World Cup 54: RP thread

[Azulcena]

Kimmy Sol, a thirteen-year-old girl living in the city of Valverde, Velasco, Azulcena, had a little weblog. Usually she just used it to post her very opinionated view on the world to all her friends. Nobody was safe from her - not her sisters, not her parents, not even the teachers and principal of her school. But today she just left one simple note for all to see.

"Dear Los Rojos," her weblog read, "win that match tomorrow or I'm never watching you play again."

The reasons behind her message were never known. She wasn't much of a football fan, and her friends never really asked her about it at school the next day. Within a day the message had been replaced by her next opinionated message about the annoying boy who tugged her braids in line at the cafeteria.

[The Babbage Islands]

And the Zonal Phase is over, at least for half the zones! RP cutoff.

Matchday Ten

[Cassadaigua]

Let us close the book on the Zonal Phase. Cutoff time.

Results

[Cassadaigua]

For your reference: Interzonal Groups in the 1-15 half. Official schedule to be posted later in the HQ thread.

Bears Armed Interzonal (Winners Zones 1-3; Runners-up Zones 4-6)
Andossa se Mitrin Vega
Starblaydia
Kelssek
Consortina
Orlkjestad
Loonaterian


Valladares Interzonal (Winners Zones 7-9; Runners-up Zones 10-12)
Pasarga
Jeruselem
Rejistania
Tarrentum
Cafundeu
Akbarabad

Newmanistan Interzonal (Winners Zones 13-15; Runners-up Zones 1-3)
The Holy Empire
Dorian and Sonya
Valladares
Cotdelapoms
TailsPrower
Swartaz

Delaclava Interzonal (Winners Zones 4-6; Runners-up Zones 7-9)
Haginonia
Nethertopia
Sorthern Northland
Cosumar
Jesselton
Arda

Queer Poco el Mono Ara Interzonal (Winners Zones 10-12; Runners-up Zones 13-15)
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Qazox
Eastfield Lodge
Jalanat
Churchma
Khytenna

[Jalanat]

Mixed feelings among Jalanese players
This was the last matchday of the zonal stage. Jalanat's last match was against Toyur. Toyur, having already been eliminated had nothing to lose anymore. The match was very important to the Jalanese team, however, as it may well decide whether they would qualify for the interzonal stage or not so the pressure was high on the team. "We will do our best to win from Toyur, but while Toyur is already eliminated, they will surely put up a fight. Their team is strong and we must not underestimate them, we gotta go for a win." Jalanat's top striker, Ichirou Nakamura, said in an interview.

Jalanat played a good game of football in the first few minutes of the game, creating numerous chances for their team but the finishing was pretty poor as was demonstrated by an attempted shot by Paintsil. He was in the penalty area and had just the keeper to beat. He should have scored but the ball went far over. It was a golden opportunity but Paintsil didn't take it. The scores remained 0 - 0.

The team of Toyur, however, had much better finishing. Already scoring their first goal with the first chance. A great, powerful shot from the 18 surprised goalkeeper Sishemuya. Tried to get to the ball but he was too late and the ball had hit the back of the net. Toyur gained the lead in the 15th minute of the match.

The Jalanese team tried hard to equalize but they played some low quality football and wasted numerous golden opportunities which any good team would have taken. In the 32nd minute, Nakamura received a pass by Petrov but the play stopped as the flag went up for offside. "I wasn't concentrating there and I strayed offside. Shame, really. We had a chance to score there, but I wasted it." was the comment by Nakamura on the offside decision in a post-game interview.

In the second half, the team of Toyur stretched their lead even further. Satoshi Honda mistimed his tackle on a striker from Toyur and gave away a free kick just 22 meters away from goal. He was lucky enough to get away with it without getting a card. A wall of 3 players was quickly formed. The ref blew the whistle and the free kick was taken. The shot was placed with a very good curve, and it went past the wall. Sishemuya dived for the ball but could only slightly touch it with his fingertips, it was not enough to make the ball change direction and it hit the back of the net.

Later on in the match, Nakamura was substituted for Sunatochi who had to take a penalty just 12 minutes later as García was tackled harshly by a Toyur defender in the penalty area. The ball was placed on the spot and Sunatochi got ready to take it. The ref blew the whistle and Sunatochi quickly shot the ball trying to get it into the top-left corner of the net but it sheered over the bar. It was such a close chance. Sunatochi just stared at the ball in disbelief, he could not believe had missed such an opportunity.

The match ended, Toyur won the match, but being already eliminated this victory was only for honor. The Jalanese players were disappointed but happy at the same time. Even though they lost their match, they still managed to qualify for the Interzonal stage. The match Leiceister - Civil Citizenry ended with a tie.

"We lost the match, but at least we qualified." Captain of the Jalanese team, Jin To said. "I'm having mixed feelings about today. We wasted a lot of opportunities that match, we were really lucky that the other match ended with a tie. We'll try to do our best in the interzonal stage but we'll be playing against much more formidable opponents there, we're in the underdog position here."

Zone 13 Standings

   Team                 P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 The Holy Empire      8  7  1  0  22   4  +18  22 Q
 2 Jalanat              8  3  1  4  11  10   +1  10 Q
 3 Toyur                8  2  3  3   5   6   -1   9
 4 Leiceister           8  2  3  3   9  14   -5   9
 5 Civil Citizenry      8  1  2  5   4  17  -13   5

In the interzonal stage, Jalanat shall play in Queer Poco el Mono Ara along with the following teams:
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Khytenna
Churchma
Eastfield Lodge
Qazox

[Khytenna]

Khytenna draws in tough Queer Poco el Mono Ara Interzonal

Reporter John Dark.

Khytenna’s football team has qualified for the Queer poco el mono ara interzonal after finishing impressively in second place, with equal points with Valladares. However Khytenna now have an uphill struggle as they are drawn with some of the world’s biggest teams.
Queer Poco el Mono Ara Interzonal looks like this;
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu
Qualified first in there group, may of not had as impressive points as us, or as many wins, and are ranked below us, they are still a big threat and should not be seen as an easy opponent

Qazox
Ranked 53rd in the world, Qazox qualified impressively in zone 11, they are the highest ranked team in the interzone and look like the biggest threat to Khytenna.

Eastfield Lodge
Another high ranked team who have great players, Khytenna have beaten a team higher ranked then them, and will be looking to do it again.

Jalanat
To lowest ranked team in the interzone, but did well to qualify for this group, Khytenna will have to treat them as though they where a bigger team, and although a win could be on the cards, we will have to see what happens on the day.

Churchma
Ranked 77th, they finished second in zone 14 with 15 points, lost 3 times, more so then Khytenna one lose against Valladares.

Coach Proctor was extreamly happen when he talked to us after the announcement of the interzone and talked to us about the preparation for the challenge ahead.

“Khytenna have done exceptionally well to get this far, and everyone is pleased with there effort and attitude, we will be watching videos of our opponants to try to get an idea of how to beat them and get an advantage over them, we will take it each game at a time, and maybe we will be on that plane to the world cup!”

Team news:

Khytenna’s Roary Tory has been in amazing form for Khytenna, with two clean sheets for Khytenna and has only let in 3 goals so far, Troy will be looking to play more games for Khytenna in the future! Hytan scored a hat-trick last night and also made sure that he went noticed, maybe it is his time to play in first team action. Pittenger has also proved he also can play on the wing, and maybe be replacing Ringwood in games ahead.

