37th AOCAF Championship :: RP/SCORES

[Geisenfried]

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A Rudimentary Guide to Geisenfried

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The Land

Geisenfried nestles comfortably in the southern portion of the Auzerian subcontinent, bordering Milchama on the east, Nojika to the north, Cafundeu in the west, and Bazalonia just across the bay to the south. Geisenfried can be roughly split up into two primary regions, which can be further divided into different climate subregions. The main regions are differentiated by their elevation - the 'Höchgeisen' to the mountainous north and east, and the 'Niedergeisen' to the south and west. The Höchgeisen is generally delineated by the trio of mountain ranges that make a rough triangle - the tall and imposing Jötungard mountains form the eastern border with Milchama, while the Wothanheim perform much the same role along the northern frontier. The area where these two major mountain chains meet, in the northeast corner of Geisenfried, is home to the Gottskrone plateau, where the tallest mountains of Geisenfried and even some of Atlantian Oceania reside. The Aldereich mountains, meanwhile, form the hypotenuse between the three, cutting from around the coast of the city of Heimüller, where it leaves the Jötungard and heads towards the northwest corner, terminating just east of the city of Greifeläs, where it joins up with the Wothanheim. In between this triangle lies a large, elevated plateau that is the historical homeland of Geisenfried. While generally drier than the Niedergeisen thanks to being in the rain shadow of the Aldereich mountains, the southern fjords of Bährens and Heinessen, where the sea has cut into the mountain valleys, provide a corridor for moisture to filter into this plateau. Glacial activity in the northern mountains, melting in the spring and summer, replenishing with snow in the fall and winter; also contributes to the water basin of the area. The climate tends to promote a combined coniferous-deciduous forest flora, capable of handling the cold winters, as well as fauna that thrive in alpine regions.

In comparison to the Höchgeisen, the Niedergeisen has a bit more variance, consisting of 'whatever's not in the mountain regions.' The northwest corner of the country has the closest climate to the Höchgeisen, consisting of rolling hills covered in temperate deciduous forests and pocketed with the lakes. The biggest of these is the Albensee, the area surrounding which has become one of Geisenfried's major population centers. This area sees the greatest amount of seasonal change, with the lower elevation meaning warmer summers, while winters tend to be a bit less cold than the highlands. Many of the lakes in this region serve as sources for rivers that flow from the mountain regions down into the coast - the largest and most notable of which is the Jülau, but also includes prominent rivers such as the Töril and the Kanün. The population is more dispersed in the riverlands, as communities are more spread out along the rivers than clustered in urban centers, though cities like Kapetägien still exist. Summers continue to be warmer in this area and winters far more mild. By the time the southern coast is reached, the summer highs tend to level off, as coastal upwelling brings in cooler winds, while winters remain just as mild as ever. In the eastern part of the coastal plains, specifically within the Principality of Mariske, the combination of the mild winters and being on the rainward side of the Aldereich mountains makes the area very fertile, and the region is the heartland of Geisen agriculture. Lastly, Komoneinsel, or Komone Isle, is probably the closest Geisenfried comes to a tropical climate, though the coastal climate prevents the temperature from getting too warm. The island's rocky terrain and growing urbanization in the north leaves room for little vegetation, but the south side of the island's central mountain is home to Geisenfried's only slice of rainforest, and is one of the nation's many preserved areas.

The Nation

The long history of the Royal Federation can best be originally sourced to two migrations to the area that came to be known as Geisenfried - the Latin migration, somewhere around the the beginning of the Common Era, and the Germanic migration, somewhere a couple centuries further on down the line, though historians still struggle to a precise date on either. Several sites have claimed to be the original landing place for Latin migration, but like dates, no one is truly sure. In any rate, what is certain is that they landed on the western coast, and slowly began spreading northward up the river basins. The Latin colonists appear to have integrated into the indigenous population fairly quickly, but began assimilating natives into their Latin culture - eventually forming what we now know as the Meran people. Eventually, these colonies began to grow into city-states - and these city-states began vying against one another for greater power. By the mid-second century, however, one city, through a series of conquests, had managed to stand out among all the rest - Altea, now know as Altien. The dictator responsible for those conquests, Lucius Severus, was in 144 CE granted the title Caesar Augustus, the year of which is the general historical marker of the beginning of what came to be known as the Empire of Meraltea. Under imperial rule, the Meran civilization spread through much of what is now known as the Niedergeisen, though evidence of conflict near the northwest hills and the mountain regions shows that somewhere in the late imperial era, the Geisen had already formed in the northern mountain valleys. But Meraltea was not to last - just a few centuries later, the empire had effectively broken into pieces, as factious clans fought over the empire's constituent provinces. Interestingly, some have speculated the introduction of Christianity as a potential reason for the fall of the Empire - after it was introduced relatively late in the period of Meran migration, and once it became more popular, patrician Christian families may not have accepted pagan rulers, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, as mentioned previously, Germanic peoples began their own migration somewhere during the imperial era, but landed in a different locale - the eastern fjords, from where they began migrating up into the mountain plateau. Like their Latin predecessors before them, the Germanic peoples seem to have intermingled with the indigenous populace fairly quickly, and the resulting merger of cultures formed the first Geisen people. Unlike the Merans, the Geisen seem to have been more tribal than an organized civilization at first, but this meant they were less committed to settlement, and a greater willingness to try and push down from the mountains. This lead to several periods of strife between the Meraltea and various Geisen tribal groups throughout the early centuries - usually with the Empire victorious, but as the Empire began to crumble, the Geisens made more headway, especially in the northwest. Eventually, one of the provincial leaders in the northern riverlands made an agreement with some of the marauding tribes - land and treasure in return for fealty. In time, these Meran and Geisen allies began to fuse into yet another culture - the Courin. Using this early form of feudalism, the Kingdom of Couvregne emerged from the ruins of the Empire of Meraltea in the late fifth and early sixth century, and over time began claiming much of the river basin, though there were many coastal regions that managed to maintain their independence from the growing power. The Kingdom of Couvregne also had to begin dealing with another nuisance to their northwest, with the emergence of the fourth major culture of modern day Geisenfried.

Among the Geisen tribes that had come down from the mountains, the ones who migrated to the northwest hill country had the greatest success, as it was where Meran control was the weakest, and soon the region itself was dominated by these tribes. Still, they took some influences from the Merans, and yet another culture evolved - the Gallen. Whereas the Courins were a more Meran dominated mix of Meran and Geisen, the Gallens proved to be more Geisen than Meran - leaving the two groups with many similarities, but just as many differences. Though more settled than before, the Gallen were still quite content to launch a raid or two into what was now Courin territory, as the Merans had been pushed back southwards. At first, the raids were not much of a serious threat - and furthermore, the decentralized nature of Couvregne meant it was dealt by the local nobility - but as Couvregne grew more prosperous, it grew into a more appetizing target and raids got bigger and more frequent - and it eventually became apparent to the King of Couvregne that he would have to assemble a punitive expedition. With the Kingdom's full might behind it, many of the Gallen tribes were conquered, until the King was satisfied that he had dealt with the threat. However, no sooner had the army returned to Couvregne, and the collection of various Courin nobility dispersed, than the Gallen tribes had revolted, overthrown their new Courin lords and regained their independence. Such began a new cycle, where every few years, a Courin king would attempt to subjugate the various Gallen forces, only to have the Gallens revolt a few years later and bring back the original status quo ante bellum. Over time, however, the Courins had begun wearing the Gallens down, and it became clear to the various remaining Gallen tribes that to prevent the Courins from conquering them in full eventually, they would need to join forces, as while individual tribes were ill-equipped to take on the Kingdom alone, the tribes assembled were a much more even match. Many important Gallen tribal leaders finally assembled and picked from among themselves their first king, in essence adopting the feudal system amongst themselves, as the remaining tribal leaders became the king's new vassals. Thus was born the Kingdom of Gallard, at the beginning of the eighth century. The frequent conflict between Gallard and Couvregne brought about a large cross-pollination between the two cultures, further distinguishing the two from their origins.

The Geisen who remained on the plateau, on the other hand, adopted Meran culture much more slowly, thus maintaining differentiation from its two 'child' cultures. Still over time, the tribal nature of the culture began to dissipate, as settlements, towns and cities started to develop. Christianity also made its way into the plateau as the centuries went by, further advancing the development of a pseudo-feudalistic society, as the belief in the divine right of rulers propagated. This led to the establishment of the Geisen 'duchies', as various rulers on the plateau began carving out slices of control for themselves. But because they were naturally defended by the mountains, there was no outside threat to unify the duchies together, preventing any unified Geisen kingdom from forming for quite some time. Eventually, however, a few duchies began standing out amongst the rest - most of all, the Dukes of Seifert. By mid-11th century, they had become the most powerful duchy on the plateau - and after a long campaign of conquest, in 1077 CE, Friedrich, Duke of Seifert became the first 'King of the Geisens. Among the other titles he claimed dominion over upon ascension to the throne was a conversion of an old imperial term - 'Pax Merana'. This became 'Geisen Frieden', from which the name of the kingdom was eventually formed. At last, the Kingdom of Geisenfried was born.

