World Cup 96 - Roleplay Thread

[Indusse]

IFA Today
A New Home, But Old

The largest sports stadium in the country, Aditya Varma Kulashekara International Stadium, home to the Flocking Blues underwent a massive renovation as part of the recently started ninety-sixth edition of the World Cup. The New Structure seem to have a capacity of 1,52,000 spectators but is a simple looking structure with modern amenities inside and a large parking space in it's compound. As part of the "Go Green Campaign" run by the metropolitan corporation, the whole area surrounding the stadium has been converted into a large park meant for strolls as well as conservation of the biodiversity. Notable sport critics have noted that the stadium has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a premier destination for sports and entertainment enthusiasts alike.

Talking about the changes to the stadium complex, One of the standout features of the stadium is its expansive parking facilities, ensuring hassle-free access for the fans of the Home and the Away. Additionally, the nearby river getting an opening to the side of the stadium and building a water metro station nearby makes the stadium easily accessible through water means too. The thick mangrove forests that's been grown as a cover between the river and the Sports City gives an enchanting vibe to the whole area.

Another highlight of the stadium is the enchanting Manavikrama Dasa Green Tunnel (named after His Holiness Swami Manavikrama Dasa, a late spiritual leader and environmentalist) which connects the stadium to the nearby park which almost covers the whole of the sports city. This is also done in a way to promote sustainability and eco-friendliness in the nation.

Inside the stadium, the spectators are treated to a wonderful experience with comfortable seating, premium hospitality suites for overnight stays for the team and the fans. The stadium has been converted in such a way that it could be used for non-football events too. Whether attending a sporting event or a concert, visitors can expect nothing short of excellence at Aditya Varma Kulashekara International Stadium.

As a hub for entertainment and recreation, the stadium promises unforgettable experiences for all who step through its gates. Whether you're a sports fan, music lover, or simply seeking a memorable outing, the Aditya Varma Kulashekara International Stadium is the place to be. One of the major attractions you find inside the stadium is the "Memoir Hall" which holds images and articles related to the history of the stadium which includes old images of the stadium and of the events that happened in the stadium. You find old balls, jerseys and other collectibles exhibited in the Memoir Hall. One of the magnificent exhibit is the oldest available image of the stadium while there is excess spectators than the capacity.

These old coffee colored images of the stadium talks hundreds of stories of the stadium and moreover the city it has been part of. Taking a look at the said image, one could talk about the architecture style then, one could see the gigantic Pembroke Park which sorrounded the then stadium (The Pembroke Park is still gigantic but parts of it have been taken off for the establishment of the Sport City), the eastern side of the stadium could be focused to see small settlements and the tall mast of the Saint Patrick's Cathedral, which remains as one of the oldest and most visited cathedrals in the city.

OOC: The Images are AI Generated.

[Xanneria]

Ten Years After - Chapter 1 (Prolougue)

Who in the hell thought up the idea of Palace City? A steeltown on the coast rampant with casinos. That man should have been hung. Anyways, allow me to introduce myself to any confused citizen. I'm John Pennington and I'm no longer living in that shithole!

Ten years ago I was living in that shithole in West Troy. I was actual Sgt. John Pennington at the time and I had a rather good thing going. I was a detective in the police force for Palace City and if you know anything about the western regions of Xanneria, that city is a city where tough people live tough lives. My department was involved in a rather large case, And over a decade ago it would have been one of the biggest bust of a crime lord in the history of Palace City, and by far the biggest that didn't involve taxmen. This involved Drake Peckenpaugh, A Krytanian born leader of a rather large scale organized crime operation within the Palace City area. Peckenpaugh was a brutal soul, and a man you never wanted to get on the wrong side of. If you worked for him, you better not show even the slightest bit of empathy or regret in your actions. You'd be at the bare minimum, dead and maybe even worse.

Peckenpaugh knew I was getting close to him, and so he acted. My family died at the hands of his men. I thought we were safe, as having lived in the suburbs, we were far from Peckenpaugh's influence. Peckenpaugh never really got in to the suburbs of Palace City. He was violent and was a ruthless dictator of his domain, but his teritory was rather small and he focused on keeping an iron fist of his local. But finding my family dead at his hands sent down a pth that I'm shocked I was able to come out of at all.

Now a decade later I'm in Switchback. Switchback is a fairly decent sized town. Located between Destin and Bennington,it has a population of 50 thousand and like so many towns of eastern Hampton it's big industry is the blazing steel mill that is the epicenter of industry in the area. After leaving Palace City I escaped to Swithback as soon as I could. I was going to be next on Peckenpaugh's hit list and now knowing he was willing to travel to commit heinous acts against his personal enemies I decided to bail on Palace City, and thus the start of my new life in Switchback. Everyone knew I had abandoned one of the biggest cases against a crime boss in Palace City History, but many knew letting me was for the best. I never heard what became of that case.

Now when I mentioned that the case was the biggest with out a tax person involved, I said it for a reason. Orginized crime in Xanneria isn't what you'd expect from traditional crime syndicates in other nations. Dope n' hookers are legal and have been for over five decades, thanks in part to Xanneria being primarily Libertarian or Free Will Conservatives in their political views. Tax evasion is not only the justice systems best way to set a man who has been deemed morally corrupt to jail, it's now the biggest morally corrupt thing most crime lords partake in, now that dope n' hookers are mearly morally gray.

But alas, in the decade i've been in Switchback, i've become a private eye. I am the man people will go to when looking for someone to trail their wife and so if she's cheating, or sometimes I still do dirtywork for people. Whats to say I didn't have practice back in Palace City? But on one particular spring morning I got a call from a long time client.

Her name is Bess Tifton, her and her six sisters run the 4 Sisters Outdoors and Tactical store (three of them weren't quite out of school at the time of the companies founding),of which there's multiple locations in the western Hampton provence. She's always called me up to track down people who have wronged her (it's never the same person twice) or have me and my co-hort Jamal will do security for her during deals. So when she called me up about a gig, I was very willing to take up a security job.

---

XANNERIA - 7
Ross 10' 45+2' 67'
Burnes 38' 59'
D'arcy 22'
Young 81'

---

ASTOGRATH - 1
??? 27'

XANNERIA - 2
McLane 45+3'
Young 64'

---

MYRTLE BEACH - 0
NONE

[Audioslavia]

A Map of the New Rankings
The Aesthetic analyses the multiverse in the light of the proposed rankings

One of the big news stories from the inter-cycular period is the WCC’s controversial new ranking proposal. The KPB system, implemented after World Cup 12 and tweaked sparingly over the intervening eighty-three cycles, is firmly entrenched in the minds of football fans around the multiverse. For most, “KPB” is a shorthand for the very notion of rankings themselves. Unless you catch yourself in time, you may very well find yourself referencing the IFCF or Gridiron or Baseball ‘KPBs’, despite the phrase only applying to the formula the WCC uses to rank its member teams.

The phrase is so enshrined in World Cup culture that it’s apparently proven difficult to come up with a new name for what amounts to a very different system. The World Rankings have come out as a front-runner, unfortunately. This is a name that betrays the fact that the brain-power has come largely from universities in Farfadillis and Audioslavia, two cultures that came up with names like The National League and The Racing Scorinator and had the idea of giving the Arrosian regional championship the name ‘The Arrosian Regional Championship’.

The biggest step the new World Rankings world rankings have taken is to finally take into account regional football, an aspect of world football that is about as old as world football itself, give or take a few decades, and incorporate it into the rankings. While this might have raised more of an eye-brow in the AO-dominated three-region days, the current make-up of international football makes the idea much more workable.

Here, you can see the share of cycle 96’s KPB points divided by all eight regional bodies.

New-style KPB points divided by regions: Cycle 96, Post Baptism of Fire

As above, but from Cycle 94, Post Baptism of Fire.

‘Unaffiliated’ here refers to teams that do not enter regional football, including nations that are otherwise members of sporting regions (Arrosia’s IA/RK Quebec And/Or Shingoryeo and Anaia’s St Eleanor, for example), while the Cycle 94 version includes the nations of Turori and Vilita, who did not enter Atlantian Oceanian competitions individually. In red, we see entrants to the Independent Associations Championship.

Let’s see what’s happening here in more detail.

World Rankings divided by regions: Cycle 96, Post Baptism of Fire

Aside from a Mandalanusan tournament that continues to decrease in size cycle on cycle - something that might just pose the ranking authorities a headache should the new system be adopted - Arrosia, as the newest regional superpower, have the fewest combined KPB points. They do, of course, have two of the best teams of the multiverse in the form of Valanora, Farfadillis and Banija, whose boxes here are shown larger as a result. Delte also stand out, as do a Graintfjall side that retain their high ranking despite taking a (hopefully short) sabbatical from international football.

Sticking with Arrosia, let’s have a closer look at their regional ‘map’.

After marvelling at how the region’s ‘big seven’ of the famously successful Valanora, Farfafdillis, Banija, Squornshelous, Baker Park and Milchama and the famously successful-against-audioslavia Qasden, you might also notice Mriin there on 1.6 KPB points, making a welcome return to the world rankings, if not the World Cup. You might also see Txakhaxi, the surprise success story of the ARC, sitting on 3.43 KPB points after their run to the final. Currently, in the KPB Rankings, they’re on zero.

We can expand these boxes to get a deeper view of who’s who in each of the other sporting regions too.

Esportiva have a handful more collective KPB points than Arrosia, but spread across a great many more teams, while Anaia is smaller in number but share their KPB points more in accordance to the region’s culture of being infra-dimensional space-communists from the planet pinko.

It’s in this purple box that we find Audioslavia, the region’s sixth best team in the World Rankings despite an eighth-placed finish in their own CAFA Cup.

Fresh off hosting their first major tournament in generations, and with a population with renewed interest in the international game, Audioslavia put up a spirited performance in the Beltxarga last week, losing out late against Cabo Azure. There, the Bulls had played better than they had throughout the entirety of CAFA 8, only to find their opponents’ finishing too crisp and their own too lacking. Twice in the last five minutes, the Bulls threatened to score the winner, first through Brandon Bruhn’s far-post strike that could only bounce from the side-netting, then through Helios Roy’s finding of Row Z from only four yards out, his deflection of Trigintillion’s thundering cross seemingly finding the only physically possible route from his boot that wouldn’t result in a goal.

Gouveia’s late finish for the visitors was a kick to the gut, but in the shared grief came a renewed intent that manifested itself in a precise 3-0 dismantling of Saltidia on Matchday Two.

For the Bulls, Saterun and Sannyamathland await over the coming weeks. Having missed even the playoffs last time out, any kind of improvement over last cycle should end with the Bulls either qualifying for the World Cup or being entered into some kind of do-or-die playoff. With any luck, Audioslavia’s purple section of the maps above should get noticeably bigger throughout the coming cycle.

And speaking of the coming cycle, here is how the above maps look when you only include teams that have entered World Cup 96

Here’s an Interactive Version of the maps above.

[Daharia]

Choices Must be Made
Part I

“That didn’t go as badly as we feared it would.” Announces Coach Alfréd. “We lost a heartbreaker against Kelssek 3-4. It was a very close game, and I give props to the coach and the Kelssek Team. Then we bounced back and beat Sajnur at home 2-0. I have a feeling we will be going far in this competition. If we all do what we need to, and keep our focus right, we have a chance to win it all. I can’t explain my gratitude to the team, and the effort they are putting in both on and off the field.” Explains the Coach. “Does anybody have any questions?”

As multiple reporters stand up, Alfréd points at a blonde-haired, short woman with glasses.

“Hello, Herta Wójcik of the Daharian Free Press. Do you have any plans to change the roster up during the tournament?”

“I figured that would be a big question.” States Alfréd. “I do have plans, yes, and I will have a separate press conference if those movements happen. Yes, I know we all want the scoop, but just know that I am still thinking about that situation, and I will eventually make the choice that is best for the team. Anybody else?”

One other reporter stands up.

“Well, let’s not all go at one time.” Alfrédstates. He gets a laugh out of the crowd. “Let’s go with you.”

A nervous, slim man stands up. “He-Hello. I am Károly Reis of the Daharian Herald. While on the pitch, two of your players got in a fight. What do you have to say about that incident...?”

“That is a great question Károly. I am going to be sitting both of those players for the upcoming game. That behavior is disgusting, and I will not tolerate it. So for the near future, Ottmar Nosek will be on the bench, not even on reserve. While Jarek Becke will also be on the bench. I need to be able to trust them before I can let them play for me again. Martin Bartoš will be playing for Nosek, and Ilja Horák will be a reserve. While Józef Fabel will be replacing Becke, and Wilhelm Reich will be on the reserves.”


Coach Alfréd stands up and announces: “This Press Conference is now over. I appreciate all of your time, but I have a plane to catch. Thank you all again.”

As Coach Alfréd walks out of the room, his Assistant Hennadiy Beutel walks up beside him. “Heck of a conference Coach. I just have one question. What are we gonna do about Sommer? His best days are long past him, and since that car accident, he hasn’t been at the same exceptional level that he was.”

“Oh trust me Hennadiy, you know those two kids from Germania? One of them will be his replacement. Ambrož Chmiel probably wont be able to start, since he’s even older than Sommer.”
“I understand. Sommer was a heck of a goalie until that car accident. It’s an absolute shame that it happened. It wasn’t even his fault neither you know? His career was more or less ruined by some drunk guy who decided to drive under the influence.”

“It is a shame Hennadiy. Im still really proud of the team for stepping up like they did. I never told them to donate money to him, but they made the choice to. They all have great character. It’s really unfortunate that Becke and Nosek got in that fight. They know better than that. But when tempers fly, stuff like this happens. I need them to prove to me a situation like that wont happen again. If not? They have no place on my team. They both are amazing players. But if they want to stay on the team, they need to fix their problems.”

“I understand that coach. Here, let me get the door for you. Im really happy we got that plane; and there she is. Ain’t she a beauty?

“I love that jet. It’s so much easier than trying to plan to fly on a bunch of random airlines.”

“After you Coach.”

"Thank you Hennadiy."

---

MD:1
Daharia 3–4 Kelssek

21': Goal! Rory Joseph on direct free kick
44': Goal! Wojtek Wechsler (assist by Adam Čížik)
----Half Time----
65': Goal! Adrián Kistner
71': Goal! Adrián Kistner
80': Goal! Julius Heer
87': Goal! Thor Ibrahim Ahmad
90+5': Goal! Thor Ibrahim Ahmad
----End Time----

Daharia 0-1
Kelssek 1-0

MD:2
Sajnur 0–2 Daharia

21': Goal! Wojtek Wechsler (Assisted by Ottmar Nosek)
45+3': Ottmar Nosek and Jarek Becke Red Cards
----Half Time----
68': Goal! Adrián Kistner
----End Time----

Sajnur: 1-1
Daharia: 1-1

[Aleirave]

Lahaira Ho!
Aleirave 3-2 Sawenia
Lisander 0-5 Aleirave

As the Seagulls flew into their first bye MD, there was a lot to be celebrating on the Sunshine Isle.

