World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

[Vdara]

MD2

Following their tight victory over Daehan, Vdaran fans were hoping for a more convincing result in their match at home against Legalese. The home advantage would certainly help, but sometimes the players just need a little bit of a push from someone important.

The manager.

Home Team Dressing Room
VdarArena

Markos: ”Righty-ho, lads. In the scheme of things, this game might not seem all-important, but after how hard the Daehan game was for us we’re gonna have to make a statement. A statement to the fans, a statement of intent that screams ‘WE ARE VDARA’, y’know? Plenty goals, plenty of good football, plenty of action. The type of game we want to have ending up online on those video-sharing sites, titled ‘BEST GAME OF THE TOURNAMENT’ with plenty of views and likes. Anyhow, I’m getting ahead of myself here - just play some good football. Play some classy football. Play some Vdaran football.”

As the sides came out onto the pitch, there was an aura of confidence coming from both sides. They both knew they could take the game to each other. They both knew how crucial this game was. They both knew they could win.

The match report is as follows:

1: The home fans are creating an electric atmosphere here tonight, and no wonder - it’s Vdara first home game of the tournament, and they’re here to try and will their team to victory!
2: It’s been a nice, warm start here at the VdarArena, but it’s not such a good start from the team… because they’re a goal behind already! Legalese have put the ball in the net within two minutes, and it’s been scored by Fredrick Charlot! The home supporters are NOT happy, not least Markos Moustakakos!
5: Well, that early goal seems to have unsettled the Vdarans a little bit, they’ll need to answer quickly if they want to get the crowd back on their side… OH MY! Vdara have answered quickly, with that thunderbolt of a shot by Lambros Tantalopoulos! There’s been two shots in this game so far, and they’ve both gone in within five minutes - this game could turn out to be a cracker of a match.
9: The game seems to have settled down now, and both sides are no longer playing as hectic as they were earlier on - both sides just picking their passes, keeping possession, and generally calming the game down a bit.
15: Manolakis has the ball over in the opposition half, and he’s going to cross it towards Lazelis… but it’s cleared away by Andy Parmenter.
16: The corner was given for Vdara at first, but the referee has gone over to check something on VAR for a ‘possible handball’ by Parmenter.
17: The referee’s been looking at the screen for a while, but it looks like he’s made his decision… IT’S A PENALTY TO VDARA, and a yellow card for Parmenter for arguing with the referee. The crowd are loving this decision, they’re making a lot of noise!
18: The captain will step up to take this penalty, with the home fans willing him on. Vlahiades does a slow run-up towards the ball… and he’s blasted it into the top right corner with power and precision! After that rocky start, Vdara have hoisted themselves into the lead of this game, but Andy Parmenter still looks absolutely fuming - he’s absolutely sure that the referee has made the wrong decision.
25: Fredrick Charlot has skipped past Tolakis with ease, and he’s one-on-one with Frangoglou… but he’s blasted the ball into the post and it’s bounced to Athanas, who clears it with ease. What a chance that was!
32: There’s space there for Karalas to drive into and pick out Tantalopoulos, who puts it back to Xeniadis. Xeniadis plays it back to Karalas, who drives further upfield with the ball… only to be dispossessed by Honeywell.
39: Lazelis has intercepted a pass from Vecellio, and is surging up the pitch with unbelievable pace! He’s through on goal, he sidesteps Ramon Clinch… and slots the ball into the net to put Vdara 3-1 up! It’s a wonderful break from Lazelis, who’s managed to capitalise on that defensive blip by the opposition.
45: The whistle has blown for half-time, and the home side have taken control of this game relatively well. If they can keep this up in the second half, they’ll almost certainly be leaving this pitch with three points.

HT: Vdara 3-1 Legalese

That Same Dressing Room From Earlier
That Same Stadium From Earlier

Markos: ”That’s the type of football i was hoping for, lads! Beautiful stuff so far from you lot after that early struggle, good to see yous all stepping it up a notch from the last match. Now, although I’m being complimentary, this isn’t an invitation for you guys to let your foot off of the gas pedal - we need to keep this intensity up, through hell or high water. The opposition will know fine well that they have the strength to get back into this game - and it’s our responsibility to make sure that doesn’t happen. Got it? Good. Now, let’s get back onto that pitch and see this match out.”

46: The match has resumed, and both sides still look as eager as they were before this match started.
51: Legalese are looking to get back into this game early, just as they did in the first half. Calderson has the ball over on the left hand side, and they’ve put the ball into the box… and it’s an own goal by Nestoras Galanatos, and Legalese are right back into this - presumably, as they intended to.
54: It’s been a miserable start to this first half by the home side, the opposition have been all over them, winning headers and playing balls left, right, and centre.
55: Charlot has got the ball at the edge of the box, and they’ll put the cross in towards Gelabert… who headers the ball past Frangoglou and equalises this game! That 3-1 lead for the home side has disappeared quickly, and they’re back on level terms once more!
58: The crowd are not giving up on this game yet, however - they’re still cheering as loud as ever, willing their team on with all their might.
68: In an almost astonishing set of circumstances - considering how this match has been going - there hasn’t been a shot, or even an attempt to attack for the last ten minutes. Whether this is fatigue or simply tiredness setting in, I’m not sure.
71: Vdara are making three substitutions here - Lazelis is off for the young Ferrero Fotellis, Manolakis is off for Muleas, and Scafididis is coming off for Makrotsis. Looks like the home side are trying to go for an all-attacking last 20 minutes of the game.
76: Mathaios Makrotsis has the ball over on the right hand side, and he’s making his way into the opposition box… and he’s curved the ball past the keeper and put Vdara ahead once more! The substitute has scored just 5 minutes after coming on, what an immediate impact that is from the young lad!
89: It’s a late, late corner for the home side, and it looks like Tryfon Vlahiades will be the one to take it. Vlahiades swings the ball into the box… and it’s swung past everyone and gone into the goal! The crowd are cheering loudly and proudly for that goal, and no wonder - it’s not every day you see a ball curve directly into the goal from the corner flag!
90: The whistle blows for full time, and the home side are leaving this stadium with three points under their belt and smiles on their faces. Legalese gave them a tough game, but the Vdarans managed to overcome them and leave with their second successive victory in the qualifiers.

FT: Vdara 5-3 Legalese

Markos: ”Well, despite that early scare at the start of the second half, you’ve managed to see the game out. Fantastic job, you lot - they gave us a good match, but you all gave it your best shot out there, and in turn gave us the victory. Now, our next game is going to be a tough one - we’re up against Valanora, if you didn’t know before. As bad as that sounds, we could definitely take the game to them - they’re a good side, we’re a decent side. What could possibly go wrong?”

MD3

FT: Valanora 6-2 Vdara

Markos: ”…fuck me. As it turns out, THAT is what could possibly go wrong.”

[Sarzonia]

Wilmington

Shipyard Stadium Senior Director Harlan Menifee was pacing the tunnel that led from the visiting team's dressing room to the pitch. While the grounds crew were ultimately responsible for getting the pitch into football shape in time for the Sarzonian national football team's first-ever match in this beautiful venue, and Concessions Director Talvin Banks was on the concourse directing the disposal of garbage and the power washing intended to make the venue absolutely pristine for the fans, mainly of Sarzonian persuasion to make their way into a venue that was only beginning to step onto the stage as a prominent location for Sarzonian international football.

Sure, Wilmington was the site for various matches within the NS World Cup of Masters, a tournament Sarzonia conceived of and operated for four editions, but this was different. This was the World Cup qualifying campaign. In the as of now unlikely event Sarzonia were ever to bid to host another World Cup proper, it would be expected to host some group stage matches and perhaps a knockout round contest or two. This was an audition for belonging on the bigger state of international football and Menifee knew it. He had to fight his urge to micromanage the efforts of everyone from Banks to the various groundskeepers doing their best to ensure that every blade of grass was the proper height and that every grass was properly green.

Menifee also had to fight the urge to pitch in and do the work himself. These are your people, he thought to himself. You hired them. You trust them. These people know their jobs. Let them do them.

His mobile phone rang. He grimaced. He'd given strict instructions for people not to call him. He looked at the caller ID on his mobile. Scam Likely it read. He pushed the button to hang up the call. He'd let it go to voice mail and deal with it later. Right now, he had work to do. He looked out at the pitch, then saw the maintenance engineers up in the stands making sure that any trash, any wads of gum, any spilt beers or sodas were dealt with to make sure that every seat was perfectly clean as India came to town to play their match against the 87th ranked Stars. Even though they weren't one of the biggest teams on Sarzonia's schedule, even though they weren't a disdained foe like Saltstead or a world power the likes of The Holy Empire, they were still an opponent. Sarzonia still wanted to show their relative footballing newcomers a world class venue and world class treatment.

And that was what Menifee was pacing about wanting to ensure would happen on this evening. The Stars would travel to unranked Zug um Zug, then return to Dave Wilson Stadium for a match against the aforementioned Saltstead. Then there was the match away to No. 1 in the world defending World Cup runners up The Holy Empire. Saints vs. Sinners. Catholics and Convicts. One of the most deeply religious countries in the multiverse against one of most bitterly secular nations to ever exist. One of the oldest footballing nations in the world, one of the founding nations of the World Cup itself against a country that at one time was a newcomer to the world footballing scene, but now was considered an ancient sporting power in its own right. The Holy Empire had the advantage both of having more World Cup trophies in their case (four, to Sarzonia's one), and the more recent triumph (a nice No. 69 compared to that long ago World Cup 22 for Sarzonia). That No. 1 world ranking also easily dwarfed the No. 87 of Sarzonia.

But before anyone could think of that, there was a task at hand. There was Stars manager Nathan Hanifer giving the customary "trap match" speech, one he'd deliver both in the home dressing room right here at Shipyard Stadium in Wilmington as the Stars battled India and away in a land the Stars had never heard of called Zug um Zug.

"Does that have anything to do with Zwangzug?" one player asked as she looked at the schedule and the itinerary as the Stars planned when they'd board the plate at the Woodstock International Jetport and fly there, then land and arrive at the hotel, plan their times at the practice venue and their trip to the match.

"Beats the hell out of me," was the response from a member of the support staff.

As it was, none of that was of concern to Menifee. He looked and saw he'd just missed another call on his mobile. It was the local paper. They wanted to do a feature on the stadium. He'll have to wait on that, Menifee thought. Right now, he had work to do.

[Nyowani Kitara]

Background Info on NYK
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

OOC Note: Remember, this is an extremely biased government media source that most foreign sources regard as a propaganda outfit, so read everything with a very critical eye. It, and the speakers that it features, are known to just straight up lie if necessary to perpetuate their agenda

The Kitara People's Free Press
The voice for the working people of Nyowani Kitara

President Nafuna Akongo declares that the "Traitors will fall" as national team celebrate with first ever World Cup Qualifying victory at home

DEWAYO, NYOWANI KITARA- Speaking at halftime on national television, in front of an empty stadium during Nyowani Kitara's World Cup Qualifying upset win over Barunia, the newly installed President Nafuna Akongo told the country, and the world, that Nyowani Kitara was back, and that the country would be 'stronger than ever'.

"In recent days, as many of you may know, foreign-funded terrorists have decided to launch a coup in Dewayo, to overthrow the people's government and install an oligarchy of the rich. Instead of mourning my Father, the great President Boaz Akongo, they decided to take advantage of his death to steal the country from those who own it- aka, the people- and take the country and give it to those foreign governments. The DFLK and the KFF are both similar versions of the same thing- they want to sell our country to foreign souls, sell it off to the highest bidder, and those countries thought that they could pay off a couple of people and launch a quick coup." She went on to describe in detail how the heroic soldiers worked to defend and secure government ministries, adn protect civilians, while fighting off this poorly planned, disastrous coup attempt.

She went on to speak about the coup leaders them. "The Kitaran Revolutionary Forces stood up against the attempted knockout punch, and General Lidstrom, their primary leader, was captured. He, of course, had to die in captivity- there is but one punishment for those who are traitors to the state, and it is certain death. We have worked so hard, for so long, to create a true multi-racial state, that is free and equal for all. But these people wish to take us back to the dark days, the pre-communism, of racial violence plaguing the land."

"I wish I could say General Lidstrom was the last death. But he was, unfortunately, the first. I issue this call to those who have been tricked into fighting for the Kitara Freedom Front, or the DFLK- surrender and turn in your weapons now. If we are divided against each other, we will surely fall as those who wish to conquer us swoop in and only leave us the scraps. But united? We can stand tall and proud in this region. Stand as a beacon for the revolution, even amid all these temporary setbacks around North & Central Rushmore. Let me be perfectly clear- if you switch sides and surrender now, you will live. But those who take up arms against the people of Nyowani Kitara, will die."

"We are, of course, still fighting up north and down south. But like our national soccer team will do in the second half of this game, we will deliver the knockout blow. Mayor Max Ulf, or my spoiled, traitorous brother, are not fit to lead this nation. They are not fit to lead anyone or anything. We will give a fair warning to the nations of the world." Here, she looked directly at camera. "The legitimate government of Nyowani Kitara rests in our capitol city of Dewayo. Anybody working with the losing side of either way, either loaning them money or anything, will suffer the consequences. The only things that foreign nations, especially our Rushmori neighbors and beyond, are to emphatically declare your support for this government, so these illegal rebellious movements put down their arms and surrender to the Central Government, so that the people can have peace again."

