 10 (4 on target)
Krytenia: 11 (6 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 5
Krytenia: 6
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 22
Krytenia: 12

[The Jovannic]

Goals from Juyt Dersa, Sami Ning, Regan Holland and Miri Belli down Eraman after hard fights

The game started with both teams making advances on goal, with both teams hitting the crossbar. Shuci Faret had started a more attacking lineup, with the team pushing on every move. Eraman scored first, managing to intercept a counter attack and slot the ball into the net before the defence was ready. The Jovannic Responded beautifully, Wenser Tratensu and Huli Maringar connecting perfectly before Sami finished it off in usual clinical style in the 18th minute. Just 2 minutes later, Miri Belli unleashed a deadly run down the right wing and back up before rocketing the ball into the top left corner. Eraman got one back right after a defensive lapse but Regan Holland returned his favour with a sharp header last 2 defenders in the 39th minute. Eraman scored twice after half time but Juyt soon returned with another power shot. The Eraman goalie attempted to save the ball but it was too powerful. Regan Holland scored again in the 73th minute after some Shuci style passing play before Juyt finished off in the 86th minute with a well timed sprint pass the goalie.

Cassadaigua is the next match. They narrowly beat Ethane, and we will be looking for the same clinicality and power to win this match.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Stelburger Zeitung

National Report

Election Day! Voters Head to Polls to Pick New President

It’s election day, Siovanija & Teusland: by tomorrow morning, we’ll have elected a new President.

Polling stations across the country opened this morning for the second round of the election - Richard Hauck against Magdalena Hoskova for the Presidency. Mr. Hauck was seen voting this morning in Stelburg, while Ms. Hoskova was also spotted voting in her home village of Snovik voting alongside family members. Observers are expecting record turnout for this election, which is one of the closest-running of the last twenty years. Let’s take the time to catch back up with the race.

The first debate, the Siovanijan language debate, was held at the University of Trkev and moderated by journalist Frantisek Donal of the Borograd Dnevnik. Questions were focused on, as expected, the recent world issues, Bill 47, foreign affairs, and other questions of character. Ms. Hoskova handled herself quite well during the debate, earning particular praise for her answer on the nuclear issue: agreeing, overall, with President Fleiss’ handling of the Banija-Farfadillis nuclear incident, and outlining the steps she would take upon election to continue the nation’s response.

Mr. Hauck didn’t have the best evening of his career - he got tripped up in questions about Bill 47, spending far too long dwelling on the subject and even coming back to it later in the debate to clarify his position. He suggested he wouldn’t use presidential powers to stop the bill, but also stated that he’d like to see provisions included that would allow Teus Catholics in cities such as Ternau, Bainitz and Pomorie/Marzig - all within the Republic of Siovanija’s jurisdiction, but home to Teus-speaking majorities - to maintain their rights. Other than that, however, he was mostly on point - but that gaffe could hurt him in Siovanija.

Ms. Hoskova was generally considered to have won the debate, and the morning after received endorsements from nearly every major newspaper in the state. That day was a bad one for Richard Hauck - news later broke of a secondary bank account he has with the Bank of Sankt Konrad. The Protectorate of Sankt Konrad, and its national bank, are well-known in this country as a tax haven. There was no evidence of any fraud or tax evasion found - but it certainly doesn’t help Mr. Hauck, especially given Ms. Hoskova’s reputation at the helm of the Republic Central Bank: someone who took fraud and tax evasion very seriously.

Shortly after, the two candidates were back on the debate stage in St. Jakob, hosted by Die Zeit and moderated by TV host Sven Elssler. It was an opportunity for Ms. Hoskova to make some gains in Teusland, and a necessity for Mr. Hauck to have a good night.

In the end, both candidates would be praised for their performance. Mr. Hauck hit back at some of the criticism surrounding him, while getting the opportunity to lay out some of his ideas clearly. He suggested that, as President, he would continue his focus on promoting people to experience the nation’s outdoors, its mountains and lakes, and focus on connecting youth especially with this idea. Ms. Hoskova, meanwhile, earned praise for her remarks which sought to show that despite discourse otherwise, Siovanijans and Teus of all backgrounds hold similar values: “Siovanijans in my home village of Snovik have the same wants and goals as Teus living in the village of Feldbach: they desire the same good lives, the same freedoms, the same brotherhood, the same spirit that has brought our great country together.”

Reaction to the debate was split, with some saying that while Mr. Hauck did well on the night, it may not be enough to recover from the disastrous 24 hours he’d had at the Siovanijan debate and with the Bank of Sankt Konrad scandal. For Ms. Hoskova, meanwhile, there was some criticism of the fact that she’d not come out too strongly in any direction when questioned on the issues, staying very close to the centre all night. Newspapers across Teusland endorsed Mr. Hauck, with a major exception: Der Sankt Jakob Presse, the third-largest newspaper in Teusland behind the Stelburger Zeitung and Die Zeit, chose to endorse Ms. Hoskova.

Polls in the days leading up to the election showed a toss-up: 51-49 in our final poll in Mr. Hauck’s favour, and a final poll from The Borograd Times even showing a 50-50 margin. It’s clear that this is going to be a close election right down to the wire, one of the closest in a long time, and we spoke to people across the country to get their perspective on it.

Current President Joachim Fleiss cast his ballot alongside Chancellor Dominik Meier in Borograd today, neither man, however, would signal the way he was voting: “Now, I did tell you the last two times, but I can’t today!,” said Fleiss. Turnout was expected to be quite high for the second round, and lines have been reported all morning from polling stations across the country.

In Marlesee, one local told us he was voting for Mr. Hauck because “I’ve been a supporter of the Edelweiss Society for many years, and he’s done a great job running that, and I think he’d do a great job as President as well.” Another citizen in Marlesee said he was voting for Ms. Hoskova, because “I think we need a strong leader like her - under President Fleiss, we really opened up more, and she comes off as very confident and able to do the job well.”

Voters in Chernovets, meanwhile, were united in support of Ms. Hoskova. “She’s very trustworthy, and when we look for a President we’re looking for that moral leader but also someone that can come on the TV and talk to us seriously - like President Fleiss did during the nuclear situation. And I think she’s a very good combination of that,” said one voter. Another voter was more blunt: “I didn’t really like Hauck at that first debate, honestly, and I think he lost me there.”

The Stelburger Zeitung will continue to bring complete coverage all day of the Presidential election, as the United Republics elect a new President: who will it be, Richard Hauck or Magdalena Hoskova? The answer is coming shortly.

Siovanija & Teusland 2-0 Devonta, @ Miner’s Haven, Valanora

Starting XI: Kaberle; Zupanie, Polak, Vykopal, Hausseger (Ronigsberg 82’); Traeger, Martin (Breuer 65’), Viermetz; Mrazek, Peiper (Ambros 70’), von Stroheim
Goals: Louis von Stroheim 41’, Olaf Viermetz 59’
Man of the Match: Olaf Viermetz

[Cassadaigua]

Get to know the team,
by Kaitlyn Scoville, Concord Heights Times

The Di Bradini Cup is moving right along, and Cassadaigua has fared well in it so far, winning two out of three games, and drawing the other. The seven points through three games sees them in second place of the six team group, and they will take on 3-0-0 The Jovannic next in Ibini. Most of us are used to this tournament, with modest success in the group stage, but never really being able to win that title. The Di Bradini Cup is more about player development, and when we look at the many great names of the past that have utilized this Cup to ascend to bigger and better things, we have been very successful in this tournament. Not everyone ends up excelling, and some times we see players exceed what their original expectations were. That is the nature of youth tournaments, as we have come to know. Therefore, now in Di Bradini Cup 48, we are seeing another group of names. Behind those names are people and stories, so I want to take a look at a few of them here, and perhaps we can continue doing this if we remain alive in the tournament for a while.

