Cup of Harmony 82 [rosters/RPs/scores]

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:00 am

Under normal circumstances, Sarzonian national team manager Nathan Hanifer prefers a two-match schedule of friendlies prior to beginning World Cup qualifying. The same holds true when Hanifer and company prepare for the Cup of Harmony, and Hanifer has said he would adhere to that schedule if preparing for the World Cup proper.

That said, when the Commonwealth of Baker Park approached the Incorporated Football Federation about scheduling a friendly at Mike Sarzo Stadium in Nicksia, Hanifer said he accepted straight away.

"It's a golden opportunity for us to prove ourselves, even if it is a friendly," Hanifer said of the decision to accept the match with Baker Park. "The Commonwealth and Sarzonia have developed strong relations after facing off in a variety of sport. We're excited for the opportunity."

Sarzonia saw its ranking increase marginally to 59th in the multiverse after an 8-1-5 World Cup qualifying campaign that included a 2-1 away victory over top ranked defending runners up The Holy Empire and another away triumph against Mytanija, who finished qualifying ranked 26th. The Mytanars advanced to the proper after winning the two-leg playoff against Trolleborg with a 4-2 aggregate after a 1-1 home draw. Baker Park are 11th ranked.

The Stars came away from the now-rare match at Mike Sarzo Stadium with a 4-3 victory that saw Holly Cambrio score two goals and assist on a 54th minute tally from strike partner Jake Campos, who tacked on a 86th minute penalty after Cambrio was brought down in the area. Sarzonia played a controlled match even though they would be the underdogs if the match counted toward a World Cup or Cup of Harmony group table. Just as important to Sarzonia's psyches, however, was the fact that Paolo Gomes started and played the first 61 minutes of the match in goal, leaving with a 3-1 lead and yielding to Trent Woodson. Gomes, playing just his third match of any kind since recovering from a torn ACL, drew heaps of praise from his mates after the match.

"Very excited to see him continue to round into form," said midfielder and team captain Clayton Wilson. "That's been by far the best aspect of this whole post-qualifying, pre-Cup of Harmony cycle, the return of Paolo to the team."

Gomes said he was thrilled to be back.

"I'm very happy to be back with my mates and contributing to this team again," he said through a translator. "It's been a lot of hard work, lot of tears. I'm glad it's paid off the way it has."

by **Flavovespia** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 10:56 am

Introduction

Flavovespia’s one hundred percent rate of Cup of Harmony qualification continues, as the streak extends to 8. The Anaian island nation, home to a little over 20’000’000 humans, will again support their side in the Cup of Harmony, as the side dream of going further than the Quarter Finals, or at the very least into the group stage. The national team is nicknamed “The Hornets”, from the, thankfully benign insects that also populate the island. Said hornets are also responsible for the etymology of the nation.

Kit

Home-Away-Third

Squad

Manager

Manager – Augusto Rinaldi Age: 56 (Savigliane)

Flavovespia’s first ever non-Flavovespian coach, Augusto Rinaldi was always going to be something of a trailblazer. His debut game was a 4-3 win over his native Savigliane, and things went up from there. Taking Flavovespia to bronze in CAFA2, including wins against Audioslavia, Starblaydia and Ko-oren was a particular highlight. However the struggles of WCQ90 have seen some criticism start to come in. Falling outs in the squad, despite his best efforts didn’t help either, although it must be said some of the players took most of the blame from the FFA and fans. Nevertheless, the shrewd man-manager will need a good CoH82 to avoid pressure on his position.

Goalkeepers

1 Aarif Muhammad Age: 27 Position: GK Club: Rockridge Phoenix [BRE] Caps: 96 Goals: 0
Initially the first choice going into WCQ90, a poor performance in the opener against The 14 Stars, followed by the decent form of Lucky Diamond, meant Aarif Muhammad spent an extended stint on the sidelines. Aiming for 100 caps, he’ll need to impress in training and domestically for Rockridge Phoenix of Brenecia, to reach that goal. A very well rounded goalkeeper in almost all areas, but his form can be a bit streaky, especially in high pressure situations.

12 Lucky Diamond Age: 29 Position: GK Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Caps: 21 Goals: 0
Unsurprisingly from a person who actually legally changed his name to Lucky Diamond, this goalkeeper has had a history of on field and off field drama. From social media fights, to swearing at fans, to causing mayhem in a Krytenian hotel, he’s done it all. However, amidst all of that, lies a sweeper keeper who’s now one of the best Flavovespia has to offer. Maybe not quite a world class goalkeeper, and arguably not the best pure shot stopper compared to Aarif Muhammad, but in the past few years for club and country, he’s become an ever growing part of the squad.

24 Thomas Foley Age: 25 Position: GK Club: Bavingtor FC Caps: 0 Goals: 0
The only squad member to be called up for the first time, Thomas Foley is another of what’s been described as the golden generation of goalkeepers for Flavovespia. A tricky start to his career seems to be behind him, and the Bavingtor fans are quickly seeing the resemblance to David Meehan in him (incidentally, David Meehan is now backup keeper and mentor at Loxthorpe Rovers). Not a goalkeeper particularly keen to rush out, and aerial prowess needs a little work, but he’s very strong at shot stopping.

Defenders

2 Kishan Rees Age: 26 Position: LWB Club: Binclestead Wood FC Caps: 31 Goals: 0
In the battle to play at left back, Kishan Rees won out in WCQ90, with the adjusted tactics of Augusto Rinaldi favouring him. The versatile wing back can also play as a full back or even a left midfielder. He’s good with the ball at his feet, and playing the ball forward, and has continued to make strides in his tackling and marking.

3 Andrew Dance Age: 23 Position: RB Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Caps: 32 Goals: 0
At only 23, Andrew Dance has definitely been one of the names touted as being in the national team setup for a long time, boosted by impressive displays at Loxthorpe Rovers. WCQ90 was however a bit of a struggle for him, as he didn’t fit the adjustment of tactics by Augusto Rinaldi. An old school full back, tough tackling and marking is his forte, rather than advancing the ball downfield with skilful dribbling and passing. A friendly character off the pitch, but a bit of a bruiser on the pitch.

4 Stuart Cookson Age: 25 Position: CB Club: Marthorpe City FC Caps: 32 Goals: 0
Stuart Cookson had a moderately successful WCQ90, despite the overall struggles of the team. Seen ultimately as one of the two best centre backs, he played plenty of the games, and was at the very least an acceptable choice. Tall, at 1.92m (6’4) in height, he’s an aerial threat at both ends, and a strong marker. That comes with a trade-off in terms of pace and agility, but he’s worked well on positioning to compensate.

5 Tony Gardner Age: 32 Position: CB Club: Newrook City FC [NPH] Caps: 201 Goals: 6
The second Flavovespian to pass the 200 caps barrier, Tony Gardner has been everpresent in the side since the start in WCQ83. However there was a sense during WCQ90, that his time in Flavovespian colours could come to an end sooner rather than later. His performances at the back end of qualifying though, with experience and good progression of the ball out of defence, showed why he still is in the squad. That said, his personality hasn’t exactly gone down well with some teammates, and he can be a bit of a feisty character.

13 David Lyons Age: 26 Position: LB Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Caps: 83 Goals: 3
A player who’s seemingly been around for longer than his age would suggest. Whilst it seemed he’d have the #2 jersey for a while, he’s been dropped for now, following a less than stellar CAFA2. He’s usually a wise head when it comes to positioning and reading the play, normally knowing where and when to be. On the ball however, he has some room to improve at international level based on the last tournament, although has occasionally managed to find the net for Flavovespia

14 Daniel Lansdell Age: 28 Position: CB Club: St Astons City FC Caps: 37 Goals: 1
WCQ90 seemed to follow a bit of a pattern for Lansdell, he got a few starts and some substitute appearances, but never quite looked like a solid starting option. He’s good with the ball and has a fair amount of defensive awareness, but isn’t always the toughest or strongest defender on the pitch, and can also be beaten from pace by speedy strikers.

15 Alexander Evans Age: 29 Position: CB Club: Ogroven Vanguardi FK [ZRH] Caps: 12 Goals: 0
One of the more surprising call ups in recent years, he showed some great performances in CAFA2, but at WCQ90, he seemed to be matched by the opposition. A strong defender, he’s not afraid to put in a tough tackle where needed, although that saw the cards rack up for him in WCQ90. Distribution also needs work at international level, and there is a bit of a sense he could be dropped soon if other names rise to the top of the shortlist.

16 David Blythe Age: 29 Position: RWB Club: Kytheas Rivermen [TKT] Caps: 128 Goals: 0
A player who was seemingly dropped to the bench with the rise of Andrew Dance, but staged a good comeback in WCQ90. A natural wing back, he was a useful player for Rinaldi’s need for an attacking full back. A good passer with plenty of pace, at the expense of the more defensive aspects of the game. Generally well-liked by other players and fans, which helps him keep a spot in the squad.

Midfielders

6 David Clark Age: 30 Position: CDM Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Caps: 104 Goals: 14
One of the veteran players now for Flavovespia, now into the triple digits in terms of caps. A box to box midfielder, who can play as a central defensive midfielder or central midfielder naturally. High in stamina and commitment, his only real area of concern is taking too many risks. In WCQ90 he seemed to be an important part of the central midfield trio, although that trio did struggle at times to control games.

7 Kieron Player Age: 25 Position: CDM Club: Lanar [CMT] Caps: 76 Goals: 3
One of a handful of Flavovespians in this squad who’ve made their name abroad, first in Taeshan and then Chromatika. Kieron Player is another central defensive midfielder who can also play as a central midfielder. He’s a deep lying playmaker, with some great vision and the skills to make those passes. However he’s not the most physically talented of players. WCQ90 was a bit of a struggle for him, although there were flashes of brilliance. Although he can come across as stern and a bit unsociable, he’s friendlier than outwards appearances suggest.

8 Robert Totten Age: 29 Position: CAM Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Caps: 62 Goals: 15
At club level, a central attacking midfielder, for Flavovespia, a central midfielder allowed to roam forward. Robert Totten has been a success story recently, with plenty of goals at CAFA2 and WCQ90, and being a key link between midfield and attack. A good sense of positioning, passing and shooting, although none of those are quite world-class strengths. Quite a fun, extroverted personality with a good sense of humour.

11 Steven Hall Age: 34 Position: RAM Club: Loxthorpe Rovers FC Caps: 218 Goals: 89
The captain of Flavovespia, and by the performance of the 4 games he missed through injury, still such an integral part of the squad even at 34. The winger still seems to have all the technical skill, and practically all of the physical skillset that made him so well known in Flavovespia and beyond, and he’s one of the most well respected figures in the dressing room and the nation. A true professional, and Flavovespia will sorely miss him when retirement comes along for him.

17 Alexander Clarkson Age: 31 Position: CDM Club: Binclestead Wood FC Caps: 29 Goals: 2
Largely a rotational option in the WCQ90, but still he did enough to stay in the squad. A resolute player, who on the pitch is always looking to win the ball and switch defence to attack. He’s been strong at club level, but hasn’t ever quite reached international standard. Always committed to the cause, rarely a player who goes wandering in terms of responsibility.

18 David Wassell Age: 23 Position: CDM Club: St Astons City FC Caps: 14 Goals: 0
WCQ90 turned into a breakthrough for David Wassell, as he got plenty of starts in the midfield trio, favoured over Kieron Player. A defensive midfielder with a focus on defending, he worked well when the full backs played a more offensive style of football. He could go with better concentration and focus, but has shown potential to be in the national team for a while.

19 Jonathan Bagshaw Age: 19 Position: RAM Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Caps: 12 Goals: 4
The real breakout star of the WCQ90. Initially in to replace Steven Hall, he would move to the left attacking midfield position, where as an inside forward, he proved to be a goalscoring threat. Pacey and a good dribbler, he only needs to get some more accuracy with his passing and shooting, to become a real star. Furthermore, despite his young age, he’s shown a stoic and mature personality that serves him well, one who likes to do the talking on the pitch.

20 Andrew Thomas Age: 26 Position: LM Club: Marthorpe City FC Caps: 3 Goals: 0
A left midfielder who’s been developed as an attacking midfielder and winger, he finally got some game time in the WCQ90. Unfortunately his performances didn’t match that of Jonathan Bagshaw or Michael Cole, leaving him little time to get on the pitch. Still in the squad, but it seems like he’ll need to do a fair bit more to get his cap numbers up. Pacey and a good dribbler, but he lacks the finishing touch.

Forwards

9 Michael Cole Age: 25 Position: CF Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Caps: 67 Goals: 21
Michael Cole was once seen as a generational prospect as a forward, but at international level, hasn’t quite shown that yet. WCQ90 was a particular lowlight, feuds with teammates and just one goal scored lead to him being benched. Son of Nick Cole, former manager of Flavovespia, Michael Cole needs to turn his pace and usually accurate finishing into something more substantial this time out else he’ll become an unpopular figure amongst the team and fans.

10 Scott Coleman Age: 31 Position: CF Club: Aries Chariots [NPH] Caps: 195 Goals: 123
The face of the Flavovespian attackers for a long time, and a player in the Nepharan Zenith, Scott Coleman hit a bad patch of form in WCQ90. His consistency was called into question again, and he just didn’t seem to be at the races. Always looking for the space to shoot from, a few suggested he tactically didn’t fit the 4-3-3. More cynical comments suggested he was now past it. Nevertheless, Coleman if he can regain his past form, could still be a real threat.

21 Adrian Jones Age: 26 Position: CF Club: Langmere Green Rovers FC Caps: 12 Goals: 3
WCQ90 was decent for Adrian Jones, as he got his first international goal and broke into the first team for an extended run of games. A target man type striker, he seemed to fit the setup well, able to play in the two wider forwards, whilst still being a goal threat. His decision making could do with a little more work at this level, but his strength and presence in the box is something opposition defenders have struggled with.

25 Anthony Hannigan Age: 27 Position: CF Club: Kings Lunsel FC Caps: 12 Goals: 0
A return to the squad for Anthony Hannigan, as Andrew Brocklehurst is dropped following a few mediocre performances at WCQ90. Anthony Hannigan hasn’t scored in 12 caps, but several of those were off the bench. Anthony Hannigan brings a lot of pace to the squad, combined with a tendency to be accurate at close range with his feet. Maybe not the traditional type of lone striker for a 4-3-3, it could be interesting to see if Augusto Rinaldi considers him as a potential wider forward option.

Tactics

Flavovespia play in a 4-3-3, but it’s taken on a bit of an evolution during the WCQ90. The core idea remains to get the ball forward, in a direct fashion with vertical passing favoured over horizontal passing. However, whereas before the defensive line was expected to be a flat 4, the two full backs now roam more forward, with the aim of playing in the midfielders or wide forwards. At least 1 midfielder drops back to cover, another looks to either drop back as well or be the playmaker, and one will roam forward to link midfield and attack. The wide forwards aim to cross or shoot, with the centre forward now expected to also potentially play in the wide forwards as well as take shots themselves.

Schedule:
MD1 Chartistan (N) Estadio Unión Giancarlo Castro Calderón
MD2 Soldera (N) Estadio Centenario Nerio Negrón Aponte
MD3 Savojarna (N) Estadio Unión Giancarlo Castro Calderón
Round of 32: Wreckeria (N) Estadio Revolución Verde, Valerigua
Round of 16: Starblaydia (N) Estadio Deportivo Cyprien Portillo Serrato, Rocalaro

Predicted Starting XI:
MD1: Diamond, Rees-Cookson-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Wassell, Baghsaw-Coleman-Hall(c)
MD2: Diamond, Rees-Cookson-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Player, Baghsaw-Coleman-Hall(c)
MD3: Diamond, Rees-Lansdell-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Player, Baghsaw-Coleman-Hall(c)
Round of 32: Diamond, Rees-Cookson-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Player, Baghsaw-Coleman-Hall(c)
Round of 16: Diamond, Rees-Cookson-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Player, Cole-Coleman-Hall(c)

Style Mod: 0

Code: Select all: My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following: Choose my goalscorers: Y Godmod scoring events: TG me or Discord me first RP injuries to my players: Y, I choose length of injury Godmod injuries to my players: TG me or Discord me first, I choose length of injury Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y Hand out red cards to my players: Y (although if you want multiple Red Cards, TG me or Discord me first) Godmod other events: TG me or Discord me first COVID-19 specific issues: Flavovespians are assumed to be vaccinated/immune against this. However if your nation is in a pandemic, assume the Flavovespia NT take specific precautions to avoid infection (i.e. isolating at all times before and after the match, daily tests. If you have any particular questions or RP lines that may involve my permission, TG me or Discord me. I'll try and post the next M line-ups here before each match. If not, assume the same as previous in the event of a win, or some rotation otherwise. You’re welcome to use any player as a sub (within reason), unless they're listed as injured or suspended.

Code: Select all: OOC Info: The year in Flavovespia is 36AU. Player ages and teams are from the start of the year, prior to the opening of TW33. TG me or Discord me if you need some IC or OOC info for RP purposes.

by **Soldera** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:05 am

The Solderan national football team were given the Friday off before the World Cup draw to rest their bodies from training after two post-qualifying friendlies.

They would use that time to gather together as captain Joey Westway was sitting in a video conference with manager Norm Carricker and technical director Dahvid Leib in the morning. Leib would not be in attendance at the early evening conference scheduled for Carricker and his assistants and Westway because it was the Sabbath. In addition, Dahvid's daughter Leah was getting ready for her bat mitzvah in a week. Carricker was unofficially the assistant technical director, so it meant he was pulling double duty on this particular day.

Westway knew one of the items on the agenda was reviewing the post-qualifying ranks to find out how the team's standing among footballing countries in the multiverse stood. The Snakes were tied at 236 in the KPB rankings at the beginning of World Cup qualifying with a modest 1.44 points but a 5-3-6 campaign surely must have improved their position at some point. They learned that Kyzhurkistan, a team that entered World Cup 90 qualifying unranked, tied with teams that technically had a rank of 0.00 at rank number 333 had jumped from that position up to 130th.

It made sense. After all, they had a winning record of 6-3-5 in qualifying, even though they didn't advance to the proper, a strong campaign could raise your standing. Sarzonia in World Cup 84 qualifying was one of three countries that returned to international football after a lengthy absence and finished with a winning record in their first World Cup back after a lengthy absence. They vaulted all the way up to 110th after finishing with an 8-7-5 record in qualifying, including a shock 3-1 road upset victory over then-19th ranked Brenecia that officially kept them from winning Group 4.

So it was with great anticipation that the Snakes players gathered at the practice facility before heading out for a weekend of rest and recovery to find out how their own record of 5-6-3 positioned them. Sure, they wouldn't get the bump Kyzhurkistan did, but would they at least move up noticeably. That answer was a resounding yes. The Snakes would improve their ranking to 124th in the multiverse, to go along with a KPB ranking point total of 6.59. They'd gained over 100 places in the rankings and more than five KPB points in one relatively successful campaign. Sure, they'd have liked to have finished with a winning record, but their opening 7-3 victory over Pluvia and the Saxean Isles on the road sent enough shockwaves through the group to provide enough buzz for this Cup of Harmony appearance.