First, the results. After a somewhat dicey one-goal win at home against rank 279 Sawenia, the Seagulls turned around and put 5 past Lisander away in their fiercest blanking since their Baptism of Fire. Such a result, understandably, got a lot of islanders excited and in the mood for more World Cup competition... and the World Cup competition in question was floating towards their shores at that very moment.

Following its debut in Vaynorth, Eshialand (where it played host to a 3-1 win for the Owls against unranked newcomers La Pizza de la mama), the brand-new Union Stadium was making a trip to Lahaira to play host to the Seagulls and their Pot 1 regionmates Chromatika.

Going from their two lowest-ranked opponents to their highest-ranked ones would, of course, pose a challenge for Haulafo and company, but with a bye MD coming up, they had time to relax and get into the mood to take their biggest matchup onto the biggest stage the island has ever seen.

---

"I hope none of your players get seasick, Haulafo... we had some issues with that in Vaynorth..." Union Stadium's head groundskeeper told the coach as the stadium was docking.
"Please, we're Aleiravans, we live sleep and breathe on the sea..."
"The spectators in Vaynorth said the same thing but I'm still cleaning up the puke in the peanut gallery..."
"Were they even on the sea before the rifts?"
"No, not unless you count a large lake as a sea..."
"Ahh, see they're fake seamen, everyone here in Aleirave are the real deal..."

A large crowd had been forming around the stadium as it came into port, and in the middle of Haulafo's sentence they had managed to find a way in, taking pictures of everything.

"Was this supposed to be open to the public already?" Haulafo asked the groundskeeper.
"No, no it wasn't... but I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Beaujoleil didn't invest three pennies into security, all he ever cared about were bells, whistles, and jumbotrons that are always set to the kiss cam for whatever reason."
"That sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happ--"
"Tony Beaujoleil is a walking lawsuit waiting to happen, Haulafo... you don't really know his antics the same way I do. Can't escape the news about him back on the mainland."
"Well, I suppose this crowd can't do too much harm as long as they don't break any--"

CRACK!

"Oh dear."

[Auprussia]

MILITARY HISTORY OF AUPRUSSIA PART 2

Accounts by deu Lithos written in 195 ASE
Part 1

Rodin's Plan (18 ASE)
Rodin arrived at Aupas in the beginning of 18 ASE. After the usual pleasantries he met with deu Perin and the Aupalici council to discuss what had happened at Chautrierre. Rodin started by praising the Aupalici's courage and discipline in the battle while also praising deu Firot for his command. deu Perin was patient but stern knowing Rodin wanted something, more men or otherwise. When Rodin finished his speech he offered more land and more money for more men as deu Perin expected. deu Perin this time counter offered with his own clever terms: deu Perin gives Rodin more men but they have to be under the command of deu Firot, he will get the lands east of Aupas in the Kingdom of Piendoux (Rodin had been holding on to those lands as a buffer), and Rodin must marry one of his sisters to deu Perin. Rodin attempted to negotiate deu Perin down but deu Perin had taken his stand on the matter forcing Rodin to agree to those terms.

deu Perin did not show it but he was elated that Rodin agreed and shortly after Lira de Tergenac married deu Perin. Rodin in the meantime pulled deu Firot aside and started to plan the campaign. deu Firot knew the Ostrogian capital was more vulnerable from the north and dashing straight there could prove decisive however, if Rodin was going to conquer land dashing straight to the capital will do nothing. Rodin asked in a halfway joking manner "Why? do they not respect their king?" and deu Firot replied "closer than you think". Rodin was a bit surprised but listened to deu Firot. deu Firot noted that the Ostrogian vassals act autonomously making their own armies and their own kingdoms. While High Chief Mietod is the one that grants those titles Mietod himself has to raise his own army or negotiate with other Ostrogian tribes to raise theres.

Rodin then said "So in this case we just make war with a vassal or two and Mietod will take longer to come to the aid of his vassal". deu Firot nodded and also added "If you can score a decisive victory against one of the tribes they will submit to you instead of Mietod". deu Firot's conclusion makes sense but Rodin was uneasy and let his concern be known. "If we do slow down we would be stuck fighting the High Chief's men and could be surrounded if we took too long". deu Firot then made a suggestion: "We could stick to the north but the Lithou river is there, if we get trapped there we have to stall the army until we can cross back to your kingdom". Rodin noted this and came up with a strategy: "So we will out maneuver them, threaten the heart of the tribes' land and make them think we are attack from the river but then we swing around and flank them so that they will be trapped along the Lithou and have to fight on uneven terms." deu Firot agreed with Rodin and made preparations for the upcoming campaign.

The Ostrogian Campaign (19 ASE)
It took a year for the men to be trained and the preparations to be finished but in 19 ASE Rodin de Tergenac and Firot de Sabegne crossed the Lithou river and started to campaign in Ostrogia. Rodin's army comprised of 13000 men, 7000 Piendoux Spearmen, 1000 Royal Spearmen (modeled off of the Aupalici Spearmen and how they fight), 4000 Lancer Cavalry, and 1000 Nobles fighting for honor, glory, and land on their heavy cavalry. It must be noted that 300 of those nobles are a bit more lightly armed and with missiles because they were squires or apprentices to their heavy cavalry counterparts. Firot de Sabegne's army comprised of 6000 men, 4000 of the Aupalici Spearmen now infamous to the tribes of Ostrogia and 2000 "Deimans" cavalry equipped with heavy javelins and heavy lances. The first tribes' land they marched upon were named the Dutroges, they comprised the Axemen in Torud Oram's army in the Battle of Chautrierre.

The Dutroges were one of the few tribes that saw Rodin's attack coming and protested to High Chief Mietod for more men from another tribe. Mietod granted this request and sent men from of Osti tribe to stem Rodin's attempt at conquest.

The Battle of Rade Hacham (19 ASE)
The Commander of the combined Dutrogian and Ostian army was named Gerthbur Aithaim who was eager for battle against the man who defeated Torud. Aithaim had marched his men to the northwest as if he was threatening Sabegne again like Torud did before. The goal was to catch Rodin rushing towards Sabegne and trap him on the Lithou river to do battle as he had the numerical disadvantage. Rodin and Firot sprung their trap and swung from their march towards the Dutrogian heartland towards the river. When Aithaim got to the Lithou river and saw there was no army to fight he immediately attempted to march the army westward but Rodin and Firot arrived shortly thereafter. Aithaim had no choice but to fight.

Aithaim's army was comprised of 8000 men. 2500 Dutrogian Axemen, 2000 Raider Cavalry, 3000 Ostian Swordsmen, and 500 "Maicham" or Ostian Royals on Horseback. Aithaim lined up the infantry he could on the middle but some were still marching westwards when the Piendoux army arrived. Aithaim hastily tried to get the cavalry in front of his vulnerable units on his left.

Rodin lined up his army with an overload to his right with the Aupalici Spearmen and the Piendoux Royal Spearmen along with the Nobles flanking them on the right while he had a line in the center and left with the rest of the Piendoux Spearmen and the Deimans in case anyone attempted to cross the river. Rodin told his right to charge and the rest to march forward. Aithaim's left was completely overwhelmed in the chaos and instantly broke. Aithaim's center and right attempted to stand their guard but the push from Rodin's right overwhelmed them and Aithaim was forced to surrender. The Dutroges swore fealty to Rodin and gave up some land past the Lithou river as a result.

Aithaim lost half of his 8000 men army during the battle while Rodin merely lost 100 men according to Piendoux sources but the more accurate totals are likely that Aithaim lost around 2500 men and Rodin lost 500.

The Long Road Ahead (19 ASE)
Rodin's next target were the tribe of Ludobriges who bordered the Dutroges to the west. After Rade Hacham Rodin marched westward but had been pelted by retreating Osti on the road to the town of Leteim. Rodin then decides to march south which alarmed Ostian scouts and made the Ostians march southward to warn High Chief Mietod. Rodin then switched his forces back to marching westward until they find a small army of Ludobriges on patrol. The Ludobriges instantly retreated at the sight of Rodin's forces.

Then a delegate of the Ludobriges approached Rodin and asked to negotiate.

In A Time Far Removed...

Eraman 0-1 Auprussia @ ?????
Auprussian Goal: Martin Ivicer 33' (Assisted by Jean Alligioud)

Auprussia 4-3 Darmen @ Parc d'Auprus
Auprussian Goals
Martin Ivicer 26' (Assisted by Ingalcer "Payday" Pardau) 57' (Assisted by Vitore Enetac)
Antonie Piridrisse 41' (Assisted by Martin Ivicer)
Elmaie deu Cavaldraissaiy 86' (Penalty and was Substituted in for Daraco in the 74')

Auprussian Yellow Card:
Ruide Daraco 70' (Harsh tackle attempt)

Darmen Goals:
James January 34' (Assisted by Fabricio Tobias) 70' (Assisted by Fabricio Tobias)
Marianne Lee 51' (Goal poached on a defensive mistake)


Darmen Yellow Card:
85' Phillip O'Hara (Accidentally knocks Elmaire deu Cavaldraissaiy down in the box resulting in a penalty)

[Baggieland]

Part Two: The Homecoming

Len returned to Baggieland with uncertainty; even in the familiar setting of his roots, how could he endure the harsh judgment of those who once praised him?

Within the bustling capital of Hawthorn there was no escape…

"Loser!" bellowed a complete stranger.

"You cost us the World Cup you right raving nincompoop!" declared another.

"My mum could play better than you," proclaimed a third.
*Baggieland's citizens are created in vats, therefore no one has a mum. It is assumed the above speaker must have met a 'mum' whilst on holiday in Gnejs.

Even at his favourite Luigi's Lasagna franchise restaurant, he was handed a fork by a maddened waitress to eat his lasagna with… Can you believe that? A fork – how uncouth! Would no one give him a break? It was clear to see that there was no safe haven within this city or even this nation. Dejected and lost, Len found himself wandering the city streets with no sense of purpose.

He understood that he needed to find a new path for his life. Alas, football was all he knew – it was great that Baggieland had kicked off their World Cup 96 campaign with a 2 – 0 home win against New Fernia - although he was pleased for his former teammates, seeing that result brought back painful memories for him. Then one fateful night, Len drearily gazed up at the stars… only to feel a spark of inspiration suddenly ignite within him. He had had a vision – and was to set his sights on a different kind of contest – one that would take place among the vast expanse of the cosmos.

Len decided to apply to join the prestigious Space Corps, an elite organization tasked with exploring the far reaches of the universe. Surely here he could find a new sense of purpose and belonging. As he gazed out at the infinite possibilities that lay ahead, he knew that the greatest contest of his life was just beginning.

[Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove]

A bad start at World Cup 96

Sacré-Coeur district, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer - It has started. The qualifications for the World Cup 96 has started. Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove's first opponent is regionmates Ko-oren, the inventors of " post football " and we lost 1-0. On matchday 2, we welcomed Carpathia and Ruthenia in Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer and drew 1-1 at home. Let's start with matchday 1, the match was played at the Orange Bowl in Schemerdrecht and the stadium was sold out. Nothing good to say about the match itself except that at the 65th minute, Teiichi Tsuchimoto scored on a free kick and the score was 1-0 Ko-oren. It's the final score. The Dragonflies had 4 shots on goal, all of them on target and controlled the ball 71% of the time. The Tapirs had 3 shots on goal and 2 of them were on target.

GAME SUMMARY

65th   GOAL KO-OREN   Teiichi Tsuchimoto (free kick)

On matchday 2, Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove received Carpathia and Ruthenia at Terrain de soccer 1 au Complexe sportif national (Soccer Ground 1 at National Sports Complex) and the weather was hot and humid with light rain in the 1st half. Carpathia and Ruthenia attacked at the 21st minute when Ödön Kárpáty made a cross to Rebecca Pék who kicks it past Serge Bleau-Bean and Carpathia and Ruthenia is leading 1-0. The Tapirs tied the game at the 38th minute when Alyssa McCaskill, who had the ball, made a short pass to Louis-Philippe Berlinguette who kicked it and it's a goal. The game was tied at 1-1 at halftime. The rain stopped during the 2nd half but no one scored and the final score was 1-1.

GAME SUMMARY

21st   GOAL CARPATHIA AND RUTHENIA  Rebecca Pék assisted by  Ödön Kárpáty
38th   GOAL ST-JEAN-JACQUES ET BoS   Louis-Philippe Berlinguette assisted by Alyssa McCaskill

On matchday 3, the Jean-Jacquois and Burnhamese will travel to the Ochre Islands, also located in Anaia. Due to the proximity of both nations, the team announced that to honor the founding fathers of the nation - Jean-Jacques Le Boucanier (John James The Buccaneer) and William Robert Burnham - the team will travel to the Ochre Islands on a ship flying the pirate flag. Upon arrival, we'll raise the white flag with the pirate flag to make known we don't have bad intentions. Scarlett McCaskill will miss the match for unknown reasons and Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin will take her spot in the starting XI. The Tapirs will have a bye on matchday 4.

If you read my match report during the CAFA Cup 8, you probably know that I tasted cheese in some foreign nations and I especially liked Cardenao's cheese. I have the intention to taste cheese wherever I go during the World Cup qualification, starting with Ko-oren. To be honest, I don't know any cheese products from Ko-oren, I think they're better known for their yogurt. Ko-oren doesn't really have a type of cheese like camembert, blue, etc Instead, they have cow milk cheese, sheep milk cheese, goat milk cheese. I even found deer milk cheese in Schemerdrecht and this it what I tried. The cheese I tasted was kinda medium-soft. It wasn't that good. I'd say it's below average. I rate it 4/10.

Back at home for matchday 2, I tasted Saint-Jean-Jacques' famous Jean-Jacquois Blue Cheese produced by La fromagerie de l'Abbaye de Breteuil (Breteuil Abbey Cheese Factory). It's still one of the best cheese I ever tasted. My rate: 10/10.

Paul-André Veilleux

The United States of Nova Calania

As previously mentionned, we are on the verge to have a Nova Calanian Union with 5 independent nations located on the Nova Calanian continent in Anaia expected to unite.