Goalkeeper Katie Schnapper is in her second tour of duty with the Di Bradini team, but this is the first time that the 20-year old has been the every day starter. Katie was born in the town of Winter Park, a middle class area about 75 miles southwest of New Lakeland in the northwest portion of the country. She is the fourth of four children (presently ranging from 26 to 20), and says she became a goalkeeper because she had no choice. “My sisters and my brother were all older then me, and they all wanted to practice their shooting, or passing it to one another, so it was always be me having to play the role of the goalie. I never really had a chance to practice my own shooting, unless I wanted to do so on an open goal.” Katie joined her first soccer club at the age of 10, and surprised the coaches there when she said that she only wanted to be the goalie, but they were willing to oblige, and happy when they saw the results. Katie took part in a summer camp run by former World Cup goalkeeper Kristen Speller when she was 16, and with that she was able to really improve herself in terms of positioning and knowledge of the position. It was at that point where the career trajectory on her really took off. It won’t be right now, but Schnapper could be in a good position one day to be the senior team starter, given her age of eight years younger then Tiffany Nelson, who will take over as a starter from Kelsey Morgan this year. That makes it so Schnapper would be in her prime right when Nelson decided to step down, or would be passed on. Off the field, Katie knows how to stay out of trouble, and is seen as a good person and teammate.

Defender Daniella Harrison is 20-years old, and grew up in the town of Whitehall, which is 30 minutes north of Grande Mountain. She is the second of three children, and initially grew up wanting to be a football player, and by that I mean the gridiron variety. Harrison’s parents were season ticket holders for the gridiron side, and on top of that would often attend games of the University of Grande Mountain. Harrison joined a youth gridiron team at the age of 11, but did not really enjoy it. Coaches could never find a position for her in which she did well at, making it apparent that Daniella would only be a fan of the sport and not a player. One coach though gave her some advice, “Play soccer,” Daniella said in retrospect, “They told me that when they tried to get me to play strong safety or free safety, that my awareness of reading the play was outstanding, but it was some other intangibles were keeping me from being a good player.” Daniella took the advice, and did the work necessary to learn the position. Now, she says she has not let her parents down, “They wanted me to be a football player, and here I am. A football player!” Daniella’s game is most like Brooke Sutter’s when comparing her best to a senior team player. Where she is best is in reading the play as it developments, and taking the best angles to make a stop. She is not weak, but one thing she might need to do is work on her strength. When you’re twenty, and that is your biggest problem, then it is not a problem at all. Off the field, Daniella is also a clean-cut player that does not get herself in trouble.

[Oberour Ar Moro]

You are Jean-Pierre le Lancier, the recently named "Football and Technical Director" for the Oberour Ar Moro Football Management Committee (FMC). In order to preserve an ancient cemetery and the endangered Sérigné Owl, you've selected to build the new headquarters of the Football Management Committee across from Veuzid in the Tourbillon Forest. This does mean that a woman who lives on the proposed building spot must be evicted.

A thunderstorm is roaring over Regium when the woman who's home is being foreclosed upon enters your office. You were not expecting her.

"End your plans!" said the mysterious woman, pointing at you accusatory. "Give me back my home! Or else heed this bodement: The evil in your skin will become a curse!" Thunder booms overhead as the woman swings around and disappears out your office door.

You were having an unrelated meeting, so your guests are more than eager to share their thoughts with you.

The Debate

1. "What in heavens was that?" Asked Gwenael de Mérobert, a member of the FMC. "Bodement? Curse? How did she even get in here? We should contact the gendarmes and have her arrested!"

✔ Accept

2. "Was she threatening to curse you Jean-Pierre?" asks FMC Counsel Kireg Ansyaume. "I remember reading about this. Practicing witchcraft is illegal in the Dominion, she could be punished harshly for that."

✔ Accept

3. "Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing as witchcraft", scoffed Alfred Despelete, a representative from the Ministry of Culture. "If that's the woman who's angry about her home, that's fine. Write her a check for the cost of the property, and if she doesn't want to cash it she doesn't have to. We need to build there."

✔ Accept

4. "Do we really need to build there?" asked Perrete Chante-Lou, the young woman taking the minutes of your prior meeting. "There's still time to stop and change the location. Maybe you should just leave her be."

✔ Accept

[Terre Septentrionale]

OOC: instead of a newspaper article, here's a TV broadcast.

Frédéric Daigneault (play by play guy): Gordon Hackshaw dribbles with the ball and he passes to Kieron Cockerill-Docherty who tries to skirt Annemarie Killirion but she steals him the ball and makes a long pass to.. oh the referree blows the whisle... Terre Septentrionale has lost 3-1 against Chromatika...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic (analyst): Hmm that looks bad for the Nordiques, a 2nd loss in three games...

Frédéric Daigneault: Yeah I think they're done... they're actually done I think...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Let's analyze group C with Frédérique Tranchemontagne who'se on the sidelines... Hi Fred!

Frédérique Tranchemontagne (girl on the sidelines): Hi guyys! I'm actually in the stands with a fan.. he looks so cute with his blond hair... Hi Christian... you can talk on tv...

Christian Archambault (football/soccer fan): Yo whuts up guys.. Go Terre septentrionale! ...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Hmm ok, let's all see what's going on in group C... let me look at my notes... we lost against Chromatika and both Springmont and Oberour Ar Moro won...

Frédéric Daigneault: That's bad, that's bad...

Christian Archambault: Don't give up, don't give up!

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: So Chromatika and Springmont both are first with 7 points in 3 games... Oberour Ar Moro is 3rd with 5 points and we're 4th with 3 points...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Shit... can we still make the round of 16?

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: That's what we're going to see...

Christian Archambault: Don't give up, don't give up!

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: So first we play against Québec on matchday 4 then against Oberour Ar Moro on the final matchday. We can beat Québec but one team between us and Oberour Ar Moro still can finish 2nd... Chromatika plays against Springmont and Equestria... Their game against Equestria is a sure win... they will have at least 10 points and we don't know who'se gonna win their game against Springmont...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Wow...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Springmont plays against Chromatika and Québec... Québec is a sure win so they'll have at least 10 points too... Mathematically we're not eliminated but if we win our two games we can't have more than 9 points... Oberour Ar Moro's two remaining games are against Equestria and us... Equestria is a sure win and if we beat them they'll have 8 point...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Ooh...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: The only way we still can make the playoffs is if we beat both Québec and Oberour Ar Moro and the team between Chromatika and Springmont that will loose on matchday 4 also loose their final game.. against either Québec or Equestria...

Frédéric Daigneault: We're done, it's impossible to do that...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Yeah maybe we're done but let's have fun and make predictions... On matchday 4 I believe Chromatika will beat Springmont by one goal because they're eager to win and we beat Québec... On the final day we lose against Oberour Ar Moro because this team is just too good for us, Chromatika and Springmont both wins... your turn Frédéric...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Ok so I think...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: I mean Frédéric, not you Frédérique... but you can still continue...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Thanks, I think Springmont will beat Chromatika cuz they're unbeatable and we'll beat Québec cuz they're too busy organizing the World Cup of Hockey... then on the final day, I think we'll beat Oberour Ar Moro and both Chromatika and Springmont are gonna win...so we're eliminated even if we win our two games...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Ok your turn Frédéric Daigneault...

Frédéric Daigneault: ok, firstable Springmont will beat Chromatika and we beat Québec... then we're gonna lose against Oberour Ar Moro and both Chromatika and Springmont will win... let's go back home now, there's no need to play the final two games...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Ok, hmmm the blond dude, what's your predictions?

Christian Archambault: What's up guys so i think Chromatika will beat Springmont cuz their name sounds like an album by Lady Gaga and I just love Lady Gaga, she's more intelligent than me so Chromatika are gonna win! And then we beat Québec because we beat everyone. Then in the finals we beat Labourers and Morons because morons can't win but I think morons are more intelligent than me!