For the first few centuries, Geisenfried focused on internal strife, as the various nobility struggled against the new Kings over authority. But by the reign of Heinrich III, the Kingdom had stabilized, and a new opportunity arose. As various peace deals sealed with marriage pacts were brokered between the almost continously warring kingdoms of Gallard and Couvregne, both monarchs had claims to each other's kingdoms, and both now sought the aid of the growing power to the northeast. Heinrich would end up marrying a Gallen princess, and with Geisenfried's aid, Gallard's next war against Couvregne would end on very favorable terms, forcing Couvregne to its weakest point in centuries. However in the years that followed the war, at the turn of the thirteenth century, a plague swept through Couvregne, Gallard and Geisenfried, infecting both nobility and the peasantry with deadly effect. While Geisenfried lost both Heinrich III and his eldest son, Heinrich IV, among others, Geisenfried got off comparatively light relative to Gallard and Couvregne. Most importantly, it left Geisenfried's new king, Heinrich's second son Wilhelm I, as the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Gallard. The nobility of Gallard, wary of a personal union, attempted to change the rules of succession in order a favor a different heir, but Wilhelm would have none of it, and launched his own invasion of Gallard. Still greatly weakened by the plague, Gallard was crushed by the Geisen forces, and Gallard entered into personal union with Geisenfried. Now King of Gallard, he had inherited Gallard's claims to the Kingdom of Couvregne - and Wilhelm wasted little time in pressing it. Try as they might, weakened by the previous war and the plague as well meant Wilhelm would not be stopped. In the course of a few short years, Wilhelm had gone from a prince not in line to inherit anything to conqueror of three kingdoms. More importantly, the plague left him opportunity to bequeath his own loyal Geisen nobles several key territories in both Gallard and Couvregne, as well as elevate certain petty local nobility to much higher positions in return for their loyalty, as they would owe everything to Wilhelm. In this way, Wilhelm left Gallard and Couvregne inexorably linked to Geisenfried. Indeed, although revolts popped up time to time in the years after the conquest, Gallard and Couvregne would be in time integrated into Geisenfried, as they remain today.

All that remained between Geisenfried's borders of the day and Geisenfried's current borders was a collection of petty states, minor principalities and merchant republics left over from the imperial provinces of a millennium gone by - the Kleinstaaterei. However, while such a collection of small countries would not have posed a threat to Geisenfried normally, after the conquest of Couvregne, the Serene Republic of Phezzano - a city on what is now Komoneinsel, an old Meran outpost that become a trading powerhouse in the following centuries - had joined them into a league for common defense against Geisenfried, should the Kingdom attack any of the Kleinstaaterei. While not large in the sense of land, Phezzano's large treasury and trading influence, along with the support of the remaining Kleinstaaterei might pose difficulties in prolonged conflict. Before the Kings of Geisenfried had a chance to confront the Serene Republic, however, their were internal troubles to deal with. The Geisen monarchy was not the only noble to benefit from the effects of the plague - the Duchy of Dözel had come to inherit large swaths of the region of Goeke in the northern plateau thanks to the plague, and by the time Wilhelm's grandson, Karl III, took the throne, Dözel had become the King's most powerful vassal. To keep things in check, Karl III offered to marry the crown prince, also Karl, to the Duke's eldest daughter, a proposal that was accepted. However, before the couple could have issue, Karl died, and the next in line, Konrad, was already married to a lady of House Heinessen. Konrad's wife would end up dying in childbirth after delivering the couple's second son - with the new crown prince now available, the deal was re-offered to the house of Dözel, and eagerly accepted. The couple would have issue, and Konrad would end up ascending the throne and ruling as Konrad I. At the end of his life, however, a conflict arose - the Queen, backed by the house of Dözel and its allies wanted her husband's previous marriage annulled and her stepchildren declared illegitimate so that her eldest, Karl IV, would ascend to the throne - these supporters became known as the Karlingers. The Archbishopric of Darnesmark refused to do any such thing, and was supported by the Duchy of Heinessen and other allies, who supported Konrad's eldest, Konrad II - these became known as the Konradines. The end result was the War of Two Eagles, a succession crisis that turned into a bloody civil war lasting a couple generations - with the Serene Republic of Phezzano happily supporting whichever side was losing in order to prolong the war and keep Geisenfried weak. Only Konrad III's victory on the battlefield over the last Karlinger claimant ended the fight conclusively, and, determined to prevent Phezzano from interfering from Geisenfried's affairs again, Konrad offered clemency to any noble who had fought against him in return for their aid in a war against Phezzano and its League. Konrad III managed to emerge victorious in a decisive land battle versus the League's forces, and while it took time to build up the naval forces necessary to take on Phezzano's fleet, eventually broke Phezzano's back, burning its navy in the harbor in a surprise attack. The flames eventually spread from the harbor into the city, and after a few nights of raging fire, the Serene Republic was utterly destroyed. The damage to the kingdom was done, however - the monarchy had become greatly weakened, and as a concession to the nobility, the Geisenfried's first Reichstag was called in Konrad's reign.

After the conquest of Phezzano and the full unification of what is now Geisenfried, the centuries passed by relatively quietly, though there were some struggles pertaining to religion in the light of the Reformation. Years under the rule of Geisenfried led to the dominance of Geisen culture all over what is now Geisenfried, though there remains quite a few fragments of the cultures that once were kingdoms and empires. By the time the end of the eighteenth century rolled around, a desire for popular democracy was growing steadily throughout the Kingdom, and bubbling dissidence would result in a few violent incidents in the early nineteenth century, though full civil war was avoided. Reform eventually came with the ascension of Nicholas V in 1845, who promised a popularly-elected parliamentary body by the end of the decade. In 1848, a new written constitution was adopted, the Bundestag was formed as a lower house of legislature for the commons, the Reichstag was reformed into an upper house of legislature for the aristocracy, and Geisenfried had its first popular election. Even the name of the country changed, going from Königreich, or Kingdom, to Königsbund, or Royal Federation, to reflect this change in the central government. The Industrial Revolution would bring great economic wealth to the country, but by the end of the century, dissent was once again back in style, as a growing sector of the lower class felt they were being taken advantage of by the industrialized, aristocratic upper class. This time, civil war wasn't avoided, as the Geisen Civil War broke out in 1924. The Sozialistischen Staaten Bundesrepublik von Geisenfried, or Socialist States Federal Republic of Geisenfried was declared, and over the course of six years, Geisenfried suffered through its only bloody modern war. However, with the assassination of Wilhelm IX and the ascension of Nicholas VI, the revolutionaries became split between the more moderate and radical wings. Sensing opportunity, Nicholas VI negotiated a treaty with the moderate wing, abolishing the aristocracy in return for allowing them to retain their estates, reforming the Reichstag as a popularly elected body, eventually turning it into the Bundesrat, and declaring amnesty to any revolutionary who peaceably laid down their arms. The moderate wing agreed to the terms, and with the radical element isolated, the Königsbund's Wehrmacht was able to crush the last bits of resistance. Though the agreement effectively neutered the monarchy as an institution, it still survives to this day, with tremendous popularity. An attempt was made shortly after the war by a counter-revolutionary party within the army to achieve a coup d'etat over the democratic government (with many of the former revolutionaries having been elected in the aftermath of the war), but the attempt fizzled before the government was any serious threat was made. Since then, Geisenfried has been remained peaceful and prosperous, thanks to a foreign policy of armed neutrality and a growing modern economy - and hopefully the best is still yet to come. It is our sincere hope you enjoyed this little history lesson of your host nation and enjoy your time here in the Royal Federation for AOCAF XXXVII!

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Group A
Geisenfried (38)
Legalese (15)
Israeli Apartheid Client-State (39)
Khytenna (49)

KÖNIGSEIFERT
Königskronestadion :: Königs FC :: (72,755)
^{Geisenfried v Legalese (MD1) - Khytenna v Geisenfried (MD2) - Geisenfried v Israeli Apartheid Client-State (MD3) - Audioslavia v Pacitalia (F)}

VfS-Arena :: VfS Königseifert :: (67,930)
^{Israeli Apartheid Client-State v Khytenna (MD1) - Legalese v Israeli Apartheid Client-State (MD2) - Legalese v Khytenna (MD3) - Wight v New Montreal States (3PPO)}

Group B
Audioslavia (7)
New Montreal States (12)
Leorudo (25)
Blouman Empire (UR)

SILEVÄL
Silbernstadion :: Silbern Sileväl SV :: (52,810)
^{Audioslavia v Leorudo (MD1) - New Montreal States v Audioslavia (MD2) - New Montreal States v Leorudo (MD3) - Pacitalia v Carpathia & Ruthenia (R16)}

BARHEIM
Seifertstaatstadion:: Seifert Barheim :: (57,350)
^{Blouman Empire v New Montreal States (MD1) - Leorudo v Blouman Empire (MD2) - Blouman Empire v Audioslavia (MD3) - Wight v Hutt River (R16)}

Group C
Valanora (2)
Thatius (14)
Lymantatia (33)
Delesa (UR)

DÖZEL
Alterschloßestadion :: 1. FSV Dözel :: (56,875)
^{Thatius v Delesa (MD1) - Valanora v Thatius (MD2) - Thatius v Lymantatia (MD3) - Wight v Vilita & Turori (QF)}

DARNESMARK
Wilhelm-Rohm-Stadion :: Darnesmark FC :: (64,860)
^{Lymantatia v Valanora (MD1) - Delesa v Lymantatia (MD2) - Delesa v Valanora (MD3) - Audioslavia v Wight (SF)}