That's why the players let out a loud cheer and began congratulating each other when they saw the graphics flash with the numbers. They weren't a World Cup contender, nor were they expected to emerge as a threat to compete in the Cup of Harmony, but if a heretofore unranked Sarzonia could emerge from the darkness of isolation to win bronze in the Cup of Harmony after falling to the eventual champions Pasarga, the lesson was clear to not write off the Snakes just yet.

"We're not done by any means," Westway warned his mates. "We've got work to do."

Westway wanted more from his teammates than just going through the motions at training. He wanted the team to pursue this opportunity to play on a footballing stage after World Cup qualifying with the same effort and vigor they played with for most of the qualifying campaign. He wanted to show Soldera belonged on the footballing stage, even as the baseball team still received much feting throughout the kingdom for its shock third place finish in the last World Baseball Classic.

They would have a way to go to earn a spot in the hearts of their fellow subjects. Westway knew that. And he also knew the best way to do that was to get results. And he decided that process began on the practice pitch and inside the heads of his teammates.

by **Qasden** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:25 am

Kits courtesy of Siru (Home) and ZSports (Away) of Tikariot and Ziwana respectively

Truly, the Qasden Association Football Association (QAFA) has an undelightful affinity with the number 4 lately.

After the fallout with Sylvia Zimari, the national team saw a bright, flickering chance of hope in a product of its own machinations, Icarus Darsten. His managerial debut, the athletic wonderchild of the olden days was due up to give the country a good name again in AOCAF 65. Armed with Ryan Xandreas by his side, Icarus provided generously, going undefeated all the way up to the semi-finals, a spectacular performance for a weary team. The former captain would strike pewter in his base boosting offensive direction, beating big names like Vilita and Turori before crashing out against Squornshelan Remnant States and, later, Demot. It was a delightful sight, to say the least, even with the ugly ending. After the turmoil of dread and despair brought about by a failed dream team, making it to the top 4, further than the ever-feared Baker Park, was something no Van fan ever expected to see again.

With such a wave of fervent energy pent up, the nation's heads perked slightly at the prospects of a decent quarrel at the 90th World Cup qualifiers, marking 10 tournies since the ill-fated end of the legendary Jon Merritt. Fueled by the unwavering support of the Qad nihilists, Darsten and the Vans once again squabbled to make any permanent gains in their respective group. Draws to Britonisea and extreme gatekeeping by Turori and Drawkland kept Qasden stuck in 4th to the very end; the 4th 4th of qualifying misadventures, and a pewter much less welcomed by the locals. Despite the chance at vengeance, the only big Rube Goldberg machine the Blue-Reds could muster was a fantastic 4-4 battle to the dud against the Kick Corps, sending them to an untimely playoff demise against our neighbors south of the river, Milchama.

So there's where we're at. The Vans, busted and bruised, took their regional successes and shoved them right up the keester in qualifiers. Darsten chalks in another defeat to a prolonged absence from the big show, causing Qasden to drop further in multiversal rankings. The failure was deafening, like a fork screeching the side of an unassuming chalkboard. Nothing seemed to be going in the favors of the Blue-Reds...but maybe the World Cup wasn't the target in the first place. The Cup of Harmony still exists, 10 tournaments since we last lost it to Mercedini. Even despite having never been invited back under Bjarnasson nor Zimari, the competition was still held dearly in the ether of national nostalgia. The Merritt Era still shines adoringly in the country's sporting efforts, its two, silver-marred stars baring the striking responsibility of becoming a national symbol near identical in popularity to the Van itself. Now, under the man who once led the pitch of those days, the Cup of Harmony has once again extended its arm to the River's End, a return to home.

The Vans now travel beyond AO's borders with a goal of reclaiming a piece of heritage once again. There's a good-looking trophy out in the Licentian Isles and Montaña Verde, and the Principality of Qasden wants it back.

KPB: 11.05 (78th)
Style: +3
Preferred Formation: 4-4-2
Nicknames: The (Turkish) Vans | The Calicos (Used for Away Matches) | The Blue-Reds

Icarus Darsten
Age: 40|Position: Manager|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
The former captain of Qasden, Darsten has been involved with the club from its very conception. As a hard working player whose honor and respectability could shatter diamonds, Icarus wasn't ready to part ways with competition after Sylvia's overhaul of the old team, and was enlisted as an assistant manager in her new administration. In the wake of World Cup 89, however, the association decided to ditch Zimari to pursue other names, leading to the promotion of her heir apparent to the job. Like Sylvia before him, Icarus will be put to the test in order to truly decide if he's fit for a proper replacement.

Ryan Xandreas
Age: 37|Position: Assistant Manager|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
In the aftermath of "The Great Refresh", Xandreas, like many of the now declared "OldVans", stayed within the association as a mentor for future NT prospects. Co-leading the National Academy's midfielder program alongside Valentijn Munson, Ryan was introduced to managerial duty following the departure of aloof Cavernite, Gaston Rolf. This strange interaction led to the formation of the X-Squad, a fancy term given to the academy's foreign-foraying team competing at the then ongoing Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy. Despite a quarter-final exit, the release of Sylvia Zimari from the association brought about a new need for a co-manager at the top; and with no other viable candidates around (save an elderly Zachary Sols and a less-so Osmer Kerrison), the academy director/manager returned to the national spotlight once again.

12- Tommy Waluigi
Age: 28|Position: Goal Keeper|Last Known Affiliation: Crossroads
Smart, loyal, and a skilled keeper who was vital to Qasden's success in Banija and a main attractor for Chromatika's Crossroads. Despite this, Waluigi's drive has also left him blind to a goal every now and then, and if it weren't for dumb luck, he'd probably still be a substitute.
Substitute Goal Keepers
00- Cliff Rouge|21|Brenville Blue
25- Zinnia Thurstan|27

5- Joanna Rigby
Age: 30|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Sanford Falls PRIMIER
Her appearance and bubbly nature would entrance anyone into believing she'd be an easy opponent, but don't let that façade fool you. The second that first whistle is blown, her attitude takes a complete 180, and suddenly those who doubted her are suddenly running for the hills!

8- Aristide Quickley
Age: 29|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
With the absence of Gregory Nana, the managers decided to award the position to longtime substitute, Aristide. Quickley's been a familiar face on the bench, rarely doing anything other than rooting on his teammates. That being said, of course, the man's far from inferior to his comrades, being an excellent fighter and tactic-savvy defender that's often seeked out by newcomers for advice. With no worries about joining the domestic foray, Aristide's primarily focused on perfecting his own brand as an ambassador of QAFA for local charity events, especially in his hometown of Taxson.

4- Cora Varnham
Age: 29|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Stahlburg City
Skillful, fierce, and a smartass above all, Varnham was brought up from depths unknown and displays tremendous tenacity when it comes to letting opponents past her. She serves as a pivotal player in Zimari's push for a strong defense, though her gastronomy does serve as a strong plus.

2- Rufus Lester
Age: 31|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
A talented and agile defender in his own right, though his main rise to fame was a result of happenstance: having the insignia "DIX" when the new team donned roman numeral kits. Being a funky guy, Lester squabbles among the team's comedians in an effort to assert himself as the rightful king of jokes, even if it means risking an unsavory punchline for a bit.
Substitute Defenders
3- Vance Justice|21|Dalton United FC
28- Slone Widovia|23
29- Khasan Kubo|24
31- Kaitlyn Cecil|24
7- Maria Vosswater|22|

11- Michelle McCracken (C)
Age: 28|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Brattleboro FC
By far the most dominant of the NewVans. McCracken was recruited as part of a shortlist of female players drafted by Zimari and Valentijn Munson, the first woman of the National Team. Michelle is professionally competitive, and was quick to assert herself as the commanding individual on the field, gaining Darsten's trust in her taking over as Team Captain. She's easily one of the bigger role model figures on the team, given her ability to mask the difficulty of balancing an intense work-life schedule as something with ease.

13- Uwu Lekoye
Age: 23|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Asbury Park FC
One of the more popular folk at the academy, Lekoye was found to be an exceptional midfielder throughout his play in interschool scrimmages and, recently, the Olympics. Wanting to make a name for himself beyond the school walls, Uwu became one of the most recent additions to the primary XI, courtesy of a contract with Asbury Park (though not directly).

16- Marco Bruno
Age: 20|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Sporting Ittuributa
A callup from the National Academy's affiliate in West Qasden, Bruno is by far the favorite when it comes to who will lead the NT in the future. Confident in his mannerisms just as much as he is with his skills, but should still receive some form of guidance, given a tragic backstory he refuses to elaborate on for "plot reasons".

17- Shug De La Fontaine
Age: 29|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Loxthorpe Rovers FC
This is the kind of a man that can make one question their own sexuality. An absolute chad on and off the pitch, Shug knows how to score goals as well as he does women. Sure, he can come off as a bit of a douche because of it, but he's as respectful as his mentality can allow most of the time.
Substitute Midfielders
15- Osmund Blackbourne|31
14- Paige Homewood|26|Meriador FC
38- Rogerette Wellson|22

69- Ike Sexton
Age: 30|Position: Forward|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Good Marlene, don't be in a room with this man if you don't want to hear the history of anything and everything I can't contractually say. Ike, a staunch advocate for his current number, is a formidable player in his own rights, having become one of the nation's top scorers in a matter of tournaments. If you can really get past his nonchalant attitude towards the risque, he's by far the most interesting of the lot.

20- Jaylyn Bone
Age: 26|Position: Forward|Last Known Affiliation: Algolia
Think Ike Sexton, but actually pleasant to be around. Jaylyn was brought about as a prodigy from Chevlin, an eastern city bordering Dogsmouth responsible for the subpar sporting organization, Eastern Athletic. Bone had grown fond of Ike as a friend, and the two occupy each other most of the time, much to the thankfulness of others around them.
Substitute Forwards
21- Willow Harland|30
33- Yvette Leatherbound|24
42- Lennox Dragoslav|23

I Give My Opponent Permission To
Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y
Injure Players: Y&N (get my ok first)
Godmod Injury Events: N
Red Card Players: Y&N (get my ok first)
Yellow Card Players: Y
Godmod anything else: No destroying/killing/harming my players, venues, cities, you get the idea. Other than that, it's fairly fair game.

by **Savigliane** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:21 pm

click on the below image to watch a video from the FSF:

Visit fsf.svg for more information.

The full-time whistle blew at Stadio del Piero, sending eleven players on the field into jubilation and the other eleven to their knees. Tlanx-Nulzk Hal was normally all for uplifting the underdogs - it was objectively incredible that Ochre Islands were qualifying for their first World Cup. But it was hard to appreciate when one was at the other end. Tlanx had thought they'd done everything right after the 1-0 shock upset on the road. Sure, a home win would get them through, but complacency hadn't served them well in the first leg. They'd really lit a fire under their players, stressed the importance of playing their hardest for their long-suffering nation and their fans, and even made some tactical changes to address the offensive impotence of the first leg. And then Savigliane had gone out in front of their home crowd and lost in the exact same way - down to the scoreline, too - to crash out of World Cup contention. It likely marked the end of their tenure - they'd wanted to cling on, Savigliane being such a good fit for their tactics and their message, but the FSF had already notified them that failure to advance would mark the end of their career with the Swans.

The road fans were going wild, though, filling the stadium with their chants, and it was hard not to feel excited for the islanders. It was a little surprising, though, since they didn't really think there were that many away fans...and then Tlanx listened to one of the chants and realized that it was for them. As if on cue, more and more fans began to stand and cheer for their departing manager, for the Qusmi who brought them to the World Cup and heights they'd never imagined possible, who'd, for a brief moment in time, united all Saviglianos under the banner of Tlanxball. As Acqui Bollente rang out in ovation, and the players began to rise and salute their fallen manager, Tlanx knew that all the heartbreak of the last few years had been worth it. Now, it was up to the players, and whoever the next manager would be, to finish what they'd started and bring the nation together again.

by **Drawkland** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 1:50 pm

E X P E D I T I O N . . .

Jaxon Madison and the rest of the group at the tavern had gotten a fire going in the kitchen, and put together a stew. It was cooked in this enormous pot which was filled with various meats, vegetables (mostly potatoes), and a questionable-smelling broth. They had found the pot, still full of cold, rotting stew, and mostly cleaned it out. Katie Madison and Allison Summers had protested eating food cooked in the same pot. Jaxon replied that it would be cooked hot enough to kill any bacteria, and that it should be fine.

About an hour after they had left, the Grid Corps boys and the Cenian duo had returned from their scavenging spree. They'd found enough old-timey tunics and even some light armor for everybody. Jack Hoy had taken a look in the armory and come back with a dozen swords, short blades, and small axes, and scabbards for each.

"We even found some good food in this food storage place!" Riley Hoyt remarked proudly, showing off two barrels they'd filled with bread, cheese, and preserved meats.

Over dinner, which was a couple bowls of stew and flagons of ale for everybody, Nicole Warren and Jaxon instructed that everybody should repack their backpacks, leaving behind any unnecessary items, and putting the most crucial items on the top of each pocket. Especially with the new, era-appropriate equipment, it would be important to be prepared for whatever could happen.

Once dinner and repacking was over, the fire was put out, the candles snuffed, and everybody moved upstairs to the inn to sleep. Jaxon closed the door to the tavern, just in case, and went back upstairs to join the rest.

Only a couple hours into the night, Jaxon awoke with a start. He'd been having a nasty dream. Coming back to TiSoFaH was starting to dredge up unpleasant memories from the original time the Elite took this same journey centuries ago. Usually those rerun nightmares from his time in the maze were few and far between. Hundreds of years and a whole dimension away from their origin, they always felt faint and fleeting once he woke up. The spirits and creatures he encountered were so far away ... until now. Even though he was now awake and could clearly tell he'd just been dreaming, he still felt a feeling of dark foreboding.

After a half hour of fitful tossing and turning, Jaxon decided to sit up in bed. He didn't want to pace around and risk waking up anybody else, but he was too wired to go back to sleep just yet. Thankfully he'd gotten a small single room to himself, so at least he was alone for a moment. He got out of bed, and took a passive look out of the window. Being old, medieval windows, they weren't very good. The view was distorted, as if in a permanent foggy state. He could make out the silhouettes of buildings, the general shape of the plaza, but in the dark of hardly-lit night, it was hard to make out anything.

Then, he saw a flash of movement. He thought his eyes were deceiving him for a second, but a moment later he saw it again, this time closer. He thought it could just be some sort of animal rummaging for food, but as it got closer he could see four distinct figures, walking upright. They were headed right in the direction of the tavern.

Fuck, he thought to himself. He threw on one of the tunics he was given earlier, and hesitantly grabbed the large hunting knife he'd brought on the journey.

He took one last peek from the bottom of the window frame, and the four figures were still there, standing right in front of the tavern. He cursed again to himself, and crept out of his room. As he walked by the room Nicole, Cam, and Sarah had taken, Cam opened the door. She was either not sleeping or had been woken by Jaxon's movement.

"Jaxon? Are you okay?" Cam whispered, noticing the knife in his hands.

"Sh! Stay there!" Jaxon hissed back, and he continued to creep down the hallway to the stairs. Cam ignored his order, and quickly put on slightly more proper clothes. She grabbed the short sword she'd received earlier, and nervously followed about ten paces behind Jaxon.

Jaxon went down the steps as quietly as he could, and stopped on the landing. It was dark, but his eyes had started to adjust. He couldn't see the four figures through the front windows ... and then the door budged open. Silent as the grave, four men in patchy cloaks slipped into the building. Jaxon prayed they wouldn't notice him, and perhaps were just there to steal some barrels of ale or something.

When the foursome took a few steps into the building, they all straightened up at once and looked in Jaxon's direction. So much for that hope.

"I don't want any trouble," Jaxon started, hiding his knife behind his back. "Leave me be and we can both go in peace."

"Our apologies, but we don't take orders from you." One of the figures took a step forward, and pulled back their cloak to reveal a sword hilt. "You'd best let us pass with everything you've got, and maybe you'll be in one piece when we're done."

"I'm afraid that's not an option," Jaxon sighed, revealing his knife and stepping off the stairwell landing. By now, Cam was crouched at the top of the stairs, holding her sword in the scabbard. Jaxon hadn't noticed her, and she didn't want to reveal herself.

"You, against us? Are you mad?" The figures chuckled quietly, and three of them drew their swords. "You stand no chance, even if you're not alone."

"I am alone," Jaxon insisted. "Just leave me be and nobody has to get hurt."

"None of us are getting hurt regardless." The one speaking pointed at the bar, where the bowls from dinner had been placed. "And you don't look to be alone."

Cam could barely make out the conversation, but her heart raced. Could they see her? Did they know they were all here? Who were these people?

"I'll concede the latter point," Jaxon admitted, "but I will contend for the first. You're not getting through me."

"Where are the others?" The main figure asked again, ignoring Jaxon's warning. "We don't want any more nasty surprises."

Jaxon said nothing, but he took a fake nervous glance towards the kitchen storeroom. Hopefully they'd buy it. The main figure nodded, and the one who hadn't drawn his sword walked towards the kitchen. Perfect, that might buy me enough time, Jaxon thought to himself.

"If you want nasty surprises, I'll give you one!" Jaxon yelled suddenly, hoping it would wake somebody upstairs. If these intruders were coming for blood, at least they wouldn't get away without a fight from everybody else in the building.

The figures seemed to tighten the grip on their swords and took a couple steps towards Jaxon. He sprung into action, drawing his knife and running towards the figures to engage them.

Jaxon wasn't an experienced fighter, of course. The Elite Eleven had plied their trade with team ball sports. While part of their claim to fame is that they could fill out an entire Olympics roster with just the eleven of them if the event timings were correct, Jaxon had little experience with fighting. The most he'd done was a little bit of boxing for strength training. He'd sparred with the other members of the Elite, but hand-to-hand combat wasn't really their thing. For a moment, Jaxon wondered why they didn't do it more often. His brain quickly moved back to the task at hand, as the figures braced for a fight.

With the running start, Jaxon came crashing in with momentum. He had a bit of a range disadvantage, wielding a large knife compared to actual swords, but the relatively close quarters of the tavern hampered the figures and their ability to swing effectively. Jaxon barreled into the first figure, smacking his sword aside and trucking him into a table. Jaxon turned to face the other two, and they engaged him one at a time to begin, content to try and dispatch him singlehandedly.

This strategy wouldn't work out. Jaxon parried an incoming strike from the figure facing him, using his knife to force the figure's sword off to the side and into a bench. With his free hand, Jaxon quickly pulled back and socked the figure in the face. He cried out, and Jaxon got a grim smile. That would yield at least a bloody nose. The figure's grip on his sword loosened slightly, and Jaxon jammed his knife hand into the figure's wrist, forcing him to drop his sword. Before he could do anything else, Jaxon reared back again and sent another flurry of punches into the man's face. He fell backwards, and hit his head on a solid wood table on the way down. He was out cold.

