World Cup 87 - RP Thread

by **Nephara** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 2:48 am

Nephara 2 - 0 Pluvia
(4-4-2) 12 - Garamond; 18 - Soeringer (2 - Rostock 67'), 22 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon, 3 - Strassman; 7 - Koerner (23 - Sauthier 56'), 4 - Horvath, 8 - Cromwell, 11 - Kalevi; 17 - Avetisyan, 21 - Basilisk (10 - North 84')
Goals: Kalevi 16', Clevinger 40'

Garbelia 2 - 4 Nephara
(4-4-2) 20 - Senninger; 2 - Rostock, 22 - Clevinger, 6 - Brabanzon, 19 - Strasbourg (3 - Strassman 64'); 7 - Koerner, 15 - Timekeeper (4 - Horvath 64'), 14 - Fletcher, 13 - Caracole; 17 - Avetisyan, 10 - North
Goals: Avetisyan 8', Caracole 29', North 61', Fletcher 75'

THE HERALD
WINNERS AND LOSERS OF THE FIRST FIVE ROUNDS
It has been a successful opening to the campaign for Nephara, five wins from five thus far, but Strauss has continued her habit of compulsively shuffling the pack to try and find her best possible squad. However, with matches against the second and third seeds coming up, her most recent squad selection must surely be taken as a sign of what she feels are her best 23. Let's take a look at who that speaks well of, and who might find themselves out in the cold.

Leonora Fischer and Anders Sonnett

LOSERS
Leonora Fischer

3. Konrad Lovelace
This one might be premature. Lovelace is in the squad, wearing the number 10. In club terms, he's the most in-form Nepharan striker out there. But he's only played twice, and both times wound up being taken off when Nephara needed a late goal that, thankfully, in both cases they ended up getting. Is this a sign of the future, or will the Revolutionaries striker come out up front against

2. Chantal Kalevi
Kalevi didn't play badly in any of her three matches, and her thunderous strike from outside the area opened the scoring against Pluvia. The issue is, right now, the gap to the competition may just be that little bit too large. She performed at what is likely her peak, hitting expert crosses and excellent set piece deliveries, but didn't do enough to justify selection over Belgrade and Caracole. She is three years younger than the latter, and this will not be the end of a player who is still building up to her peak, but barring injury she is doubtful to experience this World Cup.

1. Traudl Mrdja
Mrdja feels like a victim of circumstance. For her club, she plays as something of an inside forward, an incisive two-footed right winger, a ruthless goalscorer. For country, her gimmick has been being equally comfortable at both right wing and up front; unfortunately, these are the two exact positions the Cormorants are absolutely flush with. Part of her versatility also involved being most comfortable up front in a 4-3-3, but it appears that that flexibility is less important with Chimera Moxham now out of the picture. Mrdja was called up against Pluvia, but didn't get on the pitch and does not seem to be in Strauss' current plans.

WINNERS
Anders Sonnett

3. Anselm Koerner
Koerner's been in every squad, played all but one match and will probably start against both Kandorith and South Covello. Young and powerful, Koerner isn't really a late bloomer, but has definitely made massive strides over the past year and absolutely lived up to the promise that 1830 plucked him out for. He seems, as things stand, Nephara's unchallenged right winger.

2. Reniira Clevinger and Miska Brabanzon
These two go together, with more than just shades of Scharner and Katskalidis about them. The two young but imposing centre-halves representing either side of the Sabrefell divide (though of course Clevinger's originally from Newrook) were the preferred defensive pairing in the Eagles Cup, and are both set to make the trip for the next games as Strauss opts for four recognised centre-backs, trusting in Verlander to deputise at leftback if called for.

1. Rashica Horvath
Only two players have been brought in uncapped to the training camp, which is kind of impressive given how many were capped for the Eagles Cup. Leif Flaxwood remains uncapped, and signs appear that Strauss sees him mostly as a tactical wild-card; Horvath, on the other hand, is the only defensive midfielder besides Shone present. Is it possible she can throw off the shackles of her early-20s career hitches and punch in her ticket as a consistent Cormorant? There's a nine-year gap between canny old Shone and the immensely promising Timekeeper; perhaps Horvath represents something of a sensible transition plan between the two, and has kept her place in the squad.

NEPHARAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 4
Goalkeepers: 1 - Aranea Provost (Holdenberg, EUR), 12 - Raluca Garamond (Sabrefell Athletic), 20 - Fasolt Senninger (Aries Chariots)
Defenders: 2 - Rovena Stride (AFC Treason), 3 - Vivica Muscadin (Sabrefell Moths), 5 - Roxelana Thorn (Revolutionaries, EUR, c), 6 - Cedella Verlander (AFC Corvistone), 18 - Linde Rostock (Stahlburg City), 19 - Miska Brabanzon (Sabrefell Moths), 22 - Reniira Clevinger (Sabrefell Athletic)
Midfielders: 4 - Tawny Shone (Brinemouth), 7 - Anselm Koerner (1830 Cathair, AUD), 8 - Lothaire Cromwell (AC Izotz Zubia, AUD), 11 - Rasmus Caracole (Cazadores Cathair, AUD), 13 - Ysabet Belgrade (Sabrefell Moths), 14 - Exene Fletcher (Hellinic Rouge, PAS), 15 - Rashica Horvath (La Nueva Avenida, FFD), 17 - Leif Flaxwood (Starling), 23 - Janna Sauthier (CASK Thorsborg, SVJ)
Forwards: 9 - Kurtis Bastable (Ulsa, EUR), 10 - Konrad Lovelace (Revolutionaries, EUR), 16 - Voska Avetisyan (Istria City, BNJ), 21 - Latona Basilisk (Mâ Âlâmëómë, FFD)

SCHEDULE
Baggieland 2 - 3 Nephara
Nephara 4 - 1 Quemorr Isles @ The Iron Hill (Vermillion)
Græntfjall 0 - 1 Nephara
Nephara 2 - 0 Pluvia @ Ludd's Hammer (Stahlburg)
Garbelia 2 - 4 - Nephara
Nephara vs. Kandorith @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
South Covello vs. Nephara
Sett Forest vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Indusse @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Nephara vs. Baggieland @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Quemorr Isles vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Græntfjall @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Pluvia vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Garbelia @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Kandorith vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. South Covello @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Nephara vs. Sett Forest @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Indusse vs. Nephara

by **Sannyamathland** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:10 am

A Win Finally !

Soviet Republic:3-2:Juvencus

The Lions edged past a stubborn Juvencus side,to ensure their first ever victory of this year's World Cup Qualification.In a back and forth match which could have gone either way,Mbiki,Sandiev and Max Asov each netted a goal for the Soviet Union,while Santo Silvestri of Juvencus scored twice.Dmitry Miloven made 3 changes to the squad that started in the last match;David Santos warmed the bench as Dmitry Karjvodov started under the goalpost.Vladinovich started as the center back in place of Javcherencko,and Wallow had to be contented to be a 67th minute substitute as Bloomberg started as the right back instead.Moreover he started with a 4-4-2 formation instead of his favoured 4-3-3.All these changes worked wonders as the Lions started an all out assault on their opponent's defenses.Asov scored his team's first goal in the 32ns minute,before Silvestri levelled the scoreline at the 44th minute.Silvestrii scored another goal in the beginning of the second half.Sandiev then levelled the score again in the 65th minute with a long range shot.Finally Mbiki scored the decisive goal in the 86th minute with a stunning backheel.The Lions are now in the 9th place of their group.

by **Blouman Empire** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 3:54 am

THE EAGLES TIMES

Three First Half Goals Secure Three Points

Luke Cousins scored twice as The Eagles produced a relentless first-half display to beat PTSCT to show that they can play after two poor performances which have seriously hurt their chances of qualifying for the World Cup proper. Cosuins struck twice before half-time, his second a sublime, curled finish into the top corner after he had slotted in from Ryan Hunter's blocked shot. Hunter scored his side's second from Paul Credab's low cross. A breathless opening period had included great chances for both sides, as Rarihoe denied Ty Freltron inside the first five minutes and Henry Polinor was equal to attempts by Alppe Slow and Daddy Rocky as PTSCT threatened on the break. With the points secured before the interval, Lewis Parry's side comfortably saw out a much quieter second period to secure the side's first win of the qualifiers. PTSCT dropped to 9th as North Alezia drew their first match.

Aware that losing the last two games had hampered their chances of qualifying for the World Cup a had dropped points the Eagles' motivation to take full advantage at Stadium Bloumany was evident in their high-octane start. Cousin's double first ever Premier League and Hunter's 1st goal of the campaign was a deserved reward for a superb, free-flowing first-half display, in which the Eagles landed 13 shots at goal. Hunter's first opportunity came when his first-time hit from Ryan's excellent pass was saved by Rarihoe - and he also struck the post before making no mistake when the impressive Credab delivered from the left. Cousin then teed up Hunter for his excellent left-footed finish, which typified a performance indicative of what he is capable of. Converting their good start and strong performance is a must for the Eagles after the past two games and are in good shape to do so ahead of key meetings against mid-table teams and look to close the gap between themselves and first.

Ryder the Rider could have few complaints as his side were outclassed by superior opposition last night. PTCST has just one point from two wins from 4 games with only the winless, Simulland behind them almost cementing them as cellar dwellers for the group. Despite showing some strong counter attacks that but the Blouman backline under pressure their chances of coming away with anything from the game was low.

The Eagles will next play the winless Simulland away and will be hoping to continue their strong form as they look to see if the qualifying campaign can be salvaged.

THE EAGLES TIMES

Eagles Deliver Comfortable Win

In a match where Lewis Parry gave some of the less experienced players a start it was Oliver Eastall that hit a first career international hat-trick and Lincoln Zilva also got himself on the sheet scored on his home debut as the Eagles put in an impressive performance with a dominant win against 10-man Simulland. Simulland took an early lead through an excellent solo effort by Damian Gangana, who broke from inside his own half before hitting a dipping effort beyond Henry Polinoir for his first top-flight goal. The Eagles equalised midway through the first half when VAR overturned an offside decision after Eastall cleverly backheeled into the net. Eastall was involved in the second setting up Zilva putting him into a clinical finish on the stroke of half-time.

A crazy few minutes at the end of the first half saw Simulland midfielder first pushed over Zilva as they were making the way off the pitch and then begin remonstrating with the officials earning himself an early break. Despite that setback Simulland pulled level straight after the restart when Matthew Peronis curled in a stunning free-kick, but the parity was short-lived as Liam Peach stabbed in a loose ball after a parry from the Simulland keeper. Eastall then got his second when he slid in from close range after good work by Mat Fox and Zilva and completed his hat-trick by heading in Ryan Hunter's corner. The win pushes the Eagles into 5th though still 8 points off 1st, while defeat for Simulland means they are still searching for their first points of the qualifiers.

While Eastall, Zilva and Peach had all played international minutes before it was the first time that Parry had started these players and others who tend to come off the bench including George Laner and Jack Cooper. While the game was considered by many to be nothing but a training match and indeed Parry felt the same resting his star players while giving his regular bench some game time it certainly was taken as such by the 11 players out on the pitch who put in impressive performances. The strong play by Eastall who not only scored his first international hat-trick but also set up another would not have been missed by Parry or his backroom team and Parry starting more matches in the future against tougher opposition should be something Parry will seriously consider especially as the team next faces Slystone, a must win game if the Eagles want to keep within touch of the pack.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

The text message from her friend 'Cheri Huong' (Huong Chae-ri) struck Jasmine Stallworth as a bit unusual.

Jaz
theres this great party happening tomorrow super exclusive and private.

my co-worker sez she knows someone working security who'll let us in a side door.

call me later if you want in

Jasmine had established an early love her for assignment at the Embassy of Baker Park to the Kingdom of Quebec and the Quebecois Commonwealth; the old world ambiance of Quebec City, the importance of her role as the Deputy Attache for Economic & Culture Affairs, her work on behalf of the Overseas Economic Development Office.

She'd made an entire network of friends among the local under-30 movers & shakers of the capital that had opened up opportunities for introductions to prominent business contacts; allowed her to lease a flat near the Old City at less than market rate, and provided access to a circle of acquaintances that had peripheral relationships with the glitterati and celebrity class of the city she might otherwise have not been privy to.

Yet there was an underlying motive surrounding this cultivating of the good & the great of Quebec City, and the tangential personalities that intersected with them.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Anita Chapman had taken the decision to walk into the Armed Forces Combined Recruiting (AFCORE) office on a Friday afternoon following her shift working as a waitress in a downtown restaurant in her hometown of Lima, in Baker Park State. Just 5 months out of high school, without any real plan for her future, Anita hadn't ever considered the military as a path to follow until one lunchtime afternoon a week earlier, when she served a table of three NCO's from the recruiting office. Following that encounter, she spent a great deal of time thinking about what sort of life a stint in one of the branches of the Commonwealth military would lead to.

Following several hours of online research, Anita concluded that the Air Force might be the route to take; it was the branch that had the fewest number of recruits, meaning there were a wide array of jobs available, as well as a substantial enlistment bonus that other services generally didn't offer.

Near the end of her third year of a 4 year stint, Chapman was given an opportunity to make a significant career move if she would agree to re-enlist; 12 months of specialized training with the National Guard, which would allow her to transfer to a civilian position in the NG at the equivalent of a senior NCO grade.

Taking another leap of faith, she eventually wound up in the Commonwealth Intelligence Service, and after another round of intensive training, became a secret operative--Security number 6475209, shortened to 5209 for internal purposes.

At that point, Anita Chapman ceased to exist, and would be known in the future by whatever cover name she was assigned for the period required.

by **Sharktail** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:23 am

SHARKTAIL POST EP 41
THE LIGHT IN THE DARK

David proved to be the savior for the Sharktail national team in the world cup qualifying competition 87. As the team struggled with consecutive defeats, David became an important character for Sharktail's two victories in the fourth and fifth matches. These two wins give Sharktail hope to return to the top spot. Sharktail is currently ranked 7th in group 5.

After 3 games without any wins or draws, Sharktail came for the fourth and fifth action with a mandatory mission to win. Sharktail manager, Sahami reminded his men that these 2 matches can be a determinant of what Sharktail is capable of doing in this qualifying round. Assuming two more defeats are faced by Sharktail, Sharktail can first forget their desire to grab a slot to the world cup. Due to some unsatisfactory action from the main squad, Sahami decided to make some changes in this match. The most noticeable thing to see is the change in defense. Two experienced players, Harold and Yusri were retained in the starting line-up. Homer Harizul was selected for the first time to start this match. Karim, came in to replace Haizul. In the middle, Azaim, Chandra and Nik Akif were retained and Balang completed the 4 midfield formation. While in attacking, it will not different much beetween Gaby, Virman or Shahrul and this match, Gaby and Virman as Sahami choice. And of course, the goalkeeper position is focused by the supporters. And it seems that Sahami also chose to rest Zeehad and include David.