And the national team took her words as inspiration. With heavy hearts, they turned a 1-0 deficit at halftime into a 2-1 victory, with many players dedicating the win either to the memory of President Boaz Akongo, the fortitude of the new President Nafuna Akongo, or to the lives lost of soldiers who died defending the people's government against the illegal coup d'état. Those 3 points are the first in what will be a long and challenging inaugural World Cup Qualifying campaign.

Other News
- The Kitara Worker's Football Association has declared that matches currently scheduled to be played in rebel-held cities, like Inhalo or Port Viljan, will be played in Dewayo until further notice. "We want to bring the sport to the whole country, but unfortunately conditions will not allow us to do so.
- The Foreign Ministry issued a stern warning for foreign nations working with these rebel movements to 'stay out' of Kitaran affairs, as the illegitimate rebel groups could only be treated one way- with crushing authority. The Foreign Ministry issued a particular warning to the Kingdom of Banija, The White Winter Queendom of Græntfjall, and the illegitimate government of United Republics of Yuezhou, and Juvencus, saying that those nations 'were the most likely to have been behind these coup attempts', and continued support for these rebel groups were making them 'enemies of the Kitaran people'. The Foreign Ministry said that Rushmori nations and foreign nations beyond should stand up for the legitimate constitutional government of the country, rather than supporting bloody revolutions.

---

Captain Tage Hermansson, in the locker room after the Nyowani Kitara upset win over Barunia in Matchday 2 of World Cup Qualifying

Tage Hermansson was stressed out, sitting down at his locker. Of course, the team had just earned a big win- but unfortunately, no fans were able to be there due to everything that was going on in the nation. It was really insane circumstances to be playing World Cup Qualifying in. He was supposed to focus solely on the game, as the national team saw the nation they represented crumbling around them.

Tage Hermansson did not really care for Communism- and his time abroad, playing in Tikariot, had ensured that he maintained that opinion. The politics surrounding the national team were now about to get really toxic. They, of course, were expected to be massive Ambassadors for the government. About half an hour before kickoff, when the teams had gone back to the locker room after warming up, they were visited by a soldier, in full military uniform. He did not remember, nor really care, about the rank of the soldier who was before them. The soldier said there would be a moment of silence instead of Nyowani Kitara's national anthem on that day, because of the death of Boaz Akongo.

He said that each member of the starting XI, before the match, would salute the new President, Nafuna Akongo. And so they did what they had to do. While Hermansson did what he had to do, because he had no choice, he absolutely hated it. He actually knew Max Ulf- he was a family friend of Hermansson's parents growing up. The DFLK sounded like the right guys to support. But if he simply declared his support for this opposition group, how would the President react?

He loved playing for the national team. He didn't want to flee. And he was under the watchful eye of the KWFA, which was stocked with supporters of the new President, Nafuna Akongo. He knew he wasn't the only one on the national team who didn't support the government- he had overheard the whispers of players. But they were just whispers. With a manager, Liang Wei, who was hugely in favor of the government, those whispers simply stayed whispers. But Hermansson knew that if they were expected to continue singing the songbird's song in favor of the government, that finishing out the last 15 games of World Cup Qualifying would be hell on Earth for his conscience...

[Eraman]

The win against 26th ranked the Squornshelan Remnant States made the Eramanians excited with the new generation of players at their disposal. The likes of Nyoman Jelantik and Samara Grawira who made their debut during the match received nationwide attention from the fans with their social media account bombarded with praises. The players are human too. And for Nyoman Jelantik and Samara Grawira who rarely received these kinds of attention, they do read the comment section. The same can't be said for the likes of Era Hitam and Wikra Petara who are used to attention since a young age. They don't read your comment or message. Nevertheless, the whole team was smiling and in a good mood as they travel north from the royal capital, Daulapura to the third biggest city in the country, Arupura for the match against Huayramarca.

On paper, Huayramarca is stronger between the two. This is their fifth try to qualify for the World Cup after making their debut in the 85th World Cup qualifiers. They have come close a few times especially in the 87th World Cup qualifiers where they lost in the Playoff after finishing second in the group, 3 points behind the group winner, Audioslavia. So Huayramarca is not an easy opponent. But the Eramanias were hopeful that they can get something from the 54th ranked nation, especially at home.

"We will go into the match with a positive mentality to get the 3 points," said Ross Hearkener at the pre-match conference.

And so they did. They played openly and tried to bring the game to Huayramarca who came to Arupura complete with oxygen tanks. The away side was clearly struggling with the air quality in Arupura, something that was mocked by the home fans who are used to it. The home side though was not able to capitalize on the situation as they missed several chances throughout the match. Huayramarca grew into the game at the end of the first half as they get more comfortable with the environment and scored the opening goal in the 43rd minute through Santiago Chumacero before Abraham Mendoza completed Huayramarca win in the 79th minute with their second goal.

The defeat brought the Eramanians back down to earth. The win against the Squornshelan Remnant States was forgotten. The praises get a lot less after the defeat.

[Farfadillis]

Now back in print after a brief ten-year hiatus!

Valladares Put On Vintage Performance; Farfadillis Avoid Defeat

After securing both wins in World Cup 89's first two matchdays, la Vherderoja faced their first respectable opponent on Wednesday night. Playing at the mysteriously-named [unknown arena], Farfadillis had everything going for it to secure a win that would propel them to the top of the table, leaving the ever-dangerous Valladars some distance away: they were playing at home, in front of a full stadium filled with violent, passionate fans, as well as a full-strength starting eleven. Lele Manguele decided not to pull punches, presumably because the Valladars, despite their ranking, have a formidable squad.

Early on, Manguele's men managed to control the game: Ígnîgo Çí Xôrí, in particular, looked unstoppable for about half an hour. The Rulandese started a whooping three counterattacks with well-timed interceptions. The first time, he set up Horacio Bastanchury with a brilliant through ball, but the Faroleran's shot grazed the crossbar. The second time, he relayed the ball to an incoming Emiliano Gallegas, who pulled off a good cross. Unfortunately, Edmün Çídh missed the ball by inches. Third time was the charm, though, as another brilliant through ball from the midfielder found a sprinting Tôsgo Alxíkí, who left Jason Fletcher biting the dust with a well-timed feint, then fired past Lucien Chamoun. With that, Farfadlilis were one-nil up, twenty-five minutes in.

Perhaps, in some alternate timeline, we won this match comfortably. Perhaps we pressed our advantage, then finished off the Valladars with a lethal counterattack, and maybe we ran up the score after they started carelessly seeking an equalizer that would never come. This, however, is not said timeline. In this timeline, Brayan Borja equalized three minutes after we took the lead. A backpass from Mbogo Nørgaard was controlled poorly by Gëngüdó Pìgülôçô; Borja obliged by firing an impressive long-range shot with his first touch. A brilliant goal from the veteran striker, who happens to be Edmün Çídh's teammate at Raynor City United.

The equalizer took whatever momentum we'd gathered with Alxíkí's goal and reversed it. Valladares immediately started generating danger, where they had barely had a sniff at goal before Borja's shot. Slowly, we started finding ourselves further and further from the Valladar box. While Çí Xôrí had looked unstoppable early on, towards the end one had to wonder whether subbing him off might be a good idea. Something similar could be said about half the squad, though it was Çí Xôrí's performance that varied the most wildly. Deservingly, the Valladars took the lead in injury time, courtesy of a header from Thiago Matheus, off of a corner kick. Pìgülôçô was to blame for this goal, too, though his mistake was not as egregious as in the first.

Mercifully, half time came. Manguele decided to make two substitutions, showing remarkable proactivity. His purported solutions to the problems we were facing were, however... somewhat unorthodox. He replaced the underperforming Pìgülôçô with Vyacheslav Khavarin, the former Savojar... or so we thought. Instead, he was replacing Nørgaard with Khavarin and replacing Pìgülôçô with... Kolejes Marajis. He'd employed the Indujan winger as a fullback against Usanguk, and he'd done poorly. Well, perhaps Manguele felt like centerback was the natural progression after that.

Alas, it was not. Marajis does not have the skillset of a centerback. The Valladars fully exploited this fact, and Ibrelaná managed to increase his match rating by a point or two as a result. However, even with the Rushmori getting the better of us, we managed to equalize thanks to some individual brilliance from Emiliano Gallegas and Faragó rue Cazade: the Faroleran and the Szoirsian managed to undo the Valladar defense with a clever one-two, after which Gallegas found enough space to cross it low towards Bastanchury, who only had to tap it in, right as the clock hit sixty minutes.

Unlike our opponents, we did not manage to use our goal against the run of play to turn around momentum. Instead, we continued to struggle in midfield and defense: Khavarin was proving neither technical nor fast enough to play as a defensive midfielder in a Farf tactical set-up, while Marajis was struggling to position himself correctly, and also definitely didn't have the physique of a centerback. It came as no surprise when, in the seventy-ninth minute, Borja scored his second of the night by dribbling past a helpless Marajis, then calmly putting the ball well beyond Ibrelaná's reach before Exihosahar could get to him.

However, Manguele is a lucky man. Somewhat lucky, at least. With five minutes to go, a gritty play from Horacio Bastanchury got us a corner kick. Kolejes Marajis took it—since he's a winger—and expertly placed it on Khavarin's head. The Savojar-Faroleran (who is not that Faroleran) proceeded to score his first international goal on his first international appearance. A standard header, but one he'll be happy with. A few months ago, he would've never imagined this.

The match died out after that: Valladares were content with the draw away from home, while we seemed content with having equalized towards the end of the match. Manguele wasn't content, however, and shook things up even further with non-sensical substitutions which, thankfully, did not cost us. All in all, a disappointing result against a highly-irregular opponent that has much more quality than its ranking indicates. So long as this proves to only be a blip, there shouldn't be much to be afraid of.

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

Return of the World Cup Road
Matchday 1: Audioslavia 3-3 New Lusitania

…. It’s back, yes indeed. For the 89th time the World Cup returns with the accustomed long road to get there. New Lusitania, which is in their 11th attempt to qualify, has yet to know what getting there actually means, losing twice in the playoff. The 88th cycle actually managed to go well for them – despite missing out on the top tier of international football, a good showing for the Selecção saw their departure at the end of the Quarter-Finals of the Cup of Harmony. The Independent Associations Cup, following it, however, was a disaster, only making it to the Second Phase of the tournament, the second Group Stage – their worst showing since IA3, their inaugural minnow entry.
So naturally, going into the new edition, opinions on how the team would do were very mixed. Grilo however tried to give the same message of calm and serenity as usual, despite the critics. New Lusitania did not have a favourable group, placing alongside both Audioslavia and Electrum and drowning hopes even more. The first match itself would be a travel to the former – they had met before and in typical Lusitanian fashion had a good showing even if they didn’t rake points up back in World Cup 85. It was no Baptism of the Fire, but the badge of the flame would come for them.
Francisco Grilo was reluctant to make changes, feeling Patríce was still up to the challenge of one of the top seeds. Vinagrete, Ferradura and Pedralva would be the three defenders, playing Guerra, Fernando, Palhagueira, Caldeirão and Gama in midfield, Jota and Silveira still the duo up front. The Audioslavian national coach, Cammers of Apox, wouldn’t force many changes either, meaning both teams were pitting in their top side making it one of the fixtures of the night. New Lusitania customarily did not get off to a good start and almost suffered a goal from Letexier if not for a good save, but later conceded not long after with Kivela being the one to open scoring in this World Cup Road. Os Heróis do Mar were clearly in shock during the early part of the first half and struggled to get it into the final third. Vinagrete in particular was letting too many balls past him for the coach’s liking, later being switched for Mendonça. Things would get progressively better and before halftime, the national team looked capable of answering the home side back. Silveira passed the ball back to Caldeirão, who managed to slide it in just about, giving the team hope going into the dressing rooms.
Into the second half, both teams came back looking strong. Silveira almost scored for himself before hitting the post at the start, but there was an incessant barrage of chances going the other way, as well. An equaliser did come sooner than expected, but it would be the other forward, Daniel Jota who’d really just expected a cross but curved the ball enough to make it go in, something he’d smile about later in the interviews. The game was now on, the away sector chanting louder. The Qualifiers were back! Stroud was on form and kept the more decent shots going their way, indirectly leading to the third Audio goal after conceding a corner. Once again, set pieces looked to be one of the situations to work on for the Lusitanians leaving Rijsberger to go at it, imposing himself down the field and shooting it without much trouble for the third. Grilo thought this would be the ideal time to bring fresh legs on, in the form of Leiteiro and Paciente.
The home fans were nervous with how the Lusitanians kept pushing. The pressure was growing and the stoppages were almost here. Pereira, one of the larger question marks of the match due to his inexperience in the Selecção advanced down his flank well and changed the play over to Guerra in the opposite side of the pitch. Good interplay with the captain would result in New Lusitania spending the next two minutes trying to find a way into the box by itself. Palhagueira had a crack at it and behold the pass to the substitute forward and behold the last-breath equaliser was there. A very lucky header to say the least, had given them a hard earned point, but for the National Team it was slightly more considering how much doubt had been cast over them, it was a small victory in itself – but it wasn’t time to get carried away, seeing how two more games were already on the horizon.

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: Inspired by Exclusive — Monica Crowley: Open Borders, Unvetted Afghan Refugees Expose America to a Terrorist Attack. (To reiterate, again, that I oppose all forms of terrorism.)

