RTC Under-18 World Cup 15: Everything Thread

[Starblaydia]

"I want substance and depth and meaning," Sharon enunciated clearly and more than a little forcefully into her phone, "I want an existential investigation of the deeper symbolism of man's irrevocable and eternal violence towards man, merged with a study in the triggering of post-traumatic stress, and I want it to be in the manner of a boon of divine ambrosia, borne on angel's wings from the unyielding throne of heaven itself! And I want it yesterday!"

The Starblaydi Football Association representative to the Under-18 side hung up - or, more accurately, firmly pressed the red old-timey telephone handset icon with her thumb while audibly scoffing - and turned to the barista.

"Um, hi," she smiled widely, flashing her teeth, but the movement of her facial muscles did not reach above the eyes, "can I get, like, maybe a Grandeicedsugarfreevanillalatte, please?"

"One grande, iced, sugar-free, vanilla latte coming up," the barista said, barely flinching.

"With soy milk," Sharon confirmed, "for Shaz, with an 'S', and a 'Z'. Thanks ever so."

It sometimes felt like a strange game to play, but it was one she'd been trained for - hell, maybe one she'd even been born for. They always said it would happen. They never said when, because maybe it would be tomorrow, maybe in fifty years, maybe even a hundred, but it would happen. 'Soon' was not in the dictionary, it was too vague and weaselly for a mission of such importance. As her beverage was finally ready and placed at the collection point, with ' SHASZ' scrawled in artfully-lazy lettering across the side of the white cup, Sharon reached over and picked it up with a vacant smile, absentmindedly checking the phone in her other hand. The only red flag in her inbox was from the President of the SFA chasing up the latest update in the development process, one that she was already on top of. Everything else just relied on the match against Qasden.

It was entirely frustrating to Sharon that all of these things had to contend with external circumstances. 'No battle plan survives contact with the enemy', it was said, but strangely this plan was waiting for a unique situation to unfold. Looking at the history books, and there were a lot of those focused on Starblaydi football, it had seemed like 'the next time Starblaydia wins the World Cup' would be like waiting for the next time it rained - a matter of certainty. The past forty editions, though, it did not seem quite as inevitable as before. The SFA was really having to work at making it happen by investing, channeling and building, having to do all those things that the hundreds of other nations were all trying desperately to do and putting the effort in to make it happen. Now just being 'mighter-than-thou' was not good enough, now they had to be better, in every respect. No longer would th five-time Champions be taken for pushovers, or not treated with the respect they deserved. Sleeping giants would awaken, dreams would become reality, and they'd show the world what it meant to be powerful.

They just had to rely on a handful of teenagers to make it happen. It was completely preposterous to put the fate of a nation on the whims of a stupid sports team, but that's what the people of Starblaydia had always done, and that's what had to happen again.

[Estorvipa and Estorpiva]

From the diary of Petru-Iustin Udeanu

We are through. We are finally through to the next round. We have survived the challenges of the groups and we are now through to the next stage of the Under-18 World Cup! This truly is a wonderful achievement for the Federal Republic. Surely people are now going to take note of us after acting like we didn’t exist for the four years since the end of the Estorian Civil War. Make no mistake about it, world: the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva is here, and we are very much here to stay!

Coach Bodrinsky took a risk by swapping out the wingers, Arkadiy Borisenko and Gheorghiţă Vărzaru, for two other forwards, Miro Nanchev and Vasyl Sandul. I remember Vasyl from the last game against StrayaRoos. He really looked like he was our only chance of scoring against that otherworldly goalkeeper of theirs. The coach must have noticed that as well because right after that game, I heard him telling Vasyl that he was going to get his first start against the Independent Athletes from Quebec.

I understand the coach’s decision. Arkadiy Borisenko is a great winger, don’t get me wrong, but really, the only thing letting him down is that inability to score a single goal in his life. He has almost pinpoint accuracy with his passes and crosses, so why can’t he hit the target once he’s got an open goal in front of him? I guess I don’t really know, and I may never get to know.

Coach knew that the outcome of the match against the Independent Athletes from Quebec was going to decide if his decision to swap wingers was a good one. Thankfully for him, and for us, it appeared that he made the right call, at least as far as swapping Arkadiy for Vasyl was concerned. The man was simply on fire today! Vasyl was finding himself in positions to threaten the defense far more than Arkadiy did, and he also proved to be a bigger threat because unlike Arkadiy, he was actually capable of scoring goals! I’m sorry, Arkadiy, but it’s just the truth. At least now you’ll have some more time to work on your shooting. Maybe I should even help you out, show you some of my own tips and tricks. It can’t hurt to pass on your knowledge to someone who needs it, right?

Our next game is against Chromatika. I admit that I don’t know much about their team, but I have heard that Chromatka has got a lot of history when it comes to football. And now I am nervous. Their players will surely not let themselves be pushed over so easily. But I have to believe. We all have to believe. This might be the only chance for the Federal Republic to establish itself in the world. We should all take it with both hands if we can.

~ Entry dated 24 December 2021

 INDEPENDENT ATHLETES FROM QUEBEC 1 - 3 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 
                 PIZZOLITTO (26')       SANDUL (18', 57')
                                        UDEANU (49')

[Adab]

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

---

Saturday, June 14, 2036 / 19 Rabi ath-Thani 1458
Brookstation 3-3 Adab
Hoogewarf (17’, 50’, 89’) | Abbas (38’), Zabala (66’), Samanu (75’)

NEWS | UNDER-18 WORLD CUP
By: Elymur Amwan

Al-Ali angered by Brookstation draw even as Adab reach round of 16

Adab and Brookstation battled to a thrilling 3-3 draw in their Under-18 World Cup Group D meeting, confirming qualification to the round of 16 for both sides, but manager Faisal al-Ali was left with a sour taste in his mouth as his team were unable to prevent a Bruce Hoogewarf hat-trick.

Al-Ali was quick to praise the Brookstation forward’s “superlative” performance following the match, calling him “a star in the making” but was far more scathing towards his own players, in particular criticizing the defense as “bad, really bad”.

“I know we’re here to have fun and I’ve told the team that and I don’t want to put too much pressure on them, but honestly this is almost a disgrace. We have standards too,” al-Ali said.

“The whole country is looking at us, there are kids watching them, looking up to them, so if we don’t win at least we have to perform competently. But the defense was just complete shambles.”

Adab started the match rather badly, pressing high but quickly losing possession of the ball and crumbling in the face of a quick Brookstation counterattack. Hoogewarf scored the first of his goals in the 17th minute, as a mistake by Assurnasirapli Ninua caused him to pass the ball to Hoogewarf instead of Joseph Sassoon. Hoogewarf promptly took advantage of this to launch a powerful right-footed strike into the net from the penalty box line.

The Adabians began to adapt to their opponents’ tactics and continued pressing high, with Omar Abbas getting one back in the 38th minute with a tap-in off a Mesannepada Simbarsipak corner.

But come the second half the defense was still unable to organize properly in the face of Brookstation’s attacks, and Hoogewarf found himself with an open path to his second goal in the 50th minute – which keeper Adamu Ashur valiantly tried but failed to save with a leap up high to his left, barely missing the ball – with Adab’s defenders marked and isolated from each other.

The Brookstation players seemingly began to tire after an hour of back-and-forth action, and a concerted Adabian attack enabled Istar Zabala to once again tie the score in the 66th minute after zigzagging her way past a number of Brookstation midfielders and defenders. Naram-Sin Samanu then added his name to the scoreboard in the 75th minute with a magnificent strike from just outside the penalty box, and for the first time in the match Adab were leading at 3-2.

But just as it seemed the Adabians were about to run away with the win, Hoogewarf was able to exploit a gap in the Adabian defense to make a dash forward in the 89th minute, receiving the ball from Klaus Kirchman – who had won it from Jane Emerson – and running away with it to the penalty box as the hapless Adabians chased after him. Ashur dived to his left but Hoogewarf turned and fired to the right, finding an open net and salvaging a draw for his side.

With Sharktail winning 0-1 over Indusse, Adab found themselves in second place on the final matchday of the group stage with five points, below Sharktail with seven but nevertheless assuring progress to the knockout rounds. Brookstation, as the best third-placed team, also went through to the round of 16.

Adab will face United Adaikes in the round of 16 next Saturday.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2021
U18 facing Cordian Isles in winner take all
by Fiona Devlin, National Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth Under 18 Team have reached the last 16 here in Tumbra--where the host side has taken no prisoners in compiling the best record so far--and for their efforts will meet number three seeds The Cordian Isles, who also swept their group matches without a blemish (as did Sarzonia, seeded second).

The 3-3 draw against Zeta Rika & Hugeltaldom was enough for the side to squeeze into the last runner-up spot while making the numbers look both optimistic and worrying; only Tumbra, Pemecutin and Brookstation scored more goals in the group round, but that same Brookstation team and HUElavia were the only sides that conceded more than the Junior Bees. Against Cordia, they will face a disciplined unit that has only conceded a single tally thus far, although the BP offense has looked dangerous for stretches in all three matches; midfielder Stefani Martini regained her scoring touch against ZRH, her first goal in this tournament, and she will need to find the form she showed in Xanneria.

The match will mark the fourth straight played at Quinwell Park in Tavistock, a circumstance that manager Danielle Harper doesn't think is quite the advantage it sounds like.
"I think I'd rather have packed up and gone somewhere else--not to say there's anything wrong with the city or the stadium--because when you're going great it's nice to have familiar surroundings, but when you're having inconsistent results, sometimes a change of scenery is what you need."

The winner will face the survivor between Sharktail and The 14 Stars, both sides having gone unbeaten in the group stage.

[Graintfjall]

StrayaRoos – 0 (0)

Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Nilsson; Øysteinsson (89’ Gunnþórsson ), Heiðlindsdóttir, Manfreðsson (89’), Játmundsson; Sævarsdóttir, Leonardsdóttir; Ionsson (43’) (62’ Linusson ), Ingemarsson, Markusardóttir; Thorvaldsdóttir (78’) (90+2’ Brynþórsson )

In the spirit of a young competition, something a little different. Article from the news magazine The New Week National Atlantic News Spectating Economist Time Man.