[Tarrentum]

Tarrentum Falcons Sporting News
Falcons' Draw Brings Bad News

The Falcons played underwhelmingly against Capivara Group in the final Zone 10 match and that lackluster play brought some bad consequences with it. While Head Coach Gabriella Italiana may have had the best of intentions by resting her star defenders Treppen Uppenilli and Olli Vaspa as well as Cladius Bacanelli (RCB), the decision backfired against lowly C.G. The Capivara Group was able to make many attacks passed the defensive backfield of Gregori Fluti (LB), Nico Lardorama (RCB), Justinian Tremani (LCB) and Walri Castanella (RB). While Fluti and Tremani play on the same TPFL club, Krozuy, the never meshed in this match. Lardorama has seen very little long-term play in a match at the international level, merely appearing in "garbage" time at the end of blowouts. Castanella is simply too young of a player and frequently seemed overwhelmed by being on the biggest stage.

The Capivara Group's strikers, hairy Lobisomem and toothless Mindgo, played havoc with the backfield. "Scared the shit out of us," was how Castanella put it after the match to explain Tarrentum's very loose defense. The C.G.'s goal was scored in the 40th minute after a tackle by Sforza Italiana only ended up taking Castanella off the defensive formation. Lobisomem streaked through remaining Falcons defense and flipped it over an out of position Tucadi. The Falcons entered the locker room with a 1-0 deficit.

While a loss would not have meant much in the long run as the Falcons were firmly moving on to the "Interzonals," a win would have put them atop Zone 10 standings and meant a better seed for the Interzonals - which TFSN erroneously refered to as the Round of 32 previously. A stern lecture by Manager Dlartanina during the break seemed to help the Falcons when the took to the pitch for the next 45. Henry Qund described it as a speech "that only a Sylvanae could make." While the content of the speech was never disclosed, the Falcons had a little bit more spark on the pitch.

The strikers and midfielders for Tarrentum didn't allow any more deep offensive plays by Capivara Group the rest of the match. Judasi Kypa (RM) was excellent on his defense against Lobisomem and stole the ball from the striker a recorded 8 times. Pretty useful for disrupting attacks. Noel Gennesse final put the ball in the back of the net against C.G.'s model turned goalkeeper. The goal was Gennesse's team-leading 8th goal of the tournament. The Falcons were not able to overcome Capivara Group and played to a draw.

The draw was wanted but wholly undesired. This was especially true when Dagan officials released the Interzonal matchups. Tarrentum had been placed in the Valladares Interzonal - possibly the toughest Interzonal in this World Cup. The Falcons are the low team in the pecking order for their group which contains Cafundeu (18), Jeruselem (19), Akbarabad (24), Rejistania (29) and Parsaga (33). Couple that Tarrentum's 35th World Ranking and TFSN asks if any one of these teams has a harder road to move on in World Cup 54?

We know that the team, who should have won Zone 10 outright, has their hands full. Can they find the magic of WC 53? Can Dlartanina bring back her influence of the Falcons?

Stay tuned.

[Mantwenic]

Mantwenic Advances to Next Stage for First Time!

The streets of Benshawk this evening were closed due to thousands upon thousands of fans celebrating Mantwenic's advancement to the World Cup. Blue flags, blue jerseys everything... blue. It was a sea of blue, if you were to walk (or attempt to walk the streets) this night you would be bear hugged several times by a random drunken stranger. The media knew (or figured) before anyone that Mantwenic would win this crucial match against The Realm of Light that if you were ridiculous enough to stop watching the match and go outside say five minutes before it was over you would see photographers and cameramen lined outside every bar and place that fans were watching the game. Once it was over you would hear a roar louder than that of any battle cry ever and within three to five minutes after they had had enough watching the celebrations, fans rushed out the doors of the bars, hung on the balconies of their apartments and celebrated for hours. Hey,it was a first for everything and for a nation that loved their football so dearly and to suffer six qualifying stages without actually qualifying took its emotional toll on the people of Mantwenic. Until now they hadn't much to celebrate other than qualifying for a World Baseball Classic a few times or a coronation of a new ruler. Now their football team was the pride of their country. And within a few weeks their individual stars on ice and snow would be competing in Ashton, Krytenia for gold in the nations first ever Winter Olympics. It was a good day to be a Mantwenic sports fan. Yes, yes it was.

[Newmanistan]

(We’ll get back to the whole Keisler-McAllister story after the friendly period)

ROCKETS WORLD CUP BOUND?? WHY NOT?!

Whirl Islands- Prior to the zonal phase, pretty much every realistic pundit named as the main goal of the Rockets to make the interzonals. It would be great if the sky blue could make it to the World Cup being held within One Big Island, but the task would be too difficult. After all, they took seven qualifying periods before they ever made their first World Cup, so why would we think that in their return to the international scene that they could make it back in their first try. Somehow, someway, if they were to make the interzonals, the Rockets would be paired with enough great and successful nations that would make even the most valiant effort come up short.

So, they have gotten to the interzonal thanks to a dramatic 1-0 victory over Whirl Islands, with the goal coming from an unlikely source: Myron Jackson. Kyle Perry was great in goal to secure the road victory. Afterwards, we awaited the list to see who those wonderfully powerful group opponents would be. Mantwenic? Ok, so they caught a few breaks to also make it, and that’s a nation the Rockets should beat. The Andromeda Islands? The reigning Baptism of Fire champion? Congrats to them, but don’t see why we couldn’t get three points there, either. Now then, must come the tougher nations, for sure. Unitopolis? They’re ok, but we’re not intimidated. Can the Rockets finish ahead of those three? Absolutely! And quite honestly, they should probably favored to do so. And if they do, they’re in the World Cup, folks. The other two nations joining us in Bostopia will be Delaclava and Pays de Horreur. Delaclava doesn’t really send shivers down on our backs (perhaps that is more because we have beaten them in other sports), either, really; though obviously they will be favored. Pays de Horreur is the class of the group, and they are the kind of nation we thought we would be seeing more of. Some of these interzonals are clearly more difficult then the others, just look at our victims in the World Baseball Classic 17 Championship series, Tarrentum. That’s brutal! The Bostopia interzonal, meanwhile, probably is the softest of the ten. We’re catching a break, believe it or now!

Bostopia, it is. Remember World Cup 40? Of course you do. Our debut Cup, with a similar “extra phase” after the original qualifying and a two-legged playoff with the Bostopians. We each won a game, but we lost on the away goals rule. Wouldn’t it just be so ironic, for our return to the interregional scene, to this time be successful by going through Bostopia? Before going to Bostopia, the Rockets will travel to Krytenia for the 2nd Cyan Cup in a friendly. It will be a great spectacle of the greatest color in the world. The Aces will have their interzonal challenge in Cotdelapoms, and it looks to be a group where there are three clear favorites and three clear underdogs, with the Aces in the upper class.

We’ll have an interzonal group here as well, and it is one heck of group, featuring The Holy Empire and defending champion Dorian and Sonya. They haven’t won the championship, but Valladares, too, is a great team to watch. Swartaz and Cotdelapoms will also be here, and their task is a daunting one, but neither should be overlooked, like you probably can safely do with TailsPrower.