The Article Index contains - or, at least, will soon contain - links to the first three RPs in this roleplay arc (all from BoF76). I will post Episode VI of this arc and Episode I of The Temple of the Living God in time for Matchday Six Sevenths.

---

Circling The Wagon
Episode IV: All Falls Down

7:39am - Thursday 25th January 1996

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm Robbie." He wasn't, actually. Nor did his car look anything like the gatekeeper expected. Nor, for that matter, was it even that slow on most occasions. McGregor, however, was willing to try his luck; one plausibly faked ID card later, he was in. He moved his car closer, and closer, and closer to the parking spot, and then finally got there; he got out eventually, and may have locked its doors too. He then leaned against it, waiting for anybody to turn up for "work" on time.

As soon as this happened (which took a few seconds), he fiddled about with his keyring again, to no apparent avail. His alleged colleague, who had just stepped out, landed a handful of footsteps before suddenly turning around. "I don't reco..." Like that, he was thrown to the ground, his car keys along with them. McGregor took them, despite being nearly identical to his set of keys, barged into the other car and locked its doors before he could notice. Yes, he did actually lock them this time.

McGregor figured that this would be a snazzier ride, just about, and stuck the only cigarette he found besides the gearbox in his mouth - without lighting it, of course. He tried to speed out of the small parking lot, but not before being thwarted by a low barrier and then the window-tapping of the same gatekeeper he had come across moments earlier. "Why are you checking out of work already?" he was asked, almost certainly out of bemusement.

"I forgot I was on sick leave."

A few seconds later, the man who had just nodded "Robbie" back out of the garage was startled by a loud noise (not that he had been paying much attention anyway). That was the last he heard of it. It was so loud - so big that it took the entire garage down with it. And with the garage down, so too was the vast majority of Bramblewood train station and anything it could possibly have been of use for. Superficial?

∴

Episode V: No Surprises

7:42am - Thursday 25th January 1996

Trout was a bit slow to kick into action; perhaps he had to be. After a couple of left turns and a right, the first thing of note he saw was the mostly-submerged rubble of Bramblewood station, big enough to be grandiose but too big not to cause serious problems. It looked bad, he thought, mostly because he thought it was. He figured he was going the wrong way, however, and then snapped back on the road to Bramblewood Beta. Hugging onto his two-way radio, he asked "Sergeant Lawrence, where do you think he might be?"

"I think you got on the case just in time, Josh. Sorry if you think I was angry with you for being late. At this rate, he doesn't know he's being chased right now, so he's probably going on a detour through some of Bramblewood's... hotspots. So-called, of course. If he gets spotted, he'll try his best to go all over the surrounding area. That's what OSP terrorists always do, as far as I remember."

"Cheers, Pete," he responded, having forgotten to roger out on his radio. Just as he gave thanks, he saw a car almost identical to the car he'd been told was McGregor's straight ahead (save for certain cosmetic details) and figured this was his chance to nab yet another Margaretforsaken terrorist. "LOCK AND LOAD!" he screamed down the walkie-talkie, going on full throttle in the hopes that his hunch was reality. Right first time.

His Army-issued "police" vehicle had managed to topple what he thought was the car of Nate McGregor. It was not; that had already gone kaput. This one, on the other hand, was merely burning after Trout stood by for a few seconds or minutes, and he helped get McGregor out of it in a flash - although whether he really wanted to be dragged back into existence is understandably doubtful. Looking into his face, Trout knew he'd gotten the right man... even in spite of his initial doubts.

"Mister Nathaniel McGregor, I know that much, you are under arrest on suspicion of..." Trout could barely complete his sentence before he realised that a more direct - and, at least everywhere else in the world, more dubiously legal - course of action was required. "I SAID, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST! I CAN GET YOU CAN'T HEAR ME BUT PLEASE, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?" He never got an answer, but decided to bundle his suspect in the camouflaged 4x4 for a bit of a road trip anyway.

[Annyeong Oppa]

Nametag ripping is like a religion in Annyeong Oppa, and here, it is considered as a National Sport.

The influence of nametag ripping on other sports has been telling - when Hispino representatives came to this place a year ago where their knowledge about team sports were transferred to the Annyeongs, the locals incorporated the characteristics of nametag ripping to these sports, to the point that when a Hispino outfitter volunteered to make their jerseys and kits, they requested a spot where their nametags can be sewn and velcroed into it.

The players also have been given missions by their coaches aside from trying to beat their opponents in various sports, like to rip the nametag of their opponents in matches, and it was prevalent during the league matches where there were more instances of nametag ripping than instances of scoring goals in football. This has been a problem for the referees trying to normalize the games without these inconveniences, but as this is a national sport, they just let it slide by. Of course this is different in international play, where their opponents do not have any nametags in their back.

However, coaches are giving the players some hidden missions or spy missions where they can rip their teammates' nametags during the game and even giving missions to ask their opponents to rip the nametags of other Annyeong players. In spite of this, the team celebrated a 5-3 win over Abanhfleft on the first day of the qualifiers, and had a respectable 2-1 loss to Banija, one of the World Cup juggernauts.

Matchday 3 came in, and in Leonningmaen Stadium, the team got another win against Venmere. However it was marred by players trying to convince their opponents to rip the other players' name tags during the match. It may have been deemed unprofessional by other nations' players, fans, and pundits alike, but for the Annyeongs, it is business as usual especially when playing at home. Dang Jae-wuk, the team's top scorer, won the mission as well as the cameras has caught him talking to several of their opponents and rip their nametags. Scoring both goals was key in the football game, but he also won the mission and earned himself a gold tumbler by having 2 Annyeong Oppa players' nametag ripped by him, and one player being ripped by Hyrum Green.

Next matches are away at Zwangzug, and at home again against Southwest Eastnorth. They will try to be disciplined again in their away match and coaches would not give them any spy mission, but for the home match? Expect fireworks to scatter again.

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

After the Black-and-Reds B team battered Martune in Yassaca, led by a Kaalia Gerstlauer hat trick, the first team were on the wrong side of another beating, going three nil down against Huayramarca in Guayaquil before earning a consolation goal in the second half. In the newly admitted states of the Confederacy, the relatively scant representation of their former internationals in Groothuis's lineups was becoming more and more a source of frustration with each bad result.

"Still two damn matches against Nephara and we've already lost twice. Not a chance of qualification if the bosses don't pull their heads out of their asses quick."

At Semi's bar in Santraginus, the conversation had strayed across a variety of topics, but inevitably returned to football.

"Groothuis needs to put in Chaika, Popov, Vang, and the rest. After all, they've actually beat Nephara before."

Ilya, a bleary-eyed regular with prematurely thinning hair and a hefty paunch from countless pints of beer was speaking. He usually was.

"I don't see what's so great about all these snobby Westie bastards anyhow, they've never won nothing. Our lot would set em straight."

Semi, behind the bar, jiggled his head noncomittally, wiping down the bar with a damp cloth. It was slow, weekday early evenings generally were, with only the hardcore drinkers out and about yet. Ilya, who met that description by any standard, took a long draught of his beer then set it heavily back down.

"It's like this all over isn't it, bunch of Westie gits comin in, tellin us how we got to change, got to do things their way from now on. Pretty soon they'll probably come shuttin you down too Semi, kick you out to make room for some damn curry restaurant or other."

"Think we'll get by all right, same as ever." Semi was never one to dig into the political discussions his customers might start. His job was to serve drinks and lend an ear, not an opinion.

"Ilya, you're fuckin drunk man, go home."

Zhanna Beck had once been a forbidding figure at Semi's, sequestered in a corner booth with her bratva compatriots most often, occasionally conducting business there. Since returning from the AOlympics, where she'd been a part of the gold medal Quidditch team, she was something of a neighborhood celebrity, though Semi was pretty sure she still had very close mob connections. Her close cropped hair was dyed Confederate Red in support of the team. She slapped Ilya lightly in the back of the head, then stole his beer when he turned around, wobbling slightly, to see who it was. She winked at Semi and took a swig, then wrinkled her nose and slid it across the bar.

"I never know how Ilya of all people lets a beer sit long enough to get that warm. Pour me a cold one, eh Semi?"

"Sure thing Zhanna, how's your day."

"My day's always great Semi, thanks."

"Zhanna you fucking bitch, this is why you never find a good man." Ilya had finally managed to swivel around enough to locate his beer and his attacker. He took a deep breath, preparing to launch into another tirade.

"Just waiting for you to get down on one knee, Ilya. Don't break an innocent young girl's heart now." It was no secret to most that Zhanna had no interest in men, but Ilya had never been the brightest bulb.

"What do you care about any of this anyway Zhanna," Ilya abruptly changed course, "you got yours, ridin around swingin a bat at people. You don't see what the little people are dealin with around here. These damn Westies walkin all over us."

"Ah, you liked it better when MinSec could show up on your door and disappear you in broad daylight without anyone paying any mind?" Zhanna regarded Ilya over the rim of her frosted mug, holding it paused in front of her as if looking at him had put her off drinking it. "Oh that's right Ilya, I forgot, you're one of those who never paid any mind, as long as your cushy job doing nothing down at the dockyard foreman's office was still there. Now it's gone and you're mad, but you've got no one to blame but yourself for being a lazy, cowardly, drunken, corrupt piece of shit. Now get out of my sight." She stared Ilya down until he slid down off his stool and shuffled off to a corner table, muttering under his breath. "Sorry Semi."

"I wish you wouldn't do that kind of thing Zhanna."

"Ilya rubs me the wrong way, always has. If I decide to kill him I promise I won't do it here." Her smile was all teeth.

"Thank you Zhanna."

"Can't exactly say he's wrong about the team though. Groothuis must've had a reason for burying all our lot on the depth chart at first, but it seems pretty obvious now it wasn't a good one."

Semi began wiping down the bar again, mopping up the spilled beer, and again jiggled his head noncommittally. Such was life in Santraginus these days.

Home Schedule and Venues:

FRND: SRS 0-1 HUE @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD01: ERM 2-1 SRS @ Daulapura Stadium (cap. 40,000), Daulapura, Daula, ERM
MD02: SRS 4-0 MTU @ Lugina Computing Field (cap. 20,450), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD03: HUA 3-1 SRS @ Estadio Metropolitano del Guayas (cap. 62,000), Guayaquil, HUA
MD04: SRS  v  TMB @ Sunergy Field (cap 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD05: OSY  v  SRS @ Red Bull Stadium, OSY
MD06: SRS  v  NWK @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD07: DEL  v  SRS @ Golden Phoenix Field (cap. 150,000), DNAC, Catherina, DEL
MD08: SRS  v  OCI @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD09: NPH  v  SRS @ Farham Arena (cap. 88,046), Sabrefell, NPH
MD10: SRS  v  ERM @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 38,600), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD11: MTU  v  SRS @ TBA
MD12: SRS  v  HUA @ Raftel Park (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD13: TMB  v  SRS @ Trenton Park, (cap. 74,500), Lakewood, Severn, TMB
MD14: SRS  v  OSY @ Eichlen Stadium (cap. 37,500), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD15: NWK  v  SRS @ TBA
MD16: SRS  v  DEL @ Castle Street (cap. 57,300), Jaglan, Algolia, SRS
MD17: OCI  v  SRS @ Emperor Boston Stadium, (cap. 60,000), New Ranton, OCI
MD18: SRS  v  NPH @ Albrechtsson Park (cap. 65,400), Damogran, Algolia, SRS

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff music

[Trolleborg]

Greetings, compatriots! It’s TTV from the football fields of the world.

MURPHTANNIA – TROLLEBORG 1:0.

As we remember, the FA CEO predicted in a traditional interview that Murphtannia would cause trouble, and he was right. By the way, I must say that we are a traditionally pronounced name of the country totally wrong, somehow added “i” in the middle, and as a result have “Murphitannia” instead of how things must be. Team from that country arrive at the world scene relatively recently, and play whole time with almost the same players. This is, of course, allows a tremendous increase in teamwork, but, in theory, allows opponents to more easily adapt to the team's play. But this is exactly what our players could not do this evening. It is necessary, however, to take into account the fact that the hosts of the tournament did not show talent in assessing the situation and our team, as a result, had the opportunity to complain about the poor quality of refereeing.

You all saw the match, although in a rather poor quality, the situation did not allow more. And the field was about the same as broadcasting, and also a lot of things were difficult to do in such circumstances. Nevertheless, the lads did what they could and were close to success several times, but they could not fully adapt to the situation. In turn, the hosts were not able to derive much benefit from the fact that they play in their own field, but they won. The hosts' superstar and top scorer George Murphy was kept in check skilfully, not allowed any liberties with the ball, he never managed to hold it for more than half of second, but all this did not help, he still scored – from a free kick, where the defenders could not interfere with anything. Jake Pole struggled for the ball and something happened that left him in a puddle on the lawn. The referee ordered a free kick, and Murphy put the ball right into the top corner with a great shot.

So this match ended - 0:1. Rather unfortunate defeat, another indication that this campaign promises to be very difficult.

TROLLEBORG – GVH 2:0.

The second rival in this series is a rather mysterious team. With a long tradition, however: he has been participating in the WCQ for almost 30 years, altough not continuously, in the 84th qualifying tournament for the last time. Probably, this is rather interesting country: they are, as they summed up its the economic and political conditions at the Trolleborg Institute for World Research, "a thriving anarchy", and it is rare that they publish anything about which players are going to play at the field, or at least where it will be taken place. The scouts of our team received some information after the first rounds, but still the opponent looked like a mystery.

