Cup of Harmony 39- Everything Thread

[Cassadaigua]

Meghan’s Space

We are all Cassadagans. We play hard for the pink and black and want to do everything we possibly can do for our country. For me, representing the national team is quite an honor, but since I play professionally in Newmanistan for the Centralia Cougars, my international caps are really the only time I get to really do something for my country. In all other games, I am committed to Centralia. It’s a great team that we got here, and I have won a Newmanistan Premier League title with them. Our first game of the knockout stages (and hopefully not our only game) will be against Taeshan, and it will be here, in Centralia. I get to go home. No, not my Cassadagan home, but I spend most of my time in Centralia these days and enjoy living here. Hanging out with my friends, and the local fans here, and from what I see it’s going to be a very pro-Dagan crowd. I have a huge home in the suburbs of Centralia, and I have already showed my teammates my crib. They love it, and then I went out and treated them to my favorite seafood restaurant in the city. Home sweet Second Home. For me, this is Centralia. I play 23 games a year here, at Centralia Stadium. I know this place and they know me. It’s going to be a blast!

To get here, we came away with wins over Toyur and Landau Institute, both interesting games. Toyur seemed to have some trouble focusing on playing a team of women. We get this sometimes, and when we do, we have fun with it, more so the younger players. Stacie Kerrigan always used to be our biggest flirt on the field when needed, but now that she’s married, she doesn’t do that much anymore. Ericka Giordano was one of our young players who seized the moment, clearly seeing that forward Mats Thorsson was checking out her assets a little too frequently. Right before he had a free kick in the 57th minute, Ericka lifted her shirt slightly, and gave him a grin. Just to throw him off, and as expected what seemed like a good chance for Toyur went by the boards as the kick was well wide. Innocent grins and winks continued from a few of our players. We don’t like to resort to doing this stuff all the time, but when we have a distracted opponent, you’d be stupid not too. By the time most of this got going, we were already up by a goal thanks to good work between Katie Cincoski, who once again had a great game for us, and Ashley Nolan. Defenders Anders Eriksson seemed distracted by something, and Ashley was able to get by him and get a great chance on goal which she finished off to give us the lead. I think it was then, by watching them just stare at us celebrating, that we knew we had a distracted opponent. They had a couple chances here and there, but this game was pretty much all ours. The 1-0 score stood for a while, until a great play by Ericka Giordano to get by her wannabe boyfriend (Ericka is single, you know, Mr. Thorsson), she set up Erika Daniels who made a great individual effort to get to the pass before shooting the ball past the keeper for the two-goal lead. Again, Toyur stared at our celebration, and Giordano continued to toy-ur around with Thorsson. We could have had a few more in this one, but the two goals were enough for the win. Ericka told me after that she did think Thorsson was rather attractive.

After playing some nice looking young men, we battled a team of old doctors. Talk about a turn around! Cassadagans are banned from the Landau Institute due to what happened in Baptism of Fire 30. If you don’t recall, the loser of our third place game was required to do community service at the Institute for an certain amount of time, I think it was like one month or something. I wasn’t personally on the team. However after the loss, we bailed the country. We didn’t feel as though we should have to be required to do that, and we had World Cup 43 qualifying to prepare for. Sure we were offered a nice training facility, but we didn’t feel as though we should have to do this. So we left and we ticked them off. A few players offered to return after World Cup 43 to help out, but they were told not too, and that we were banned for their glorified hospital. So be it, we didn’t lose any sleep over it, and the Landau Institute wasn’t playing in World Cup play then anyway. They came aboard in Baptism of Fire 33, and this was the first time we played them. We’re sure their doctors remember us as they are certainly old enough too. Only coach Baynes is currently part of the team that was part of that one, but we were motivated a little more then we would have normally been to beat them. It was a great game for us. Katie Cincoski continued her great form by giving us the 1-0 lead in the 25th, and we went up by two on Stacie Kerrigan-Fraser’s score in the 67th. The doctors got one back in the 85th, but we didn’t allow them to get another shot on goal after that.

The group stage thus concludes with us having gone 3-0-0. Next up is Taeshan, which will be a true test. We haven’t had the greatest history against them, but as we all know, history can change, perhaps in the land that owns them.

[Silexhera]

The Jaffacake's Filling

An electric second half performance by the panthers swept aside a tiring QuakMyBush outfit last night to pull Silexhera into the second round as group winners. Tyrrin's surprise loss to Northern Bettia puts the latter into round two, a point behind Silexhera in the final standings.

QMB looked like spoiling the party early on, having the better of the play and scoring a well taken goal on the half-hour mark by Fields Jr. that took the wind out of a Silexhera team seemingly getting themselves going. The Panthers, missing the suspended Panther Doctor and David Fallow, looked like they would struggle to get back into the game as Quakmybush searched for a second goal, Mathias Wolf coming closest after being let through behind the Silexheran defence, but dragging his shot agonisingly wide of the post with Belmore McAdam, Silexhera's third-choice goalkeeper coming into the tournament, well beaten.

It would take until the sixty-fifth minute for Silexhera's reply, James Particle turning their third successive corner into a goal with a towering header that looped over the stranded goalkeeper, obviously in two minds as to whether to attack the cross or stay on his line.

The goalkeeper's mistake would prove fatal to Quakmybush's Cup of Harmony hopes, as Sielxhera laid seige to their opponents goalmouth. The seventy-two minute mark saw the Panthers rattle QMB's crossbar via a Bradini Jenneson effort, flicking his boot at a firmly-hit low cross to divert it past the goalkeeper but onto the bar. Jenneson would bring a great save from the goalkeeper two minutes later as he brought a high ball down with his left foot, taking it past his marker in the same movement and unleashing a ripping drive with his right which the goalie sprawled to tip round the post for yet another Silexheran corner. Particle would again get his head to the cross but found his powerful header blocked on the line by Vasil Mitchell. The ensuing goalmouth scramble saw the ball ricochet off shins, toes and shoulders before the ball dropped to David Sporadic who marked his first appearance for the national team with a goal, some four feet from the line.

2-1 would become 3-1 just four minutes later, that man again stealing the show. David Sporadic's more successful brother, Atletico Insular's Kelly Sporadic, ran onto a diagonal ball, meeting it at the edge of the 'D', skipping past one defender and cutting inside another before slightly mis-hitting a shot with his left foot. There was no real pace on the ball, but it bounced and bobbled at exactly the right angle to clip the inside of the far post and roll over the line, the abject 'keeper Maksym beaten by the ball bobbling over his outstretched arm has he flew accross goal.

Silexhera, who had only needed a draw to progress, held onto their lead, the QMB players not being able to lift their heads up until it was too late.

FINAL SCORE
Silexhera 3 (Particle 65, D.Sporadic 74, K.Sporadic 79)
Quakmybush 1 (Fields Jr., 31)

Silexhera find themselves paired with Albundania in round two. The sky-blue shirted nation finished fourth in their qualifying group behind Greal and qualifiers Kelssek and Krytenia, putting them in a similar position to our Silexhera coming into the CoH tournament. Silexhera finished fourth also, albeit in different circumstances. The Panthers were expected to at least challenge the leaders, but found themselves wanting when it came to turning expectations into results, and a winless five-game streak near the end saw them caught and beaten to third place by Landau Institute.

Both teams are on the way up in international football, but Silexhera have to see them as favourites to surpass the challenge of the Blue Crew. If Silexhera's showing against similarly ranked Tyrrin is anything to go by, the blue-shirted conquerors of Swilatia and West Zircona will have something to say about our making an appearance in the quarter-finals.

I've been Jeremy Jaffacake, G'nite bitches.

[Valipac]

Bob and Jim were just two normal Valipacians. Two normal Valipacians with large bank accounts, that is. It was because of these swollen members of the financial system that they were able to score a trip across the world to Newmanistan to see their favorite team play in the Cup of Harmony finals. They had even managed to get reservations to the same hotel the Valipacian national team would be staying at. Now, however, the group stage was complete, and they were moving on to follow the team to their next destination. Valipac would be playing Secristan, so they weren't holding out much hope for a victory, but to be fair, it had been the Valipacian second team that played in the Eternal Flame competition for most of the games, including that one.

This current moment caught them in the lobby of the hotel, checking out. The team had checked out only minutes ago, and Bob and Jim were hopeful to follow the bus to it's next hotel and get reservations there as well. They had enjoyed meeting a few members of the team, and had even had breakfast at the same table as Terry Scott, although they had been too afraid to say a word. He probably thought they were really weird now, but they didn't care. When they told their family and friends, they would have been invited back to Scott's own house for a few beers, because they were instant friends. Embellishment is a wonderful thing.

