Baptism of Fire 73 - Everything Thread

by **Tioguldos** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 2:15 pm

Sunday, August 17, 10AR/Sports/Fuorue fa Tioguldós/1

FUORUE FA TIOGULDÓS
Tioguldós Newspaper
Translated to English

BAPTISM OF FIRE 73
The national team leads group F

OMNOFO CELEBRATES THE GOAL THAT MARKED THE 2-1 AGAINST SE VENDE SKOOMA

The debut of the Red Army in international competitions is giving us a pleasant surprise. The team has won the four matches it played and is first in its group, being the team that scored the most goals with a total of 13.

On matchday 4 of Baptism of Fire 73 the Red Army won a 3-1 victory over the Se Vende Skooma Potato Cannoneers. The ultra-offensive scheme proposed by the team of managers of Se Vende Skooma allowed Gupder Mebal's team to force counterattack plays that undermined defenses and demonstrated strategic superiority.

The energy at Z'ai'ai Field during the game was incredible. A wonderful afternoon dazzled the fans who attended the game in which the classification of Tioguldós to the round of sixteen was defined. The distant reflection of the sun on the sea seen from the towering heights of the Mountain District will be a memory that the Tiog will carry with them for the rest of their lives. However, the temperature and the low pressures at such an altitude once again affected the team, which ended up exhausted after giving its last breath to claim victory.

Se Vende Skooma surprised the Red Army early in the game, when a personal play by Potato Cannoneers' small forward Harrison Buttafuoco dribbled past Oches and Lomifal and finished with precision at the far post. Boal reached to deflect it with the tips of his fingers, but the ball slipped in. Quickly, Mebal and his coaching staff demanded the team to focus on their strategy. Pass to pass, Tioguldós drawed pressure to their side of the field. As soon as he saw an opportunity, Perda Raom threw a long cross ball into an empty space behind the front middle enforcer. Jarsosfe Mongard took the ball, faked a shot that disoriented Plowshares and handed it to Oroso, who placed it between the three posts.

MATCH STATISTICS
Group F - Matchday 4
Se Vende Skooma vs Tioguldós

For a few minutes, the first half remained stagnant. Both teams were moving the ball and trying to create plays without success. A physical effort by Gomospar caused him to suffer from his injury from the match against Quebecois Acadiana, in this same stadium. He was escorted off the field and replaced by Refruke Lóroda, who had played the last two matches in his place. The prognosis is unfavorable and he will probably not be available until the final, assuming the Red Army reached that point.

With the start of the second half, the Red Army changed its scene. From the first minute that a more awake team was seen, seeking to break the tie. On a corner kick, a ball into the box rebounded a couple of times until it found Omnofo, who was attentive and finished tightly to the side of the goalkeeper. Nearing thirty minutes, a long-distance shot from Nese Niforro, a renowned kicker who took advantage of the low pressure at Z'ai'ai in the game against Quebecois Acadiana, was sublimely covered by Plowshares. However, the final 3-1 would come at 38 minutes thanks to Omnofo, who again beat the enforcers in a counterattack and chipped the ball over the constable.

With this victory, the Tioguldós national team has secured their participation in the round of sixteen. Now they must face Megistos, who also won all four of their matches and will play for first place in group F. A high-scoring match is expected as Megistos is known to be preparing an ultra-offensive strategy to face the Red Army. Gúpder Mebal made it clear that they are going to stick with the strategy they have used so far, and that they plan to win to secure first place. Whatever the outcome, the fans will be there to support them, and the entire nation will be proud to be represented by this team.

Hasta la victoria, siempre ¡Venceremos!

by **Graintfjall** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 2:39 pm

Excerpt from The Fußball Show with Jessika Jünkindietrünk.

Despite the late hour The Fußball Show records excellent ratings, presumably because of its quality graphics and attention to detail

your

by **Netop** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 2:58 pm

Netop sit in second of Group E

Heading into their final match of the group stage, The Netop Friends have won three in a row after their loss to The Gothanita Isles. In our last match we took on Mathuvan Union who were third in the group and tied with us on 6 points heading into the match. We managed to get a 2-0 win and while it's nothing like our 6-0 thrashing of TOTEL it's still a very good result.

I've been impressed by the play of Teddy Riggs, Zoe Kinney, and Lyla Wormald. I thought that our top 3 would be a weakness but since our opening match but we have been finding the back of the net with relative ease. Also since our opening match, Johnny Howells has let in one goal in three matches and that came against Rangers FC. Now he has been aided by the defense playing especially well as Heather Burrows has really rebounded from her very poor opening match.

Now the three biggest question marks heading into the tournament in terms of should they start or no were Zoe Kinney, Wanda McNeil and Beau Hendricks. Kinney has played pretty well scoring twice (both against TOTEL) and assisting one other goal against Rangers which proved to be the crucial second goal to get us the three points in that game. Beau Hendricks has played less well but he has not been a liability and has been a lot better than many people thought he was going to be. I cannot say the same for Wanda McNeil as she has been completely uninvolved in almost every attack and seems to not know where to go ever and she's always out of position.

It appears that Joey House agrees with me as he has made the announcement that he will be benching McNeil before the crucial match against Southern Palm Islands in favor of Tiana Mitchell and we will see how that goes.

Speaking of Southern Palm Islands, this will be an all important match for our group.

Group E                                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Gothanita Isles                      4   3  1  0    8   3  +5   10
2 Netop                                    4   3  0  1   10   3  +7    9
3 Southern Palm Islands                    4   2  1  1    5   5   0    7
4 Mathuvan Union                           4   2  0  2    4   3  +1    6
5 Rangers FC                               4   0  2  2    4   6  −2    2
6 TOTEL                                    4   0  0  4    1  12 −11    0

As you can see we have not yet clinched a top two spot in the group and could even fall all the way down to 4th but that's unlikely. We just need to pick up a point against SPI although a win would be beneficial if we were trying to get the top spot in the group. If we lose, SPI takes over second or first while we would have to be one of the top four third place teams. 4th is a possibility but Mathuvan Union would have to beat The Gothanita Isles and overcome a -6 GD gap to us (effectively -7 as we have the H2H tiebreaker). As you can see we wouldn't need to go through all of that hassle if we just won or drew against Southern Palm Islands.

This team has really rebounded after a loss to The Gothanita Isles and I think they have what it takes to make a run in the knockout stages and do what their hated rivals Kohnhead couldn't and that's make it past the round of 16.

by **The Overseas Territories of Sylestone** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 3:05 pm

OTS have officially qualified for the BoF 73 Round of 16 with a dominating 5-2 victory over The Holy Junta. This puts them equal on points with Southwest Eastnorth, of which they will face today in a highly anticipated game. A victory would be very useful here and pit them against one of the third-place teams. but a loss wouldn’t be so good. A draw would keep them in second place.

OTS scores an early goal in the seventh minute when the Table Tennis Bat smacked the ball after being passed it by the Tennis Racquet. He smacked it into the post and it rebounded past the goal line. The Holy Junta equalised 10 minutes later when a defender broke through the defence past the Lacrosse Net. Then OTS went up again when the Soccer Ball was fouled in the penalty area and the Cricket Bat slotted it in. But once again, Holy Junta equalised with a great kick that was too hard and fast for the Soccer Goal 3 minutes later. At 2-2, the game looked relatively even, but that was all about to change.

It seemed that the Holy Junta side were just worn out when they walked back onto the field. They kept the relentless OTS attack at bay for 25 minutes, but they were just worn out and their substitutes were no good. The Tennis Racquet slammed a shot in in the 73rd and the Soccer Ball deflected a wayward one in in the 78th. They were 4-2 up and it still wasn’t enough. The defence was so tired a big gap was left in the middle of the defence and the Lacrosse Net sauntered straight into it. When he chipped it over the keepers head in the 89th minute, OTS were 5-2 up and that was how it stayed. The game against Southwest Eastnorth is highly anticipated, but the pundits are predicting an anticlimactic 0-0 draw. Join us later today to find out whether they were true.

OVERSEAS TERRITORIES OF SYLESTONE - 5
Table Tennis Bat 7’
Cricket Bat 32’
Tennis Racquet 73’
Soccer Ball 78’
Lacrosse Net 89’

THE HOLY JUNTA - 2
Holy Junta Forward 1 17’
Holy Junta Defender 4 35’

by **Praeceptia** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:14 pm

Fun DanceALot Newswire

BREAKING NEWS!

The Tickler
• Methadone clinic closes, Alligator out on the street
• Ducks part of larger conspiracy?
• A glass of wine a day keeps the pack of mice away!

Politics

• Top hats death toll rises
• Ossumastu one large corruption scandal
• How to protest without protesting 101

Sports

• Haud Dubie rallies for biting to be made legal in LFC
• Should chimpanzee goals count as 2?
• The 4 things Vastata Amet does to improve his game

Praeceptia locked in for the top three!

"We were the better team 80% of the time 100% of the time," Coach Amet had to say on Praeceptia's 5-3 win over Pripet Socialist Republic. Novus scored yet another hat trick, Vastata Amet finally got on the score sheet, and Mumu saved two penalties to keep us ahead. The resounding game was met with polite applause from the ever-tame Praeceptian crowd, despite even the rocket of a long shot from Shijo Saiko slotting in the top corner. Coach Amet told Shijo that he was "amazing," and "never better." The young midfielder had only this to say, albeit quite loudly and while a random gust of wind spun his hair all about, "And this isn't even my final form!" That about sums up our hopes for the Praeceptian side. They played well today, but can they keep the lead and move onto the knockout stage? A confident Muta "Mumu" Fortis answered this question with a resounding "EeeeeoooOOOooOOooooOO!"

During the game, our Praeceptians were sure to feel inspired by the politeful crowd chants of our nation's most famous songs, such as

,

, and even

. Truly inspiring tunes for our heroes to go forth and conquer! This is of course only the traveling fan group known as the 'Chimps.' All of our other fans will have to watch in our newly constructed Stadius ex Heroibus, the Stadium of Heroes, a 100,000 seater stadium with endless outside entertainment. The screens in that place are as big as a house!

Haud Dubie was left with tears at the end of the game. "This crowd... it's just so patriotic!" He could hardly hold back the praise for the traveling fans. The three times Golden Praeceptian winner held a gathering of the fans and provided them with one of his famous five-hour-long speeches about the greatness of Praeceptia and all of its glory. It really is too bad we weren't there to see it...

After the match, the Minister for Following-Up teleconferenced in and gave a fiery thumbs up. No, literally, his office was on fire! He battled through the flames to ensure he would give the team a positive report. Coach Amet will have great relief- at least until the next match. The rumors were that he was on the chopping block if he did not win against Pripet Socialist Republic. Coach Amet must be feeling confident for his next match after he left us with this stirring quote, "They can rub yourself against you, they can think about you, but they can never take away your alcoholism."

by **Tikariot** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 5:33 pm

Alistair McIntosh: Four out of fives games of the group stage at the Baptism of Fire tournaments are behind us and both Tikariot and Græntfjall have qualified for the knockout stages already. They have been pretty much running in sync, even drawing against each other, so the final match day will still serve one purpose:[/b] Who will win the group? Now yesterday's game against Eurasies ended 3-1 for Tikariot and instead of going through the game play by play, let's have a look instead on how our team has been playing so far.

Martin Seagrave: I personally am very happy with how our team has presented itself so far, especially with so many changes compared to the IFC, but it just gets to show that these young guys really were ready for the big leagues, so to say, because they definitely have been impressive so far. This is also to big parts thanks to Stuart Ekstrom. He's been tremendous as the coach here and he just has the right touch to bring out the best out of the players as the best for the team. He has shown that he can take the best traits of the players and really create a tactical skeleton that matches their abilities.

McIntosh: Many people had viewed bringing Jenson McTierney on as first team player was a risky move given that he still is prone to some easy mistakes and giveaways.

Seagrave: Yeah, this one in particular comes down to risk management. There are some risks involved with him trying too much and losing the ball or surprising even the team mates, but that's exactly why he is on the field and what makes him so valuable. He just does things that nobody else would even think about and it's this extreme unpredictability that can break open a game and I think that this outweighs the risks. You can gain experience and work on making less mistakes, but this instinct, you can't learn that and I think that we will have a lot of fun with him for years to come!

McIntosh: So who are the outstanding players so far in your opinion, Duncan?

Duncan Haldane: NcNair, Connolly, Nighthorse. Rory McNair is like the quarterback for the team, but at the same time so much more. You know that if someone comes his way with the ball that they will think twice to actually try or rather play a pass, because he has this physicality, this doggedness that has quite a few opposing players scared to face him. And the best thing is that despite being so aggressive and physical, he does not get booked often, which really shows his value for the team. But as much of a destroyer as he is, he also can direct the game and play that deadly pass or cross to whoever is free. I know that his team is having a horrible season right now and I have heard rumours that a few other teams might be interested in signing him, which would be a huge loss for Parakleion, but we're only halfway through the season, so a lot of things can still happen.

McIntosh: You mentioned Jardel Connolly, who is having an absolutely outstanding season for Port Rhovanyon so far, 18 goals in 23 games, and he's also scoring right away for the national team now, is he THE Tikariotian striker right now?