However, there is an interesting story that attracts the attention of the public at this time regarding the position of the main goalkeeper Sharktail NT. In world cup qualification 85, Maxter was listed as the main goalkeeper, but after two games, he conceded 10 goals. Sahami took the decision to abort her and replaced her with Ahmad. At world cup qualification 86, Asra filled the position and he did not face any problems at that time. But this problem is seen to arise again in this edition pad. In 4 games, Zeehad has conceded 12 goals and as happened to Maxter he was dropped from the main squad. It should be noted, after Maxter was removed from the starting line-up, he only made 3 appearances after that. So the question now is whether Zeehad is also finished for this edition. David is seen as the top choice for now and Sahami will probably continue to use it.

We return to the main focus, the match against Abanhfleft. The expected action from the Sharktail team is yet to be seen. In terms of ball possession, Abanhfleft outweighed the advantage. In this match alone, the total Sharktail players lost the ball 8 times, including two stupid mistakes on the defensive side by Harold who misunderstood Harizul and the collision between Karim and David but these two situations did not take advantage of Abanhfleft. In the first half, Sharktail was a lot trapped in his own area and from the stats of this match, Gaby and Virman were also played a lot in midfield center position.

Continuing in the second half, Sahami decided to raise Azaim to the AMC division, while Gaby went down to the AMR position, and Chandra to the CM position. The jar was removed and Jaclin was inserted to fill the AML position. The sharktail applies an attacking position. While Sharktail's defense is a bit leaky, Sahami is more focused on scoring. As a result of this tactic, Sharktail began to make several attempts into Abanhfleft's goal. Practice makes perfect. As a result of the 70th minute, Sharktail was awarded a penalty kick after the ball hit the hand of Abanhfleft player, Paco Matundan. The kick was easily completed by Gaby to allow the Sharktail to take the lead. Drastically after the goal, Sahami did not care too much about his image. He instructed the pre-players to play slow tempo and dominate the ball as well as short passes. During the last 20 minutes of the match, Sharktail players practiced a waste of time and were warned several times by the referee. It includes a situation that almost leads to the incident of a punch punch. Seeing the tense situation, Sahami removed Harold, the player involved in the shooting incident to avoid being charged a red card and after seeing his slightly rough playing pattern at the end of the game. At the end of the match, the penalty kick became Sharktail's savior to get 3 full points.

The victory over Abanhfleft injected some of the spirit of the Sharktail team ahead of the meeting against Chartistan. Going to the opponent's court, Sharktail is seen as an option. Sahami made a few more changes to this team for this match. Haikal will start the match tonight replacing Harold. Sahami wants to rest Harold for the next match. Rosly was given another chance by Sahami after his mistake scoring his own goal against Saint-Domingue. Haizul, Amirin is back in the starting line-up. Some changes were made in the middle part namely Jaclin in LM position and Shiham as CM. Shahrul came in to replace Gaby. For the first time in his career, Azaim will wear the captain armband. The young star Sharktail will be the leader on the pitch. David, Yusri and Virman were retained in the squad. Starting the first half action, the Sharktail game was significantly different from the previous match. The Sharktail team has more control over this match. In the 6th minute, a through ball from Jaclin was right towards Virman but was stopped by Adult Royce. In the 14th minute, Shahrul tried to escape from the control of the Chartistan player but his space was tightly closed by the Ritz Moms. In the 17th minute, a long ball from little Exnash traps Rosly but David comes out first and throws the ball before Ivan Door gets it. In the 25th minute, 200 Sharktail (The Blue Army) official supporters cheered as Virman fired a ball towards Chartistan's right net. The match resumed. A few minutes later, Shahrul almost scored his first goal of the match but was thwarted by the Ritz Moms. The Ritz Moms once again denied the Sharktail attempt, this time from Shiham. In the 41st minute, Mama Coriel almost got a goal for Chartistan but her shot weakly continued to hug David. The first half final whistle was blown. Continuing the second half, Sahami pushed Shiham to the AM position. Just a few minutes into the first half, Shahrul had a chance to score but his shot only landed on the side net. A few minutes later, a header from Yusri passed the opponent's goal post. In the 60th minute, Sharktail's effort finally showed results when the second goal finally came to fruition. Real, Azaim has grown into a caliber player since joining Cazadores Cathair. His free kick confused the Ritz Moms who thought the ball would bounce off, but instead continued to hit the net. 2-0, Sharktail's chances are brighter. 3 full points now almost certainly belong to Sharktail. With 15 minutes left, Rafdi and Win Aziz were included. The player labeled wonderkid, Win Aziz finally made his first debut. This stamped player will be a great striker for Sharktail one day. In the 74th minute, David once again denied Chartistan a chance to score at least one goal. He quickly rushed out to cover all the space that could be used by the Chartistan team. Entering the last 10 minutes, Sharktail was seen playing more down and doing two / three counter-attacks. In the 84th minute, Win Aziz engraved his name on the scoreboard. His first goal for the national team. Cheers and applause were given by The Blue Army as a sign of congratulations to him. The finishing whistle is blown. Sharktail wins in style. Sharktail 3-0 Chartistan.

6 precious points for Sharktail. Now they are heading to the next match with a big mission to continue the momentum. Blue Predator is back hunting. Let's continue the party.

Line Up vs Koniglich Wasserstein
David • Harold • Yusri • Harizul
Haizul • Chandra • Azaim • Nik Akif
Amirin • Gaby (c) • Virman

Line Up vs Hafamarimet
David • Harold • Yusri • Harizul
Karim • Chandra • Azaim • Nik Akif
Balang • Gaby (c) • Virman

by **San Ortelio** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 5:48 am

“Mum says I need to be home at one,” Francesco Calcaterra grinned as he stepped into the city car, which meant he had to origami his double meter in a way his knees did not grind the ceiling.

It was his way of deflecting some of his nerves, so the short chuckle from Valeria Romani did him well. She looked… Well, she definitely opted out of her usual sweatervest/turtleneck mashup. Her thick black hair flowed over the top of a low-cut cocktail dress, which revealed a complicated shoulder tattoo of an angel.

“You’re staring, ‘Cesco,” she stated whilst keeping her eyes on the road, “this is not the kind of place for my work outfit.”
“True, true,” Francesco replied, trying to look forward, “I’ve left my police cap at home as well. You look good,” he concluded, trying to find the least flirting tone to utter those words.
Valeria shortly looked sideways, concluding, “you’ll do. Hopefully.”
“What do you mean with that?” Francesco looked himself up and down, something which wasn’t too hard as he remained folded in half.
“You look… You look like either like an undercover cop or a kind housefather who is having a midlife crisis.”
“I… I am a kind housefather. And I am an undercover cop!” Francesco peeped, “heck, it’s been fifteen years since I’ve been in a nightclub.”
“Yeah… Let us just hope you get in. Mind if I put some music on?”

They completed the ride to IlRocca amidst what Francesco considered to be the musical equivalent of getting lobotomized through your eardrums with a rusty spoon, but which Valeria insisted [metalfont]Depraved Angel[/metalfont] to be the hottest thing on the Tikariotian metal scene. After wiping the blood dripping from his ears, the two lined up at the entrance and Calcaterra needed to look around only for a few seconds to realize that Valeria had been spot on about his outfit, making him only more nervous. By the time they reached the door, his armpits were the size of Lake Viljan and any mask of confidence had worn off. The bouncer, a man who looked like a granite wall with a dirty smirk painted on it, carefully ogled each item of his clothing before turning to Valeria and exchanging his expression for a grin.

“Come on in,” he gestured.
“Thank you, sir,” she replied, offering him the most charming of smiles.
“For you it’s Rocco, ma’am,” he spoke whilst pressing his hand against Francesco at the same time, “that was for the lady. For you, we’re full.”
“But Rocco,” Valeria pleaded as if it was a long-time friend, caressing his arm, “he’s with me and…”

She whispered something in his ear from which Francesco only could pick up the words sugar daddy, after which he made the same welcoming gesture – if only with the facial expression of someone who saw the next door neighbor throw his dead cat on his freshly polished car.

“Thanks Rocco,” Francesco tried, but all he got in return was a barked, “for you it is ‘sir’.”

Inside, the noise was deafening, the smell sickening and the crowd… Crowded. A natural instinct urged Francesco to get out at once, but Valeria dragged him across the dancefloor to the bar.

“We’ve got a good view of both the floor and the lounge from down here,” she stated.
“You… You’ve been here before?” Francesco wondered.
“Contrary to some,” she pointed at his shirt, “I do my homework. Tell me, starting to miss my Tikariot metal already?”

It took Francesco about two drinks, for which he paid exorbitant prices, to miss the drive. By that time, his eyes had adjusted to the setting and made the distinct groups clear. Initially, part of him had worried about being seen in a place which had open drug use by the stalls but after half an hour, they had spotted brigadier Di Santi on the top floor. The second in command of the San Ortelian Police Force was thoroughly enjoying something which we can only describe as a slow grind by two scarcely clad hostesses. There had been rumors about that going around in the cafeteria before, but now Francesco saw them with his own eyes, he understood why Valeria had not insisted to take this case upstairs before they had concrete evidence. He was just contemplating whether the risk of a dangerous disease was worth a visit to the bathroom when Valeria pounded his upper arm.

“There!” she yelled, trying to get above the music whilst pointing to the lounge, “Del Prete, over there!”

To Francesco, it was weird to see one of his personal heroes in this environment, detached from the grass with which he was connected in his brain. He looked like someone who had not slept on an overnight plane voyage from Cosumar, for the evident reason that that would be the truth. Del Prete’s shirt had that one button too much open and he appeared a little twitchy. A short conversation spun between him and two excellently dressed businessmen – the kind of whom their line of business would rather be machine guns than teddy bears.

“The Cartola’s,” Valeria nodded, something which sounded like a code name.

It was a lively discussion between the three of them, which ended with an exchange of envelopes. Suddenly things moved fast. Gianmarco Del Prete walked down the stairs towards the exit and Valeria dragged her colleague in the same direction, albeit on a safe distance to not raise any suspicion.

“It must be the money he gets in return!” she screamed in his ear.

Puzzle pieces started to click slowly in Francesco’s mind, knowing that they needed to act quickly now. When he stepped outside, he could not resist saying “bye Rocco” to the bouncer, but Valeria was already on her way to start her peanut can.

“Hop in!” she yelled as she noticed a fiery red Gianculasi reverse out of its designated parking spot, the license plate GDP10 telling them exactly who to chase. And then it all went blank for a second with Francesco.

His mind wandered back to the Catrallo derby, three years ago. It was a highly anticipated game in the family, with half of them colored purple to support Inter whilst the other kept true to Calcio. Francesco was proud that he stood in the navy stand, his daughter by his side. Albeit they usually were the dominant club in these confrontations, this wasn’t going to be an easy one. Inter dictated the pace from the kick-off onwards and managed to grind out a two-goal lead. And then… Del Prete turned everything upside down. Three free kicks, three majestic goals and a half year worth of brilliant family banter. All Francesco could think of was that image of him, cheering and holding up his daughter whilst the little one kept yelling in her high voice. LE-GGEN-DA, over and over, her number ten shirt bouncing up and down on his shoulders.

“Are… Are you sure?” he asked, “Are you sure that someone like Del Prete would run a gambling scheme like this?”
“Get in!” she repeated, but it was too late. By the time they left the parking lot, the sportscar had disappeared off in the distance and there was no way they could chase him down in this brick. Valeria looked disappointed and the half hour ride home occurred in complete silence.

“At least I’m home by one,” Francesco tried to end the night on a good note.
“True,” she shared a sad smile, “but Cesco… We’ve seen it with our own eyes tonight. That’s Gianmarco Del Prete and a pair of the most dangerous mobsters from the country. There is no denying. The only question is what you love more. Your duty and the actual sport of football… or your heroes.”

A GOOD HALF HOUR EARLIER

It was stupid. Why on earth would he be nervous? Or was it the envelope with thousands of lires pressing against his chest that made it rattle so hard? Gianmarco Del Prete took the steps to the lounge of IlRocca with a heartrate higher than after a minute ninety sprint but decided not to halt in his stride and immediately walked up to the corner boot.

“Gianmarco,” the most talkative of the two brothers proclaimed, “we had been waiting for you.”

Ercole Cartola offered him a seat, but Gianmarco indicated that he was in a hurry.

“It’s been a rough flight,” he spoke, “the captain of the flight was for some reason a Cocoabo and well… I won’t go into the details.”
“Still, another good game under the belt,” Ercole complimented, “nil two at the pitch of a former world champion, that’s not nothing.”
“Ah, they’re far from their potential level,” Del Prete fended it off, but he could not deny that a win over one of the great names of recent footballing history had given the confidence of the team a boost.
“But you are not here to discuss football with us,” Eduardo Cartola spoke – a rare occasion.
“No, no,” Del Prete spoke and he took the envelope off his body.

It was a bit moist from the sweat but that didn’t devaluate the content. In a way, it still was a crazy thought. Whilst his own wife was searching for a condo for the two of them in the outskirts of Valnohar, he tried to find a second appartement on the side. If he wanted it to be attractive, which would already be quite a task. The Tikariotian industry town had never been charming to start with, the now defunct chemical plant looming over it, but with the local economy taking a hit, finding a quarter that didn’t feel like a dystopian suburb was a hard ask. Still, the money was as good as his agent had promised and the local fans were passionate about his arrival, drowning their financial woes in the success of the Rovers.

And still he tried, only to have a place for Antonella to stay during her visits. He had worked it all out for her, she could come over every other week during the inevitable fights with his wife – their marriage was only existing in the ink of the civil records after all. They could be together there, free of worries. Antonella had approved but pointed to a few uncomfortable truths: there was no way she would be able to afford that and she was employed over here, in IlRocca – they would not let her go like that.

So, money. Money would have to solve everything, Gianmarco believed.

“There is enough in this to pay for her days off, her travel and everything for the first few months,” Gianmarco spoke, “and if it runs out, come to me.”
“Excellent, we understand each other,” Ercole spoke as Edoardo quickly leafed through the content. After a short nod from the latter, Ercole Catrola took out an envelope of his own.
“Here are some documents she’ll need to get her across the border and back easily. You make sure she comes back in one piece, will you?” he grinned.
“Is she here tonight?” Gianmarco inquired hastily, but as Ercole shook his head, he had little business left, “Ok. I’m off than, gonna catch some sleep.”
“Yes indeed, a big game against Turori coming up – good luck with that,” but by his last words, Gianmarco already was halfway down the stairs.

The duo overlooked him making his way across the dance floor, to the exit.

“That’s a good working day from Antonella,” Ercole spoke, “she’s wonderful. Do we give her the night off?”
“There’s a car importer with a penchant for her type in booth four so…” Edoardo countered.
“Business is business, she’ll agree.”

