Shango-Fogoa Premier League

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sun Sep 04, 2022 8:19 pm

-Season 8-

Results

FINAL TABLE

         Team                   Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
-1  Jinja City FC             38   24   6   8   110   44  +66    78 Champions--------------
-2  La Nueva Avenida          38   24   6   8   107   61  +46    78 Champions’ League------
 3  Istria City FC            38   23   6   9   103   53  +50    75 Champions’ League------
 4  Mâ Âlâmëomë               38   22   7   9   107   51  +56    73 Champions’ League------
-5  Herzegovina City          38   20  12   6   107   49  +58    72 Challenger’s Cup-------
 6  Hoima Warriors            38   20   8  10    81   48  +33    68 Challenger’s Cup-------
 7  Dí Maozöxê                38   20   6  12   111   79  +32    63 Challenger’s Cup-------
 8  René Skaé                 38   17  10  11    91   59  +32    61 Challenger’s Cup-------
 9  Busukuma AC               38   16   9  13    86   65  +21    57 Challenger’s Cup-------
10  Ausharmuj Marusi          38   14  10  14    82   83   −1    55 Challenger’s Cup-------
11  Mynda Electra             38   15   8  15    61   69   −8    53
12  Kitara AA                 38   15   7  16    61   54   +7    52
13  Rülândéá Kôstä            38   13  12  13    69   81  −12    51
14  Aissa United              38   13   4  21    61  103  −42    43
15  Avenida Leal              38    8  17  13    62   78  −16    41
16  Ferokaril                 38   11   8  19    67  109  −42    41
17  Busembe Timberwolves      38    9   9  20    75  100  −25    36
18  Flying Jellyfish          38    9   6  23    65  119  −54    33 Relegated--------------
19  Lakiska SC                38    4   8  26    20   66  −46    20 Relegated--------------
20  La Querida                38    1   5  32    24  179 −155     8

Prominent international cup results
AOCL XLIII Final

(BNJ)	Herzegovina City FC	2–3	Mâ Âlâmëómë	(FFD)

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sun Dec 11, 2022 9:16 pm

-Season 8-

Results

Matchday 28 TABLE

-  Team                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Rülândéá Kôstä            27   18   5   4    82   30  +52    59
 2 Herzegovina City FC       27   17   8   2    74   26  +48    59
 3 Istria City FC            27   18   2   7    87   31  +56    56
 4 Dí Maozöxê                27   17   3   7    91   44  +47    54
 5 Mâ Âlâmëómë               27   15   6   6   104   47  +57    51
 6 Busukuma AC               27   14   6   7    51   31  +20    48
 7 Hoima Warriors            27   13   6   8    61   25  +36    45
 8 Kitara AA                 27   13   6   8    69   38  +31    45
 9 René Skaé                 27   12   6   9    72   54  +18    42
10 La Nueva Avenida          27   12   5  10    77   64  +13    41
11 Ferokaril                 27   11   8   8    58   65   −7    41
12 Jinja City FC             27   11   6  10    64   38  +26    39
13 Avenida Leal              27   10   4  13    83   81   +2    34
14 Ausharmuj Marusi          27    9   4  14    55   71  −16    31
15 Aissa United              27    9   3  15    53   84  −31    30
16 Busukuma Force            27    6   6  15    34   71  −37    24
17 Mynda Electra             27    6   4  17    49   81  −32    22
18 Busembe Timberwolves      27    5   5  17    33   84  −51    20
19 Prostran I Forzuda        27    4   7  16    36   82  −46    19
20 La Querida                27    0   0  27     5  191 −186     0

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 12:42 am

Mölnés Jáánsêlà had never really cared much about football, unlike his son. He had tried to raise him to become a nuclear chemist just like him and pick up a wealthy job at Boom! Uranium Mining, which was one of the few avenues that could get you a decent living in Rülândéá. The other was being a footballer, but that was much more of a long shot, since his son clearly had all the talent needed to be a brilliant nuclear chemist. Unknowingly to him, his son had taken to football more and more, had started supporting the local club after they moved to a rich neighborhood by the coast, and by the time he was barely a teenager he had managed to make Rülândéá Kôstä beg Mölnés not to take him to Mâ Âlâmëómë or Dí Maozöxê.

It took him a couple of years, but he finally settled into the 'father of famous footballer' lifestyle. His son hadn't turned out to be a dud: he'd quickly become one of the team's most important players before turning eighteen, and he'd gone on to nail spot in la Vherederoja's starting eleven a year later. Mölnés had had to adapt. For better or worse, his son had found his own way in life. It was much less intellectual, much more animalistic, but he'd have to make do. He begrudgingly attended every Rülândéá Kôstä home game. It wasn't a long walk from home and everybody knew him as Lêyêlós dad, so there was zero danger just making his way to the stadium. Away games, though? Hard pass. Farfadillis had become way too dangerous by his twenties, and nowadays visiting other places was extremely dangerous for someone as visibly Rulandese as him.

His son was great, sure, and so were many of his teammates, but they just weren't as good as some other teams in the league. That's what the pundits kept saying, at least. His football knowledge sorely lacking, he could only assume the pundits were right. He started to half-assedly try to make a few comments mid-match to whoever was unlucky enough to sit beside him. "Problem is we always try to walk it in," he said to the man beside him during the middle of a 7-0 thrashing of Aissa United. Rülândéá Kôstä played a high-octane, extremely vertiginous style of football, not least because his son's skillset allowed them to. They never tried to walk it in.

That all changed, however, when Rülândéá Kôstä started suddenly mounting a serious title challenge. Rational at heart, he initially dismissed it as a so-called 'good run of form' that would fizzle away. As always, he took the pundits' words as gospel. But something about matchday twenty-eight changed him. With ten matchdays to go after this, Herzegovina City momentarily top of the table because of their win against Aissa United. Rülândéá Kôstä needed a win at home against Busukuma to keep up. To stay at the top of the table. With ten matchdays to go. Time was running very thin for the pundits! Maybe this team was the real deal.

He watched the game very intently. Rülândéá Kôstä battered Busukuma into submission. Chance after chance after chance came. Sometimes his son missed a good shot from the edge of the box, sometimes Muhaburu couldn't be arsed to make the obvious pass and instead attempted to lob the keeper, and sometimes Stroud-Williams hit the post... four times, actually. Crowcombe generated like five chances and wasted about another five. Total and utter domination... as usual! No goals, though. Incredibly. Busukuma had shut them out of the game. Nil-nil draw, and now they were two points behind. The pundits would surely declare the death of their title challenge, and it almost sounded reasonable...

... but some strange part, deep down in his cold, cold heart, disagreed. This team could still do it. They'd been unlucky. They still had to play Herzegovina City at home, even. It was all in their hands. And his son was leading the way! Maybe he'd go and watch the next game. La Querida away. La Querida were on zero points, getting battered week in, week out. It'd not bore him, surely.

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

"I can't believe it!" He exclaimed as soon as he met his son outside the stadium. "They get three long shots and they score three goals. You should've scored twenty and you scored three. That tall Astograthian man was so incredibly lucky. And what was that about the Yue girl that was crying throughout the match? Anyway, I've been getting into football statistics which is more of my forté, you know, and it says here the expected goals for the game were 10.54 to 1.11. What rotten luck, son!" He couldn't believe how worked up he was getting over a sport he'd always seen as little more than bread and circus.

Lêyêló scratched his head. "... dad, can I ask you a favor? And please don't take it personally."

This took Mölnés aback, somewhat. "Of course, son, anything you need from me, I'll deliver."

"Can you not come watch us? We're doing really well and today's game makes me feel like you might be a jinx." He said, a regretful tone creeping into his voice. "Drawing with La Querida when we're in a title race is... it's a huge blow, you know."

Mölnés laughed heartily. "Good joke, son. As if you would ever believe in something as ridiculous as," he stared at his son and realized he was, indeed, being serious, "ok, fine. As I said, anything you need from me."

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 2:00 am

It was now matchday thirty-six, and Rülândéá Kôstä were still in the fight for the title. Pundits had now accepted that they could, actually, maybe, win the league. He'd known it all along! His football knowledge was clearly increasing exponentially, as he seemed to already be ahead of the ever-so-knowledgeable pundits in some regards. What's more, he'd completely disobeyed his son's irrational wishes and proceeded to go to every match, both at home and on the road. Sure, he'd had to disguise himself for the game against Mynda Electra—not like Rülândéá Kôstä can take a ton of fans to Banija, after all, so he could be spotted among the few expats making the most of their chance to support their team—but overall it'd been a great positive: his son had never noticed, and he was clearly not a jinx. Obviously. At some point, he'd considered it himself. He'd actually given it some thought! He chuckled at his own irrationality. Ah, sometimes one can't help but be human, he figured.

They'd only lost a game to Dí Maozöxê—a fantastic team—since he'd started sneaking into games. Now, this game could prove to be pivotal for their title challenge. He knew he'd be on the edge of his seat. He could feel the vibrant atmosphere. They were playing at home, and they were absolutely winning this one. Herzegovina City up against them, winner goes top. He'd even checked up on Herzegovina City's most recent game: they'd struggled to beat a dismal Ferokaril team. He was confident. Verily so.

Ref signaled the beginning of the match. No Muhaburu to be seen. A fan nearby quietly lamented that. Another night drinking, presumably. Lêyêló had told him he really couldn't get along with the Astograthian, which put him at ease. The last thing he wanted was his son morphing into an Astograthian.

The first thirty or so minutes of the game were surprisingly dull. Both teams were clearly feeling each other out, although Rülândéá Kôstä were being a tad more aggressive owing to the fact that they had to win. A loss would be catastrophic, a draw not ideal. As usual, the S-FPL equivalent of 'prodding and feeling out the opposition' meant the first thirty minutes saw one goal apiece: Jason Þórhallursson got to the end of a fantastic Ogenda cross. Sùrì-nà-léqìc'h, one of the break-out stars of the season, made a marauding run down the right flank, crossed it in and found an always-ready Stroud-Williams willing to slot it in. Still, the game felt quite quiet, though as if slowly trying to reach a crescendo.

Before half-time, the Banijans struck again, and again because Ogenda got the better of Izotzubia before crossing the ball straight into Þórhallursson's... surprisingly attractive head. Two-one down at half-time. "Ok, no need to worry," he uttered to himself, "in Farf football a one-goal lead means zilch." He noticed his heart pumping a bit too fast for his liking. His son having a mediocre game wasn't helping things. Was he... was he being a jinx?

The second half began and things only got worse. Ogenda just seemed to have Izotzubia's number, because the young Banijan winger just kept dribbling past him, creating danger. Ten minutes into the half, he made his way into the box, found enough space for a shot, and put his team two goals ahead. He was putting in a fantastic performance at a similar age to his son's. He sighed. Two goals down. "Still not unassailable," he told himself. The ultras kept chanting as if nothing had happened. The atmosphere was incredibly tense. Fights could break out at any minute.

Kuznetsov got the ball some way out from goal. Lêyêló closed him down but got sat on his arse by the Chromatik midfielder's dribbling. He shot at goal. Mamani could only watch on as the ball snuck into the top-right corner at full speed. A wondergoal. Three goals down. He looked at his watch. They were probably about twenty minutes in. Maybe... they had a small chance of turning things around? Get a draw? Maybe?

A stupidly bad clearance from Izotzubia goes out for a corner kick. A great cross sees the stupidly tall Reniira Clevinger head it past Mamani. Five... one. Maybe he was a jinx, after all. What a blow this was. With two more matchdays to go they'd still be in the fight, sure, but this would knock all the wind out of them.

Fourth ref raised the sign. Urgoiti off, Muhaburu on. Urgoiti had done her best, but the Trumpeteers had just been too good. Muhaburu could provide a different edge to the team's game... four goals too late, arguably. What's more, his strolling indicated that, while not drunk, he wasn't exactly in top shape, either.

A long pass from Sùrì-nà-léqìc'h is immediately expertly chested down by the Astograthian, who passes it to Lêyêló. His son, not one to crumble under pressure, immediately used his pace to get past none other than Renate March. He looked up, hoping to get a shot. No angle. He went for a through pass to the mercurial Crowcombe. Always crumbling under pressure, the Nepharan nonetheless had the talent and flair to make a difference, especially at times like this. Four goals down? No pressure, you're gonna lose anyway! She deftly stopped Lêyêló's rather crudely powerful pass, faced Festus Hera one-on-one, sat him down with two carefully-timed feints, entered the box, feinted a shot, then passed the ball back to the edge of the box. Lêyêló, who'd usually be making the run there, had actually overdone it and made it to the small box in hopes of a cross. Muhaburu calmly slotted in the ball, as if passing it to the bottom-right corner, far away from anyone's reach.

Ten minutes later, Lêyêló managed to muscle Kusnetsov off the ball, then passed it to Kang. The Québecois midfielder, far more experienced than him, knew what to do at moments like this. She just calmly passed the ball to Muhaburu, who immediately left Sowe biting the dust when he turned around and then pinged the ball in Crowcombe's direction. Perfect direction, perfect spin. Just the right amount of strength. The Nepharan picked it up mid-run without even having to decelerate. She entered the box. She dribbled past Hera again, and then she went for a low cross. Stroud-Williams got a foot in. Five... three. In a matter of roughly ten minutes, they'd climbed back two. The crowd was going wild over Muhaburu. Mölnés was puzzled. Lacking so much discipline, how could the Astograthian be a fan favorite? Moreso than his son, even?

Three minutes later, Crowcombe, who was really having fun by that point, got ruthlessly knocked down by the edge of the box by her compatriot, Reniira Clevinger. Words were exchanged. Reniira knew Crowcombe was easy to scare... everybody did, actually, but Reniira probably knew which buttons to press to maximize damage. The ruthless foul had been a decent plan to stop her, with one caveat: they'd now handed Baraxil Muhaburu a free kick close to the box. The Astograthian, with the aura of someone calmly smoking a cigarette before getting something tiresome done, quietly placed the ball in the top corner. Not much power in the shot... it didn't need it, really.

Five... four. Maybe ten minutes to go? They could do it! "Muhaburu can, at least," he muttered to himself, somewhat incredulous. The crowd was going wild. The Trumpeteers did not relent in front of the onslaught: Reniira's foul did effectively take Crowcombe out of the game mentally, and she became completely unreliable. The players soon wised up to it and stopped passing her the ball in hopes she would bail them out. Besides, the game was now on. She couldn't be trusted as much anyway.

March got a long-range shot on goal which Mamani expertly parried. The Banijans kept passing the ball around. He watched his son helplessly run around like a headless chicken, desperate to make at least one good tackle. He looked silly, even.

Fourth ref gave three minutes of injury time. By the second, Erin Kang expertly stole the ball from Ayira Onyango, who'd been subbed in and did not look good enough for this kind of game. Despite her age, she started a charge toward the box which caught both teams by surprise. Dribbled past one, dribbled past two, faced the keeper, dribbled past him and... got taken down. Penalty kick. The Québecois nonchalantly handed her Astograthian teammate the ball. His son was watching his team's comeback unfold in much the same way he was: as merely a spectator. Muhaburu stepped up, took a few steps, waited for the goalkeeper to swing one way, then calmly sent the ball the other way. Five-five. A draw. They'd salvaged a draw! He couldn't believe it. He was ecstatic. The crowd was going wild.

And then, a sudden realization. For the first time, he was happy about a Rülândéá Kôstä game in which his son had been decidedly dogshit. How... irrational. Rationalizing this turned out to be easy, mind: his son's team was still in the title race, and would now be invigorated for the last two matchdays. What's more, they'd at least share the top of the table by the end of the matchday, with the result between Dí Maozöxê and Istria City still pending. He had a good feeling about this.

The crowd kept chanting well after the final whistle. The comeback had left them ecstatic. For the first time, he decided to join them.

"Skütén, làköràn bölà
sìêrönsè pütés lés négrôs dè 'zegovina..."

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 2:52 am

He'd not been wrong about the comeback against the Trumpeteers breathing new life into the team: they'd smashed René Skaé on the road nine-nil. "Szoirsian heat my ass," Mölnés thought. His son, for his part, had netted two goals and assisted four. They'd even done it without Muhaburu, who'd drunk a bit too much the day before the trek to Szoirsia.

They were facing an uninspiring Hoima Warriors squad that had nothing to play for. They were playing at home. They were in great form. If Istria City won their game, there would be a final. If they didn't, Rülândéá Kòstä's title challenge would never fizzle out. It would, instead, go down in the history books. And his son could be part of that. Istria City were facing Herzegovina City. More explicitly, this was what the table looked like:

-                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                                                                                      
 1 Rülândéá Kôstä            37   24   8   5   123   44  +79    80
 2 Istria City FC            37   25   5   7   123   44  +79    80
 3 Herzegovina City FC       37   22  12   3    91   36  +55    78
 4 Mâ Âlâmëómë               37   23   6   8   136   56  +80    75
 5 Dí Maozöxê                37   23   5   9   116   55  +61    74

Herzegovina City had all the motivation in the world to beat Istria City: they could get back into the title race, even though they'd dropped the ball in the last few matchdays... provided Rülândéá Kôstä screwed up. The two other Rulandese teams, for their part, were competing for the second Champions' League spot. He only really cared about that part cause it could mean danger, of course. Probably would in fact. But so did any outcome for Rülândéá Kôstä, so he might as well bare it, he thought.

Forty-five minutes came and went. Hoima Warriors did not have a particularly big dislike for either of the Banijan teams, and for all they cared they'd happily hand over the title to a Banijan team instead of a Farf one... is what Mölnés was telling himself. In reality, the Warriors were playing half-heartedly and a Muhaburu-less Rülândéá Kôstä was wasting the chance of possibly a lifetime. The crowd started getting increasingly agitated. Kang was the only player providing some measure of calmness to the team, but others like Lêyêló and Crowcombe started looking increasingly nervous as the minutes went by.

The second half started and his son started losing ball after ball. He was trying to single-handedly dribble his way into the Warriors' box even though it wasn't his strength. He was pressing sloppily, even he could see that. The Rülândéá Kôstä attack was mostly starved save for a few moments of magic from the veteran Kang. Urgoiti and the defense were doing a good job of completely shutting out the Warriors, but that would not do if Istria City won their game.

His cell phone beeped. A notification. Kate Huitema-Omeasoo had scored for Istria City. She was on her way to giving them a second title as she had a few years ago in the final minute of a game against... Hawabark Boulders. He told some of the people nearby. Soon, the news caught up to the rest of the crowd. Chants started getting louder. "Jügâdórs, jügâdórs..." the crowd started chanting, eventually. Seventy minutes in, no signs of the team breaking through the... very unexpectedly tough Banijan defense? A quick search in his cellphone suggested the Warriors actually had one of the best defenses in the league despite their middling position. "Fuck," was all he could think to himself.

His cell phone beeped. He could not bear to read the notification. Another Istria goal, surely. A few minutes later, it beeped again. Were Istria up by three? Surely not. Surely the Trumpeteers would not collapse like that, not at home! The pundits said they wouldn't! He couldn't help himself. He checked. Þórhallursson brace. Herzegovina were ahead! As things stood, they'd at least play the final. They'd live to fight another day... but if they were going to play like this...

The minutes went by, the crowd only slightly subdued by the news of Herzegovina's comeback. Another beep. A frantic check. Renate March. Three-one. Only a couple minutes left. They were in the final. He spread the news a bit, then kept chanting. Fourth ref signaled one minute of injury time. He sighed. He was not sure how much more of this he could take. And people did this their entire lives? From cradle to coffin? Savages, the lot of them. And he was among them now.

His stupid rumination was immediately interrupted by his son muscling Mulangwa off the ball by the flank. He quickly turned around and conjured dribbling skills he usually didn't have to make it past Joó. He looked up. No good pass in sight. He saw Tayira approaching. He kicked the ball past him and continued his run, now at full throttle, which made him essentially impossible to catch. As he reached the end of the pitch, he mustered all his strength to get a cross in, falling over and going so far as to smash the southern stand's concrete wall. But he'd gotten the cross in. Stroud-Williams, who'd done his best to catch up, managed to get his head in. The keeper parried it away. Crowcombe got the rebound. Her first touch was perfect. Then, as she began a kicking motion, she seemingly froze in place. Unnaturally. This actually left Sessay biting the dust, and she now only had to put it past the keeper, Jagne. She froze for too long, and Sessay recomposed himself. Crowcombe reacted just in time, carefully lifting the ball with her left foot, avoiding a second challenge by Sessay and leaving him biting the dust a second time. Facing Jagne she... just smashed it. Dead center. A shot that was impossible not to save. It hit Jagne, but the shot was so fast he could not get a good hold of it and it bounced back... straight into the Nepharan's right knee. From there, it went straight into the goal.

The "Ooh"s and the "Aah"s were immediately followed by a single, almost earthquake-inducing "GÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔL" that even Mölnés couldn't help but contribute to. Had they... done it? They'd done it. He checked his phone. Still three-one. They'd done it. "We've done it," he muttered to himself. He watched the players celebrating. He watched his son recompose himself and join them. He watched him get a pat on the back from Stroud-Williams and a hug from the minute Crowcombe. "Crooooowcombe, CROOOOOWCOMBE, CROOOOOWCOMBE" the people chanted. He'd met her once or twice. Nice, pleasant, very timid woman. She deserved this moment. She joined in the chants. His son didn't have to steal all the headlines, after all. He'd heard enough "Lêyê" chants throughout the season.

His phone beeped. Final time. Herzegovina City 3, Istria City 1. The referee signaled the end of the game at the Âréné Délékôstä, too. They were the champions. His son! His son was an S-FPL champion!

He couldn't wait to celebrate, but first things first. He checked his phone one more time. A late equalizer by Ighv to tie the game against Mâ Âlâmëómë. Sürréo and Vääräniemi braces for Dí Maozöxê. That meant trouble. He carefully mentally mapped out the places they could go to to celebrate. He could only hope his son and the team would have his same impeccable judgment.

His son, the champion. Rülândéá Kôstä, the champions. They were the champions. And he felt part of it. It was a hard feeling to shake, impossible even. And he wasn't sure he wanted to.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Dec 12, 2022 2:53 am

-Season 9-

Results

FINAL TABLE

         Team                   Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
-1  Rülândéá Kôstä            38   25   8   5   124   44  +80    83 Champions--------------
-2  Herzegovina City FC       38   23  12   3    94   37  +57    81 Champions’ League------
 3  Istria City FC            38   25   5   8   124   47  +77    80 Champions’ League------
 4  Dí Maozöxê                38   24   5   9   120   56  +64    77 Champions’ League------
-5  Mâ Âlâmëómë               38   23   7   8   137   57  +80    76 Challenger’s Cup-------
 6  Kitara AA                 38   21   7  10    99   54  +45    70 Challenger’s Cup-------
 7  Busukuma AC               38   18  10  10    73   50  +23    64 Challenger’s Cup-------
 8  Jinja City FC             38   18   8  12    90   45  +45    62 Challenger’s Cup-------
 9  La Nueva Avenida          38   19   5  14   116   79  +37    62 Challenger’s Cup-------
10  René Skaé                 38   18   8  12    98   73  +25    62 Challenger’s Cup-------
11  Hoima Warriors            38   17   8  13    83   45  +38    59
12  Ferokaril                 38   15   9  14    83  105  −22    54
13  Avenida Leal              38   14   8  16   102   97   +5    50
14  Ausharmuj Marusi          38   11   6  21    76   98  −22    39
15  Aissa United              38   11   3  24    67  115  −48    36
16  Mynda Electra             38    9   5  24    64  112  −48    32
17  Busukuma Force            38    8   7  23    47   98  −51    31
18  Busembe Timberwolves      38    7   6  25    49  127  −78    27 Relegated--------------
19  Prostran I Forzuda        38    5  10  23    45  110  −65    25 Relegated--------------
20  La Querida                38    0   1  37    16  258 −242     1

Prominent international cup results
AOCL XLIV Final

(VAL)	Raynor City United	3–5	La Nueva Avenida	(FFD)

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sun Mar 05, 2023 8:31 am

-Season 10-

Final Table

Final Table

   S-FPL                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Istria City FC         38   27   4   7   130   75  +55    85 - Champions, Qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 2 Herzegovina City       38   25   3  10   136   67  +69    78 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League 
 3 Dí Maozöxê             38   21   9   8    97   55  +42    72 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 4 Mâ Âlâmëomë            38   21   8   9    95   66  +29    71 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League
 5 Jinja City FC          38   21   4  13   107   57  +50    67 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 6 Rülândéá Kôstä         38   19   7  12   113   75  +38    64 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 7 Hoima Warriors         38   18   9  11   102   82  +20    63 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 8 La Nueva Avenida       38   16  12  10   104   60  +44    60 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 9 Busukuma AC            38   16  11  11    74   54  +20    59 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
10 René Skaé              38   17   6  15    90   80  +10    57 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
11 L'Unione               38   18   3  17    81   92  −11    57
12 Kitara AA              38   13  13  12    75   67   +8    52
13 Avenida Leal           38   12  10  16    82   86   −4    46
14 Ausharmuj Marusi       38   11  13  14    77  103  −26    46
15 Aissa United           38   11   5  22    74  112  −38    38
16 Mynda Electra          38    9   9  20    67   75   −8    36
17 Ferokaril              38    8   9  21    68  119  −51    33 - Relegated to the Farf second tier
18 Busukuma Force         38    7  12  19    48  103  −55    33
19 Hawabark Boulders      38    7   6  25    65  135  −70    27 - Relegated to the Banijan Soccer League
20 La Querida             38    5   3  30    47  169 −122    18

AOCL XLV Final
The Battleground (78,000), Raynor City, Valanora

(SRS)	Megabrantid SC	1–0	La Nueva Avenida	(FFD)

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:29 am

-Season 10-

Season 10 - International Tournament Results

#1 The IFCF Champions League - Stunning Rülândéá Kôstä captures hearts with heroic run to the CL Semifinals amidst a civil war
Part 1- The Round of 16

Rülândéá Kôstä, of course, had won the freaking league last time out- certainly earning them a spot into the group stages of the Champions League. Elite team with elite talent, even if athletes like Erin Kang tend to be using their pinpointing ability with weapons of mass destruction, rather than their footy skills at this point in time in Farfadillis. As the country devolves into civil war around them, with Alex Teran and the Farolerans invading other Farf nations left and right, Rülândéá Kôstä were still largely able to keep their eye on the ball in this competition- chasing club football's greatest trophy, the IFCF Champions League.

We'll start with the group stage with their run. Nothing comes easy in this competition, right? Trips to 1923 Esca(MYT), Maethoru SC (KOR), and Fiskadaha FC (PFA). All high-quality teams from high-quality leagues. They got 8 points, good enough for second in their group, and a trip to the Round of 16. Let's see how they did, MD by MD?

CL Group Stage Results
MD1: Rülândéá Kôstä 4-1 Fiskadaha FC(PFA)
MD2: Rülândéá Kôstä 0-0 1923 Esca(MYT)
MD3: Maethoru SC(KOR) 0-0 Rülândéá Kôstä
MD4: Fiskadaha FC(PFA) 1-4 Rülândéá Kôstä
MD5: 1923 Esca(MYT) 3-2 Rülândéá Kôstä
MD6: Rülândéá Kôstä 0-3 Maethoru SC(KOR)

It was largely Rülândéá Kôstä's domination of proceedings against Fiskadaha FC, the last place Poafmersian side, that carried the day for this Rulandean side. Crushing 4-1 wins, both at home and away, were the only two wins of the group stage for Rülândéá Kôstä- but, in an ultra competitive group, they were more than enough to move onto the next stages. The opening victory on Matchday 1, in particular, was emphatic- Fiskadaha FC simply got steamrolled in their visit to the Farfadillis island. They could not do anything- pass the ball, dribble, defend with any sort of organization, etc... As Rülândéá Kôstä just pounded away at them. And the same was true for Rülândéá Kôstä's visit to Poafmersia. It seemed to simply be a particularly bad matchup for Fiskadaha, as Rülândéá Kôstä just ruthlessly exploited them in both legs for the drubbing.

8 points through 4 games is an excellent return in the Champions League. No losses at that point, the S-FPL champions in line to win the group. Of course, the whole devolving situation around the club eventually started to take its toll. The club does not exist in a vacuum, as much as followers of the sport want it to sometimes. But it led to mostly a failure of the rest of the group stages- a tough 3-2 loss in Mytanija to 1923 Esca, on Matchday 5. And then, a 3-0 shellacking, at home, against Maethoru SC on Matchday 6- as fans showed up to get a reprieve from the war, many players themselves were 'exhausted', as multiple have been reported as fighting on the front lines themselves. Nothing confirmed, however- although confirming things like that, on an island like Farfadillis... Isn't exactly easy, to say the least.

Part 2- The Chromatik killers

Who did they take on in the knockout stages of this tournament? Well, a Chromatik team- and then Chromatik. Let's take a look, shall we?

Round of 16
First Leg: Wirr Tsi(CMT) 1-1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Second Leg: Rülândéá Kôstä 2-1 Wirr Tsi

Think about Wirr Tsi. Defending champions of Chromatika. Golden glove winner last season. Manager of the year last season in Zhaxi Nanlei. They've got elite goalkeeping and all-around quality defending, with an elite tactician calling the shots in Zhaxi Nanlei. They were league champions in Chromatika last year, remember, while conceding just 35 times- although scoring only 63. Easily the best defense in Chromatika, although their goalscoring record didn't exactly light the world on fire. A high-quality, high-disciplined team, although one that won't necessarily blow the doors off of you.

They've still got some high-quality Rushmori talent, however- Sara Kristoffersdóttir was a playmaking award winner for them, and Arachne Loeher got a lot of shouts for stuff in Season 12. But they basically made no changes at all to their roster from Season 12- which, is fair, considering they did win the league. And in the first half of the first leg, it was Kristoffersdóttir who was all over the pitch, dominating. The Graentfjaller was making decisive tackles, winnign the ball consistently in the midfield, and generally just encouraging forward play. Her brilliant through ball to Kendra Carpenter in the 33rd minute, who smashed home a volley, gave the home side a deserving 1-0 lead.

But Rülândéá Kôstä were not going to sit back in the second half. They wanted to try and tie the game- even without away goals, going back home trailing in the tie was not something that they wanted. And they were able to do so- with Chris Stroud-Williams scoring a worldie of a header in the 67th minute to level the tie. And when the tie came back to Rülând, this team were really able to put their opponents to the sword. A first half goal from Baraxil Muhaburu , followed by a second half goal from Juan Mamani, really got the side to rally, as going 2-0 up really put this game out of reach for Wirr Tsi. Carpenter would score her second of the tie, in the 85th minute, to half the lead and make for an intense final 5 minutes(+5 more of stoppage), but it was too little, too late- the S-FPL champions would triumph over the Chromatik champions, and into the Quarterfinals they would go.

Quarterfinals:
First Leg: Rülândéá Kôstä 0-0 Chromatik
Second Leg: Chromatik(CMT) 1-3 Rülândéá Kôstä

Back to Chromatika! Against the giants of the country- Chromatik. Bit confusing- you've got a Chromatik club named Chromatik, and an additional one named the Anamolies- which is the nickname of their NT. But this is not them- it's just the Chromatik, who are Chromatik. You ready?

Chromatik officials were actually heavily concerned about the ability to play this game at all, with the open war breaking out across the country. Of course, a bomb went off 2 miles from the stadium just 4 days before the game, which sent the authorities into hyper-concern. Heavy concerns about Chromatik's ability to ferry in their fans, and their teams. An agreement was reached- no official away supporters sections for either leg(although Rülândéá Kôstä fans found their way to seats in Chromatik without official sanction- more on that later). Rumors were floated that the game should be played in Banija, or elsewhere. FFFF officials, of course, flat-out refused that as an option, and Rülândéá Kôstä's Chairman told anyone who said that the game should be played anywhere else than their home stadium could "take it and shove it up their [REDACTED] [REDACTED]".