Haldane: Overall yes. His shots at goal are through the roof and technically his conversion rate is anything but great, but that's because he just takes the risk to shoot, no matter how odd the angle may seem.

McIntosh: Some people have accused him of selfishness because of that.

Haldane: Yes and in a way it is selfish to try on his own, but as long as he scores so much the critics don't really have much weight to pull around, because his success is proving him right. Once he hits a drought, then it might be a completely different story, but right now he is just too good. Plus it is not as if all the shots that don't go in are wasted either, often there are deflections that other players then can jump on and score from there, so it's not a complete waste.

McIntosh: The third player you had on your list is Morris Nighthorse and this young guy has been in tremendous form so far, both in the league and also here, is he a flash in the pan or do you think he will be able to sustain this meteoric rise?

Haldane: At his age you obviously never know where things will eventually go, but he has this raw talent and this incredible speed that he utilizes extremely well to get past defenders and he actually is one of those players that benefit from loose balls after a Connolly shot, because he can just get to these balls faster than most others.

McIntosh: Some people have singled out the centre forward position as an area of concern, Graydon Sheffield was replaced by Jesse Liljestrand after the first game, but beyond one goal in game two, Jesse has not managed to score either. Is that a problem?

Seagrave: If you strictly look at the numbers, yes. But if you look on the field, then you will see that Jesse is one of the hardest working players and just with his size and bulk he's able to generate holes, to draw defenders on him, to lay off the long balls to either side, so even though he has not scored much and even in the TPL has hit a road block, he is working so much for the team and that is something that you can't just put down into numbers. Maybe if you look how many challenges he has won, that might be the best metric right now.

Haldane: It says here that he has won 79% of all challenges.

Seagrave: That's exactly what I'm talking about. This can be so important in a game, especially if you have two prolific goal scorers on both wings.

McIntosh: So will the same team take the pitch again tonight against Kencana?

Seagrave: From what I've heard no and I think that's a good thing. Sure, we're already qualified, but we still want to win the group, also to get ranking points for hopefully a better position for the World Cup qualifier draw, and some of the other players are burning to show what they can do. It will also give some a bit of a break, because this one game every day schedule is pretty grueling plus with yellow cards being reset for the knock-out stage it'll be good not to risk someone getting a suspension.

McIntosh: Correct. I have just received the projected starting line-up and it shows Merson in goal, then Grimes, Buckley, Coronello and Abidor in defense, McNair, Thorniley and Cumbernauld in midfield and on the front lines Aspinall, Tomlinson and Baxter. Is it a risk to change six players?

Haldane: I don't think so. Each and every one of those players has the talent to play on the level of competition the Baptism of Fire requires and they've been together as a group in training for a while now, so I really don't think that we have to worry about cohesion either. I'm convinced that the lads will be able to put on a good game regardless.

McIntosh: Alright gentlemen, thank you for your insight as usual, for you at home, our coverage of our last group game against Kencana will start half an hour before kick-off, so make sure to tune in to get all the latest news around the game and the team.

by **Pemecutan** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 7:17 pm

Tuesday, 18 August, 2020 (Anggara Umanis Wuku Wariga, Pawukon 1780)
Third Place, Is it Enough?

Depri Lanar, Chromatika - Pemecutan senior team headed back to Depri Lanar for their fourth match day of 73rd Baptism of Fire. At there, Unimon is the team that they are playing against. Although coming with a high spirit and intention to grab 3 points, but the result is far from what they are expected. Leading 1-0 in the halfway of first half by a goal from Pandu Oka Jaya, they have to satisfied with a draw result after last minute goal by Unimon. The result surely gives a huge impact for Pemecutan players. Currently, they are only able to win one match throughout the competition and that is against Fluvannia. The rest are 1 loss against Squidroidia and 2 draws against Woryand and Unimon. Their position is stuck in the third place of Group D with 4 points gap against the second place, Glazgo. And with one match to go, there is a possibility that they ended up in the third or fourth place.

The question is, does being Third Place is secure enough to advance further? With 16 places in the current BoF edition, 4 of them will be given to the best third place finisher based on the group setting. With the current result, Savigliane, Southern Palm Islands, Liberal Democratic Socialist States and Wymondham that are likely to advance. And the fact that Pemecutan will be playing against Glazgo in the last match is quite hard for them to get a better result. As we all can see, Glazgo have won all of their group matches so far and only losing to Squidroidia, the Group leader. But maybe, just maybe fortune shine upon Pemecutan for their last match. The ball is round after all. Anything can happen. But even though they can't secure enough points to advance, at least they have given their best efforts and marking a memorable competition for all to remember.

For the last group match, Pemecutanian squads have to move to a new place, Knetyohai. Even though it is one of three venues for Group D matches but they will only playing there for this last match. The match is predicted to drawn so many viewers as it will determine Pemecutan position on the Group and in the competition.

by **Southwest Eastnorth** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 7:50 pm

Southwest Eastnorth closing in on BoF Greatness
excerpt from http://www.swensport.swe/football/BoF72.htm

VALLADARES - The Appetizer before the main course? A preview of dessert? A 3-1 win over Staypufftonia? All above are correct. A 3-1 victory over the middling Staypufftonian National Team sees a showdown for pride and #1finisher of croup C. Southwest Eastnorth again looked cool calm and collected with this victory. The team has seen a lot of morale skyrocket and it's finally arrived at it's peak. Up next is the showdown versus the Sylestone Overseas Territories. We have faced the mainland team before playing young Sylestone's team, and it is expected they will face a team of ordinary utensils. Chris Houton once again acted as the team leader, Houton has scored multiple goals in each game and now finally got the Hat Trick he so deserved. Houton scored all three goals for the Frontiersmen/Pioneers. Houton looks in great form and he had a lot to say about this game.

I love the performence we had today, the team was just fluid in their performance and it showed, with Sylestone coming up I think we got a good shot at the victory!

The Frontiersmen/Pioneers are in front of Sylestone OT by one GA with both teams scoring 13 goals in 4 games a piece, the difference being the 5 goals SOT gave up compared to the 4 SWEN gave up

SOUTHWEST EASTNORTH 3
Houton 11' 45' 70'

Staypufttonia - 1
Pedro 19'

by **The Gothanita Isles** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:00 pm

Previous RP

RP Series: Getting to the top
Chapter 1: Aiming to be the very best
Part 4: Playing it dirty

The streak of wins just ended against a Rangers FC side looking to get a big result. After the opening day draw against Southern Palm Islands, their team didn't collect a single point, and they now require a win against our Yellow Lions in order to stand any chance. So it was naturally expected for them to bring forth some resistance and put forth a good results in order to ensure their survival in competition.
When the Gothanitan players saw how determined the opposition was, as they brute-forced their way to a goal in the 26th minute after bringing almost their entire squad forward, the players panicked. The opponents were playing like those tough guys on the street, brutally attacking and sieging the Isles' defence. The ball was literally passed from player to player, up and forward, as our midfield rushed to get hold of the ball by helping the defence, but the opposition overwhelmed the midfield and defence by bringing in more players, before star striker Freud Morelikis scores for Rangers FC. 0-1.
So it became a match against a tough guy. A tough guy who decides to just brute force on things and do anything they want in order to ensure goals go in. Even in the case where their formation technically gets hard countered by ours, they played like nothing was disadvantaged to them and smoothly transitioned between a 4-3-3 and a mini 4-2-3-1. An advice which the players have learnt from the first match against Poafmersia was the need to play dirty to get there. If the opponents play dirty and you can't beat them, you join that. With the captain and the managers silently agreeing to the plan, the dirty game really begun. The players raked in fouls and cards, but nothing really matters - all it matters was being able to not lose. Get a win and the players would be happy, get a draw and the players might say "okay fine, let us move on". The incessant counterattacks payed off in the 44th minute, when the Isles got a free-kick, taken by London, and the ball found the head off Stenger. 1-1.
Still, the intensity for the match only went up. A total of 8 yellow cards were given out for the first half, but surprisingly, no reds. Rangers FC committed 12 fouls to the Isles' 18, showing how determined both sides was in trying to win. And clearly the number of fouls leads to really nonsensical numbers of set-pieces, and the Isles gave away 1 penalty too many to allow Morelikis to score in the 81st minute. 1-2.
The panic starts to set in. The Isles didn't want to start losing here, as that might mean that the hard work of the first 3 matchdays are all wiped out in just minutes. A loss here would surely allow Southern Palm Islands, Netop, Rangers FC or Mathuvan Union to catch-up, and the players were having none of it. So the players went all out. Rangers FC started to take control of the match, but the Isles were determined to ensure that the so-called control was a superficial thing and the control was actually in the Yellow Lions' hands. Even Margaret seems to agree, considering how the Isles was rewarded for that strategy as Flora Helanderikis slipped in the 96th minute to allow Kartal to run away with the ball and net in the equaliser. 2-2.
The final whistle blew shortly after. It was a slug fest, but the players were determined to win it dirty. The opponents may have put up a really tough fight, but all of a sudden from the graceful lions they showed against Netop and Southern Palm Islands, they have turned into the bad and tough lions as they grind out points against TOTEL and Rangers FC. They were rewarded when Southern Palm Islands won Mathuvan Union, ensuring that the Isles would secure a place in the Round of 16 with 1 game to spare.
The next match would be the final check before the knockout stages begin. The Isles has shown such fluidity in character that has even surprised many Gothanitan fans who followed the team here to Chromatika. Maybe this is the character of a winner, of a side willing to do anything to take the points, willing to be that bad guy that would make opponents gain false impressions about their performance, while ensuring that they produce the final shocks in the match to make the opposition fans sad that their team lost the match. Maybe they are a bad Lion Queen.

by **Valladares** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:23 pm

10 teams have already secured their ticket to the next round of the competition. Will your team join them as well? Cut-off for the last day of the group stage in Groups A-C!

Baptism of Fire 73
Matchday 5 - Valladar Section

Group A
Praeceptia 3–4 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles
Lovisa 0–1 Pripet Socialist Republic
Iles Rogieres 1–3 Savigliane

Group A                                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Savigliane                             5   3  2  0    7   2  +5   11
2 Iles Rogieres                          5   3  1  1   18  12  +6   10
3 Praeceptia                             5   2  2  1   17  12  +5    8
4 Pripet Socialist Republic              5   2  1  2    7   9  −2    7
5 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles            5   2  0  3    8  12  −4    6
6 Lovisa                                 5   0  0  5    6  16 −10    0

Group B
Eurasies 1–2 Graintfjall
Kencana 0–3 Tikariot
Free Republic of Hong Kong 1–1 Wymondham

Group B                                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tikariot                               5   4  1  0   14   3 +11   13
2 Graintfjall                            5   4  1  0   11   3  +8   13
3 Wymondham                              5   2  1  2    3   5  −2    7
4 Eurasies                               5   1  1  3    3   6  −3    4
5 Kencana                                5   1  0  4    5   9  −4    3
6 Free Republic of Hong Kong             5   0  2  3    4  14 −10    2

Group C
Overseas Territories of Sylestone 4–3 Southwest Eastnorth
Hwiccemark 3–0 The holy junta
Staypuftonia 0–3 Ihilthracna

Group C                                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Overseas Territories of Sylestone      5   4  1  0   17   8  +9   13
2 Southwest Eastnorth                    5   3  1  1   16   8  +8   10
3 Hwiccemark                             5   2  0  3    6  11  −5    6
4 The holy junta                         5   2  0  3    6  12  −6    6
5 Ihilthracna                            5   1  1  3    5   5   0    4
6 Staypuftonia                           5   1  1  3    5  11  −6    4

Teams in green advanced to the round of 16.
Teams in blue finished in third place of their group and may still advance to the round of 16.

by **Chromatika** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:31 pm

It is time to see which teams are in through to knockouts!

Baptism of Fire 73
Matchday 5 - Chromatik Section

Group D
Woryand 3–3 Squidroidia
Unimon 4–1 Fluvannia
Glazgo 2–2 Pemecutan

Group D                                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Squidroidia                              5   4  1  0   19   9 +10   13
2 Glazgo                                   5   3  1  1   17  12  +5   10
3 Pemecutan                                5   1  3  1    8   8   0    6
4 Unimon                                   5   1  2  2    8   9  −1    5
5 Woryand                                  5   0  4  1    8  10  −2    4
6 Fluvannia                                5   0  1  4    6  18 −12    1

Group E
Netop 3–0 Southern Palm Islands
The Gothanita Isles 7–1 Mathuvan Union
TOTEL 0–3 Rangers FC

Group E                                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Gothanita Isles                      5   4  1  0   15   4 +11   13
2 Netop                                    5   4  0  1   13   3 +10   12
3 Southern Palm Islands                    5   2  1  2    5   8  −3    7
4 Mathuvan Union                           5   2  0  3    5  10  −5    6
5 Rangers FC                               5   1  2  2    7   6  +1    5
6 TOTEL                                    5   0  0  5    1  15 −14    0

Group F
Tioguldos 3–1 Megistos
Quebecois Acadiana 6–3 Se Vende Skooma
Liberal Democratic Socialist States 3–1 NorraLesse

Group F                                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tioguldos                                5   5  0  0   16   6 +10   15
2 Megistos                                 5   4  0  1   11   5  +6   12
3 Liberal Democratic Socialist States      5   3  0  2   13  12  +1    9
4 Quebecois Acadiana                       5   1  1  3   10  13  −3    4
5 Se Vende Skooma                          5   1  0  4    8  15  −7    3
6 NorraLesse                               5   0  1  4    3  10  −7    1

Teams in green advanced to the round of 16.
Teams in blue finished in third place of their group and may still advance to the round of 16.

