World Cup 87 - RP Thread

[Starblaydia]

Craziness Encouraged
An Unofficial History of the NationStates World Cup

Episode 2: "Those Halcyon Days" (11m 18s)

Simeone Di Bradini (or at least a cartoon avatar thereof) covers the earliest history of the World Cup, from the 1st to 11th editions. What actually happened back then?

[Garbelia]

Despite no actual football news, Gero Tisza bringing the return of attack, in a +3 4-5-1 formation is cheering the residents of Garbelia. Aside from that, apart from a new viral 'Cute Otter Cubs' video, no news in Garbelia.


The cubs are very cute....


View from Venjolath Road will be broadcast on both radio and television daily until the end of the WC Qualifiers, and will be available as a podcast afterwards. Tomorrow, we bring you a commemorative package of our qualifying journey so far. View from Venjolath Road is being released in podcast form in 3 days, available on Otterfy and Otterspot podcast providers.

[Lorrana]

World Cup Qualifying: Half-Way Point

Yuezhou
Lorrana lost to Yuezhou in the first leg, but given that Yuezhou has only one more win than Lorrana, I'd say we have a small chance.

Prediction: loss

Mexi Catcha

Mexi Catcha is in last place, with only one point from a draw against The Grearish Union. It's safe to say Lorrana will probably win again

Prediction: win

The Grearish Union

The Grearish Union has had similar results to Yuezhou during this tournament, but they are only just ahead of Lorrana. Despite losing in the first leg, Lorrana might be able to salvage a point.

Prediction: draw

Starblaydia

Lorrana put up a decent fight against this top-tier team, but ultimately they probably won't have much of a chance, considering how good the Starblaydian team is. They are in second place currently with 7 wins.

Prediction: loss

Transvolcanic

Transvolcanic is a middle-level team who had a lot of success in the first half of the tournament. Given their success this tournament, we can expect that they will win.

Prediction: loss

Equestria

In first place in Group 12 currently, Equestria is on fire right now, with no losses.

Prediction: loss

Beepee

Lorrana tied with Beepee in the first leg, which was arguably a lucky result. However, Lorrana might be able to get another draw.

Prediction: draw

Omerica

Omerica is in third place, and similarly to Equestria and Starblaydia, Lorrana doesn't really stand a chance

Prediction: loss

Darkmania

The first leg match against Darkmania was a bit chaotic, but Darkmania emerged as the clear winners. With 4 wins in the first half, it's safe to say that they can comfortably beat Lorrana

Prediction: loss

Current Group 12 Standings

Group 12                                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Equestria                              9    7   2   0    27    8  +19    23
 2 Starblaydia                            9    7   1   1    27   12  +15    22
 3 Omerica                                9    5   3   1    23   15   +8    18
 4 Darkmania                              9    4   3   2    23   19   +4    15
 5 Transvolcanic                          9    4   1   4    18   25   −7    13
 6 Beepee                                 9    2   5   2    15   15    0    11
 7 Yuezhou                                9    2   3   4    16   19   −3     9
 8 The Grearish Union                     9    2   2   5    12   19   −7     8
 9 Lorrana                                9    1   1   7    17   24   −7     4
10 Mexi Catcha                            9    0   1   8     5   27  −22     1

[Mercedini]

---

With the tenth anniversary season of the Mercedinian Premier League soon to be upon us following the conclusion of the World Cup, we thought we would look ahead to the very special MPLX season, outlining what is at stake, who is in contention, and what to expect from the domestic Mercedinian football experience. As always, sixteen teams will compete to stay in the top tier, and potentially fight for Mercedini's allocated IFCF spots which will be decided and announced in the coming days. Last season, Mercedini had 2 Champion's League spots plus 3 in the Challenger's Cup (for a total of five), but that is at risk following a series of lacklustre performances and results from qualified teams in previous seasons. The league's bottom two will be relegated, while the third lowest ranked side in the MPL will play the third ranked side of National League 1 over two home/away legs, with the aggregate winner over the two legs earning the final spot in next season's Premier League.

For the tenth season, the MPL has had a bit of a rebrand, and is now represented by a swallow as the league's mascot. The league's officials have looked to move away from it's nationalistic view (with the blue and black colours), and wanted to build a more global brand that domestic and international fans can recognise. Dini has become an ever-present member nation of the IFCF since it's inception, and has been the home to many memorable moments in season's past. Mercedinian clubs have flexed their financial muscles more recently, but with little effect, although the general mantra around sustainability is a key theme for the league, as clubs try to grow their fanbases and their trophy cabinet without spending beyond their means.

The league system is getting more competitive every season with teams in National League 1 vying for promotion at the nation's top table. Meteoric rises up the table have been witnessed (like Ali Mercedes), but for others, like Zoloroni Park, it has been a long wait to get out of the lower tiers and into the big time. Last season, Alton Swifts overcame Plympton Town to ensure a hattrick of new sides would grace the Premier League, with AFC Langtree and the aforementioned Zoloroni Park joining the Swifts for this upcoming season. We will give you an overview of all the runners and riders in the league, and who will represent the league and the nation on the world stage.

The Major Contenders



From Left to Right: Ali Mercedes Carassai, Blue Strike Zoloroni, Elspachia, Langtree United, and Zoloroni City

The MPL is regularly outlined by the same dominant teams with large fanbases and equally large bank accounts, and in the ten seasons or so that the league has existed, little has changed in that department. Teams have dropped off from this group in the past and very rarely recovered, and only the select few are able to work their way up into this title-chasing group from obscurity. The most successful club in the land, Zoloroni City, are always firmly in the fray, with their team of domestic stars and international juggernauts. Their deep pockets have been able to dig them out of a hole to revitalise their seasons and their style of attacking football. With all the new variables this time around, and the fact that they are hungry for their title back, it's likely we could see another title chase for the Cityzens.

Their main nemeses in Elspachia and Langtree United will also be hunting for another title and a Champion's League berth, after both have been relegated to fight for the Challenger's Cup in recent seasons. Despite having a topsy-turvy results domestically, the IFCF has been fertile ground for the Lumberjacks, sending Langtree United through to the Challenger's Cup Round of 16, the nation deepest run in any IFCF tournament to date. For Elspachia, they have been developing their own talent on a shoestring budget, and have saved enough to develop their academy side and move to a larger stadium thanks to their riches earnt on their run to the Champion's League Group Stage. Their domestic form has taken a dip, and they not be challenging wholeheartedly for the top of the three, although a CL or CC spot is not out of reach by any means.

Now, onto the new challengers which have risen up the ranks and put themselves firmly in the conversation for their own MPL title. Blue Strike Zoloroni, current defending champions, may not go into this season as favourites thanks to their static action in the transfer window, but the funds they have amassed from that triumph will certainly go some way to paying back the rather sizable investment made by their corporate owners. Now, they want to expand their horizons abroad and develop a Blue Strike network of clubs to help not just the Mercedinian sides, but partnered teams across the multiverse. For Ali Mercedes Carassai, they grabbed a Challenger's Cup spot at the first time of asking, and as a new side, they have certainly made a splash, both in terms of financials and it's terms of sporting success. Their next endeavour will be the one that matters, where the team will juggle both league and IFCF endeavours, and combine that with second-season-syndrome which many teams suffer with, it could be a tricky season to navigate. For both of these teams, it will generally come down to whether their new teams can juggle multiple tournaments all at once, and keep up their streak of upsetting the establishment once again.

The Outsiders



From Left to Right: Acoflosa United, Dynamo Shebchetsik, Orga City, Hoventon & Corlington Town, and Zoloroni Metropolian

Outside of the domestic juggernauts are those teams which have had good runs in the past, but have struggled to live up to those expectations in recent seasons. They are still doing more than enough to get by, but they are just missing that cutting edge for one reason or another. All of these teams have claimed international spots in either the UICA or IFCF tournaments before, and they could still upset the odds and claim either a IFCF spot or claim a spot in one of the IAC-affiliated tournaments if the squad digs deep enough to grind out results.

Acoflosa United have always threatened but never seem to see their challenge through to the very end, which has cost them. Whether it's giving up an IFCF spot at the death, or throwing way a great MFA Cup run to a lower league team, they always find a way to screw it up. Granted, their team isn't the most developed since they always seem to pick up rejects from other teams, but they have the fan base and the squad potential to put the elements of a decent season together, be that in the league or in the cup. They aren't at any risk of being relegated, so they can experiment around with the team style to find the formula which works for them.

Again, the icy northern city of Shebchetsik has always threatened to become a top tier side in the nation, although politics and financial mismanagement has limited the team's growth through the years in Mercedini. They were the original Ali Mercedes, getting promoted to the top tier and earning a respectable fourth place in their debut MPL season, earning a spot in the Globe Cup at the first time of asking. Arguably having the largest fanbase, is ironically is it's biggest downfall, with many fans from the Shebnatsiya Nationalist community, who want the region independent from the rest of the Mercedinian state. This has meant high-profile domestic transfers have fallen through, leaving the club stuck at the crossroads of pleasing the fans with politics and pleasing them with success (even if the club represents a nation they don't want to be a part of). Two competing ideals have left the club with mid-table status, with brief flutters of brilliance which carries them towards the top.

Orga City is the closest of the above teams to have earned an IFCF in recent seasons, claiming sixth place last season and earning themselves a spot in the IAC's TdC. While a more lucrative international spot was out of reach last season, their determination towards the end of the season kept them in the hunt for a top five finish, which proves that Orga can grind out results even if the end result seems lost. The international experience that the club will receive is priceless, even if the opposition is lesser than those experience by the Zoloronis and Langtrees of the world. One extra place will do it, and provided they can keep themselves within touching distance and keep squad fatigue at a minimum, they are in with as good of a chance as anyone.

Zoloroni Metropolitan and Hoventon & Corlington Town were the original financial superpowers of the league before the new breed of teams came in with the league's inception. The two clubs hold the incoming and outgoing transfer records respectively. Zoloroni Met bought in Nephara's Lukas Rashford to lead them to victory in the opening three seasons, but have stagnated significantly since that moment of greatness, to the point where they risked relegation last season. For Hoventon, after they sold homegrown superstar Ben Chillotov for a league record fee, they seemed to put that money away to secure the club's future rather than splashing it on new players to help their fight for an international spot. Following a couple of MFA Cup wins, they got a taste of international football to test themselves, but the club is heavily focused on growing their youth academy to find another starlet to sell on at a premium. Both clubs have potential if they add to their current squads, although their stagnation is only setting them further and further back against their rivals each season.

The New Arrivals



From Left to Right: AFC Langtree, Alton Swifts, and Zoloroni Park

We round out our preview with the fresh meat who will try their luck at the big time, some after a long absence, some on their debut. AFC Langtree will be the biggest name of the three, after the club were part of the original Langtree derby against United, but were relegated after five seasons in the Prem, to the second division where the club stayed for what seemed like an eternity. They jumped back into the top tier following a second place finish in National League 1 last season, and their fans were quick to mention the reignition of the Langtree derby, as well as other rivalries with founder clubs of the Premier League. While they come to the league with a new look squad, they fought hard to get out of the league and would not want to fall straight back down into the dogfight which is the second tier.

Next up was Alton Swifts, who won their spot in the MPL in dramatic fashion, with three late goals in the pro-rel playoff second leg to send the Swifts up to the MPL and send long time Premier League stalwarts Plympton Town down. Likewise with AFC Langtree, Alton Swifts were a founder club of the Premier League but were immediately sent back down to NL1 where they stayed ever since. The club found their home in the second division where they treaded water for a long while (with a couple of cup runs sprinkled in), but their main push came this season, and they made it the hard way with that playoff win. The squad is probably the weakest in the league, which means it could be a straight-in and straight-out affair for the southern club.

Finally, the most exciting club to grace the league this season, and that is Zoloroni Park. It will ensure that a quarter (4/16) of the league consists of clubs from the capital, with the Capital Park side completely rolling the National League last season, finishing eighteen points clear of second place with twenty four wins and eight draws out of thirty eight games. That margin of victory, combined with their status as a debutant club, means that this could be the club's defining moment. Their squad, while lacking superstars, is clearly greater than the sum of it's parts, taking on clubs with better players and deeper pockets, and swatting them aside. This is the great unknown of next season, and we will see how these players fair when on the big stage, playing teams which have international experience and state-of-the-art training facilites. The team started off in the nation's third tier, and slowly built a sleeping giant under the shadow of City, Metropolitan, and Blue Strike. All three teams will take part in the SBCC, but their eyes will be on consolidating their Premier League positions.

---

That's it for our preview for the upcoming Mercedinian Premier League season. Lots of stories and memories will be written and developed over the course of thirty games, and after all of that we will see who goes to the IFCF and who is left to drift into the second-tier. The international transfer window is closed, but the domestic one remains open for a couple of weeks, will there be any last minute moves? You can view all of the coverage over at mercedinisportsdaily.co.md to see all of the results in Mercedini. See ya!

[Balqia]

— Well, it could’ve been worse…
Said Zanos while trying to grab his nose with his hand. The Vice-Manager didn’t seem to agree, maybe her face was neutral, with the lips paralyzed in a straight line and the eyebrows frozen in an arch, but he could see the anger deep down in her eyes.
— No, it couldn’t! — Lena’s voice trembled, barely avoiding a yell. — We had to deploy Sugarcane, for God’s sake! You know the length of the letter the Minister sent me? — She pointed to her cellphone with a .pdf in the screen. — More than two hundred pages! He sent me that one hour after the match ended! No one writes so much in one hour!
Miklos, Sugargane’s interpreter, tried to calm her down, but was silenced by the Vice-Manager’s furious look. The horse was the only calm “person” there, looking around with her big black eyes, still wearing the improvised uniform specially made for her.
— If you just accepted that I am better punching than catching nothing would’ve happened.
Andrev smiled, knowing she couldn’t do anything to him.
— If we had an actual Goalkeeper… — She sighed. — You are here as a last resource, know that. If the Football season wasn’t on course when the Minister assembled the Team we would have a professional and handsome goalkeeper that wouldn’t break his hands.
She was talking to herself more than to the three in her front. All of this stress was due to Andrev finally listening to the coach and grabbing a ball. In the end he was right, he was better at punching. After barely ten minutes in the field he was sent to the hospital, injured by a kick that ended up breaking some fingers and damaging his wrists.
— Sugarcane is very sad by your words. — Miklos intervened. — She is a professional player and did a very good job against Zeta Reka!
The horse didn’t even moved it’s mouth, but the interpreter was eager to prove that a horse was, in fact, a good goalkeeper. If the Zeta Reka Team didn’t managed to score more, like Tikariot, with it’s six goals, it was due to enormous pressure put on the team to avoid any and all offensives, even if that meant abandoning any hope of scoring. Topolin was the greatest opponent of this strategy, but after a the first goal he surrendered to his peers and helped with the defense.
— Shut up, just shut up. — Lena said, pressing her eyes with her fingers. — This didn’t blew up in the press only because no one watches our matches, if we were more famous our Team would become an international joke, or worse!
— My mother always watch when I play!
Protested Zanos, raising his fist.
— Mine too! — Said Miklos. — I mean, Sugarcane’s too!
Lena was about to punch them when Seroviq entered the room with his eyes red and his beard growing wild.
— I’m sorry for being late. Did I miss something?
— No, dear, please sit down. — Lena changed her toe immediately, pointing to a chair with a bright smile. — So, I was explaining to them why it’s of utmost need that Andrev’s hands heal soon.
— Oh, don’t worry, I will just send Sugarcane.
The coach replied, causing a surprised reaction from both the goalkeeper and the Vice-Manager.
— What? Are you insane? We are going to…
— We are going to lose some matches and win others, nothing new. — Seroviq interupted Lena, taking a suspicious bottle from his pocket and drinking it without excitation. — We never classified and no one is expecting that, in fact. You should just calm down, no one died because of the World Cup… except for that one guy from the first one, but that doesn’t count.
With that he took another sip from the bottle. His three peers stood silent, looking at him as a visitor look to a strange painting in a museum that he entered by accident.
— So… you don’t have any hope in classifying?
— Sweetie, hope is an unknown word for me.
He replied immediately.
— B-but the Minister…
Lena was left without words.
— He just needs an excuse to be in his office. — The coach stood up again, staggering. — Trust me, no one cares, just relax.
And with that he left the room, leaving behind three clueless humans and one horse.

[Ko-oren]

Atop group 15 alongside Quebec - the nation that could be considered bordering us if it weren't for the pesky Salamantic in between us - the one remaining game in the first half of qualifying was exactly versus them. The winner would take a definitive lead in the group, a draw would postpone judgment until later in this cycle. A draw would also mean that the teams in third and beyond have a chance to catch up. Not catch up completely, Quebec and Ko-oren have a four-point cushion, but the Blouman Empire, the Sarian, and Sylestone can easily jump on the opportunity with a win of their own.

Not that all three could win to get closer to the top 2: Sylestone and the Sarian were scheduled to play each other as well.

The Blouman Empire did their duty by defeating the Crystalline Caverns 4-2. A good victory, but not a great game from a Ko-orenite point of view. Conceding two goals in a win is as pyrrhic as it gets. You won, but at what cost? Sylestone hosted the Sarian in a 2-1 win for the Sentients (also nicknamed the Appliances) so they and the Blouman Empire put some pressure on the northwestern Atlantian Oceanian diarchy.

And then, all eyes are on the #1 vs #2, the Dragonflies versus the Grim Reapers. Two teams that are much alike in always trying to punch above their weight to get to the World Cup (the Dragonflies still not exactly being used to their top 20 rank), but completely opposite in their view of how the game should be enjoyed. Our renowned defence versus their stellar attack - a battle for the Salamantic, a battle to decide whether defensive or offensive football wins out in the end.