In A Winterbound Queendom, A Story Of Blue, Green – And Gray

Four years ago, corruption scandals and an inability to answer a simple question, “Did you threaten to intervene?”, ended the political career of David Austmannsson, Prime Minister of Græntfjall. His center-right Blue-Green Party tumbled in the polls and out of government, falling below even the populist National Democratic Front. Two years of tumult and mayhem at the party level followed as three successive leaders took charge of the party only to falter and fail over similar questions of character, from off-shore bank accounts and kickbacks from businesses, to that thing with the tie and the slice of lemon. When Benjamín Styrbjörnsson, a relative outsider, unexpectedly won the fourth leadership election in less than 18 months, he was inherited not so much a poisoned chalice as a tun overflowing with venom. Yet in his short tenure he has revived the flagging spirits of his party’s ground troops, scaled the polls from fourth place to first, and looks set to deliver a serious challenge to Zóphonías Juliusson in the forthcoming general election. There’s just one thing standing in his way: pollsters have scoured the country and come up short when seeking anyone below the age of 35 willing to vote for him.

Overall, the Blue-Greens are a nose ahead of the Progressive Liberals in the polls, both parties running within the margin of error, and ahead of Left-slate, who are expected to make up ground when their experienced and well funded election campaign machine gets moving. Yet the composition of their support bases could not be more different. Over 60% of voters under the age of 35 plan to vote for Progressive Liberals, Left-slate, or Liberals, who astonishingly remain more popular among such voters despite the total collapse of their overall vote share. The youth problem for parties of the right is not a new one. “Young people are left-wingers, and then they grow up,” Austmannsson himself once joked. Yet under his leadership, the Blue-Greens did make outreach attempts to young people, such as the popular Junior Saver high-interest account and a restructuring of university tuition fees to defer loan repayments for longer. Such efforts still managed to net less than 20% of the under-35 vote share, and less than 10% of those under 25.

Styrbjörnsson, for his part, seems unconcerned with the issue – to a point that is worrying some of his advisors. “There’s literally nothing in the manifesto for young people,” says one despairing advisor, who notes that the only picture of anyone remotely young in a manifesto brimming with photographs of middle-aged and elderly Græntfjallers is of a youth in military uniform. “We have completely given up on appealing to younger voters.” Political journalist Bergur Kakalason is not surprised. “Styrbjörnsson has a blinkered view, regarding ‘young voters’ as a socialist monolith. To him, a ‘young voter’ is an unwashed radical.” Styrbjörnsson’s background as a university professor, raging against the largely left-wing academy, may inform such views. But, according to Kakalson, this ignores “vast swathes of younger voters who aren’t left-wing ideologues and have real, everyday concerns that the Blue-Greens ignore at their peril”.

Childcare is a big issue that, according to party insiders, Styrbjörnsson’s ideological rigidity is losing the party ground on. “For younger parents, the high cost of childcare is a key issue; the government reforms, though not totally successful, have been very popular just for trying to tackle this issue. Kaija Michaelsdóttir, Progressive Liberal leader, has made childcare a particular campaign priority, and her party is expected to unveil big announcements for “baby bonds” savings accounts and a restructuring of the child tax credit accompanying further childcare affordability measures. By contrast, Styrbjörnsson’s response, at a town hall where a young working single mother asked him about childcare costs, to ask “where her husband was”, drew boos from the audience. Similarly, the Left-slate policy on free tertiary education has proved enormously popular with younger voters; Styrbjörnsson has ridiculed such policies as “socialist hogwash”.

Styrbjörnsson’s defenders believe that voting trends mean the concerns about youth support are overblown. “An older voter is twice as likely to actually vote as a young person,” points out a senior Blue-Green official close to Styrbjörnsson’s thinking on the matter. According to this source, internal Blue-Green polling has shown that so long as turnout among over-65s remains high enough, Blue-Greens can weather almost a total lack of support among younger voters. “They might not vote for us, but then again they might not bother to vote for anyone,” is the prevailing view. It’s a theory that at present looks set to be tested as Græntfjall heads to the polls once more: Styrbjörnsson remains insistent that his party will not “pander” to young voters as his message of fiscal restraint and hard-line anti-immigration stance remains the priority.

[Brookstation]

This video was uploaded on Wetube on Scott Parker's channel on 22nd December 2021

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in the video was based on my personal opinions. Anything in this video doesn't reflect on the Brook Football Association's opinions.

Right so welcome back to the channel - your boy is back with another new video. My name is Scott Parker and I make videos on everything related to sports. So if you are a Brook and a sports lover, go and change the colour of the subscribe button.

As usual , we have good news and bad news. Which one should I start with? Well, let me move with the bad news. We need to understand that our campaign for the RTC U-18 World Cup is officially over. When was the last time we won the first match of the playoff round ? Never , right ? I mean just come to think of it. We never freaking won the first match of the playoffs . And as always, our good old friend, luck didn't pay us a visit yet again. We are facing Sarzonia. Did you all hear it ? Sarzonia, the country which almost has won trophies in almost every sport. A team that dominates every tournament they play. Winning against Sarzonia would be equivalent to my grandfather winning the next Brook marathon. I just don't get it. Why does it always happen with us. Our U-17 won the Copa Rushmori Juveniles Sub-17 and for once, just once I had a dream. I had a hope that these young players will shine our country's names one day. But a team which suffers a defeat to Sharktail will never win against Sarzonia.

I don't know whether to treat this as 'good news' but anyway, our young football team didn't suffer a loss in their last match at least and as things progress for us, anything except a loss is good news, right ? But the actual good news is I am going to a new country !! Tumbra , it is. Although, I know that Brookstation will get sliced into a million pieces by Sarzonia, I have a good excuse for visiting a sprawling and well developed nation in another region.

So in our last match, as I told we didn't suffer a loss, thanks to superhero Hoogewarf's last moment goal which levelled the score allowing both Adab and Brookstation to qualify to the round of 16.

Brookstation opened the scoring thankfully due to an error from the side of the Adabians. Assurnasirapli Ninua passed the ball to Hoogewarf due the heat of Brookstation's attack and Hoogewarf latched on to the opportunity as quickly as he could and shot right into the box. These things keep happening in this sport thus we were quite lucky to get the lead early. It didn't really take much time for Adab to retaliate and level the scores.
Brook defender, del Rosario tapped the ball outside field while defending the ball from Khoury which led to a corner. As you all must be knowing, I am really afraid of corners as there is a high chance for someone to receive the ball right away and tap the ball inside. It happened this time as well. Mesannepada Simbarsipak shot the corner and the ball went passed all the defenders straight to Omar Abbas who shot into the goal.

The second half ended with one goal a side. One thing that I liked about the Brook players were their organised attacks which disorganised the Adabian defence. Soham Misra's tactics have come into play quite a number of times and it did that day as well giving Brookstation the lead again. The forward trio were able to isolate the Adabians from each other which helped skipper Hoogewarf to get the ball in a comfortable place and within five minutes of the second half, Hoogewarf scored his team's second goal in style. The joy was quite long lived. It seemed at one point of time that Brookstation might just get away with the win but things were not so after 16 minutes.
Soon after tying the score again in the 66th half, it took only 9 minutes for them to get the lead. The goal was again scored by the Adabians. Naram-sin Samalu skipped past Ducheix midfield before cutting back on to his right foot past Taher. He then lashed an effort from outside the box into the top right part of the net in a moment of brilliance as the Adabian crowd went to a loud roar enjoying their sudden lead of the game.

For me, it seemed as if everything was over. Time passed by, tides passed by but didn't stand by Brookstation. Only 3 minutes into the game and it was going to be over. It was then when our hero, Hoogewarf came into action. Hoogewarf, our hero saved us at the very last moment. Oh my god, what a heck of a goal. While , the Adabians were passionately moving forward to seal the match quickly and the Brooks trying their best to pull up a miracle, our saviour Hoogewarf got the ball. He ran faster than Flash towards the goal. The only person in front of him was the Adabian goalkeeper. I really love the moments when the striker has no opposition, needless to say that Brookstation themselves saw this happen with them several times. He didn't miss it!! He freaking scored with only one minute to go. We had done it. But our joys are always short lived so no point speaking about it. That's it. Let's just hope that we lose a bit gracefully.

[Tumbra]

Garbelia 1-2 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - Colin Kirby; 2 - Scott Evans, 4 - Yvonne Lawson (5 - Christine Whitfield, 63'), 20 - Jack Denham, 13 - Jennifer Murray; 6 - Henry Morgan, 23 - Hannah Harwood (8 - Wendy Thomas, 75'), 16 - Hazel Hills; 7 - Michelle Ferris (17 - Paul Tucker, 85'), 9 - Audrey Pearson, 22 - Duncan Hall

Scorers: Michelle Ferris (14'), Audrey Pearson (75')

Player of the Match: Audrey Pearson

EDITORIAL: Tread Carefully In The Northlands? No. Stop Treading There Entirely.

TWO YEARS have passed now since Kenneth Everett's government passed the resolution to expand Tumbra's borders into the Northlands, and things have largely gone quiet in the north. We have been led to believe that apart from unruly protests, all is going well; and the establishment of both Port Willoughby and Blackthorn was widely celebrated. Quite often, too, we receive updates from the Ministry of Northern Affairs; but those amount to little more than token attempts to say that "everything is fine" and the usual call to move to the Northlands — and receive a generous stipend for doing so. After all, if Tumbra is to bring the Northlands under its control, it will need for its people to be present in the North before it lays out its formal claim on the world stage for all to see.

A lot of people have signed up; mainly people looking to re-establish their lives in a new frontier, or enterprising businessmen getting the step up on their rivals. Several corporations, amongst Tumbra's biggest, have established rudimentary offices there, too; Ashburn Industries, Tumbra's largest conglomerate, eager to take advantage of the large resource deposits up north; Kalbach Farms, looking eagerly on the fertile soil; and so on have all begun casting eyes on the new, hitherto unexplored territory, eager to carve up a slice of the pie for themselves.

Yet it is in the country's fervour to expand and conquer new territories for itself that we forget the people that are already there; the people who are yet to form a state; the people who have tilled the lands up there, cared for them for years and years before the Tumbran people so rudely interrupted their way of life; the people who lived in the Northlands, and, most importantly, who are not Tumbran. No matter what the Everett government — or indeed, any government that succeeds it, regardless of whether it is a Labour or Liberal/National government — says, no Tumbran state has ever had its territory extend into the Northlands. Not the Leyan Empire, not the Northern or Western Tumbran Kingdoms, not the Terenberg dynasty; and most certainly not the post-1864 Republic. No historical source supports any claim that Tumbra has been in what we today call the Northlands; and the Globe urges all its readers to ignore any potential acts of historical revisionism that might come from the government in any attempt to legitimise its invasion of the Northlands, now or in the future.

When the Northlands Expansion Act was first announced, the Globe announced its staunch disapproval and dismay at the thought of this act; and as a result for the recent federal election refused to endorse Labour, instead endorsing a united anti-Northlands front — a Moderate-Green-Progressive coalition that offered the best hope to stop this nationalistic madness and charade. And ever since the Act was passed the Globe has been one of the most staunch voices against the colonisation of the Northlands; running articles on the people of the Northlands, their cultures, their history; and the impact on the environment extracting the region's resources would be. From the start we have warned against it; but almost no action has been taken, the voices in Parliament drowned out by a tidal wave of nationalist pride. Rarely do we see Labour and the Conservatives, polar opposites on the issues of the day, come to a common consensus; but the Northlands has driven them together.