3rd Placed Teams                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
F Liberal Democratic Socialist States      5   3  0  2   13  12  +1    9 Qualified to Round of 16
A Praeceptia                               5   2  2  1   17  12  +5    8 Qualified to Round of 16
B Wymondham                                5   2  1  2    3   5  −2    7 Qualified to Round of 16
E Southern Palm Islands                    5   2  1  2    5   8  −3    7 Qualified to Round of 16
------------------------------------------------------------------------
D Pemecutan                                5   1  3  1    8   8   0    6
C Hwiccemark                               5   2  0  3    6  11  −5    6

Playoff Seeding                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
01 Tioguldos (F1)                           5   5  0  0   16   6 +10   15
02 Tikariot (B1)                            5   4  1  0   14   3 +11   13* Tikariot ahead of The Gothanita Isles via Coin Flip
03 The Gothanita Isles (E1)                 5   4  1  0   15   4 +11   13
04 Squidroidia (D1)                         5   4  1  0   19   9 +10   13
05 Overseas Territories of Sylestone (C1)   5   4  1  0   17   8  +9   13
06 Savigliane (A1)                          5   3  2  0    7   2  +5   11
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
07 Graintfjall (B2)                         5   4  1  0   11   3  +8   13
08 Netop (E2)                               5   4  0  1   13   3 +10   12
09 Megistos (F2)                            5   4  0  1   11   5  +6   12
10 Southwest Eastnorth (C2)                 5   3  1  1   16   8  +8   10
11 Iles Rogieres (A2)                       5   3  1  1   18  12  +6   10
12 Glazgo (D2)                              5   3  1  1   17  12  +5   10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Liberal Democratic Socialist States (F3) 5   3  0  2   13  12  +1    9 
14 Praeceptia (A3)                          5   2  2  1   17  12  +5    8 
15 Wymondham (B3)                           5   2  1  2    3   5  −2    7 
16 Southern Palm Islands (E3)               5   2  1  2    5   8  −3    7

Baptism of Fire 73
Round of Sixteen - Valladar Section

₁Tioguldos vs. ₁₅Wymondham*
Estadio Camilo Mazuera López, Junín (Cap. 21,200)

₈Netop vs. ₉Megistos
Estadio 8 de Octubre, Lierravus (Cap. 26,104)

₄Squidroidia vs. ₁₃Liberal Democratic Socialist States
Estadio Tricentenario, Valencia (Cap. 30,150)

₅Overseas Territories of Sylestone vs. ₁₁Iles Rogieres**
Westlands Stadium, Hoxford (Cap. 17,000)

Baptism of Fire 73
Round of Sixteen - Chromatik Section

₃The Gothanita Isles vs. ₁₄Praeceptia
United Center, Urrheddiao (Cap. 120,000; 28,000 Seats)

₆Savigliane vs. ₁₂Glazgo**
The Tidal Wave (Cap. 95,210; 25,000 Seats)

₂Tikariot vs. ₁₆Southern Palm Islands*
The Jungle, Eyrods (Cap. 74,590; 26,000 Seats)

₇Graintfjall vs. ₁₀Southwest Eastnorth
island Dome, Myana (Cap. 133,000; 35,000 Seats)

* - Wymondham and Southern Palm Islands swapped to avoid group-stage rematch between Tikariot and Wymondham
** - Iles Rogieres and Glazgo swapped to avoid group-stage rematch between Savigilane and Iles Rogieres

RP Prompt for Round of Sixteen:
RP Prompts are here to suggest a topic to write about. Writing about the prompt won't give you any additional points, but if you're ever stuck, feel free to give these a whirl!

Round of 16 - Check-In
Is your team satisfied with its seeding and how it fared in the Group Stage? Are the fans/media back home happy? If not, where do you think you deserved to end up? What's been working for you? Offense, defense, a special star, pressure play... Take a moment to reflect back before looking ahead. How far is your team looking to go?

REMINDER: THERE IS NO SCORING TOMORROW - IT'S A BYE DAY.

by **Savigliane** » Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:00 pm

SWANS CRUISE TO TOP OF GROUP AT BAPTISM OF FIRE
Leonardo DuBois, The Villeneuve Daily

"VALLADARES", "RUSHMORE" -- While nobody knew what to expect of our national team in their debut tournament, Savigliane have effortlessly topped their group at the seventy-third Baptism of Fire, winning thrice, drawing twice, and conceding the joint-fewest goals in the entire tournament. While what information we've been able to ascertain from our new dimension indicates that the BoF is hardly the most prestigious of international tournaments, Saviglianos have at least had something to cheer for in what has been easily the worst month in our nation's history.

MD1: Savigliane 2–0 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles
The opening match of the Baptism of Fire was an emotional one for both the players and the nation as a whole. Setting foot on a strange new pitch for their dimensional debut, Savigliane did not disappoint, easily dispatching the visitors from Pluvia and the Saxean Isles (who are apparently from Atlantian Oceania, the same region Savigliane is now situated in) by a score of two goals to nil.

Savigliane were distinctly better in the first half, but very nearly came away with nothing to show for it. Pluvia and the Saxean Isles held firm for most of the first half, although Savigliane had the lion's share of possession and shots on target, but it wasn't until a thirty-fifth minute curled strike from Gabriel Lefebvre when they finally found the back of the net. After Lefebvre's goal, Savigliane were content to sit on the ball, with the three-man back line taking care of things whenever the ball was lost. Thea Squarciafichi, in for the tiring Grimaldi, was able to secure the victory by heading in a Bertrand Marchetti corner late, and an emotional Savigliane came away with three points in their first game.

MD2: Savigliane 1–1 Pripet Socialist Republic
Pripet Socialist Republic, however, proved a harder nut to crack. Isabella Coste's thirteenth-minute goal seemingly came out of nowhere, as the PSR had been resolute and unyielding in their defense for the previous twelve minutes, but Lefebvre had threaded the needle perfectly for a cutting Coste to curl home from a tight angle. Savigliane continued to threaten for the rest of the half, while PSR aimed to sit back and wait to hit on the counter. However, the start of the second half saw a change in dynamic, especially after Efisio Moreau was sent off for a rather harsh second yellow. Despite the introduction of Sebastian Petit for a struggling Augustin Dirac, PSR were able to exploit a relative weakness in the midfield - as well as the lack of Moreau - to push forward more aggressively, culminating in a long-range strike from Lubomir finding its way into the net. Savigliane remained the more adventurous of the two teams, even after Moreau's sending-off, but without Grimaldi simply lacked the personnel to find a second goal.

MD3: Praeceptia 0–0 Savigliane

Arguably the most exciting fixture of Savigliane's group stage was also somehow the only one that ended without a goal. Despite twenty-seven (!??!?) shots on target from Praeceptia's hyper-attacking 2-4-4 formation, Savigliane held firm, and managed to create more than a few chances of their own. Savigliane struggled to come into the game, as Praeceptia began attacking aggressively from the start, testing Laurent Chambéry's defense heavily. Only a heroic performance from Camillo Notari, who twice tipped surefire goals from Novus over the crossbar, kept Savigliane in the game.

When Savigliane managed to adjust to the 2-4-4, they pushed forward with a vengeance, the Crazy Face of Tzóouns and the bulk of Grandis doing little to stop the Swans from having their way with the Praeceptian defense. With Curagendarius Amet confusingly opting to use his only competent defender to mark Francesco Grimaldi, the burden of unlocking the defense fell to Isabella Coste and Gabriel Lefebvre. When Lefebvre's lack of athleticism proved costly in counterattacking past the 2-4-4, Michael Durand was substituted in, and linked up brilliantly with Coste to create a plethora of chances that Praeceptia's chimpanzee goalkeeper barely managed to keep out.

In the end, a game that could've easily ended 6-5 ended 0-0. Apparently this is normal by our new dimension's standards, which continue to elude me.

MD4: Savigliane 1–0 Lovisa
After consecutive draws in very winnable games, Laurent Chambéry knew he needed a win against Lovisa to get back on track. As such, Chambéry switched to a back four against group bottom-feeders Lovisa (who, despite entering the newcomers' tournament, appear to have previously competed - with moderate success - in WCC-sanctioned competition), deploying Pietro Giraudo as Amara Vatrican's third midfield partner in four matches, and introducing young, energetic Adrian Toscani as a #8. Yet despite Lovisa's poor performances up to that point of the BoF, they managed to hold firm against Savigliane's endless attempts to break through. With Francesco Grimaldi uncharacteristically poor, and Coste and Durand both missing free headers in the first half, Savigliane entered the second half with seven shots on target but zero goals.

The introduction of young Thea Squarciafichi, as well as Sebastian Petit's entrance moving Giraudo back to the defense, is ultimately what revitalized a stagnating Savigliano attack, with Squarciafichi's athleticism offering a greater threat in the box, thus opening up more space for the incisive dribbling of Coste and Durand. Just ten minutes after the EDC Fossano phenom entered the match, Amara Vatrican played a beautiful through-ball for Isabella Coste, who cut outside to the left before whipping a cross into the box. Although she was helped by the two defenders surrounding her missing the cross, Squarciafichi showed great poise in letting the ball run through to a wide-open Michael Durand, who coolly slotted the winner past Lovisa's keeper. Deeming one goal to be enough against a largely toothless Lovisan attack, Chambéry brought in Rémy LeClerc and shut the game down, finishing with a solid 1-0 victory.

MD5: Iles Rogieres 1–3 Savigliane

Still, if Savigliane wanted to guarantee a playoffs berth, they would have to defeat the high-flying Iles Rogieres, owners of the Baptism of Fire's best goalscoring record. After the relative drudgery of MD2-4, which saw a combined three goals by Savigliane and their opponents, Saviglianos tuned in again to watch a must-win clash of group titans.

Laurent Chambéry's choice to play a somewhat outdated 4-2-4 was widely panned by the media, but was quickly vindicated by Iles Rogieres' decision to keep their W-M shape. Iles Rogieres opened energetically, but Savigliane were undoubtedly the more composed side of the first fifteen minutes, and their fluidity and propensity for playing the ball out from the back seemed to take Iles Rogieres by surprise. As such, it was hardly against the run of play when Pietro Giraudo carried the ball into midfield, setting up Amara Vatrican for one of her characteristic driving runs into the box. The formerly foreign-based midfielder then picked out a cutting Giovanna Vitale, whose beautiful first-touch shot sailed past Ducreux's outstretched arms.

To their credit, the Swans' opponents refused to give in, and responded to the goal by working even harder than before. Savigliane, dominant in the first quarter of the match, found themselves pushed back by the pace of Laurent, the physicality of Martesse, and the skill of Bénétraz. It was the latter that sparked the equalizer, just seconds before the end of the first half. After winning the ball back from an overworked Sebastian Petit, Jean-Jacques Demartin picked out Bénétraz, who dropped back into space to receive the ball. The Racing Club Azertien star turned Efisio Moreau, in his first match back from a two-game suspension, inside-out before dribbling into the box and picking out Martesse for a tap-in.

Laurent Chambéry opted to revert back to a three-man back line for the second half, introducing Gabriel Lefebvre for the ineffective Isabella Coste and shifting Bertrand Marchetti and Giovanna Vitale back to their preferred positions as wingbacks. The move paid almost immediate dividends, as Vitale dispossessed the rather formulaic Alexion, drove forward, and played a quick one-two with Gabriel Lefebvre before slaloming past Voisin and sending a peach of a cross into the box for Grimaldi to fire home. After that, Savigliane were again content to use their superior ball-playing skills to soak up pressure and maintain possession. While Iles Rogieres had many chances to equalize, the Swans sealed the game with a late penalty, won by Durand by a driving run into the box and converted by Gabriel Lefebvre for his second goal of the tournament.

Round of 16: Savigliane v. Glazgo

The Round of 16 will prove to be Savigliane's toughest test yet. While they finished second behind Squidroidia in Group D, Glenn Tamnavulin's men scored a whopping seventeen goals in their five matches, led by the indomitable Andrej Kalashnikov. Glazgo are capable of playing in a 4-3-3 or 4-3-1-2 shape, with the most danger coming from Kalashnikov (who, coincidentally, plays abroad in Chromatika), width provided by Ekomov, and creative output from Dunayev, Charters, and Bank. While they aren't as aggressive an attacking side as Praeceptia or Iles-Rogieres, Glazgo's defense is a point of concern for the Tamnavulin brothers, as they conceded the joint-most goals (twelve) of all teams in the Round of 16.

Laurent Chambéry is expected to revert back to his preferred 3-4-1-2 formation after some experimentation in the group stage. However, the energetic Sebastian Petit has superseded Augustin Dirac as Amara Vatrican's midfield partner of choice, while Efisio Moreau, believed to have picked up a minor knock in training, will be replaced by the young, quick Rémy LeClerc. Once again, the Round of 16 promises to be a battle of different styles, as a Savigliano defense that has so far been unbreakable faces yet another tough test.