Who are these 5 nations? Quick overview

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer: A city state located just north-east of Cardenao founded by Jean-Jacques Le Boucanier and William Robert Burnham in the 18th century.
Burnham-on-Stove: Burnham-on-Stove was part of Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer but communists from the Burnham-on-Stove neighborhood seceded to from their own left wing utopia.
Odlegla Ziemia: Located on the Ayesian coast just south west of Krytenia. Unlike SJJ or BoS, it's not a city state. It's a duchy comprising about 20 villages along the coast. Odlegla Ziemia means "Distant Land" in Polish language.
Shanzhou: The Colony of Shanzhou is another city state, located south west of Odlegla Ziemia and north east of Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer and Burnham-on-Stove. Currently ruled by a dictator, General Zhang.
Nova Calanian Aztec Confederacy: Is a large nation located east of the above. The Great Calanian Desert encompasses it's border on the far east. They are the native people of Nova Calania.

Nation	        Saint-Jean-Jacques-s-M	        Burnham-on-Stove	Odlegla Ziemia	        Shanzhou	        Aztec Confederacy
Capital City	Saint-Jean-Jacques-s-M	        Burnham-on-Stove	Ostrow Krolewski	Shanzhou	        Coyotepec
Leader	        Prince Pierre-Alexandre 1er 	Braelynn McIlwain	Wladyslawa Wozniakowska	General Zhang	        Moctezuma XIX
Off. language	French	                        English	                Polish	                Mandarin	        Aztec and Polish
Currency	Franc Jean-Jacquois	        Burnhamese Pound	Zloty Odleglanskie	Shanzhouan Yuan	        Aztec Zloty
National animal	Tapir	                        Tapir	                Spectacled Bear	        Sea Turtle	        Jaguar
National sport	Hockey	                        Soccer	                Gridiron	        Soccer	                Hunting
Population	775 878	                        418 306	                742 662	                235 194	                287 008
Area	        Unknown	                        Unknown	                Unknown	                Unknown	                Unknown

All nations are pretty different from each other: different language, currency and so on. How the Nova Calanian government will be elected? Which currency and language(s) will be used?

Government: 4 nations on 5 have an unelected herediary ruler. The other one (Burnham-on-Stove) is a single party nation which the Communist Party being the only one recognized party. The Nova Calanian government is planned to be elected by the 5 nation rulers. Candidates will go through a vote and only the 5 nation rulers will be able to vote. The leader will be a chancellor and he or she will pick his/her ministers himself or herself. Ministers won't be elected. The government will be made of 1 chancellor and 11 ministers. Government's terms will be 5 years.

Economy: Burnham-on-Stove, Odlegla Ziemia and Shanzhou will keep their own national stock exchange. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer's stock exchange will become pan-national and will be renamed Nova Calania-Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer Stock Exchange. The creation of a new pan-national currency is also expected.

Military: The military (air force, navy, infantry, etc) of all 5 nations will merge to form a new pan-national Nova Calanian military force. It will be named the Nova Calanian Armed Forces (NCAF). If the NCAF is at war, all 5 nations are at war.

Sports: Obviously, Nova Calania will have a national team in all sports made with athletes from all 5 nations, starting with whatever tournament that will come first after the World Cup 96 or Cup of Harmony. Domestic leagues from all 5 nations will merge to form superleagues, starting with basketball which has already merged.

Language: It's unclear if the United States of Nova Calania will have an official language and which one? But English, French and Polish are the most used languages in governments meetings and diplomacy.

All that is needed for the union to be official is a vote from all 5 governments that is scheduled to take place in april or early may 2025. The union would take effect in may 2025 after all 5 governments votes yes.

Anne-Charlotte McDermott

[Josifovo]

Спортски Журнал
All the sports, by the people, for the people

WORLD BEATERS GET PAST CONFEDERATIONS CUP WINNERS - TWO WINS SEE ZLATNI LAVOVI ON TOP!

Josifovo's run in the qualifiers could never have been given a better start than this. Two games, two wins and a dominant showing to top it all off for the Zlatni Lavovi. The work ethic that has been exhibited by the team since the latest Campionato Esportiva has seen its first bearings of fruit in defeating the Squornshelan Remnant States with a 4-1 scoreline in the Ljubco Savevski stadium, in front of a crowd of over 27,000 people who managed to squeeze in to watch the game. This, followed by a comfortable away victory against minnows in the Celestial Emapier see Josifovo top of its group for the time being, while also being given an important boost for the following games.

Uroš Tadić has shown once again why he is the nation's main talent. A skilled dribbler and space creator, he was vital in both games. Providing 2 assists against the Black and Reds, while scoring once against the Celestial Emapier. Not only that, but he has proven to be a commanding presence on the pitch, with many forward carries. In addition to that, he is of pivotal importance when it comes to occasionally falling back to help his team.

Zlatni Lavovi's victory over the Squornshelan Remnant States marks the 3rd straight opening matchday victory in the qualifiers. With another noteworthy fact being that the team has scored an average of 4 goals in their openers. The previous two victories being a 3-5 win against Eraman and a 3-2 victory over Boring Paradise. All recorded opener victories have been against higher-ranked opponents. However, this is the only time an opener victory has been followed by yet another victory, would this be the start of a great run and a first-time qualification to the great dance?

With Semarland and Bears Armed next, the team is looking hopeful to maintain its strong face and to extend its advantadge as much as possible before the game with Zwangzug comes. Much like a bear preparing for hibernation in the winter time, Josifovo needs to amass points now before either Zwangzug, Squornshelan Remnant States or any surprise competitor steps up to take any of the top 2 spots.

[Juvencus]

Il Scudelliano is under new management, one that presents the news about la squadra as it should instead of being a third party newspaper that supports the team only when it wants, and will remain that way until further notice

TOP 2 SEED ENCOUNTER SEES LA SQUADRA LOSE TO BROOKSTATION - STRONG SHOWING AGAINST WIGHT

Gael Gaetan's team has shown promise ever since its friendly preparations, a 5-3 victory over the Grim Reapers of Quebec, a strong foe as well as the tough Snow Bears of Ranoria. The team's offense had been in peak condition and great form, something that translated pretty well against returning side and former World Champions Wight when the team decided to put on a show and get a comfortable 3-0 victory. The following match back at home against Brookstation was not so much a different story as it was a story of tough luck. Our rivals were a menacing side in the first half and managed to get a 2-goal lead before half-time, when gli attaccanti regained control of the game, it was too late, as Ceferino Audiol's goal would be the only one scored.

This would normally bring a crisis to the team in the past, as it was focused on defeating higher-ranked opposition without a particular plan in mind. However, this time is different, since this strong showing could easily translate into a big win streak and a better showing away at Brookstation for the revenge game. What this means is, the team's plan still worked, despite not getting the result it needed. The players pushed hard and standout talents did their fair share of their work. Since this game happened early on, it is salvageable.

As one of the highest-ranked Independent teams, gli attaccanti has a lot of eyes turned on them and their players. A standout from both games has been Xavi Gasol, the AC Pomena ace has been getting a lot of game time and Gaetan seems to be showing trust to the promising youngster. Scoring a goal against Wight is no small feat, while also being a domineering presence against opposing defences and having the ball glued to his feet makes marking him a chore of its own. Another standout includes Ignacio Lopes, Gaetan having worked with him at U.S Scudelli knows the value of this talent and has been giving him opportunities against difficult opposition, with important tackles and excellent leadership in the backline of the team across both games, he has cemented himself as a competitor to the Callejon-Puig-Coste trio we are so used to seeing.

Following both games, Gael Gaetan is not let down by the team's performance, despite critics of his performance, he has shut down them down with the following statement.

"Typical Juven media has been against gli attaccanti's progress since forever. Whether we win trophies or defeat difficult opposition, there is nothing that satisfies you all. God forbid we lose to a country like Brookstation, a top-15 side in the multiverse, you will eat the squad up. The team played its game well and stood unlucky in a game of football, any and all mistakes will be fixed as I take accountability for my team's performance and playstyle. However, showing doubt this early on in the campaign is the worst thing you can do to a talented squad that has proven you all wrong time and time again. Wait and see, big things are coming."

With the game against Srednjaci approaching in due time, all focus has been diverted towards this game as la squadra must win it all so as to not see itself lag behind in the race for the top spot. A feat that is neither hard, nor impossible anymore.

[Zwangzug]

(The story so far: our narrator has been having visions of otherworldly fields where players and/or fans are punished for their sins, like being immature godmod goal-scorers or being miserable all the time about the state of the world and wanting other people to be miserable too. The Virgil character doesn't have a name but, based on the colors she wears, is probably Rejistanian. The narrator spends a lot of time judging people's accents and being a wimp about long climbs. It's just like the real Divine Comedy that way. In particular, it's like Longfellow's translation, in that it doesn't rhyme and the kludgy syntax to make it vaguely look like iambic pentameter is forced and bad. Okay, now you're caught up!)

(That was a cycle ago but the vibe is still basically the same, you haven't really missed anything.)

Beneath the field there was no place for seats
But all the systems that did underpin
The boundless fields through which we'd journeyed met.

The pipes that pumped fresh water in, and out
Ferried the waste descending through the drains;
Wires that lit the floodlights overhead;

Utilities that linked the referees
To the sequestered stranger who maintained
The cameras for video review;

Foundations that upheld the pillars vast
Placed carefully, to not obstruct the view;
All these at bottom found space to expand.

And, when my eyes adjusted to the dark,
I saw that they were not a labyrinth,
A single path to help us meditate,

But neither were they a beguiling maze
With dead ends built to frustrate. No, instead
They held a logic like the ball above:

Dribbled and passed a thousand times a day
Forming trajectories that pass unseen
Beneath the greedy cleats of rival teams.

So too these tunnels, though they first seemed knots
Were patterns elegant in their own right
Once they escaped the upper tiers' constraints.

"This is no abyss," said my patient guide,
"No place of suffering or unjust pain.
Although its beauty often lies unseen,

Without the work of many here below
The stadiums above, and all their games
Could not display the beauty you shall see."

"Is this a metaphor?" I dared to ask.
"Are we still speaking of the afterlife?
Must some souls labor so others rejoice?

Is bliss contingent on another's pain?"
"It represents," she hissed, less patient now,
"Sports stadiums, and structures as complex

Formed in the living world, through work and skill.
This is no single field, no final site,
But each arena rising from the stone."

"I think I understand. Sort of. For now.
Are there more floors beneath this to traverse?"
"There are more stairs to climb," she said. "And you,

Who grouse at simple steps, must persevere:
For here is where our road shall turn again.
Instead of going down, we'll now ascend."

I followed her across the chamber dark
Unto a doorway which she pushed aside
Permitting a small strip of light ingress:

Beyond it, the next flight of stairs led up.

(Marcus 34, McHeran 50, Turmal-Hence 81)

[Drawkland]

These are the venues for Drawkland's World Cup 96 Qualifying home games.

With the smaller group format, the opportunities for spreading home games across the continent are reduced. The 12 total game and 6 home game schedule is the shortest of any qualifying campaign in Drawkland's history - starting with their debut in World Cup 77. By far the shortest qualifying in that span was the 14-game World Cup 90 qualifiers, where Drawkland went 1-3-1 in the final 5 matches to be resigned to a playoff spot (and a subsequent loss to Milchama). It's ironic, as you'd expect a team to have a significant dropoff in a longer, marathon-esque qualifying schedule, but the shortest one in Corps history (until now) featured one of Drawkland's most distinct qualifying implosions.

Typically, DISC has the major soccer stadiums host in every single qualifying cycle, with some of the lower-profile matchups scattered among the various middling venues from the DLK and elsewhere. With only six home games, there's hardly any space for those expected venues, much less those which see Kick Corps action once or twice a decade. DISC decided to stick with the old faithful venues, ensuring that at least a couple were outside of the often-used Metro District cluster. Some debate was had for allowing the "home field" of Drawk City Stadium be used for all six games to reduce logistical strain, as the benefits for a national tour home schedule are reduced for such a short schedule. Ultimately the tour supporters at DISC HQ won out.

As per usual, the bigger and more notable stadiums are saved for the more important matches against bigger-name opponents. However, with the abbreviated schedule, pretty much every team is getting the A-tier venue treatment this time around. The interesting inclusion is UniverSails Stadium, a brand-new stadium built for Ducentu's new DLK franchise. The Ducentu Drakes were temporary tenants at the multi-purpose Ducentu Municipal Stadium, but fixture congestion dictated that this could not serve as a long-term option. The stadium was finished at the tail end of last DLK season, but the Drakes wanted to wait until opening day of next season to begin play in their new home. Convenient both timing-wise and geographically, DISC worked with the Ducentu franchise to come to an agreement. The Kick Corps would christen the new stadium as part of their qualifying tour, giving the stadium staff a good large-scale test event to ensure the future Opening Day for the Drakes will go down smoothly.

WC95 Qualifying Home Schedule
Matchday, Opponent, Stadium Name, Capacity, City
Kick Corps record at stadium (plus a nickname if one exists)
Fun fact about venue

MD1 vs Tikariot: Drawk City Stadium (175,000), Drawk City
Kick Corps record at the de facto national soccer stadium: 42-16-7
This is the first time Drawkland will open the campaign at home against the top seed of the group. No pressure.

MD4 vs Ardsk: UniverSails Stadium (75,060), Ducentu
This will be the first professional match played at this stadium!
The Ducentu Drakes are one of the several new expansion teams in DLK. This is their new purpose-built stadium, naming rights bought by a local logistics company.

MD6 vs Natanians and Nosts: Kanyo Pitch (164,000), Kayo
Kick Corps record at the Crown Ring: 6-2-2
The Kick Corps has not lost at Kanyo Pitch since MD2 of IAC-15 (a 2-3 upset against Hopal).

MD9 vs Damukuni: National Pitch (149,000), Metropolon
Kick Corps record in NatPitch: 4-2-2
One of National Pitch's unique features is the expansive subway station directly underneath the stadium.
The "Underground Gate" entrance to the stadium is only accessible by walking up from the station itself.

MD12 vs Stevencousin: Castle Stadium (149,500), Raikennax
Kick Corps record at the Charge's Fortress: 11-1-1
Not to jinx it or anything, but the Kick Corps currently has a 6-game win streak in games played at Castle Stadium.

MD14 vs Flipverse: Spartan Veteran Stadium (107,500), Sadeg
Kick Corps record at the Vet: 35-11-12
Spartan Veteran Stadium is currently the home venue for the Sadeg Strikers, a new DLK expansion team.
It is unclear whether the Strikers will build their own venue, or continue to use the classic confines of the Spartans.

If you want more details about any of these venues, let me know and I'll be glad to provide them.

[Sarzonia]

It wasn't the first match for Sarzonian national football team manager Caleb Rush, but in one important way, it was.

Rush guided Sarzonia to a quarterfinals appearance in the inaugural Arrosian Regional Championship in his first go as a national team field boss. Now, however, the task was more daunting. He would guide the Stars through World Cup qualifying.