Our footballers started the match successfully, already in the 10th minute Troll's make excellent long pass from the depth of field. This allowed Finnsnes to score a goal after beating the disoriented defender to the ball and upset goalkeeper.

Several times our other players also had chances. The guests could have scored as well - although it seemed to us that the referee had not considered their player offside in vain. Fortunately, our keeper successfully coped with this most dangerous threat.

The scales remained in balance for a long time, but nevertheless in the middle of the second half it tipped in favor of our team. At first, Finnsnes could not make a double, the goalkeeper saved the guests in a desperate throw

But then Troll, in a seemingly harmless situation, threw the ball by 40 meters right into the box and there Gulbranden make one of those header strikes for which we love him so much

2:0, and our team still has a chance for the best.

[Flavovespia]

Flavovespia 0 - 1 Jeruselem

PH: Hello and welcome to the second game of the World Cup Qualifiers. Joining me Patrick Hammond today is another former Flavovespian international Henrik Jensen. Jensen got 36 caps and 1 goal for Flavovespia, and had a successful club career, particularly at Langmere Green Rovers. He was considered a strong central defensive midfielder back in his day, and it’s good to have him in the studio. So Henrik, what are your thoughts on Flavovespia so far?

HJ: Thanks Patrick, a very flattering description of my career. Flavovespia I think looked okay against Kiltoch, the win was important to get, but a win today would impress me more.

PH: And what of talk that, outside the attacking trio, they just didn’t perform that well?

HJ: Well we won, that should be the takeaway. It’s not easy to win away from home against anyone in the qualifiers, and the first win is important.

PH: One change, Alexander May comes in for Stuart Cookson, your thoughts?

HJ: I know Alexander from Langmere Green Rovers of course, he’s a tough, experienced player, absolutely no nonsense. Important in this kind of game.

PH: They go up against Jersuelem, who drew 1-1 against Eshialand, your prediction?

HJ: Let’s be bold and go 2-0 Flavovespia.

PH: And now, over to your commentators, Stephen Hunter and Annabel Harris, in Hadford Hill.

0 minutes: Kick-off here in Hadford Hill. One change as mentioned for Flavovespia, they’re in their yellow and black home kit, Jeruselem in pink.

2 minutes: GOAL! That didn’t take long at all for the visitors. Just over 100 seconds on the clock, it’s Guwa Guw who sidesteps her way past David Blythe, before shooting from just outside the edge of the box. The shot flew straight and true, maybe Aarif Muhammad could’ve been better positioned initially, but from there a shot was a bit unexpected. Flavovespia caught by surprise, 0-1 to Jeruselem.

15 minutes: Well Jeruselem have been pretty relentless since scoring, and it took a strong save by Aarif Muhammad to deny Kate Dallas from inside the box. Flavovespia are struggling to get it out of their own half, barely any touches for the trio of Cole-Coleman-Hall.

25 minutes: Penalty! And Flavovespia have a great chance to equalise. Scott Coleman dropped deep, before flicking the ball over the defensive line towards Michael Cole. Jeruselem appeal for offside, Mark Gates gives chase but his challenge in the box sends Cole tumbling before he can shoot. We’re just waiting for the video referee to check the penalty is ok.

26 minutes: Penalty Overturned! Oh that’s very frustrating for Flavovespia, Michael Cole was just offside as Coleman played the through ball. A let off for Jeruselem there, McCormick on the touchline throws his hands up in disgust

30 minutes: Flavovespia are starting to find their feet, although are still behind here. Tony Gardner and Alexander May have stepped it up in defence, but little is going through the centre of the park for Flavovespia.

Half Time: Flavovespia 0 – 1 Jeruselem A fair scoreline on the balance of things, Flavovespia did get better as the half progressed, but not quite enough to threaten Keiran Biden particularly strongly. Jeruselem are playing with a fair amount of confidence, and are finding success getting the ball out to their wider players. Flavovespia were losing at half-time last time, is another comeback on the cards?

60 minutes: Jeruselem are the stronger so far in the second half. Ina Ninomae had a great chance to make it 0-2, but got underneath the header and sent the ball skyward, when any sort of header on target could beat Aarif Muhammad from close range. David Lyons at the other end took a speculative shot from 30 metres out, but demonstrated why defenders aren’t normally advised to shoot, that shot was more of a danger to the fans in the top tier than the goal.

75 minutes: Flavovespia make changes to try and get themselves back into this. Andrew Dance replaces David Blythe, and Kieron Player comes on in place of Alexander Clarkson. The problems do seem to be through the midfield, Jeruselem have cut out plenty of chances, and it’s been turning into a bit of a long ball game here.

90 minutes: Into the dying seconds, Flavovespia are practically in a 4-2-4 as David Clark makes way for Anthony Hannigan. Plenty of yellow shirts swarm forward, but Jeruselem aren’t yet fazed, Flavovespia ideally need a set piece or a mistake to fall their way.

Full Time: Flavovespia 0 – 1 Jeruselem. In the end, Flavovespia couldn’t find the chance they needed. A last ditch tackle by Alexander May to keep Kate Dallas from having a clear 1 v 1 on goal stopped a late 2nd goal for the visitors. A testing game for Flavovespia, the early goal too much for them to recover from. Back to the studio

PH: Well that wasn’t the outcome Flavovespia wanted. A cause for concern, or just case of the better side won Henrik?

HJ: Both. Jeruselem were the better side, but it’s just not good to concede so early on. And I think the midfield lacked something that game, a bit of fight or aggression. That’s what they used to say when I played

PH: Well I think they’re a bit harsh on you Henrik. But you’re right, a lot of comments on Hive saying there’s issues with the midfield? What’s the fix?

HJ: More energy, more pace, and more drive. It’s a good squad, but there needs to be more, 2 games now the midfield have struggled.

PH: Thank you Henrik and thanks for joining us today. That ends the broadcast, see you soon as Flavovespia travel to Eshialand!

Eshialand 1 - 2 Flavovespia

PH: Hello and welcome to this game, Flavovespia travel to Eshialand. No special guests today, so I’ll be asking our wonderful commentators on their thoughts about today’s game. Eshialand’s opening 2 games, draws away at Jeruselem and Baker Park. Will they be happy with that?

SH: Undoubtedly so, that’s the top two seeds they’ve just held to draws away from home, right at the start of the campaign. They’ll feel the momentum and morale that comes with that.

AH: In the stadium you can just feel the anticipation in the air. Eshialand is buzzing, and you can just sense they think they could win today.

PH: And how do Flavovespia cope? They lost last time out, they come to an away game with a side who’ve drawn what many consider the hardest games, one of which was an opponent Flavovespia just lost to?

SH: The important thing is don’t get drawn away from the game plan, and don’t think negatively. Flavovespia can’t feel this game is over before it’s begun.

AH: That’s very true. And some of the talk about Flavovespia hasn’t been all that positive, a win here for Flavovespia would dispel that. I hope and believe they can win, otherwise they’ll again be low down looking up in the table.

PH: Well kick-off is nearly upon us, Eshialand are out in their navy blue kits, Flavovespia in all-yellow today, let’s get ready for this.

0 minutes: Kick-off here in the Eshialand City SuperDome. Flavovespia start with the ball, they’ll look to not concede within 2 minutes this time. A cheer goes up with Dominique LaPlante dispossessing Coleman.

15 minutes: It’s fairly even here between the two sides, nobody with a clear cut chance yet. Flavovespia are doing a good job preventing wingers Alyssa Longfield or Jacob Harran from getting in behind the defence. Totten for the visitors looks to be giving the freedom to push forward with Clark and Clarkson dropping back, but Totten’s passing has been a tad wayward so far.

24 minutes: GOAL! Flavovespia take the lead in the SuperDome. Clark plays it down the line to Michael Cole. Cole is kept out wide by George Habisbrauer, preventing the shot, but not the pass back towards the centre of goal. Alexander Kolek stays on his line, giving Coleman the chance to shoot, and Coleman is on target, too much power for Kolek to get a hand to it. 0-1

30 minutes: Eshialand haven’t looked deflated at ball by that goal, and are certainly looking for an equaliser. Some tough minutes for Flavovespia here, they need to weather the storm.

33 minutes: GOAL! Flavovespia again let a lead slip quickly. Captain Melissa Carey and Sarah Silver’s rapid one-two overloads the right-hand side, leaving Lyons stranded. The ball’s whipped in, over the reach of Alice Carroll, Tony Gardner and crucially Aarif Muhammad, but it drops enough for Avery MacDougall to wrap his foot around it and fire home. 1-1 here and the SuperDome roars their side on for a second.

Half time: Eshialand 1- 1 Flavovespia Alice Carroll and Lucas Meilling took shots at goal, but in both cases, speculative would be the way to describe them. Flavovespia are still trying to play their way through the defence, but just lack that final killer ball to create the chance they need.

51 minutes: GOAL! Some great skill by the attack of Flavovespia to take the lead. Steven Hall drives forward, coming into the centre from out wide. Coleman makes a run into the box, crucially drawing the attention of the defence. Hall sees Coleman, looks to eye up a pass before taking a shot at goal instead. It curved into the net, close to the post, leaving Kolek little chance even if he’d anticipated the dummy pass then shot.

60 minutes: Eshialand of course look for the equaliser, but Flavovespia have wised up and respond with some rapid counter-attacks. Robert Totten had a shot loop up off the shin of LaPlante, and Kolek smartly dashed out to pluck the ball from the air before Cole could take a header.

75 minutes: Little chances of note in the last 15 minutes, as Flavovespia look to take some of the pace out of this game. Flavovespia going a good job denying Eshialand much possession, although they’re taking few risks in trying to score a 3rd.

90 minutes: The final minutes, and there’s navy shirts everywhere, it’s hard to tell who’s where for Eshialand. There’s been a fair few shots at goal, but only a couple have forced Aarif Muhammad into any sort of save. McCormick clearly wants to defend this lead, Cole has come off for Wright, Blythe is off for Dance, and it looks like Totten is off for Ahmed, although that substitution looks like a little exercise in gamesmanship and slowing the game down.

Full Time: Eshialand 1 - 2 Flavovespia Flavovespia stepped it up where it matters, to make it a second away win in these qualifiers. Smart play and some great flair from their attacking players for the second wrapped up victory. Eshialand lose, but their spirited performance, and previous two results mean they should be soon getting more points in the qualifiers.

PH: An away win for Flavovespia, against what seemed like some decent opposition. You had the best view of the game, what was it like where you were sat?

AH: All game there the crowd were behind their team. This wasn’t easy for Flavovespia to play here, so all credit to them for taking the win.

SH: Agreed, away wins on paper are 3 points, but they’re harder to come by. We’ve got a real tough away game next, let’s hope for something in Baker Park!

PH: You took the words out of my mouth there Hunter! Next up, Flavovespia travel to Commonwealth of Baker Park. The Bees take on The Hornets, who’ll be buzzing after that game, and who will be stung by their opponents?

[Mercedini]

89th World Cup Qualification MD1 Review
Mercedini vs. Qasden
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to Mercedini Sport Daily's coverage of the 89th World Cup Qualification campaign. Today we are back in Zoloroni as we run down a double bill of games which took place over the past couple of days. It will be a long calendar for the team, since they will be flying home and away on consecutive days for most of the camapign. Most teams normally get at least a couple of games in the same place, but it will be a constant and consistent flow of ins and outs as the teams fly to and from Zoloroni to play their games.

If you have just joined us, you may have missed Mercedini's first game in Zoloroni, where they tasted their first defeat of the campaign following a goal fest against Cassadaigua which saw the visitors ultimately run out 4-2 winners, to put their first three points on the board and cement their place as the best team in the group. Following that, it was matches against Vikanias and Qasden which Dini had to play to get themselves back in contention for a top-two spot. Could they do that? Let's find out!

World Cup Qualification: Double Delight Keeps Dini On Track

---

Following their disappointment of their opening night defeat, the Golden Eaghles rallied well in both of their recent two fixtures, which saw them open their account and then some against both Vikanias away from home and Qasden in the Sports City Stadium. The two wins that they picked up meant they rose from ninth to fourth with 2-0-1 record thus far. Neither games were plain sailing for the team, with Mercedini yet to record a clean sheet in the group from any of their opening three games. That might be cause for concern for the defensive coaches and might be another case of leaky-defence-itis which Mercedinian fans will have to put up with. However, once again the Mercedinian attack is the bright spot of the team and has bailed out the team in both of the last two games, where the Golden Eagles came from a goal down to eventually win the game.

But what about the games individually? Well for their second match Mercedini travelled to Vikanias to kick start their campaign. This time, they went into the game as the heavy favourites to win, and the hundred or so fans which travelled to the low-ranked nation were expectant of a good result. However, it proved to be quite a stretch for the Golden Eagles as Vikanias took the lead after five minutes following an errant back-pass by Armazi George which let in Vikanias' poacher to take a touch round the keeper and slot home in front of the home fans. Mercedini were staring down the barrel of a shock result, but the pressure ultimately told, especially in the second half as the legs began to wain for the home side. With ten minutes to go, Dostalok finally got a chance which he was craving, and he rifled the ball into the top bins for 1-1, and Mercedini were now to be denied there. Slateport Bulls winger Christian Armani rose to be the hero as he prodded home from a corner with five minutes to go in the game. It was a remarkable comeback which broke the hearts of the home side. Mercedini were on the board and had the momentum for their next match against Qasden.

