Copa Rushmori 38 - Everything Thread (Rushmore only)

by **Tikariot** » Sat Jul 17, 2021 9:42 pm

Walking with Shadows
--- Chapter XXI ---

Chapter I - Chapter II - Chapter III - Chapter IV - Chapter V - Chapter VI - Chapter VII – Chapter VIII – Chapter IX – Chapter X – Chapter XI – Chapter XII – Chapter XIII – Chapter XIV – Chapter XV – Chapter XVI – Chapter XVII – Chapter XVIII – Chapter XIX – Chapter XX

A loud clatter at the door, followed by the breaking of glass and a deep yell of “For fuck’s sakes!” alerts James and Sophia, who seems to be enjoying the massage of her neck and shoulders, holding her hair out of the way.

“What’s going on in there? Why did you lock the door? Wait, I don’t want to know. Or do I?”

Both James and Sophia break out in laughter at Sanford’s reaction. James is the first one to catch his breath again.

“Nobody locked the door, Nurisema just decided to lay against it.”

Sophia calls the big dog over, who reluctantly gets to his feet to trot over, while James goes to open the door, seeing Sanford picking up a broken coffee mug off the ground. “I’m sorry, we didn’t notice Nurisema laid down there. Did you get any coffee on you?”

“No, thankfully not, because I’d have burnt God knows what!”

The pub’s owner is coming over with a broom and dustbin, trying not to laugh, having heard the conversation. “I’ll get you a new one, don’t worry about the mug, was nowhere near my quote of broken stuff this month yet. I’ll bring it in.”

Sanford mutters his thanks and lets himself fall into his chair. “So, any progress?”

James takes a moment to answer. “Uh, no, not yet, I—”

The dark-skinned man looks up at James. “So, I did interrupt something! I knew it!”

“No, no, I was only massaging Sophia’s neck, nothing else.”

“Mhm. ‘Nothing else’, I see.”

“Oh, give it up, Thibodeaux, he’s telling the truth. Do you really think now would be the time?”

James breathes a silent sigh of relief at Sophia’s interjection and sees Sanford’s skin turn a shade darker as he blushes slightly. “Uh, no, you’re right, sorry about that. It was just—”

“It was just what?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Turning away James is doing his best to stifle a laugh, never having seen Sanford this flustered this easily.

“Good. So back to work everybody! So, we’ve been able to exclude a whole bunch of potential keywords, unfortunately, and to be honest I’m kind of running out of ideas.”

“It has to be something old, going with when the code was written, which words are already off the list now?”

Sophia picks up a piece of paper. “Ordo, order, draconi, dragon, dhaencunori, dhaencunor, Samreach, Veriasod, Anithero, Kyethas, Couseir, Ancarea, Ulmiash, Asuran, Tallavia, Agapidus, a whole bunch of higher ranking monks that we could find names for, we tried rivers close by, counties—no idea if those existed back then or not, though—and I’m not sure anymore what else.”

“Coming up empty, too,” Sanford chimes in.

James sits down, leaning his chair against his wall and closes his eyes. “We must be missing something. So, we went through all the names we could find so far. We don’t have those books anymore that Holcomb took, do we have to go back to the library again? I really like to be here in the dry…”

The clacking of keys from Sophia’s laptop makes him look over to her. She has her long hair loosely bound together, but strands are escaping everywhere, giving her a slight mad professor look. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before! I need to see, if any of the libraries or universities would have ebooks on this!”

*****

An hour later and Sanford is snoring in his chair, almost in sync with Nurisema, who has been spoiled by the pub owner and looks down for the count. James has commandeered the laptop to join Sophia in her quest to go through as many publications on the Ordo Draconi Dhaencunori as possible, but so far every single word they have tried has come up useless.

“This feels worse than a needle in a haystack,” he sighs.

“Isn’t that the truth.”

“I really don’t know—waaaaait a moment!”

She looks over at him with tired eyes. “Hm?”

“Let me try something.”

Five keystrokes and a mouse click later his face lights up. His voice is a whisper. “I got it!”

Immediately Sophia jumps up from her chair and quickly walks over, looking at the gibberish lines of letters unfold into Latin words one by one. “What was it?”

“The answer was right there the whole time and we’ve read the word so many times. ‘Truth.’ I didn’t think of it until you said it. Well, technically ‘veritas,’ but you get the point.”

“See, that’s why you should always listen to a woman.”

He looks up at her, but she cannot keep a straight face. “But what made it click?”

She pulls her chair over to sit beside him.

“They always talk about how important it is to find the truth in this or protect the truth from those that mean ill. But because it’s used in such a casual context and never really shows up in any of the keywords or titles of tracts or books it’s not obvious, which makes it the perfect code word and also long enough not to make it too easy to spot repeating sequences. So, as soon as we put in all of the words, we should be able to run this through a translator and hopefully come up with something pointing us somewhere.”

*****

When Sanford wakes up, something feels off, it is too quiet. He straightens up in his chair and rubbing his eyes he looks across the room, a smile appearing on his face. Having moved to one of the bench seats, James is asleep in the corner against the wall and Sophia is leaned against his shoulder, her long black hair obscuring her face completely, equally asleep. Nurisema also has taken up his spot at their feet, or on their feet, it is hard to see for Sanford. He tries to get up as quietly as he can and tiptoes towards the door to the pub when he realizes that it is 3 am in the morning. When he opens the door, it is almost completely dark in the pub, but a note underneath one of the overhead lights catches his eye.

“You guys were asleep and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up. I will be back in the morning, but feel free to use the coffee machine and fridge.”

The big man smiles. There are still good people out there, even though he is still very surprised that he would trust them even though he literally had only known them for a few hours before that. He shrugs and sets off towards the kitchen to scrounge up some food.

*****

He slowly feels the blanket of sleep lifting as his senses one by one begin to awaken from their slumber. Still too tired to actually open his eyes, he allows himself to let the other senses spread out through his surroundings, starting with the very distinct and mouth-watering scent of bacon permeating the air around him, followed by some pressure and warmth on his left shoulder, very different and a lot softer than the unforgiving wall to his right and a lot of pressure on his feet, which he is not exactly sure he can feel at this moment. He slowly opens his eyes and turns his head, wincing from his muscles very unwilling to move along after having been stuck in the same position for too long.

He smiles seeing Sophia quietly resting against his shoulder, her slow, regular breathing having this instant calming effect on him. As he shifts his gaze down towards his feet, it quickly becomes clear why he can barely feel them as the big, heavy head of Nurisema is resting on them, the dog having sought their closeness as they had fallen asleep at some point he did not even realize. Looking towards the door, he sees that it is almost completely dark, making the presence of the smell of bacon even more baffling, his stomach, however, seems to be welcoming it as it grumbles expectantly. He carefully pulls his right hand out from between himself and the wall to move the mouse on the laptop to see to his surprise that it is 3:30 in the morning.

Trying his best not to wake up Sophia, he slowly attempts to move his feet out from under the dog, again wincing when he succeeds, not because of the numb pain, but the dull thump of the malamute’s head on the wooden floor, but other than a low grumble there is no further reaction. James quickly realized that even if he wanted to get up, the lack of feeling in his feet would more likely bring him closer to the floor than anywhere else in the room, he shifts his gaze to the screen of the laptop, where they apparently had managed to enter all words from the sheet into the decryption software and while they still had to translate the Latin text, one word stands out to him: Tallavia. One of the two cities the Order had occupied during their heyday in the Paladon Range as their southernmost outpost that was razed during some war. Did they finally solve the riddle just to be pointed at a place that doesn’t exist anymore?

by **Pasarga** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 12:27 am

If there was concern about the focus of the Wanderers and the willingness to put it all out on the line for the team heading into the knockouts after two lackluster performances to round off the the group stage, the side's performance in their Round of Sixteen fixture will have surely put those to bed. While the question of form likely tipped Pridnestrovia to have been the favorites for the match between the two, the Wanderers' sheer raw skill as well as their performance at the most recent World Cup would have made the Pasargans the favorites for the match. A wise person then would have likely put it that it was to be a fairly close and contested affair between two proud squads in this Copa Rushmori, with the differences between the two likely to be small and the game won in the most acute of details. What transpired instead will leave a lot of people now and in the future wondering what exactly actually transpired as the Wanderers' turned in an inspired performance quite unlike anything else that they have shown in their stay so far in Mytanija, though the first group stage game does come close.