Regardless, Bob was taking care of the checkouts and Jim was wandering about the lobby like a lost child. As Bob began to hand over the keycards, Jim noticed something on the ground underneath one of the chairs in the lobby. Getting down on his hands and knees, he peered underneath the chair. The object, whatever it was, was long, gray, and appeared to have a black stripe or two. "Could it be?" he mumbled to himself. He reached under the chair and drug the object out. "It is!" he shouted. It was a game worn sock from one of the Valipacian players.

Bob turned around to say a few choice words to his friend about yelling when he noticed the sock in his hand. "Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?"

"It is!"

Bob walked over for a closer look. It was then that he noticed that the sock appeared to have never been washed (smelled like it too!), and appeared to have blood stains on the toe. "Give me that," he said, snatching the sock out of his friends hand. Jim protested, but Bob pushed him away. Looking inside the edge of the sock, he noticed a small drawing of what appeared to be a crown. "Do you know what we have here?" he asked Jim.

"You mean what I have here?" Jim responded, attempting to grab the sock back.

"We have Leon King's lucky sock! It must have fallen out of his bag! We have to get this back to him before the team plays Secristan, or else we won't stand a chance!"

"Oh no!"

They quickly departed, only sparing the pretty female hotel receptionist a "Toodles" and a "Cheerio", while they normally would have chatted her up for an hour. Then they raced to their car, hopped in, and took off in pursuit of the team bus. Hopefully they would catch it in time.

Cruising down the freeway, they caught sight of the bus. They sped up, pulling alongside it. Jim leaned out the window, sock in hand, and began to motion frantically at the bus. Just when it seemed they had caught the drivers attention, the wind ripped the sock out of Jim's hand. He screamed, and Bob slammed on the brakes. Quickly exiting the freeway, they parked the car and chased the sock down the street on foot. It was a mighty windy day, and the gusts were propelling the socks along quite rapidly. Finally, Bob got close enough to the sock to grab it. "I'll hold on to the sock this time," he said. Looking around, he recognized the town they were in to be their destination. "We need to get back to the car and go to the stadium! The team might already be there!"

The team was, in fact, already there. Sitting at his locker, Leon King looked at his empty bag that sat in the floor in front of him, his possessions strewn about around it. He could not find his lucky sock for the life of him. This could be tragedy in the making.

[Somewhereistonia]

Qasarian Evening Sport

Eagles draw puts them top!

A great game of attacking football against Taeshan yesterday earned the Eagles top spot in group E and so an easier draw for the second round. The game was set at a fast pace early on and never looked like slowing as both teams went out to prove themselves to the world. The Eagles went in above Taeshan in the table through goal difference and their ability to score was proved early on.

Whilst Taska was doing his usual runs down the wing to scare the left back, little success was achieved early on, the left back obviously came prepared for his ventures. Taska adapted well, holding the ball and moving inside to draw one of the centre backs, he then knocked the ball wide to the left for Nolakk to deliver a crisp cross towards the face of goal. The as inexperienced Tae keeper prepared to gather the eager young Xentolov ran across and flicked the ball delicately around the waiting keeper in the 19th minute. A lovely finish from the nineteen year old and an embarrassing goal to concede for the 32nd ranked Taeshan.

Taeshan began to look more solid after Xentolov's rude awakening and they slowly looked to gain the upper foot. It was their captain Ying Uing who got the equaliser is the 29th minute after Fortune threaded the ball through into space for the midfielder to curl around Klug into the net. A nice piece of play but disappointing for the Eagles nonetheless. Taeshan then made things more disappointing in the 43rd minute when Ying Uing smashed in a great effort from outside the box. Maybe he was given too much space but there was little the team could have done about it and absolutely nothing the now experienced Klug could do.

The Eagles went in at the half behind, but they knew there was time to get back into the game, they showed that with the control they exerted early in the second half, with Padawan forced into several great saves from Taska and Kusnets whilst Xentolov sent the ball crashing off the far post after a lovely move in the 53rd minute. So many chances were going begging but the Eagles continued to pressure. The work payed off in the 56th minute when Kusnets broke into the box before cutting it back to Keres who was free on the edge. The captian made sure his team equalised with a shot that reached 90mph as it smashed into the back of the net. 2-2 the score and the Eagles looked like they might just run riot.

The game just slowed slightly after the equaliser as the Somewhereistonian side looked to catch their breath. In an effort to keep the momentum the manager of the match, Benjamin Oliveira took off Nolakk and the captain Keres for the younger Birsa and Törk. The two made in instant impact, running around the now tired Taeshani defence. This eventually paid off in the 70th minute as Törk threaded the ball through for Birsa who then floated in a brilliant cross into the box. The cross was perfect volleying height, and Kusnets made sure that it didn't go to waste as he slammed the ball into the side of the net. The ball scraping the paint off the inside of the post. An amazing goal and a brilliant choice of tactics from the experienced manager.

The Eagles, now in the lead began to relax. They had put on one hell of a show up to now and were entitled to let the game slow down. Taeshan slowly took advantage of this though as the Eagles became sloppy with their passes. Newier managed to pick up the ball in midfield from one of these passes before knocking the ball brilliantly over the top for Hele to bring down and slot home in the 90th minute. A sorely disappointing end to a marvelous game for what appears to be a rejuvenated Eagles team.

Somewhereistonia 3
Xentolov 19
Keres 56
Kusnets 70

Taeshan 3
Ying Uing 29, 43
Hele 90


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---Six managers. One job. Who goes? We decide!---

Host1: “Hello and welcome to another edition of The Manager!”

Host2: “Its a draw for the Eagles, they top the group but did the manager do enough?”

Host1: “Well, Taeshan were one of the favourites to win the competition and they have been in a few world cups, this is a big point. It may be.”

Host2: “Well, even so it is only a draw, remember the bosses want the team to qualify for the world cup, none of the teams here did that so we need to be right at the top.”

Host1: “Yes, but Taeshan have been to a few world cups, they are a strong side. They might be able to do something here.”

Host2: “Well, either way, the choice of the next manager is still wide open. We still have no idea who it could be. Especially with the way the Eagles played in the game with Taeshan.”

Host1: “Yes, a great attacking performance. The Eagles have now been drawn against new team Toyur!”

Host2: “The Eagles have never played Toyur before but these guys don't look like a pushover despite being new on the scene.”

Host1: “That's right, they finished fourth in world cup qualifying against tough opposition, including the Cup of Harmony hosts Newmanistan.”

Host2: “Yes but they were out of the running a few games in, they finished 7 points off Newmanistan. They are not too strong a team.”

Host1: “The Eagles only managed to get third on the last day, Toyur got more points in qualifying. This won't be a pushover.”

Host2: “Yes, they beat both the Landau Institute and Bettia so far this competition. They could be stronger than their rank suggests.”

Host1: “Indeed, the Eagles will be putting their faith in the last manager of the competition now, Professor George Douglas.”

Host2: “The manager from Dariusville has seen more than his fair share of odd things in his career, how will he cope here?”

Host1: “Well, the players for Somewhereistonia are all humans and I think the bosses want to keep it that way so he might struggle with it.”

Host2: “Yes, no flying dead pink ponies here, just people. He still has a job to do with a lot of strong attacking players at his disposal.”

Host1: “Yes, Eagles players play all around the world, it will be interesting to see how he copes with the players. It's still a must win game though.”

Host2: “Certainly. He cannot lose here. That would be a huge anti-climax for this show anyway”

Host1: “Shhhh we're not meant to mention – I mean, if he loses here then the team are out. The new manager, whoever it is, won;t be able to show their talent.”

Host2: “Well, we can all hope that the Eagles win this one. Another new manager, but will he succeed. Will he become, THE MANAGER!”

[Akbarabad]

Akbarabad face Sargossa in the second round.

(Akbarabad Press, AP): Despite a 3-2 loss to Valipac, Akbarabad still top group C and will face Sargossa in the round of 16. Hopefully the team will be able to pick themselves up from this defeat when they face Sargossa, who also qualified despite losing their final match. The team is still higher ranked and therfore favourites for the ancounter, but the Valipac loss proves that nothing can be taken for granted.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS CRUISE.... OR DO THEY?