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic (with a weird look): Hmm ok... and for the other two games?

Christian Archambault: Which ones? Oh... yeah... I think Lady Gaga's album is gonna lose against Equestria... I love horses, especially talking ones... they're more intelligent than me! And... and... I think Québec is gonna beat Springmont because they're the best hockey team in the multiverse.. Go Québec!

Frédéric Daigneault: Wow... what a load of crap he said...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: So... according to this guy's peredictions... Chromatika have 10 points... we're 2nd with 9 points... Springmont have 7 points... and Oberour Ar Moro either have 8 or 5 points because we didn't predict their game against Equestria...

Christian Archambault: Oh... then I think Equestria is gonna beat the Labourers...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: I'm speachless... really... I'm sorry Christian... but... I won't go out to dinner with you tonight... I just remember I have to.... I have to... to... visit a museum with a friend tonight...

Frédéric Daigneault: What? ... you were about to go out with that idiot?

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Hmmm no... I... I always wanted to visit a museum in Valanora... So you come with me Frédéric? Let's visit a museum!

Christian Archambault: You're breaking my heart... You promised we were to go out for dinner tonight... (crying)...

Frédéric Daigneault: Hmm I don't know... I was planning to go to the pub tonight...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Ok... Thanks for your predictions Frédérique and the guy... that's all for us tonight... let's be back in a couple of days for game 4 against Québec...

(off air)

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Are you coming to the museum with us Jean-Martin... let's visit a museum!

Christian Archambault: Can I come? Can I come to the museum.. please? ...

Frédérique Tranchemontagne: Uh... not you... I said I visit a museum with a friend...

Jean-Martin Martineau-Martinovic: Hmmm ok... let's go to the museum... you're coming Frédéric?

Frédéric Daigneault: Hmm ok...

[Chromatika]

Chromatik City Courier
Jordan Lawless, Sports Columnist

DBC 48 Matchday 3: Chromatika 3, Terre Septentrionale 1
DONNA CATHEDRAL, MAR SARA, VALANORA -

Staying put at the Donna Cathedral, the Chromatik U-21s made short work of Terre Septentrionale as Haley Hauser continued to show her quality, contributing a looping goal off a free kick and two assists in the victory.

The result, coupled with others in the Group, puts the Chromatiks at a record of 2-1-0 for seven points and a share of first place on the table with Springmont with two matches to go. As only the first two teams in the standings qualify for knockouts, it's a decent spot to be for Hayashida and her charge.

Speaking of Springmont, they'll be the next opponent for Chromatika - having tied Oberour Ar Moro and defeated Terre Septentrionale 6-3 and Equestria 4-2. Both Chromatika and Springmont have scored thirteen goals, while the Chromatiks have conceded four less.This means that both teams are capable of scoring often, and the U21 defense is to be tested once again.

Nestor Darkclouds, James Meija, and Johnson Jordan Hicks will try to feed the ball to Prince Reyes, Igor Parax, and Lorenzo Leibfried while their Captain, Art Dempsey, will try to stop the three-headed attack of Haley Houser, Renate Haggard, and Russ Lyllard.

The winner is likely to finish atop the group, while the loser is going to have to contend with an Obreour Ar Moro squad that also hasn't lost a game, having tied both the Chromatiks and Springmont.

"They're a team that's also been playing well," stated Haggard when talking about Springmont, "And it'll be all about momentum before heading into the last match against Equestria. We have been trying to not let anything bother us - no talk about any other results - and just focus on our own game. As long as we keep our head down and move on, it should be okay."

When asked about the lone goal scored by Terre Septentrionale, Juxton Fillar was the first to take blame.

"The ball snaked past me, and I should've punched it out," said the Chromatik keeper, "But I read the situation incorrectly. Annamarie, Ulrich, and Ruthane have all been playing great. I just need to get to their level."

Fillar will get another chance, or, hopefully, far more.

[Kohnhead]

The Moderately Sized Brains start to turn it around



Taking on Sharktail, a nation whose tennis players we know extremely well from the NSTT The Moderately Sized Brains needed something to turn them around. Sharktail came into this game at 1-0-1 where as we were at 0-0-2 so we were hoping for a win. The defense helped show why Barber has so much faith in them.

We would get the first chance in the 9th minute, as John Smith would receive the ball in their territory. He would flick up a ball to Finley who was making a brilliant run and got by Karim to put up a shot but it was saved by Jaris. Nice save from Jaris which prevented a sure goal from Finley.

Our Moderately Sized Brains would get the opening goal in the 17th minute though as our attack led by Finley and Smith couldn't be contained by the Sharktail defense. Finley would get the ball on the goal line but would pass it back out to the incoming Sophie Johnson who put a nice shot into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Kohnhead. For a team that was coming off of a 4-1 embarrassing loss this was massive.

Sharktail were the less skilled team by far but all you need is one chance and that chance for them came in the 39th as Hazig Badrol was fouled by Rodar in the box and won a penalty. In my opinion it's a ticky tacky call but the right one in the situation but my opinion doesn't matter. Badrol took it and scored Sharktail's only goal.

Kohnhead though would score again in the 49th for the last goal of the game. Bradford made a run down the line and got the ball in a great position to cross it into the box. The ball was too deep for Finley who was their for the header and it rolled out to Yunbet who made a move and fired a low percentage shot at the close post. It bounced off of Jaris' hand and went in to give Kohnhead a lucky goal and their first win of the DBC.

The table puts us in 5th place but we are definitely still in it and our next match will see us take on 2nd place Mavinet.

P Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paofmersia                  3   3  0  0   15   6  +9    9
2 Mavinet                     3   2  0  1    9   7  +2    6
3 Taeshan                     3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 Sharktail                   3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
5 Kohnhead                    3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
6 Lovisa                      3   0  1  2    6  13  −7    1

Even a draw against a quality side like Mavinet would likely note be enough in our quest to advance to the round of 16 as this is our second to last game. Barber will again make no chances and let's make it two in a row.

[Springmont]

An Interview with Minister of Education, Technology & Innovative (METI), Dr. Salman Irondam, MP Sports Desk We are very fortunate to be able to interview the new Minister of Education, Technology & Innovative (METI), Dr. Salman Irondam, MP on the achievements of METI in producing national athletes and young athletes. Sports Desk [SD] : What is the status of the Sports School governed under METI now? Dr. Salman Irondam, MP [SI] : For your information, there are five Springmont Sports Schools and 8 Provinces Sports Schools throughout Springmont. These schools are under the direct management of the Ministry of Education, Technology & Innovative (METI). SD : What about the collaboration between the Department of Sport & Youth and METI to achieve the objective of producing quality teenage athletes? SI : The Department of Sport & Youth is always working with METI to ensure the development of sports from the very beginning through the Talent Identification Program to the highest level as a national athlete. SD : What is the main function of Provinces Sports School? SI : In general, almost all Provinces Sports Schools are involved as provinces or city training centers for Provinces Coaching Programs and Talent Programs conducted with Provinces Sports Councils as well as selected sports development programs such as football, rugby and Sepak Takraw. SD : What does METI provide to these athletes? SI : For information, student athletes undergoing training under the Springmont Sport Commission (SSC) Athlete Training Program at the Sports School are provided with training facilities, equipment, food welfare, accommodation, coaches as well as sports science and medical services. SD : What about instructors or coaches? SI : In addition, SSC is also working with Sports Schools to appoint qualified teachers as coaches of the National Coaching Program and SSC Podium Program. They are given salaries / allowances according to the rates that have been set. SD : The direction of the athlete after finishing school? SI : For the management of student athletes after school, the Department of Sport & Youth through SSC in collaboration with METI has implemented the METI / SSC / Groveaire Univ Pre-University program. starting in 2000 which is a special program for school leavers for admission to Groveaire University (Groveaire Univ.) and this pilot collaboration program has been continued by METI with Cordwell University. In fact, the "University Sport Gateway" program which is a collaboration program between Institutions of Higher Learning and the Provinces Sports Council to provide space and opportunities for student athletes to further their studies after graduation. MD4: VS. Chromatika