Group D
Osarius (6)
Kiryu-shi (10)
Kinitaria (35)
Port Hawthorne (52)

HEIMÜLLER
Heimüller Küstenkolosseum:: Heimüller SC :: (70,210)
^{Osarius v Kiryu-shi (MD1) - Kiryu-shi v Port Hawthorne (MD2) - Kinitaria v Kiryu-shi (MD3) - New Montreal States v Pacitalia (SF)}

HEIRHEIN
Herzogssportfeld-Heirhein :: HvH Heirhein :: (48,240)
^{Port Hawthorne v Kinitaria (MD1) - Kinitaria v Osarius (MD2) - Port Hawthorne v Osarius (MD3) - Dorian and Sonya v Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (R16)}

Group E
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (3)
Wight (13)
95X (30)
Urbis Tractus (UR)

ALTIEN
Kaiserstadtsportfeld :: Kaiserstadt Altien :: (58,760)
^{95X v Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (MD1) - Andossa Se Mitrin Vega v Wight (MD2) - Andossa Se Mitrin Vega v Urbis Tractus (MD3) - Audioslavia v Kiryu-shi (QF)}

RÖDIS
Komone-Insel-Kolosseum :: Eintracht Rödis :: (60,230)
^{Wight v Urbis Tractus (MD1) - Urbis Tractus v 95X (MD2) - 95X v Wight (MD3) -Vilita & Turori v Starblaydia (R16)}

Group F
Pacitalia (1)
Hutt River (22)
Falcania (27)
Austenersey (UR)

ALSTER
Albenseestadion :: FC Alster Alba :: (61,640)
^{Falcania v Austenersey (MD1) - Austenersey v Pacitalia (MD2) - Austenersey v Hutt River (MD3) - Geisenfried v Audioslavia (R16)}

KALFFE
Arena CK :: Club Kalffe :: (53,515)
^{Pacitalia v Hutt River (MD1) - Hutt River v Falcania (MD2) - Falcania v Pacitalia (MD3) - New Montreal States v Thatius (R16)}

Group G
Vilita & Turori (5)
Carpathia & Ruthenia (20)
Farfadillis (42)
Svengarda (UR)

GREIFELÄS
Greifshorst-Stadion :: Gryphons FC :: (65,360)
^{Svengarda v Vilita & Turori (MD1) - Carpathia & Ruthenia v Svengarda (MD2) - Svengarda v Farfadillis (MD3) - Pacitalia v Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (QF)}

GRÜNDER
Augustus Arena :: August Gründer :: (63,720)
^{Farfadillis v Carpathia & Ruthenia (MD1) - Vilita & Turori v Farfadillis (MD2) - Vilita & Turori v Carpathia & Ruthenia (MD3) - Osarius v Legalese (R16)}

Group H
Dorian and Sonya (4)
Starblaydia (11)
New West Guiana (23)
Mantwenic (50)

KAPETÄGIEN
Stadionkapetägien :: Kapetägien Verein :: (55,950)
^{Dorian and Sonya v Mantwenic (MD1) - Starblaydia v Dorian and Sonya (MD2) - New West Guiana v Dorian and Sonya (MD3) - New Montreal States v Osarius (QF)}

LÜTHESSIEN
Sportlich-Stadion-am-Jülau :: Lüthessien Sportlich :: (49,470)
^{New West Guiana v Starblaydia (MD1) - Mantwenic v New West Guiana (MD2) - Starblaydia v Mantwenic (MD3) - Valanora v Kiryu-shi (R16)}

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Matchday Schedule:

Friday, 9/21 - MD1
Saturday, 9/22 - MD2
Sunday, 9/23 - MD3
Tuesday, 9/25 - Round of 16	
Thursday, 9/27 - Quarterfinals
Saturday, 9/29 - Semifinals	
Sunday, 9/30 - 3rd Place Playoff
Monday, 10/1 - Final

Scorination will generally take place at 12a - US Mountain Daylight Time [GDT (-7)], at the end of the day listed (i.e. for MD1, Friday -> Saturday)

Full roster thread here.

[Osarius]

AOCAF 37 :: Firebirds Breakdown, Position by Position
Part One, the defensive side

It's becoming increasingly difficult for the Firebirds to go into a tournament without some expectation now, and after a run to the final last time out, the AOCAF Cup is going to come with higher expectations than most. It is perhaps a sign of the progress in youth football made over the past decade or so, that Osarius' biggest successes -- though we use the term loosely, in the absence of trophies -- all appear to have been when using younger players. The AOCAF Cup -- at the suggestion of Alain Montblanc -- has become something of a proving ground for young Osarian footballers now, and the OFA's recommendation that the manager select an under-25 squad for the competition doesn't look like one that will be shunned any time soon.

In the past two years, not much has changed about the team, interestingly enough. Most of the team which exceeded all expectation before falling to Pacitalia in the final of AOCAF Cup 36 are still young enough to fall under the OFA's selection age guideline, and many are familiar with Amandeep Sahota as a part of the senior national side.

Undoubtedly the standout players in this team are captain Connor McCarthy, livewire winger Gilberto Cuellar, and the imposing presence of Felix McLean up top. But it would be a great injustice to the rest of the squad to focus entirely on these three -- who, coincidentally, are named as Sahota's captain, vice-captain and 3rd captain respectively -- when the team is packed with talent in every position.


Goalkeepers

The goalkeepers are the same three that travelled to Vilita two years ago, and while they have only a few senior appearances between them outside the AOCAF Cup, they are all very talented custodians. Leading the pack is the great hope for AFC Hollybrent; Gareth Mason. Having trained at the Enzo Corradini Goalkeeping Academy since age seven, Mason has quite literally been primed for this role for the past eighteen years. His positioning and his communication are excellent, as are his reflexes. However, some have expressed concerns over his robustness. In contrast, his backup Me'nu Katuli'ha, is an intimidating figure with surprising agility, and borderline insane levels of courage. In one-on-ones, Katuli'ha rarely loses. Unlike Mason, though, Katuli'ha doesn't have a great channel of communication with his defenders most of the time, which can be problematic. The third choice is Firewood's new wonderkid Marco Soranno, who is already drawing comparisons to Osarius legend Orlando Florian. From the man himself. It is unlikely Soranno will see any time on the pitch in this tournament, but he will be almost certainly the starter next time around, and the experience will set him in good stead, following his first tournament inclusion at the age of sixteen last time around.

Overall, the goalkeepers look solid, and there should be no problem here. The only possible issue is that the team might lose a bit of organisation at the back if Mason isn't between the sticks. That won't be catastrophic, though, as it will likely be because of an increase in offensive play, and likely more goals scored. Benedict "score more than the other team" di Corradi would be proud.

Grade: A

Defenders

Defence is something that, traditionally, Osarians haven't done very well. In the early professional years, if a team wanted a solid defender, they went north to Kryosis. These days, there are quite a few natives who can do the job. Sahota seems to prefer the Rafael Higuain mould -- comfortable on the ball, strong positioning -- to the Tay Gidds mould -- blood and thunder, aggressive defending -- though the latter is probably better quited to his system. Perhaps it is with this in mind that he has chosen to combine the high pressure style of Connor McCarthy with the controlled clean-up skills of Faustino Vecchi. Flanking the two with fullbacks who love to get forward all-but removes the need to sit deep, allowing Osarius to largely play the game in the opposition half. Critics point out that this method leaves the team vulnerable to long balls over the top, and into the channels or toward the corners, but when your slowest defender is the somewhat pacy Vecchi... that's probably not going through your head. The backups aren't lacking quality either. The young duo of Donaldson and Donati could well marshall the backline for years to come for the Firebirds, with both showing a remarkable degree of tenacity and willingness to bust a gut to correct their mistakes. Interestingly, both the backups at fullback are more defensive minded, though, which perhaps shows that Sahota is acknowledging that this might be a weakness area. Tomas Urena looks like a promising talent, and is almost guaranteed to be leaving Altrinston very soon, while Salas is often compared to Amir Ali, for her balanced approach to playing at fullback. She is capable coming forward, and capable at the back. Nothing spectacular, but she doesn't need to be. Aside from those eight, Sahota has two defenders on the standby list. Cardenas is an obvious choice, as he plays very similarly to Vecchi, but the inclusion of Martinelli is a little odd. Sahota's system seldom uses a sweeper, so it'll be interesting to see how the Turic man fits in if he gets the call.

Overall the defence looks fairly well-balanced, but in typical Osarian fashion, it tends toward offensive football. It also relies a little too heavily on physical attributes to cover up tactical shortfalls, which could be problematic. By opening up the midfield, Sahota has placed more pressure on the defence to deliver, and while it's hard to say this group can't handle it, there is a niggling feeling that they could be undone a little too easily by stronger offensive teams.

Grade: B-

[Svengarda]

10 things you wanted to know about Svengarda, but you didn't even know what Svengarda was, so never asked them.