First off, let us be clear and say that although the result was well deserved, the final scoreline was a bit flattering to the Wanderers who had expected to have had to battle tooth and nail to be able to walk away from this game as victors and move forward into the latter rounds of the tournament. While reaching the Quarterfinals of the tournament was always the baseline goal, with the hopes of reaching the Semifinals and with a little luck to be in the Final and a chance to once again show that the heart of Rushmori football lies in the dual islands, those goals looked hard to come by with the team's showing in the last two group stage matches. Couple that with just how impressive that Pridnestrovia appeared to be after having not only managed to escape from a highly contentious group but to have also won the group and handidly, while scoring plenty of goals while the Pasargan defense had been somewhat shown to be fragile, it did not look very good for the team in white and green to be able to get the result that they were so looking for before the match.

Four to nothing, that was the final score from Decraa, a sort of game that you look up and down the roster and you know that everyone put in a shift of high standards to be able to pull off such a feat. However if there is a person to single out for perhaps being the catalyst for such a dominant and impressive showing against a formidable opponent, then it must be Márió Szölösi. The Ulsa attacking midfielder has really come into his own over the last year to two, having taken over the starting more attacking midfielder role from Mária Vöröss before the World Cup Qualifiers, a move that sent waves throughout the dual islands as most thought that Márió was not ready for that sort of role. However after his impressive display during both the qualifying campaign as well as in the Finals themselves, he has really come to win over the supporters who had initially doubted him and made the role his own. It was his dynamism and playmaking abilities in the center that really seemed to have set the stage for the Wanderers that enabled them to attack relentlessly against the Pridnestrovia defense and keep the pressure off the Wanderers own beleaguered backline. Asking them only to deal with the most routine of challenges really set the defensive unit to succeed.

In the first half it was more of a balanced approach, trying to probe through the Pridnestrovia defense to find where their lines were at their weakest and keeping them off of the Wanderers' own defenders, with both the wingers playing a bit more reserved and Szalyk Földessy playing the destroyer role to near perfection. Twenty-four minutes in, Szölösi would get his first assist, having pinched the ball off of Turov, and then sliding in Vojmil Topić past the last defender with a killer through ball and the wingers' run being perfect to take the ball in stride, cut into the box and then put in a curling effort into the far corner. Topić would play provider nine minutes later when a daring run down the sideline to the byline and a whipped cross met the head of Elek Salai and the young striker made no mistake in directing it goalwards. It was a good first half and it only got better in the second as the Wanderers' began to press in on the Pridnestrovia midfield and defense. Szölösi would put in a beautiful ball into the mixer from a freekick forty yards out a minute before the hour mark and Laborc Szöllössy would rise above the defense to convert the third goal for the side. Éva Mezei would finish off the scoring in the eighty-first, cheekily attempting a chip from outside the box that floated in and just under the crossbar, inflating the scoreline beyond the balance of the game.

It was an impressive win and one that will definitely bring a lot of belief back into the squad that they are able to contend with the best that Rushmore has to offer and are in there among the elite of the region once more. They will get a chance to prove that they are indeed ready for the rigors and the challenges of this regional as they will face an up and coming squad in the Copa in the Quarterfinals, meeting with Hispinas. Hispinas had an excellent go of it at the last Copa Rushmori and have seemingly been able to sustain that momentum and upward thrust into this edition of the tournament, besting San Ortelio in order to get to where they are. Like Græntfjall, Hispinas is a side that is plenty talented but lacking a bit of experience at this level, which could be both a blessing or a curse. The Wanderers already have been bested by one up and coming regional power and if they want a chance to challenge for regional superiority, they will need to have learned from their errors in that encounter and apply them to this fixture with Hispinas. A victory here not only means a trip to the semifinals but also a match with former political rivals Sargossa or growing sporting rivals of Savojarna...

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:15 am

Copa Rushmori Recap,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

With the team preparing to lose to Nephara in knockouts, because they always lose to Nephara in knockout (this time to be the quarterfinals), let’s take a look at how the team has fared thus far. Now, I do want to say that the soccer team is welcome to prove me wrong in Radinka and actually win this upcoming match. There has been a lack of media coverage for the Copa Rushmori within Cassadaigua, mostly due to the scandal that has rocked our football (gridiron) and basketball sides, keeping them from participating in the upcoming tournaments. It also kept us from participating in NSSCRA, though the baseball team got the go-ahead. At the moment, there is discussion as to whether or not hockey will be played. Regardless, due to the scandal, fan support for Cassadagan sports throughout the matriarchy has dipped to a point where we have not seen it in a long time. Ratings for the Copa Rushmori within our nation are very low. Certainly not what CASE was expecting on the heels of hosting the World Cup.

At any rate, the story of the team would be how Jessica Tolson would fare as the head coach of the squad, being given this likely “one off” opportunity after leading Victoriaville South End to the surprising league championship. Tolson did not do a lot of changes with the team, but they could be seen in certain spots. In goal, Danielle Cotter not being able to play due to a high ankle sprain gave a chance for Katie Schnapper to be the #1 goalkeeper. Several others across the squad were moved up in the depth chart to get that great chance, too.

For the Fillies, things opened up against Oberour Ar Moro, and the side played to a 2-0 victory. Katie Schnapper stopped a limited number of quality chances put on net by the opponent and all seemed well for the team wearing pink. Jenna Frontiera scored the opener in the 14th minute, off a great set up from Morgan Rosenblatt; and in the 38th, Loreen Hazen, who will be playing in Eura next season, made it 2-0. The second half was not the most exciting to watch, with Tolson getting some criticism for the team “sitting on the lead and not having a killer instinct”. Tolson downplayed that and credited Oberour Ar Moro for playing much better during the second half.

Game 2 was the one that fans (the ones that were interested) circled on the calendar: the first meaningful showdown against Jessica Curran’s Valladares side. Jessica, the former star defender for the Fillies has done a good job with Valladares (although some will say that she could be doing better). There was a lot of excitement, and on this day it would be Curran showing the strides that she has made with the Valladar side. I guess when you have been a part of the way we do things for so long, you might have a plan for stopping it, and this game was all Valladares. A 3-0 win for them, with Cristian Benítez opening the scoring in the 11th minute. The turning point of this match, if there was one, probably came in the 15th minute when Jenna Frontiera squandered a chance where she shot wide, likely trying to be too perfect with the placement. She was great on the play getting between the defense, showing her great talent, and while finishing is not usually a problem for her, sometimes bad luck happens. Things went from frustrating to bad when Iván Valenzuela, who had a great chance earlier in the match, made it 2-0. After this match, Frontiera was well aware of how things could have been different. “Yeah, you’re right. Whole different game if I score there. That’s how this game goes, and it sucks when that happens. At this level, though, it is all about execution. They executed better than we did today.”