Putnam Lake- Newmanistan finished off the group stage of the Cup of Harmony by playing Isselmere at Samseong Stadium at Putnam Lake, and looked to be in pretty good shape. Then something happened. No, not the fact that Isselmere reporters finally realized the name of this city is Putnam Lake and not Putnam City, but that was also true. After looking to be in control of this match, Newmanistan was shocked with two goals against in the final twelve minutes, and were sent to a 2-1 defeat. Isselmere wins the group, we get second and Gordon Bay City. Twelve of the sixteen remaining teams in the Cup of Harmony have perked up their ears because of the eight games which will be played in the first round, the top four seeds coming in are matched up against one another. Rockets-Gordon Bay City as well as Taeshan-Cassadaigua might just create chances for a sleeper to rise up in this field. Not to mention both of these pairs are in the bottom half of the bracket.
The way the match started, it was looking like this could be a rout of Sitspottian proportions. Michelle Clausen fired a shot from about 35-yards out that got a timely dip in its arc to just sneak in underneath the crossbar and the fingertips of Adalbjart Felsingborin for the first goal of the game. Felsingborin could have either felt sorry for himself, and allowed this score to affect him for the rest of the game, or he could use it as inspiration for not allowing another one to get by him for the rest of the game. Unfortunately for us, the latter occurred. While Felsingborin was on impressive form, the men in front of him were not, and Newmanistan continued to be able to attack the net with relative ease. Eric Mokhiber had two brilliant chances in the early portions of the match, and was denied, once by the keeper, and once by the goalpost. Then it was Courtney Meyer’s turn to be stopped on a golden chance, and then Eric Givens. You get the point. Everything was going our way, and we were doing everything but getting the second ball in the net. At the same time, Isselmere was rather undisciplined, likely very frustrated with the one-sided nature of the first half and picked up three yellow cards in the first 33 minutes. In the 29th, a rough tackle by Sylvester Morrison on Michelle Clausen could have been given more then just a caution if the referee were so inclined, and many in the stands were upset that it was not. Four minutes later, the referee gave us some consolation when an innocent appearing foul on Magnus Björnssund was issued a caution as well. Perhaps, this was due to the ref knowing that he may have blown the call on Morrison earlier. The Rockets continued to get pressure for the rest of the first half, but some began to be concerned that the team still only had the one goal on the scoreboard. Felsingborin had done a wonderful job, but there’s never anything safe about a one-goal lead.

Nate Stratton was wisely concerned about the one goal advantage. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the rather fluky nature of the Michelle Clausen score, then we would be scoreless and this game would have all the makings of the way that we coughed up the final two games of qualifying to lowly opponents like Nong Ning Nang and Macoksla and have to be in the Cup of Harmony anyway instead of being where this team really belongs, in Kura-Pelland or Valanora. The team seemed to have confidence that they could get that second goal, and it would be Stratton’s message to the team to push aggressively for it. As such, they did. Chris Rowan had a fantastic opportunity in the 49th minute on a free kick that followed Isselmere’s fourth yellow card of the match, but he hit the goal post, the second such time the Rockets had beaten Felsingborin, but not the post. Though as far as Felsingborin is concerned, the post is part of his equipment, and he had it all the way. Mokhiber had a couple more chances, and then Clausen had one again, but still no second goal. This was starting to get a little aggravating, because all it would take would be one mistake and this game would be all tied up. Even so, Newmanistan still would win the group with a draw, so perhaps the urgency that needed to be there was not. In the 78th minute, we saw just how precarious a one-goal lead truly is. The defense had not been tested much in the game allowed the game-tying goal. It was a shot that people will surely say that “Jason Hargrove would have got”. Maybe so, maybe this is a pitfall of fielding the roster that we have right now, but blaming Mark Campbell is not the answer. With the suddenness of the strike, and the inexperience of our players at this level, there was a real struggle for the team to get back on track. It was soon Isselmere controlling the play, and Campbell made some nice stops, likely redeeming himself for the soft nature of the goal that he allowed in the 78th minute. Newmanistan was on their way to a draw, and all would be fine in the long run. Until, it wasn’t. Isselmere had one more trick up their sleeves, getting an 89th minute score from Owen Claesburgh, shocking the crowd. Shocking the team. A game that we had dominated now wasn’t going to get any points. The players hung their heads in disappointment, and this one will be tough to stomach, but they will need to be ready for Gordon Bay City, a team that qualified for World Cup 46 but has not been as strong this time.

Newmanistan will have Andy Jacobs and Kevin Hopkins back in the lineup. Jacobs was serving a suspension for a red card against Golgothastan, and Hopkins was held out of the game for precautionary reasons due to an aggravated hamstring. Held out more because of his injury history. The game will still be here, at Putnam Lake, which is good, because the Rockets owe these fans a victory.

[Golgothastan]

OOC: Yes, hosts I know I've been knocked out; this RP is not for any RP bonus, but to complete a storyline.

Jack, Birgir and Stigur were in the back of a car, being driven back to the airport where they'd meet up with the rest of the team and fly back to Golgothastan. Stigur was avidly reading a brochure on desalination techniques.

"Crafty little buggers - admirable in a way," said Birgir.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they pour salt on our land, then get us to pay them to remove it."

"Mmm, it's not exactly a sophisticated protection racket."

"No, but Hrafn could learn a thing or two from them."

"What do you think, Jack - beaten at our own game?"

"Hmm?" He looked at them, absent-mindedly. "Sorry, what?"

"Jack, you haven't said a thing all trip. It's over! You're off the hook! You can relax now. They didn't even seem to mind too much about the dent in the bottom."

"Hmm."

Birgir whispered to Stigur. "He's upset that they didn't like the fact we filled it with vodka as a gift. Or, more accurately, he's upset they just poured it away. Never, never, waste alcohol like that in front of Jack."

"Yeah, I thought I saw the bloodlust rising in his eyes for a moment."

Birgir spoke normally again. "Still, at least, we got an apology out of it."

"By the way...whose car is this?"

The three of them looked forward curiously, at a pair of terrified Newmanistanians in the front.

* * * * *

In an effort to branch out after the failure of his last few endeavours, Hrafn had been teaching himself to use the Internet. Already, he'd gone from an elaborate spam scheme where he pretended to be a trapped prince needing money to buy his freedom, to randomly hacking into foreign nations' missile defence systems and then playing WoW with their controllers. Now, though, he was using his skills for an unusually altruistic purpose. As he sat in the Internet cafe at the airport, his other teammates harrassing Newmanistan's bar staff at the airport lounge, he returned to the Somewhereistonian blog. Something just wasn't right...

* * * * *

Jack looked back sadly as the players helped Haraldur onto the plane past the appalled crew. He was about to leave this place for good, and he knew it would be the end of Golgothastan's wild World Cup ride. Perhaps the years of wrestling for the trophy had caused some upset, but in truth, it'd brought him a pleasure he hadn't known in years. And now it was about to end. He held out his boarding pass, and took one step onto the plane.

"Jack! No, wait!"

"Hrafn? You're meant to be on the plane! Have - have you been drinking?"

"No, not since breakfast. Jack, it's important. The apology - it's a fake! I was using the Internet to look up some porn, and I noticed..."

"Hrafn."

"...yes?"

"You can find porn? On the Internet?"

"Well, yes, but that's not my point..."

Jack laughed. "Hrafn, I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship..."

[Steroga]

Steroga in knockouts!

For the second Cup of Harmony in a row, Steroga has advanced out of the group stage after a clean sheet 1-0 victory over Valladares. It was another fine defensive effort by the team and Steroga ends up allowing fewer goals then any of the 32 teams! Just one goal allowed raised some eyebrows and a couple Sterogan players have been given offers to play in Newmanistan! This is a great step forward for our players as none of them had ever been looked to by a foreign league before. Three of our starting five defenders were requested by clubs in Newmanistan and all of them are honored to be considered, and all three have signed. Sanjay and Soumil Naidu as well as Yamir Singh are the players. Coach Patel called that an honor and thinks that his team can get a win over Isselmere in Southport. “For the first time Sterogans were offered deals from other leagues. They are really honored. We have seen some tapes of Isselmere and I think our defense can shut them down. They are somewhat higher ranked then us but we playing great defense and I think we can win.” Hopefully he is right!

[Toyur]

Toyurska Sportnyhet

BETTER THAN BETTIA
Strong offensive performance puts Bears in 2nd round
by Anders Alfven

SOUTHPORT, NEWMANISTAN (TP) - It was a bittersweet last day for all invovled with the Toyur national team in Southport going into the final day of group stage action. With the earlier result of Cassadaigua defeating the Landau Institute, Toyur needed a massive breakdown against Bettia to not go through. The people here have been no friend to Toyur, yet the weather was nice and the scenery spectacular. However, the team wanted to get to Dover Field in tact, and they almost lost sight of the fact that they'd still need to get a good result here.