[The Babbage Islands]

Next weekend!

We're on our way back from the VI Super Cup, where the Sorthern Northland club Beningrad beat out Ranca Toco of Cafundeu for the title. And next weekend we finally tie the knot. People aren't going to know what to call me. I'm unlikely to change my name in the football world, where Tegan Nash has been rather high-profile for a while. But I'll be fine with Sister Valdemar at church.

So naturally Dick has his hands full with the World Cup. Brian Wilson of the Incorporated Football Federation of Sarzonia presented a formal petition from that federation to relocate Sarzonia to another interzonal should they win their zone. There has been tremendous tension for some time between Sarzonia and interzonal host Qazox. And the Qazox offer to effectively quarantine Sarzonia, though apparently well-intentioned to minimise contact, isn't really much of a solution.

FFB and CASE authorities turned down Sarzonia's request as unfair to the field. But Dick is up to his ears in working with security agencies, both federations, and both governments to help resolve the situation. I don't see anyone wanting a top qualifier to withdraw from the World Cup cycle.

Back to football on the pitch. Beningrad were impressive in their dual wins of the Super Cup and the TakilQuip Champions' Cup, and Ranca Toco had a great run to the Globe Cup title. They sent us packing in the knockouts playing titanic defence that we never quite solved. Caitlyn Ballantyne gave Laborious Hawk and me fits. This is a good sign for the Bumblebees, of course, as she's the new fourth piece of the back line with Jerry Kirkpatrick and the OGC Nancy duet of Ronald Dennis and Chloe Morris.

Belgium FC and OGC Nancy did well by us in the Champions' Cup. Neither made the knockouts there, but both played solid football. And Belgium went to the round of 16 in the Globe Cup, joined in the knockouts by a resurgent (if Bethany Martin-less) Four Towers side. Allison Salamida appears to be taking hold nicely at Belgium as they move into the top 30 of UICA rankings.

Michelle Germaine and the Bumblebees seem to have shaken off the shock loss to Bears Armed in the Publishers Cup opener. The Yellow-and-Black are now on a four-match win streak, including a 4-1 victory in Delaclava in the Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy regional final and a 10-0 win over Carasatoga in the Publishers Cup.

There's been a lot of heat over that 10-0, too. Running up the score, disrespect, mockery, the usual array of charges. Michelle, my advice is to tell 'em to pound sand. We all know that you started your low three forwards on the depth chart, and eventually substituted all three of them after each had two goals. Seven players found the net. Sometimes everything just works.

And the best testimony that sometimes everything just works is next weekend. I'm marrying the man of my dreams.

Smile!

[Socialist States Owen]

FSSO END WORLD CUP WITH 1-0 DEFEAT

EASTFIELD LODGE 1
SOCIALIST STATES OWEN 0

A late Adam Johnson goal saw Eastfield Lodge finish top of World Cup Zonal Group 12 at the expense of the FSSO, who finish 3rd in the group.

The game was largely dull affair with EL already through and FSSO already out, but FSSO left back Joe Arne Pizza had the best chance as he saw his driven shot go into the side netting. However a goalmouth scramble late on after a troublesome through ball ended in EL centre forward Adam Johnson tapping it home. The FSSO however will be proud of their World Cup performance, having exceeded expectations and having done well in other tournaments at the same time. Well done lads! You've done us proud.

[Tynelia]

“Hello everyone and welcome back to ‘Scorelogy Today’ where Tynelia, facing elimination due to the Les Jeremies win over Dingbu earlier in the day, managed to break through a stubborn Greater Tyrol defense in minute 80 on a goal by the old veteran Jay Masterson IV to get the needed 1-0 win and move to the second stage. I’m Mal Waltman along with Sally Long. That was close.”

“Indeed it was Mal. Critics of Coach Malloy’s tactics for this leg of the qualifiers had plenty of ammunition as the team struggled to put many goals up against lower ranked squads. However we were only outscored 2-1 by the #1 team in the world Valanora and managed to take a point of them which no one expected so perhaps this is what Coach Malloy was looking towards with his game plan.”

“A risky move if you ask me, trusting that the team had enough offense to win against the lower ranked teams while looking to pay for draws with the higher ranked ones. That nearly cost them as our inability to get even one goal cost us points we nearly couldn’t afford to lose. And looking at the group in the second stage it’s debatable how well it’s going to work with only one dominant team among us from what I can see Sally.”

“That’s true Mal, after facing the #1 team in the world during qualifiers we find ourselves matched up with the #4 team Albundania in the second round. But after that it’s anyone’s contest for the last two spots as the remaining teams are bunched between Kulverint’s 36th rank and Al-Mumtaz’s #64 rank with Tyenlia sitting in the 4th seed spot right now. What may work in our favor is that we faced both Al-Mumtaz and #60 Sibirsky recently- beating Al-Mumtaz to begin our run to the finals of the last Cup of Harmony and sweeping Sibirsky in WC 53. So for once we’re actually familiar with some of the teams we’ll be facing in this round.”

“One big question though is how Tynelia will do at a neutral venue as we head to Southern Northland. In our five road matches in the first round we only managed to score 2 goals away from our home stadiums and both of those came way back in MD3. Will the offense be able to get anything going without the home crowds cheering them on Sally?”

“That is a serious concern as from here on out everything will be in neutral stadiums. Coach Malloy will need to come up with a way to get the offense going or Tynelia will miss out on their best chance to qualify since returning to the international stage.”

“Do you think they can do it? The competition is pretty tough even if we’ve faced some of them before.”

“We definitely have a chance Mal. The defense is playing excellent only allowing a half a goal per match. If they can keep that up then I think we have a good chance to win a few matches and make the top three.”

“So who do you think we’ll leap over then?”

“Defintiely not Albundania. They should win the group quite handily. Kulverint- despite getting what could be said to be an easy path to the second round managing to find themselves the top seed in their group going in.- is very focused on this Cup and may actually give us some company in the press box for a change this time around. They seem ready to defend their seeding. The Landau Institute I think could be a surprise disappointment to some. They appear to be more concerned with the hows and whys of things afterwards rather than focusing on the matches themselves. A rumor of a new postulate concerning the viability of Einstein’s theory of relativity in hyperspace mechanics before the match could find the whole team no showing in order to chase this rumor down for further study and experimentation.”

“A WHAT Sally?”

“You heard me Mal. So if any of the top seeds appear vulnerable to us leapfrogging them I’d have to go with the Institute. Hopefully we can get a sweep against Sibirsky and Al-Mumtaz because we will certainly need that to advance, then steal enough from the other three matches to move on.”

“I’m not that optimistic Sally. I don’t think the team is going to make it. I think their lack of offense on the road is going to come back to haunt them.”

“You sound like that guy from the Pessimistic Times Mal.”

“Hey I think Coach Malloy is doing a good job Sally. I just think this isn’t the time to keep playing things safe. It almost backfired in the first round.”

“But if it was Coach Malloy’s plan for this strategy to pay dividends against the better teams, this is where we’ll see it.”

“I don’t think it’s going to work Sally but that’s why the play the games. And like the first stage we open this round up with the toughest test of the group as we face Albundania to open the second round. A plus is that even if we do lose all the other teams still have to face them down the line where we may be able to make up some ground. After all no one expected us to pull out a 1-1 draw with Valanora to open the first round. Who’s to say we can’t do it twice in a row.”