Frontiera took out her frustrations on Cabo Azure, getting two goals and an assist in the first 25 minutes of the match. She opened it up in just the 2nd minute, thanks in large part to a great pass delivered by Meghan Wolcott; and in the 12th minute, Frontiera returned the favor for Wolcott, allowing Meghan to get her first the Copa Rushmori. Frontiera’s second of the match, in the 24th minute, gave the Fillies an immediate 3-0 lead, and quickly put to bed any hopes of Cabo Azure to pull off an upset. The opponent still did not have a shot on goal at that point, and when they eventually did, Schnapper was up to the task. In the second half, the Fillies got goals in the 59th from Preston Newfeld, and in the 71st by Bayley Stanton. The clean sheet was spoiled, unfortunately, in the 83rd.

This brought the Fillies to the knockouts, playing the hosts in the round of 16. Last Copa, they knocked out the hosts from Eura, so were hoping to do the same thing here. Their fans filled up Stadion Prizren, doing all they could to help their team knowing they would not be considered the favorites here. Even though Cassadaigua may not have been clicking on all cylinders for this Copa, they would still the favorite for the match. Jessica Tolson knew that the Mytanars likely would look to get on the board early to get their fans even more into the match, so she would advise her team to look for opportunities on the counter attack. In the 8th minute, Courtney Graham capitalized on Tahir Fejzuli’s mishandling of the ball, and delivered a pass forward to Loreen Hazen, who along with Jenna Frontiera, had an immediate opportunity. Hazen did well to use Frontiera as a decoy, and blasted the shot past Pedja Kasun, to give Cassadaigua the early 1-0 lead, and quieting the crowd some. A Morgan Rosenblatt goal in the 26th further silenced the crowd.

But the way this one started would not be the way it would play out. After the Rosenblatt goal, the Mytanars played with a never say die attitude, and took control of the match. They still took risks with some of the passes forward, but they would pay off. For a little while, Katie Schnapper was up to the challenge, but in the 40th minute Jasno Odenelec got one by to make it a one goal game heading into the locker room. Mytanija continued to have the momentum for the second half, and got the equalizer in the 58th from Jezdimir Ocokoljic. Now, this crowd was even louder than they were at the start of the game, feeling that they were about to pull off this come from behind victory. Cassadaigua was on their heels now, and unable to counter. After the tying goal, Mytanija continued to have great chances, but Kenzie Schnapper kept the game level with some great play in goal.

Then, in the 87th minute, everything changed. A rare mistake for the Mytanars allowed Bayley Stanton (who entered in the 72nd for Loreen Hazen) to get a great chance on goal, but after she and Damir Milcic made contact in the penalty area, Stanton fell to the ground. Nothing unusual, and Stanton was ready to get back to her feet quickly. But in the corner of her eye, she saw the referee starting to reach to his pocket, so she did what soccer players do in this situation and stayed down until the card was issued, and she was awarded the penalty. The crowd? Yeah, they were pissed. And yeah, these fans can get emotional when they are pissed, but for this time they didn’t have a chance to get something to throw on the field because things had gone so well to that point. Stanton placed the penalty perfectly, making it 3-2 Cassadaigua, and now those fans were getting emotional. That would be how we ended. After the game, Stanton said of the play, “I didn’t think the contact was too bad. It did keep me from getting a scoring chance, but you know, look, we’ve been in games where calls like that have gone the other way against us. We’re not going to refuse it when maybe we get one like that go our way.”

Up next, is Nephara. Maybe this will be the time.

by **Sargossa** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 8:50 am

SSM | Sargossan State Media

International Edition - Sport

Sargossa Rise, Græntfjall

Blanco Borrayo reports;

When it comes to the World Cup, the most deathly hollowed of international feats of sport, there has long been an unwritten ambition within the halls of the Football Federation of Sargossa. There are no illusions being had. No one realistically believes Sargossa will ever lift the World Cup itself. Baring a sudden boycott by thirty or forty of the elite nations such a dream will have to remain just that, a dream. But a quarter final place. That’s the real ambition. But from thirty eight separate World Cup campaigns it’s an ambition that has thus far eluded the national side. Six last sixteen exits the closest the Corsairs have come. But here in the Copa Rushmori a quarter final place is less an ambition and more a tradition.

Here in Mytanija the nation are set to appear in their twenty third Copa quarter final, their ninth in succession. Although reaching that stage this time around has been met with a certain amount of pleasant surprise. Coach Brian McAllister and his charges were looking to a healthy Cup of Harmony to exorcise the demons of a failed World Cup qualification campaign. But after a one hundred percent group stage record and an impressive win over Trolleborg in the last sixteen the wheels well and truly came off against Barunia in the quarter final. The hangover of that tournament appeared to linger over the Corsairs here in Mytanija. Throwing away a comfortable lead against Nyowani Kitara in the opener before losing to Pridnestrovia had Sargossa staring down the barrel of an embarrassing group stage exit. Only an unconvincing win over debuting Txakhaxi, coupled with a favourable result in the other group fixture, saw the Corsairs scrap through as group runner's up.

Græntfjall were Sargossa’s last sixteen opposition and the very reason for the fan base’s pessimism. The Snow Wolves have fast established themselves as one of the tougher fixtures in world football and represent a nation with a passion for sporting pedigree. At a time when nation’s around the sportiverse are finalising their Olympic delegations we are reminded of the last Games in Liventia and Banija, where a debuting Græntfjall secured a whole sack full of medals across a myriad of disciplines. More pertinently they’re a nation that had breezed through this Copa’s Group G, scoring a victory over regional doyens Pasarga in the process.

So a first half in which the statistics suggested Sargossa marginally outplayed Græntfjall came as something of a pleasant surprise. The Græntfjaller’s somewhat agricultural approach had worked beautifully against the cultured Pasargans but the trio of Sargossan bruisers at the back relished a physical challenge. McAllister’s decision to start midfield battler Esteban Pomar in place of Juan Sebastián Varela further served to counteract the Snow Wolves’ physicality. Græntfjall have never been the most expansive of sides, but they were particularly struggling to make inroads towards the Sargossan goal. For their part the Corsairs were enjoying the edge in possession but were finding Björnólfur Ernestisson and his back four an imposing barrier.

The second half saw the Græntfjallers find some attacking verve. The talented female trio of Sara Kristoffersdóttir, Amanda Guttisdóttir and Johanna Álvgeirsdóttir were starting to cause real problems with their neat array of passing. But while the Snow Wolves came forward so too did the Corsairs. Alonzo Bienvenida has long cut a frustrated figure at international level, for nearly a decade denied the chance to replicate his domestic form in a national side that has long eschewed the use of wingers. But deployed on the right, the left footed has proven a revelation in what has been a largely disappointing campaign. He’d twice teed up Mauricio Sainz in the opener against Nyowani Kitara, before getting on the scoresheet himself against Pridnestrovia. The opener in this match was a carbon copy of that strike. Bienvenida was found wide on the left. Wingback Tobías Figueroa bombed past him, taking the covering fallback with him. This opened up the space for the Sportivo Cordova winger to cut in from the flank and comprehensively beat Ernestisson with his favoured left foot.

Some sharp work from Alejandro Martínez kept the Corsairs in front. One save in particularly, full stretch to his right to keep out Sara Kristoffersdóttir’s snap shot, was notably impressive. At the other end Ernestisson showed great bravery to dive at the feet of Mateo Manzanares when the striker had been slipped clean through. A second goal was coming, the crowd in Thessia could almost sense it. It’s somewhat obvious to say that goal would be crucial in determining which nation would advance to the last eight. But it would. As it was, a near goal at one end led to an actual goal at the other. Kristoffersdóttir was causing the problems again, standing a cross up to the far post. Big Ásvarður Bergmundursson, introduced to present the Sargossan centrebacks with a heftier challenge, got above his marker and looped the ball goalwards. It cracked against the crossbar and was hacked clear by Raúl Dengra. Dengra may claim that he’d meant the ‘pass’ that sent the ever-dangerous Bienvenida streaking away. He tricked his way beyond Emeli Vilbertsdóttir and laid the ball across to Enrique González who calmly side-footed it into the bottom corner. Sending Sargossa into another Copa Rushmori quarter final.