THREE DAYS LATER

”It’s a cross from Giaoka, but the Turori terror on the right wing is not finding anyone in the middle of the pack, so the leather sailed by, down to the other touchline. Still nil each tonight here in Il Olimpico, another difficult night for I Spada but they hold on with grit and a top-notch Enrico Lanzafame. Two decisive saves from the goalkeeper so far, one on a thunderous strike from Aikiki and one on that stealthy free kick by Toru’u. A dominant display from the Eels so far and Lanzafame sprinting to the sideline… What is ‘the Wall’ doing there? Does he want to speed up to home to pick up that throw-in before Alessio Rota can? That shows quite some ambition from Lanzafame, rather than running out the clock against this strong opponent. A gloved throw-in, in that case, Rota looking a bit surprised and passes it to Confalonie- no! It’s Meldi’ita Mungwaii who gets his toe in between and the former Silicon Boot doesn’t hesitate, turns and… It’s a goal! Lanzafame is not back in time after that poor pass by Ro-“

With an angered gesture, Enrico Lanzafame turned off the television. He did not need to see the replay as the images had been running through his mind all evening long. The commentators blamed Alessio Rota and his shabby pass for the goal but he knew well enough he needed to take the responsibility.

A throw-in. Why on earth did they need him to take a throw-in in the last quarter of the game? Of all the commands, this had been the silliest so far, but it made him aware that they would not be halted by anything in their requests. This had to stop before it ate him.

Once more, he looked to the phone number in his hand which his mother had scribbled down when father was not paying attention. The figures had been burning a hole in his pocket ever since, all the way till he build up the courage. It got answered immediately.

“Lanza,” a voice replied in the short, barked tone which you get when you call someone at one in the night, “who this?”
Enrico swallowed a frog down his throat before squeaking, “it’s me, Stefano. It’s Enrico.”

A silence, one which Enrico interpreted as baffled.

“I know we don’t call often but…”
“There’s no need to,” Stefano replied, “what’s the problem?”
“It is… I’ve been getting these instructions and…” I’m being blackmailed by the mafia and well, I kind of know you’re a shady gangster so maybe you can help.

It had sounded fine in his head, but now the words refused to come.

“And none received for the Sannyamathland fixture yet,” Stefano added, “Now you’re cooperating, there’s no need to smash it through your windshield anymore. Don’t worry, Enrico, it will be in the mail soon – we’ll get it to you in time.”

Enrico had not even heard those last words anymore as he dropped his phone in fear. Stefano would not be his savior out of this hot mess – he was the architect behind it all. He looked his place up and down one last time and realized he had to move to Falkner. Not this weekend, not tomorrow but right now – they wouldn’t mind welcoming their new goalkeeper in Brenecia and it would be far enough from…

Let’s hope it’s far enough.

by **Saint-Domingues** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:11 am

Ancherion 5–4 Saint-Domingue: Plenty of goals but no points
HT 3-2
Ancherion got their first win of the qualifying campaign in a nine-goal thriller against Saint-Domingue.

There was plenty of action, goals, and other events to keep the fans entertained with a debatable penalty and two red cards in a hard day's work for the referee.

Saint-Domingue had conceded 2 goals from their first 3 games, whilst Ancherion were average just a goal per game 3 fixtures into World Cup qualifying. You would be forgiven for not expecting what was to come at the Ancherion National Stadium.

The goals started raining in from the fourth minute, when defender Kevin Le Guen - starting in place of Giuseppe Cojuangco, who limped off early on in the win against Sharktail - was able to stab in a Josep Carpeña free-kick which had been flicked on by defensive partner Alfredo Cotilla. It was Le Guen's first goal for his country and there were some passionate celebrations to accompany the moment.

Ancherion hit back swiftly in controversial fashion, when Mamadou Kaur won his team a penalty. The forward was thought to have been brought down by Cotilla, but it was debatable whether the foul had been made on the line or just outside the penalty area. Kaur then picked himself up to score the penalty. There was no debate about the second Ancherion goal, however, as Yaqiza Halperin rifled a shot in from 25 yards out to cap off a quick turnaround.

Carpeña cracked a free-kick against the bar and Julien Babesco was denied by the legs of Clyde Zenin, but the tie shifted further in Ancherion's favour when winger Herve Aydin curled in from just inside the area. Just before half-time Babesco nodded in a perfectly-weighted lofted ball from Maxence Vignon that was misjudged by the goalkeeper to leave his team trailing by just the one goal, and plenty to play for in the second period.

Ten minutes into the second-half Saint-Domingue found their equaliser. Substitute Raoul Gimenez escaped Courtney Petro with a neat bit of skill and then beat the goalkeeper with a cute finish. The forward then had a second, similar chance but this time fluffed his lines and shoot wide. It was an opportunity he would rue to miss, as Kaur eventually got his second of the game when he tapped in a low cross by Kolos Haynes.

Changes were made to the shape at 4-3, as Canisbro brought on a third striker - PAP striker Jean-Pierre Jeune - to go with a heavy frontline. Together the three forwards began to create opportunities, playing the ball between them and forcing the narrow defensive line back. Babesco muscled in between two defenders but could only head at the goalkeeper, and then Jeune had an acrobatic volley denied by Zenin. But the goalkeeper was powerless to stop his next shot, which was lashed into the top corner for the second Dominguan equaliser of the game.

This was not to last though, and Ancherion substitute Inigo Murphy proved the game-changer as he bundled the ball in for the winner. To make matters worse for Saint-Domingue, Alfredo Cotilla was sent off late in the game for a needless second yellow. The defender, who was perhaps still annoyed at the concession of the penalty, slid in late and was given his marching orders, and will now be suspended in the next game against Zwangzug. The defender, who had so far not missed a game under Canisbro, has now forced his manager into a revamp.

Saint-Domingue head coach Camilo Canisbro: "It's a silly [red card]. Regardless of whether it was a penalty or not, Alfredo did catch his man and it was a yellow card. At half-time we talked to him, I made it clear he needed to keep his head and see this game through carefully as he was already cautioned. For the following forty minutes I thought he did well in his reading of the game, and then a stupid foul at the end. It's frustration, he lost his head. I'm very disappointed in him as he has been one of our most reliable performers at the back. Perhaps I should have taken him off instead of Kevin [Le Guen] when pushing for the goal, both me and him made a big mistake today. But a red card at the end of a game where you conceded five does not explain the sloppy defending that went on today. It is extremely uncharacteristic of my side. We're going to be looking back on every one of those goals, because apart from the second they are all preventable. If we want to pick up points we need to eliminate those silly errors."

"Against Zwangzug I need to rotate the backline more now. I was already thinking of changes, we have played four games in quick succession with a very settled team, but you do get tired legs. That leads to goals like what we conceded today. There will be a bit of rotation next game to help get our groove back."
Lineups:
Binet
Cotilla
Boleyn
Le Guen <- Delannoy 79'
Pareja
Charbonneau
Sanabria
Carpeña
Vignon <- Jeune 66'
Babesco
Pozo <- Gimenez 52'

Ancherion: Kaur (9' P, 64'), Halperin (15'), Aydin (29'), Murphy (73')
Saint-Domingue: Le Guen (4'), Babesco (44'), Gimenez (55'), Jeune (72') Red Card: Cotilla (85')
Venue: [REDACTED]

Saint-Domingue 3-0 Zwangzug: MAJOR UPSET!
HT 2-0
Saint-Domingue claimed a massive scalp on the road to World Cup qualifying, thrashing Group Five favourites Zwangzug by three goals to nil.

This was certainly not a result that was supposed to happen, nor one that anyone was expecting. The table did not tell the full story, for though both teams had taken 9 points from their first 4 games, this was not an even battle. Saint-Domingue were in their first ever qualifying campaign, and joint-269th in the world rankings. Zwangzug had appeared at World Cups as early as the 34th edition, they had played in a World Cup final, they were the 15th best team in the world. And yet Saint-Domingue beat them. Thrashed them, in fact.

Canisbro had elected to make a good number of rotations to his starting line-up for this match, speaking about tired legs and perhaps guilty of viewing this fixture as a right-off. Emilio Campos and Giuseppe Cojuangco returned to the XI after injury lay-offs, whilst Corentin Sauvage took the place of the suspended Alfredo Cotilla. All in all there were six changes to a revamped Avengers side to face Zwangzug.

Despite the tinkered selection, the team maintained a lot of fluidity as new personnel seamlessly slotted in to Canisbro's system. The team looked assured on the ball and comfortable out of possession - a trait the head coach emphasises - not to mention clinical in front of goal. Nico Pozo went on a surging run to escape Lissa Crain before finishing off the goal for a superb solo effort. The young striker has now scored in three consecutive games and is in a real rich vein of form as he looks to cement his place in the side as Julien Babesco's strike partner.

Babesco himself showed why he was the most lethal man in Saint-Domingue, coolly receiving a pass from Adama Keller before arrowing a shot into the far corner to leave Fedya Troy-Vee with no chance.

At 2-0 the fans were already in dreamland, singing and dancing as the improbably upset came closer and closer to becoming a reality. Tanguy Lacourse capped off the excellent Dominguan performance by firing in a long-range effort that kissed the underside of the bar on its way in. Three goals to the good and it was richly deserved. An excellent three goals to go with the three points.

Saint-Domingue head coach Camilo Canisbro: "I'd be lying if I said I saw us winning in this manner! Today everyone was faultless, ten out of ten. We carried the attacking form from the Ancherion game into this one, but without any of the defensive frailties or silly errors from that last game. Don't underestimate how much of a challenge it can be to get that sort of consistency, it's the hallmark of top-class defenders, and we were hardly playing with the sort of settled backline that one dreams of. We had some tired legs and needed to change things up, plus a couple lads coming back from injury in need of minutes. It necessitated change, in defence as well as midfield. Tanguy [Lacourse] was there to help Carlos Sanabria with screening, and Adama Keller slightly advanced. He had to a lot of running today, what the pundits might call the box-to-box role. People had their roles and instructions tweaked for this game, we didn't prepare as normally might. We wanted to spring a surprise and I have to say, I think it worked."

"Does this mean we are a consistent, top class side who are qualifying for the Word Cup? Not necessarily. But we're showing we do possess the ability, the fans know that, I know that, and they know that. If we keep playing like that we'll be there or thereabouts when it comes to qualifying, but that is not our aim. We're here to perform and lay down a marker this cycle. Today we did that."
Lineups:
Binet
Sauvage
Boleyn
Cojuangco
Ahearn
Campos
Sanabria <- Delannoy 80'
Lacourse
Keller
Babesco <- Palacio 90+2
Pozo <- Pareja 90+2

Saint-Domingue: Pozo (19'), Babesco (37'), Lacourse (61')
Zwangzug: N/A
Venue: Saint Dominic's Park

by **The Gothanita Isles** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 6:49 am

Note: These images are indeed live and will be updated come Matchday 6/7 results release. The images, due to their sheer size, was hidden in spoilers to prevent myself from getting the wrath of moderators.

Hampton Island 1-0 TGI
@ Hampton Island
Lineup for TGI (4-2-3-1 -> 4-3-3): Thulile Bolkvadze (c); Jeanette Ross, Abu Bakr Ekmekçi, Den Benjaminson, Charlee Harel; Amalija Bothe (Chloe Brewster 61'), Remus McQueen; Grigorii McCrory (Marino Barros 82'), Ladislava Tyler, Vladan Bloxam (Adelia Kelly 61'); Abdelkader Kartal
Cards: Jeanette Ross 18' (yellow); Charlee Harel 65'
Goals: Lukas Coffelt 29'

TGI 5-2 Garifunya
@ East Solam Park, Solam, Cambell State, Hallikshire, Esportiva (cap. 69,000)
Lineup for TGI (4-2-3-1): Thulile Bolkvadze (c); Jeanette Ross, Timotheos Dunn, Saif al-Din Kartal, Charlee Harel; Sardar Chaplin, Remus McQueen; Stefanie Salzwedel, Chloe Brewster, Vladan Bloxam; Abdelkader Kartal (Adelia Kelly 67')
Cards: None
Goals: Chloe Brewster 8'; Stefanie Salzwedel 27', 89'; Saif al-Din Kartal 41'; Adelia Kelly 75' (assist by Brewster)
Goals: Boudewijn van der Weide 54', 61'

The Otksarin Mail
Tracing the Ultimate World Championship: And the belt is in MA!
In our weekly series of tracing the Ultimate World Championship (UWC), we have decided to provide a nice little diagram of how the 2 belts can possibly flow. 16 different nations may potentially hold either of the belts by the time half-time strikes in Matchday 9, and having the belt at this stage would mean that there is only 9 opportunities left for the belt to change hands. These diagrams, by the way, are live diagrams. Meaning, they would be updated all the way till Matchday 9, where we will slowly cross out the impossible paths and highlight who holds the belt come Matchday 9.

We take a look at Group 19, where the lineal belt is flowing. After a surprise win by Pemecutan in Matchday 4 over Siovanija and Teusland (S&T), they will kick off their 2nd defence against Eura, which will be the second opportunity for the top seeds to grab the UWC belt this qualifiers. If Pemecutan successfully defends it for the 2nd time, they will take the belt to the match against Al Qurija, the team who brought the belt here at the start of this qualifiers. Else, Eura will attempt to defend the belt for the first time against Kohnhead. For the remaining flow in Matchday 8/9, do refer to our chart above.

In the battle for the other belt, Baker Park will defend it for the 7th conseuctive time against Quakmybush. Chances are, Baker Park would hold the belt quite safely in this match, and the next one against Norish Jeia Repa. The first challenge for Baker Park is likely to come in Matchday 8, against Baptism of Fire 70 champions Hapilopper.

The Handorian News Network
Home Stadiums for Matchday 7, 8, 11, 13, 18 confirmed
Hellina - Sorry South Newlandia and Tumbra, you are coming to Atlantian Oceania.
The Gothanitan Isles Football Confederation (GIFC), on Wednesday, announced the home stadium allocations for 5 more matches, with Atlantian Oceania's North Handoria and Melayu Archipelango's Otksarin both getting 2 stadiums each, while Rushmore's South Jeolerina is confirmed to be hosting one match. Hellina would be hosting both South Newlandia and Tumbra in the Matchday 7/8 double header, a surprise change considering that many pundits had previously expected South Jeolerina to be hosting these 2 matches.
A statement released by the GIFC stated that the stadium selection was done based on a "huge variety of factors". In staging the double header here in Hellina, the GIFC mentioned that they had made the decision as it "suited the schedule best". "Holding the home matches in Atlantian Oceania before or after we visit the teams here would have been better, but considering the unique circumstances where none of the teams we are playing against comes from the region, we have decided that this way of scheduling would give our players enough rest ahead of their trip to neighbouring Rushmore on Matchday 9," added a spokesman during the press conference announcing the stadium allocations.
On the other hand, Otksarin stole the biggest show after they were allocated the 2 biggest matches of the qualifiers - against top seeds Pasarga on Matchday 18, and second seeds Hampton Island on Matchday 13. "These matches occurred between matches against teams outside the Big 3 sporting regions, and therefore, to minimise travel, we decided to hold it in Otksarin to cater to our national team's needs," said the spokesperson. Alor Hangor will host the match between TGI and the Golden Bears of Hampton Island, while Bongali Park in Kuala Pekatanan will host the final match against the Wanderers of Pasarga. Matchday 11's fixture between the Yellow Lions and Regmotto will be held at Donkeristan Stadium, Poolside, of South Jeolerina, while the location of Matchday 13's fixture against Bluecliff League has yet to been confirmed.
The Football Association of North Handoria (FANH) also released a statement supporting the moves of the GIFC. In the statement, the FANH thanks the GIFC, as well as the other football confederations, for allowing North Handoria to host 2 matches in the journey of the our Yellow Lions. "We are 4 member nations in 1 Gothanitan Isles, and each member nation has an important role to play in the development of our national team as a whole." This sign of unity is a welcome change to the arguments over the past weeks by the individual member nations, with regards to the funding to the national team, the structure of the GFL, and many other things.