The Bettians lined up with a lineup intended on simply outscoring their opponents, with little afterthought to defending. The 2-5-3 formation meant that the Bettians were always pressing the Toyur defenders back, whose 4-4-2 formation was a bit more traditional, with a diamond shape in the midfield.

Toyur had a bit of trouble initially dealing with the relentless assault of the Bettian attack, and the former champions opened the scoring only 7 minutes in. A clearance attempt from Oskar Källström was blocked by Floyd Henwas, who put a low ball into the box for Jibril Tamarih to volley back to the far corner past a helpless Anders Eriksson in goal. Bettia were up 2-0 by halftime, after a 31st minute corner was headed in strongly by Arwel ap Hadyn at the near post.

Two changes were made by Bears manager Erik Larsson at half-time, with Mats Thorsson given a chance to redeem himself after his performance against Cassadaigua at the expense of Kristian Olsen, and Gustav Johansson replaced Paul Olafsson at right back. It's not the last that these fans will see of Olafsson as he is one of three Toyur players signed by Newmanistan teams during the course of the Cup of Harmony, and Southport is Olafsson's new home. Johansson was more effective on the right getting forward than the more defensive minded Olafsson, and Thorsson's speed caused trouble for the Bettian midfield.

The changes seemed to work for the better in the 51st minute, when Johansson, getting forward, put a low ball behind the defenders for the new Loudon Leopards striker and record signing for a Toyur player, Viktor Eklund, to run onto and put past Hussain Nasri. The game was tied after 63 minutes, when Tillström unleashed a rocket (no pun intended) from 30 yards that swung into the right corner past Nasri, who had little chance with the shot. A stalemate ensued, with Hershel Harun getting the best chance for either side with a shot that missed the target by only inches at the far post.

The deadlock was broken in the 87th minute, and it was the team in green and black that got the goal. Mats Thorsson made an intelligent run into the box when Johansson was making yet another tireless attack down the right flank. Magnus Gustavsson flicked the ball on and Thorsson took it in the air and stabbed the ball past Nasri for a 3-2 Toyur lead. Thorsson winked at the camera following the goal, perhaps at a young Cassadagan right back who may or may not have been watching.

The goal meant that Toyur finished Group F with record of 2 wins, 1 loss, no draws, good for six points and second place. At press time, the opponents had not yet been decided, with a showdown between Somewhereistonia and Taeshan determining Toyur's next opponents. That match will be on TSTV1.


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Toyurska Sportnyhet

GOING SOMEWHERE(ISTONIA)?
Opponents for round two no easy task
by Anders Alfven

DOVER, NEWMANISTAN (TP) - Following a 3-3 draw with Taeshan in the final match of group E, Somewhereistonia topped group E on goal differential and will therefore be Toyur's opponents in round two. One subject was of concern back in Kristiansberg and TFF headquarters.

'While we are very excited for the Bears to be in round two of the Cup of Harmony, we have some concern over our opposition,' TFF chairman Per Bengtsson said in a press conference yesterday. 'Our kits, the very armour in which our noble athletes do battle in, was manufactured IN Somewhereistonia by the X-Spordiga company! I'm sure many of you are just as concerned as I am about the possibility of some sort of sabotage by Somewhereistonia just in case they met opposition that they manufacture kits for.'

Yours truly was just as amused as most of the assembled press likely was, but Bengtsson did not stop there. 'I just want to let everyone know that we've taken great steps to ensure that our valiant warriors are protected against underhanded tactics. We've explored every possible method of shrewdness that these X-Spordiga people could've used to destabilise us. We've tested different weather conditions to make sure that the fabric doesn't shrink or expand when it gets too hot or too cold. We've checked for hidden shocking devices that could've been planted to give our players a jolt via remote control. We've even made sure that they have provided us with the full washing instructions so they don't shrink in the dryer. Thankfully, nothing could be found and we're confident that everything will be fine going into tomorrow's match!'

Meanwhile, Erik Larsson was worrying about more traditional tactics going into the match with Somewhereistonia. 'We're a bit concerned with their offensive capabilities. They've scored 11 goals in only 3 matches, which is impressive. They're a well-organised, well-conditioned team that can play a full 90 minutes every time. That said, I think we match up well against them. They've allowed 7 goals, and while we're not a high-scoring team by any means, we've shown we can score when we need to. Also, we've a very disciplined team. It should be a good matchup.'

The game can be seen on TSTV1.

[Cassadaigua]

Meghan’s Space

Yesterday, I was chillin’ at a bar after practice when some Cassadagan fans and readers of the blog came up to me and asked for my autograph and pictures. They did with me, and Ashley Nolan and Jennifer Lowry, who I was with. We got around to talking with these fans and they started asking me questions about how I like Centralia. It was a pretty good time with them and nice to know how much you are all still watching us back home. Jennifer and Ashley, who also play abroad in different countries were involved in the conversation too, and naturally the topic of whether or not the Cassadagan Soccer League could ever be something great. It’s such a common question and something I have answered so many times in the blog, but still I hear it. Eventually they went on their way. It is great to see so many fans in Centralia and I hope you all have a great time. Things are going great back home, it’s good to see.

So, this game against Taeshan which is before us now will be a tough one. We have not done well traditionally against them, and we remember back in Cup of Harmony 35 that our first knockout stage game after advancing past the group stage was against Taeshan, in West Zirconia, but Newmanistan was also co-hosting that tournament. Taeshan defeated us then and went on to win that very championship. Perhaps they see that similarity again, but this time we are a seasoned team and can learn from our failures in that particular Cup of Harmony. Combined, us and Taeshan represent two of the top seeds in this competition, so one of us will be very discouraged to be eliminated so early. We each had high aspirations for this World Cup cycle, and it was disappointing for the both of us not to make the World Cup. That said, we are making the most of it, and have our sights set on Tundra Falls for the championship game. We know that we can get there. Our week of practice has been superb, everything is working, and I feel as though we will get this big win. We've also been loose, and are not allowing ourselves to get caught up in the pressure, just being ourselves and hanging out and doing what we like to do. Ericka Giordano has been spending a lot of time on Toyur websites trying to get more pictures of that Thorsson guy. Innocent little things, ya know, just like that. We play tonight, and we know we will hear you all in the stands. I think we will have a lot of the neutral supporters in our favor as Centralians are my people since I play here in the NPL. It’s a good situation, and we are confident. Let’s get it done!

[Taeshan]

X Island Inquirer

Can they do it again? That is what many fans wonder about the coming weeks. Cassadaigua stands between the Purple Knights and a QuarterFinal spot. If you harken back to Cup of Harmony 35 in which the Knights won the whole tournament, you would find that the team the Knights beat in the first round was the very same ladies of Cassadaigua, so technically history is with them, but the Knights are historically bad in high pressure situations. It has been some time since the team has won an important match without a buffer.

Wether you believe they can to do it not is up to you. I think if they try hard enough they could easily do it. Practice makes perfect and the Knights have been practicing twice as long as the Cassadaiguans historically and lately. The Knights led by team Captain Brian Ying Uing are looking to get their second Cup of Harmony trophy this year, and if they can they will be one of the few nations who have done this in the history of the tournament. Even though the tournament has been dominated by the Newmanistan Rockets of late, i think the Knights can pull through and make a run for the money.

[Silexhera]

The Jaffacake's Filling
2nd Round Predictions

Isselmere vs Steroga
Isselmere case of Steroga turning up to win this one. 0-3

Akbarabad vs Sargossa
Akbarabad, but Sargossa worse. 1-0

Somewhereistonia vs Toyur
One day they'll find Tony, but even if its today it won't help them beat Toyah. She's just too quick for him. 1-3

Quintessence of Dust vs Northern Bettia
The atmoshphere in the Tundra Falls Proving Grounds with seem nothing more to QoD than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours, as they find the Northern Bettians a piece of work and lose. Why? Well the talent in the midfield is no deeper than a well, the gaps in their defence much wider than a barn door. Bettia to have loved but not lost, 2-1 or not 2-1, but we'll go for the former.