Back in Zoloroni and it was time for another match featuring a top team in the group, and this time it was against Qasden who were just coming off a 1-0 win against Gatchingerrak Union. Both teams were trading chances early on, but it would be De La Fontaine who would take the initiative and open the scoring with a well worked curled effort which looked to take a deflection off Jordan Brindliev before the ball nestled into the net to spark wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands. It would take over 15 minutes for the Golden Eagles to find parity, where Chillotov would net his third goal of the campaign with a penalty after he was bought down in the box. In the second half, it would be a practical mirror image of what happened in the last match versus Vakinias, with Dini netting two second half goals to win the match and add another win to the Golden Eagles' column. They now have some good momentum going into the mid-way point of the first half.

FULL TIME
Mercedini 3 - 1 Qasden
Chillotov 40' (P), Dalamai 53', Karlovic 69' • De La Fontaine 23'

That concludes our coverage of the opening day of action at the qualifying stage of World Cup 89. It's Freeport at home and Tamgu away for Din's next two games, they are two games which Dini have a very solid chance at winning and putting pressure on those ahead of them. We hope you will be able to join us tomorrow for both of those matched. There's still a long way to go before the end of qualifying, but we will be here every step of the way to cover all of the action and what that means for the group and the tournament as a whole. Goodnight!

[Darmen]

Tanner Simeon
Rushmori Geopolitics 809-265
November 9, 2050

Supporting Democracy or Power Politics?
Analyzing the Motives Behind President Rademacher’s Nyowani Kitara Strategy

It is easy for the uninformed observer to hear of President Joshua Rademacher’s recent expression of support towards the Kitara Freedom Front in its struggle to liberate Nyowani Kitara from communist oppression and come to the conclusion that the Rademacher administration is simply doing its part to support democracy overseas. But this simple explanation fails to tell the full story. Indeed, the Rademacher administration is doing its part to support democracy, but it's deeper motive is to expand its influence in the Xandrian region so as not to be left behind in the eternal competition that is Rushmori geopolitics.

Not long ago, President of the Republic Joshua Rademacher publicly announced Darmen’s support for the Kitara Freedom Front (KFF), led by Malik Akongo, son of the deceased leader of Nyowani Kitara, Boaz Akongo. Rademacher’s announcement was delayed in coming; initially the Darmeni Foreign Department made vague statements in support of the Pavolan nation’s struggle for democracy, but the Darmeni government needed time to assess the situation and make a clear decision on its strategy moving forward and steered clear of backing either of the two pro-democracy groups (in addition to the KFF, there is also the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Kitara - DFLK)¹. After gathering more intelligence on the situation in Nyowani Kitara and the background of Malik Akongo, as well as surveying the opinions of other Rushmori nations on the matter, Malik Akongo and the KFF earned the support of the Darmeni government as they move to oppose Akongo’s sister Nafuna and the ruling Kitara Progressive Worker’s Coalition (KPWC)².

But Darmen’s support for the KFF is both limited and conditional. Due to the geographical distance between Darmen and Nyowani Kitara and the limited resources at the disposal of the Darmeni intelligence and defense forces, Rademacher’s plan for supporting the KFF currently consists of minor cash payments to the rebel group and a handful of military advisors to help train the KFF’s forces². Unlike the DFLK, which has numerous defected Kitaran army soldiers among its ranks, the KFF has a grassroots makeup, relying largely on the everyday people of Kitara, long discontent with the oppression of the KPWC, to fill its ranks³. But the KFF will not receive any of that support unless it reaches out to the DFLK and attempts to work together with the other pro-democracy group in Nyowani Kitara⁴.

The Darmeni government is worried that long suppressed ethnic divisions between the black Kitara and the white Osterlanders (as well as Nordlanders and Zealanders, both white) will be ripped open if the KFF and DFLK can not come to some sort of agreement on plans for Nyowani Kitara’s future. The possibility of a three-way civil war, wherein the KPWC faces the joint ire of the KFF and DFLK but the later two groups obstruct each other in the hopes of assuming sole control of the country at the expense of the other, is a recipe for disaster, not only in terms of a possible KPWC victory and the continued oppression of the people of Nyowani Kitara, but also due to the possibility of the conflict taking on a new shape, one where ethnicity is prioritized over democracy and the KPWC potentially takes on the mantle of inter-ethnic peacemaker.

Radmacher’s announcement of support for the KFF made numerous references to democracy and the ideals of the Common Rushmori Community, an organization that Rademacher is eager to have Darmen join. At face value it is true that Rademacher and the Darmeni government are but one voice among many calling for democracy in a country which has yet to experience democratic freedoms. But a simple support for the growth of democracy does not by itself explain Darmeni involvement in an ever more complicated overseas conflict that has no direct impact on Darmen.

It would seem therefore, that Darmeni motives for acting in Nyowani Kitara are instead driven by another reason, namely the expansion of Darmeni influence in the areas surrounding the Xandrian Sea. There are two possibilities as to why Rademacher is taking steps now to expand Darmen’s influence in the region: the potential loosening of Euran hegemony over Rushmore⁵ and increasing Valladar influence in the Vatmark⁶.

In normal circumstances, any event in Rushmore that could even remotely affect the height of a single wave in the harbor of Falourr brings the full might of the Euran bureaucracy to bear in response. But the present political circumstances in Eura are not normal. Euran prime minister Ian Smith has made several decisions at the domestic level regarding the political architecture of Eura (how the Euran parliament is elected, the end of the provisional government in the former Sameba, the status of the Euran Oceanian Territories) which could have far reaching impacts beyond Bastion and the Euran border⁷. The Liberal government in Eura may potentially crumble regardless of how the referendums turn out and questions have been raised about how much the domestic political situation may distract Euran officials from events taking place around them, if at all⁵.

With Eura potentially distracted, Rademacher may be making his move in Nyowani Kitara to at least partially fill the void left by an absent Bastion. While nations like Græntfjall and Tikariot are better positioned to make major impacts on the situation in Nyowani Kitara, Rademacher can still wave the Darmeni flag and signal Darmen’s return to the international table. Even in the event Eura is not adequately distracted enough and does indeed bring its usual diplomatic and military weight to bear in Nyowani Kitara, Rademacher’s actions are still likely to be profitable in expanding Darmen’s role in foreign affairs. With Darmen’s economy surging upwards, Rademacher has more maneuvering room to pursue his foreign policy while domestic affairs can take a back seat⁸.

Rademacher may also be seeking to expand Darmen’s influence overseas to check growing Valladar influence in the region, particularly in light of the recently announced canal being built in Norrhem to connect the Lesser Inland Sea with the southern Xandiran Sea. The proposed canal would connect Valladar ports along the Great Inland Sea with the economy of the Westlands state and beyond, providing Valladar consumers with access to cheaper goods⁹ and the Valladar government with greater ability to influence Darmen’s neighboring nations⁶. While publicly the two nations are making efforts to improve their relations, including a referendum on the status of the Southeast region, each country is trying to place itself in a stronger position in order to exert influence on the other. Darmen is afraid of being overshadowed by their southern neighbors and potentially becoming isolated by a resurgent “Valladarsphere”¹⁰. Meanwhile Valladares will stop at nothing to get the most beneficial result from the negotiations, as well as a potential victory in the referendum on the status of the Southeast region to be held in April¹¹.

It is important to note that Darmen is not trying to gain a long term ally in the form of a democratic Nyowani Kitara; rather, Rademacher’s aim is to signal to the rest of the region that Darmen’s domestic problems have been dealt with and that it is capable of making moves (even if such moves are minor) in the domain of international relations. The idea that Darmen is incapable of exerting what limited influence it has on other nations is something that Rademacher must seek to dismantle or else risk the possibility of an agreement on improved relations with Valladares at the expense of an unequal exchange in favor of Valladares. If Rademacher were forced to agree to such an agreement by Metropolis, the results would be potentially disastrous for generations of future Darmenis and would likely sideline Darmen from regional politics for decades to come¹².

While Rademacher is likely to continue to claim that Darmen’s support for the KFF is to further democracy in Rushmore, a closer examination of possible motives reveals a different picture. It is more likely that Rademacher is attempting to capitalize on the situation to increase Darmen’s meager influence in the region, both to check growing Valladar influence and to potentially steal a sliver of the pie that is Euran hegemony. If democracy in Nyowani Kitara can be achieved at the same time, it will be all the better for Rademacher and his image in the public eye.

Notes

1. Madison Metz, “Kitaran General’s Coup Interrupted Mid-Broadcast,” Huntington Herald-Dispatch, October 14, 2050, http,s://www.huntingtonherald.dar/2050/10/14/international/kitaran_generals_coup_interrupted_mid-broadcast.html.
2. Renato Gross, “President Throws Support Behind KFF,” Scott City Observer, November 1, 2050, http,s://www.scobserver.dar/2050/11/01/politics/president_throws_support_behind_kff.html.
3. ”Nyowani Kitara,” International Association for the Observation of Armed Groups, accessed November 6, 2050, http,s://www.iaoag.org/index/nations/nyowani_kitara.htm.
4. Adele Sánchez, “Secretary Augustine Warns Of Potential Three-Way Civil War With Ethnic Twist In Nyowani Kitara,” The Southern Times, October 25, 2050, http,s://www.southerntimes.dar/2050/10/25/international/secretary_augustine_warns_of_potential_3_way_civil_war_with_ethnic_twist_in_nyowani_kitara.html.
5. Hosea H. Häusler, Beatrice Lang and Dana Sharpe, “Eura on the Precipice,” Terranean Politics 67, no. 2 (June, 2050), 45.
6. Alf Kelly, “Innocent Canal Or Something More Sinister?” Financial Times, September 4, 2050, http,s://www.financialtimes.dar/2050/09/04/rushmore/innocent_canal_or_something_more_sinister.html.
7. “As E.O.T And Olympics Distract, Eura’s Dual-Referendum Simmers,” The Emplor, https://www.emplor.eur/main/worldnews/_/38949391.html.
8. Romuald von Grimmelshausen, “GDP Rises As Debt And Unemployment Fall,” Scott City Times, July 18, 2050, http,s://www.sctimes.dar/2050/07/18/economy/gdp_rises_as_debt_and_unemployment_falls.html.
9. ”Valladar and Norrish governments reach agreement for construction of canal,” The Metropolis Herald, July 10, 2021, https://www.metropolisherald.vd/eng/rushmore/_/38809475.html.
10. ”Valladar-Norrish canal could represent the revival of the "Valladarsphere", according to analysts,” The Metropolis Herald, July 10, 2021, http,s://www.metropolisherald.vd/eng/rushmore/_/38810002.html.
11. Tye Keir, “Woodrow Expresses Concerns Over Referendum,” Scott City Times, October 25, 2050, http,s://www.sctimes.dar/2050/10/25/national/woodrow_expresses_concerns_over_referendum.html.
12. Issac Archer and Merlin D. Breitbarth, “Worst Case Scenario Possible for Future of Darmen,” Terranean Politics 67, no. 1 (March, 2050), 125.

[Eshialand]

Culture Collision
Part X: Conviction
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX

"For the murder of Captain John Treaun, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty."

And with those words, it all seemed over. Frank Derdino, the man who bombed the king's flight simply because he despised the settlers at Maryansk, was most likely going to jail for the rest of his life. However, this was just for killing the pilot. There were far more charges to come, and as the juror who read off the first verdict sat down, another stood up.

"And for the murder of Captain Alex Nicolucci, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty."

And there was the second count of murder, this one for killing the co-pilot. The second juror sat down and a third stood up to read the next charge.

"And for the attempted murder of His Royal Highness King William I, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty."

The king couldn't have rolled his eyes any louder at being called His Royal Highness as the third juror sat down and a fourth stood up, but at least he could rest assured that one of the most dangerous and subversive men the country had ever seen was going to jail.

"And for the attempted murder of Sergey Grenkov, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty."

What was the point of all of this? Why in the world would Frank decide that putting a bomb in the royal plane was the right idea? What part of him could possibly justify doing that for a few hundred or maybe a thousand settlers in the middle of nowhere? The fourth juror sat down, and a fifth stood up.

"And for illegal possession of explosives, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty."

There was one more charge to go. In all likelihood, he would be convicted on that one too and get consecutive sentences totaling well over a hundred years, and then the book could finally be closed on this whole ordeal. The puteshestvenniki could be naturalized as Eshian citizens, and all would be set right in the world. All 12 jurors now stood up to read the final charge together.

"And on the charge of high treason, we, the jury, find the defendant, Frank Derdino, GUILTY!"

Just about everyone in the room was celebrating at this point, apart from Frank and his defense attorney. Even Judge Evelyn Desharnais was smiling when she yelled "Bailiff! Take this defendant away!!"

But was it really all over? After all, there was bound to be political fallout among extreme right-wing individuals and groups in the country. These were the people already unhappy with the monarchy, resenting the king ever more with every decision he made. They, depending on how radicalized they were, might try to finish what Frank couldn't, and William was scared to death of what may happen if they had their way with him, even if he didn't show it. The next few months, and indeed years, would be some of the hardest he and the country would have to face... but today, that didn't matter much. All that mattered was that justice had been served, and that was a cause for celebration if there ever was one.