“Stealing a point here would be huge for our chances Mal. It’ll be tough though.”

“Well we’ll all find out soon enough when the second round begins. And ‘Scorelogy Today’ will be there after the match to find out how it all played out. Until then good night everyone.”

[Cafundeu]

FOLHA DA CAPITAL
O jornal no lugar certo na hora certa da notícia

Edição de Domingo - Ano 240 - Caderno III - Preço: V$3,80

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NEW SERIES: FOLLOWING THE SUPPORTERS

The second phase of the qualifiers for World Cup 54 is about to begin, and Cafundéu has been placed in a challenging group, even though the Monopolists are still favourites for the qualification, being the best ranked nation amongst the six participating. During the first phase, Cafundéu had a really bad performance, doing just the minimum necessary in order to get a place in this group, something that worried the fans. But not that much, accordingly to a CCFM director: "Many supporters didn't follow this first phase, they found it boring to watch Cafundéu playing against a huge majority of unknown teams which some of them didn't even release the name of their players. In the home matches, with the only exception being the game versus Qazox, as in this case our opponent is a known squad, the attendance was really low. Perhaps this lack of interest affected the players too, which resulted in our poor performances and in the second place of the group. But now we only have quality teams to play against, so I am sure that the interest will grow up, and so will the pressure on our players and therefore their work rate. I am looking forward for this."

This CCFM director was correct. Talking with people on the streets, many of them didn't even know some of the results that the Monopolists got during this first stage, while others found it boring. But their mentality for the second qualifying phase is completely different. Playing only against nations with serious chances of qualifying, the fans are waiting to see some quality football, and a good performance by their idols. One supporter commented: "Taking a look at our group, I am anxious to see all matches, there is not a single one I'll miss. Hope they can do well!" Another supporter, this time one who followed the team during the first phase, showed his worry: "Most people here didn't watch the first phase matches, so they keep their confidence high, but I watched and believe that Ganz Ijak will really need to find a way to improve the team for the matches in Valladares. Our opponents are really strong and, even though on paper we may have the best squad, this superior talent isn't being shown on the matches." The coach of Cafundéu, Ganz Ijak, commented on the group: "It will be a challenge for us, but perhaps a necessary one, as it will demand us better performances if we want to qualify."

So, now thousands of Cafundelense supporters are travelling to Valladares in order to follow Cafundéu in this stage of the World Cup qualifiers. And, instead of the usual match reports, we have decided to bring a new series for all you readers of this newspaper, one that focus on the football fans who go to the stadium. At each match, we'll have a story about the stadium experiences of certain groups, following them from the moment they leave the hotel, passing through the time when they arrive at the stadium, their reactions before, during and after the match. It'll be a homage to all the supporters who leave their houses and flats in order to show their love for football. Take a look at the groups we will be following on each match of the Valladares interzonal. And, of course, if Cafundéu qualifies we'll continue with this series, bringing even more stadium experiences for you to read, but then they'll be experiences in The Babbage Islands or Cassadaigua:


versus Pasarga - our story will be about a married couple fanatic for football. A former football player, Augusto César still has a close relationship with the Cafundelense National Team, and is going to Valladares together with his wife, Renata, and two children: Paulo and Caroline. Let's see how a football match can be transformed into a family moment, and the feelings of Augusto César when he watches a football match while remembering the old times when he was the leading player of the Monopolist squad.

versus Jeruselem - this time, we will follow a very excited group: three girls who were voted as the "most beautiful Monopolist supporters" in an internet poll. By winning this competition, they won the right to follow the Cafundelense NT in Valladares, and are anxious for this new experience, since they'll go to the matches as celebrities. Between posing to photos, signing autographs and talking with perverts, will they be able to find enough energy to support the Cafundelense players against Jeruselem?

versus Tarrentum - Nico Lewton is a key member of the Monopolist squad, being one of the leaders of the starting eleven. His whole family supports him since he was a kid, and he is in one of the best moments of his career. Lewton's parents and other close relatives are travelling to Valladares in order to give support for their talented relative. Another family story, but this time a more touching one since we'll hear about how the parents react at every move their son do on the pitch, and about Nico's hardships at the beginning of his career.

versus Akbarabad - the day of a professional commentator when he has to work. In this episode of the series, we'll follow the famous Globo Multimedia commentator Breno Gavião, who will work on the match. How he gets prepared to cover the football match, if he studies something about the opponent team before the game, and how he handles any possible incidents that happen during the match together with his work mates, as the referee commentator and other staff members of the television channel. Let's see him doing the duty of informing the Cafundelenses about the World Cup.

versus Rejistania - back in Cafundéu, a huge number of supporters, fans of several different Cafundelense clubs, prepared a group to travel to Valladares together. Cutting costs, they are staying in a cheap hotel, eating only the necessary, but having all the passion for the Monopolists in order to support the team. Let's check how they manage to handle their differences and even rivalries to be united for Cafundéu, and how all the problems they may face in Valladares disappear when the time of the match comes.

[Landau Institute]

OFFICIAL REPORT FROM LANDAU INSTITUTE SQUAD
topics: other PAP match; Sorthern Northland trip; new opponents

Our qualification came quite easily, just as we wanted and expected. This left us more freedom to experiment new strategies and scenario planning to create special reactions in our opponents which will be useful for our studies. In the end, this experiment strategy caused a loss against Pretty Awesome Persons, which was not into our plans but may have proved interesting for our studies. Let me explain to you, masters of the Institute. Of course we wanted to win that match, and we arrived at the Sector Delta ready to do our best. But we were unable to, they played really well and with a determination we couldn't expect. Their attitude could very well be used for an analysis of how the determination increases when the odds are against you, following the natural idea that you work harder when the reward is higher. In this case, the reward in popularity and excitement that comes by defeating a better opponent is bigger than one of defeating a weaker enemy, and therefore the players play better since the beginning. At the same time, we could notice a similar attitude in some of our players, but this time one motivated by the extreme opposite: they worked harder to avoid shame. Of course, if we think better about this, it may not be the opposite, but exactly the same source of inspiration. I mean, to avoid more shame is to aim a better situation, which can be translated into a more rewarding situation, and by this we may conclude that the intent to avoid a more intense level of shame is to target a better reward, as much as a small level of shame isn't a reward, but it is in comparison of a big level of shame. Are you getting my point? Well, I believe you may be thinking right now that, if any better reward is a reason for a huge increase on determination, then the players will be always doing their best, since there'll be always a better reward possible, be it to be praised for an individual performance or an extra goal on the goal difference tiebreaker. But I must remind you that this only works in extreme situations. I mean, to win against a favourite side is a big reward, just as avoiding shame is too, but scoring an extra goal isn't. The players will only be affected by what is seen as a huge advantage for them. We must also see the point that the players will be always putting an effort, so it's not that they'll not try to get the smaller rewards, it's just that they'll work much harder when there is a bigger one available for winning. That is why the last minutes of our match versus Pretty Awesome Persons were so exciting, while many, if not most, games of the first qualifying stage weren't.