The Corsairs join a quarter final line-up that has some notable omissions. Valladares fell victim to a Tikariot side that are looking increasingly like future champions of something big. The home fans suffered a crushing blow as host nation Mytanija lost a thriller against Cassadaigua. And Eura, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were edged out by Astograth. But plenty of heavy hitters remain. None heavier than Nephara, who now face a heavyweight tussle with the Dagans. Tikariot and Astograth have little time to appreciate their respective last sixteen heroics as they now square up to each other. Tournament veterans Pasarga take on Hispinas, who have been upgraded from ‘plucky’ to a very real threat. And for Sargossa there’s the small matter of a renewed quarter final acquaintance with Savojarna. The Savojar have ended Sargossan participation at this stage twice before. An awful lot of people back home will be hoping that third time is indeed the charm.

by **Hispinas** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 10:03 am

Hispinas 3–1 San Ortelio
Copa Rushmori 38 - Kotrba, Esca, Mytanija
HSP Scorers: Chicho Mondragon (12'), Pancho Del Olmo (29'), Auza Vertiz (83')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Chicho Mondragon, Chequil Puma ▼ (▲ Marcos Rolan 86'), Casimiro Coro, Fermin Maquibar, Hibai Berriz, Auza Vertiz, Trinidad Quevedo ▼ (▲ Salomon Duran 78'), Munio Sola, Pancho Del Olmo ▼ (▲ Perlita Chapa 83'), Carmelita Grimaldo

Alfonzo has met his goals for this edition of the Copa - reach the quarterfinals. Their previous Copa results have fueled the team to top Group F, and defeat a San Ortelio side which they consider as one of the dark horses of the tournament. Few detractors have claimed though that having played four competitive matches in a row on the same venue certainly gave them an advantage over the Swordfishes, although that would be their last game in Kotrba as the stadium will host no further matches in the tournament, and Hispinas would have to travel this time to Prizren to face Pasarga, one of the most prominent Rushmori competitors in Copa history.

Having gambled on the fitness of arguably his best player, Casimiro Coro, after taking a knock in their win against Yuezhou, Medrano made some changes up front so that some of the regulars would be rested in case they progress further, having benched both Peppi Palmero and Ozeano Amunategui in favor of the less-fielded Pancho del Olmo, and putting Carmelita Grimaldo up front, away from her usual wingers' spot in previous matches. He would also put Chicho Mondragon in right-back in place of Gurutze Aranaz for the match against the I Spada as they are called in their native language. Hispinas would pester the opponent's defense with early opportunities, and were rewarded in the first 30 minutes with two goals coming from Mondragon and Del Olmo, which certainly meant that Medrano may have put a 'masterstroke' as two of his inserted players scored the Golden Sealions' first two goals.

Having been down two goals early, Renato di Tane's squad would not be pushed away easily, as before half time, an Auza Vertiz' mistake initiated a counter attack from a defensive minded San Ortelio squad, culminating to a goal from Carmine Garofalo just as the referee had their whistle on their mouth to sound the first half whistle, and caused some changes to Medrano's dressing room talk at half time. Although in the second half, it was the people clad in orange and black that was pushing for their next goal that would put more cushion to a precarious one-goal lead, although the Swordfishes generated chances of their own which kept Natalio Londono alert, parrying Il Buffalo's latest adventure at the Hispino goal.

It was at the onset of the 83rd minute, when Perlita Chapa was brought on to replace Del Olmo, that Hispinas grabbed their third goal to put the gritty San Ortelians away, when her first touch of the ball made its way to the waiting foot of Vertiz, and the Atletikoa Haranurdina midfielder lashed a half-volley to smash the ball past the helpless Enrico Lanzafame. Millions of viewers were ecstatic in their celebrations with the Terranean nation making it to their third quarterfinals appearance since they made their debut in the 36th edition of the Copa. With the result, it would be a difficult task to any succeeding managers to match let alone exceed Medrano's Copa results, but the manager from Cebuenas kept his head down in spite of the success he has on the regional stage, and asked his players to keep focus for their showdown with Pasarga at Stadion Prizren in a few days time.

by **Astograth** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 1:33 pm

Ihazintu Malkorra ran after the long ball from Eskuin Nekol. If he could reach it before it crossed the goal line, and before Lucy Almwood, he’d be in an excellent position to cut back and link up with the strikers.

The ball bounced in front of him once, twice, three times, almost to the goal line. He was out of breath, his legs stretching as far as they could. But Almwood got in front of him, and protected the ball as it bounced one more time, harmlessly out of play.

He’s past it. Look at him, he’s plodding! Can’t pass, can’t score. Not even trying. Finished.

Ihazintu Malkorra was the 20th player to reach 100 caps for Astograth, and not far from reaching the top 10 goalscorers. Captain of Aries Chariots, one of the Nepharan Zenith’s top teams. None of it seemed to matter; the criticism rained ever harder in the all-consuming orb of social media. At 32, was he really finished? Was it time to call it quits?

Zilar Galharretborde knew it hounded Malkorra. One of the finest Astograthian wingers of all time, yet always under fire. A lot of it was stirred up by pundit Lekubegi Guerrikaechebarria whom Galharretborde suspected was simply trying to protect his own ego and claim to being the best Astograthian winger – decades ago! Malkorra was the opposite. Instead of treating Galharretborde as a rival, he’d taken him under his wing. Mentor and understudy. They’d both grown together and earned success with their clubs: Malkorra a cup victory with Chariots, Galharretborde a brilliant league win with Océanic in Kelssek. The public didn’t realise how much they’d miss him when Malkorra finally did hang up his boots.

It wasn’t even in Galharretborde’s selfish interest for Malkorra to go down like this. The crowd could turn against him just as easily if he took over the starting position on the right wing. Moreover, if they thought Malkorra wasn’t enough of a scoring threat… Galharretborde already got enough shit flung his way for not scoring once in his 29 caps to date. His talent was more in delivery than shooting, that’s what he was on the team for. Especially in the latter days of Vaudrail’s tenure and now under Erke, as Astograth shifted to a deep 4-4-2 and greater emphasis on pumping the ball forward.

In Erke’s case, it was no secret that he’d taken heavy inspiration from Skorjiball as a young manager. His first job had been to save Gortz United from near-certain relegation – and did it, shaping the team into the mould of Skorji Oslograd’s Askari Union: a long-ball shithouse team capable of punching far above their weight. He hadn’t needed to resort to that with the far more talented squad available to him at Athletic Club Olarria, but Skorjiball remained in his DNA.

Now he barked orders from the touchline of the Novi Kaunostadion, metres away from the Skorji himself.

Barking orders at the bench. Even his gestures were similar to Oslograd’s.

Barking at him, Galharretborde realised, an instant before Menduburu elbowed him.

“YOU’RE ON! WARM UP!” screamed Erke’s assistant Aberri Buruchaga, appearing to Galharretborde’s left.

A red number 7 and a green 20. Galharretborde on for Malkorra.

“Get in,” said Malkorra in a gust of breath, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

And he was in. Eura 2, Astograth 1, minute 65 or so. Brian Bond had opened the score for Eurea just before the ten minute mark, then Karazatorre equalised in the 27th. Ten minutes into the second half, Moira Woakes had dribbled past Aztore Andia and put Eura ahead, again. Now Galharretborde’s instruction was to work with Echeberz in getting the ball up the right wing to cross for Karazatorre and Epherra, the two big forwards. Move inside only to help out Bailo and Muhaburu.