As a wise man once said ... everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. Jaxon thought to himself and grinned. Clearly these weren't good fighters, as they seemed to be caught by surprise. He was afraid they'd be some sort of soldiers of an insurgent force, but they were clearly no more than common bandits. Maybe all he'd have to do is rough them up a bit and they'd run out of there. He could've stabbed the guy to take him out for good, but he was hoping that wouldn't be necessary.

"Want some?" Jaxon taunted the main figure, who had yet to engage him.

"It looks like we'll have to do it the hard way," the bandit replied simply. He stepped forward, holding his sword in a solid grip and a strong stance. He was clearly a more experienced fighter. Meanwhile, the bandit Jaxon shoved to the ground first had gotten back to his feet and also stepped in to fight. Now Jaxon had to deal with a two-on-one fight.

They both swung at once, forcing Jaxon to take evasive maneuvers. The three men became a flurry of activity, with Jaxon barely hanging on. Thankfully, he was quick enough with his knife to dodge, block, and parry their swipes, but they were keeping him at bay. There was no way Jaxon was going to get in any more punches, and he was entirely on the defensive. A little bit of panic set in on him, but he was too busy paying close attention to the blows that were coming to think about it.

By now, Cam had crept further down the stairwell to see what was going on. Hidden by the darkness, she peeked through the dilapidated bannister. She was shocked to see the scene. Jaxon was fighting some guys in big tattered cloaks, and holding his own. One was already on the ground, clearly incapacitated, and he was managing to fend off two at once. Things looked to be in control, but suddenly one of the bandits sent a kick directly into Jaxon's stomach. He tumbled backwards, falling on his ass and landing next to the bar. To make matters worse, he landed on his right hand and hurt his wrist, forcing him to switch his knife to his left hand.

I have to help him! Cam thought suddenly. She had no fighting experience, besides that one weekend she spent with Ellzidan and most of the rest of the party in preparation for this trip. She wasn't great, but these bandits didn't seem to be very good either, and maybe she could help turn the tide for Jaxon. She sprung into action, running down the stairs and drawing her sword on the landing.

"What's this now?" A voice came from Cam's right, and she saw another figure coming out of the kitchen. She didn't realize there was a fourth person there, and suddenly she panicked. The other bandits noticed her too. It did give Jaxon enough time to get back on his feet, but now the situation felt like it was about to go out of control.

"You handle her!" The main bandit yelled back, turning back to face Jaxon. Now the new bandit drew his sword, striding confidently towards Cam.

Cam had been in hostile environments before. Being a star striker on multiple big teams meant you'd be heckled and hated whenever you left your home grounds. In those scenarios she almost felt a sense of pride and spite. Despite the vulgar nature of some fans, she never felt true danger. This, on the other hand, was true danger. It was an entirely new level of fight or flight that Cam didn't know her body had. Flight wasn't an option, lest she lead the bandits upstairs to her probably still sleeping friends. It had to be a fight.

Meanwhile, Jaxon was busy again with the two other conscious bandits. He was slowly backing away from them, running his right hand along the edge of the bar. He was weighing his options. He needed to find a way to not only incapacitate both these guys, but do it quickly enough to go help Cam, who he could tell was struggling. The bandits didn't give him enough time to think, though. The main one continued to step towards Jaxon, while the other one came around to flank him.

They sprung into action again at the same time, forcing Jaxon to dodge one and barely slap away the other with his knife. To make matters worse, he was now pinned against the bar with almost nowhere left to go. As one of the bandits swung their sword next to Jaxon, they hit the bar, and it made a tinkling noise. Jaxon suddenly remembered there were bottles of mead still sitting on top of the bar. He knew what he had to do.

Quickly, Jaxon sent a kick towards the main bandit, missing the mark but forcing him back for a moment. The second bandit swung at Jaxon again, but he deflected the blow, turned to grab a bottle off the bar, and swung it back around to strike the side of the bandit's head. The glass didn't break, but the man folded and hit the floor with a thud. Jaxon continued his momentum and spun to face the main bandit. He tried to throw the bottle at him, but his wrist bent badly again, and the sudden pain forced him to drop the bottle. It shattered when it hit the floor.

Now in a one-on-one fight, and the momentum, Jaxon felt like he had the advantage. The main bandit was backpedaling now, sending weak thrusts and swings to keep Jaxon away from him.

Jaxon almost couldn't believe it. Is he retreating now? I can't get close enough with just this knife. Maybe I should take the sword off one of the knocked out guys. He started backpedaling a bit, going back to where the other bandit was. He turned around to find and grab the sword.

Unfortunately, Jaxon found the sword being plunged directly through his midsection. The bandit had fallen right to the floor after the bottle blow, but he hadn't been knocked out. The main bandit had seen this and was just biding time for his companion to get back up. Jaxon had played right into it, coming back to him, and now the barely-conscious bandit had finished him.

Cam, on the other side of the room, had held her own against the last bandit. She managed to get him off-balance and shoved him into the stone wall of the room, sending him tumbling down to the ground. She looked up, just in time to see Jaxon get stabbed right in the gut.

"NO!" Cam screamed, shocked at the very sudden and very real violence. The bandits laughed, as Jaxon stumbled backwards and collapsed onto the floor. He coughed up a huge hunk of blood, and his head went limp.

"Looks like he wasn't that good after all." The main bandit offered a hand to help his companion off the floor.

"Listen, girlie," said the bandit Cam fought as he got back to his feet, "If you just drop your sword now, we won't rough you up too bad. Beats ending up like your friend over there."

"Go fuck yourself," Cam spat back. She grabbed her sword tightly with two hands, setting her feet. She was going to make them pay ... or at least, she hoped so. The bandit stepped back towards her, reading to resume their battle.

"Guess we have more of a fight to come!" The main bandit chuckled. "Here, Anson, let me retrieve your sword." He crouched down to look at Jaxon, whose eyes had glassed over. There was still some blood leaking out of his mouth and a lot spilling onto the floor from his midsection.

"You almost had us!" The main bandit taunted to Jaxon's pale face. "You had me worried for a min-HLGH!" He was interrupted by Jaxon's knife going straight into his neck.

Jaxon's limp head turned sharply, and his eyes snapped back into focus to look the man dead in the eyes.

"Almost," Jaxon gurgled through the blood in his throat, "isn't good enough for me."

The other bandits spun around in horror, watching their de facto leader crumple to the floor in a pool of blood. With pained effort, Jaxon pulled the bandit's sword out of his gut, and grabbed the bar to help himself to his feet. The bandit who was now swordless started nervously pacing backwards, and tripped over a bench. He fell to the floor, and Jaxon strode forward, planting the bandit's sword into its owner's gut.

"Feel good?" Jaxon spluttered, spraying blood from his mouth as he spoke. He took the sword out, and plunged it into the bandit again, this time right into his heart.

The last bandit was pale, like he was seeing a ghost. He was nearly frozen with shock as Jaxon held his knife up and continued walking towards him.

"L-leave me be!" The last bandit cried, dropping his sword and raising his arms in surrender. Jaxon stood eye to him.

"I made the same request and you refused." Jaxon was barely audible at this point. "Thus, you shall pay the price." With a lightning-quick move of the arm, Jaxon sliced open the bandit's neck, and he fell to the floor a second later.

Cam stared in mortified silence. She'd just gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in the last 60 seconds. To top that all off, she'd now witnessed death for the first time. Jaxon seemed to relax a little bit, and dropped into a chair.

"Thanks Cam," Jaxon spoke up after a minute of cleaning out his mouth. "You really sold the death thing and got them off guard. Couldn't have done it without you, I mean it."

"I ... um," Cam was at a loss for words. "I forgot that you, uh, could do ... that."

"Forgot I was immortal?" Jaxon started to laugh, then stopped when it caused him visible pain. "That's like the only thing you know about me."

"Well I knew it!" Cam protested. "I had just never seen it in action. I mean, even after I knew, it's not like it was ever noticeable. I've never seen anybody ... die. Like that especially."

"It's not fun. I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to actually killing these guys, but they killed me, so it was only fair."

"Are you going to be okay?" Cam asked, looking at the absurd amount of blood. "Do you need bandages or something?"

"No, the wound should seal itself shut here in a few minutes. It's probably going to take a day or two for the organs to regenerate and rearrange themselves to be fully functional. It will, however, hurt like a bitch."

"I'm going to get you some water at least," Cam insisted.

"Good call." Jaxon looked down to investigate the wound. "Totally fucking ruined these new clothes though. I'll have to find some more before we leave in the morning."

Cam returned a moment later with a pitcher of water, stepping over one of the dead bandits on the floor.

"What are we gonna do with these ... bodies?" Cam asked quietly.

"Well, the one over there is still alive, just knocked out," Jaxon replied. "I don't want to kill him, but he can't give us anymore trouble. I think we'll drag these bodies outside and put them somewhere else. Maybe chain up the knocked out guy so he can't escape, at least before we leave."

"I'm still in shock about all this," Cam sighed. "Thank you for saving me, by the way. I don't think I could've taken those guys by myself."

"No problem!" Jaxon said cheerily. "Hopefully it's the last time you'll need saving on this trip. Knock on wood." Cam grinned and knocked her knuckles against the wooden table next to her.

"Alright, let's wake up a few people," Jaxon slowly stood up from his chair. "No way just the two of us will be dragging these guys around, it'll take all night."

by **Schima Bas** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:46 pm

Schima Bas | The Golden Crescent

National Team Record (Not including friendlies): (15-9-19)
KPB Ranking: 86* (Previously 130)
Manager: Gaio Grieco (6-1-7)
Captain: Makin Moghaddam
Formation: 4-4-2
Style Modifier: +2

Last Tournament Performance
WCQ90 6-1-7, 4th in Group 8, Did not qualify

The Golden Crescent’s second World Cup qualifying attempt ended with the team not qualifying for the World Cup proper. Sitting as high as third in the Group 8 at points, the Basians had a very successful first half, with a 4-1-2 record, before faltering in the final seven games, only winning two more games, and losing five.

The manager of the national team, Gaio Grieco, in his first international outing, oversaw a qualifying period filled with mixed emotions. At times, the Golden Crescent looked like it might well be able to qualify for the top two spots, while at other times the team showed its inexperience. In the first tournament that saw Makin Moghaddam assume the captaincy, the midfield was a make-or-break element in Grieco’s tactical approach.

Bisma Shehadeh, the midfield bull, showed inconsistencies despite finding the back of the net more than in any past tournament. Casildo Hana seemed to benefit from taking a backseat in team leadership, as the young striker develops into a key talent for the national team as well as his domestic club Alquerdi Crown, who will hope to challenge for the title in the coming season after coming up short in the inaugural season of the Crown Premier League.

The defensive side of the ball is much improved from how the squad looked under previous manager Eugenio Tio, but many Basians fans, who have become used to high-powered attacking lineups have been disappointed with the style of football being played.

“This isn’t how we play, this isn’t who we are,” said Albram Husseibi, a forty-six year old national team fan. “When’s the last time you heard of a great Basian defender? And yet we have four of them, and only two strikers. It’s not how we run our national team.”

Grieco addressed some of these concerns in a post-qualifying press conference.

“I understand that the brand of football we’re now playing is different from what many are used to,” Grieco said. “However, I believe the Basian FA has put me in control so that we can work on developing all aspects of the game, and that includes the defensive side of the ball… We’re looking at ways in which we can involve talented wing-backs in the attack as well.”

The Golden Crescent will look towards its second Cup of Harmony appearance as an opportunity to reaffirm Grieco’s style of football. The result of the tournament may well set the tone for future changes to the still-developing identity of Basian football.

Starting XI

GK: Tebrum Bourreau, 28 (L’embac Ourelasia)
LB: Volfango Di Lello, 30 (Barracelio FC)
CB: Ausmil Trenuni, 31 (Qadir Rifling)
CB: Gilles Bertrand, 30 (L’embac Ourelasia)
RB: Khuld Montemayor, 27 (Alquierdi Crown)
LM: (C) Makin Moghaddam, 28 (Alquierdi Crown)
CM: Bisma Shehadeh, 31 (Alquerdi Crown)
CM: Mukarram el-Muhammad, 27 (Hatem Phoenix FC)
RM: Leonard Charbonneau, 26 (L’embac Ourelasia)
F: Hideki Nazar, 28 (Ourelasia Hearts)
F: Casildo Hana, 22 (Alquierdi Crown)

Roster (Starters in bold)

Goalkeepers

Tebrum Bourreau, 28 (L’embac Ourelasia)

Tufail Semaan, 30 (Qadir Rifling)
Cairo Hatem, 29 (Hatem Phoenix FC)

Defense

LB, Volfango Di Lello, 30 (Barracelio FC)
CB, Ausmil Trenuni, 31 (Qadir Rifling)
CB, Gilles Bertrand, 30 (L’embac Ourelasia)
RB, Khuld Montemayor, 27 (Alquierdi Crown)

LB, Orgasni Azizi, 25 (L’embac Ourelasia)
CB, Yann Alam, 33 (Basian Blac)
CB, Avery Cloutier, 32 (L’embac Ourelasia)
RB, Jerust King, 26 (Qadir Rifling)

Midfield

LM, (C) Makin Moghaddam, 28 (Alquierdi Crown)
CM, Bisma Shehadeh, 31 (Alquerdi Crown)
CM, Mukarram el-Muhammad, 27 (Hatem Phoenix FC)
RM, Leonard Charbonneau, 26 (L’embac Ourelasia)

LM, Raaji Attar, 25 (Ourelasia Hearts)
CM, Abaddon Ghanem, 25 (Basian Blac)
CM, Gaston Barracuda, 27 (L’embac Ourelasia)
RM, Araft Sergeant, 32 (Barracelio FC)

Offense

F, Hideki Nazar, 28 (Ourelasia Hearts)
F, Casildo Hana, 22 (Alquierdi Crown)

F, Jan Moustafa, 26 (Hatem Phoenix FC)
F, Bassel Adel, 27 (Hatem Phoenix FC)
F, Akili Granada, 25 (Basian Blac)

Godmod scoring events: Yes, please look at my most recent RP for starting lineup information, if I have forgotten to post them, use the starting lineup above.
RP injuries to my players: Yes, if you inform me before and I agree.
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes, limit three per match.
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, limit one per match. If you really must use more, tg me!
Godmod other events: Yes, if you inform me before and I agree.

by **The Cordian Isles** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 5:59 pm

Cordia National Football Team

The Cordian Isles didn’t amaze in World Cup Qualifiers, but they didn’t play terribly either, and they were in the hunt with three matches to go. The losing record hurts a bit, dropping the Isles’ international record to 12-6-17, but the North Stars can leave with their heads… perhaps not high, but at least level, and maybe tilted slightly upwards, having finished in 6th as a Pot 7 nation. The Isles now enter the Cup of Harmony with their main goal being to make it past the group stage - a lofty goal, though, with major nations like Starblaydia missing out on the World Cup proper.

The team is managed by former Nepharan NT keeper Diandra Ballard. She’s not on the hot seat - Cordians tend to take that sort of thing slowly - and she’s gotten praise for managing the Isles to a 2-1 away victory over Pot 1 nation Pemecutan. There is some pressure to succeed in the CoH, though, as the Cordians went winless over the last three matches of qualifying.

This team leans very heavily offensively on strikers Voll and Osterholt, which works some of the time, though the team’s Baptism of Fire success was marked by large contributions from the midfield and Ballard wants to get back to that baseline, which saw the Cordians go 5-1-0 in the group stage of that tournament before crashing out in the quarterfinals. Expect to see the midfielders a bit more active offensively in this tournament than previous matches.

Striker Sebastian Voll
Team: Brenville Blue
Age: 29
Captain
27 caps, 11 goals
Known for his positioning and a hard, accurate shot, Voll has been Brenville's top scorer for four years running. Voll is a perfect leader for the team, his goals lifting them up while his leadership keeps them together.
Substitute: Jorie Rounds | Jutland Cannons | 24 | 12 caps, 2 goals

Striker Anton Osterholt
Team: Gilded City Dragons
Age: 23
27 caps, 13 goals
Osterholt is very good with his feet, able to completely sell a fake, which has earned him the nickname “Anton Anklebreaker”. He's the primary scorer, and often the only scorer, on a Dragons team that emphasizes a defensive, conservative approach to football.
Substitute: Ine van Dijck | Creston Wolves | 28 | 14 caps, 3 goals

Left Midfielder Nicholas Eriksen
Team: Cordasfjord FC
Age: 28
27 caps, 3 goals
Eriksen is well-known for his crosses and passing, an important skill for him as he will be responsible for getting the ball into the box from the left side. In the Baptism of Fire he popped off, and ever since he’s been the team’s top-scoring midfielder as well as an exceptional passer.
Substitute: Lucas van Oers | Jutland FC | 25 | 16 caps

Left Center Midfielder Hannah Andersen
Team: Winchester City [Cassadaigua]
Age: 27
27 caps, 3 goals
Great communication allows Andersen to "overcome" a lack of skill more perceived by sports pundits than real, though many of Andersen's best plays have been made with her head rather than her feet. A more defensive-minded midfielder who will not give up the inside of the field.
Substitute: Henry Smits | Vikings FC | 28 | 12 caps, 1 goal

Right Center Midfielder Bee Karjalainen
Team: Brenville Blue
Age: 29
24 caps, 2 goals
Karjalainen is notable for her ability to hold the strained two-man Brenville midfield, and her consistency has helped the club to new heights in the CIFA. Karjalainen's best skill is her endurance. She never seems to run out of fuel and it seems like she can be everywhere at once in Brenville. She doesn't have to worry about that in the NT's 4-4-2, but she will be able to cover if desperation hits.
Substitute: Erik Pratt | Jutland Cannons | 29 | 12 caps

Right Midfielder Rasmus Karlssen
Team: Thor’s Rest Storm
Age: 24
27 caps, 2 goals
Rasmus has been called the smartest player in the CIFA, and for good reason. He can read the opposition like an open book and excels at creating scoring chances. Space and gaps in opposing defense often just seems to materialize in front of him. Storm fans call him "the Magician".
Substitute: Perry Oosterhuis | Skalton Harpers | 27 | 12 caps

Left Back Lucia Verkerk
Team: Gilded City Dragons
Age: 24
19 caps, 1 goal
With an impressive performance in World Cup Qualifiers, Verkerk moves up the depth chart, taking the starting spot and replacing Johnson there. Verkerk is a very good all-round back, who can block shots and threaten the opposition in equal measure. There’s nothing inherently special about her other than a tendency to run her mouth. Her CIFA opposition have compared being marked by Verkerk to being buzzed by many angry bees.
Substitute: Eric Johnson | Creston Wolves | 25 | 22 caps

Left Center Back Redvin Chase
Team: Jutland Cannons
Age: 27
25 caps, 1 goal
Chase is one of the CIFA's better defenders, with a solid header that often proves critical to the Cordian defense on set pieces. Chase does play a physical game, though, and he could see the yellow and red cards pile up if that gets out of hand.
Substitute: Milani Göransson | Brenville Blue | 24 | 16 caps

Right Center Back Frederick Johnson
Team: Jutland FC
Age: 25
27 caps, 1 goal
Another solid center back, Johnson excels at pinpoint passes and keeping attackers on the outside per the Cordian gameplan.
Substitute: Sigrid Altena | Skalton Harpers | 27 | 12 caps

Right Back Vladimir Demov
Team: Danvirk FC
Age: 29
26 caps, 1 goal
Demov is one of the best defenders in the CIFA, with a powerful shot that can score from outside and impeccable defensive positioning. His experience anchors the Cordian backline.
Substitute: Jean Admiraal | Valley Fold Vengeance | 27 | 16 caps, 1 goal

Goalkeeper Kristin Bergstrin
Team: Jutland Cannons
Age: 25
28 caps, 6 clean sheets
Bergstrin has been one of the most successful Cordian keepers in her time, though there is debate as to whether this is to her credit or the defenses she's been fortunate enough to have in front of her, and trophies continue to elude her, no matter the club she’s on.
Substitute: Jordi Jongen | Creston Wolves | 24 | 11 caps, 2 clean sheets

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose my scoring events: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y, but I decide severity
Godmod Injuries to my players: N
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Y
Give Red Cards to my players: Y, up to once per match.
Godmod other events: Y, but TG me first.
Style Modifier(-5 to +5): +1

Suggestions
Top Scorers: Voll, Osterholt
Most Physical: Demov, Chase
Set Piece Takers: Eriksen, Karlssen

by **Barunia** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 9:17 pm

Barunia Suns
CoH 82 Squad

Coach Liesel McLelland's position is now permanent, following a strong finish in World Cup 89 which saw the team end the group stage in 4th place, and then go on to make it to the knockout rounds of the Cup of Harmony. There has only been one change, with exciting young talent Brenton Kelly coming in as the fourth striker, after the shock retirement of Emmanuel Carter last cycle. Former captain Neville Swan is still here, despite expectations that he would retire. Louise Cartwright took over the captaincy at the beginning of last cycle, and she retains it here.