The Poolside Evening News
5 questions about the upcoming match against Bluecliff League
Honestly, the narrow loss to Hampton Island and the win over Garifunya was pretty okay, considering that the team was still in its "warm-up phase". Here, we present 5 questions about our upcoming match against Bluecliff, and you will be surprised about how this match can be as interesting as any top-tier battles.

1) 4 nations vs 14 cities, yet an empty stadium?
South Newlandian media once accused our Isles of "cheating", having players from the respective 4 member nations as part of our Yellow Lions. Then, what is Bluecliff? Bluecliff is made up of 14 "free cities", which according to an official dispatch, aren't exactly in the best of relations with each other. People of Bluecliff don't really care of the entire team's performance. In the Isles, there also exists some kind of rivalry between the 4 member nations, though we always say that we should embrace our uniqueness and support the Isles as a whole. Just like how the Isles' travelling fans remain at around 500 people at max, the Bluecliff team travels around with very little fans support. It would be interesting to see what is the final spectator count for the Matchday 6 fixture at Bluecliff.

2) Is London getting back to the starting lineup?
After Cyneburga London was substituted off in the match against U-Koro for an ankle injury 2 weeks ago, Vladan Bloxam has taken his place in the lineup really well. She took home the "player-of-the-match" award against Garifunya, and made quite an impression during the game against U-Koro. London travelled with the team to Bluecliff, and manager Zahi Castillias has reiterated that London is "fit to play". Castillias, however, stopped short of saying that London will start the match, perhaps giving an indication that Bloxam would start instead for the Yellow Lions against Bluecliff. With that in mind, the question would be if London will get into the starting 11 anytime soon.

3) Can our Yellow Lions play against a defensive team?
Against Hampton Island, an ultra-defensive team, the Yellow Lions absolutely struggled, as Castillias switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 to increase the firepower. Still, they only managed 6 shots, 2 on target, and rarely threatened Hampton Island. Against an aggressively bus-parking U-Koro, the team also failed to threaten the U-Koro defence, afraid of the rough tackles and foul tactics used by the U-Koro defence. Bluecliff is yet another defensive team, taking in lots of effort to ensure goals don't get leaked. Not that we are doubting our players, but really, can our Yellow Lions score against such a defensive team?

4) How many tricks does Castillias have up his sleeves?
Against Garifunya, the team adopted a rather counter-attacking posture in the second half, especially after conceding a brilliant chip coming from Boudewijn van der Weide. Though the team didn't execute it really well at first, we started to see sparks of it towards the end of the match where the team got 2 more back to keep the winning margin at 3. This change in tactics brightened the mood of the home fans, who thought that our Yellow Lions were just one-trick ponies, as it has always been the case for the whole of the last qualifiers. Hopefully, we can see more of this "tactical maneuvers", but the question now would be - how many such change in tactics does the team have?

5) Is there a real replacement for Abdelkader Kartal in front?
When Kelly replaced Abdelkader (we don't use Kartal for fear of confusion with the center-back) as the lone striker in front, we didn't expect match, since Kelly typically plays with a 3-player frontline for her club. However, it seems that she has gotten the ability to play as a lone number 9, as the two midfield-wingers play in a more liberal style where they move freely along the sidelines. With Abdelkader sometimes going on goal droughts, just like during the last qualification season where our team simply can't score, there has always been a question of whether having only 3 true strikers is really enough. And if Kelly can replicate her peformance, it may allow us more confidence to ensure the goals never stop even as we play 4-2-3-1.

by **Jabal Akhdar** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 7:59 am

Selection of articles from the AP (Akhdari Press) wire.

Hakimi’s Stunning Free-Kick Earns Draw!

Emirate Welcomes Influencers!

Other headlines

Crucifixion for teenage girl accused of sorcery generously downgraded to 500 lashes

Jabal Akhdar – 2 (0)
Naser (17’) (25’); Kassis (25’ el-Abdul ), el-Imam (56’), al-Zaki, Zaman; Samara; Hakimi (89’), Nazari; Kanaan (52’) (82’ el-Begum ), Haddad (88’ A.B. el-Moghaddam ), el-Burki

Wreckeria – 2 (2)
Leslie; Murphy (89’), A. Boatwright, Brewster; Hamilton (76’ Clifton ), Heath; Justice (19’), Wyatt; Bloxam (31’) (69’ S. Boatwright (75’)), Tindall (17’ pen.) (69’ Bell ), Carman

Darmen – 2 (2)
Campo; Deniaud (71’ Espinosa ), Di Stefano, Abbey, Tremblay; Ramírez, Tobias (78’); Mac Pharlain, Svendsen (32’) (58’ Cardoso ), St. John (79’ Freud ); Blackwood (32’)

Jabal Akhdar – 0 (0)
el-Abdul; Kassis (55’), el-Imam (58’), al-Zaki (73’ el-Hashemi ), Zaman (25’); Samara (47’) (88’ el-Mourad (90+1’)); Hakimi, Nazari; Kanaan, Haddad (63’ A.B. el-Moghaddam ), el-Burki

by **Hebitaka** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 8:28 am

Falcons move down the table

With the most recent games against the Balqian and Zeta Rekan teams, the Hebitakish football team got it's fall, going down to a position of 5th in the Group 17 with only 8 points off 2 wins and 2 draws. The game against Balqia was a huge disappointment as the team allowed four goals without reply. The MOTM of the match was taken up by J Topolin who scored two goals at 37' and 44' and assisted one. The other goals were scored by Rotnoviq at 19' and Kareli at 74'. The Falcons were defeated from all sides, both the defense and the offense. And as for the game against Zeta Reka and Heugeltadom, the scoreless game was nothing unexpected. The game was a bit towards the Hebitakish who got more chances than the Zeta Rekan team. Rawic got the most chances and missed most of those, while the rest were saved, thanks to the likes of Tinnu. Ram Vijay, too, could not do anything in this game as the match went completely against the tides.

Review on Upcoming games

Game #6 vs State of Trinity:
Can't say much. Nothing said about the team, not even the roaster declared. No information. A bit, still is known to us as we played the game against the team in the first game of Baptism of Fire. Currently ranked at 361, the team has lost the game against the falcons at 4-1, the biggest official international win for Hebitaka yet. The most dangerous player of this team is their striker. The chances of Hebitakish victory is 47%, State of Trinity's victory chance is 36% and chance of draw is 17%.

Game #7 vs Tequilo:
And another losable game for the falcons. Very unlikely for a draw, let alone a victory. The team's star man is the 20 yr old AMC N Pinto. The team is currently ranked at 4th just above Hebitaka and at a same condition as them(2 wins 2 draws and a loss) only ahead in Goal difference. The team is going to be hard to face. The chances are as follows: Hebitaka win 13% Tequilo wins 71% Draw 16%.

by **Squidroidia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 8:46 am

OOC: The belts in this alternate universe (The same one that Northwest Kalactin simulates) are deemed unofficial Unofficial World Championships (uUWCs) in the eyes of Jeremy Jaffacake. These are not where the belts are right now, currently Pemecutan has the lineal belt and Baker Park has the interim belt. It's just like if you counted the 7 Nations Cup or international friendlies not deemed to count towards either belt. This is not where the belts stand right now, this is for fun, don't sue me and wash your hands.

Alternate Universe W87CQR
Tracking the Unofficial World Championships
With Shotclocking Supersquid

You know, ever since the World Cup Committee added in regional qualifiers for this World Cup, the Unofficial World Championship belts have been... Spiced up. Both belt holders, Commonwealth of Baker Park and Al-Qurija, were placed in groups that seemed ripe for both belts to change hands at least once. Al-Qurija, of course, were unranked, it seemed almost certain that the belt was going to slip away as soon as they walked onto the pitch. And then Commonwealth of Baker Park, defenders of the Interim Belt, made it out of the AOCAF Cup with the belt first won by Banija after a certain something that if I were to mention it would almost surely have me yeeted out of this world. AOCAF is a hard place - These are some of the best teams in the world, and with the Interim Belt around, everybody wanted a piece of that pie in a sea of bloodbath. With 5 matchdays gone and the statisticians at the World Cup Committee (As well as some numbers crunching on behalf of Jeremy Jaffacake and The Idiot Project), let's check back on the Unofficial World Championship belts.

Commonwealth of Baker Park started off their journey in AOCAF Group 5 defending their belt against Baptism of Fire nation Jabal Akhdar, or the Green Falcons if you want me to be fancy here. I'll just call them Jabal Akhdar here, because their story so far ends short and abrupt - They would lose 1-0 to CBP. The Commonwealth, of course, didn't know what kind of beast they woke up. To any Græntfjaller with a fear of the sea they would almost certainly say a kraken, but they didn't wake up a kraken from the sea. They woke up a jungle cat.

Vilita were, and still are, a 5 time champion of the world, alongside the Untitled Elf Game and Starblaydia. They would end up playing Commonwealth of Baker Park on matchday 2, a scintillating tie which almost certainly could mean the belt would change hands and end up in the Vilitan Cove, the Jungle Cats taunting the Eels with a belt they most likely won't have a shot of getting until the final tournament in Taeshan and Ethane. All of that was in their favor, until you realized that Commonwealth of Baker Park could spend a holiday with the Interim Belt and win 1-0 against a powerful Vilita side.

After Commonwealth of Baker Park took their break, they would play Chromatika and Independent Athletes from Quebec, winning 2-0 and 2-1 respectively. And that's where the Interim belt is right now - It's still with Commonwealth of Baker Park after 4 defenses in AOCAF Group 5, the team not having conceded a single goal until playing the Grim Reapers. It was probably why most purists scoffed at the idea of regionals "tainting" the sport - One team could just cruise their belt to the Finals without having it change hands once, pulling off an absurd defense which may or may not be repeated again. A compelling theory, until you look at FFI Group 3 and what the Lineal Belt has been up to.

Al-Qurija, again, had just woke up with the Lineal Belt, a belt dating back to when Crosshill won the inaugural World Cup 86 cycles ago, so they were seemingly ready to just give it up immediately to better opposition who have been doing this football thing for years while Al-Qurija sat in the background of Sonnel, as Drawkland brought their Kick Corp- sorry, Elite Eleven to the table. It was no surprise, of course, that Trolleborg would wrestle the belt back from the hands of the Broken to kick off their campaign. From there, the belt would eventually end up in the surprising hands of a new nation to the World Cup.

After proving that nobody would cheer for the Bluecliff League when they beat them 1-0, the Trolls would end up facing this Baptism of Fire team by the name of Freechi. Freechi did decent at the Baptism of Fire. Decent might be an understatement, as they ended up losing to the Bluecliff League in the semi-finals and ended up as the 3rd best team of the newcomers this cycle. And they were up against a team who qualified for the World Cup proper. Few ever doubted that Trolleborg would give up their belt to Freechi, but they had other ideas. Freechi won the game, the Lineal Belt and produced a shocking upset. They won 5-1.

An upset this shocking, a demolition this unexpected, would almost certainly be in the history books, the most shocking shock to ever shock the Unofficial World Championship belts. Again, Freechi had other ideas however. Against Abanhfleft, they would draw 1-1, keeping the belt in the hands of the lads from Makiny. Then came a familiar sight. Al-Qurija were back to take the belt away from Freechi. If anything this could have brought the belt full circle and back to the team who fell off from international football with the lineal belt from several cycles. The red hot Freechi had other ideas again - They would break the Broken and win 1-0. As the tables currently stand in the FFI, however, there is a bigger shock. If qualification ended on Matchday 5, Freechi would qualify for the World Cup proper.

They're top of the table as things stand, currently taking up 3rd, behind Zwangzug and Kelssek. With the 7 spots up for grabs, we could make an easy prediction on how qualification may go - Top 4 group winners make the World Cup, the rest of the top placed teams go through the playoffs for the final spots. With Freechi third in the ranking of the current group leaders, they would make the World Cup proper on their very first attempt. But things are tight in FFI Group 3 - Abanhfleft and Squidroidia are hot on their tail, ready to slip them up and hopefully take the Unofficial World Championship's Lineal Belt with them. Things are only heating up around here.

Anyways, stay safe, wash your hands, and have fun.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:11 am

Victories, Movement, and a Declaration,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

It has been a busy few days for fans of Cassadagan soccer with plenty of news that has happened. The best news comes in World Cup qualifying, where the Fillies celebrate recent victories, a 4-2 result at home against Havynwilde and a huge road win in TJUN-ia. I’ll cover these games a little more later in the article, and as you know, there is complete comprehensive coverage providing in-depth analysis elsewhere on the website. The road three points against TJUN-ia are important, because when you are in the position that we are in as the favorite to win the group, you have to keep the nations who figure to be your key rivals behind you and not let them think they have a chance to pull off the upset. I should give more credit to Havynwilde here too, as after all, they are 3-1-1. We have played most of the better teams already in the first leg, so the opportunity is there to build a little more padding between ourselves and the rest of the group, so they can think about fighting for second instead of taking the top spot from us. Anyway, that’s just one thing to talk about. We also have player movement to talk about, and a very interesting development out of Brattleboro.

Let’s talk about that player movement, as four more players have announced that they will be leaving the Cassadagan Soccer Association to play elsewhere, and in these cases all of them are going to Taeshan. Young goalkeeper Katie Schnapper will be heading to 1093 Club de Football Atlantea, leaving the smaller market Northbury Eagles shattered. That was the same Taeshani club that attempted to bring in Morgan Rosenblatt, so certainly their scouts have been paying attention to their games. Schnapper is not technically on the World Cup roster as Tiffany Nelson, Danielle Cotter, and the ageless Kelsey Morgan are all ahead of her and the listed keepers, but Schnapper is considered a keeper of the future and is traveling with the team to be a part of the experience. For Schnapper, it was an easy decision. “That is an exciting league to play in, and I know my new side will be competitive right from the start. My conversations with the people there were great from the beginning of the process, all the way to signing on the dotted line. I can’t wait to get started!” While Katie is excited, Nicole Helmer, coach of the Northbury Eagles was not, “We drafted Katie with long term aspirations, and were beginning to build around her. This is devastating to our organization.” The Eagles are typically a mid-table team, at best, in the CSA, and this is a big step back for them.