They reached an agreement where Chromatik marines and Banijan specialized police unit members were able to securely bring the team into Farfadillis, and provide around-the-clock protection in the leadup for the match. The politics around this, of course, are interesting- Banijans not wanting to use official military resources in Farfadillis, for fear of deepening their own involvement in the civil war- but rumor has it that many of the police units were simply 're-assigned members of the Banijan Special Forces'. Of course, all hoopla that for a drab, boring, 0-0 draw. Nobody seemed really on top of their game, especially going forward, with minds on the pitch clearly elsewhere. Fans were booing, demanding some sort of attacking football display, but that simply was not coming. Off to Chromatika!

Chromatik, naturally, were the favorites against the defending S-FPL champions. But maybe the pressure was high. Despite the away fan ban(to make it fair because of no away fans in Farfadillis), Rülândéá Kôstä fans still made their way to Chromatik, and made their voices heard and presence felt. Think Farf fans were going to listen to an away fan ban? IFCF could come for them, but we'll see if they care. Off to the races. Despite a packed stadium, Rülândéá Kôstä were an entirely different team from the first leg. Their focus was there, and they were on the front foot. They wanted to get off to the races in this match, and they did just that.

Remember the domestic situation here. Chromatik were on a run of terrible form on the home front- seemingly well in route to potentially one of the biggest title race collapses in living memory, with Tihon hot on their heels. There would be no midweek reprieve. Chromatik fans seemed to be living out their worst nightmare, when attacker Lilli Marinca, in a moment of madness, had a studs up, crazy attempt at a tackle in the box, just 7 minutes in. Straight red given, Lemoyne Bailey pointed straight to the spot. Might have been harsh, of course- but he had to take control of the game. Penalty buried. Chromatik were down to 10 men, and down a goal... Even at home, it was too much to ask.

Rülândéá Kôstä were simply going to cruise along to a 3-1 victory. They had a 28th minute header, on a beautiful counter-attack, that had made it 2-0 and pretty much ended the contest, just 30 minutes into it. Chromatik were not only down a man- they were down one of their best attackers, Marinca. It was simply not meant to be for the Anaians. They won by a final score of 3-1, with Ana Crowcombe's first half brace enough to bury Chromatik. Although Erin Kang's precision long-range shot was a great way to really put the exclamation mark on this stunning victory(she's a sharpshooter in more ways than one). Chromatik fans were furious about the refereeing- Lemoyne Bailey seemed to be more aggressive than any of Chromatik's players, since Chromatiks(nationality) tended to be less aggressive about refereeing decisions. They weren't the only ones with complaints, however. Lêyêló Jáánsêlà nearly came to blows with Bailey after a yellow card decision, but after the referee pushed him down, somehow the player was held back before he got into any more trouble.

If Farf clubs were any good at paperwork, they'd have probably filed a complaint about the incident- but of course, they've got bigger things going on. Plus- who cared? They won. 3-1 on the day, which meant that was the score on aggregate. Onwards to the Final Four!

Part 3- The clock strikes Midnight

Semifinals:
First Leg: 1923 Esca(MYT) 3-0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Second Leg: Rülândéá Kôstä 0-2 1923 Esca(MYT)

One more to The Reneegrad. The Champions League Final is just right there, for the reaching. Rushmore v. AO on both sides- Fontvielle Impact v. Raynor City United, for the other semifinal. It was a spectacular semifinal in every way, one of the greatest we've ever seen in this competition- 2-2 in both legs, going to penalties, all the greatest things about attacking club football that you love to see.

And yet, this semifinal... Did not match that. 1923 Esca were a team on a mission. Meanwhile, Rülândéá Kôstä were a team simply trying to survive. Quite literally. Their trip to Mytanija was not the greatest, as they got steamrolled by the Mytanars, by a score of 3-0 in the first leg. That basically ended the tie before it began. There was not much left to write. Despite fighting in the area, the second leg happened as scheduled, and 1923 Esca won again, 2-0 away from home, for the dominant 5-0 win. It would be an all-Rushmori CL Final- with cult heroes Rülândéá Kôstä bowing out, showing the gap between them and the greatest clubs on in the multiverse.

#2 Other IFCF Competitions- S-FPL Highlights

What other great moments happened in IFCF Competitions for S-FPL clubs? Let's take a look...

Herzegovina City FC: 5-2 crushing road win over Raynor City United

Raynor City United 2-5 Herzegovina City FC

Just a day, of course. Herzegovina had a fine Champions League campaign, of course. They had to enter Champions League Qualifiers in the third round- aka, winning a pair of two-legged ties to even reach the group stages of this competition. That's something they did over the summer. 5-1 and 3-1 aggregate triumphs over Great March of Trolleborg, and U.S Scudelli of Juvencus, respectively, got them this far. Of course, they are Banija's biggest club- they've got ambitions of eventually earning an IFCF trophy. They've even been ranked as high as #2 in the IFCF club rankings.

An insanely large club. So maybe they wanted more than a Round of 16 exit, yes. But Raynor City United, the Vanorian club, is bigger. The biggest club in AO, certainly- maybe the biggest in the multiverse. All sorts of trophies. Especially within AO. So you're always punching up when you are taking on a club of their size and stature. And when Herzegovina City visited RCU in the group stages, not much was expected. But Herzegovina City stunned everybody. An absolutely crushing victory, a famous one- one their fans will remember 'for a long time'.

Obviously, you wish it was later in the competition. But what a win it was. Alberto Goodwine, when he scored his second, doing the gritty celebration in front of RCU's ultras- absolutely iconic. Kuznetsov, scoring the team's fourth to go up 4-1, shocking the silent crowd but tossing his shirt into the air and leaping into the crowd of away support. One of those days where everything went right. For that moment, everything seemed possible for Herzegovina City- the league, the CL, whatever trophies you wanted. Any Trumpeteers fan at school or work the next day had a smile so big you couldn't even smack it off them.

Of course, Chromatik outclassed them in the Ro16. But what a time that was.

Dí Maozöxê qualifies for the CL with crushing 3-0 road win in Audioslavia

AC Izotz Zubia 0-3 Dí Maozöxê

You talk about one of those rare clubs that can legitimately challenge Raynor City United for the title of 'biggest club in the multiverse'. It's this one. They've got the silverware. The money, The history. The players. The talent. You see their crest, you see them- it is simply iconic. For them to even be in the league path qualifiers to reach the Champions League is a surprise- a reflection of the talent within Audioslavia.

They get to qualify for the CL via the League Path- a treacherous path, to say the least. Dí Maozöxê beat Alnio, of Chromatika(they eliminated a Chromatik club from the Champions League BEFORE R.K. made it cool). And then, they were gifted with AC Izotz Zubia. And the 1-1 draw in the home leg, the first leg, made them huge underdogs in the second leg. But they were cool and confident- and showed the Audioslavians the strength behind Farf club football. When Lolong Bokate inspired a counter-attack that was finished by Jos Surreo, just before halftime, to make it 1-0 to the visitors- the team was cruising.

AC Izotz Zubia seemed to be surprised that the visitors scored first. Dí Maozöxê were then ready to smash them via the counter, as a sleepy AC Izotz Zubia had to wake up at home- but Dí Maozöxê were more than ready for them. Demba Kinteh led the backline to play inspired football, not letting anything get behind them as the Audioslavian club were frustrated, time and time again, in their effort to find the equalizing goal. Regul Enes headed in a corner kick to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute, and just three minutes later, Rainieri Gurzy ended any hopes of a Zubia comeback by launching an incredible volley from about 12 yards out, drilling it into the back of the net.

To the Champions League they went! And even to the knockouts, at that.

AOCL XLV Final
The Battleground (78,000), Raynor City, Valanora

(SRS)	Megabrantid SC	1–0	La Nueva Avenida	(FFD)

La Nueva Avenida. Last season's winners of the Atlantian Oceania Champions League. Prestigious competition- it's not easy to win the AOCL. As holders, they were given entry back into the competition, and a bye into the QFs- and they made the most of it. Absolutely crushing Likewell Kirk on aggregate by a score of 7-0, they had Raynor City United, the biggest club in AO, in the AOCL semifinals. Remember, RCU had basically qualified for every single AOCL Final in recent memory. 8 out of the last 9?

But LNA beat them in the Final last year, to earn the regional crown. And they decided that they were not going to be afraid- they were going to take it to the biggest club in AO, anyone else can be damned. And boy- it was a strategy that worked. Not many teams do that against RCU, mostly sitting back because of the intimidation. You can catch them off-guard like that, and LNA did that and then some. A 2-1 road win in the Vanorian capitol was the stuff of legends, with 19 year old Odalis Pokeese hitting a bicycle kick to equalize in the 60th minute, and Horacio Bastanchury coming off the bench to grab a late, late winner at 90+6'(although only 3 minutes were supposed to be given!)

They were dominant in the second leg, as well- playing well with the lead, keeping possession, scoring themselves, and them eliminating Raynor City United. The Vanorian club's first early exit from the AOCL Final in a zillion cycles. Could they go back-to-back, and become the new leading nation in the region's most prominent club competition? And also improve the Farfadillis standing as kings of this competition- first nation to get to 10 titles. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. The Squornshelan club were the better one on the day, and deserved their victory at the Battleground.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:49 pm

-Season 10-

Matchdays 1-19

Matchday 1

Busukuma AC 3–1 L'Unione
Kitara AA 2–2 Hoima Warriors
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–1 Mynda Electra
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–1 Istria City FC
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–1 Dí Maozöxê
René Skaé 0–3 Jinja City FC
La Nueva Avenida 6–1 La Querida
Busukuma Force 0–2 Hawabark Boulders
Herzegovina City 1–3 Aissa United
Avenida Leal 1–3 Ferokaril

Matchday 2

L'Unione 1–0 Ferokaril
Aissa United 0–3 Avenida Leal
Hawabark Boulders 5–1 Herzegovina City
La Querida 3–14 Busukuma Force
Jinja City FC 1–1 La Nueva Avenida
Dí Maozöxê 0–0 René Skaé
Istria City FC 4–2 Ausharmuj Marusi
Mynda Electra 0–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Hoima Warriors 3–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Busukuma AC 0–1 Kitara AA

Matchday 3

Kitara AA 1–5 L'Unione
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–0 Busukuma AC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–7 Hoima Warriors
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–0 Mynda Electra
René Skaé 7–3 Istria City FC
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 Dí Maozöxê
Busukuma Force 0–5 Jinja City FC
Herzegovina City 6–1 La Querida
Avenida Leal 0–1 Hawabark Boulders
Ferokaril 5–3 Aissa United

Matchday 4

L'Unione 4–1 Aissa United
Hawabark Boulders 0–2 Ferokaril
La Querida 0–9 Avenida Leal
Jinja City FC 4–6 Herzegovina City
Dí Maozöxê 1–0 Busukuma Force
Istria City FC 1–1 La Nueva Avenida
Mynda Electra 3–0 René Skaé
Hoima Warriors 7–5 Ausharmuj Marusi
Busukuma AC 1–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Kitara AA 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä

Matchday 5

Rülândéá Kôstä 3–0 L'Unione
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–5 Kitara AA
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–1 Busukuma AC
René Skaé 0–3 Hoima Warriors
La Nueva Avenida 3–1 Mynda Electra
Busukuma Force 1–6 Istria City FC
Herzegovina City 7–3 Dí Maozöxê
Avenida Leal 1–5 Jinja City FC
Ferokaril 9–5 La Querida
Aissa United 8–5 Hawabark Boulders

Matchday 6

L'Unione 1–1 Hawabark Boulders
La Querida 3–9 Aissa United
Jinja City FC 7–0 Ferokaril</string>
Dí Maozöxê 5–0 Avenida Leal</string>
Istria City FC 5–1 Herzegovina City
Mynda Electra 3–3 Busukuma Force
Hoima Warriors 1–1 La Nueva Avenida
Busukuma AC 3–0 René Skaé
Kitara AA 1–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë

Matchday 7

Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–3 L'Unione
Ausharmuj Marusi 5–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
René Skaé 0–5 Kitara AA
La Nueva Avenida 3–0 Busukuma AC
Busukuma Force 1–1 Hoima Warriors
Herzegovina City 7–1 Mynda Electra
Avenida Leal 3–5 Istria City FC
Ferokaril 0–7 Dí Maozöxê
Aissa United 0–3 Jinja City FC
Hawabark Boulders 1–3 La Querida

LA QUERIDA ROAD WIN??

Matchday 8

L'Unione 4–0 La Querida
Jinja City FC 8–1 Hawabark Boulders
Dí Maozöxê 3–1 Aissa United
Istria City FC 5–3 Ferokaril
Mynda Electra 3–1 Avenida Leal
Hoima Warriors 5–3 Herzegovina City
Busukuma AC 4–0 Busukuma Force
Kitara AA 3–3 La Nueva Avenida
Rülândéá Kôstä 4–2 René Skaé
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–0 Ausharmuj Marusi

Matchday 9

Ausharmuj Marusi 1–1 L'Unione
René Skaé 3–0 Mâ Âlâmëomë
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Busukuma Force 1–0 Kitara AA
Herzegovina City 3–0 Busukuma AC
Avenida Leal 5–3 Hoima Warriors
Ferokaril 1–1 Mynda Electra
Aissa United 1–3 Istria City FC
Hawabark Boulders 0–1 Dí Maozöxê
La Querida 1–3 Jinja City FC

ISTRIA FIFTH WIN IN A ROW

Matchday 10

L'Unione 3–1 Jinja City FC
Dí Maozöxê 9–0 La Querida
Istria City FC 3–0 Hawabark Boulders
Mynda Electra 0–3 Aissa United
Hoima Warriors 1–3 Ferokaril
Busukuma AC 0–3 Avenida Leal
Kitara AA 1–1 Herzegovina City
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Busukuma Force
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–1 La Nueva Avenida
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–4 René Skaé

Matchday 11

René Skaé 5–3 L'Unione
La Nueva Avenida 9–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Busukuma Force 0–6 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Herzegovina City 5–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Avenida Leal 3–1 Kitara AA
Ferokaril 1–1 Busukuma AC
Aissa United 0–3 Hoima Warriors
Hawabark Boulders 1–7 Mynda Electra
La Querida 0–5 Istria City FC
Jinja City FC 3–3 Dí Maozöxê

Matchday 12

L'Unione 1–5 Dí Maozöxê
Istria City FC 3–1 Jinja City FC
Mynda Electra 1–3 La Querida
Hoima Warriors 6–0 Hawabark Boulders
Busukuma AC 6–1 Aissa United
Kitara AA 3–1 Ferokaril
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Avenida Leal
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–1 Herzegovina City
Ausharmuj Marusi 6–0 Busukuma Force
René Skaé 0–6 La Nueva Avenida

Matchday 13

La Nueva Avenida 3–5 L'Unione
Busukuma Force 1–0 René Skaé
Herzegovina City 3–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Avenida Leal 1–5 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Ferokaril 2–6 Rülândéá Kôstä
Aissa United 1–4 Kitara AA
Hawabark Boulders 1–1 Busukuma AC
La Querida 3–7 Hoima Warriors
Jinja City FC 3–1 Mynda Electra
Dí Maozöxê 0–5 Istria City FC

Matchday 14

L'Unione 2–4 Istria City FC
Mynda Electra 0–1 Dí Maozöxê
Hoima Warriors 1–3 Jinja City FC
Busukuma AC 3–0 La Querida
Kitara AA 7–1 Hawabark Boulders
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Aissa United
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–1 Ferokaril
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–0 Avenida Leal
René Skaé 1–7 Herzegovina City
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 Busukuma Force

10TH WIN IN A ROW FOR ISTRIA CITY

Matchday 15

Busukuma Force 0–4 L'Unione
Herzegovina City 1–0 La Nueva Avenida
Avenida Leal 0–3 René Skaé
Ferokaril 1–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Aissa United 5–0 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Hawabark Boulders 10–8 Rülândéá Kôstä
La Querida 1–3 Kitara AA
Jinja City FC 0–3 Busukuma AC
Dí Maozöxê 1–3 Hoima Warriors
Istria City FC 3–1 Mynda Electra

Matchday 16

L'Unione 2–0 Mynda Electra
Hoima Warriors 0–3 Istria City FC
Busukuma AC 1–1 Dí Maozöxê
Kitara AA 0–1 Jinja City FC
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–0 La Querida
Mâ Âlâmëomë 9–5 Hawabark Boulders
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–5 Aissa United
René Skaé 3–3 Ferokaril
La Nueva Avenida 2–2 Avenida Leal
Busukuma Force 0–3 Herzegovina City

Matchday 17

Herzegovina City 3–5 L'Unione
Avenida Leal 7–1 Busukuma Force
Ferokaril 0–5 La Nueva Avenida
Aissa United 1–9 René Skaé
Hawabark Boulders 3–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
La Querida 0–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Jinja City FC 0–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Dí Maozöxê 3–1 Kitara AA
Istria City FC 7–3 Busukuma AC
Mynda Electra 3–0 Hoima Warriors

LA QUERIDA ONLY LOST 1-0 TO MaA?!?!

Matchday 18

L'Unione 0–3 Hoima Warriors
Busukuma AC 3–2 Mynda Electra
Kitara AA 0–5 Istria City FC
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–1 Dí Maozöxê
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–3 Jinja City FC
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–1 La Querida
René Skaé 0–8 Hawabark Boulders
La Nueva Avenida 1–3 Aissa United
Busukuma Force 0–0 Ferokaril
Herzegovina City 5–5 Avenida Leal

Istria streak reaches FOURTEEN WINS IN A ROW. Also THIRD LA QUERIDA AWAY RESULT OF THE YEAR - ROAD WARRIORS??

Matchday 19

Avenida Leal 3–5 L'Unione
Ferokaril 3–6 Herzegovina City
Aissa United 0–1 Busukuma Force
Hawabark Boulders 1–7 La Nueva Avenida
La Querida 1–5 René Skaé
Jinja City FC 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Dí Maozöxê 3–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Istria City FC 1–5 Rülândéá Kôstä
Mynda Electra 1–1 Kitara AA
Hoima Warriors 0–3 Busukuma AC

League table halfway through the season

  S-FPL                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Istria City FC         19   16   1   2    72   31  +41    49
 2 Jinja City FC          19   11   2   6    55   28  +27    35
 3 Herzegovina City       19   11   2   6    70   46  +24    35
 4 Rülândéá Kôstä         19   10   5   4    58   36  +22    35
 5 L'Unione               19   11   2   6    50   38  +12    35
 6 Hoima Warriors         19   10   3   6    56   38  +18    33
 7 Dí Maozöxê             19    9   5   5    49   34  +15    32
 8 La Nueva Avenida       19    7   8   4    55   29  +26    29
 9 Busukuma AC            19    8   5   6    36   31   +5    29
10 Kitara AA              19    7   6   6    40   32   +8    27
11 Mâ Âlâmëomë            19    7   4   8    39   43   −4    25
12 Ausharmuj Marusi       19    6   7   6    38   45   −7    25
13 René Skaé              19    7   2  10    42   54  −12    23
14 Aissa United           19    7   1  11    46   56  −10    22
15 Avenida Leal           19    6   3  10    48   51   −3    21
16 Ferokaril              19    5   6   8    38   57  −19    21
17 Hawabark Boulders      19    5   3  11    46   75  −29    18
18 Busukuma Force         19    4   5  10    25   53  −28    17
19 Mynda Electra          19    4   3  12    29   40  −11    15
20 La Querida             19    2   1  16    26  101  −75     7

What's to talk about? We're at the halfway point of the season... And we've got all sorts of things going on. Let's dive in!

#1- Istria City FC 14 match winning streak vaults them to 'unassailable' lead at the top

Winning is the name of the game, of course. And Istria City FC's form to this point- well, it has been sensational. MD19, of course, was rough for them- their first loss in the league since Matchday 3, when they took a 7-3 walloping at the hands of René Skaé. Ironically, if you would have told me the runaway league leader would have two four goal losses on the season, I'd have told you that you had absolutely lost it. And yet, despite their pair of just diabolically poor performances on MD3 and MD19, it's what happened in between those performances that has defined this Shango-Fogoa Premier League season.

It didn't' start with much fanfare- yes, a 6-1 away win over the Force was as emphatic as it sounded, but with the major caveat that it was, well, the Busukuma Force. But then, Istria City FC really got things going. Massive rivalry match against Herzegovina City on MD6- Banija's biggest rivalry. And the Olympians crushed the Trumpeteers. Dominant in every way- Kate Huitema-Omeasoo with a fantastic brace, and even Voska Avetisyan cartwheeling away after making it 5-0 in the 80th minute. That really got them going- and they never stopped.

That really got an insanely hot run of form going. MD4, they drew, 1-1 at home, against LNA. A quality result against a team of LNA's quality. Then- 14 consecutive wins. And not only that. They scored at least three goals in each of those wins, with a final goal margin of at least +2 in each of those matches. "It's probably the best run of form I've ever seen, from any Banijan team in this league, since its formation." Said retired defender turned TV analyst, Wasa Jawo. "No matter the opponent, home or away- they were just grabbing games by the horns, taking things to opponents, and decimating them." 72 goals for at the halfway mark is quite a return. KHO is having a sensational run of form, with a league-leading 18 league goals.

That's why the gap at this point is 14. It's not who will win the title- it's how early can Istria City FC clinch it?

#2- Herzegovina City overcome disastrous start to chase the Champions League

They always say- don't take too much stock in just a couple of matches. But with fan favorite and superstar striker Jason Þórhallursson leaving for greener pastures abroad, the Trumpeteers signed Alberto Goodwine. A man who produces for club and country, the Cardenao international got the #9 jersey for Banija's biggest club. But there was certainly an adjustment period. Herzegovina City opened the season against relegation candidates, Aissa United and Hawabark Boulders. Easy dubs, right? Wrong.

A pair of ugly 3-1 and 5-1 losses to both clubs, respectively, heaped the pressure on this mega-talented Trumpeteers side- including their $10 million NSD man, Alberto Goodwine. He hadn't done much in the first two contests to effect the game. Of course, on MD3, they got La Querida- they cruised to a win, but Goodwine was confined to the bench as the gaffer rotated his starters. Goodwine came back on MD4, and got the home crowd to forget about Þórhallursson when he struck a tremendous volley to open his S-FPL scoring account in a wild 6-4 win over Jinja City.

Of course, the league title chase is one horse. But they're in the thick of things for the CL- and Goodwine, while needing a few games, is at the core of that, with 14 league goals.

#3 Mâ Âlâmëomë- what the hell's going on?

This is the biggest club in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League. Your eyes are not deceiving you. Eleventh place for a club of this caliber?? No- it does not make any sort of sense. Latona Basilisk seems to be the only person on the team playing to her capabilities. The Nepharan striker seems trying to bring her team success seemingly by herself- and naturally failing, in one of the ultimate team games.

The midfield is terrible. The defense- a joke. Players like Ígnîgo Çí Xôrí, in the central midfield, are probably have their worst ever half season in a Mâ Âlâmëomë uniform. And you see how this causes problems. Of course, of course- there's a literal civil war going on in Farfadillis, everywhere around them. So you've got to give them that. But they can't do anything. Get possesion. Control possesion. Mâ Âlâmëomë, at their best, are able to control a game from start to finish, and dizzy you into such submission that you just want to tap out by the end.

But presently, they lack any ability to do anything- especially defend. They've never exactly been known for having Ko-orenite like defenses, but the offense and midfield did enough so that the defense could thrive. But now, without their helpers- they've got a negative goal difference. Even the wingers, like Asztrik Biró, are having exceptionally poor seasons by their own standards.

#4 Is this the best La Querida team we've ever seen??

Cult heroes, La Querida. Obviously, one of the worst top flight teams in all of the multiverse. Kidnappers of Pam Xilei. Etc... We all know the drill. They're headed towards the bottom of the table(the bottom of the table race is INTRIGUING on the Banijan side, to say the least). But this time... They're actually putting up a fight? And have gotten a few results?

Let's roll back to Matchday 7. La Querida, the worst team in the league, 6 losses. Hawabark Boulders- already know that they were in a serious relegaton race. "We obviously know that this is a game we absolutely have to have." Hawabark's manager said. And yes, he's right- there's only so many points possible. You've got to get the points in the places that you are supposed to, and La Querida, at home, is about as close to free points as you can get. Except on this day. La Querida went to Hawabark, and actually crushed the Boulders. Shocking. Stunning. The Boulders were actually up 1-0 at the break, thanks to a goal from their 16 year old CM, Kizza Lumansi.

But the second half was all La Querida. A terrible handball from Nsubuga Nnaabugwamu leading to a penalty- one that La Querida buried. 1-1. Pan Xilei hitting a worldie of her own, and not celebrating in protest of her own court proceedings- her case, continually delayed, has hit another snag, as her judge paused the case to go to the front to take arms- and then immediately died. And she assisted a third goal, as La Querida fans stormed the pitch in Banija. Somehow, Hawabark's manager survived that. But only for one more game- they were down 6-0 within 34 minutes the very next week, an 8-1 away loss to Istria City. At that point, it was obvoius- Hawabark's manager was given the boot.

And then- another one. They had their second ever S-FPL away win, a 3-1 victory in Mynda over Mynda Electra. Utterly and absolutely disastrous for the northern club. A loss so disastrous that Mynda Electra's manager was not even allowed back into the locker room- Electra leadership came down onto the pitch in the game's immediate aftermath, and fired him on the spot. The La Querida effect. It took them less than a third of the season to get two managers fired. And yet... It begs the question. Maybe the club is decent this year?? They're clearly capable of winning a few games.

What a team, what a ride. Can La Querida achieve their first ever double digit point season in S-FPL history?

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Tue Mar 07, 2023 2:54 pm

-Season 10-

End of the Season- Team by Team Roundup, Awards

Matchday 20

L'Unione 0–1 Busukuma AC
Hoima Warriors 1–6 Kitara AA
Mynda Electra 7–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Istria City FC 0–0 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Dí Maozöxê 6–6 Ausharmuj Marusi
Jinja City FC 4–1 René Skaé
La Querida 0–7 La Nueva Avenida
Hawabark Boulders 1–1 Busukuma Force
Aissa United 0–4 Herzegovina City
Ferokaril 0–5 Avenida Leal

Matchday 21

Ferokaril 0–3 L'Unione
Avenida Leal 1–0 Aissa United
Herzegovina City 7–0 Hawabark Boulders
Busukuma Force 3–0 La Querida
La Nueva Avenida 0–2 Jinja City FC
René Skaé 1–5 Dí Maozöxê
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–5 Istria City FC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–1 Mynda Electra
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–5 Hoima Warriors
Kitara AA 1–1 Busukuma AC

Matchday 22

L'Unione 0–3 Kitara AA
Busukuma AC 1–0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Hoima Warriors 3–4 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Mynda Electra 3–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Istria City FC 1–1 René Skaé
Dí Maozöxê 1–1 La Nueva Avenida
Jinja City FC 3–1 Busukuma Force
La Querida 0–5 Herzegovina City
Hawabark Boulders 0–0 Avenida Leal
Aissa United 1–1 Ferokaril

Matchday 23

Aissa United 0–3 L'Unione
Ferokaril 0–1 Hawabark Boulders
Avenida Leal 5–5 La Querida
Herzegovina City 1–3 Jinja City FC
Busukuma Force 0–4 Dí Maozöxê
La Nueva Avenida 5–0 Istria City FC
René Skaé 3–0 Mynda Electra
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–5 Hoima Warriors
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–3 Busukuma AC
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–1 Kitara AA

Matchday 24

L'Unione 1–4 Rülândéá Kôstä
Kitara AA 0–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Busukuma AC 1–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Hoima Warriors 1–0 René Skaé
Mynda Electra 3–3 La Nueva Avenida
Istria City FC 4–1 Busukuma Force
Dí Maozöxê 0–3 Herzegovina City
Jinja City FC 0–1 Avenida Leal
La Querida 0–5 Ferokaril
Hawabark Boulders 3–5 Aissa United

Matchday 25

Hawabark Boulders 0–3 L'Unione
Aissa United 1–0 La Querida
Ferokaril 1–5 Jinja City FC
Avenida Leal 1–1 Dí Maozöxê
Herzegovina City 3–0 Istria City FC
Busukuma Force 3–1 Mynda Electra
La Nueva Avenida 3–0 Hoima Warriors
René Skaé 1–3 Busukuma AC
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–3 Kitara AA
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–0 Rülândéá Kôstä

Matchday 26

L'Unione 0–2 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Kitara AA 1–1 René Skaé
Busukuma AC 0–1 La Nueva Avenida
Hoima Warriors 3–3 Busukuma Force
Mynda Electra 1–3 Herzegovina City
Istria City FC 5–0 Avenida Leal
Dí Maozöxê 2–0 Ferokaril
Jinja City FC 6–1 Aissa United
La Querida 3–1 Hawabark Boulders

Matchday 27

La Querida 3–1 L'Unione
Hawabark Boulders 0–4 Jinja City FC
Aissa United 1–5 Dí Maozöxê
Ferokaril 5–7 Istria City FC
Avenida Leal 0–0 Mynda Electra
Herzegovina City 0–3 Hoima Warriors
Busukuma Force 1–1 Busukuma AC
La Nueva Avenida 1–3 Kitara AA
René Skaé 2–0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë

Matchday 28

L'Unione 3–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–7 René Skaé
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–3 La Nueva Avenida
Kitara AA 0–0 Busukuma Force
Busukuma AC 0–4 Herzegovina City
Hoima Warriors 0–0 Avenida Leal
Mynda Electra 0–3 Ferokaril
Istria City FC 3–9 Aissa United
Dí Maozöxê 3–0 Hawabark Boulders
Jinja City FC 1–3 La Querida

Matchday 29

Jinja City FC 5–1 L'Unione
La Querida 0–1 Dí Maozöxê
Hawabark Boulders 1–7 Istria City FC
Aissa United 0–3 Mynda Electra
Ferokaril 3–5 Hoima Warriors
Avenida Leal 1–1 Busukuma AC
Herzegovina City 5–0 Kitara AA
Busukuma Force 0–4 Rülândéá Kôstä
La Nueva Avenida 0–5 Mâ Âlâmëomë
René Skaé 3–0 Ausharmuj Marusi

Matchday 30

L'Unione 0–10 René Skaé
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–10 La Nueva Avenida
Mâ Âlâmëomë 6–1 Busukuma Force
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–0 Herzegovina City
Kitara AA 3–1 Avenida Leal
Busukuma AC 1–1 Ferokaril
Hoima Warriors 4–1 Aissa United
Mynda Electra 1–3 Hawabark Boulders
Istria City FC 5–3 La Querida
Dí Maozöxê 1–0 Jinja City FC

Matchday 31

Dí Maozöxê 3–1 L'Unione
Jinja City FC 0–2 Istria City FC
La Querida 0–6 Mynda Electra
Hawabark Boulders 1–1 Hoima Warriors
Aissa United 0–3 Busukuma AC
Ferokaril 5–3 Kitara AA
Avenida Leal 3–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Herzegovina City 1–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Busukuma Force 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 René Skaé

Matchday 32

L'Unione 5–1 La Nueva Avenida
René Skaé 6–0 Busukuma Force
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–7 Herzegovina City
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–0 Avenida Leal
Rülândéá Kôstä 10–1 Ferokaril
Kitara AA 3–3 Aissa United
Busukuma AC 1–0 Hawabark Boulders
Hoima Warriors 3–3 La Querida
Mynda Electra 3–0 Jinja City FC
Istria City FC 3–7 Dí Maozöxê