Goalkeepers
#1  John Taylor
#22 Mercedes Collins
#23 Bradley Warren

Defenders
#13 Karly Seymour
#3  Ronald Moreno
#4  Nick Bentley
#5  Fiona Brayshaw
#12 Debbie Elliot
#16 Tyler Stevenson
#20 Bailey McAndrew

Midfielders
#8  Louise Cartwright (c)
#14 Melissa Hunt
#9 Neville Swan
#7  Rebecca Thomas
#18 Clive Rushton
#19 Juliette Whistler
#25 Lewis Brooker
#26 John Pierce
#27 Anthony Vera

Forwards
#10 Sara Moorhouse
#21 Richard Hall
#17 Rachael Cross
#28 Brenton Kelly

Coach:
Liesel McLelland

Formation: 3-1-3-3

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes (no own goals please)
Godmod scoring events:No
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, 1 per match at most
Godmod other events: No

Style: +2.6

by **Savigliane** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 10:23 pm

SAVIGLIANE NATIONAL TEAM ROSTER
CUP OF HARMONY 82: VENI, VIDI, ICHI

It's official - Tlanx-Nulzk Hal has gotten the Swans as far as they can. The two-time Galactico Manager of the Year agreed not to renew their contract after failing to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup, and while the legacy they'll leave on Savigliano football is enormous, it's universally agreed that they left at the right time. Now, another legendary manager has come to deliver Savigliane to the World Cup - and hopefully pick up some silverware at the Cup of Harmony and the CAFA along the way. Ichi Tuzzio hopes to break Ramsey's record by taking Savigliane where he took Buyan, Farfadillis, and Baker Park. The legendary Farfish champion has brought his own attacking style and an injection of confidence to the team - will he get immediate results? Some basic information about Savigliane can be found in my first WCQ RP or my BoF/WCQ RP line. Essentially, the nation has been teleported to the NS world from an IRL equivalent and is still working through the fallout of that event.

NICKNAME: The Swans / The Red and Blues
MANAGER: Ichi TUZZIO, 73 (Farfadillis)
ASSISTANT MANAGER: Friekder DANDALLEION, 73 (Farfadillis)
Thanks to Farfadillis for generously providing the below character description of Tuzzio and Dandalleion:

Ichi had a very successful football career: he plied his trade in Farfadillis playing for Ferdullaele FC, then in Turori playing for Cednia Beach, before moving to Makosile in Vilita. He was consistently a very solid player for over a decade in the V-League. On the national front, he started for Farfadillis as CAM for many years, playing a big part in their first World Cup qualification and their first AOCAF Cup win, notably scoring the winner against Vilita in the semifinal, in a 3-1 to 4-3 comeback. He was a CAM that could score incredibly frequently, and had a fearsome long shot. He loves helping develop players with characteristics similar to him, as he did with Faragó rue Cazade at Farfadillis. He could be criticized for turning Faragó into a bit of a vanity project, but his development under Tuzzio was unprecedented. Shortly after his retirement, during the celebrations of Farfadillis second AOCAF Cup win, Ichi Tuzzio was tragically shot in an attempt to mug him. He lost the ability to walk, but managed a miraculous recovery over the years which saw him able to walk with the help of a cane. This event motivated him to start his managerial career.

He started as assistant manager on the Farfadillis NT, helping out Tíbürçìó Çötàvíê. Tíbürçìó was not very good at listening, however, so at first his job was more about reigning in the players than anything relating to tactics. As Tíbürçìó started developing dementia, however, he slowly started having a bigger say on tactics, though this isn't something known to the public. Before Tíbürçìó completely slid into insanity, he moved on to the Buyanese national team, which he helped qualify to the World Cup despite them standing essentially no chance at the beginning of the cycle. From there he moved back to the Farfadillis NT once again, this time replacing Tíbürçìó instead of assisting him. He managed a fourth place finish in his first cycle, though in rather heartbreaking fashion after losing 6-3 to Turori in the semifinal. His AOCAF Cup performances were below par, and so was his World Cup 83 performance, as Farfadillis rather unceremoniously went out in the round of sixteen after a shaky group stage performance, despite having managed a perfect run in qualifiers. Coming into World Cup 84, Tuzzio's job was being heavily questioned due to both performances and style. He shut up his critics, however, by bringing the trophy to Farfadillis for the first time in its history, and not once deviating from his methods in the process. After resigning because of how stressful the job as Farfadillis manager is, he joined Baker Park's national team, where he led the Commonwealth to two knockout round appearances and a fourth-place finish in his time there.

As a manager, Tuzzio bucks the trend by being a reasonable manager despite his nationality. He still prefers heavily offensive tactics, but is willing to adapt to his players, going so far as to play merely offensively, or even a balanced playstyle when the situation calls for it. His strengths certainly lie in his man management - he wouldn't have lasted more than a few months managing Farfadillis otherwise - and in his ability to adapt. He also has very in-depth knowledge of every offensive Farf tactic in the book, which gives him a flexibility that's difficult to match. His weakness lies in his inexperience managing a good defense. He's still the manager that got the most out of a Farf defense in history, but it can't be denied that managing a Farf defense is completely different from managing a standard defense. His other weakness is that he can be temperamental, though he never showed signs of this when managing Buyan.

His assistant manager will be Friekder Dandalleion, one of the biggest Farf legends of the game and his best friend. He played for Jungle Strike for almost his entire career, and is probably one of the club's top three biggest legends. For Farfadillis, he, like Tuzzio, was instrumental in their first World Cup appearances, as well as in their first AOCAF Cup win. He also won a second AOCAF Cup, scoring the winning goal in the final against Osarius before retiring from football altogether. He's a consummate professional who will help out Tuzzio with whatever he needs, also giving him suggestions whenever he sees fit. He's not as knowledgeable as Tuzzio, but could probably make it as manager if he so desired.

STYLE MOD: +4.1
FORMATION: 3-4-3
Captain - Chiara Blanco
Vice-Captains - Adrian Toscani, Anne-Marie Roux
Penalty Takers (in order of preference) - Adrian Toscani, Thea Squarciafichi, Chiara Blanco, Federico Arnaudo, Anne-Marie Roux
Free Kick Taker - Adrian Toscani
Corner-Kick Taker - Anne-Marie Roux (L), Adrian Toscani (R)
RP PERMISSIONS:

Preferred Goalscorers: None preferred, feel free to consult the below guide for help
Godmod scoring events: TG/DM before doing so
RP injuries to my players: Yes (I determine severity)
Godmod injuries to my players: TG/DM before doing so
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, TG/DM if more than one
Godmod other events: TG/DM before doing so
Other: If you plan to RP the match extensively, please mention by players by name (as opposed to “the Savigliano striker…” or similar). Please consult me before using images meant to represent my players. All permissions are set to "N" if you explicitly send a sub-age team.

Kits: Made with love by uni·q · for the game that’s more than a game.
(OOC: thanks to Qusmo for making these!)

TACTICS

There's more than a shade of Tlanxball in Ichi Tuzzio's tactics - with a relatively short preparation window between the ill-fated WCQ campaign and the Cup of Harmony, the Farfish manager has opted not to rock the boat too much in terms of system, opting to focus more on installing new players in certain positions. The focus remains on retaining possession and rapidly moving the ball forwards vertically - although Tuzzio emphasizes verticality and lightning-quick transition much more than his Qusmi predecessor. In build-up, Dutto will stay back and use his passing range to search for opportunities to immediately advance to midfield, while both Garcia and Blanco will be given the green light to run forwards with the ball at their feet. Chastain will be given more of a box-to-box role, focusing on making late runs into dangerous areas and pushing the pace, while Arnaudo will be deployed as more of a playmaker. The wingbacks, especially Vitale, essentially have free reign to turn into wingers, and will be providing the bulk of the width in this setup. The aim while in possession will be to rapidly shift the ball forward before using quick interchanges and dynamic movement in the attacking third of the pitch. To aid this, the forwards will often drift wide and into the half-spaces to stretch the opposition defense before playing back through the center or switching play to the now-exposed opposite flank. Toscani and Roux will both cut inside frequently to make plays, while Squarciafichi is more of a pure goalscorer who will have more than enough playmakers feeding her in the box.

On defense, Ichi Tuzzio has opted for a surprisingly sane approach - but he was always the sanest one of the great Farfadillis managers. Defensively, Savigliane will play a relatively high line, aiming to compress the opposition's build-up toward the sidelines and pressing immediately after losing the ball. The Swans will rely on the pace and tactical instincts of their back four to cover what is a pretty attack-minded "front six", especially since both Palomer and Vitale, the most attacking fullback pairing in Swans history, will both be pushing forward if necessary to maintain dynamism in possession. The aggression of the fullbacks, as well as the on-ball ability of Toscani and Roux, make this an even more attack-minded setup than usual, and one that thrives on exploiting weaknesses in the flanks. They might not actually be elite immediately, but they'll at least be fun to watch.

GOALKEEPERS

#01 - Nicodemo D’AMBROSIO - 29 - Unioneers (EUR)
#12 - Nicolas DuCASSE - 29 - Kingston FC (QUE)
#23 - Narcisa ROUSSEAU - 24 - Nazionale Acqui Bollente

D’Ambrosio has been one of the breakout stars of post-Event Savigliane, going from backup to Golden Glove winner to Mayville starter and NT star. He’s still inexperienced, but an incredibly athletic shot-stopper with inconsistent but strong distribution. DuCasse is a much stronger and more consistent distributor, although his highs aren’t quite as high as D’Ambrosio, and he’s a relatively weak shot-stopper at this level. Rousseau came out of nowhere to anchor Nazionale's title-winning defense and is a dominant presence in the box with strong athleticism but a bit of an ego.

DEFENDERS

#02 - LCB - Adélaïde GARCIA - 30 - KT Moreazerua (AUD)
#14 - CB/CDM - Gianmarco DUTTO - 28 - FK Metropola Borograd (STL)
#03 - RCB - Chiara BLANCO (C) - 26 - Aries Chariots (NPH)
#25 - LCB - Valérien TIBÈRE - 21 - AS Villeneuve
#15 - CB - Alexandre ONIO - 24 - 1896 Ebor (MYT)
#13 - RCB/RB - Rémy LeCLERC - 27 - Stade-Ferre Trinité

Garcia is the quickest of the backline, and the one in the highest demand last transfer window before a big-money move to Mozi - while still occasionally prone to mistakes while on the ball, her athleticism and man-marking capabilities make her a valuable, versatile asset to the national team. Gianmarco Dutto is a strong but slower-footed center-back whose biggest strength is his ability to distribute from the back - he’s already being tipped as a potential successor to the legendary Pietro Giraudo, and Tuzzio has fallen in love with his playmaking and physicality enough to let him anchor the defense. Blanco, replacing the aging fan favorite Efisio Moreau, is quick, aerially adept, and hard-working, one of Lega 2's best-kept secrets until her move abroad, and a positive surprise at every step in her career.

The young Tibère is being touted in some circles as the next great Savigliano youth product. A versatile defender capable of spelling left-backs in a four-at-the-back system, he's a tall, quick, and rangy defender with a bit of shithousing streak and preternatural athleticism. Onio was one of the best defenders in the Mytanar Top League last season, catching the eye of contenders 1896 Ebor with his passing abilities and calmness and off the ball. LeClerc is sharp, athletic, and versatile (serving as both a center-back and right-back for Trinité), but not as polished with the ball as other defenders. A string of injuries saw others surpass him in the race for a starting spot, but a recent resurgence saw him win the SavigLega's Golden Ball award.

MIDFIELDERS

#04 - LWB - Roman PALOMER - 24 - Urbizania Wanderers (ASG)
#06 - CM - Óceane CHASTAIN - 25 - La Nueva Avenida (FFD)
#08 - CM - Federico ARNAUDO - 21 - Falourr (EUR)
#11 - RWB/RM - Giovanna VITALE - 31 - Dynamo Sjœderhavn (SVJ)
#26 - LWB - Serena LAMONTAGNE - 27 - Chatswood (NPH)
#05 - CM/CDM - Gabriel BUVALELLI - 24 - Shamrock Cathair (AUD)
#29 - CM/CAM - Alessandro BELLA - 26 - Mazinaw Vanorian (KSK)
#55 - RWB/RM - Nicoletta SAUVAGEON - 25 - Tikariot City FC (TKT)

Palomer is a tricky, energetic, attack-minded fullback whose greatest strength is his incisive overlapping runs. A bit one-dimensional, but young enough to round out his game, surprisingly good in Astograth, and attack-minded enough for Tuzzio to start him. Arnaudo is an energetic, pacy box-to-box type who excelled during San Ludovico's "Miracle Run" to the LBCT semifinals, earning him a big transfer this window. He's also weirdly good at set pieces, both delivering and receiving. A confusing heir to Bianca Fiore's #8, considering he plays in the second division, but gambling on him is something both Tlanx and Tuzzio have opted to do, and the latter reportedly sees a bit of takilante in him. Chastain is unpolished, often lacks focus, and is prone to fouling, but genuinely one of Savigliane's best when she's on, with the kind of passing vision, defensive positioning, and aggressive athleticism that make us reach for the Bianca Fiore comparisons. La Nueva Avenida was a challenge slightly beyond her in her debut season, but she's steadily grown into her expanded roles for club and country and is approaching genuine stardom. Vitale is more explosive than the rest of the fullbacks, and her crossing and shooting ability make her more of a direct threat when attacking. A converted winger, she’s not particularly good tracking back, although her athleticism gets her some of the way there. She's capable of playing in a number of different positions on the right flank, and will be more at home in this newly attack-minded formation.

Lamontagne, who helped Chatswood to promotion to the Zenith this past season, is known for her deceptive athleticism, coolness under pressure, tactical intelligence, and versatility. Buvalelli unexpectedly broke into Alessandro Juliana’s first team in Audioslavia’s National League and rose to stardom for both club and country before a big-money move to Shamrock this window, and although temperamental, his deep-lying playmaking makes him Pietro Giraudo’s heir apparent at the senior level. Bella, the young player of the year in Savigliane, is known for his creativity and flair with the ball, and surprisingly high workrate (somewhat compensating for his lack of athleticism) without it. Sauvageon, somewhat similarly to Giovanna Vitale, is a high-flying, aggressive fullback who needs to work on her defensive discipline in ~~Chromatika~~ Tikariot - but serves as a useful “break in case of emergency” if Savigliane is trailing.

FORWARDS

#07 - LW/ST - Anne-Marie ROUX - 26 - FC Novonaya (KSK)
#18 - ST - Thea SQUARCIAFICHI - 27 - 1830 Cathair (AUD)
#10 - AM/RW - Adrian TOSCANI - 28 - Cazadores Cathair (AUD)
#21 - LW/ST/RW - Bonagiunta ROSSI - 22 - Alnio (CMT)
#09 - ST - Paolo RINALDI - 26 - Gunzlach (GRÆ)
#22 - LW/RW - Zoë BARTHELEMY - 30 - Crossroads (CMT)

Roux is an incredible dribbler with sometimes inaccurate but sometimes incredible passing ability and a left foot that produces magical free-kicks and long-range shots. She's rapidly developing into one of the better young players based in Kelssek and a future star, and a breakout tournament here could do wonders for her career. Squarciafichi is a predatory finisher and absolutely lethal in the penalty box. Although a solid dribbler, her best runs are off the ball, and her passing is still a work in progress, although slightly improved. Toscani is a technically gifted young attacker who, despite not being particularly athletic, has already impressed at the highest levels with Cazadores Cathair. He’s capable of playing as a center-midfielder, an attacking-midfielder, or, thanks to his surprisingly good crossing ability, on the wing.

Rossi came out of nowhere with ACAB to score an incredible twenty goals - one for each year of his life - in 29 SavigLega appearances. He's kept up the pace with first Alnio and then Tor in the Red League, although his star is dimmed somewhat by his teams' middling performance (in his mind). His best asset is his absolutely lethal pace and skill, although he’s a bit skinny and a legendarily bad teammate who forced his way out of ACAB. Rinaldi, although injury-prone, became one of AC Acqui Bollente’s most important players before his move abroad - not an easy feat on a team with three national team starters - due to his aerial prowess and consistently confident finishing in the penalty box. Barthelemy, whose resurgence after a recent transfer helped her new (at the time) club to the CL Round of 16, is more of a natural winger, although she’s ambidextrous and versatile enough to play on either wing. Her greatest assets are her energy, pace, and dribbling, but she’s a little lacking in end product.

by **Savojarna** » Sat Feb 05, 2022 3:40 am

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Poulsen and Pedersen out; re-nominations result in young Northlights side

By Jaukka Halanen

Morten Poulsen missing the Cup of Harmony had, if not outright expected, at least been considered since May and was confirmed with the first selection of players in late June. Recurring hamstring issues had forced the Partisan Sjoedrhavn captain to regularly miss games since April, both at the national team and his club; he has already announced his intention to rest over the summer and his hope to be back for the upcoming season in full force, presumably including World Cup 91 qualifiers. However, more surprising was the sudden out of Matts Pedersen during the pre-CoH training camp. In a training session, he is reported to have fallen and injured his ankle, resulting in a two-month break for the leftback, missing the Cup of Harmony as a consequence. This takes out yet another Savojar veteran, joining the ranks of Pakanen, who maintains his unknown-length hiatus from the national team, the recently retired Voynov and Forsberg, and Flemming Skov, who has been dropped from the Cup of Harmony side with the intention of scouting new alternatives on the right back position.