More younger players had their transfers to Taeshan announced recently, with 24-year old defender Shelby McNair going to Yaton FC, and two midfielders, Allison Rice off to Hannah and Tyler Reynolds to the Capetown Crocs. Comments from McNair and Rice were pretty similar to what we have heard from Morgan Rosenblatt following the AFC Treason move, and Katie Schnapper. For Tyler Reynolds, it was a little different saying, “It will be interesting to play on a predominantly male side like the Crocs. I am not used to it, and not that I have not enjoyed playing in Cassadaigua, because I have, I think this is something positive for the world to see, and for Cassadagan boys to see, that we can find this great opportunities elsewhere in the world.” Certainly, we wish all of them the best as they move on. Following these moves, we have not been hearing that anything else is imminent, but that could always change.

The impact of these moves on the Cassadagan Soccer Association is being talked about more, and the owner of Brattleboro FC, Kimberly Buchanan, made some waves with her statement last night, “We can open our checkbooks the same way that all of these other international clubs are doing. Yet we are here, sitting at home, and pretending to act as though we don’t need to pursue international players. That needs to stop. I implore all owners of the CSA to come together immediately and work on a plan to get us active in the UICA as well. That is the only, and I mean that, it is the only way that we will ever get players to consider coming here. As a nation, we have won two World Cups. We have recently been to two World Cup semifinals (83 and 86), and are presently a top five nation in the world. Yet, we are isolated from the UICA. That needs to come to an end.” A major sponsor of Brattleboro FC is Five Star Mobile, a company that is very active in international sports, especially in NSSCRA. The Brattleboro-based company wants to have more representation in the world, and a spokesperson for the company, Taylor Khristich, followed up the statement by Buchanan, “Five Star Mobile is ready to support any international effort that the CSA could undertake. Our state of the art line of products can connect with anyone in the world. The CSA is capable of doing the same, but they have not picked up the phone to answer the UICA’s call.”

Brattleboro FC would be able to be very competitive in the open market like that, but smaller market sides in the CSA have to be looking at this with concern. Any hope that they have to win a title could and would become lessened if the bigger clubs became stronger with overseas moves. Take the Northbury Eagles, the team now struggling with the loss of Katie Schnapper. Sure, they could look at the open market as well, but they would have to set their sights lower, and as they are on a tighter budget, a big signing for one player may be at the expense of others. At present, Brattleboro FC is the only club to make an announcement, though a representative from Starksville United, Amy Cross, posted on Spacebook that, “You won’t get one player to come here unless we are part of the UICA. Maybe it is time.” Perhaps it is. I think a lot of us want to see it, and as I touched upon previously, doesn’t it seem as though we could be an intriguing spot for female players, at the very least?

Well, all of those comes on the heels of two victories in World Cup qualifying, a 4-2 win over Havynwilde and a 2-0 win over TJUN-ia. The offensively minded Nordslaget, as they are called, saw their tactics grab them an early 1-0 advantage when Turner Sears showed some nifty footwork to evade Kimberly Carson in the 10th minute. However that only seemed to provide a lift to Carson and the rest of the back end, and the Havyish were not able to get a shot on target for the remainder of the first half. Gradually, Cassadaigua asserted their hold on the match, with Rachel Schanke opening up the scoring for the Fillies on a 23rd minute penalty kick, and then Meghan Wolcott scoring on an impeccably placed corner kick delivery from Preston Newfeld in the 34th minute. Just when it seemed like the Nordslaget were going to keep it a one goal game, a great individual effort in the second minute of injury time for the first half by Courtney Graham made it 3-1. Graham does not usually make an up the field rush as she did here, and she seemed to use that to her advantage, effectively using Rachel Schanke as a decoy to move upfield. Early in the second half, Morgan Rosenblatt scored in the 58th. For Havynwilde, substitute Tyree Flowers made a nice play to score in the 79th, using his fresh legs to his advantage.

Against TJUN-ia, the game was much tighter played as the Jags are not as wide open with their tactics. Brooke Sutter said of TJUN-ia, “We don’t know them as well in this sport, but we have seen enough of them in other sports to have full respect for them.” Meghan Wolcott, an avid NSSCRA follower and baseball fan said, “We know what Stefan (NSSCRA driver Michael Stefan) can do, and what their baseball team can do. Their soccer team can do it, too.” Their manager, David Seems, appeared to focus his gameplan on containing Rachel Schanke and Meghan Wolcott, and this worked quite well in the first half. Aron McKenna, who plays professionally in Audioslavia, seemed to be assigned Rachel Schanke and did a great job neutralizing her. To the point where after the match, Schanke offered an especially gracious handshake towards McKenna and the two seemed to have a friendly chat for a little bit. Schanke, the captain, in her post game interview would say of him, “That guy, Aron McKenna, is real good. As good as anyone I have gone up against.” Meghan Wolcott had to deal with their captain, Jeff Donaldson, and paid him a compliment as well. “Yeah, they did some double teamming on me, Donaldson was as good as advertised, definitely a gritty player.” Despite that, Schanke and Wolcott still made plays, and the depth of this team showed with the play of others around them. This is a deep team with balanced scoring, and as the focus went on Schanke and Wolcott, Madison McClain (35th) and Preston Newfeld (64th) picked up the two goals. Defensively, the team was great, and Tiffany Nelson made all of the stops in the victory.

Up next, a key home game against Busoga Islands, and a potential trap game away at Hispinas.

by **Barunia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:44 am

Barunia made light work of Icecliff and Thunder Queendom, but that was little to celebrate, when they were at the bottom of the group and one of the teams had yet to pick up a point after 5 games. For Emmanuel Carter, it reminded him of games at school.

As a child growing up in the suburbs of Delmars, young Emmanuel knew he wanted to be a footballer. He grew up idolising the legendary Suns players of the day: Bainbridge, Manzana, Collins-Holzknecht, Bubble. His parents, happy to see their only son so keen, signed him up for the local junior club. Emmanuel took to it like a fish to water.

He trained constantly. They lived a short walk from the club grounds, and almost everyday after school Emmanuel would be down at the field, practising his ball skills or set pieces. He was soon the leading goalscorer at his club, but it was at school that his skills really outshone his opponents. Whenever football was the sport for PE, Emmanuel would run rings around the other kids. Who won the match came down to who picked their team first: you just hd to say his name and your team had an almost guaranteed victory.

To Emmanuel, some of these smaller World Cup teams reminded him of those old school teams. Only now he was backed by 10 others wearing the same uniform, cutting through the minor hordes like they didn’t exist. But there were bigger challenges ahead, and Barunia are not the powerhouse they once were. In Emmanuel George Montez Carter though, they’d perhaps found a key element in their road back to the top.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:47 am

OOC - This RP likely works better if you know the history of the interaction between the Dreamed Realm and Bostopian tea drinking; let's just say it goes back to the Jolt forums.

The defeat against Trolleborg had been a blow to the Holy Empire's qualifying ambitions - perhaps a team consisting entirely of Tzimisces was too one-dimensional. All the same, the Holy Empire Football Association had acknowledged the request from the Trolleborg FA for an autograph session featuring the imperial coach and assistant coach in the return leg. It was during the filing of the paper relating to the Trolleborg request in the Imperial Archive that officials from the Imperial Secretariat of the Lesser Red Inkwell stumbled across a document relating to the roots of football in Bostopia, one which makes extensive references to the popularity of tea-drinking in the latter nation. The document predates the rule of the Emperor Boston, and stems from a murky period in Bostopia's past known as the 'regency'. It appears to be a transcript of a conversation, though the individual recording said conversation seems to have left out quotation marks, though some additional contextual remarks have been added. It likely relates the Tzimisces playing left wing for the Holy Empire in this tournament.

Chapter 16 - Proposals Over Tea

Tea, Lady Heatherington?

Why, I do believe I shall, Mr Fanshaw. I do quite enjoy my tea.

Of course. Jasper, do please fetch some tea for Lady Heatherington. Earl Grey, or...?

I am quite fond of Lapsang Souchong, Mr Fanshaw - though of course I am aware that some consider the smoky taste most unladylike.

I make no such judgements here, Lady Heatherington, I assure you. Lapsang Souchong it is. And a biscuit?

No, no; tea alone will suffice, Mr Fanshaw. No milk or sugar, please.

Why, Lady Heatherington, no milk or sugar... Such an unusual choice. No wonder you have gained a reputation among Bostopia's fashionable set. Was that clear, Jasper?

Quite, Sir. I shall return in due course.

So, tell me, Lady Heatherington, I was given to understand that ... the doorbell? At this hour? I know of no expected callers.

<muffled conversation can be heard from afar>

You were not expecting a guest then, Mr Fanshaw.

Why no, Lady Heatherington, but no doubt Jasper will soon... ah, Jasper - could you not simply turn our uninvited guest away? Lady Heatherington and I have much to discuss about this coming season's festivities - as well as other matters of a more .... sensitive and personal nature.

<Lady Heatherington blushes in the manner that one would expect from a young and charming childless widow who is not unaware of Mr Fanshaw's by no means unwelcome honourable intentions>

I regret that I could not turn him away sir. It is Mr Tzimisces; and he says he is here on urgent business.

Mr Tzimisces? Here? Now? Good Lord! Why, send him in immediately, Jasper.

<Lady Heatherington hides her disappointment well; but this turn of events is not wholly pleasing to her>

Must we, Mr Fanshaw?

My most sincere apologies, Lady Heatherington, but I would not have permitted this interruption were it not relating to a most pressing matter; for you see, Mr Tzimisces has the most extraordinary ideas about the drinking of tea.

<Despite her initial disappointment, Lady Heatherington is intrigued>

About tea, you say? Why then, let us hear what this Mr Tzimisces has to say! Why, this must be him now! What a unusual waistcoat of gold and red threads he wears!

Ah, Mr Tzimisces; welcome once again to my home. This is Lady Heatherington.

Mi'Lady. You are every bit as beautiful as Mr Fanshaw has led me to believe. He speaks most highly of you.

Why, thank you, Mr Tzimisces. I am honoured, to be sure.

You must forgive me for the intrusion, but....

No, no, Mr Tzimisces.... But first, there is the little matter of tea; will you take some?

Some tea; why thank you, Mr Fanshaw. Some Ti Kuan Yi, if you please, Jasper; no milk or sugar - and poured over the leaves at below boiling point.

Of course, Sir; I shall return in a moment.

Now, Mr Tzimisces, I see you are carrying your mysterious leather sphere again - the one with intermittent black hexagonal panels on an otherwise white surface...

Indeed, Mr Fanshaw. If Lady Heatherington does not object, I would like to briefly outline my proposal relating to this sphere - and its potential impact on the consumption of tea.

By all means, Mr Tzimisces. I have no objection.

Nor do I.

Thank you both, for this proposal is of pressing urgency that could save your estates a considerable sum of money each year. It is my understanding that, at present, your servants' leisure time is taken up with the consumption of copious amounts of tea.

Quite so, Mr Tzimisces.

What if, instead of consuming tea, they were encouraged to take up a different leisure activity that required no expenditure on your part except for a modest sum keeping an expanse of grass suitably mowed, and setting up some wooden posts.

I'm afraid that I don't quite understand....

I propose to engage them in a foreign sport called 'football'. It consists of two teams of 11 players attempting to kick this sphere into a constrained space at two opposing ends of a prepared field, with none of the players allowed to use their hands - except for two keepers of the opposing goals - and all ruffian-like foul play expressly banned.

<Mr Tzimisces immediately sketches out a football pitch, along with a preliminary summary of the laws of this striking new pastime>

Good Lord; so instead of paying vast sums in tea subsidies, I simply encourage my servants to play this 'football', thereby not only saving me from further financial strain, but also keeping my servants strong and fit! And Lady Heatherington's estates would similarly benefit!

Quite so, Mr Fanshaw.

But this is extraordinary, Mr Tzimisces; my entire concept of estate management has been transformed in a nonce!

But if I may interrupt, Mr Tzimisces?

Of course, Lady Heatheringon.

I must say that I am quite fond of tea; shall I still be able to partake?

Why of course, Lady Heatherington. The Bostopian elites shall still be able to enjoy many different types of tea - whether with or without milk and sugar. It is simply the peasant classes that shall play football. You and Mr Fanshaw shall continue to drink tea to your heart's content.

<Mr Tzimisces then notices the small ring case that Mr Fanshaw is hiding behind his back>

But I see that I might have arrived at a most inopportune time. I must apologise again if I have interrupted some personal business of note.

No, no, Mr Tzimisces; here is Jasper with our tea. Do please stay for a nice hot cuppa; but then, if you have no more pressing matters to raise, you might....?

Of course, Mr Fanshaw; and might I hope that - after I withdraw - felicitations might be in order for you both!

<Lady Heatherington blushes; Mr Fanshaw smiles; tea is consumed>

by **Flavovespia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:49 am

Martin wins the points against Muralos

Flavovespia managed their second win of the cycle against Muralos in Marthorpe. Flavovespia came into this game as the favourites on paper, and duly delivered in the end with a 1-0 victory. Some thought the scoreline should’ve been higher, but both defences were strong in this game.

A key change for Flavovespia was in the tactical setup. Instead of a wide diamond, Alan Young switched Flavovespia to a narrow diamond shape, to try and pack the midfield. No change in goal or the backline, but Kieron Player was restored to the role of defensive midfielder. James King moved back to a more natural central midfielder role, alongside Jonathan Feld. Steven Hall headed the attack of the diamond, behind Ramon Martin and Scott Coleman.

The early possession was largely the way of Flavovespia. Compact in midfield, Flavovespia were able to get the edge over Muralos in the centre of the park. Passes low from the Muralos back line towards the centre of the park were often cut out well. Neither midfield was comprised of particularly tall players, so aerial battles were at a premium, especially for Muralos trying to attack. However the visitors were the ones with the first notable effort of the game, just after 10 minutes. Koralo Petrov played in a good long pass, that allowed Daniel Donaldson to get in behind David Blythe, to charge towards goal. Donaldson sent in a low cross, and Rui was able to get a foot to the ball just ahead of Tony Gardner. Rui hadn’t quite judged the elevation of the ball however, and his attempt to get under the ball to loft it over the outcoming Meehan saw it blazed high into the crowd behind the goal.

Flavovespia, for all their worth in the early exchanges, hadn’t really created a clear cut opportunity, most of their “killer balls” cut out by Aleksandro Kim or Rikardo Lei, or cleanly gathered by Rodion Markov. However that would all change in the 22nd minute of this game. David Blythe made a run down the right wing, and played a through ball into the path of Steven Hall. Hall was harried out of a goal scoring position by Aleksandro Kim, but Hall was able to turn and open up space to pull the ball back into the box. Rodion Markov was too slow to read the danger and cut out the pass, as if fell to Ramon Martin. Just outside the inside box* , Martin was in prime position to shoot, and the veteran striker got his shot away, beyond the outstretched foot of Lei, and into the net. 1-0 to Flavovespia, they had taken their first real chance of the game, and were now on the scoreboard.