And now, with rumours that the new Defence Minister David Carr is planning to step up military deployment in the region to assert strength over the region, we once again issue a call — stop this. Tumbra simply cannot afford the hit to its international reputation that would stem from illegally taking over the Northlands, and the hit would cost it more than what natural resources could be gained from the colonial exploitation of the land. It would cast Tumbra the nation as a villain on the international stage, and cause our standing to take a hit in the nascent Esportivan Union. Already South Newlandia put up token protests during the recent Campionato Esportiva; but a nation of 4 million can only make its voice heard so much when going up against a nation of a hundred and fourteen million. And when the Esportivan Union finally meets up — in Shepperton, Kingsbury, or anywhere, really, if the Everett government can finally come to a conclusion on where they wish to house the venerable Assembly — one of the first items on their agenda might be to outright suspend Tumbra from the Union. Experts on international relations have advised Tumbra to tread carefully in the Northlands, to not look too aggressive while taking over the land and making its claim on the land legitimate.

We reject that claim.

Is this the Tumbra we really want to live in? One that disrespects international law and customs, all for a quick buck? A country that haphazardly tramples over cultural norms, who abandons all pretense of following the law for the sake of national pride, to distract its citizens from other problems in the country like inequality and access to basic services? An international outcast, a pariah, a leper of the world?

The Globe believes Tumbra is better than this. We believe that Tumbra should leave the Northlands, end the programme of bare-faced colonisation, and return to ascending as a power in the world. Our reputation has already taken a hit — but none more so than if Tumbra fully takes what is not theirs. Our reputation is still salvageable. It is not too late for Tumbra to reverse course.

Tumbra vs Equestrian States — RTC U18WC Round of 16

Starters: 1 - Rose Robinson; 2 - Scott Evans, 4 - Yvonne Lawson, 5 - Christine Whitfield; 3 - Nicole Fisher; 6 - Henry Morgan, 23 - Hannah Harwood, 15 - Ron Stark; 17 - Paul Tucker, 21 - Penny Wilson; 11 - Charlie Ross

Bench: 12 - Jack Bishop, 13 - Colin Kirby; 14 - Duncan Freeman, 20 - Jack Denham, 13 - Jennifer Murray; 8 - Wendy Thomas, 10 - Petra Hall, 16 - Hazel Hills; 7 - Michelle Ferris, 9 - Audrey Pearson, 22 - Duncan Hall

[Tumbra]

Round of 16 Cutoff

Tumbra 4–0 Equestrian States (scorinated by Bollonich)
Starblaydia 1–0 Qasden
The Cordian Isles 1–1 Commonwealth of Baker Park (1–2 AET)
Estorvipa and Estorpiva 1–0 Chromatika
Sharktail 5–1 The 14 Stars
Pemecutan 0–2 Græntfjall
United Adaikes 1–2 Adab
Sarzonia 2–2 Brookstation (2–3 AET)

Quarter-Final Matchups

[1] Tumbra vs [7] Starblaydia
@ Clyde Park, Clyde

[14] Commonwealth of Baker Park vs [5] Estorvipa and Estorpiva
@ Macarthur Arena, Macarthur

[6] Sharktail vs [13] Græntfjall
@ Columbus Field, Columbia

[9] Adab vs [15] Brookstation
@ Heart of the South, Southport

[Starblaydia]

Taking the High Road
Whoever set the difficulty to New Game+ should own up

Two-time Cup of Harmony champions and winners of the recently randomly revitalised retro romp of Raven reverence (rarely referred to as the Women's World Cup), Qasden are certainly not an unknown quantity when it comes to Starblaydi scouting reports, with the teams having faced off several times in the past at both world and regional level. For three editions of the World Cup in a row, Starblaydia faced Qasden on Matchday One, between the 83rd and 85th editions. Ancient history, of course, when it comes to an Under-18 side, but it all adds up to the rivalry between fans and teams when there's history behind a game. It's all too disappointing when you have to face teams for which there's no history, no needle and no real stakes, but the moment the old videos come out with the thrills and spills of days gone by, suddenly there's a newfound bite to the game, with something really riding on the outcome that's more than just which team will progress.

For all the team in halved red and blue tried, however, they could not break down the defence of the team in white and purple. Ázëwyn Fëanáro's side kept a second clean sheet in succession in the competition and, though they were limited to just one goal for a second game in a row, appear to be hitting their form at about the right time. They'll surely need it when it comes to their next match.

For the last-16 clash against Qasden, the difference-maker was a well-worked free kick from around 25 yards out, to the right-hand side of the goal. Three Starblaydi players stood over it, hands over mouths, hiding their lips underneath the collar of their ediraf Generation 5-B shirts, discussing the options and giving out instructions. The Qasden wall formed up, with hands covering vital areas just as toes were covered with the referee's spray to denote the requisite distance for the defenders to stand. The goalkeeper call out, adjusting their players to get the best view of things, trying to see the ball sitting serenely on the surface, and any potential flight path it would make towards their goal.

Hassan Al Faizan, Starblaydia's top scorer so far with two goals, faked his run over the top of the ball, right to left, but the Qasden defence were having none of that, affixing themselves firmly to the grass as they inched forward with several tiny steps - it would have been a shuffle if not for the football boots. Jamelia Soule then knocked the ball to the right, but it was trapped barely even a yard away by Dylan Bell, the captain himself also a prime candidate for taking the free-kick. But no, Jamelia Soule isn't a dead-ball specialist for nothing. The extra yard of lateral movement against a largely immobile wall of defenders suddenly opened up a whole new angle for the shot, and Soule's strike was an exceptionally sweet one.

The ball soared around the wall in an easy arc, one that would have been impossible to score with from the initial position, and had only just begun to drop from the apex of it's flight path when it rippled the back of the net, well beyond the Qasden keeper who had stayed rooted to the spot, unable to read the flight path with any accuracy. With deadly precision, a sneaky plan and more than a little luck, Starblaydia took the lead. It was a lead they were determined not to give up, despite the Qasden side's best efforts. 1-0 it remained until the final whistle, and Qasden had been knocked out by the former Under-18 champions. Their reward was arguably the toughest possible match up that any side could have in this tournament: play the undefeated, 100% wining run, number-one seeded team in the knockouts, at home, in their own tournament.

If you want to be the best, you've gotta beat the best, so you might as well start as you mean to go on. All the other undefeated teams were eliminated already - Sarzonia and The Cordian Isles required Extra Time to receive their marching orders, while Pemecutan were dispatched by Græntfjall. If they can all bow out, why not for Starblaydia to be forcing the hosts to do it also? It' a tough ask and there are still a large number of highly-skilled teams remaining in the tournament, but if Starblaydia can knock out the hosts then there's absolutely everything to play for.

[Estorvipa and Estorpiva]

From the diary of Petru-Iustin Udeanu

One round down, many more to go. At least we have finally made it through the first round of the knockout stage. That’s all I’ve ever wanted the team to achieve, and so far we have done it. But we’re not out of the woods yet. We’ve still one more game to play before the semifinals, and we now have a clearer shot at the trophy than right now. But we’ve got to play against Baker Park first and beat them. It will be a tough task. Baker Park have already won this competition twice, and I’m sure that they will want to win it for a third time so that they can say unequivocally that they are the best nation for producing juniors in football right now. That’s the team that we will have to beat if we want to make it to the semifinals, and if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’m looking forward to it at all.

Sports Minister Nazariy Bogomolov arrived here in Tumbra before the game against Chromatika. I heard that he got into an argument with Coach Bodrinsky about why his son Fedot was not playing at all. Coach explained that Fedot was still down with that mysterious illness that he got almost upon landing here in Tumbra, but of course that was the moment when Fedot finally came out of the bathroom and said that he finally felt fine. So Coach had no choice but to put Fedot in the starting eleven against Chromatika, and he almost ended up costing us the game.

Technically speaking, Fedot Bogomolov was a defender, but there was just not a single defensive bone in his body. It also didn’t help that he was also completely inept as a footballer as well and looked like a lost little kid while he was being swarmed by those Chromatiks. I mean, you couldn’t count the number of times that Fedot allowed the likes of Bradley Ottawa and Marion Goo from slipping past him. Well, you could certainly try, but you would need more than the fingers and toes of everyone on this Federal Republic under-18 team. And don’t get me started with that pitiful “defense” of his against the guy with the long name. Briareo whatever his name was. Fedot literally stood still while this Briareo guy lined up a shot at Gleb Parov. Good thing Gleb was good enough to save the shot and save our skins from Fedot freezing up. Had Chromatika scored that goal, this entire game could have gone a very different way.

I’m still trying to teach Arkadiy Borisenko how to score a goal. One of these days, our team is going to need him to step up, and should that time come, I want him to be ready for it. He’s still having a lot of difficulty just putting the ball on target, but at least he’s now beginning to hit the woodwork and test our own goalkeepers instead of just shooting straight into the sky. That’s progress, at least. But what really worries me is the fact that we’ve still got Fedot Bogomolov in defense against Baker Park. Nazariy Bogomolov had practically threatened to sack Coach Bodrinsky if Fedot didn’t start. It’s so nice to know that the corruption and nepotism that had been a staple of Estorian sports and politics is still there despite the new government. I really hope that this doesn’t come back to bite us all in the ass later. I want to win this world cup, but circumstances aren’t making it easy for any of us.

~ Entry dated 28 December 2021

 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 1 - 0 CHROMATIKA 
            UDEANU (40')

STARTING ELEVEN VS. BAKER PARK
GK: Parov; DF: Andjelkic——Bogomolov——Chitulescu——Esaulov; MF: Taran——Gavrila——Razinskij; FW: Sandul——Udeanu——Varzaru

[Adab]

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

---

Saturday, June 21, 2036 / 26 Rabi ath-Thani 1458
United Adaikes 1-2 Adab
Perry (18’) | Zabala (45’), Abbas (79’)

NEWS | UNDER-18 WORLD CUP
By: Sargon al-Basri

Adab overcome United Adaikes in round of 16 to set up Brookstation rematch

United Adaikes defended well but were ultimately unable to withstand Adab’s fast-paced attacking play as the Adabians secured progress to the quarterfinals of the Under-18 World Cup in Tumbra.