And much like how that last debate rages on ceaselessly, even Margaret couldn't decide what to make of it. At 2-2, both teams got a point and lost ground to the teams in third and fourth place. Neither team was happy with the result, but both teams were relieved they didn't have to step off the pitch with a loss. Kang, as expected playing a key role in Quebec's two goals, commented that she was content with her own performance but not with the team's as a whole. Going against Huitema-Omeasoo's captain-like, professional, constructive criticism, Kang was a lot more outspoken about missing chances, and wasn't afraid to call out her colleagues for being more than a little inaccurate in front of Theshendan. Mancosu, heralded as the do-it-all striker for the Quebecois, missed a sitter with just Breukelaar guarding the goal line after a rash rush by the goalkeeper. Breukelaar, hands on his back, made a key sliding tackle into the far post, guiding the ball to a corner. The Pradera FC striker then also had a few opportunities from further out, but couldn't get anything on target. Both Quebecois goals were scored in the first half, by Huitema-Omeasoo herself, and a header by Borges Jr. Going up 2-0 after 30 minutes, the Dragonflies were slow to respond and only found their groove in the second half, as the Grim Reapers left possession to the Green and Blue. Still a little disorganised, the Ko-orenites sent the ball forward for Vaugrenard and Erisia to deal with using their individual qualities, which worked once to get us the vital 2-1: still a deficit, but with it came hope for a second goal. Raeff had to guard both a player and a passing lane, guessed wrong, and Vaugrenard put Erisia one-on-one with Okello. The Hoima Warriors goalie did everything by the book, but Erisia's finish into the top near corner was unstoppable. Erisia later added a second goal from a low cross into the box by Batchelor, in behind Raeff and Manitopeyes, surprising Okello again.

The comeback goals were deserved given the rest of the match, though Ko-oren could never really penetrate Quebec's box aside from these two moments. Accuracy is the one thing our strikers are judged on, and they didn't disappoint. Comments from the Ko-orenite players were a bit more positive: after all, they came back from a two-goal deficit instead of giving away the 'most dangerous lead'. Parrott, captain for the day, was not happy about the first half at all, and was alright with it ending in two Quebecois goals (it could have been far worse) but was beyond proud of the team for fighting back. It did take a halftime substitution, taking off Wickham for Watanuki, who positioned himself a bit further up the field, disrupting the Grim Reapers' passing lane defence.

Somehow going into the second half of qualification in first place of the group, the Dragonflies have a huge task to defend the fragile lead and qualify for a fifth straight World Cup - which would be the best ever streak - and maybe take a shot at our first quarterfinal appearance ever. The target for this cycle is to get into the Hall of Fame, which is on the table as long as there are no surprise World Cup wins from teams below us. Before all that, there are still nine games to go, with the last two against some very tough opponents. In fact, round 18 might be for the marbles, with Quebec and Ko-oren probably in contention for the direct qualification spot until the very end.

[Sylestone]

Matchday Eight
With Sylestone in strife in sixth place in Group 15, every single player and fan knew that a win away against Simulland was a must if they were to get their act together and qualify. Simulland is regarded as one of the weakest sides in the competition, but Sylestone, in a run of bad form, needed to win. And win they did. It might've only been 2-0, but there were signs that the Sentients were just, once again, finding their best form. They are now back in fifth and looking to push themselves even higher.
As Sylestone walked out onto the pitch to kick off, they were alarmed as they watched eleven little fragments of air begin to shimmer inconsistently. Slowly, the shimmering began to take form as eleven toilets eventually appeared out of thin air, literally. This sparked an outrage from the real Toilet, but he quickly got over it as he took his anger out on the game.
The Mixer, still recovering from his injury, was on the bench as a substitute for the game. This provided what should have been a significant gap in Sylestone's forward line, but it wasn't to be. The AC Vent was a reliable backup and proved it immediately. With four or five toilets surrounding him trying to take the ball from him, he dribbled it between them and crossed it into the Tumble Dryer. The goalkeeper saved the ball, but it was an excellent display of skills from the fill-in forward.
In the 32nd minute of the match, one of Simulland's players had the ball when he glitched out and came back right inside the Brick Wall. The two players got very confused, but the Sylestonean came to his senses first and booted the ball away from the goal, which had dropped a metre or so in front of the line.
Sylestone's first goal came seven minutes later when the goalkeeper glitched out just as the Tumble Dryer was about to shoot at the goal. The Simulland players weren't prepared for it and the Tumble Dryer shot it over their heads and into the back of the net. The goalkeeper, spawning on the left-wing, simply shook his head in disgust. Of all the worst possible luck.
After half-time, Sylestone was in on goal, but one of Simulland's toilets sprayed water at the ball, dragging it off course with the force of pure liquid. The Toilet, in the background, was seen taking notes but hasn't had the chance to use them yet.
The game dragged on with the score still at 1-0 in favour of the away side, but that eventually changed in the 83rd minute. The Mixer came back on in place of the AC Vent seven minutes before and had changed the attitude of the Sylestone side. They began a solid build-up and finally scored again after the Mixer crossed the ball into the Tumble Dryer, who slotted it in. With seven minutes left, Sylestone were 2-0 up and the game was effectively over.
Simulland tried their hardest, but they simply weren't good enough. They had a couple of decent chances, but neither could be finished off. So Sylestone won, and moved back into fifth.

SIMULLAND - 0

SYLESTONE - 2
Tumble Dryer 38', 83'

Matchday Nine
What a game. What a win. Sylestone have now extended their win streak to three games - against PSTCT, Simulland and now 42nd ranked and Pot 2 side The Sarian. The win meant Sylestone was officially noted as a threat by the better sides in the group as they moved up into fourth place. A few good games and some good luck could put the Sentients well in contention for the World Cup proper.
The Sarian kicked off, but it was Sylestone that had the first shot at goal. The Tumble Dryer wound up and flung the ball at Saari goalkeeper Lex Horn, but the ball was harmlessly cradled and play continued.
The Sarian got their first chance with a corner in the 17th minute, taken by experienced forward Lach Houten. he hit a beautiful curving ball, that just managed to sneak into around the post and into the goal. The Sarian went 1-0 up and they were dominating like they were tipped to.
But not for long. In the 42nd minute, a long build-up of play led to a penalty as the Bar Stool was fouled after a slide tackle went wrong by Saari defender Henri Brejzun. The Fridge took it, and slotted it in with ease to equalise.
After half-time, a series of possible chances for either side came and went, but none were converted as time wore down. In the 71st minute, the Saari had another chance but Houten completely fucked it up (oops).
Finally, in the 78th minute, the underdogs finally went 2-1 up after a beautiful assist from the Bar Stool meant that all the MIxer had to do was get past Horn in goals. And he did, to perfection.
Despite multiple opportunities, the Sarian just couldn't break through as Sylestone recorded one of their best ever wins, up there with the one over Sargossa in the Cup of Harmony. They are now in fourth place after the first leg and in with a very outside chance of qualification. Next up are North Alezia and Legalese, two probable and required wins.

SYLESTONE - 2
Fridge 42’ (p)
Mixer 78’

THE SARIAN - 1
Houten 17’

[Busoga Islands]

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

Where do we stand? Analyzing World Cup Qualifying Group 3 at the halfway mark of Qualifying


Busoga Islander players celebrate the game-winning goal against Havynwilde on Matchday 9 of World Cup Qualifying

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLANDS- It's the halfway mark in World Cup Qualifying. Time for a good long break- for the fans, and for the players. People will take a look at the standings and wonder, what is going on? Some nations are in shock- nations like Nephara, who have played in the last two World Cup Finals, are currently outside of a qualifying spot right now, although you'd still be foolish to put money on anything other than them making it to Ethane and Taeshan. Our own mode, we are rating them at above an 85% chance of Qualifying, and a 70% chance of winning their group. Then, of course, we have nations that are over the moon about their performance- nations like Trolleborg and Tikariot, who have both put on shockingly dominant displays so far, leaving their groupmates spinning and taking betting houses for a ride.

It's always a fun time to take a state of the race. But there is still half the campaign to go. And while everybody's played everyone once, this stage can tell us a lot- but sometimes, it can tell us a little. World Cup 80 Qualifying- the Banijans were in 8th place out of 10 at the halfway mark, and fired their manager. They ended up in 3rd place, won their two-legged playoff against Mercedini, and qualified for the Finals. Let's use a bigger example, shall we? In World Cup 86 Qualifying, 11 of the teams who were in the top 2 at the halfway mark did not finish top 2, although all 18 group leaders at the halfway mark ended up qualifying for the World Cup Finals, either automatically or via the playoffs.

What does that tell you? That tells you two things. One, past performance is a fairly good indicator of future performance. A team like Cassadaigua, four points clear of the rest of the group right now, has by no means wrapped things up, but is also unlikely to go on, say, like a 3 or 4 game losing streak in the middle of Qualifying. But that also tells you that there is plenty of room for volatility in the standings. Everybody is aiming for top 2- group winners, plus a couple of 2nd place teams, go to the Finals directly, while the rest of the runner-ups make the Qualification playoffs.

So we're going to go through our group, and based on the table, we're going to rank teams- who's still got a shot, who doesnt' have one, what will the 2nd half of Qualifying look like?

Almost guaranteed to go through- Cassadaigua

This is a surprise to nobody. Our group had the #4 team in the multiverse, and the next highest ranked team in the group is 41st. It woudl have been absolutely foolish money to say anything else, and so far, they have shown it. They've got a pair of S-FPL players playing excellently for them, as Madison McClain(Jinja City FC) and Meghan Walcott(Herzegovina City FC) light it up for the Fillies. THey are four points ahead of the pack right now, and they have talent level and consistency to see this through without much trouble. It would be a stunning upset if they didn't win the group with games to spare, and it would be an upset of astronomical proportions if they missed the Finals entirely.

Primary contenders for the runner-up spot- TJUN-ia, Busoga Islands, Acronius

The second place team is likely to go the Playoff, and here we find the Pot 3, Pot 4, and Pot 5 teams in the group. Only 2 points separate 4th place Acronius from 2nd place TJUN-ia, and our own nation, the Busoga Islands, sits right in between. This stretch of matches right is a key three game homestand for our national team. We won the first part of it, dropping Havynwilde 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Kamu Jacobs on Matchday 9. But we've got two key home games coming up in our next two matches against these contenders, TJUN-ia and Acronius.

We, of course, pulled off the upset away from home by beating the Jaguars, 3-1, in TJUN-ia City. But they'll be looking for revenge. They are just a point ahead of us, and both teams will be looking for a win to launch themselves forward into the 2nd half of World Cup Qualifying. And right after that game, we got another big time matchup against Acronius. The Pot 5 team, they've performed above expectations, and are right in the thick of the race. Acronius dropped us 1-0 in a tight, physical matchup on Matchday 2 in Acronius, and we'll be looking for revenge in front of our own fans.

That'll be 3 home games in a row. Every good World Cup Qualification campaign starts with protecting your home field. Bethany Donnell knows that, and the Islanders must look to protect our own home field advantage in these games, that will be played now but whose results will loom larger and larger as the opportunities left to climb back up the table shrink and fall.

Could get hot and go on a run- Flavovespia, Havynwilde

Although neither of these teams are where they want to be, they both know that things are far from over. They are too far out from where they want to be- but by no means are either team done. They pull off a couple of wins to start the QUalifying campaign, and they'll get right back in the thick of things. Now, we think it's rather unlikely for Havynwilde to do that- but they've got enough talent, at least on paper, to get hot at the right time and make a deep run. As for Flavovespia, they are much more likely to do something like that. They won their final two Qualifiers, and they of course are ranked higher than anybody but Cassadaigua.

Don't be surprised if Flavovespia find their way to the #2 spot. They're 5 points behind now, but there's certainly more than enough time left in Qualifying to make that gap up.

Better luck next time- Muralos, Central Shaneville, Hispinas, and Nacaltora

Nacaltora has 0 points through 9 games, as they stay chasing Banija's 0 point Qualifying cycle in World Cup 73. But none of these teams will make it to Taeshan and Ethane. Even Muralos. I know, we put Muralos behind Havynwilde in our ratings, even though Muralos is ahead of Havynwidle in the table. They've been a pleasant surprise. But they simply don't have the talent level to make up the gap between them and the true contenders.

As for Central Shaneville and Hispinas, neither are doing so hot. Central Shaneville has just 9 points at this juncture in time, while Hispinas has even less- just four points. Neither are making the World Cup Finals, both want to do whatever they can to make the Cup of Harmony. But that's in question at this stage.

Top 2 in each group- predictions

Predicting who will win a playoff tie is nearly nonsensical, considering the draws are random. But we'll predict the group winners, the top 3 runner-ups, and then the best 8 second place teams. You can check our work at the end of the Qualifying campaign!

Group 1
1st- Geektopia
2nd- Recuecn

Group 2
1st- Brenecia
2nd- Riena

Group 3
1st- Cassadaigua
2nd- TJUN-ia

Group 4
1st- Commonwealth of Baker Park
2nd- Vdara

Group 5
1st- Savojarna
2nd- Saint-Domingue

Group 6
1st- Turori
2nd- San Ortelio

Group 7
1st- Farfadillis
2nd- Squornshelan Remnant States

Group 8
1st- Audioslavia
2nd- Northwest Kalactin

Group 9
1st- South Covello
2nd- Nephara(a dominant showing by South Covello was not on the cards for Græntfjall... Unfortunate luck to the BoF 73 champions).

Group 10
1st- Chromatika
2nd- Drawkland

Group 11
1st- Valanora
2nd- Darmen

Group 12
1st- Starblaydia
2nd- Equestria

Group 13
1st- Banija
2nd- New Lusitania

Group 14
The tightest group... There's currently a three-way tie for first at 24 points a piece. Who will qualify from here?
1st- Mriin
2nd- Astograth
Sorry Squornshelous... Better luck next time?

Group 15
1st- Independent Athletes of Quebec
2nd- Ko-oren

Group 16
1st- Trolleborg
2nd- The Holy Empire

Group 17
1st- Vilita
2nd- Tikariot

Group 18
1st- Pasarga
2nd- Valladares

Group 19
1st- Siovanija & Teusland
2nd- Eura

Top 11 2nd place teams (aka the 2nd place teams that will qualify for the World Cup Finals)
Auto-Qualify
Tikariot
Astograth
Equestria

Playoff Winners
Eura
The Holy Empire
Ko-oren
Drawkland
Nephara
Recuecn
Vdara
Darmen

I'm sure the readership will check back in with us in a few weeks to tell us exactly where we were right, and exactly where we were wrong. But hey- at least we're bold enough to do actual predictions, eh?

[Krytenia]

Let's Go Round Again
By Rami Niblick in Emberton

HALFWAY through the group stage, and sadly, the same old narratives remain. Krytenia currently languish in fifth place in Group Seven, five points off a playoff spot. Clearly, things have to change; Paul Davis, at least, has proved that he is amenable to such a concept. So the question is this: what to the Dragons have to do to break through in the second half of qualifying?

Shake up the defence.
Ross Green, we love you, and you've done so much for the team, but it's time to move on. The trademark turn of pace is going, and though he can still gain a couple of yards through his reading of the game, he's just not the defender he used to be. It might be time to hand the number five jersey over to Half Six's second favourite Krytenian Ross Okano. Hell, Damien Carpenter wouldn't even need to learn a new name to yell at!

Don't be afraid to change it up tactically.
They say that the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Too often, Krytenia go into a game with the same old tactics, then seem shocked when their opposition seems to know exactly how to counter their threat. Gyatso-kai, for example, or the SRS. Davis has at least experimented with this - the six-two drubbing of Southwest Eastnorth is evidence that doing something different works - but it's still something we seem averse to doing. Players aren't stupid; they can adapt quickly to tactical changes. Let's rock the boat a bit, and see who ends up drowning in the pool.

For the love of <pick deity of choice here>, don't underestimate the opposition!
If we fall down and end up having to defend our Cup of Harmony title, the reasoning could be summed up quite fairly in six words: Socialist New Britain nil, Krytenia nil. Also, with no disrespect to two perfectly capable national teams, if we want to qualify we really should be playing at our best against the likes of Gyatso-kai and the SRS. Now we're probably going to have to get a win against Farfadillis to have a hope of qualifying. The worst thing is, this isn't a new problem. Look at Sulsuland. Rangers FC. Hell, we can go all the way back to Kipto-Mare back in the World Cups of over two centuries past for examples. We need to be beating the teams on the field that we have the better of on paper, or else we'll go from being "Krytenia, loses in semi-finals" to "Krytenia, this generation's Eastfield Lodge". We don't want to be Eastfield Lodge. Eastfield Lodge don't want to be Eastfield Lodge.

The second go around, thankfully, starts with a pair of home games. First, it's off to the shores of Lake Beck as Socialist New Britain come to Beckton's Orange Street ground - hopefully without winning a point this time - before an absolute six-pointer against the Squornshelan Remnant States in the capital. Two wins are an absolute must if the Dragons still want to dream of the big dance. Onward!

[Chartistan]

The Diary of Olisa Rodgers
1 week before Matchday 10 of World Cup Qualification - Chartistan vs Abanhfleft

Dear Diary,

I don't know when Doctor Lucas is going to pick up my calls. I did everything I told him to do in order to be considered for a role in his Chartistan set up - I got my driver's license on me since a couple weeks ago, I've been used to my car here in the streets of Billboard so much that I couldn't wait to go up to the Chartistani FA building, but every single time I cry on the way back home because he isn't around. They say Doctor Lucas is busy, but I know that he has already made up his mind.

Mama Coriel being injured in the Saint-Domingue game was the catalyst for my dreams to make the Chartistani national team. I knew I wanted to join the likes of Air Latte and Ivan Door and Little Exnash wearing the national team kit, and my skills before this proved it. I have potential in this world, but I know Doctor Lucas. I bet he's already with that blonde girl, she's older and has so much experience anyway... I knew my shot representing Chartistan was already down in the dumps. How, just tell me how am I supposed to do something else as an athlete? Am I even good enough for Greco-Roman Wrestling at the Olympics?

I know I'm not perfect, nobody is, but I have never felt this from anything in my life, even when trying to avoid fatal accidents throughout my life... I can't imagine how Lucas feels when he made his final choice, maybe I think he was wrong in judging players based on their songs... My shot is not coming ever, it's done... I'm forever an outcast of the Chartistani national team... He'll not choose me. I'm through with all of this!

No more pretty flights to Hafamarimet!
-Olisa Rodgers

---

As soon as Olisa finished her diary entry, she received a call... It was from Doctor Lucas Combbrush, the Chartistani national team manager. He just wanted Olisa to know one thing - He was happy with her making the national team. Filled with emotions, she would eventually agree, and would end up as the captain of the Chartistani national team for the games against Abanhfleft and Netop.