The opening goal had settled the nerves of Flavovespia, and it felt like they were more confident going forward now. They had 2 good chances in the rest of the first half to extend the deficit. Rodion Markov’s open play pass from outside the box fell straight to James King from just inside the Flavovespia half. James King saw the open goal and went for an audacious effort from range. It was on target, and only the quick reaction of Aleksandro Kim to first head the ball off the line, then clear the ball away from the oncoming Scott Coleman prevented a second. Then a little before half time, a great through ball by Steven Hall played Scott Coleman in, having beaten the offside trap. However from only 10 or so metres out, he fired his shot wide of the near post and into the side-netting. Some of the crowd thought it was in, until they saw no Flavovespian wheel away in celebration. 1-0 it was at half-time, Flavovespia looking the better side, but Muralos still needing just that one breakthrough to grab something.

The second half began slowly, with a limited amount of intensity to it. Flavovespia had seemingly dialled back some of the riskier play they exhibited after their opener, keen instead to play the ball sideways amongst the midfield and full-backs when they pushed up. Muralos were spending a lot of their time trying to chase down the ball in midfield. They were able to win possession on occasions, but found Rui and Adamo Brava isolated by the good defensive work of Ian Cohen, Tony Gardner and Kieron Player. Fans on both sides in the crowd were getting a bit bored and restless, wanting something to happen, but by the hour mark, only 2 shots had been recorded in the second half.

Just beyond the hour mark, Flavovespia brought on their first sub, and with it a first international cap for Robert Totten. The central attacking midfielder would play in the heart of midfield, taking the spot of Jonathan Feld. Some excitement for the home crowd to see a new man in action, in particular for the Binclestead Wood fans who’d made the relatively short journey to Marthorpe for this game. Totten’s first involvement, a long ball forward to Martin that was just cut out by Markov before the striker got there.

The best chance for Muralos came with around 15 minutes left of the game. Jozefo Koltakov, sensing Muralos needed a goal, threw on a third striker, Valora Lin to try and aid the efforts. Nikolaj Granda had dribbled his way into a promising position and now had 3 strikers ahead of him to aim for. His through ball was into the path of Lin, who stayed onside of Ian Cohen and got to the ball first. Her shot was well taken and on target, but good anticipation by David Meehan meant he could block the shot. Rui had no chance to take a shot, no sooner had the ball landed at his feet, it was gone with Tony Gardner hooking it away. Panic over for Flavovespia, at least for now.

Flavovespia had, for the most part, controlled the game well, but lacked a bit of a killer instinct. Late substitutions saw David Clark on for Kieron Player, and Mark Paul on for Scott Coleman, indicating that Alan Young seemed relatively content to see out the game defensively, instead of trying to add on to the score. Nevertheless in injury time of the second half, a late counter-attack gave them a chance to finish off the game. A quick, long clearance from a free-kick by Meehan fell into the path of Steven Hall. He kept his head down and had ran almost the length of the pitch before taking a shot at goal. He got the ball past Markov, but got the angle on the shot wrong, as it flew past the far post, and into the front rows of the stand behind the goal. It was inconsequential to the outcome of the game, the final whistle going after the resulting goal-kick, but the Flavovespian captain would’ve had his 50th international goal if that went in.

Flavovespia had their second win of the campaign. The critics would say that Flavovespia should’ve scored more than the one goal they got, but ultimately 3 points is 3 points. A second consecutive clean sheet in a row shows that Flavovespia have also found a defensive rhythm to them, after the struggles against Cassadaigua. Alan Young said “A win is a win ultimately. Yes everyone loves the big wins, but for now if we can take 3 points from as many games as possible, that’s the key goal. 1-0 is much better than a 5-3 loss.”

Next up is Havynwilde away. They suffered a 4-2 loss in Cassadaigua, leaving both sides in the middle of Group 3. As it seemed when the draw was made, this looks like one of many games in the group that could go some way to determining who comes 1st or 2nd and the potential ticket to the World Cup.

* OOC: Flavovespian term for “six yard box”

Flavovespia freeze up in Havynwilde

Flavovespia’s chances of qualification for the World Cup were damaged by a 3-2 loss in Havynwilde. A game that was always going to be tough on paper, the hosts won in a back and forth contest, to boost their chances of making it all the way to Taeshan and Ethane.

Flavovespia made no changes to their squad that had won against Muralos 1-0, a team that had looked solid defensively, if lacking a little in attack. The match against Havynwilde however, was not one that looked set to be played in great conditions. Cold and rainy in an open-air stadiums, the Flavovespian fans and players looked like they longed for the comfort of the indoors City Arena in Marthorpe, the venue for the last 2 games. Some of the Flavovespians looked more like alpine skiiers or bouncers when layered up in the dugout on the benches. Nevertheless, the conditions were more than adequate for the game to commence.

The opening stages had a bit of a knockout cup tie feel to them. Neither side seemed to be taking risks, offensively or defensively to begin with, and there was a lot of short passing. Much of the play concentrated in the midfield, with neither side having much of the ball in their opponents third. It was Havynwilde who had the better share of possession early on, in particular the first 15 minutes, but couldn’t find a way through the resolute Flavovespian defence.

Flavovespia were growing into the game, and by the half-hour mark looked on top of the game. However against the run of play at that stage, it was Havynwilde who took the lead with the opening goal. It was Liam George down the right-wing, who floated in a cross, just holding off Scott Vaughan. Turner Sears got a glancing touch on the ball with his head. It was enough to send the ball past David Meehan, over the line and into the net. 1-0 to the hosts, they had broken through to get on the scoresheet first.

Flavovespia were struggling to equalise, or even create any chances after conceding, and it looked likely they’d be behind and goalless at halftime. David Blythe’s deep cross was headed away from Ramon Martin by Henry Stewart, and seemingly away from danger. However Scott Coleman saw it travelling over his head, and went for a spectacular overhead kick. It sailed past Michael Nicholson and into the back of the net. From very little, Flavovespia had equalised, at the hands of a spectacular Scott Coleman goal. 1-1 it would be at the break, all square and a game that could go either way, Havynwilde arguably slightly better though.

The second half started much more openly than the first. Not 10 minutes into it, and both David Meehan and Micahel Nicholson had been forced into good saves by Scott Coleman and Tarantinó respectively. It was a game that felt like there were more goals in it. Flavovespia were the ones to take the lead in the 56th minute. They had managed to get the ball up into the Havynwilde third of the pitch, and were looking for an opening. Steven Hall played it low to Scott Coleman, who was closely marked. Unable to get a shot away, he laid it off to Jonathan Feld making a late run. One touch took it away from any markers, before he shot for goal. It was placement over the power, a good curve on it meant Nicholson couldn’t keep it out, as it went in at the far post. Flavovespia had gone from a goal down to a goal up, thanks to Jonathan Feld. The second of the qualifiers for the midfielder, a quiet but effective member of the squad for plenty of years now.

The lead lasted for just 8 minutes, before Havynwilde struck back to tie the game up. Quick passing open up spaces for players to dribble and run into. Turner Sears played a grounded through ball to his right, into the path of Liam George, who’d given Scott Vaughan the slip, almost literally in the case of the defender. Liam George took a first time snapshot with a lot of speed on it. Too quick for David Meehan, the Flavovespian goalkeeper couldn’t get his hands to it, as it soared in a little under the crossbar at the near post, and slammed into the net. 64 minutes down, 2-2 now, the question was, could anyone get a winner, or even more goals than that?

Nearing the end of the game, Alan Young chose to give a debut cap to Matthew Cope, subbed on for Ramon Martin. The 32 year old, a veteran striker in Flavovespia was a surprise call-up despite all his goals in the Super League last season. He had 14 minutes to come on and try and make an impact. Also on at the same time was David Lyons, in a straight swap with Scott Vaughan.

Unfortunately for the Flavovespian substitutes, they were barely on the pitch before Havynwilde scored their 3rd goal of the match, to comeback and re-take the lead. A free kick just short of 30 metres out saw plenty of Havynwilde bodies in the box, looking to try and score. It was the head of Turner Sears who got there first, heading down low this time. David Meehan blocked superbly, but the rebound was straight at Sears. Sears fired, hard, and the ball flew well above David Meehan, under the bar and into the goal. 3-2 now for Havynwilde, they had the advantage in this game.

The final 10 minutes were all attack from Flavovespia, with Havynwilde needing to defend their one goal lead. Kieron Player was off for Robert Totten, essentially leaving the whole midfield with varying levels of attack mindedness. 84 minutes in, and Matthew Cope, forced out wide in the box flashed a ball across the face of goal. A slight deflection on the way through meant Feld got his foot on the ball, and slipped over trying to control it. Even the most biased Flavovespian fan couldn’t argue there was any contact to merit a penalty. 89 minutes in, and déjà vu for Steven Hall, as a shot from decent range ended up lying across goal, beyond the post and wide, ending a promising attack. The last chance at goal was in the 93rd minute. Everyone bar corner taker James King was in the box, David Meehan included. The ball, was met by Robert Totten, but he couldn’t get power or placement on the header, as it drifted easily into the grasp of Nicholson. He fell on the ball, and that was that.

For Flavovespia, a loss in one of those games that felt like either side could’ve got something in the end. A game that did seem to show why home advantage can be key in the qualifiers, the conditions did flummox Flavovespia a bit, with individual errors from time to time. Whilst Alan Young did say they were less than ideal, he said “ultimately I think this is the sort of game to qualify, you need points from and we didn’t deliver today. We’ll have to go and make amends soon”.

Make amends Flavovespia will need to do. Next up is a home tie to 4th placed TJUN-ia, before a visit to 2nd place Busoga Islands. Pot 3 and Pot 4 respectively, they have met expectations to be in the fight for the Top 2. The term “must win” so early on may be arguably an exaggeration. However the team go into those games knowing they do need a win against someone fighting at the top end of the table. Furthermore, even if they don’t win, they can ill-afford too many more losses. Whilst qualification can’t be decided this early on, the next two games will shape up the group considerably, and give Flavovespia an indication on if qualifying is still a realistic ambition.

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:01 am

The Arlington Moon-Tribune

The Keppal Cosmos were in fine form in the third preliminary round of the non-champions path of the fifth IFCF Champions League. They smashed Libertas Bergheim 5-0 at home, and won the second leg 3-2 for good measure. I don't have full statistics for that competition, but considering how prolific Johan Idmar has been for club and country alike, I think it's safe to assume he recorded at least one of those eight goals and probably more.

What I do know is that he was stymied by the defense of ~~Siovanija~~ Savojarna with the national team at Wayr Stadium. Mikaela Rangren, the ~~"eternal"~~ [?? she's only 51 -ed] manager of the ~~Northern Lights~~ Northlights, deployed Matts Peterson, Flemming Skov, Roman Forsberg, and Polina Zirkova at the back, and they were able to nearly shut down the home offense. Only a long chip from Jaclyn Burkhart in minute 72, past a tired Zirkova, salvaged some goal difference.

Before that, however, the ~~Northstars?~~ visitors were in control. Sergey Nweke may not have been able to cap for the world's #1 nation, but he made ~~the Auroras~~ Rangren's selection look like world-beaters as he outflanked Akhil Sibal and got on the scoreboard fifteen minutes in. Mikhail Jashkin's passes continued to make trouble for Fedya Troy-Vee and the defense, and they culminated in an assist to Krister Voynov shortly before halftime. The second half was more tepid, although we were treated to the rare sight of Riley Kivrin winning an aerial battle up against the visiting captain; it helps that Victoria Maersk is only 157 centimeters tall, and I'm pretty sure that's shorter than even Kivrin. But despite Burkhart's goal, it was still a strong performance from the brilliant-looking ~~ionized magnetosphere particles.~~ [we're done here -ed].

Still The Arlington Moon-Tribune but definitely not by the same guy as last time

Saturdays or Sundays may be days of rest in some traditions, but Brandon Sonnabend will be tossing and turning after a 3-0 thwapping by recent Baptism of Fire debutants Saint-Domingue. [What?? -ed] It would not be a stretch to say that the hosts looked like a stronger version of Zwangzug's own side; they have similar black and white stripes and play a moderately defensive approach. In fact, they weren't even playing their typical defense, with Alfred Cotilla suspended after drawing a red card against Ancherion. Nevertheless, the newcomers were able to control the pace of the game.

Nico Pozo, while sometimes overshadowed by strike partner Julien Babesco, had an impressive solo effort, dribbling free of Lissa Crain's pursuit and scoring the first goal on 19 minutes. Babesco would have his turn eighteen minutes later, receiving a pass from Adama Keller and sending it to the far corner. After the half, Sonnabend brought on Esther Axelrod-Conway and Gordon Blum to try to revamp the offense, but they failed to connect and Tanguy Lacourse outdueled Jonah McCollins in midfield to blast in a long goal. The midfielder has not seen much playing time nor had scoring opportunities with Saint-Domingue, so this should be celebrated as a breakout performance rather than being merely par for Lacourse [where do you find these people. -ed]

Zwangzug now sit third in group five, tied with Netop, who they defeated on Matchday Three. We will, of course, be forced to endure the normal cliches about how It Is Early and Nothing Can Be Taken For Granted In Football, as what was already a lively group in a deep qualification field has become slightly more lively. Fortunately (?), Sonnabend is on hand to provide us with abnormal cliches. Asked what changes are needed to prepare for the games against Abanhfleft and Chartistan, he noted, "The seas shall weep and the skies rage upon the day of vengeance. Who can atone for the shame upon the peaks? Let the grasses tremble and the peoples be rent." To be fair, there are a lot of peoples renting their apartments and stuff...

[This fortnight was bad enough and you are not helping. -ed]

by **Garbelia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:12 am

A new manager, Gero Tisza, has been put in charge of the Garbelia national team. He has met with the players and detailed his expectations, and is expected to bring some new ones in. He has not released his teamsheet yet, but 'GT', as the fans know him, is likely to be making full scale changes.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:38 am

From the diary of Britt Hanokssen

Erin finally came back. Just when I was about to get myself released from Hunsen Loggers, too. But she didn't come back to rejoin the team. No, she came back just to tell me that she can't be friends with me anymore, that we shouldn't have been friends in the first place. I mean, wow. Just wow. I've never been so angry and so sad all at the same time. Just wow. You're damn right I don't want to see her again, not after she betrayed me like this.

Go fuck yourself, Erin Jensdottir. The Crows should have killed you while you were in Calovice.

(A pencil sketch of Bisera Haralampieva, Pridnestrovian women's national team and former Hunsen Loggers winger, is drawn to the left of the following entry.)

So Bisera, the girl Dad signed from the socialist country, could actually speak English. She's been stringing us along pretending not being able to speak the language. She says the whole thing is a long story. What's important is that Bisera is concerned about the whole team. Ever since we split apart between the monarchists like me and Shae and the socialists like Hanna, the team has not been doing well in the First Tier at all. Of course it's easy for her to say that we just set aside our differences and work together for the title. She's an outsider; she doesn't know the history of South Valeria or why we hate the socialists so much here.