Under-18 manager Faisal al-Ali, while emphasizing that the team are not here “just to win” but also “to have fun and learn”, was nevertheless critical of his youngsters’ performance in their final group stage match against Brookstation, where they had to settle for a 3-3 draw thanks to a Bruce Hoogewarf hat-trick.

Today they showed the manager why they deserved to be in the team, but it did not seem that way in the beginning.

United Adaikes dominated possession early in the first half, with forward Aaron Perry setting off alarm bells in the Adabian camp with a powerful strike from well outside the penalty box in the 18th minute which found the back of the net with the Adabian defenders nowhere to be found.

The ease with which the Adaikesians breached Adab’s defense must have enraged al-Ali, who had explicitly pointed the blame for the Brookstation draw at the “shambolic” defense. As the Adabians began to push back, getting an increasing share of the possession but unable to make much headway in the face of Adaikes’ own defenders, a jittery al-Ali was heard shouting, “Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right, and so is football!”

(EDIT: Our readers have pointed out that al-Ali appeared to be quoting from Taylor Swift’s “State of Grace” from her 2012 album Red. This is quite the surprise coming from the self-confessed Danzig and Merzbow fan.)

Adab’s efforts bore fruit towards the end of the first half, as Naram-Sin Samanu took advantage of a Fabricio Webster mistake to wrest the ball away from him and run it to Istar Zabala in the box, who chipped it in from close-range for the equalizer just before the half-time break.

The Adabians showed much more confidence in the second half and began creating more chances, most notably a Zabala strike off a Jane Emerson corner in the 65th minute, which hit the crossbar and bounced back to Zabala, who then hit the ball into the somewhat open net only for Adaikesian keeper Moncho Nigel to leap over and save it right in the nick of time.

The Adaikesians eventually began to wilt under Adab’s high-pressing game, and Omar Abbas became the hero of the day in the 79th minute as he evaded a series of Adaikesian defenders across the right wing before blasting the ball in from a tight angle to allow Adab to take the 1-2 lead. United Adaikes looked dangerously close to forcing extra time in the 91st minute, but Everlee Small’s header was blocked by Adamu Ashur’s high jump.

With this win, Adab once again find themselves facing Brookstation in the quarterfinals, who progressed to the round of 16 by virtue of being the best third-placed team in the group stage and secured their ticket to the quarterfinals after triumphing 2-3 against Sarzonia in extra time.

“We are ready,” al-Ali said following the match. “There will be no more Hoogewarf hat-tricks.”

[Graintfjall]

Pemecutan – 0 (0)
Wibawa (37’ o.g.)

Græntfjall – 2 (1)
Nilsson; Øysteinsson, Heiðlindsdóttir, Manfreðsson, Játmundsson; Sævarsdóttir, Leonardsdóttir (45’ Linusson (47’ pen.)), Bjarkisson (57’); Thorvaldsdóttir (90+3’ Ionsson ); Markusardóttir (78’), Thakur (83’ Brynþórsson )

Selection of articles from Græntfjaller news media.

Græntfjaller captain ruled out for crucial quarterfinal clash

Græntfjall’s national under-18 soccer team will take on Sharktail in the quarterfinals of the Under-18 World Cup in Tumbra without the services of Charlotte Leonardsdóttir, who has failed to recover in time from a hamstring strain picked up during the Snow Cubs’s 2–0 victory over Pemecutan. “Losing Charlotte is obviously a big blow to our plans and very disappointing for her personally,” said assistant coach Saxi Dómaldsson. “But we have strength in depth at the midfield position and we’re optimistic we can put out a competitive side.” Thorvald Linusson is likely to start in Leonardsdóttir’s place in central midfield; the 17 year old Fliserboding prospect replaced her at half-time durnig the Pemecutan game and was swiftly pressed into action, converting a penalty in his 90th second on the pitch to give the Snow Cubs a 2–0 lead they would not relinquish. The first half saw Putu Satria Wibawa block an Amandara Navinsdóttir Thakur strike only for the ball to cruelly bobble off his knee into the goal. Keeper Ásólfur Nilsson, who has been the Snow Cubs’ star player to date, was also an injury worry after leaving a training session following a blow to his elbow, but has been ruled fit to play against Sharktail.

What do young people care about? Climate, education, employment top list

Younger voters are more likely to care about environmental issues and climate change, a survey by ElectionBONK has found. The Græntfjaller election blog surveyed over 1600 eligible voters aged 18 to 80 and found that, relative to the electorate as a whole, voters under the age of 30 were more likely to prioritize climate action. “Græntfjall has a reputation for not being very green,” said analyst Neptúnus Hallvarðsson, “But there’s clearly a generation of new voters who are very concerned about the planet and our impact on it.” Parties have responded to the climate challenge in different ways, with Left-slate proposing tough new emissions regulations, Progressive Liberals advocating a carbon tax, and Blue-Greens suggesting a “climate dividend” which would consist of “paying environmental activists 10kr. to fuck off”. ElectionBONK’s research found that the cost of higher education and employment insecurity were also standout issues that motivated younger voters more. More traditional concerns such as the overall health of the economy, health care and crime also featured in the top 10 issues young voters were most concerned about. Fewer than 4% of younger voters listed immigration as their most important election issue, compared to over 40% of voters over the age of 65.

Northlands expansion “not an obstacle” to relations with Tumbra – Michaelsdóttir

Græntfjaller Foreign Minister Kaija Michaelsdóttir has said that Tumbra’s expansion into the Northlands is a “sovereign matter” and would not prevent the White Winter Queendom moving for closer relations with the Federal Republic. Speaking at the Dannin International Expo in Mertagne, Michaelsdóttir was asked whether the Tumbran project to subsume parts of the Esportivan Northlands could be considered “colonialism”, but she said that was a question of internal Tumbran politics, effectively signalling that Græntfjall will not oppose any such expansion. The two nations have recently established sporting links through co-hosting the Baptism of Fire football tournament and Michaelsdóttir said she was keen to establish further trading and cultural relations both bilaterally and through the nascent Esportivan Union. Free trade promotion has been a key plank of her portfolio as Foreign Minister and in the forthcoming general election she is expected to push the Progressive Liberals further down the pro-trade path, while critics have branded her as willing to turn a blind eye to foreign injustices in the pursuit of “neoliberal foreign policy”.

[Sharktail]

Faizin optimist Sharktail stand a chance to beat Graintfall.

Vice captain of Sharktail u-18, Faizin not ruled out the chance for them to defeat Grainfall in their matchup today. He sure this matchup more like balance and no one have clear advantage.

Speaking to reporters after the training session just now, Faizin stated that he and his teammates remain 100% focused for tonight's match. Despite recording a big win in the round of 16 beating the 14 star 5-1, that’s not a reflection of Sharktail’s strength over Graintfall.

"I'm not afraid if they pick us to lose. I'm not afraid they consider us weak. But I'm really afraid if we're overconfident and be arrogant. It might be killing us in an instant. That's what I want to remind everyone. Keep your head down, while you hold your pride up. Don't be arrogant with just one result. If you want to be arrogant, do it after we win the trophy. "

The same tone was voiced by Zahari. He who is in charge of leading this team wants better achievements for the team.

"While we keep going low, i still want us to go further. Even if people say I'm a trophy hunter, well, I don't care. As long as we're in the tournament, just target the trophy. We can go on further."

According to records, Sharktail booked a quarter-final ticket after beating The 14 Star 5-1 as a result of two goals from Zafuan, and one goal each from Nazarudin, Hakimi and Taufiq. They will face Graintfall for a slot into the semi -finals. Go wi go Sharktail.

[Brookstation]

SUPER SUBSTITUTE SCORES IN EXTRA TIME AS BROOKSTATION WINS IN PLAYOFFS FOR THE FIRST TIME

Trent Crimm

Hoxford,Tumbra : Brookstation are showing that they are ready to be a challenger for the U-18 World Cup title this year. The Soham Misra led side managed to reach the Quarter Final breaking Brookstation's deadlock of losing the first match of the playoffs after gaining a win over favourites, Sarzonia in the 110th minute of the game. The match ended initially as a tie between the two teams but Brookstation made full use of the 30 minutes extra time to advance further.

Sarzonia were initially the dominating side throughout the beginning of the game. By the 15th minute mark, their possession was somewhere around 80%. The 16th minute saw the first goal of the game from the Sarzonian side. Sheila Carson won the ball from Brook midfielder Ansue with a crunching challenge in midfield. He then passed the ball to Danvers who raced towards the Dreamer's back line and slipped it right to Clarke who shifted it to his left foot before rifling it home into the right corner.

It took a pretty long time for Brookstation to retaliate. The second half started with Sarzonia having a one goal lead over Brookstation. As soon as the second half begun, there was a change in the scoreboard. Within two minutes of the second half, Ansue was fouled by midfielder Reynolds who received a yellow card in return. This in turn awarded Brookstation a free kick. The shot was taken by Brook captain, Hoogewarf. He whipped the ball over the wall of Sarzonian defenders, curling it to the top left corner of the goal. This was by far the most impressive goal I has witnessed in the tournament till now. The brick wall in the jerseys of our players provided the Brook players to dismantle the Sarzonian wall of defense.

What was surprising was the fact that Brookstation was soon able to make a remarkable change to the scoreboard. In the 57th minute, Ty Frank gave the ball carelessly to Butterfield in midfield. Butterfield moved confidently and gracefully towards the goal before lashing the ball into the right corner of the goal from 24 yards out. It was a complete turnaround. No one had expected Butterfield to score from that range. It rather seemed that Butterfield missed an opportunity but at the end of the day, things were fine for Brookstation.

It feels really good to see your team make a comeback at the very last moment like we saw Brookstation do in their match against Adab but in reality it feels terrible when you see the opposition score instead. In the 88th minute of the game when the referee was preparing to wrap up things, Clarke fed the ball to Tommy Marcus in the box and Marcus sent an effort towards the goal. Lance Logan got a touch on the ball and it seemed that Logan had saved the day just when Timmy Durant came running to slam the ball from a narrow angle. The crowd went into a literal roar. What had happened was truly unbelievable for both the sides. The referee blew his whistle to indicate the end of playing time soon after.

Extra time had been in Brookstation's favour for most of the time but one small mistake could give the match to the 22nd World Cup winning side. As the first fifteen minutes of extra time passed, the crowd sat in complete silence fearing the fact that the teams might have to move into penalties which would be quite unpredictable. There was only fifteen minutes remaining for both the teams. The question was who would it be ?

Brookstation was awarded a corner in the 109th minute. Klaus Kirchmann took the corner but it didn't go all well but instead luckily deflected out to Ducheix who made a brilliant pass over the wall of Sarzonian defenders and Gamal Mostafa was the first to get and it and volley the ball past Lang into the net. No one saw that coming and thus the silence continued for few seconds before the crowd could react again. Being a part of the crowd, I was fortunate enough to witness such a goal. The scene can't be better described on pen and paper.