1. Svengarda is a tri-state, consisting of three smaller states. Kurrika, Lapuna & Kalstorm. Kalstorm holds the capital Helsigborg, whilst the other major cities of Helsirn and Korska are on Kurrika.
2. Lapuna is pretty much an icy wasteland, the northern part certainly. The south is still pretty cold, but they are a fiesty bunch down there.
3. Football is not the most popular sport. Field Hockey is. Despite all the ice, the country prefers the grass version.
4. Summer lasts but 4 months in Svengarda.
5. The main television network is SVNGTV. The AOCAF Matches will be broadcast on SVNG Sports 1 (Svengarda & other big matches) & SVNG 2, 3 & SVNG Football (All other games)
6. Expect a lively and vivid atmosphere at Svenga games. The fans are always in full voice and are dead passionate about the game and the team.
7. The team itself is a very attacking team, looking to catch opposition on the breakaway. Watch out for the wingers Hakan Lager & Torleif Olhouser, and the strike pair of Truls Waaserson and Svein Danielson.
8. Svengarda is famous for its hunting and national dishes, which include braised arctic duck with cranberries, called Kaldastorr
9. This will be Svengarda's first appearance on the international stage, but a domestic league has been running for 7 years.
10. Svengarda is not a type of cracker, as you may think.

[New West Guiana]

Time for some redemption

In the 36th AOCAF West Guiana was riding high as Felipe Hernandez was hired to be the new head coach of the struggling soccer team, who two years before in the qualification for World Cup 60 had their best record finishing out 6-5-4. Coach Hernandez rode that high all the way to AOCAF 36 where he made some magic and West Guiana qualified for the 36th AOCAF with a 2-0-1 record, however losing to eventual champion Pacitalia. Well then here comes qualification for World Cup 61, West Guiana in the end didn't do so well, ending with a 5-6-5 record, good but not good enough.

Coach Hernandez in the end said that "we got a bit high with pride and didn't focus on the prize ahead". He received favorable ratings among West Guianans, because for once he had given the team and country something more to root for, other than the hope of doing so,so.

Well for the 37th AOCAF West Guiana isn't in a very favorable group having to play number four Dorian and Sonya which is ironic since West Guiana knocked them off their undefeated streak in the qualifying round for World Cup 60. Next up is Starblaydia which has a glorious history in the World Cup (like so many other AO nations)m and finally there is our only hope of winning a match will be against Mantwenic who debuted in their first AOCAF, two years ago in Vilta.

Overall Predictions have West Guiana's odds at advancing to the round of 16 again at 39/1, not so good odds, unlike Dorian and Sonya who are at 9/1 odds and Starblaydia 17/1 odds. Predicted record looks like at worst a 1-0-2 record and at very best a 1-1-1 record.

Group H
Dorian and Sonya (4)
Starblaydia (11)
New West Guiana (23)
Mantwenic (50)

[Port Hawthorne]

Port Hawthorne football club arrives in Geisenfried for AOCAF
GERALD WASHBURNE
Heirhein

Port Hawthorne Manager Henry Mackay watching his squad practice

Port Hawthorne's national men football team has set off for its first appearance in the AOCAF regional tournament. The Port Hawthorne club has been assigned to Group D. They'll be playing against Osarius (#6), Kiryu-shi (#10) and Kinitaria (#35). They play their first AOCAF game against Kinitaria at the Herzogssportfeld-Heirhein stadium in Heirhein, Geisenfried. While Port Hawthorne's current squad won the nation's invitational tournament against younger Pacitalian club. Port Hawthorne is the underdog in this one.

There hasn't been any changes to the club's roster. Head Manager Henry Mackay says his team of relatively young players are hopeful about the tournament, "They're a pretty excited bunch of youngsters. They're highly energetic midfield team. They're pretty excited to be up against Kinitarian club."

There's report that there's a small contingent of Port Hawthorne supporters "The Rascals" present in Geisenfried. The Rascals' Secretary General Timothy Franks says that they'll be on their best behavior, "We're here to support our club. We won't be up to our rascally ways. Well we will, but we'll keep it tame. Ah, so we will."

[Khytenna]

Khytenna prepare to take on the host in First AOCAF Championship

Khytenna start a new campaign this week, as they take on some of the biggest and best of their new region in the AOCAF Championship, and we at RKN will be their to give Full coverage!!

With the draws for the groups over, Khytenna find themselves in group A with their Opening game against the host nation Geisenfried, and with the home crowed against them, Khytenna will be looking to pull of an upset to stake there claim for the championship, and massive feat to pull of but in the past i would be saying that the high confidence and tenacious attitude of the Crowned Islands will make them a dangerous and unpredictable side.

however, this is not case at the moment. Ever since the football scandals of the past years, the national team had went to a self international isolation, only recently trying to qualify for the world cup (in which they failed). The performance by the national team has been lacking the creative spark that we have used to see, the giant killers seemed the be a thing of the past, which was destroyed not by a coach but by the shame of an footballing body that was corrupt.

Another problem is the out of work players in the team, including half of the teams forwards and the captain! The Cafundeu Teams, as predicted has not renewed contracts with the Khytenna players, and has a result, the players where let go by the teams, at lest four months of football and match fitness has gone and this, especially for the captain, will have an effect on their game and the team.

New coach Benny Gianino believes that his team however is more ready for the challenge then ever before, a team the wants to put the past behind them, and can really prove to be a contender for the championship

" The past now must be the past, we where all shocked by the scandals of the past, and the players where hurt by or isolation of International football, we had built ourselves up so much and where finally doing great with we knew we could, then it all went. Its my job to us back up their, and this is a tournament that i know we can succeed, we have won first Championships before, i know we are underestimated in the AOCAF, but we know when to strike with the inclusion of young and old in our squad, we can really prove our worth in gold. remember the sayings of the past? ranks mean nothing, on the day its you and us!"

RKN also asked him to comment on the situation with Testerman, Hytan and Pellett being out of work, he told us

"look, these guy are great players i wouldn't worry about that at all, i have seen them in practice and really they are playing great football, i am sure that clubs will be ring their agents to get them to sign, this is only a small problem that will be over came easily"

so, with these fiery words from the coach to press, time will tell if they can bare fruit, but all we know is that it will be a great championship in which Khytenna will be going out all guns blazing.

Next report will include the line-up for the opening game, plus a looking at the players in the squad.

[New Montreal States]

A tall, thin man with a camera named Ned and a short, stout man in a pinstriped suit dubbed Denis are walking together down a street in Philemon. Neither of them are happy about this. The tall man is the first to speak.

"So the Ministry [of Morale, their employer] cares about AOCAF now?"

"Looks like it."

"After decades of not caring about it?"

"Yep."

"We've played Milchama and K&P in previous AOCAFs and people barely noticed."

"So we were told last week when we got assigned this job."

"And now we're combing the streets of Philemon looking for some signs of other, non-Ministry people caring about AOCAF, so we can brainwash the rest of the fanbase into paying attention to AOCAF?"

"Brainwashing is such a loaded word, Ned."

"It's not going to matter, anyway. Aside from that hippie chick who was worried that the Blouman Empire might try to colonize us if their won our match, nobody here seems to be much aware of AOCAF."

"It's a city of six million people. Someone is bound to care. We just need to - ahah!" Denis pointed at the intersection they had been walking towards. Just across the street, a restaurant named Everybody Wang Chung Tonight had put out an elaborately decorated chalkboard advertising an "AOCAF SPECIAL: Geisenfried Rice, Two Blouman Imperial Rolls and pint of Hefeweizen 10 oz." Below it was written "Beat Audioslavia." Denis started beaming. "Oh ye of little faith. Ned, old friend, set up that camera and get this on tape. And then, I think, we ought to step inside and investigate this thoroughly."

Ned needed no further prompting and quickly had the camera set up. Denis launched into his spiel:

"I'm Denis Lajoie, and I'm in Philemon, where AOCAF fever is sweeping the city! A popular local restaurant has whipped up a couple of AOCAF-themed dishes for the occasion - and the proprietor certainly isn't afraid of the No. 7 seed and early favorite to win Group B. We're going to Wang Chung tonight!"

Ned and Denis showed admirable hustle towards the restaurant, beating a changing traffic light before entering the front door. Alerted to the fact that two men with a camera and a microphone were recording something in front of the maître d's podium, Nhan Vinh, the owner and primary chef, had hustled out of the kitchen.

"Just what do you think you are doing, recording in my restaurant without my permission? You going to do some kind of internet exposé on my restaurant, wise guys? You should put that camera away before my lawyer does it for you."

Denis flashed his winning-est grin. "We're from the Ministry of Morale, sir, and we're here to do a promotional segment for AOCAF. We noticed your special and we'd like to feature it in our broadcast."

Nhan Vinh was not placated. "Oh I see! You're from the government! A big shot in a nice pinstriped suit! I bet you want the special for free, right, because you're all that and a side of poutine?"

Denis chuckled in return and pulled out his wallet. "Free food? Good lord, man, you should see the size of our expense accounts. You do accept these, right?" He pulled out the Ministry credit card they had been issued for their trip.

"Haha!" Nhan Vinh laughed. "Lights, camera and ACTION! Two specials, coming right up!"

Ten minutes later, Vinh had brought out two plates of Geisenfried Rice with Blouman Imperial Rolls, and one of the barmaids had poured them their Hefeweizens on tap, while patrons crowded around Denis as he interviewed Vinh:

"So what makes this fried rice 'Geisenfried rice?'"

"Tasty sliced weisswurst! Cabbage! Celery! Onions! Generous splashes of Gewürztraminer, for flavor. And a few herbs and spices that I'm not going to share on national television!"