Despite the loss of Pedersen, Lijushkin decided against pulling up another wingback. He explained his decision on the press conference yesterday: “I think we’re solidly set up on that position as Milla can play either side, and Finn (Östberg) has shown he can move into a wingback position in a pinch as well. So instead I thought it might be more useful to have more offensive options in regards to formations and systems, as well as form on the day”, he justified his choice to pull up a third striker in Victor Hedenberg in Pedersen’s stead. The Cup of Harmony squad sees five players who are in their first tournament for Savojarna, with two of them previously uncapped in CASK goalkeeper Olga Valujev as third keeper and offensive midfielder Ola-Mikko Virttu of Savojars Vinge Virkaja, who has made the cut primarily thanks to Poulsen’s absence. Kimi Hartikainen, Sven Vikarby and Alvin Strid have both been playing in the Northlights dress during the WC90 qualifying campaign, but are new to the tournament stage. Out of this quintet, only Hartikainen is expected to start, although there is a solid argument to be made for Strid to accompany Viipuri on the fullback positions in order to get a more offensive option than the more likely Klaey/Viipuri combination.

With an average age of just above 25 years, this Savojar side is exceptionally young; Zirkova and Jashkin are the only two players aged 30 or older as two veterans have been removed unexpectedly in Poulsen and Pedersen. This marks a risk for the tournament, but also an exciting prospect for Savojarna’s future as the Northlights will be able to rely on the cornerstones of this team for a long time, if it is a successful one. Eyes of the observers will particularly be on Sven Ehlers, who has been unable to fulfil the expectations of Savojarna and wants to make another step at finally becoming the commanding striker that the fans expect him to be, as well as his counterpart and competitor (and successor at Partisan) Lars Alvesen waiting in the shadows to assume the same role. Likewise, Kimi Hartikainen has big shoes to fill and an eager competitor in Finn Östberg; who of the two left midfielders will start is yet unknown. Observers mildly favour Hartikainen as the CASK winger is a more threatening option, whereas Östberg is more similar to Jashkin in play. Adrian Klaebo and Vladimir Orakhin also have been touted as future pillars of this Savojarna side, and after his move to Nephara, expectations on Vladimir Orakhin will have further grown. With opponents not yet known, the goals for this tournament are yet to be determined, but fans clearly expect the team to make a step forward, aiming for a quarterfinal at least.

Perhaps most surprising was the exclusion of Gudjohn Magnusson, who had played a decent season in the SFS A and had been a part of the national team before, something that raised minor complaints from fans of “his” ESK Storevik, who have suspected a sort of unfair treatment in favour of the larger teams. Lijushkin had been quick to dispel these rumours, stating that he had taken all his options, including Magnusson, and decided to opt for more tactical flexibility in favour of an additional wingback. The team also points towards a more offensive play than Lijushkin’s Savojarna had shown in the World Cup Qualifiers, where he had rested more on the tactical foundations of his unlucky predecessor. Now, Lijushkin nominated a team that has its strengths in technique and speed, and features multiple players known for their smart movement and tactical flexibility, most notably Rika Lundell, but also the trust put in Viipuri, the choice of Vikarby over more defensive centre-backs like Forsberg, Svarthus or Arnason. Fans are hoping this will point not only to a more successful, but also a more entertaining Savojarna compared to the most recent iterations of the team.

by **Montana Verde** » Sat Feb 05, 2022 1:36 pm

The pots have been added to the OP. With 56 teams, we are looking at a 14×4 group stage, leading to a Round of 32 (top 2 + 4 highest placed 3rd teams).

The draw will take place Sunday 6 February, 1800-2000UTC.

The provisional start date is Wednesday, with an aim to have our games overlap the World Cup proper's off-days.

Cutoffs will be 1800-2000 UTC.

by **Mercedini** » Sat Feb 05, 2022 2:28 pm

Manager:

Sam Billic • Formation: 4-4-2

Mercedini are back in their old stomping ground of the Cup of Harmony after a rather dismal attempt at making a third World Cup berth in as many cycles. Mercedini were eliminated with a game to spare in their group, with the likes of Jeruselem, Ochre Islands and Kyzhurkistan all proving to be the undoing of the Golden Eagles as the pot one side dropped point after point throughout the group. A final day win against Darmen in the Sports City Stadium meant that they lifted themselves up to third in the group, but that wasn't enough as they missed out on the playoff spot by two points (plus the head-to-head tiebreaker). As stated before, it means they will not return to the World Cup this time around, but instead, they are back in the Cup of Harmony as they hope to win their second trophy in the competition. Since they came into the split as a Pot 1 side, they will undoubtedly come into the tournament as one of the favourites to win it all. On paper, they have a strong line-up, and with many of the World Cup contenders not competing in this one, it is hoped that the Golden Eagles can put on a clinic and earn their second senior NSWC title.

GOALKEEPERS   Name                    	   Age	          Club	
GK            Frederick Wandai             26           Blue Strike Zoloroni
GK            Anders Vorsini               25           Kiaono Locals
GK            Dmitrije Azar                26           Clayquot City

In a qualification filled with goalkeeping high and lows, Billic has stuck with what he knows and what has worked in the past. There were plenty of clean sheets, but also plenty of games where one or two goals were carelessly conceded, which ultimately cost Dini the spot at the World Cup. Wandai's performances have helped the current #1 retain his spot in the starting eleven, and with the achievement of three goalless draws in the previous world Cup, the potential is there for him to make a name for himself once again. On paper, the opponents in the early rounds of the Cup of Harmony are easier compared to teams in the World Cup, so providing Mercedini do not slip up in their opening games, we could see some rotations happening in dead rubbers. Vorsini and Azar will be there if a rotation or an injury happens, but all eyes will be on this goalkeeping trio to bail out their teammates should a calamity happen.

DEFENDERS	
LB            Joaquim Santorino            22           Blue Strike Zoloroni
LB            Armarzi George               26           AS Marcadia
CB            Jordan Brindliev             26           Jhanna City
CB            Lyon Dalamai                 24           Langtree United
CB            Thibaut Peñarito             25           Peynol-Lunas
CB            Kristian Trevasoni           28           Zoloroni Metropolitan
RB            Thomas Di Sansev             25           Zoloroni City (on loan from Avante Leipreachán)
RB            Lucas Stretovsky             25           Blue Strike Zoloroni

The stars were certainly not aligning for the defensive roster in qualification, as once again a leaky back line conceded goals which proved fatal to the team's qualification run. What looked to have been fixed under Billic's tenure seems to have re-emerged, with cracks now beginning to show in the back four. Despite this, Billic has stuck with what he knows, giving caps to players who now have immense international experience at this level. This might not be the glitz and glamour of the World Cup, but Mercedini have a storied relationship with this tournament. Having already won it once, Billic clearly wants to secure a trophy during his time as a manager and has pulled out all the stops to secure one here. Their names are well known, their star power has not yet been proven, but Billic has put faith in this defensive roster time and time again, and has been rewarded more often than not.

MIDFIELDERS 
LM            Giorgio Gucci                30           Sportiva Montelcampo
LM            Lawrence Garzallo            26           Zoloroni Metropolitan
CM            Girolamo Alcides             25           Sitka Valley
CM            Johannes Nymark              29           Zoloroni City
CM            Johan Karlovic               25           Spartangrad
CM            Gonzalo Lorano               26           Honeybadgers
RM            Christian Armani             29           Slateport Bulls
RM            Jack Nilevian                27           Tropicorp FC

Over to the midfield roster now, and in a campaign filled with disappointment, these players have been the one constant throughout the big wins and the painful losses. Rarely did they carry the team to victory, but neither did they completely capitulate to the point where it made the game unplayable. Alas, Dini failed to qualify despite being the favourite to win the group, so questions had to be asked about whether this core group of players were playing at their best. It was the midfield and the attacking rosters which carried the team to victory in their one and only successful Cup of Harmony run, so Billic has made it clear that this will be the focus this time around as they begin their journey in Montaña Verde and The Licentian Isles as one of the teams to beat for the title. We will see whether all of that focus will translate into the good run, as the team's performance will likely rest on if this midfield roster turns up to games.

STRIKERS 
ST            Daniel Dostalok              30           Starling
ST            Ben Chillotov                29           Lajuno
ST            Adrian Talisky               21           Blue Strike Zoloroni
ST            Max Esthik                   28           Zoloroni Metropolitan

Rarely do we see such a disappointing attacking performance from Mercedini like we did in the most recent qualification campaign. Typically, it is the leaky defences which let down the Mercedinian challenge, but this time it was the attackers who have failed to show their true colours in this cycle thus far. In Group 10 of WCQs, Dini scored 24 in 14 games which, by Dinian standards, is rather dire. The big score lines and free scoring attacking moves seem to have all but disappeared from the Mercedinian game since Billic has took over, with the focus taken away from Chillotov and Dostalok at the top of the pitch.

If there were ever a tournament to run up the goals, it would be this one, and the attacking roster know that all eyes will be on them deliver in front of goal to avoid a second disappointing exit this cycle. Dostalok and Chillotov have won it all before, with Talisky and Alva the next ones to take over the mantle of Mercedinian superstar striker. The four of them failed to live up to expectations in Qualification, but if anyone was going to prove to be the difference in key games, it would be any one of these four included in the attacking roster. The group stage will begin with Dini expected to advance, with everyone back home hoping that this builds their confidence up enough to put together a good run.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
Injuries to my players: Yes*
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes*
Godmod other events: Yes
*just let me know what you've done so I can factor that into the schedule

STYLE: +3

by **Muralos** » Sat Feb 05, 2022 4:00 pm

About Muralos
Muralos is a collection of islands in the Far East known as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. It is home to a population of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and indigenous (Ainu, Nivkh, and Orok) origins. The official language of Muralos is Esperanto- a language designed to be universal and easy to learn- but the population is exceptionally multilingual, with each citizen knowing an average of 4 languages.

The Muralosian National Soccer Team
(also known as the Hawks, after Muralos’ national animal, the Muralosian Hawk)

The Muralosian national soccer team represents Muralos in association football (or soccer, as Muralosians call it). It is controlled by the Muralosian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Muralos. Muralos' home ground is the Komcatt Arena in the capital city of Urbego, and its current coach is Jozefo Koltakov, former striker for CSKA Urbego and later Muralosian national team captain. Hina Kageyama and Pavel Li serve as assistant coaches.

Kits
Unusually, the Muralosian national soccer team uses only one kit with two of the national colors of Muralos. These uniforms are brand new, as the Muralosian populace voted to adopt a new flag in 2022.

Kit made with the kit maker at Owayo.

Roster
The Muralosian roster is built around the former Muralosian men's national soccer team, whose members comprise the starting lineup. The starting players were quite young when they joined the roster in 2016. Now, they are tried-and-true forces, who (as part of the former men's team) won the Second International Football Cup in Squidroidia in 2020 after 4 years of not facing competition.

The former Muralosian men's national team and former Muralosian women's national team merged in December 2020 to form the current co-ed team. In doing so, the Muralosian Soccer Association preserved the starting lineup of the former Muralosian men's national team, while adding players from the former Muralosian women's national team to the reserves. To make up for this haphazard arrangement, the Hawks' management frequently starts its female players– including Tanya Lubimova, Rebeka Mori, Aminda Mori, Galina Shchedrina, and Valora Lin– not only in the interests of gender equity, but also because of these players' exceptional skill.

The co-ed Muralosian national team has found success, though it has not earned any titles yet. The co-ed Hawks reached the Round of 16 in the 74th Baptism of Fire, as well as the Round of 16 in the 12th Independent Associations Championship, which Muralos co-hosted with Almuzahara.

Starting Lineup of the Muralosian National Soccer Team

#1- Rodion Markov - Goalkeeper - as part of the U-20 Muralosian squad, he was nicknamed "the Prophet" for his formidable accuracy in guessing the direction of penalty kicks and capability to pass very wide, "seeing beyond" any obstacles.
#2 - Ryo Takeda - Right back - a quick, agile defender who is a key piece in all of the Hawks' counterattacks, though his explosiveness can lead to costly fouls. The only (but not the first) player on the Muralosian national team with Ainu ancestry, Takeda is Japanese on his father's side and Hokkaido Ainu on his mother's side.
#4 - Aleksandro Kim - Center back - born in Kurilo of Korean descent, Kim moved to Urbego at the age of 13 to attend Urbego's Zamenhof High School and was part of the team that won the FIS, Muralos' premier high school championship, in 2008.
#5 - Rikardo Lei - Center back - his grandparents were Fengjieans who were doctors during the Muralosian Civil War. (Unfortunately, the nation of Fengjie ceased to exist.) Exceptionally strong defender who played a very large role in the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup, most notably in the match against Elbaron in which the Hawks won 2-1.
#3 - Koralo Petrov - Left back - another player who rose to fame through an FIS championship. Makes very wide passes and is regarded as a good team player.
#6 - Mikhail Zheng - Left midfield - part of the same FIS-winning team as Aleksandro Kim. Had a brief stint playing in the Premier League of Li Qing (now the Confederation of Australian States) before returning to become a member of the Hawks.
#7 - Johano Abramovich - Center midfield - Formidable dribbling skills, also the leader in assists during the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup. Jokingly dubbed "the creative type" by coach Koltakov, Abramovich is well known for his long-range, curved shots, which proved useful in Muralos' 7-4 victory against Li Qing in early 2016. In recent years (since the 11th IAC), Abramovich has taken fewer of these shots, but he is still effective at assisting the Hawks' strikers.
#8 - Nikolaj Granda - Center midfield - No relation to Walter Granda, who represents Muralos in professional tennis. Despite what his last name may suggest, Granda is a rather petite player. At only 5'7", his shorter stature allows him to be more agile and less injury-prone compared to taller opponents.
#11- Vilhelmo Lumin - Right midfield - a cum laude graduate of Urbego National University, where he played in the Muralosian University League, Lumin made his first international appearance as a substitute player during the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup. Following the retirement of veteran Klaus Sverov, however, he joined the starting lineup in Muralos' match against New Zhengguo in the Embassy Cup.
#9 - Rui - Striker - Born Rui Zhang, he changed his name legally to Rui in July 2014. Remarkably fast and shoots penalties with good accuracy. One of the more underrated members of the team.
#10 - Adamo Brava - Striker - the 30-year-old team captain, widely considered to be the star player of the Muralosian team and an answer to some premier overseas soccer players. Despite his status, however, he is also known for his maturity and humility, often representing the Muralosian team in interviews and awards ceremonies.

Reserves of the Muralosian National Soccer Team
The reserves of the Muralosian national soccer team are newer to the team. All of the female players joined in the winter of 2020 as the Muralosian Soccer Association consolidated the men's and women's national teams into one.

#18 - Tanya Lubimova - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for the former Muralosian woman's national soccer team, Lubimova's performance has long been regarded as equal to Rodion Markov's. Her role in the 74th Baptism of Fire tournament, in which she often substituted for Markov, proved that further, and now she often starts matches.
#17 - Ji-yong Park - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for FC Havenurbo, a top-tier team in the men's Muralosian Premier League, usually second to CSKA Urbego. The 24 year-old Park uses "he" and "they" pronouns interchangeably, and they are one of Muralos' most notable non-binary athletes. Park is a capable goalkeeper who has plenty of athleticism and skill, without being as flashy as Markov or Lubimova.
#16 - Feodor Tanaka - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for Gastello Giants FC.
#28 - Rebeka Mori - Left back - played for Nord-Urbo High School and now studies microbiology at the University of Oleo, where she plays for their University League team and works in the biology department's Permafrost Research Center.
#27 - Elena Kuznetsova - Center back - a senior at Nord-Urbo High School and a defender on the girls' soccer team there. She is also a member of the Muralosian U-21 national soccer team and a prospective University League athlete. At 18 years old, Kuznetsova is the second-youngest player on the Muralosian national team.
#26 - Smedun - Center back - Smedun is a defender for CSKA Urbego, the reigning men's Muralosian Premier League champions. He is, therefore, teammates with Muralosian national team members Adamo Brava, Johano Abramovich, Ryo Takeda, and Rodion Markov. Smedun is often referred to in Muralosian media as "the most attacking defender"; in the most recent Muralosian Premier League season, he scored 8 goals in 32 appearances for the team. Smedun is of Nivkh descent, and following Nivkh custom, he does not have a surname.
#29 - Aminda Mori - Right back - Rebeka's fraternal twin sister, she plays for the University League team at the University of Havenurbo, where she studies digital art and design. The women's teams of U. Havenurbo and U. Oleo have a long-lasting rivalry, and recently faced each other in the June 2020 women's soccer University League final. (U. Oleo won 1 - 0.)
#30 - Daniel "Lerta" Donaldson - Left midfield - played for Zamenhof High School and made major contributions to their semifinal and runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In 2019, he enrolled at the Havenurbo Institute of Technology, where he studies mathematics and plays for the soccer team – reigning University League men's soccer champions. In the summer of 2020, he was invited to practice with the former Muralosian men's national team, becoming the second African-Muralosian player in the team's history and the youngest player with the squad.
#32 - Yonghua Liang - Center midfield - a starting midfielder for the Nogliki Wolves and a former winger for the Muralosian women's national soccer team. Liang grew up learning the clarinet and was adamant about learning a sport that didn't require much arm movement, for fear that she injure an arm and be unable to play clarinet. (This is why she started soccer.) She reached the University League final with the University of Oleo's women's soccer team, and was also in the concert band that performed Muralos' anthem at the match.
#21 - Georgo Zhong - Center midfield - a current teammate of Lerta Donaldson at Havenurbo Tech and an economics major there. While a student at Nord-Urbo High School, he scored a hat-trick against Urbego High School, securing Nord-Urbo's first FIS qualification in 10 years.
#23 - Galina Shchedrina - Right midfield - a recent graduate of Urbego National University like starting midfielder Vilhelmo Lumin, Shchedrina made a splash with her debut in the 74th Baptism of Fire. She is known to play well in high-pressure situations, making accurate passes even when surrounded by opposing midfielders and defenders. Currently playing for the Valnohar Rovers of the Tikariot Premier League, Shchedrina is the only member of the Muralosian national team playing overseas.
#20 - Valora Lin - Striker - a starter for the former Muralosian woman's national soccer team, Lin's presence on the new co-ed team is a boon for Muralos' efforts in international competition. She is sure to hold her own against starting strikers Adamo Brava and Rui, and following the 90th World Cup Qualifiers, she often starts as a third striker on the field.
#22 - Daniil Lee - Striker - formerly a defender and sometime striker for Nord-Urbo High School, Lee transferred to Urbego High School this year due to its more forgiving academic calendar. Now-national team coach Pavel Li noticed the 16 year-old at a U-20 national team tryout; after the Hawks' exit from the Baptism of Fire, Lee was granted a spot on the reserves as a striker. Lee scored his first goal for the Hawks in April 2021, during Muralos' group stage match against Grey County in the 12th Independent Associations Championship.