It was dizzying to be thrust into this Copa Rushmori quarterfinal. Eura were a world class team of world class players. A scant few years ago, at the start of Louis Vaudrail’s tenure as Astograth manager, Eura had beaten Astograth 7-0, their worst defeat ever. Now, somehow, they remained just a goal down. It could have easily been more from how mismatched they’d looked in the first half.

The stadium seemed to press in all around them, an intensity at odds with the calm, pleasant air of summer night. Was this the ground that Ibai Kiriano had conquered in those Thessian derbies of old? It seemed too new for that, but Kiriano’s stories had entertained them on many an afternoon when he was still assisting Vaudrail.

Galharretborde was the understudy, but no newcomer. He got his bearings quickly; having Brinemouth’s Lucy Almwood breathing down his neck kind of forced him to. The ball was on the left wing, Marko Martel pushing up with Eskuin Nekol. Galharretborde tracked their movement; Almwood in turned shadowed him. Nekol crossed, Galharretborde broke into a run.

The ball was high, too high to be of any use to the strikers. It was bound for the far edge of the box. Dean Steele, also of Brinemouth, was already there to head it away… to Almwood, who was now behind Galharretborde. The winger caught the clearance on his chest. His instructions were to cross. Karazatorre , Epherra, Erke, Almwood, Steele, Kevin Belgrave –
were expecting the cross.

Galharretborde took a touch, sprinted to the ball, and struck it with the outside of his right foot. It flew toward goal, swinging in. Epherra rushed to it, throwing himself head-first. But the ball swerved the opposite direction, and past the glove of Belgrave’s surprised reaction.

2-2. Galharretborde’s first goal with Olibondeka. 20 minutes to go and everything to play for.

Enough time for Erke to order a shift into a 4-4-2 diamond, bringing on Tomofumi Ishimoda for Baraxil Muhaburu and pulling the wingers further back. Galharretborde was definitely there to cross now, and he did.

Ishimoda would always kick the ball like he didn’t mean to, like he didn’t care, but it was always calculated. On 80 minutes, as Astograth played out of their box, he fired off one of these passes to the right wing, into Galharretborde’s run. The winger had one job.

He swung the ball in from deep, at medium height, with precisely the strength and the timing for Olentzaro Karazatorre to bring it down with his head, running past the offside trap and into the box. He gave Belgrave no chance in the one-on-one. 3-2.

by **Mytanija** » Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:13 pm

This is your cut-off for the quarter finals of Copa Rushmori 38. Here's some cut-off music.

Quarter Final

SR1 Cassadaigua 0–0 Nephara (1–0 AET) SR2
Radnika, Esca

SR3 Tikariot 0–1 Astograth SR4
Olujastadion, Ebor

SR5 Savojarna 3–3 Sargossa (3–4 AET) SR6
Novi Atletskistadion, Thessia

SR7 Hispinas 3–2 Pasarga SR8
Stadion Prizren, Prizren

Semi Final

QF1 Cassadaigua v Astograth QF2
Novi Atletskistadion, Thessia

QF3 Sargossa v Hispinas QF4
Stadion Prizren, Prizren

by **Sargossa** » Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:27 pm

Enrique González calmly placed the ball on the penalty spot. The Ciudad Soluca midfielder took his usual several purposeful strides backwards, his gaze never leaving the ball. He was first choice penalty taker for both his club and the national side. He’d taken crucial spotkicks in front of six figure crowds. This one shouldn’t be a problem. Ahead of him the keeper settled himself on his goal line. Behind the kick taker, unbeknownst to González, Dario Almirón made a slight signal to the keeper. He made a small gesture to his right. González ran forward and drilled the ball high to the his right, the keeper’s left. Between the sticks Alejandro Martínez threw himself at full stretch to his left, getting a strong palm to the strike and turning it away.

‘Son of a bitch.’ González, hands on hips, glared ahead as Martínez took congratulations from Sergio Arrabal and veteran Tomás Gaos, the national team’s two other goalkeepers. He stomped away as fellow midfielder Agustín Soria stepped up to test Arrabal’s mettle. Almirón, the squad’s goalkeepering coach, slapped González on the back as he departed.

‘You always go the same way ‘Rique.’

That had been approximately seventeen hours ago. Enrique González placed the ball on the penalty spot. He didn’t feel calm. If anything, he felt knackered. Everyone felt knackered. His teammates, the opposition, the fans among the sixty something thousand in the stadium with a vested interest in the result and the watching millions back home in their respective nations.

For ninety minutes Sargossa and Savojarna had tussled at a frenetic pace, far out of keeping for the caginess that usually heralds a tournament’s latter stages. Instead, they’d been akin to two heavyweight boxers knocking seven bells out of each other for twelve straight rounds. Bloodied, bruised, tired and punch-drunk, each still sent progressively jaded looking attacks at the other.

Seemingly an age ago Krister Voynov struck a majestic drive from out wide to give Savojarna the lead. Before a quick fire double shortly before the interval turned the match on its head. Mateo Manzanares belied what had thus far proven a relatively poor personal tournament to coolly slot in the equaliser. And Alonzo Bienvenida followed that up with an increasingly characteristic cut in from the right and a subsequent left footed drive. This one was helped in thanks to a nasty deflection off Polina Zirkova.

A new half was followed by a new twist as Sven Ehlers was given an inch and duly took a full mile, taking advantage of a defensive slip to level the match up again. And when his strike partner Sergey Nweke muscled his way through to edge Savojarna in front the pendulem was swinging from Soluca back towards Sjoedrhavn. Then, with less than ten minutes to go, González himself had sent the darker blue clad fans into raptures when his in-swinging delivery seemed to elude everyone in a packed penalty area, including the totally unsighted Iiro Pakanen. Replays would show that the ball had just brushed the head of teammate Manzanares on its way in but who the goal would be eventually attributed to was largely an irrelevance.

Ninety minutes gave way to half an hour of extra time. The tempo inevitably dropped, it had to. The same couldn’t be said of the tension. Brian McAllister paced his technical area like a cagey convict. Even Daniella Strauss, no stranger to high pressure knockout matches from a highly productive spell in charge of her native Nephara, looked to be feeling the strain just a little. Both coaches made changes, helping to stifle the tempo a little further. Although both sets of players out on the pitch were possibly grateful for a little respite.

The first half of extra time offered little in the way of drama. The second, with the threat of the lottery of a penalty shootout looming heavily on the horizon, spurred twenty sets of tired legs into some last laboured efforts to avoid that situation. Savojar substitute Victor Hedenberg came within a whisker of connecting with Voynov’s clever ball across the face of goal at one end. Raúl Dengra should have done better with a header from a rare extra time corner at the other. Closer those penalties loomed. They wouldn’t arrive. Well, baring one.

With two minutes to go Alonzo Bienvenida dragged himself in from the flank one last time. Into the penalty area, he attempted to beat the covering Matts Pedersen. Down went Bienvenida. The Euran referee didn’t hesitate, he pointed straight to the spot. It had been a tired challenge from the Tanrisal fallback. One that was replayed a dozen or so times across both Sargossan and Savojar television coverage. It was tight. There was enough doubt for the Savojar faithful to scream bloody murder. But in the cold light of day the replays would show that the officials had just about got it right.

Enrique González placed the ball on the penalty spot. He took his usual several purposeful strides backwards. The Novi Atletskistadion subconsciously held a collective breathe. Iiro Pakanen settled himself on his goal line. González ran forward…

‘You always go the same way ‘Rique.’

It popped unsolicited into his brain. Instead of top right he went bottom left. So too did Pakanen. The Jinja City FC stopper got fully behind the poorly directed effort, getting his body between it and its intended target. But González had no time for his heart to sink. Pakanen had made the stop but the ball had squirmed away from him and was deflected back towards the penalty spot. Acting on pure instinct Enrique González stuck out his boot to divert the ball back into the goal, milliseconds before he was scythed down from either side by desperately onrushing Savojar defenders. Ironically that duel challenge had been far more of a penalty than the penalty incident itself.