Denis had taken a bite while Vinh had been explaining. "Terrific! And what makes this Blouman Imperial Roll different from a regular Imperial roll?" He picked up one of the rolls and bit into it while Vinh responded:

"They're just our homemade, house-special Imperial rolls served with a clever pun. Best Imperial rolls in Philemon!"

"And this Hefeweizen is amazing. This restaurant is ready for some football - " Denis was interrupted by cheers from the patrons who had clustered around the filming - "and Nhan Vinh is ready to take on Audioslavia. What's got you so fired up for the Paladins' bullfight?"

Nhan Vinh's tone became indignant. "Jeremy Jaffacake dined and dashed on my grandfather 106 years ago last Tuesday!"

Denis smiled at Ned's reaction to Vinh's outburst. His facial expression was priceless. "This city is ready for AOCAF! Are you? From Philemon, I'm Denis Lajoie. Go Paladins!" Ned shut off the camera and sat down next to Denis.

"Are 106-year-old unpaid dinner checks really going to get people fired up for AOCAF?"

"Pipe down, you big cynic, and eat your rice before it gets cold."

[Khytenna]

Line-up and team information.

Line-up:

Formation 5-3-2

GK 19. Roland Cuyler (23 Forestbrook Foresters)

RB 5. Teddy Berkeley (22 Taevon central FC)
DC 17. Nelson Bohannan(30 Alterdamm Merchants, Gray harbour)
SW 15. Oliver Testerman ( 27 No Club) (capt)
DC 18.Tao Xin ( 22, Kona Cove Sharks)
LB 23. Brian Bowman (25 Blue bay AFC)

RM 21. Noel Falcon (23, Forestbrook Foresters)
CM 12. Kelly Bady (29 Drakes City)
LM 4. John Carmichael (22 Taevon Central FC)

FW 9. Fergal Firestone (25 blue bay AFC)
FW 10. Lini Pellett (24 San Jose Sharks, Northern Sunrise Islands)


Team information:

Keepers:

Khytenna take 3 keepers with them to Geisenfried, and what a choice they have, all as good as each other and been impressive in the island cup, usually Troy gets the nod due to his impressive size and presents in goal, but for the opening game Cuyler gets his chance to defend the goal, Leo Hay will be once again trying for a place against to good keepers.

Defenders:

Bohannan and Testerman will be in the line up as usual, Bohannan has been impressive in the Gray harbour league, whilst Testerman (even out of club) is no doubt one of the greatest defenders Khytenna has ever produced. however this leaves Gianino with the problem, does he go with the old guard (Bowman, Berkeley & Showman) or with the new blood (Xin, Brockburg and Maycast-Nockes) well, Gianino has gone with manly the old guard players, but the impressive Xin enters the team. however, despite those good words, Defence has been the Achilles heel for Khytenna, to eager to get the ball down to the attacks, to slow to counter mistakes these are the words we have heard over and over, can we sort them out? time will tell.

Midfield:

always a problem for the Coach, not because of lack of talent, but because of the talent their to pick. the team will be without the leagends of Ringwood and Throne who have hung their boots up. but still have the likes of Rusek, Carmichael and the returning Bady. Evelyn has been impressive with his quick pace, but Javis and Whittstock are too amazing players that will no doubt see a place on the line-up at some point. Falcon is another young player that has proved his wait in gold, and fits straight into the face paced team, and played fantastic in the island cup scoring 10 goals and setting up so many for the Foresters. For the opening game, Falcon Bady and Carmichael start.

Forwards:

one name, Firestone. From being the wonderkid to a fully fledged living legend!! he has everything, A lighting pace, a dangerous first touch, great vision, and that ability to just go for small gaps and exploit defensive errors, we admit, that a lot of his small run nothing comes it, but with him winning the golden boot 6 years in a row, and scoring countless goals for Khytenna, he record shows him in good light. Pellett has all ways been a great player for Khytenna, been between clubs, but he is a great player, especially in set pieces he is just great in finding spaces, scoring from deflections, these two players have done great together. Hytan however has always been in the wings, always their with a great pace (similar to that of Firestone) and got goals to his name, very impressive in club football. new Yzo has a lot to prove to get his place, but top scorer for Taevon Central puts him in a great place for an appearance. but for the opening game, the old Favourites are in the line up, Lini Pellett and Fergal Firestone.


So with a good line up and a big following of fans going to the opening game and travelling with the team, Can Khytenna pull of a great game tonight? all we know is the RKN will be their with all the action and we will be letting you know.

[Blouman Empire]

The seafaring nations of the Blouman Empire have always had a natural border in the form of the Atlantian Ocean and for centuries have sent out ships to interact with other nations within the Atlantian Ocean and beyond. The Ocean has allowed the Empire to establish vital trade routes that have helped the Empire and the people to prosper, obtain a greater standard of living and show the world the glory of Bloumany. Now for the very first time the Empire will interact with the nations of the Ocean on the football field by entering the 37th AOCAF Championship.

National manager Harry Malsomp has decided to ignore criticism of selecting a young side that performed miserably at the latest Cup of Harmony and World Cup Qualifiers and has called up the same players to participate in this AOCAF Championship. Quoting greater experience and the need to further develop his players for the next World Cup, Malsomp is sticking firm to his decision. Captain Brigss-Way backed up his manager during the press conference "I believe the experience we have picked up in the Cup of Harmony will allow us to perform better and with the entire team continuing on this will allows us to better perform then a team with different players".

The team has set up camp in Barheim where all three of the group stage matched will be played in the Seifertstaatstadion. The team have been placed in Group B with Audioslavia, New Montreal States and Leorudo, all strong teams whom have participated with many previous AOCAF championships. The Eagles first game is up against New Montreal States which promises to be a tough battle and will set the tempo for the rest of the tournament, bookies currently have the Empire to win at $6.50. The team will then face Leorudo a low ranked team but nevertheless will still prove a tough challenge for the Eagles to overcome, and is the most likely of game the Eagles will win. The team will finish the group stage against Audioslavia, a team the Eagles have played against in both the most recent Cup of Harmony and World Cup Qualifiers which saw two losses and a draw to the Empire, the team will be hoping to prove to their fans how much they have learnt by securing a win against Audioslavia.

[Legalese]

Gabe squinted as he looked into the lights, acting as if he could actually see the reporters below, and did his best to answer the question.

“I feel good about our chances. We brought our experience with us to Geisenfried. The side you’ll see in action is the same side that had achieved things no Legalese side has, including being the only side to have something on the World Cup champions that nobody else has: a winning record.”

“Before we continue here, one request, for whoever’s controlling the lighting. Can someone turn down those spotlights? The glare’s killing my eyes.”

The response - that is, the silence - told him everything. Hearing nothing, Gabe shielded his eyes from the lighting, and tried to make out the faces in the room.

“Gabe? Selena Hawkins, The Docket. I have a confession to make.”

Gabe found her, and quickly realized that she was the only other person in the room.

“Fine,” he sighed, “Who put you up to this?”

“I’m just as surprised as you are,” Selena replied, a small frown forming on her lips. “I, uh, guess the rest of the region doesn’t have much to say about your group.”

“That’s fine with me. You’ve probably figured out by now that I don’t like to do these things - no offence.”

Selena smiled. “None taken. Off the record question: what did Bernie promise you this time, in exchange for the conference?”

“Dinner after the group stage. There’s supposedly a nice brauhaus just near the-” Gabe caught himself. “Well, I’ll just leave it at that.”

Selena’s eyes betrayed her amusement. “Very well. I only have one other question, if you’ll let me go back on the record here.”

“Sure, why not?” Gabe shrugged. “Might as well give you something to print.”

“You spoke earlier about wanting to win this tournament, and about taking advantage of the favorable draw to bring your best side out here, with an emphasis on their performance over the last two years. However, you made one change to your lineup - a crucial one, I may add - in the goal, with Tarquin Waldrop named as the starter, in spite of only 30 minutes of international play in the last two years, plus a match at the last AOCAF. If you’re so insistent on winning it all, why the switch?”

The fact that despite our success last year, Stan’s not an international-caliber keeper, for one Gabe resisted replying. Tarquin’s a future star on our hands, but he needs to be tested, and this is the time to test him. Our regular side will keep the scoreline comfortable, so we can get over an error or two in the group stage.

However, Gabe knew that he could not say that, for it would be the spark that ignited a brouhaha. And of all the things brewing in Geisenfried, a brouhaha was certainly not one that Gabe wanted to brew.

“Well, Stan’s certainly in our plans, still - after all, he’s still wearing the 1 on his back.” Selena looked back up as Gabe’s pause ended with an answer. “I wanted to give Tarquin some minutes though, and the opener seemed like a good opportunity for him to mind the shop. We’ll let the results from here tell the rest of the story.”

[Farfadillis]

He was woken up by Nessi, they had arrived to Geisenfried. The trip had been by boat as Geisenfried wasn't far away from Farfadillis, just next to Cafundéu. The trip had taken 2 hours and a half, but they had finally arrived.... to the port. They still had to travel all the way to Gründer, by bus. The team was actually kind of tired, the bus would take 2 more hours to arrive to Gründer to play against Carpathia and Ruthenia, potential hosts for the following year's World Cup.

Dandalleion, as he had done on the 3rd Swamp Soccer World Cup, started to write before the match between the Farfs against the Carpathians and the Ruthenians.

New land to conquer?