But enough with comments about the previous group stage, since we know are into a new group and will have to play in another country. And we were excited in discovering that we are going to play in Sorthern Northland, it is as if our dreams were transformed into reality. Well, we know that this isn't possible, although our dreams were really useful for studies, and right now some of our players are making notes on their dreams and trying to relate them with their psychological characteristics, experiences and the unconscious. We'll have a long stay in Sorthern Northland, and this will give us a lot of time available to study their customs. Alright, we know that our objective is to study our match opponents and their players, but we simply cannot let this opportunity unexplored. Sorthern Northland promises to be a rich place in source material for studies. Their fobia for some birds, which can reach levels associated with psychosis and other disorders, should be studied in all the universities in the world. We must also take a look on their tendency for violent acts, and see if it affects their society in general or just some select individuals, unfortunately those linked with the government and capable of declaring wars. Also, we need to take a look on their relationship with alcoholic drinks and beverages, and this time do not only a psychological study, but also a sociology one about the importance of the drinks on the lives of the Sortherners. The World Cup qualifiers will continue being our focus, since we want to qualify in order to have more opportunities for studies, more matches to play and to analyze, but we will take as much time as possible in order to have a look into Sorthern Northland, even if it means losing training sessions.

Oh, but I was almost forgetting: we have five new opponents to study, and teams which we know something about. This was a problem in our first group stage, but now this is a thing of the past. Our first match will be versus Al-Mumtaz, and our players may have some difficulties in overcoming their resistance in talking to us about their personal lives. The second match is against Sibirsky, which is a team that we've played before. This time it'll be in a competitive match, so an entirely new situation will be presented. Our third game, versus Tynelia, is going to be the most interesting one in terms of studies. They seem to have a very peculiar devotion, and one that several of our players are eager to learn more about. An expansion of our information about it can lead to a very important study on the strategies of the nations in order to bring more luck to them during football competitions, perhaps bringing new insights on the very idea of luck for the people. Their relation with Margaret and belief for a Lord of the Scores hits our minds like something a fictional One State citizen would do. This is going to be an interesting game for our academical development. And, finally, we have our two last matches: against Kulverint, in which we will try to explore the infancy period of the opponent players, and the last game versus Albundania. As Albundania is the higher ranked nation of the group, we need to be cautious on this one. After all, the advancement of our analysis depends on our qualification for the World Cup.

[Aguazul]

La Verdad

Lissón goal sparks sendoff

The national football team won in Mapabore to close out the Interzonal Phase of World Cup 54 qualifying. The first goal of the match came from Sosimo Lissón, 27 minutes in; it was his second international goal, following him forcing an own goal on the part of Tondro Shildido in a friendly match earlier this campaign, and that dramatic equalizer against Mytannion in the previous cup's qualifiers.

"Yeah, I've seen what I he can do on a domestic level, so I wasn't too concerned about him not having scored yet this time around," said Pelayo Sortani. "We haven't played that many matches, relatively speaking. But...yes, it is nice to confirm that he can, in fact, score wholly conventional goals at wholly conventional times. Hopefully this'll give us all some confidence and hey, maybe he could actually score again some time down the line."

"It was nice to help us win, yeah," Lissón agreed. "I mean, I'd rather come through when it really matters...but I guess it would be better if the team really didn't need those kinds of points all that often, and maybe pushing the bounds of plausibility too. I mean, I'd like to be taken seriously as a striker, so if I need to score unimportant goals so that I'll be taken seriously when I score important ones, that's a good problem to have?

What I'm trying to say is, I'll contribute in any way I can."

After conceding a silly equalizer, Aguazul won the game thanks to a goal from Mapabore star (sort of) Gunsedal Cisneros.

[Consortina]

Memos from the desk of Hartmut Wildgrimson

To Ms. Veldt, Analyst
Record files on the other teams in the Bears Armed interzonal group. We have several opponents with experience in prior World Cup’s group stages, so there should be video material available. Also, give me a compilation of the scenes from the players in the offensive midfield from the past five games (Leonbert, Toivonen, Peace, Ravenburg). It will be needed for a comparison of their respective strengths and weaknesses, so please sort them by class of game situation rather than by player.

To Mr. Borski & Mr. Tungval, Personal Protection
Research whether any of our interzonal opponents has convicted felons and/or potentially dangerous animals in their coaching staff. Should this be the case, consider yourselves booked for another two weeks.

To Ms. Svedenbord, Federation Secretary
We have finished at 20 points in the group stage, which greatly exceeds the original goal we had set for this World Cup. What is your progress in generating revenue from sponsors? I am not going to return to my boys empty-handed at the end of this tournament.
Also, concerning the debate about the mixed teams, you know my stance: I have taken the job under the assumption that I can coach without having to take gender quotas into account. If you change anything about it, I will consider it a breach of contract.

To Mr. Goldstein, Team Captain
Tomorrow, I will talk to three players (Tacitus, Roman, Rus) regarding to what I consider unprofessional and unacceptable training attitude. I would appreciate if you could be present at 5pm in the strategy room to mediate. If not, please send a replacement. I would rather not delay this.
Also, concerning your question regarding monetary fees – the negotiations with the federation are not yet finished. They somehow have problems finding money for anything right now, it seems.

To Ms. Schneider, Medical
Notify me as soon as we can plan for Joris to resume normal training. I am reluctant to send him home just yet. Yes, we have two keepers left but I am not entirely sure whether we can rely on them. Should it really be Joris’ wish to leave, he is certainly free to do so but I doubt it.

To Mr. Haemmelainen, Fitness Coach
Can we schedule another fitness test for after the next friendly? I don’t want to doubt the results from last week but the performance I saw today (especially the one of Leonbert) leaves some question open. I want to exclude physical reasons before I question the players’ motivation. What can you offer?

To Mr. Rockwell, Goalkeeper Coach
You have seen how the 0-1 went. I need you to focus on control of the penalty area and coordination between keeper and center backs. Take Titus, Thore, Peer and Levon and give them a few situations to work out. Also, can you please enlighten me about what is up with Mr. Engström? I only have two keepers now and I dread the situation where I would need to resort to bring him.

To Mr. Xiaowen, Assistant Coach
I don’t think I need to tell you that I am not satisfied with the performance of the back rank today. Please arrange a briefing for the two of us and all defenders from today. Tell Peer to come, too. If his defenders can’t arrange their play, it would have been his job to help them.
Also, I would be delighted to hear your feedback on the formation I am planning to testagainst Churchma.


-------------------------------------------# 12 Zorin --------------------------------------------

#21 de Haayen---------#2 Goldstein---------#22 Einfreden----------#13 Erdstetten

--------------------------#15 Krok------------#10 Weyerhagen------------------------------

-----#3 Arminson-------------------#7 Toivonen--------------------------#8 Peace--------

---------------------------------------#9 Rothschild -------------------------------------------

(Style will be -3)

[Burchadinger]

ALEXANDER ZRUW'S BLOG
Zonal Review Edition

It was close, too close, far too close. Really, it was a group in which we were meant to lose twice to only Albundania, but instead we got smashed by unknowns Calmerica and massacred by Soviet Massacre. What the hell? I myself was on the verge of suicide several times during the campaign, and the chances of actually making it to the interzonals seemed impossible. Well, we are through, albeit stuck in a group, which will probably be impossible to break. Anyway, here's a review of Group 17.