Newmanistan vs Gordon Bay City
Even if Stan was an old man he'd still have the measure of tonight's opposition. It'll be Gordon Bay City Steamrollered tonight as they lose 0-2 to the hosts

Valipac vs Secristan
George Orwell's Minister for Validation would, I imagine, just love to do his secretary, even if Stan doesn't swing that way. We're not sure if this is the same Stan as before. Lets hope not for Valipac's sake, as faced with any kind of talent they're sure to get beaten. As it stands, Valipac to victor after making the secretary work overtime. 2-2 (3-2 AET)

Taeshan vs Cassadaigua
"Tae shan', as any Scotsman knows, means 'to be cruel' (Tae: to, Shan: cruel). 'Cassadaigua', as most people probably don't know, is Spanish for 'House of the Bird Poo' (Casa: House, Da: Of, Guano: Bird poo). We're not sure how Taeshan are going to be cruel to Cassadaigua. Pigeon pellets? Whatever, but I predict a 4-0 win for the former.

Albundania vs Silexhera
0-9, of course, but then I would say that. In actual fact I'm not sure Paul Hart's mob have a chance, seeing as their idea of all-out-attack is to put two players in the opposition's half. It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, and Albundanians certainly have roughly that, that if you take Kelly Sporadic out of the game then Silexhera are useless. Kelly is the heart of the Silexheran panther, which I suppose makes James Particle the left testicle and Gopher Sporaskid the cervix. Testicles and a cervix? You heard me. The Silexheran beast is a strange one.
OK, so either 0-9 or 1-0, depending on how Kelly "I'm a Godmod Let me Out of Here' gets on.

IBJJ, G'NB

[Somewhereistonia]

Shortly before the match there had been a quickly arranged re-unveiling of a now slightly less than shiny trophy from Baptism of Fire 33. There were a few dents and scratches, but these were left “to show the extraordinary story of this trophy's journey back to its deserving winners.” The trophy ceremony went according to plan, with nothing interfering this time around. There was of course an extended press conference afterwards to allow the press to establish that all of the loose ends had been tied up.

A quite relieved Tõnu Uluots took the questions at the generally upbeat event. The trophy was finally back, this mad journey was over. The first question came in from a eager looking young reporter from the Qasarian Times, “How does the relationship now stand with Golgothastan?”

Tõnu glanced at his notes, “The relationship between the nations of Somewhereistonia and Golgothastan is now healthy and several of our businesses are set to begin work to build their infrastructure.”

“What businesses exactly? What are they doing?”

“Well, a group of companies are currently working in different areas of Golgothastan to remove the salt from their land, hopefully once that is complete then the land will become more fertile than before. Then there is interon websystems. They are connecting a new network of fibre optic cables to the nation after they Golgoth's communicated quite desperately that they wanted a fast internet connection. Apparently they need to play a lot of videos all of a sudden. Either way interon websystems is to start work soon.”

The next question was clearly more sports related, it came from a young and highly attractive woman from the Qasarian Evening Sport. “Can you give any more information on a Golgothastani player coming to the Meistrliiga?”

Tõnu had got a very specific response to this question. “I can confirm that a club from the Meistrliiga have now signed a player from the Golgothastan national team. I cannot comment on who or which club has signed him. You will have to get more information from them.”

The next man to ask a question was tagged as being from VTV, the main private television company. “What actions are to be taken against the Golgothastan government for witholding the trophy?”

“None, they are currently paying several Somewhereistonian firms for work in their nation, we will leave it at that now that the trophy has been returned.”

The questions regarding what had been a fierce rival until that day seemed to dry up at this point. Now it was time for the reporters to turn their attention to the upcoming game.

“What do the think are our chances in the game against Toyur?” One of the more experienced journalists from Somesport enquired.

“Well, they have shown themselves to be a good side but I am confident we can beat them with our squad.”

The man immediately came back with another question: “How do you respond to the idea that X-Spordiga could have sabotaged Toyur's kits?” A giggle went around the room, and the professional journalist was clearly struggling to keep a straight face.

“Well, urm. Well that just seems ridiculous. X-Spordiga make kits for nations around the world, they have a reputation to keep. If they went off sabotaging kits they wouldn't last very long. Heh, that is just stupid. Either way, we would never employ tactics such as this to win games, we win on the pitch the way we are supposed to. We are a major proponent of fair play and enjoyable football to watch.”

This clearly satisfied the man as he promptly sat down. There wasn't much else to say on that matter. How could they sabotage the kits even if they wanted to, and this was definitely not the first time the Eagles would play a team wearing kits made by X-Spordiga.

The last question of the conference came from a journalist from one of the smaller television channels. “Somewhereistonia recently won its bid to co-host the next Baptism of Fire. We have our trophy back finally but how will hosting the tournament affect the nation, and the team?”

“Well, the effect on the team will be non-existent as the Baptism of Fire will take place outside of scheduled training and matches. In fact most players will be off on holiday I think. As for the country, hosting such a tournament will be a massive boost for the nation. More so than the last Rugby League World Cup which boosted tourism. Hosting this tournament will be of huge benefit to the nation as a whole.”

With that the conference ended, everyone both satisfied and relieved that the trophy was back in the hands of its rightful owners. Baptism of Fire 33 was won by Somewhereistonia, and now they had something to show for it after all these years of frustration.

[Newmanistan]

The knockout stage begins. Who will advance to the quarterfinals? RP Cutoff.

Isselmere 1-2 Steroga
Akbarabad 1-1 Sargossa (2-1 AET)
Somewhereistonia 3-0 Toyur
Quintessence of Dust 2-0 Northern Bettia
Valipac 0-2 Secristan
Taeshan 1-3 Cassadaigua
Albundania 0-1 Silexhera

July 29: Quarterfinals
Game 9: Steroga vs Akbarabad @ Tundra Falls Proving Grounds
Game 10: Somewhereistonia vs Quintessence of Dust @ Dover Field
Game 11: Gordon Bay City vs Secristan @ Pocono City Stadium
Game 12: Cassadaigua vs Silexhera @ Sameseong Stadium at Putnam Lake

[Dancougar]

And cutoff for the other match, while I'm at it.

Newmanistan 2-3 Gordon Bay City

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

ROCKETS SENT PACKING EARLY

Putnam Lake- Newmanistan will not win their fourth Cup of Harmony title, nor will they even get a chance to go to the Proving Grounds to be able to play for it. The team suffered a miserable 3-2 loss to Gordon Bay City, falling behind 3-0 at halftime, and never got much going until after the hour mark. Eventually, Newmanistan picked up goals by Eric Givens in the 67th minute and Kevin Hopkins in the 80th, but the Gordon Bay City team was able to close the door and seal the victory. So now, our players that were filling in for our World Cup regulars go home (yes, they already were home, but you get the point), and all of Newmanistan wonders how this team may have done if the regulars did play. They will have a lot of questions to answer for the next four years. You wonder if the World Cup regulars aren't fighting back a smile over this result, because this quick exit may have assured that the World Cup 48 roster will look much like the World Cup 47 roster, minus a few expected retirements. Nate Stratton probably will not see any coaching offers, and Nelson Yaschter may have won this battle, although rumors that he will be placed by Jeremy McAllister, Sr, still persist. For now, enjoy the remaining games in Newmanistan. After all, that was the plan to begin with anyway, right? To enjoy the Cup of Harmony as a host without also participating?

[Toyur]

Toyurska Sportnyhet

WE DIDN'T WANT THAT TROPHY ANYWAY
Bears crash out after 3-0 loss
by Anders Alfven

DOVER, NEWMANISTAN (TP) - If the Bears continue to play as they did in the Cup of Harmony 39 Round of 16 match against Somewhereistonia, they will ensure that this appearance is not the last Cup of Harmony that they are playing for.

A dismal performance in a 3-0 loss left Toyur out of the Cup of Harmony and many questions raised about the team's ability to perform in high pressure situations. 'I just felt that we crumbled,' manager Erik Larsson said following the defeat. 'We started off all right, but going a goal down against a high-quality side seems to put our heads down and we just get worse, not better, like we need to.'

Many questions will be asked of Larsson and the team after a series of losses when things were on the line, going back to the Baptism of Fire. After defeating the Babbage Islands in that competition's round of 16, they went out to Valipac after a good, but not fantastic performance. In World Cup qualifying, after being in second place for a long period of time in Group 12, draws and losses sunk the Bears to 4th and made them eligible for the Cup of Harmony in Newmanistan. A nervous performance against Bettia closed out the group stage, and then this performance against Somewhereistonia would have seen them lose to the tiniest minnow.