Geisenfried, neighbouring nation that I've heard a lot of, that's where we'll be playing our next match against Carpathia and Ruthenia. It could be, as on the title, new land to conquer, or simply land to conquer as as a football team we haven't won anything yet. The AOCAF will be starting tomorrow and I really think we actually have some chances to qualify and that we can perform much better than the last time we met, at the Cup of Harmony. I also think that Nessi's addition to the team was a really good decision from Matino, Nessi sure showed what he was made of on the Di Bradini Cup, where we were eliminated on th Round of 16. Our match against Carpathia and Ruthenia, tomorrow, will be without a doubt the most important for us. If we want to qualify, we have to defeat them as they're the 2nd best team of the group, while we're 3rd. The team hasn't changed much, the tactic is almost the same, maybe a bit more conservative on the flanks, Tenian and I wion't have much support when attacking, but will have much more when defending. I still don't know if this good or bad. Johans will also play as a lonely striker, something I don't wish to anyone, as he'll have to run a lot, specially with O'rosso, Tenian, Tuzzio and me assisting him. Like if that wasn't enough, he'll also have to try to steal the ball from the defenders, something I believe he won't endure, but I like how he always surprises me. Mêndêlöíndçêl and Wanderis will, as always, try to steal the ball from the opponents. I actually admire Mêndêlöíndçêl a lot; he always tries a little harder when he's exhausted. After all that analysis, Chinsúa will continue being our central back, a task which I don't wish to anyone, as he's always been the only defender for counterattacks and, while this time he'll have a but of a rest with Setentriona and Frêndê trying to defend a bit more, he'll still have to continue this horrible job. Lisdiren is in top form, so I think we have a high point there.

Prediction: Farfadillis 4-4 Carpathia and Ruthenia

I mean, our football has always been attacking, and we've always conceeded lots of goals while scoring approximately the same amount, this match has no reason to change that.

[Wight]

.

[Vilita]

The Vilita & Turori Eel Cat Things will be fielding a strong squad for the 37th AOCAF tournament in Geisenfried. The squad will be coached by Vilita Jungle Cats head coach Calaesa Mitaroka.

There is no shortage of international talent on the roster with Vilita and Strike FC keeper Nycflala Kater the favorite to take the keeper spot with Turori's Ronji Miiastara also in line for a call.

No matter who gets the call in net, they will be facing an unfamiliar foe as the Eel Cat Things have never faced any of their Group G opponents in competition previously.

Up first for Vilita & Turori will be Svengarda.

Svengarda are debutants to the AOCAF tournament and will be using the competition as a warmup to their Baptism of Fire and World Cup debut's in qualifying for the famed cup's 62nd edition.

The flag of Svengarda is quite busy, featuring a non-traditional tri-color design decorated uniquely in each band. In the first band, featuring a white background, a black eagle is seen honing in on its prey - much like the Svengarda midfielders will likely be intending to do if the ball comes anywhere near them. In the central band, the navy background is complimented by the stolid form of the green pine tree - like the Svengarda defense, led by the menacing Torbjørn Lindström, standing tall against any attacking threat from the opposition. The crossed white swords being sharpened on the slate background in the final band show the threat posed by the Svengarda attack where Truls Waaserson will look to shoulder the goalscoring duties for the squad with a nickname that is currently unknown.

After playing the opener at the Greifshorst Stadion, the Eel-Cat things will set up camp at the Augustus Arena where they will take on Farfadillis on matchday 2. The Freisan Farf Freitball Francitan - with their Quad "F" emblem, will also be making their AOCAF debut.

The Farfadilli Flag clearly emphasizing the laser-like vision and accuracy of the Farfadillis midfield, led by 19 year old Friekder Dandalleion, a recent acquisition of Cednia Beach AFC.

Dressed on a black background, the green lasers form a cross in the central left portion of the flag. Also intersecting the same point, a pair red laser sources forming an X, showing the precision and integration required for the team displays the Farf side will be implementing. As if the theme was not already evident, the primary Farfadillis kits show laser refraction as the gre+en source is contoured around the curves of the silky threads.

As for the final opponents, Carpathia & Ruthenia, hosts of the 35th AOCAF competition, and yet another foe that Vilita & Turori has not faced before in competition. The flag of Carpathia and Ruthenia features 4 equal quadrants, two red, two blue, matching the shield, but featuring each a cross to show the balanced formation such as in their National Team roster.

[Geisenfried]

Königseifert Chronicle
^{The capital's finest English-language news source!}
AOCAF XXXVII IN GEISENFRIED - SPECIAL EDITION!

---

Go Big or Stay Home
^{Association's message is clear - Büchner needs to make noise as Geisenfried welcomes the region's best}

KÖNIGSEIFERT -- The preparations at long last are complete - after a nerve-wracking voting process that ended up being determined by only a single vote, hotels, cities and stadiums are ready to welcome the region's best and the world's eyes as the most prestigious regional competition around kicks off its 37th edition right here in the Royal Federation. It seems odd to think back just one AOCAF ago, the first time Geisenfried had re-entered the international footballing arena after a long dormancy, that there was still a question of whether or not it would last. It was intended just to be an experiment - and now here we are, not only competing but hosting the regional competition for the first time. It's been a long time since World Cup 32, but here's to hoping for the best once more.

Of course, there's a lot of hope that being at home will drastically help the Golden Eagles' chances and improve on Geisenfried's historically poor record in AOCAF. While getting shoved into a group of giants at the last cup was not much help, there was much ado about Büchner's job security after the massive failure at AOCAF 36, and in the early going of WC61 qualifying, with the Geisen offense struggling badly. However, the Golden Eagles managed to turn it up a notch, finish respectably enough to get a Cup of Harmony invitation and even manage to get into the knockout rounds, which has done a lot to resuscitate Büchner's reputation. However, the GKFV has made it perfectly clear that being at home, Geisenfried must make the most of it and advance in the further rounds of the tournament if he hopes to keep his job as manager going into World Cup 62 qualifying. Rumors at the moment are currently linking Gryphons' Anton Gault to the position, should Büchner fail to get sufficiently far in the home tournament.

As far as roster goes, in order to put on the best show, Geisenfried has decided to bring in it's A-team in hopes of getting as far as it can while on home soil. While Lukas Kani and Jordan Fuchs have been dropped due to competing in the Di Bradini Cup - succeeding in bringing the U-21 to the quarterfinals so far - most of the rest of the team is unchanged from the Cup of Harmony 53. The only new additions, in place of the youngsters, are Darnesmark forward Ketzer and Dözel wingman Schuster, as well as Königs' Braess, in order to boost defensive depth.

Geisenfried will play its entire group stage schedule at Königskronestadion. It will open the tournament against Legalese.

[Geisenfried]

Group A
Geisenfried [4] - [1] Legalese
Israeli Apartheid Client-State [0] - [1] Khytenna

Group B
Audioslavia [2] - [0] Leorudo
Blouman Empire [0] - [2] New Montreal States

Group C
Thatius [3] - [1] Delesa
Lymantatia [1] - [7] Valanora

Group D
Osarius [5] - [4] Kiryu-shi
Kinitaria [1] - [1] Port Hawthorne

Group E
95X [1] - [0] Andossa Se Mitrin Vega
Wight [1] - [0] Urbis Tractus

Group F
Falcania [1] - [1] Austenersey
Pacitalia [7] - [0] Hutt River

Group G
Svengarda [0] - [2] Vilita & Turori
Farfadillis [0] - [3] Carpathia & Ruthenia

Group H
Dorian and Sonya [2] - [0] Mantwenic
New West Guiana [3] - [4] Starblaydia

[Farfadillis]

He proceeded to write once again, he was a bit let down, but he was the best of the team to overcome huge losses:

Big Boom

Today, C&R thrashed us 3-0, I tend to think that it'd be good to have Nessi around, at least as a substitution. I wonder why Matino didn't send him in today. Sure, Frêndê is better, but it depends on the kind of match. Today, he should've replaced Frêndê for Nessi. Anyways, it wasn't Matino's fault.... completely. I think that the only player that performed well, who I've already congratulated personally, was Yurpá (Mêndêlöíndçêl). He ran, he stole the ball, he even created chances for god's sake! However, neither me nor Tuzzio were on a good day. We constantly lost through balls, missed chances, missed crosses, obvious passes and many more. Tenian wasn't the best Tenian today either, but he actually completed some through passes to Johans, who was too exhausted to score, as Matino asked him to press al the match. Bad move there Forretio, bad move there. I think that the FFFF should for once sack him, he's done some good things, but not even near to enough. I also think I miss Numbá (both, trhe manager and the player). Both of them were like leaders to all of us, I wonder when they'll come back, if they ever do. The defensive line was, once again, non-existant. You can't tell Frêndê and Setentriona to not join the attack and expect them to resist the temptation. Bad move there Forretio, bad move there. Chinsúa once again had to try to resist the C&R players constantly counterattacking him. He actually did a pretty good job, if it had been other player, we would've lost 10-0, MINIMUM. Wanderis was pretty average today, not bad, but not good. O'rosso was an average player today, no playmaking, no shooting. Just free kicks, with one hitting the post, but not much more. Fu, who entered on the 70th minute for Johans, who would've otherwise died in the field, played well, but couldn't get a single clear chance to score and if you don't assist Fu well, he's not gonna do a thing. Bujkanovic, who substituted Setentriona on the 80th minute, gave us a bit of confidence, one kinda old player can give this team lots of confidence, or at least that's what I've noticed. Good move there Forretio, but a bit late. I don't even care about who scored the goals, I didn't even check. All I know is that late bicycle kick was fantastic.