[Quemorr Isles]

Group A

Matchday 9
Riena 1–0 Damukuni
Vangaziland 0–1 Filindostan
South Covello 4–0 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
Hampton Island 1–0 Sylestone
Bongo Johnson 0–1 Newmanistan

Group A                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Newmanistan                     9    6   1   2    20   14   +6    19
 2 South Covello                   9    5   3   1    18    9   +9    18
 3 Hampton Island                  9    5   1   3    10    9   +1    16
 4 Damukuni                        9    4   3   2    15    9   +6    15
 5 Filindostan                     9    3   4   2     9    8   +1    13
 6 Riena                           9    3   4   2     6    5   +1    13
 7 Vangaziland                     9    3   3   3     8    9   −1    12
 8 Sylestone                       9    2   3   4    17   16   +1     9
 9 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom       9    2   2   5     9   14   −5     8
10 Bongo Johnson                   9    0   0   9     2   21  −19     0

Group B

Matchday 9
Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison 4–2 Tumbra
South Newlandia 3–1 The Grearish Union
Lisander 0–1 Vdara
Brenecia 2–3 Ancherion
Xanneria 2–0 Natanians and Nosts

Group B                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Brenecia                             9    7   0   2    30   14  +16    21
 2 Ancherion                            9    7   0   2    15    9   +6    21
 3 Lisander                             9    6   1   2    15    9   +6    19
 4 South Newlandia                      9    5   2   2    11    8   +3    17
 5 Vdara                                9    5   1   3    16   10   +6    16
 6 Xanneria                             9    5   0   4    24   19   +5    15
 7 The Grearish Union                   9    2   2   5    19   24   −5     8
 8 Natanians and Nosts                  9    2   2   5    10   19   −9     8
 9 Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison       9    2   0   7    13   20   −7     6
10 Tumbra                               9    0   0   9    11   32  −21     0

Game of the Day:
Probably Hampton Island vs Sylestone. The Pot 2 side was at home, and still only managed to dispose of Sylestone's Sentient Objects 1-0. The result puts them back up into third in Group A and slides Sylestone all the way down to eighth despite starting off with two wins. A notable mention here would be South Covello's 4-0 thrashing of up-and-coming Esportivan side Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom.

Upset of the Day:
Once again, Ancherion takes the cake. The surprise packets in Group B continued to surprise after handing Brenecia a 3-2 loss at their home ground on matchday nine. Ancherion are now in second place, equal on points with Pot 1's Brenecia and looking like favourites for qualification.

[Cassadaigua]

Halfway through,
By Chelsea Dufrense, Concord Heights Times

The 87th World Cup has reached its halfway point, and in a competitive Group 3, the Fillies are top with a record of 7-2-0. This puts them five points ahead of third place Busoga Islands, who earned a hard fought draw with us at Dagan Airways Stadium, with a gutsy goal in the stoppage time of the second half. The Busoga Islands, at times, look like they might be close to being a World Cup contender, but whenever they do, the next Cup-around they seem to falter. Right now is a good Cup for them, and we can expect them to be a threat. I mention them first, because having a point against us on Cassadagan turf makes them potentially more of a concern. The second place team is TJUN-ia, and the nation that most of us expected to be our biggest threat to winning the group. That’s not a slight on Pot 2’s Flavovespia, but more a measure of success to the Jags, perhaps because we have become so familiar with them in other sports. They’ve been great in the World Bowl (who can ever forget that wild ending the first time we met in the group stage), and are coming off a semifinal appearance in the World Baseball Classic. They have more NSSCRA wins this season (1-0) then we have managed. (Btw, what is going on with our NSSCRA teams? Ok, this isn’t the article for it!) Flavovespia has a great soccer team, but if we only see them in soccer and not other sports like we do TJUN-ia, then it’s always going to be a nation like TJUN-ia that gets our fans pumped up. Acronius can’t be ruled out, either.

I could go through and make my Group 3 predictions right now, but the Busoga Chronicle would just accuse me of stealing their ideas. So, read their prediction for it. That’s what I think too, almost to a tee. One difference is that we are never going to consider ourselves as clinched or safe until there is a “Q” next to our point total. Keep digging, and working hard, because when you are the top seed and the first place team, everyone is shooting for you. Overall, I am happy with the way we have played to this point. I am not sure that there is anyone on our roster that is greatly exceeding expectations, but everyone seems to be in line with them. 29 goals for and 12 against in nine games is steady production, game in, game out.

One thing that we have not talked about here is the Cup of Harmony bid. CASE is looking to co-host the competition for the third time, and the first time since the 73rd edition. It would be alongside Northwest Kalactin, a nation that has made recent strides to better their sports programs across the board. There is a competing bid which interestingly involves our World Cup 84 co-host, Baker Park; who will try to co-host with Tikariot. Taylor Connolly, the president of CASE admits that there has been “playful exchanges between us and our friends with Baker Park” about the Cup of Harmony. At the current time, these are the only two bids, but there is still time for more to be made before the World Cup Committee chooses. When asked why she wants to host the Cup of Harmony, Connolly stated, “We have seen so many great nations lately enter the fray, and it is always a joy to watch them on the field and to read the stories that surround them. It would be a great chance for our fans to see some great soccer on home turf and perhaps find teams to root for along the way!”

[Chromatika]

Matchay 8: Chromatika 4-1 Smosh Games @ Z'ai'ai Field, Z'ai'ai, Mountain District
CMT: Fillar, B. ('15), Non ('43), Kuznetsov ('85), Vidal ('90+1); SMG: Winger '48.
Starting XI: Alexander; Watt - Baugh - Ingram - Rowles; Humphreys - Larriet-Cortes - Croix-Pierre (C); Fillar, B.; Non - Thibodeaux.
Substitutes: Victoriane -> Humphreys ('60), Vidal -> Thibodeaux ('71), Kuznetsov -> Croix-Pierre ('83)

---

Matchday 9: Logana Fraza 1-4 Chromatika
LFR: Forward '4; CMT: Humphreys '18, Thibodeaux '52, Croix-Pierre '68, Andisori, B. '85
Starting XI: Alexander; Watt - Baugh - Ingram - Rowles; Humphreys - Larriet-Cortes - Croix-Pierre (C); Fillar, B.; Non - Thibodeaux.
Substitutes: Austic -> Rowles ('48), Kim, M.J. -> Fillar, B. ('63), Andisori, B. -> Non ('71)

Cruise control.

That was what the last two matches of the half were for the Chromatiks. Coupled with Drawkland's utter domination of Mavinet, it leaves the Chromatiks in a solid position, 21 points and only one point behind group-leading Drawkland.

The amazing thing about these two games was that with nine goals scored, nobody scored two. Whether it be Baillaire Fillar from the AM position, Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov and Andréa Croix-Pierre from the left wing, Augustus Humphreys from the right wing, or goals from Olimpia Vidal, Kristian Non, Ignace Thibodeaux, and Beaunia Andisori from the striker position, the Chromatiks scored from a variety of sources and scored often. Though Marseille Alexander conceded a goal in each match, the Chromatik net stood firm; Damon Ingram had a good showing as well.

Now, all the focus shifts to the next four Matches that will ultimately determine whether the Chromatiks will be looking back or looking ahead to finish the qualifying campaign. There are some massive matches ahead, beginning with a trip to Drawkland, hosting Devonta (the other loss this campaign so far), traveling to Eastfield Lodge, and ending with hosting Mavinet at the Captalizt Dome. The two matches at Chromatika's crown jewel have been sold out and record turnout is expected as the nation rallies behind their team to will them toward qualification. With a goals differential of +18 that leads the group, their chances seem rather bright - provided they don't let up.

With 30 goals scored - that's more than 3 goals per match and good for fifth best in qualifying up to this point - it won't be scoring that's the matter.

---

World Cup 87 Qualifiers, Part 6: The Interruption

So... Where had Celebrity Hauser and the being known as The Light gone off to?

Honestly, dear reader, they weren't even remotely aware of the time going by.

You see, time is a fluid thing by the best of standards, especially across planes. Did The Light know that where he was taking Celebrity was close to a temporal terminus? No. So, when all time around them began to slow down to the point where every minute where they were was equivalent to an hour, five days was more like... 120 minutes. Two hours.

Enough time for a lovely picnic by a waterfall, one of the suns glistening off the moisture, getting lost in conversation and in each other's eyes.

She found his mysteriousness charming. He found her very nature to be appealing. They could talk about everything yet nothing. Though they had never laid eyes on each other before, their connection was instantaneous and profound, absolutely magnetic yet easygoing.

If two beings were fated to be together, it was them, and they knew it from the very first minute.

They were sitting by a waterfall, enjoying each other's company when a being appeared near them, poised, ready for trouble.

It was The Light that reacted first, wings outstretched, one protecting Celebrity while his arms raised in defense.

"At ease," stated The Skilled, coming into the clearing, holding a spear yet not raising it, "Are you The Light?"

"Yes," answered The Light, recognizing The Skilled as the prominent figure in Enlightened society. "What can I do for you?"

The Skilled, bemused, shook his head. What a mistake to make in the first... date (?) between an Enlightened and a Chromatik.

"Are you aware that you and your companion, and therefore I, are close to a temporal terminus? It's been five days since you've brought her here, and her people are rather worried. I've received messages from The Hope after she was contacted by Keira Andisori," explained The Skilled.

The Light's face dropped as he understood the implications.

He looked down at his companion, who was utterly in shock and surprise.

"Five whole days? Oh my gosh! What would my parents think? Keira Andisori? The government?! Oh goodness, I'm in so much trouble," she lamented.

He put both hands on her shoulders, and looked directly at her.

"Our visit must end for now, Celebrity Hauser. However, I promise it won't be the last - I will contact you again once I've... tidied this over. Wii you wait for me?" he implored.

She took a few deep breathes, and replied, "Yes, I will. But we'll do it right next time, okay?"

As The Light nodded, The Skilled took out a small handheld ball to Celebrity Hauser.

"This will take you home," explained The Skilled, "Specifically to the main chambers of the Chromatik Assembly. I told them that if I found you, I'd send you there. Your parents and a few others will be waiting."

She took the ball and nodded in thanks. "How do I activate it?"

"Press the center three times," answered The Skilled, and then added, "Would you please do me a favor? Please let Premier Aart know that I will be in touch in... four hours and thirty-six minutes of your time to explain everything. Ask her to have Keira Andisori present if possible, former premier Krasnikova if not. Could you do that for me?"

"Yes," nodded Celebrity, "Anything to clear this up."

The Skilled nodded in agreement, and, with a tender look, Celebrity Hauser pushed the center of the ball three times, and blipped back to Chromatika.

"I am sorry," stated The Light, crestfallen.

"It was an honest mistake," answered The Skilled, "I came myself to make sure that there would be no misunderstanding. Both you and I have had our moments in the past, and I didn't want that to jade your current intentions."

The Light smiled at that.

"So... While I'm thinking about how to explain this to the Chromatiks, why don't you tell me about her?"

And with that, The Skilled led The Light from the temporal terminus back to the planes of the Enlightened, crisis averted for now.

---

Chromatik Team for WC 87 Qualifying - Matchday 10 @ Drawkland and Matchday 11 vs. United States of Devonta @ The Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District
Projected Starting XI: Ria; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Thorben - Armageddon (C) - Conrad; Mora; Vidal - Sierra.
Reserves: Fillar, J.; Chapman, Will, Ken, Pomeroy; Victoriane, Zuniga, Kuznetsov; Kuzami, Hauser, Non, Andisori, B.

[Sylestone]

The user behind Vdara has an unfortunate habit of not going to bed on time and there are a few of us who are trying to help him get to bed before some ridiculous hour in the morning.

"GoToSleep" is South Newlandia
"Country Roads Take Me Home" is Vdara

Sorry, Ethane, you're a good guy, you don't deserve this.

Personally, I 100% agree with this. That sure is where he belongs! He spends (or should be spending) one-third of his life there!


Typical Vdara. Trying to get out of it. At least he's doing something proactive.


Good move here, my friend. Give him time, let him do stuff, then act like the annoying parent. Keep it up.


WARNING: Rebellious child.


The point is certainly across now.


So he actually does have some brains. He didn't though. He went to sleep 15 minutes after results went up.


Lol.

END RESULT: failure

[Drawkland]

E X P I R E D ...

If you're not caught up on this whole "Elite Eleven" thing, feel free to read up on the literature ...

A Hint * A Tease * A Story * A Contradiction * A Roster

Elite 1 * Elite 2 * Elite 3 * Elite 4 * Elite 5 * Elite 6
Elite 7 * Elite 8 * Elite 9 * Elite 10 * Elite 11

Expired 1 * Expired 2 * Expired 3

The woman walked comfortably into the room. Once she noticed Nicole, her face lit up and she gave a small wave.

"Hello there! Welcome to my home!" She walked up to Nicole and offered her hand to shake. "I am Meliauden, wife of Iarocav, First Lady of Drawkland, and so on, and so forth. I'm sure you knew that already."

"Yes, thank you!" Nicole smiled and accepted her hand. "I'm Nicole Warren. One of the old Kick Corps players."

"Ah, I thought you looked familiar. Good to have you here! Let me apologize, I'm not dressed for company right now." Meliauden was wearing a tank top and sweatpants. Definitely loungewear for around the house. "If only somebody had, ahem, informed me we were going to have a guest tonight!" She send a pointed look towards Iarocav.

"My mistake!" Iarocav conceded. "I did set the appointment on my calendar though."

"Did you tell the staff that? I don't think any of the rooms are made up."

"Oh, thank you, but I'm not planning to stay the night." Nicole said quickly.

"Nonsense!" Meliauden replied. "It's nearly dark out, and I know you don't live anywhere near here. We'll let you stay the night in one of our guest rooms. Trust me, they aren't getting much use at the moment."

"I'll get right on that." Iarocav slid his bookshelf back into place, and then jogged out of the room.

"He forgot to tell the staff to prepare a guest room, so he'll be the one to handle it himself." Meliauden turned from Nicole to Lerocav. "As for you, dear son, I didn't know you'd be here either. Attempting to abscond with another of your father's books I see?"

"I wasn't going to take it!" Lerocav protested. "I was just in here for a read. In fact, I was just about to leave."

"Well, it was nice seeing you for a moment. You'll be here for dinner next week, right?"

"You know it. Oh, and it was nice meeting you Nicole," Lerocav turned to shake Nicole's hand again. "Good luck with your ... thing."

"What thing is that?" Meliauden asked with raised eyebrows. Lerocav replaced his book on the shelf and left the room with a wave.

"The reason I'm here." Nicole hesitated. She just realized she was alone with Meliauden. "I'm going on the Quest. The Undying Quest, I mean."

Meliauden nodded solemnly. "That's no easy decision. But you've made it this far, so I assume that you have your heart set on it."

"Well, I think I will." Nicole oozed uncertainty with every word. "I still have a lot of preparation to do. And I still might change my mind. It's strange because I felt so confident years ago when I first had the idea ... but it seems that every day I feel less and less confident about it."

"It's actually smart to have some caution. I have seen some people blaze through the Quest prep, thinking they have immortality in their palms, and they're never seen again. I'm not sure anybody who goes in without doubts comes back out alive."

"I'm not sure if that's comforting or discouraging."

"A bit of both, hopefully. What's more important is the intent behind your Quest. All those fools that go in with all the confidence in the world are doing it for their own glory, for personal gain. They have nobody in mind but themselves."

Nicole quickly shook her head. "That's not my intent at all. The thought of doing this at all hadn't crossed my mind until a few years ago."

"So what was this catalyst then?" Meliauden asked, sitting in the chair behind her.

Nicole awkwardly followed suit, sitting in the chair next to Meliauden's. "It was almost four years ago now. Me and some other old Corps members were hinted things about the Elite Eleven by Ellzidan. We did some investigations and eventually learned of their secret, their immortality. Along the way I accidentally started dating on of them, Mike Rodney, and I ended up falling in love."

"Falling in love with an immortal! I know how that feels."

The comprehension fell upon Nicole in an instant. Of course! Meliauden was Iarocav's wife, but she didn't meet him until well after he became immortal. "You must know exactly how this feels!"

"Something like that." Meliauden closed her eyes and reminisced. "Back in the days of my youth, Iarocav courted me, and I quickly fell in love. It was a little different from you, I imagine. Back in those days, pictures were hard to come by, mostly in paintings and such. You wouldn't see paintings often, though, if you were just a regular working person. I know of Iarocav, but he was simply a distant figure, someone you know by name but nothing more. He had kept his identity a secret from me when we first met, having only seen me incidentally. Apparently in the past he'd had trouble finding love because he was bombarded with ... how would you call it these days ... 'gold diggers.' He resolved many years before I was born that he would keep his identity a secret if he ever tried dating again.

"I'm still surprised at how he managed to keep such a secret. It wasn't until after a year of our relationship that he revealed his true self to me. It was ... jarring at first, but I understood why he did it. It didn't make me feel any differently about him, either. Of course, by then we were discussing marriage and all of that. Before he would propose, however, he did have several long talks about mortality with me. He was immortal, and I wasn't. He told me that he wouldn't propose to me unless I agreed to attempt the Undying Quest."

"I understand that feeling." Nicole said quietly. "I experienced the same thing. Well, sort of. Mike and I had been dating officially for about a year. Nothing too serious, but a real relationship. Eventually it was another of the Eleven, Jaxon Madison, who took me aside and told me the hard truth. Either I was going to have to break up with him soon, or come to terms with the fact that I am mortal and he isn't."

"He never mentioned the Quest?"

"No." Nicole confirmed. "I took that idea upon myself."

Meliauden appeared concerned. "Have you talked with your lover about it before? You said this was years ago."

"It was a decent amount of time ago. I haven't talked to Mike about it at all. I've tried a few times but he brushes it off. It's like he doesn't want to think about it. Jaxon was right in saying that Mike wouldn't be the one to ends things on this account. I think he's afraid to talk about anything surrounding this."

"Excuse me for this, but I don't like that at all. If he truly loves you then he should be willing to come to terms with this. Especially if you're going to go through with this. The maze and Quest are difficult enough alone. The help of a partner can be invaluable, especially one who's been through it before. You clearly need him enough to consider going through one of the most difficult gauntlets of all the realms. He should need you enough to lend you his help. Otherwise it shouldn't be worth it at all."

Nicole pondered this in her head for a few moments. It had never occurred to her before, but what Meliauden was saying was true. She was about to embark on a massive journey that may even be her end, and he wouldn't even consider talking about it.