[Krytenia]

What Is This Sorcery?
By Rami Niblick in Dereapolis

DO not adjust your set. Your eyes do not deceive you. What you see in front of you is a Krytenian side that has, so far, managed to be Quite Good at playing qualifying games.

Getting off on the right foot against ZRH certainly helped. The Dragons were professional and ruthless in their performance, gaining those precious three points. Alun Belmwr and Max Snelders then proceeded to get their goals in a similar methodical dismantling of the Grearish team, before travelling to Augusticinia on Matchday Three.

At this point, the Dragons really hit their stride. Yes, it's true that it wasn't the most disciplined defensive display we've ever seen from the national team, but when your goals are conceded at 4-0 and 5-1, you can afford the odd blip. It's more the way the midfield and attacking trios moved the ball around with ease, stretching and contorting the Augusticinian defence beyond all recognition. Cande Montalban's deadly finishing for his hat-trick didn't suck either.

We may only be six games of eighteen into the tournament, then, but Krytenia find themselves in the unexpected position of being two points clear at the top of Group 14. True, they've not played any of the chasing pack yet, but that will change on Matchday Five when they travel to San Ortelio. Before that game, though, there's the small matter of facing Kaldtfjell in Dereapolis. Win the former, and it gives us at least a modicum of breathing room - and whole gubs of confidence - for the latter. Onward!

[Hispinas]

Ranoria 2–1 Hispinas
World Cup 89 Qualifying - Smith Field, Richardson, Ranoria
HSP Scorers: Ozeano Amunategui (74')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Gurutze Aranaz, Casimiro Coro, Chequil Puma, Fermin Maquibar ▼ (▲ Latisha Gurule 74'), Hibai Berriz, Auza Vertiz, Trinidad Quevedo, Carmelita Grimaldo ▼ (▲ Mira Makarova 88'), Peppi Palmero ▼ (▲ Pancho Del Olmo 77'), Ozeano Amunategui

Milchama 4–3 Hispinas
World Cup 89 Qualifying - Alexander the Pretty Good Stadium, Alexandria, Milchama
HSP Scorers: Carmelita Grimaldo (38'), Pancho Del Olmo (64'), Auza Vertiz (85')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Chicho Mondragon, Casimiro Coro ▼ (▲ Chequil Puma 71'), Marcos Rolan, Latisha Gurule ▼ (▲ Fermin Maquibar 58'), Hibai Berriz, Auza Vertiz, Trinidad Quevedo, Munio Sola, Pancho Del Olmo, Carmelita Grimaldo ▼ (▲ Ozeano Amunategui 90 + 1')

Hispinas 2–2 TJUN-ia
World Cup 89 Qualifying - Estadio Nacional en el Castillo, Mandrid, Hispinas
HSP Scorers: Ozeano Amunategui (23'), Munio Sola (88')
HSP Lineup: Natalio Londono, Chicho Mondragon, Chequil Puma, Casimiro Coro, Fermin Maquibar, Hibai Berriz, Auza Vertiz ▼ (▲ Trinidad Quevedo 76'), Tomasina Baltazar ▼ (▲ Salomon Duran 84'), Munio Sola, Peppi Palmero, Ozeano Amunategui ▼ (▲ Carmelita Grimaldo 73')

The Hispino players did a stellar job of holding TJUN-ia to a 2-2 draw, but it seems the damage has already been done with another miserable start to their campaign.

After losing 2-1 at the hands of Ranoria on the opening matchday of the World Cup Qualifying campaign, they had another away match to Atlantian Oceania, this time, to Milchama, where a close encounter and a lot of goals ended on a losing note for the Golden Sealions. They were relieved that they would not have to start their campaign on a three, potentially four game losing skid and finally ended their losing run against the Jags, where two previous outings ended in losses for the Rushmori nation.

However, they have still Sargossa and Turori on their schedule for the first half of the qualifying campaign, and the next match is the next installment of a budding rivalry between the Sealions and the Corsairs. The players in orange have met the players in blue in two previous Copa Rushmori matches, where Hispinas was able to eliminate Sargossa from contention in Eura, where the Corsairs would return the favor in the latest edition in Mytanija, ending the Golden Sealions' hopes of making it to their first cup final.

They would have to worry about the crowd at the Estadio Generalissimo Joaquín Delgado in Soluca, as they have been known to be notorious. Should they get a result in Soluca, they would host Sevendia back in Mandrid, where they have a chance to add some needed points in their faltering qualifying campaign.

[Polkopia]

Vadim Išutin Enjoys His Time in Aut-Ves-Nat Before MD5

"How much?!" Vadim Išutin took a step back from the woman outside of the bar.

"I told you my price, now you can pay up or get lost," the woman said, flinging her blonde hair over her shoulder, "if you're too broke, I'm sure there're plenty of whores at the halfway house down the street you can pay." She took a puff of her cigarette and winked at one of the other girls leaning up against the building.

"Fuck you then!" Išutin flung his arms in the air and stormed off. He heard the women laugh behind him and fought off every impulse he had to scream more vulgarities at her. Who did she think she was anyway? She was a whore and he was a star! He could buy and sell her if he wanted to, but he didn't want word getting back to his teammates what he was up to. Before their match tomorrow against Aut-Ves-Nat, Coach had given the footballers a day of rest so they could enjoy their stay in the capital a little more, and give them a much-needed break in their busy schedule. For Išutin, that meant curling up with a pretty girl in bed and releasing any stress and anxieties he had accumulated since the last time he bumped uglies with a stranger.

What time was it? 20:00? 21:00? He wasn't sure, and he made a point to keep his phone turned off so his teammates couldn't track him down like they had done that one time in Valinkova, where his teammates found him passed out in an alleyway three blocks from the apartment building they had their afterparty at. Not only was that embarrassing for him, his coach at Lada Kirovski reamed him for it, and he didn't start the next game.

He rolled his eyes as he stomped down the street. Of course he liked playing football and hanging out with his teammates more than the next guy, but there was something fun and exhilarating about traveling the world and meeting fresh, new people and seeing how they could entertain him, or rather, please him.

At this hour, people were still out and about, and the bars were still packed with people. He had already had a few drinks in him, but he was nowhere near where he anticipated to be. As he walked further and further down this street, which he assumed was a main road somewhere downtown, the vibe slowly began to change from a dark, smoky vibe, which was what he was used to back home in Polkopia, to a more colorful environment. He passed bars sporting all sorts of themes, from beachy tiki huts, to more sophisticated, speakeasy-esque places. Išutin found himself staring inside some of the windows at these establishments, curious as to what kind of crowd flocked to these places.

Suddenly, not five buildings in front of him, a building stood with some of the brightest LED lights Išutin had ever seen. He approached the building when a man dressed in the most androgynous getup he had ever seen - he wore skin-tight red leggings which revealed his skin all throughout the sides of his legs, before transitioning toward a more netted pattern up towards the groin. His torso was bare, but sported a red-velvet cape with all sorts of patterns and emblems caked on to it. The man's hair was dyed a platinum blonde and his eyeliner seemed to take up half of his face.

"Cover is $10, honey." The man said, smirking, holding out his hand.

"Oh erm... here, take this." Išutin said, pulling out crumpled bills out of his pockets and throwing them at the guy.

"This is thir-... you know what, never mind, you can go right on in. Give me your hand." The man reached for Išutin, who leapt back.

"Wha-?!" Išutin yelped as he looked at the guy, eyes wide open.

"Your stamp? I need to stamp your hand. Come on, I won't bite... hard." The guy winked at Išutin, who rolled his eyes and extended his arm. The man pressed the ink into his skin and he withdrew his arm. Išutin inspected his wrist, where "Yaaaas" was imprinted on his wrist in bright red ink.

"No you go in and have fun. My name is Clyde if you need me." Clyde winked at Išutin who shuffled his way past the curtains and in the door. Once inside, Išutin listened to the pulsating beats and a lead female vocalist singing in a language Išutin didn't understand. He made his way further into the room, brushing by sweaty, shirtless men and women dressed in skimpy, leather dresses. He wasn't even bothering to check out their bodies, as he was more focused on finding a place he could stand and observe the room more closely. He eventually found himself at the corner of one of the bars, where a shirtless, muscular bartender threw a napkin on the bar.

"What're we having?" He had to shout at Išutin to make himself heard over the music.

"Eh... vodka on the rocks. You have Yeptsiniy¹?

"No, we don't carry any of that stuff here... Tell you what, I got something else, give me one sec." The bartender left and grabbed a bottle of vodka from behind the massive group of liquor bottles that stood at the front of the bar. 'Of course,' Išutin thought to himself, 'why is always so hard to find a damn Polkopian vodka whenever he went overseas? Why'd he always have to settle for some foreign shit?'

"Here you go!" The bartender handed Išutin the spirit and Išutin handed him his card.

"Close it out, thanks." Išutin smiled at him and swirled the vodka around the glass near his nose. 'Not bad,' Išutin thought. He then took a sip and nearly coughed up the drink. 'Damn, that's a strong drink!'

"Thank you!" The bartender handed Išutin his card and moved on to his next customer. Išutin sipped his drink and stared at some of the people in the room. The majority of people were bopping along to the song, and the dancefloor sported lasers and smoke from around the DJ's booth. It actually looked pretty fun, but Išutin wasn't the type to dance.

"Hey there, handsome." A feminine voice sounded from right next to Išutin, who turned and saw this gorgeous woman, dressed in an extravagant lime-green dress and the tallest heels Išutin had ever seen. Her makeup was wild too, colored in the same hues as her dress. "What're you drinking?" She asked Išutin, running her finger along the brim of the glass.

Išutin smirked, "Well, I'm not one to pass up a good drink, but," Išutin paused as he took a sip of his drink, "it'd be wrong of me if I let a pretty lady like you buy me a drink so allow me. What can I get for you?"

"Ohh, he's chivalrous!" The woman moved her shoulders and chuckled. "You can call me Chrysoberyl, and I'll take a vodka soda."

Išutin bought another glass of vodka for himself and a drink for his new friend who was looking more and more beautiful the more he looked at her. "I've never seen you here before, mister chivalry, where are you from?"

Išutin smiled, "Not from here, that's for sure." He motioned toward the dance floor, "This is... different though. We don't have this back home."

"You have an accent." Chrysoberyl narrowed her eyes. "Come, I want you to dance with me and meet my friends."

Chrysoberyl grabbed his hand and made her way from the stage toward the dance floor. As they pushed their way past people, Išutin felt drinks getting spilled on him, people smoking questionable substances around him, and people grinding all over each other, some of which made moved to grab at him too, but Išutin maneuvered around them and followed his new friend through the crowd.

"This is Amber." Chrysoberyl stopped and motioned toward a woman in bright red hair. She leaned forward and kissed Išutin's cheeks. "Pleasure." she said. Išutin nodded. "And this is Popya Cherry," Chrysoberyl leaned in and gave another woman a prolonged kiss on the lips. Popya then leaned forward and placed her lips on Išutin's, grabbing his backside as she did so.

"Mmm, he's delicious!" Popya said, winking at Chrysoberyl, who nodded back to her.

"We're about to do a show tonight and I want you to be in the very front. Stand right there." Chrysoberyl pointed to an open spot at the edge of the dancefloor, right before the stage. "And I'll be looking for you out there. I'm performing Thocas², so get your dollar bills out."

Chrysoberyl and her friend left and Išutin moved to the part of the floor where they had told him to wait as he prepared to watch them perform. Was this a stripper show? He wasn't quite sure what they meant by "performance," but a large part of Išutin was eager to see what a night out in Aut-Ves-Nat was like, so he swallowed his pride, ignored the people grinding around him, and waited patiently for the "show" to begin...

¹ Yeptsiniy is a top-shelf Polkopian vodka with the highest alcohol content of any vodka sold in Polkopia.
² The song, "Thocas" refers to a song sent by Scotatrova at the Worldvision Song Contest

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

I know you are reading my journal.

At this point, I feel the need to start speaking with whoever or whatever keeps snooping into this book. Don’t lie to yourself as my words are flying by your eyes. Anytime I mention something here, things go wrong. I know you are stalking me.

My name is Nikola, as you know, and I’m called a spy. Personally, I hate the word "Spy." Spy should be a pejorative. I am really an intelligencer, an investigator. I never wanted this life anyway. I’ve spend my years going from cult to cult, and now the clique I’m in is the federal government. I’ve been getting all kinds of hellish dreams again, and I think I’m seeing things. Not to mention the coincidences I’ve had in this journal already.

I really should see my psychiatrist again, but she is still on maternity leave for another month. I have to work anyhow. Today is the day we arrest Akram, he’s finally lost his allies in the capital city, and my old friend is going to pay. A long time has come, I just hope he doesn’t figure out who ratted on him last month.

---

14.08, 5:15

The hills fused into the buildings south of Aleiusia’s border. The Capital Region’s largest city gave way to Alter Platz. A group of cars, and a repair van, dripped and drifted into the small city. There they all sat in neighborhood known in English as “The Quarter of Ritz,” full of homes to die for. One home sprawled around a corner of the suburban road, a corner traversed by the big repair van. The features were simply eccentric, everything on the outside of the home looked handpicked and made to dozens of persnickety individual details.