He was chosen as the successor to Brady Reynolds, and he would have a team that had zero caps outside the region, whether the region in question was Arrosia or Atlantian Oceania, Sarzonia's longtime home. He didn't even inherit a single capped veteran who could point the way for the players in a way managerial staff never could.

Worse yet, at 50, Rush knew he had to grow into his role as much as this new crop of players had to grow into theirs. There was no Jake Campos, no Carlton Sandt. There wasn't a single Wilson in the starting 11. Spencer Wilson, younger brother of former captain Clayton Wilson was a substitute striker. Hell, there wasn't even a Charlie King, much to the immense relief of the Department of External Affairs [OOC: the nearest RL equivalent Sarzonia has to the State Department]. In fact, the only person with prior World Cup playing experience was his goalkeepers coach Paolo Gomes.

The only saving grace was the team opening its qualifying schedule with a home match against Labalia, the lowest ranked team in Group 18. There would only be a crowd of 66,138 in Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, a venue that seats 105,900. Tickets for the Matchday 4 contest against eighth ranked and highest group seeds Ko-oren were already sold out. In fact, the powers that be in the Incorporated Football Federation were already trying to negotiate with the stadium authorities to add temporary seating to accommodate demand.

When all was said and done, Sarzonia rolled to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Labalia that was closer than it appeared. Sarzonia led 1-0 in the 76th minute when Rush sent Spencer Wilson on to substitute for a tiring Kitt Morgan. Holly Chambers scored Sarzonia's first goal with a beautiful free kick in the 19th minute, but Labalia were threatening most of the second half.

Three minutes after his entrance, Spencer Wilson jostled for position and his forehead met a cross from midfielder Carrie Andrews and nodded the ball over the outstretched glove of the Labalian goalkeeper. He would set Andrews up for a cheeky ball that sneaked past the keeper in the 89th minute, finally giving Sarzonia badly-needed breathing room.

"I'm happy with the result," Rush told the media. "I thought we let [Labalia] hang in a lot longer than we should have. [Stars goalkeeper John] Wells made up for a couple defensive lapses. We've got work to do against Rea San Vegas away."

Rush didn't say anything when he was asked if he enjoyed seeing his team at the top of the table, even if it was only for one matchday. He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes, but his attempt at a dour manager's expression broke a second later and he chuckled warmly.

"It's only one matchday," he said. "But yeah it's rather nice."

[Chromatika]

World Cup 96 Qualifying Fortnight 1 Results

Matchday 1: Chromatika 4-1 Equestria
Goals: Haitou 16', Park 33', Nam 49', Fucheux 78'
Starting XI: Do (C); Muir - Harry - Mixon; Haitou - Mesic-Mizayaki - Phoen - Mátyás; Françine-Miklavivec; Park - Nam.
Substitutes: Kyouka -> Muir (52'), Jackson-Jones -> Harry (52'), Lethbridge-Antonio -> Mesic-Mizayaki (66'), Goo -> Phoen (66'), Fucheux -> Nam (71')
Summary: Evin Françine-Miklavivec shined with three assists, four different scorers found the back of the net, and Do Seung-Min made nine saves as Chromatika rolled to a 4-1 victory over Equestria to open their Qualifying Campaign. Ibayashi Haitou opened things up with a volley off of Evin's cross early, and by halftime, Sandara Park had doubled it with a header; though Equestria did get one back early in the second half, Nam answered just two minutes after, and Fucheux scored off the bench late to get the final score. This team looked good throughout and ready for it all.

Matchday 2: Sawenia 0-1 Chromatika
Goals: Françine-Miklavivec 61'
Starting XI: Do (C); Muir - Harry - Mixon; Haitou - Mesic-Mizayaki - Phoen - Mátyás; Françine-Miklavivec; Park - Nam.
Substitutes: Howard-Dawes -> Park (56'), Vette -> Haitou (56'), Saburo -> Mixon (72'), Goo -> Mesic-Mizayaki (72'), Xuen-Zhukov -> Nam (83')
Summary: Chromatika had a much harder time away in Sawenia at the bottom-feeders, even if they possessed the ball for more than 70% of the time; it was Françine-Miklavivec that would score off a volley in the middle of the second half to allow them the three points as this selected squad completed the 2-0-0 start.

---

World Cup 96 Qualifying Fortnight 2 Pool (vs. Lisander, @ Aleirave)

Starters: GK Hailee Sourtois (Directus, Eura); DCR Paisley Paterson (Shamrock Cathair, Audioslavia) - DC Eileen Jackson-Jones (Avanaroch White Wings FC, Tikariot), DCL Cylie Nodis (Chormatik, Chromatika); WBR Emilie Kruetzberg (Lakewood United, Tumbra) - CDM Amélie Ju (RGS Athletic, Eastfield Lodge) - AP Haley Hauser (Spartangrad, Eura) - WBL Manda Iara (Alnio, Chromatika); AM Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov (Herzegovina City FC, Banija); AF Elaine Howard-Dawes (Couno Rangers, Tumbra) - AF Marietta "Marie" Fucheux (Perce Town, Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Reserves: GK Do Seung-Min (1923 Esca, Mytanija), GK Juxon Fillar (Montreal Koreana, Quebec and Shingoryeo), DCR Ami Coulibaly (Chromatik, Chromatika), DC Klavida Régine (Serrapince, Tumbra), DCL Ipati Aimée (Lakewood United, Tumbra), DC Rowan Harry (Chamberley City, Sylestone), WBR Grayson Fillar (1896 Ebor, Mytanija), WBL Edith Fillar (Myana, Chromatika), WBL Nemes Mátyás (Auprussia NF, Auprussia), BWM Kaia Larriet-Cortes (La Nueva Avenida, Farfadillis), AP Baillaire Fillar (Sivolvia Capitalizt, Squornshelan Remnant States), AP Evin Françine-Miklavivec (1923 Esca, Mytanija), AF Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov (Myana, Chromatika), CF Candice Delaya (Holdenberg, Eura), P Sandara Park (Montreal Koreana, Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Preview: The Chromatik schedule really starts now - with a home game against Lisander, an away match at Aleirave, with West Barack and East Obama waiting in the wings. This is the second string lineup - though all the starters will be in the bench waiting for their opportunity. The players to watch are Amélie Ju, Haley Hauser, and Vasiliy Kuznetsov, as they are the wily veterans still having a presence on the team; look for Elaine Howard-Dawes to continue to score as often as she can.

Part 1

THE REBUILD
II: Agriculture/Apiary - The Greenhouses

When talking about Myana Island, it's hard to view it as a source of agriculture/apiculture. It's not the Heartland District, where most of the country's domestic grain is grown; nor is it the Coastal District with its beaches. Yes, Myana itself is known for the fishing that is near it, but agriculture isn't really something that it's known for to the general public. This is why it can be surprising to hear that when the invasion of the eastern half of Myana Island happened, the Chromatik spice trade ground to a halt before foreign imports could compensate for the loss. Why is this the case?

Eyrods may have been known as the ecological capital of Chromatika, where everything was biodegradable, eco-friendly, and very aware of the potential impact on the environment, but the locals had developed plenty of ways to coexist with the environment while taking from it. Even picking up the fruits from the temperate trees in the jungle accounted for more than 40% of the fruit output of the country; the spices that were being ground up from the various roots that spread far enough away from the jungle to be deemed okay to harvest was quite a bit as well. Chromatika had learned to both respect nature and take from it what it needed without harming the treasure that was in front of them. In an instant, that was gone - along with the biggest hidden trade in the eastern half of Myana Island - the greenhouses.

With plenty of open space in the area - the eastern half of Myana Island is rather rural, as most of the populace lives in either Myana or Eyrods - and the land not being very fertile on its own, plenty of people had turned to having massive greenhouses in the area. Some of the factors that allowed for this to happen were the land being flat, electricity being rather cheap with enough hydropower in the area, and the incentives from the Island Government that gave massive tax breaks to anyone that produced enough crops. In fact, having greenhouses in the eastern half of Myana Island became such a lucrative investment that people were actually moving from the Heartland District to the area to help maximize the crops that people were building. There was talk about the Heartland District and Myana Island partnering together to help make up for each other's deficiencies, especially with the Heartland being dependent on the climate and the seasons while Myana Island could pick up the slack.

The demons of the Abyss didn't let a single greenhouse survive. When the invading forces left, all that was left were craters, desolation, and soil that had been corrupted. Without a way to combat the magical poison that had seeped into the land, Chromatika was totally in the mercy of the clerics that Yesopalitha could provide. Thankfully, the Dark Council, the government of Yesopalitha, saw it fit to take the responsibility of restoring Chromatika as the price that it needed to pay for the harm that had been caused; the Yesopalithans sent over more than 90% of their divine magical users, and a hundred feet at a time, started to consecrate the land once again so that both the people of the island, the animals, and even the crops could return.

It's been slow going, but over a third of the island has been purified. The Chromatik government has prioritized the areas that people can live in, but enough space has been purified that some zones have been designated as zones where the greenhouse industry can take off again. The Heartland District, once almost rivals with the greenhouse industry, has come to its rescue, donating plenty of good soil and seeds to the cause, while both domestic, regional, and international interests have come from all over the multiverse to start the construction of greenhouses once again, the need of a second domestic source of food having been made even more apparent through its absence in the last two years.

If there is a positive to what has befallen Myana Island, it will be the fact that it can be rebuilt again with a purpose - and when it comes to agriculture and apiculture, this is very advantageous. The greenhouses will purposefully be in areas without too much people, with limited access by roads, on flat land, with plenty of room for infrastructure to support their existence. In fact, it's now been estimated that when the rebuilding is complete, they will be able to produce more than 140% of their previous max yield. Of course, the cost is the time that it's going to take - the experts say at least three more years to reach that peak - but when the hard work is done, it will absolutely be worth it.

With the animals starting to return to the island - both by nature and by man - and the combined will of two nations pouring into what was one of the hidden wildcards of the Chromatik food industry, there is absolutely hope for the future in regards to agriculture and apiculture. It may not make the most sense initially on paper, but Chromatika has felt to the bone the need for this industry in the eastern half of Myana Island, and is willing to spend both manpower and money to make it happen.

The tragedy that is the complete and utter destruction of the Eyrodii Jungle will remain one of the biggest scars of this crisis, but it's resulted in so much of the land being available that was previously closed off. There are numerous debates going on about what should be built in the area that the jungle once inhabited, but one of the two favorites to potentially take the area is a mega complex of greenhouses that will commemorate the spices and fruits that the jungle once produced in abundance.

More will be written about the ecological state of Chromatika at a later date, but rest assured that these efforts will continue long into the future.

-Dr. Esther Voedra-

Disclaimer: All words of Dr. Esther Voedra are her opinions, backed by certain facts. They are not to be viewed as anything otherwise. She may be an esteemed professor in her field, but it's still her opinion.

[City of Myrtle Beach]

Xanneria- I'm assuming the "McLane" that scored a goal for the Myrtle Beach vs Xanneria game is MacLane, because there is no "McLane" on the Xannerian roster that I can see.

MSN | Good Morning Football

---

I met a man from Little Rock once. He asked me, "Yuh gota spa bet a ch'nge en dare?" or some bullshit like that. I couldn't tell you what he said, I don't speak gibberish. What I learned from that experience, though, is that you shouldn't interact with people you don't like. He seemed shady when he walked up to me, and he seemed shady when he walked away. He obviously wasn't of the ruling caste.

Now, why is this relevant? Well, I was reminded of this experience after watching the complete madness that was Myrtle Beach vs Xanneria. The ball was flying all over the place like a bar in New Amsterdam in 2009. Speaking of flying balls, Wilmington United's not-so-star striker Gunnar MacLane made an appearance for the Xannerian team on the pitch. He scored a goal three minutes into injury time before the half, getting around his teammate at Wilmington, Cameron Mathis. Mathis was off his A-game today as keeper Page had been giving him exorcisms every few minutes to "get the demons out." Joke's on him- the demons are the reason Mathis plays so well.

Now, the score's 0-1, the clock's ticking, what do you do as a Myrtle Beach forward? Whatever you're thinking, it's not what Farmer and Brennan decided to do in the 61st minute. Farmer has the ball, he's running towards the goal, but the ball gets swiped away by a defender. Which, you know, it's alright to get the ball stolen, it happens all the time. But then, Brennan swoops in, grabs the ball, and starts running towards the goal again. And then it gets stolen. But wait! The defender who stole it tripped and fell forward, and the ball is just sitting there in the open. Brennan and Farmer run towards it... Brennan kicks... and he makes contact with the ball! Well, the wrong ball. So now, Brennan's fallen back onto the ground because he hit a solid object, and Farmer's curled up on the ground, contemplating the fact that he's not ever gonna have kids. Now, since it's friendly fire, and Farmer is able to get up eventually, the ball is back in play... stolen by Xannerian defender Trey Dillon. He passes it forward, again, and again, and eventually it finds its way into the possession of midfielder Kevin Young who slides it right into the goal past a distracted Page, giving Xanneria their second goal to make it 0-2.

Farmer limps off the field (his injury will heal by next match, but his manhood will never) and is replaced by Brandon Meyers, who fumbles around with the ball a little bit like some U13 kid playing for Sandhurst. To make a long story short, Myrtle Beach lost 0-2, the world has ended, blah blah, whatever. And, also, the Little Rock man story. It doesn't relate to anything else here. I just thought it was funny.

Matchday 1 | Group 10
somewhere ig | 67F Clear | Kickoff 6:00 pm | Attendance: 43,126

Aiporhtse 0

1 Myrtle Beach

73' Hart

Matchday 2 | Group 10
Grand Strand Stadium, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach | 86F Light Rain (Heat index: 93F) | Kickoff 6:00 pm | Attendance: 57,540

Myrtle Beach 0

2 Xanneria

45+3' MacLane
64' Young

[Cassadaigua]

The Growth of the Cooper River Region,
by Julie McIntyre, Concord Heights Times- Lifestyles

It’s been ten years since the occupation of the Cooper River Region, with was known by many as North Cassadaigua. It was a bitter sweet ordeal, with many questioning whether or not Queen Cassie II and the Cassadagan military went about things in the right way. This led to a level of scrutiny that we had never dealt with before, at least when the topic was not men’s rights. But now, I am not going to reflect on the past, and to debate whether or not we were in the right a decade ago. Naturally, there were some very bad things that happened that will forever be a dark moment on our nation’s history. What I am going to talk about now, is where we stand now, and where we might continue to go, moving forward.