The performance wasn't bad for 24 minutes. The 25th minute was the beginning of the end for Toyur, as a poor back pass from Sjodin allowed Mart Kusnets to take the ball in stride and get past a motionless Norström, and a smart shot beat Eriksson to put the Eagles in front. The Bears escaped from the remainder of the half unscathed, but not before Eriksson turned aside two solid Eagles chances, one from Petras Zoltoks that was turned around the post, and a 20-yard strike from Vladimir Nolakk was punched over the bar just before the half time whistle.

The second half began just as the first ended; with the Eagles in control. Zoltoks got his goal after Mikael Lilja had trouble handling Vincas Taska in the right of the Somewhereistonia midfield. Taska gave Zoltoks a chance that he could not miss, putting the Eagles up 2-0 after 57 minutes. The Eagles finished the scoring in the 71st minute with young substitute Alexis Birsa putting the ball into an open goal after Eriksson parried away another Nolakk shot and the ball was not cleared. The match ended with Toyur getting only two attempts on goal, neither of them hitting the target. Svante Klug had an easy 90 minutes in the Somewhereistonia goal.

So, defeat and disappointment for Toyur. They will go back to their clubs and play hard to earn a spot on the roster for World Cup 48 qualification. Six players now have new clubs to play for, playing outside of the chilly Toyur climate for clubs that are well-established in international circles. Manager Erik Larsson was immediately assured that he would be kept on as national team manager for the next campaign. As for now, the team will head home and watch the rest of the Cup of Harmony and World Cup. Until next Cup!

---------------------

page 2

ELIN'S CORNER
with Elin Akerman

After Toyur's loss to Somewhereistonia, not ALL of the players got on a flight home to Kristiansberg. Mats Thorsson was spotted boarding a flight to Putnam Lake in Newmanistan. While the lake itself is quite beautiful, it's likely that Thorsson is on his way there to see a certain Cassadagan who will be playing in the quarter finals! Thorsson would love to be staying in Dover to take on Quintessence of Dust in their own quarter final, Thorsson's trip to Putnam Lake may be the thing he needs to put their loss behind them. Is there something between Thorsson and Ericka Giordano, or is Mats just rebounding from his failed relationship with Malin Andersson and following around the first girl to through a pretty look his way? You know that if Cassadaigua wins their next match they might just keep Thorsson on as a good luck charm regardless of any romance that may be in the air!

[Akbarabad]

Akbarabad outlast Sargossa.

(Akbarabad Press, AP): Akbarabad qualified for the quarterfinals of the Cup of Harmony with a hard fought 2-1 extra time victory over Sargossa in Olympia Field, with star strikers Zahid Mohammed and Samin Akbar scoring for the Tiger Eaters. Mohammed gave the side an early lead which was only canceled out in the second half. Conversely, the team wasted a hatfull of chances both before and after the equalizer and had to rely on an extra time goal from Samin Akbar to ensure a victory. This match was the only second round encounter to go into extra time with the other qualifiers getting more comfortable victories than the Tiger Eater's laboured efforts.

The team next face Steroga, who are something of a surpise candidate for lasting so long. When, the draw was made, the team originally faced the far more intimidating prospect of facing top seeded host Newmanistan at the same stage. Newmanistan and Taeshan's stumbles have opened up this half of the draw. Akbarabad now only have to beat lower ranked teams than themselves to reach the final, something that was thought to be distinctly unlikely at the start of the tournament. However, given the Tiger Eater's track record against lower ranked teams, after the apparently hard part is done, no one in Akbarabad is ready to celebrate just yet.l

Akbarabad 2-1 Sargossa (AET)
(Mohammed 8'; Samin Akbar 99') ( Gala 57')

[Quintessence of Dust]

Free Smörgåsbord With Every Issue

The New Cleethorpes Enquirer

Footballers win as Northern Bettian breaks leg trying to foul Brikk Schitthausen

The national football team last night vanquished some of the (properly secular) demons of their Baptism of Fire history with a defeat of old foes Northern Bettia. The win sees the team advance to the Cup of Harmony quarter-finals, the furthest they have come in the competition since losing on penalty kicks to Sarzonia during the Cup's 37th edition. The victory also continues an amazing streak for all the country's athletes in a week that has seen victory in the World Challenge Cup, Heroes' Cup, and Kemball Island Open, with a key 1-0 advantage over Yafor 2 at the World Baseball Classic to boot.

Also the number of travelling fans remains small, QBS-2 reported much improved ratings for their live coverage, leading to hopes that future games might return to QBS-1 slots, having been dropped in favour of reruns of popular wartime saga Band of Siblings. And those small number who did make the trip to Newmanistan got into the spirit, exchanging a hail of bottle rockets with the Northern Bettian fans and chanting slogans such as, "Let's put the pain back in Cup of Harmony campaign", later adding, "Except without the 'g', although it is silent anyway".

The match was a typically hard-fought affair that saw more red cards (all for Northern Bettia) than goals. For much of the game, their hack-and-slash approach led to them dominating possession of the ball, but up front their strikers could not breach the wall of the rock-like captain, Brikk Schitthausen. Indeed, so commanding was he that he led, quite indirectly, to the game's only serious injury, although almost all the Quodite players ended up being shoved to the ground or scraped across the legs a couple of times.

With teammates arguing over the placement of a free-kick, Yuu Basatada trying to claim the handball had occurred, not on the edge of the Northern Bettia but 70 yards up the pitch, in the Quodite penalty area, Titus Kankan took the opportunity to try to foul Schitthausen out of the game, frustrated by his repeated stymying of the Northern Bettian attacks, which saw them take the ball into the Quodite final 30 13 times in the first half, yet yielded only 2 shots on goal. As Basatada aimed a well-placed kick at the Quodite goal, Kankan aimed a well-placed kick at Schitthausen's legs - only to collapse in agony.

Although Kankan had to be stretchered off the field with a broken leg, Schitthausen later claimed he hadn't even felt the kick. The 325 pound Greschmeier defender, who is reportedly capabable of a 900 lb squat lift, said he had no idea the player was trying to foul him. The sight of their midfielder's leg snapping like tinderwood on the opposing captain's stout aft seemed to rather take the wind out of the Northern Bettians, who thereafter limited their fouls to shirt-tugs and a rather blatant clothesline on Goshinho, who also seemed not to notice massive head trauma and later reported feeling "Squelchio!"

The young forward returned to the side as a supersub in the second half, putting in a characteristically energetic performance and scored his first goal in a long while, recalling his fantastic performance in Newmanistan during the Empire Charity Cup. Running onto a throughball from Peter Rogers, he slid a shot past goalkeeper Milburn Munta, and was then chased the length of the pitch as the enraged Abe Ystwyth tried to retaliate with the business end of a corner flag.

Rogers also scored, in the first half, converting with aplomb a penalty from a studs-up tackle from behind by Hiro Temari. (The referee was unimpressed by all 8 of the Northern Bettian penalty claims, reaching a point where goalkeeper Hamilton Humperdinck suggested he just give them one out of sympathy.) Rogers, the only member of the team to play against Northern Bettia during the 33rd Baptism of Fire, where the ugly tactics worked on their favour last time, seemed particularly overjoyed by the win. Speaking to reporters after the game about his feelings of vindication, he claimed, "By the Hammer of Þor! Vengeance is at hand!"

[Cassadaigua]