The van went past the building, and another corner, before coming to a quick stop, “Hey!” the passenger said, dropping his clipboard. The driver chuckled, “You studying for a test there, Nikola?” the man asked, “Boy you better get back there” the gruff old hoss commanded. Nikola unstrapped from his chair, picked up his notes, and went to the back of the van. An old ceiling lamp guided him to his chair, next to a woman, “You’ll be known as ‘Mahagonij,’ your normal call sign is for on foot missions, Nikola.” Nikola nodded. On came a headset, Nikola spoke into it “Operation Bonsai is entering her final phase, this is Mahagonij. Entry team, please respond.”

The radios went silent for a few seconds, “Mahagonij, this is Entry Team, pleased to have you on call, stranger. Over.” the voice on the other line make Nikola smile, “only this once, stranger.” Nikola said. Fingers rubbed a blueprint, “Entry team, this is control,” Nikola’s partner barked, “remember to split into red and blue teams. You're arresting a criminal with expensive lawyers, be careful.” The other line scoffed, “yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nikola tapped blueprints, “entry team, this is Mahagonij,” he said quickly, “Blue, stack up at the entrance way. Red, get into your positions near the property line, and across the street. Sniper, are you in position?” “Affirmative,” a woman said, “One man is in the house. No suspects of interest. The man conversing on a phone. Over.”

Nikola moved into the desk, looking a his partner. Their eyes honed in on the other’s, “Entry Team, this is Magagonij, move in.”

[Schima Bas]

World Football Report
Special Report on Schima Bas
Women's Football

Women’s clubs have operated for years in Schima Bas, longer than the nation has held the name, with many resurrecting after the war as a means for women to find community again in the wake of tragedy. Despite this success, the Schima Bas Football Association has not reached out to any female players to participate in the country’s inaugural World Cup.

In addition to this, there has been no word from the FA in regard to the establishment of a women’s football league or pyramid structure. Many around the country hold personal beliefs against women participating in sport, but these beliefs have fallen away slightly since the start of the civil war. These changes may be caused by more close interactions between men and women, splintering the strict separation that accompanied the region before the war. This has spurned on a bit of a culture war in the country, as many debate if long-held traditions still hold weight.

Some supporters of the fledgling national team, the “Golden Crescent”, have been outspoken in their support for female players, citing a reduced strength squad that has suffered heavy losses in talent due to war-time fatalities. While many male stars of the region were lost in the conflict, female talent wasn’t as unfortunate due to the military’s strict recruitment of male soldiers.

The women’s leagues, despite not being as well followed as the men’s leagues for a variety of reason, have a few exceptional individuals showing out for their local clubs: competing in bare-bones regional leagues across the country. A report from the Basian sports magazine “The Sporting Griffon” highlights some of the best female players in the country.

Jis Greana has shown promise among the local talent of Dos Arbores, a Basian city located along the southern coast. Born into wealth, her family moved to Schima Bas during the war, finding security in the city beside the waves due to the heavily-armed private police force that patrolled the city throughout the war years. This atmosphere is where Greana found her love for football, a kind of war in itself, and discovered the joys of shot-stopping, separating herself from her colleagues in this regard.

Defense is not an area of the pitch that many Basians honor, especially the well-off, who consider offense to be the only landing spot for true footballing talent. Despite this, Greana has powered through and has proven to be a stalwart giant for the growing Arbores FC club, with exceptional defensive leadership and physicality that finds no parallel in the Coastal League, a small, but increasingly influential female league host to only 6 clubs.

She has been growing more vocal in support of women’s sports on social media, and was even applauded by national team midfielder Bisma Shehadeh, who hosted the talent on his football-adjacent stream, where the two watched clips and Shehadeh ridiculed Greana’s opposition.

_____

Abdia Tame is the daughter of a devout family in the capital city of Ourelaisa. Deeply inspired and motivated, she first wanted to be a spiritual leader like her parents, but found the pitch to be more at home for her. She has described her experience in sport as a spiritually uplifting activity; embracing in community with her teamwork and demonstrating the agility and power of the body bestowed unto her from God. Between the posts for her home Estrella Football Club, she has managed an incredible ongoing streak of 14 games with a clean sheet. Demonstrating great positioning and reflexes, Tame would be of benefit to most clubs, male or female.

_____

Shaffan Basha has the sort of style that comes from better footballing nations than Schima Bas. A confident yet humble footballer, Basha finds just as many assists as goals for her coastal club, Kokona Phoenix. In her personal life, a researcher into allergic reactions, Basha is a true team player, known for hosting elaborate parties for her team. Teammates of hers have remarked that her gift-giving skills are unmatched.

On the pitch she works with exceptional passes, having practiced accurate ball distribution for years. She attributes this to her childhood best friend, Badyah, who she recalls playing pickup games alongside, and always challenging her to be better. She has a story about the two playing a game in an empty lot, where after the game they were accosted by opposing players after the game: upset with the way in which they lost to the two girls. A young Basha tried to disengage from the situation, but they continued their assault. To this, Badyah swung and hit all of them with a pepper spray solution her mother had made. As the assailants fled with tears, Badyah told the young Basha, "Don't ever let anyone disrespect you when you've already beyond earned it." That's a lesson that's stayed with her ever since, she says.

[Hapilopper]

Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
World Cup 89 Qualifying Match 4: Hapilopper 0-0 The Kytler Peninsulae – 82:48 on the clock
On paper, it seemed like a routine play if there ever was one. Kytlerian goalkeeper Dings Mocks was about to send the ball on its way to restart play. There had been a minor entanglement between Hapilopper’s Toby Bryson and Kytlerian cornerback Tim Wallace that led to Bryson’s attempted shot being off target and out of bounds. Standard routine play. But something clicked in Nathan Ellis’s head. He had to do something to get the Haps fired up. Standing in a group of both Hapiloppians and Kytlerians waiting for play to restart, Nathan noticed a lone Kytlerian player, Oscar Porfirio, waiting for the goal kick to come his way, some 65 yards away from the net. Nate looked at teammates Herb Northrop and William Altenberry and nodded his head.

“Watch this,” Nate said. “I’ll be right back.”

He started running just before Mocks kicked the ball, and started running at all due speed towards Porfirio. Not towards where the ball was set to land, but towards Porfirio. As the ball arced downward towards the Kytlerian striker, Nathan took his eye off the ball and towards Porfirio. Everyone in Capital Stadium knew what was coming next.

So too did Billy Solomon standing a few yards away, Toby Bryson and Peter Robson. Nathan Ellis was about to send a message. It wasn’t anything against the Kytler Peninsulae, and it wasn’t anything against Oscar Porfirio. They just happened to exist on the same plane at the same time as Nathan Fucking Ellis, the same man that smashed Alexis Fotellis’ face into the ground at this very stadium. The same player named “most likely to start a soccer riot.” The same player known across Nephara for his homicidal, genocidal, maniacal play.

Poor Oscar Porfirio was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Looking up at the ball, waiting to head it off and start an offensive effort. He had no idea Nathan Ellis was coming his way. He never got the ball. He looked down in time to see Nathan pulling his head down in the motion of a spear.

**WHAM!**

The correct definition of the hit is a “spear.” Made famous by a handful of pro wrestlers, especially in the last few years, Ellis pulled his head down and speared Porfirio at all due speed, knocking him to the turf at Capital Stadium and away from the pitch. It was one of the dirtiest hits anyone had seen in association football, a hit better suited to gridiron football (and even then, as HTN’s Jon Arnold put it, that hit would have been a 15-yard penalty and an ejection for targeting) and, not surprisingly, a straight red card.

The Kytlerians were most likely incensed. The referees were incensed. The Hapiloppians were delighted. This was the kind of fiery play that Thom Perkins and Dom Probst wanted to see from his players. The fans in Capital Stadium were beside themselves, with many fans shouting for Nathan to “hit him again! Hit him again! HARDER!”

As Nathan walked back to Porfirio, he actually appeared to apologize to the Kytlerian.

“Nothing personal, man, I got to fire my boys up,” Nathan said. “They need something.”

The good news was that Porfirio was uninjured and would be able to keep playing. The bad news was that the Haps would be a man short for the rest of the match and would be without Nathan Ellis for the next match against The Sarian. No matter, Nathan felt he needed to do it to fire his teammates up, and when he headed off the pitch, he started shouting to his teammates.

“THAT’S THE KIND OF FIRE WE NEED! YOU GO OUT THERE AND YOU PUNCH THEM IN THE FUCKING MOUTH!” Nathan roared. “I WANT THAT! YOU GO OUT THERE AND KICK THEIR ASSES!”

Unfortunately, the Haps were unable to score for the rest of the match, and couldn’t score at all the next match against The Sarian. In those two matches, they only managed one point – the one point for the draw against The Kytler Peninsulae, and were near the bottom of the table.

There was no excuse for it. The Hapiloppian players were better than to be 9th out of 10 teams at any point. The team was better than that. There had to be a change, something, anything. The fans were getting sick and tired of it. Everyone was getting sick and tired of it, and people were wondering if Team Hapilopper had made a mistake even signing up for the World Cup.

At times, even Team Hapilopper management questioned if they should have just thrown in the towel and closed up shop after losing that match to Banija. Everything was going wrong, and Team Hapilopper was becoming something of a joke five matches into the World Cup Qualifier. Maybe not signing up at all was preferable to this.

[Omerica]

---

Juven airspace
Pre-Matchday 4

---

Stephanidis forced to tamp down controversy after naming an all-Anglo starting XI against Juvencus

OUTRAGE: Alexis Stephanidis fails to name a SINGLE gallophone player in her starting XI against Juvencus

Is a majority Anglo squad the right choice to face Juvencus or is Stephanidis overreacting?

SHAMEFUL: Panjuven extremists cow Omerica into leaving Marquetti and Zanetti behind in the United Republics

Alexis was basically doomscrolling at this point. The headlines were incessant and her patience was growing thin. Security was being ramped up in Pomena for the match, but that wasn’t enough to comfort her. She had to make sure as few players as possible were thrown into the lions’ den.

“Are you okay?” she heard from her left in Gallic.

She turned to see the team’s medical lead next to her. “I don’t think so.”

“Is this about the headlines?” Tahira asked.

“I’m just worried I’ve made a huge mistake.”

“When has that ever stopped you before?”

Alexis turned to face ahead, staring off into the seat in front of her. “I guess you’re right.”

“No one is perfect, boss, but look at it this way: win or lose, this is something to be proud of. I think putting the team’s safety above winning is very admirable.”

“You think so?”

“I do, but I’m also worried about you.”

“Really,” Alexis said in surprise as she turned back toward Tahira. “How so?”

“It’s not like you to be so moody like this. I’d expect this from Anne-Sophie, but not from you.”

“I’m still kind of worried, though,” Alexis admitted, switching to her native tongue. “Kara [Félix] is probably still in trouble. Thom [Magalhães] and Malcolm [Beauchesne] too. What if something happens to them?”

“I think you’re overthinking this,” Tahira replied, trying to some way of reassuring her boss. “Besides, I remember Lucky [Ashworth] in Drawkland.”

“Tore her ACL.” Alexis could see the footage play back in her head, seeing Ashworth lying in pain on the ground.

“But Édouard [Bouchard] scored two in the final. It looked so grim at the time and yet it all worked out in the end.”

The sight of Ashworth on her crutches, being helped up onto the platform by her teammates so she could claim her gold medal, was one of those images burned into the national consciousness. The contrast was so stark.

Alexis buried her head in her hands, trying to get a grip on herself. There weren’t many moments in this job that overwhelmed her like this. Humbling moments like getting knocked out of the World Cup finals or losing out on qualification in the playoffs, sure, but not something like this.

“You’re right,” she admitted, her hands falling to her lap. “Hell, even George could win in Krytenia with a second-string side.”

“Now this is the Alexis I know,” Tahira said with a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice.

“You know what? I think I have my pre-match sppech now.”

“Really?”

“I reckon so and I owe you a big thanks, Tahira.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the flight attendant announced, “as we start our descent, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

The time of reckoning was now upon them and as it went in L’Avonnaise: Even the darkest night will end and the sun rise.

---

United Republican Soccer Federation
6 Jean-Jacques la Rouge Road
Port Alexandre, MS 18-A40
UNITED REPUBLICS OF OMERICA

---

Juvencus v Omerica
World Cup 89 qualifying group stage — Matchday Four
Nuovo Stadio Olimpico della Pomena, Pomena, Juvencus
— and —
Omerica v Baggieland
World Cup 89 qualifying group stage — Matchday Five
Stade Just-Cartier, Charlescourt, Charlescourt
Omerica lineup (4–3–3): Zavier Street; Kara Félix, Sydney Collins, Noah Clement, Zane Smith; Máel Coluim Mac Ealair, Fearchar Mac Cléirich (captain), Thom Magalhães; Ollie Tate, Malcolm Beauchesne, Terrance Parker
Substitutes: Valentine Augustin, Annelise Betancourt; Sean van de Laar, Jacques Laurent, Noémi Belmonte, Frédéric Dufour; Jacques-Pierre Castell, Paige Boyce, Christian Marts; Erica Walsh, Arielle Poirier, Lionel Stavros

---

[Montana Verde]

Bollonich – 3 (0)
Perry (52’, 75’)

Montaña Verde – 2 (1)
Mateo; Castiglione, Jairo, Arquímedes, Justin (85’ o.g.); Ana-Ximena; Valentinha (69’ Emma ), Sara Ariadna (88’ Tafalla ), Primitivo, Kristjana (59’); Osito (32’) (61’ Thiago Montilla (71’))

---

Montaña Verde – 1 (0)
Mateo; Roberta, Arquímedes (60’), Jairo, Justin; Ana-Ximena (67’ pen.); Valentinha (77’ Emma ), Sara Ariadna (82’ Verónica Ximena ), Primitivo, Kristjana (62’ Julia Varela ); Osito

Británicoisea – 0 (0)

After the disappointment of twice going ahead away at Bollonich only to fall to a late own goal, the Condors rebounded with a tough win against Britonisea, whose relatively low ranking belied their World Cup experience. Britonisean broadcasts were some of the most popular in the Rainforest Republic during the recent Summer Olympics, so the game came with some great anticipation. Sadly, it did not quite live up to that billing, as pre-match rain had drenched the Estadio Metropolitano pitch. There was no time for the sodden surface to recover, and the soggy turf proved unconducive to flowing, attacking football on either end. Though the rain ceased, a fierce mist arose that made it genuinely difficult to see from one on the field to another, and at one point the normally liquidly skilful Valentinha dribbled the ball straight out of play without realizing where the line was. But in such difficult conditions, a victory was carved more out of determination than creativity. Substitute Julia Varela brought a welcome burst of second half energy and soon earned a penalty that Ana-Ximena converted with thumping abandon from the spot.