Projected Starting Lineup (3-4-1-2): Notari (C); Garcia, Giraudo, LeClerc; Marchetti, Vatrican, Petit, Vitale; Lefebvre; Coste, Grimaldi

by **Southern Palm Islands** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 12:05 am

PALM ISLAND TIMES
Netopian Smash

SPI players were disappointed as they lost to Netop on the final Matchday for a score of 3-0. The game which was considered important for the team to win was carelessly played and was made a lost game. SPI could have atleast scored 2 goals but because of certain stupid mistakes the team wasn't able to score. If the team had won the game then they would have faced Megistos at Estadio 8 de Octubre stadium at Lierravus, Valladares. The team players and the fans mainly the biggest fan Association called the Blue Diamond is really happy with the performance of the team in this Season. Even if the team lost today due to luck they have qualified for the Ro16 and will compete against Tikariot in The Jungle Stadium at Eyrods,Chromatika. The fans are jubilant as their team qualified for the Round of 16.

Netop 3-0 Southern Palm Islands
- 3 Anonymous Goals

Romantic Goals from the Past
Part 4

(Till now: The interview goes till late night and the captain stops with the Epic of Sripalapadmanabhavijaya and they leave for the next day.)

Sembara Bunian (Narrator): They left for sleeping. Plascas couldn't sleep that night. He was thinking of the reporter more than the next game. The next game was with Ziwana and it was the quarterfinals. Ziwana was the strongest team in that season and it was a death match for the team. On the other side, the reporter was sleeping peacefully like they haven't slept like this for years. The next day before the match at the break time they meet at the team hotel Palomino. The interview which changed into a casual talk continues...

R: Hey,Davie! I'm back and it's time to continue
P: Oh. Hi!! Ok then let's continue.
R: Yes!!
P: So, History,Sports and Palms!
R: Yeah!
P: Ok, so the history of sports in SPI.
R: Yes!
P: The history of soccer is the history of International Sports in SPI. Soccer was the first sport of International importance that was played in SPI. So, the story goes like this ......
After the division of islands, many dynansties ruled SPI. The good relations with the neighbors were cut-off. Even the nearby lands of Pemecutan and Eraman were treated as aliens. So, one day a traveller from Eraman visited SPI. His name was Kherouf Sediq bin Althawa. He was known as Kherouf Sediq. He went into the Darbar of the king and got posted as the king's official Foreign Secretary. He undertook actions to revive the relationships between far of nations like Tolol,Libonesia and Hundredstar and nearby nations like Eraman, Pemecutan,Samudera, Sharktail, present Belfitz and Zeniyadh. He hired a SPI born traveller called Sirf Shah Saman (Sirf Saman) as his assistant. Sediq and Saman travelled all-over Melayu Archipelago and wrote thousands of Travelogues which describes the Culture, Ethnicity,Cuisine, Administration and the various artforms of Melayu. Later after the 27 year long travel they reach back at SPI. By this time SPI got developed and the relations got stronger. Kherouf Sediq breathed his last seeing all this at Agsalgah located 54 km west of Khurtubh. Sirf Saman collected his travelogues and published as a single book called "Mitralaya Yatravivaran", the travelogue from Eraman. Sirf Saman later died in a clash between his clan and the newly formed calm of Eguardo Pentencer Platiscana. The clan known as the Platiscana Clan(Plascas is the short form of Platiscana) is one of the strongest clans now.
R: Platiscana? Plascas? You?
P: Yes! I am part of the Platiscana Clan.
R: Whoa!
P: So, Eguardo Platiscana buried Sirf Saman in Pakthurjwa (21 km east of Agsalgah) and started travelling far and wide. He went to Eraman and then to Zeniyadh. he understood that sports from Zeniyadh travelled to Eraman, he studied about it and came back to SPI and introduced soccer in SPI. He established a tournament known as Kherouf Cup and it was conducted till Late 1810s. His grandson's grandson Peter Gladius Platiscana made soccer more popular and his great grand child are now the main strikers in the SPI team.
R: Main strikers? Then, that's you and Peter.
P: Yes. One is my brother Peter and the other guy is myself Demiter Daniel Platiscana or as you guys know Daniel Plascas.
R: Your family is really part of history.
P: Everyone is part of history. It's their deeds which make them known.
R: Mmm ..
P: That's really interesting Mr.Platiscana.
R: Is it?
P: Yes.
R: It's time to sign off. It's Reporter X signing off.
P: See you tomorrow if we can.
R: (blushes) Sure.
P: It's almost time for the match
R: Yeah. All the best
P: By the way what's your name?
R: Tommorow
P: wow. That's a nice name
R: No. I will say that tomorrow.

Reporter leaves with a smile whereas D.Plascas gets tensed about the match.

To be continued...

by **Squidroidia** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:39 am

It was time for Squidroidia to move on from Chromatika. Although not capping off the group stage undefeated like what some were hoping, a 3-3 draw to Woryand saw them keep pace at the top of the group and as the 4 seed heading into the Knockout Stage. That meant that these 23 lads and ladettes were heading over to Valladares, where they will stay for the entire knockout stage of the competition. The 23 souls and Manager Mito were ready for their next leg of the road to the final.

The Squidroidians knew they had a flight over to the Valladar town of Villena on their hands, so the team packed up accordingly, visas in hand as well. They knew the consequences of a kingdom like Valladares - Stepping out of line, especially by insulting the royal family, will have the team deported and disqualified from the tournament. As such respect had to be practiced even in Chromatika during the first training sessions. Nobody seemed to mind, they were here for the football, as well as to respect the culture of the host nations. Eventually, the 24 members of the squad, as well as their tour guide and the head of the Squidroidian FA, headed over to Villena in a Squidroidian blue plane, arriving there just a few hours later.

The team would all stay together as they presented their visas, got their bags, and overall got through customs normally. Knowing how the team performed for their fans during the first few games, it was obvious that when the team arrived, they were treated to cheers by the Squidroidian fans who arrived in the capital hours before upon learning that they were in the top half of the bracket. It would have been nice to be the 1 seed, but they can take what they are given.

One bus ride later, passing through historic cities like Maldonado and Slateport, they arrived at the banks of the Danubio in the city of Valencia, where their Last 16 tie with the Liberal Democratic Socialist States was being played at the Estadio Tricentenario. The team would get into their hotels with little time to set everything up - Manager Ryūzaki Mito had a team meeting with everyone.

There, of course, he explained the situation and gave everyone a recap on everything they did so far, from that 4-3 nailbiter to kick things off against Pemecutan to that 3-3 draw with Woryand. Then he turned his eyes to the keeper, Go Kyushichi. Although the team once again topped the group, 9 goals given up was noticeably worrying for a goalkeeper of his experience. Any sensible person would bench him from the knockout stages, but Manager Mito knew that he didn't bench him for the IAC knockouts. Knowing that he didn't want to make a veteran mad during his first and only WCC cycle, he didn't bench Kyushichi. Shingen and Shunji had to wait.

When that was done, he applauded the offense, toasted Itoh for the legend of Squidroidian football he was, and got down to business. The Liberal Democratic Socialist States played at a near-neutral pace, with Quano Tum's team being the best 3rd place qualifier in a group with tournament favorites Megistos and top seeded Tioguldos. He looked at the defense and then pointed to their star man, the #10 Modic Olnod. Long balls were a specialty of this team, so man marking, especially him and Strucib, was crucial. Their pressing play didn't help either, as Squidroidia needed to play fast and shoot things in order to go through the pressure of the press. If they were to win, they would have a good shot at the semi-finals if they curl the ball past the goal-in-the-goal that the Overseas Territories of Sylestone provided. But of course, their eyes looked at the top quarter of the bracket. If Wymondham doesn't pull off upset after upset, Tioguldos, Netop or Megistos were giving them a real hard time. The manager, the fans, and the pundits, all knowing the potential of these 2 sides, think that Squidroidia were making a semi-finale exit and a trip back to Chromatika for 3rd place proceedings.

With the meeting set, the team went to training again, waiting for their chance to knock sense into the Liberal Democratic Socialist States, dreaming of a run of their own.

by **Tikariot** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:17 am

--The Baptism of Fire tournament is covered by Ffion Davies, the Tikariot Premier League by Simon Nighthorse--

The group stage of the Baptism of Fire tournament is behind us and Tikariot has qualified for the knockout stages as group winner after a 3-0 win against Kencana, leaving them with a 4-1-0 record and 14-3 goals. Now in the round of 16 they are facing the Southern Palm Islands, who qualified as the worst best third-placed team of the group stage. We are awaiting word from the Team Tikariot camp on the presumed line-up for the match and will update our story as we receive information.

-----------------------

One half of the 100th Tikariot Premier League season is over, so time to take a look at what has transpired so far, statistics, analyses, surprises, disappointments and more. Our main TPL correspondents Simon Nighthorse and Ffion Davies have dug deep.

The 100th TPL season has been full of prediction defying performances, both in the positive and negative directions. Before we go into a full analysis of the season so far, here are some fun facts and statistics:

Most goals scored: 51 - Port Rhovanyon AFC
Least goals conceded: 20 - Pyathora Mariners FC/Carathyr Emeralds FC
Best goal difference: +27 - Port Rhovanyon AFC
Least goals scored: 13 - Morannon Athletic FC
Most goals conceded: 53 - Ysgrann Bay Eagles FC
Worst goal difference: -24 - Morannon Athletic FC
Most wins: 15 - Port Rhovanyon AFC
Most draws: 12 - Guillarim Blades FC
Most losses: 15 - Morannon Athletic FC
Least wins: 1 - Morannon Athletic FC
Least draws: 2 - Tikariot City FC/Nagoush FC
Least losses: 4 - Pyathora Mariners FC/Carathyr Emeralds FC
Most wins in a row: 7 - Port Rhovanyon AFC
Longest unbeaten streak: 10 - Tikariot City FC/Oriannor Mountaineers FC/Guillarim Blades FC
Longest winless streak: 12 - Morannon Athletic FC
Most losses in a row: 6 - Nagoush FC
Most draws in a row: 5 - Miruan City FC
Most wins from being behind: 4 - Anhedron Wanderers FC/Ysgrann Bay Eagles FC
Lost losses after leading: 3 - Bul Khungur Miners FC/The Zhelmagor Society FC
Most goals in a game: 9 - Ysgrann Bay-Eivora 5-4 / Port Rhovanyon-Miruan 5-4
Biggest win: 6-0 - Eivora Athletic - Fort Viljan Northern FC

So let's have a look at how the teams have been faring so far and also how they are sitting against our pre-season predictions.

1. Port Rhovanyon AFC (Our prediction: 2nd)
The Kraken have been the dominating team of the season so far, sitting in the top spot for 22 out of 23 match days and currently having a four-point lead over second placed Baraldhur. Arthur Wolseley's very inflexible stance on wanting his team to be as tactically flexible as possible and signing players that fit the system as opposed to fitting the system to whichever players are to be signed has proven extremely efficient and the fact that the offensive duo of Jardel Connolly and Jules Haney have scored a combined 32 goals is an impressive proof (12 teams have scored less goals than these two players). No matter how you look at it, anybody who wants to hoist the championship trophy will have go through Port Rhovanyon first.

2. Baraldhur AFC (Our prediction: 4th)
The Baraldhur AFC has had a season of missed opportunities. Having been the main hunter of Port Rhovanyon for most of the season, they seemed to draw or lose just when the Kraken would also drop point, efficiently preventing them from ever actually catching up with them. That aside they are still enjoying a very good season and have just regained second position in a very tight race for the international qualifying positions. Not unlike Port Rhovanyon, the gem of the Baraldhur lineup is their striker duo of shooting star Morris Nighthorse (16 goals) and Gaizka Iribarren (13 goals).

3. Tikariot City FC (Our prediction: 12th)
Definitely one of the biggest surprises of the season, Tikariot City FC has had a fairly turbulent season so far. Starting out barely above the relegation zone they had an irresistible run of ten unbeaten games that saw them ascend to the top spot for one week after match day 20, showing that they are a team to be reckoned with. Especially since their last top ten finish has been 41 years ago! One of the team's best signings of the pre-season was 17-year old talent Parramore Haigh, who had come up through the academy of the Oriannor Mountaineers FC, but did not see a lot of playing time in his future with a defense-first 4-5-1 system, and Ashleigh Sweeney having the number one spot firmly in his grasp, and has scored ten goals for the Snowy Owls so far. Midfielder Parris Langley also has exceeded expectations and has been nominated for the squad of the Baptism of Fire tournament.

4. Pyathora Mariners FC (Our prediction: 10th)
In a season marked by slight waves in their table position, the Acrassian team is just one point behind Baraldhur and Tikariot City, making them a formidable rival in the battle for the much coveted Liga dos Vencedores qualification spot. Playing out of a very tight and disciplined defense, the Mariners still managed to have the third best goal difference, with Graydon Sheffield leading the way with twelve goals to the season so far. The team has very close ties to the Tikariotian Navy and thus a very sturdy following even on away games, as Navymen stationed throughout Tikariot will travel to see their games whenever they come close.