Football was a sport in crisis in the nation of Burchadinger after a torrid World Cup 53 campaign. Game attendances and television audiences had fallen to worryingly low levels. Locker room fights, corruption charges and accusations of treachery had shrouded the deterioration of one team, our team. Amongst Die Adler, the quality of football also did little to bring cheer as the demoralized team gave an all time low of shots on goal, let a lone goals.

Few then would have anticipated that, within a matter of months, the road to World Cup 54 would be the most riveting World Cup campaign in the nation in five years, injecting new energy into the sport from the nation's point of view. Wins during the beginning were the big news, and we did unexpectedly well against group giants Albundania, even though we still lost in the end. The second half was one that nearly sent us heading for the dungeons however, with a majority of defeats, and a shock loss to unranked minnows Calmerica, along with a draw to group ants Aldoraan.

In terms of sheer drama, few campaigns have had as many twists. The hand of fortune changed from game to game. No one combination had the key to consistent match-winning performance. When the first half of the campaign ended, we were in a comfortable second spot. This drastically changed when the second half began, and going into the last match of the season, we were fourth, behind Soviet Massacre and Calmerica. To put it short, it was awful, and there seemed to be little to no chance at all to be able to put up a good performance against Soviet Massacre. The players were demoralized, and so were the fans. Yet something happened. The flags waved high, the cheers were louder than ever. The players had a streak of determination on their eyes, and the national anthem roared through the stadium like it had never done before. In the end, two goals by Markus Klogh were good enough, and thanks to Albundania, Calmerica were dead.

The nation erupted in delight. We had made it through. Fans filled the streets, fireworks lit in the air, and even the air force did a few loops in celebration. But all this was abruptly halted when we learned of the interzonal phase. Had we been that ignorant, that we forgot an integral part of the World Cup 54 campaign? Or maybe it was just that our entry into the World Cup was drafted in so late that we didn't bother reading the rules. It was probably the latter, I mean, we didn't even vote for the hosts this time around! Either way, it was a nerve racking, but in the end exicting zonal campaign. The interzonal phase will be tough, extremely tough, but one figures that with pure hard work, and quite a bit of talent, we can somehow make it. Somehow...

And now, for my team reviews.

Albundania

To state the obvious, their experience and talent was always going to be a hard challenge. Only one draw, nine wins and no losses, they were totally and utterly amazing, but hey, that's what we expected from them anyway. For all their protestations that Burchadinger would come and snatch a victory from them, it never happened. Perhaps it's the modesty that did wonders, something Die Adler clearly need to learn, but the results are on the wall. 9-1-0. My rating for them? 10/10.

Burchadinger

In 2003, no team underwent a turnaround in form quite like Burchadinger. After a troubled pre-season, several victories were recorded, and it all seemed certain that we would finish second best. But from the last two games onwards, the doomsday predictions came true when, we began losing to teams we should have been beating. A win was rarely in sight, and it was really only by luck that we managed to qualify for the interzonal phase. 4-2-4. My rating? 7/10

Soviet Massacre

Soviet Massacre finished the year a close 3rd in Group 17, and were extremely close to making it to the interzonal phase. All season they were there amongst the teams biting at our fingers, keeping up constant points-scoring momentum, but hardly at any stage were they clearly that team which were clearly second best. That was no way to make it through. To prove a point, Soviet Massacre clearly had a chance to take advantage of Burchadinger's slip up, yet they were unable to get enough results, which meant they faced a rejuvenated Die Adler side that was going to do nothing but send them packing their bags. 4-1-5. Rating? 6.5/10

Unibot

It was an excellent debut campaign for Unibot, who like I mentioned in an earlier match review, fielded a rather interesting side. I like squads like Unibot's, they bring, so to say flair in a rather stale sport. They had a confident side (most likely thanks to the drug addiction) that proved to have effective tactics, but errors were a constant bugbear. As demonstrated against Burchadinger, a slight mistake sent them flying into oblivion, and this was a common case throughout the year. Still, they were inexperienced, and it was a good show. 3-4-3. 7/10 for me.

Calmerica

This may come as a surprise, but Calmerica's performances throughout the season were absolutely stunning. No one would question that during the World Cup 54 campaign, Calmerica were part of a 'top 4' in Group 17, on the basis of how at each match the squad, unproven having missed the Baptism of Fire, gave trouble even to group giants Albundania. Superb stuff. Even though they have ended up second last, looks deceive, and it was a brilliant campaign for them. They can go home with their heads held high. 8/10 for them.

Aldoraan

The possible grand plan for the year was for the team to gain a midfield foothold and score regular points. Thus it was depressing to see Aldoraan sinking deeper and deeper as the campaign went on. They were hard workers however, and still managed a win and a draw, the latter result coming against Burchadinger of all teams, 4-4 from behind. They will need to work harder if they want to succeed in the future, but the foundations are there. 1-1-7. 6/10.

For now, I won't bother an Interzonal Phase preview, but expect one soon.

Greetz,
Alex.

Based on a review by Enoch Law and Jamie McGregor

[Churchma]

Churchma Gators World Cup 54 Coverage
Late-goal from Durman sends Gators to Interzonal Stage
Churchma Sports Inc.

Good news ladies and gentlemen, the Churchma Gators survived the Zonal Stage of World Cup 54 and have advanced to the Queer Poco el Mono Ara Interzonal where Kagdazka and Pazhujebu, Qazox, Khytenna, Jalanat, and Eastfield Lodge await the Republic. Here the Norman Christopher-led squad has five matches to prove that they are ready to advance to the final stage of tournament play- the actual World Cup. But in order to get there, you can't forget how the Gators nearly didn't make it out of Zone 14 play, where they ended up edging Balida in total points 15-14. A win against Chebsville on the road was critical for Churchma to advance past the Zonal Stage.

Chebsville came into the match with nothing to lose- except potentially yet another match. Chebsville's weak home crowd realized one important thing- if they could somehow defeat the Gators, they could actually have an impact on how the final standings came out. For the first 70 minutes of the match, the fans were on their feet, chanting, singing, and cheering on their squad with the hope that Chebsville just might get a win.

In the 71st minute captain Antonio Shoop took control of a ball that had rolled out of bounds. At that moment he noticed the small, yet very active crowd cheering as loudly as they possibly could. One thought ran threw his mind- he wanted to play another match at the sacred KM Field back in Churchma. Prior to the start of World Cup 54 play, Shoop addressed the media and said he didn't want to discuss his possible retirement following the World Cup until after the final match. He went ahead and ended those rumors himself after the match today.

"I took a look at their tiny crowd and the first thing I thought of was those dedicated fans back at home. KM Field is ridiculously small (11,500 capacity), but every single match our dedicated fans are there to cheer us on. For some reason the Chebsville crowd reminded me of our home-crowd back in Churchma. I couldn't imagine not playing there again. That's why I wanted to go ahead and announce that I will indeed be back for World Cup 55," the very proud, and excited Shoop said.

From that 71st minute on, Shoop appeared to be a mad-man on the field. After nearly putting a shot in on a free-kick in the 77th minute, he found young forward Jack Durman on the right side of the box in the 85th minute. A beautiful pass from Shoop on the left side of the field- just in front of the goalie- found Durman one on one with his defender two steps behind him. The Chebsville goalie had lost his balance and Durman easily scored to bring the score to 2-1, and assured the Gators a spot in the Interzonal Stage.