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia 4
Makana Tuft 27', 50'
Hollis Stephenson 39'
Aleka Dufour 80'

Mavinet 2'
Hoang Bao Lam 6', 67'

Starting 11: Nicole Potts; Mitchel Rosales, Hollis Stephenson, Clara Brivio, Wayne Simpson; Woden Sweet (DM); Zelda McKenna, Lucia Stuart; Nero Wood (AM); Aleka Dufour, Makana Tuft (c)
Substitutes: Ariel Casey (Rosales 45'); Harriet Buck (Stuart 68')

3 out of 3? Yes, 3 wins out of 3.
For Makana Tuft and Aleka Dufour, it was another night of well-coordinated cooperation that had kept the team on top with 3 wins from 3 games. Despite the defence falling to an early goal from Mavinet's Hoang Bao Lam, the players recovered rather quickly, with Nero Wood providing the assist for Tuft's equaliser in the 27th minute. A well-taken corner by Wayne Simpson found the head of Hollis Stephenson, and he headed the ball in to give Poafmersia a 2-1 lead. After the second half, Makana Tuft's 1-2 with Aleka Dufour bamboozled the opposition defence, before Hoang Bao Lam gets his second goal of the night following a stunner from 35 yards. However, it was substitute Harriet Buck who helped to put the tie to bed, making a fine cross to find Dufour and allowed Dufour to slot the ball home for a resounding 4-2 victory over Mavinet.
Nelson Sanchez was extremely pleased with the match today. "The first goal we conceded could have been avoided. However the opposition are very experienced and have shown high levels of play. Despite that, our players worked really hard and went all out to finish the match. Aleka and Makana's tacit understanding of each other meant that they could cooperate very well up in front. Their experience playing with all the senior players in the PFPL meant that they had gained some additional senior team experience, giving them the edge. Without either one of them, maybe the performance would not be as fantastic as what has happened."
Nero Wood, who contributed his 3rd assist of the tournament, said that the team's strong offence has given them the edge. "Makana and Aleka's close cooperation meant that we could get things done really easily. They know each other's playing style really well, often moving into space to allow the other player to get them the ball. They have good space awareness and good finishing skills, allowing goals to drop really easily."
Poafmersia next plays Taeshan, who have obtained 4 points from 3 games. A win would allow Poafmersia to secure qualification into the Round of 16, and if Mavinet obtains less points than us, Poafmersia would qualify as group champions.

Matchday 4:
Poafmersia (3-0-0) vs Taeshan (1-1-1)
Mavinet (2-0-1) vs Kohnhead (1-0-2)
Sharktail (1-0-2) vs Lovisa (0-1-2)

# Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia                  3   3  0  0   15   6  +9    9
2 Mavinet                     3   2  0  1    9   7  +2    6
3 Taeshan                     3   1  1  1    3   3   0    4
4 Sharktail                   3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
5 Kohnhead                    3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
6 Lovisa                      3   0  1  2    6  13  −7    1

---

Makana Tuft and Aleka Dufour. Club teammates, U21 teammates, and best buddies.
The both of them have been really lucky to be picked up by Trimidau Rukiya 2 season ago, and the club's emphasis on developing young talents mean that they were given resources to grow. The both of them focused on developing stamina to keep with the pace of football in Poafmersia; as well as finishing moves and spatial awareness. Probably that had talent too, but you never know how much hard work they had put in until you see them.

Let us start with Aleka Dufour, the younger of the 2. Aleka didn't want to be a footballer, he wanted to be a basketball player. However, growing to only 1.61m meant that his height was a disadvanatge for him to play basketball. He was picked up to play football in school, where the middle school coach found him to have quite some talent. When the Premier League was forming and some new clubs was looking for young talents to develop, he promptly joined Trimidau Rukiya.
Aleka Dufour was slightly different. He first went to apply to join the Sarim Potato academy, but failed the trial then as he wasn't good with long balls. So he trained really hard to increase his pace and stamina, aiming to be a workhorse. When he trialled again with Trimidau Rukiya, he was accepted and groomed to become a future starter. The coaches there found his strength of being able to get good shots in from near distance, and trained him to become a lone striker. However, when he worked with Aleka, the both of them showed so much camaraderie that they worked to become a frontline partnership, a partnership that showed their full force when they had they brought Trimidau Rukiya to second place in the Poafmersian Premier League.
The 2 of them would surely be hunted by scouts from other clubs, local and overseas. It may not be this season, but that time would certainly come. Both of them know that they have a long road ahead of them, and they want to become the next Joel Haodao or Shakira Handris. The question is, will they be become better when they grow up, or is this the limit of their performance? For the both of them, they would not leave anything to chance. As long as they are not injured, they would spend the extra effort outside of training hours to put in more time into improving themselves. Because they only have one target - to become world beaters.

Starting 11 against Taeshan - Nicole Potts; Ariel Casey, Hollis Stephenson, Clara Brivio, Wayne Simpson; Woden Sweet (DM); Zelda McKenna, Harriet Buck; Nero Wood (AM); Aleka Dufour, Makana Tuft (c)

[Valanora]

Who stays alive after today's results? Matchday 4 cutoff!

Matchday 4

Group A
Krytenia 3–3 Pemcutan
Devonta 1–2 Lochario
Abanfleft 2–5 Siovanija and Teusland

P Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Siovanija and Teusland      4   3  1  0   13   5  +8   10     Q
2 Lochario                    4   3  1  0   12   9  +3   10     Q
3 Krytenia                    4   1  2  1    9   8  +1    5
4 Abanfleft                   4   1  1  2    7   8  −1    4
5 Pemcutan                    4   1  1  2    7  10  −3    4
6 Devonta                     4   0  0  4    5  13  −8    0

Group B
Pasarga 1–0 Libonesia
Staypftonia 0–2 Indusse
Jeckland 1–3 Starblaydia

P Group B                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Starblaydia                 4   4  0  0   12   1 +11   12     Q
2 Pasarga                     4   4  0  0    9   3  +6   12     Q
3 Libonesia                   4   1  1  2    2   7  −5    4
4 Staypftonia                 4   1  0  3    5   6  −1    3
5 Indusse                     4   1  0  3    2   7  −5    3
6 Jeckland                    4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1

Group C
Equestria 0–5 Oberour Ar Moro
Terre Septentrionale 1–0 Quebec
Springmont 2–1 Chromatika

P Group C                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Springmont                  4   3  1  0   15   9  +6   10
2 Oberour Ar Moro             4   2  2  0   13   7  +6    8
3 Chromatika                  4   2  1  1   14   6  +8    7
4 Terre Septentrionale        4   2  0  2    7   9  −2    6
5 Equestria                   4   1  0  3    5  13  −8    3
6 Quebec                      4   0  0  4    3  13 −10    0

Group D
Nagore 1–2 TJUN-ia
Darmen 2–1 Tolopel
Geektopia 2–0 Vdara

P Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Darmen                      4   4  0  0   10   4  +6   12     Q
2 Geektopia                   4   3  0  1    8   2  +6    9
3 Tolopel                     4   2  1  1    6   5  +1    7
4 TJUN-ia                     4   2  1  1    6   6   0    7
5 Nagore                      4   0  0  4    3   8  −5    0
6 Vdara                       4   0  0  4    3  11  −8    0

Group E
Baker Park 2–3 Sarzonia
Sajnur 0–2 HUElavia
Kita-Hinode 0–0 Sylestone

P Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                    4   4  0  0   12   6  +6   12     Q
2 Kita-Hinode                 4   2  1  1   10   7  +3    7
3 Baker Park                  4   1  1  2   13   9  +4    4
4 Sajnur                      4   1  1  2    7  11  −4    4
5 HUElavia                    4   1  1  2    3  10  −7    4
6 Sylestone                   4   0  2  2    0   2  −2    2