It’s also been ten years since Cassie III took over for her mother, and being given the approval of the Royal Court that she was the rightful Queen of Cassadaigua. There were not many people that doubted that, but Princess Brianna always had a pretty good point, and if you think you have a case, it’s understandable that you would do you’re part to ensure that you’re case was heard. It was not all a waste of time for Brianna, as the Court did declare that she would be allowed to rule the Cooper River Region for six years, exclusively from Cassie III. The logic of that was halfway to appease Brianna, but also as a response to international pressure that did not like how Cassie II handled the occupation of the Region. If Cassie III would be in charge of the area, then Cassie II could still influence her daughter’s decisions. With Brianna in charge, that would not happen.

Those six years came and went, and as I move forward, I will talk more about Brianna’s influence there, but there would become a very peaceful transition to Cassie III’s oversight after that period was up. There were some that felt that this would lead to more succession drama, or for Brianna to not to decided to go quietly, but she has in fact been willing to accept a role of governance over the Region, but that governance would not be exclusive of Cassie III. This is not completely uncommon as to what has routinely been seen from the Cassadagan Royal family, as members of the family have always had a leadership role in certain areas. Let’s use an example of what you might see in those nations who actually think a democracy is the best way to run a nation. Those nations are led by a person who gets the most lobbyist money from big businesses and can win a popularity contest to be called the President or Prime Minister. But then you will have smaller leadership roles, such as governors or mayors who will have authority over an area, but not the highest role. In Cassadaigua, members of the Royal Family typically are assigned regions to govern, but it is the Queen herself who has the final answer.

Four years ago, therefore, when Brianna’s exclusive role was to end in the Northern Territory, Queen Cassie III simply declared that Brianna would continue to govern the entire Cooper River Region, complimenting that work that Brianna had done there. It has been rare in the four years since that these two have had a disagreement over things, and this is a nice testament to their relationship with one another. That’s why some people who may have wondered when there would be an update, or that it didn’t seem like there were any new developments on this front, may have felt like there was a lack of news. That lack of news was simply because things were going peacefully, and that has allowed for the infrastructure of the region to improve as time was gone on.

Immediately after the annexation, the Highway 11/41 project was announced. This would take the Matriarchy’s biggest highway, Highway 11, which serves Concord Heights and other eastern cities (indirectly Brattleboro as well) and had extended to the traditional northern border. Highway 11 would be extended north all the way to the Cooper River, and the plan was for either new cities to be formed or for cities which already had a decent population center, such as in Gastineau or Moreau, to grow larger. The plan for Highway 41, a road that originated in Starksville and went through central cities like Grande Mountain, to also move north. However, the Highway 41 expansion has been slower to come to fruition due to the activity of The River Republic, the terrorist group financed by Eura. Despite these difficulties, this expansion is complete as well, but the presence of The River Republic has led to growth of urban areas in this corridor, but the expectation is that will come in time. Now, some different major highways are under construction in the Cooper River Region, which are primarily east to west roads, connecting Highways 11 and 41. This is something, too, that should help the expansion of urban areas along the Highway 41 corridor.

The most famous city in this region is obviously Gastineau, which is not for the right reasons, but tributes for all of those who perished in the onslaught there, as well as memorials which are not necessarily flattering to the Cassadagan miliary are present. Gastineau, as a city, has been slower to grow, because of that reputation and the desire that people have to move away from what had happened there. The biggest city is about 30 miles south of Gastineau, which is Moreau. Here, we have seen the construction of a 36,000 sports stadium, which has already played host to international sporting events, such as in World Baseball Classic 56, and will likely host more in the future. Major companies, such as Five Star Mobile and Sleep With Us Hotels have already sent up an additional headquarters within Moreau. My recent trip to this city was impressive, and it really is coming along nicely to be a truly Cassadagan city. After all, that was the plan, this was never supposed to be a new country, after all. It’s been noticed that there have been a lot of people who have moved to Moreau from the city of Northbury, a traditional Cassadagan city which was just south of the traditional border.

While Moreau is the largest city in the area, the unofficial capital of the Cooper River Region is the city of Briannatown, which is also along the Highway 11 Corridor, and 45 miles north of Gastineau, getting closer to the Cooper River itself. This is where the government building the Princess Brianna makes her decisions out of. There have recently become plans to expand the size of the building to be a similar size and be similar in appearance to the Palace in Concord Heights, but Brianna has said that is not necessary at this time. It’s also the home of Briannatown College, who has the largest enrollment of any of the higher learning institutions that have been formed within the region. Briannatown College was also given the opportunity to participate in the current NSCAA tournament.

Sports have been coming along in this region as well, with the “North Cassadagan” league officially being integrated into the CSL. For now, this league runs separate of the promotion/relegation format, but has, on two occasions, allowed for it’s winner to be promoted into the second division. The two teams that have earned promotions are Gastineau and Newtonville, and Gastineau recently took the next step, by winning the second division title. They will now play in the Premier Division for the first time, something that should be considered a massive step forward for sports in the area. They play at the Deslauriers Stadium, which is only a 28,000-seater, but in time, that facility should only grow if the club has an extended run at the top. Historically, it’s been tough for graduates of the second division to make their way in the Premier Division, but perhaps Gastineau can become the first to make a major impact.

Speaking of sports, Cassadaigua has played one game in World Cup qualifying thus far, scoring a nice 4-3 road win over Brannfjord. The Fillies then had a bye day on matchday two. You can read Caitlyn Dufresne’s in depth coverage of the match here or by downloading the official Concord Heights App. Cassadagan goal scorers were: Lexi McGregor (14'), Chrissy Engle (37'), Lexi McGregor (52'), Lacey Sherwood (76').

[Tero al Disco]

And so, in about 10 minutes the first World Cup campaign was going to start for the Tero al Disco football team. That was the moment both teams, Tero and Saltidia went on the pitch. The Terenses were greeted with a carnival. The crowd singing their lungs out, confetti, the sides of the ground being littered with toilet paper (it was clean, before you ask me for it), fireworks, flares...I mean, it was definitely rowdier than the fans that went to Tikariot, when it was rumoured that the barra bravas (please excuse my originality I can't come up with a name for myself) were travelling to the region of Rushmore for the Baptism of Fire. Despite the fact there's a 100,99% chance that the ATF did actually bankroll their stay, nothing's been officially confirmed yet, so I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway, it was getting ever closer to the start of the match at the Estadio de la República, Tero's premier stadium...until it started...er...nothing interesting happened in the countdown.

This will be a minute-by-minute commentary of the game, as brought to you by Gastón Dezapeggo, and me when I sometimes interrupt.

---

PRE-MATCH

"And the teams are out on the pitch...Tero al Disco and Saltidia, the crowd is electrifying today...the Teros' lineup, we've said it like 5 minutes ago and from Saltidia, it's happened again, they've got no players registered. I mean, we don't know their names, the document doesn't mention them..."

---

KICK-OFF

Saltidia kick off. It seems that the players are outmatched by Tero al Disco, but it seems that they are giving their all to win the match and upset Tero.

---

9'

"Hirsch passes the ball to Riese, Riese's marked by two of the Saltidian players. He gives it to Kuchler, Kuchler's got the ball, he passes it out far he tries to give it to Leonardi in the middle but no! It's inaccurate! So inaccurate! Kuchler really needs to pay attention there as their #2 gives it to the other center-back, it's 0-0, we're 9 minutes in. One of the midfielders get the ball, and it's their left-back in the left-hand side. That guy kicks it to the attacking midfielder and they are in the edge of the area, Clotieri can't get the ball off him and it's another AM now, it's to the right-back, he tries to whip in a cross but RRRICO CATCHES THE BALL! Tero's defense really needs to wake up, they're not marking anyone!"

---

13'

"It's the free kick now for Saltidia. It's gonna be the #8 that's going to kick it. He takes the cross, headed out by Kuchler, but one of the midfielders is unmarked and he's going to kick the ball, he shoots and it bounces off Napoliello's foot, he throws his foot around, and it's out for a corner, Saltidia are the better team here!"

---

17'

"Another free kick to Saltidia, I think they've had three free kicks so far, and it's going to be that attacking midfielder with the #11, I don't know why I'm not naming them by their numbers, vamos Tero...It's #11 there with the free kick, it's headed out by Napoliel-WHAT ARE YOU DOING MIGUEL? It's straight into the #4's boot but Kuuunz gets in the way of the shot. MY GOD!"

---

35'

35 minutes had gone, and by 10 minutes before Saltidia's onslaught of attacks was mostly stopped. Kuchler and Riese were definitely not having their day, but fortunately they stopped having lots of errors in the back. Between a Saltidian corner in the 20th minute, through one of the midfielders (#5) being booked, and finally this moment, there was no chance of note, but Tero al Disco started to dominate possession of the ball. Fans were demanding that the team stop screwing around and start attacking. Saltidia already had two key chances, to Tero al Disco's nil.

"Well, Gastón, they're warming up, I think by half-time they'll already have some subs in the midfield and backwards." "Thank you Enrique, Castillo clears the ball into the midfield, he hasn't participated that much into the game, all the clearances must have been done by the defenders. "...Yep, he's had a total of 2 saves all gam-" "Wait a second Biaggi's charging, he's going towards the left-hand side, he's got the intention to cross the ball, it's to Napoliello, first-time, OH WHAT A SAVE FROM THE GOALKEEPER! HOW HE STOPPED THE BALL! IT'S CLEARED OUT and it's a throw-in for Tero al Disco. IT WAS A MISSILE STRAIGHT AT GOAL FROM NAPO! And the team register their first ever successful shot on target."

---

45+2'

"It's a free-kick for #11, again, from Saltidia. Let's see if Castillo manages to save the ball. Hope that he doesn't score, that bastard......It's a low curve AND HE SCOOPS THE BALL, HITS THE CROSSBAR, it's yet another corner kick from Saltidia, goddamnit!"

After the corner kick was taken, Kuchler headed it out into the midfield and the referee whistled for half-time. The team definitely had to play better if they didn't want to get ""shocked"" with a disappointing draw or get really upset with a loss.

The side reporter Enrique (who I can't come up with a surname for him, for some reason) was right about the substitutes: Francisco Martini was going to be replaced with the other right-hand midfielder Lucas Figueredo, so congrats to him for his first ever international cap.

---

49'

The start of the second half was great news to Tero, as they started to go all in into the match. The first example was this one:

"The corner kick is gonna be taken by uh, Figueredo...he takes the corner, but it's headed out by #4! one of the midfielders is holding his calf but the referee says it's play on, because I don't know...he didn't pretend he's been shot, but it's Hirsch now, he decides it's going back to Riese, he had no option, Kuchler gives it back to Kunz. Kunz charges downfield with the ball, he stops, it's another backpass to Riese...Riese to Kuchler, it's a first-time pass from Kuchler forwards to Hirsch, Hirsch gives a flying pass to Clotieri, Clotieri can't reach the ball and he decides to kick it-, IT GOES PAST THE KEEPER BUT IT'S CLEARED OUT AT THE GOAL LINE, UNBELIVABLE IS THE SHOT FROM LUCIANO! It is still 0-0!"

This may not be a good example of "going all in" but please pretend the team were playing good.

---

66'

Now we jump to the 66th minute of play, hardly anything happened in the 17 minutes between this highlight and the last one. But...

"Napoliello's gonna take the corner, there are few players from Tero in the center of the area, Riese appears, heads it Oh!!! It's only gone over the crossbar, Saltidia have saved themselves again!"

Leonardi and Kunz had been replaced by Cervantes and Miranda.

---

73'

"Riese's got the ball now, he passes it to eh...Figueredo, Figueredo makes it a one-two with Cristian. It's him passing the ball back to Andrés Castillo, Castillo to Hirsch now, Hirsch decides to give it back to Castillo, I don't know what they're trying to do. Castillo clears out er...somewhere but it lands on Napoliello in the left-hand side. He's being pressed by one of the defenders in the midfield. Napoliello gives it back to Miranda, Miranda finds Hirsch, we're yet to cross the midfield line. Hirsch to Riese now- oh- well Riese's still got the ball, the #11 couldn't take the ball away from him, he kicks it forward to Figueredo, a clever pass. What will Lucas do? He's going forward with the ball, he's still running, he's got one mark to beat...Figueredo...Figueredo...he beats that defender, takes the cross it's Biaggi he touches with the right foot it's a volley it's going in GOL! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLL!!! (...) FOR TERO AL DISC IT'S ALVARO BIAGGI MY OH MY! IT'S THE BEST STRIKER WE'VE GOT RIGHT NOW AT THE MOMENT! HE PUTS IT 1-0 FOR LOS TEROS! IT WAS A VOLLEY, FROM THE EDGE OF THE SMALL AREA, IT GOES IN ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER, INTO THE GOALIE'S GOAL, AND HE MAKES TERO GO 1-0 UP. IN ABOUT...28 MINUTES OF THE SECOND HALF..." (73 minutes) "TERO AL DISCO 1! SALTIDIA 0. THE FIRST EVER GOAL IN THE QUALIFIERS FOR THE COUNTRY!...

---

90+4'

Biaggi went out for Villar and Lucero did the same with Cornelli, 80 minutes had passed.

And so the game came to a close with not much going on. No one knew if Félix tried to make his team waste time, or play defensively in general, or take advantage of the momentum they had and have a go at scoring another goal, but the team didn't have another key chance since the 73rd minute. Saltidia didn't have another chance themselves, since they conceded the goal. Therefore...

"And it's gonna finish, AND IT'S GONNA FINISH AND IT'S FINISHED! 1-0 TO TERO AL DISCO! Despite all the hardships we had to face in the first 20 minutes of the first half, when the defense was at its worst, it has finished 1-0, goal from Biaggi, assisted by Lucas Figueredo with that lovely cross, incredible cross, then team decided to nothing at all, stay with the ball, until the game ended, and it is 1-0. How many times am I gonna repeat the godforsaken result...Tero al Disco 1-0 1-0 1-0 Saltidiaaaa...."

---

HANG ON, WE'RE FIRST?: TERO UPSETS SATERUN AWAY FROM HOME

Redacted by Nicolás Moritz.

March 26th, 2024

---

Uh, yes. Not many international pundits predicted that we would be top of the table (or exactly level on points and goals scored with another underdog, Aphrilia. But it feels better to say we're in first place, and we would be in direct qualification spots.) after round 2. Especially given the fact that we just managed to scrape in a 1-0 victory against Saltidia. In other words, in their first ever international match they could've won against the Baptism of Fire bronze medalist. Imagine what could happen if the defense from the first minutes of the first match had to face off against Saterun, a team ranked at #64, and who had won the most recent Independent Associations Championship (a competition for every single not part of the "Big 4" sporting region). Imagine that, against our team, ranked #193, who had to play better from the time the played against a team ranked nothing. World ranking obsessions aside, we ran out as the winners.