5. Port Tacassam FC (Our prediction: 1st)
The Rams have been the by far most consistent team of the TPL, finishing outside of the top ten only three times in the last 53 years and this season does not seem to be any exception to this amazing rule. For most of the season hovering just between 4th and 8th they have just moved up into fifth position and with that the qualification spot for the Taça das Confederações, three points behind the Mariners. We had pegged them a title candidate for this season, but especially the unexpectedly strong run of Port Rhovanyon has put this prediction in some serious jeopardy.

6. Oriannor Mountaineers FC (Our prediction: 11th)
Despite our rather lowly prediction, the leader of the all-time table is on a very good way to confirm their surprise fifth position in last year's standings with a strong finish to the first half of the season that has seen them within the international positions for five weeks before just slipping out on match day 23. They are sorely missing the newly found firepower of a Parramore Haigh as their top scorer is Ashleigh Sweeney with seven goals, but the strong defense has enabled them to overcome a lot of opponents.

7. Gamsk County FC (Our prediction: 18th)
One of the season's surprise teams, more pundits had predicted Gamsk to fight against relegation than sitting just two points outside of a spot that would allow them to participate in next year's Taça das Confederações. Led by veteran coach Gunther Strongfoot they have perfected the "fly-under-the-radar" tactic and rarely come into the spotlight, however they are on a good way to matching their best TPL result ever, which was one seventh position eleven years ago.

8. Carathyr Emeralds FC (Our prediction: 14th)
Another TPL heavyweight that has been struggling for many years now seems to be working on some sort of a resurgence, sitting in eighth position despite having been in third and fourth for several weeks earlier this season. Newly appointed coach Jean-Francois Daoust has managed to instill a new strong team spirit, which is founded on a strong defense, they have the least goals conceded together with Pyathora, and with Ashton Tomlinson enjoying the best season of his career so far, the Emeralds are headed for a top ten finish this year.

9. Miruan City FC (Our prediction: 5th)
After a weak start, Miruan City have picked themselves up nicely and have been hovering around the ninth and tenth position for the last few weeks. Their more offensive approach with the addition of Finbar McLoughlin coming over from their local rivals Parakleion has brought them a boost in the scoring department, mostly pushing Atlas Baxter and Elias Wagstaff to higher tallies than ever. Unfortunately the downside is that the defensive side has struggled and they have the most goals conceded of the top thirteen teams.

10. Veriasod Lakers FC (Our prediction: 13th)
The polar opposite of Miruan, the Veriasod Lakers went off to an explosive start, sitting in third position for almost two months before going on slide that had them sit in eleventh and twelfth position, which is still above our prediction, but given how well they had started the season, it still feels like a disappointment in the end. The Lakers are one of the most defense-minded teams in the league and if they could get Kieran Beaumont to catch up to Trey Burnett's eleven season goals, they could recover the lost ground and maybe cause a surprise or two.

11. Anhedron Wanderers FC (Our prediction: 8th)
The Wanderers have been upper middle of the pack for the last couple of seasons and seem to be right on par for another season of the same. As to be expected, they are a very tight and disciplined unit under Raphael Secours' aegis and after an abysmal start have shown this spirit by continuously climbing up the table. The team definitely has the potential to reach even higher, especially if the scoring duo of Morrison and Mosnyk can preserve their fine form.

12. Parakleion Firebirds FC (Our prediction: 3rd)
So far it has been a thoroughly forgetful season for the reigning champions, having been in the top half of the table three out of 23 weeks and they have been the only team so far to sack their coach. Leland Cramortie has since found a new position with the Salmon Head FC in Northwest Kalactin, making him the first Tikariotian coach to move abroad. Since then 76 year old legend Aloysius Harrowgate has returned from retirement and while some see his training methods and tactics as somewhat archaic, they seem to have instilled a new sense of unity in the team as the results have seen some improvements since.

13. Valnohar Rovers FC (Our prediction: 6th)
Having been one of the most consistently upper-table teams in recent seasons, the Valnohar Rovers have had a very challenging season so far, having spent more than half of it in the relegation zone. Despite most pundits' expectations, the club held on to coach Jimmy Hormaz and once more his old adage of "slow and steady" seems be coming true as the Rovers have been slowly but steadily collecting points and seem to be on the rise.

14. Ysgrann Bay Eagles FC (Our prediction: 24th)
Pegged as the number one candidate for relegation, the unanimous opinion on the Ysgrann Bay Eagles is that they are an absolute spectacle that has made the league a better place. Their devil-may-care attitude instilled into the team by new coach Nolan Carpenter and new signings Iain Aspinall and Jenson McTierney have guaranteed that when the Eagles come to town, you'll get to see goals. Lots of goals. Despite being 14th in the table, they scored the third most goals and conceded the most in the league and both Aspinall and McTierney are representing Tikariot at the Baptism of Fire tournament in Valladares and Chromatika. Given the unpredictability so far experts are not sure yet, if Ysgrann Bay is going to be able to sustain their pace, but one thing is for sure, if they go down, they will go with all guns blazing.

15. Eivora Athletic FC (Our prediction: 9th)
Few people would have expected Eivora this far down in the table and the worst thing about it is that it does not just appear to be a slump, because they have been hovering around this position for a long time now. There have been some so-called experts calling for Carl Halvorson to be sacked, but given that he has been with the team for 19 seasons now and so far has had the team in very steady waters for a long time seems to be working in his favour for now, but you never know when management might be pulling the plug in order to avoid getting mired in the relegation battle.

16. Kyethas Rivermen FC (Our prediction: 7th)
In a similar boat as Eivora, the Kyethas Rivermen have been dangerously close to the red zone for most of the season, which is rumoured to be costing Julius Akwanyama his job very soon. Despite a decent defensive performance, their main problems have been upfront, with their top scorer Ainsley Wilton sitting at a meagre seven goals. Whatever it will be, the Rivermen definitely will need a healthy boost of self confidence and spirit to pull themselves out of this hole, as they are only two points ahead of the relegation zone.

17. Bul Khungur Miners FC (Our prediction: 15th)
If you want a turbulent season, look no further than the Bul Khungur Miners. They've been fourth, they've been 22nd and they are desperate to dig themselves out of this almost unparalleled downward spiral that saw them drop from fourth to 16th in a matter of only four weeks. And if it was not for the twelve goals of Gary Conway, who knows where they might be standing now. Coach Jeremiah Hopscott, who had been sacked by Baraldhur after the last season, now finds himself out of a job again with management hoping to salvage the season. Edmundo Sturgill from Northwest Kalactin has been appointed headcoach, who had helped lead his old team to promotion last season, a defense-minded coach, which might be exactly what the Miners need to stay up. He also is the first non Tikariotian coach to come into the TPL.

18. Fort Viljan Northern FC (Our prediction: 20th)
Everybody knew that it would be a tough season for the Fort Viljan Northern FC and so far they have been surviving. After their last relegation management decided to go for a full remodel, focusing on young players, mostly from the province of Viljamark, which has brought them back to the TPL and so far has had reasonable success in the top flight as well. With the exception of the first couple of weeks, the Warriors have managed to stay out of the relegation zone, hoping that the increasing experience is going to help them build on their performance so far and rather look up than down. The striker duo of Jesse Liljestrand and Pontus Lundin have combined for 20 of the team's 34 goals, so their importance cannot be highlighted enough.

19. Guillarim Blades FC (Our prediction: 23rd)
Sitting 14th in the all-timem table, the Guillarim Blades are the highest ranked team to never have held the championship trophy, a kind of sad record in its own, especially since this will be their 92nd season in the TPL. Their best ever position, a second place, has been 95 years ago and in the last 23 years they have been relegated eight times from the League, so pegging them as a prime candidate for relegation is not a stretch. And so far this season has been going reasonably well with only one week on a relegation spot. Granted, they have not been far from the zone in over two months, but all it takes is to stay above.

20. Ancarea FC (Our prediction: 21st)
Off to a phenomenal start that had them in the top ten for the first eight weeks, the Ancarea FC settled in where most observers were expecting them, just above the relegation zone. Outside of their opening games they have mostly flown under the radar, which likely also is due to their offense not being much of a threat with only three teams having scored less often than them. Their fourth season in the TPL looks like is going to be their hardest as well as the balanced approach of coach Graeme Skulland, who had led them into the top flight, has been tipping towards the negative so far.

21. Avanaroch White Wings FC (Our prediction: 19th)
Another team with a good start to the season that then ended up falling apart. Having occupied third position after week two and four, the White Wings have been on a steady decline to arrive on a relegation spot just at mid-term for the season. Given that Raymond Cartwright is still in his first season as a coach could be called birthing pains, but the opening of the season had been very promising, so we will have to see for how long the patience of management will still last, especially with their offense being the second worst in the league.

22. Nagoush FC (Our prediction: 22nd)
Having just returned to the TPL, everybody knew that it would be a tough season for the Nagoush FC from the beginning. After the first few weeks had given them faint hope that they might manage to stay in the safe zone for longer, they have been a firm tenant of the relegation zone since match day twelve, but at least they are only three points away from 16th, their bad goal difference nonewithstanding, so there still is hope, even though they will have to figure out how to score more goals in order to achieve that.

23. The Zhelmagor Society FC (Our prediction: 16th)
The most mysterious of all teams is in trouble. Following two 16th position finishes in the last two seasons, the Zhelmagor Society has been steadily in the relegation zone since match day six and sitting six points adrift from a safe spot, the outlook is grim. Despite the potential for a lot of offense given Lochlan Blackstone's 4-2-4 formation, it has literally backfired, giving the Society the second worst goals-against stat in the league. With zero communication by the mysterious club and foundation behind them, your guess is as good as ours as to what is happening behind closed doors.

24. Morannon Athletic FC (Our prediction: 17th)
Morannon Athletic is the record champion of the TPL with eleven trophies so far, but all of that is nothing more than a faint memory now, because reality is as bleak as a grain field's chances against a giant locust swarm descending upon it. Having sat in last place for 21 out of 23 match days, eight points behind Zhelmagor and fourteen away from a non-relegation spot, nothing short of a miracle is going save them from immediate re-relegation. And if there are four players that have scored more goals than your whole team, you know you're in deep trouble.

by **The Overseas Territories of Sylestone** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:41 pm

OTS has secured a hard-won victory against Copa Rushmori semifinalists Southwest Eastnorth to progress to the Round of 16 in fifth seed. Despite being down 2-0 at half-time, a flurry of goals in the second half led the Sports Equipment to an intense 4-3 victory. Tomorrow they play Iles Rogieres, a vassal state of Savojarna, who came second in Group A. They will be no easy knock over, and we’ll have to put our best foot forward to progress any further. It will be interesting to see what will happen.

In the clash for first spot, both OTS and Southwest Eastnorth knew that they would have to try their hardest to get a win. The better side on the day will win, and fortunately for us, it was the Sports Equipment, showing off their class with some brilliant stamina. The game began slowly, with both sides forward’s simply sussing out the defence and waiting for a chance to strike. The first opportunity came in the 29th minute when an Iva Johncock clearance flew over the Lacrosse Net and straight to Leigh Bourne, who slammed it into the goal. SWEN made the lead 2-0 in the 43rd minute when Leigh Bourne was fouled on the penalty area. Bourne’s shot went in and the half-time whistle blew.

“OK, boys. We’re 2-0 down, but we know that our opponents may tire, similar to what happened against the Holy Junta the other day. If we can break through, we’ll keep our chances open. So get back out there and do what you do best!”

The talk seemed to work. The Cricket Bat understood, at least, and found on opening to dribble the ball between in the 58th minute. He performed a 1-2 with the Table Tennis Bat and slammed it in to reduce the deficit to only a singular goal. In the 64th minute, the Cricket Bat did. a similar thing after being passed the ball by the Cricket Pads. This time, though, he chipped the ball from 15 metres away. 2-2. But it didn’t last long and in the 77th minute, Ryan Bourne broke past the defence and slotted it in after catching the Soccer Goal off his line. Only 13 minutes remained and the Sports Equipment were getting desperate. Finally, a corner was given and a header by the Basketball Backboard tied the scores once again with only four minutes, plus two minutes of Injury Time, to go. A depressing draw seemed imminent, but the final play began with a direct free kick to the Tennis Racquet. Knowing that he needed to somehow score, he scooped the ball from the ground and smacked it over the wall and into the post of the goal. It rebounded off and looked to be going in, but Miles Mikohoffer seemed to save it. Then the chaos began. The referee had to check VAR, and the result came back and, yes you guessed it. The ball was over the line by less than a centimetre, leading to a 4-3 victory.

OTS now play Iles Rogieres, a side that looks strong from Group A. Join us tomorrow.

OVERSEAS TERRITORIES OF SYLESTONE - 4
Cricket Bat 58’, 64’
Basketball Backboard 86’
Tennis Racquet 90+2’

SOUTHWEST EASTNORTH - 3
Leigh Bourne 29’, 43’
Ryan Bourne 77’

by **Tioguldos** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 4:12 pm

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________SECTIONS____________________________________Stats_________Schedule_____________

^{RED ARMY}

BoF73

TIOGULDÓS ADVANCES WITH 5 WINS IN A ROW

The incredible performance of the Tiog players under Gúpder Mebal has led the Tioguldós National Team to score the most points out of all 36 participants. The Red Army was the only team in the tournament to have won all five matches in its group. Already thinking about the round of 16 match against Wymondham, the coach gives us a few words about his vision of the team in group F.