Matchday 33

Istria City FC 5–1 L'Unione
Dí Maozöxê 3–0 Mynda Electra
Jinja City FC 8–0 Hoima Warriors
La Querida 0–8 Busukuma AC
Hawabark Boulders 0–1 Kitara AA
Aissa United 0–8 Rülândéá Kôstä
Ferokaril 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Avenida Leal 2–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Herzegovina City 3–1 René Skaé
Busukuma Force 1–1 La Nueva Avenida

Matchday 34

L'Unione 2–0 Busukuma Force
La Nueva Avenida 1–3 Herzegovina City
René Skaé 1–0 Avenida Leal
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–0 Ferokaril
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–0 Aissa United
Rülândéá Kôstä 8–3 Hawabark Boulders
Kitara AA 3–0 La Querida
Busukuma AC 1–1 Jinja City FC
Hoima Warriors 1–0 Dí Maozöxê
Mynda Electra 1–3 Istria City FC

Matchday 35

Mynda Electra 0–1 L'Unione
Istria City FC 1–1 Hoima Warriors
Dí Maozöxê 1–0 Busukuma AC
Jinja City FC 3–1 Kitara AA
La Querida 0–7 Rülândéá Kôstä
Hawabark Boulders 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Aissa United 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Ferokaril 1–5 René Skaé
Avenida Leal 1–3 La Nueva Avenida
Herzegovina City 1–3 Busukuma Force

Matchday 36

L'Unione 3–5 Herzegovina City
Busukuma Force 1–[b]7 Avenida Leal
La Nueva Avenida 3–0 Ferokaril
René Skaé 1–1 Aissa United
Ausharmuj Marusi 7–3 Hawabark Boulders
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–1 La Querida
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–3 Jinja City FC
Kitara AA 0–0 Dí Maozöxê
Busukuma AC 5–0 Istria City FC
Hoima Warriors 1–1 Mynda Electra

Matchday 37

Hoima Warriors 8–0 L'Unione
Mynda Electra 4–1 Busukuma AC
Istria City FC 4–0 Kitara AA
Dí Maozöxê 5–0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Jinja City FC 3–5 Mâ Âlâmëomë
La Querida 0–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Hawabark Boulders 0–1 René Skaé
Aissa United 3–1 La Nueva Avenida
Ferokaril 2–2 Busukuma Force
Avenida Leal 3–8 Herzegovina City

Matchday 38

L'Unione 3–3 Avenida Leal
Herzegovina City 3–1 Ferokaril
Busukuma Force 1–1 Aissa United
La Nueva Avenida 4–1 Hawabark Boulders
René Skaé 2–0 La Querida
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–1 Jinja City FC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–0 Dí Maozöxê
Rülândéá Kôstä 0–3 Istria City FC
Kitara AA 3–3 Mynda Electra
Busukuma AC 6–1 Hoima Warriors

Final Table

   S-FPL                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Istria City FC         38   27   4   7   130   75  +55    85 - Champions, Qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 2 Herzegovina City       38   25   3  10   136   67  +69    78 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League 
 3 Dí Maozöxê             38   21   9   8    97   55  +42    72 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 4 Mâ Âlâmëomë            38   21   8   9    95   66  +29    71 - Qualify for the IFCF Champions League
 5 Jinja City FC          38   21   4  13   107   57  +50    67 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 6 Rülândéá Kôstä         38   19   7  12   113   75  +38    64 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 7 Hoima Warriors         38   18   9  11   102   82  +20    63 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 8 La Nueva Avenida       38   16  12  10   104   60  +44    60 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 9 Busukuma AC            38   16  11  11    74   54  +20    59 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
10 René Skaé              38   17   6  15    90   80  +10    57 - Qualify for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
11 L'Unione               38   18   3  17    81   92  −11    57
12 Kitara AA              38   13  13  12    75   67   +8    52
13 Avenida Leal           38   12  10  16    82   86   −4    46
14 Ausharmuj Marusi       38   11  13  14    77  103  −26    46
15 Aissa United           38   11   5  22    74  112  −38    38
16 Mynda Electra          38    9   9  20    67   75   −8    36
17 Ferokaril              38    8   9  21    68  119  −51    33 - Relegated to the Farf second tier
18 Busukuma Force         38    7  12  19    48  103  −55    33
19 Hawabark Boulders      38    7   6  25    65  135  −70    27 - Relegated to the Banijan Soccer League
20 La Querida             38    5   3  30    47  169 −122    18

While they couldn't necessarily maintain their sizzling pace from the first half of the season(including a league record 14 straight wins, all by multiple goals, from Matchdays 5-18), Istria City FC were crowned with their second Shango-Fogoa Premier League title, and become the third team to have won this league twice- after Mâ Âlâmëomë. Their huge first half lead never broke, as they were basically top of the table from wire to wire- a fantastic run. They finally clinched the league title mathematically on Matchday 35, when a home draw against the Hoima Warriors, combined by a Herzegovina City FC collapse away to the Busukuma Force, were enough to put them through. 130 goals scored- just an unstoppable force. Kate Huitema-Omeasoo(QUE) led all scorers with a ridiculous 34 goals in the league, and they're obviously overwhelmingly happy with the way this season went down. League title, plus the knockout stages of the IFCF Champions League? They'll be singing about this one for a while in Banija's largest city.

What about behind them? It was never really a real title race- it was decided about a third of the way through this season. But Herzegovina City, while not making a title challenge, still largely did themselves well to earn a 2nd place finish. After a slow start, they continued their high-powered ways going forward. Kuznetsov(CMT) was a player of the year candidate, while Alberto Goodwine(CAD) slowly settled into to become a fan favorite of a lethal front line. As always, they'll be favorites next year- especially with rumors that they're bidding big money to bring Laborious Hawk(VAL) into the fold. Behind them, we'll have a pair of Farf clubs that are disappointed with their turnout- 3rd and 4th place.

Dí Maozöxê and Mâ Âlâmëómë, respectively, finished in those places. Of course, you may be thinking- top 4? Disappointing? Well, both of these clubs have 2 S-FPL titles each. And while Dí Maozöxê fans at least will be happy at getting into the group stages of the Champions League(the S-FPL's only direct qualifier), Mâ Âlâmëómë fans will be livid they did not make a title push. Also, they did not score at the rate one would expect of a Farf team- those teams, finishing in the top 4, each of them scoring less than 100 goals? What gives? That's probably Mâ Âlâmëómë's lowest goal tally for the 10 seasons of this competition. While they've had worse finishes in the table, the S-FPL's biggest club will surely be back with a vengeance next season.

Then, of course, we've got the league's 6 Challenger's Cup Qualifiers. Rülândéá Kôstä's stellar run to the Champions League semifinals distracted them enough to prevent them from really making a top 4 challenge, but they had too much talent and depth to do anything worse than comfortably slide into the IFCF Challenger's Cup group stages. Jinja City FC finished ahead of them, in 5th. Honestly, a solid season, with that +50 goal differential. But Alexander Bumba, their manager, announced his retirement as soon as the season was done. A total of 16 season, in two different stints, at Jinja City FC- with league titles both in the pre-merger BSL, and the S-FPL. Expect big change from them this offseason, as they expect to be ambitious. He'll retire a club legend- even if he lost at home to La Querida this very season.

Next, you've got the Hoima Warriors and La Nueva Avenida. Hoima got some silverware this season- their first in a decade, by winning Banija's domestic cup- the RBSA Challenge Cup. Saved their manager's job, for sure- how do we call them a big club at this point? 10 seasons, not only have they never won the league- they've never challenged for the league title. LNA, while finishing below their usual standard in 8th, is certainly built for the future. They've got a core of young players- only two starters are above the age of 24. With players like 22 year old CM Petra Anhope(NPH), 19 year old CM Odalis Pokeese(FAR), and 23 year old winger Maximovna(CMT) all playing well, the future is bright. Of course, this team is also the favored club of Alex Teran, the guy who's invading the rest of the island. So he may have the patience required for those young players to improve- his focus is elsewhere at the moment.

Lastly, Busukuma AC and René Skaé. Big clubs, but in 10 seasons, neither have silverware. Hell, in the last 23 cycles of UICA/IFCF football, Busukuma has exactly one league title- 19 cycles ago. But hey- at least both clubs are here. René Skaé thinks they're better than a mid-table club- can they get it together and improve next season? Then, we've got the clubs behind them. L'Unione would have been a great story to qualify for the IFCF in their first ever top-flight season- but they missed it on goal differential. Behind them, you've got an assortment of other perennial mid-table clubs- Kitara AA, Avenida Leal, and Ausharmuj Marusi. Behind them... We're talking about the relegation races.

On the Banijan side, four teams involved. Aissa United did well, finishing in 15th and avoiding any real threat of relegation. It's a tough job, for sure- but their defense, despite conceding 75 teams, was much better than the other three Banijan teams in the relegation race, who all conceded 100+ times. Mynda Electra is on the hunt for a manager, after their interim manager led them to their worst finish in years. While survival is survival, their ownership seems to be wanting much more than that. The race was really between the Busukuma Force, and the Hawabark Boulders. The last two promoted teams. But Hawabark simply could not keep up- conceding 135 times is always a surefire way to get relegated. What's the other surefire way to get relegated? Becoming the first team to ever lose twice to La Querida in the same season. That second La Querida result caused that interim manager to be fired, just to hire a second one- who could not rescue their faltering campaign.

And that leads us to the Farf side. La Querida had their best ever finish in the S-FPL- 18 points. 5 wins on the season. First ever double over an opponent(Hawabark). All club records in the S-FPL. They brought down Mynda away. And a double over Hawabark. Hell, they even had a three game winning streak- MDs 26-28(3-1 wins over Hawabark, L'Unione, and Jinja City FC, in succession). After that third straight win, Teran ordered that they could not be relegated this season- saying that their brief window of success made them 'heroes' and showed what Farves could do when 'united under the leadership of Farolerans'. Furthermore, he said that the club would 'inspire the success of his soldiers on the front'. Therefore, 17th place Ferokaril got the boot.

Golden Ball - 40 votes, each team has two reporters that vote

Vasiliy M. Kuznetsov(CMT) of Herzegovina City FC- 16 votes
Kate Huitema-Omeasoo(QUE) of Istria City FC- 14 votes
Lindse Kvasina(NPH) of Istria City FC- 7 votes
Jôs Sürréo(RUL) of Dí Maozöxê- 2 votes
Gereh Kama(BNJ) of Herzegovina City FC- 1 vote

Golden Boot

Kate Huitema-Omeasoo(QUE) of Istria City FC- 34 goals
Latona Basilisk(NPH) of Mâ Âlâmëómë- 29 goals
Alberto Goodwine(CAD) of Herzegovina City FC- 28 goals
Jôs Sürréo(RUL) of Dí Maozöxê- 27 goals
Vasiliy M. Kuznetsov(CMT) of Herzegovina City FC- 25 goals

Golden Bib(2 reporters per team for a total of 40 votes- this is manager of the Year)

Lêyêló Jáánsêlà(RUL) of Rülândéá Kôstä- 16 votes
Odongo Kagenda(BNJ) of Herzegovina City FC- 15 votes
Jôs Sürréo(RUL) of Dí Maozöxê- 7 votes
Bbale Luboobi(BNJ) of Istria City FC- 2 votes

Golden Touch(2 reporters per team for a total of 40 votes- this is manager of the Year)

George Wangolo(BNJ) of Istria City FC- 34 votes
Santino Luperto(TAN) of L'Unione- 5 votes
Porfirio Seijas(FAR) of La Querida- 1 vote

GOLDEN BUNCH

Average Rating         Position         Player Name            Club     
--   7.84                aGKa           Hebron Rao            Busukuma AC--------------
--   7.81                aDEFa          Radeka Lind           Jinja City FC------------
--   7.90                aDEFa          Rôbé Wîjkár           Dí Maozöxê---------------
--   7.90                aDEFa          Josué Degaray         La Nueva Avenida--------------
--   7.99                aCMa           Êsêkïl dí Völará      Mâ Âlâmëómë--------------
--   8.30                aCMa           Lindse Kvasina        Istria City FC-----------
--   8.08                aOMa           Gereh Kama            Herzegovina City FC------
--   8.40                aOMa           Vasiliy M. Kuznetsov  Herzegovina City FC------
--   8.12                aTKa           Lêyêló Jáánsêlà       Rülândéá Kôstä-----------
--   8.19                aSTa           Jôs Sürréo            Dí Maozöxê---------------
--   8.38                aSTa           Kate Huitema-Omeasoo  Istria City FC-----------

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Thu May 18, 2023 11:58 am

-Season 11-

Season 11 - International Tournament Results

#1 The AOCL- Istria City FC make a stellar run to the Final in Mondown City
Round of 16- Two-Legged Faceoff against Brantisvogan FC(SRS)

The defending Shango-Fogoa Premier League champions taking on Brantisvogan FC- the reigning league champions of the Squornshelan Remnant States. It was a truly giant matchup to happen in the early stages of the region's most prominent club competition- and, of course, you've got the backdrop of these clubs representing two nations who just faced off against each other in the AOCAF Semifinals. "Brantisvogan is a deep team, an elite team- there's a reason they were able to win that league-cup double domestically last season. There are no easy opponents in the AOCL- but this is truly a special team. It's going to be a tough clash."

As generally happens for Oceanian nights in the midweek, Istria City FC fans showed up for the first leg, filling every last seat for what would be a thunderclash between these two teams in the region. And Istria City FC put on an impressive display, one that seemed to be a relic of the past for Banijan teams in international competition- showcasing exactly how these teams could perform at their top level. "Look, there's no doubt about it- Lindse Kvasina is one of the best players in the world." Said Istria City's manager. "She was dominant, she was everywhere- and as she goes, Istria City goes."

Of course, you had a couple of World Cup winners come back to the S-FPL champions, and they cruised to success- she scored herself in the 32nd minute to make it 1-0, and she assisted Dembo Savaneh in the 39th minute to make it 2-0. Brantisvogan tried to push, to cut that Istria lead in half in the second half, but Carlton Sandt made a number of impressive saves to keep this at 2-0. It would be Kate Huitema-Omeasoo who would put them away, scoring the third goal of the leg to secure the 3-0 win. It was far too much for Brantisvogan FC to come back from this in the home leg, and Istria City FC would advance to the quarterfinals, 4-1 on aggregate.

Quarterfinals- Insane aggregate tie against the cream of the crop in AO, Raynor City United(VAL)

To say that Raynor City United simply define this competition is an understatement. They have been to 8 of the last 10 AOCL Finals, just completely dominant in this competition. "Life, death, and RCU in the AOCL Final- that's how these things go." Said Istria City FC's manager. In the last 10 cycles of the AOCL, Raynor City United only did not qualify once- AOCL XLIII. Take out that year- the last 9 AOCLs RCU have played in, they went to 8 straight Finals, and last time out, they were knocked out in the semifinal. The last time RCU went out in the Quarterfinals of this competition?

"Probably before the Kabaka was born." Istria City's manager joked. The Kabaka, of course, is 92 years old. The first leg was in Valanora- and it was spectacular. It really seemed as if it was a clash of the titans. Raynor City United are the biggest club in AO, of course- but Istria City feel as if they should be in that discussion. Most would not, but on this day, on the pitch, it was both teams who were absolutely spectacular. Defending is for the weak, I guess- the two clubs split the spoils, as six goals were scored between the two sides. Istria City almost had the most spectacular of away wins- but 84th and 87th minute goals by Raynor City United made it 3-3 on its home ground.

"A great game played by us- but you can't give RCU any air to breathe in this competiton." Kvasina told reporters. "They had the smallest of chances, and took them. We've got to do better in the second leg." And in the second leg, it was more of the same. Tons of attacking football- compact, disciplined defending to the wayside, as defenders were simply flying in for desperate tackles. Istria CIty FC scored twice, thanks to KHO and Dembo Savaneh putting them for 2 goals on the night, in front of their home crowd. But RCU came back again- this time, a 75th minute free kick, followed by an 89th minute header, to take the game into extra time. Another gut-wrenching punch from the Vanorian side.

2-2 on the day, 5-5 on aggregate- off to extra time. As defenders continued to get tired, the attackers gained a further advantage. RCU would score in the first half of extra time, with Tairu Conateh himself heading home in the 101st minute, to make it 4-3 to the visitors. Istria City FC would throw on all sorts of attackers, searching for an equalizer. 111th minute- a 35 year old Linoan Waters, off the bench, would score a beauty of a near post equalizer. And then, just a few minutes later- it would be Oguta Achuka, in the central midfield, causing all sorts of pandemonium by heading home an 118th minute winner. Istria City FC had taken down the competition's greatest team- making it wide open.

Brantisvogan- conquered. Raynor City United had been slain. Was the regional trophy in sight for the club from Banija's biggest city??

Semifinals- Going for the Squornshelan double against Megabrantid(SRS)

They've taken down the region's giants- when was the last time Raynor City United went out of this competition in the quarterfinals- maybe like 15 cycles ago? They're feeling hella good about themselves, especially since they did so in such dramatic fashion. Amidst quite a domestic campaign(more to come on their league campaign later on), they're taking on the defending champions of this competition. This time, the first leg would occur in the Confederacy, giving the Squornshelan side a chance to set the tone. The first half saw the Olympians sit back a lot- simply take what was coming, weather the early storm.

The strategy in the first leg was always to weather that storm, and then see if you can punch an away goal or two past the keeper. But when you've got players on the wing like Dembo Savaneh, the ability of a team like Istria City FC to counter-attack is crazy. They can flip defense into offense just like that. They're not known for their defending- but an interception on the back line by Luboobi saw the offense start running, and the team orchestrate a devastating counter-attack. A brilliant Kvasina through ball to KHO in the 62nd minute, who chipped it over the head of the goalkeeper. The crowd in stunned silence- yet, the Quebecois CF wheeling away in celebration. 1-0 to Istria.

In the 77th minute, Istria City would have their 35 year old CB, Demba Kouyaté, head in a corner kick to make it 2-0- which would remain the final score. Taking a lead like that to their home leg, they knew that the tie was all but theirs- and they were intent on seeing this through, to start the party in Istria. KHO burying a penalty in the 17th minute just sucked the life out of the opponents, and then later goals by Oguta Achuka and Linoan Waters(off the bench) got the party started. A true shellacking- 5-0 win over two legs by Istria City FC, to reach the final of the AOCL. Can they win it??

Final

Unfortunately, the stellarness of this run for Istria City ran out when they came up against the Turoki Tide. The Tide are a dominant team- and they were simply the better team on this day. Lindse Kvasina's 35th minute goal was not enough, as the Tide would score twice inside the 90 to earn AO's top club trophy, and become the winners of the AO Champions League. A hell of a run for Istria City- and a more than welcome distraction from their league campaign.

#2 The IFCF CL Round of 16- Istria City FC at the center of the greatest Champions League comeback you've ever seen
The Path- How'd they get to the Round of 16?

Long gone are the days where two Banijan teams would get two auto-berths to the group stage. The country now has none- so Istria City FC entered the Champions Leauge in the Third Qualifying round. And yet- they did their thing. Two wins over the Astena Rangers to reach the Playoff Round, and then faced off against Yerushalayim of Adab. After losing 1-0 in the first leg away from home, Istria City did not panic- they called for a seige mentality, and roared to life at Kabonero III Field, with a dominant 3-0 win in the second leg to reach the group stages of this competition.

Then, of course, off to the groups. Their group was brutal- Chromatik, Dí Maozöxê, and Brantisvogan FC. It wasn't easy- but on the back of excellent home form, taking 7 points of a possible 9 at home(wins over both Dí Maozöxê & Brantisvogan FC), their lone point away from home, on the final matchday, a chaotic 3-3 drew against Dí Maozöxê in Farfadillis, saw them into the last 16- and DiM down into the Challenger's Cup.

First Leg- Getting Blasted

They prepared for the first leg at Kabonero III Field. Of course, Atletik were the huge favorites- the biggest club in Mytanija, one of the biggest clubs in the world well beyond Mytanija, and an extremely deep and talented team who think they have a legitimate shot at winning this competition(their youth side won that version of this competition).

And consider the deep talent they have... Is it any sort of odd that they were the big-time favorites going into this tie? There is the Round of 16- you're probably one of the best 16 teams in the world. And then, of course, there are a set of contenders- maybe 4 or 5 teams that everyone thinks can actually win four of these ties, to bring home club football's greatest trophy. Atletik were considered to be one of those 4 or 5 teams. Istria City... Playing with house money. Maybe if this was 5 cycles ago, the roles would be reversed. But it's not- we know how football is right now.

And in this first leg... Atletik looked every bit their reputation. They absolutely blew the Olympians apart, as they came to this country, in dominant fashion, and absolutely shredded our league champions. Do we really need to go through this goal for goal? Probably not. But it was as brilliantly dominant a performance a foreign team has displayed in this country, in this compeition, as we have ever seen. "Look- got to tip your cap- they were better than us in every aspect." Said Istria City's manager. 4-1 to the visitors, KHO's goal simply a consolation prize in this demolition.

Second Leg- The most glorious weeknight in the history of Istria City FC

Going back to Mytanija for the second leg was thought just to be a formality. "No way Istria City can win this- we just want to make sure we have some pride before we bow out of the competition." Said a local area radio host before the game. And that, of course, was absolutely a reasonable thing to say, considering where things stood.

But in the squad? There was belief. "Look- we knew that we were going to step into probably one of the most raucous environments to play in, in all of club football." Said Kvasina, Istria City's best player. "But we play away games in Farfadillis every week- we've seen it all, the crowd won't intimidate us. We've got to change things on the pitch, but... if we can score something early, who knows?" And that's exactly what the Olympians did. Just in the fourth minute of the game, Okaka Akungu was taken down in the box off of a wild tackle by the Atletik CB. The referee went straight to red- showing the defender his marching orders, and giving a penalty to Istria City FC.

Kate Huitema-Omeasoo buries the penalty. Suddenly, it's 1-0 to Istria. Still a long way to go- but that early goal makes one start to think, right? Takes the pop out of the 67,000 strong at the Novi Atletskistadion. Atletik sat back as Istria City continued to push forward, looking for another goal. A job made a little bit easier by the fact that Atletik would have to go basically the entire contest with only 10 men. After a few decent chances, it was a Kvasina cross to Dembo Savaneh- who would hammer home a volley from about 18 yards out, a perfectly hit ball into the corner in the 39th minute. Suddenly, it was 2-0 on the night- and nerves were being felt throughout the stadium.

"In a competition like this, you need something to break your way, some sort of spectacular, to really get yourself going." Said the Banijan commentator. "Istria City got the red card, they got the spectacular strike- can they win this?" While Atletik dug deep down for the second half, Istria City FC were flying now. Dominating long spells of possesion, it was only a matter of time before they would score- and it was Kvasina who would score, in the 67th minute, heading in a cross from Akia Settaka to make it 3-0 on the day, and 4-4 on aggregate. The away section was in raptures- the home support, distraught. They had come back from all the way down to level this one- could they find a winner?

They found one.

Banijan Radio Commentary wrote:It's the 84th minute here, and Istria City FC lead 3-0 on the day... While it's 4-4 on aggregate. No more away goals rule, remember? Incredible comeback by this Istria City side- the belief, the hunger, the compactness- they did not let a 4-1 loss at home faze them, and now we may be inches away from what would be one of the greatest moments in club history. We've got a free kick from about 20 or so yards out, and we've got Savaneh, Kvasina, and KHO all lined up over it- we're definitely shooting. Kvasina places it down as the referee blows his whistle... IT's gonna be Kate Huitema-Omeasoo who runs up for the free kick... AND SHE'S SCORED IT! AND SHE'S SCORED IT! KHO, HUITEMA-OMEASOO, THE QUEBECOIS QUEEN, HAS SCORED A STUNNING FREE KICK TO COMPLETE THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN CLUB HISTORY! THAT'S THE GOAL TO ELIMINATE ATLETIK FROM THIS MOST GLORIOUS OF COMPETITIONS!!!

A bending free kick by Huitema-Omeasoo- her second goal of the match, and third of the tie, showcasing exactly why she's been here in Banija for the best part of a decade. A stunner to win it- complete the four goal comeback. An absolute beauty. It's a tie, and a match, that will go down as probably the greatest moment in IFCF history for Istria City FC.

They eventually were eliminated in the QFs by Wirr Tsi. But that moment- that's one where every single Istria City FC will never forget where they were, when KHO's free kick bent into the top corner. A forever moment for this club.

The Rest- S-FPL teams otherwise going out with a whimper, rather than a bang

It was not a pretty set of IFCF results for the S-FPL teams outside of that. A quick overview, eh?

On the Banijan side, no other team besides Istria City FC even reached the group stages of one of the major 3 IFCF competitions. Herzegovina City FC were eliminated twice over the Summer- CS Saint-Rémy of Kelssek got them in the Second Qualifying Round of the Champions League, while Hiyashi Celestia beat them, on penalties, in the penultimate Qualifying Round for the Challenger's Cup.

It was even worse for the three Banijan sides who qualified for the Challenger's Cup. All three of the Hoima Warriors, Busukuma AC, and Jinja City FC went out of the Qualifying Rounds of the Challenger Cup- all three being eliminated at first opportunity. "Simply atrocious." Said the S-FPL Co-Commissioner, Randolf Cherry, when asked about the performance of Banijan teams in the Challenger's Cup this year. Hoima at least had some international success. They advanced a lone round in the IFCF Cup Winners Cup, before being summarily eliminated in the Round of 16 by CF Outineau.

But in the LIga B Champions Trophy, Capitol City FC saw some success. They won two qualifying ties to reach the group stages, and then 4 wins in group play over Lonngeylin Coast and Forbrodring Opsvik were enough to reach the last 16 of that competition. Of course, this is a competition won by two separate Banijan clubs- would Kawesa's be the third? Even with a spectacular 6-4 aggregate win in the last 16 to reach the quarterfinals, their run would end there- ended by the Kionao Locals of Turori. That's a pretty great cup run, all things considered, with this being their first season of S-FPL football in club history. But the real Q, of course- can they stay up?

On the Farf side, things were definitely quite a bit better. However, René Skaé and La Nueva Avenida both went out of the IFCF Challenger's Cup Qualifying Rounds in quite spectacular fashion. René Skaé fell 5-2 to AC Lopel of Ancherion- with teams distracted by war, football was slightly on the backburner. LNA weren't much of an improvement- falling 8-4 on aggregate to the Finn Hurps, likely of Trolleborg.

Mâ Âlâmëómë, the biggest club in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, had a rough set of Qualifying rounds. Like Herzegovina City, they fell out of both the Champions League and the Challenger's Cup. Going into the Playoff Round of the CL, VZRH Matov-Uri took them into extra time, and triumphed in Farfadillis to reach the group stages over them. Mâ Âlâmëómë then lost to Crimsonhawke, of Tikariot, in the final round of Chc Qualifiers. That's it then- right? Nope. They got a lifeline. Not enough champions qualified for the new third comp, the Associations Trophy- so thanks to their club coefficient, Mâ Âlâmëómë fell into the AT- and immediately were one of the favorites to win it.

Trophies are not necessarily easy to win in the IFCF however, even if you are favorites. They cruised through group play, with 11 points to comfortably punch their ticket to the knockout stages. They won their first knockout stage tie, 2-1 on aggregate, to reach the Ro16- but then it was another Tikariot team, Port Rhovanyon AFC, who would put them to the sword- a 4-3 aggregate win for the Rushmori side to end Mâ Âlâmëómë's journey. Their journey as the first S-FPL team to play for the Associations Trophy, and the first S-FPL team to play in all three major IFCF competitions in the same season, was over. Rough- but at least they did something.

Then, you've got your Farf AQs- Dí Maozöxê and Rülândéá Kôstä. Both proved they belong- DiM, of course, got third in their group and went down to the KO stages of the Challenger's Cup. RK, on the other hand, would punch their way to the knockout stages of the ChC directly via those groups. But once there, the fate of both teams were eerily similar. Both won their Round of 32 matchups, with Dí Maozöxê in particular doing so in convincing fashion, a 6-1 aggregate win. But neither were good enough to get past the last 16- Dí Maozöxê falling to Stein-Los Turkish, while RK fell to Lakewood City.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Fri May 19, 2023 3:06 pm

-Season 11-

Matchdays 1-10

MATCHDAY 1
Capitol City FC 8–3 Aissa United
René Skaé 0–1 Jinja City FC
Mynda Electra 1–3 Ferokaril
Kitara AA 0–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Istria City FC 11–0 La Querida
Avenida Leal 2–0 Mâ Âlâmëomë
L'Unione 3–3 Dí Maozöxê
Rülândéá Kôstä 0–3 Hoima Warriors
Busukuma AC 1–1 Herzegovina City
Busukuma Force 0–2 La Nueva Avenida

MATCHDAY 2
Aissa United 0–0 La Nueva Avenida
Herzegovina City 3–1 Busukuma Force
Hoima Warriors 0–5 Busukuma AC
Dí Maozöxê 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–0 L'Unione
La Querida 0–13 Avenida Leal
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–3 Istria City FC
Ferokaril 0–5 Kitara AA
Jinja City FC 4–3 Mynda Electra
Capitol City FC 1–3 René Skaé

MATCHDAY 3
René Skaé 3–0 Aissa United
Mynda Electra 1–1 Capitol City FC
Kitara AA 1–0 Jinja City FC
Istria City FC 1–1 Ferokaril
Avenida Leal 0–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
L'Unione 11–1 La Querida
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Busukuma AC 9–0 Dí Maozöxê
Busukuma Force 0–2 Hoima Warriors
La Nueva Avenida 1–3 Herzegovina City

MATCHDAY 4
Aissa United 0–3 Herzegovina City
Hoima Warriors 1–1 La Nueva Avenida
Dí Maozöxê 3–1 Busukuma Force
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–4 Busukuma AC
La Querida 1–11 Rülândéá Kôstä
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–1 L'Unione
Ferokaril 0–1 Avenida Leal
Jinja City FC 2–1 Istria City FC
Capitol City FC 1–1 Kitara AA
René Skaé 0–3 Mynda Electra

MATCHDAY 5
Mynda Electra 3–1 Aissa United
Kitara AA 0–3 René Skaé
Istria City FC 6–1 Capitol City FC
Avenida Leal 1–5 Jinja City FC
L'Unione 0–1 Ferokaril
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–5 Ausharmuj Marusi
Busukuma AC 5–0 La Querida
Busukuma Force 0–12 Mâ Âlâmëomë
La Nueva Avenida 1–0 Dí Maozöxê
Herzegovina City 3–1 Hoima Warriors

MATCHDAY 6
Aissa United 0–6 Hoima Warriors
Dí Maozöxê 0–1 Herzegovina City
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–1 La Nueva Avenida (Called after 65 minutes due to violence)
La Querida 0–4 Busukuma Force
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–0 Busukuma AC
Ferokaril 3–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
Jinja City FC 1–3 L'Unione
Capitol City FC 0–1 Avenida Leal
René Skaé 1–0 Istria City FC
Mynda Electra 0–2 Kitara AA

MATCHDAY 7
Kitara AA 5–1 Aissa United
Istria City FC 2–0 Mynda Electra
Avenida Leal 5–0 René Skaé
L'Unione 6–2 Capitol City FC
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–3 Jinja City FC
Busukuma AC 1–1 Ferokaril
Busukuma Force 3–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
La Nueva Avenida 1–0 La Querida
Herzegovina City 5–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Hoima Warriors 7–1 Dí Maozöxê

MATCHDAY 8
Aissa United 1–1 Dí Maozöxê
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–3 Hoima Warriors
La Querida 0–3 Herzegovina City
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–0 La Nueva Avenida
Ferokaril 1–0 Busukuma Force
Jinja City FC 4–2 Busukuma AC
Capitol City FC 1–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
René Skaé 5–3 L'Unione
Mynda Electra 1–0 Avenida Leal
Kitara AA 1–3 Istria City FC

MATCHDAY 9
Istria City FC 5–3 Aissa United
Avenida Leal 1–5 Kitara AA
L'Unione 5–7 Mynda Electra
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–0 René Skaé
Busukuma AC 5–3 Capitol City FC
Busukuma Force 1–5 Jinja City FC
La Nueva Avenida 3–1 Ferokaril
Herzegovina City 3–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Hoima Warriors 7–1 La Querida
Dí Maozöxê 3–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë

MATCHDAY 10
Aissa United 0–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
La Querida 1–5 Dí Maozöxê
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–3 Hoima Warriors
Ferokaril 0–1 Herzegovina City
Jinja City FC 1–3 La Nueva Avenida
Capitol City FC 0–0 Busukuma Force
René Skaé 1–3 Busukuma AC
Mynda Electra 1–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
Kitara AA 3–1 L'Unione
Istria City FC 3–3 Avenida Leal

Table after 10 weeks

S-FPL                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City       10    8   2   0    26   10  +16    26
 2 Istria City FC         10    6   2   2    35   12  +23    20
 3 Busukuma AC            10    6   2   2    35   14  +21    20
 4 Hoima Warriors         10    6   2   2    33   14  +19    20
 5 Kitara AA              10    6   1   3    23   11  +12    19
 6 Jinja City FC          10    6   1   3    26   18   +8    19
 7 La Nueva Avenida       10    5   3   2    13    8   +5    18
 8 Avenida Leal           10    5   1   4    27   15  +12    16
 9 Rülândéá Kôstä         10    4   4   2    31   21  +10    16
10 René Skaé              10    5   0   5    16   17   −1    15
11 Mâ Âlâmëomë            10    4   2   4    32   19  +13    14
12 Ausharmuj Marusi       10    4   2   4    13   18   −5    14
13 L'Unione               10    4   1   5    33   28   +5    13
14 Mynda Electra          10    4   1   5    20   21   −1    13
15 Ferokaril              10    3   3   4    11   16   −5    12
16 Dí Maozöxê             10    3   3   4    17   26   −9    12
17 Busukuma Force         10    2   1   7    10   29  −19     7
18 Capitol City FC        10    1   3   6    18   29  −11     6
19 Aissa United           10    0   2   8     9   35  −26     2
20 La Querida             10    0   0  10     4   71  −67     0

We're only a quarter of the way through the season. And yet...