Group F
Eraman 5–0 Blouman Empire
Ethane 0–1 Riennic Isles
The Jovannic 3–1 Cassadaigua

P Group F                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Jovannic                4   4  0  0   15   6  +9   12     Q
2 Cassadaigua                 4   2  1  1    5   5   0    7
3 Eraman                      4   2  0  2   16  11  +5    6
4 Blouman Empire              4   1  1  2    4  11  −7    4
5 Ethane                      4   1  0  3    2   4  −2    3
6 Riennic Isles               4   1  0  3    5  10  −5    3

Group G
Kohnhead 4–1 Mavinet
Taeshan 1–1 Paofmersia
Sharktail 3–2 Lovisa

P Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Paofmersia                  4   3  1  0   16   7  +9   10     Q
2 Kohnhead                    4   2  0  2    8   8   0    6
3 Sharktail                   4   2  0  2    6   6   0    6
4 Mavinet                     4   2  0  2   10  11  −1    6
5 Taeshan                     4   1  2  1    4   4   0    5
6 Lovisa                      4   0  1  3    8  16  −8    1

Group H
Savojarna 2–2 Nephara
Megistos 3–3 Valladares
Mriin 2–1 Waisnor

P Group H                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valladares                  4   2  2  0   12   9  +3    8
2 Nephara                     4   2  2  0    7   4  +3    8
3 Mriin                       4   2  1  1    7   7   0    7
4 Megistos                    4   1  1  2    9  12  −3    4
5 Waisnor                     4   1  0  3    8   8   0    3
6 Savojarna                   4   0  2  2    5   8  −3    2

[Springmont]

Project Lion: Edition N° 4

Group C
Springmont 2–1 Chromatika

Springmont Scorer: Igor Parax 39' | Nestor Darkclouds 44' (Pen.)
- Igor Parax (39): Annemarie Killirion's back pass failed to reached her 'keeper letting in Parax to intercept, go around the 'keeper and than shoot into an empty net from eight yards.

- Nestor Darkclouds (44): J.J Hicks was pulled down by Slaven as they competed for a center by James Mejia. Darkclouds scored easily from the spot.

Chromatika Scorer : Tillie Ex 62'
- Tillie Ex (62): A great ball from central midfield supplied Ex on the edge of the penalty box as Dempsey raced out of goal, Ex cheekily chipped the ball over him into the goal.

---

---

Two first half blunders brought to an end of Chromatika's unbeaten run. An underhit back pass by Annemarie Killirion presented Parax with the opening goal and Ulrich Slaven pulled back Johnson Jordan Hicks to concede a penalty from Darkclouds. For Chromatika Renate Haggard had two early chances saved by Art Dempsey before Ex make it one goal.

This victory is still not comfortable for Project Lion, they still have to win over Quebec in the fifth match. To qualify for the next level, the focus of all players and staff is requested, although no targets are set, but qualifying for the highest level is a challenge for Project Lion players.

MD5: VS. Quebec
Art Dempsey (C)
Roman Park, Jacques Van Heerdens, Lowell Blevins, Leroy Treyham
Jacob Erick Carson, Nestor Darkclouds, Johnson Jordan Hicks
Prince Reyes, Igor Parax, Scott Jerrod Collier

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Stelburger Zeitung

National Report

Magdalena Hoskova Elected President of the United Republics

In one of the closest election results in recent memory, Magdalena Hoskova has been elected President of the United Republics of Siovanija & Teusland.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported our campaign, from the very beginning - but for us, the work is just beginning. It’s time to work harder to continue to uphold the strengths of our country, and the values that are important to all of our people,” said Ms. Hoskova from her campaign’s headquarters in Borograd.

On the other side, Richard Hauck was quick to congratulate the winner. “Again, I’d like to thank everyone who worked on our campaign and voted for us - you’ve changed my life for the better. And to Ms. Hoskova, I’d like to say congratulations, and I wish her all the best! She’ll be a great President I’m sure.”

The final tally was 50.2% to 49.8%. With 59,052,500 eligible voters voting (a turnout of 78% of the population), 29,644,355 cast their ballot in favour of Ms. Hoskova, and 29,408,145 in favour of Mr. Hauck. It was the closest election result since 1988. Ms. Hoskova thus becomes President by a very tight margin, and one that will go down in history.

So, where was this close campaign won and lost? Several factors in the final days of the election swung the vote in Ms. Hoskova’s favour. Mr. Hauck’s troubles in the Siovanijan debate cost him, as his polling dropped in that Republic afterwards and never really recovered, meaning that he needed a big win in Teusland to keep the pace with Ms. Hoskova.

This never materialized, however. The mini-scandal caused by his account at the Bank of Sankt Konrad caused many in Teusland to question their support of him, particularly rural Teus Catholics in the state of Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land and the Sudwest. This led to a decline in turnout amongst that demographic, just big enough to hurt his cause.

The final blow to Mr. Hauck, however, came in the city of St. Jakob. The most liberal in Teusland, it was regarded as one of the few ‘swing cities’ in the election, and both candidates gave speeches here on the final night of the election. Within the city itself, Ms. Hoskova was the big winner, picking up just enough of a lead over Mr. Hauck to make the turnout drop in the south, and voters fleeing from him in Siovanija, matter. How tight the election was shows the slight advantage Teusland has in Presidential elections given its higher population.

Leading figures from across the country spoke up to congratulate the winner on her victory. President Joachim Fleiss stated that “I look forward to working with Ms. Hoskova as she takes over from me, and can’t wait to help her get started. Congratulations.” In the National Chancellery, Chancellor Dominik Meier issued a statement of congratulation that was approved by all major parties in the legislature.

So, who is Magdalena Hoskova? Born in the village of Snovik, just outside of Chernovets, she grew up an active youth, part of local gymnastics and rowing organizations. She attended the University of Chernovets, earning an undergraduate degree in economics, before attending the University of Borograd Law School. After becoming a lawyer, Ms. Hoskova became one of the highest-regarded lawyers in the country as she took down many tax evaders and other fraudsters. One of her first jobs as a lawyer was actually the case against former President Radoslav Svetkov, during the scandal that saw him be impeached.

In 2006, she was appointed a vice-chair of the board of the Bank of Siovanija. In 2015, former President Otto Schneider appointed her the Director of the Republic Central Bank, in which role she was responsible for much fiscal policy and continuing to pursue those who looked to evade the United Republics’ finance laws. In 2021, this paper wrote a review of her job stating that she was doing an excellent job, and was partially responsible for the great situation of the United Republics’ economy. Ms. Hoskova was rated very favourably in her job in various public opinion polls. In late 2025, she announced she would be stepping down from the position to run in the Presidential election.

Ms. Hoskova is married to a fellow lawyer, Mr. Marek Hoskov, who is also from Snovik. The couple currently live in a home in Borograd, although they will be soon moving into their new residence. They have three children. At age 49, Ms. Hoskova is on the younger side in terms of elected Presidents.

There will be big changes for the family’s life in the coming weeks. The President’s official residence is the Green House in Borograd, which is located in the western neighbourhood of Brezje, just a few minutes’ drive from the offices of the President at #2 Milan Dimitrov Square, across from the National Chancellery building. The majority of government buildings are located in that square. In Siovanija, the President is also entitled to the Borisov Cottage, located on the Great Lakes near Vlaikograd and built by former President Martin Borisov. In Teusland, a residence is maintained for the President at the North Palace in Stelburg - once a summer home for Teus Emperors. President Joachim Fleiss particularly enjoyed staying at this residence, as he is from Stelburg - Ms. Hoskova, from Borograd, may prefer to spend most of her time at the Green House. In addition, a hunting lodge built by former President Siegfried Schneider in the Teufelswald forest is a holiday option.