"You should try talking to him again," Meliauden continued. "I think that's the most important part of preparation. More important than anything written in there." She tapped a finger on the notebooks Nicole was holding.

"I think you're right. I'll have to talk to him soon."

"Good then. And keep in touch with me! I would love to give you more help if you want it. I'll give you my number if you'd like."

"I'll think about it." Nicole smiled.

"Alright, I've got a room ready for you!" Iarocav appeared at the entrance of the library. I don't know what time you want to go to bed, but I'll show you there now just so you know where it is."

"Oh, thank you!" Nicole called out, shooting up from her seat.

Meliauden followed suit and stood up herself. "I'm sure this would be a great time for the grand tour. I'm sure you've been dying to show everything off."

"Absolutely correct," Iarocav replied. He turned to Nicole. "If you don't mind, of course."

"No, I would love to see around the place." Nicole laughed a bit. "It's not everyday you're inside a national landmark."

"That's the spirit!" Iarocav replied with gusto. "Now, down this first hallway are the more work-related rooms..."

[Ranoria]

4-1-4? How Delightful! Perhaps We're Not Quite As Bad At This as we Thought!

Well, that isn't too say we're a good team by international standards. Being ranked 5th in a ten team bracket, and on the outside looking in for playoff contention at this point, certainly can't be touted as making some sort of splash in this tournament. After being named intriguing draw in Pot 8 by Busoga Islands, we have, thus far, really failed to deliver on that hype, just like our aspirations of being anointed as a hot up and comer skidded to a half in the Baptism of Fire.

However, we were pretty much expecting to get mowed over due to the low media attention that the (apparently original) football gets in Ranoria. However, despite that, our players appear to be up to the task of fighting through adversity, working their tails off with what they have, and being able to at least put on a decent show in the most famous and prestigious international sporting tournament in the world. As with baseball after the World Baseball Classic, expect this to bring a substantial boost to soccer ratings across Ranoria.

Now, how about our stars?

Barry Chlorid was admittedly a bit of a letdown. But can you blame him? The guy hasn't played this form of football for years, serving as Ranoria's World Bowl kicker, and playing in the RFL, since leaving Cold Hill as the best kicker in Ranorian College Football history. His athleticism has kept him in the starting lineup for the most part, and he's flashed some of that old savvy he displayed in college, but he's still a work in progress. Our best in the striker department has been Felix Graf, without question. His sheer size has been tough to tangle with for opposing nations and that's likely kept us in a couple of matches. Rayko Grossman has certainly provided the Kraut's best individual showing overall, with his versatility and steady production keeping this squad glued together. But we knew that. Grossman is a stud in every sense of the word, and the coaching staff has leaned on him from the start.

Now, 4-1-4...it's better than expected. "How have those matches gone?" you might ask?

Or perhaps you're saying, "Ran, this RP is boring, none of your usual flair! Some humor, some sense of self awareness, would be really appreciated!"

Well, to the latter, our news station officially has no answer! We are not officially affiliated with the Krauts, Governor Melanie von Krüger, the Ranorian government, or the user behind this pseudo-realistic nation, and none of those parties were willing to respond when we reached out for a comment.

The former? That, we might be able to help you with!

Didn't start well. At all. A crushing 2-4 loss to the Plane of Possibility was a dismal performance overall, as our squad was just outmatched in that one. Our midfield consistently got beaten, and our strikers managed only three shots on goal, with two, very very fortunately, going in. We did bounce back however, with a shutout win over Trigel. That would allow us to climb up to 7th in the group.

The back and forth has continued throughout this World Cup. Two scoreless losses split up by a surprising blowout over Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison and swept aside by another shutout win, this one over Hindu Ram Rajya. After that contest, we were sitting at a frankly shocking 3-2, good for fourth in the group. A chance at qualifying? Most certainly not. But a nice slot nonetheless. Of course, then Brenecia handed us a 1-0 loss, the second time they've done that to us in this Cup, and we tied a matchup 2-2 in a heated contest against Filindostan. The Filindostan team did incredibly well defending their goal overall, allowing just the two shots on goal from big Felix Graf. It was one of Graf's best performances of the season, his size creating a matchup nightmare, but it wasn't quite enough.

We would then bring down West Angola 3-1, a dominating performance to get us into the 5^th slot in the group, but Terre Septentrionale absolutely shut us down. As we expected. I mean, hey, someone had to remind us of our place here, and Terre's team is quite terrifying. It was one of the most dominant 1-0 wins we've ever seen in soccer (granted, most of what we've seen is in Ranoria), with the Terre Septentrionale squad committing just one turnover and dominating possession of the ball.

Fortunately, we're still afloat about midway through this thing! With the 5th spot in the group, we still have an opportunity to go on some kind of run, however unlikely, win a few games, and potentially push for a qualification in the coveted World Cup.

Do we have what it takes?
Probably not
Do we care?
This country has never cared about soccer, so that's a nice question to a-
NO! Go Krauts!

[Hebitaka]

World Cup Qualifiers Reaches the Halfway Margin

The World Cup Qualifiers has finally reached the halfway point. All the teams has played 9 games each and are left with nine games to make it for themselves. Amidst of all this is the team Hebitaka, the newbies standing in the sixth position filled with confidence as the team has got nothing to lose. After playing a total of games like any other nation, the team took up 9 points in the tournament, 6 points behind from the 5th positioned Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom. After all of this we are going to have a look at all the things that happened yet in the World cup for the falcons, match by match.

MD 1 vs Widaya(At Home) win 1-0

Ah! This game that the whole nation would remember. The first ever World cup game, goal and win, all in this one match. The crowd was completely crazy watching their national team play in the qualifiers game. After a quite good performance in the BoF 74, the crowd was expecting a lot. But they were being disappointed. At least until the 70th minute when Masake finally brought the team forward. The game ended with that only score bringing the team first victory. The Falcons learned the lesson that even if the tides are completely against you, just keep on trying until the 90th minute. Keep up and have hope till the last second.

MD 2 vs Khytonya(Away) win 0-2

The game which became a great as well as the latest victory for the Hebitakish team. The tar striker Vijay and Ravi showed their form. Khytonya was stashed at 2-0 which gave Hebitaka three crucial points they required. The Hebitakish team climbed up to a rank of 2nd after this game, which was the best rank for this team in the whole qualifiers

MD 3 vs Vilita(at Home) draw at 0

Best reults from the falcons as the team managed a scoreless game against the 6th ranked Vilita, who are 283 ranks ahead of the Hebitakish. The team of Vilita still hates the fact that they even drew against this lowly team. For them it was 2 points lost while for us it became a point won. Big game for the young keeper Tinnu

MD 4 vs Balqia(Away) lost 4-0

The second biggest loss of the Hebitaki after the IFC game against Takariot(Lost 6-1), the Balqian team completely anhilated the Hebitakish. Two goals from MOTM J Topolin and one each from Kareli and Rotnoviq. The 4-0 loss was an expected one though. The team of Balqia was far more powerful and hence the loss was easily accepted by both the players as well as the fans.

MD 5 vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom(At Home) draw at 0

No scores again. A draw was more expected result. Even though the Zeta Rekan team was ahead of us by 100 ranks we were able to contain them and end up neither scoring nor gaining any goals. Even though this was a slight disappointment as the team had already fell down to a spot of 6th, the team was more relieved that a loss was not received.

MD 6 vs State of Trinity(Away) draw at 0

No scores once more. A draw that was the biggest disappointment for the Hebitakish team as the same team was defeated by the Hebitakish previously. The draw really shook the fans as they were expecting a sweet victory which ended in a rather bitter draw. A real shame for the strikers like Vijay.

MD 7 vs Tequillo(At Home) lost 3-0

Great game for the Tequillo players, especially for Tlacolotl, Çenturion and Tavia who got the goals. The loss was an expected one, though it really hurt the Fans. The falcon were yet to even score a goal since their game against Khytonya and strikers were on the loss as they kept on trying but could not score at all.

MD 8 vs Newmanistan(Away) lost 2-0

Newmanistan, a team ranked at 21 was another high ranked team the falcons faced. And this time as well, the expected happened as the team lost 2-0 and continued the scoreless run. The loss did not shake the fans at all as all of it was expected. The team's main striker Levy was awarded the MOTM who scored two goals one at 32' and the other at 44', both surprisingly in the opening half. The defense remained speechless seeing his play and even the likes of Tiltankara and Tinnu could not stop him.

MD 9 vs Takariot(At Home) lost 2-4

Takariot was a bitter fear for the Hebitaki fans as well as players. This team was the team Hebitaka faced in the third MD of IFC last year, which was Hebitaka's Third International game. And in that game the team gave Hebitaka their worst loss in any international game, a loss of 6-1. With the feeling of fear and slight courage the falcons took on Takariot. The game started off well as the team got a first score by N Makake at 13'. But the lead was soon covered by an equilizer from Connolly at 25'. The game went at 1-1 until the 48' when N Masake struck again giving the Falcons a lead of 2-1. But soon another Equilizer came off Nighthorse at 63'. The Takariot team then got the lead for the first time as Fredriksson scored a goal at 77' followed by another goal from Nighthorse who scored again at 85' strengthening the grip of the game as Takariot won 4-2, leaving the Hebitaki team at the sixth position and with only 9 points.

- Written by Jimmy Srivastav, former player in Devils Club
Dated: 22/1/2021

[Northwest Kalactin]

Regional Qualifiers Sim, MD 8&9
MD 8

AO Group 1
Farfadillis 2–0 Ibixa
Turori 3–0 Legalese
Krytenia 1–1 Freeport
Qasden 2–0 Tioguldos

   AO Group 1                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                            7    6   0   1    11    2   +9    18
 2 Qasden                                 7    5   0   2    16    7   +9    15
 3 Tioguldos                              8    5   0   3     8    7   +1    15
 4 Krytenia                               7    4   2   1     9    4   +5    14
 5 Freeport                               7    3   2   2     8    7   +1    11
 6 Turori                                 7    3   1   3     7    5   +2    10
 7 Khytonya                               7    1   2   4     5   11   −6     5
 8 Legalese                               7    0   2   5     8   18  −10     2
 9 Ibixa                                  7    0   1   6     1   12  −11     1

AO Group 2
Valanora 2–0 Bonbohk u Piche
Ko-oren 1–0 Netop
Siovanija and Teusland 3–3 Gyatso-Kai
Mavinet 1–1 Barunia

   AO Group 2                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                               7    5   1   1    11    3   +8    16
 2 Gyatso-Kai                             7    4   2   1    13    8   +5    14
 3 Ko-oren                                7    4   2   1    14   10   +4    14
 4 Mavinet                                7    4   1   2    14    8   +6    13
 5 Barunia                                8    3   2   3    13   10   +3    11
 6 Siovanija and Teusland                 7    2   3   2    16   12   +4     9
 7 Netop                                  7    3   0   4    10    8   +2     9
 8 Pluvia and Saxean                      7    1   1   5     7   15   −8     4
 9 Bonbohk u Piche                        7    0   0   7     5   29  −24     0

AO Group 3
Banija 1–0 Sett Forest
Audioslavia 4–1 Quakmybush
Equestria 2–3 Euran Oceania Territories
Maccian 0–0 Busoga Islands

   AO Group 3                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                                 7    6   1   0    17    4  +13    19
 2 Busoga Islands                         8    5   2   1    11    5   +6    17
 3 Audioslavia                            7    5   0   2    13    8   +5    15
 4 Euran Oceania Territories              7    4   0   3    15   12   +3    12
 5 Equestria                              7    3   2   2    13   11   +2    11
 6 Maccian                                7    3   1   3    12   11   +1    10
 7 Fjorsz                                 7    1   1   5     6   13   −7     4
 8 Quakmybush                             7    1   1   5     6   15   −9     4
 9 Sett Forest                            7    0   0   7     4   18  −14     0

AO Group 4
Starblaydia 2–0 Wreckeria
Mriin 2–1 Savigliane
Flavovespia 1–2 Saltstead
Northwest kalactin 2–2 Twicetagria

   AO Group 4                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                                  7    6   1   0    19    9  +10    19
 2 Starblaydia                            7    5   1   1    12    4   +8    16
 3 Flavovespia                            7    4   1   2    15   10   +5    13
 4 Saltstead                              7    4   0   3    12   12    0    12
 5 Northwest kalactin                     7    2   3   2     8    6   +2     9
 6 Twicetagria                            8    2   3   3     9   10   −1     9
 7 Savigliane                             7    2   2   3    14   13   +1     8
 8 Wreckeria                              7    1   0   6     4   15  −11     3
 9 Muralos                                7    0   1   6     4   18  −14     1

AO Group 5
Vilita 4–0 Cosumar
Commonwealth of Baker Park 1–1 Hapilopper
Chromatika 3–3 Huayramarca
Independent Athletes from Quebec 3–1 Blouman Empire

   AO Group 5                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Commonwealth of Baker Park             7    5   2   0    11    4   +7    17
 2 Vilita                                 7    5   1   1    20    8  +12    16
 3 Independent Athletes from Quebec       7    4   1   2    16    9   +7    13
 4 Hapilopper                             7    4   1   2    13   14   −1    13
 5 Chromatika                             7    3   2   2    15    9   +6    11
 6 Huayramarca                            7    2   2   3    13   10   +3     8
 7 Blouman Empire                         8    2   2   4     5    9   −4     8
 8 Cosumar                                7    1   0   6     2   18  −16     3
 9 Jabal Ahkdar                           7    0   1   6     3   17  −14     1

Game of the Day: Vilita 4–0 Cosumar
Even though there were many good games to pick from today, the game where the strong Vilitan team played a recovering Cosumar team may have been the best one. Cosumar played weak defense however, and the Vilitans would take the game 4-0.

Surprise Frontrunner: Gyatso-Kai
Being ahead of teams like Ko-oren and Siovanija and Tuesland is something to be proud of. And Gyasto Kai is doing exactly that. GKI is now second place in group 4, and only behind world powers Valanora. They have a close group, but with some wins, they have a very nice shot at qualifying.

Biggest Disappointment: Siovanija and Tuesland
From one group 2 team to another, Siovanija and Tuesland has been the opposite of impressive during this simulation. Even though they are in a close 6th place, the Goldhorns have been putting on rather disappointing performances as of late, and it shows in the standings.

Rushmore Group 1
Eastfield Lodge 1–0 San Ortelio

   Rushmore Group 1                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Pasarga                                4    4   0   0     9    2   +7    12
 2 Electrum                               4    2   0   2     8    6   +2     6
 3 Eastfield Lodge                        4    2   0   2     5    6   −1     6
 4 Darmen                                 4    1   1   2     6    6    0     4
 5 San Ortelio                            4    0   1   3     3   11   −8     1

Rushmore Group 2
Crystalline Caverns 2–0 Govournauch

   Rushmore Group 2                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savojarna                              4    4   0   0    10    1   +9    12
 2 Yuezhou                                4    3   0   1     7    2   +5     9
 3 Crystalline Caverns                    4    2   0   2     6    8   −2     6
 4 Valladares                             4    1   0   3     3    5   −2     3
 5 Govournauch                            4    0   0   4     0   10  −10     0

Rushmore Group 3
Nagore 3–1 Nacaltora

   Rushmore Group 3                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eura                                   4    4   0   0    11    1  +10    12
 2 Oberour Ar Moro                        4    3   0   1     7    3   +4     9
 3 Nagore                                 4    2   0   2     5    6   −1     6
 4 Sargossa                               4    1   0   3     4    4    0     3
 5 Nacaltora                              4    0   0   4     1   14  −13     0

Rushmore Group 4
Southwest Eastnorth 4–0 Simulland

   Rushmore Group 4                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                            4    3   1   0    11    3   +8    10
 2 Tikariot                               4    2   2   0     4    0   +4     8
 3 Astograth                              4    2   1   1     3    3    0     7
 4 Southwest Eastnorth                    4    1   0   3     5    7   −2     3
 5 Simulland                              4    0   0   4     1   11  −10     0

Rushmore Group 5
Mytanija 4–4 Hispinas

   Rushmore Group 5                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                                4    4   0   0    10    1   +9    12
 2 Plane of Possibility                   4    2   1   1     4    5   −1     7
 3 Graintfjall                            4    2   0   2     8    4   +4     6
 4 Mytanija                               4    0   2   2     5   10   −5     2
 5 Hispinas                               4    0   1   3     7   14   −7     1

Game of the Day: Eastfield Lodge 1–0 San Ortelio
Well, it seems like Eastfield Lodge can finally beat a decent team. Today, that team was San Ortelio, the win for them puts them in a decent position, however, it is unknown if they will be able to keep this play up, especially in a rough Rushmori group.

Best Team so far: Nephara
Nephara has put up by far the best performance out of Rushmori teams we have seen so far, as they are able to put up 10 goals and a perfect record, while only allowing 4 of their own. Their play has precedence though, as they came in second in the world.