Style Modifier and RP Permissions
Style modifier: +2

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
- Choose my goalscorers: Yes
- Godmod scoring events: No
- RP injuries to my players: Yes
- Godmod injuries to my players: No
- Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
- Hand out red cards to my players: Telegram first. (This Muralosian squad isn’t infallible, but they have been pretty sportsmanlike through the years.)
- Godmod other events: No

by **Alezian Union** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 4:19 am

This has been a repeat broadcast from my comic thread!
Please visit my comic thread if you're interested in more!
Hope you enjoy it there, thanks!

by **Flavovespia** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 8:47 am

The full-time whistle blew in Adab City Stadium, to waves of jubilation amongst the home fans. A 3-1 win for Adab, and combined with the unexpected loss of Tumbra at home to Quakmybush, meant the defending IAC champions had shown their full potential to win Group 12, and would be off to the World Cup 90. Amidst all the celebrations and raucous noise in the stadium, the Flavovespian players were in a solemn mood of contemplation. As the few thousands Flavovespian fans who’d still made the journey gave a brief round of applause to the players, there was a real sense looking around the stadium of “why couldn’t this be us?”

The question of “Why didn’t Flavovespia qualify?”, was being asked for an 8th cycle in a row. And there was plenty of blame being dished out from all corners this time in the qualifiers. The journey began with the group draw, and that was arguably one of the earliest issues for Flavovespia. Their higher seeded opponents were Starblaydia and Tumbra, and whilst arguably there’s few good sides to draw in that situation, neither of those could be described as ideal opponents from a winnable perspective. Then out of the lower pots came Adab, and the likes of The 14 Stars and Alezian Union, two sides who despite their ranking, came in with more than enough capability to take the fight to anyone. Of course though, to qualify you have to beat who’s in front of you, and the “it was the draw” argument, isn’t one that is best regarded by plenty of fans.

Questions have been raised over the tactics of Augusto Rinaldi. Coming off of the 3rd place at CAFA2, including wins over Audioslavia, Starblaydia and Ko-oren, there was talk that the manager from Savigliane may just be the one to have gotten Flavovespia to the next level, with direct, vertical football, a strong attacking trio with good midfield support, and a decent enough defence. However the early games saw Flavovespia matched tactically, and it took a revamp of the tactics to get the team going. Whilst 13 points in the 7 second half games of the qualifiers was a fairly strong performance, especially given the Adab game saw a rotated side, it still left a bit of room for improvement. Furthermore, that sort of form doesn’t help when, in an all too familiar tale, Flavovespia bombed in the first half of the qualifiers, with just 6 points in the opening 7.

Another source of blame is the players, and the intra-team conflict was certainly an issue. From the first Matchday, Aarif Muhammad and his defenders, in particular Tony Gardner, had a strong difference in opinion in who was responsible for the loss against The 14 Stars, with 2 of the 3 goals considered to be defensive faults. Then, when Steven Hall went off injured and Scott Coleman deputised, more conflict broke out. Michael Cole seemed at odds with his teammates, in particular those not playing in Flavovespia, and those at Loxthorpe Rovers, rivals to his club side Langmere Green Rovers. A come together talk before the second half of qualifiers Steven Hall brought some of the morale back, but there’s a sense that the team need to work together first and foremost, to avoid disappointment.

Away from mentality and teamwork, it was also a sense that some players just didn’t step up. Before we go on to those players who did step up, and there were some, lets discuss the underperformers. Two in particular stood out in attack, Scott Coleman and Michael Cole. The former has at tournaments had games where he struggled, but this was the first time in qualifiers he didn’t seem to get going. He only scored twice, once from the spot, and that was during his troubled time as captain. He lacked the poacher’s knack of being in the right spot at the right time, and rushed chances where he wasn’t in a good spot. Michael Cole meanwhile seemed to be unable to utilise the left wing position as well in the qualifiers as in CAFA2. His ability to play in teammates was particularly unsatisfactory, exacerbated by him snatching at a few chances, one of which caused a few with Andrew Brocklehurst. The aforementioned Andrew Brocklehurst also seemed to struggle to play as an international striker, so critics who suggested his club teammates such as Steven Hall were responsible for getting him to the Super League Golden Boot, may have had a point. The debate about whether or not Flavovespians playing abroad has been good or bad for the nation rages on, with the sense that, of the 6 players in the squad who played abroad, several of them were the high profile failures or cause of tension in the team. It’s something that the manager, the FFA, and also the players themselves need to ponder.

A final cause, that’s started to return in the debate, is the stadium rotation policy. The FFA grades 6 stadiums with the highest ranking possible, allowed to host international games, cup finals and playoff finals. The aim was to spread the games around the nation, allowing a greater buy-in from fans, as well as reduce the political pressure to help promote the national identity of the national team and reduce the sense the team is favoured in one area. However, there’s questions about this causing a loss of home advantage. In this cycle, Flavovespia took just 9 points at home, and 10 points away from home. With home advantage sometimes critical to World Cup Qualification, Flavovespia can’t afford to do worse at home than on their travels. A proposal to drop back down to just 3 stadiums for qualifiers, or even 1 has come up again. However, this comes with political and internal pressure the FFA would prefer to avoid. One possibly suggested, is a shift around the allocation of games and the pots, to try and harbour more home advantage.

Amidst all of the doom and gloom, Flavovespia will look to try and take some positives into the Cup of Harmony 82. Augusto Rinaldi showed at CAFA2, he can hopefully be a strong tournament manager, and he knows what’s needed now to get the team firing. His adjustments to the tactics and strategy in the latter stages of the qualifiers, helped by the return of Steven Hall, got the team back on some decent form. Whilst the focus has been on the underperforming players, some players did shine. Lucky Diamond may have a reputation for being a wild, eccentric figure, but he proved he was capable of being the goalkeeper for Flavovespia, not a world class goalkeeper, but not one who made too many easy mistakes. David Wassell and Adrian Jones, two of the younger players in the squad, began to live up to some of their potential with a string of solid performances. And last, and by no means least, Jonathan Bagshaw. Thrown on in the deep end when Steven Hall was injured, he got an assist in his very first game. From there, he managed to win himself the left forward spot when Steven Hall returned, and had 4 goals and plenty of assists by the end of the qualifiers. At just 19, he has a brilliant career ahead of him, he could quite possibly be the best player Flavovespia has produced for many years. For Flavovespia, the tunnel they find themselves in seems long and dark, but there’s signs that the light could soon be visible.

by **Valentine Z** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:01 am

Part 1 - Once More, With Finesse.

After having her name signed up with the rest of the Valentians for NSSCRA, Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi made her way back to her team - in her actual body without the lag. She figured that her players at least deserved to see her in actuality instead of remotely to console them, as well as to make up for it by telling them that they are in Cup of Harmony. They took the news well, ready and willing to play with more opponents and to make this season last a little bit more. "Maybe there won't be a World Cup 90 for us anymore, but hey, don't worry! You guys did amazing considering that this is your very first season! Besides, you guys skipped Baptism of Fire - which went to us, the Sixty - so if anything, it's a wonderful accomplishment that you guys came this far, and won quite a lot of teams out there. Good luck out there once again, and hey, don't be too anxious about the draws. We will have an equal chance just as many others! The selection processes are fair."

The Valentians, including the Kittens, are perhaps a little bit more surprised about the new project that was unveiled, and how it got developed and built so quickly for NSSCRA 12. Antel looked at the blueprints and the specs sheet, to which he then passed them on to the rest of the teammates to see and take a look. Clarissa was going on about how it was going to be exciting, albeit a bit nervewracking because of the small inherent problems that are present. "A floating stadium, AND a road course, like wow!" Holly let out, still taking some time to believe what she was looking at. "When the stadium / floating island is ready and everyone is on board, it will fly upwards at 10 meters per second, to a comfortable altitude of 1000 meters whereby the visitors and drivers alike can see the beauty of the world below. Very elaborate, I bet Valentijn was behind the idea this time!" Clarissa smiled and laughted wholeheartedly, finding humor in the idea that most people thought of Valentijn whenever there is some elaborate project going on. "Oh no, it wasn't really my wife's idea this time! It's Anastasia “De Sierlijke en Vrij High Valkyrie ov Valentine Z” Freya Valentina Ada. Jolin Annelijn Caitlin Trijntje Crystal Clarice Constance Judy Voi. D. Nexitros Annile Teresa Thida Myat Yadana Aye - Anastasia, haha! She figured it would be nice to use the combination of magic and technology to have a really, really large floating stadium! Of course, Valentijn, me, Gwen, and everyone else had to do a bit of wetwork and calculations, but it turned out pretty great at the end of 2092!"

"Do you think we will be able to play on a floating stadium anytime soon?" Martina asked, with the rest of the team nodding in agreement. Clarissa thought of an answer, to which she hoped she can pursue the rest of the Valentians to go through, "I will have to ask, but I sense a 99.4593% chance that Valentijn and the rest will agree! It will have to be a relatively smaller stadium, like maybe 10,000 - 50,000 people on the floating platform. They can still spectate from the televisions but I suppose everyone wants to take turns going up. This is something to think of for the next season, so I will keep that in mind! It is a very, very interesting idea though!"

by **Soldera** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 1:01 pm

The Solderan players sat grimly in the conference room adjacent to the practice facility near King Anthony Stadium.

They didn't know much about the opponents they'd be drawn with in the Cup of Harmony, and they figured they had a lot of work ahead of them to scout the teams they'd face in group play.. The work was clear: They'd have to be one of the top two teams in the group to earn a spot in the knockout rounds automatically. With 56 teams makin gup the Cup of Harmony, the top two teams would advance to the Round of 32 along with the four best third placed sides. Therefore, they knew if they finished in dead last their revels in the Cup of Harmony would have ended. A third place finish would likely mean the same thing, but they'd have to sweat out scoreboard watching of teams in groups Soldera wouldn't face.

If Soldera somehow won the group or finished second, they'd play in the knockout rounds for just the second time in national team history, as the Snakes played a knockout round match in the Baptism of Fire. They'd earned the second place finish in Group D with a 4-1-1 record, although they would have still qualified as a "runner up" despite a loss to Aerodon in their final group stage match because that country was disqualified for reasons the Solderan FA have yet to determine, as the Tumbran football association declined to answer questions posed by technical director Dahvid Leib.

"We asked point blank why the disqualification happened," Leib said. "We were told that 'for legal reasons, we decline comment'." It didn't matter in the grand scheme since Soldera earned a better record with 13 points to Aerodon's 10, but the Snakes still bowed out in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 defeat to Pekoland after extra time. Pekoland finished fourth in the Baptism of Fire Cup with a 2-0 defeat to República Guanacasteca. Meanwhile, Dispertag defeated Estorvipa and Estorpiva in the final.

The Snakes were drawn with Savojarna, ranked 14th among the Cup of Harmony participants and 42nd overall after World Cup 90 qualifying; Chartistan 53rd ranked in the football-playing multiverse and 20th among Cup of Harmony competitors; and 70th ranked Flavorvespia, 30th ranked among those competing in the Cup of Harmony. For reference, Soldera is ranked 124th in the multiverse and are 48th among the 56-nation field. So what is manager Norm Carricker's reaction?

"We're going to take a closer look at the teams sometime tomorrow when the managerial staff and I sit down with the game tapes for each team. I've assigned each assistant manager to scout one of our opponents thoroughly. They've been told to look at each team's formations, how they attack, how they defend, the way they handle set pieces, and their substitution patterns so we can develop a plan of attack. We want to be able to use tactics that work against each opponent, but at the same time, we have to be true to who we are as a team. If we're looking to be a team that has an offense that flows smoothly and we try to play defensively against a Chartistan, for instance, we'll be in big trouble. "We know they have a fairly attack-oriented offense. We also know Savojarna play a more defensive-minded brand of football, so opportunities to score may be hard to come by. Flavovespia from our first impression seems to favor a balanced approach, and we'll keep that in mind when we face them."

Savojarna finshed in fifth place in Group 1 with a 6-2-6 record, scoring 18 goals and allowing 17. Chartistan came in third place in Group 20 with a record of 6-3-5, scoring 35 goals and allowing 28. Flavovespia went 5-4-5 in Group 12, finishing fourth with 25 goals scored and 21 goals against. Soldera went 5-3-6 in Group 10, scoring 24 goals and conceding 21. All four teams in Group B combined for a .500 record, going 22-12-22, scoring a combined 102 goals and allowing 87 goals. Carricker said that shows the balance of the group and added it would likely make things tougher.

"There isn't a super team in this group," he said. "There's no one you can point to and say, 'that's the bogey team, that's the team you fear'. It means each match is going to be a war."

Soldera will get a huge test right off the bat as the Snakes face Savojarna to start off the group stage in the Cup of Harmony. Flaovespia follows, and then they face Chartistan in the final group stage match.

"We've only got a few days to get ready," midfielder and team captain Joey Westway said. "We'll be prepared for everything the Savojars can throw at us."

by **Wrecker** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 1:27 pm

THE END OF WRECKERIA – PART X

The Parliamentary House, Halsted
A few days before the Cup of Harmony group draw
All things considered, there was a definite feeling of melancholy over Wreckerian legislators as they began the debate to allow for Wreckeria to be consolidated into Hapilopper. Since it couldn’t just be done by an executive decree from the Wreckerian and Hapiloppian presidents, the legislative bodies from both countries had to agree to it. Both the Wreckerian Parliament and both houses of the Hapiloppian parliament had to approve the move with a simple majority. In Wreckeria, the idea to some seemed distasteful, but it was something they had to do for the good of their people.

And so, the Wreckerian government began the hard task of deliberating the terms of consolidation, when it would happen, how the Wreckerian people would be able to exchange Wreckerian simoleons with Hapiloppian dollars, and the timeframe for gradually letting this happen. The deliberations weren’t over whether or not it should happen, as it seemed that most agreed that it should. The deliberations covered how it should happen. For several hours, legislators debated just how it should happen, not if it should.

“The point of the matter is the fact that if we let Hapilopper just take us over all at once, it’s going to hurt everyone involved,” said Julie Morrison, a backbencher for the True Wreckerians from Johnson City, a small town near Wreckeria’s border with Geisenfried. “The problems that Wreckerians are facing right now would only get worse if we just have it all happen at once. There’s so many moving parts that a nation like ours has in order for it to work, and we have to make sure that all of our loose ends are tied up. Let’s vote on it today, but let’s make sure we have timeframes installed in it.”

“I don’t think anyone disagrees with those timeframes,” said Andrew Holst, a Party of Pride backbencher from Kellerman Town, on the northwest corner of Wreckeria, near its border with Timuria and Nojika. “But we can’t let talk of timeframes hold us up. Wreckeria is out of money, and we need to consolidate with the Hapiloppians for the good of this nation. If we let the discussion of when and where everything happens hold us up, it’s not going to help us, its not going to help the Hapiloppians, and it’s not going to benefit this discussion. Sure. Let’s set up a timeframe. But let’s not let that hold this up.”

“Problem is,” Morrison said, “I mean, first off, I get what you’re saying. But we can’t just shut down conversation about when we’re going to transition into Hapiloppian rule. It is an important conversation that needs to be had, because we need to know, and the Hapiloppian government needs to know, when we’re going to sunset our services and when the Hapiloppians should expect to need to extend their services our way. What is that going to look like? Are we going to have a part in these services? Who’s going to be responsible for what goes on here? We just can’t rush into this and expect we’re going to be OK. We have to flesh these details out.”

“But the vote, Mrs. Morrison, is on consolidation, not transition,” said another PoP backbencher, Stephanie Williams, from Halsted. “As far as I know, President Martin said we’d iron those details out at a later date. This vote is just on consolidation. As far as I’m aware, he said we can decide what to do later on.”

“Is that what he said? Let’s see what he says,” asked another True Wreckerian backbencher, Morris Peterman. “I mean, I just want to make sure we’re not getting anything lost in translation.”

To avoid any illusion of bias or party preference, the Speaker of the Wreckerian parliamentary house, Jeff Corbin, one of the few non-partisan officials in Wreckeria, called President Arnold Martin and asked him to address the parliament, specifically so “we can clear this up and there’s no confusion on what we’re voting for.”

Arnold was a little bit annoyed, actually, figuring a vote would have been done by now. He had been looking through documents related to the transition of power and didn’t figure that the parliament would have such an issue with this. But he obliged, letting Corbin know that he’d be there in a few minutes.

When he arrived, he appeared visibly annoyed, but took the Speaker’s seat to explain just what exactly had been proposed and what, exactly, he hoped would be up for a vote.

“First of all, I don’t normally do this because I don’t want to interfere in your matters,” Arnold said. “I don’t have absolute power, I don’t want absolute power and I don’t think you guys want me to have absolute power. That’s why I didn’t really want to come here. But if I’ve got to clear something up, I’ll do it. We are not voting on timeframes, we’re not voting on transitionary periods of levels of service. Those will come at a later date. This is not the last time that you guys are meeting – at least, I hope it isn’t.”

Arnold looked around at the jam-packed Parliamentary House. Every single Wreckerian legislator was there, filling the room, even stretching out the doors. He looked up at the observer’s stands in the top of the room and then straight ahead. It was clear that he was frustrated with what was going on.

“The plan I laid out for all of you today had nothing to do with transitory periods,” Martin continued. “Those will be discussed later. This concerns a memorandum of understanding that Wreckeria will consolidate its governance into the Dominion of Hapilopper. If we can get that voted on and approved, then we can discuss other matters. But let’s not over-complicate things now. Just cast this vote and be done with it so we can move on. Now I’m stepping out, because this isn’t my vote to make right now. This is yours.”

Arnold stepped down from the Speaker’s seat and walked out of the Parliamentary House, not wanting to talk to anyone or even acknowledge anyone’s presence. He was bothered by the fact that, in his view, legislators had let themselves get bogged down in the details, possibly damaging Wreckeria’s position in this vote. But he had gotten his point across, and the Wreckerian parliament opted to approve the memorandum of understanding, agreeing to consolidate into Hapilopper. What the Hapiloppians thought, on the other hand, remained to be seen.

BREAKING: Wreckeria votes to consolidate into Hapilopper. Hapiloppian response unknown as now.

The Lower House, Hapilopper City, Hapilopper
The same day
On the other hand, the idea of Wreckeria merging into Hapilopper horrified members of the Hapiloppian parliament. Members of the Hapiloppian parliament, particularly Conservatives, viewed the idea as a complete non-starter and demanded that William Mathis and other members of the Liberal Party abandon the idea entirely.

“So, we’re just going to gloss over the fact that these guys have been at war for the last 60 years?” asked Conservative party member Lindsey Norton, representing East Hampton. “Are we going to gloss over the bombing at HapEx? Are we going to gloss over the fact we spent the entire 1980s in fear of our lives because we weren’t sure if some bastard Wreckerian was going to bomb us again? Are we really going to pretend like that didn’t exist because, oh, they’re suffering because of their own bad decisions? As far as I’m concerned, if we allow them to become part of us, what’s going to happen next? Are we going to go back to living in fear? Are the True Wreckerians going to try to sack Hapilopper City?”