Meghan’s Space

Being back on the turf of Centralia Stadium was pretty sweet. Many of my Cougars teammates were there to root me on, and I saw a lot of people wearing my jersey around the stadium. That’s always a nice thing too, to see people wear a jersey with your name it. It’s mostly the female fans that choose to put my name on the back of their Centralia jerseys, but I can understand that. We got a loud ovation from the crowd as we hit the field, much more then for Taeshan, who has a rivalry with Newmanistan. It was a home game for me, since this is my club league home, but for the rest of us, it had to also feel that way. We had heard reports that a lot of the Taeshan players feel a lot of pressure to succeed in the Cup of Harmony. They are very disappointed that they did not make the World Cup, and were expecting to make the finals and probably with the championship outright. I’m sure they would have preferred to have drawn a different opponent then someone like us, who has also qualified for the last two World Cups, but that’s just the way it is. The difference with us is that we don’t feel sorry for ourselves or feel that we don’t belong here. The last two World Cups have been a great run, but it’s not something we are entitled too as we are still growing as a nation and as a soccer threat. Being on the fringe of qualifying is ok, at least for right now. When we were officially eliminated from qualifying for the World Cup, we set our sights here, to win the this Cup. Right now, winning the World Cup outright is a fantasy as opposed to reality, and even though in the World Cup fantasy is supposedly meeting reality, we didn’t expect to win that. The Cup of Harmony is there, we can see it, and we want it. We want to win a major championship for Cassadaigua. Taeshan, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The way we dominated the first half of this game was a testament to our positive mindset about being here and the pressure that they were feeling. With much of the crowd supporting us, we knew we had Taeshan right where we wanted them. In the 12th minute, Katie Cincoski, who has had an outstanding tournament delivered a perfect cross into the penalty area for Stacie Kerrigan-Fraser. Money! About fifteen minutes later, it was my turn. Oh I wanted to score in this game so badly, and I wasn’t going to let this chance go. I don’t know what their defenders were thinking and I really don’t give a damn either. They gave me a ton of room, and you just don’t do that, my Taeshani friends. Wanner Padawan was helpless and the game was now 2-0 in our favor. Our defense had done a great job on Brian Ying Uing, and he could do nothing about that. Check that, he did a lot of holding out his arms towards the Newmanistanian referee. The score was 2-0 for ages, and when Doug Newier scored in the 70th minute, all it did was make us want to restore our two-lead, and we responded just two minutes later on a goal by Erika Daniels. Taeshan’s frustration boiled over five minutes later when Ericka Giordano leveled Ying Uing with a hard tackle and he had to be helped off the field and substituted for. Ericka smiled and pointed apparently towards someone in the stands and blew a kiss. She told me later that she was pointing towards Mats Thorsson of Toyur, who was apparently at the game, and wanted me to mention that in the blog in case he is reading and did not notice. We finished off the deal, winning 3-1, and sent those Taeshanis back to their homes of ultimate bird poo.

So up next we play Silexhera. Depending on who you listen too, they are either very new to the world scene or very, very old. Either way, they are a good team with a strong lineup but I’ll tell you this: Right now, no one is scaring us. Not a soul! The game is in Putnam Lake, and unlike or last Newmanistanian destinations, we don’t have anyone who plays for Putnam Lake on our roster. A win puts us in the semifinals. Let’s keep it rollin’.

[Somewhereistonia]

Somesport.som

Alexis Matranus blogs

Big win for Eagles, now the for the Quods!

Well, a massive win for the Eagles against Toyur and that Douglas guy seems to have hit the nail on the head with this one. 0 goals conceeded, that will really get the bosses pleased. Finally the Eagles have a clean sheet. This hasn't come as a detriment to the attacking abilities either, with the Eagles managing to slot three into the net. I expect the new Dariusville manager to be revealed later tonight on The Manager show. He has done a brilliant job as team coach in this game. A real asset to the team. The post of assistant manager as yet remains unfilled as far as I know. Priit Vilba could quite easily continue to fill the role whilst there are rumours that Benjamin Oliveira is to fill the post despite his experience elsewhere.

As for our next game, we play the nation of Quintessence of Dust, a nation with several quirks but with people not too dissimilar to our nations people. The only thing is they feel a bit similar to Golgothastan to me and I have no idea why. I think its the newspapers, they seem to be written by the same guy, I don't know. Its just a feeling that's all. Either way, they are going to be a tough side to beat after beating those rough Northern Bettians 2-0.

The Quodites have scored 9 goals so far in this campaign and have only conceded 2 in four games. This is compared to the dangerously attacking Eagles who have scored a massive 14 goals so far this competition (the equal highest alongside Cassadaigua) whilst, worryingly they have let in 7 (Cassadaigua have only let in 3), despite the always impressive Klug in goal. Hopefully the new man from Dariusville (assuming he gets the job) has managed to fix our defensive frailties and the team can use their attacking strength to the maximum.

Lets look at the teams a bit more closely then. Quintessence of Dust have so far got through with a very sturdy defence based around the 325 pound (apparently the Quodites still use imperial) Schitthausen. Whilst this has proved successful so far I question whether he will be able to match the pace and agility of the young Eagles forwards. Taska and Kusnets seem to be able to run around even the most experienced defenders and with Xentolov, Birsa, Pääbo et al all waiting in the wings, the team have no shortage of players able to sneak or squeeze through the gaps in the defence. Speed, that is the weapon of choice we will have to employ here. This is our best ability and this is one hell of a good opponent to prove that fact.

Looking into it further. The full backs are quite young, at 20 and 22. I can see these guys giving into inexperience and letting the Somewhereistonian wingers past them. Ronald Johnson is also potentially an easy target for the team, having struggled during world cup qualifying possibly due to his move to Queer Poco's side Royal Khaldoon (now managed by former Qasarian Sparta's league winning manager, Tarmo Mäe). So the strikers have defensive targets to hit. One player big and slow, one out of form and two inexperienced full-backs. A goal fest? Maybe, but probably not. The Quodites have shown that despite these weaknesses they have some luck in keeping goals from going in. Maybe their luck will run out against the Eagles, I sure hope so.

So, my prediction for this game. A good 3-1 to the Eagles, but this game is going to be very open to change I think. This could go either way, and it could be a much bigger victory or a much tighter game than I anticipated. The battle of wits for the managers is on, but I think we need to go and do our thing the way we know how. Go out and run around them, shoot and score. That is what the Eagles do, they soar around the pitch. That is what we are comfortable in doing, that is what we should be doing.

What about the Quodites threats? Well, Woody Cockbadger is their top scorer, but in my opinion he is slightly too flat, just putting in the easy goals. He hasn't quite got the magic of Kusnets of Xentolov. That is what you need in these competitions, that little bit of extra skill, that bit of magic, that harmonious elation following the goal that seemed to come from nowhere. Like Kusnets' piece of magic back in the Empire Charity Cup back when the Eagles started, that game against Secristan where Kusnets gave us that unexpected (and first ever) win in international football. I even dug up the old article from the day: http://forums.joltonline.com/showpost.p ... stcount=52

That is what Quintessence of Dust lacks in my slightly less than humble opinion. They lack Kusnets, they lack the magic, they lack that tournament winning spark, that is what gave us that trophy which we had returned the other day. That is what we have that they don't.

Now I have the next game out of the way, lets look at the competition as a whole, and wow, we have some surprises. Sargossa are out. Hosts Newmanistan are, quite amazingly, out. Taeshan (that team we drew 3-3 in the groups) are out. Isselmere are now out (only a surprise when you see it was Steroga who knocked them out). The recent Baptism of Fire winners Valipac are out (but Secristan were always favourites in that game).

So, who is in? Well, Akbarabad's extra time win over Sargossa surely puts them in the running surely, they seem to be getting the results if nothing else. I can't really see Steroga getting much further, despite a good tournament so far, they just don't quite seem to be there, although any team that gets results can do well in these competitions. Secristan and Silexhera both stand as strong opponents in this one, as always. There is a favourite though, Cassadaigua look strong, they look very very strong. Loads scored and only a few conceded. Have they bloomed too early though? I sure hope so, they might be too strong for the Eagles as it stands especially given the 3-1 result against Taeshan; we let in an extra two only a couple of days earlier. That is what we could face come the final, if we can there of course. The team look very good but hopefully the new boss will have something up his sleeve (other than some sort of flying pink animal) to overcome such teams, something he will have to do eventually in his new job; he is sure to get it really. We just need to wait a few more hours for the show tonight to confirm it.

Anyway, my predictions! Well, its going to be hard to get these right this time, some very tight match-ups, but here we go.

Game 9: Steroga 2-4 Akbarabad

Ok, it's a high scoreline but Storoga are looking dangerous. I can see them scoring a couple, but I don't see them really taking too much from Akbarabad.

Game 10: Somewhereistonia 3-1 Quintessence of Dust

I think I covered this one well enough earlier. The Eagles seem to be on course for this tournament. QoD are not a team to be ignored though. A closer match than the scoreline might suggest.

Game 11: Gordon Bay City 1-2 Secristan

Despite the win over Newmanistan, I'm not sure Gordon Bay City will have the strength to break this Secristan side down. A slightly slower paced 2-1 than the other games.

Game 12: Cassadaigua 2-0 Silexhera

Cassadaigua don't look beatable right now. Maybe Silexhera will be the team to stop them. Perhaps it will go to penalties, but it just looks like this pink team are going to put in yet another strong performance and get another strong result.

Well, this has been another weeks blog, I hope the Eagles do the job tomorrow, I'm off to see if there is any news on this manager being confirmed as the boss, and the open assistant post as well.

[Silexhera]

The Jaffacake's Filling

Panthers Release Albun

Albundania were sent home from the Cup of Harmony last night after a late goal from you-know-who. Kelly Sporadic's eighty-fifth minute strike sent Silexhera into the quarter finals of the tournament to face Cassadaigua.