#1: Herzegovina City are unbeaten early. Do they have the inside track?

Herzegovina City FC insist, usually upon deaf ears, that they are Banija's biggest club. Unless one of Herzegovina City or Istria City wins an IFCF competition, it's pretty clear that Mâ Âlâmëomë is the biggest club in the Basin- but Herzegovina City were smarting at their archrivals from Istria running away with the league title last campaign. And this season, they've gotten off to a sparkling start- 8 wins and 2 draws, being the last unbeaten team in this league.

The Trumpeteers made a massive upgrade at left back in the offseason- signing Opio Ssambwa from Kitara AA, who is just 22 years old, for $8 million NSDs. He, of course, was the starting LB for all 7 games of Banija's run at World Cup 93, as well as a Testiculiño nominee. Alongside grabbing a Cassadaigua NTer in Cynthia Kerr to play goalkeeper, their defense has been rock solid- 10 goals conceded at this point is 2nd best in the league so far. 26 goals after 10 matches is nothing to sneeze at either- although it's not even top 5 in this competition.

It simply doesnt' seem as if they have weaknesses. Clevinger, who is 36 years old and struggled over the summer in IFCF competition, seems to be turning back the clock at CB. Kuznetsov continues to assert himself as an attacker for the Trumpeteers. Gereh Kama is playing spectacularly as well. And they proved their mettle in the biggest game of the young season, in a 5-3 home win over Mâ Âlâmëomë- with Alberto Goodwine, of Cardenao, scoring a hat trick. Whole team smooth sailing, just burying and smother opponents- early favorites to win the league title?

#2: All these Banijan Goalscorers- Istria City, Jinja City... And BUSUKUMA leading the league in goals??

Now, Istria City FC being at the top of the team goalscoring charts in this league would not be a surprise. Alongside them, you'd expect clubs like Mâ Âlâmëomë or La Nueva Avenida. But no. Who's alongside them? It's obviously early, but... Jinja City? And Busukuma AC? Both averaging over 3 goals per game?? It's insane. And it checks out how Banijan clubs somehow occupy the top 6 slots in this league. Is that going to continue? Absolutely not. But... Insane.

Of course, this is the first ever season where the Banijan capitol has all three of its clubs playing in the top flight- Busukuma AC, alongside the Force and Capitol City FC. Busukuma AC knows they've got to separate themselves locally. They spent serious cash getting the young, hyped striker from Nyowani Kitara, Kuma Negasu, to come to the club. And he's been in sensational form. The 19 year old is atop the early goalscoring charts, with 9 goals in 10 games so far this season. Omar Kah is turning back the clock, servicing players like Sarzonian international Clayton Wilson, and homegrown winger Kato Sseka, extremely well. Is this sustainable over the course of 38 games? Probably not- but what's going on?

Let's look at Jinja City FC next. The other half of the Nyowani Kitara strike partnership plays at the #9 for them- and that's Odede Angonga. It's a New Kitaran party in Banija, as Angonga has 7 goals of his own so far. Of course, Jinja City is much deeper than that, however. New Quebecois signing Cesar Icardi-Rabiot is off to the races this year, as the 19 year old has found the goal 9 times. Two teenagers atop the scoring charts in the S-FPL? Insane- yet it's where we are. When they've got players behind them like Heike Schoß, Junior Ngoab, and even Radeka Lind, from the wingback spot, creating opportunities- the result is that you'll see a strike partnership that does all sorts of damage.

Istria City FC's inclusion up here is of no surprise to anybody. They've always been known for scoring goals, they won the league last season, and when you've got players like Dembo Savaneh, Lindse Kvasina, and KHO, it's simply hard to not score a whole bunch of goals.

#3: A slow start by our Farf clubs- Rülandéá is distracted by the Farf Civil War

One look at the table, and it begs an obvious question- why are there so many Banijan clubs at the top. Of course, it's only been 1/4 of the season, so everything is far from decided, but the table simply belies what we've all seen with our very eyes- a sluggish start from many of the Farf clubs. The toll of the civil war was always going to take its effect on the football season. Heck, the 2nd tier in Farfadillis did not finish last season, leading to no promotion/relegation on the Farf side of things.

Mâ Âlâmëomë is probably the best place to talk about where this has happened. With Faroleran troops smashing their way through Rülandéá, it has taken a huge toll on the club's ability to focus on everything happening on the pitch. Take a Matchday 4 home loss to Busukuma AC. You could hear cannons going off in the background. An assistant trainer literally left, mid-match, and was found again three days later, with weaponry in hand, on the front lines against the oncoming Faroleran bulldozer.

The match paused for an hour. It turns out it wasn't even soldiers- just simply a bomb going off, far in the distance. But you can see the kind of toll and stress that this takes on MaA players, and fans. Hell, look at the team, their crosstown rivals, who they share a stadium with- Dí Maozöxê themselves. Dí Maozöxê sit, shockingly, in 16th after 10 games. Of course, they're not going to get relegated(probably)- they're much too big of a club for that. But 16th after 10 games simply doesn't cut it at a club of their size and stature.

The best example for them? They could only fly 15 players out, on Matchday 7, to Hoima- as the team plane was taken for the war effort, and they had to charter a flight to Hoima. Of course, they suffered one of the worst beatdowns of their time in the S-FPL, a 7-1 shellacking at the hands of the Hoima Warriors(of all teams! HOIMA?) You know things are bad when Chewbacca is scoring a hat trick against you. Excellent player, top tier CB- but there's no world where he should score three times against you in a half.

#4: Alex Teran's club are the top Farf team... Yet still in 7th?

Of course, war impacts those who are driving the war, as well. Alex Teran, despite leading the civil war effort, has been seen increasingly around his favorite club- he surely wants them to win the league. And yet... It's clear that not all the players are the most comfortable being seen as part of the Faroleran war effort. Alex Teran gave a televised update on the Faroleran war effort while wearing a La Nueva Avenida jersey... And it did not go down well.

A few La Nueva Avenida players have refused to be seen with Alex Teran- there was one that even skipped a game. It's clearly getting to team morale. There have been arguments from the sideline, Teran has been seen on the touchline himself, forcing his manager to make certain substitutions or adjustments- and even there was a fistfight between two defenders on LNA.

And when Mâ Âlâmëomë played host to La Nueva Avenida, all hell broke loose. Brawls in the stands, fights on the field, some assistant trainers rushed the MaA bench for the fighting to spill onto the field. In any other country, it would probably be the deadliest sporting riot of all-time. In Farfadillis? It's just another Tuesday (or Saturday, in this case). While somehow no players on either team suffered serious injury, the violence led for the Banijan referee to call the game after 65 minutes, for fear of 'the safety of the referees, the players, and everybody in the stands'. A couple hundred dead.

#5: Bottom of the Table- Aissa United struggling, while La Querida seem back to normal?

For the 10th consecutive season, La Querida finished bottom of the table in the S-FPL last year. But they actually gave their fans some hope. By far their best season in this competition- they set club S-FPL records for wins(5), goals scored(47), and points earned(18). But this season, it seems as if they've returned back to Earth- they have 10 losses from 10 at the start of the season, exactly where they should be. Having scored just 4 and conceded a whopping 71 goals throughout 10 matches, they may be back to old form and then some- on pace to concede more than 250 times.

On the Banijan side of things, the relegation battle was always going to be hot. Even in this early part of the season, it's clear that we've got a three way race for the two spots to stay up- Busukuma Force, Capitol City FC, and Aissa United. The last three teams to be promoted to the S-FPL, funnily enough, find themselves in this position. How it goes, eh? So far, it's Aissa United who find themselves on the wrong side of things. They've earned just 2 points out of a possible 30, and the season is quickly careening into outright disaster. Nobody's playing well, the manager might be fired- they've got to do better than this.

Capitol City FC, of course, took their oil-infusion from the 3rd tier, and now find themselves in the top tier. But you've got to figure out how to stay up here, before you can start climbing this ladder. And Kawesa's squad are going to struggle here in year 1. On Matchday 1, they earned their first ever S-FPL win in club history- a crushing 8-3 home win over Aissa United. Of course, they haven't won since then- 3 draws and 6 losses. Can this state owned club somehow find a way to stay up this season?

And lastly, of course, we have the Busukuma Force. They've got probably the worst loss of any non-La Querida team on the season so far- a 12-0 home loss to Mâ Âlâmëomë. Yet, somehow, they've won twice. One of those wins was over La Querida, admittedly. But they all count the same, right? It's gonna be an ugly race to the bottom- but teams like Mynda Electra certainly seem safely away from this discussion.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sat May 20, 2023 12:32 pm

-Season 11-

Matchdays 11-19

MATCHDAY 11
Avenida Leal 1–1 Aissa United
L'Unione 1–0 Istria City FC
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–0 Kitara AA
Busukuma AC 1–1 Mynda Electra
Busukuma Force 3–3 René Skaé
La Nueva Avenida 3–5 Capitol City FC
Herzegovina City 0–1 Jinja City FC
Hoima Warriors 4–0 Ferokaril
Dí Maozöxê 1–5 Ausharmuj Marusi
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–0 La Querida

MATCHDAY 12
Aissa United 3–1 La Querida
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Ferokaril 0–3 Dí Maozöxê
Jinja City FC 1–1 Hoima Warriors
Capitol City FC 0–7 Herzegovina City
René Skaé 1–3 La Nueva Avenida
Mynda Electra 2–0 Busukuma Force
Kitara AA 1–1 Busukuma AC
Istria City FC 3–5 Rülândéá Kôstä
Avenida Leal 1–1 L'Unione

MATCHDAY 13
L'Unione 1–1 Aissa United
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–3 Avenida Leal
Busukuma AC 5–1 Istria City FC
Busukuma Force 0–3 Kitara AA
La Nueva Avenida 3–0 Mynda Electra
Herzegovina City 3–1 René Skaé
Hoima Warriors 3–1 Capitol City FC
Dí Maozöxê 1–1 Jinja City FC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–1 Ferokaril
La Querida 0–0 Ausharmuj Marusi

MATCHDAY 14
Aissa United 7–5 Ausharmuj Marusi
Ferokaril 7–0 La Querida
Jinja City FC 1–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Capitol City FC 0–0 Dí Maozöxê
René Skaé 1–3 Hoima Warriors
Mynda Electra 1–1 Herzegovina City
Kitara AA 5–3 La Nueva Avenida
Istria City FC 0–0 Busukuma Force
Avenida Leal 1–1 Busukuma AC
L'Unione 0–3 Rülândéá Kôstä

MATCHDAY 15
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–3 Aissa United
Busukuma AC 0–1 L'Unione
Busukuma Force 0–0 Avenida Leal
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 Istria City FC
Herzegovina City 3–1 Kitara AA
Hoima Warriors 3–0 Mynda Electra
Dí Maozöxê 1–1 René Skaé
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–3 Capitol City FC
La Querida 0–6 Jinja City FC
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–1 Ferokaril

MATCHDAY 16
Aissa United 1–1 Ferokaril
Jinja City FC 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Capitol City FC 1–1 La Querida
René Skaé 5–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Mynda Electra 0–0 Dí Maozöxê
Kitara AA 1–1 Hoima Warriors
Istria City FC 5–3 Herzegovina City
Avenida Leal 0–6 La Nueva Avenida
L'Unione 0–0 Busukuma Force
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Busukuma AC

MATCHDAY 17
Busukuma AC 0–6 Aissa United
Busukuma Force 1–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
La Nueva Avenida 3–1 L'Unione
Herzegovina City 0–1 Avenida Leal
Hoima Warriors 1–0 Istria City FC
Dí Maozöxê 1–0 Kitara AA
Mâ Âlâmëomë 7–1 Mynda Electra
La Querida 1–3 René Skaé
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–1 Capitol City FC
Ferokaril 3–1 Jinja City FC

MATCHDAY 18
Aissa United 0–4 Jinja City FC
Capitol City FC 4–4 Ferokaril
René Skaé 3–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Mynda Electra 5–0 La Querida
Kitara AA 3–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Istria City FC 3–3 Dí Maozöxê
Avenida Leal 4–6 Hoima Warriors
L'Unione 0–1 Herzegovina City
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–0 La Nueva Avenida
Busukuma AC 3–0 Busukuma Force

MATCHDAY 19
Busukuma Force 1–1 Aissa United
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 Busukuma AC
Herzegovina City 3–9 Rülândéá Kôstä
Hoima Warriors 1–0 L'Unione
Dí Maozöxê 5–1 Avenida Leal
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–0 Istria City FC
La Querida 1–4 Kitara AA
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–1 Mynda Electra
Ferokaril 0–0 René Skaé
Jinja City FC 3–0 Capitol City FC

Table at the halfway mark

S-FPL                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Hoima Warriors         19   13   4   2    56   22  +34    43
 2 Herzegovina City       19   12   3   4    47   29  +18    39
 3 Rülândéá Kôstä         19   11   5   3    62   35  +27    38
 4 Mâ Âlâmëomë            19   10   4   5    61   33  +28    34
 5 Jinja City FC          19   10   4   5    45   27  +18    34
 6 La Nueva Avenida       19    9   5   5    36   23  +13    32
 7 Busukuma AC            19    8   7   4    48   27  +21    31
 8 Kitara AA              19    9   4   6    41   27  +14    31
 9 Ausharmuj Marusi       19    8   4   7    33   36   −3    28
10 René Skaé              19    8   3   8    34   32   +2    27
11 Istria City FC         19    7   5   7    48   32  +16    26
12 Avenida Leal           19    7   5   7    39   36   +3    26
13 Dí Maozöxê             19    6   8   5    32   37   −5    26
14 Mynda Electra          19    6   5   8    31   37   −6    23
15 L'Unione               19    6   4   9    38   38    0    22
16 Ferokaril              19    5   6   8    28   35   −7    21
17 Aissa United           19    3   6  10    32   54  −22    15
18 Capitol City FC        19    2   6  11    33   58  −25    12
19 Busukuma Force         19    2   6  11    15   44  −29    12
20 La Querida             19    0   2  17     8  105  −97     2

The season currently unfolding is, more than ever, one that is doing so against the backdrop of a deadly war between Farolera and the nations of Rülândéá, Szoirsia and the now ex-nation of Induja. The S-FPL has never, ever been a stranger to strange political unravelings—just ask about Pan Xilei or La Querida's legal status as an international waters whatever—but this season has ramped things up to eleven. With the Rulandese death toll approaching six figures by some estimates, and with Alex Terán and by extension La Nueva Avenida the visible face of all of it... well, games between La Nueva Avenida (and Faroleran teams more widely) and Rulandese or Szoirsian teams can turn sour.

So it was quite remarkable what happened on matchday eleven! Capitol City, a Banijan club from... you're not getting any points for guessing that... is at the epicenter of Farf immigration to Farfadillis... and that immigration has Alex Terán as one of its most visible figures, especially after the Rulandese genocide drove a huge chunk of Rulandese from Farfadillis altogether. Playing at La Gran Avenida, with a war raging close by, though not quite reaching Farolera, at least yet... a rather enormous number of almost entirely Farf fans made their way through the tumultuous waters of the waters surrounding Farfadillis, krakens and all, and landed in Puerto Farolero, ready to make their presence felt. With the team on six points after ten games and La Nueva Avenida outmatching them pretty much player for player, making such a dangerous journey to such a dangerous stadium was, needless to say, a fairly reckless idea.

Away ticket allotment is not really a thing in Farfadillis. Fans of different teams know the stands they have to go to, and some accidental intermingling happens when some fans buy the wrong tickets. Usually, they know better than to flaunt their colors and get out fine. Some other times some club gets a point deduction for a massacre. It is what it is. Capitol City fans did not care. Not only did they arrive in Puerto Farolero flaunting their club allegiance, but most of them were waving their respective nation's flag—not one of them Faroleran—and entering skirmishes as well as outright firing, uh, contests, with the police. With Faroleran forces spread rather thin, the capital was actually remarkably unprepared for Capitol City's fans, who suffered a minuscule death toll next to the Faroleran police, already decimated by the Marcus Hertel incident and the rather recent anti-pig revolution that happened about five years ago. The fans then forced their way into La Gran Avenida, did not pay for any tickets, and entered brutal fights with the La Nueva Avenida support. With attendance at an all-time low despite Alex Terán's insistence on a panem et circenses approach to war by making tickets free for La Nueva Avenida fans, the Capitol City fans quickly overran the local fans, with the death toll staying relatively low but with the local fans pretty much entirely left out of the stadium. Capitol City were, for all intents and purposes, the home team now.

The dazzling Petra Anhope and Yevseyeva Maximovna were initially too much for the away team, as they seamlessly combined for three goals, two assisted by the former, one assisted by the latter, all three scored by them. However, at half time, with tensions rising more and more as the Capitol City fans' patience was coming to a boil, the manager decided to sub his two best players out, as well as a few club treasures like Kaia Larriet-Cortes and Odalis Pokéésé. The result? Capitol City not only roared back into the game, but did so in unique style. Young Banijan striker, Jônn Wérséô—no points for guessing his ancestry—started firing on all cylinders and nobody could stop him. A close-range header, a belter from the edge of the box, a near-post header, a tap-in and a sensational move on the counter to eventually make his way round Ramos Rivas and slot the ball in for a fifth... an all-timer performance. He took his shirt off, raised his middle finger at the camera every single time and mouthed "fuck Farolera, fuck Alex Terán"... in every single one of his five goal celebrations. The referee might have been feeling the pressure there. Even if Wérséô has chosen to represent Banija, no non-Faroleran Farf will ever have a bad word to say about him from this day on. It's one of those days that mark a player.

Anyway, in more pacific news: the now rather ironically named Hoima Warriors are plowing through their opposition like Farolerans plowing through helpless, malnourished and badly-equipped Indujans. This second quarter has seen them drop a whole... four points. Their defensive solidity is well-known by now and needs no introduction, but it is youngster Ochieng Mulangwa that has been turning heads. The left-winger has scored or assisted half the goals in this quarter, putting in man-of-the-match performances in about half the games. His technique is fantastic even by Farf standards, and he can keep pace with almost all Farves in a foot race, which is a rather rare trait. His crossing has been on point on top of that, which is something the always lethal Busogan-Delaclav Artem Kohut very much appreciates.

Elsewhere, Herzegovina City have been unable to keep pace, but they are most definitely not out of the title race: they've been solid and fairly unlucky. One look at their starting eleven and it becomes immediately evident that they'd have to drop to mid-table to not be in the title race. Name for name, only Mâ Âlâmëómë can put in an argument for being better. How do you stop an attack made up of rising superstar Odongo Kagenda, legendary attacking midfielders Gereh Kama and Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov and Cardenaoan Testículo nominee Alberto Godwine? You mostly don't. Except if it's during a match happening in this quarter.

That said, in this last matchday Herzegovina City have been presented with something to worry about. Incensed after a highly contested match that they won 1-0 against La Nueva Avenida on home soil, with Farolerans currently knocking on Lìbêrêtê's door, the Rulandese outlet was clearly in need to vent and oh boy did they vent. They put nine past a defense marshaled by none other than (an admittedly somewhat old) Reniira Clevinger. Lêyêló Jáánsêlà, playing as a takilante, who was coming off scoring the heroic late winner against Alex Terán's team, put no less than five past them just in the first half. A takilante scoring that many times means they'll have to fix their defensive issues when facing players who move into channels unexpectedly from deep positions. The big gap between defense and midfield, coupled with both their center-midfielders being on the wrong side of thirty, proved to be their undoing.

So, how are the Rulandese teams doing? Much better, for the most part. Dí Maozöxê have improved, though just barely and on the back of insane performances from young-ish star Jôs Sürréo and experimented World Cup winner Lolong Bokate. The two other Rulandese teams have taken the second quarter by storm however: the aforementioned Rülândéá Kôstä smashing Herzegovina City was not that much of a surprise: they were on 19 points from 24 in this quarter before the match. They have perhaps been spurred on by the war effort. Ana Crowcombe regularly breaking down in tears and having increasingly violent mental breakdowns mid-match because of the whole war-knocking-on-the-door situation might or might not have helped the team, but it has been entertaining nevertheless. Baraxil Muhaburu, who knows how old by now and also definitely a bit too much of an alcoholic, has been an important player when the team has needed to calm down. The war does not have him unfazed. They are missing Erin Kang, yes, but her compatriot Mathinna Bouck has been a fairly fitting replacement (on the pitch, that is; let's remember Erin Kang is helping the war effort). Mâ Âlâméómë, for their part, have made a similarly impressive but far more expected comeback: they just have too much quality, even if a lot of it is aging a bit too fast. Rather surprisingly, Edmün Çídh has played a very small role since his return to his boyhood club, but he did score an exquisite winner against Istria City last matchday... as well as a hat-trick against La Querida.

What other stories can we tell elsewhere? Well, Avenida Leal have been left stranded in an awful position: they get the visceral hate from all sides that any Faroleran side gets, but they get none of the sugar daddiness from Alex Terán. The end result is just... mediocre performances, fan deaths in altercations with the fans of every other Farf team and, uh, apparently the drafting of some of their Faroleran players to the army? Not good times for them, definitely. Twelfth place is both flattering and impressive taking that into account.

Ferokaril also tells an interesting story: their nation has collapsed and literally become a desolate wasteland of anarchy (ok, more of one) with a gigantic "pocket" that functions well but is actually just a lithium batshit "mining" operation led by a Yue billionaire. And it's happening far from Ferokaril's headquarters anyway. It's impossible to envy them: they have to go through a war zone every time they play on the road against a Farf team. They're on amicable terms with the non-Faroleran sides, but still... also, extremely mediocre squad player Johan Tivasús died when crossing the Faroleran-Rulandese front. Rest in peace, Johan, you will never again make our eyes bleed with your cameos.

And that should more or less be it, right? Nothing else of note, as a cursory skimming of the table can tell you wait what are defending champions Istria City doing in eleventh place? They were second after eleven matchdays! Well, there isn't an enormous, in-depth analysis to make here: they have been extraordinarily unlucky with their run-in this quarter. Except for their freak loss to L'Unione to kick things off, they've pretty much faced sleeping giants like Dí Maozöxê, out-for-blood teams like Rülândéá Kôstä and Mâ Âlâmëómë and a very in-form Hoima Warriors team. Curiously enough... they did get the better of Herzegovina City in a 5-3 thriller amidst the terrible run of games. Kate Huitema-Omeasoo and Lindse Kvasina, who have had a fairly mute second quarter, decided the Trumpeteers, specifically, would be their punching bags for one matchday. That kind of thing happens sometimes.

The Banijan relegation battle is shaping up to be very interesting, with all three teams being terrible but one of them having exogenous factors to motivate them further (Capitol City FC, in case reading between the lines is your single biggest weakness as a human being).

In last place, La Querida.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sat May 20, 2023 2:05 pm

-Season 11-

Matchdays 20-29

MATCHDAY 20
Aissa United 1–3 Capitol City FC
Jinja City FC 0–1 René Skaé
Ferokaril 2–2 Mynda Electra
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–0 Kitara AA
La Querida 3–1 Istria City FC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–3 Avenida Leal
Dí Maozöxê 0–4 L'Unione
Hoima Warriors 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Herzegovina City 1–1 Busukuma AC
La Nueva Avenida 2–1 Busukuma Force

MATCHDAY 21
La Nueva Avenida 6–1 Aissa United
Busukuma Force 1–6 Herzegovina City
Busukuma AC 6–0 Hoima Warriors
Rülândéá Kôstä 2–2 Dí Maozöxê
L'Unione 2–6 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Avenida Leal 5–3 La Querida
Istria City FC 1–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Kitara AA 3–1 Ferokaril
Mynda Electra 1–3 Jinja City FC
René Skaé 3–1 Capitol City FC

MATCHDAY 22
Aissa United 0–0 René Skaé
Capitol City FC 1–1 Mynda Electra
Jinja City FC 1–3 Kitara AA
Ferokaril 1–1 Istria City FC
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–0 Avenida Leal
La Querida 0–7 L'Unione
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Dí Maozöxê 1–1 Busukuma AC
Hoima Warriors 5–0 Busukuma Force
Herzegovina City 0–1 La Nueva Avenida

MATCHDAY 23
Herzegovina City 9–0 Aissa United
La Nueva Avenida 1–5 Hoima Warriors
Busukuma Force 4–2 Dí Maozöxê
Busukuma AC 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Rülândéá Kôstä 7–1 La Querida
L'Unione 1–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Avenida Leal 0–3 Ferokaril
Istria City FC 0–1 Jinja City FC
Kitara AA 1–1 Capitol City FC
Mynda Electra 0–0 René Skaé

MATCHDAY 24
Aissa United 1–3 Mynda Electra
René Skaé 3–0 Kitara AA
Capitol City FC 1–7 Istria City FC
Jinja City FC 3–3 Avenida Leal
Ferokaril 1–1 L'Unione
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–3 Rülândéá Kôstä
La Querida 0–7 Busukuma AC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–1 Busukuma Force
Dí Maozöxê 0–2 La Nueva Avenida
Hoima Warriors 0–0 Herzegovina City

MATCHDAY 25
Hoima Warriors 0–0 Aissa United
Herzegovina City 3–1 Dí Maozöxê
La Nueva Avenida 4–4 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Busukuma Force 1–0 La Querida
Busukuma AC 8–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Rülândéá Kôstä 0–0 Ferokaril
L'Unione 2–5 Jinja City FC
Avenida Leal 2–2 Capitol City FC
Istria City FC 1–3 René Skaé
Kitara AA 1–1 Mynda Electra

MATCHDAY 26
Aissa United 3–4 Kitara AA
Mynda Electra 1–3 Istria City FC
René Skaé 0–3 Avenida Leal
Capitol City FC 3–5 L'Unione
Jinja City FC 1–0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Ferokaril 1–5 Busukuma AC
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–1 Busukuma Force
La Querida 1–7 La Nueva Avenida
Mâ Âlâmëomë 1–3 Herzegovina City
Dí Maozöxê 1–0 Hoima Warriors

MATCHDAY 27
Dí Maozöxê 7–1 Aissa United
Hoima Warriors 0–9 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Herzegovina City 8–2 La Querida
La Nueva Avenida 6–0 Ausharmuj Marusi
Busukuma Force 3–1 Ferokaril
Busukuma AC 0–2 Jinja City FC
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Capitol City FC
L'Unione 7–0 René Skaé
Avenida Leal 1–3 Mynda Electra
Istria City FC 1–5 Kitara AA

MATCHDAY 28
Aissa United 1–4 Istria City FC
Kitara AA 3–1 Avenida Leal
Mynda Electra 1–5 L'Unione
René Skaé 0–0 Rülândéá Kôstä
Capitol City FC 1–1 Busukuma AC
Jinja City FC 3–1 Busukuma Force
Ferokaril 7–1 La Nueva Avenida
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–7 Herzegovina City
La Querida 1–3 Hoima Warriors
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–1 Dí Maozöxê

MATCHDAY 29
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–3 Aissa United
Dí Maozöxê 7–0 La Querida
Hoima Warriors 3–5 Ausharmuj Marusi
Herzegovina City 7–1 Ferokaril
La Nueva Avenida 3–0 Jinja City FC
Busukuma Force 3–1 Capitol City FC
Busukuma AC 0–0 René Skaé
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–0 Mynda Electra
L'Unione 1–0 Kitara AA
Avenida Leal 3–14 Istria City FC

Table after 29 Matchdays

S-FPL                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City       29   19   5   5    91   38  +53    62
 2 Hoima Warriors         29   16   7   6    73   46  +27    55
 3 La Nueva Avenida       29   16   6   7    69   42  +27    54
 4 Jinja City FC          29   16   5   8    64   41  +23    53
 5 Mâ Âlâmëomë            29   15   7   7    98   52  +46    52
 6 Rülândéá Kôstä         29   13  12   4    82   45  +37    51
 7 Kitara AA              29   14   7   8    61   40  +21    49
 8 Busukuma AC            29   12  11   6    78   36  +42    47
 9 L'Unione               29   13   5  11    73   54  +19    44
10 René Skaé              29   12   7  10    44   44    0    43
11 Istria City FC         29   12   6  11    81   51  +30    42
12 Dí Maozöxê             29   10  10   9    54   54    0    40
13 Ausharmuj Marusi       29   10   6  13    45   66  −21    36
14 Avenida Leal           29    9   8  12    60   73  −13    35
15 Mynda Electra          29    8   9  12    44   59  −15    33
16 Ferokaril              29    7  10  12    46   58  −12    31
17 Busukuma Force         29    7   6  16    31   69  −38    27
18 Capitol City FC        29    3  11  15    48   83  −35    20
19 Aissa United           29    3   8  18    43   95  −52    17
20 La Querida             29    1   2  26    19  158 −139     5

Ok, Istria City are really suffering from extreme complacency after their performances last year. Kicking off the second half of the season by handing La Querida their first win of the season really is something... Anartz Salayeta, their Astograthian talisman up front, has always been well-known for topping the "slowest player in the league" charts. He's thirty-two and has somehow managed to lose pace as a result. Well, that didn't stop La Querida from punishing the incumbent champions twice on the counter, with Salayeta smashing the ball past a hapless, helpless Carlton Sandt before rounding off his performance with a trademark header off of a corner La Querida were, surprisingly, not so unlucky to get. Kate scored a goal right before that stopped the result short of being a top-three embarrassment in the club's history but... wow.