Prediction: Farfadillis 10-0 Vilita & Turori
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please and please almight Margaret!

He stopped writing, he had realized he was one hour late for training.

[Kiryu-shi]

PRESS RELEASE
The Kasakake University Committee on International Affairs
Kasakake University
Premier Kiryu-shi Governance

The recent Kiryu-shi loss to Osarius represents progress in Kiryu-shi football and Kiryu-shi athletics. While we lost a heart breaking match, the highest scoring match in all of the AOCAF thus far, we are happy to inform you that four separate members of the national team scored, lending credibility to our overall image. This was a spectacular sporting day against the number one seed from our group and our nation should be proud to support the team as well as its amazing coach, Dr. Archibald D. Peterson, who has graciously taken over the squad on short notice. His innovations have created an incredibly powerful team, as we shall no doubt see evidence for in our upcoming match against Port Hawthorne, once again taking place in the beautiful coastal city of Heimüller. Nation, be ready for victory and fireworks!

[OOC: For information regarding the coaching selection for the AOCAF, you can check my roleplays in the Di Bradini Cup here: MD2, MD3, MD4.
According to my timeline, the AOCAF takes place later in the same year as the Di Bradini Cup.]

[Wight]

.

[Khytenna]

Bady on target to win opening game.

Israeli Apartheid Client-State: 0

Khytenna: 1
Bady: 29th

Khytenna came of the blocks running, making it hard for the Israeli Apartheid Client-State to attack, and when they did, Khytenna hit back with the fantastic counter attack, with Bady getting the only goal of the game. Khytenna would of wanted to win by more and had plenty of chances to do so, but the 3 points is what was needed, as Khytenna set their sights to upset Geisenfried

with a massive vocal travelling support, to stadium was packed with Khytenna supporters all in good cheer behind their team, Khytenna would not disappoint as they went out all guns blazing in the first 10 minutes, the Israeli Apartheid Client-State found it hard to deal with the attacking players. with Firestone proving trouble as usual for the defence, getting an early chance at goal in the 5th minute, slipping past the defence and powering it low, the keeper getting his fingers to it just to put it wide. Khytenna's best chance of the early attack came from a free kick by Carmichael, he powered it over the wall and smashed the post, Berkeley tried to volley in the deflection, but put it over the goal, Berkeley was not in a comfortable position.

Israeli Apartheid Client-State came into their own after the early attack getting up field and creating chances, with a few scares, Khytenna thought the same old mistakes would be their to let them down again, but Testerman playing behind the defence was a great decision as was able to make cover when needed, and would play a vital part in the goal, in the 29th minute, Testerman tackled the ball of a Israeli Apartheid Client-State defender and ran forward with ball, making his way down field, after two other players came in to tackle, a quick through pass found a running Bady, who powered down field supported by Firestone, Bady got into the box and managed to just get it past the keepers finger tips as he shot it low to the bottom right corner, 1-0 Khytenna and the travelling fans went wild.

Khytenna had, though out the game, chances to make it 2-0, Firestone had his face share of shots, but today wasn't to be for the goal hungry striker. he set up a great chance, probably the best Khytenna had for the game in the second, for Pellett, chipping the keeper with the left side of the goal open, Pellett needed to beat his marker to head home the goal, he didn't quite manage it, getting to the ball but heading it just wide.

The game ended 1-0 and the Khytenna players looked pleases, they did what they needed to do, now their sights where set on the home nation, Geisenfried in their next game, Geisenfried comes of a impressive win against Legalese, and Khytenna will need to bring their A-game for match and the Coach knows it

"The game against Geisenfried is going to be great, if we win, that's it we are though, easier said then done! we need to improve on alot of things, we are not a finished product and we had a few chances that we could of made goals, but i am confident that we have a good chance in the next game


Next game see's one change, Brockberg comes on for Bowman.

GK 19. Roland Cuyler (23 Forestbrook Foresters)

RB 5. Teddy Berkeley (22 Taevon central FC)
DC 17. Nelson Bohannan(30 Alterdamm Merchants, Gray harbour)
SW 15. Oliver Testerman ( 27 No Club) (capt)
DC 18.Tao Xin ( 22, Kona Cove Sharks)
LB 2. Jonah Brockberg( 24, Drakes City

RM 21. Noel Falcon (23, Forestbrook Foresters)
CM 12. Kelly Bady (29 Drakes City)
LM 4. John Carmichael (22 Taevon Central FC)

FW 9. Fergal Firestone (25 blue bay AFC)
FW 10. Lini Pellett (24 San Jose Sharks, Northern Sunrise Islands)

[New Montreal States]

Ned and Denis have followed the Paladins to Sileväl, and are now wandering through the hotels downtown looking for visiting NMS fans to fire up their countrymen back home. Ned is the first to open his trap.

"Well, this match up next against the Bulls, that'll be the money match for the group stage, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"And the only one of the teams we'd played before."

"Audioslavia's a pretty big deal, Ned."

"L'affaire Branstone and all that."

"Sixteen years of above-average head coaching is hardly just an affaire..."

"Whatever, Captain Semantics. Seen any fans?"

"Nope."

"Any Montréalais at all?"

"Just that handful of junior-high exchance students, and they didn't look very photogenic..."

"Or civilized."

"That too."

"Maybe they just haven't come over from Barheim yet."

"Maybe." Denis and Ned entered yet another hotel, their fourth that day, and began scanning the lobby for signs of Paladins fans. Despite Ned's half-foot height advantage, Denis was the first to spot a likely target: a middle-aged man emerging from the elevators, wearing Paladins' right back Rick Andrews' #23 club jersey. "Man in the Sorel jersey, over by the elevators," Denis said. "Let's go."

Ned turned the camera towards Denis. "I'm Denis Lajoie, and we're here in Sileväl, Geisenfried, where Paladins fans are turning out in droves to support the 'States against fellow matchday 1 winners and occasional rivals Audioslavia! Let's interview one of them now." Denis walked towards the man wearing the Sorel Black Dragons jersey, with Ned going an admirable job of keeping pace and keeping the shot on focus. Denis came up besides the man and spoke to him:

"Denis Lajoie, PR for the Ministry of Morale, how are you enjoying your AOCAF, sir?"

The man blanched when he saw Denis and blanched even further when he saw the camera. His mouth drooped and he sighed as he wiped his brow. "She hired you, didn't she?" he replied to Denis."

"Um...what? We're just here to see how you're enjoying your time in Geisenfried..."

"Oh, Emily knows. She must have figured it out when I said I was going to go watch AOCAF - nobody would believe an excuse that transparent, what was I thinking?" His face froze for a second, then came to life with a sudden burst of resolve. "You know what? It's alright if she knows. She can waste her money on you private investigator types; I'll save mine for the divorce lawyers." He rounded on the camera and suddenly raised his voice, making Ned involuntarily cringe away. "Did you hear that, you frigid old cow? It's over! It's finally going to end! I haven't been happy to be in the same room as you for years! The only time you ever quit scowling and nagging is when the dessert cart rolls by!" A young blonde in a matching Black Dragons jersey emerged from one of the elevators and sashayed towards the man, who turned away from Ned and towards the girl:

"Baby! I'm going to get a divorce!" The man hurried away from the cameras. "I'll call on the way to the match, just to get the first blow in before those flatfoots Emily hired can get through to her...oh this will be so wonderful..." Ned and Denis watched him pull out a cell phone and start talking animatedly into it as he walked away from them with the girl on his arm. Ned motioned wordlessly towards the hotel bar; Denis nodded silently and followed him over.

[Geisenfried]

A wave of flashing lights welcomed the pair into the press room. Both Andreas Büchner, the manager on the hot-seat, and the man of the hour, Wali Schenze had been used to press conferences by now in their respective careers, but there was a vibe of craziness within this room in particular that even they couldn't have been prepared for. Sure, it was Geisenfried's first AOCAF win, and it had been at home, which were both achievements, no doubt - but it was how they'd managed to win that had set off the electric atmosphere. They'd taken on the biggest challenge in their group and won handedly - to just about everyone's surprise, including their own. There was still abundant chatter going through the room while the two were getting settled, but once the coach tapped the microphone a couple times, everyone's attention focused on the manager-player pair.

"Alright, then, let's get this started. Obviously, I think we did well as an entire group here today. Much thanks to the fans - it's a lot easier to win games when you've got seventy thousand people screaming you on. I can pretty much unequivocally say this is how we wanted to start this competition. While we were the top seed as hosts, Legalese was the best team in our group according to the rankings, but despite the tough early test, we came through beautifully. No match is perfect, and I'm sure I could point out a few negatives, but it's hard to dwell on what went wrong when so many things went right. I know you all want to talk to Wali here in particular, since he managed to pull off Geisenfried's first hat trick in international competition since... well, I don't know when, honestly. One of you stat heads could probably look it up, I don't have it in front of me. But I also want to say that we can't get complacent here just because we managed to get over a major hurdle. Khytenna isn't just going to roll over and give us another three points. We need to earn it here again next match like we did here today. With that, I'll turn it over to Wali for a bit."