The playmaker lived up to his billing as Silexhera's 'only real threat' by pouncing on the remnants of Leung's free-kick which had been unsuccessfully cleared. Sporadic only needed to steady himself and half-volley the bouncing ball in from ten yards to put his team into the next round.

Silexhera had started the game, as they have done all too often recently, with a largely defensive line-up. Panther Doctor, despite serving his one-game suspension after his sending off against Northern Bettia, was not recalled into the team, his place instead going to David Sporadic, Kelly's younger brother, who slotted into a defensive midfield position, giving Silexhera a very conservative 5-4-1 formation.

A damp squib of a game had started to come to life in the second half, with Albundania finding inroads in our defence at the expense of leaving themselves slightly prone at the back, which occasionally let Silexhera in for counter attacks which they, on the whole, could not pull off with any degree of skill. Sporadic's late strike saved the game from going into what appeared to be a formality of extra-time and penalties - a good thing for us, who are currently 0 for 2 on spot-kicks.

Next up comes Cassadigua, in a match billed as the tie of the round in some places. After dispensing of Taeshan and watching as far-and-away-favourites Newmanistan exploded under pressure from Gordon Bay City, the Cassadiguans have to be regarded as new tournament favourites. Not only are they the highest ranked team left; 33 in the world as of the most recent update, but they've steamrollered every opponent they've faced so far, scoring fourteen goals in four matches and conceding just three. Silexhera, by contrast, have struggled in three of the four games they've played, scoring eight for three in all their games.

Almost across the board, experts are picking Cassadigua for the win. Indeed, this reporter finds it difficult to see a plucky but sub-par SIlexhera getting the better of their opponents.

Trio to Stay in Newmanistan

Gordon Bay City's knack for killing games early wasn't the only thing to have caught the host's eyes this week. After a few days of rumours, it has been confirmed that Silexherans David Fallow, David Sporadic and Kelvin Hayes are to stay in the country, having been talent spotted by local clubs. David Fallow, who has had a very good tournament in goal for the Panthers despite his unfortunate sending off against cheating b****ds Northern Bettia, has won himself a contract with NPL high-fliers Loudon Leopards. Young striker Kelvin Hayes has evidently impressed on his forays from the bench, having caught the attentions of Stroudsbourg Panthers, whilst David Sporadic has been signed up by Ashland Oilers in a GC3m move thats likely to prove a bargain for the Newmanistanian outfit.

The deals are reminiscent of a similar thing four years ago, in which James Idiotsman, Gopher Sporaskid and Smokey Black attracted the attentions of clubs from then CoH host Dancougar.

With the Silexheran league still floundering in bureaucracy and money trouble, one feels the players are right to move on, not only to get themselves regular football but also to pump a little bit more money into the Silexheran game, which can only be good for future generations.

IBJJGNB

[Isselmere]

Football Weekly Special

Ernes seen off by lower-ranked Steroga
Oscar Belham

NEWMANISTAN - Isselmere-Nieland lost 2-3 to Steroga yesterday in a hard fought contest in which 12 yellows were shown and two players, both Ernes, were sent off.

Cohen stole the ball off a centre-half in the 9th minute to sneak in a goal, but Isselmere-Nieland was unable to make that early dominance count. Instead, it was Steroga that pressurised the Ernes' back four, scoring an equaliser in the 21st minute and a further goal in the 39th minute.

Claesburgh managed to restore parity in the 52nd minute, but it was short-lived, as the Steroga striker slotted home a perfect through-ball in the 57th minute to restore the lead.

Isselmere-Nieland return home empty handed once again after having done relatively well against strong opposition in the group stages.

Isselmere-Nieland 2 - 3 Steroga
Cohen, 9'; Claesburgh, 52' -- 3
Bookings
Huang, 19'; mab Costin, 27'; mab Wercus, 35'; Bogue, 42' + 78'; Björnssund, 54' -- 4
Sendings off
Bogue, 78' (two cautions); Dunston, 84' (serious foul play) -- None

[Somewhereistonia]

---Six managers. One job. Who goes? We decide!---

Host1: “Hello and welcome to another edition of The Manager!”

Host2: “Well impressive stuff in that last game, 3-0 to the Eagles against what had been a strong Toyur side. A clean sheet and goals, the perfect result isn't it?”

Host1: “Well maybe, another goal and it would have been the best ever result for the Eagles!”

Host2: “Yes, indeed it would. The first game in charge and a recond matching result. It's no wonder that this guy has become a strong favourite to win the job now.”

Host1: “Well, we will find out more information on that manager job later in the show won't we. It's exciting though. The assisstant job is still definitely open for the taking if nothing else. Well, less than an hour before we get the EXCLUSIVE news of who is to be the next manager of the Eagle's team. Will Douglas take the job, or will there be another twist in the story?”

----For almost an hour celebrity type gossip with fairly random sports stars comes on, nevertheless, viewing figures for this seem to be high. I don't know what it is with these types of shows but they certainly generate interest from the public----

Host1: “Well, it is now time, I have just been handed the envelope containing the result. The decision has been made, a new manager has now been signed.”

....

“I can now, exclusively reveal that the next manager of the Somewhereistonian National Football Team will be....

….

….

Professor George Douglas! Congratulations!”

Cheers went around the hall of the studio. This wasn't an unexpected result by any means after that 3-0 thrashing of Toyur but the crowd seemed at least mildly surprised nonetheless. I really don't get how this works but it does.

Douglas, previously hidden behind the studio was then released onto the bright lights of the stage.

Host1: “Congratulations George! Just how did you do it?”

George was directed onto the sofa for the interview, as the sports stars had been earlier in the show.

George: “Well, I think it was hard work and playing to the team's strengths but I can't really be sure. This side is quite orthodox. It's not what I'm used to, but then this team looks like it could be successful, so maybe that is what I needed for Dariusville, a set of good players.”

Host2: “Do you think you will cope managing a team of people? You won't go mad?”

George: “Go mad? Anyway. Yes, I think I can just about manage a team of people. I won my last match with people. Surprisingly nippy people but still people.”

Host1: “So you are happy with the players you have?”

George: “Yer, these guys look very good, not flying or dead unfortunately but they are very good at their football, and theres quite a few other guys that I can choose from as well. I think I'm going to like it here. I might get some success!”

Host2: “We sure hope you do. Congratulations Professor on winning the match with Toyur so well, and congratulations on winning the job!”

Host1: “Professor George Douglas everyone!”

The crowd again cheered with ecstasy, seemingly having forgotten they had done so only a few minutes before when the new manager had come onto the stage. I really will never understand this.

Host1: “Now, we have a very special extra announcement here for you all. We can now reveal who the next assistant manager will be. A decision has just been reached. We can now, exclusively reveal the new assistant manager, the person joining the team with Douglas will be

…..

…..

…..
sorry what was that? OK, I have just been told that the next assistant manager for the Somewhereistonian National Football Team will be...

….

….

Benjamin Oliveira! Congratulations to him. Unfortunately he couldn't make it tonight but we give him all of our luck in his new role and now we have to say goodnight, this is the end of the series here. We might see you again soon, although hopefully not choosing for the same job again.

Good night!”

Host2: “Good night!”

[OOC: I would have posted this with the other rp but I was waiting for a reply to a telegram.]

[Cassadaigua]

Meghan’s Space

We are in an unfamiliar role right now. The favorite. With the way things have gone, we are now the team to beat and the nation that many are predicting are going to become a champion at the conclusion of this Cup. This is simply not something we are used too, regardless of the sport, and we do a lot of them. Even in the World Baseball Classic right now, we are the top seed in the playoffs but we are not the favorite. We will take on this role and hope not to let our people down, because even though we are the top ranked team remaining in the Cup of Harmony, there are others remaining that are ranked quite strongly as well. Our next opponent, Silexhera, is one of them. So is Secristan, Gordon Bay City and Akbarabad, and we know Quintessence of Dust will be geared up to play us. Somewhereistonia has a new manager now and that is something that can provide a boost to any team as the players want to make an impression. Steroga is there too, and while most discount them, if we ended up playing them, then they are for real too. The outspoken Jeremy Jaffacake of Silexhera even admits that his newly adopted country will probably have a tough time with us. I hope he’s right about that. We have continued to practice well and we ready for the match and excited about this role as a favorite. Internationally we don’t have a lot of experience in this position, but we can all draw upon domestic experiences, I am sure. Our motto right now is “Keep it rollin’” and we will do everything in our power to do just that.