Brookstation will face Adab again in the quarter finals. Adab had previously sliced Brookstation in the quarter finals of the International Tennis Slam and thus no matter, how much I want to see revenge, the chances are fairly distributed between both the teams.

BROOKSTATION  3-2  SARZONIA
Hoogewarf 49'      Clarke 16'
Butterfield 57'    Durant 88'
Mostafa 110'

[Starblaydia]

The Worst Liga Starblaydia Team in History

With the culmination of this season's Liga Starblaydia championship, I thought I'd take the time to explain to my dog, Max, the time from a few seasons ago when we were privileged, honoured and entirely horrified to witness the absolute worst performance from any team in the centuries-old history of the competition of top-level football in Starblaydia.

That team is Penningworth Rorçn.

   Liga Starblaydia        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
16 Penningworth Rorçn       30    1   3  26    17   67  −50     6

The Tough Opening

First of all, before you ask, a 'Rorçn' (Roar-Sin) is something to do with Footballia, the country that used to be to the north of Lake Bekk. Footballia were hoping to be proponents of nominative determinism, but if you've ever glanced at the record books of who's won what, you'll be wondering quite what the owners of Penningworth's second team wanted to achieve with making this part of their name, I'm not sure - probably to replicate the success of Iskara Daii? We'll never know. Probably.

The thing with Rorçn is that they've never, ever had a player at their club called up to any national team in their entire history. Not a one. Not for Starblaydia, not even for Krytenia.

Looking at the Rorçn's opening few matches, you'd be thinking you were in trouble. First game of the season you go away to the Daii at Foundation Road, then you host one of the championship-chasing teams, and you also have away days to Montepool Waves and Telcontarë in the first four matches alone. That is, how we like to say, hard mode. And the Rorçn got exactly as many points from this opening annihilation by four top teams as you'd expect: zero. What was worse was that they were blow away by the team from nearby Montepool in a 6-1 scoreline after two matches where they felt they were at least competing with the Daii and JCFC.

But it wasn't to be, and after just seven games they were rooted to the bottom of the table, including a streak of three games without finding the net. It took until their 7th game, at home to Sporting Salicus, for them to find the back of the net on more than one occasion. This was not going to be a season for the history books, at least not for any reasons a team would want.

Liga Starblaydia Season 2269/2270
Matchdays 1-7
Iskara Daii 2–1 Penningworth Rorçn
Penningworth Rorçn 1–2 Jhanna City
Montepool Waves 6–1 Penningworth Rorçn
Telecontare 1–0 Penningworth Rorçn
Penningworth Rorçn 0–2 Paricone Athletic
Phraen Palace 1–0 Penningworth Rorçn
Penningworth Rorçn 2–3 Sporting Salicus

Ups and Downs (but mostly downs)

Breaking a three-match goalless streak by scoring two goals and losing anyway, the Rorçn went on yet another goalless run and lost three on the bounce to make it 10 games without a single point. A third of the way through the season and with nothing to show for it, it was surely only a matter of time before they were relegated. The only question would be how quickly that would happen.

But then, a bright spark. A sliver of joy and the boundless possibilities of potential, as they picked up their first point. Matchday 11 would be one of their only moments of genuine achievement in the entire season. Finally, outrageously, the Rorçn picked up their first point of the season. Their visiting opponents were Cedrus Soundgardia, the team from the Aquilianan island historically made up of Audioslavian expats, with a playing style to match. It was dour, it was dreary, and it was a slog, but the Rorçn registered a the first point of the season and - not only that - but also marked a clean sheet for the first time, too. They didn't score, obviously, but when you're doing that badly, you have to take the little victories.

But, alas, the title-chasing Corinthian Spirits would resume normal service in the following match, downing the Rorçn by 2 goals to 1, but at least a new four-game goalless streak was finally over.

Back at home in the next match, however, it happened. It finally happened. Fittingly on Matchday 13, it proved unlucky for Hallad Reavers as they visited Penningworth with the same idea that every other team had in mind - take three easy points. Sure, three points were there on offer, but finally it was the Rorçn who claimed them, running out (eventually) 2-1 winners and quadrupling their tally for the season. Even if victory the Rorçn fans couldn't bring themselves to gloat truly, with 'Can we play you every week?' chants dueling with 'We're shit and we know we are'. Reality came back with the force of a hammer blow, however, as a road trip over to Hecia ended in a 4-0 defeat and the Rorçn came back to reality with a hard bump.

Liga Starblaydia Season 2269/2270 - Matchdays 8-14
Tabeck Cefn Druids 1–0 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 0–2 Tabeck FC
Beverington Hawks 2–0 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 0–0 Cedrus Soundgardia
Corinthian Spirits 3–1 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 2–1 Hallad Reavers - Only win, 4 points
Hecia 4–0 Penningworth Rorçn

The Agonising March

It's not how often you get knocked down, but how often you get back up. Unfortunately for the Rorçn, they stayed down. Again and again and again they were beaten, going into the reverse round of fixtures they again faced the title-chasing Daii, JCFC and Tele, again coming agonisingly close to getting something from their matches. But it was to no avail.

Their earlier loss to Hecia sent them on an eleven match run of defeats, culminating finally in the confirmation of relegation on Matchday 24 with six entire matches left to play. Only the failures of Tabeck Cefn Druids and a group of three teams - Paricone Athletic, Tabeck FC and Hippion Overdrive - to scrap their way out of a relegation battle prolonged the agony to this point. But with confirmation of the inevitable came something of a sense of relief, though not anything approaching hope. Their loss away in Tabeck to their fellow strugglers TFC sealed Penningworth Rorçn's fate.

Liga Starblaydia Season 2269/2270 - Matchdays 15-24
Penningworth Rorçn 1–3 Hippion Overdrive
Penningworth Rorçn 0–2 Iskara Daii
Jhanna City 6–2 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 0–1 Montepool Waves
Penningworth Rorçn 0–1 Telecontare
Paricone Athletic 3–1 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 1–3 Phraen Palace
Sporting Salicus 3–0 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 0–1 Tabeck Cefn Druids
Tabeck FC 3–0 Penningworth Rorçn

Why are you Improving Now?

Down on their luck and with spirits low, the Hawks came to visit and made it a losing streak of 12 straight games, breaking their own 10-game streak from the beginning of the season.

But then, Cedrus Soundgardia were the opponents. One of only two teams not to pick up 3 points against the Rorçn. A long, hard-fought match ensued, and somehow the Rorçn snatched a point, only their second draw and fifth point of the season. Cedrus Soundgardia, like it or not, could not beat the worst side in Liga Starblaydia history in two attempts.

How this must have buoyed the team, then as they hosted one of the best teams in the league. Part of an intriguing four-way battle for the top with the Daii, Tele and JCFC that had been playing out all season, this would be three easy points for the Spirits. After all, it had been 3-1 to the team from Corinth the first time out at the beginning of the season, so all they needed was to be in cruise control. Right?

Wrong.

With the hearts of lions, something the Rorçn players surely had no right to possess after this torrid season, they fought and scraped and scratched and clawed for every blade of grass against the Spirits and - somehow - earned themselves an exceptionally creditable 1-1 draw. This would not decide the fate of the Liga Starblaydia title, but it was a dent keenly felt by the Spirits team that they couldn't really recover from.

Unfortunately, though, that was it. The Reavers got their revenge on home turf in the return fixture, while Hecia got the job done again, and Hippion Overdrive's final obliteration of the team on the last matchday was not even enough to save them from relegation, either. It was a dreary end to the dreariest of seasons.

Liga Starblaydia Season 2269/2270 - Matchdays 25-30
Penningworth Rorçn 1–2 Beverington Hawks
Cedrus Soundgardia 1–1 Penningworth Rorçn
Penningworth Rorçn 1–1 Corinthian Spirits
Hallad Reavers 1–0 Penningworth Rorçn 
Penningworth Rorçn 0–2 Hecia
Hippion Overdrive 4–1 Penningworth Rorçn

But at least the 'Slavian club couldn't beat em. Even Max knows that.

[Tumbra]

Quarter-Final Cutoff

Tumbra 4–2 Starblaydia (scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Commonwealth of Baker Park 1–3 Estorvipa and Estorpiva
Sharktail 3–4 Græntfjall
Adab 3–1 Brookstation

Semi-Final Matchups

Tumbra vs Estorvipa and Estorpiva
@ Fletcher Park, Kingsbury

Græntfjall vs Adab
@ Bencoolen City Stadium, Bencoolen

[Estorvipa and Estorpiva]

From the diary of Petru-Iustin Udeanu

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Federal Republic is through to the semifinals of the Under-18 World Cup! The bad news is that we are up against another Federal Republic: the hosts, Tumbra. The good news though is that Tumbra managed to beat Starblaydia in order to make their way to the semifinals, but the bad news is that I’m still scared of the other two teams that we might have to go up against, Adab and Græntfjall. If I’m going to be perfectly honest, I’m not looking forward to playing against any of these teams at all. They are some of the best if not the best nations in football as of this moment. But then again, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, so we have to play against them nevertheless. There’s just no escaping it.

Speaking of more good news and bad news though, there’s still more of it. Fedot Bogomolov was injured just three minutes into our quarterfinal game against Baker Park. He thought he could pull off a sliding tackle save that would look good for the cameras, but he ended up injuring himself instead. The team doctor said that it’s very likely that he will be out for the rest of the tournament, and probably for the rest of the season as well. I’ll be honest; I don’t really like Fedot. Especially after he got his place in this team because of his father, the Sports Minister. But even then, I didn’t want to see him get hurt, even if he did bring it upon himself. At least now the Sports Minister has no way of convincing or threatening Coach Bodrinsky to put Fedot back into this team now. Even he couldn’t be stupid enough to force an injured kid to play through the pain just because he’s his son.

Vasyl Sandul really has become a game-changer for the whole team. We’ve been getting more chances on target ever since he was put in the starting eleven. On one hand, I’m happy that we finally have three players able to threaten our opponents going forward, but on the other hand, I’m sad for Arkadiy Borisenko. The guy was so excited to have been called up to the team and put in the starting eleven for the first two games, so to see him set aside like this and his replacement doing so well is bugging me more than just a little bit. If only he really knew how to shoot straight then maybe this wouldn’t be such a contentious topic now. I’m still trying to teach him, and he’s still failing to hit the broad side of a barn, let alone the goal itself. Oh well. More work for me.