But she did it. The madwoman somehow managed to do it. Bisera managed to convince Lily [Cress] and Ryoto [Taguchi] to play for the team again. I don't know how Bisera did it or what she said to get them to go back, but she did it anyway. Whether this will last, or if everything is gonna come down in flames once again, I don't know.

But Bisera's right. We still have a shot at the title. We still have a shot of putting our names in the history books. This is the closest we've come to winning this thing. I don't know if the people of South Valeria will forgive us for working with some socialists, but they sure won't forgive us if we let this title slip from our fingers yet again.

- Entries dated 31st October and 22nd November 2019

     SHARKTAIL 1 - 0 ABANHFLEFT
GABY (70' pen)

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Sharktail: 40%
Abanhfleft: 60%
Shots
Sharktail: 15 (9 on target)
Abanhfleft: 20 (9 on target)
Corners
Sharktail: 11
Abanhfleft: 10
Fouls
Sharktail: 15
Abanhfleft: 22

█████████ABANHFLEFT 2 - 4 ANCHERION
        WAYNE (58')       HALPERIN (10')
MacALISTAIR (90+2')       AYDIN (23')
                          KAUR (60', 70')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 44%
Ancherion: 56%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 10 (4 on target)
Ancherion: 25 (13 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 6
Ancherion: 13
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 26
Ancherion: 16

by **Lorrana** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:55 am

Matchdays 6 and 7 preview

Coming off of two 2-3 losses to Starblaydia and Transvolcanic, Lorrana's next two games are against Equestria and Beepee

Equestria - Lorrana

Equestria is currently in second place in Group 12. They are a strong team, and similarly to the game against Starblaydia, Lorrana will put up a fight, but probably still lose.

Predicted result: Equestria win

Lorrana - Beepee

Beepee is a Pot 8 team. Lorrana had success against Pot 9 team Mexi Catcha, so it's likely they will play well against Beepee as well.

Predicted result: draw

by **Riennic Isles** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 11:23 am

The Riena Sentinel

A Riena revival on the cards?
Thirteen points from five games have fans daring to dream again

When Filindostan put the ball past a shellshocked Miho Minato after just one minute of Riena's opening game of the qualifiers, long-suffering Riena fans might have been forgiven for turning away and throwing up their hands in disgust. The goal was so breathtakingly simple in its construction that one might have expected an average high school team to have stopped it, but Riena's makeshift defence was ripped apart by a booming ball from deep, and 'keeper Minato was caught in two minds as she tried to judge the flight of the ball. It was child's play for the Filindostani forward to touch the ball over Minato's despairing leap and send it arcing gently into the back of the net.

That Riena had conceded such a slapstick goal - and that in the very first minute of their opening game - suggested that they had not learned the lessons of the previous cycle. They hadn't started playing, hadn't started concentrating - and before they knew it, they had been hit by a sucker punch by opponents more alert and attuned to the game. And once they went behind, Riena immediately reverted to type. Panicked into chasing the game, the team began pushing players forward into a congested final third, trading control and structure in midfield for heavy pressure on the opposition defence. Without the confidence to surgically pick apart stubborn opponents massed behind the ball, Riena could only rely on this high-risk, high-reward tactic as they sought to create space via overloads on the flanks. Through a combination of incredible luck and individual skill, Kanata Shiranami's team managed to salvage victory from the jaws of defeat with two last-gasp goals - but on another day, playing like this, they could easily have succumbed to a thorough thrashing.

All the signs from Riena's game against Filindostan pointed to one thing - the team wasn't so much a collective, working together in harmony, as it was a mishmash of individually talented players grafted onto a worryingly poor defence by a tactically naive coaching staff. In that sense the team that was Riena bore more similarities to an out-of-control machine in a parlous state of disrepair, a cacophony of crashing gears grinding each other into metallic dust - producing plenty of heat and noise, but little in the way of consistent end product.

Knowing all this, who could blame any Riena fan for feeling a chill of trepidation? Last cycle had been an unqualified disaster - elimination in the group stages of the Campionato on home soil was followed by a disappointingly early elimination from qualification contention - and to heap insult upon injury, Riena managed to get themselves knocked out of the Cup of Harmony in the group stages as well. By all accounts this Riena team looked, if anything, to have regressed from last cycle, and the fear was that they might be embarrassed against any team that played them with even the slightest hint of a coherent and well-executed gameplan. The consensus was that they needed to wake themselves up from their stupor, and fast, before they lost a second cycle to middling mediocrity.

But fast forward four matchdays later, and Riena's outlook is far rosier than many would have expected after the Filindostan match. Since then, they have won three of their four matches, with the only blemish on their scorecard a creditable draw against second seeds Terre Septentrionale. A return of thirteen points at this stage means that Riena are sitting pretty in second in Group 2, behind top seeds Brenecia, who are widely expected to win the group outright, only on goal difference.

The team's upturn in form has been grounded in low-scoring, controlled games against lower-ranked opposition, all of which has followed the same template - Riena getting their noses in front and efficiently shutting the game down by exerting a vice-like control over the ball. Key to this has been manager Shiranami realising that her endless tinkering with formations and personnel was throwing her team off their stride. She has stuck with her favoured 4-3-3, but with largely the same starting XI save for injury- or suspension-enforced absences. In particular, Shiranami looks to have hit upon her best midfield composition - so far, it looks like Hijiri Sakuranami's energetic tenacity and Sara Kirimiya's defensive nous are giving captain Aya Nakiri the platform she needs to orchestrate Riena's attack without disrupting the team's balance. The result has been a series of well-rounded and controlled performances in games where Riena never looked in danger of dropping points.

The marked improvement in Riena's defensive record also owes much to the continued rise of the versatile prospect, Hinata Yukihana. Originally drafted into the squad as a deputy to the erratic Minami Kagura at right-back, she found herself thrust into the heart of Riena's defence as a stopgap solution due to a spate of defensive injuries, and over the course of the campaign thus far, Yukihana has proven herself every bit as reliable an operator as her seniors in central defence. With her in the side, Riena are starting to find their feet defensively, as the back four begins to look more assured, if not yet impervious, with every passing game. The fact that Yukihana's cameo in central defence neatly coincides with Riena's present run of good form will not have escaped the manager, and she will have a major selection headache once Mao Tsukamoto makes her long-awaited comeback from injury.

When all is said and done, it is a testament to the quality and character of the players that they have managed to dig themselves out of the trough in which they started this qualifying campaign. The way in which they've roared back in the face of prevailing criticism is a reflection of the players' renewed belief and confidence, which should certainly give them a much-needed boost as they continue to navigate the rest of these qualifiers. Credit must also go to Kanata Shiranami and her coaching staff, who have done well to reconfigure the team in terms of tactics and personnel while dealing with a full-blown injury crisis.

However, despite the positive results thus far, complacency cannot be allowed to creep into the camp as it did last cycle. The challenge now is to, at long last, string together the sort of run that gives the team a chance to seriously challenge for qualification to the Finals. For Shiranami and her Wavelets, that task continues tomorrow when they travel to the peculiarly-named Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison for matchday six of their qualifying campaign before welcoming fifth seeds Plane of Possibility to the Wavelet Arena for what is sure to be a difficult assignment. Consistency is the name of the game - and it falls to the Wavelets to prove, once again, that they really have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the big boys.

by **Balqia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:06 pm

Kareli’s hands shook a bit as he held one of the famous MyPhone’s, bought from a smuggler in Widaya. He nervously browsed through the multiple applications and functionalities, feeling like a kid in a playground, he customized the entire phone. After spending so much time in prison, people start to think of freedom as a holy artifact, even the choice to change a background seemed as an act of transcendence.
He was happily browsing the web when Topolin left the bathroom. With a quick movement Kareli turned the device off amidst a beautyful actress saying the line “What are you doing, step-bro?” in some strange movie. The youngster didn’t seem to notice the quick movement, being too focused in his own image at the mirror.
— Is there something in your face?
Asked Kareli, trying to start a conversation.
— No, I’m only making sure my skin is alright. — Topolin turned around, he was wearing the team's alternative shirt as a pajama. — You know, I must be in my best shape to the cameras. After all I am the face of the National Team.
Kareli let a smile appear in his face. Since a poll in the Orsav University pointed Topolin as the most popular (and beautiful) player of the Team, the boy’s ego was in the sky. He spent most of his free-time in saloons, and all of his money went away in western cosmetics.
— I hope you put as many work in the field as you put in your face.
Said the prisoner, sitting in his bed.
— What are you talking about? I scored two goals against Hebitaka. — The youngster went to his suitcase, taking a jeans and a black shirt out of it. — I’m a pro-player.
His voice had enough loftiness to make him be the villain of some child’s movie.
— Yeah, but you wasn’t such a pro during last match.
Topolin stopped midway, with the clothes in his shaking hands. He turned around and said aggressively:
— And neither did you.
— I did my job well enough so they didn’t score. — Kareli spoke as if Topolin was some annoying kid that invaded his backyard. — Besides, it’s not me telling everyone I am a pro-player of some kind.
— You are just jealous!
Answered the boy, going with his clothes to the bathroom. Kareli took his MyPhone from where he had it hidden, and was ready to resume his movie when someone knocked in the door. He sat in the phone seconds before Zanos entered the room.
— Is Janus ready yet?
He asked with his usual loudness.
— Almost there!
Shouted the boy from the bathroom.
— Where are you guys going?
Kareli tried to sound normal.
— To some fancy restaurants. — Yelled Zanos, sitting in Topolin’s bed. — Janus said we should do some mar… marketing?… To our fans in Balqia, so we are going to celebrate the match against Widaya and take some photos.
— But we didn’t win it.
Kareli straightened his back and spoke loud to mask the cellphone under him making strange noises.
— Oh, you don’t say!— Said the goalkeeper, getting up and going to the minibar to take a bottle of water. — But I managed to punch… I mean, block, more than five balls. That’s good enough to commemorate. — He took a sip of water. — Besides, the Manager gave us permission, saying it’s a great opportunity to create bonds between the Team.
— Wait, who else is going?
— Everyone, except you, Vargas and… the horse. — Zanos spit on the ground after remembering the existence of Sugarcane. — Don’t take it personally, but you can’t be let alone without guards, and Vargas can either shot or be shot by someone who recognizes him.
— Well, I guess it makes sense.
Kareli whispered to himself, disappointed.
— Oh, come on, don’t be sad. — Andrev sat besides him. — You did an amazing job in the match against Hebitaka, and your defense is one of the best. — Zanos enveloped his colleague with his strong arms. — If it wasn’t for you I would be in danger. In fact, sometimes you, the guys from the middle-field, that avoid most of the goals.
— A-are you serious?
Kareli blushed.
— Yes, you are an amazing player, so don’t be sad because of some stupid dinner.
— Th-thanks Andrev, I never thought…
He didn’t finish. Topolin finally left the bathroom, making Zanos forget about what they were saying and go straight to the door, anxiously awaiting for the dinner. They didn’t say good-bye or even looked back to Kareli, left alone in the room. The lonely midfield even thought about hanging around with Vargas, but he was too scary to be alone with. And with that Balto stood in his bed, navigating in the vast sea of information through his MyPhone and whispering to himself about how western food wasn't worth it.

by **Hapilopper** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:15 pm

The VdarArena, Chania, Vdara
Match 5 of World Cup 87 Qualifiers: Hapilopper v. Vdara
It wasn’t going to be pleasant. It was never going to be pleasant. Hapilopper had traveled to Vdara for the first time since World Cup 84 for a qualifying match. Their history had been dotted by violent incidents, primarily involving Nathan Ellis and Alexis Fotellis. In the first match – Vdara’s first match ever, Ellis clotheslined Fotellis, then gave a gesture that the Vdarans saw as Satanic, and when the Haps returned to Vdara for the return match, the Hapilopper City Police had to bring out their SCUM Unit to protect the team, and when on the pitch, Fotellis saw his opening, kicking Nate in the face and giving him a comeuppance he deserved.

But the Haps didn’t expect the reaction from the fans they got. On the bus leading to the VdarArena, the team was quietly listening to music, podcasts, or in the case of bench midfielder Todd Brantley, the “Books on Tape” version of a popular novel that had just been released. But then, the players and the crew heard the pinging of rocks bouncing off the windows of the team bus. A handful of rocks wound up shattering a window, and unfortunately, not far from where Nathan Ellis was sitting.
Nate grabbed a rock and fired at the kids that were throwing them.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!” Nate, ever the charmer, shouted at the kids.

That only made matters worse and it probably set the tone for the match to come. Even more rocks were hurled at the bus, and a handful wound up bouncing off the black sport utility vehicles trailing and leading the team bus. Those vehicles belonged to the Hapilopper City Police Department’s secretive (and controversial) SCUM Unit, who had been hired to watch over the team during their trip to Vdara. SCUM members stayed in the team hotel. Other SCUM members were camped out in the VdarArena to watch out for fans trying to do anything rash.

A handful of SCUM officers looked out the window and chuckled at the angry kids hurling rocks at the Hapilopper bus.

“You don’t see shit like this in Hapilopper City, do you?” one SCUM officer said to his crew.

“Nope,” another said. “At least they’re not hurling Molotov cocktails or something.”

But the incident had Nate fuming. He smashed a locker minutes before match time, and had to be restrained from taking out another television monitor like he had done in North Japan. But he looked to be in a strangely good mood as the two teams went out to the pitch together. And of all the luck, who happened to be walking next to him?

Alexis Fotellis.

Nate looked over at Alexis and gave him a huge smile.

“Ready to party, Fotellis?” Nate asked him. “We’re gonna have FUN tonight!”

And sure enough, there was fun to be had, on both ends. It was an exciting matchup, to say the least. Physical, yes. Any time the Vdarans would get some momentum, the Hapiloppian defense would stop it. And any time Alexis Fotellis would rush down field with the ball, Nate felt it was his job to stop him. But while Nate’s tackles on Alexis were rough, they were also clean and completely in the scope of “acceptable football.”

Even still, Ellis challenging Fotellis and taking the ball away from him was met with vociferous boos. Nate would kick the ball to Cooter Harris, who would clear it away from the Hapiloppian side of the pitch, and Nate would look back at the booing and hissing fans and blow them a kiss. He knew he was the villain, he knew the fans hated him, and he loved every minute of it. He spotted a drink cup thrown his way. He dodged it, picked it up and pretended to drink from it.

Nate’s antics seemed to take sight from the fact that this had been a very well-played game of football. The Hapiloppians had struck first, with Claire Randall scoring in the 11th minute. The Vdarans struck back, with Chirstoforos Lazelis taking a brilliant pass from Anargyros Stamatelis and firing it past Cooter Harris in the 34th minute. Fotellis got a goal of his own in the 53rd minute, through the use of some beautiful footwork.

Fotellis had received a pass from Kimon Karalas, and wormed his away around Hapiloppian defenders along the way. The last line of defense was Nate Ellis, who smiled evilly as Fotellis headed his way. Rather than take the bait, Fotellis juked around Nate, who stumbled and fell on his face as he tried to defend the juking and jiving elder statesman of the Vdaran team.