Elsewhere, Herzegovina City have mounted less of a title challenge and more of a title rampage. The Warriors had been looking in hot form going into the second half of the season... then scored twelve points out of thirty. The variance in their performances has been staggering, with scoring five goals in two consecutive games after losing 6-0 to Busukuma, but before getting 9-0'd (9-0'd) by Mâ Âlâmëómë at home. It was a Mâ Âlâmëómë side with something to prove, but it was also the big nail in the coffin of their title run. With Herzegovina City the only consistent team in the league, the Warriors look like they're about to become a non-factor.

For their part, we have La Nueva Avenida and Mâ Âlâmëómë not so far behind that we can deem them out of the title race yet. Furthermore, they've been putting in good performances. Star-studded squads like theirs finding their form sooner or later is hardly a surprise, but it is remarkable that they have managed to leave exogenous matters aside, to a degree, and focus on the football. Sandwiched in between them is Jinja City, who mostly owe their relative success to not being at war and having two spectacular full-backs in Radeka Lind and Adroa Kiryamunyolo. Up front, attacking midfielder Heike Schoß has been their main offensive outlet and they've inevitably suffered on the few occasions he's not been available.

Oh, Rülândéá Kôstä are only one point behind Mâ Âlâmëómë, so they are worth mentioning too: lacking the star power to power through the season like the two Farf teams above them, they have nonetheless proven to be exceptionally passionate and, uh, violent on the pitch. They're frightening enough to get most calls going their way. They are a particularly tough nut to crack: their mentality makes them content to draw, but a loss is off-limits. Appropriately, they've lost the least out of all teams in the league, and have also drawn the most games. They've got a team filled with potential, especially with the breakthrough of supposedly-Astograthian attacking midfielder Eguktuxidor Unibartzitatea. If they do their squad planning well and manage to keep this style of play powered by raw mentality, they could win the league again fairly soon.

What other stories are there to tell? Well, L'Unione have made the most of being away from the dangers of war and have quietly snuck into ninth place without anybody noticing, on +19 GD, performing much better than the war-torn René Skaé. The Szoirsians, for their part, have had a record number of red cards shown to their players. They are not taking the socio-political environment surrounding them well. Frédéric Ybl, from 1830 Cathair, has perhaps been their stand-out player in a mediocre season, with the former attacking midfielder having been turned into a physically-imposing box-to-box midfielder who has retained his attacking edge.

Dí Maozöxê are struggling in a very similar way to René Skaé. There really isn't much to analyze there: their individual quality is much greater but so is the precarity of their geopolitical position. It seems the two other Lìbêrêtê have used up all the avoid-consequences-of-war luck.

At the bottom, the Banijan relegation battle has taken shape. Mynda Electra can't keep getting away with it. But they are getting away with it. Unremarkable even in how unremarkable they are, they stay safe until Alex Terán decides they don't bring the league enough money and tanks them, one way or another. They are safe for now, though, fully sixteen points ahead of Aissa United. Busukuma Force went on a fairly good run this third quarter and have turned the relegation battle into a two-horse race, short of a catastrophic collapse in the last nine games of the season. Shout-out to right-winger Booa Kusama, yet another Banijan youngster showing extraordinary quality. It is undeniable the Farf side of youth development has fallen behind the Banijan side in this league. What factors could be behind this? It is impossible to tell. Nonetheless, the reigning world champions have a bright future to look forward to, while the Farves have, uh.

Anyway, onto the actual relegation battle: Capitol City are better than Aissa United. They want it more and they have more quality, with young Banijan-Rulandese Jônn Wérséô the quintessential example of that: he's been scoring for fun if you take into account his team is on forty-eight goals at the moment. However, luck has not been on the Farf-supported club's side, as every potential close win seems to end in a draw and every potential draw seems to end in a loss. The same cannot be said of Aissa United, and it's clear from looking at their GD: fully seventeen goals below Capitol City there, as opposed to to the three points that separate the two sides. If one had to bet, it's Aissa United who are getting relegated, despite having one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Meghan Maurie-Cane... but let's be honest who plans their squad around their goalkeeper anyway.

La Querida miraculously accumulate three points in this last ten-matchday stretch, now managing to sit in last place but, like, they'll take it, probably.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sat May 20, 2023 3:13 pm

-Season 11-

Matchdays 30-36

MATCHDAY 30
Aissa United 1–1 Avenida Leal
Istria City FC 5–1 L'Unione
Kitara AA 0–2 Rülândéá Kôstä
Mynda Electra 0–2 Busukuma AC
René Skaé 2–1 Busukuma Force
Capitol City FC 3–5 La Nueva Avenida
Jinja City FC 1–1 Herzegovina City
Ferokaril 3–13 Hoima Warriors
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–5 Dí Maozöxê
La Querida 3–12 Mâ Âlâmëomë

MATCHDAY 31
La Querida 0–0 Aissa United
Mâ Âlâmëomë 5–1 Ausharmuj Marusi
Dí Maozöxê 1–3 Ferokaril
Hoima Warriors 0–2 Jinja City FC
Herzegovina City 3–3 Capitol City FC
La Nueva Avenida 1–1 René Skaé
Busukuma Force 5–3 Mynda Electra
Busukuma AC 5–1 Kitara AA
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–0 Istria City FC
L'Unione 3–1 Avenida Leal

MATCHDAY 32
Aissa United 3–3 L'Unione
Avenida Leal 1–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Istria City FC 5–1 Busukuma AC
Kitara AA 1–0 Busukuma Force
Mynda Electra 0–1 La Nueva Avenida
René Skaé 0–1 Herzegovina City
Capitol City FC 1–6 Hoima Warriors
Jinja City FC 5–0 Dí Maozöxê
Ferokaril 4–4 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Ausharmuj Marusi 5–0 La Querida

MATCHDAY 33
Ausharmuj Marusi 1–0 Aissa United
La Querida 3–3 Ferokaril
Mâ Âlâmëomë 3–1 Jinja City FC
Dí Maozöxê 7–0 Capitol City FC
Hoima Warriors 1–5 René Skaé
Herzegovina City 0–1 Mynda Electra
La Nueva Avenida 6–1 Kitara AA
Busukuma Force 1–1 Istria City FC
Busukuma AC 1–0 Avenida Leal
Rülândéá Kôstä 5–1 L'Unione

MATCHDAY 34
Aissa United 1–10 Rülândéá Kôstä
L'Unione 5–5 Busukuma AC
Avenida Leal 1–0 Busukuma Force
Istria City FC 3–0 La Nueva Avenida
Kitara AA 1–1 Herzegovina City
Mynda Electra 0–1 Hoima Warriors
René Skaé 1–3 Dí Maozöxê
Capitol City FC 0–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Jinja City FC 3–0 La Querida
Ferokaril 7–7 Ausharmuj Marusi

MATCHDAY 35
Ferokaril 5–1 Aissa United
Ausharmuj Marusi 3–3 Jinja City FC
La Querida 1–7 Capitol City FC
Mâ Âlâmëomë 2–0 René Skaé
Dí Maozöxê 8–3 Mynda Electra
Hoima Warriors 1–4 Kitara AA
Herzegovina City 4–3 Istria City FC
La Nueva Avenida 3–1 Avenida Leal
Busukuma Force 1–1 L'Unione
Busukuma AC 3–3 Rülândéá Kôstä

MATCHDAY 36
Aissa United 0–1 Busukuma AC
Rülândéá Kôstä 3–1 Busukuma Force
L'Unione 3–3 La Nueva Avenida
Avenida Leal 1–5 Herzegovina City
Istria City FC 3–3 Hoima Warriors
Kitara AA 0–0 Dí Maozöxê
Mynda Electra 1–3 Mâ Âlâmëomë
René Skaé 4–1 La Querida
Capitol City FC 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
Jinja City FC 7–1 Ferokaril

Table after 36 Matchdays

S-FPL                     Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City       36   22   8   6   106   48  +58    74
 2 Mâ Âlâmëomë            36   21   8   7   130   62  +68    71
 3 Rülândéá Kôstä         36   18  14   4   107   52  +55    68
 4 La Nueva Avenida       36   20   8   8    88   54  +34    68
 5 Jinja City FC          36   20   7   9    86   49  +37    67
 6 Hoima Warriors         36   19   8   9    98   64  +34    65
 7 Busukuma AC            36   16  13   7    96   50  +46    61
 8 Kitara AA              36   16   9  11    69   55  +14    57
 9 Istria City FC         36   15   8  13   101   62  +39    53
10 Dí Maozöxê             36   14  11  11    78   66  +12    53
11 René Skaé              36   15   8  13    57   54   +3    53
12 L'Unione               36   14   9  13    90   77  +13    51
13 Ausharmuj Marusi       36   13   8  15    65   87  −22    47
14 Avenida Leal           36   10  10  16    66   87  −21    40
15 Ferokaril              36    9  13  14    72   94  −22    40
16 Mynda Electra          36    9   9  18    52   79  −27    36
17 Busukuma Force         36    8   8  20    40   81  −41    32
18 Capitol City FC        36    4  12  20    63  111  −48    24
19 Aissa United           36    3  11  22    49  116  −67    20
20 La Querida             36    1   4  31    27  192 −165     7

Herzegovina City hit a fairly bad slump right in time to make the title race interesting! They've recovered over the last two matchdays, with their matchday thirty-five four-three win over Istria City potentially proving absolutely crucial. The Trumpeteers' slump has coincided with Mâ Âlâmëómë hitting scintillating form right as Faroleran forces started getting repelled from the outskirts of Lìbêrêtê. Besides their bizarre draw with Ferokaril, they've been crushing their opponents mercilessly. Their GD would be the best in the league because of this stretch even if you ignore their 12-3 win over La Querida. Who's been behind this run of form? Mostly the old guard making what might be their one last push in an attempt to win another title before retirement. Çí Xôrí, Basilisk, Axelrod-Conway and Labeaga have been back to their old selves, while dí Völará, not a part of the old guard, has been putting in a very strong claim for Golden Ball winner. On the wings, Biró and Stern have been utterly terrorizing defenses. Might the Rulandese add their umpteenth league title to their collection? If things continue like this, they just might. That said, there are only two matchdays left.

Trailing just behind the two teams in genuine contention for the title are Rülândéá Kôstä and La Nueva Avenida, polar political opposites. They are polar opposites in more ways, though: Rülândéá Kôstä have gotten here with a "knife-in-one's-teeth" approach to games, leaving everything on the pitch every time despite their (relative) lack of true superstars. La Nueva Avenida, meanwhlie, have at times looked fairly demoralized by the realization that they are a sports-washing project for a potential genocide in the making, and the foreign players in particular have not taken kindly to that last part. Their star power still lets them be in the fight for a Champions' League spot, but it's a tale of two very different teams here.

Below them we find Jinja City, who have had an unremarkable but solid run to fifth place on the back of great-but-not-exceptional performances. They've never really been far from fifth place, and they are in fifth place. Below them we have a far more bipolar Warriors squad, who at one point looked like a menace, even leading the league by four points at the halfway point. Whether they have regressed to their actual level or something else has affected their performances is anyone's guess, but looking across the Shango-Fogoa Basin will quickly make it apparent that there aren't many excuses they can cite for such a downturn in performances. Gitonga Kahara has probably been shaking his head in disapproval throughout this season's second half.

Mid-table, battling for Challenger's Cup spots, we find Kitara. Much like Jinja, they've sort of always been there, hard to notice. Good-but-not-great performances, you get the gist of it. Busukuma overperformed enough that they've secured a ChC spot comfortably. But look below those two and... Istria City have maybe sort of salvaged their terrible season? They are defending champions so ninth place is a hard pill to swallow, but they're currently tied on fifty-three points and ahead on GD for ninth place, so they might still get an IFCF spot for their efforts. It's looking shaky, though: Dí Maozöxê have been having a bit of a resurgence in the last few matchdays and René Skaé is, even when mediocre enough to amass a meager +3 GD, always tough to compete against in the last few matchdays.

As for those last two teams, the war has not helped them, sure, and fans will not be asking too many questions. Next season, however? A war can only buy you one season's worth of patience in Farfadillis. L'Unione trailing them by just two points is a testament to how much the war has affected these two, though.

As for the relegation race: Capitol City are almost saved, but they've been horrendous. It's just... Aissa United have been so bad they were shut out by La Querida. They will have to spend heavily to stay afloat next season.

In last place, La Querida. With two matchdays to go, they might avoid the 200 GA mark. That's what they're playing for at the moment. Seems an unlikely proposition.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sat May 20, 2023 3:41 pm

-Season 11-

Season 11 - Matchdays 37 & 38

Matchday 37

Jinja City FC 3–1 Aissa United
Ferokaril 0–0 Capitol City FC
Ausharmuj Marusi 0–3 René Skaé
La Querida 3–4 Mynda Electra
Mâ Âlâmëomë 0–1 Kitara AA
Dí Maozöxê 3–1 Istria City FC
Hoima Warriors 6–1 Avenida Leal
Herzegovina City 3–0 L'Unione
La Nueva Avenida 3–1 Rülândéá Kôstä
Busukuma Force 1–3 Busukuma AC

S-FPL                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City       37   23   8   6   109   48  +61    77
 2 Mâ Âlâmëomë            37   21   8   8   130   63  +67    71
 3 La Nueva Avenida       37   21   8   8    91   55  +36    71
 4 Jinja City FC          37   21   7   9    89   50  +39    70
 5 Rülândéá Kôstä         37   18  14   5   108   55  +53    68
 6 Hoima Warriors         37   20   8   9   104   65  +39    68
 7 Busukuma AC            37   17  13   7    99   51  +48    64
 8 Kitara AA              37   17   9  11    70   55  +15    60
 9 Dí Maozöxê             37   15  11  11    81   67  +14    56
10 René Skaé              37   16   8  13    60   54   +6    56
11 Istria City FC         37   15   8  14   102   65  +37    53
12 L'Unione               37   14   9  14    90   80  +10    51
13 Ausharmuj Marusi       37   13   8  16    65   90  −25    47
14 Ferokaril              37    9  14  14    72   94  −22    41
15 Avenida Leal           37   10  10  17    67   93  −26    40
16 Mynda Electra          37   10   9  18    56   82  −26    39
17 Busukuma Force         37    8   8  21    41   84  −43    32
18 Capitol City FC        37    4  13  20    63  111  −48    25
19 Aissa United           37    3  11  23    50  119  −69    20
20 La Querida             37    1   4  32    30  196 −166     7

... well, that's that. Herzegovina City make short work of a mediocre L'Unione side, courtesy of an outstanding performance from Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov, the traitor of Kitara, while Kitara themselves poop all over Mâ Âlâmëómë by making their way to the Rülândéá Çölíséá unscathed, shut the in-form out via sheer luck, then have Indujan right-back Fujanej de Nololesur scire a header close to the death of the game for good measure. Herzegovina City win their second title and go level with... Dí Maozöxê, Mâ Âlâmëómë and Istria City for most S-FPL titles. Nobody can say this league doesn't have parity.

Elsewhere, La Nueva Avenida beat Rülândéá Kôstä to all but secure a Champions' League spot. The match was played without a crowd because not even Alex Terán was insane enough to let things go as far as they certainly would have otherwise. An early goal from Jáánsêlà was not enough as Petra Anhope rather reluctantly led the face of imperialism and impending genocide to a second-half resurgence, assisting academy youth product, half-Rulandese half-Faroleran Odalis Pokéése twice. The guy didn't celebrate either goal and offered no explanation for it. Much speculation has sprung up as a result. Petra herself sealed the game late on with a powerful drive from the edge of the box.

An in-form Dí Maozöxê side have, perhaps predictably, beaten Istria City in an analogous game with a ChC spot on the line. With René Skaé's resounding win on the road, marshaled by an impressive performance from Frédéric Ybl, there was everything to play for, and Dí Maozöxê's best players did not disappoint: creative second striker Jôs Sürréo assisted three goals for his team, as the calm and collected Taina Vääräniemi fired two home early in the first half. Kate Huitema-Omeasoo pulled one back with a fantastic individual play close to the end of the first half, but Sürréo again picked out a fantastic run from Banijan NTer Lolong Bokate, whose Lolong strides were too much for the Istria City defense. His finish was mediocre but good enough. Sandt could've done better to stop it.

Capitol City FC secure survival via the drabbest nil-nil draw imaginable, as a Ferokaril side with nothing to play for, uncharacteristically for a Farf team, barely bothered to try and score anyway. Aissa United lost on the road to Jinja City and that was that.

There's barely anything to play for in the last matchday: only losses for La Nueva Avenida (or a draw in their case), Dí Maozöxê or René Skaé could spice things up, and even then those hoping to leapfrog them have tough games ahead of them, with Rülândéá Kôstä facing the new champions and Istria City facing the scorned runners-up.

Matchday 38

Aissa United 1–0 Busukuma Force
Busukuma AC 3–1 La Nueva Avenida
Rülândéá Kôstä 1–1 Herzegovina City
L'Unione 1–3 Hoima Warriors
Avenida Leal 0–3 Dí Maozöxê
Istria City FC 1–1 Mâ Âlâmëomë
Kitara AA 3–3 La Querida
Mynda Electra 1–3 Ausharmuj Marusi
René Skaé 5–1 Ferokaril
Capitol City FC 3–0 Jinja City FC

Something interesting almost happens, but it does not. La Nueva Avenida completely drop the ball against Busukuma, and Rülândéá Kôstä come very close to besting this season's best team, but a late sitter missed by Ana Crowcombe (who else, really?) will be haunting Rülândéá Kôstä fans for quite some time. Or, at least, it would. Something something ongoing war. Istria City themselves manage a valiant draw against what has been a much better side this season, but it's all for nothing as Ferokaril thank the Szoirsians for defending the Indujan front of the war by not very subtly getting run over and Dí Maozöxê, enraged by the war, fire on all cylinders against Avenida Leal and allow them no shots on target in a game that could've very reasonably ended 10-0. Curiously, both Capitol City and Aissa United remembered how to play football on the last matchday, with both of them winning, against Jinja City and Busukuma Force respectively. Kitara leave their fans enormously worried over their next prospect's next season by bowing out with a three-all draw against La Querida in Kitara. Remarkably, Anartz Salayeta bags his third hat trick of the season. The one he scored in the 12-3 loss against Mâ Âlâmëómë didn't taste as sweet, presumably. Also, La Querida just about manage to avoid the dreaded 200 GA mark.

Final Table of the Season

S-FPL                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City       38   23   9   6   110   49  +61    78 - League Champions, Qualifies for the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 2 Mâ Âlâmëomë            38   21   9   8   131   64  +67    72 - League Champions, Qualifies for the group stages of the IFCF Champions League and the AOCL
 3 Hoima Warriors         38   21   8   9   107   66  +41    71 - Qualifies for the IFCF Champions League
 4 La Nueva Avenida       38   21   8   9    92   58  +34    71 - Qualifies for the IFCF Champions League
 5 Jinja City FC          38   21   7  10    89   53  +36    70 - Qualifies for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 6 Rülândéá Kôstä         38   18  15   5   109   56  +53    69 - Qualifies for the group stages of the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 7 Busukuma AC            38   18  13   7   102   52  +50    67 - Qualifies for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 8 Kitara AA              38   17  10  11    73   58  +15    61 - Qualifies for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
 9 Dí Maozöxê             38   16  11  11    84   67  +17    59 - Qualifies for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
10 René Skaé              38   17   8  13    65   55  +10    59 - Qualifies for the IFCF Challenger's Cup
11 Istria City FC         38   15   9  14   103   66  +37    54
12 L'Unione               38   14   9  15    91   83   +8    51
13 Ausharmuj Marusi       38   14   8  16    68   91  −23    50
14 Ferokaril              38    9  14  15    73   99  −26    41
15 Avenida Leal           38   10  10  18    67   96  −29    40
16 Mynda Electra          38   10   9  19    57   85  −28    39
17 Busukuma Force         38    8   8  22    41   85  −44    32
18 Capitol City FC        38    5  13  20    66  111  −45    28
19 Aissa United           38    4  11  23    51  119  −68    23 - Relegated to the Banijan Soccer League
20 La Querida             38    1   5  32    33  199 −166     8

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sat Aug 19, 2023 11:23 pm

-Season 12-

So... that just happened

What makes for a great football team? One that wins the league with plenty of matchdays to spare, is filled with star players and scores a whopping 179 goals in 38 games, while going unbeaten and smashing the league's points record? Usually, it takes years of savvy project-building or some miracle like a golden generation coming through in a league with few foreign players. Sometimes, however, all you need is war.

S-FPL Season 12 was played under very uncomfortable circumstances: unlike last season, which only had war, this season featured War. Many games, especially on the Farf side, had to be postponed for days on end. No non-Farf players were collaterals at any point in the season, but it is nonetheless remarkable how little comeuppance Alex Terán got from starting and leading a war inside Farfadillis while trying to juggle being one of the league's most important executives. Indeed, the most we got was a few potshots in the media about how he seemed to be shirking his duties as an S-FPL executive in favor of a war of conquest and genocide. As the season progressed, the rise of a new corporate state in one of the war fronts, as well as the fierce resistance from the Rulandese made the war effort increasingly hard to sustain for Farolera: their clubs saw their funds redirected to the war effort early on, and it showed in the final standings... except for La Querida, who thrived from, geographically, being extremely far away from the war.

So, anyway, war. Soft power is a really silly thing to care about in outright war, especially when you're in one of the Multiverse's nastiest backwaters. Well, the coalition facing Farolera cared anyway: Mâ Âlâmëómë got season-long loans from Dí Maozöxê and Rülândéá Kôstä—Lolong Bokate, Banijan world champions, and Tipi Izotzubia, Farf NTer, most notably—and sold a potential superstar in Valën Pídí to fund the signings of Seona Gale and Jônn Wérséô. They also kidnapped Pan Xilei back from La Querida: she ended up being an astonishingly solid midfielder, but with the war ending during the World Cup following this season, Mâ Âlâmëómë felt bad and unkidnapped her, so she unwillingly returns to La Querida. It's worth noting that Mâ Âlâmëómë arguably already had the best team in the league before splashing heavy, so in a sense it's not a surprise that they improved.

But that's still not explanation enough. Sure, all your opponents are either on your side or struggling to pay wages because of an ongoing war while you're being propped up as a way to make people believe Rülândéá is doing well in a horrendous war, but that does not make you a win-the-league-by-twenty-points team. The stars have to align further, and align further they did: curiously, very, very curiously, the clubs from nations allied to Rülândéá—Szoirsia, Induja (now puppeteered by Lithico™) and, well, Rülândéá—seemed to perform... strangely below their own standards whenever facing Mâ Âlâmëómë, almost as if colluding to make the Rulandese side win the league. Furthermore, with the threat of Banija invading Farfadillis everpresent, and especially incensed by the Banijans' desire to help Alex Terán and Farolera at every turn, Mâ Âlâmëómë had a lot of extra spice to their game when facing Banijan teams, pretty much steamrolling almost all of them.

In short, Mâ Âlâmëómë were the best team on paper, on the pitch and off the pitch. No team in this league had ever been so ahead of the pack in terms of squad, no team in this league had ever been so ahead of the pack in terms of performances, and for sure absolutely no team in this league had ever been so incredibly far ahead of the pack in terms of being upheld by other teams due to exogenous circumstances. All of the usual suspects—like dí Völará, Biró and Türrângel—were in absolutely top form, but it was, funnily enough, a Banijan making the biggest difference: Lolong Bokate, who's now lived a full third of his life in Rülândéá as a Dí Maozöxê player, was an uncomfortably outspoken supporter of the Rulandese side of the war (for the Banijan government), and he showed it on the pitch, racking up a frankly insane number of goals and assists. The player he fed the most was new signing from Capitol City FC (who curiously also rolled over against Mâ Âlâmëómë while being the most Farfadillis-associated club in Banija...), Jônn Wérséô, a Rulandese-Banijan striker who, at the age of twenty, broke the league's record for most goals in a season. Under strange circumstances, sure, but still extremely notable for a twenty-year-old!

Elsewhere... the flames of war did not deter Rülândéá Kôstä, who were the second-best team in the league despite lacking Mâ Âlâmëómë's structural advantage. They finished a full six points ahead of the best Banijan team. Lêyêló Jáánsêlà could've been a worthy contender for the Golden Ball if, well, Lolong Bokate hadn't utterly destroyed the league. Dí Maozöxê, however, did suffer from the war: they sold two key players in Jôs Sürréo and Rôbé Wîjkár to Tumbran clubs in order to sustain the war effort (presumably), and they loaned out the aforementioned Bokate, so they were bound to struggle. That they actually made the Challenger's Cup is actually somewhat notable.

The rest of the teams in the league were more or less bystanders to a war that made the league take a bit of a backseat to the football. This didn't stop viewers from pouring in—far from it, in fact—but the overall tone of the season was one of senseless bloodshed going on, especially whenever Mâ Âlâmëómë was tearing apart some poor team that was no match for them.

But let's focus on what everyone came for: La Querida managing seventeen points and almost not finishing last. Oh, Busukuma Force, how low you've fallen. The secret here was just... looking a lot more solid overall for pretty inexplicable reasons? They smashed Dí Maozöxê in the first round, then beat them again in the second! They also beat La Nueva Avenida, which would've presumably angered Alex Terán if he hadn't already been too busy being angered by Farolera slowly but surely losing the war. Curiously, Lithico™ bought a small stake in La Querida right before this season, and it is rumored the corporate-state's leader Tuskoles Yagaras took part in the decision-making in the lead-up to the season. "It's a smart investment that could lead to profits in the future," was all the mysterious head of state had to say ahead of the season. It's not clear what, if anything, the Lit™ influence meant for La Querida, but the results are there for all to see. With rumors of Lithico™ wanting to buy La Querida outright for next season, one can only wonder where things might go from here... fortunately for their investments, the... rather untenable... situation in Farolera has resulted in the relegation of Avenida Leal for "war crimes". Some Faroleran club had to take the fall, and Lithico™ negotiated for it not to be La Querida.

The future looks strange for the S-FPL.

-                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mâ Âlâmëómë            38   33   5   0   179   39 +140   104 Champions
 2 Rülândéá Kôstä         38   26   6   6   114   42  +72    84
 3 Istria City FC         38   23   9   6   117   58  +59    78
 4 Herzegovina City FC    38   21  12   5   115   52  +63    75
 5 René Skaé              38   20   8  10   109   74  +35    68
 6 Jinja City FC          38   20   4  14    80   64  +16    64
 7 Kitara AA              38   15  14   9    93   71  +22    59
 8 Busukuma AC            38   16   9  13    90   59  +31    57
 9 Dí Maozöxê             38   14   9  15    98   81  +17    51
10 L'Unione               38   13  11  14   102   95   +7    50
11 Hoima Warriors         38   13  11  14    72   67   +5    50
12 La Nueva Avenida       38   13  10  15    96   89   +7    49
13 Ausharmuj Marusi       38   13   7  18    85   99  −14    46
14 Mynda Electra          38   12   9  17    55  103  −48    45
15 Ferokaril              38   11  11  16    69   93  −24    44
16 Capitol City FC        38    8   8  22    64  124  −60    32
17 Avenida Leal           38    9   4  25    78  162  −84    31 Relegated for 'War Crimes'
18 Rukunbi FC             38    8   7  23    65  149  −84    31
19 Busukuma Force         38    5   7  26    36   95  −59    22 Relegated
20 La Querida             38    4   5  29    43  144 −101    17

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Nov 06, 2023 12:51 am

-Season 13-

Post-war league seasons can be weird

War. War always changes... the football league of the two nations most involved in it. A very obvious but nonetheless popular adage. The league already was whacky last season because the war was ongoing, but now that it's ended, the dust has settled and we can, in hindsight, analyze how the geopolitical mumbo-jumbo affected what is, by now, most definitely one of the leagues in the Multiverse.

First off, let's start with the obvious. La Querida, the beloved underdogs you once knew, are no more. Well, not quite, actually. They are still here, but they've been bought, rebranded and are now unrecognizable (read: very competently run). Lithico™ now own them, their club president is Lithico™ Head of State Tuskoles Yagaras, and they've made some extremely shrewd business and scouting. Their squad now looks really good, captained and led to a solid 8th-place finish by Pan Xilei, who had misgivings about returning to the club that had literally kidnapped her for years after having the best year of her career after being rescued by Mâ Âlâmëómë. However, one conversation with Tuskoles Yagaras was all it took for the Yue midfielder to sign a five-year contract revoking her right to habeas corpus but gave her a really neat salary so things even out. There were no emotional breakdowns on the pitch for the Yue midfielder this time around, as she happily turned out for the improved and rebranded La + Querida.

Also, because of Banijan war crimes in Farfadillis, Lakiska SC got promoted to the S-FPL on the basis of being Busogan. They did what they do best: bore everyone senseless. On the Farf side, it was Flying Jellyfish getting promoted after a drawing of lots that excluded all Faroleran teams. The Farf Lower Leagues were not played last season because war is not great for lower-tier football, though it is unclear if they would've affected promotion.

Mâ Âlâmëómë, coming off an invincible season unlikely to ever be replicated, fell off hard after losing their loaned star players, but nonetheless had a respectable season, not least because their attack is now led by Jônn Wérséô, a Banijan that criticized the Banijan government throughout the season for their involvement in Farfadillis due to his heritage, even doing so in an AOCAF Cup final. The Banijan government taking L's was perhaps the one big constant of the season. Êsêkïl dí Völará, Asztrik Biró, Mêlçôr Ënàrsòn and Liam Sæthre made up a potent attack force alongside the aforementioned Banijan-Rulandese striker, scoring the second-most goals in the league, but were let down rather terribly by the defense.

What else changed? Right. Dí Maozöxê got Lolong Bokate back. He's indisputably the best player in the league nowadays. His utter destruction of the league was not quite as astonishing as last season, but that was mostly down to his supporting cast not being quite as good this time around, and that's fine. He still carried Dí Maozöxê to a fourth-place finish and turned them into a ferocious if inconsistent team, perhaps best demonstrated by the three matchdays in which they beat Mâ Âlâmëómë 6-2 with a Bokate poker, then destroyed eventual runaway winners Rülândéá Kôstä 3-0 on the road, with Bokate setting up Taina Vääräniemi for a hat-trick then... losing 3-2 to Lakiska? Yeah, great team, awfully inconsistent. Their underlying metrics indicate they might have been, in fact, the best team after Rülândéá Kôstá this season, but it counts for nothing if the final point tally makes you finish in fourth place and you even fall two points short of the hilarious very funny number.

So... what about the top Banijan clubs? Herzegovina City FC and Istria City FC both had fantastic seasons, which could've very well had them contending for the title if there had been a title to contend for. Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov is, by now, in the debate for the league's most important player ever. It's between him, Xíxì Êns, Latona Basilisk, Lolong Bokate and Ígnîgo Çí Xôrí, and a debate over it would be endless. He had another great season, even if he has nothing to show for it more than CL qualification. As for Istria City, Lindse Kvasina and Kate Huitema-Omeasoo, both in the tier just below the aforementioned five, had really good seasons that their team couldn't match to the point of accumulating ninety-two fucking points.

Before Season 12—last season, which was an aberration in a lot of senses—92 points would've won you the league every single time. Yes, it would've won you the league even back in season five, when Mâ Âlâmëómë were at their peak and managed ninety-one points. So, the million Lithium bat-shit currency question is: how did Rülândéá Kôstä do it?