There is much pageantry to come over the next few weeks. The National Chancellery will table a bill accepting the election results tomorrow morning, which will be passed and then signed off by President Fleiss. Two weeks from that date, Ms. Hoskova will officially be inaugurated. President Fleiss, following the tradition of previous outgoing Presidents, is expected to give a televised address at some point in that period, as well as giving a speech in Milan-Dimitrov-Square. That speech has traditionally been much more laid-back, and there is more interaction between the President and the citizens.

On the evening before the inauguration, President Fleiss will preside over a military parade in Milan-Dimitrov-Square. Called the ‘Grand Parade,’ this is the traditional military parade that was seen at coronations in the Teus Empire, updated for modern standards. The Grand Parade is quite rare, seen only at Presidential inaugurations, Great War Remembrance commemorations, and important anniversaries of the Republic: the 25th, 50th, 75th, 100th and 125th anniversaries, and the upcoming 150th celebrations in 2046 will surely also see the tradition continued.

Beginning after dark, the parade will make its way through the Square as the troops say goodbye to their current Commander-in-Chief, playing a selection of his favourite marches, and offering him best wishes for the future. The parade will end at midnight. The next morning, on the same balcony, Ms. Hoskova will be officially inaugurated as President of the United Republics. A smaller parade will follow - the Grand Parade is reserved for the outgoing President, as a thanks for their service.

Ms. Hoskova will jump right into the middle of it once inaugurated, with several major events upcoming. Her first foreign trip is expected to be the Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony in Banija, but until then, several domestic events will be on her radar. Her first Unification Day celebrations, on May 4, will be coming up soon after the inauguration. The IFCF Challengers’ Cup Final will be in Stelburg just a few weeks later. Perhaps the first major issue on her radar will be the conclusion of the Joint Inquiry into the Banija/Farfadillis Nuclear Incident, which leading Banijan & United Republics’ investigators are expected to release in the coming months.

The Stelburger Zeitung will continue to bring complete coverage as the United Republics have elected a new President. On behalf of our editorial board, we would like to congratulate Ms. Hoskova on her election as President.

[The Authoritarian Republic of Lochario]

AMAZING DRAW AND A 3 WIN STREAK FOR THE GINGERS!

Hello, this is Jami Korroger and it's epic football daily. Today, we're talking about how the Ginger U-21s managed to have a win and qualify for the knockout stages for the first time at the DiBradini Cup. First off, let's take a look at a resultative draw against Siovanija & Teusland. What a result, 3-3! Even Cinga Munrich wouldn't have dreamt of such a result! And it was all due to the concentration in the 2nd half and the determination of the youngsters. Same goes the next 3 wins. Without our players focusing on the wins and getting their crap together we wouldn't have finished top 4, I think.

Alright, this was Jami Korroger, signing off!

[Sarzonia]

Sarzonia Under 21 national team manager Nathan Hanifer could have been excused if he walked into the 48th Di Bradini Cup with lingering self-doubt about his position as Junior Stars manager.

After all, he was brand new to international football prior to the previous edition and his team only just squeaked into the knockout stages with more draws (two) than it had victories (one). Then they needed extra time and penalties to sneak past Cassadaigua in the Round of 16. They finished their five-match run with an overall mark of two wins, two draws, and one loss.

They've played four matches in this expanded group stage of this competition and have already won four matches. They officially punched their ticket into the Round of 16 with a 3-2 victory over a Baker Park side that figured to be their toughest competition in Group E. The other team that was expected to challenge, Kita-Hinode, was the other opponent to have scored goals against the Junior Stars, but with both teams trailing by at least five points (with Kita-Hinode on seven), the real battle will be for runner up in the table as the Junior Stars have already captured the group title.

Suzi Calderon was the offensive catalyst for the Junior Stars even though she only scored one goal. She assisted on markers by both other forwards, Thurman West in the 41st minute and reserve striker Nick Raiden in the 78th minute. Her own 23rd minute tally helped the Stars answer a sixth minute goal by Amy Knight that put the Commonwealth in front 1-0. Following the Calderon tally, Ben Moorman nearly put Baker Park back in front after a dazzling run up the right sideline that caught defender Carlette Taylor flatfooted. She suddenly grabbed her leg and started hobbling, but her attempt to draw a foul call went unheeded by the referee. It didn't matter anyway because the offside flag was up.

Moorman eventually scored, but his tally was in the 54th minute and instead of giving the Commonwealth the lead, it equalised matters and forced Hanifer to make a decision: Either play defensively and settle for a draw or send on Raiden and try to push numbers forward to notch the game-winner. Then again, Hanifer is nothing if not Sarzonian. He made what for him was an obvious decision to send on Raiden for Taylor, which would drop Calderon into more of a midfield playmaker role than a forward. It also sent Charlie Ross into the back line. Taylor walked back to her spot on the bench and was met with a scowling Hanifer.

"Don't try that fake injury bullshit again," he said. Little did Taylor know, Hanifer overheard her boast to teammates that she faked the injury in an attempt to steal an ill-gotten advantage. He'd decided to use the opportunity given by a substitution to make his point.

"How'd you know?"

"Besides your shitty acting job?" Hanifer said, driving the knife in further. He knew she was also an aspiring actress, and he could tell her attempt to draw the call was only because she'd been fairly beaten along the sidelines. "I overheard you telling your mates you faked that injury." Probably not the only thing she faked, Hanifer thought, but decided not to say. He didn't want to alienate a player in his starting 11. He just wanted to make his point and be done with it. And that, he did.

As for Raiden, his spectacular bicycle kick drew an equally spectacular save in the 74th minute by Baker Park goalkeeper Rose McCormick, but his simple quick swing of his right leg in the 78th minute did for him what the spectacular attempt did not. It put Sarzonia back on the score sheet and back ahead to stay.

Sarzonia (4-0-0) join Siovanija and Teusland and Lochario in Group A, Starblaydia and Pasarga from Group B, Darmen from Group D, Group F winners The Jovannic, and Group G winners Poafmersia as teams to have already clinched their spots in the knockout rounds. Of the eight countries to already advance, Sarzonia are one of five nations with perfect 4-0-0 records, joining Starblaydia, Pasarga, Darmen, and The Jovannic. The final match against Sajnur now leaves Hanifer with another question. Does he play the match as if it still matters or does he start using his depth players. Hanifer gave a quick look when he was asked that question.

"We're now starting to look at seeding for the Round of 16," he said. "If we let up on the gas, we run the risk of losing the momentum we've worked so hard to build. We're going to play this last match and hope it propels us to a better knockout round match-up."

So reserve goalkeeper Eleanor Keating won't be in the starting 11 instead of starter Timothy Roundtree, though Hanifer said she may see at least a half against Sajnur.

"Timmy got tested pretty well by Baker Park. He was severely tested in the opening match against Kita-Hinode," he said. "Eleanor did well against Sylestone. She may see some playing time to keep her sharp."

[Starblaydia]

Four on the Trot
Starblaydia finally concede, but a Starblaydi still scores it

The dream run of Ázëwyn Fëanáro's Under-21 side had a little bit of the shine taken off it at the Turmondale Grounds, but the 100% record continued as Starblaydia ran out 3-1 winners of Jeckland, rooting the Jeciskh team to the bottom of the Group after Indusse managed to pick up all three points against Staypuftonia. Meanwhile, Pasarga also kept up their winning run as they beat Libonesia to ensure that two of the five teams with 4-0-0 records going into the final game of the Group Stage reside in Group B.