Indies Group 1
Caryton 0–1 Melbergia
Terre Septentrionale 3–0 North Alazia
New Lusitania 2–0 T Republic
Indusse 1–1 TBS
Emastalia 2–0 Icecliff

   Indies Group 1                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Terre Septentrionale                   8    6   1   1    22    7  +15    19
 2 New Lusitania                          8    6   1   1    17    7  +10    19
 3 Indusse                                8    4   2   2    16   11   +5    14
 4 Melbergia                              8    4   2   2    11   12   −1    14
 5 T Republic                             8    3   2   3     4   10   −6    11
 6 Emastalia                              8    3   1   4    17   14   +3    10
 7 TBS                                    8    2   2   4     9   16   −7     8
 8 Caryton                                8    2   1   5     5   10   −5     7
 9 Icecliff                               8    1   2   5     8   13   −5     5
10 North Alazia                           8    1   2   5     8   17   −9     5

Indies Group 2
Beepee 3–1 Widaya
Drawkland 1–0 U-koro
Poafmersia 3–1 Cirrus Azale
Juvencus 1–0 UAC
Murphtannia 4–0 Hebitaka

   Indies Group 2                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Poafmersia                             8    7   0   1    20    7  +13    21
 2 Drawkland                              8    7   0   1    20   10  +10    21
 3 Murphtannia                            8    6   0   2    20    4  +16    18
 4 Juvencus                               8    5   1   2    14    7   +7    16
 5 Cirrus Azale                           8    3   0   5    10   18   −8     9
 6 Hebitaka                               8    2   2   4     8   16   −8     8
 7 Widaya                                 8    2   1   5     7   13   −6     7
 8 Beepee                                 8    2   1   5    10   20  −10     7
 9 U-koro                                 8    1   2   5     4   10   −6     5
10 UAC                                    8    1   1   6     7   15   −8     4

Indies Group 3
Waisnor 0–1 Trolleborg
Abanhfleft 5–1 Stevid
Al-Qurija 0–0 State of Trinity
Bluecliff 0–1 Squidroidia
Freechi 2–5 Garifunya

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Abanhfleft              8    7   1   0    17    5  +12    22
 2 Freechi                 8    5   2   1    20   11   +9    17
 3 Garifunya               8    5   1   2    21   10  +11    16
 4 Trolleborg              8    5   1   2    17   12   +5    16
 5 Squidroidia             8    4   3   1    13    5   +8    15
 6 Bluecliff               8    2   2   4    13   14   −1     8
 7 Al-Qurija               8    1   2   5     3   12   −9     5
 8 Stevid                  8    1   2   5     4   16  −12     5
 9 Waisnor                 8    1   1   6     9   18   −9     4
10 State of Trinity        8    0   3   5     9   23  −14     3


Indies Group 4
Trigel 1–0 Hafamarimet
Zwangzug 2–0 Cascadia
Geektopia 3–0 Quemmor Isles
Darkmania 1–2 St. Domingues
Megistos 6–1 PSTCT

   Indies Group 4                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Zwangzug                               8    7   1   0    23    5  +18    22
 2 Megistos                               8    6   0   2    23    9  +14    18
 3 Geektopia                              8    5   1   2    15    9   +6    16
 4 Darkmania                              8    4   0   4    11   11    0    12
 5 Quemmor Isles                          8    4   0   4     8   15   −7    12
 6 St. Domingues                          8    3   2   3    12   13   −1    11
 7 Hafamarimet                            8    3   1   4     8   14   −6    10
 8 Trigel                                 8    3   0   5    10   16   −6     9
 9 PSTCT                                  8    1   3   4     9   18   −9     6
10 Cascadia                               8    0   0   8     4   13   −9     0

Indies Group 5
Smosh Games 2–0 Hindu RR
Kandorith 3–0 Aepreleh
Jeruselem 1–1 West Angola
Kohnhead 4–0 Mexi Catcha
Sulsuland 1–0 Ranoria

   Indies Group 5                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kandorith                              8    7   1   0    21    5  +16    22
 2 Kohnhead                               8    6   1   1    17   10   +7    19
 3 Jeruselem                              8    5   2   1    16    3  +13    17
 4 Sulsuland                              8    5   0   3    17    9   +8    15
 5 Mexi Catcha                            8    3   2   3    12   17   −5    11
 6 Aepreleh                               8    3   0   5    14   19   −5     9
 7 Smosh Games                            8    2   1   5     9   18   −9     7
 8 Hindu RR                               8    1   2   5     6   19  −13     5
 9 Ranoria                                8    1   1   6     9   15   −6     4
10 West Angola                            8    0   4   4     5   11   −6     4

Indies Group 6
Gothina Isles 3–0 Tornado Queendom
Kelssek 2–0 Magnecia and Galmencia
Squornshelous 3–0 North Japan
Sharktail 2–1 Mand Blustopia
Balqia 2–0 Chartistan

   Indies Group 6                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kelssek                                8    8   0   0    20    4  +16    24
 2 Sharktail                              8    6   1   1    18    6  +12    19
 3 Squornshelous                          8    5   0   3    13    7   +6    15
 4 Mand Blustopia                         8    5   0   3    15   13   +2    15
 5 North Japan                            8    3   1   4    11   12   −1    10
 6 Balqia                                 8    2   3   3     8   12   −4     9
 7 Tornado Queendom                       8    1   3   4     6   12   −6     6
 8 Gothina Isles                          8    2   0   6     8   19  −11     6
 9 Chartistan                             8    1   2   5     5   11   −6     5
10 Magnecia and Galmencia                 8    1   2   5     7   15   −8     5

Indies Group 7
Garbellia 0–1 Critical Operations
Mercedini 1–0 Regmotto
Port Ember 4–1 Socialist New Britain
Squornshelan Remnant States 1–0 Sannyamathaland
Rangers FC 4–1 Fluvannia

   Indies Group 7                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Port Ember                             8    7   1   0    20    6  +14    22
 2 Mercedini                              8    6   1   1    18    7  +11    19
 3 Rangers FC                             8    4   3   1    18    7  +11    15
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States            8    4   2   2    13    8   +5    14
 5 Garbellia                              8    2   3   3    12   12    0     9
 6 Critical Operations                    8    3   0   5    11   18   −7     9
 7 Socialist New Britain                  8    2   2   4    12   17   −5     8
 8 Regmotto                               8    2   1   5    10   19   −9     7
 9 Fluvannia                              8    2   0   6     4   15  −11     6
10 Sannyamathaland                        8    0   3   5     5   14   −9     3

Indies Group 8
Pays Den Haut 3–1 Frezza
HUElavia 2–1 Logano
Omerica 0–0 Silvedana
Devonta 1–0 Rwezakaland
Baggieland 2–1 Transvolcanic

   Indies Group 8                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Devonta                                8    6   2   0    14    6   +8    20
 2 HUElavia                               8    6   1   1    16    9   +7    19
 3 Baggieland                             8    6   0   2     9    4   +5    18
 4 Transvolcanic                          8    4   2   2    18    9   +9    14
 5 Pays Den Haut                          8    3   2   3    14   13   +1    11
 6 Frezza                                 8    2   2   4    12   16   −4     8
 7 Rwezakaland                            8    2   1   5     9   13   −4     7
 8 Omerica                                8    2   1   5     7   16   −9     7
 9 Silvedana                              8    1   3   4     7   12   −5     6
10 Logano                                 8    0   2   6     8   16   −8     2

Indies Group 9
Lorrana 0–0 Pemecutan
The Holy Empire 1–0 Norish Jeia Repa
TJUN-ia 0–0 Red Kelp
Acronius 1–1 Armed King
Havynwilde 4–1 Arklanda

   Indies Group 9                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                        8    7   1   0    20    5  +15    22
 2 Pemecutan                              8    5   2   1    12    6   +6    17
 3 Acronius                               8    4   3   1    12    4   +8    15
 4 Havynwilde                             8    3   4   1    13    8   +5    13
 5 TJUN-ia                                8    2   4   2     9    6   +3    10
 6 Norish Jeia Repa                       8    2   2   4     8   12   −4     8
 7 Arklanda                               8    1   4   3     9   15   −6     7
 8 Red Kelp                               8    1   3   4    11   17   −6     6
 9 Lorrana                                8    1   2   5     8   17   −9     5
10 Armed King                             8    0   3   5     6   18  −12     3

Indies Group 10
Thibaea 0–2 Acastanha
The Sarian 1–1 Yerapia
Tequilo 1–0 Central Shaneville
Sajnur 5–0 United Pink States
ZSeparatists 1–0 Treekidistan

   Indies Group 10                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Tequilo                                8    6   2   0    19    6  +13    20
 2 Sajnur                                 8    6   0   2    19    8  +11    18
 3 The Sarian                             8    5   3   0    15    5  +10    18
 4 ZSeparatists                           8    3   3   2    12   11   +1    12
 5 United Pink States                     8    3   2   3     7   14   −7    11
 6 Yerapia                                8    2   4   2    17   16   +1    10
 7 Treekidistan                           8    3   0   5    10   16   −6     9
 8 Acastanha                              8    2   0   6     7   12   −5     6
 9 Central Shaneville                     8    1   3   4     3    9   −6     6
10 Thibaea                                8    0   1   7     4   16  −12     1

Game of the Day: Bluecliff 0–1 Squidroidia
The game between the 2 recent high performing Baptism of Fire team was a fun one to watch, as both teams had the will to duke it out until the end in this tough Group 3. Bluecliff unfortunately could not pull out a win on their end, as they fell 1-0 against this skilled Squidroida team.

Best Team So Far: Kelssek
The dominance that we have seen from the Kelssek national team is nothing new, however the rate that they have been pumping out goals, and their ability to play defense is certainly a good habit we have seen. If they can keep this play up, they may be in contention for an automatic berth in the qualifiers.

Worst Team So Far: Cascadia
If I were in Seattle right now watching my team, I would not be too proud of them. Not only have they not won a game. They have lost every game, and only scored 4 goals among 8 games. Their defense is fine, but 0-0-8 isn’t something to be proud of.


MD9

AO Group 1
Freeport 0–0 Qasden
Legalese 0–1 Krytenia
Ibixa 0–1 Turori
Khytonya 0–1 Farfadillis

   AO Group 1                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                            8    7   0   1    12    2  +10    21
 2 Krytenia                               8    5   2   1    10    4   +6    17
 3 Qasden                                 8    5   1   2    16    7   +9    16
 4 Tioguldos                              8    5   0   3     8    7   +1    15
 5 Turori                                 8    4   1   3     8    5   +3    13
 6 Freeport                               8    3   3   2     8    7   +1    12
 7 Khytonya                               8    1   2   5     5   12   −7     5
 8 Legalese                               8    0   2   6     8   19  −11     2
 9 Ibixa                                  8    0   1   7     1   13  −12     1

AO Group 2
Gyatso-Kai 0–2 Mavinet
Netop 0–4 Siovanija and Teusland
Bonbohk u Piche 0–1 Ko-oren
Pluvia and Saxean 0–1 Valanora

   AO Group 2                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                               8    6   1   1    12    3   +9    19
 2 Ko-oren                                8    5   2   1    15   10   +5    17
 3 Mavinet                                8    5   1   2    16    8   +8    16
 4 Gyatso-Kai                             8    4   2   2    13   10   +3    14
 5 Siovanija and Teusland                 8    3   3   2    20   12   +8    12
 6 Barunia                                8    3   2   3    13   10   +3    11
 7 Netop                                  8    3   0   5    10   12   −2     9
 8 Pluvia and Saxean                      8    1   1   6     7   16   −9     4
 9 Bonbohk u Piche                        8    0   0   8     5   30  −25     0

AO Group 3
Euran Oceania Territories 1–3 Maccian
Quakmybush 4–5 Equestria
Sett Forest 0–2 Audioslavia
Fjorsz 3–3 Banija

   AO Group 3                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                                 8    6   2   0    20    7  +13    20
 2 Audioslavia                            8    6   0   2    15    8   +7    18
 3 Busoga Islands                         8    5   2   1    11    5   +6    17
 4 Equestria                              8    4   2   2    18   15   +3    14
 5 Maccian                                8    4   1   3    15   12   +3    13
 6 Euran Oceania Territories              8    4   0   4    16   15   +1    12
 7 Fjorsz                                 8    1   2   5     9   16   −7     5
 8 Quakmybush                             8    1   1   6    10   20  −10     4
 9 Sett Forest                            8    0   0   8     4   20  −16     0

AO Group 4
Saltstead 0–2 Northwest kalactin
Savigliane 0–1 Flavovespia
Wreckeria 1–2 Mriin
Muralos 0–2 Starblaydia

   AO Group 4                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                                  8    7   1   0    21   10  +11    22
 2 Starblaydia                            8    6   1   1    14    4  +10    19
 3 Flavovespia                            8    5   1   2    16   10   +6    16
 4 Northwest kalactin                     8    3   3   2    10    6   +4    12
 5 Saltstead                              8    4   0   4    12   14   −2    12
 6 Twicetagria                            8    2   3   3     9   10   −1     9
 7 Savigliane                             8    2   2   4    14   14    0     8
 8 Wreckeria                              8    1   0   7     5   17  −12     3
 9 Muralos                                8    0   1   7     4   20  −16     1

AO Group 5
Huayramarca 1–2 Independent Athletes from Quebec
Hapilopper 0–0 Chromatika
Cosumar 0–4 Commonwealth of Baker Park
Jabal Ahkdar 0–1 Vilita

   AO Group 5                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Commonwealth of Baker Park             8    6   2   0    15    4  +11    20
 2 Vilita                                 8    6   1   1    21    8  +13    19
 3 Independent Athletes from Quebec       8    5   1   2    18   10   +8    16
 4 Hapilopper                             8    4   2   2    13   14   −1    14
 5 Chromatika                             8    3   3   2    15    9   +6    12
 6 Huayramarca                            8    2   2   4    14   12   +2     8
 7 Blouman Empire                         8    2   2   4     5    9   −4     8
 8 Cosumar                                8    1   0   7     2   22  −20     3
 9 Jabal Ahkdar                           8    0   1   7     3   18  −15     1

Game of the Day: Saltstead 0–2 Northwest kalactin
Hey! That’s us! Northwest Kalactin and Saltstead are both nations that have started to improve their teams over the past 10 years, so a match between these 2 was going to be a tough one. The Kalactanians easily won the game in the end though, 2-0.

Best Team so Far: Farfadillis
Defense is not exactly a unit that you expect this team to excel at, although the Farfadillis National Team has done just that with ease, as their stellar D has only allowed 2 goals. It’s only 1 loss, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the qualifiers plays out for these guys.

Worst Team So Far: Sett Forest
You know it’s bad when you only have 4 goals, and haven’t won a game. Sett Forest has only 4 goals so far, and their record reflects that, as they have lost every single game they have played in so far. Also, their Goal Record is 4-20. Nice

Rushmore Group 1

   Rushmore Group 1                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Pasarga                                4    4   0   0     9    2   +7    12
 2 Electrum                               4    2   0   2     8    6   +2     6
 3 Eastfield Lodge                        4    2   0   2     5    6   −1     6
 4 Darmen                                 4    1   1   2     6    6    0     4
 5 San Ortelio                            4    0   1   3     3   11   −8     1

Rushmore Group 2

   Rushmore Group 2                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savojarna                              4    4   0   0    10    1   +9    12
 2 Yuezhou                                4    3   0   1     7    2   +5     9
 3 Crystalline Caverns                    4    2   0   2     6    8   −2     6
 4 Valladares                             4    1   0   3     3    5   −2     3
 5 Govournauch                            4    0   0   4     0   10  −10     0

Rushmore Group 3

   Rushmore Group 3                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eura                                   4    4   0   0    11    1  +10    12
 2 Oberour Ar Moro                        4    3   0   1     7    3   +4     9
 3 Nagore                                 4    2   0   2     5    6   −1     6
 4 Sargossa                               4    1   0   3     4    4    0     3
 5 Nacaltora                              4    0   0   4     1   14  −13     0

Rushmore Group 4

   Rushmore Group 4                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                            4    3   1   0    11    3   +8    10
 2 Tikariot                               4    2   2   0     4    0   +4     8
 3 Astograth                              4    2   1   1     3    3    0     7
 4 Southwest Eastnorth                    4    1   0   3     5    7   −2     3
 5 Simulland                              4    0   0   4     1   11  −10     0

Rushmore Group 5

   Rushmore Group 5                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                                4    4   0   0    10    1   +9    12
 2 Plane of Possibility                   4    2   1   1     4    5   −1     7
 3 Graintfjall                            4    2   0   2     8    4   +4     6
 4 Mytanija                               4    0   2   2     5   10   −5     2
 5 Hispinas                               4    0   1   3     7   14   −7     1

Game of the Day HA! NOTHING!

Indies Group 1
Icecliff 0–0 Caryton
TBS 0–0 Emastalia
T Republic 1–1 Indusse
North Alazia 1–0 New Lusitania
Melbergia 0–5 Terre Septentrionale

   Indies Group 1                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Terre Septentrionale                   9    7   1   1    27    7  +20    22
 2 New Lusitania                          9    6   1   2    17    8   +9    19
 3 Indusse                                9    4   3   2    17   12   +5    15
 4 Melbergia                              9    4   2   3    11   17   −6    14
 5 T Republic                             9    3   3   3     5   11   −6    12
 6 Emastalia                              9    3   2   4    17   14   +3    11
 7 TBS                                    9    2   3   4     9   16   −7     9
 8 Caryton                                9    2   2   5     5   10   −5     8
 9 North Alazia                           9    2   2   5     9   17   −8     8
10 Icecliff                               9    1   3   5     8   13   −5     6

Indies Group 2
Hebitaka 4–4 Beepee
UAC 1–3 Murphtannia
Cirrus Azale 0–2 Juvencus
U-koro 0–2 Poafmersia
Widaya 0–2 Drawkland

   Indies Group 2                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Poafmersia                             9    8   0   1    22    7  +15    24
 2 Drawkland                              9    8   0   1    22   10  +12    24
 3 Murphtannia                            9    7   0   2    23    5  +18    21
 4 Juvencus                               9    6   1   2    16    7   +9    19
 5 Hebitaka                               9    2   3   4    12   20   −8     9
 6 Cirrus Azale                           9    3   0   6    10   20  −10     9
 7 Beepee                                 9    2   2   5    14   24  −10     8
 8 Widaya                                 9    2   1   6     7   15   −8     7
 9 U-koro                                 9    1   2   6     4   12   −8     5
10 UAC                                    9    1   1   7     8   18  −10     4

Indies Group 3
Garifunya 1–1 Waisnor
Squidroidia 3–1 Freechi
State of Trinity 0–1 Bluecliff
Stevid 3–2 Al-Qurija
Trolleborg 0–1 Abanhfleft

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Abanhfleft              9    8   1   0    18    5  +13    25
 2 Squidroidia             9    5   3   1    16    6  +10    18
 3 Garifunya               9    5   2   2    22   11  +11    17
 4 Freechi                 9    5   2   2    21   14   +7    17
 5 Trolleborg              9    5   1   3    17   13   +4    16
 6 Bluecliff               9    3   2   4    14   14    0    11
 7 Stevid                  9    2   2   5     7   18  −11     8
 8 Waisnor                 9    1   2   6    10   19   −9     5
 9 Al-Qurija               9    1   2   6     5   15  −10     5
10 State of Trinity        9    0   3   6     9   24  −15     3

Indies Group 4
PSTCT 4–1 Trigel
St. Domingues 0–4 Megistos
Quemmor Isles 2–4 Darkmania
Cascadia 0–1 Geektopia
Hafamarimet 0–1 Zwangzug