Well, there's a secret to every title-winning team, always, without exception. The secret this time around was... extremely overperforming underlying metrics because a couple of their players were in indescribably good form. Their Tumbran winger Audrey Pearson, a relatively unknown player before this season, racked up no less than 60 G+A. As a PR stunt (don't ask how PR stunts work in Farfadillis), the club's fans said they'd gift her a fire-resistant cow and light it on fire in her backyard for every goal or assist she accrued this season. This most definitely did not egg her on. "Please stop, I cannot manage dozens of cows on fire just herding on my garden," she pleaded rather desperately at various points throughout the season, but to no avail: she racked up insane numbers nonetheless, and the cows stayed there. On fire. This hot streak of form forced the Tumbran wingeress to move elsewhere as the fans just kept sending cows on fire her way and the probability of dying in a fire became more and more imminent. But, oddity aside, she was just unplayable: two-footed, small but versatile, quite pacey, and with unbelievable ball-striking, be it for shooting or passing. One of the two big reasons Rülândéá Kôstä won the league. The other reason was Farf starman Lêyêló Jáánsêlà, who takilante'd his way into another insane season. 29 goals from open play is an insane output for a takilante, and his defensive metrics were the best in the league by a fair distance. However, these two alone could never have won the league for the fishermen. Not alone, at least. Definitely not by accruing 92 points. The most important part, the key cog behind the machine, was perfectly brewed alcohol: Enor Perro, the team's designed leg-breaker but also a fantastic brewer who only gets better by the day (he's from Delte, not Farolera, to be clear), was vital in order to keep Baraxil Muhaburu in line. If the five players mentioned previously are the best to have graced the league, Muhaburu is the best to have graced the league and actively decided to not be in that same tier. At his best, he's every bit as good as some of them. His best, it turns out, is something difficult to nurture. This season, with him turning thirty-something. Maybe thirty-six? Anyway, this season the key was a lot of alcohol. He was the team's heartbeat and, though he barely ran, the forty-seven assists he put up this season is a record that will never, ever, ever be broken. What if he'd been born in a country that was better at football? What if he'd had the slightest professionalism at any point in his career? He could've been an all-timer. We will have to content ourselves with having been able to witness flashes of what he could have been. Other key players were goalkeeper Juan Mamani, the best in the league this season, and Erin Kang's arguable successor (though she'll never live up to that hype; that's no insult) Mathinna Bouck, as well as Ana Crowcombe, who was particularly good at running up scorelines once she could finally control her nerves. Chris Stroud-Williams also scored a lot of goals, but as the team's out-and-out striker, his outpùt was somewhat eclipsed by his teammates'. Still, a very solid season for the Euran.

Elsewhere: La Nueva Avenida had to struggle with pretty much every referee very flagrantly figuratively (sometimes literally) robbing them in broad daylight as a result of the geopolitical fallout from the war. Players like Kaia Larriet-Cortes, Odalis Pokéésé and Petra Anhope should look for a way out immediately, for sporting reasons if not geopolitical ones. They still snuck into international football spots cause football's like that.

Also elsewhere: ... much ado about nothing, really. Every other team performed to their expected level, more or less, with Rukunbi FC perhaps being a bit too shit. Eighteen points is just one more point than La Querida last season. However, not everything's bad news for them: they are not a club that will be actively prevented from going back up after getting relegated, unlike La Nueva Avenida, who really gotta watch out from now on. Oh, also, Capitol City FC got a lot of decisions going their way because they are by far the most Farf-supported team and the S-FPL works in not-so-mysterious ways sometimes. They didn't really need any of that—Rukunbi were too shit—but they will some more of it if they don't improve. That said, left midfielder Adama Akandinandas was a stand-out performer, another Farf-Banijan who could end up representing either side of the Shango-Fogoa Basin, though he has stated a preference for Farfadillis in the past. No, we don't know why either.

Also, Ausharmuj Marusi got relegated by the skin of their teeth in the first S-FPL season where relegation was a real threat for Farf teams. Quite unfairly, even, as they were decidedly better than Flying Jellyfish. The good news for them is that they are also a syndicate and control the production and distribution of key resources in still-anarchic Ferdullaele so, upon getting relegated, they staged a strike that severely complicated the economy of every Farf nation (basic industry is super important and still concentrated mostly in Ferdullaele!). Tuskoles Yagaras, now Farfadillis' representative for the S-FPL and also FFFF President, quickly solved the problem for Lithico™ and the other Farf nations by striking a deal with them: they stop the strikes and they get a fifteen-point bonus next season, but they gotta accept relegation if they come up short. We'll see how that pans out.

Also, once again, Mynda Electra probably existed.

-                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Rülândéá Kôstä           38   29   5   4   155   50 +105    92 Champions
 2 Herzegovina City FC      38   24   9   5    83   39  +44    81 Champions' League
 3 Istria City FC           38   23   9   6   108   49  +59    78 Champions' League
 4 Dí Maozöxê               38   19  10   9   107   59  +48    67 Champions' League
 5 Mâ Âlâmëómë              38   20   7  11   113   72  +41    67 Champions' League
 6 Jinja City FC            38   19   7  12    99   65  +34    64 Challenger's Cup
 7 Busukuma AC              38   17  12   9    87   48  +39    63 Challenger's Cup
 8 La + Querida             38   19   4  15   101   92   +9    61 Challenger's Cup
 9 René Skaé                38   17   9  12   101   66  +35    60 Challenger's Cup
10 Hoima Warriors           38   14  12  12    78   83   −5    54 Challenger's Cup
11 La Nueva Avenida         38   15   8  15    72   86  −14    53 Challenger's Cup
12 Ferokaril                38   14   7  17    90  114  −24    49
13 Kitara AA                38   11  10  17    71   78   −7    43
14 L'Unione                 38   11   6  21    68  115  −47    39
15 Flying Jellyfish         38   10   8  20    52   88  −36    38
16 Ausharmuj Marusi         38    7  14  17    56   76  −20    35 Strike prevented relegation
17 Mynda Electra            38    9   7  22    40  104  −64    34
18 Capitol City FC          38    7  10  21    40  109  −69    31
19 Lakiska SC               38    8   5  25    26   69  −43    29
20 Rukunbi FC               38    3   9  26    45  130  −85    18 Relegated

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Wed Dec 20, 2023 6:30 pm

-Season 14-

Format change, expansion, confusion: who the hell is/was Delbin Kasekende?

Following a geopolitical shake-up in both Farfadillis and Banija, as well as substantial changes in the S-FPL's Executive Board, a few important decisions have been made regarding the league's format going forward. The previous format—a double round robin between all twenty teams, ten from each nation, with Busoga Islands possibly taking up Banijan spots—was seen as fossilized and lacking in imagination: it gave a very good idea of who the better team over a season had been, leaving very little to the imagination. Furthermore, it gave rise to very little confusion, potentially reducing viewer engagement, as they more-or-less knew what to expect. Indeed, by matchday thirty-eight, most seasons had already mostly wrapped up.

As a result, an expansion to twenty-one teams has been implemented. Rukunbi FC, who'd finished bottom of the league last season and gotten relegated on sporting merit, were saved by the expansion: the new team was meant to come from the Banijan side of things. However, after further meetings between the executives, the proposal to instead add the Lithico™ Excellence team to the pyramid was fast-tracked and accepted instead. The end result: no relegated sides, it will be the same twenty teams as last season, with the added presence of Lithico™ Excellence.

As for the format, it will not be a round-robin: teams will be seeded into seven pots based on last season's final league position (with Lithico™ Excellence being placed in pot seven), and three groups will be drawn. The groups will be named after legends of the game hailing from the three countries making up the S-FPL. To wit, for this season, the three groups of seven teams will be called: the Xíxì Êns League, the Gitonga Kahara League and the Delbin Kasekende League.

The leagues will be triple round robin, and the top three will advance to a nine-team second stage, which will be single round robin. The remaining twelve teams will play a separate single round-robin.

The nine-team league will help define the season's champion: the winners of each league will qualify for the S-FPL semifinals, while the winner of the Overall Table, which will take into account both parts of the season, will get a further spot in the semifinals, even if they already won their respective league. The Overall Table will, nonetheless, be used to determine IFCF places, although teams from the lower league can still qualify for IFCF competition via mechanisms that have not yet been laid out.

The twelve-team league will, in fact, be two six-team leagues. Again, single round robin. The bottom team from each group will be relegated, with the stipulation that only one team can get relegated per association; if both bottom-placed teams are from the same association, the one with the least points in the Overall Table will get relegated; the worst team from the other association will get relegated once that has been accounted for.

We hope you join us in the league's exciting new chapter, and discover completely obscure Busogan 'legends' with us as the seasons go by and it becomes increasingly impossible to name the third league after Busogan legends of the game. See you all soon!

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sun Jan 28, 2024 8:13 pm

-Season 14-

First stage

Xíxì Êns League

Eighteen unexciting matchdays have gone by, and the Xíxì Êns League has turned out less interesting than expected, with the top three being far, far better than the rest of the teams competing, partially owing to La Nueva Avenida's recent geopolitical collapse. Rather surprisingly, René Skaé win the Xíxì Êns league in quite convincing fashion, with a three-point, five GD lead over Istria City FC. Dí Maozöxê, for their part, were not far behind, just one point behind the Banijan team. None of these three will look out of place in the second stage.

-                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 René Skaé                18   11   5   2    57   22  +35    38
2 Istria City FC           18   11   2   5    61   31  +30    35
3 Dí Maozöxê               18    9   7   2    45   23  +22    34
4 La Nueva Avenida         18    8   4   6    46   39   +7    28
5 L'Unione                 18    6   3   9    27   51  −24    21
6 Capitol City FC          18    3   3  12    26   50  −24    12
7 Rukunbi FC               18    1   4  13    36   82  −46     7

Gitonga Kahara League

The Trumpeteers were definitely a cut above the rest, owing in good part to their surprise new signing, Dénes Robineau. The battle for the other two places was decently fierce, especially the battle for the third one. In the end, Hoima Warriors' somewhat unexpected quality shone through (look at their GD!) and they ended up seven points clear of fourth place. For third place, Jinja City FC are likely the biggest misses for the nine-team league in the second stage, but it's also worth pointing out Flying Jellyfish were not expected to put up such a good fight.

-                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Herzegovina City FC      18   12   3   3    58   26  +32    39
2 Hoima Warriors           18    9   5   4    58   36  +22    32
3 Busukuma AC              18    8   3   7    36   37   −1    27
4 Jinja City FC            18    7   4   7    40   41   −1    25
5 Flying Jellyfish         18    6   6   6    38   40   −2    24
6 Ausharmuj Marusi         18    3   5  10    33   49  −16    14
7 Lithico™ Excellence      18    2   6  10    37   71  −34    12

Delbin Kasekende League

La + Querida stun everyone by ending the first stage with the most points out of any team in the league, a comfortable 42 from 18, owing to a fantastic offense and solid defense. There just wasn't any competition for them here, though one could argue Rülândéá Kôstá and Mâ Âlâmëómë phoned it in, to a degree. The two Rulandese clubs struggled far more than expected, although Mâ Âlâmëómë's GD likely points towards them making up for this subpar performance in the second stage of the season.

-                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 La + Querida              18   13   3   2    60   25  +35    42
2 Rülândéá Kôstä            18    9   3   6    41   37   +4    30
3 Mâ Âlâmëómë               18    8   5   5    44   21  +23    29
4 Kitara AA                 18    7   5   6    32   36   −4    26
5 Mynda Electra             18    4   5   9    19   33  −14    17
6 Ferokaril                 18    3   6   9    32   49  −17    15
7 Lakiska SC                18    3   5  10    23   50  −27    14

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Sun Jan 28, 2024 11:09 pm

-Season 14-

Midview

La + Querida
Nickname: los Murciélagos (the Bats)

Derogatory nickname(s): la Caca (the Poop)
Manager: Liang Wei
Ground: Lithico™ Arena (45000), located in Pacifista, Farolera
Major rivals: La Nueva Avenida (political)
Major honors: 4 Pacifistan state league titles
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★★ / Youth system ★★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Fans' expectations: Expand the brand
Starting Lineup: aGKa Fabien Kalulu-Flaubert aLBa Warman Farfadillis aCBa Arthur Ackerman aCBa Abraám Riverón aRBa Daraja Kanka aCMa Pan Xilei aCMa Aislin Du Moucel aOMa Luo Nanwei aLWa Vojihna Mrnjavcevic aRWa Dasige Marier aSTa Anartz Salayeta
Bench: aGKa Gezujing We Ekora aGKa Ililo Tijon Hu aLBa Bishin Manrayar aCBa Zhosni Zhej Taipi aRBa Graciano Tabernero aDMa Belaj-Trenj Marko aCMa Izudin Medevcevic aOMa Archana Bindra aLWa Kândé Âlvá aRWa Mo Moss aSTa Henrik Aguirre aSTa Tôsgo Alxíkí
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Fabien Kalulu-Flaubert  21      QUE     GK      Sweeper Keeper          -
-4      Warman Farfadillis      32      SPL     LB      Wingback                 
 2      Arthur Ackerman         27      TNL     CB      Ball-playing Defender    
 3      Abraám Riverón          26      FAR     CB      No-nonsense Defender     
 6      Daraja Kanka            20      BNJ     RB      Wingback                -
-5      Pan Xilei               32      YZH     CM      Box-to-box              -
-8      Aislin Du Moucel        21      MRT     CM      Roaming Playmaker       -
11      Luo Nanwei              30      YZH     OM      Attacking Midfielder    -
10      Vojihna Mrnjavčević     18      MYT     LW      Inside Forward          -
-7      Dasige Marier           27      YZH     RW      Winger                   
 9      Anartz Salayeta         35      ASG     ST      Poacher                 -
12      Gezujing We Ekora       18      LIT     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
23      Ililo Tijon Hu          18      LIT     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
14      Bishin Manrayar         18      SRS     LB      Wingback                 
15      Zhosni Zhej Taipi       16      LIT     CB      Standard                 
16      Graciano Tabernero      22      FAR     RB      Inverted Wingback        
20      Belaj-Trenj Marko       18      QUS     DM      Ball-winning             
18      Izudin Medevcevic       19      MYT     CM      Box-to-box              -
17      Archana Bindra          18      SRS     OM      Attacking Midfielder    -
22      Kândé Âlvá              20      FAR     LW      Inside Forward           
19      Mo Moss                 40      SNL     RW      Winger                   
21      Henrik Aguirre          18      SEM     ST      Advanced Forward         
13      Tôsgo Alxíkí            38      RÜL     ST      Advanced Forward        -
Background: The original La Querida project was very simple on the outset: found a club that the whole city of Pacifista could support, and pour money into it until it works. It worked far better than anyone expected: the whole city rallied behind them, elated at the prospect of long-term relevance in the Farf football scene. Their relevance was predicated mostly on being absolutely dreadful. Enter Lithico™. The corporate-state has poured in a lot more money into the project, rebranding it in the process. Most crucially, however, they have displayed an almost astonishing degree of competence in their investment: it seems not a single penny is spent badly by this club nowadays. They're good now, but imagine where they could be in a few seasons' time if this trajectory continues. All of that said, however: their fans are decidedly mild, as they were barely more than spectators before, and that will only change very slowly as the club continues to actually win more than one or two games a season.
Season so far: The moment the draw was revealed, there was little doubt regarding who would make the top three in the Delbin Kasekende League: Rülândéá Kôstä and Mâ Âlâmëómë for sure, and then one of Kitara AA and La + Querida. In the end, this seemingly obvious prediction turned out very wrong: the Pacifistan club was the best performing team in the entire S-FPL over the first twenty-seven matchdays. They silently put together an extremely young team last season, and some of those youngsters have turned out to be much better than anyone outside Pacifista expected. However, their success has so far been predicated on a healthy mix of youthful vigor and sober experience. Their style of play has been remarkably pragmatic, but no less efficient for it: they scored sixty goals thanks to the lethality of their front four, and the almost unfair chemistry they seem to share. With players like Pan Xilei and Aislin Du Moucel supporting them in midfield and a very solid backline + goalkeeper, it's time to consider that the rebranding might've transformed La Querida from perennial laughing stock to perennial contenders...
Objectives: Well... they kind of have to go all in now, don't they? They're very well-positioned to become the first-ever non-Rulandese, non-Banijan team to win the S-FPL, and all eyes will surely be set on them to do just that. The one hurdle? Injuries and suspensions could do them in. It is evident they were not expecting to reach this level this quickly, so their bench is filled with talented young prospects as opposed to seasoned veterans who can put in a good shift whenever needed. What happens, for example, if one of their Yue players gets injured, or kidnapped, or sent off? Furthermore, they'll have to, at the very least, win a final if they want to be crowned champions, and it's not at all clear their squad is experienced enough for such high-stakes games: the experienced players have mostly never played games of such magnitude, while the younger players are, well, young.
Key players:
# 5 — Pan Xilei — aCMa — Age 32 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 5 goals, 10 asissts, 8.35 average rating
Water under the bridge is water under the bridge. Despite a rocky start off the pitch with the club, which may or may not have included not one, but two, kidnappings, Pan Xilei is nowadays among the best players in the league, and is undoubtedly La + Querida's best player. A player that puts in a shift regardless of circumstance, doesn't crack under pressure and always seems to be two steps ahead of most other players on the pitch at any given moment, Pan is just invaluable. To top things off, there are simply no weaknesses to her game; merely things she doesn't outright excel at.
#11 — Luo Nanwei — aOMa — Age 30 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, 10 goals, 10 assists, 8.29 average rating
A quality winger with a lot of athleticism to him, Luo Nanwei has been reconverted to attacking midfielder following an unfortunate injury. This has let him focus on a different side of his game: he consistently benefits from Salayeta's impeccable hold-up play, arriving late into the box as a false ten and racking up quite intense goalscoring and assisting numbers. Yes, he's slightly slower, but his killer instinct is still there, and he will terrify any defense that has to face him close to the box and with enough space. Will he pull off a killer pass? Will he run straight into the box and score from short range? Will he injure himself at a critical juncture? You cannot know.
# 1 — Fabien Kalulu-Flaubert — aGKa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, no goals, no assists, 7.86 average rating
An extremely aggressive sweeper keeper who likes to play his way out of (and sometimes into) trouble, Kalulu-Flaubert is typically a perfect counter for the more high-tempo oriented S-FPL teams. He's error-prone, yes, and it is hoped this will not affect the club during the final stages of the season, but he makes up for it with great reflexes and his almost reckless but otherwise fantastic sense of timing, as well as good distribution. He's also an oddly good fit for the Farf lifestyle: he doesn't shy away from drinking every now and then, somehow has five children at the age of twenty-one, and can generally find himself in fairly ridiculous situations all around.
Ones to watch:
#10 — Vojihna Mrnjavčević — aLWa — Age 18 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 7 goals, 6 assists, 7.52 average rating
Mrnjavčević might as well not have a left foot; it's a bit of a strange sight in a league like this one, as the average Farf usually verges on two-footedness, but the Mytanar probably sports the most astonishing difference in skill between his two feet. That said, even if you try to force him onto his weaker foot, you might very well be in for a world of pain: the agile inside forward's body feints are too much for most defenders in the league, even at his age, and he's also adept at finding creative solutions to very complicated positions. Again, these solutions are carried out almost exclusively with his right foot, but he still unleashes hell on most defenses, and is very good at linking up with the rest of his attacking teammates. His workrate leaves a little to be desired, but that's not much of a problem with Pan covering his back.
# 8 — Aislin Du Moucel — aCMa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 16 appearances, 1 goal, 8 assists, 7.39 average rating
In Farf football culture, players who have a specific kind of talent in spades are allowed to more or less do their own thing. Aislin is one such player. A strong weak foot, super technique, astonishing vision and a natural instinct for being in the right place at the right time all mean she has the exact skillset to, well, be allowed to do her own thing. She can and will roam around midfield, looking to kickstart deadly attacks while being a step or two ahead of everyone else. There's no telling what she will bring to the table when she gets the ball, and that's exactly what makes her so exciting to watch. Anchored by Pan, her talents are being allowed to fully flourish.
#17 — Archana Bindra — aOMa — Age 18 — — Season 14: 5 appearances, 1 goal, 2 assists, 6.94 average rating
Too young to be getting substantial minutes over Luo Nanwei, yes, but Archana has nonetheless shown awe-inspiring flashes of brilliance in the minutes she has gotten. She's a dyed-in-the-wool attacking midfielder: very good decision-making in the final third for her age, great passing and a proponesity for breaking lines with her dribbling that any defense would hate. She's slightly lacking in pace, but that doesn't matter much given her skillset. Watch out for her long shots, too: they're not half bad.
Prediction: Well, they've made the semifinals and they've looked the best team so far. Expect them to do well in the second stage and then, when the chips are down and they've got to fight for the title... maybe collapse? They're almost there, but they're not quite there yet, especially given how susceptible to injuries, suspensions and acts of God their squad is.

Herzegovina City FC
Nickname: Trumpeteers

Derogatory nickname(s): Choir Boys
Manager: Omar Sanyang
Ground: Star Field (62600), located in Herzegovina City, Moravica,
Major rivals: Herzegovina Phoenix (local), Istria City FC (competitive)
Major honors: 2 S-FPL titles, 5 Banijan Soccer League titles, 1 S-FPL Cup, 1 RBSA Cup, 3 Kabaka's Cups
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★★ / Youth system ★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★
Fans' expectations: Be crowned champions and equal the S-FPL record
Starting Lineup: aGKa Cynthia Kerr aLBa Opio Ssambwa aCBa Goh Hak-Seong aCBa Pierre Wisniewski aRBa Festus Hera aCMa Tijan Sowe aCMa Renate March aOMa Odongo Kagenda aOMa Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov aSTa Dénes Robineau aSTa Alberto Godwine
Bench: aGKa Aneirin Woodbridge aGKa Kutaaka Sebabenga aLBa Wanyanga Obote aCBa Birungi Kyemwa aCBa Otem Kalege aRBa Uzsoy Aybar aCMa Oburu Oigo aCMa Ayira Onyango aOMa Ina Kamissoko aOMa Gereh Kama aOMa Musaazi Kitosi aSTa Sabiti Yikala
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Cynthia Kerr            33      CDG     GK      Standard               -
-3      Opio Ssambwa            26      BNJ     LB      Wingback               -
-5      Goh Hak-Seong           24      QUE     CB      Standard                
 4      Pierre Wisniewski       35      VAL     CB      Standard                
 2      Festus Hera             33      BNJ     RB      Wingback                
28      Tijan Sowe              36      BNJ     CM      Box-To-Box              
 7      Renate March            32      NPH     CM      Playmaker               
10      Odongo Kagenda          25      BNJ     OM      Winger                 -
-8      Vasiliy M. Kuznetsov	32      CMT     OM      Attacking Midfielder   -
-9      Dénes Robineau          26      SZO     ST      Complete Forward       -
11      Alberto Godwine         31      CAD     ST      Deep-Lying Forward     -
12      Aneirin Woodbridge      22      CEN     GK      Sweeper Keeper          
16      Kutaaka Sebabenga       25      BNJ     GK      Standard                
23      Wanyanga Obote          29      BNJ     LB      Wingback                
19      Birungi Kyemwa          26      BNJ     CB      No-Nonsense             
24      Otem Kalege             28      BNJ     CB      Standard                
22      Uzsoy Aybar             28      BUS     RB      Fullback                
14      Oburu Oigo              33      BNJ     CM      Standard                
13      Ayira Onyango           31      BNJ     CM      Standard                
25      Ina Kamissoko           24      BNJ     OM      Advanced Playmaker      
17      Gereh Kama              37      BNJ     OM      Attacking Midfielder    
18      Musaazi Kitosi          23      BNJ     OM      Shadow Striker         -
26      Sabiti Yikala           19      BNJ     ST      Defensive Forward      -
Background: This is historically Banija's biggest club, as they had the most success out of any in the BSL era. Winners of five league titles! And they have since added some moderate S-FPL success to their trophy case. They are a club located in Herzegovina City, one of Banija's biggest cities and at the heart of Banija's dominant religion, Puritan Mormonism. Due to their location, they are a club and a fanbase that is generally considered both right-wing and fairly religious, as shown by their crest. Their fans are known for their general arrogance, which has truly blossomed with their recent success (not the first time this has happened, the plastic bastards). Of course, people from the Moravica region are generally known for their superiority complex, so this is a general feature of the Moravican sides in this league. Fans usually resort to accusations of heresy in order to thrash other teams' stadiums. This tends to leave Farves perplexed as far as the reasoning goes, but they can respect it.
Overview: An extremely solid showing in what might have been, in retrospect, the worst of the three preliminary leagues is... still nothing to scoff at. The team played some scintillating football, and the surprise signing of Farf star Dénes Robineau elevated their attack to new heights. The team seems to favor more of a let-the-stars-do-their-own-thing approach, with the less talented (but still very talented) players mostly there to carry the piano for the likes of Kuznetsov and Robineau. So far, so good, as far as that set-up goes. Will their form carry over into the second half of the season, facing much more talented teams week in week out? Probably. This is when having some of the absolute best players in the league is most important, especially if they play up front.
Key players:
#9 — Dénes Robineau — aSTa — Age 26 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 23 goals, 4 assists, 8.03 average rating
Off-the-ball movement that no defense can fully protect against, blistering pace, good strength, great heading, great jumping height, clinical finishing... Robineau seems almots lab-made to score goals. He's not particularly good at the whole being selfless part of being a striker, which would definitely elevate his game if he could figure it out, but the fact remains his goalscoring record is just, simply put, completely fucking bonkers, and you should expect it to continue being that way, because many of his goals came against good opposition... almost as if the weaker sides bored him a little bit.
#8 — Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov — aOMa — Age 32 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, 12 goals, 12 assists, 7.96 average rating
At this point, there is pretty much nothing to say about Kuznetsov that hasn't been said already. There is no way you could argue he isn't one of the biggest legends of the league. Although he's no longer at his absolute peak, his current level is more than enough to strike fear into the heart of any defender or defensive midfielder tasked with marking him. He's got a very complete set of attacking skills, and is no stranger to utilizing the element of surprise to force opposing defenders' hands out of nowhere. He will be most responsible for dictating play, with the other stand-out player, the aforementioned Robineau, will complement him by reliably finishing his dinner.
#3 — Opio Ssambwa — aLBa — Age 26 — — Season 14: 17 appearances, 5 goals, 11 assists, 7.75 average rating
Signed from Kitara AA, Opio appears to have boundless potential. He's a physically astonishing wingback, able to run up and down the pitch like it's nobody's business. Very solid defending, even more impressive attacking output... up there with the best wingbacks in the league, no doubt, but it's also very clear from his seemingly unpolished skillset that there's much more that he can give to this team, even if he's already key piece of it.
One to watch:
#26 — Sabiti Yikala — aSTa — Age 19 — — Season 14: 5 appearances, 2 goals, no assists, 7.04 average rating
The Trumpeteers don't have much (at all) in terms of exciting young prospects, but Sabiti Yikala is an expection there. He won't be getting a ton of minutes because of the unexpected arrival of Robineau, but he'll still get minutes here and there, especially when someone willing to go the extra mile or ten is needed. His pressing is absolutely relentless and his finishing surprisingly good for a player tasked with wearing himself down big time whenever he's on the pitch.
Prediction: They've got clutch players with a proven track record and they have looked very good so far. Expect them to challenge for the title. The fact they're already in the semifinals make them big candidates to win it all, but it will come down to form and two unpredictable matches at the end of the day.