Starblaydia and Pasarga have swept all before them in this Group, and although all eyes were looking to this clash as a Group decider, not many would have gambled on both sides having 12 points from 12 at this stage. Playing some of the best football in the competition so far, this scrap is guaranteed to bring in the crowds in the Vanorian capital as Atlantian Oceania and Rushmore battle it out for the right to be called favourites for the tournament. Although Darmen, Sarzonia, The Jovannic and more will have something to say about the destination of this edition's trophy, it's hard to look beyond a winner in this match producing one of the Finalists, given what we've seen so far.

A surprising defensive solidity in the four matches so far has seen Onish Vadaparthy's goal breached only once, despite the high press and counter-attacking nature of the Starblaydi team. Their first conceded goal came in this, their fourth game, and once all the opposition cheering had died down, it was clear that the ball had been deflected in off a Starblaydi boot. Vincenzo Bernini was the unlucky man, sliding in to clear a cross but mistiming it ever so slightly and seeing the ball loop in off his boot and into the far corner with Vadaparthy solidly wrongfooted. That was the goal that made it 2-1 to Starblaydia with a little over ten minutes of normal time remaining, however, and any Jeckish dreams of a comeback were soon put in their place by Betanni Jetvanna, who sprinted away on the counter-attack to outfox the unsupported last defender and slot the ball past the stranded goalie.

Earlier, Starblaydia had started things early when Donald Royce popped up in the penalty area to slam the ball into the roof of the net, scoring in the second minute to instantly deflate any hopes of Starblaydia's run coming to an end. As the half ticked on, the team in white and purple made it 2-0, as Nicholas Stanton headed in a cross from Odell Lamont, dropping back from his marker and finding the space to leap high and divert the ball down and into the goal. Though the own goal gave Jeckland some hope, it was quickly snuffed out with five minutes remaining on the clock.

With Pasarga making somewhat rough going of a Libonesia side, much improved after their 5-0 thrashing by Fëanáro's young charges, coming out 1-0 winners. The three points was all they needed to completely secure Qualification. As for who Starblaydia and Pasarga will play in the first round of knockouts, it's over to Group C, where nothing has been decided except for the fact that Equestria and Quebec are not in the running:

Under-21 World Cup 69 / Di Bradini Cup 48
Group C, MD4                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Springmont                  4   3  1  0   15   9  +6   10
2 Oberour Ar Moro             4   2  2  0   13   7  +6    8
3 Chromatika                  4   2  1  1   14   6  +8    7
4 Terre Septentrionale        4   2  0  2    7   9  −2    6
5 Equestria                   4   1  0  3    5  13  −8    3
6 Quebec                      4   0  0  4    3  13 −10    0

Group C, Remaining Fixtures
Chromatika vs Equestria
Quebec vs Springmont
Oberour Ar Moro vs Terre Septentrionale

They will, however, have a say in who makes it out of the Group Stage. So far Springmont have been the top team and, barring an outrageously bad performance against the pointless Quebec side, they should easily win the point they need to guarantee their passage through to the next round. Terre Septentrionale are in with an outside shout, as they could leapfrog their opponents, Oberour Ar Moro, into the top two, but only if Chromatika don't manage to beat the already-eliminated Equestria. The permutations, and what each team needs, are as follows:

Springmont
Any win over Quebec will see them top the group and go through as Group Winners. A draw will also be good enough to see them qualify, in first place unless Oberour Ar Moro beat Terre Septentrionale. They can still go through with a loss, as long as both Oberour Ar Moro or Chromatika fail to win. Only one of those sides winning on the final day will mean any result sees Springmont through.

Oberour Ar Moro
Any win over Terre Septentrionale will see them through to the Group Stage. They can run out as Group Winners with a victory and a Springmont draw or loss. A draw will see them finish second, but only if Chromatika fail to beat Equestria. A loss to Terre Septentrionale will drop them to third, or worse.

Chromatika
A win over Equestria will only be good enough to qualify in the 2nd spot if: Oberour Ar Moro fail to win, or if Springmont lose. In the event of both Oberour Ar Moro and Springmont losing, a Chromatika win would see them top the group. A draw doesn't help them, as no matter the result of the Oberour Ar Moro/Terre Septentrionale game, one of them will finish with 1 or more points than Chromatika. Any loss and they fail to qualify.

Terre Septentrionale
To finish in 2nd place, they have to beat Oberour Ar Moro along with Chromatika drawing, or worse, with Equestria. Any other result sees them fail to qualify.

Whomever manages to come out of Group C, Starblaydia and Pasarga will be waiting for them. Now, all eyes turn to the iconic Battleground stadium in order to find out the final shakeup of Group B and decide who plays who in the knockouts.

Final score from Turmondale Grounds, Raynor City (41,628):
Jeckland 1 - 3 Starblaydia
(Bernini o.g. 78) - (Royce 2, Stanton 41, Jetvanna 85)

Under-21 World Cup 69 / Di Bradini Cup 48
Group B, MD4            Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Starblaydia             4   4  0  0   12   1 +11   12     Q
2 Pasarga                 4   4  0  0    9   3  +6   12     Q
3 Libonesia               4   1  1  2    2   7  −5    4
4 Staypuftonia            4   1  0  3    5   6  −1    3
5 Indusse                 4   1  0  3    2   7  −5    3
6 Jeckland                4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1

[Terre Septentrionale]

Terre Septentrionale is still fighting

Mar Sara, Valanora - Terre Septentrionale is still fighting for a spot in the round of 16. After losing two games in a row against Springmont and Chromatika, the Nordiques played against Québec. The Grim Reapers aren't the team they used to be but they put up a good fight against us in a defensive and technical game. The only goal was scored at the 54th minute when Grzegorz Hajdukiewicz passed to Krasnodar Schildenfeld who dribbled and made a header pass to Krystyna Walczykiewicz who heads the ball into the net. The score was 1-0 and this is the final score.

BOXSCORE

54th minute: Krystyna Walczykiewicz assisted by Krasnodar Schildenfeld

YELLOW CARDS

21st minute: Sharon LaBonta
38th minute: Grzegorz Hajdukiewicz
38th minute: Player #6
78th minute: Player #3

RED CARDS

None

Still fighting

Krystyna Walczykiewicz's goal was her 2nd of the tournament and the 1st since matchday 1 against Equestria. Grzegorz Hajdukiewicz also has two goals, both against Springmont. Kieron Cockerill-Docherty (vs Equestria), Kévin Cauchon (vs Springmont) and Krasnodar Schildenfeld (vs Chromatika) also scored for the Reprezentacja Nordycki.

Terre Septentrionale is currently in 4th place behind Springmont, Oberour Ar Moro and Chromatika. While it seems hopeless, we're still fighting and we still have a chance. Terre Septentrionale absolutely have to win against Oberour Ar Moro AND Chromatika has to draw or lose versus Equestria. Equestria doesn't seem to be as good as they used to and we can't see Chromatika losing against them but mathematically it's still possible.