   Indies Group 4                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Zwangzug                               9    8   1   0    24    5  +19    25
 2 Megistos                               9    7   0   2    27    9  +18    21
 3 Geektopia                              9    6   1   2    16    9   +7    19
 4 Darkmania                              9    5   0   4    15   13   +2    15
 5 Quemmor Isles                          9    4   0   5    10   19   −9    12
 6 St. Domingues                          9    3   2   4    12   17   −5    11
 7 Hafamarimet                            9    3   1   5     8   15   −7    10
 8 PSTCT                                  9    2   3   4    13   19   −6     9
 9 Trigel                                 9    3   0   6    11   20   −9     9
10 Cascadia                               9    0   0   9     4   14  −10     0

Indies Group 5
Ranoria 1–2 Smosh Games
Mexi Catcha 0–3 Sulsuland
West Angola 0–0 Kohnhead
Aepreleh 0–1 Jeruselem
Hindu RR 0–1 Kandorith

   Indies Group 5                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kandorith                              9    8   1   0    22    5  +17    25
 2 Jeruselem                              9    6   2   1    17    3  +14    20
 3 Kohnhead                               9    6   2   1    17   10   +7    20
 4 Sulsuland                              9    6   0   3    20    9  +11    18
 5 Mexi Catcha                            9    3   2   4    12   20   −8    11
 6 Smosh Games                            9    3   1   5    11   19   −8    10
 7 Aepreleh                               9    3   0   6    14   20   −6     9
 8 West Angola                            9    0   5   4     5   11   −6     5
 9 Hindu RR                               9    1   2   6     6   20  −14     5
10 Ranoria                                9    1   1   7    10   17   −7     4

Indies Group 6
Chartistan 1–1 Gothina Isles
Mand Blustopia 0–1 Balqia
North Japan 0–1 Sharktail
Magnecia and Galmencia 2–5 Squornshelous
Tornado Queendom 0–4 Kelssek

   Indies Group 6                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kelssek                                9    9   0   0    24    4  +20    27
 2 Sharktail                              9    7   1   1    19    6  +13    22
 3 Squornshelous                          9    6   0   3    18    9   +9    18
 4 Mand Blustopia                         9    5   0   4    15   14   +1    15
 5 Balqia                                 9    3   3   3     9   12   −3    12
 6 North Japan                            9    3   1   5    11   13   −2    10
 7 Gothina Isles                          9    2   1   6     9   20  −11     7
 8 Chartistan                             9    1   3   5     6   12   −6     6
 9 Tornado Queendom                       9    1   3   5     6   16  −10     6
10 Magnecia and Galmencia                 9    1   2   6     9   20  −11     5

Indies Group 7
Fluvannia 1–0 Garbellia
Sannyamathaland 0–4 Rangers FC
Socialist New Britain 2–1 Squornshelan Remnant States
Regmotto 1–2 Port Ember
Critical Operations 0–2 Mercedini

   Indies Group 7                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Port Ember                             9    8   1   0    22    7  +15    25
 2 Mercedini                              9    7   1   1    20    7  +13    22
 3 Rangers FC                             9    5   3   1    22    7  +15    18
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States            9    4   2   3    14   10   +4    14
 5 Socialist New Britain                  9    3   2   4    14   18   −4    11
 6 Garbellia                              9    2   3   4    12   13   −1     9
 7 Critical Operations                    9    3   0   6    11   20   −9     9
 8 Fluvannia                              9    3   0   6     5   15  −10     9
 9 Regmotto                               9    2   1   6    11   21  −10     7
10 Sannyamathaland                        9    0   3   6     5   18  −13     3

Indies Group 8
Transvolcanic 3–1 Pays Den Haut
Rwezakaland 0–1 Baggieland
Silvedana 1–3 Devonta
Logano 2–2 Omerica
Frezza 0–1 HUElavia

   Indies Group 8                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Devonta                                9    7   2   0    17    7  +10    23
 2 HUElavia                               9    7   1   1    17    9   +8    22
 3 Baggieland                             9    7   0   2    10    4   +6    21
 4 Transvolcanic                          9    5   2   2    21   10  +11    17
 5 Pays Den Haut                          9    3   2   4    15   16   −1    11
 6 Frezza                                 9    2   2   5    12   17   −5     8
 7 Omerica                                9    2   2   5     9   18   −9     8
 8 Rwezakaland                            9    2   1   6     9   14   −5     7
 9 Silvedana                              9    1   3   5     8   15   −7     6
10 Logano                                 9    0   3   6    10   18   −8     3

Indies Group 9
Arklanda 1–1 Lorrana
Armed King 1–2 Havynwilde
Red Kelp 1–3 Acronius
Norish Jeia Repa 1–3 TJUN-ia
Pemecutan 0–2 The Holy Empire

   Indies Group 9                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                        9    8   1   0    22    5  +17    25
 2 Acronius                               9    5   3   1    15    5  +10    18
 3 Pemecutan                              9    5   2   2    12    8   +4    17
 4 Havynwilde                             9    4   4   1    15    9   +6    16
 5 TJUN-ia                                9    3   4   2    12    7   +5    13
 6 Arklanda                               9    1   5   3    10   16   −6     8
 7 Norish Jeia Repa                       9    2   2   5     9   15   −6     8
 8 Red Kelp                               9    1   3   5    12   20   −8     6
 9 Lorrana                                9    1   3   5     9   18   −9     6
10 Armed King                             9    0   3   6     7   20  −13     3

Indies Group 10
Treekidistan 1–2 Thibaea
United Pink States 0–1 ZSeparatists
Central Shaneville 0–1 Sajnur
Yerapia 0–3 Tequilo
Acastanha 0–2 The Sarian

   Indies Group 10                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Tequilo                                9    7   2   0    22    6  +16    23
 2 Sajnur                                 9    7   0   2    20    8  +12    21
 3 The Sarian                             9    6   3   0    17    5  +12    21
 4 ZSeparatists                           9    4   3   2    13   11   +2    15
 5 United Pink States                     9    3   2   4     7   15   −8    11
 6 Yerapia                                9    2   4   3    17   19   −2    10
 7 Treekidistan                           9    3   0   6    11   18   −7     9
 8 Acastanha                              9    2   0   7     7   14   −7     6
 9 Central Shaneville                     9    1   3   5     3   10   −7     6
10 Thibaea                                9    1   1   7     6   17  −11     4

Game of the Day: Trolleborg 0–1 Abanhfleft
In this Pot 1 v. Pot 2 matchup, Abanhfleft came through with the very important victory as they extend their lead on the group. This game may be one of the group deciders in Group 3, which some say is the toughest group of all.

Upset of the Day: Socialist New Britain 2–1 Squornshelan Remnant States
Today, the SRS faced a loss that is devastating to them. A win today would have out them in close 3rd, and it would’ve been a win that they expected, instead, this loss to Socialist New Britain puts them in a close battle for 4th, far from where they want.

Blowout of the Day: Melbergia 0–5 Terre Septentrionale
Don’t worry. We know this tournament isn’t fixed. It can’t be! Terre Septentrionale won a game! In all seriousness, Terre Septentrionale put on a great performance on both sides of the ball, as they move ahead into 1st place in their group.

[Gyatso-kai]

::: 164 NE Olonak Drive, Daofeng Village, Drotenfao Province, Earth Kingdom, Gyatso-kai
2121 hours, 21 January 2021.1

The light from the waxing gibbous moon ahead lit the path out before Lin Zhao just enough to where he did not need to strain to see. He often enjoyed these late night walks, especially since he had moved away from the bigger city to try and find some peace and quiet.

Less to remind me of my old life…

It had been over four ji since the accident that had forever changed Lin’s life. Four long ji since on a night walk home, he found himself stumbling through a temporal portal and winding up in a different version of his universe. One where nearly everything was different, yet still somewhat the same; his family still lived in the Earth Republics … sorry, Earth Kingdom here … and he had no siblings. Thankfully, after counselling and a good vacation with his family in the first two months of his ‘arrival’ in this multi-verse, his parents had been very accepting of him. Which, unfortunately, seemed to not be as common as he had hoped; while he was resting at what was called the ‘Institute of Multi-Universe and Temporal Studies’, Lin had learned many parents cannot accept that their child is not actually their child, and as such, many of the ‘temporal jumpers’ as they called themselves found life to be very lonely in their new multi-verse.

But that is why we have our monthly gathering in Republic City. At least the capital stayed the same…

As he was walking down the road, Lin felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. A quick slide of his finger, and he saw an email from his work; after ‘adjusting’ to life on this side of the portal, Lin had taken his mentor Shercru Li’s advice and left his schooling at Omashu State University and joined the Grand Army of the Republic for his compulsory service, and decided after his two ji term that he would continue on. Of course, part of that was the consistent pay – every two weeks a check for ¥4500 found its way into his bank account Another part of that was it allowed him to basically hit the reset button on his life; it was hard going places and people acting like they knew him… well, they did know ‘me’. Just not me … and him having to stutter his way through an explanation of what happened. He learned fairly quickly that in this multi-verse, he had a boyfriend, and a cute one at that. It was awkward having that conversation, and ‘his’ boyfriend left the apartment crying hysterically.

I wonder how he’s doing…

As his eyes went back to the email on his phone and he sighed. He had recently been moved up the chain of command with the rank of Second Lieutenant and had been assigned a job at the National Institute of Cartography and Vexillology, which was not exactly what he had envisioned when he signed up for the military. However, as the NICV was under federal jurisdiction and staffed by military and civilian workers, he had been given command of the security detail at the Institute and got to enjoy all of the maps there.

Though there was one map that always bothered him…

So, far away in a neighboring nation – neighbor as in the same region of their multi-verse – was an organization known as the Atlantian Oceania Cartographic Institute. In the Colonial Hub of Lopinka, there was a whole collection of fact-checkers and map makers who kept the map for the Atlantian Oceania region up-to-date. Or, well, at least as up-to-date as possible. As of now, the last AO map update having been sent out from the AOCI nearly five ji old. The map had been updated, to refine the boundaries of such illustrious nations such as Baker Parl, Flavovespia, Hapilopper, and 95X; not to mention the refinement of the Avatarian Republics.

Or so he thought…

The first time Lin had looked at the map of the region, he noticed Gyatso-kai was not quite in the right location. Mistakes happen in cartography – Lin knew all about those from his time in the National Institute for Cartography and Vexillology – and as such, the NICV kept their own updated map, unofficial of course.

Now what could be on the unofficial map you might ask?

Well, that was the subject of Lin’s work email, and something he would have to get back to his boss about. The Director of the National Institute, a rather charming man by the name of Tasco Kaqu’ic who had taken Lin on quite a nice couple of dates lately, knew of Lin’s affinity and delight in cartography. Sure, to a 55-year-old Director, when he saw Lin’s own 25-year-old framed shaped by a childhood of athletics and a budding military career, he obviously thought little of what was in the soldier’s head and more about what was beneath his uniform. However, over their first dinner, Lin had shown Kaqu’ic his own collection of “informal” maps. On one map, Lin had several nations not even listed on the AO Official Map; Huayramarca, Maccian (who also bore a flag designed by an Avatarian vexillologist), Twicetagram, Saltstead. Some other additions included the “Unbidden Free Republic of Yesopalitha, which had been added to Lin’s map back in September of 2020.3 along with Pluvia and the Saxean Islands. The next time Lin updated his map – in between postings in Republic City – the nation of Aji No Moto had been added, and the borders of Krytenia had been changed; something he read up on known as the “Ibixian Pieces”. In 2020.4, Netop had been added thanks to a mission a friend of Lin’s had flown over the southern ocean of the region, as well as the nation of Khytonia that Lin had heard about and seen on local maps when he travelled to watch Gyatso-kai open the second half of Group qualifying for the AOCAF Cup against Qasden; which unfortunately was a rather embarrassing 3-1 loss for the Bisons.

Maps take time to fix and edit and upkeep…

Oh right the email… Lin thought as he looked back to his phone.

Lin;

Would it be possible on your next shift off to swing by my office? I have the Associate Director of the NICV stopping by and I’d like him to talk with you about your pet-project.

-- T. Kaqu’ic
--- Director, National Institute of Cartography and Vexillology.

My next shift off is tomorrow, Tasco knows that, Lin thought as he quickened his steps.

I better get home and rest… Might be a busy day for me…

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Koulouris
I tried to sleep. I counted sheep, buried my face in my pillow, shut my eyes as tight as I can... They didn't work. Maybe it was because of the uncertainty of my future. The past few days I had been taking my anger out because of what is happening in the present. I didn't even consider what I'd do the next few days. "What to do..." was the recurring thought in my mind. If only this hadn't started at all...

"It's my fault!" I screamed as I threw my antique vase onto the wall in anger. I was seething, not at the media. Not at the TFA. At myself. If only my lustful desires hadn't taken control of me, I'd be happily spending my time with the rest of the gang.

My fault? Pfft. That was the next thing I thought of. An innocent woman, me, being rejected by a whole darn nation just because I decided to get jumped before marriage. Of course, the many old, backwards politicians, shaping the country into their handmade moulds. Moulds of isolation, radical conservatism and occult. Why wouldn't people want to change their views? Maybe because humanity is allergic to opposing views. It's fucked. I'm fucked.

All right. I needed to calm down. I shed a tear. Then I wept a bit. Then I cried. Would I really want my life to be ruined by a mere scandal? Mere? No Koulouris, it isn't a mere scandal. You know you've been caught in a mega scandal when Twicetagria, a land of opposition and betrayal, comes together to leave you behind. I needn't worry though. I would be moving to Quebec in a few day's time, where I wouldn't have to worry anymore. I'm leaving it all behind. I can't wait to go to my paradise! Fuck Twicetagria.

Wait, what? How could I blatantly curse the nation I was born and raised up in? The nation I called home, and the nation I've always loved? Yes I can. Love doesn't last forever. I've learnt it the hard way. Maybe my love was purely superficial. Maybe it was a complete change of mind. I didn't really know. The only think I know is that my life isn't totally ruined.

---

I sat on my bed for a while, just thinking about life and the sort, you know? It was 1 am. Damn, I really needed to sleep. I lay down. I shut my eyes, and patiently waited for my body to shut down.

The classroom hallways get farther away, and I’m on unfamiliar paths. Wait what the hell? What voice was that? I sat up, eyes fully open. I must be thinking stuff. I was NEVER in a classroom for a while, and never will be. I laughed it off and went back to trying to sleep.

I’m so unlucky on this path I’m on. I don’t even have a map! This is getting ridiculous now. It's like my brain turned into a sentient being and decided to sing me a song.

But I never want to turn around; it’s a maze. Shedding blood sweat instead of blood tears, I comfort myself. Slowly but surely, my mind was beginning to go into some sort of trance. I wasn't able to think legibly. I couldn't even hear my thoughts.

PEOPLE tell ME this kind of SUFFERING is just a PASSING STORM. That if I WANT TO SUCCEED, even though I’m AFRAID, I need to set up a TRAP called FAILURE... The thoughts began screaming. I had a huge headache. I cried uncontrollably. Some words were being emphasized on. Not just any word. The words sounded like they had a negative connotation if you put it together. The words continued, and only after a while did it subside. However, it did not stop. Instead, it began sounded like a lullaby. Fitting, because it lulled me to sleep. The words were calmly read aloud in my mind, as I fell asleep peacefully.

The next day, I woke up in a bad state. Clothes all wrinkled, bed sheet and pillow ruined, and it looked like I was suffering from a bad hair day. I wanted to walk down the stairs to get a cup of water, but instead I stumbled. I'd almost fell down the stairs, but I had to thank my monkey instincts for saving me from a concussion or worse. Just as I was about to fill my cup, I could hear noises outside my door.

Probably just people wanting to punch me. I'd thought. Hey, it seems I have gotten control of my mind again. Until I didn't. My mind turned into a frenzy. The shouting outside the door became a lot more audible, and the 'voices' in my mind coerced me to run and open the door. And that's what I did. Staggering for a while, I then sprinted to the door. When I'd opened the door, the screaming suddenly stopped. My mind and eyes became clearer now. There wasn't anyone.

Laughing like a maniac, I slammed shut the door and said aloud, "How foolish am I, to think that there was someone at the door!" After chuckling for a while, I dropped onto the ground with a loud thud, as I lost my consciousness, sinking into an unknown state.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Half-time conclusion: Savojarna six points clear, closer than ever

By Jaukka Halanen

Halfway through the World Cup 87 qualification campaign, the Northlights are showing one of their best performances in history. They are sitting atop Group 5, six points ahead of their first pursuitors in the surprisingly strong Saint-Domingue. Having lost only one game, 2-3 to Abanhfleft, the Savojars are the only team in the group to display such consistency. The two closest seeds Abanhfleft and Ancherion are dropping points in draws (both sitting on 4 wins and 3 draws to Savojarna’s 7 and 1), whereas Saint-Domingue are making up for surprising points such as their 3-0 over Zwangzug with unnecessary losses, such as the 4-5 in Ancherion that preceded the Zwangzug upset. As for the top seed, they are in dire straits, sitting only at twelve points after nine games.

7-1-1 at half time is a near-unprecedented record for the team. Back at World Cup 80, the side even won 8 of their first 9 games, losing only against Darkmania; a cycle later the Northlights even went unbeaten for the opening half, but drew four games on the way there. They also reached the midway point of WCQ 86 with the same record, although with Baker Park being much closer on their heels; the bottom line is: When Savojarna drop points in less than three games (and only then), they make it to the World Cup. A good omen, then, for this campaign; but don’t celebrate too early as Savojarna have squandered plenty of good starts before. Still, six points ahead are a good omen if there ever was one, and the next two games are going to be no-loss-allowed games against the bottom placed team and a home rematch against Sharktail.

In the past games, Savojarna have shown particular strength in defence, despite frequent rotations. The Northlights kept six clean sheets, and never conceded more than 2 except for the defeat in Abanhfleft (2-3). With such results at the back, we can be confident to keep up our streak against weaker-ranked opponents, which seems to be key in this difficult group. At the same time, the offensive engine has been stuttering: Only against Sharktail (4-2 A) could Savojarna score more than twice; two goals have been the general modus operandi for the Northlights in this campaign. If the defence holds, it should be enough - and things look good there. Across all competitions this cycle (i.e. Copa and WCQ, eds.) the Savojar National Team averages only 0.8 goals against per game, an incredibly low number that should carry them far.