~ Entry dated 30 December 2021

   BAKER PARK 1 - 3 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 
MARTINI (27')       UDEANU (37')
                    SANDUL (56')
                    RAZINSKIJ (78')

STARTING ELEVEN VS. TUMBRA
GK: Parov; DF: Andjelkic——Uršic——Chitulescu——Esaulov; MF: Taran——Gavrila——Razinskij; FW: Sandul——Udeanu——Varzaru

[Adab]

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

---

Saturday, June 28, 2036 / 4 Jumada al-Awwal 1458
Adab 3-1 Brookstation
Zabala (29’), Abbas (57’), Khoury (79’) | Kirchman (47’)

NEWS | UNDER-18 WORLD CUP
By: Sargon al-Basri

Adab get the better of Brookstation in raucous rematch to reach semifinals

Adab progressed to the semifinals of the Under-18 World Cup in Tumbra for the second edition in a row, but they had to get past Brookstation for the second time this tournament in an eventful, no-holds-barred match.

Adab and Brookstation’s previous encounter had occurred back in Group D, where Adab threw away their lead to draw 3-3 as Bruce Hoogewarf scored a hat-trick to save Brookstation from defeat. Both teams advanced to the knockout stages, Adab as the second-placed team in the group and Brookstation being the best third-placed team of the group stage overall.

The underwhelming performance against Brookstation had enraged Adab U-18 manager Faisal al-Ali, who openly criticized his defenders and demanded that they do better in their next matches. “I’m not saying that it’s all about winning. I want the boys to enjoy themselves and gain experience, but we must also play at an acceptable standard,” al-Ali said in his press conference before this rematch. “If we do not win, at least we must not disgrace the country with our playing.”

Adab went on the attack as soon as the match began, aiming to overwhelm Brookstation with high pressing and marking. Yet although they pushed Brookstation back deep into their own half, the young Adabians’ finishing left much to be desired, with Istar Zabala’s left-footed strike in the 13th minute finding the crossbar and Jane Emerson’s daring long-distance shot from the left wing in the 20th minute sailing just past the net and out of the pitch.

In their excitement to attack, however, Adab’s defense was left open and Brookstation attempted to capitalize. Hoogewarf got dangerously close to the Adabian goal in the 24th minute but a timely tackle by Joseph Sassoon inside the box sent the ball careening back to the midfield as fellow Adabian players rushed to block their opponents from the ball.

Eventually, Adab became the first team to make their mark on the scoreline, with Zabala receiving the ball from an Emerson corner in the 29th minute and blasted it in from close range as Brookstation keeper Lance Logan dramatically threw himself down and slid along the grass only to miss the ball by a split-second.

The rest of the first half featured back-and-forth action as the Brookstation team attempted to launch counterattacks, but rarely presented a threat to the Adabian net, as they more often than not found themselves swarmed and cut off from the ball as soon as they breached the Adabian half.

Soon after the second half began, however, disaster struck for the Adabians, as Esther Reuben pushed Jean-Francois Ducheix down just outside Adab’s box as they battled for the ball. Brookstation was awarded a direct free kick, despite the protests of al-Ali and his staff, and Klaus Kirchman capitalized on the occasion, firing the ball over the wall of defenders and onto the inside top of the net, reducing Adab keeper Adamu Ashur to onlooker, unable to do anything but turn his head and watch the ball go in.

The Adabians charged forward, encouraged by a very vocal al-Ali, who spent much of the match shouting and waving and pointing at both his players and the opposition. Zabala nearly added another goal for Adab in the 53rd minute, but Dan Mortensen slid alongside her in the box and sent the ball back outside the box. Nevertheless, Adab restored their lead four minutes later, as Omar Abbas slipped past Jose del Rosario and Youssef Taher on his dash down the right wing before pivoting sharply into the box and slamming the ball wide to his left and into the net as Logan jumped in the wrong direction.

Brookstation refused to yield and continued their counterattacks, with Hoogewarf coming dangerously close to making it 2-2 in the 65th minute with a shot from the penalty box line that would have gone in had Ashur – in perhaps the single best moment of the match – not leapt almost as high as the crossbar to block the ball from speeding onto the inside top of the net. Hoogewarf did put the ball in two minutes later, but he was already offside when he received the ball from Roy-Allan Butterfield inside the box.

Eventually, the match swung decisively in the Adabians’ favor in the 79th minute, as Dasia Khoury found herself on the receiving end of Assurnasirapli Ninua’s long ball and marched on to the penalty box, slipping past the grasp of Brookstation’s tiring, isolated defenders before chipping the ball in to the loud cheers of her countrymen all across the stadium. Now two goals down, Brookstation continued to attack but the decisive blow had been struck; the Adabians began to retreat towards their own half, shifting to a more defensive stance to safeguard their lead. One last chance for Brookstation came in the 88th minute when they were awarded a penalty after Markus Lekas was fouled inside the box by Joseph Sassoon, but Hoogewarf’s strike was easily saved by Ashur.

Adab will face Græntfjall in the semifinals next Tuesday. Græntfjall secured their spot in the semifinals with a nail-biting 3-4 win against Sharktail. The other semifinal match features the hosts, Tumbra, facing off against Estorvipa and Esportiva.

Following the match, al-Ali expressed satisfaction with his players’ performance. “This is why they are some of the best young players in the world,” al-Ali said. “This is the level, the performance that they are capable of.

“I’m really looking forward to facing Græntfjall. They are a really capable team and we must not underestimate them. One way or another, I think it will be a cracking match.”

[Graintfjall]

Sharktail – 3 (1)
Zafuan (21’) (38’), Hamidi (74’), Fiqri (82’)

Græntfjall – 4 (1)
Nilsson; Geirröðursson (74’ Øysteinsson ), Heiðlindsdóttir (81’), Manfreðsson, Játmundsson; Sævarsdóttir (79’), Linusson (28’ pen., 50’), Bjarkisson (37’) (69’ Ingermarsson (83’) (86’)) (90+1’) [sic], Markusardóttir (80’ Maxsdóttir ); Ionsson, Thakur (54’, 62’)

Bjarkisson’s second yellow came after he had been substituted.

Selection of articles from Græntfjaller news media.

Snow Cubs triumph in goalfest but see red twice

Græntfjall’s national under-18 team have returned their best ever result at a World Cup, qualifying for the semifinals of the 15th Under 18 World Cup in Tumbra with an exciting win over Sharktail that saw eleven yellow cards, seven goals, two penalties, and a partridge in a pear tree. Perhaps surprising in a game that finished 4–3, the Snow Cubs’ star player was goalkeeper Ásólfur Nilsson, who kept the score down despite an xG of 4.8 for the fast and resourceful Sharktail attack, who had several chances on goal saved by the young keeper, including a penalty. Earlier, Thorvald Linusson had converted a penalty of Græntfjall’s own, but Nilsson managed to get a hand to Wan Zafuan’s effort and palm it round the post. Linusson scored from open play in the second half before Amandara Navinsdóttir Thakur used her pace to beat a tiring Sharktail defence twice; but late goals from Aqil Hamidi and substitute Azmer Fiqri kept things interesting. Græntfjall played the last five minutes with only ten players after Stefan Ingemarsson – who had been on the field for only 17 minutes – picked up his second yellow card. Midfielder Jostein Bjarkisson was also given a red card – in his case, his second yellow arriving after he had been substituted off, being shown for abusive comments directed at the opponents’ bench.

“Not a racist team” insist authorities as Bjarkisson sent home

Jostein Bjarkisson has been immediately dismissed from the Græntfjall national under-18 team following his red card against Sharktail, and has been sent home from the tournament in Tumbra. Officials are said to be “furious” with the young player, who is accused of breaching the KG code pertaining to derogatory racial, ethnic, and religious comments, and Græntfjaller representatives have rushed to emphasize a zero-tolerance policy to such abuse. “[Bjarkisson] will undergo a disciplinary hearing and if the charges are sustained, I can assure you he will never wear the blue-and-white again,” said KG media relations officer Dósóþeus Patricksson. “Græntfjall does not tolerate racism or Islamophobia under any circumstances from its players.” According to veteran football journalist Olle Tobiasson, “With a coming clash against Adab in the tournament semi-finals, KG officials will want to prevent any such issues recurring before this team starts gathering a very ugly reputation.” Team captain Charlotte Leonardsdóttir, who is expected to be fit to play Adab, said she was “proud to lead a diverse group of players” and that they were “certainly not a racist team”. “We have all kind of players on our team, be they black, brown, or normal, and everyone is welcome… what? I’m saying it’s a good thing!?”

Princess Jessika’s crew records good luck message to team

Princess Jessika and the crew of her first command, a coastal defense cutter on Lake Viljan, have recorded a GrikGrok video wishing good luck to the national under-18 football team. Team captain Charlotte Leonardsdóttir has previously revealed that while recovering from the injury that ruled her out of her team’s quarterfinal with Sharktail part of her rehab included dancing to the rhythm game Crypt of the KrakenDancer, and it has become a popular meme for Græntfjallers to record videos of themselves performing chores or work functions set to the game’s soundtrack; Princess Jessika and her crew filmed themselves hauling in a lifeboat while dancing to the tune “Disco Descent Except With More Krakens”.

National Youth Thing endorses an end to smoking

The National Youth Thing, Græntfjall’s national youth parliament that allows young people to practise elected representative government, has passed a motion calling on the government to completely eliminate smoking within 10 years. Recent measures taken in the Queendom include requiring warning labels on cigarette packs and raising the legal age at which cigarettes can be bought, but the parliamentarians of tomorrow have decreed that such measures don’t go far enough. “Big tax increases are needed to make the disgusting habit genuinely unaffordable,” says the NYT draft bill. Kaija Michaelsdóttir, Progressive Liberal said the idea was “very interesting” and that she “certainly agreed we could do more”, while a spokesperson for Prime Minister Zóphonías Juliusson said he “looked forward to a day when Græntfjall has stubbed out its last cigarette”. Meanwhile Blue-Green leader Benjamín Styrbjörnsson said that the bill proved that “the only age limit that should be raised is the one on voting” before calling for the abolition of the NYT as a “waste of taxpayer money that could be better spent on reintroducing caning in schools”.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 4-2 Starblaydia

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - Rose Robinson; 18 - Christopher Morgan, 20 - Jack Denham (4 - Yvonne Lawson, 55'), 5 - Christine Whitfield, 13 - Jennifer Murray; 23 - Hannah Harwood (8 - Wendy Thomas, 73'), 16 - Hazel Hills, 10 - Petra Hall; 7 - Michelle Ferris, 9 - Audrey Pearson; 11 - Charlie Ross (22 - Duncan Hall, 85')

Scorers: Petra Hall (11'), Christopher Morgan (23' - pen), Charlie Ross (49'), Hazel Hills (81')

Player of the Match: Hazel Hills (TMB)

SPORT: THREE IN A ROW AFTER NERVY 4-2 VICTORY OVER STARBLAYDIA

Kingsbury: The future of Tumbran football, if it was not in good hands before, is certainly in the best of hands now as manager Toby Barton has now led a Tumbran side to their third-straight semi-final of the Under-18 World Cup. A 4-2 victory over Starblaydia in Kingsbury, where the state of play was exciting, end-to-end and momentum swung quickly between the progeny of the five-time world champions and the rising force in world football that was Tumbra, proved to give supporters a night they would not forget.