At the Fontecoro Municipal Stadium in, you guessed it...Fontecoro, the first half was really boring. Nothing of note happened. Saterun's attackers were very bad at goal throughout the first 45 minutes of the game, and Tero al Disco focused more on the defense, as they normally do, so Biaggi and Leonardi didn't see much action troughout the match. There were only two shots on target: the first one from Lucero, in the 14th minute, which was deflected only by Ralf Abbiati (the Saternalian goalkeeper)'s fists. For our Nacional A followers, he's of no relation to Rosamonte's Orlando Abbiati. Anyway, from the 25th minute onwards, possession went from being fairly even, to the balance being tipped in favor of the hosts. As I said before, Saterun's strikers had dissapointing accuracy. Despite that, in the 36th minute Thiago Esparza cut into the box after beating two Terense defenders and shot at goal. His chance was just about to go under the crossbar, but Castillo tipped it over the bar. 11 minutes later, it was half-time.

The second 45 minutes saw the game open up for both teams. Saterun had the potential to dominate the game by the first half, but from the start of the second one their players could actually go into the area without their ability to finish, magically disappearing (I think I've said this before in another Baptism of Fire article didn't I?). That was when the attack started to pose a very real danger to the Terense defense. A comparatively whopping three key chances were the ones that Saterun had, prior to the 60th minute.

It seemed like all Tero had to do was defend, defend, and defend however they could. If they needed to score a goal it would have to come from a counter-attack, that's what I think Félix thought from the way he seemed to organise the team during the start of the second half. But the players insisted on pushing forward. They didn't want to score a goal just from the counter-attack. They seemed like they wanted to score and win from every play. In the 62nd minute and a quarter, Hirsch, who had the ball at the edge of Saterun's defensive third, was brought down by midfielder Glenn Lundquist, and the referee decided to give Tero a free kick. Riese took the free kick. He was about 35 metres out from the goal, so Biaggi wasn't going to take it, obviously. Maksymilian Bates headed the ball out and Biaggi chased out. Lucero was running to the spot in the right-hand edge of the area, where Biaggi was just about to pass it. Lucero touched it to the side to try and get a better angle and...WHAT A GOAL IT WAS! My god, it hit the under side of the crossbar and went in. It was like Manet's goal when we beat Sawenia 5-0 in the BOF. 1-0 to Tero al Disco. Were they about to beat the best Independent team?

And I won't even be able to tell you about the 27 minutes or so after that, because that was when Alfredo Félix decided to execute his masterplan: do nothing, play dirty, waste time. No one cared that the Saternalian fans finished with their vocal chords tired of whistling and booing Tero for their very evident anti-football, shall we say. Saterun didn't get it once in the back of the net, and that was what Félix cared about. By the time the match finished, we were first. It was 1-0.

I'm really looking forward for went the team gets smacked to death by Audioslavia and Cabo Azure.

MORE RESULTS IN GROUP 19!
Tero al Disco and Aphrilia are really shocking the world (or maybe the five other nations in the group?) out there: they're joint-first in the group 19 table. 2 matches, 2 wins, 2 goals scored, 0 conceded. Football as it should be, really. Tero will travel to Aphrilia for matchday number 4.

In the "clash of the giants" for this group, i.e. #20 Cabo Azure and #34 Audioslavia, the match finished 3-2 in favour of the former, played in Audioslavia's Beltzarga. Cabo Azure then had a bye for round 2. Remember, Audioslavia will play in the Estadio de la República in round 6, after Tero's match 5 bye, and we'll travel to Cabo Azure for round 7, so the last two matches will be a real challenge.

Tero's next opponents, Sannyamathaland, had a bye in round 1 and lost to Aphrilia, 0-1 at home. Saltidia, after losing to Tero, were easily brushed away by Audioslavia, 3-0. Finally, Saterun had already lost to Aphrilia 1-0, so this is a bad start for the Claws.

Aphrilia 1–0 Saterun
Tero al Disco 1–0 Saltidia
Audioslavia 2–3 Cabo Azure

Saltidia 0–3 Audioslavia
Saterun 0–1 Tero al Disco
Sannyamathland 0–1 Aphrilia

Group 19                                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Aphrilia                                  2    2   0   0     2    0   +2     6
--Tero al Disco                             2    2   0   0     2    0   +2     6
3 Audioslavia                               2    1   0   1     5    3   +2     3
4 Cabo Azure                                1    1   0   0     3    2   +1     3
5 Sannyamathland                            1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
6 Saterun                                   2    0   0   2     0    2   −2     0
7 Saltidia                                  2    0   0   2     0    4   −4     0

Box scores (Nicolás forgot):
TERO AL DISCO 1-0 SALTIDIA

• Lineup: A. Castillo | I. Kunz, M. Kuchler (C), C. Riese, L. Clotieri | M. Napoliello, E. Hirsch, F. Martini, H. Lucero | A. Biaggi, J.J. Leonardi
• Goals: A. Biaggi 73'
• Subs: F. Martini -> L. Figueredo HT', J.J. Leonardi and I. Kunz -> S. Cervantes and J. Miranda 66', A. Biaggi and H. Lucero -> R. Villar, A. Cornelli 80'

SATERUN 0-1 TERO AL DISCO

• Lineup: A. Castillo | I. Kunz, M. Kuchler (C), C. Riese, L. Clotieri | M. Napoliello, E. Hirsch, F. Martini, H. Lucero | A. Biaggi, J.J. Leonardi
• Goals: H. Lucero 64'
• Subs: M. Napoliello -> G. Durand 61', J.J. Leonardi and E. Hirsch -> P. Tedesco and J. Salas 66', H. Lucero and A. Biaggi -> J. Freitas and A. Cornelli 73'

Projected squad (the players numbered 1-11 would be the preferred starting 11)

[HUElavia]

Socialist Republic of Lower Tranmere 2–5 HUElavia
(REDACTED 39', REDACTED 56' | Wantanabe 10', 13', Uchee 38', Ricci 62', Oh 64'

Mikta

The Homeland of the Hueti.

The State of Mikta is located towards the North Central of HUElavia, encompassing a size of 78K mi(2), making it the 20th largest state in the United States of HUElavia. Mikta is home to 18.8 Million HUElavians, making it 18th most populous state of the country. The vast majority of the state is filled with Native Huetis, and HUElavians with a high degree of Hueti origin, but there are the pockets of the various ethnic groups that have immigrated to the country It's capital city is Pamallu, which is situated along the Winhel Rivel, just about at the center of the state.

Pamallu Skyline
(Created on DeepAI)

Pamallu is home to over 3.8 million inhabitants, where the city serves as an administrative center and is where the main industry and technological developments among the Hueti population occurs. Some of the more famous monuments includes The Indigenous, a statue dedicated to the warriors who inhabited the north for several centuries before Euroan exploration, and Museo de Oro, dedicated to the various gold and jewels found along the Winhel River. There are many public places with buildings and murals dedicated to Indigenous history that serve as popular tourist attractions for people to take pictures of (although there are guards around to make sure such murals are not vandalized, where such punishments involve fines and prison sentences).

Pamallu is the birthplace of various famous HUElavians within the country. Some of these individuals include: Kayara Chanca Quelka (The First Governor of Mikta in 1960), Iskay Callañaupa Tomayro (Famous actress on various HUElavian shows in the 1950s, known for her beauty), Saywa Ticllacuri Ticahuanca (the first Hueti to go to Space with the HUElavia Space Agency), Yakuy Chambi Choque (Footballer who played for Real Curumba and RCD San Rafael, was part of the first World Cup Qualifiers team in the 2030s), Ynti Ccora Sulca (first Female Hueti senator in HUElavian history).

Kuelap Skyline
(Created on DeepAI)

Kuelap is the city in Mikta with the largest population of the state, with roughly 5.5 million HUElavians living in the city. Kuelap is designated as the Cultural Cradle of the Hueti, given that the first Huetis migrated to HUElavia through the modern day location of the city several thousands of years ago. It is considered a pilgrimage for the millions of HUElavians with Hueti ancestry to visit the city to take in the history of their ancestors. The most famous monument is a set of 7 Hueti rowboats, modeled after the surviving models, made out of metal, dedicated to the first Huetis who landed. The Museum of National Origin is located just a mile away from the coastline, being a trove of ancient artifacts of Hueti culture, ranging from tools, to boats, to clothes, and models showing off everyday life. The beaches along the coast are among the most beautiful ones of the country, becoming a very popular destination among Northern HUElavians to visit and enjoy.

Some of the most famous HUElavians to come from Kuelap includes: Anqasmayu Pumacaja Asto (a famous biologist who worked among animals and recorded many species in the HUElavian jungles), Yanapoma Huayhua Condori (a famous musician in the 1990s who was the lead singer of the popular band Jaguar), Pomayauri Huancahuari Choque (a civil rights activist who fought for Hueti rights in the 1940s), and Inka Canchon Cachi (current footballer for Real Curumba and the HUElavia National Football Team.

Along the southeast of the state is Mikta National Park, one of several National Parks. encompassing parts of the Quilcay and Deshin Rivers, serving as a way for people to learn about the many animals and fauna in the area, as well as an animal sanctuary for injured or sick animals to recover before being released back into the wild. Some of the staff also educate visitors on old traditions from the Hueti on maintaining the environment well, serving as an environmental and historical lesson for all to learn.

Mikta is the home for the indigenous Hueti, but serves as an important link from the past and serves well going into the future for not only the Hueti, but all HUElavians.

[New Fernia]

CBC New Fernia | Sports > World Cup 96

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New Fernia finished their Baptism of Fire campaign with a slightly concerning 1-4-1 record. Four draws was, obviously, not what the doctor ordered, but at least it's better than four losses. Between New Fernia's elimination from the Baptism of Fire and the beginning of this, there was a lot of praying and a lot of offerings made to hopefully satisfy whatever god above decided it would be funny to force the New Fernian team to gravitate towards making everything perfectly equal. Some would say "as it should be." I like winning more.

The Fernian team kicked off their qualifying campaign at home versus Krytenia. Which is great! They play at home, have the support of the fans, and hopefully they can pull something off and get a good start to the whole thing. That way, it can snowball into something greater against teams they are obviously better than them. Unfortunately... tie. 0-0 tie. I mean, the defense played great! But they always play great. I was slightly surprised at the lack of roster changes in the forward section between the Baptism of Fire and these qualifying matches. I mean, nobody ever expected us to actually qualify for the World Cup, but something could have at least happened. Unfortunately, we have the same forwards as last time, and of course, they let us down. Expected, but sad.

So, another tie going into an away game versus Baggieland. Not good. But that's fine! We can at least tie again against Baggieland and try to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the ball had other plans and we ended the game 0-2. A loss. I mean, still fine playing from the defense. Just... nothing really happened. There was no spark. It felt... sad. It's obviously a bad omen for the rest of the matches. Although, a part of me is trying to be not so pessimistic and instead try to look at the positives. Of which there are... few except in the defense. About what anyone expected, really.

Matchday 1 | Group 13
OneFern Stadium, Ferncliffe, New Fernia | 64F Cloudy and Windy | Kickoff 6:00 pm | Attendance: 59,981

New Fernia 0

0 Krytenia

Matchday 2 | Group 13
Dartmouth Hill, Hawthorn, Baggieland | 72F Clear | Kickoff 6:00 pm | Attendance: 37,440

Baggieland 2

0 New Fernia

Astle 32', 73'

[Txakhaxi]

History of Txakhaxi
Translated with help of AI, find the original text in the spoiler below - second picture made with AI
Find the previous chapters here.

Txakha Empire in 415 a.K.

During Maiñihijauken's reign, the kingdom of Ni’ije Saekhah was integrated as a subsidiary of the eastern kingdoms. Its monarch, Xauh Karroemikhiamu, seized the opportunity presented by the crisis, his military superiority, and the dependency relationship with neighboring states to proclaim himself the Grand Kaikau of Txa and the Southern Islands. This, of course, stirred the fervor of the clans subjugated by the Adaxakhas in the center of the peninsula. Unlike the organization of the old Kaikaunate, which inherited the traditional tribal hierarchies of the Tuaimans, the new Kaikau divided its lands into three provinces: Nakhage Saugai, Goaxi Khoehikha, and Makha fumu Adaxa. These last two retained their old monarchs under the role of provincial governors. This grand union of three kingdoms is what is now known as the Txakha Empire, which would ultimately play a fundamental role throughout the history of Txakhaxi as a symbol of its territorial and historical unity.

The forty-five years of Karroemikhiamu's administration of the Empire were devoted to a reconquest operation, attempting to recapture the city of Huxabe. This had been the cultural, economic, and military bastion of the Kaikaunate, and its capture would represent a symbol of legitimacy for the Emperor over the various clans of the central and western peninsula. The reconquest made considerable progress westward, but the Emperor died before his armies reached the city by the bay. The campaign he had initiated would only be completed by his grandson, Emperor Saijenakhamu Kaikau “The Tyrant.” With the capture of Huxabe, many of the northern kingdoms willingly submitted to the Empire and joined its subsidiary nobility. In this way, the provinces of Huxabe and Bumao were incorporated into the Empire by 323 a.K.

Statue of Aipahoxkube at Buikhubani Museum

During the subsequent two centuries, the expansionist surge of the Empire was tempered, integrating only the islands of Goa Saisao, in the waters of the Xuemakhi Bay, into its territories. Instead, its leaders endeavored to carry out a renewal of the legal system and administrative mechanisms of the territory. These were precisely the problems faced by the Kaikaunate at its time, and which led to its defeat against the Axis of Repulsion. The Txakha Empire, on the other hand, managed to organize its jurisdictions, including the islands with a majority Adaxakha population. By the 1st century a.K, they already had the most prominent merchant fleet in the region, as well as a naval power almost as strong as that of all the Adaxakha kingdoms combined. The strategic position of the Txakha Empire forced merchants from neighboring kingdoms to cross its waters or make dangerous detours through the pirate-infested southern islands.

In the year 70 a.K, Emperor Aipahoxkubeh Kaikau, leading the imperial army, initiated a military campaign that lasted four years. Successes in combat, along with the early surrender of many kingdoms, culminated in the conquest of the entire continental territory. For the first time, the great milestone that dozens of rulers had dreamed of over the centuries was achieved: all Txakha peoples were united under a single command. Aipahoxkubeh's ambition led him to invade the islands dominated by the Adaxakhas, but his death at the age of 43 prevented him from seeing this endeavor completed. In fact, the conquest of the archipelagos entailed a long war of attrition that lasted for 120 years.