Changes to expected XI for next 2 games: Primitivo has picked up a niggle in training and won’t be risked. Sara Ariadna will keep her spot, and instead of a 1:1 replacement, Naomí Berrocal will be brought in to play on the right wing, allowing Valentinha to take over some central midfield duties. Indiano is added to the squad but isn’t expected to start.

---

Jazmín sat cross-legged in front of the fire, telling her story. Her children, tired out after the day’s excitement – the guerilla camp had not impressed them as much as had been the chance to play fútbol (after a furious fight over who got to be Osito) with some of the young soldiers – now lay safe asleep in a nearby tent. The dinner had been humble fare, but a good, home-cooked meal of baked fish had been an indescribable pleasure after the months of field rations and plundered half-snacks and basic gruel. The Subcomandante – the woman that had met them at the gates to the camp – sat across from her, cupping her mate between her hands. Someone chancing upon the two women – one with the rural twang of the south, thinned by a year’s hardship, clad in faded fatigues; one with the clipped precision of a middle class Santa Margarita education, fuller figured, in civilian dress – would have taken Jazmín for the guerilla commander and not the other.

Jazmín told how her husband had known, long before the end. Had wanted her out of the city – out of the country, in fact, but she had refused to leave her beloved Montaña Verde. The compromise had been to head to a rural villa, to take the children, and wait for a message for him, of whether it was safe to return, or whether she would have to head for the airport. The message had never come. “All that came were men with guns,” she explained quietly. The Subcomandante’s narrow eyes drifted across to where Jerónimo Salvador Montes sat, leaning against a rock for support and gazing up at the stars that peeked through the thick canopy overhanging the camp. Out in the open, the sky here was clear as glass. There had been talking of building a telescope or observatory, but they would need foreign money for that, and the only thing foreigners found of interest here were lands for beef, gold and silver, rubber and oil. Jerónimo acknowledged her sly glance with a stoical nod: Yes, he had once been such a man, with such a gun.

Jazmín had known she was marked for death when she saw the guards being ordered away from the villa. She’d run to her children, torn through a dozen rooms searching for a closet or crawlspace to hide, cursing herself for not running earlier. Her youngest was crying too hard; she’d tried to keep her calm but she started bawling, picking up on her mother’s cold dread fear, and there was no closet door thick enough to drown out the wailing. It was what had doomed her, and what had saved her. Had she been taken without her children, perhaps she would not be here now. When the big man had found her and dragged her out by her hair, all that she had been able to think – and the Subcomandate sat one inch straighter here, for many Verdean women would have said pray, but not Jazmín – was that she should throw herself at his feet and beg for her children’s life, even if she could not save herself. And yet instead she had attacked him. Fists and knees and a hundred pounds of a mother’s fury against a man twice her size with a submachine gun under his arm. She would die on her feet rather than live on her knees. Or – as the gunshot rang out – she would do neither.

Once more the Subcomandante’s eyes slid over. Once more Jerónimo nodded. A new respect burned in her eyes.

Jazmín spared some of the details – for Jerónimo’s sake, not her own. Most of the men had flocked to the side of the Verdean. Most of them. Not the boy who liked to go out to the apple orchard to radio his young wife and ask how her pregnancy was progressing. Not the lad who always had a cowlick no matter how hard his sergeant screamed at him to comb it down. Not the 14 year old who climbed up the mansion walls and came down with a gift of fresh honeycomb from the beehive he’d spotted. And not a half dozen others, who had stood their ground. For a while. Instead, she resumed her story with them heading into the rainforest. With the ports closed and the airfields in chaos, with shifting loyalties ripping through the cities, they could trust no one but the man in front of them. They had trekked for many months. Crossed paths with brigands and logger, mercenaries and rebels, soldiers and farmers. They had stolen. They had begged. They had killed. And they had survived.

“How much have you heard from Santa Margarita?” asked the Subcomandante, carefully.

“Some. There was an election. The colonizers tried to rig it but the Party of Socialism won anyway.”

The Subcomandante spat a mouthful of mate at her feet. “They called themselves the Party of Socialism. They said the rich should not have big villas and luxury apartments, and they took them for themselves. And then they announced they would keep them, and now it was allowed.”

“They got rid of the colonizers.” It was a less a statement than a question.

“No. The colonizers left. Domestic politics. They elected… I don’t know. A poet or a playwright or something. Jules… Juliuss…”

“Zóphonías Juliusson!?”

The Subcomandante nodded and could not resist adding: “Apparently he is a big fan. Wrote a poem about your husband.”

“I’ve served him dinner.” Jazmín smiled suddenly. “He put his hand up my skirt and threw up on our leather couch. But I think he was a good man.”

That particular story Jazmín did not tell in further detail. Instead she listened, absorbing knowledge, learning about the changes at home and abroad that had been going on while she and Jerónimo had been traipsing through the jungle. Her face darkened with anger when she heard about the looting the colonizers had wrought on their way out. The great Temple of the Moon split asunder with dynamite, gems and gold torn out with pickaxes by workers forced at rifle butt. Stories as dark as any from the past centuries of colonization. She cried out loud, aghast, on hearing that the Quetzaramos Jaguar, one of the prize artifacts from the national museum in Santa Margarita, was among the casualties, doubtless smuggled out in some mercenary’s kit bag.

Jerónimo listened too. He was not sure he trusted one word in two that came out of the Subcomandante’s mouth, but even then it was a grisly tale she told, of corruption – the Party of Socialism abandoning its promises once in power, stalling on land reform as foreign corporations found they could do just as much business without needing to shell out for mercenary armies – and unrest. The Subcomandante claimed half the south was under the PAL flag now. Jerónimo doubted this very much, and wanted to ask if this was true why her ragged little camp was the only one they had come across in miles. He didn’t, because her ragged camp happened to control the only fordable point on the Verdean Amazon within those many miles.

But there was one more piece of news the Subcomandante revealed. This was genuine news: it had come over the radio, confirmed when they used the satellite phone to connect to the internet. (The lads had been checking the fútbol scores, said the Subcomandante with a grin. Once more Jerónimo was reminded how little accidents of birth were all that separated his soldiers from these guerillas. They even looked alike now – although, the rebels looked better fed.) When they’d traded with a passing boat for supplies, they’d picked up some newspapers that contained the full details. The story was that two weeks ago, Eduardo Amengual de la Cruz had been arrested. He had been seized at his property in Guastajanes, an immense sprawling villa in the central agricultural state.

An officer Jerónimo had served with being arrested by the new regime did not shock him. Jerónimo knew he himself would likely be arrested – if he were fortunate – if he ever surfaced. He had given the order to fire on protestors. He had loyally served the “Cordless Coronel”, whose fondness for extracting information at the point of an electric drill was an open secret. He had even volunteered for the death squad sent to kill Jazmín. And when one humiliation too many mounted up, he had betrayed that cause, too, but only after standing at the head of a long line of bodies. No, what was shocking was the charge on de la Cruz: the murder of Jazmín Santángel Hurtado.

---

“I have to.”

“You do not!”

Jazmín sat on the springy bed in the camp tent. Jerónimo paced the floor in front of her.

“They call themselves the Party of Santángel, you know.”

“Don’t remind me.” That particular detail the Subcomandante had clearly enjoyed sharing with them. What a cruel irony, that the party despoiling her husband’s legacy was claiming to do so in his name.

“It will take a Santángel to set them straight.”

“Jazmín, don’t you see? This is your life, right here. They think you dead. They are not looking for you. You can take your children and go. Anywhere you like. You will be safe. The only possible way you can make danger for yourself…” Is to do exactly what she is proposing to do. But the moral objections floundered: her face was set like an iron death mask. He tried practical reasoning instead.

“How will you get there?”

She began unbuttoning her shirt. He reared back, only for her to produce the cord around her neck. As they’d lost weight on their trek her fingers had grown too slim to hold her wedding ring. Solid gold. Far too much for a young professor’s salary; Jerónimo assumed that rather than buying it, it was an inherited heirloom from Jazmín’s family or her husband’s. She ran her fingers over it, as she had many times; he often saw her touch it before she went to sleep. Parting it would be a genuine sacrifice, but he had to concede it would buy her passage to Santa Margarita. It would buy her passage to Rushmore, with the amount of gold in that thing.

“They think you are dead.” He went back to his original argument.

“They have dug up some bones and claimed they are me. Let’s hope old bones.”

He caught her chilly meaning.

“Jazmín, trust me…”

“You are an assassin. I thank you for all you have done for me and my children. But I have never trusted you,” she snapped, so coldly he felt the air in the tent crackle with frost. “I asked you to get me and my children to the camp. You have done so. You may go.”

His mouth flapped wider than a piranha’s. He did not believe it, not after all they had been through, not after all they had shared. After crossing mountains and rivers together, fighting back to back, sucking venom from snakebites and bandaging slashes from knives. Campfire stories. Whispered admissions. Laughter. All of this just to be cast aside as a humble porter?

“This is a mistake.”

“Good night, Capitán.”

PHORCED-ACRONIM #004-MV

The Subcomandante mentioned that the Party of Socialism have not exactly delivered on their election promises. Among their latest policies, to cut…

0: taxes on big businesses
1: pensions for civil servants
2: the amount of land reserved for environmental causes
3: salaries for nurses
4: short the investigation into foreign war crimes
5+: a giant block of cheese and distribute a slice to every household

…and to increase…

0: subsidies for big farmers
1: spending on the military
2: the number of hunting licenses issued
3: their own salaries
4: the repayment on foreign loans
5+: funding for homeopathy

PHORCED-ACRONIM #005-MV

Jazmín and Jerónimo appear ready to part ways. Before they do, they should share…

0: one last prayer.
1: one last secret.
2: one last meal.
3: one last cigarette.
4: one last dance.
5+: bodily fluids.

Jazmín is going to Santa Margarita. Jerónimo should…

0: strike out on his own all alone.
1: strike out on his own with his men.
2: stay with the PAL camp.
3: secretly follow her anyway.
4: try to find Martín and rejoin him.
5+: exit pursued by a bear.

[Zwangzug]

My sleep schedule is a bit haywire (for fun reasons), but anyway, it is now cutoff time.

sleepy scores

[Natanians and Nosts]

Natanians and Nosts defeats Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison by 2x1 in a friendly before the World Cup Qualifiers.After winning a torunament after both nations and the Kingdom of Northern Natanians took part,Natanians and Nosts played a game against Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison.
The match served as the last game for some of Natanians and Nosts players by the NT.

Squads

Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison
GK 1 Ubiratã Ubirajara Ubiraci
RW 2 Natenoghodi Natena
CB 3 Tata'a Tapixi Xaxim
CB 4 João Miguel Irima
LW 6 Natenaghanagha Natena
DM 5 Indaje Nhakyrã Iraity
DM 8 Mario Giovanni Petrescu
AM 7 Na'arew Nàrà'zyw
AM 9 Peri Ubiratã Tibiriçá
ST 10 Rhinić
ST 11 Sinusić

Natanians and Nosts
GK 1 Daniel Whitcliffe
CB 3 Gheorghe Caius Fostar
CB 7 Ápius Carolus Ionescu
CB 4 Marcos Tarquínio Ivanov
DM 5 Austin Mihai Munteănu
DM 8 Mihail Heitor Fostar
AM 17 João Márcus Munteanu
AM 20 João Márcus Munteanu
ST 10 Gabriel Ápio Silva
CF 9 Ion Cáius Ademélsson
ST 11 Natan Nínnio Gonçalo

The match started with Natanians and Nosts attacking strongly,forcing Ubiratã Ubirajara Ubiraci to make good deffences.
Ion Cáius Ademélsson opened the scoring at the 28th minute of the first period,with a straight shot from eight metres,leaving Ubiratã Ubirajara Ubiraci no chance of getting it.Five minutes later,Peri Ubiratã Tibiriçá scored from fifteen metresmreceving a pass from Na'arew Nàrà'zyu.Natanians and Nosts' tiebraker goal came at the eighth minute of the second period,when João Márcus Munteanu (#20) score with his head in a corner.