GÚPDER MEBAL AT A PRESS CONFERENCE

Krakerue Oxam
18/8/10AR - 19:35

MOST READ

DOSFUM STADIUM
UNDER REMODELING

THE NOTE FROM JOPAR
THAT CAUSED CONTROVERSY

DRASPA MOIPAS
CHANGES COACH

RESTRICTIONS ON
STAY IN JUNÍN

KEM! - BoF73

The journey of the National Team in the Baptism of Fire has lit the torches of sport in Tioguldós. Beyond the imposing bearing and fervor of its fans, the Red Army appeared humble, hoping to face the teams in its group as equals. However, in contrast, they managed to overcome each of their contenders by playing well and taking control of the matches. It is clear that on the field the players count more successes than mistakes. Still, they clarify, they are working hard and still have a lot to improve. At this moment they are preparing to face Wymondham at Estadio Camilo Mazuera López in Junín.

Leaving the group stage behind, Red Army coach Gúpder Mebal gives us his perspective on the team's performance and tells us what he expects from his players in this new stage:
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"The boys are playing exceptionally well. Many things were said when we were training back in Tioguldós. Those who filled their mouths saying that we were not going to bear the pressure, those who believed that the Revolution was going to condemn football in our country, the rude ones who came to label some of our players as incompetent or incapable; all of them, although they were the minority, are now silent before the success of the Red Army. Many fans have come from home to support and accompany us, and that fills us with joy and motivates us to continue giving a little more every day.

Regarding the matches, we have had some very good ones, others were decent... We started with a victory against Quebecois Acadiana. That match was tough. It was cold and we were not used to the oxygen level. None of our players had played beyond 200 meters of altitude. Nonetheless, they gave a great effort and outplayed the opponent. Then we played against Liberal Democratic Socialist States in what was perhaps our best game. Oroso showed off the ninety minutes. The midfielders were on fire and didn't allow the opposing team to have the ball.

I remember that after the first two matchdays we were surprised, very excited. It was then that we began to feel that we can beat any team in the tournament if we keep up. Then came the game against NorraLesse and reminded us that we cannot lower our guard. We were victorious, mainly due to the individual performances of some players like Oroso, Niforro and Perda Raom who carried the team on their shoulders. Preparing for Se Vende Skooma we had already changed the mindset. The team took to the field more seriously. They played very concentrated, taking care of the strategy above all else.

In the end we had to dispute the first place with Megistos, who had just won their four games like us. Despite the tranquility of having advanced to the next stage, we felt it as a final. 'If we could beat an undefeated team, we can beat the opponent in the round of 16.' So we set out to do the best we could. Nese gave a great tirade that motivated the team before taking to the field and they played like we were at home. It was amazing.

Now we have to face Wymondham, who only beat the fourth and fifth, Eurasies and Kencana; and that couldn't beat the Free Republic of Hong Kong, the fifth worst classified in the competition. Still we know they can beat us, and we'll face them with respect and prudence. We can show that we deserve to be champions, but we must not allow ourselves to relax. It gets harder and harder from now on."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As Mebal well mentions, the Red Army must be prepared for what Wymondham has to offer. All teams that reached the round of 16 can offer a challenge. The 4-3-3 seems to come naturally to the players, and the results are proof of that. By maintaining a good level, they can beat even the most difficult opponent. The fans cheer for the players and have great respect for the coach. Confidence in the Red Army is high. All of Tioguldós is looking forward to this match. The Tiogs want to be acclaimed champions for the first time in their history.

by **Praeceptia** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:25 pm

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Praeceptia moves on - barely

"I'll have you in shanks!" were the words Coach Amet had for his team coming off the pitch against Pluvea and the Saxean Isles. He continued to berate them all the way down the tunnel, including insults such as, "You dingo dung!" and "Deadbeat dodo!" Few of the players lifted their eyes from their boots the moment the final whistle sounded. It is a wonder that we scored even a single goal, let alone three. Yes, it was that bad. For those of you who did not see the game at Stadius ex Heroibus's mega-screens, I know you'll be hard pressed to understand the post traumatic stress the rest of us suffer from.

Our whole game was one big snowball that couldn't stop. We went down hill faster and faster, especially after deciding to remove the brakes. The fifth minute penalty that saw the referee debating over whether to hand Tzoounes a red card was only the first of many mistakes to come. Not long after, Vastata Vapidus Amet missed an open goal from four yards out. An absolute howler. Then, Shijo Saiko had a ten minute monologue in which he went into great depths about his traumatic childhood that led him to seeking out strength. In his words, he "has to kill... a certain someone..." If that wasn't enough, Varro Bibulus disappeared at halftime only to be found passed out in the restroom with a bottle of half empty whiskey in his hands. With only ten men, one god-awful coach, and a lack luster crowd, I was sorry I did not stab out my eyes before the second half.

Straight from the whistle we got worse. Haud Dubie, our very own Golden Praeceptian, the player in the league known for the most loyalty to the state, spent most of the second half arguing to the Pluvean players why Praceptia is better. Pellis Figulus and Grandis's combined defending earned our foes another penalty, but only after both were yellow carded - and not yellow carded for the foul, but for their incessant arguing to the referee. And don't even get me started on Ieiunium's inability to hold the ball longer than one touch. She's either rushing to pass or having it pulled off her diminutive frame.

Despite all of the pain, there were bright spots, which was why I did not eviscerate myself upon mine own television. Mumu put in fantastic saves to keep Praceptia close to some glimpse of victory. His leadership at the back is a lesson to all players. Arte Mediocris, for his part, was mediocre, but in a good way this time. In holding close to his name, Mediocris scored a couple of standard goals. Nothing too flashy, only pure rote muscle memory. And Novus, once again, scored. Were it not for these three, I may have thrown myself burning off of a mountain top whilst predator hawks tore out my eyes.

Now to move on to our very first knockout round match preview!

The Gothanita Isles will be a deadly opponent; 15 goals for, 4 against, no losses, and all in only 5 games. A record for any team to behold. Out of the top 16 to move on, they rank #3, even further ahead than our foes Savigliane who rank #6. And this is all with a defensive posture in a 4-2-3-1 formation. But perhaps it is not their skills, their tactics, or strategy, or anything tangible that rates them so much higher than Praeceptia. Rather, it is their pride and desire to win. It is their attitude. It is their very being that says "We will die before we quit!"

Attitude and belief is Praceptia's biggest weak point. We rely on absurd tactics, peculiar skill sets, and the odd foreigner (looking at you Novus) to pull us across the finish line. Even for the small amount it counts for, all of that means nothing when compared to the Gothanita Isle's desire to win and be the best there is. Even if their side was half as good as ours, I doubt we could win half as many games. Why? Because they don't have players passing out from drink at halftime. They don't have players named after being mediocre. They don't rely on talented foreigners to fill out their squad. They have an identity.

But let's pretend that none of what I've just said matters. Let's pretend it all goes down to individual skills, tactics, and luck. Here we go.

Thulile Bolkvadze, their first choice keeper, the proud owner of two golden gloves in two consecutive seasons, and the main man between the sticks that has conceded less goals than games played. He has been a rock at the back for the Isles, a constant that allows the rest of the team to focus on the field and not their own goal. Despite our Mumu's spot on performances, he will be taking notes from Bolkvadze before the coming match.

As for defenders, performances from Jeanette Ross have outshined even our best defenses so far. She embodies what it means to be a Gothanita Isles player. Her skills in the back, as well as being able to take the ball forward, will keep our entire team's attention.

Their match against TOTEL proves why creative midfielders that can hold their own, pass, and score are a must for any team. Ladislava Tyler's goal won them the match that few thought any would win. We had Draw written all over it, but Tyler proved us wrong. We were not only wrong. We now know how dangerous their midfield truly is. One player made the difference between a draw and a win and did it with a spectacular long shot. Few on the Praeceptian side could lay claim to such a feat, not even Shijo Saiko's wonder goal against Pripet Socialist Republic. Imagine what a full midfield will do.

Finally, Abdelkader Kartal, the Isles' captain, can lead by example. He has scored multiple times throughout the tournament and can be sure to score again. He is, after all, a 3-times golden boot winner in his domestic league. Only our Vastata Amet can come close to rivaling Kartal's domestic record, though that was only after potential corruption came into play. Closing down Kartal both physically and as a leader for his side will be a challenge that Praeceptia must rise to.

There you have it. Their strengths and our weaknesses all laid bare. So where is the hope, you ask. I'll tell you what Coach Amet is thinking right now: get the Gothanita Isles flustered. Don't let them break into a rhythm. Keep them guessing. Score an early goal to put the pressure on and then follow through on our game, the absurd game, the game that is utterly hopeless, but is our only hope. The game where tactics don't follow the normal flow. The game where drinking, brown nosing, and scoring sweaty goals is the norm. We must play the way of ridiculousness and pessimism. We must play the way that may be unlucky, but has gotten us this far. We must play the Praeceptian way.

by **Megistos** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:28 pm

Shocker Post-Match Press Conference

The Megistian coach caused controversy in the PMPC, in which he said that he 'didn't know the score until the players told him'

"I never knew the score until my players told me, and I didn't care. We had already secured a position in the RO16, no point going for the win. What I wanted was the players to run a lot, and be active in the game, so that when we face the RO16 opponent [Later announced to be Netop] we would be fit. Netop is ranked higher than us on the pot rankings, but only by Goal Difference. I'll set the team pressing rate to normal [OOC: +1.1 style mod] so that we don't fail like we did today."

The only goal for the Megistians came to Robertson, who found himself with an open goal, and slotted it in.

"Robertson is a good player. He's young and has a lot of potential, as the rest of the squad does. Thank the youth project."

He also talked about the effects of the war that Megistos started this year

"That crazy, insane dictatorship killed 564 million Megistians, luckily none of our team. The bad part about our team was that now we are Haivonian territory rumours came out about the squad being renamed to Haivon Football Association. Luckily it wasn't."

Solo Jóvenes Talentosos - A Youth Project

Part 1

Novas Mericvocic was ready for his job, if he could win it.

It was a snowy night on Tuesday, December 21, 2119, when the first ever MFA [Megistos Football Association] meeting were to be held in Paradise. Children were playing with the snowballs, parents secretly ordered Christmas gifts; a normal Megistian occasion on the Winter Holidays at first glance. But this year was different. Last month, the announcement of the founding of the MFA was made, and when you establish a thing, you need a leader. So presidential elections started.

Mericvocic couldn't refuse the job: he was a 3 year youth academy trainer in Haivon, before moving back to his hometown, Delios, to coach Delios Club Futbol. He was extremely successful, with him finishing 3rd in the first season and 1st in the next season. Maybe that was why he wanted to be the president. Or maybe it was something else.
---
When he signed the contract that led him to being a coach of a pro team, Mericvocic noted that the youth were very talented, while the Starting 11 were on a average age of 30.1 years. It was very old for a club based on a city full of youngsters. The old players just weren't preforming good. And then the elections were announced. And it all hit Mericvocic's head.

He, along with the board members of the team, decided that Mericvocic would go for president of the MFA, but he had to propose something. If football in Megistos stayed like this, the team wouldn't get results, and Mericvocic would not win the next elections.