"I'd like to thank Coach here in particular, since he didn't give himself enough credit. He saw the tweaks we needed to make at halftime when we were 1-1, and I think it's pretty clear what the results of what he saw were. While I know I'm going to get a lot of pub for getting three goals, I want to recognize the rest of my team right now while I have the chance - they were the ones that produced these opportunities, I only made the most of them. It's always an honor putting on the red and black for the country, and to score a hat trick with 70,000 of my closest friends... it's been a pretty magical afternoon for me, as I'm sure you'd imagine. Anything else you wanted to say, Coach?"

"That's about it. Guess it's time to open for questions. Uh... you there."

"Coach, Legalese seemed pretty upset with the early penalty kick that put you up 1-0. Do you think home-field advantage had anything to do with it?"

"There's always going to be the iffy calls - I've seen my share, both for and against me. That said, these umps are experienced professionals, I'd never believe they'd award something just because they were in front of a home crowd. Next... you?"

"Wali, Legalese was starting a new keeper for the opener - do you think that had anything to do with your run of goals in the second half?"

"I can't really say anything for or against the keeper - as a team, and for myself, being a striker, it's my job to make it as hard as possible on those guys. I'm sure he's not happy with the scoreline, but I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. We all have our lumps starting out - I mean, our last AOCAF was practically nothing BUT lumps - but you can't improve if you don't start somewhere."

"Next?"

"Coach, I think that while there's no doubt this performance was impressive, the question on everyone's mind is... how far can this team go?"

Andreas tried hard not to smirk, but no matter his efforts, he couldn't help but display a mischievous grin.

"As far as we want to."

That little statement of confidence got the assembled crowd of media to go wild.

---

Geisenfried 4-1 Legalese
- Reiher (13') (pk), Bassford (29'), Schenze (49', 55', 64')

[Geisenfried]

Group A
Khytenna [2] - [3] Geisenfried
Legalese [3] - [0] Israeli Apartheid Client-State

___Team                                P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Geisenfried                         2  2 0  0  7  3  +4  6
 2 Legalese                            2  1 0  1  4  4  +0  3
 3 Khytenna                            2  1 0  1  3  3  +0  3
 4 Israeli Apartheid Client-State      2  0 0  2  0  4  -4  0

Group B
New Montreal States [4] - [0] Audioslavia
Blouman Empire [1] - [1] Leorudo

___Team                     P  W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 New Montreal States      2  2 0 0  6  0  +6  6
 2 Audioslavia              2  1 0 1  2  4  -2  3
 3 Blouman Empire           2  0 1 1  1  3  -2  1
 4 Leorudo                  2  0 1 1  1  3  -2  1

Group C
Valanora [2] - [1] Thatius
Delesa [2] - [0] Lymantatia

___Team            P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Valanora        2  2 0  0  9  2  +7  6
 2 Thatius         2  1 0  1  4  3  +1  3
 3 Delesa          2  1 0  1  3  3  +0  3
 4 Lymantatia      2  0 0  2  1  9  -8  0

Group D
Kiryu-shi [4] - [2] Port Hawthorne
Kinitaria [0] - [3] Osarius

___Team                P  W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Osarius             2  2 0 0  8  4  +4  6
 2 Kiryu-shi           2  1 0 1  8  7  +1  3
 3 Port Hawthorne      2  0 1 1  3  5  -2  1
 4 Kinitaria           2  0 1 1  1  4  -3  1

Group E
Andossa Se Mitrin Vega [1] - [0] Wight
Urbis Tractus [1] - [2] 95X

___Team                        P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 95X                         2  2 0  0  3  1  +2  6
 2 Andossa Se Mitrin Vega      2  1 0  1  1  1  +0  3
 3 Wight                       2  1 0  1  1  1  +0  3
 4 Urbis Tractus               2  0 0  2  1  3  -2  0

Group F
Austenersey [0] - [3] Pacitalia
Hutt River [3] - [2] Falcania

___Team             P  W D L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Pacitalia        2  2 0 0 10  0 +10  6
 2 Hutt River       2  1 0 1  3  9  -6  3
 3 Falcania         2  0 1 1  3  4  -1  1
 4 Austenersey      2  0 1 1  1  4  -3  1

Group G
Carpathia & Ruthenia [1] - [1] Svengarda
Vilita & Turori [4] - [1] Farfadillis

___Team                      P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Vilita & Turori           2  2 0  0  6  1  +5  6
 2 Carpathia & Ruthenia      2  1 1  0  4  1  +3  4
 3 Svengarda                 2  0 1  1  1  3  -2  1
 4 Farfadillis               2  0 0  2  1  7  -6  0

Group H
Starblaydia [1] - [2] Dorian and Sonya
Mantwenic [1] - [0] New West Guiana

___Team                  P  W D  L For Ag +/- Pts
 1 Dorian and Sonya      2  2 0  0  4  1  +3  6
 2 Starblaydia           2  1 0  1  5  5  +0  3
 3 Mantwenic             2  1 0  1  1  2  -1  3
 4 New West Guiana       2  0 0  2  3  5  -2  0

[Port Hawthorne]

Port Hawthorne draws 1-1 with Kinitaria
ROY DAVIS
Heirhein, Geisenfried

I'm glad to be back with the Port Hawthorne Chronicle Sports Blog. It's been far too long my friends, I'm back from my two year long staycation in Timiocato, Pacitalia covering U21 soccer.

Port Hawthorne's national football club made it's seventh appearance in the AOCAF Cup this morning at Herzogssportfeld-Heirhein. This is their first they've made since their disappointing 0-1-5 in the AOCAF Cup 33. Federation of Port Hawthorne Football has made some desperate changes within the last few years since their appearance in international football. They canned ex-manager Patrick Ashby and the rest of the management and hired Scottish-born Port Hawthorner Henry Mackay after his retirement from being player-manager of the Colchester Gunners FC. Mackay looked for younger blood and has put together an impressive under-and-thirty club with the best from around the country.

Our club faced off against Kinitaria in a grueling tight match. the Durham Spurs' Kyran Reilly scored an own goal. The ball went in off the bottom of his foot while he tried to slide tackle the ball out of play in the twenty-fifth minute. Reilly would be solemnly substituted by Haiden Douglas. Kyran Reilly angrily protested with the manager. Reilly has been reported on several occasional about using obscure and offensive slurs and profanities.

Port Hawthorne's midfielder Ewan Carr would be able to score the match's tying goal in the forty-third minute with a volley from outside the twenty. The game ended in a draw 1-1.

Match Summary
Reilly (own goal, '25), Carr ('43)

[Wight]

.

[Audioslavia]

Sue Dysos had been scowling at her lemonade for ten minutes now.
"What's wrong, dear?" asked Rubio, tentatively
"Don't call me dear, and it should be perfectly obvious what's 'wrong'. First of all, Audioslavia get annihilated at the hands of... of... of New Montreal States, a team I'm sure we used to swat aside with disdain in the olden days. Secondly, my drinking alcohol in front of my supposed 'boyfriend' is apparently too difficult for you to handle, so I have to drown my sorrows in sodding lemonade. I probably couldn't even drown a puppy in lemonade."
"No-one can drown a puppy in lemonade. The bubbles get stuck in their ears and they keep rising to the top. You have to keep your foot on their head but your skin gets too itchy from the sugar before the puppy runs out of oxygen" replied Rubio, matter-of-factly.
"...what?"
"Jeremy told me"
"That's stupid"
"Well, you know what Jeremy's like. He likes to disgust people."
"No, I mean why not put a pair of gloves on and flick the bubbles out of the dogs ears whenever it looks like its beginning to float?"
"Oh. Erm, well.."
"Anyway it doesn't matter"
"Maybe the bubbles get stuck in the fur and thats why they keep flo.."
"It doesn't matter" repeated Sue, taking a swig of her lemonade and grimacing at the lack of alcohol. "Why can't I drink when you're the one who's gone tee-total? Hmm? I don't eat meat but you don't see me slapping bacon sandwiches out your hand"
"You did just that the other morning" replied Rubio.
"That's because I wanted you to come back to bed. I was being assertive."
"You were being an arse. It was 8 in the morning and I was just heading out the door to go to work"
"Did you mind being late?"
"I minded being hungry"
"Well I mind being sober. Especially after watching my team get scunnered by... by.... by New Montreal F***ing States.
"Look" said Rubio, "I'm not your boss..."
"Damn right you aren't" interrupted Sue,
"..if you want to drink, that's fine. It just... it makes one of the wheels shaky on my wagon, that's all"

Rubio had barely enough time to finish the sentence before Sue was out of her seat and on her way to the bar.

That woman... thought Rubio, that woman reminds me of Jeremy *far* too much.

Rubio had endured enough jibes about having some kind of Freudian complex from co-workers who also saw the resemblance between Sue's character and Jeremy's. They weren't *alike* in any way, but shared the aggressive assertiveness and both were less than comfortable with displaying positive emotions. Jeremy hadn't been working too much, still enjoying a wee bit of a sabbatical, but he'd expressed his amusement at having Sue perform his part of Jeremy and Rubio's friendship in his absense.

"A draw against Blouman Empire and we're probably through to the second round" said Sue, returning to the table with a pint and a shot of rum, which went straight into the half-empty lemonade glass.
"Looking on the bright side, finally?" asked Rubio
"I suddenly feel a lot more positive, yeah".