"I knew that Antonio (Shoop) saw me sprinting down to attack the goal. At first I thought he was going to try and force a shot, but at the last second it looked like he saw me. He sent me a perfect pass, and from there it was easy. It feels good to know that we advanced through this stage. But we know what lies ahead of us is anything but a piece of cake," the 22-year old Durman said.

First up in the Interzonal Stage for Churchma is Kagdazka and Pazhujebu, who narrowly won Zone 10. They too only finished with 15 points, but they finished the Zonal Stage with a 4-3-1 record. If the Gators can get a draw against a team of this caliber that would be a big momentum booster for the Republic before they take on Qazox in the next match- who went a near-perfect 7-0-1 in Zone 11.

World Cup 54 Schedule (5-0-3, 6-1-4 including friendlies)
Pre-Zonal- at Cosumar 0-0 at Fire River Arena (130,000)
Pre-Zonal- at Sarzonia (MSMT) 1-3 at Mike Sarzo Stadium (77,910)
MD1- at Balida 2-5
MD3- at Kookaracha 1-0
MD4- at Dorian and Sonya 1-6 at White Hall Stadium
MD5- Chebsville 1-0 at KM Field (11,500)
Mid-Zonal- at Saugeais 2-1 at Stade de Montagne (56,000)
MD6- Balida 4-1 at KM Field (11,500)
MD8- Kookaracha 2-0 at KM Field (11,500)
MD9- Dorian and Sonya 0-3 at KM Field (11,500)
MD10- at Chebsville 2-1
Pre-Interzonal- Consortina at KM Field (11,500)
Queer Poco el Mono Ara Interzonal
MD11- Kagdazka and Pazhujebu at New World Stadium, Flynn’s Isle (60,000)
MD12- Qazox at New World Stadium, Flynn’s Isle (60,000)
MD13- Khytenna at Estadio Victoria, Ambrose (60,000)
MD14- Jalanat at Estadio Victoria, Ambrose (60,000)
MD15- Eastfield Lodge at Jewel in the Desert, Monolithia (60,000)
Post-Interzonal- at Unibot

[Qazox]

The Road to One Big Island and World Cup 54

DIFFICULT.

Not the game against Fellow Citizens. Despite sitting all but 2 starters, Qazox rolled to a 3-1 victory and their 7th straight win in a row. Gaols from lesser known players such as Craig Navnsky and Paris Parma in the 1st half and a Vikki Holmes goal in the 2nd was more than enough for Jessica Stone to earn a victory.

The difficult part refers to the InterZonal group Qazox has been drawn into. There is going to be one match versus the other 5 teams in the group and an early loss might end the trip to Queer Poco el Mono Ara quickly for the Pheonix. In the group are: Jalanat, Churchma, Eastfield Lodge, Kytennia and Kagdazka and Pazhujebu. Only the top 3 will make the World Cup. On paper, Qazox, while a zonal stage winner; is the 4th best team in QPeMA. But with a slight scheduling favor, perhaps; they face the toughest 2 opponents, Kytennia and K&P last. Will the Phoenix be in a position to take advantage of a slip-up by one of those teams, or will Qazox' fate be sealed before then?


SCORELINE

FLC  1 0  1
QZX  2 1  3

Scoring:
Forward #11 (FLC) 28'
Craig Navnsky (QZX) 35'
Paris Parma (QZX) 42'
Vikki Holmes (QZX) (3) 72'

ZONAL SCHEDULE:
MD1: @ Cafundeu L 0-4
MD2: v. Daemonheart @ Estadia Pika, Pika City. Capacity: 84,562 W 1-0
MD3: v. Sirain @ Ganja Vodka Stadium, Fromburg. Capacity: 94,500 W 3-2
MD4: BYE
MD5: @ Fellow Citizens W 3-0
MD6: v. Cafundeu @ Qazian Memorial Stadium II, Qazox City. Capacity: 100,052 W 2-0
MD7: @ Daemonheart W 4-1
MD8: @ Sirain W 4-1
MD9: BYE
MD10: v. Fellow Citizens @ New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721 W 3-1
INTERZONAL SCHEDULE:
MD11: Jalanat
MD12: Churchma
MD13: Eastfield Lodge
MD14: Kytennia
MD15: Kagdazka and Pazhujebu

[Saugeais]

National Journal
Knights lose, yet still make the Interzonals

Well, what can this reporter say, except we got lucky. After the immensely disappointing loss to Strapszor 1-0, the entire national team, and the whole country for that matter, accepted their fate that they would not move on to the interzonal round. How socked and surprised was everyone to find out that we in fact DID make it.
Here's the breakdown of the group:

Zone 29 Standings

   Team              P  W  D  L For  Ag +/- Pts
 1 Bears Armed       8  5  3  0  13   5  +8  18 Q
 2 Saugeais          8  2  3  3   6   8  -2   9 Q
 3 Western cuba      8  2  3  3   9   8  +1   9
 4 Keilriagorth      8  2  3  3   7   9  -2   9
 5 Strapszor         8  1  4  3   6  11  -5   7

Bears Armed was light years ahead of everyone, but look at the middle. You had us, Western Cuba and Keilriagorth tied at 9 points in the group. What was the host thinking? We certainly didn't earn it on goal differential (tied for second with -2) and most certainly not on goals scored (third with 6). Manager Benoit Howard had this to say, "We can thank our lucky stars that co-host Babbage Islands declared us as the runners-up in our zone. I'm just as surprised as anyone around here right now, but nothing more can be said. We just need to prepare one game at a time, starting with the friendly against Mangolana.

Saugeais will be placed into the Qazox interzonal group, where there will face the likes of Rennidan, Jeru FC, Osarius, Queer Poco, and Sarzonia; the last three being heavy favorites to move on from the group. We also have the upcoming match schedule for this interzonal group:

MD11: 
Saugeais v Queer Poco el Mono Ara @ SaxerDome (II), SaxerVilla. Capacity: 91,150

MD12:
Jeru FC v Saugeais @ Estadia Pika II, Pika City. Capacity: 84,562

MD13:
Sarzonia v Saugeais @ Qazian Memorial Stadium II,Qazox City. Capacity: 100,052

MD14: 
Saugeais v Osarius @ New Bruxen Hotel & Casino Field, New Bruxen. Capacity: 77,721

MD15: 
Rennidan v Saugeais @ Rockport Stadium, Rockport. Capacity: 90,000

Make sure to watch the matches on SNN Sports Network or online at national-journal.com!

[Albundania]

Alright, so let's just say that for those of you paying attention, Albundania have not shown their typical Lose to everyone we shouldn't style of play up till now, even managing to absolutely escape the group without harm. No losses, and only a tie (against a surprisingly efficient Unibot squad) to blemish their record, They even managed to dismiss Burchadinger without too many problems, though it seems that their squad was going through a few problems of its own. Anyways, onto the future, doing a preview of our Sorthern Northland Interzonal group while doing absolutely no research whatsoever! Huzzah!