René Skaé
Nickname: les Ezrenels (the Colonels)

Derogatory nickname(s): Barabara (intended to imitate uneducated mumbling)
Manager: Louis-Étienne Hevesi
Ground: Grand René Skaé (25000), located in René Skaé, Szoirsia
Major rivals: Torrhe del Viento (local)
Major honors: 2 Farf Freitball Ligá titles, 1 Farf Freitball Ligá 2 title, 1 Farf Norde Ligá title, 1 Farf Amateur Ligá title, 3 Szoirsian state league titles
Infrastructure: Ground ★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth system ★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Fans' expectations: Very high!
Starting Lineup: aGKa Hugues Milhaud aLBa Auguste Szibácz aCBa Lajos Danzas aCBa Edwin Aubochetyhe aRBa László Gérard aCMa Marvin Cole aCMa Ludovic Bounöhieus aCMa Ákos Roche aLWa Lônâís Grérê aRWa Bence Boissonade aSTa Bálint Dyautias
Bench: aGKa Samuel Orr aGKa Miklós Basset aLBa Saangone Sienara aCBa Endre Desportes aCBa Park Kyung-Kil aRBa Éspéráns rue Cazade aCMa Jâáko Küé aCMa Krisztián Apafi aTKa Tenevil Hvorostovsky aLWa Lajos Éwanjé-Épée aRWa Celeste Karvesty aSTa Eötrenois Rigozsoldos
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Hugues Milhaud          24      SZO     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
 7      Auguste Szibácz         28      SZO     LB      Wingback                -
-2      Lajos Danzas            20      SZO     CB      Stopper                 -
-3      Edwin Aubochetyhe       19      TMB     CB      Cover                   -
-4      László Gérard           28      SZO     RB      Wingback                -
-5      Marvin Cole             28      EUR     CM      Box-to-box              -
-8      Ludovic Bounöhieus      23      SZO     CM      Advanced Playmaker       
 6      Ákos Roche              22      SZO     CM      Takilante                
11      Lônâís Grérê            22      RÜL     LW      Winger                   
10      Bence Boissonade        28      SZO     RW      Winger                  -
-9      Bálint Dyautias         23      SZO     ST      False Nine              -
12      Samuel Orr              29      TLI     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
23      Miklós Basset           28      SZO     GK      Standard                 
13      Saangone Sienara        27      BNJ     LB      Wingback                 
14      Endre Desportes         22      SZO     CB      Ball-playing Defender    
15      Park Kyung-Kil          18      CMT     CB      No-nonsense Defender    -
16      Éspéráns rue Cazade     17      SZO     RB      Inverted Wingback       -
19      Jâáko Küé               26      RÜL     CM      Standard                 
20      Krisztián Apafi         24      SZO     CM      Standard                 
22      Tenevil Hvorostovsky    18      MYT     TK      Takilante                
17      Lajos Éwanjé-Épée       29      SZO     LW      Inside Forward          -
18      Celeste Karvesty        18      CMT     RW      Winger                  -
21      Eötrenois Rigozsoldos   31      SZO     ST      Advanced Forward        -
Background: After enough years playing top flight football, René Skaé is quite the sensation in Szoirsia, with most anyone in the desert nation supporting the club. Their fans would be mapped to 'filthy communism' under most political compasses. Their fans are remarkably mild, perhaps owing to the temperatures of their state, which is 90% a huge fucking desert (as we have made clear) where things you didn't know could melt do melt. However, nobody likes the trip to René Skaé, precisely because of the same reasons. They are a remarkably youth-oriented team, perhaps owing to the fact they are the only Szoirsian club of relevance. This hasn't stopped them from being consistently good throughout the years, however.
Season so far: Nobody expected them to top the Xíxì Êns League, but they went and did exactly that, and deservedly at that: they are tied with La + Querida for best goal different in the S-FPL at this moment in time. So far, the key has been a team that has had enough time to develop a lot of chemistry together, as well as a gameplan that seems tailored for exploiting the weaknesses of the teams in the league: their focus on provoking as many turnovers as possible and striking immediately after has been known for years now, but they've only refined their style further with the right player profiles: every player can increase the rhythm of the game even more if need be, but they nonetheless manage to keep a tight defensive shape when needed, as their wingbacks are far more defensive-minded than most other teams'.
Objectives: They find themselves in a position similar to La + Querida's: they've got a ticket to the semifinals already, but it's not clear they've genuinely got the quality to go all the way, at least not yet. Anything can happen once we reach the end of the season, yes, but most fans will likely just be aiming for CL football at the moment, holding out hope they can surprise a couple million (or billion; vieweing figures are hard to estimate) people by season's end. They've got the players to land anywhere between first and ninth, none of the experience needed to land in first, and a ticket to the semifinal already punched... overall, a very strange place to be in.
Key players:
# 2 — Lajos Danzas — aCBa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, no goals, 8 assists, 8.39 average rating
The most stunningly aggressive center-back in the league, Lajos is lucky to have an impeccable sense of timing because he just doesn't hold back. He is fantastic at starting quick transitions as a result, not least because he's a good ball carrier and fantastic at pulling off long passes). He lives by the sword and dies by the sword: many counterattacks start with him making a seemingly-impossible attack... while a couple games here and there are lost because he gets sent off for not being perfect, or more mundanely because he misses a tackle and the team is caught very out of position. He can be inconsistent, but he's among the league's most flat out unfair players to have on your team when he really turns up.
# 5 — Marvin Cole — aCMa — Age 28 — — Season 14: 16 appearances, 5 goals, 10 assists, 7.78 average rating
Marvin Cole is as normal a box-to-box midfielder, in terms of player profile, as you will be able to find in this league: he's got a commendable engine, is at least good at every important facet of midfield, and can be a real menace when approaching the box. His quick thinking, in particular, has been extremely important to the team's tactical set-up over the years: both Bounöhieus and him are exceptionally talented at picking perhaps not the perfect pass, but still a really good pass, in an instant pretty much every time. Most importantly, he can keep up with the team's rhythm all game long, which makes facing him a battler of attrition for many teams.
# 9 — Bálint Dyautias — aSTa — Age 23 — — Season 14: 16 appearances, 7 goals, 10 assists, 7.77 average rating
Tactically, a nuisance to come up against for literally every manager. Bálint loves to move into channels and confuse opposing defenses with his movement, linking up really well and really quickly with his teammates. He is especially good at reading how transitions can play out, which means you really don't want to the ball to get to him if you've just lost it. He lacks in actual firepower, as well as in physicality, and it is very unlikely either of those things will ever be added to his skillset, but if he'd been born with such a complete skillset he'd be getting Tornados nominations every year, to be fair.
Ones to watch:
# 3 — Edwin Aubochetyhe — aCBa — Age 19 — — Season 14: 14 appearances, no goals, 2 assists, 7.45 average rating
Szoirsian father, Tumbran mother... both of them presumably reckless enough to let his son get recruited by René Skaé aged 15. Edwin is a very pacey center-back who is best employed cleaning up after Lajos Danzas, but there's more to him than just cleaning up other players' messes: he's impeccable on the ball, able to dribble his way out of trouble and, much like Danzas, fantastic at playmaking from very deep. This makes for a very dangerous combination when partnered with Danzas: if you lost the ball to the Szoirsian, you'd better watch out; if you don't, you better not lose it to the half-Szoirsian, or you'd also better watch out. This usually leads most teams to try and beat René Skaé by playing wide and stretching them apart, but the two are too good for that to fully counter them.
#16 — Éspéráns rue Cazade — aRBa — Age 17 — — Season 14: 7 appearances, 1 goal, 5 assists, 7.06 average rating
The half-Nepharan daughter of legend of the game Faragó rue Cazade, Éspéráns came through Rochford's youth system before she got a trial at René Skaé courtesy of her heritage and absolutely bedazzled every person present. Even at seventeen, she seems a natural-born leader, with an aura about her no other player in the squad can match. "It almost feels magical," is how the club's president decided to describe it. On the pitch, she's already shown plenty of flashes of brilliance: despite her age and the tactical know-how needed for the role, she's been excelling as an inverted right-back. She's the team's first option off the bench when they need to increase the rhythm further, taking after her father in that regard. She loves to bombard the opposing team with underlapping runs, and is fantastic at pulling off line-breaking passes when doing that. Defensively, she's not half-bad, either. Rochford should probably sue René Skaé.
#18 — Celeste Karvesty — aRWa — Age 18 — — Season 14: 3 appearances, 1 goal, 1 asists, 7.23 average rating
Much like with Éspéráns, it cannot be said that René Skaé only turn their youth recruitment efforts inwards: they appear to have unearthed a very talented Chromatik out of thin air in Celester Karvesty. She's got a very traditional skillset, as far as wingers go: she's got a million ways of running down the flank drilled into her mind, and she can pull off any of them instinctively. This makes her, yes, an exceptionally good fit at a team so reliant on playing at the highest tempo possible. In her limited minutes so far this season, she's shown to be particularly good at slicing through deeper blocks. The downsides? She's not the best finisher. She does make up for it with pretty good crossing, however.
Prediction: It's exceptionally hard to predict how they'll fare. This is an inherently high-variance team, so they could very well finish ninth in the second stage only to go on and win the whole thing by turning up when it matters most. That said.. ChC football does seem the most likely outcome, even given their form. Again, however, it must be stressed that anything could happen here

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:01 am

Istria City FC
Nickname: The Lions

Derogatory nickname(s): The Rich Kids
Manager: George Wangolo
Ground: Kabonero III Field (48000), located in Istria, Moravica,
Major rivals: Herzegovina City FC (competitive), Rukunbi FC (local)
Major honors: 2 S-FPL titles, 2 Banijan Soccer League titles, 1 Atlantian Oceania Champions' League, 1 RBSA Cup, 2 Kabaka's Cups
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★★ / Youth system ★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Fans' expectations: Champions’ League qualification at a minimum
Starting Lineup: aGKa Carlton Sandt aLBa Sohna Kolley aCBa Bbale Luboobi aCBa Damba Zzimbe aRBa Hambani Chisoni aCMa Oguta Achuka aCMa Lindse Kvasina aLWa Dembo Savaneh aRWa Akia Settaka aSTa Kate Huitema-Omeasoo aSTa Nakissa Muwanga
Bench: aGKa Cherry Blossom aGKa Onindo Otiende aLBa Aries Kohler aCBa Didi Wukowić aCBa Xe Xuang aRBa Mirembe Luwaga aCMa Raila Odede aCMa Ogul Kirac aLWa Bagamba Lubaya aRWa Muhangi Wentibwa aSTa Edmün Fân aSTa Irumba Kaweekwa
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Carlton Sandt           24      SRZ     GK      Standard                 
16      Sohna Kolley            32      BNJ     LB      Wingback                 
 3      Bbale Luboobi           27      BNJ     CB      Ball-Playing             
35      Damba Zzimbe            22      BNJ     CB      Standard                 
 2      Hambani Chisoni         31      BUS     RB      Wingback                -
-8      Oguta Achuka            33      BNJ     CM      Box-To-Box              -
-6      Lindse Kvasina          30      NPH     CM      Playmaker               -
-7      Dembo Savaneh           30      BNJ     LW      Winger                  -
11      Akia Settaka            26      BNJ     RW      Inside Forward          -
10      Kate Huitema-Omeasoo    32      QUE     ST      Complete Forward        -
-9      Nakissa Muwanga         19      BNJ     ST      Advanced Forward        -
12      Cherry Blossom          25      EQS     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
33      Onindo Otiende          27      BNJ     GK      Standard                 
18      Aries Kohler            38      NPH     LB      Standard                 
 4      Didi Wukowić            33      ZRH     CB      Standard                 
 5      Xe Xuang                36      CMT     CB      Standard                 
47      Mirembe Luwaga          26      BNJ     RB      Wingback                 
15      Raila Odede             27      BNJ     CM      Box-To-Box               
20      Ogul Kirac              28      BUS     CM      Standard                 
14      Bagamba Lubaya          23      BNJ     LW      Winger                  -
27      Muhangi Wentibwa        16      BNJ     RW      Inside Forward          -
19      Edmün Fân               25      RÜL     ST      Deep-Lying Forward      -
17      Irumba Kaweekwa         17      BNJ     ST      Advanced Forward        -
Background: This is the biggest club in Banija’s biggest city. It is a club that values attacking, as their Season 12 BSL title saw them score 123 goals as a team en route to a league title, leading to a great +90 goal differential and a league title, and kept up their performances in the inaugurual S-FPL season, only finishing behind Dí Maozöxê. Nowadays, they've got two S-FPL wins to their names and can also claim to be one of the league's most consistently competitive outfits. Istria City is supported by primarily a middle class fanbase. The likelihood of seeing violence or anything crazy like that around this club is small, but they are a club that gets very angry at any sort of hint that Herzegovina City is a bigger club than they are. Doesn't make it any less true, though. Plus, with how toothless their fans are, what are they going to do about it? Write an op-ed?
Overview: Keeping up with René Skaé proved surprisingly hard. They needed to win in the last matchday against them to force a play-off to determine the Xíxì Êns league winner but... a hard-fought draw was all they could manage. Still, they showed they were quality, even if their squad can sem a little too old, especially in midfield. A rebuild looms large for them, but for this season their brand of uncompromising attacking football looks like it could conceivably get them over the line and seal a record-equalling third S-FPL title. Not having won the preliminary league substantially complicates things, however.
Key players:
#10 — Kate Huitema-Omeasoo — aSTa — Age 32 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 15 goals, 6 assists, 7.86 average rating
KHO's output in the first stage was great, but it would've been enough to win the league if it had been her peak output. Nonetheless, the Lions have an absolutely fearless, completely lethal striker up front, who can bag goals from so many angles it is pretty much impossible to defend against her. What's worse, she's expectional at creating those angles, even at the age of thirty-two. Expect many defense to have zero answers to her and for Istria City's season to make or break based on how much service she gets.
# 8 — Oguta Achuka — aCMa — Age 33 — — Season 14: 13 appearances, 4 goals, 1 assist, 7.55 average rating
A two-time World Cup winner who is past his best, yes, but is still a fearsome box-to-box midfielder to come up against. He will score a lot more than you'd expect, and he's not half bad at needling a key pass between the lines when the situation calls for it. His engine is dwindling, but he's still an absolutely class player. Easily one of the best midfielders in the league. If injuries don't continue to throw a wrench on his season, expect Istria City's midfield to be particularly hard to face.
# 7 — Dembo Savaneh — aLWa — Age 30 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 12 goals, 9 assists, 8.05 average rating
Another two-time World Cup winner, Dembo is not... even the best Banijan winger in the league, actually, but he's still fantastic at age thirty. He's no Lolong Bokate, yes, but he can still wreak havoc on any team that hasn't have defensively competent full-backs, and is in a purple patch of sorts this season. Expect him to break defenses open out of nowhere. A lot of KHO's service will be provided by him, as his assist tally this season can attest
Ones to watch:
# 9 — Nakissa Muwanga — aSTa — Age 19 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, 12 goals, 6 assists, 7.20 average rating
The young Nakissa is green, yes, but is nonetheless an extremely exciting prospect. Her dribbling is hard to come up against, but she's also technical and quite good in the air. A pretty complete package. The only issue is her reluctance to fully commit to the press, which can be quite undoing for the team's tactical set-up. If she can start giving it her all, there's no reason she can't become one of the best players in the league, and rather soon at that.
#27 — Muhangi Wentibwa — aRWa — Age 16 — — Season 14: 3 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.54 average rating
It's too early to tell how far young Muhangi can go, since he's only sixteen. Still, his blistering pace going down the flank as well as the fact the gaffer has decided to promote him to the first team despite being, again, sixteen, means we could very well be talking about the next big thing here. Or not. It's really hard to tell with these kids. He's been struggling a lot trying to break into the starting eleven, but the competition in his position is fierece and he still has to grow into a full-fledged footballer. One for the future, but we could be witnessing the first flashes of brilliance of a world-beater... or forgetting him entirely in a few years' time. This league can be very unforgiving.
#17 — Irumba Kaweekwa — aSTa — Age 17 — — Season 14: 2 appearances, 1 goal, no assists, 7.05 average rating
It's hard to judge a seventeen-year-old we've seen so little of. But Irumba did manage to score a pretty good goal against L'Unione so that's something we can go off of. A very traditional forward who seems to favor strength over pace, but clearly has more room to grow in the strength department. If he puts on some more muscle, he could become quite the terrifying target man! Again, as with Muhangi, the future is too uncertain with this one, and there's no reason to be absolutely sure Irumba will be a world beater, as has been the case with some true prodigies his age.
Prediction: They looked really good in the first stage of the season, but it's dubious whether their form can translate into an actual title challenge, especially having narrowly lost the Xíxì Êns league to René Skaé in the last matchday. Morale could be an issue. Expect IFCF qualification and nothing more, but a surprise could be in the cards.

Dí Maozöxê
Nickname: lôs Rébélés (the Rebels)

Derogatory nickname(s): too many to count
Manager: Lüí Lâsâs
Ground: Rülândéá Çölíséá (35000), located in Lìbêrêtê, Rülândéá
Major rivals: Mâ Âlâmëómë (local)
Major honors: 2 S-FPL titles, 2 Farf Freitball Ligá titles, 1 Atlantian Oceania Champions' League title, 1 Farf Freitball Ligá 2 title, 1 Farf Torde Ligá title
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth system ★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Fans' expectations: Outperform Mâ Âlâmëómë
Starting Lineup: aGKa Básilió Fórténté aLBa Lasarij Augujimahí aCBa Lei yGorllaeneal aRBa Rôbé Süwés aDMa Xíriêrín Byôrn aCMa Pîyar Voís aCMa Nâáçó Jíí aLWa Râínêrí Gúrzý aRWa Lolong Bokate aSTa Spïr Parsiún aSTa Taina Vääräniemi
Bench: aGKa Âlárî Âloré aGKa Ríçâr Gínê aLBa Mâát Süná aCBa Blâás Dü Ârusânìrá aRBa Velâásk Röwé aDMa Naklé Wínsâár aCMa Dês Röwé aOMa Fêrisko Wísnèvüs aLWa Lêút Ônzòj aRWa Gër Îkrîvsá aSTa Tôní Fórténté aSTa Spïr Ênsér
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Básilió Fórténté        26      RÜL     GK      Sweeper Keeper          -
-6      Lasarij Augujimahí      25      IND     LB      Wingback                -
-2      Lei yGorllaeneal        20      KOR     CB      Standard                -
-3      Rôbé Süwés              24      RÜL     RB      Wingback                -
-4      Xíriêrín Byôrn          23      RÜL     DM      Deep-Lying Playmaker    -
-7      Pîyar Voís              28      RÜL     CM      Box-to-box               
 5      Nâáçó Jíí               28      RÜL     CM      Playmaker                
10      Râínêrí Gúrzý           28      RÜL     LW      Inside Forward          -
11      Lolong Bokate           32      BNJ     RW      Winger                  -
-8      Spïr Parsiún            26      RÜL     ST      Deep-Lying Forward       
 9      Taina Vääräniemi        32      VAL     ST      Advanced Forward        -
12      Âlárî Âloré             27      RÜL     GK      Standard                 
23      Ríçâr Gínê              24      RÜL     GK      Standard                 
13      Mâát Süná               18      RÜL     LB      Inverted Wingback        
16      Blâás Dü Ârusânìrá      26      RÜL     CB      Ball-playing             
17      Velâásk Röwé            18      RÜL     RB      Inverted Wingback       -
21      Naklé Wínsâár           20      RÜL     DM      Butcher                 -
14      Dês Röwé                19      RÜL     CM      Playmaker                
15      Fêrisko Wísnèvüs        28      RÜL     OM      Enganche                 
18      Lêút Ônzòj              22      RÜL     LW      Inside Forward           
19      Gër Îkrîvsá             27      RÜL     RW      Inside Forward           
20      Tôní Fórténté           24      RÜL     ST      Poacher                 -
22      Spïr Ênsér              19      RÜL     ST      Pesterer                -
Background: The second-biggest club in Ruland in terms of success and the one with the biggest fanbase, though Mâ Âlâmëómë fans would never admit it. Dí Maozöxê is a club founded by uranium miners, which means they have a massive following in all of Ruland, especially in the capital. That may sound like a non-sequitur, but it really isn't: the uranium mining industry is responsible for a ridiculous percentage of employment in Ruland. Dí Maozöxê fans are some of the most passionate and violent in the country. Though they lean heavily left, as does most of Ruland nowadays, they lean more towards chaos than anything else. Their clashes with Mâ Âlâmëómë almost always take a few people with them. They also have a huge enmity with, well, the rest of Farfadillis as a whole, much like their rivals. Being Rulandese and successful will tend to do that to a team, or indeed to anything.
Overview: While they didn't win the Xíxì Êns league like they obviously should have, what with Xíxì being their biggest legend and all, they still looked extremely solid, and the race for the top was extremely even. Their style of gung-ho football is now seemingly a thing of the past, with new manager Lüí Lâsâs much more focused on giving the team solidity in the middle of the pitch. The style has worked out quite well; it will all come down to whether the new manager can make the style truly flourish in the long run. A lot of it will have to come down to the academy producing good players soon, because a player like Lolong Bokate doesn't come along that often.
Key players:
#11 — Lolong Bokate — aRWa — Age 32 — — Season 14: 17 appearances, 15 goals, 10 assists, 8.45 average rating
By this point clearly Dí Maozöxê's second best-ever player, second only to the guy after which the league the team just played in was named, Lolong has left a massive mark in the S-FPL, even if his only title win came in strange circumstances while playing for Mâ Âlâmëómë. He's fast despite his age, an astonishing striker of the ball, fantastic at crossing, and has an almost unrivalled football IQ at this point in his career. Until he loses his pace, he'll be playing out on the wing, but don't be surprised if he gets moved to a less physically-demanding position once his speed wanes. He can still give a lot more. After all, every opposing defender gets nightmares, presumably, before games against him.
# 1 — Básilió Fórténté — aGKa — Age 26 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, no goals, 1 assist, 7.02 average rating
Farfadillis' starting goalkeeper is a fantastic sweeper keeper. One of the best in the league. There isn't a lot to say about him that hasn't been said elsewhere in Farf rosters, but it must be emphasized that Dí Maozöxê's high-line only really works because of him, as the team's defense is actually quite slow by Farf standards. Not a problem when you have a nutcase of a sweeper keeper with impeccable sense of timing, but still, an injury to him could be a serious problem for the team.
# 4 — Xíriêrín Byôrn — aDMa — Age 23 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, no goals, 2 assists, 7.33 average rating
Calm, collected, astronomically astute... largely unnoticed. Xíriêrín is one of those players that does just about everything right every time, but rarely ever gets his flowers. Only twenty-three, he's still one of the smartest Farf players out there, and has a lot of technique to exploit this strength of his. He's also quite good at duelling, which makes him a top defensive midfielder in this league... and perhaps any league, really. It's hard to overstate how important he is to the team's set-up.
Ones to watch:
# 2 — Lei yGorllaeneal — aCBa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, no goals, no assists, 7.10 average rating
yGorllaeneal has proved to be an extremely shrewd piece of business for Dí Maozöxê, almost reminisctent of (forgive the hyperbole) Lolong Bokate's signing. The unheralded Ko-orenite center-back has been an innovative presence for the team, with his sense of timing for tackling and his refusal to leave the team hanging out to dry in transitions. His slowness can sometimes be a bit of an issue in a league packed with speedsters, but his fantastic sense of positioning in the era of VAR has disappointed many rival fans. What's more, he's got a menacing aerial presence despite, surprisingly, not being a stalwart of a center-back. He can jump really high, is what we mean. Overall, a very solid center-back who could clearly go on to become one of the best in the league with the right guidance... or if he doesn't follow any guidance. Clearly they must've been doing something right back in Ko-oren.
#21 — Naklé Wínsâár — aDMa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 8 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.23 average rating
The Wínsâár twins are an oddity: one turns out for Mâ Âlâmëómë, one for Dí Maozöxê, and both seem very talented. However, the perhaps bigger oddity is how their playstyles differ: although both of them are defensive players in broad strokes, it was Àlfôn that sipohoned most of the technique off his brother before birth... touching none of his killer instinct, mind. Naklé is the kind of player only the bravest talented players will want to come up against. He can and does put in a fantastic challengere here and there, but really it's the threat of him snapping any bone of yours like a twig 'on accident' that makes him so invaluable. Fast, astute... huge, very huge. An absolutely irredeemable bastard who gets sent off often, but the reality is, in a league like this, having a player like him can get the job done. How far can he go? His ceiling isn't particularly high with the niche he's carved for himself, but he's nonetheless one to watch: he could be moulded into a serious player for international play under the right guidance.
#22 — Spïr Ênsér — aSTa — Age 19 — — Season 14: 4 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.65 average rating
Spïr is a tireless striker who will do his utmost to completely interrupt your team's build-up. He can run and run and run. He's fast, relentless, and has an eye for a team's weaknesses in the build-up when pressing them. He still has to figure out the more... striker-specific parts of the job, but his goalstriking is nothing to scoff at and he's clearly decently technical. A high-ceiling player wtih very unique profile, Dí Maozöxè may very well have an invaluable player here.
Prediction: They could go all away but, much like Istria City, not winning their league has hurt their title chances massively. They've still got a lot of quality, however, and the league looks particularly competitive this season, so who knows what could happen.

Hoima Warriors
Nickname: Warriors, East Side Dubs

Derogatory nickname(s): Commies
Manager: Faraba Sarr
Ground: Mavuto Field (75000), located in Hoima, Ankole,
Major rivals: Busukuma AC (competitive)
Major honors: 2 Banijan Soccer League titles, 1 RBSA Cup, 1 Kabaka's Cup
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★ / Youth system ★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★
Fans' expectations: Continue upward trend
Starting Lineup: aGKa Ethan Muga aLBa Okoth Tayira aCBa Chewbacca aCBa Idi Dabo aRBa Setimba Kizunga aCMa Ucanok Serif aCMa Ross Laker aOMa Musisi Nnyika aLWa Ochieng Mulangwa aRWa Mubiru Lutiba aSTa Amanda Barron-Hwang
Bench: aGKa Dembe Kagulu aGKa Kintu Nsibambi aLBa Kristina Ssetaka aCBa Andrija Divjak aCBa Odede Owour aRBa Musisi Mukiise aCMa Mbazira Nsambwe aCMa Kateri Amadi aOMa Okello Kabenge aLWa Opio Luyuzambugo aRWa Isa Kujabi Jr. aSTa Jyri Fogelklou
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Ethan Muga              32      BNJ     GK      Standard                 
 3      Okoth Tayira            29      BNJ     LB      Standard                 
 2      Chewbacca               35      QUE     CB      No-Nonsense             -
-4      Idi Dabo                35      BNJ     CB      Ball-Playing            -
19      Setimba Kizunga         27      BNJ     RB      Standard                 
 6      Ucanok Serif            32      BUS     CM      Playmaker                
14      Ross Laker              27      NPH     CM      Box-To-Box               
10      Musisi Nnyika           24      BNJ     OM      Enganche                -
-7      Ochieng Mulangwa        26      BNJ     LW      Winger                  -
11      Mubiru Lutiba           26      BNJ     RW      Inside Forward          -
-9      Amanda Barron-Hwang     21      QUE     ST      Advanced Forward        -
12      Dembe Kagulu            19      BNJ     GK      Standard                 
53      Kintu Nsibambi          22      BNJ     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
46      Kristina Ssetaka        24      BNJ     LB      Wingback                 
35      Andrija Divjak          29      KRU     CB      Ball-Playing             
21      Odede Owour             31      BNJ     CB      Standard                 
37      Musisi Mukiise          24      BNJ     RB      Standard                 
33      Mbazira Nsambwe         26      BNJ     CM      Box-To-Box               
13      Kateri Amadi            30      BNJ     CM      Standard                -
-8      Okello Kabenge          19      BNJ     OM      Enganche                -
31      Opio Luyuzambugo        25      BNJ     LW      Inside Forward          -
22      Isa Kujabi Jr.          17      BUS     RW      Winger                  -
17      Jyri Fogelklou          20      FRÖ     ST      Poacher                 -
Background: Previously known as Banija's most "chaotic" club—which, if true, would've made them the eleventh most chaotic club in the league—Hoima has now forged a reputation based on shrewd management and unexpected success... which has mostly failed to materialize since unification. Their fanbase is the most avowedly left-wing in Banija, appropriately reflecting the city's views. Their working class fanbase can get very passionate and very rowdy, filling the biggest stadiums on a regular basis. Well-known in Banija for being quite the rude visitors, and also well-known in Farfadillis for not being massive sissies.
Overview: Hoima Warriors had no right to be as good as they were in the first half of the season. They were comfortably the second-best team in the Gitonga Kahara league despite being genuinely quite lacking in star power. The secret? xG overperformance and xGA underperformance. They score more and concede less than you'd expect. Simply put: they either have an astonishingly good goalkeeper (they do not) and fantastically clinical strikers (they're very good but not statistically anomalous) or they are going to sink, probably sooner rather than later. For now, the fans can enjoy their rather confusing hoofball set-up, mixed in with some out-of-context beautiful playmaking from Musisi Nyika when he's given space on the ball.
Key players:
# 4 — Idi Dabo — aCBa — Age 35 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 1 goal, 2 assists, 7.89 average rating
Idi Dabo is an ex-NTer who... narrowly missed out on Banija's double right after losing a World Cup final. Tough, yes, but his experience is nonetheless invaluable and his performances this season have been undeniably top-notch. He knows when and where to be, pretty much every single time, and has zero discpline issues. He's very silky on the ball, to boot, and has not lost any of his strength, even if his pace has gone with the years. In short, a very solid defender in top form.
# 9 — Amanda Barron-Hwang — aSTa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, 13 goals, 4 assists, 7.68 average rating
Amanda's a fantastic outlet for a team like Hoima Warriors: she's got a fantastic first touch, is not easy to muscle off the ball, and is very comfortable playing with her back to the goal. She's also deceptively good at exploiting miscalculations from opposing defenders. She's been exceptionally clinical as of late, but don't expect that to hold. Statistically, it is unlikely. Even if her finishing reverts to the mean, though, she's one of the Warriors' best weapons.
# 7 — Ochieng Mulangwa — aLWa — Age 26 — — Season 14: 17 appearances, 10 goals, 8 assists, 7.52 average rating
A pacey winger who loves to just run down the flank and cross. He does it off muscle memory and is very hard to stop when he gets going. Great speed, great ball control and he doesn't have to think. His crossing is fantastic, and it's no surprise he has amassed so many assists this season. He's playing considerably above his usual standards, but there's no reason to think he hasn't simply improved. For now, many defenses will be looking to employ specific tactics to stop him if he continues just hurling good crosses into the box until one of them is converted into a goal. You just can't let a player do that to you all game long. Not good business.
Ones to watch:
#17 — Jyri Fogelklou — aSTa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 4 appearances, 2 goals, no assists, 6.98 average rating
Jyri is not a typical Farf immigrant in Banija: Hoima Warriors scouted him from some lowly Fröndti club when he was sixteen years old. He's got explosive pace in extremely short bursts and can smell out goals, always seeming one or two steps ahead inside the box, at least at youth level. At senior level, he's displayed many of these qualities too. If anyone is going to reliably overperform their xG, it's probably not him... but he can bring more xG to the table quite easily with his profile. The downside? He's really lacking in mobility, preferring to mostly score easy goals inside the box. He will need to widen his skillset if he wants to become the terrifying striker he might just have the potential to become.
# 8 — Okello Kabenge — aOMa — Age 19 — — Season 14: 2 appearances, no goals, 1 assist, 6.90 average rating
Yes, he may be slow and a bit fat for this level, but it's something Okello can work on. At the moment, he's very far from achieving his potential. Like, very, very far. But if the team can get him to get fully into shape and start actually fucking running on the pitch... well, he's definitely a bit more of a magician than anyone else in the squad, Nyika included. Only time will tell if he'll be a dud or a superstar. Probably a dud. Maybe a superstar.
#22 — Isa Kujabi Jr. — aRWa — Age 17 — — Season 14: 7 appearances, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.85 average rating
The daughter of Busogan right winger Isa Kujabi, Isa Kujabi Jr. is a more promising prospect than her mother. Better in every aspect: pace, dribbling, crossing, technique, football IQ, Isa Kujabi is still much too young to break into the starting eleven for the Warriors, but it is absolutely undeniable that the talent is there. It's truly a shame she chose to be born in Busoga Islands of all places, but at least we might have someone after whom to name one of the three leagues in a few seasons' time...
Prediction: They didn't win their league and have looked quite lucky... their luck is probably about to end. Don't expect much from them.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Jan 29, 2024 12:48 am

Rülândéá Kôstä
Nickname: tâ Kôstä (those from the Coast)

Derogatory nickname(s): Mey Kôsâng (Little Brother, in reference to the two bigger Rulandese clubs), Pêskätörès (Fishermen)
Manager: Fêrm Égéré
Ground: Âréné Délékôstä (10000), located in Lìbêrêtê, Rülândéá
Major rivals: None
Major honors: 2 S-FPL titles, 1 Farf Freitball Ligá. 3 Farf Torde Ligá titles, 1 Rulandese state league title
Infrastructure: Ground ★ / Training facilities ★★ / Youth system ★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★
Fans' expectations:
Starting Lineup: aGKa Juan Mamani aLBa Ha’nei Ighv aCBa Tipi Izotzubia aRBa Dîgö Üwársá aDMa Enor Perro aCMa Nic Dementieva aCMa Mathinna Bouck aTKa Lêyêló Jáánsêlà aTKa Uglješa Gicić aLWa Audrey Pearson aSTa Baraxil Muhaburu
Bench: aGKa Mêlçôr Çídh aGKa Drê Lâ Léspér aLBa Sâkras Sírrénâ aCBa Vinísìus Tór aRBa Pîyár Jôsìró aDMa Lídôr Rônçö aCMa Yaunzuria Urgoiti aCMa Brááhám Çímarö aTKa Kâásîmîró Elertauré aTKa Inares Tribulanté aSTa Chris Stroud-Williams aSTa Ranârdo Töskô
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Juan Mamani             32      HUA     GK      Standard                 
 6      Ha’nei Ighv             30      CMT     LB      Complete Wingback        
 2      Tipi Izotzubia          30      ASG     CB      Standard                -
-4      Dîgö Üwársá             20      RÜL     RB      Complete Wingback       -
-3      Enor Perro              ??      DLT     DM      Butcher                 -
-5      Nic Dementieva          21      PIS     CM      Box-to-box              -
11      Mathinna Bouck          30      QUE     CM      Box-to-box              -
-7      Lêyêló Jáánsêlà         25      RÜL     TK      Takilante               -
-9      Uglješa Gicić           22      MYT     TK      Takilante               -
-8      Audrey Pearson          26      TMB     LW      Winger                  -
10      Baraxil Muhaburu        36      ASG     ST      False Nine              -
12      Mêlçôr Çídh             25      RÜL     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
23      Drê Lâ Léspér           20      RÜL     GK      Sweeper Keeper           
13      Sâkras Sírrénâ          25      RÜL     LB      Wingback                 
14      Vinísìus Tór            20      RÜL     CB      Ball-playing Defender    
15      Pîyár Jôsìró            19      RÜL     RB      Wingback                 
16      Lídôr Rônçö             28      RÜL     DM      Butcher                  
18      Yaunzuria Urgoiti       28      ASG     CM      Box-to-box               
20      Brááhám Çímarö          22      RÜL     CM      Playmaker               -
17      Kâásîmîró Elertauré     18      RÜL     TK      Takilante               -
19      Inares Tribulanté       20      IND     TK      Takilante                
21      Chris Stroud-Williams   30      EUR     ST      Advanced Forward         
22      Ranârdo Töskô           23      RÜL     ST      Advanced Forward        -
Background: Rülândéá Kôstä are massive in the Rulandese coast. When we say massive, we mean truly massive. Most everyone in the city's coast supports the team named after the city's coast which, to be fair, is not exactly shocking. Their supporters have very strong ties to the revolutionary movements of the last two decades, and are violent even by Rulandese standards. Their stadium, partially destroyed by bombings, will probably pack twice its capacity every game. Surprisingly, tâ Kôstä have a very friendly relationship with all other Rulandese clubs, seeing them more as family than rivals. Teams from outside Ruland, though? Well, that's a very different, much bloodier story... The fans will be subdued for now, though, due to the team's outstanding present.
Overview: A quite muted first half of the season means one of the best teams in the league has their work cut out for them in the second half. They've got the quality, and they play some of the most staggeringlty vertiginous football in the Multiverse, but so far they've been quite unfortunate and utterly unable to convert that into the dominance they are capable of exerting. If a few things go their way, though, with the quality in their squad... well, a third league title is not out of the question at all. But things would be far easier for them if La + Querida hadn't smashed their league.
Key players:
#7 — Lêyêló Jáánsêlà — aTKa — Age 25 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 10 goals, 12 assists, 8.22 average rating
Undeniably the team's best player, Lêyêló is Rülândéá Kôstä through and through, and without a doubt the best player to have come through the team's academy. The first ever truly natural takilante, his relentlessness is something every team fears in build-up. His lethality from not-so-close quarters, as well as his knack for intuitively picking the best possible option during transitions make him... well, a top five player in the league at worst. There isn't much else to say about him besides the obvious here, really. No team wants to face him and every team has to because he's always fit.
#10 — Baraxil Muhaburu — aSTa — Age 36 — — Season 14: 9 appearances, no goals, 7 assists, 8.02 average rating
Baraxil Muhaburu is a legend of not just this club, but the league as a whole. There's no denying his, uh, life choices have been very suboptimal for his development as a footballer, but the gaffer has made do, now employing him as a... false nine? In what has got to be one of the weirdest tactical set-ups in the league, if we're being honest. He can't score to save his life at the moment, and he's got massive availability issues, but there's no denying that when he turns up, the ticket to the game pays for itself. Even in his current state, he's still the assist king. If he decides to bother for the second half, Rülândéá Kôstä could once again challenge for the title.
#8 — Audrey Pearson — aLWa — Age 26 — — Season 14: 17 appearances, 13 goals, 11 assists, 8.10 average rating
A force of nature down the left flank as of last season, defenses still haven't adapted to the Tumbran wingress. Her pace, technique and knack for finding pockets of space, as well as creating them herself with her deceptive movement, all add up to one astonishingly threatening player. Combining up front with the almost artistic movement of Baraxil Muhaburu (again, if he turns up for games and isn't hangover for them) she should be pretty damn unstoppable. We'll see if that's what happens in the second half of the season, but she's still an extremely potent weapon by her lonesome.
Ones to watch:
#5 — Nic Dementieva — aCMa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 15 appearances, 5 goals, 5 assists, 7.56 average rating
Rülândéá Kôstä's shiny new Polarian signing has been a huge success so far. His willingness to snap opponents in half is a welcome addition so that Enor Perro can focus on other things besides that, but in a league as permissive as the S-FPL, he doesn't have to be confined to just being a particularly violent water-carrier. The gaffer has easing him into a box-to-box role to take advantage of his physicality, fairly great playmaking skills and, why not, quite unexpected knack for scoring goals with late runs. He's still twenty-one, but the sky seems to be the limit for Nic.
#4 — Dîgö Üwársá — aRBa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 2 goals, 2 assists, 7.48 average rating
A marauding wingback that loves to tear teams apart by being smart, technical and, most importantly, physically unstoppable. He can run quickly and all game long. He's quite strong on top of that, despite lacking height. Can he carry over this form into the second half of the season? Probably. All in all, a wingback very much in the club's mold, and a youth product the fans are very proud of.
#17 — Kâásîmîró Elertauré — aTKa — Age 18 — — Season 14: 6 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assists, 6.82 average rating
Slightly Vanorian (as his surname can attest), Kâásîmîró is a natural takilante in Lêyêló's mold. He's got top-tier physicality, at least for his age, and is expected to only further grow into his frame, with his Vanorian ancestry bound to aid him in that. However, he's also a suprprisingly technical player with an eye for a pass that can split a defense in too, to say nothing of his long shots. A true takilante that has shown a lot of promise, but might find it hard breaking into the first team here due to the fierce competition. A move away in the future is not unlikely...
Prediction: They're really good, but they've got to really turn it up for the second half of the seaosn if they don't want to disappoint. Can they do it? Yes. Will they do it? Maybe. For now, expect them to be good enough for CL spots but fall short of the title.