His plan was simple: Solo Jóvenes Talentosos
---
Solo Jóvenes Talentosos meant Only Talented Youth in Megish. To go a little bit further, Novas decided to focus on the future of the MFA. And to do that, you look at the youngsters

by **The Gothanita Isles** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:28 am

Previous RP

RP Series: Getting to the top
Chapter 1: Aiming to be the very best
Part 5: Magic 7

Sometimes, it takes a bad result or 2 to ensure that your team puts forth a good result, and when the good result comes, it may be in a manner which thoroughly shocks you. Against Mathuvan Union, that was certainly the case. If anyone could predict the result, however, they should probably deserve the money that they can get from the bookmakers, who were, at one point, offering returns of 920:1 if you bet on this exact scoreline. Nobody even understood how such a good team capitulated so badly, but somehow the Yellow Lions did just that against a side that was doing quite well before this.
Before the match started, managers Bouchard and Unterbrink warned the players about the importance of defending really tightly and to cut down the number of mistakes in order not to let the opponents capitalise on them. When interviewed during the pre-match conference, Unterbrink said, “They won their first 2 against TOTEL and Rangers FC, but had 2 really close losses against the Southern Palm Islands and Netop. We told (the players) at the start that our group was the true Group of Death - many really strong sides are here in the group. When we first got the fixture list, both of us (Bouchard and Unterbrink) were worried that by the time we reached this stage, we might be clinging onto our survival and trying to become one of the best 3rd placed teams.” Bouchard added, “Now that we are here, we are still hoping to get one of the top seeds and get into the easier side of the bracket. Mathuvan Union would definitely be playing to win - lose and they are out, while a win should be enough to get them into the Round of 16. And a big win at that - they need to overhaul a +6 goal difference over Netop, in fact, a 7-goal deficit because of Netop’s head-to-head advantage.” Captain and starting goalkeeper Bolkvadze echoed the managers’ sentiments, saying that the team would be playing to win here and that there is no chance that the team is “giving any form of chances”. “We are looking to stay here in Chromatika by being the 2nd or 3rd seeds, and that we are ensuring that we give Southern Palm Islands and Netop fair treatment by playing to win here.”
The match whistle blew, and it started off very conservatively. A traditional fight in the midfield continued, before McCrory found a break in the defence and made a through pass to Kartal. Kartal took the ball, dribbled past center backs Prodgsie and De Caske, and then got a nice ball curved towards the top corner. That goal in the 19th minute allowed the Isles to grab a 1-0 lead, as the 27 thousand visiting fans in the stadium cheered the goal. Just 8 minutes later, Mathuvan Union’s Laskena got an attempt, but as fullback Ross tried to stop the goal, the ball cruelly deflected off her leg, and the defence could not help as the ball rolled past the line. Now both sides are level thanks to an own goal from Ross. Despite the setback, the players pushed harder to get another goal, and were promptly rewarded in the 42nd minute, when central midfielder Venschen fouled our creative midfielder Tyler, triggering a direct freekick. Tyler promptly converted the direct freekick to give the Isles a 2-1 lead going into halftime.
The second half was when the players really started dominating the match, and when the massacre began. First, it was a solo effort from Kartal in the 55th minute, before getting another goal himself just 4 minutes later, when he dispossessed defender Arasken and made a curved shot from the right side of the field. Seeing that the side got themselves 4-1 up, the managers decided to give Kartal a break and substituted Marino Barros on for Kartal in the 63rd minute. However, the goals never stopped coming, and within 5 minutes of coming on, Barros made a nice 1-2 with London, and helped London to get in another goal to give the Isles a 5-1 lead. 3 goals within 13 minutes - and the Yellow Lions built up an unassailable lead. McCrory ran forward to help out with the attack in the 76th minute, and got himself the goal after catching a failed clearance from De Caske. By then, there were just more substitutions. Tyler was subbed off for Chloe Brewster, while Charlee Harel came on for Abraham back in rightback. Harel ran forward to help Brewster finish off the rout in the closing stages of the game, allowing the Isles to complete a 7-1 trashing of Mathuvan Union.
The press conference after that was interesting. When Unterbrink was asked about the team's performance, he smiled. "They first half was pretty normal, and after that, the players went riot. The opponents weren't parking the bus, but it was as though our players brought in the bulldozers and started to roll over the opponents. We didn't mean to rake up the goals - in fact, in the dressing room the players were saying that they didn't expect to put 7. They didn't want to make the entire place look like some warzone that has been brutally shelled by the raiding forces, but it is certainly disrespect to our fans who want to see our best performance if we just put on the brakes here."

Group E                                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Gothanita Isles                      5   4  1  0   15   4 +11   13
2 Netop                                    5   4  0  1   13   3 +10   12
3 Southern Palm Islands                    5   2  1  2    5   8  −3    7
4 Mathuvan Union                           5   2  0  3    5  10  −5    6
5 Rangers FC                               5   1  2  2    7   6  +1    5
6 TOTEL                                    5   0  0  5    1  15 −14    0

As anyone could see from the group stage table, the win allowed the Isles to grab a 4-1-0 record, as well as a +11 goal differential. That was enough to bring the Isles to the top of the seeding table, into the positions which the managers liked. The win was absolutely necessary for the Isles to become group champions, because Netop routed the Southern Palm Islands 3-0 to finish off just 1 point behind in 2nd place. However, Southern Palm Islands had barely enough points to qualify as one of the best 3rd placed teams, and therefore, the top 3 from Group E went into the Round of 16.

Playoff Seeding                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
01 Tioguldos (F1)                           5   5  0  0   16   6 +10   15
02 Tikariot (B1)                            5   4  1  0   14   3 +11   13 *Tikariot ahead of The Gothanita Isles via Coin Flip
03 The Gothanita Isles (E1)                 5   4  1  0   15   4 +11   13 *Tikariot ahead of The Gothanita Isles via Coin Flip
04 Squidroidia (D1)                         5   4  1  0   19   9 +10   13
05 Overseas Territories of Sylestone (C1)   5   4  1  0   17   8  +9   13
06 Savigliane (A1)                          5   3  2  0    7   2  +5   11
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
07 Graintfjall (B2)                         5   4  1  0   11   3  +8   13
08 Netop (E2)                               5   4  0  1   13   3 +10   12
09 Megistos (F2)                            5   4  0  1   11   5  +6   12
10 Southwest Eastnorth (C2)                 5   3  1  1   16   8  +8   10
11 Iles Rogieres (A2)                       5   3  1  1   18  12  +6   10
12 Glazgo (D2)                              5   3  1  1   17  12  +5   10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Liberal Democratic Socialist States (F3) 5   3  0  2   13  12  +1    9 
14 Praeceptia (A3)                          5   2  2  1   17  12  +5    8 
15 Wymondham (B3)                           5   2  1  2    3   5  −2    7 
16 Southern Palm Islands (E3)               5   2  1  2    5   8  −3    7

It was close at the top. Teams which the Isles had predicted to be title contenders - Overseas Territories of Sylestone, Tikariot, Tioguldos, Graintfjall and Squidroidia all had really strong results in the group stage. Graintfjall even became the best group runners-up with a 4-1-0 record but an inferior goal difference as compared to Tikariot. The Isles was seeded 3rd due to the loss of a coin flip against Tikariot, but it didn't matter - our Yellow Lions are staying in Chromatika for the knockout stages. As a reward for the team's strong performance, the Isles would play Group A's Praeceptia at the United Center. Their side did quite well in a relatively close group, almost going unbeaten except for a close loss against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles on the final matchday. The Isles aim to win the match, and going into the quarters, they would play Savigliane, the Group A champions, or Glazgo, the 12th seeds from Group D side had quite a performance - winning their opening 3 games before a loss against Squidroidia and a draw against Pemecutan. Assuming all goes well, Tikariot or Graintjall would probably await in the semifinals, since the two sides are favourites to win their respective matches and play against each other in a rematch in the quarterfinals. For managers Bouchard and Unterbrink, they would be using the extra rest day that was intended for traveling to work on defence, something they have said at the post-match press conference as "something to be improved". During that conference, Bouchard and Unterbrink refused to give any opinion on the draw, saying that all teams that make it here are strong sides that have the potential to lift the trophy. Bouchard, however, reflected on the Group Stage thus far and gave a preview to the Isles' true target. "Honestly, we just have to keep winning - it is a really close race considering how many teams had dominated their respective groups during the group stage. The ultimate aim is to get a good rank going into the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, and honestly, I think the team has showed the determination required to get there. The team wouldn't be too high in the world based on the way the coefficient system works - the team cannot get anywhere further than 201st placed Sylestone on the ladder. However, the team can get into a higher pot if they rake up the wins, and that is what we are aiming for. There isn't any official updates yet, but we took reference from the predicted world rankings managed by reporters in Poafmersia, and it seems that the race for Pot 7 is tight with not many spots left. Assuming their calculations are correct, getting into Pot 7 would mean avoiding sides like Schottia, Fujai, The Grearish Union, and Havynwilde, giving us an easier fixture to deal with." Of course, the World Cup qualification is the team's target - this is not something new we have heard from them anyways. From now, since every loss means elimination, every match would be taken like a final - and the team would definitely do their best to chase for the title.

Sem · by **Glazgo** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:46 pm

GLAsports.net

Glazgo's premier sports news website

GLAZGO'S PLAYERS REVIEWED - A LOOK AT THE 23'S PERFORMANCES IN THE GROUP STAGES
by Karl McStrom

Three wins, a loss and a draw wasn't a bad start at all for Glenn Tamnavulin's side. Given the whole squad had only had one season of professional football to their name - no more than 22 games at that, there was mixed feelings in the country about how they would fare on the international side. But the carefully assembled squad have exceeded expectations. Whilst there was a brilliant start to the group stages, with three wins on the bounce, their form tailed off slightly with a loss to eventual group winners Squidrodia and a draw with Pemecutan, who agonisingly missed out on one of the four third-placed spots in the round of 16 by just one point. It can be said however, despite that ending, the team performed brilliantly, with every member of the squad putting in 110% no matter how much they were involved. In this article, we'll take a look position-by-position as to who we think will be the strongest lineup for Glenn Tamnavulin's men in the knockout stages.

Starting at the very back, it seems for certain that Ivan Gunn will start in goal. The Maryhill Town stopper performed more than capably, and although he featured in the most games (3), he seems like he'd continue being first choice anyway. In the long term, time isn't on his side however, being one of the oldest members of the squad, it is anticipated that he may not even make the next World Cup cycle, depending on his performances domestically. Maryhill didn't have the greatest season, and after losing some key players in the 2011/12 transfer window they will hope their rebuild of the squad will propel them to a top four finish. Gunn, as captain, (the only goalkeeper captain in the Premier Division, might we add), will hope he can inspire his team and continue to be Tamnavulin's first choice in the side. Youngster Einar McKendrie only featured once, against Woryand, but gave a good account of himself in the match and as one of the younger players on the team, in contrast to Gunn, will hope he will have a better chance to stake a claim for the number one shirt perhaps in the qualifying stages for the World Cup. Meanwhile, Marcus Kilmarnock, who featured twice, will probably see himself on level playing ground with McKendrie for the second choice spot if an injury was to occur to Gunn. Kilmarnock was perhaps a surprise inclusion, over the likes of Eirikur Romanovsky of Drumchapel United, but he showed why he deserved a callup to the national side with two solid performances.

At left back, David Pettersen seems to have made the spot his own. After a slightly shaky start, he progressed himself into a dependable performer, much like his performances for Drumchapel United last season. He got forward well, and although the entire defence has raised eyebrows with twelve goals conceded, it would be unfair to single anyone out for that. His deputy Mikhail Glennon hasn't done too bad, but sadly not enough to be a guaranteed starter. The Partizan Castlemilk player is a couple of years younger than Pettersen so he'll have harder to work to displace him, but like the other substitutes he will hope he will get that chance in World Cup qualifying. Switching flanks to right-back, it's a harder decision. Mattias Kaasa may just edge that for the game against Savigliane. Anton Eriksen looked solid in his games, but accumulated two yellow cards, and his rash challenges will not be hoped for in the knockout stages. Kaasa remained more composed, not often conceding any fouls, and his passing was quite something, with a 92% pass accuracy, compared to Eriksen's 84%.

Centre-back may be the hardest choice for Tamnavulin with five possible options. Vice-captain Johan Karlstrom was not selected for the Pemecutan game after some disappointing turnouts in the prior group stage matches. Far from the player we saw at Drumchapel United, but like his club team-mate David Pettersen he may just need time to get used to international football. He'll probably edge it back in for the Savigliane game, but will be sure to be pulled off if his performances aren't up to standard. Partnering him is the difficult question. By shirt numbers, it would be Valentijn Tomic. Tomic and Karlstrom are capable of playing on either side of the heart of defence, which makes it useful for each opponent as they are fairly different types of defender. Tomic has had some standard performances, nothing too notably exciting but not too bad either. Radek Allister has been an interesting one, and offers something a bit different. "The Razor" has had the most succesful tackles rate, and is more likely to slide-tackle a player than stay on his feet like Karlstrom or Tomic. Dietar Polak has been a mix of both, but may remain on the bench as a "safe backup" option. Similar to Tomic, he hasn't been particularly eye-catching. Finally, Demetrius Clackmannan is the biggest wildcard of them all. He looks big and clunky, but actually the giant is as assured and smooth on the ball as someone like Piotr Charters. He had an immense performance against Pemecutan in place of Karlstrom, and despite conceding two goals he was probably the best player in the whole defence that game. His club relationship with goalkeeper Ivan Gunn is a bonus factor too, and that may give Tamnavulin all the reason he needs to select him to partner Karlstrom.

Captain Vadim Bauer will always be the first name on the teamsheet, and his performances show why. The heart of the midfield, perhaps the glue that holds it together, Bauer has perhaps been slightly underappreciated by fans purely because he's not the most goalscoring midfielder. An all-round player otherwise, Bauer's contribution of one goal and two assists isn't even a small percentage of what he's accomplished so far. Some brilliant displays of ball-winning, tackling, covering ground, and playing some lovely passes to the more creative outlets of the team, the team would probably struggle without him. That's not to say Miroslav Bank and Piotr Charters haven't impressed either - this fantastic trio is perhaps the strongest area of the team. Bank served as the man in between Bauer and Charters, linking defence and attack impressively, whilst Charters has topped the assist charts for the team so far and chipped in with a couple well-taken goals himselves. Those three are bound to start in midfield, with substitutes Eyvindur Pastorek and Andrej Johnstone ready to be deployed if needs be. Those two haven't appeared as much as they'd have like, with just one start and one substitute appearance each, but it's fair to admit they weren't the most standout players. Despite solid club performances from both of them last season, perhaps it is because they aren't on the same levels as Bauer, Bank and Charters are, but some fans wonder whether Oleg Mostad (Partick & Broomhill) and Vasek Romonowski (Possilpark Celtic) were better options for callups instead - as both of those two offer something different each rather than Pastorek and Johnstone who have very similar playing styles.