"A lot can change in youth football from year to year," said Barton after the match. "You get nations appearing and then suddenly disappearing from the world stage, some nations get good crops, some get bad crops, but I think the culture of success extends to all levels of the pitch. If we let young players get a taste of what international football is, it forms the basis of a competitive national team."

Barton, who has now led three different teams of twenty-three players, including names such as Stephen Kerr, Trudy Harrison, Charlotte Henshaw and Natalie Coleman, is known for taking players who have not yet signed their first professional contract to the Under-18 World Cup. It is a tradition, he says, stemming from his first run out as coach; when he wished to bring female players to the World Cup, but none were professional. It was during a session in bad, muddy weather in Kingsbury, the story famously goes, that he first laid eyes on Trudy Harrison; he approached her to go to Zeta Reka immediately after the game. Since the surprise victory then, Barton has always been keen on easing expectations and pressure; something that, he mused, wasn't needed in this run.

"I keep telling them, you know, it's okay if we lose, don't pile on the pressure on yourselves — but they tell me there's no need for that. And then they go out and dominate. It's fantastic football, speaks a lot about the mental conditions of these players and the work they've put in over the past few months. And each of them, they've got a story to tell; each of them have rich experiences of life even before they've turned eighteen."

The Black Egrets' semi-final matchup will be against the war-torn, dual republics of Estorvipa and Estorpiva; whose run to the semi-finals is also matched by their senior teams' performance in the Baptism of Fire.

[Tumbra]

Cutoff for the Semi-Finals

Tumbra 3–2 Estorvipa and Estorpiva (scorinated by Quebec & Shingoryeo)
Græntfjall 1–0 Adab

RTC U-18 World Cup Third-Placed Playoff

Estorvipa and Estorpiva vs Adab
@ Lakewood City Arena, Lakewood


RTC U-18 World Cup Final

Tumbra vs Græntfjall
@ Trenton Park, Lakewood

[Adab]

Tuesday, July 1, 2036 / 7 Jumada al-Awwal 1458
Græntfjall 1–0 Adab

THE ADAB TIMES
The Most Trusted Voice in the Nation, Est. 1878

---

FOOTBALL

Al-Ali: Under-18 World Cup a Success Despite Missing Out on Final

Elymur Amwan
Tuesday, July 1, 2036

BENCOOLEN, TUMBRA – Adab Under-18 national football team manager Faisal al-Ali pronounced his team’s Under-18 World Cup campaign in Tumbra a “massive success”, despite the 1-0 defeat to Græntfjall today meaning that Adab missed out on a second consecutive final in the tournament.

“It has been a great tournament and the kids have performed very well at the highest level,” al-Ali stated at the post-match press conference. “To say that I am very proud of them is an understatement.

“From the time we started training I always emphasized to them that the most important thing is not to win but to have fun while performing at a level that shows why they deserve their spot in the team.

“I think we have done that. Everyone can see that they have performed admirably throughout the tournament. Whatever happens from now on nobody can deny that.”

Al-Ali has attracted quite the amount of attention for his actions throughout the tournament, most notably being sent off during Adab’s Group D match against Indusse after arguing with the referee and openly decrying his team’s “shambolic” defense after drawing 3-3 against Brookstation.

“Yes, I admit that I may come across as harsh at times, but what I did, I did for the good of the team,” al-Ali insisted. “At the Indusse match, I disagreed with the refs and I still disagree with them today. That is my opinion and my belief and those things have not changed. I will not change for the sake of pleasing people.

“Everyone who has known me for a long time knows me for who I am. I will always fight for my team and nobody, not the opposing teams and not even the referees can bring us down as long as I’m in charge.”

Adab will face Estorvipa and Estorpiva on Friday to decide who will take third place in the tournament. Estorvipa and Estorpiva had been narrowly beaten 3-2 by the hosts, Tumbra, in their semifinal matchup.

“I’ve seen videos of [the Estorvipa and Estorpiva team] in action,” al-Ali said. “They are a great team and as always we must not underestimate them. I have always, continuously drilled into my players that we must not underestimate anyone, no matter how easy the match might seem. The next match is no exception.”

Al-Ali ended the press conference by denying rumors that he is being considered for the post of assistant manager of the senior national team, accompanying Rashid Abbas, with current co-assistant manager Inimabakesh Thulus reportedly considering retirement.

“No, no, I am not part of those plans,” al-Ali declared in response to a question regarding those rumors. “Whatever Saad [Kaykali, manager of the senior national team] and the AFA have in mind right now about the assistant manager job, I am not involved in that. I am here to manage the under-18 team and I will continue to do so and fight for this team.”

[Estorvipa and Estorpiva]

From the diary of Petru-Iustin Udeanu

There’s one English saying that really captures the mood well for this Federal Republic team, and that saying is, “All good things must come to an end.” I don’t know why I even bothered to put my hopes up. We were playing against the host nation, after all. It was to be expected that they would have the support of the vast majority of the crowd, even if we did have both Vipan and Pivan ultras in the stands as well cheering us on. There would be no under-18 world championship for the Estorian people today. No, the best that we could hope to go home with is the bronze medal. What a way to start off the new year, huh, diary?

It’s fair to say that everyone was disappointed by the result, from the coach down to us players. This was our first and perhaps best chance for the Federal Republic to equal and maybe even surpass the achievements of the north, who entered a football competition way back in the day and managed to make it all the way to the final. They lost the final, but nevertheless they were able to establish a presence in the sporting scene, no matter how brief. The objective for the under-18 team had always been to do one better than the northerners, but now it looks like we won’t be able to do that. All that hope now lies with the senior team, who are now arriving in Græntfjall for the Baptism of Fire. But now, we have to concentrate on the task ahead of us, and that is claiming bronze over Adab.

Just as I feared, Arkadiy Borisenko’s inability to hit the broad side of a barn was the thing that cost us the game. Everything had been going so well for us at the start. We got the early lead thanks to me and Gheorgiță [Vărzaru], but in the second half… there’s no other way to describe it. We collapsed, plain and simple. Tumbra found something within themselves, and we just had no hope of containing it. One, two, then three goals slipped past Gleb Parov, and we all could do nothing but watch. Poor Vasyl Sandul was beginning to crack under all of the challenges that the Tumbrans were giving to him, so Coach Bodrinsky had no choice but to sub on Arkadiy for Vasyl. At least Arkadiy was still a good crosser, but just like that goalkeeper from StrayaRoos, the Tumbran goalkeeper was making herself an absolute nuisance between the sticks. She was stopping shots like nobody’s business! But when it finally looked like she had slipped up and made a mistake, Arkadiy was in just the right place at the right time to take advantage… and he sent the ball way over the crossbar and into the nosebleed seats. If only he could have made that shot, then we could have forced extra time and maybe we could have done something more substantial then. But that’s something that now can only be left to daydreams and fantasies.

Honestly though, Sports Minister Bogomolov can go to hell. I heard him claim that all of this wouldn’t have happened if only his son Fedot was in the defense. Fat chance in hell, Mister Sports Minister, sir! However, now that I think about it, maybe the second half collapse wouldn’t have happened with Fedot Bogomolov in the back four. Maybe we would have collapsed way earlier, probably in the first half, and we wouldn’t have come as close as we did against the hosts. Sometimes it really is funny how these things work out.

~ Entry dated 1 January 2022

          TUMBRA 3 - 2 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA          
 WHITFIELD (51')       UDEANU (9')
      ROSS (66')       VĂRZARU (27')
     HILLS (70')

STARTING ELEVEN VS. ADAB
GK: Parov; DF: Andjelkic——Uršic——Chitulescu——Esaulov; MF: Taran——Gavrila——Razinskij; FW: Sandul——Udeanu——Varzaru

[Graintfjall]

Græntfjall – 1 (0)
Nilsson; Geirröðursson, Øysteinsson, Gunnþórsson (25’) (58’), Játmundsson; Sævarsdóttir (90+1’ Markusardóttir ), Linusson, Leonardsdóttir (79’ Brynþórsson ), Thorvaldsdóttir; Ionsson (80’ Seifursson ), Thakur

Adab – 0 (0)

Selection of articles from Græntfjaller news media. Once again, given the tournament, a youth focus in the general news articles.

Snow Cubs see off Adab for first ever final

Græntfjall have reached the final of the Under-18 World Cup for the first time ever, after grinding out a tough win against returning runners-up Adab. Head coach Trine Kakalisdóttir was clearly relieved that none of the ill-tempers from the controversial quarterfinal with Sharktail bubbled over into this game, and although the Snow Cubs relied on physicality to control possession in the center of the park, they did so largely legally and at the cost of just a solitary booking. The scoreline, it must be said, flattered the Snow Cubs, although Ásólfur Nilsson deserves much of the credit for keeping a dynamic and attacking Adab side from scoring; the Adabians were clearly the superior team but were unable to convert their attacks into a scoring chance as Nilsson marshalled his defense and saved with aplomb when called upon. Recognizing the Adab team as possessing super talent and skills, the Snow Cubs were content to set up a highly defensive approach once they had taken the lead in the 25th minute when defender Asle Gunnþórsson outjumped his marker at a corner and headed in at the far post. The creativity of Naram-Sin Samanu was blunted through relentless man-marking by Thorvald Linusson; Dasia Khoury and Omar Abbas had some pacey attacks but struggled to break past the dogged Jan Játmundsson and Jorge Øysteinsson.

Galacti-no? Are “star players” overrated?

Græntfjall’s young Snow Cubs side have reached the World Cup final, and have done so without a player of any significant renown to their name: indeed, not only would no player on the roster would have been generally known to the wider public prior to the tournament, but even now, scant few of these talented youngsters can truly be considered household names. Past sides have tended to be built around a single talismanic midfielder – such as Sara Kristoffersdóttir or Kæja Finnvarðsdóttir, both now members of the full national team – and have a potent main striker – such as Julia Wolfgangsdóttir, who has also earned full international cap status since, or Emilia Hrafnþórsdóttir. This Snow Cubs team has neither: while Charlotte Leonardsdóttir captains the team from central midfield she has none of the mercurial talents of Sara K nor the skills of Kæja, and indeed missed the team’s crucial quarterfinal with injury; up front, goals have been spread among a diverse attack, Amandara Navinsdóttir Thakur more often featuring as a false 9 than a true center forward and Ísidór Seifursson earning little playing time. If there has been a star at all for this team it has been goalkeeper Ásólfur Nilsson, but even he has succeeded as much through the unsexy job of organizing his defense as through many goal-line acrobatics. It suggests, perhaps, a consideration for future youth teams, that identifying standout talents and building a side around them may be ultimately less effective than taking a team-first approach, where individuals sublimate their roles to the greater good. If a team led by Charlotte can succeed where one led by Sara or Kæja faltered, it may be proof enough to influence selection policy at future tournaments.