“Yeah, I want no part of this,” said another Conservative legislator, Benny Bischoff, representing Border City. “We know what Wreckeria is. All they do is fight in wars and destroy each other. My city’s right on the Wreckerian border and you can tell when you go into Wreckeria. There’s a bad smell. There’s death and destruction everywhere you look. You bring Wreckeria into Hapilopper? You’re gonna get death and destruction. You approve this and we will revolt. People are saying we shouldn’t be afraid, well, guess what: We need to be afraid of this. We need to be downright horrified of this. I don’t care what those Wreckerian savages are trying to put on us.”

Liberals, and some Conservatives, disagreed with that notion entirely.

“Or instead of thinking Wreckerians are some subhuman class of neanderthal savages, maybe you could take into account that maybe they’re sick and tired of the fighting, sick and tired of the destruction and they decided that the best way for them to improve their lives is to become a part of us,” snapped Jeanie Leavitt, a Liberal who represented Pinkerton. Leavitt was staring straight at Bischoff when she said that, and he knew it. “I know it’s hard for you to believe, but those people are humans just like the rest of us and they’d like a better life.”

“Where the hell did I say Wreckerians were subhuman? I said they were savages,” Bischoff snapped back. “They are savages and deserve no sort of hospitality from any of us. And I don’t believe for one second they’re doing this to improve their lives. They thrive on violence and destruction and they thrive on terrorizing us. As far as I’m concerned, I wouldn’t mind if we nuked them to the stone age, and oh yeah, they’re no better than a bunch of stone age…”

“OH, JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!” William Mathis, sitting in the front row of the Liberal Party’s side of the aisle, had enough. Conservatives gasped with horror at his outburst while Liberals cheered loudly. “You know, I’ve been sitting in on these damned meetings for eight years now and every time you speak, Bischoff, all you do is talk about how the Wreckerians are some tribe of cavemen. How the only thing they’re good for is to be bombed into oblivion. I’m done with it. Let me ask you a question, Bischoff, when was the last time Border City was attacked?”

“Oh, so you’re going to ask me a question?” Bischoff asked, fury lining his voice. “First of all, just because you’re the President, that doesn’t mean you get to swear at me like that. Understand that right now. Second of all, it’s completely irrelevant the last time Border City was attacked. The fact that we even have some of those Wreckerian savages polluting our city…”

“I think it IS relevant, Bischoff!” Mathis roared back. “Since you’re going all-in on this ridiculous idea that Wreckerians aren’t even human beings, tell me something, when WAS the last time your city was attacked? Because I have the data right here.”

“It gets attacked every time those Wreckerian savages come into our area,” Bischoff snapped, to the groans of Liberals and even a few Conservatives. “War-minded pigs, they are, and as far as I’m concerned, if we do lower ourself to allow these savages to be part of us, I think we should make sure they know who’s the winning side and who’s the losing side.”

“Fine, since you want to be an elitist about this, I’ll tell you when your city was last REALLY attacked,” Mathis snapped. “1983. Two True Wreckerian insurgents planted a bomb on Border City’s city hall.”

“And I lost both my parents that day,” Bischoff interrupted. “So if you want to know why I want to see Wreckeria and its bloodthirsty tribe fall into nothing, that might have something to do with it. I promise you, there WILL be retaliation if you put this through. People WILL be angry. You need to put these Wreckerian savages in their place…”

“I get what happened, Bischoff, but if you call them savages one more time I’m going to have you removed from this chamber!” snapped Speaker Laurent Willis. “This is supposed to be a reasonable debate, not an argument over whether these people are even human or not.”

“Oh, so you’re going to silence me?” Bischoff asked. “I am not going to be silenced! You just can’t silence a voice because you don’t think they’re being ‘reasonable’ enough. I think it’s reasonable to suggest that these Wreckerian savages are just that. And if you want to throw me out, fine. I’ll make sure everyone knows that you tried to shut me up. So try me. I dare you. These people blew up my parents, what the hell do you expect me to say, ‘oh, they’re fine?’ HELL NO, THEY’RE NOT FINE! I say nuke them all.”

“Get out,” Willis snapped. “GET OUT. NOW.”

“Fine, but the world’s gonna know about it!” Bischoff screamed.

BREAKING: Billy Bischoff, C-Border City, ejected from Hapiloppian consolidation debate for repeatedly calling Wreckerians “savages.” Debate still ongoing

BREAKING: Billy Bischoff, ejected from consolidation debate, accuses Speaker Willis of “censorship,” plans to file suit

For the rest of the meeting, it seemed like debate calmed down a bit, and more and more, as time went on, the Hapiloppian lower house began to agree – that maybe this idea of consolidation wasn’t such a bad idea. Mathis explained to the house that he had heard from his counterparts in Wreckeria and that, yes, he had that same skepticism that others had, but as he and the Wreckerians spoke, he realized that there probably wasn’t any ulterior motives. There probably wasn’t any motives that the Wreckerians had.

“They just want to survive,” Mathis said. “They’re sick and tired of fighting. They’re sick and tired of seeing ruins every single time they go somewhere. They’re reminded of the civil war every time they go to the grocery. And every time they go to the grocery, they can hardly afford to get what they need, if it’s even there. They’re not looking to take us over, they’re looking to live their lives. That’s all.”

It took quite a while for the Hapiloppian lower house to come to a vote, and when they did, they voted to approve it, some time in the middle of the night. It would then go to the Upper House for a vote, and if that was approved, Wreckeria would start the transition period of becoming part of the Dominion of Hapilopper.

BREAKING: Hapiloppian lower house approves consolidation. Upper house vote in three days

by **Sarzonia** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:26 pm

Regardless of whether it's a World Cup or the consolation tournament known as the Cup of Harmony, there's always a chance that a team gets drawn with traditional rivals, with teams that have begun to emerge as a possible future rival, or perhaps teams that yours have little or no experience facing.

For the Sarzonian national football team entering the Cup of Harmony, the last of the three possibilities holds true.

The Stars have been drawn into Group F with Electrum, Indusse and Southwest Eastnorth. Sarzonia are the Pot 2 team in the group. Two teams from each of the 14 four-team groups will garner an automatic berth in the Round of 32, whilst the four best third place finishers will also earn a spot in the knockout rounds.

Manager Nathan Hanifer has said, however, that the fact that none of the teams are particularly familiar with the Stars doesn't mean his side will lack motivation for the three-match group stage against, in order, Indusse, Electrum and Southwest Eastnorth.

"We may have preferred facing the likes of a Delaclava or a Starblaydia (both drawn in Group C), but that doesn't mean we won't be ready for our opponents," Hanifer said. "We've been given an opportunity to move the needle a bit and improve on our KPB ranking and see where that leads us." Sarzonia improved its world ranking from 73rd to 59th after a fairly successful World Cup qualifying campaign to finish with a record of 8-1-5, finishing third in the Group 18 table behind No. 1 ranked and defending World Cup runners up The Holy Empire and Mytanija. The Stars were the only team to defeat The Holy Empire, doing so by a 2-1 margin away after losing at Dave Wilson Stadium in the opening match of World Cup 90 qualifying. The Stars wrapped up qualifying by scoring 36 goals and conceding 25, but only allowed six goals in the second half of qualifying.

"We played noticeably better in the second half of qualifying," midfielder and team captain Clayton Wilson said. "We want to build on the momentum we established in the second half of qualifying." Whilst Sarzonia's defence stepped up noticeably in the second half after conceding 19 goals in the first seven matches of qualifying, the offence only marginally slowed from its first half pace of 2.71 goals scored per match. Their 17 goal total in the second half equates to 2.43 goals per match, and the total of 36 goals in 14 matches figures out to an average of 2.57 per.

As for the teams in Group F, Electrum are the highest ranked side at No. 34 in the multiverse. They play a balanced style somewhat reminiscent of Sarzonia's erstwhile "total football on steroids" philosophy that would see defenders sometimes join the attack and forwards sometimes play defence. They finished third in a Group 8 that featured Cassadaigua and Polkopia with only the Fillies qualifying for the proper after Brenecia eliminated Polkopia in a two-leg playoff. Electrum scored 38 goals and conceded 24 and compiled a record of 5-6-3, well off Polkopia's 8-5-1 mark which matched Sarzonia's. However, Hanifer said he didn't rue the fact that Sarzonia might have advanced to the playoffs if they'd been in Group 12.

"You have to play the matches you have put in front of you," he said. "We did what we could do and we fell just short. I don't know if we'd have done much better if we'd been in that group, to be honest."

Their first opponent is Indusse, which finished at 6-1-7 in Group 9, level with Barunia for fifth place on points but losing out on tiebreakers. Indusse scored 30 goals and conceded 40, bringing with them a goal differential of minus-10. They bring a slightly attack-oriented offence to the table in what may be considered the closest in style to Sarzonia's'. They are ranked 85th in the multiverse, and Hanifer said he believed he could devise tactics that could potentially expose the back three of Sampath Singh Aksinwala, Mathias Paulson and Aaron McMuller.

"We'll look to get our possession offence flowing against them and test their defensive cohesiveness," Hanifer said. "They're a threat to score goals, but they can also allow goals in bunches. We believe we've been in good enough form, especially of late, to be able to take advantage of some mismatches."

As for Southwest Eastnorth, they possess the most aggressive attacking offence of the group, opting for a 4-3-3 that Hanifer said puts a lot of pressure on their defence. They finished at the bottom of the Group 20 table with a mark of 0-8-6, allowing the most goals of any Group F nation with 42 and tallying only 30 markers by comparison. Hanifer said he expected a lot of goals to be scored in the group considering all four teams except Electrum are attack-minded. Despite Electrum's relatively defensive posture, they only conceded one fewer goal than Sarzonia's 25 in their 14-match qualifying effort.

"We were porous in the back in our first seven matches," goalkeeper Carlton Sandt, younger brother of Hall of Fame and World Cup champion goalkeeper Horace Sandt admitted. "We played much better in the second half of qualifying, me on up. It was gratifying to see."

by **Delaclava** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 5:43 pm

Players try to stay focused amid rumors of Phoenixes farewell tour

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

The Delaclava national team, after a brief bit of focused play and organization, may not even appear at World Cup 91. The Delaclava Football Association put high hopes into their squad for roughly one qualifying cycle, only to again say "never mind".

This time, the rumors are even worse. For each time the Phoenixes have receded into the background, the DFA would again quickly decide to give it another go. This time, the sound of things is that there won't be "another go" after this. Indeed, the 82nd Cup of Harmony, which Delaclava will play in Montaña Verde, could be the Phoenixes' final international games.

A spokesman for the DFA refused to make a conclusive statement on the rumblings, but shared some of the thought process that's bouncing around in the meeting rooms: "We're just bored, to be honest. We're not sure if any of the players or the fans like doing this anymore, and we certainly don't enjoy it. With all that's happening in our country right now, it's hard to find the desire or motivation to care about the game of football."

For the decreasing Phoenixes faithful, this is certainly a disappointing development. The team was an entertaining watch in Group 4 this time around, and the most potent offense with 36 goals in 14 games. They currently ride a seven-game unbeaten streak - although including only two victories. The squad managed to come together after the untimely and suspicious passing of manager Johannes Detmer, galvanizing under the direction of new-boss-actually-the-old-boss Tim Landers.

Captain Lukas Meyer, the team's modern-era leading goal-scorer, refused to speculate on the rumors, commenting simply: "We'll play our best for any and every tournament we're signed up for, including this one."

The Phoenixes' schedule consists of games against five-time World Cup champions Starblaydia, Saint Eleanor, and Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - with further games on the horizon if the Phoenixes find their way into the top two of Group C. If this is the last ride for Landers and Meyer and the whole gang... who knows, they may just make it count for something.

by **Acastanha** » Sun Feb 06, 2022 10:12 pm

Does Garbano Still Fit?

Acastanha once again exit from World Cup qualifying round. Although the result have been predicted, but at least they were finished better than the previous result. Or were they?

Comparing result from 2 edition with different number of delegations per group can't be only look from how high they were placed at the end of the competition. In a fact, 4th placed in current WC and 7th placed of the previous edition for Acastanha give a fraction of different. Example in the win, last edition with 7 wins and current edition 5 wins. Percentage wise, last edition giving 38.9% of win for the whole round while current edition only give 35.7%. From this alone, we can see that last edition makes a better result for Acastanha.

The debate over this also mentioning Jorge Garbano management plan. The fans and critics argue that Garbano losing his touch as the qualifying round run to its end. The team unable to give the surprising performance that they once had in the first half of the round. And the repeat 5 loses in the second half are really enrage them.
I let all the decision to the federation. Whatever the decision will be, I'll follow it.

- Jorge Garbano

The statement from Jorge Garbano indicated that he put every decision to the country's football federation whether he will continue to manage the national team or will he be sack. On the other hand, good news come to Acastanha as the national team is invited to enter Cup of Harmony. This will be the country's first participation in the event.
Garbano's evaluation is under way. But he will continue to manage the team at Cup of Harmony. Any decision we will make will be announce following the regional competition.

- Cezar Arvado
FFA spokesperson

Based on the federation's statement, it seems that critics and fans have to wait until the end of Cup of Harmony before we will know about the future manager. In the meantime, we can only hope the best for our national team.

In Cup of Harmony, Acastanha is drawn into Group J together with Mercedini, New Lusitania and Alezian Union. And their first match is against New Lusitania. All of Acastanha matches in Cup of Harmony will be broadcast live by ArraSport (in Republic of Arra) and Canal de Esportes (in Palidas Republic).

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Mon Feb 07, 2022 2:49 am

(OOC: This is the continuation of the story of the foundation of the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva. The first part can be found here (1), and the latest part can be found here (2).)

The town of Cronos was a small seaside town located on the southern shore of the territory controlled by the State of Estorpiva. The town had originally been only a small fishing settlement before it was built up into a seaside resort by the central government of the Estorvipan People's Republic in the 1970s. Cronos, named for the father of the Greek gods, had been selected to become a resort town due to its vast sandy beaches and year-round warm temperatures, making it the perfect place to build a vacation spot for the leaders of the Estorvipan People's Republic. In the late 1980s, Cronos was opened up to the rest of the country, and workers who now exceeded their monthly quotas had the chance to win vacation trips to Cronos for themselves and their families, but this process slowly died out when Vissarion Zhivkov became the leader of the EPR around the year 2000. Because of this, Cronos once again fell into obscurity, and the chaos of the Estorian Civil War certainly didn’t help matters at all. But on this foggy and dreary October morning, Cronos was going to find its name about to be printed into the pages of Estorian history.

A small fishing vessel had cast out from Cronos in the pre-dawn hours to get a head start in catching fish and had been on its designated fishing spot for a few hours when one of the crewmen noticed a shadow in the fog. He pointed it out to the captain, who then got on the radio and broadcast a warning. There was a very real possibility that the shape was another ship, and collisions out at sea had once again become a recurring incidence after the old lighthouse became neglected by the administration of the State of Estorpiva. The captain of the fishing vessel had expected the other ship to respond by getting on the radio and turning on its own navigation lights (something that the fishing vessel’s captain thought strange for a ship to be doing). What he didn’t expect was to hear a warning not to inform any other vessels in the area that there was a ship near his area. This was also strange to the captain because he knew that navigation in this area, especially with the fog currently blanketing it, was difficult at best and that everyone needed to know where everyone else was because their vessels’ radar didn’t have very long ranges. However, when the captain tried to ask the other ship about this, he was met by silence, and it wouldn’t be until a few minutes later that he and his crew would get the answer.

Out of the fog and down their starboard side appeared a large gray ship. It had a high bow sloping downward to the main deck, with what appeared to be the bridge occupying the last third of the ship up to the stern. Long black tubes that looked like either rockets or missiles were stacked one on top of the other in the middle of the deck, and an unfamiliar blue, yellow, and red flag flew on the mast near the smokestack. The crew of the fishing vessel could see a few sailors milling about, and then once those sailors saw the fishing vessel they began shouting things at the crew and waving their arms around. One of the crewmen turned to the captain and asked, “Did they just tell us to stay here?”

“Aye, lad,” the captain nodded. “And they also told us not to say anything of this back at shore.”

“What do we do now, Captain? That looked like a military ship, and I’ve never seen that flag before. You think they’re coming in to invade us?”

“It’s a possibility, laddie,” the captain said. “And that’s why I’m calling it in now.”

The large gray ship that the fishing vessel’s crew saw passing through the fog was actually a Polnocny-class landing ship, meaning that the crew’s assumption that it was military was correct. They were also correct in the thought that this ship was about to invade the State of Estorvipa. This Polnocny-class ship, along with the twenty others sailing alongside it, had been transferred by the Pridnestrovian Navy to the Federal Naval Defense Forces of the Federation of Estorvipa, and the ships themselves were carrying soldiers of the Federal Defense Forces from both the Federation of Estorvipa and the Republic of Estorpiva on a mission to retake their country from the puppet states created by the perfidious Imperium and the chaos currently enveloping the land.

Inside one of the BMP-2 armored personnel carriers onboard one of the Polnocnys was Senior Lieutenant Traian Pantilimon. This moment was one that he had been waiting for two long years. It had been two years since Pantilimon took up arms alongside General Luka Kovacs and his Pivan Protection Forces to protect their fellow Pivans from the chaos that had been brought about by the Estorian Civil War and the ensuing Pridnestrovian intervention. He had been there when Pridnestrovia and the State of Estorpiva had negotiated an agreement that would see the former agree to protect the latter with their own forces while the rest of the Pridnestrovian intervention forces took care of the other Estorian rebel factions, and while Pantilimon had thought that Pridnestrovia was no better than the Imperials that they were fighting, at least they appeared to be more steadfast and trustworthy, meaning that there was actually a chance that the Pridnestrovians would agree to the establishment of a free state for Pivans. Pantilimon was also there when General Kovacs and the other leaders of the State of Estorpiva made the decision to betray the Pridnestrovians and ally themselves with the newly formed Inselberg Pact alongside the Estorvipan Commune, and for some reason the decision had never sat well with him. Pantilimon, along with a core of Pivan Protection Forces officers led by General Kovacs’ twin brother Bonifacy, had gone over to the Pridnestrovian command center in Feuerstadt to inform them of the State’s betrayal, but before the invaders could carry out their “reprisals” against the State’s leaders, Communard and Imperial forces arrived in Feuerstadt and forced the Pridnestrovians away. Pantilimon and the other Pivan Protection Forces officers and soldiers who had decided to “remain loyal” to Pridnestrovia joined the intervention forces in their exodus from Estorian lands and, barring an incident when Pantilimon had been approached by a football club to serve as a goalkeeping coach due to his past connection with the sport, he had spent the next two years training himself and his men for the moment when they would finally be ready to return to the motherland and kick the Imperials out as revenge for the Imperials and their puppets kicking out those who wanted peace without either Imperial or Pridnestrovian intervention.