González had little time to acknowledge the goal, being half helped and half dragged by his teammates back over the halfway line. All semblance of attacking thought was banished as the Corsairs set up to fight off the inevitable late Savojar flurry. It came, but they just could not find that one last ditch chance. The final whistle blew and Sargossa had bagged a first ever victory over Savojarna. And what a time to get it. Players in darker blue celebrated. They ran to the fans, sharing their delight. All except Enrique González, who limped away to punch a goalkeeping coach full in the face.

by **Hispinas** » Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:40 am

Hispinas 3–2 Pasarga
Copa Rushmori 38 - Stadion Prizren, Prizren, Mytanija
HSP Scorers: Carmelita Grimaldo (34'), Hibai Berriz (37'), Chequil Puma (78')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Chicho Mondragon, Chequil Puma, Marcos Rolan ▼ (▲ Casimiro Coro 75'), Fermin Maquibar ▼ (▲ Latisha Gurule 60'), Hibai Berriz, Auza Vertiz, Tomasina Baltazar, Carmelita Grimaldo, Peppi Palmero ▼ (▲ Pancho Del Olmo 71'), Ozeano Amunategui

Coach's Notes: Alfonzo Medrano's team has made it to their second consecutive Copa semifinal in two editions after securing a close win over Pasarga in their quarterfinal match in Prizren. Chequil Puma's header on a set-piece broke a 2-2 deadlock when Boriska Nagy gave the Wanderers two goals early in the second half after two unanswered goals in the first half by the Golden Sealions. With the win against the Wanderers, they face the Corsairs of Sargossa, which they faced and won against the previous edition in their route to their semifinal appearance.

Medrano is expected to keep the 4-3-3 against a similarly attack-minded opponent, with Palmero expected to lead the frontline this time, with Sola moving to left wing and Grimaldo keeping her place in right wing. Coro is expected to start after Rolan's misfortunes that almost costed Hispinas the game against Pasarga.

Castillo de Mandrid
Official Residence of the King of Hispinas

King Marco Juan XXII was in his bedroom and was tuning in the match shown in television. He was raucous and was jumping in his delight when the final whistle sounded - although he kept grinding his fingernails with his teeth during the last moments of the match when the Wanderers were trying to find a way to extend the match to extra time. He asked his assistant to dial the phone to consultant Iago Escobar's number. When the phone picked up, he asked the 54-year old to come to the castle the next day to discuss matters related to Hispino football.

The next day, Iago arrived at one of the castle's halls to meet with the King, who was heavily guarded by the Guardias Real, and they ensured that Escobar would not carry anything that would endanger the King's life. When the two finally met face to face, the King gave him a big embrace, and the two sat at each end of a long table, as if they are having some sort of negotiations.

"Hijo! It is a great decision to put that man in charge." The King opened the discussion with a commendation to Escobar's decision to hire Medrano as the manager of the football team. "This should kick off our long campaign to have our first appearance in the World Cup finals." The consultant was skeptical and had his doubts whether Medrano could take it to the next level. "He had not proven it yet to the main stage, but let's see. You want me to have a patient build-up to this, or should you want to pressure him to qualify right away?" Escobar asked the King on his views on the matter.

"It is up to you, however I don't want to put too much pressure on him to qualify right away. We do have some more urgent matters to attend to." The King decided to divert the discussion to what he really wanted to discuss with the consultant. "I want our nation to submit a competitive host bid for next edition's Copa Rushmori. Make an assessment whether we could send a bid in time for the 39th edition." Iago had not exhibited any reaction with what the King wanted, but he was enthusiastic as well in his response. "Of course, this is what I've wanted as well. Do you prefer a solo hosting bid or a co-bid would do fine?"

"That's why I told you to make an assessment. Check the current facilities we have, then decide if we have enough for a sole hosting bid. I do not care if we do it solo or with another nation's help, but we need to make sure that we don't disappoint the other nations and ensure that our own fans would be proud of what we will do in a couple of years' time." Iago seemed to understood what the King wanted and nodded in agreement. "Also, I envision our national league to be a competitive one which can stand toe to toe with the multiverse's best clubs. Right now the amount of clubs is not what I am satisfied for and I've heard from the local governments that people are still reluctant to establish clubs on their own."

"What do you want me to do on that regard, your highness?" "The Kingdom will assist on increasing the amount of clubs that would be willing to participate in the league, by introducing Royal Institutes. There will be five to seven Royal Institutes that will be founded in the coming months to attend to our constituents' needs, like a Royal Institute for Transportation, or Trade and Industry, and such, and place it in several places around the country. Then that will be the foundation of the sports clubs that I will allow to bear the 'Royal', or 'Real', or 'Errege' name. That way we can increase the clubs and give support to sport teams. There is already two Royal clubs in the country, and I want it to increase."

"It seems to be a good idea, your highness." Iago thought it would also benefit the sporting foundations of the country if Royal Institutes would be formed. "I envision it to happen within three to four years. Can I entrust you to lead this initiative, and have it propagate to our Basketball and Volleyball consultants as well?"

"Yes, your highness, count me on that to happen."

by **Astograth** » Tue Jul 20, 2021 1:20 pm

Not for the first time, Urtzumu Ganzarain felt out of her depth.

She couldn’t let it show, of course.

She’d been there the last time Astograth had played Tikariot, edging a 1-0 win in Saburnia. It had been her début, but at left-back rather than left winger. That had also been friendly, a practice run before World Cup qualifying. Not the real thing.

The other time Astograth had played Tikariot, it was in Group H of World Cup 87 – the realest thing there was. She hadn’t been there, she’d seen it on TV. They lost 3-2, in what was dubbed in upset. But was it really? It had only been Olibondeka’s first qualification in twenty tournaments. They’d next crash out of Copa Rushmori 37 in the Round of 16, against Hispinas, in what was nevertheless their best appearance since Copa Rushmori 18.

Ganzarain never once imagine she’d be called up to the national team. Not the real one, at least. She’d played for the women’s team at the Olympics, and signed for Guerrilla Cathair in the Audioslavian second tier from that appearance – but women weren’t called up to the Astograthian senior national team, despite it not being officially male-only. It just wasn’t done, same as professional clubs in Astograth kept separate senior and women’s team. Yet the same clubs had no problem signing foreign women for their senior teams, they just never promoted Astograthian women into them. When asked why, the bosses scoffed. They’re just better, was the explanation. Isidra Corvey, Namakula Kawesa, Sasha Kristine, Amber Docherty, recently Danica Marinkovic, were stellar players in the First Division, Corvey and Kawesa even winning its highest awards. In decades past, Namine Nagatomo, Natasha Klossovskaya, Pirdassia Bawuah, Aintôrthea Durosa, Fantasia Cecile-Marie, Jane Vander Rox, had all delighted Astograthian audiences at the highest level.

But there was no room there for someone like Urtzumu Ganzarain, one of the women’s league’s top scorers with Army United. So she’d gone to Audioslavia and won promotion to the National League. Then, after the last Copa Rushmori, she’d suddenly gotten a call from Louis Vaudrail. I want to see you on the national team, he’d said.

There had been rumblings before. The players of the women’s league protested every year. Every year they appealed to club presidencies, to the FAF, to the Ministry of Sport. They wrote to the press, made viral complaints on social media. It had earned them a few slaps on the wrist, including from the Ministry of Interior. What they were doing looked dangerously close to political campaigning, and political campaigning is not allowed in Astograth. They kept going, drawing more attention to the issue. In 683, the ringleaders were arrested and taken to trial on a slew of charges, including illegally forming a trade union. You can’t do that in Astograth, where trade unions are strictly chartered by the state. This was around the time Ganzarain decided to leave.