It seems like a fairly straightforward group to comprehend, at any rate. Though, things are made interesting by the appearance of rivals Sibirsky, a side notorious for beating Albundania in every sport possible with frightening regularity. Then there's a Kulverint squad that will test Albundania, to put it lightly. We think. We actually can't admit to know much about them. Though, we have heard of Tynelia, and we know they will be a feisty bunch to beat, at least. Looking forward to that match, as well. Al-Mumtaz are another one of our opponents we don't know anything about, though we know their name is pretty cool. Finally we come to Landau Institute, we know them to be competent. They may be able to take the game from us, so watch out. Ya know, I don't think I could've made that preview more disorganized if I tried. Muahahaha, you're destined to never know our opponents!

Anyways, details on any roster changes for the next phase should be coming in an official release from AFN in the near future, probably. At any rate, this is Jakob Slosh's private blog thing. Have a good day everyone.

[Haginonia]

Haginonia Lose FInal Game Before Inter-Zonals

Haginonia have lost their final game two-nil home to Tretskivucia. Haginonia just wasn't in the game with many, including the commentators, believing that the players thoughts were to the inter-zonals rather than the last game.
"Our players just weren't with it today," coach Aloizs Sakars said after the game,"we thought too much about the upcoming inter-zonal games rather than finishing the job here."

This ends their unbeaten run, the longest in Haginonian football history. Haginonia still retained top spot and will now go into the inter-zonal phase which will be hosted in Delaclava. The five other sides will be Nethertopia, Sorthern Northland, Cosumat, Jesselton and Arda. Haginonia need to get into the top three of this group to qualify for the World Cup, possibly Haginonia's first appearance.
"The next week is massive for us. We must play even better than we have for the past two weeks," coach Aloizs Sakars said,"but I am sure our players are up to it but even if we don't qualify I am sure the millions of Haginonian fans are extremely proud of their side."

Haginonian coach Aloizs Sakars has a tough task ahead of him in the inter-zonal phase.

Final Standings

Zone 4 Standings

   Team                  P  W  D  L For  Ag  +/- Pts
 1 Haginonia            10  7  1  2  19   6  +13  22 Q
 2 Consortina           10  6  2  2  16  10   +6  20 Q
 3 Tretskivucia         10  5  3  2  16   8   +8  18
 4 Swilatia             10  4  4  2   9   6   +3  16
 5 Carasatoga           10  1  2  7   6  17  -11   5
 6 CR Oscilloscopes     10  0  2  8   4  23  -19   2

[Eastfield Lodge]

The Sporting Gazette

Interzonal Time!

The Eastfield Lodge team are proceeding to Interzonals as Zone 12 champions, having beaten FSSO with a very, very late goal from Adam Johnson to seal a tight 1-0 win, while hearing elsewhere that Akbarabad had already wrapped their match 4-0. With most of the match having been extremely dull, which saw FSSO Left Back Joe Arne Pizza seeing his shot hit the net on the wrong side of the post, and Sameer Ahmad hitting the woodwork no less than five times. The deciding goal, courtesy of Adam Johnson, came about as a result of a scrappy goalmouth scramble after Sameer Ahmad hit the near post having been brilliantly set through by Alex Gallagher. This was in the third minute of stoppage time, and a minute after the Akbarabad game had finished. With the goal having been scored, the EL fans cheered like they had just qualified for the World Cup. But we won the Zone, and here is our Interzonal line-up, in Queer Poco el Mono Ara:
Qazox: Zone 11 winner, finishing with 21 points (we had nineteen).
Kagdazka and Pazhujebu: Zone 10 winner, finishing with 15 points.
Khytenna: Zone 15 runner-up, lost out on Zone win due to head-to-head against Valladares, 19 points.
Churchma: Zone 14 runner-up, 15 points.
Jalanat: Zone 13 runner-up, 10 points.
And here is the schedule, along with our predicted results:
MD11: vs. Khytenna: DRAW
MD12: vs. Jalanat: WIN
MD13: vs. Qazox: DRAW
MD14: vs. Kagdazka and Pazhujebu: LOSS
MD15: vs. Churchma: DRAW
This will give us six points from a possible fifteen, so we won't qualify. Here is who we think will qualify to the grand stage that is the World Cup from each of the Interzonals:
Bears Armed Interzonal: Starblaydia, ASMV and Kelssek
Valladares Interzonal: Too close to call.
Newmanistan Interzonal: Dorian & Sonya, The Holy Empire and Valladares
Delaclava Interzonal: Sorthern Northland, Haginonia and Nethertopia
QPeMA Interzonal: K&P, Khytenna and Qazox
Sorthern Northland Interzonal: Landau Institute, Kulverint and Tynelia
Bostopia Interzonal: Delaclava, Newmanistan and Pays de Horreur
K&P Interzonal: Bears Armed, Aguazul and Bostopia
Cotdelapoms Interzonal: The Archregimancy, Krytenia and Valanora
Qazox Interzonal: Sarzonia, QPeMA and Jeru FC

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Team to play Publishers up match against Albundania: Starting XI (Shabeen Ahmad III is injured till MD2 of the Interzonal Phase, Robert Andrews is his replacement, and Aidan Jagger is the captain)
Team to play Meguroko away: Doctor Who roster

Goal Tally WC54Q:
Shabeen Ahmad III: 13
Sameer Ahmad: 7
The Doctor: 3
Hadia Ahmad: 2
Rory the Plastic Centurion: 1
Ben Madison: 1
Thomas O'Henly: 1
Sarah Douglas: 1
Callum Douglas: 1
Toby Callahan: 1
John Bell: 1
Adam Johnson: 1

[Cassadaigua]

Cutoff for the pre-interzonal friendlies.

Results

[Jeruselem]

Sharnee "Peppers" Bellpepper and Princess Helena Troi Dallas

Peppers: I guess we're not going get the Pink Cup.
Helena: We played well today, but not good enough for a win.
Peppers: What you think of our Interzonal group?
Helena: Well, it's certainly full of teams we know all about.
Peppers: Good or bad?
Helena: They are all good teams. There's no bad teams in interzonals.
Peppers: Really?
Helena: Maybe some lucky teams ...
Peppers: Looks like hard group to me.
Helena: At least in these bigger groups, we have a good chance.
Peppers: I heard the monopolists are sending their most beautiful Monopolist supporters to help support their team against us.
Helena: There's plenty of pretty girls out there. I'm sure they'll be yummy to look at.
Peppers: Portugese girls can very pretty.
Helena: Who needs pretty supports when you have pretty teams like the Pink Cup teams.
Peppers: Including them bear girls?
Helena: Well, I guess they are pretty for bear girls too.
Peppers: We got a pretty tough interzonal.
Helena: Considering the lowest ranking team is 35th and the highest is 18. It's going to be very close.
Peppers: Jeru FC got a nice group.
Helena: I don't know. I don't think Sarzonia or that Queer team are going to be easy to beat. AT least there are weak teams in there.
Peppers: How is that DNA testing going?
Helena: Nothing yet.
Peppers: People our group is the hardest one.
Helena: It is. Most interzonals have a good mix of good and low seeds. Ours is full of good teams ... all of them.
Peppers: We can only do our best.
Helena: It is a new system. I hope it works for us.
Peppers: Can you speak Portugese?
Helena: No, I can't. Since when do Jeruselemites speak Portugese?
Peppers: Ah, just wondering.
Helena: You have trouble with English.
Peppers: True. What's that funny language your speak?
Helena: Qazian. There's a lot of Qazians in my family.
Peppers: Oh that's what that is.
Helena: Dazza Dallas too understood it