Michaelsdóttir highlights climate, house building, childcare in final youth push

In what may be her final major campaign event of the 2027 election campaign, Progressive Liberals leader Kaija Michaelsdóttir chose to make an appeal to younger voters. Michaelsdóttir’s Progressive Liberal party has made gains on the Left-slate lead among younger voters during the campaign, but forecasters still predict that without further inroads, their path to government will be difficult given the offsetting low approval ratings among older voters, who are much more likely to actually vote. “Michaelsdóttir has spent the campaign telling older Græntfjallers she’s going to cut their pensions, bring down their house values, flood the streets with drugs… it’s not a winning message among the gray vote,” says psephologist Arnberg Mörðsson, while young voter Silvía Ásvaldsdóttir said: “Flood the streets with drugs!? Sold! Where do I sign up?” Michaelsdóttir’s speech began laying out the details of her plans for higher education reform, including more funding for technical education and greater online accessibility to help part-time and remote students, but swiftly turned into a campaign address heavier on rhetoric than substance as she appealed to younger voters that fixing the climate crisis, increasing new build housing stock, and making childcare more affordable were her “big three” priorities.

Influencers driving trend for “cottagecore” getaways, say tourism industry

Rural tourism has seen moderate increases over the last year, but the bulk of this has been a nearly 300% increase in younger tourists (under the age of 30). “Whether it’s just visiting a rural community, buying some locally made handicrafts, or renting out a farmhouse cottage for a stay, we’re definitely seeing a younger engagement than ever before,” said industry spokesman Bryntýr Lórensson. “Rural tourism used to be seen as something for the elderly. Now it’s the cool young thing.” Trend analyst Jónanna Nóvembersdóttir says that key social media influencers have driven the cottagecore wave. “There’s a lot of more or less ironic ‘tradlife’ hash-tagging on social media,” she says. “The increasing industrialization and urbanization of the northern corridor is seeing a bit of a backlash as people start to idealize the rural lifestyle.” Footballer Natasja Hólmarsdóttir and ice hockey player Ben Espensson are among the trend-setters driving younger interest in rural getaways and old-fashioned craft pursuits.

[Tumbra]

wingerxwinger
a one-shot set in the defender meets midfielder universe*

*technically all my RPs are set in the defender meets midfielder universe but you get what I mean

Lakewood
The night before the Final

The hotel was a little out of the way, part of the Lakewood Bay; but the view the particular hotel room offered of the twinkling Lakewood skyline was unparalleled. It was a bit old; three old buildings occupying pride of place, of course; but behind them, the taller, steel monoliths of the modern era; the engines that turned to keep the Lakewood economy going and pushing it into a new age. Tumbra's Industrial Revolution had reached its zenith here — cotton being mass produced here and being shipped out to a world beyond, which made the city rich — but in recent years the financial centre of the country had moved north.

This was, of course, the last thing on Audrey Pearson's mind that night; but the twinkling lights of the Lakewood city skyline was a useful distraction from tomorrow's final against the strongest Græntfjall side in years. The reason they'd chosen this hotel was that it was out of the way; no chance of fans turning up outside the hotel's doors and making a huge ruckus. Of course, Græntfjallers didn't have that reputation; but nobody knew if the fans of the other twenty-seven countries that took part in the tournament would've done so, anyway. And there was the added benefit of no snoopy Tumbrans showing up. The last thing the team needed, Toby Barton decided, before a tournament final, was more pressure being piled on them.

But there was pressure enough from their futures; contract offers had been sent by almost all of the twenty Premier Division teams, eager to try and get the twenty-three players to join them. Audrey herself had received several offers from almost all of the Big Six, who'd been impressed with her attacking output and dribbling. Personally she didn't think her football was that good; but if they saw what they saw in her, then she was happy enough with that. But she still felt a little...disappointed. It wasn't that playing for Lakewood United or Nantwich wasn't a good thing, just...she was hoping for a little more.

Then there was the question of the fifth envelope. It had appeared for her when they'd touched base in Lakewood, the hotel concierge handing her the envelope along with the key card to the room. It smelled faintly...burnt? But for what it was, the envelope was quite high quality. A small white circle, surrounded by gold, encompassed two small green lines, and inside it — another white circle, this time with two golden hammers. The stamp on the top right was uncreognisable; a small saltire in a light blue field — but a bit of searching on the Internet revealed that it was the...Roolandese flag. Too many symbols on the top. Diacritics, the search engine spat out at her when her query of "weird symbol on top of letter" was entered. It was now on top of her side table, on a tray typically used by smokers to dispose of ashes; but the burning smell had been there even before she'd placed it on the ashtray. Reaching across her bed, she picked the envelope up to look at it again.

She flipped the envelope over, placing it on her pillow. There was her name, written in intricate handwriting, and an address, et cetera. She toyed with whether to open the envelope, thumbing it with great care; and was too lost in her thoughts to notice her roommate come out of the toilet, clamber over her bed, sopping wet and all, to put her chin on Audrey's shoulder.

"Ya know ——" she began.

"GAAAARGH!" Audrey fell off the bed, pillow in hand, and landed on the floor, staring back at her room-mate.

" —— envelopes are typically meant to be opened, not stared at. And you've been staring at that thing the entire day," Michelle Ferris continued, unfazed.

"Christ, Michelle, could've told me you were here," Audrey composed herself. "Aw, now you've got my bed wet..." she said, ruefully, looking up at her room-mate, water dripping off Michelle's hair onto her bed.

A small laugh escaped Michelle's mouth — really, it was more of a sharp exhale one did when they saw something that was moderately funny but not enough to merit a laugh — and she withdrew from Audrey's bed onto her own, across the room.

"Eh, makes it more fun to sleep on. It'll dry out. But enough about my hair, anyway; that envelope. Do you want to open it, or do you want me to open it for you, or do you just want to stare at it until the end of time?"

"Well...I don't know what's inside it. What would someone from Ru-Roo-Ra—"

"Rülândéá."

"Right, whatever you're saying — how are you pronouncing that precisely anyway —"

"I watch a lot of football."

"Wait — you're saying this letter's related to football —"

Michelle shook her head slightly. "Gimme that."

Audrey obliged, handing the letter over to Michelle. She inspected it for a few moments, taking in the envelope like how Audrey herself did it. Then her eyes travelled to the green and white circle on the logo, and her eyes widened.

"Yes. It is related to football."

"How did you — wait —"

Michelle flipped the envelope to show Audrey the same logo, before handing it back to her. "That, Miss Audrey Pearson, is the logo of the Farf football club Rülândéá Kôstä."

"Are-are they big? The look on your face told me that they're kinda big."

"Well, they participate in the best league in the world — citation needed, of course — and they're probably like the...eighth or ninth best side in it?"

"Oh." The look on her face fell for a moment.

"They still get Champions' League football."

"Wait, you're serious? Audrey laughed at the suggestion before looking back at Michelle's completely straight face. "Wait, you're serious."

"Shango-Fogoa Premier League, darling, the best league in the world according to the IFCF. Ten Banijan clubs, ten Farf clubs, fourteen IFCF slots between them because they're just so goddamned good. You could be a star, Audrey, with them. And this may just be what you're looking for. Life outside Tumbra. Even if Farfadilis is, you know, not the safest place in the world. Or the best place to be in the world. It's basically the polar opposite of this place."

"Life outside Tumbra..." Audrey's voice trailed off once again as she held the envelope. Delicately opening the envelope, she sat on the bed once again next to Michelle — for them to read it together. The English on the pages had a few grammatical errors, but overall they got the gist; they were interested in signing Audrey and were interested to know if she wanted to meet with one of their representatives to discuss terms, and so on.

"Life outside Tumbra, Audrey. Haven't you been waiting for this? Away from your family, like you told me on the first night we roomed together? They didn't approve of you joining football..."

"Yeah."

"Harrison winning it didn't change that? I know mine shut the fuck up the moment they lifted the trophy four years ago. If anything they kept encouraging me to go for it. I was fourteen. That victory did so much for us." Michelle knelt on the bed behind Audrey, put her arms on Audrey's shoulders, and began to squeeze. Audrey felt like melting under Michelle's firm touched; a soft moan escaped, involuntarily, as Michelle zeroed in and rubbed a knuckle against a sore part of Audrey's shoulder.

"No — little lower, to the left — they've always thought football should only be played by — right there, yeah — men. Sport's no way to make a living, Audrey, you'll never make it. Well, look where Harrison got us."

"Bullcrap. Look at you, now." She continued, working her way to Audrey's neck. "Funny how that one victory four years ago changed all our lives. I mean, without it, none of us would be here. We'd probably be in junior college, or something. And now? Women playing at the highest level of football. She won the league for Chromatik, y'know. And the Campionato."

"There's also Kerr —"

"He's obviously the protagonist of some other story. That defence let in fifty-eight goals, he's not worth much until he stops them from shipping so much."

"Their story's perfect, y'know. Almost too perfect. Wonder if the same thing'll ever happen again. Or if we could be the protagonists of our own story."

"Well, you've got your vanilla envelope with your Rülândéá offer. I've got...well...sweet fuck all so far. And I want to leave this country too, damnit." Michelle's hands stopped, their warm presence withdrawing from Audrey's neck. Audrey instinctively turned around and grabbed Michelle's arm, staring into her dark, almond-coloured eyes.

"I'm sure you'll get offers too, Michelle. The Final hasn't even happened."

"Won't be as good as yours, that's for sure." She sat down, again. "Listen, you're a terrific footballer, and you deserve all the offers you get."

"I just wish you could be there with me, for everything that's going to happen. My — or even our — story."

"Lots of stories happen throughout the world. Not all of them are told. And don't be stupid. I'll still be there, regardless of what happens. And who knows? We could play together one day."

"Well..."

"Don't compromise your future for me, dumbass. Now will you let go of my arm? I want to make some tea. You want some?"

"Yeah."

"Right. I'll go. You stay here and think about whether you want to go to Rülândéá Kôstä. Though the answer should be blindingly obvious."