The team also shows depth, something that could be an issue on certain positions in the past. With Juhamatti Rajala still in good shape, it looks like the dependency on Voynov on the left wing has finally been overcome; on the right side, Jashkin is playing near constantly, but is also delivering at high consistency. When she has been given the chance, Kristina Midtjaer has proven a valuable alternative; Grivoshenko and Jaerbyn leave more doubt as of now. The biggest weaknesses seem to be the central striker - unsurprisingly - and perhaps more surprisingly the central midfield. Up front, Savojarna were entering the campaign with an unclear hierarchy following Jotansson’s sudden drop in form and subsequent retirement from the national team; neither Jacobsen nor Nweke have consistently delivered the kind of constant threat Savojarna are looking for. Perhaps Rangren ought to give a chance to Jekaterina Smolov or Sven Ehlers, as the alternatives look increasingly situational and unreliable; the reluctance to prioritise SFS players over teammates engaged at big name international clubs could otherwise harm the chances of this side.

More surprisingly, the central midfield also proved to be a slight weakness. The offensive part may be one of the most stacked positions besides the left and central defence; both Morten Poulsen and Rika Lundell have outstanding seasons and Denis Arkanin has been a solid part of Libertas’ offence for a while. Behind them, however, things depend heavily on Victoria Maersk. While the defensive position is solid, and Adrian Klaebo has shown signs of future stardom against Chartistan, the shuttlers that are not named Maersk struggled. The value of the captain has been seen against Abanhfleft, when she was suspended following an unlucky trip and an extremely harsh red card against Saint-Domingue; without Maersk, chaos was breaking out in fast counters especially towards the end of the game and the loss can be put down to the lack of her calming influence in no small parts. The issue is not so much play, as Tedenby and Gyldenstjerne are talented players and Victor Loeseth is a powerful and seasoned SFS professional; it’s a mental issue. Tedenby and Gyldenstjerne lack the experience and standing to be international leadership figures at this age; Loeseth has a reputation as a follower, not a leader, which seems to be spot on.

With some warning signs, the mood in the Savojar team is still positive - and understandably so, with a historic high floating the Northlights before their upcoming double-header against two sides they are clearly favoured over.

Rosters for the upcoming matchday:

vs Hafamarimet: Pakanen - Viipuri, Nymark, Anttakari, A. Loeseth - Klaebo, Maersk - Östberg, Lapanen, Midtjaer - Smolov
Bench: Larsen, Thorvaldsson, Dmitriev, Ilkkanen, Tedenby, Poulsen, Rajala, Jashkin, Nweke
vs Sharktail: Pakanen - Thorvaldsson, Nymark, Dmitriev, A. Loeseth - Ilkkanen, Tedenby - Rajala, Poulsen, Jashkin - Smolov
Bench: Larsen, Viipuri, Anttakari, Klaebo, Maersk, Östberg, Lapanen, Midtjaer, Nweke

[Garbelia]

Previews for our next 2 matches!
By Norvis FC legend, Edward Ottero

Matchday 1:
Pluvia and the Saxean Isles 6 - 2 Garbelia
In our opening game, the Garbeli were crushed. Miserably. The only high point was a double for Goodotter, taking the edge off conceding 6 goals.


Matchday 2:
Garbelia 3 - 1 Sett Forest
This game rejuvenated the cup fever, with a a Ottoman bundle, and a wonder goal from both Scratchington and Otter respectively.

Matchday 3:
Garbelia 0 - 1 Kandorinth
In a tournament of huge scores, for and against, whenever the Otters were playing, this provided some sanity, with just one goal... At the wrong end. Kandorinth were expected to run up a huge score though, so there was some relief around Garbelia

Matchday 4:
South Covello 4 - 0 Garbelia
Conceding 4. Again. Scoring 0. Not the best match against table-topping South Covello.

Matchday 5:
Garbelia 2 - 4 Nephara
This one was a shock too, scoring 2 goals against the world number 2, and... conceding 4. That's a nasty habit. Still, 2 for Goodotter!

Matchday 6:
Indusse 4 - 1 Garbelia
STOP CONCEDING 4 STUPID TEAM! Even with the manager gone, this one was a thrashing too. The only perk being another Goodotter goal.

Matchday 7:
Garbelia 4 - 4 Baggieland
Best. Result. Of. The. Tournament. A draw, against Baggieland, a team ranked just outside the top 100! Goodotter hat-trick, and Otto Otter goal, with an unjust last-minute equaliser, taking the shine off a defeat with what could have been...

Matchday 8:
Quemorr Isles 1 - 0 Garbelia
Easily the worst result so far. Despite being away from home, this defeat was a spineless 1-0. Pathetic.

Matchday 9:
Garbelia 1 - 2 Græntfjall
Again, Goodotter saves us from a goalless defeat. At least it wasn't 4-1...

Overall, our star player this tournament has easily been Goodotter, and his prolific 8 goals have lead to him being linked with a move abroad this season...

View from Venjolath Road will be broadcast on both radio and television daily until the end of the WC Qualifiers, and will be available as a podcast afterwards. Tomorrow, we bring you highlights and reaction for our next two games.

[Garifunya]

Jandaams intercept arms shipments as hunt for attackers continues

Maryssa Hassink, De Frederykvil Dagblad

The newly revived Jandaams police force discovered and confiscated a large number of illegal weapons in Vrijport yesterday, simultaneously pleasing and worrying the citizens of Garifunya. With mounting tensions over the Jandaams themselves and the recent attacks on Latino Garifunyans, many citizens were happy that the Jandaams were doing their job and protecting the safety of the nation. Thijs Kruit, 29, of Vrijport, said, "Illegal weapons have no place in our country. I am pleased that the Jandaams stopped this shipment. You know, the civil war wasn't that long ago; we need to do anything we can to stop that kind of violence from happening again." Maria den Bosch, 42, also of Vrijport, expressed a more worried opinion: "While I'm glad they stopped the weapons from coming in, it makes me afraid for what might happen. There was an attack on Latinos; maybe that means that they will retaliate or that armed gangs will become a regular thing again. Gillaat was corrupt for sure, but there wasn't a lot of violence."

The weapons confiscated included many cheaply made handguns, but also semi-automatic and automatic long guns that have the potential to kill many people in a short amount of time. Such firearms were made illegal when the Jandaams bill was passed, but existing stocks in the country were not confiscated. Rather, there has been an ongoing voluntary buyback effort that has resulted in several thousand guns being turned in. However, this is estimated to be less than a third of all such firearms in the country. Although some lawmakers pressed for confiscation or mandatory buyback, this was not included in the final bill over concerns that it would look too much like Gillaat, who centralized power and violence in the hands of state agents. In a nation having recently endured a dictatorship and a civil war, the government is careful not to appear too heavy-handed.

President Immanuel Prins lauded the Jandaams, saying, "I highly commend the Jandaams for intercepting this shipment of illegal firearms. This is exactly the type of work that I envisioned them doing when I proposed their return. They are helping to keep us all safe from the threat of violence and armed gangs. I applaud them and encourage them and the Frederykvil police department to redouble their efforts to find the perpetrators of the Frederykvil attack." Other members of the legislature and the Prins government had similar things to say, while opposition parties were divided.

The parties on the left issued a restrained statement of gratitude that was careful to avoid appearing to praise the Jandaams, while Arjan Staal managed to both be grateful and blast Prins: "While I am appreciative of the efforts of the Jandaams to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands, I maintain that this is an overreach by the government and a violation of our civil liberties. When the government has the power to decide how and when citizens may defend themselves, their homes, and their families against attack, tyranny is the inevitable result. One success does not mean that the Prins government has the black market under control, and the massive failure so far to stem the tide of illegal weaponry is a dereliction of duty on the President's part. It is far better to allow law-abiding citizens to continue to avail themselves of whatever weaponry they feel is necessary to do their job as men and protect their homes, than to make it illegal for good people to defend themselves properly, while relying on an incompetent government to protect us from armed gangs."

Such reactions are now typical from Staal, but it seems to have been making a difference. Support for the banning of anything but single-shot long guns was once at 72%, but has fallen in recent weeks to 53%, with opposition doubling. Perhaps further success by the Jandaams will reverse that trend, but the prevalence of the black market, especially in arms, continues to make real the possibility of another attack. The Prins government will have to be vigilant in order to keep the nation safe.

[San Ortelio]

“Hmm… This is interesting.”

Francesco Calcaterra scratches his jaw, slowly, as if it is a different entity hesitantly discovering the existence of his beard rather than himself making the gesture. In the background, the radio commentator is giving his very best to liven up a confrontation between I Spada and Gouvanarch. Both sides had been overperforming so far, sensing that a victory here could see them in the race for the play-offs till the very end.

”Some loss of possession back and forth, first Bracquaval with a mediocre touch, Confalonieri picking it up but passing it straight towards Desesprechin who can’t start the drive fast enough. Salvatori preying on the ball, tackling it from the Morannan midfielder but then he panics, a wild shot on goal and the leather ends up high and dry in Il Olympico.”

“Another wide shot from Salvatori? Interesting? That’s barely even remarkable. Even I would have replaced him with Favaro by now, especially aft- Goddamned, Francesco!”
“What?” the police man looks up, slightly surprised.
“I’m hanging around too much with you, I start to know stuff about football,” Valeria Romani smiles.

Without it ever becoming outspoken, the evening confrontations of the San Ortelian national team have becoming their fixed moment to cooperate on their case as everyone else leaves the office then. They huddle together in the large hall with the desks of the inspectors. Since the first time, Francesco makes a point of always bringing a couple of import beers along. It’s strictly forbidden on the floor but he is right that it makes the game better and then again, who will bother them? Sometimes they make progress, sometimes they don’t but by the time the final whistle resounds, they are usually just hook in conversation about everything and nothing – or at least not the case.

Just two pals trying to crack a case. There are times when Valeria’s double life makes her a bit sick in her mouth – usually she just takes a big swig of the imported one then.

“Haha, I’m a good teacher,” Francesco grins, “No, I just noticed someth- Are you finished already?”
“Hey, you’re learning me football and drinking, apparently,” Valeria giggles. Tonight is just one of those nights where she wants to keep it on the light side. These sessions tear her apart, she enjoys them yet fears them and… Let’s say she had a small warm-up already.
“I’m quite sure in which of both you’re best,” Francesco laughs and for a sudden, he seems to have been distracted enough.

”A bit of a skirmish on the wing between two future teammates, Luca Curiale and Virtus newest signing, Domard Prudhomme. The Gouvanarchais back line has not been flawless so far but seems to have little trouble keeping the Ortelians at bay so far. Luca Curiale, the reliable wingback needs to find support – it’s Di Masi who offers a way out and then it goes to ‘La Leggenda’ Del Prete, a lot of numbing passing but barely any openings in the…”

“Del Prete!” Francesco shouts as if he just discovers who the centerpiece of their research is, “that’s it.”
“That has been it for weeks now, already, but we really should…” Valeria kicks off.
“At noon, when I picked up my newspaper,” Francesco continues, ignoring her plea, “I noticed something. He’s priced up to score in the second half at a ridiculous odd, 8/3 for a midfielder.”
“I know, that’s the reason why we’re listening to this match report instead of something actually interesting,” Valeria sighs, with some dramatic intonation thrown in.
“First results, then the sound of five Tikariotians trying to emasculate their instruments with a chainsaw, that’s the deal,” Francesco grins.
“Oh com’on! You just don’t get the nuances of Depraved Angel,” she whales, pointing to the place on her chest where, packed under four layers of clothing, her tattoo should be.
“It’s just…”
“I can play us some Septic Scalpel if you want,” Valeria chuckles, acting as if she switches the radio to the USB connection with her phone.
“That’s just…” Francesco pulls a funny disgusted face and groans, “… awful. I am quite sure that falls under the ‘indecent proposal’ clause of our HR policy.”
“As if you mind indecent proposals,” Valeria replies, just that bit too fast.

The jolliness of the atmosphere dies down and they listen in silence, trying to rustle through some pages. Why did I say this, Valeria wonders, I’m not even sure what I mean with it.

”Jodoc Gane on the wing, the uncut gem with the diamond feet, disposing himself of Curiale and a cross! Desreaulx! Oh… A powerful header by ‘4x4’ Desreaulx and Enrico Lanzafame is left without a chance. ‘The Wall’ won’t have his fifth clean sheet from the series, that is for sure as the power man up front, the ‘Buffalo of the Kevredigezh’ Desreaulx towers over Massielo and Castorani. What a dominance or as they would say, quelle classe!”

“They also had odds for the Juvencus game,” Francesco breaks the dreariness after a minute of five.
“Let me guess,” Valeria tries to lighten the mood again, “if they draw then you just get your money back.”

His cheeky smile shows it worked – if only a bit.

“You need to pay them instead,” Francesco punts the joke, “but more intriguing was the goal odd for Del Prete. Stupidly low again.”
“But… He hasn’t scored that much,” Valeria snaps back to reality. Sobered up at once, she starts toggling on her laptop, “indeed it starts to show up on the charts but only… When did you ‘buy your paper’?”
“Noon,” he repeats, ignoring the subtext to her last clause.
“That’s strange,” she says after some more clicking, “See?”
“Ehm…” Francesco tries to interpret the graphs. “Yeah… No.”
“This is the pricing on Del Prete’s Juvencus goal,” Valeria points, “but it only started to drop this afternoon. That means they… They first grab the cash on the small, local, newspaper store bookmakers.”
“Ok - so that is why we cannot link the money streams back to them,” Francesco nods, “those just aren’t bets from them. It’s random people, who notice the little markets drop and respond on it fast enough. Maybe even those responsible for the small pools, who cut their losses with the online market and decide to keep their mouth shut as…“
“This is huge, ‘Cesco,” Valeria speaks as she pats her laptop, “we can’t solve it with this one. We need to get out there, on the street.”

Intensely building a strategy, they even miss that Carmine Garofalo manages to equalize with a carbon copy of the opening goal – albeit at the other side. By the time they’ve got the broad outline, there’s only fifteen minutes left.

“The confrontations between these two surprise packages of the group can go each way now, who will take the upper hand? Will it be Gouvanarch, for whom de Rely chased three fresh forces into the pitch in order to keep their pressure game flowing? Or will it be the Swordfishes, who appear lusting for blood on the counterattack?”

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Francesco concludes as they overlook the whiteboard with their plans, “I got you a little present.”
Oh no, Valeria thinks, he shouldn’t start to figure something and then I make that stupid remark. Maybe he’s the kind of idiot who gives flowers or…
“Tadaaa!” he says triumphantly whilst whipping up a pack of papers.
“What?” Francesco grins whilst gently jabbing her in the ribs, “you weren’t hoping for flowers, were you?”
“What’s this,” she smiles, slightly relieved.
“I’ve got a phone tab of Eduardo Cartola,” Francesco explains, “not like extremely legal so it might have to disappear before court but it could help us out. This guy is extremely popular, thou.”

Quickly, the eyes of Valeria scan the list, twelve pages of numbers, some with names, some still anonymous.

“Apart from those automatically matched, I needed to go one-by-one manually and I haven’t gotten to the bottom yet – just focused on those who called multiple times,” he explains.

Names, all new names start to pop up and then… Valeria watches one at the bottom of page nine. One call, incoming to a yet undetermined number but she doesn’t need to check her phone to know.

“That’s… That’s dangerous,” she says, “this needs to disappear.”
“But I thought,” Francesco looks like a puppy getting reprimanded for biting your slippers.
“No one can know and these are even printed on state papers,” Valeria tries to think fast, “we’ll copy what’s interesting by hand and then burn it. I’ll get the request out of the logging of the system files.”
“Sorry,” he apologizes, “I didn’t mean to panic you.”
“It’s a good idea,” Valeria continues, barely noticing how she’s rambling, “but it’s too risky to ruin our whole research. Here, take the first six pages and copy it all, I’ll get started on the last six.”

Silently yet focused, they work their way through the names and numbers. Valeria hesitates for a second, should she leave it on, maybe with a minor misspelling so it cannot be tracked? She decides against it and eventually skips the phone number from Stefano altogether.

ONE DAY EARLIER

Antonella stretches herself, taking a good long look in the mirror. She notices how Gianmarco ogles her from behind, one leg hanging carelessly out of the bed, and tilts her hips just a little more.

“Are you sure you need to go,” he complains, “why couldn’t you just board my plane as well?”
“Your wife will be delighted when she hears that,” she giggles, amused she got the perfect excuse for a lot of things from a woman she only knows from the gossip rags, “very encouraged to pick up three quarters rather than half your fortune.”

He lifts a hand in something which holds the middle ground between an apology and a surrender. It is the third time Antonella spends time here and he is… He is… A dork that spreads roses across the floor. A moron who doesn’t realizes what is going on. A fool who rents a luxurious penthouse just for her short stays. Gianmarco Del Prete is an idiot and some way, somehow, it’s the first time she genuinely regrets that this trip is over. The last three days were spend in bed, occasionally skipping out to answer the door for the food delivery or a quick shower. And yet, most of it was spend talking. During the first times they met, Gianmarco would go on long, rampant monologues which centered around the most important thing in his universe: him. Antonella would reply, short, a tad snarky – because that’s just how he likes it. Yesterday she caught herself wound up in a discussion over the value of friends over family and only afterwards she realized it was now him who played, poked fun and riposted on her train of thought. She had acquired something worse than his heart. His attention.

“Can I call you a cab?” he asks.
“No, no… I get one via the app already,” she lies.
“The app? I didn’t know this place had one,” Gianmarco scratches his head.
“Means you’ve let me wait too often,” she smiles and turns to the door. Halfway she halts, returns and kisses him, softly. It comes natural, almost intended.

One minute and five floors lower, Antonella walks onto a quiet street in the residential area of Valnohar and it hits her – she wished it had not ended yet. A long, loud hoot awakes her from her daydreams.

“Jezus Christ, Rocco, you idiot,” she complains as she steps in, “couldn’t you just wait around the corner? What if he sees you, recognizes you?”
“If you did your job well,” he smirks with a nasty grin, “then he won’t be able to get out of bed anytime soon.”

She ignores his lude remark and focusses on her purse. It angers her that this uncivilized baboon needs to come on every trip from the boss. To ‘protect’ her, yeah sure, to control her. Initially she found it slightly amusing that the boss dumped him in a sleezy motel for the time being, the biggest potential contrast with her penthouse, but it seems that those stays make his mood worse each time.