Nate sat up in time to see Fotellis fire the ball past Cooter Harris and into the back of the net, and in time to see the tens of thousands in the VdarArena go delirious with joy. He sat there for a while, dumbfounded and somewhat angry at what had happened. His anger intensified as Fotellis jogged past, giving Nate a look that seemed to say to him, “Now we’re having fun!”

That was it. That was all Nate needed to go into a rage. When play resumed not long later, he seemed to forget all of everything about playing smart football. He forgot about his assignments, his tactics. He had just one goal.

Get Fotellis.

And in the 59th minute, he got him, and away from the play. Paul Dibble had just gotten the ball and was in the midst of passing it to Pancakes Taggart, while trying to fend off a challenge from Manousos Athanas. Nate spotted Fotellis away from the play and ran with all due speed towards him. When he got to him, Nate threw a vicious clothesline that knocked Fotellis to the pitch and out cold. He got up, stood over his rival and pointed down to him.

“Let me tell you something, asshole,” Nate shouted to Fotellis, who was starting to come to on the pitch. “You wanna fuck around? You’ll find out.”

Nate looked back to see every player from both teams rushing their way. He then knelt down, real close to Fotellis, and told him something else.

“Great to see you again, asshole,” Nate said to his rival. “And by the way, in case you were wondering, the last time you saw me, I was Michael Fromme from Acronius. I couldn’t bear to be without you.”

Nate got up, spotted players pushing and shoving their way over, and looked over to see the referee coming his way, having already gotten his red card out.

“The fuck is wrong with you?!” the referee snapped before raising his red card into the air. “You’re GONE!”

Nate smiled and slowly walked off the pitch, stretching his arms out, embracing the hate from the fans. He could hear the anger, feel the debris thrown his way and loved every minute of it. As he went under the tunnel, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily. He had gotten Fotellis, and in his mind, squared things up. He felt Fotellis had shown him up, so he paid him back in spades.

Fortunately, Fotellis wasn’t too badly injured, but had to leave the match due to the cheap shot. Ellis would receive a minimum one-match suspension for the red card, a suspension increased to three matches by Team Hapilopper after Dom Probst read Nate the riot act for the cheap shot, and for the reports that he had, in fact, traveled to Vdara during the last World Cup cycle to take Alexis Fotellis out.

On top of that, the cheap shot might have turned the momentum the wrong way. Sure, the Haps tied it up on a 67th minute goal from Ernie Stevenson, a brilliant “hop-skip-holy shit” goal, but Lazelis took his second of the match in the 77th, and one that put the match away for Vdara.

by **Starblaydia** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:38 pm

Craziness Encouraged
An Unofficial History of the NationStates World Cup

Episode 1: "The Rambling Prologue"

by **Kohnhead** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:45 pm

A good start followed by two frusterating losses

We've said it all cycle and we will say it again, Mapletish are the unranked team to watch out for and are a disgustingly difficult pot 10 team especially at Rosfield Stadium. This wasn't the same type of loss that we suffered to unranked Libonesia and Bostopia last cylce, no this was a game we should have one (once again) but could have gone either way and ended up being a tough loss to the team currently second in the Group to Savigliane (!!) a team we beat 4-1. This is just one crazy group and at the point the only constant one can draw is that there are no constants and that the United Pink States are finishing last having scored just 4 goals while allowing a shocking 21 (7 of them to us).

The game against Mapletish took place on a hot summer day at Rosfield Stadium and while Kohnhead can heat up our players were clearly not used to the conditions. That didn't however seem to deter us for the first half at least as in the 6th minute Aaron Korkson got a 1 on 1 with the keeper Malcolm Meade but for the first time this cycle it seemed Korkson had been beaten by the keeper and coudn't finish it.

Our gameplan appeared to be score quickly and play defense not wanting to go attacking for the entire game, wanting the three points against a pot 10 team, and not wanting to play from behind in the heat. At the end of the day we would get none of those three options as despite looking like the superior side in the first half and having another good chance on Erin Maltos' head we would head into half dead even at two goals a piece with everyone looking tired, and red faced.

It would take four minutes for everything to change and just after halftime I don't know what it was, were we unmotivated, tired, a combination? Whatever it was Mapletish scored a brillant goal with Fernando Gauvain scoring a bicycle kick to give Mapletish the 1-0 lead. It had happened once again we were down 1-0 to a pot 10 team after outperforming them up to that point, yes Mapletish is a very good team but we have to be getting three points from this.

They were perfectly content to stay defensive for the rest of the match and our best chance came from a Rallyton free kick just outside the box and while we know what he can do he was just off and Kohnhead would fall to Mapletish 1-0. It was not the end of the World however with Siovanija & Teusland up next we know we needed to bring our "A" game.

In the next match against world number 22 and a pot 2 team, Siovanija & Teusland our offense brought it's "A" game but we would end up losing 5-4 in a shootout for the ages. Back at Chicken King Stadium this was our biggest test thus far and while we didn't pass it per say we definitely did not fail giving S&T a game for the ages.

An Erin Maltos goal gave us the lead with the assist being given to Al Torgan who was starting in place of Ida Cogginter for this match. Siovanija & Teusland would score the next two goals to take the 2-1 lead by the 17th minute as it had been goals galore early on in this match. While we wouldn't continue scoring at this rate, the scoring would definitely.

In the 35th minute after a brief hiatus from goals it would be Sophie Johnson who scored the equalizer this time assisted by Claire Corton who had given her a ball in the box, this would tie the game up at 2 goals a piece and we would take the lead in the 43rd with a goal from Korkson with the assist going to Erin Maltos and it looked like we might pull off the upset and record our first point against a pot 2 side in qualifiers.

Alas it was not to be with Stanimir Ilev, Mario Kogler, and Leopold Bliznakov scoring the next three goals of the match all for Siovanija & Teusland to give them the 5-3 lead as once again we had appeared flat right out of halftime. Something has got to change when we head into the dressing room and the way we come back onto the fiel, whether it stems from White or whether it stems from the players we cannot emerge half asleep and allow our opponents to score with so much ease and it was a 5-3 game by the 70th minute.

Audrey Henderson had other plans however on as a sub for Sophie Johnson and in the 81st minute off of a pass from Linus Rallyton she would send Ewald Heuser the wrong way and score to make the match a one goal game. We would get one last major chance in added time with Rallyton swinging a corner in that connected with the head of Nicholas Radison but the star left back couldn't find the net sending the ball just wide and we would fall 5-4 in a battle.

This is still a good resutl and while it confirms what most people thought about the team, that we are not yet ready it shows that we can compete with some of the upper teams and while we might not have gotten points we showed we are a decent side. Group 19 as mentioned earlier has had quite a weird start through the first quarter of games and when one looks at the standings they would agree.

Group 19                                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savigliane                             5    4   0   1    11    8   +3    12
 2 Mapletish                              5    3   1   1     6    2   +4    10
   Siovanija & Teusland                   5    3   1   1    14   10   +4    10
 4 Natanians and Nosts                    5    3   0   2    12   10   +2     9
 5 Eura                                   5    2   2   1    10    7   +3     8
 6 Kohnhead                               5    2   1   2    17   11   +6     7
 7 Pemecutan                              5    2   1   2     6    6    0     7
 8 Port Ember                             5    1   2   2     9    8   +1     5
 9 Al Qurija                              5    1   0   4     8   14   −6     3
10 United Pink States                     5    0   0   5     4   21  −17     0

Kohnhead following these two losses are no longer in the lead and out of nowhere Savigliane with four wins in their first five games (their only drop in points being a 4-1 loss to us at home) have taken the group lead. Mapletish whom we thought would be good but not this good are in second tied on everything with the team we just lost to in Siovanija & Teusland. The pot 5 team sits in 4th with Natanians and Nosts but the most surprising thing is Eura the 10th ranked team in the World who sit in 5th. While we can expect that they will turn it around as they are a very good side and it's still early it's quite surprising.

We are in 6th while Port Ember are down in 8th place clearly in trouble, there's still lots of time for them to go on a run and turn everything around. Next up we travel to take on pot 5 Natanians and Nosts who have done well thus far. This is a must win game following two tough outs and Al Torgan has taken over in Ida Cogginter's place following the match against Siovanija & Teusland.

Starting XI: Sanders, Radison, Corton, Atkinson, Rodar, Laker, Johnson, Rallyton, Torgan, Maltos, Korkson

by **Newmanistan** » Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:52 pm

The World Cup 86 Roadtrip!

Two years ago, when Newmanistan hosted World Cup 86 was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I had been to some World Baseball Classic games, but after a while you get a little tired of baseball. The greatest game in the world is soccer, and as a Newmanistanian soccer fan that is often a painful exercise. You get used to the team failing to qualify and ending up in the Cup of Harmony, and all of the sportscasters trying to make you feel better by pointing out that we are better in baseball, and that baseball will start soon. Maybe we are, but it has been a while now since we won a Classic, so I am not even agreeing with that statement anymore. There is a reason that over 180 nations attempt to qualify for the World Cup, and that is because there is no better sport in the World than soccer.

Well, let me introduce myself here. My name is Matthew Nelson, 59 years old, and I am from Loudon where I work as an investment banker. That is not an exciting topic of discussion, and I do look forward to retirement soon but I should have a few years left. I have always had the dream to follow and explore Newmanistan, and when we were named World Cup hosts, I knew immediately what I had to do. While some people were trying to get Rockets tickets, since we would actually be in the World Cup, I wanted to explore the Empire and take in as many soccer games as I possibly could. But it would not just be to attend Newmanistan games, but to go to see the greatest teams in the World. I didn’t know who I would get a chance to see, but I saw the schedule of stadium dates, and made my plans as quickly as possible. With our co-host being Drawkland, I thought about taking a portal trip, but I will move that down my bucket list for the future, after I retire.

This trip would not be accomplished with any plane or train rides, but simply by driving around. I love the open road, and would head to Jessicaville for the first game of my plan. This would be a matchday one tilt between Eura and Quebec. I had been to Jessicaville before, and like it is rumored it is a pretty interesting experience. There are more rich people there per capita than anywhere else in Newmanistan, so naturally, I had to check out some investment opportunities while I was there, or else my boss would be disappointed in me. I must thank my employer for allowing me the paid time leave for this vacation. I had quite a bit accumulated, but I was extended the offer of a little more as long as I bought him a souvenir from every city that I traveled to. That was pretty easy to do. The game was entertaining, as you would not expect anything less from Eura, who won. Eura Victor! Those fans are used to saying that, and most of them were a fun loving group. I was seated near much more of them than the Quebecois fans, as there were not as many in the section.

After Jessicaville, it was off to Pocono City, where I was seemingly following the schedule of the Quebec national team, as I would see them in action now against Kelssek. Being on the road, I had to make my travel logical, and Pocono City was the best spot after Jessicaville. I have been here on many occasions, but this was my first time at Emperor Michael I Stadium. Therefore, I did not really do any sightseeing, but did go on a stadium tour the day prior to the match. There is a lot of history here, as you would imagine. I know it is not the Proving Grounds, but it was a fun place to be. The game was entertaining, ending 3-2 in favor of Kelssek. You could sense that Kelssek vs Quebec could be a fun rivalry between the countries based on certain aspects of their nation. With this result, perhaps I was a bad luck charm for the Quebec side.

After Pocono City, I had a few options, with the closest stadium to travel to being the Proving Grounds, but I figured I would catch up with that later in the tournament. Instead, I chose a little longer drive out to Centralia, a place that I had never been too. This is a great city with plenty of reason to like it, but it is not often a tourist hub. As such, I always had it as a “maybe” on my travel bucket list, but with it fitting in nicely here for the World Cup, it was moved up my list. And wow, did I get a great match to watch as I would see the Elves of Valanora against Reçueçn. What more is there to say about Valanora, as they are the greatest soccer nation in the history of the world. Sorry, Starblaydia. Sorry, Vilita. They’ve won five World Cups, but have a level of sustained success year after year with no time away in the meantime. Every year, including this year in World Cup 87, Valanora is a major threat to win their sixth title. In their way, Reçueçn, a much different nation in terms of longevity, but with an impressive level of success in their short time of always making it to the World Cup. I was grateful I purchased tickets in advance at Centralia’s Firepit, because this place was burning with excitement. There was only one goal in the game, from Valanora, but it was enjoyable. It was nice to sit back and watch someone like Laborious Hawk as a neutral fan and not to have to root against him.

Now, it was on to the knockouts, and I would either have to go to a city I was already at, or Tundra Falls (which I was saving to the end), or make the long, long drive to Olympia. Thankfully, I would share the driving with my wife, who was just as excited about this trip. (She is retired, so did not have to take any time off). So, it was off to the northwest to visit another place that I had never seen. It was also nice to make the drive from Centralia to Olympia, seeing countryside en route that I would not be likely to see again. Once in Olympia, I had to rest, so there was not a lot of sightseeing. I will still have to make a trip out here for those purposes, but I certainly had the chance to see an amazing game: Valanora against Eura! Yes, I had already seen these two nations play separately, but to go head to head as two powers in the round of sixteen, this was an incredible opportunity and very much worth the drive that I had made. It was a great game, won by Valanora, 2-1.

We had to leave pretty much immediately after the game, because the next drive would be even longer than the Centralia to Olympia drive. This would be a trip down south to Southport, and oy vey, what a trek that was. There were only two games left, and the other was in my hometown of Loudon, so it was Southport or no-port. I had been to the Southport area before for a World Baseball Classic match, and to spend some time on the beach. It was a little different to see Keisler Stadium set up for soccer, but they did a tremendous job with the field to make it look perfect. Due to the drive, there was no time for sightseeing, but that was okay since I had done that before. There are always things to do here, though, so it would have been nice to have had more time. The match here was between Mriin and Farfadillis, the two nations who had just co-hosted World Cup 85 together. While the countries worked great together to put on this job, this match had the potential to be fierce with so much on the line. Mriin had just eliminated the Rockets to get here, which was a little disappointing for me since it would have been a thrill to see them while on this trip but I had made the plan from the get go that this would be about the experience, and not about just seeing the Rockets. Of course, I had watched all of their games, too, however I could. As for this game, it was another thriller, a 3-2 win for the Favres.

After this, going to the semifinal in Pocono City would have been a real long drive, so we decided to just go to Tundra Falls. This is where we thought about taking a portal trip to Drawkland, and maybe we should have because that Nephara vs Cassadaigua game was a great one. But, I am not sure if we could have made that work, and both of those fanbases probably got all the tickets already, so we decided to just stay on our planet and watch the two semifinals games from the Proving Grounds. I took a tour of the facility, something that I had always wanted to do, and that gave great insight as to so much that has happened there. Now, I would enjoy the eventual final, a 3-2 win for Banija. So proud of the Banijans on their title. Both sides had great people to talk about the great game with. Maybe one day, I can visit both of those places a little more.

In World Cup 87, I am back to watching qualifying games. But that’s ok. For all of the fans in Taeshan and Ethane, take full advantage of your chance to take in great soccer from everyone that is taking part!

World Cup 87 - RP Thread

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