Durante el reinado de Maiñihijauken, el reino de Ni’ije Saekhah fue integrado como subsidiario de los reinos del este. Su monarca, Xauh Karroemikhiamu, supo aprovechar la situación de crisis, su superioridad militar y la relación de dependencia de los estados vecinos para proclamarse Gran Kaikau de Txa y las Islas del Sur. Esto, por supuesto, despertó el fervor de los clanes subyugados por Adaxakhas en el centro de la península. A diferencia de la organización del viejo Kaikaunato, heredera de las jerarquías tribales tradicionales de los tuaimanos, el nuevo Kaikau dividió sus tierras en tres provincias: Nakhage Saugai, Goaxi Khoehikha y Makha fumu Adaxa. Estas dos últimas mantuvieron a sus viejos monarcas bajo el rol de gobernadores provinciales. A esta gran unión de tres reinos es lo que en el presente se conoce como el Imperio Txakha, que acabaría por tener un papel fundamental a lo largo de la historia de Txakhaxi como símbolo de su unidad territorial e histórica.

Los cuarenta y cinco años de administración del Imperio por parte de Karroemikhiamu estuvieron volcados en una operación de reconquista, intentando recuperar la ciudad de Huxabe. Ésta había sido el bastión cultural, económico y militar del Kaikaunato, y su captura representaría un símbolo de legitimidad para el Emperador sobre los diversos clanes del centro y oeste de la península. La reconquista logró avanzar considerablemente hacia el oeste, pero el Emperador falleció antes de que sus ejércitos alcanzaran la ciudad de la bahía. La campaña que él había iniciado recién sería completada por su nieto, el Emperador Saijenakhamu Kaikau “El Tirano”. Con la toma de Huxabe, muchos de los reinos del norte aceptaron subyugarse voluntariamente al Imperio e incorporarse a su nobleza subsidiaria. De esta forma se incorporaron al Imperio las provincias de Huxabe y Bumao para el 323 a.K.

Durante los dos siglos posteriores, el auge expansionista del Imperio se aplacó, integrando a sus territorios únicamente las islas de Goa Saisao, en las aguas de la Bahía Xuemakhi. En cambio, sus líderes se esforzaron por llevar a cabo una renovación del sistema jurídico y los mecanismos de administración del territorio. Estos fueron justamente los problemas que en su momento enfrentó el Kaikaunato, y debido a los cuales sufrió la derrota contra el Eje de Repulsa. El Imperio Txakha, en cambio, logró poner en orden sus jurisdicciones, incluyendo las islas de mayoría Adaxakha. Para el siglo I a.K. ya contaban con la flota mercante más prominente de la región, además de un poderío naval casi tan fuerte como el conjunto de todos los reinos Adaxakha. La posición estratégica del Imperio Txakha forzaba a los comerciantes de reinos vecinos a cruzar sus aguas o realizar peligrosos rodeos surcando las islas del sur plagadas de piratas.

En el año 70 a.K. el Emperador Aipahoxkubeh Kaikau, al mando del ejército imperial, inició una campaña militar que duró cuatro años. Los éxitos en combate, along with la rendición temprana de muchos reinos, culminó con la conquista de todo el territorio continental. Por primera vez se logró el gran hito con el que decenas de gobernantes habían soñado a lo largo de los siglos: todos los pueblos Txakhas se hallaban reunidos bajo un mismo mando. La ambición de Aipahoxkubeh lo llevó a realizar una invasión en las islas dominadas por Adaxakhas, pero su muerte a los 43 años impidió que lograra ver esta empresa terminada. De hecho, la conquista de los archipiélagos supuso una larga guerra de desgaste que se extendió por 120 años.

[United Mandaran States]

Part I

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Road to Unification

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Part II : Jading and Gili Tangkong Future

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Truthfully, Pemecutan hold a significant power within the Mandaran area. It even holds several lands as a result of their military involvement with their neighbors. In 1986, Pemecutan take over Gili Tangkong, a small island off the western coast of Cakranegara. The island is belonged to Anakan Island Group which was taken by Pemecutan to established Kingdom of Gili Anakan as a result of republican coup in Cakranegara. Gili Anakan is created as a safe haven for the monarch of Cakranegara. However, the northernmost island of this island group, Gili Tangkong, was acquired by Pemecutan and used as military based area. The purpose is for Cendana Islands security. Cakranegara government rejected the idea of Pemecutan military base located near their country. While Gili Anakan government claim the island as part of the country because it is in the same island group. Pemecutan government dismiss both claims.

In 2019, after Soracana Islands failed coup, Pemecutan took control of Jading Island. It is a small island to the west of Soracana Islands main island, Aksa Island. Jading was previously hosted a joint military area operated jointly by Soracana Islands and Jeltronia. However, with Pemecutan government strong persuasion, they made Jeltronian government agreed to transfer the ownership of the military area to Pemecutan. Thus, also cuts military cooperation between Jeltronia and Soracana Islands and making Soracana Islands depend on Pemecutan for their safeties. After Soracana Islands ended their dependency status in 2023, the government demand the ownership of Jading Island. However, Pemecutan dismiss the idea and continue to control the island.

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Pemecutan-Soracana Islands Situation

The relationship between Pemecutan and Soracana Islands can be said a bittersweet one. Despite the disagreement about the status and ownership of Jading Island, both countries still tightly cooperated in many other fields. However, after 2023, the ends of Soracana Islands dependency status, the government start to act out. First by banning Soracana Islands athletes to compete under Pemecutan banner and demand their equal position in Pemecutan sporting delegation. But this act mostly affected Soracanian athletes, and they were protesting the government decision on this matter. The government took a blind side and even support SIFA (Soracana Islands Football Association) decision to participate in 12th CMFA Mandalanusa Cup. The result was surprising. Soracana Islands managed to defeat Pemecutan in quarterfinal, humiliated Pemecutan to their worst result ever. Soracana Islands ended as the fourth placement after defeated by Sharktail in third place playoff match. Another controversial incident happened during the opening ceremony of XVI Summer Olympic when Soracanian athlete, Jandiyuha Targaroha became the flagbearer for the contingent. Targaroha was criticize by Soracanian sporting community for his action and even mocked him as a traitor.

With all the incidents and leading to the unification process, Pemecutan government begin to soften. In between many meetings of the unification process, leaders of both Pemecutan and Soracana Islands met privately to resolve Jading future status. Soracana Islands demand the island to be given back to them. On the other hand, Pemecutan government has another plan for the island. As other nations are reluctant to cede a parch of their land to be use as the location of the new unified country's capital, Pemecutan wanted to use Jading as the capital of the new establishment. At first, Soracana Islands government disagree with this plan. They argue that Jading's position is not suitable as capital because it is position in open sea and vulnerable to attack.

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Pemecutan-Cakranegara-Gili Anakan Situation

The relationship between Pemecutan and Cakranegara is rather hostile. Cakranegaran government is still hated Pemecutan for their arms sanctioned, armed forces ban of the country and the takeover of Gili Tangkong. Cakranegara even haven't recognize Gili Anakan until recently. Gili Anakan on the other hand become active with Gili Tangkong situation following the unification plan. The government hope that Pemecutan will transfer the island to them by the fact that Gili Tangkong is part of Anakan Island Group. However, Pemecutan government refrain from discussing this matter. When Cakranegara agree to join in the unification process, Pemecutan ask Cakranegara government to meet and discuss the matter. Noticing Pemecutan and Cakranegara government meet to discuss about Gili Tangkong, Gili Anakan government criticize them for not involving them in the discussion.

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Compromise and Agreement

Three separate meetings were held to discuss about Jading and Gili Tangkong future status. The first meeting was between Soracana Islands and Pemecutan which was held in Gato Uyuri. Pressing for Jading to be handed over to Soracana Islands, Pemecutan make them an over for them to release Jading and let it become a capital for the new establishment. And Soracana Islands ask for compensation. Pemecutan reluctantly agree to the compensation number that were propose by Soracana Islands after some heated discussion. The figures, however, have never been release to public. But rumor spread that the figures exceed NSD 100 million.

The second meeting was held in Ampenan and was participated by delegation from Cakranegara, Pemecutan and Gili Anakan. Most of the meeting was filled with Pemecutan delegation explained about their plan on making Gili Tangkong as the capital of the new establishment and how the status will affect both Cakranegara and Gili Anakan. In Pemecutan defense, by making Gili Tangkong the capital, the economy of Cakranegara and Gili Anakan will be increasing. Gili Anakan will get a boost in tourism especially with Anakan International Airport use as the air connection to the capital. And Cakranegara can transform into newly industrial country as goods for the capital will be produce in Cakranegara to cut transport fee if it is provided from Pemecutan or other country. Seeing the future prospect, both Gili Anakan and Cakranegara agree with the plan and made their compromise with their demand. At the end of the meeting, they were agreed to end their claim over the island.

The third meeting was held at the same time as the continuation meeting for the unification process. The meeting was outlining the plan to turn Jading and Gili Tangkong to be the capital of the new establishment. Fortunately, the plan was meet with positive response from the other delegations thanks to the previous two meetings. This third meeting also created an agreement to which government part that will be host by the island. More than half of the delegation agree that Gili Tangkong is more suitable to become the executive and legislative center. They argue that the location of Gili Tangkong make it more suitable for that function. While Jading is perfect for judicial center for its isolated position that it can't be easily penetrated and influenced by others. 

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MD 01
Captina Island 3 - 2 United Mandaran States
@ TCC Sports Ground, Geneva City, Captina Island

H. Wirawan (GK)
Y. Nehusandak (LB) ↑↓ A.R. Salim (66') | H. Chandra (CB) | N.A. Rai Putra (CB) ↑↓ B. Bansora (62') | A. Bastian (RB)
G. Purnama (LM) | S. Permadi (CM) (g. 34') | S. Wiradarma (RM) ↑↓ F. Saleh (81')
G.P. Arimbawa (ST) ↑↓ W. Pramana (78') | H. Muftadi (ST)
D.P. Mahardika (AT) (g. 88')

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MD 02
United Mandaran States 5 - 1 Bostopia
@ Nilayam Arena, Nilayam, Soracana Islands, UMS

H. Wirawan (GK)
Y. Nehusandak (LB) | H. Chandra (CB) | N.A. Rai Putra (CB) | A. Bastian (RB) ↑↓ Y. Asnawi (66')
G. Purnama (LM) ↑↓ T. Ardiansyah (59') | S. Permadi (CM) (g. 81') | S. Wiradarma (RM)
G.P. Arimbawa (ST) (g. 45'+1) | H. Muftadi (ST) (g. 11') ↑↓ W. Pramana (72')
D.P. Mahardika (AT) (g. 27', 61')

MD 03
Sargossa v United Mandaran States
@ Sargossa

MD 04
Bye
@ -

Squad

Main 
Reserved

1   GK  Hasyim Wirawan 
Ahmad Syafi'i Rustam  GK      22

2   LB  Yuhabani Nehusandak 
Aksabala Jandisuga  GK      34

3   CB  Heriawan Chandra 
Arif Rahman Salim  LB/LWB  12

4   CB  Balasarga Bansora 
Hidayat Nur Salam  CB      13

5   RB  Alvino Bastian 
Reihan Yahya  CB      14

6   LM  Gede Purnama 
Yakob Asnawi  RB      15

7   CM  Satya Permadi 
Tegar Ardiansyah  LM      16

8   RM  Satria Wiradarma 
Basubala Anggajana  CM      17

9   ST  Gede Putra Arimbawa 
Faturrachman Saleh  RM      18

10  ST  Harun Muftadi 
Wisnu Pramana  ST      19

11  AT  Dewa Putu Mahardika 
Raka Danupraja  ST      20

 
Lukman Santika  AT      21

 
Aras Chandra  CM/DM   28

 
Fachrul Hasyim  AM      30

Role
Captain: Satria Wiradarma
Vice-Captain: Hidayat Nur Salam
Corner kick (left): Yuhabani Nehusandak/Gede Purnama
Corner kick (right): Alvino Bastian/Satria Wiradarma
Free kick: Gede Putra Arimbawa/Harun Muftadi/Dewa Putu Mahardika
Penalty: Gede Putra Arimbawa/Dewa Putu Mahardika

Injury
Ngurah Agung Rai Putra (CB), absent for 8 weeks

[Zenic]

“Tough break. I know the feeling.”

Federation President Luke Killian sat at home, drinking a nice glass of scotch while rummaging through some paperwork he had brought home. Meeting after meeting after meeting for the last few days had worn the Icon down a bit but he had the next three days off. The rest and relaxation he was about to have would be…………iconic. But he still would need to keep up to date on certain information so he wouldn’t come back into work completely blind. First up, the most recent results of the World Cup 96 Qualifying campaign.

At the Philosophia Colosseum, Zys was able to get the Survivors to a nice 2-0 lead in the first half. A nice give-and-go between Nakazawa and Maruscak down the left flank led to a beautiful cross right to Gentile who redirected the ball past the Ventura goalkeeper in the 19th minute. 11 minutes later, Byford leapt over everyone in the opposition’s box to head in the second goal for Zenic. The first half was as perfect as you could get to open up World Cup Qualifiers. Unfortunately, the age old adage “2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline” came true. Or at least, it came close to coming true.

The second half of the opener was an even back and forth that lulled most watchers of the game to sleep. But come the 83rd minute, the Union of Ventura was able to score one off of an indirect free kick that turned the game from a snooze fest into a slugfest instantly. Suddenly, the Survivors were heavily on the defensive, doing everything to desperately stop an equalizer. Fortunately, the whistle blew after 4 minutes of stoppage and the Empire was able to walk away with an important win. Killian called Zys after the game to congratulate him on the win but also provide words of advice on how to deal with the grind and stress of the qualifying period. He would need it for their second game of the campaign.

A couple of days later, the squad would march into Sylestone to face the Sentients at the Avondale International Sports Stadium. This was the second time this year that they had faced off against each other with the first time being the International Confederations Championship semifinals. And it played out much the same, much to the disgust of Geraldo Zys. Plenty of wasted opportunities that ultimately led to a 73rd minute counterattack goal put in by Charlotte Eastwood was the difference maker. Reports from other members of the staff was that Zys kept his composure after the match until he got back to the hotel room where some damage was done to the walls, furniture and appliances. Killian decided against fining Zys and ended up paying for the damage. After all, he was one of the few people who could empathize with Zys, having been in the same position many times during his national team tenure.

Looking forward, the squad had the third matchday off (which is why Killian was able to spring for a nice three day weekend) before playing host to long-time participant Jeruselem. It was a tough ask to face two squads in the top 60 in any circumstance but in effectively 2 straight games was especially daunting. Luke could only sit back and have faith in Geraldo to get the players as ready as possible and give The Princesses a run for their money.