A researcher who’d worked with the national team, one Landerra Lazaga, had later published a bestselling book providing an exclusive, in-depth inside look at Olibondeka. Among other things, she argued against the sport’s ‘oppressive maleness’ in Astograth, which again re-ignited the discussion but now on an even larger, national scale. It filled letters to the editor and inspired long rants on podcasts and video essays. People burned or mass-purchased Lazaga’s book to make a point. Late-night comedians parodied ‘football feminists’ or hosted them in debates. The Grand Duke himself smiled and no-commented his way out of any questions from the press.

The Minister for Sport and the president of the FAF stood by the status quo: women are not banned from the Astograthian senior national football team, nor from playing in the First Division. They just have to be good enough. Across the Astograthian media, the conclusion seemed to be that nothing would change. Because they just weren’t good enough.

Except Ganzarain now played in the Audioslavian National League, one of the top competitions in the world. Vaudrail warned her it would bring a lot of scrutiny upon her, as if she didn’t know.

It had. It seemed like every touch of the ball she took, or even her not touching the ball, was endlessly dissected by commentators both professional and amateur, inevitably comparing with what starter Marko Martel would do, or with someone who wasn’t called up such as Urre Remondegi, Mirande Anibardo, or Hurko Lapisonde. She was taking up someone else’s spot. On top of that, Astograth did poorly in qualifying, recovering in the second half but only up to fourth place in the group. A disaster that put Louis Vaudrail out of a job. With her sponsor gone, Ganzarain thought she was done.

Then Piarres Erke had called her. He also wanted her on the team. Maybe she was good enough, even as Guerrilla Cathair struggled and teetered on the brink of the National League, seemingly bent on immediate relegation.

Her only appearance at the Copa so far had been in the group stage, starting in the 3-0 against Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland. She’d felt good there, at the peak of her game. But for the decisive matches against Gatchingerrak Union and the Round of 16 tie with Eura, Erke had logically gone with Marko Martel to start. In training before the atch against Tikariot, left winger Eskuin Nekol injured himself, limping away after going up for a header. His natural replacement would be Anchoka Oyhantkabal, but he hadn’t yet played a single minute of the Copa. The second most logical replacement would be Tomofumi Ishimoda, Gortz’s flashy goalscorer. Erke approached Ganzarain instead, arguing Ishimoda’s right-footed profile didn’t match what he wanted.

She found herself starting for Olibondeka for the seventh time, but no single qualifier had been as high-stakes as a Copa Rushmori quarterfinal. Tikariot – the Snowy Owls – were not at full strength, but to get this far had eliminated a formidable Valladares. They were dynamic and driven. Their right winger, Dairon Noles, spent most of the match running circles around her and left-back Marko Martel. She’d gotten herself a yellow card after a desperate but poorly-timed challenge on him as Tikariot attempted a counter-attack. Just what you had to do, Martel had said in encouragement.

By the 66th minute, Astograth had gone more than two-thirds of the match holding Tikariot to a scoreless draw. Ganzarain had drawn breath every time the referee announced an Astograthian substitution, but her number hadn’t come up. Menduburu had come on for an injured Echeberz, and Galharretborde was on for Malkorra yet again. Maybe she wasn’t playing as badly as she thought.

She felt tired, yet energised. The Olujastadion in Ebor was well packed with Astograthians. If she closed her eyes during the anthem she could imagine herself at Grand Duke’s. She was at once mentally exhausted – not least because of the wily Noles – yet focused. He hadn’t got one over her since the yellow card.

Domiku Bergara went up down the centre of midfield to challenge two Tikariotians for the header. The three-way clash produced a high ball up to the left, toward Ganzarain. She brought it down with her left, just outside the box. Ahead was the young Duke Waltham, eyes fixed on the ball at her feet, arms carefully tucked behind his back. His movements mirrored hers as she gently prodded the ball right, toward the centre. Strikers Karazatorre and Epherra hailed for the pass.

Ganzarain instead changed tack to the left, throwing off Waltham. She could cross, indeed she should probably cross. But Waltham was not as off-balance as she’d hoped, and reaching back. In the split second this all took, she shot with her left at the far post.

It flew high and strong. Gord Feron dove dramatically across the goalmouth, parrying the shot at full stretch. It bounced off to his left, between Bergstrand and Tameifuma. And between them, to meet the ball and smash it into the net, appeared Zilar Galharretborde.

Urtzumu Ganzarain was, just maybe, good enough.

by **Mytanija** » Tue Jul 20, 2021 2:42 pm

This is your cut-off for the semi finals of Copa Rushmori 38. Will it be teardrops of joy or disappointment for your players?

Semi Final

QF1 Cassadaigua 2–1 Astograth QF2
Novi Atletskistadion, Thessia

QF3 Sargossa 3–1 Hispinas QF4
Stadion Prizren, Prizren

Third Place Play-Off - 21st July

SF1L Astograth v Hispinas SF2L
Radnika, Esca

Final - 22nd July
SF1W Cassadaigua v Sargossa SF2W
Radnika, Esca

Team of the Tournament

Gazeta Sporta has selected the following players as Copa Rushmori 38 Team of the Tournament nominees. It is now up to you to decide which make the final team of the tournament! The number in parentheses next to each position indicates the number of players you should vote for, you may include no more than 3 (three) players from one nation in your squad. Please send completed teams via TG to Mytanija by 20:00 BST on 22nd July. The final team will be revealed at the same time as scorination of the final and Gazeta Sporta will decide a Golden Ball winner (ie. Player of the Tournament) from the final team too. Nominations are under the spoiler:

by **Mytanija** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 2:09 pm

This is your cut-off for the third place play-off of Copa Rushmori 38. Insert witticism about playing for third here.

Third Place Play-Off

Astograth 0–2 Hispinas
Radnika, Esca

by **Cassadaigua** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 3:16 pm

The Shot that woke up a nation?
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

It can be said that winning will heal all wounds. For Team Cassadaigua, they have been able to have success in the Copa Rushmori despite knowing that fan support is not as high as they would like it to be. They also know that still have plenty of fans out there rooting for them and supporting them, as they don’t care about all the backstory involving the gridiron and basketball teams. “That’s the other football,” Victoriaville resident Hannah Jacoby said in an interview, “I don’t even know why we are assuming that all of the other teams were doing the same stuff. CASE has done such a great job with this team, and I am proud to support my Fillies.” Jacoby was one of pockets of Cassadagan fans that were seen in Thessia for the semifinal. She said she always planned on going to as many games as she could, and after Cassadaigua found their way to the match, after you know what, she immediately bought them on the secondary market.

The you know what. The shot that woke up Cassadaigua? Well, we’ll have to see on that, but ratings certainly did tick up significantly for the Astograth match. There was an increase for the Nephara game, too, but still not where it would have been if were not for the scandals of the other two sports teams. Nephara has simply had their way with Cassadaigua, no one would deny that. Over and over again, we met, and over and over again, they defeated us. For it ever to be a rivalry with Nephara, the results have to go both ways. They’ve been close, with two of the last four meetings not being decided after ninety minutes. The quarterfinal would be no different. All scoreless after ninety. Katie Schnapper was dynamite. The defense, incredible. And the same could be said for Nephara.

In the previous meetings, it was always Nephara that got the big late goal in extra time, but as minutes ticked away in this game, making it look like a penalty shootout would decide the winner, manager Jessica Tolson got aggressive on the attack, bringing multiple defenders forward. Oh, Jessica, how can you do that? That’s asking for trouble! Jessica Tolson, who’s Victoriaville South End team surprisingly won the league championship, had a knack for pulling out games like this with the team. But, Jessica, no! Not at the international level! Not against Nephara! In the 116th minute, it seemed as though the Jenna Frontiera shot was stopped and cleared out of danger, but that clear would end up going right to Caitlyn Kaleta, who immediately put it on net. In hockey, they say put a shot on net, you never know what will happen. And this shot found its way just underneath the crossbar, into the back of the net, giving Cassadaigua the 1-0 lead.