Mâ Âlâmëómë
Nickname: lôs Vhêrdês (the Green ones)

Derogatory nickname(s): Too many to count
Manager: Drö Têr
Ground: Rülândéá Çölíséá (35000), located in Lìbêrêtê, Rülândéá
Major rivals: Dí Maozöxê (local), La Nueva Avenida (sporting)
Major honors: 3 S-FPL titles, 14 Farf Freitball Ligá titles, 3 Atlantian Oceania Champions' League titles, 1 Challengers Cup, 3 Rulandese state league titles
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★ / Youth system ★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Fans' expectations: Destroy all competition to make up for the first half of the season
Starting Lineup: aGKa Rogerio Defigueroa aLBa Nacuémiró Buené aCBa Sêvêr Fâerçâlenh aCBa Bogi Brimisson aCBa Climo Coss aRBa Lêyê Wíndândaò aCMa Êsêkïl dí Völará aCMa Liam Sæthre aLWa Asztrik Biró aRWa Aodaghan Stern aSTa Jônn Wérséô
Bench: aGKa Sylvestre Hodin aGKa Sêrgê dí Xísâs aLBa Iraúj Loskalojí aCBa Émérí Týângoô aCBa Àlfôn Wínsâár aCBa Bêlá Sü Wínsönâ aRBa Travis Coffey aCMa Pönçí Îfrahim aOMa Fulzhohu We Xi aLWa Mâár Vímaó aSTa Émérí Íàí aRWa Lôdgê Vúelo
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Rogerio Defigueroa      34      FAR     GK      Standard                 
 4      Nacuémiró Buené         32      KSK     LB      Wingback                 
 2      Sêvêr Fâerçâlenh        31      RÜL     CB      Stopper                 -
-3      Bogi Brimisson          21      GRF     CB      Libero                  -
-6      Climo Coss              ??      DLT     CB      Stopper                 -
10      Lêyê Wíndândaò          25      RÜL     RB      Wingback                -
-5      Êsêkïl dí Völará        30      VAL     CM      Standard                -
-5      Liam Sæthre             30      VAL     CM      Standard                -
-7      Asztrik Biró            28      PAS     LW      Winger                  -
11      Aodaghan Stern          28      SRS     RW      Winger                   
 9      Jônn Wérséô             22      BNJ     ST      Advanced Forward        -
12      Sylvestre Hodin         23      SZO     GK      Standard                 
23      Sêrgê dí Xísâs          28      RÜL     GK      Standard                 
13      Iraúj Loskalojí         22      IND     LB      Wingback                 
14      Émérí Týângoô           20      RÜL     CB      Standard                 
19      Àlfôn Wínsâár           19      RÜL     CB      Ball-playing Defender    
16      Bêlá Sü Wínsönâ         19      RÜL     CB      Stopper                  
20      Travis Coffey           33      EUR     RB      Wingback                 
18      Pönçí Îfrahim           21      RÜL     CM      Box-to-box              -
15      Fulzhohu We Xi          18      LIT     OM      Attacking Midfielder    -
17      Mâár Vímaó              20      RÜL     LW      Winger                  -
21      Émérí Íàí               17      RÜL     ST      Advanced Forward        -
22      Lôdgê Vúelo             26      RÜL     RW      Winger                  -
Background: The one Farf club that any football fan worth their salt should be able to recognize. Mâ Âlâmëómë have had some of the best squads in the history of club football. Among the players that have worn green and black are: Mêndêlöíndçêl, Einarsson, Kâí, Etezadi, Aurora, Wínrôuge, Rainsford, Gosforth, Campbell, Zubiri, Shrike, Tzâín, Röènôùjýâ, Na'Kale, Söh, Wçêíl, Killanen, Soria Luna, Çí Xôrí, (Edmün) Çídh... you get the idea. As a Rulandese club, they are utterly despised outside of Ruland. As the best Rulandese club, they are utterly despised inside of Ruland as well. Their fans, numerous and very violent, wouldn't give this up for the world. They were orignially founded as a loosely cultish collection of followers of one of the many Farf pagan faiths, one which venerated “Mother Earth”, better known as Mâ Âlâmëómë in the local language. True to their roots, they don't like the prevalence of uranium mining in Ruland. Unsurprisingly, they have many ties with past and present Rulandese revolutionary movements. However, to you and me, dear international reader, they're just that Farf behemoth nobody can spell or pronounce.
Overview: They've got a top team in every sense but something was missing in the first half of the season. Drö Têr will have to quickly figure out how to make his bizarre defensive set-up work if he doesn't want his job to be in peril. There have been a lot of encouraging matches for sure. It's no coincidence that their goal difference was actually quite good in the first half. But they really need to score when it matters, and so far they have failed rather spectacularly at that. If they can fix that, they, alongside Rülândéá Kôstä, are prime candidates for (somewhat) unexpected winners, despite not having won their league.
Key players:
#6 — Climo Coss — aCBa — Age ?? — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 2 goals, 3 assists, 7.76 average rating
Two-time World Cup winner representing two different nations (Wight and Delte), Climo Coss is shrouded in mystery. How can he be so successful? Whever he goes, success follows. He's a club legend from times past; nobody has been more excited to watch him play than the old geezers. He's a top-tier center-back in every sense, and a player that can make all the difference not just because of his skills, or even because of his vast experience, but rather just because... of his aura. He's a born winner, and that's something that cannot be taught.
#10 — Êsêkïl dí Völará — aCMa — Age 30 — — Season 14: 17 appearances, 3 goals, 11 assists, 7.98 average rating
The one that got away, as far as every Farf is concerned. The Kelssek NTer is a top-tier playmaker and one of the best players in the league, effortlessly recycling possession but also more than able to break through lines when the situation calls for it. He gives the team a much needed sense of tempo, and has technique so impeccable you'd struggle to remember the last time he got dispossessed without getting fouled (whether the ref calls the foul is a whole different matter). A player that would walk into the starting eleven of any team in the league.
#7 — Asztrik Biró — aLWa — Age 28 — — Season 14: 16 appearances, 12 goals, 6 assists, 7.68 average rating
Biró was a very precocious winger in the early days of the S-FPL. He may not have reached the astronomic heights some might have expected of him based on that, but there's no denying he's one of the best in the league in his position nowadays. A winger that has it all in his offensive skillset to break defenses apart. Quick, a good dribbler, selfless almost to a fault, a good finisher... no defense wants to come up against him, especially when he's getting fed chances by players like Sæthre and dí Völará.
Ones to watch:
#3 — Bogi Brimisson — aCBa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 16 appearances, 2 goals, 4 assists, 7.68 average rating
Bogi Brimisson came out of nowhere, a masterstroke of recruitment from Mâ Âlâmëómë's scouting department. Playing in the almost lost role of a libero, Bogi is a defender with an impeccable sense of timing, a ferocious appetite for sweeping up loose balls from in behind the two other center-backs accompanying him and a fantastic playmaker from deep. He's invaluable starting counterattacks and surprisingly dangerous in possession too. Only twenty-one, there's no doubt he'll become one of the very best players in the league.
#15 — Fulzhohu We Xi — aOMa — Age 18 — — Season 14: 6 appearances, 3 goals, 2 assists, 7.06 average rating
Fulzhohu We Xi is the first Lit™ footballer to look like a real baller, though many suspect there will be quite a few more to follow. A fantastic playmaker who is nonetheless fearless going forward, and who doesn't shy away from dribbling past two or three players if the situation calls for it (and sometimes when it doesn't), even if it means getting kicked around a lot. Agile, it almost seems like he can fly through the pitch. Quite smart off the ball too. Too young to make an impact because of his lack of physicality at the moment, but if he bulks up a little he could have quite the meteoric rise.
#21 — Émérí Íàí — aSTa — Age 17 — — Season 14: 2 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.05 average rating
Vanishingly few players are as naturally talented on the ball as Íàí. The catch? He doesn't run too much and he's not too smart with it. Can he become a very good striker anyway? Absolutely. He's too young and he can improve physically and mentally. If he somehow improves his technique too... we might have a world beater here. But it's equally likely nobody will remember him in two or three years' time. Such is life for wonderkids with such lopsided profiles.
Prediction: They are very good, but their first half of the season is almost a nail in the coffin. CL spots yes, outright league win probably not, but don't count them out.

Busukuma AC
Nickname: The Promised Club (in reference to Busukuma's nickname, "The Promised City")

Derogatory nickname(s): Sugar Daddies
Manager: Gergely Laracy
Ground: Lukwago Field (37000), located in Busukuma, National Capitol Region,
Major rivals: Busukuma Force (local), Capitol City FC (local), Hoima Warriors (competitive)
Major honors: 1 Banijan Soccer League title, 1 RBSA Cup, 1 Kabaka's Cup
Infrastructure: Ground ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth system ★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★
Fans' expectations: Uhhh...
Starting Lineup: aGKa Hebron Yienya aLBa Melodic Ward aCBa Célestine Belrose aCBa Kusemererwa Mabiriizi aRBa Coriolan aCMa Munyiga Wabinga aCMa Nicolas Ajwang aOMa Yob Banda aLWa Clayton Wilson aRWa Kato Sseka aSTa Kuma Negasu
Bench: aGKa Ildefonso Estronza aGKa Kohath Abuo aLBa Yaba Kah aCBa Ocan Kiyuka aCBa Blas Bobillo aRBa Ochola Nsonga aCMa Foka Fedorov aCMa Momat Suba aOMa Omar Kah aLWa Juma Bah aRWa Mubiru Lutiba aSTa Yves Pasztonyk
-       Name                    Age     Nat     Pos     Main role               Ability-
-1      Hebron Yienya           34      BNJ     GK      Sweeper Keeper          -
-6      Melodic Ward            33      EQS     LB      Standard                 
 3      Célestine Belrose       35      EQS     CB      Standard                 
 5      Kusemererwa Mabiriizi   23      BNJ     CB      No-Nonsense              
 2      Coriolan                30      QUE     RB      Wingback                 
12      Munyiga Wabinga         25      BNJ     CM      Box-to-Box               
 8      Nicolas Ajwang          34      BNJ     CM      Playmaker               -
10      Yob Banda               20      BNJ     OM      Advanced Playmaker      -
-7      Clayton Wilson          28      SRZ     LW      Winger                  -
11      Kato Sseka              28      BNJ     RW      Inside Forward           
 9      Kuma Negasu             23      NYK     ST      Advanced Forward        -
12      Ildefonso Estronza      28      FAR     GK      Standard                 
44      Kohath Abuo             34      BNJ     GK      Standard                -
22      Yaba Kah                17      BNJ     LB      Standard                -
15      Ocan Kiyuka             22      BUS     CB      Standard                 
 4      Blas Bobillo            26      FAR     CB      Standard                 
47      Ochola Nsonga           24      BNJ     RB      Wingback                 
19      Foka Fedorov            25      CMT     CM      Standard                 
33      Momat Suba              23      BNJ     CM      Standard                 
24      Omar Kah                37      BUS     OM      Advanced Playmaker       
17      Juma Bah                36      BNJ     LW      Winger                   
27      Mubiru Lutiba           26      BNJ     RW      Inside Forward          -
16      Yves Pasztonyk          21      SZO     ST      Pressing Forward        -
Background: This one's known as the club of big business. Lukwago Field is known for having plenty of suites for businessmen to visit, and it is traditionally a right-wing club in a very left-wing city. Generally attracts support from members of the Royal Family... you get the idea. Royalist dipshits, is what the Farves would call them. The Kabaka himself was a big fan before ascending to the throne. He's now "neutral". Yeah, sure. They are one of four clubs in Banija that are owned by foreigners, as Quebecois investor Jean-Francois Joffre bought the team just before the end of the final BSL season. They are generally ripped for having a more “corporate friendly crowd”—fewer ultras, a ban on smoke and flares, you get the idea. The team’s fans are generally known for their relative quietness in comparison to Banija’s other passionate fanbases.
Overview: They barely scraped past Jinja City and, uh, Flying Jellyfish, on negative GD, to get to the nine-team second stage. They have not been as good as any of the teams they are about to come up against and their style of football seems erratic and highly inconsistent at best, completely unreliable at worst. They've got good players that can bail them out of tough situations, mostly against lesser teams... but they won't be facing any lesser teams going forward. Busukuma fans might be in for a hard awakening in the second half of the season
Key players:
#10 — Yob Banda — aOMa — Age 20 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, 3 goals, 15 assists, 8.15 average rating
A very promising young talent, Yob Banda is a very precocious playmaker that, while not possessing outstanding physical attributes, can turns games around in seconds with just a few sparks of magic. He can see passes only a very select few can and he can reliably pull them off. You're never safe if he has the ball and the attackers are looking to make runs. He can destroy you directly, or subtly, which is quite remarkable for someone his age. If Busukuma perform respectably, it will definitely have a lot to do with Banda fully hitting his stride.
# 7 — Clayton Wilson — aLWa — Age 28 — — Season 15: 18 appearances, 9 goals, 6 assists, 7.86 average rating
One of the numerous Sarzonian Wilsons, Clayton is a winger with quite the knack for playmaking; his assists don't just come from crosses. Far from it, in fact. His versatile skillset is something every opponent will have to watch out for if they don't want to find themselves conceding a goal out of nowhere. The Sarzonian is very similar to his teammate Yob Banda in this respect.
# 1 — Hebron Yienya — aGKa — Age 34 — — Season 14: 18 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.94 average rating
An extremely experienced goalkeeper with the odd cap for the Banijan NT, Hebron Yienya is one of the reasons Busukuma have made it this far. Can she pull off even more heroics in goal and save her club from embarrasment? She just might. Even at thirty-four, which is actually not that old for a goalkeeper, she's one of the best in the league. A traditional shot-stopped, stopping shots is precisely what she will have to do. Oer and over and over and over. We really hope she likes it.
Ones to watch:
#16 — Yves Pasztonyk — aSTa — Age 21 — — Season 14: 11 appearances, 3 goals, 3 assists, 6.98 average rating
Yves is strange for a Farf forward: he seems to almost treat pressing as an art. He's extremely good at it. Any team carefully building out from the back will likely be analyzing him specifically in case he gets thrown into the fray. However, he's somewhat lacking in all other departments when it comes to, well, being a striker. He's okay, really, but he should definitely look to shore up his weaknesses rather than polish his strengths further,
#22 — Yaba Kah — aLBa — Age 17 — — Season 14: 3 appearances, no goals, no assists, 6.32 average rating
We're sort of coming up short with youngsters for Busukuma here, in all honesty. Yaba Kah looks like a perfectly... fine... full-back. He can defend and he can run and looks like he will probably be able to make a living in this league, or maybe some other similarly good league. His cameos so far have been quite underwhelming, but at seventeen there's no reason to treat this as an indictment of his skills. He can and probably will be serviceable.
Prediction: Yeah, let's be honest, they're not getting anywhere near the title.

by **Shango-Fogoa Premier League** » Mon Jan 29, 2024 1:14 am

-Season 14-

Second Stage, Semifinal and Final

Winners' Second Stage

-                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Mâ Âlâmëómë              8   5  1  2   26  15 +11   16
 2 Herzegovina City FC      8   5  0  3   21  16  +5   15
 3 Rülândéá Kôstä           8   3  2  3   19  16  +3   11
 4 Dí Maozöxê               8   3  2  3   21  21   0   11
 5 Istria City FC           8   3  2  3   19  19   0   11
 6 Busukuma AC              8   3  1  4   17  20  −3   10
 7 La + Querida             8   3  1  4   24  28  −4   10
 8 Hoima Warriors           8   2  4  2   21  27  −6   10
 9 René Skaé                8   2  1  5   12  18  −6    7

Losers' Second Stage

Group A

-                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Jinja City FC            5   2  3  0   12   7  +5    9 
2 Kitara AA                5   2  3  0    6   4  +2    9
3 L'Unione                 5   2  2  1   17  10  +7    8
4 Ausharmuj Marusi         5   2  2  1    5   7  −2    8
5 Lakiska SC               5   2  0  3    6   8  −2    6
6 Flying Jellyfish         5   0  0  5    1  11 −10    0

Group B

-                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Capitol City FC          5   3  1  1   15   6  +9   10
2 Rukunbi FC               5   3  1  1   12   5  +7   10
3 Lithico™ Excellence      5   2  1  2    7   6  +1    7
4 Mynda Electra            5   2  0  3   12  14  −2    6
5 La Nueva Avenida         5   2  0  3    8  14  −6    6
6 Ferokaril                5   1  1  3   11  20  −9    4

It was a fantastic season for Herzegovina City FC, who managed to nab a third S-FPL title, equalling Mâ Âlâmëómë's tally. They did most of the heavy lifting in the first half of the season, but their solid performances in the second stage were enough to see them overtake La + Querida in the Overall Table and get a decisive, though perhaps unnecessary, advantage going into the semifinals. Unsurprisingly, Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov continues to leave a mark in this league that only a select few can aspire to compete with. Goals, assists, leadership... he's been key in pretty much everything you could ask for from an attacking midfielder. However, the stand-out for this season specifically was Dénes Robineau, who signed a one-year contract and was responsible for way too many of the Trumpeteers' goals. There wasn't a lot in ways of assists, but his goal output was so absurd that at one point it started to look like the Trumpeteers would win the title on it... and they did.

In second, La + Querida's rise has been meteoric, perhaps unsurprisingly for a club managed by Tuskoles Yagaras. Their performance in the first half of the season was quite astonishing, but the team lacked in quality compared to the usual suspects, and as a result reverted to the mean as the season went on. Nonetheless, they made it to the very final! The less said about their performance there the better, sure, but it's still an insane accomplishment for a team that very recently was fighting off relegation by, presumably, employing as much pagan magic as possible. The standouts were Pan Xilei and Luo Nanwei. The former appears to have finally, after so many years, fully settled into the team, and her presence in midfield was unfailingly solid in every aspect. The latter was a bit more hit or miss, yes, but his switch to attacking midfield bore a lot of fruits despite his struggles with fitness. Indeed, it was his fitness struggles in the second half of the season that made La + Querida's performances plummet, and there's no doubt his injury against René Skaé in the semifinal will have played a part in how the final played out. Youngsters Daraja Kanka, Aislin Du Moucel, Fabien Kalulu-Flaubert and Vojihna Mrnjavčević were all fantastic, which means La + Querida is here to stay.

Istria City FC managed a surprisingly high finish off the back of a solid showing in the first half and an okay showing in the second. Kate Huitema-Omeasoo was lethal, as always, and the center midfield pair of Oguta Achuka and Dembo Savaneh was one only one or two teams could hope to match. But prospects look bleak for the Lions going forward. Their best players are all the wrong side of thirty, and of their youngsters only Nakissa Muwanga looks like a quality player at the moment. Food for thought for their fanbase.

Mâ Âlâmëómë made up for a disastrous start to the season by topping the Winners' Second Stage, owing to the fact that they might very well have, well, the best team in the league. They managed CL qualification by the skin of their teeth, but it still counts. They'll hope to do better next season, and they definitely will not make the same mistake of turning up when it's already a bit too late. If they'd made the semifinals by winning their league in the first half, they could've very well been the champions. Bogi Brimisson has turned out even better than expected, even though he was hyped to hell and back going into the season. The libero was astonishingly effective in defense; it's no coincidence the team conceded the fewest goals in the league. Having Climo Coss and Sêvêr Fâerçâlenh in front of him, as well as Nacuémiró Buené covering the left flank can't have hurt, though... elsewhere, Êsêkïl dí Völará was one of the best midfielders in the league, taking on a more aggressive approach going forward as the team struggled to create chances (by their own standards, that is) early in the season. Up front, Jônn Wérséô was quality, putting away quite a few goals. He wasn't outscored by his wingers (far from it, in fact), despite their quality, which is a sign that he's fully blossoming into the player everybody expected him to be.

René Skaé Jekkyl and Hyde'd it. Their start to the season was fantastic, with their transition-focused style of play tearing teams apart left and right. However, when faced with better opposition week in, week out, and with the toll of the season adding up... they completely cracked, finishing bottom. It was still enough to finish fifth in the Overall Table, and their showing against La + Querida in the semifinal was at least respectable-ish, but they will have to adjust things if they truly want to challenge for the title. Their biggest stand-out was Lajos Danzas, who was top three best in the league in his position, if not the best outright. His aggressive style set up countless counterattacks, and he actually amassed a surprising number of assists as a result, too, with his long passing being top-notch. His partner Edwin Aubochetyhe was similarly very solid, but with his head screwed on straighter but not much straighter. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season was Éspéráns rue Cazade, who forced her way into the starting eleven very quickly and outshone many right-backs despite being seventeen.

Dí Maozöxê had a very solid but somewhat unfortunate season. They deserved better but luck was not on their side. Still, they comfortably made it to the ChC and have a lot to look forward to. Lei yGorllaeneal is a bit green but definitely the real deal, Xíriêrín Byôrn now looks destined to become a regular of the Farf NT and, most importantly, Lolong Bokate is showing no signs of slowing down for the time being. He showed he can make a living as an attacking midfielder too, which is great news for his potential longevity.

Hoima Warriors and Rülândéá Kôstä may have finished on a similar number of points, but their stories this season have been radically different. While the Warriors have at best half the squad Rülândéá Kôstä have, they managed to make the most of it by being lucky as all fuck. Rülândéá Kôstä, for their part, were the complete opposite: their xGD was +30, fully twenty-three goals above their actual GD of +7. Básilió Fórténté had a bad season, yes, but every striker facing them suddenly became a sniper. Their lack of an out-and-out striker also hurt them immensely, so their underperformance in front of goal is no surprise. Nonetheless, with Lêyêló Jáánsêlà bossing midfield and Audrey Pearson creating a lot of danger up front, it's no surprise they still did well enough. Nic Dementieva was also worth highlighting. He was told to be extremely reckless in his tackling, which means he got sent off here and there (though far less than one would've expected), but he was truly monstrous as a box-to-box midfielder when things clicked. As he grows into the position and also literally grows (older), expect him to become a key piece for the team.

Busukuma AC really shouldn't have made it to the second stage and it showed.

As for the teams that didn't make it to the Winners' Second Stage, there were a few oddities worth pointing out: Flying Jellyfish amassed 0 points in the second half despite facing worse opposition (how?), Capitol City FC really turned up for the second half of the season even thought it was essentially dead rubber and Kitara AA are kind of lucky to have made it to the ChC on this format. They are not good enough for that level, but it is what it is. Closer to the bottom of the table: Lithico™ Excellence are saved from relegation because of a deal Tuskoles Yagaras struck with Ausharmuj Marusi last season in which their relegation would be suspended but they'd get a fifteen-point penalty this season. This was obviously planned, and Tuskoles Yagaras' strange little project survives for another season. Also, Rukunbi FC were really bad. Their final point tally doens't do it justice, but it's already worrying enough that they even failed the eye test when facing Lithico™ Excellence, a team of young players hailing from a recently-founded corporate state.

Overall Table

-                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Herzegovina City FC     26   17   3   6    79   42  +37    54 CL
 2 La + Querida            26   16   4   6    84   53  +31    52 CL
 3 Istria City FC          26   14   4   8    80   50  +30    46 CL
 4 Mâ Âlâmëómë             26   13   6   7    70   36  +34    45 CL
 5 René Skaé               26   13   6   7    69   40  +29    45 ChC
 6 Dí Maozöxê              26   12   9   5    66   44  +22    45 ChC
 7 Hoima Warriors          26   11   9   6    79   63  +16    42 ChC
 8 Rülândéá Kôstä          26   12   5   9    60   53   +7    41 ChC
 9 Busukuma AC             26   11   4  11    53   57   −4    37 ChC
10 Kitara AA               23    9   8   6    38   40   −2    35 ChC
11 Jinja City FC           23    9   7   7    52   48   +4    34
12 La Nueva Avenida        23   10   4   9    54   53   +1    34
13 L'Unione                23    8   5  10    44   61  −17    29
14 Flying Jellyfish        23    6   6  11    39   51  −12    24
15 Mynda Electra           23    6   5  12    31   47  −16    23
16 Capitol City FC         23    6   4  13    41   56  −15    22
17 Lakiska SC              23    5   5  13    29   58  −29    20
18 Ferokaril               23    4   7  12    43   69  −26    19
19 Lithico™ Excellence     23    4   7  12    44   77  −33    19
20 Rukunbi FC              23    4   5  14    48   87  −39    17 Relegated
21 Ausharmuj Marusi*       23    5   7  11    38   56  −18     7 Relegated

*: Ausharmuj Marusi suffered a 15-point deduction because of last season's agreement after their strike.

Semifinal
La + Querida 4–2 René Skaé
Nanwei 23' and 34', Salayeta 59', Xilei 76' v. Dyautias 44', Bounöhieus 83'

The semifinal featured two teams on the downswing, but La + Querida recovered Luo Nanwei just in time for him to score two long-range shots in the first half. It's a shame he had to limp off the pitch after the second, but what a strike! Dyautias pulled one back right before the half with a deft volley, but the damage had been done. René Skaé tried to play their overly aggressive, extremely physically intense football in the second half but La + Querida calmly saw out the match, first with a header from Anartz Salayeta and later with Pan Xilei dribbling past two players after René Skaé were caught in transition themselves. Bounöhieus pulled one back with a low drive from the edge of the box but it was never going to be enough, as La + Querida just resorted to ball-hogging afterwards.

Final
Herzegovina City FC 3–0 La + Querida
Robineau 5' and 32', Kuznetsov 25'

The final was, in all honesty, quite the letdown. Just five minutes in, Robineau snuck in behind the Pacifistan defense and put the ball past Kalulu-Flaubert. The Trumpeteers looked like they were ceding control of the match after that, but started hitting La + Querida on the counter whenever they could. In the twenty-fifth minute, Kuznetsov scored a marvelous free kick. This didn't deter La + Querida, who looked desperate to equalize. Alas, in the thirty-second minute, a very quick sequence of passes left the Pacifistan defense biting the dust again, as Robineau ended up rounding the keeper (rounding the keeper in modern football!) and calmly slotting in the third. The result was never in doubt after that, as the Pacifistan team seemed to have little fight left in them without Luo Nanwei; Pan Xilei was the only one trying to make things happen, but they weren't. The second half was boring, as it featured no goals. Indeed, it featured far fewer chances for either team than is usual for the league. Overall, an underwhelming ending to what had been a fairy tale of a season for La + Querida, and a quite boring but nonetheless comfortable ending for the Trumpeteers as they sealed their third S-FPL win.

Golden Ball: Dénes Robineau, Herzegovina City FC
Silver Ball: Pan Xilei, La + Querida
Bronze Ball: Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov, Herzegovina City FC

Golden Boot: Dénes Robineau, 32 goals, Herzegovina City FC
Silver Boot: Kate Huitema-Omeasoo, 27 goals, Istria City FC
Bronze Boot: Amanda Barron-Hwang, 24 goals, Hoima Warriors

Golden Bib: Bogi Brimisson, Mâ Âlâmëómë
Silver Bib: Aislin Du Moucel, La + Querida
Bronze Bib: Vojihna Mrnjavčević, La + Querida

Shango-Fogoa Premier League

Who is online