To Pantilimon, it seemed funny that a campaign that had originally started off as just an attempt to protect the Pivan people from the ravages of the Estorian Civil War had now become an actual full-blown fight for the survival of the Estorian state itself, and that both Vipans and Pivans had now turned to the Pridnestrovians to help them, just as the Communards had turned to the Imperials to help them break away from the Estorvipan People’s Republic and spark this whole mess in the first place. But then again, it seemed fitting that when foreign intervention tore the nation apart, it would also be foreign intervention that would bring it back together, or at least try to. In any case, it was now too late to back out of this. Both the Federation of Estorvipa and the State of Estorpiva had allied themselves to Pridnestrovia so tightly that any break away from the socialists at this point would not be a good thing for either party. And he also couldn’t back out of this himself because there was nowhere on this Polnocny that he could go to once the shooting started.

“Stotinka for your thoughts, Lieutenant?” asked the person across the APC from Pantilimon. He was Sergeant Arseniy Davydov, and just like Pantilimon he used to be a soldier in the Estorvipan People’s Army before “defecting” to the Pridnestrovian side after the end of the first failed intervention and becoming part of the new Federal Defense Forces. But unlike Pantilimon, Davydov was a Vipan who had fought with the Estorvipan People's Army and had chosen to surrender to the Pridnestrovians because he believed that they couldn't possibly treat their prisoners of war any worse than the Communards and their notorious Blue Skulls faction. And he was right. When the time came for the Pridnestrovian intervention force to leave Estorian lands as part of the Treaty of Kotelnirovo that ceased all hostilities, Davydov was offered the chance to leave with the Pridnestrovians, an offer which he accepted. The nascent Federal Defense Forces then took note of his time with the old Estorvipan People’s Army and offered him a chance to join their ranks, and as a bonus he would be allowed to keep his old rank in order to help train a new corps of non-commissioned officers for the FDF. “You looked a little deep in thought just a moment ago,” Davydov continued.

“I just think that it’s funny that it’s come to this, Sergeant,” Pantilimon replied. “Foreigners came in and tore apart our country, and now we’re asking for help from more foreigners to put it all back together.”

“That is indeed funny,” Davydov nodded. “Hopefully once peace is finally achieved and we have reunited the whole of Estoria, we won’t have to rely on Pridnestrovia as much as the north seems to rely on the Imperium.”

“That’s always the hope, isn’t it?” Pantilimon asked. “But, honestly speaking, Sergeant, do you see it happening? Will we actually wean ourselves away from Pridnestrovia’s help or will we become as dependent on them as the Communards are to the Imperium?”

“Do you really want my honest opinion, sir, or are you just asking for the sake of conversation?” Davydov replied.

“Relax, Sergeant,” Pantilimon said as he leaned back in his seat in the APC. “This isn’t the Estorvipan People’s Army anymore. There aren’t any more commissars that can overhear this conversation and report either of us to the central government or send us to the labor camps. We can now speak our minds freely. So, come on. Let’s hear what you have to say.”

“If I’m being honest, Lieutenant, I think that if we win, things could very well go right back to the way that they used to be,” Davydov admitted. “And by that, I mean that we will go back to being the place where Pridnestrovia extracts most of the nuclear material that it needs for its reactors and bombs. That’s why they allied with us in the first place, and that’s the only reason why they decided to intervene during the civil war. And you know what? I actually prefer that. I actually prefer Pridnestrovia being the aloof allies that they used to be before the intervention. At least they don’t stick their noses into our personal lives as much as the Imperials do to the Communards. At least, as far as I’ve heard about those places. And besides, I’ve always had a dislike for the Imperium. Can’t say that I’ve ever trusted an Imperial my whole life. And those anarchists in the north believed that those bastards could have helped them gain a name for themselves? If they did, they didn’t do it the proper way or else we wouldn’t even be here trying to invade, or should I say ‘reclaim’ our homeland?”

“All I asked from you was an opinion, Sergeant, not a whole editorial,” Pantilimon said, but he couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle.

“You asked me what I believed in, Lieutenant,” Davydov shrugged. “And everything I have just told you is everything that I believe in about our current situation.”

This time, Pantilimon actually laughed out loud. “Fair enough, Sergeant,” he finally said after a few moments.

Right at that moment, a red light went on inside the troop compartment of the BMP-2. “Brace yourselves, men,” Pantilimon called out to the rest of the platoon. “We’re about to set foot on our homeland again for the first time in two years. But our reception may not be as warm as you would like it to be. You’ve all been warned. Get ready, and be prepared for anything.”

  BOLLONICH 1 - 1 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 
PERRY (16')       PRASUTAGUSIC (25')

STARTING ELEVEN VS. KRYTENIA
GK: Vidanova; DF: Kessler——Birkov——Krasnenko——Krastenkovic; MF: Vinogradovsky——Potritskij; Roberto——Lemish——Roberta; FW: Prasutagusic

by **The 14 Stars** » Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:43 am

Stars falling from the sky!

After a decently good world cup run with a bit of an dramatic end the teams morale was at an all time low, in the last match Valerian went off and was rushed immediately to a hospital.
Now a while later he has been diagnosed with heart problems, which also means he can't play full games anymore nor play for the national squad if he wants to not damage himself even more while doing so.
Within his club he is now a sub, only coming on when they really need him and even then only for 30 to 45 minutes at most which caused both Orion's and the National squad's morale to drop to an all time low.

Meanwhile Alan White was made the new captain, not even because he is the most capable leader but because he is the oldest player with the most experience to lead them forward for now.
Maximillian Flare agreed to stay with the team for this cup of harmony, however he aswell will only be a sub as he technically already said farewell to the team but decided to stay just now because of Valerian's abscence.
Meanwhile Hannah Wellington from Phoenix United and Klara Jenssen from Blizzard Academy were called up to take the open spots with Nicolay Moon retiring and Morris Valerian being no longer able to play.

the matches

First there will be Chromatika, actually our Starsians have had help during their preparations from a fellow Chromatik named Rose Gabin that plays in the Starsian domestic league and is good friends with alot of national team players.
Hopefully her help will bring us some very needed points however we also take into account that Chromatika is a top country and not one we can take lightly so we should play with great focus during that game.

Next up there is Drawkland, we don't have alot of knowledge on them but they are rumoured to be a pretty strong team too, generally here will just go the same as in the Chromatika match to play to the fullest of our capabilities.

Lastly there is Qasden, another not too known team to us, they are known to be active in other sports aswell and are considered to be very athletic people which will be in great physical shape for the match.

Team

In the team it is expected Rodriguez takes over Nicolay Moon's position but this could be switched with Klara Jenssen aswell the new 29 year old CB that just joined but already has international experience in the womens team.
She was one of the leading players during the last Jenna Raven Cup, furthermore will Valerian's position be taken over by Stefano Garcia because he is the most experienced having made his debut in WCQ88 already.
Kira Blade was made vice captain, she is expected in this position to provide support but also learn from her older counterparts and especially from Alan White to lead the team though Flare will help her too from the sidelines.

Only time will tell how this new formation will work out, furthermore has the Association expressed their happiness with the current going of the team and expects good things in this CoH.
Landry and Young have also stated they will go only for the best with the team from here on out, they look forward to build on the team of the future with the current foundation being made in this tournament.

by **Cabo Azure** » Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:33 am

Doctor Fonseca, pt 1
Sao Vicente, present day
On the day of Dr. Luis Fonseca’s funeral, the sky over his hometown of Sao Vicente was an even slate gray, and the sea roiled with the threat of a late-summer storm. Huddled together in the fore of the little boat, King Manuel of Cabo Azure and his two younger sisters looked like nothing more than three adult siblings come together to mourn the death of their father. The only thing that set the scene apart was the presence of security personnel in black fatigues doing their best to look discrete as they glassed the horizon in the direction of the shore, rifles slung over their shoulders.

Seated along the gunwales, longish hair whipping in the breeze, was a dark-haired man who fit in with neither the royal family nor the professionals. Dr. François Rosenshield had never been to Cabo Azure before, nor had he met his father-in-law, and it saddened him now that he’d never have the chance. His wife, the middle Fonseca child Princess Alexandra, spoke often of Dr. Fonseca, sometimes fondly and sometimes not. She would describe his divorce from her mother and the typical middle-class Azurean life they’d lived before she left for school in Quebec. Sometimes there was a wistful note in her voice as she spoke, as if she wished that life were still hers.

“Is Mom meeting us there?” Alex asked her elder brother.

“She left by chopper,” Manuel said quietly, his voice sounding in its natural, higher register as opposed to the rich baritone he effected on TV. “Should already be there.”

Looking at Manuel between his sisters, it was hard to believe he was a king. A tall, soft-spoken man, he seemed like someone you’d have a pleasant conversation with in line for coffee, not a divinely-mandated head of state. According to Alex, “king” was the first job description that had been his for an extended period of time, his prior employment history being a patchwork of short-term gigs in hospitality and transportation. Yet François couldn’t find fault with the man; the previous night he’d brought his limousine onto the tarmac at the airport to pick them up and made polite conversation with François even as Alex looked out the window with her thousand-yard stare.

Alex’s younger sister, the Princess Veronica or “Ronnie” to the family, was a greater enigma. A pretty young woman of twenty-one years, her hair was the straw blond of her father’s family, instead of the black curls that had defined the Portelo Dynasty for centuries. She wore square-toed black boots, straight-cut jeans, and a duck cotton jacket that made her look more like a member of the boat’s crew than of the royal family. François knew from Alex that Ronnie was a midshipman at the country’s Maritime University, had recently completed her training cruise, and would soon ship out as the third engineer of an Azurean-flagged freighter.

The boat moored at the wharf, and the security detail filed off to sweep the area. Manuel disembarked first, helped his sisters across, then watched François carefully to ensure he didn’t need a hand. At the entrance to the little marina were parked three SUVs with police livery. The security detail were already piling into the first and last as the royal family approached, and the driver of the center vehicle stepped out, a middle-aged man in an ill-fitting dress uniform. He saluted Manuel and bowed deeply before opening the rear passenger door.

The inside of the SUV was cramped; it was clearly designed more for driving off-road than commuting with a large family. Manuel sat behind the driver, with Veronica in the seat beside him, leaving Alex and François together in the back. Alex lay her fingers across François’s hand, the first sign of affection she’d shown him since they landed in Sao Simone. François looked at her, but her cold blue eyes were fixed straight forward, boring holes into the back of her brother’s head.

To occupy himself, François took in as much of the town as he could through the window. Objectively, Sao Vicente was beautiful, all rain-swept cobblestone streets and cafes with brightly-colored awnings, permeated with the hearty smell of the sea. It was closer to how François had envisioned Cabo Azure than was Sao Simone, which he’d found to be a sprawling, modern metropolis akin to some of the smaller cities in Quebec. He detested himself a little for thinking like a tourist at a time like this, but it was special to be in the country of his wife’s birth for the first time, regardless of the circumstances.

The Fonseca family home was twenty kilometers from the town, and the SUV’s engine began to strain as they left the cobbled streets and started up the gravel track that led into the countryside. The town which lent its name to the island was at the base of a steep gully, on a small piece of flat ground formed by the action of a river as it flowed into the ocean. At the top of the gully were a few filling stations and a single-story apartment complex, the only signs of progress on this remote island. The SUVs plodded along the gravel track, passing flocks of sheep tended by shepherds on all-terrain vehicles or pursued by flying drones.

The house was old, built in the sixteenth or seventeen century, François guessed by the small windows and the mortared stone. The SUVs were parked by a large cistern in the front yard, and the security detail repeated their show of filing out and checking the perimeter. Paying them no mind, Manuel led his sisters into the house, with François trailing a few steps behind Alex. It was small inside, but blessedly cool and free of the choking humidity that covered the rest of the island. It smelled of dust and pine-scented cleaning products. The interior had been renovated, François observed, likely in the years before the coup d’etat in 1979, judging by the appliances and the linoleum in the kitchen where they entered.

The kitchen led into a formal dining room, where a casket had been placed on top of the table, surrounded by beautiful arrangements of the types of wildflowers François had seen on the road leading in. Three people greeted them in the living room. One was a woman in her late fifties whom François instantly recognized as Alex’s mother, Queen Abigail. The other two he couldn’t place; another woman, this one in her forties, and a young man about Veronica’s age. The man and woman seemed profoundly uncomfortable to be in the presence of their king; they knelt before Manuel, the woman babbling in Portuguese until Abby put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

The ensuing conversation took place entirely in the nearly unintelligible Azurean dialect of Portuguese, and mostly between Manuel and Abby, with the girls cutting in at intervals. François recognized from the tone of their voices and the gestures they made that they were alternately discussing the funerary arrangements and catching up as a family in a way they likely hadn’t done since Alex left for Quebec some eight years prior. François took a seat in a chair along the side of the room and watched. After a moment, the woman who’d been with Abby approached him and proffered a question in Portuguese, which the man, whom François took for her son, translated haltingly into English: “She ask…you want something? Water? Beer?”

“No, thank you.”

François waved them off with the warmest smile he could muster. The pair hovered for a moment, as if unsure what to do, then took up spots on the opposite side of the room. At some point the conversation among the royals reached a pause, and Queen Abigail wheeled to face François. Alex moved to his side, while Manuel and Veronica flanked their mother, looking down at him with unreadable expressions.

“Dr. Rosenshield,” said Abby, “François. Despite the circumstances, it is truly so good to finally meet you.”

Her voice caught François off guard; her English was near perfect, with a brisk Cassadaigan accent that made her sound more like a football commentator or a news anchor than a queen. He knew she had attended school in Concord Heights, but for some reason he hadn’t expected her to sound Cassadaigan.

“I am honored to meet you, Your Royal Highness,” said François formally, rising to his feet and lowering his head in a perfect bow. François may have been out of his element, but he was still a Quebecois of impeccable breeding, and he knew enough to bow to royalty when meeting them for the first time. Daring to glance upward, he clocked the reactions of each sibling in turn; Alex seemed concerned, Manuel disinterested, and Princess Veronica exhaled sharply upward to clear her bangs from her eyes.

“Rise, François,” the queen commanded. “We are all family here. We were just discussing the arrangements. Everything is in place; once the priest and the pallbearers arrive with the rest of the guests, we’ll take Luis to his family plot behind the house. After the service, the wake will be at a tavern in town. It was one of Luis’s favorites.”

The burial was a simple, staid affair. None of the royals wore any of their court garb; Manuel, Alex, and Abby wore black, while Veronica wore her dress uniform, spit shined and sharply pressed. There were others at the graveside as well: François recognized the Azurean telecoms tycoon Joaquin Sequeira along with his beautiful wife Zora, daughter Joaninha, and Joaninha’s boyfriend, the prolific Azurean footballer Amilcar Branco. The priest from the town church gave his homily in Portuguese, and the family filed past, resting flowers or keepsakes on top of Luis’s casket.

The wake proved to be a livelier affair. Luis’s favorite haunt was a tavern overlooking the water, and the guests arrived just as the storm began to roll in, mingling with the crowd of fishermen and shepherds in for their evening pint. Alex, her siblings, and François occupied a high-top in sullen silence while Abby flitted from table to table.

“Get you anything from the bar, Your Majesty?” François offered, trying to keep any hint of irony out of his voice. Despite the incongruence of the sentence, it was as correct as could be under the circumstances; François was simultaneously a foreigner in the presence of Cabo Azure’s king and a guy offering to get a beer for his brother-in-law. When Manuel shook his head, he turned to the princesses, asking “Alex? Ronnie?”

“That’s Your Highness,” Veronica snapped in reply. “Do not presume to use the pet name my father gave me.”

Her accent was stronger than either Manuel’s or Alex’s, and it made her sound even haughtier as she refocused her attention on the tabletop. Alex stared daggers at her younger sister, and François could hear Manuel warning her in Portuguese as he walked away, though he couldn’t discern what was said. Not wanting to return empty-handed, he ordered a Maçarica for himself and three waters, which the barkeep was only too happy to oblige.

Veronica accepted the water when François returned and nursed it the remainder of the night in lieu of actual conversation. Alex and Manuel chatted awkwardly with each other between long pauses, and with their mother when she made the rounds to their table, but the night otherwise passed in silence. François was disappointed, though he found once again that he detested himself for it; had he really expected a fun night at the pub with his wife’s family, the same day as they buried their father?

The royal siblings and François were lodged for the night at what had once been the lord’s manor for Sao Vicente and was now a sort of combination community center and bed-and-breakfast. Since there were no other hotels to speak of, the remaining guests boarded boats bound for home in the waning hours of the evening, as the rain began to let up and be replaced by fog. As soon as they arrived at their small room, Alex changed wordlessly out of her black dress and ran a hot shower. To François’s surprise, though, she had a smile for him as she emerged from the bathroom and took a seat at the edge of the bed, wearing only underwear and her Farrer University crewneck.

“How are you holding up with all this?” she asked him in English, all formality gone from her voice.

“Fine,” François answered, caught off guard by her interest. “I’m just here to support you, whatever way I can.”

“You’re doing great, baby,” said Alex reassuringly. “I’m sorry Ronnie is being a bitch. She’s usually really sweet.”

“She’s fine,” François countered quickly. “I used the wrong term of address, in public. She was right to correct me.”

Alex laughed, and François couldn’t remember anything ever sounding so sweet. “Ronnie’s never taken any of the court stuff seriously. You’re probably better versed in it than she is. She just misses Dad, and she always gets pissy when she’s in Sao Vicente.”

“Really?” Relief flooded into François’s mind that he hadn’t pushed his wife’s little sister away by being an oaf, that she was just being, well, a little sister.

“The woman who was at the house with her son,” Alex said, as if it explained everything. François’s eyes narrowed.

“What about her?”

“That’s Matilda,” Alex answered and François wondered what connection he was missing. Alex went on: “She had Luis, her son, out of wedlock when she was a teenager. Small place like this, word gets around fast, and her dad kicked her out. This was around the time my grandmother died and Dad inherited the house, so he agreed to let Matilda stay there with Luis as long as she kept the place up.”

Smiling broadly, Alex stretched her long form out on top of the covers next to François, then turned to prop herself on her forearm so she was facing him. François searched her expression for a hint of what was to come, but her dark eyes kept their secrets. She continued the story.

“We’d come here when we were younger, whenever Dad had his weeks, and Matilda would always cook for us. One year I caught Ronnie and Luis kissing behind the shed. I think they kept up with texts or whatever for a couple years, but he broke it off when we found out we were the royal family. Dad was furious at him, because he liked Luis and he said it shouldn’t matter who we loved. He told us three to follow our hearts and to love people who loved us for who we are…”

She trailed off, lowering her eyes to the bedspread, and when she raised them again to look at François, they were brimming with tears.

“I just miss him, François,” she said as the tears began to streak her face. “I feel like he was the only thing that kept me grounded to who I really am. Mom was always his queen, and Ronnie and me were his princesses, and it didn’t matter if we wore crowns or not.”

Now she collapsed, burying her face into François’s chest, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close, feeling the weight of her sobs as the wracked her body.

Cup of Harmony 82 [rosters/RPs/scores]

Expedition, Episode 4

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