Fans cheered as players looked to see who’s foot that came off of. No, it was not from a typical goal scorer, in fact it was from someone who rarely scores goals at all. On this day, right-back Caitlyn Kaleta would be the hero, her shot being the difference, leading Cassadaigua to the stunning 1-0 win over Nephara. Yes, manager Jessica Tolson had a habit of pulling out games like this with Victoriaville South End this year. This one, was right out of the club side’s playbook. The scoreline made it’s way back to Cassadaigua, with people who were still watching telling the people who stopped watching, “hey, you see we just beat Nephara?” Slowly, but surely, those people started flipping on their TV and looking for replays of the match. Cassadaigua really did, actually, beat Nephara in a huge game.

The Fillies would carry this momentum into the semifinal against Astograth, feeling as though this Copa is our Copa, press coverage be damned! Jenna Frontiera, who is nominated for the Team Of The Tournament showed why that is with a nice looking goal in the 11th minute, and she would get a couple of other good chances, too. Meghan Wolcott scored in the 55th to increase the lead to 2-0. Katie Schnapper, also nominated for that team, was stellar in goal, and after 120 minutes of shutting out Nephara, nearly did the same to Astograth as well. Veteran Aire Epherra broke the clean sheet in the 75th minute, but Schnapper and company were sure not to allow another good chance.

Up next is Sargossa, a nation who always seems to do better in the Copa Rushmori than they do in the World Cup. They’ve won this before, and may do so again, but the way this Copa has been for us, beating Nephara and all, there’s a feeling that this one is ours!

by **Sargossa** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:21 pm

The boos rang out. Mostly from the vast block of terracing at one end of the Stadion Prizren. It wasn’t of the volume produced by the partisan crowds in Thessia, the Prizen locals being a little more cultured than their brethren to the north, but it was still very noticeable. And it was becoming something the Sargossan national side were getting used to. They say old sins cast long shadows and the nation of Mytanija has suffered more than its fair share in the shadows. The scars of the Natella Kalinina regime and the subsequent civil war were still raw in this country. It was not forgotten. Nor was the logistical support sent by Sargossan president Gregorio Emparán to aid his fellow autocrat as the resistance movement converged around her. Just a small amount of logistical support, he would perhaps argue. With just a smidge of whisking Kalinina away under the guise of an evacuation of the Sargossan Embassy as her forces collapsed in the face of the relentless Otpor advance. That Emparán didn’t lift much of a finger to prevent Kalinina being snatched back was perhaps a quiet concession that he'd made the wrong decision.

That largely was the rationale behind the ill feeling. Ill feeling that had been only exacerbated through three straight fixtures in Thessia, the region hit hardest by the degradations of the Kalinina regime. The move to Prizen looked, on paper at least, to be a breath of fresh air. Admittedly there was slightly fresher air. There was also a very tricky opponent. The lesson probably should have been learnt two years prior in Eura. Where Sargossa faced plucky underdogs Hispinas in the quarter finals. Eyes had already turned to a potential semi-final against either Mytanija or Nephara. Fatally overlooking the lowly ranked Hispino side that had already finished above both Græntfjall and Darmen in the group stage, before knocking over Astograth in the last sixteen. Inevitably Hispinas caught the complacent Corsairs cold that day, on their way to a hugely impressive third place finish in Eura.

Two years on and it looked like history would be repeated as Hispinas largely outplayed Sargossa for the majority of the opening half at the Stadion Prizren. Alfonzo Medrano favours an offensive style and his charges will cutting through the men in darker blue seemingly at will. Only a profligacy in front of goal and the reflexes of Alejandro Martínez prevented Hispinas from moving right out of sight. Although the Sportivo Soluca stopper could do nothing as Ozeano Amunategui powered in a header to give his side a deserved lead.

It’s a tale as old as the game of football itself. If you don’t take full advantage of spells of domination you leave yourself liable to being punished. Sure enough the Corsairs snatched a streaky equaliser in the dying stages of the first half. The Hispino defence had won many plaudits through this competition but they failed to deal with Alfonso Barrueco’s wickedly whipped in corner. Pinball ensued inside the penalty area before Sargossan captain Juan Esnáider managed to toe poke the loose ball over the line.

That equaliser was a real blow for Hispinas, particularly as the Corsairs couldn’t possibly look as shell-shocked in the second half as they had in the first. Coach Brian McAllister would make damn sure of that. His tenure had already included one semi-final heartache, at the 78th Cup of Harmony, and he was very keen to ensure there wasn’t a second. Helped along the way by the halftime introduction of the experienced Adrián Fonseca, in place of Juan Sebastián Varela in the centre of the park. The combination of Fonseca and Enrique González began to dictate the play and the chances followed. Natalio Londono was called into action to deny Mateo Manzanares twice in quick succession. González then went close from distance, before Londono palmed Alonzo Bienvenida’s effort wide. But from the resultant corner Esnáider rose highest to score his and the nation’s second.

The captain was having a fantastic match. Hispinas’ game stems largely down the flanks but Esnáider had his defence exceptionally well marshalled and the aerial barrage that followed the second Sargossan goal came to naught. As pressure was soaked up so too were the counter attacks launched. And it was from one such counter that the third came. Bienvenida had enjoyed a wonderful personal tournament so far and showed no hesitancy when released down the right. He cut inside once again onto his favoured left foot to unleash an effort on goal. Londono was the equal of it, parrying it away, but could only look on helplessly as Manzanares tapped in the rebound. Immediately McAllister withdrew his attack minded wingbacks, bringing on Juan Manuel Martí and Máximo Moya to create a back five. Doubling up on the opposition wingers the Corsairs cut the supply of crosses and squeezed the remaining life out of Hispinas. Leading to all those boos.

The Gazeta Sporta would get in on the act too. After the semi final they released their candidates for team of the tournament. It included a centreback from the Gatchingerrak Union and a fallback from San Isidro Labrador, but was noticeably lacking any representation from the darker blue half of the final. Although a second version of the shortlist would include both Enrique González and semi-final hero Esnáider.

So to the Copa Rushmori final. Amazingly it will be the tenth time Sargossa have taken to the pitch at a Copa final, dating back to the inaugural competition in Nethertopia way back when. The conversion rate is not so hot though, with three victories in those previous nine encounters. The last came quite some time ago, an extra-time win over Eura in the twentieth edition of the tournament in Valladares. That’s the thing about the Copa Rushmori, to win it you have to face up to some of the very best opposition. The Corsairs’ last four Copa finals had come against World Cup winning opponents and this tournament in Mytanija would be no exception. Cassadaigua await, seeking to win one of the very last sporting titles that has so far eluded them. This will be the twelfth meeting between the two nations, with the Dagans edging the record with six wins to the Sargossan five. Leveling that record would come complete with a rather nice trophy too. A situation that had looked rather unlikely after defeat to Pridnestrovia had left the nation bottom of the group with just a single fixture remaining. Now the Corsairs were one final push from a fourth regional title. Admittedly a Sargossan win in Esca would probably not be the most popular of results for the locals but, if it were to happen, all those boos would suddenly become the sweetest of sounds.

by **Mytanija** » Thu Jul 22, 2021 1:38 pm

This is the cut-off for the Copa Rushmori 38 final. Let the final credits roll.

Team of the Tournament

Golden Ball: Juan Esnáider (Sargossa)

Copa Rushmori 38 - Everything Thread (Rushmore only)

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