For now, the queen of the house was calling his name to go to bed and he wasn’t about to let some papers stop him.

[Aphrilia]

Finally At Ease Alongside Her

Ever since the 20th Independents Championship, Phillip Karnwell had been on a sort of small journey. By the end of the tournament, he remembered the doubt that lingered within his mind, the dread from him expecting something bad to end up happening when it ended up... Not happening at all. He remembers the moment where he was resting his head on Forrestal's lap as she hummed a relaxing tune for him. Karnwell remembers when he hung out with Forrestal alongside his best friend in O'Truffet and Haze. Those moments gave him a sense of calm, and at the time he wasn't able to exactly pinpoint why. Which was why he went on this journey in the first place. Throughout those two years, he kept in contact with the team but primarily three people. His best friend O'Truffet, his captain in Rosberg, and the source of that calm, Forrestal. He travelled around the country to gather his thoughts, asking himself why that dread wasn't there when he was around her. The former two had pointed this out early, but he didn't want to accept it until he had that realization by himself. And damn, did it hit hard.

"I'm in love with her." Karnwell said to his best friend.

"I told you that you were! Just go on with it, I'm sure she returns the feeling." O'Truffet mused then through the phone call.

It took him about eight months to realize that. 2/3rds of a year to finally understand that it was the fact that he had feelings for her that her actions made him at ease, the calm. But it was weird, was it? Forrestal was almost a decade older than him, and he didn't understand why she led with the actions she did towards him. Maybe Forrestal was just looking out for one of her younger peers, perhaps she did love him back. Was a man loving an older woman normal? Was the way he fell in love with Forrestal a normal way to fall in love? Karnwell doesn't really know. There was one thing that's for sure though, and it's that him falling in love with a fellow teammate was fine as manager Christian Vermont clarified this during one of their off-season meetings, as long as it didn't disturb their focus for the national team. But still despite that, Karnwell had zero idea in regards on how to approach this situation as a whole. In the end, it was Rosberg who nudged him in the right direction, saying that he should just start talking to her more and see how things develop from there.

And that was exactly what Karnwell decided to do. On the remaining half of his journey, Karnwell split the time he had between staying at his home with his parents to take care of them, continuously training his capabilities as a goalkeeper, and sending time with Forrestal. The latter two of these overlapped with the fact that they were both footballers, so that time was spent better than the former. He got to know her, and she got to know him. Honestly, by the fourth month (Which would be a year into his journey) Karnwell felt like he knew Forrestal on a much more deeper level. They started going on dates, just the two of them this time around compared to the time during the Independents Championship. And then, just two months before they would be called up to play for the Anchors again, Karnwell built up the courage to do what he wanted to. He and Forrestal went on another date night, this time to a high-end restaurant that was to her taste. It was pretty much a normal date until near the end of it. Karnwell sat up and went next to Forrestal, before crouching down and proposing to her.

"I know this is probably more for a wedding and we're not at that level yet, but I want to reach those heights with you, alongside you. This will be odd, this will be awkward. But I'm willing to traverse it with you together. Ines Forrestal, you've made me calm and happy. Thanks to you, I've helped figure out more about you and myself. In short, will you be my girlfriend?" Karnwell asked, somewhat shaking in nervousness.

"Hehe. I had a feeling that this date was going to be different than the usual ones. Yes, yes I will! I'd be more than delighted to be your girlfriend, Phillip." Ines said as she proceeded to immediately hug and kiss Karnwell.

Everyone will know about this now. But he was certain the two of them will make it work.

MATCHDAY 1
Aphrilia 1 - 0 Saterun
Cipriano Dalca (-- 21'')
(-- 44'') Amelia Haze
(66'' P) Nathaniel Rosberg
(-- 79'') Andrew Paxton

MATCHDAY 2
Sannyamathland 0 - 1 Aphrilia
Ines Forrestal (52'')

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

The Kytlerian general election campaign was underway, and whlie sporting bodies interfering with democratic processes are frowned upon, SO-KP certainly had a disproportionate reason to watch this election very closely indeed.

It was the result of the last one, after all, that was key to them returning from simply an organiser of insular domestic affairs to guardians of a national team once more - a team that, had it existed a generation earlier, might well have been run by the man who is now running the country instead. Clituleng Giisost began his political career off the back of a highly successful managerial one, guiding Ranford & Willsbrook back into the top flight before winning three NSL titles and two SO-KP Cups with FC Alaer. His eloquence around the distinctive Kytlerian environment was often noted at interviews, but when fans joked about him being Prime Minister one day, they had no idea that this might not actually be a joke until he tendered his resignation from the club in order to stand for the Workers' Party as an MP for the Pramount seat in suburban Alaer.

His high profile and local popularity inevitably ensured he won the seat - Pramount was one the party tend to win anyway - but over the next eight years, as the country became more internationally connected in commerce, questions started to be asked about the viability of the ongoing sporting isolation, and Giisost was the most prominent voice in asking those questions, passionately arguing that the country had lost its "true Rushmori spirit" in the absence of international sport. Crucially, he transcended the party divide - the isolation having been driven by social conservatism and in particular the far-right Faith and Freedom Party (FFP), whose growing base was effectively captured by the centre-right National Unity Party (NUP) for a while when they adopted sporting isolation as a policy under Thomas Anderson - by directly appealing to the Græntfjaller-Kytlerians, who tended to be socially conservative but also inclined towards competitve sport. "You know as well as anyone that social stability, moral fibre, all the things that isolationists in this country think would disappear the moment we have international teams again - you know how big a lie that is, because you came from the land over the Alps and not far away that proves every one of their arguments wrong."

With the NUP government clinging to isolation like a limpet in part because they were reliant on the FFP as coalition partners, Giisost pushed the FFP angle relentlessly - at one point, he even referred to their party leader Joseph Delamere as "the de facto Prime Minister," and said that "91% of the country did not vote for the FFP to run the country (at the previous election, where the FFP got 9% of first-preference votes) but 100% of the country got it." It proved a cut-through attack line against the NUP that the rest of the party had felt too afraid to make, the grassroots call for him to lead the party grew deafening, and when the pro-isolation George Ecclestone resigned in order to care for his terminally ill wife Heather, Giisost won the party membership vote by a historic margin. The NUP almost immediately called a general election, believing that the public would turn out in their millions to keep an "unproven celebrity politician" out of the Prime Ministerial seat of power.

As University of Zube political researcher Angufams Izorigor put it, this was "the greatest and most consequential miscalculation in Kytlerian political history." Giisost may have been inexperienced, but he was far less tainted by the trappings of political power, had far more clear water from NUP and FFP policies than the Workers' Party had dared to allow themselves before, and even his "non-political career" saw him both as a leader of men (or at least mostly men; as he pointed out, he was the first FC Alaer manager to sign a female player) and a very public figure who faced numerous press conferences and greeted many of them with forthright, well-reasoned political arguments. Giisost led his party not only to victory, but the first majority government in the history of the Kytlerian mixed-member electoral system. Opinion polls throughout the campaign suggested his anti-isolation stance was decisive, and his appeal to Græntfjaller-Kytlerians was particularly inspired as the Workers' Party made particularly dramatic gains in the Eastern Corridor Expansion close to the Græntfjall border.

The NUP had a self-imposed identity crisis and had lost power for the first time in two decades. Their flagship policy - and the country's defining policy - was in tatters, Giisost introducing legislation to formally abandon it within a week of taking office. Even they now disown it - which has in turn allowed the FFP to make a resurgence by taking the mantle as the last major party to support a return to isolation, or as they put it, "the only pro-safety party in the country." But only a small one, because Giisost had shifted the narrative as profoundly as Anderson decades before him, only now in the other direction. When he appeared on the big screen at Zube Olympic Stadium for the Kytlerian soccer team's first home World Cup qualifier of this cycle - and, as it turned out, the first to feature a female player for the senior side, as Agnes Oddkellsdóttir was a second-half substitute - it gained almost as much of a cheer as any of the four unanswered goals the team scored in a comfortable rout of an anonymous team referred to as the "Socialist republic of lower Tranmere." Someone forgot to tell them that anti-capitalism doesn't mean anti-capitalisation. Maybe Giisost could teach them. If he's not too busy still running the country next month.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2024
Mindy's got some thoughts (help us all)
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

On the way to Jeruselem for the opening match of World Cup Qualifying I was reading through the massive NSWC Media Guide that provides information on all the nations entered and as I flipped through pages, I started asking myself questions that didn't so much befuddle me as they made me a bit...angry? No, more like bemused.
Bemused is a great word but it's often used incorrectly because people think it's another way of saying 'amused' instead understanding that it's a state of mind that arises from the saying “not funny ha-ha, but funny strange”.

Anyways, I started jotting down things that popped into my head while studying this tome and eventually during the ride back to the airport after the 5-1 BP victory at the Dazza Dallas Stadium I edited it down to a manageable number. So here we go...Things that Mindy Cartwright wants answers for (in reverse order):

10) Seriously, it's time for a 48 team WC Finals.
I consider Caitlyn Dufresne from the Concord Heights Times in Cassadaigua one of the best reporters on the beat, read her stuff all the time and consider her a good friend. She's written extensively about how the Dagans have started to no longer differentiate between the WCF and the Cup of Harmony except as two parts of the same tournament. But the rationale for this is unquestionably clear—there are right now easily 50 nations that have a legitimate shot at making the Finals. Remember that in WC 80, BP was 150 and Banija was ranked in the 80's I believe (I'd have to look it up) and for as much collective national pain as they've milked out of the night, Qasden certainly belonged in the Finals as much as the Bees did.
It's time to stop pretending that the World Cup is a closed shop where only 8-10 nations have a realistic chance of winning. Delte's triumph should be the wakeup call that sees the tournament expand for the next edition.
9) Ichi Tuzzio is in Quebec?
Mister T is one of the greatest managers in history, and he's also one of the nicest men I've ever met even though he has every reason to be cold, mean bastard. The group of senior writers that cover the BPNT for the national papers (Scott McCrae from The Mail, Travis Mosely of The Post, my good friend and former colleague here Fi Devlin now at The Times and Andrew Hardy from the Western Observer) were all abuzz leading up to the friendly match at the BBP because not one us had heard that Tuzzio was going to be in charge of the Reapers this cycle. The ovation he got pre-match was spine tingling for me because for a moment it was like World Cup 85 again. Obviously I hope he leads them as the fifth nation he's taken to the Finals.
8 ) Why is Wight back from the wilds?
Although their heyday was long before Baker Park joined the WCC, they have always had a mystique as one of the early World Cup winners. They're in the WC Nations Hall of Fame—so is BP but we got that as a result of consistency rather than achievement—so they nothing left to prove.
But here they are clawing back their place in the hierarchy. So much respect, I guess.
7) Bostopia—are we sure that they've always been in Anaia?
There seems to be a concerted effort to spread the word around the multiverse that Bostopia has always been a member of the Anaian region. I say more power to them and I know they were involved in brutal invasion by their neighbor in the last WC cycle.
But someone at the Ministry of State for Foreign Affairs gave me some advice that as a nation Bostopia pre-dates the Foxchester Declaration, so perhaps they are exaggerating just a bit. Again, more power to them.
6) Doesn't Laborious Hawk sometimes just get tired of it all?
You probably recall in the movie Grand Prize that Victor Ouelemet's character, Tevin Youngblood, asks Peter Macalester's Lazurus Von Wahl “Do you ever get tired, Laz? Of the driving?” to which the younger man replies “Not really”.
“I do Laz, I get very tired of it all sometimes.”
Of course that's the foreshadowing of Youngblood's death the following day. But Hawk is seemingly immortal, or just has a good personal trainer.
The Vanorian legend will come to the rescue of the Marauders in their times of need during this cycle and possibly many more. But he surely has to wonder occasionally when he's alone that maybe he's just a tiny bit tired.
5) THERE IS NO NUMBER FIVE. NEVER HAS BEEN. NEVER WILL BE
4) WTF Sylestone? Where are the sentient appliances and household items?
Sylestone has risen through the ranks to make the Finals in back to back cycles and come into this tournament as Group 12's top seed. But have they lost their soul in exchange success?
When they visit the BBP National Stadium on matchday 13 in what could be the group deciding fixture, the average Parker will certainly feel aggrieved that there is no Davenport, Washing Machine, Vacuum or Microwave anywhere to be found. We are romantics at heart here in the Commonwealth and it's a bit like a loss of innocence to realize that the sentient appliances we watched on TV in happier times are no more.
3) More important than that—Where are the Big Names? What the Devil is going on in Rushmore for God's sake?
If you're of a certain age, the thought that a World Cup would be kicking off with Vilita, Starblaydia and Nephara(!) nowhere to be found might be a sign of an impending apocalypse, or at least something very unsettling.
I'm actually worried—I never worry about anything until this came up—about traveling to anyplace in Rushmore at the moment because it seems like the Blood Sea phenomena has moved to engulf the entire eastern half of the region.
And here in this very group is the reigning Copa Rushmori champion Zenic. What?
I might be moving house—no, moving country—at the end of this qualifying.
2) Should we be embracing our new youth soccer overlords in Tumbra?
Let's give all the credit where it's due—the TFF are the gold standard in youth development right now. The FAC probably had a legitimate claim around the first RTC Under-18 tourney but the Tumbrans wasted no time in blowing past Park into pole position by U-18WC 13 where the Young Eagles took the crown and then capturing their first DBC a couple of cycles later.
The DBC 53 title match at the Battleground in Raynor City was a false dawn in thinking that the momentum was swinging back to Birkenfeld; three consecutive trips to Valanora without a win followed and although the U-18's made the finals of the 20th edition in Tumbra it has not been enough to keep pace with the Esportivans.

Finally, we're at the end of the list, the top question on my mind (and I'm sure many others as well):
1) Can the rugby team's recent championship win spark a comeback for the BPNT in this World Cup cycle?
The Blues & Grays had a home crowd advantage and had made a steady, deliberate climb up the pecking order before breaking through; the parallels to the early 80's cycles for the Bees were referenced on several occasions and the choice of retaining several key veterans for one final stand is similar to what Will Barnard elected to do with his own team. The fixture list is not onerous on paper but it will be performance on the pitch that will determine if the end of record streak is just a bump in the road or the harbinger of things to come.
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Lineup vs Al-Tamazgha (MD 3)

Callaway; Frost, Morris, Schulman; Martini, D'Alessandro, Morgan, McFairlaine; Moorman (C); Coleman, Cohen-Abdullah
subs: Albertson, Finnegan, McKenzie, Milner, Douglas, S Logan, Bryant, Syzmanski, Riley, Obulundi, Khan