Four defenders and three midfields are all but guaranteed, it's the final attacking part of the formation that remains undecided. Whether Tamnavulin will select the interesting 4-3-1-2 formation, that relies on the creativity of Bank, Charters and attacking midfielder/shadow striker Eirkur Cederland, or will go with 4-3-3 and the two wingers Steffan Dunayev and Paul Ekomov. Cederland, who is the youngest in the squad, has put in some performanced like a seasoned professional would (we say that, although everyone in the team has the same amount of experience, ha.), but has played like someone ten years older than the young 19 year old actually is. Another Maryhill Town representative, he is capable of playing as the attacking midfielder/second striker/whatever you want to call it or as an actual striker himself, coming off the bench against Unimon late on to play there. Meanwhile, Dunayev and Ekomov have had mixed reception to their performances. They seemed to perform better against Unimon when a 3-4-3 was used, although it has been deemed too risky of a formation by some for the knockout stages. There, they played almost in a wing-back-type role, providing extra width for the three strikers in the team, whereas in the 4-3-3 they have struggled slightly with some of the physical demands - Dunayev in particular. However, there's no doubting either's ability, and in fairness whichever formation is used - it doesn't really matter, as they are both strong options. The safest bet would be to start with the 4-3-3, given it has more strength in wide areas, whereas 4-3-1-2 is a bit more exposed and requires full-backs Pettersen and Kaasa to put in more work, but if the former isn't working, it would be suitable to switch to the latter in the closing stages if that is required.

Up front, finally - Tamnavulin has another hard choice here. A 4-3-3 requires just one striker, and given the amount of goals scored by the team, it could be any of them. Each of the three strikers offers something slightly different, but we anticipate that top scorer Andrej Kalashnikov will get the nod. A livewire striker who has pace to burn, Kalashnikov recently relocated to Chromatika to sign for Urheddiao and despite only being here for a few weeks beforehand, it seems to have paid off a little given his prior understanding of the climate and culture in the Chromatik country. Gunnstein Bannantyne is a very strong deputy, the built-like-a-brick-wall giant is sometimes hard to believe he is only 21 years of age. Bannantyne was actually voted as player of the season for his league-winning performances with Drumchapel United, and finally Fabian Haavikko represents another option. The "poacher" of the group, Haavikko seems to be the middle-ground between the pint-sized rocket Kalashnikov and the towering Bannantyne, but lacks the driving physical qualities the others both have. Haavikko however is guaranteed to be in the right place at the right time, rather than creating the opportunities himself which he must learn to add to his game, especially after moving abroad to sign for Havynwilde's Baywall Athletic. For a 4-3-3, perhaps Kalashnikov would be the first choice, and a 4-3-1-2 Kalashnikov and Bannantyne, who seem to play off each other quite well. That's not to discredit Haavikko, who has contributed some goals himself, but he represents the best late-match option to come on and cause problems for tiring defenders with his more nimble qualities.

The game against Savigliane will be an interesting one for sure. There's plenty of players in their team who could be classed as "ones to watch", and manager Laurent Chambéry has put together a well-drilled side who finished top of Group A. They typically tend to operate with an interesting 3-4-1-2 formation, one that the aforementioned 3-4-3 could do well to counter, and if things aren't working for Glenn Tamnavulin's side he may consider redeploying them in that. Veteran Gabriel Lefebvre has a similar style of play to Piotr Charters, and it will be interesting to see them head-to-head in the battle for creativity. Pietro Giraudo is their star at the back, complimented very well by Adelaide Garcia and Efisio Moreau, whilst Francesco Grimaldi and Isabella Coste are definitely an interesting duo up front. It's hard to say who will end up winning and progressing to the quarter finals, and this is perhaps the toughest test yet for Glazgotian football.

Starting XI v Savigliane (4-3-3): Gunn; Pettersen, Karlstrom, Clackmannan, Kaasa; Bank, Bauer, Charters; Dunayev, Kalashnikov, Ekomov.

by **Graintfjall** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 1:55 pm

Article posted on the optimistic fan blog, www.GlassHalfFull.græ

Red hot favorites Snow Wolves roar towards certain victory

unstoppable

if they’re feeling generous

decades

of course

definitely

dynasty

Look upon Hrærekur’s pies and despair!

Article posted on the pessimistic fan blog, www.GlassHalfFullOfPiss.græ

Is it even worth making the trip to the qualifiers

this

by **Tioguldos** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:07 pm

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________SECTIONS____________________________________Stats_________Schedule_____________

^{RED ARMY}

BoF73

THE NOTE FROM JOPAR THAT CAUSED CONTROVERSY

After the departure of the national team from Ming, an employee of the hotel where they stayed posted on social media a note left by Pmig Enako striker Pmoifue Jopar. In it, the 23-year-old player protested against the hotel for the treatment he received from one of the employees. The note aroused sensations, both among the Chromatik and the Tiog people.

THE NOTE LEFT BY PMOIFUE JOPAR AT THE HOTEL.

Noruam Korlúo
17/8/10AR - 12:07

MOST READ

TIOGULDÓS ADVANCES
WITH 5 WINS IN A ROW

DOSFUM STADIUM
UNDER REMODELING

DRASPA MOIPAS
CHANGES COACH

RESTRICTIONS ON
STAY IN JUNÍN

KEM! - BoF73

The Red Army stayed at The Emerald Jewel hotel during their time in Ming; city where they played their fifth and final group stage match against Megistos. However, this part of the journey sparked interest for a reason other than football. It happened that Pmoifue Jopar, substitute center forward for the national team, left a particular note to the hotel staff upon his departure. Angry at the treatment he received from an employee, he made his discomfort known in a small piece of paper that he signed with his last name.

The note was found by a member of the hotel's cleaning staff, who took a picture of it and uploaded it to the internet asking what it said, since it was written in Tiog.

Quickly the post went viral. The Tiog player wrote:

"Professional players shouldn't have to tolerate a rude person like him.
Complete lack of respect.
Jopar."

The name of the employee in question was not released, but according to the testimony of some of his colleagues, he and Jopar had an argument when the team arrived at the hotel. They said, "Jopar was asked to leave the corridor because it was being cleaned. He responded aggressively and our colleague told him not to be disrespectful and go to his room." After this the player left and they did not have contact again. Apparently Jopar wanted to have the last word and wrote the note demonstrating his disapproval.

When the player's attitude was made known, hundreds of Chromatiks as well as Tiogs demonstrated against the athlete. Some of the tweets that transcended the most said:

"Let him learn to fix his problems head on. A famous football player dirtying the dignity of the employee who prepared his room. #Trashy"

"How disappointing to see a compatriot representing our country act in such a childish way. It's unbelievable."

"F*** Jopar"

Also, the Tioguldós Football Federation apologized to the hotel workers and the Chromatik public in general for his player's note and stated that he was going to be sanctioned, although no measure has been taken into effect yet. He participated in training sessions normally and will go to the bench in the round of 16 match. Fortunately for the team, they must play in Valladares, so the possible repudiation from fans will not affect their morale. Still, the turmoil generated caused some commotion that we hope they can recover from to continue their way to the top.

by **Netop** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:08 pm

Netop to face the young Megistos squad in the round of 16

Facing a Southern Palm Islands team that many would thought would give us trouble we easily dispatched them in a 3-0 rout and while the score doesn't tell the whole story we were the better team. Southern Palm Islands played better than the scoreline suggests but we desved the win as we looked like the hungrier team throughout.

Now we will take on Megistos a team even with us on points but we are technically the higher seed on goal differential but considering it's the 8 v 9 game it should be close. Megistos won their first four matches but lost their final 3-1 against the number one seed Tioguldos. Their coach made some headlines across Megistos after he allegedly didn't care at all about their final match and didn't even know the score of the game until the players told him. This is interesting as aren't the coaches supposed to coach during the match and make the necessary substitutions and tactical adjustments. His reasoning was also odd for not caring at all

"I never knew the score until my players told me, and I didn't care. We had already secured a position in the RO16, no point going for the win. What I wanted was the players to run a lot, and be active in the game, so that when we face the RO16 opponent [Later announced to be Netop] we would be fit." In my "expert opinion" this is a very poor stance for a coach to be taking. Megistos could have been the number 1 seed in the whole tournament had they won by enough which means an easy first round draw and an easier path to the semis but instead they didn't. You would think if they didn't care about the match they wouldn't play their best players as to not get them injured but apparently he wanted to stretch their legs out to be active for the match against us. I'm not going to further delve into his comments but it's just interesting.

Megistos are nicknamed The Kids and for good reason. The average age of their starting XI is 20.4 which is extremely young. This bodes well for the future especially with their top goal scorer in Robertson only being 19. Robertson has been dominant during the BOF and our defense will need to focus on him if we want to win. Their other top player is Lam who plays in the midfield and is the oldest on the team at 29. It will be interesting to see how our midfield especially Park and Holder perform against him.

My prediction for this game is a 3-1 win for us. Our expectation is the quarters and while Megistos has played very well our defense which has allowed one goal in the last four games should be able to limit their goal scoring.

Grading the Team
GK: Johnny Howells 10/10
Howells since our poor 2-0 loss to The Gothanita Isles has played exceptional allowing one goal in four games. He has proved that despite his character and attitude problems that he can dominate behind the sticks which unfortunately will inflate his already oversized ego.

RB: Logan Diaz 4.5/10
Diaz has been a weakness not a liability and with the rest of the defense playing so well and with Howells behind him, Diaz is someone who you can try to exploit but he hasn't looked awful. His job is definitely his but hopefully he plays well against Megistos.

CB Heather Burrows 7/10
Burrows has looked very good in every game since our opening 2-0 loss to the aforementioned Gothanita Isles. Considering she was directly responsible for both of those goals it stands to reason her grade couldn't be an 8, 9, or 10. It's good to see the young Burrows look good as she will have the tough task of trying to shut down Robertson.

CB Dorothy Vaughan 7.5/10
Vaughan has been pretty good this whole tournament and has been what was advertised from the get go. Vaughan also helped talk to Burrows following our opening match keeping her focused and Vaughan says that's part of her job as the captain.

LB: Beau Hendricks 9/10
This grade is relative to how Hendricks was looked at heading into the tournament as he has looked very good helping a lot in our offensive attacks and showing better defense than everyone expected from him. It's safe to say his job is no longer under a complete microscope as Pitt has not helped her case by looking very poor when she was in as a sub.

RM: Wanda McNeil 1/10
There was a reason McNeil was benched ahead of our match against the Southern Palm Islands in favor of Tiana Mitchell. Mitchell while slower showed a lot more skills and showed that she belonged on an international pitch. McNeil was often lost, in the wrong place, and constantly losing the ball in the rare times that she got it.

CM Savannah Park 9/10
Park has been as good as advertised really being one of if not the main reason behind our offensive explosion in the games following the opening match. Park is the best player on the team and will have her hands full taking on the 29 year old Lam from Megistos.

LM: Max Holder 6.5/10
Holder is the youngest starter on the team (2nd youngest in the squad) and he has been just okay during the tournament. He has struggled on free kicks, and while he has been good on corners he just hasn't looked his best. Sure he's shown flashes but flashes are just flashes and he has failed to really assert himself. But the truth is he doesn't need to playing next to Park and while we'd like to see a little more Park more than makes up for it.

RW: Zoe Kinney 10/10
Again these grades are relative to how they were supposed to perform and Kinney has really outperformed all expectations for her. She has even graded out as our third best player behind Park and Howells and scored a goal along with an assist against SPI in that all important game. It appears House has coached her extremely well and is getting the best out of her.

CF: Teddy Riggs 7/10
I can't say I was too high with Riggs heading into this tournament but the 33 year old has led the offense scoring five goals (most on the team) as expected and while that's good and all he has struggled in a lot of situations.

LW: Lyla Worlmald 7.5/10
It's been a good tournament for the 24 year old who has shown a dribble I didn't know she possessed and her passing has been as good as ever providing clean and crisp passes. With the emergence of Zoe Kinney, it's good to see Wormald also playing well as this bodes well for our offense.

Overall: 8/10
This finished in second of the group, exactly where I predicted we would finish and we are the 8 seed heading into the next round having won four straight matches. We have the momentum, our defense has been completely shut down (tied for second in terms of least goals allowed), and our offense has been a lot better than expected.

by **Valladares** » Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:29 pm

Who will be the fortunate ones still on the road to Carloburgo? Let's find out with this RP cutoff for the Valladar section of the Round of 16!

Baptism of Fire 73
Round of Sixteen - Valladar Section

Tioguldos 1–1 Wymondham (1–1 AET) (8–7 pen.)

Netop 3–0 Megistos

Squidroidia 4–1 Liberal Democratic Socialist States

Overseas Territories of Sylestone 1–4 Iles Rogieres

Baptism of Fire 73
Quarterfinals - Valladar Section

Tioguldos vs. Netop
Stade de l'Amitié, Fontvielle (Cap. 29,185)

Squidroidia vs. Iles Rogieres
Albert Field, Edmonton (Cap. 20,000)

Baptism of Fire 73 - Everything Thread

OTS qualify with 5-2 win

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