Karine Gingras,
La tribune Septentrionale

[Springmont]

New Government and Sports Sports Desk The Springmont 2020 General Election has been completed, the leadership and cabinet have been formed. Once again THE FREEDOM ALLIED was chosen as the winner by the people to govern for a term (two years). Despite experiencing a 1% -2% drop in votes to opponents, they still gained a 2/3 majority. They control 139 seats out of 240 parliamentary seats. The most significant decline in the ruling coalition was to the Union of City-States party, they lost nearly 13 seats compare to the 2018 elections. Among their top leaders who lost were Jeffry McOlin, Home Minister; Dr. Julia Herinworth, Deputy Minister of Health; Gerald McNeer, Deputy Minister of Education and Pam Tillerbugh, Deputy Minister of Finance. However, their party remains the main party because it won the most seats among the coalition of government parties. The Union of City-States won 49 seats, followed by the Brotherhood of Domains with 46 seats, an increase of 21 seats and a Parliamentary Collective with 44 seats, declining 10 seats from the last election. Therefore, the Head of the Union of City-States Party, Dr. Moises Tullar, MP was once again appointed President of Springmont for the term 2020-2022. Chairman of the Brotherhood Party of Domains, Dr. Isaac Coveburgh, MP was appointed Vice President, and former Vice President, General (ret.) Rubin Ilacqua, MP from the Parliamentary Collective Party was appointed Vice Speaker of Parliament for Chapter XXXII. Jeniffer Colbert, MP from the Union of City-States was re-appointed Speaker of Parliament for a second term. While the Chairman of the Perfect and Holy Military Alliance Party, Dr. Burton McGovern, MP appointed as new Leader of the Opposition. The former opposition main party, the Alliance of Shires, suffered a sharp drop in votes with them losing nearly 22 seats and including their leader, Dr. James Fairchurch who lost in Vigness City 6 to the Brotherhood of Domains Party candidate, Dr. Harland Pendergraft. Obviously, the people still have faith in the coalition of government parties to carry out their mission to develop the country and give economic abundance to the people. Although there is a slight decrease in terms of votes, but it is not significant and the opposition party leaders need to work harder to gain the trust of the people to vote for them. From a sports standpoint, positively, this coalition of ruling parties is very keen on sports development, it is evidenced by the resumption of national athletes participating in international sports tournaments, starting with the participation of tennis athletes in the NationStates Tennis Tour Clay Court season 6, then the under-18 football team at the Under 18 World Championship (SWC 11) at the Commonwealth of Baker Park. Springmont has also announced sending their athletes to compete in the XIV Olympiad / 14th Summer Olympics. Their senior team is preparing for the championship of the CMFA Malay Archipelago Cup 5, where another history will be created when Springmont and Havynwilde bid to co-host. Things that have never happened before. Springmont also managed to send some of their top football club competing in Third IFCF Game in a few categories, and will also send the best football clubs competing in the tournament CMFA Melayu League Championship soon. The country's three best field hockey clubs will compete in the Fortis Invitational Cup. and not to forget the Project Lion team currently playing in The Forty-Eighth In Bradini Cup / 69th Under-21 World Cup, where they are currently ranked first in Group C. MD5: VS. Quebec

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2020
Bees on the brink at DBC 48
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

Following the 3-2 defeat against Sarzonia at the White Fortress in Gladerial, the Commonwealth Under-21 national team are staring at a third consecutive group stage elimination at the Di Bradini Cup unless they can regain their scoring touch, and hope for some of the karmic energy that has come to the rescue of Baker Park sides in dire straights on previous occasions.

Manager Liam Sullivan wouldn't be drawn into a discussion about the perceived damage to the FAC's reputation if it fails to make the knockout stage, which they achieved 4 straight times previous to the last two appearances in Valanora.

"In the same way that we've never let success go to our head, we're not going to go into panic mode because of two close losses to sides that have exceptional talent. I had a chance to talk with Nathan (Hanifer, Sarzonia U21 manager) after the match, to share some thoughts on the other teams in the group, specific players, and to get a general idea of how they are ramping up their youth development. We never look at anything as a failure or a disappointment unless it's just a complete breakdown of teamwork, technique, motivation. As long as we are learning something, it's considered progress."

Yesterday's training session was concluded by a visit from NT star Annabeth Westmoreland, who plays in Valanora for Hondo FC; she gave the squad encouragement for the upcoming match, talked about her single DBC experience, and said that there was a strong feeling among the senior players that their group were going to be the next great generation of stars.

As the Group E table stands at the moment, BP need a victory over already eliminated Sylestone, while HUElavia must win against Kita-Hinode, creating a three-way logjam on 7 points, which would throw the second qualifying spot to tiebreaking, where the Bees hold the advantage at the moment.

Regardless of the outcome, the side will remain for an extra day for the traditional appreciation dinner for the AS Sharala supporters club, which has evolved from the locals feeding the players and traveling party to the FAC laying on a huge spread for the members of the club, the families of the players & staff, and the journalists. It's considered part of the Vanorian club's annual FAC revenue sharing payment, owing to their honorary membership in the organization, along with a "donation" to the club and a matching donation from the FAC to the VFA's charitable foundation.

[TJUN-ia]

By Peter Davis

Philip van Oosterend's Young Jags were in a critical position after their 1-1 draw with Tolopel. The team needs to win their final 2 games and hope other results go their way if they were to make it to the knockouts. That tenuous journey began at Aranfield Bridge in Everlin for a match against winless Nagore. The Sharks may have been bad thus far, but everyone knew that underestimation was not something you wanted to tempt.

It would be the Sharks who scored first, a nice little shot by an unnamed player to give them the lead in the 31st minute. Archer Andrews levelled the score in the 43rd but 1-1 was not the result TJUN-ia needed as they headed to half-time. The 2nd half would see many opportunities for the Jags to take the lead but to no avail. The Nagorean goalkeeper was certainly earning what he was worth to his homeland. But finally, in the 87th minute, the breakthrough. Substitute striker Malhrani al-Kalhrani managed to find the back of the net after an excellent ball from Prince Carter. That was what TJUN-ia needed and that was still the case when the final whistle went.

Tolopel lost their game, but Geektopia won. Therefore, the maths is simple: TJUN-ia needs to beat undefeated Darmen and hope that both Tolopel and the Geeks lose in order to make the round of 16. In this group, the 3 teams in The North Pacific must fight for their lives on the final day. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE
MD1: vs Geektopia - Duran Palace, Valanari (51,000) L 0-3
MD2: vs Vdara - Duran Palace, Valanari (51,000) W 3-1 (4th)
MD3: vs Tolopel - Raynor Memorial, Hondo (40,000) D 1-1 (4th)
MD4: vs Nagore - Aranfield Bridge, Everlin (52,000) W 2-1 (4th)
MD5: vs Darmen - Raynor Memorial, Hondo (40,000)

[Abanhfleft]

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

---

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with Graham O'Doherty

WE ARE NEVER EVER, EVER GOING TO WIN IN VALANORA

Hello guys, and welcome back to another edition of The Football Fallacies with me, your gay Irishman Graham O'Doherty. Title says it all, really. Need I add more? Valanora has been a terrible, terrible hunting ground for us in Abanhfleft when it comes to youth football. We never have any great luck out here. Decisions haven't always gone our way over here as well. You know exactly which decisions I'm talking about. DBC 43 truly was an unbelievable and unrepeatable fluke. That was truly us riding our minuscule luck all the way to the end. Sadly it was still not enough to see us through against Mapletish. I wouldn't be surprised if the SFA pulls out of the DBC once again and forfeits all of our qualifiers because of this. And this time I wouldn't blame them if they did. We keep getting disappointed time and time again here. And in a schedule where disappointment is almost always guaranteed to happen anytime and anywhere, cutting out one such sure source of said disappointment will not go amiss.

The way this current DBC is structured, Abanhfleft is way out of contention for a spot in the playoffs now. We have literally nothing else left to play for except for our pride. It's a shame that this is all that we have to fight for now, and sometimes even this isn't enough to motivate the lads (or in this case, the lasses) from going out in a blaze of glory and picking out one last win before heading back home. It's a very sad day when things simply refuse to work out in your favour, but sometimes the best thing to do when this happens is to cut our losses, thank everyone for their time, then disappear when no one is looking. Still sad that this is how it ended. Sad, mind. Not salty. No, I'm not salty at all. Not salty. No sirree. Not salty. XOXO from Graham....

█     ABANHFLEFT 2 - 5 SIOVANIJA & TEUSLAND
 KELLERMAN (44')       PEIPER (2')
VITAGLIANO (62')       DEZELAC (18', 69')
                       BOLTZMANN (25')
                       VON STROHEIM (82')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 46%
Siovanija & Teusland: 54%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 10 (4 on target)
Siovanija & Teusland: 19 (11 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 7
Siovanija & Teusland: 14
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 26
Siovanija & Teusland: 13