“Gotta call the boss,” Rocco mentions, pushing some buttons on the dashboard of the rental.
“Si?” is the short reply from overseas.
“It’s Rocco, sir, I’ve got Antonella with me.”
“Bueno. You’re not on your regular number, right?”
“No sir, they won’t trace this back to Tikariot.”
“Good, good… And, what’s the newest scoop?”

The conversation goes quiet. Antonella realizes this is her cue but… Three days. Three full days in conversation and they have not discussed football for a second. At first it was everything he could blab on about and now…

“Antonella? What’s the scoop?” it sounds through the boxes.
“Sorry… I…” she blurts out, “I think the connection dropped. Gianmarco, he… He scores.”
“I’m sure he did,” Rocco chuckles, keeping his eyes on the road but extending a hand to her thigh.
“Shut it, Rocco,” the boss replies, “what do you mean, scores? What game, when?”
“He scores in the second half,” Antonella panics, “the next game. And the next game.”

This is going nowhere, she knows, but the words have blurted out already.

“So let me get this straight – one goal in the second half against Gouvanarch and one in the second half against Juvencus… Hmm… Interesting, and robust. They’ll hesitate to drop that odd. Good work,” and he cuts short the call without wishing them a goodbye, let alone a good flight.
“Keep your paw off me,” Antonella slaps the arm of Rocco, a futile gesture considering his biceps being closer to her waistline than to the size of her arm.
“I don’t think you mind,” he mutters, slowly moving his hand up.
“Get off!” she repeats now with force, her pushes nearly making them turn into the opposite lane, “I’ll tell the boss and he’ll make you sleep on the street, you asshole.”

Rocco snickers but does move his arm away – if only to avoid a crash. “He can’t see your red cheeks, Antonella, but I can. You’re lying.”
“What?” she reposts, less powerful than she wished for.
“You’re downright lying. There’s no way that you can let him predict scoring, let alone in two difficult games. There was no problem with the connection. You just make it up as you go. It’s not a case if the shit hits the fan but when and then…” and he returns his hand to her thigh, just for a short pat, “you’ll need a good friend to take care of the goods.”

Nonsense, she wants to scream, but she’s afraid her voice will skip a beat.

FOUR DAYS LATER

With a firm pace, Enrico Lanzafame is running his morning laps through the harbor. It is his favorite bit of the city, especially at this point of the day. Bustling with activity throughout the day, this hallmark of the economic recovery of Falkner remains fairly quiet in the morning. The only ones he runs past are boatsmen and dockers, quietly making their way to their work. Even if he could become a bit of a name in the A-League, Enrico dreams, these are the kind of folks that would not bother the goalkeeper of their team on his morning routine, a small nod of recognition aside.

It doesn’t need a psychologist or an expert to notice it: this man is beaming. The success of the Swordfishes can be read from every step he makes, he barely seems to sweat despite darting from dock to dock. The victory against Gouvanarch, hard-fought as it was, placed them on a surprising second spot in the halfway point. Only those seagulls who keep on quacking and mewing around him form a minor bother, but it doesn’t break his stride. As such, Enrico reaches the furthest point of his trek, running up all the way to a pier with some Euran cargo ships – a perfect five mile away from his apartment in the city center. Well, apartment… Condo sounds more like it. There are moments when he reminisces about the little place he housed with two other guys as second goalie at SSD Borgonovo, a shack with warm water every fifth Sunday of the month. Falkner United might not be a Northern Union by far, but they play in the same league and not only literally. Or at least, that’s what Enrico dares to imagine playing for Northern Union is like – what does he know.

Going into the last fifty meters ahead of his turning point, he politely nods to a docker wearing a Falkner United training jack, black with dark red trim, his eyes hidden by a once-red baseball cap. It isn’t but just ahead of the turning point that the nickel drops. That was… As Enrico turns around, two man disallow him to return. He tries to scan for any support past their shoulders but someone needed to go running before regular people are awake.

“Don’t worry, it’s me, Mario,” Mario smiles, grins really, “I’m happy to see you haven’t forgotten us.”

Although being spoken to, Enrico locks eyes with the second man.

“You’ld almost think so,” Mario continues his monologue, “you’ld almost think you have been avoiding us. Haven’t even said ‘hi’ to your own father and mother, it’s… A shame.”

It was true, the latter. Despite only a week spanning between the home fixtures against Gouvanarch and Juvencus, he had travelled back and forth to Brenecia without looking back. It had been his modus vivendi for the last few games and it had worked out well. Up until now, that is.

“There are things that are more of a shame,” the second man continues. “I go into the fan shop near Hunter Hall as I want to buy our friend Mario a nice shirt and… There are none with your name on.”
“Well…” Enrico gasps, disoriented, “it’s early on in the year maybe… The goalie shirts aren’t printed an-“

His muttering gets brought to an instant halt as, out of nowhere, the second man punches him in the stomach. Enrico possesses great reflexes but did not anticipate this. He drops to his knees at once, trying with one hand on the ground to make the world snap back in place.

“Every goalie shirt, Enrico!” the second man yells, “Had one name on it. Lanfazame. Lanzafame.”
“I…”
“Are you ashamed of yourself?”

He seems to explode with anger and even Mario takes a step back, trying to check if no one notices his screams.

“Answer me, Enrico, what is your name?”
“I… I am…”

The hesitation in his reply only infuriates the man further, who lashes out with every word with his dark gummy boots.

“What? Is? Your? Name?”
The reply comes, soft, sighed, “Lanza. Enrico Lanza, I…”

Enrico wants to react but only lifts a hand, his unsatisfactory alternative for a white flag.

“Please, stop, Stefano, stop…”
“And why,” Stefano drops to one knee to get his face closer to the one from Enrico, “why would I do that?”
“Because… Because you’re my brother,” Enrico mumbles.
“Am I? Am I your brother? Or I am a piece of dirt to you? Someone who you are so ashamed of that you had to chance your name just to be no longer associated to?”

Thoughts are running quick now for Enrico but he knows there is no right reply. As hard and sneering as the comments might be, they are all true. The eighteen-year old, aspiring goalkeeper did not feel the need to immediately get the ‘oh, aren’t you family of that guy who shot two guys and a pregnant woman in a bar’-remarks. Stefano being behind bars made the name disappear from the headlines, but by then he had made a name of his own. And that name was ‘Lanzafame’. Stefano grabs him by the throat now.

“Am? I? Your? Brother?” he hisses.
“Yes,” Enrico decides to choose his life over his values and to confirm his options, he adds, “don’t kill me, Stefano.”
“I’m not like you,” Stefano replies, pushing Enrico away from him in a way that makes him fall flat in a puddle of dirt.

Slowly, Stefano wipes his hands clean on his jeans, making his opinions clear.

“But, if you are family, you could start acting like one… And help me out a bit.”

Valeria had called Stefano as he was on his way to board the plane. The few days hustling around the city of Falkner, awaiting the right timing to cross roads and filtering the continuous banter from Mario, had given him a chance to think. And to come up with the perfect plan that caught two birds with one stone.

“I want you,” Stefano proclaimed, “to make sure that Gianmarco Del Prete does not score in the second half of the Juvencus game.”
“To… Not score,” Enrico tried to process. The requests had been actions for him so far, grabbing yellow or letting a ball slip through. But this… “I can’t… I mean…”
“You can’t or you don’t want to?” Stefano asks, clinically bringing his boot back in eyesight for Enrico, still flat on the ground.
“I’m… I am the goalkeeper. How can I stop? Why Gianmarco?” words stopped being sentences for Enrico.
“Don’t bother about the last question,” Stefano utters, “your head might hurt.”
“But… If he just takes a free kick and curls it in, like in the final minutes against Gouvanarch? What can I do about that?”
“Just make it happen,” Stefano speaks and raises his boot.

Enrico closes his eyes, bracing for the impact and as such misses the gesture from Mario. From a distance, some dockers are walking up, carrying their bags with gear for a working day. When he opens them again, Mario and Stefano are gone – but their faces still dance in front of his sight. He rises, trying to wipe some of the dirt of his tracksuit. Rubbing his side which seems to have a rib knocked loose, he slowly stutters back to the main section of the harbor, back home.

“Aye, footie type – the docks ain’t the place for practicing your diving,” one of the dockers yells to the amusement of his palls.

At least they don’t recognize me yet, Enrico thinks before realizing I should really stop hanging around coastlines. The sound of the laughter easily waves into the mewing and yakking.

F’ing seagulls.

[Geektopia]

Match Reports: Dismal display of attacking problems exposed as Greens edge Silvedania out but have less direct chances to score that were taken | Published by Forceiceister

This cycle’s qualifying schedule was once again laid out for the team, each member of it fully responsible that if they are granted no points to any of the other big three, one of which is slowly creeping up the table, that the nation’s qualification chances which were expected by the board would be in peril. They are still expecting this after only our first third place finish last cycle, known for a psychological transformation from the beating of our lads by Kelssek which all required them to discover new walks of life and retire from football.

It’s been an exceptional job under Dingledine to bear the weight of these incoming players who have no experience on an international level that have been snatched out of domestic leagues by the board and to turn the team into a cohesive unit, but I’ll be recapping how they sure didn’t act like one in this game attack-wise.

A neat triangle passing pattern was created and played through Shammami, Ponti, and Thorud in the first minute to regain and straddle possession. When given the ball for his fifth time, Ponti shot a lofted ball forward in hopes of finding a team mate that was high up the field, but nested behind the Silvedanians at the same time. The effort was gobbled up by both wingbacks, but whos feet the ball would rest in first for Silvedania’s inaugural spell of possession was decided by a coin flip, with Elliott Roberts calling the tails spot and Timothé Fischer going for the other side. You see, these Silvedanians had a plan to leech possession from us, and it was that in the event of a loose ball that either of their players were getting to, they’d settle on a coin flip, not even pausing play. This tactical effect worked for how inaccurate and irate it made our athletes and granted Silvedania a goal, although it was called to be offsides after minutes of speculation in the tenth. The competition hadn’t even entered it’s first twenty plays, and the possession had turned one hundred and eighty degrees, favoring the white shirts by a considerable 80-20 ratio.

Meanwhile, our bulky forwards got tangled up in the fourteenth minute when they had an attacking chance, acting sloppy with the ball on the edge of the box as it was picked over to them by Matkowski. Now, while trying to retain possessions and pass it out from the back in 20 past, the defending Arthur Fabeck trips over the two-man pile of Sdao and Rinnert and a penalty is somehow called at the edge of the Silvedanian box, even though the forwards clearly tripped over Fabeck himself. Rinnert steps up and skies the spot kick, and is subbed off three minutes later for Diminno in the 27th, who is used to not being played in his natural position as a midfielder.

So now that we’re all caught up, after this, Silvedania seem to unusually stand off the attack, whether purposefully on purpose or not, as they allow newly-subbed Diminno and company to shatter balls over the stands and play upfield for a period of five minutes. One goal attempt which resulted in the ball being held in the end by Auguste Connor caused the goalie to pick the grass innocently, and as Team Geektopia withdrawingly waited for the man in between the sticks to be fouled for a time wasting violation, he decided to do something with it, narrowly grazing the closing jaws of a yellow card in the thirty third, three minutes after a half hour of fruitless play, and further mental mastery by Silvedania.

At the thirty fourth, an inactive game went from zero to one hundred quickly as Germain Sophie, the asexually reproduced son of a failed gridiron player in Germaine Sophie, was given the breakaway by a pass from one of the front three in Sdao and did well with a slice of it, parcing the ball down left from a ground shot. Had that shot come off of the ground, the goaltender wouldn’t have known where to track it, but alas, Sdao hit an absolute snoozer.

Just on the thirty seventh, Vincent Cardomo drifted infield before passing the ball 5 yards before our penalty spot like a baton in the Olympics to his trusted No. 2 Keith Beaumanoir, then he looked for Cinnam Onerj before giving it up and back passing to a man in Cardomo directly behind him, he crosses next to the corner flag but the move is ambitious and a head pops up to challenge it in the penalty box. Hey, would you look at that? It’s Lertora’s, see? He’s just challenged his players to make an effort to mark the right men in that demonstration alone. More of a leader than “Mouthpiece Maestro” Diminno has been in his last seven games right there. Was he on for seven games, or nine? Bleggghhh..

Silvedania finally make a bad play in the fortieth when Germain Sophie is fouled off of the ball sillily by Eliott Roberts, who waves his finger in the air in an effort to debate the call. Too late, free kick given. And by too late, I meant the challenge. O.K., so Abdill came in with his dragon-taming left foot and the free kick was a decent attempt to salvage something attack wise for the Geeks, but the goalkeeper just has to stand and palm it away, which he does. In the replays here, it looks like the keeper here has a little kick out at Diminno, maybe for obscuring the ball, but by the time it comes off the foot of Abdill, he just scampers away from a headed effort on goal. Maybe he’s not as good of a substitute playing in a different position than I perceived. Look here, he’s just ran away from it!

In the 45+2’, the team who were on the road to us conjured up their last big attack on the half, breaking wide. Michael Laurens does a good job at the part he plays in his first touch, as he sprays it across to another man in Beaumanoir. The pass after is deviously received by Eliott Roberts, but the pressure to retain ownership of the ball isn’t enough as there were too many Geektopia players taunting the goalkeeper and making fun of him for having hair that to them, looks like a perm. The through ball is made to Beaumanoir, who picks it up for his third go ten yards from the spot. We thank God for Abdill, as he makes a graceful, one footed tackle, and thankfully doesn’t lose possession from the off.

After that the whistle went to signify a lively first half being over and done with, with opposition players congregating about something while going into their respective locker room. In the team chat, Diminno spouted his usual inspirational advice, but was quickly silenced as everyone was ordered to get ready for the next forty five and more so to stop letting their hearts be played with, as Dingledine ordered them to. The gaffer might as well have been ordering them to carry a wagon while doing a handstand.

---

The second half was underway but not without Geektopia starting as they finished from the first half, losing the ball off of an uninspiring spell of possession that only carried their attacking pass formation fifteen yards out and onto opposition turf. Dingledine then looked a bit miffed on the touchline, doubtlessly confused as to how the board only gave him three forwards out of twenty nine squad players to work with. The Geeks had a bit of freedom though to go down the space after Germain Sophie caught a Timothé Fischer boot to the face but also caught the ball with his boot to deny an attempted overhead pass from one of the more clever opposition players, Germain looks like he’s OK and we play on. Abdill reattaches to it and makes progress on much more than a individual level after bucking the ball infield then spreading it back for Shammami to pick up. He has a few options in the box but is under pressure and makes a wild miss pass that is so bad, it just happens to catch no one’s feet on the balls merry way out of the field of play, but the linesman calls it for a corner anyways.

Abdill’s corner in the fifty ninth minute failed to beat the first man, but fell kindly anyways to Matkowski, who decided against shooting and put another minute on the clock by recycling to inch closer going goalwards. In a significant moment, it was whipped back in the hive again at Thorud’s feet, he performed a spry little flick that failed to miss the head of Livengood, who was situated at the back post anyways, but Livengood’s header was a soft one, the goalkeeper didn’t even have to use both of his hands to catch and hold.

Geeks are still on the front foot here, but I’m telling you, this was a horrible display of our attacking, and even though it looks like we’ve had more chances throughout the contest, Sdao usually racks up twenty crosses a game as an average, in this one he’s underperforming massively with six at the sixty third. Anyways, they maintain the front foot here subsequent a shot from downtown gets palmed to the post by Auguste Connor, who’s well and truly kept his head in the game, he really can’t be blamed for giving away the corner there. Abdill is obviously going to be the taker for this one, though. He’s been able to tell his bodies apart and whip those crosses out like an ice cream sundae. The ball goes to an unmarked body in Ponti, he whiffs the volley straight at Connor, and it’s easy pickings in goal for him. We’ve got to hit a hard shot eventually, right?

A goal comes in the sixty eighth minute from the best “kowski” we’ve produced in recent history, Matkowski. The man from Trosa sweeps it home from a compellingly quick counter attack, made with the new and improved Attacking Pass Formation, which doesn’t have to be accessed all the time and can change mid-game to accommodate any player and still vaguely resemble the same shape that it was encouraged to be by Dingledine. It started with Thorud who was bursting at the edge of the hive to find his connection with Livengood, but the tactic was interrupted when the lay-off to Ponti was intercepted by the sliding Matkowski, who took a foot to it and etched his name on the board.

I don’t think this was a testament to how much Geektopia needed to change their tactics, because the counter attack that really made this sequence was produced out of an Attacking Pass Formation tactic which Dingledine really worked to make our players comprehend. That goal wouldn’t have existed in the first place if Matkowski here hadn’t gotten tired of sharing the ball and went for goal himself.

Following this, the dons still didn’t let off the gas but they did plenty of times when they didn’t have the ball, giving Silvedania space to move with for them to gain an end match statistic of five shots on target, but none to the good.

---

After a post-match interview which didn’t have much details or information surrounding it, Dingledine exclaimed while leaving the interview for an airplane scheduled to land at Homewood that he was “still not convinced in the squad’s ability and will be deciding himself who’ll make the rounds internationally in the next three hundred years”. We don’t know if this was a direct declaration of war to the board for their decision-making in only contractually obligating three forwards, but we’re newspeople, so we’re not conditioned to know, see.

---

Geektopia 1-0 Rwekazaland <> 30,500 @ Isleshore Stadium, Isleshore, Geektopia
Goals: 13' #27 Swenty (assisted by #20 Rinnert)

Substitutions: 7' | #16 Witrago in for replacement of #14 Sdao, 7’ | #27 Swenty in for replacement of #9 Shammami, 18' | #19 Thorud in for replacement of #13 Julio, 18' | #10 Nankervis in for replacement of #8 Matkowski, 59’ | #6 Germaine Sophie in for replacement of #29 Diminno

Player's Marks:
LERTORA: 7.0
PONTI: 7.0
GERMAIN SOPHIE: 7.0
PITTER: 7.0
FOLETTA: 7.0
RINNERT: 7.3
SDAO: 6.8 ⬇️
SHAMMAMI: 7.0 ⬇️
JULIO: 7.0 ⬇️
MATKOWSKI: 7.0 ⬇️
DIMINNO: 6.8 ⬇️
—————————————————
WITRAGO: 7.0 ⬆️
THORUD: 7.0 ⬆️
SWENTY: 8.0 ⬆️
NANKERVIS: 7.0 ⬆️
GERMAINE SOPHIE: 7.0 ⬆️